續傳燈錄 2.16

2.16

瑞州洞山曉聰禪師韶州杜氏子。遊方時在雲居作燈頭。見僧說泗洲大聖近在揚州出現。有設問曰。既是泗洲大聖。為甚麼却向揚州出現。師曰。君子愛財取之以道。後僧舉似蓮華峯祥菴主。主大驚曰。雲門兒孫猶在。中夜望雲居拜之。住後僧問。達磨未傳心地印。釋迦未解髻中珠。此時若問西來意。還有西來意也無。師曰。六月雨淋淋寬其萬姓心。曰恁麼則雲散家家月春來處處花。師曰。脚跟下到金剛水際是多少。僧無語。師曰。祖師西來特唱此事。自是上座不薦。所以從門入者不是家珍。認影迷頭豈非大錯。既是祖師西來特唱此事。又何必更對眾叨叨。珍重。問無根樹子向甚麼處栽。師曰。千年常住一朝僧。問如何是離聲色句。師曰。南贍部洲北欝單越。曰恁麼則學人知恩不昧也。師曰。四大海深多少。問古鏡未磨時如何。師曰。此去漢陽不遠。曰磨後如何。師曰。黃鶴樓前鸚鵡洲。問如何是佛。師曰。理長即就。上堂。教山僧道甚麼即得。古即是今。今即是古。所以楞嚴經道。松直棘曲鵠白烏玄。還知得麼。雖然如是未必是松一向直棘一向曲鵠便白烏便玄。洞山道。這裏也有曲底松。也有直底棘。也有玄底鵠。也有白底烏。久立。上堂僧問。學人進又不得退又不得時如何。師曰。抱首哭蒼天。僧無語。師曰。汝還知鉢盂饙子落處麼。汝若知得落處也從汝問。三十年後驀然問著也不定上堂舉。寒山云。井底生紅塵。高峯起白浪。石女生石兒。龜毛寸寸長。若要學菩提。但看此模樣。良久曰。還知落處也無。若也不知落處。看看菩提入僧堂裏去也。久立。上堂。春寒凝冱夜來好雪還見麼。大地雪漫漫。春風依舊寒。說禪說道易。成佛成祖難。珍重。上堂。晨雞報曉靈。粥後便天明。燈籠猶瞌睡。露柱却惺惺。復曰。惺惺直言惺惺。歷歷直言歷歷。明朝後日莫認奴作郎。珍重。因事示眾。天晴蓋却屋。乘乾刈却禾。早輸王稅了。鼓腹唱巴歌。問德山入門便棒。猶是起模畫樣。臨濟入門便喝。未免揑目生花。離此二途未審洞山如何為人。師曰。天晴久無雨近日有雲騰。曰他日若有人問洞山宗旨。教學人如何舉似。師曰。園蔬枯槁甚檐水潑菠薐。初比部郎中許公式出守南昌。過蓮華峯聞。祥公曰。聰道者在江西試尋訪之。此僧人天眼目也。許公既至聞聰住山家風。作詩寄之曰。語言渾不滯。高躡祖師蹤。夜坐連雲石。春栽帶雨松。境分金殿燭。山答月樓鐘。有問西來意。虛堂對遠峯。師一日不安。上堂辭眾述法身頌曰。參禪學道莫茫茫。問透法身北斗藏。余今老倒尫羸甚。見人無力得商量。唯有钁頭知我意。栽松時復上金剛。言訖而寂。又七日闍維得五色舍利。塔于金剛嶺。

Chan Master Dongshan Xiaocong of Ruizhou was a native of the Du clan in Shaozhou. While on his itinerant pilgrimage, he served as the lamp attendant at Yunju. Seeing a monk say that the Great Sage of Sizhou had recently appeared in Yangzhou, someone raised the question, "Since he is the Great Sage of Sizhou, why does he appear in Yangzhou instead?" The Master said, "A gentleman loves wealth and acquires it by proper means." Later a monk recounted this to Hermit Xiang of Lianhuafeng. Xiang was greatly astonished and said, "A descendant of Yunmen still lives!" In the middle of the night he faced Yunju and bowed to him. After becoming abbot, a monk asked, "When Bodhidharma had not yet transmitted the mind-ground seal, and Śākyamuni had not yet untied the crest jewel—if at that time one asked about the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West, was there still a meaning of coming from the West or not?" The Master said, "The sixth month's rain pours down, easing the hearts of myriad commoners." The monk said, "If so, then the clouds disperse and every household has the moon; spring arrives and everywhere there are flowers." The Master said, "From beneath your heels to the edge of the adamantine water, how far is it?" The monk was speechless. The Master said, "The Patriarch came from the West specifically to proclaim this matter. It is simply that you, Elder, do not recognize it. Therefore, that which enters through the gate is not the family treasure. Mistaking the shadow and losing the head—is that not a great error? Since the Patriarch came from the West specifically to proclaim this matter, what need is there to babble on further before the assembly? Take care!" A monk asked, "Where should a rootless tree be planted?" The Master said, "A thousand-year permanent monastic estate; a single morning's monk." The monk asked, "What is the phrase that departs from sound and form?" The Master said, "Jambudvīpa in the south, Uttarakuru in the north." The monk said, "If so, then this student is not blind to the kindness [received]." The Master said, "How deep are the four great seas?" The monk asked, "How was it before the ancient mirror was polished?" The Master said, "Not far from here to Hanyang." The monk said, "How is it after it is polished?" The Master said, "Yingwu Island before the Yellow Crane Tower." The monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "When principle is superior, follow it." Ascending the hall, [the Master said,] "What can this mountain monk say that will do? The ancient is the present; the present is the ancient. Therefore the Śūraṅgama Sūtra states: 'Pines are straight, brambles are curved, swans are white, crows are black.' Do you understand this? Although it is like this, it is not necessarily so that pines are invariably straight, brambles are invariably curved, swans are always white, or crows are always black. Dongshan says: here there are also curved pines, straight brambles, black swans, and white crows. You have been standing long." Ascending the hall, a monk asked, "When a student can neither advance nor retreat, how is it?" The Master said, "Hold your head and weep to the azure sky." The monk was speechless. The Master said, "Do you know where the alms-bowl and the ladle land? If you know where they land, I will let you ask. Even after thirty years, to suddenly hit upon it is not certain either." Ascending the hall, he cited: "Hanshan says: 'Red dust rises at the bottom of the well; white waves surge atop the high peak. A barren woman gives birth to a stone child; tortoise hair grows inch by inch. If you wish to learn bodhi, just look at this pattern.'" After a long silence, he said, "Do you know where it lands or not? If you do not know where it lands, watch out—bodhi is going right into the monks' hall! You have been standing long." Ascending the hall, [the Master said,] "The spring chill is biting, and last night brought good snow. Do you see it? Over the great earth the snow is vast and boundless; the spring wind remains as cold as before. Talking of Chan and talking of the Way is easy; becoming a Buddha and becoming a patriarch is hard. Take care!" Ascending the hall, [the Master said,] "The morning rooster crows announcing the dawn; after gruel, it is daybreak. The lantern is still drowsy, but the exposed pillar is wide awake." He added, "When wide awake, speak straight of being wide awake; when clear, speak straight of being clear. Tomorrow and the day after, do not mistake the servant for the master. Take care!" On account of an event he instructed the assembly: "When the sky clears, cover the roof; taking advantage of the dry weather, harvest the grain. Having paid the royal taxes early, drum the belly and sing the Ba folk songs." A monk asked, "Deshan delivered a blow of the stick as soon as one entered the gate, which was still drawing a pattern; Linji gave a shout as soon as one entered the gate, which could not avoid pressing the eyes to produce flowers. Departing from these two approaches, I wonder how Dongshan instructs people?" The Master said, "The sky has been clear for long without rain; recently clouds have surged." The monk said, "If another day someone asks about Dongshan's lineage tenets, how should this student recount them?" The Master said, "The garden vegetables are very parched; eaves water splashes on the spinach." Earlier, Vice Director of the Ministry of Justice Xu Gongshi went out to govern Nanchang. Passing Lianhuafeng, he heard Elder Xiang say, "Tiantong Cong is in Jiangxi; you should try to seek him out. This monk is an eye for humans and gods." When Master Xu arrived and heard of Cong's mountain-dwelling house style, he composed a poem and sent it to him, which read: "His words are entirely unobstructed, / High-treading in the footsteps of the patriarchs. / Sitting at night upon cloud-connected stones, / In spring planting rain-soaked pines. / The realm reflects the candles of the golden palace; / The mountain responds to the bell of the moonlit pavilion. / If someone asks the meaning of coming from the West, / The empty hall faces the distant peaks." One day the Master was unwell. Ascending the hall to take leave of the assembly, he recited a verse on the Dharmakāya: "In practicing Chan and learning the Way, do not be bewildered; / Inquire thoroughly into the Dharmakāya hidden in the Northern Dipper. / Now I am decrepit, emaciated, and extremely frail; / Meeting people, I lack the strength to confer with them. / Only the mattock knows my mind; / Planting pines, from time to time I ascend the adamantine [peak]." Having spoken, he passed away. After seven days, his cremation yielded five-colored relics (śarīra). A stupa was erected for him on the Adamantine Ridge.