續傳燈錄 3.5

Chan Master Shishuang Chuyuan Ciming of Tanzhou was a son of the Li family of Quanzhou. In his youth he was a Confucian scholar. At the age of twenty-two, he left home [to become a monk] at Yinjing Monastery on Mount Xiang. His mother, who was of virtuous conduct, had him travel for itinerant pilgrimage. Hearing of Fenyang's renown in the Way, he went to call upon him. Fenyang looked at him and tacitly saw him as a vessel of Dharma. Two years passed without Fenyang allowing him to enter his room. Whenever they met, he would inevitably scold and revile him, or slander the various quarters; and whenever he gave instruction, it was all base matters of worldly vulgarity. One evening, the Master complained, saying, "Since arriving at this Dharma seat, two summers have already passed without my receiving any guidance. It has only increased worldly thoughts of dust and toil. The months and years drift fleetingly by, while my own affair remains unclear. I am losing the benefit of having left home." Before he had finished speaking, Fenyang glared at him and scolded, "You bad kalyāṇamitra! How dare you try to merchandise me?" In anger, he raised his staff to drive him away. As the Master was about to offer an excuse, Fenyang covered the Master's mouth. Thereupon the Master experienced a great awakening, and said, "Now I know that Linji's Way transcends ordinary sentiment." He served him for seven years. He took leave and went to rely upon Chan Master Tangming Song. Song said to the Master, "Academician Yang Danian's views and understanding are lofty, and his entry into the Way is stable and solid. You must go see him." The Master then went to see Danian. Danian asked, "Facing each other, we do not know one another; a thousand miles apart, we yet share the same style." The Master said, "Recently I received an invitation from the monastery." Danian said, "Truly hollow and false!" The Master said, "Last month I left Tangming." Danian said, "Just now I regretted asking you." The Master said, "An adept!" Danian then shouted. The Master said, "Exactly so." Danian shouted again. The Master made a stroke with his hand. Danian stuck out his tongue and said, "Truly a dragon-elephant!" The Master said, "What kind of talk is that?" Danian called to the guest attendant, "Bring tea! He is originally a man of the house." The Master said, "That too is unnecessary." When the tea was finished, he asked again, "What is the Elder's phrase for instructing people?" The Master said, "Urgent!" Danian said, "If so, then a new bride in a long skirt drags through the mud as she runs." The Master said, "Who could be like you, Academician?" Danian said, "An adept, an adept!" The Master said, "I release you from twenty blows of the stick." Danian slapped his thigh and said, "What place do you take this to be?" The Master clapped his hands and said, "Nor can you be let off!" Danian laughed heartily. He asked again, "Do you remember the circumstances of Tangming's awakening back then?" The Master said, "Tangming asked Shoushan, 'What is the precise great meaning of the Buddhadharma?' Shoushan said, 'Beside the city of King Chu, the Ru River flows eastward.'" Danian said, "Just such words—what is their intended meaning?" The Master said, "Hanging a lantern on the water." Danian said, "If so, then you are failing the ancients." The Master said, "If the Academician doubts it, investigate it elsewhere." Danian said, "A three-legged toad jumps up into the sky!" The Master said, "Let it jump as it pleases." Danian then laughed heartily. He lodged the Master in his studio, interrogating him on doubtful points day and night. Hearing of his wisdom, realization, and past words and deeds, he regretted meeting him so late. At court, he saw the Imperial Son-in-law Commandant Lord Li Zunxu and said, "Recently I met a man of the Way who is truly a lion of the Xihe." Li said, "Constrained by regulations, I cannot go to call upon him. What can be done?" Danian remained silent. Returning, he said to the Master, "Lord Li is a man within the Buddhadharma. Hearing that the wind of your Way has reached far, he wishes to see you. Yet precisely because of regulations, he may not associate with the attendants of the court." At dawn, the Master went to call on Lord Li. The Lord examined his calling card and sent a boy attendant to ask, "If you can speak a word, I will meet with the Elder." The Master said, "Today I have come specially to see you." He sent the boy attendant again, saying, "A stele inscription is engraved with plain characters; upon the highway, green pines are planted." The Master said, "Were it not for today's occasion, on other days it would surely be hard to meet." The boy came out again and said, "The Commandant says: If so, then I shall go and meet with the Elder." The Master said, "Head of the feet, sole of the feet." The Lord then came out, sat down, and asked, "I hear that Xihe has a golden-haired lion. Is it so?" The Master said, "Where did you get this news?" The Lord then shouted. The Master said, "A jackal's cry!" The Lord shouted again. The Master said, "Exactly so." The Lord laughed heartily. The Master took leave. The Lord asked, "What is the Elder's phrase on departing?" The Master said, "Take good care of yourself." The Lord said, "How is that different from the various quarters?" The Master said, "What would the Commandant have it be?" The Lord said, "I release the Elder from twenty blows of the stick." The Master said, "Exclusively for circulation." The Lord shouted again. The Master said, "Blind!" The Lord said, "Go well." The Master responded, "Yes, yes." From then on, he frequented the gates of Yang and Li, being friends in the Dharma. After a long time, he took leave to return to Hedong. Danian said, "May I send a phrase to Tangming through you?" The Master said, "The bright moon shines upon the night traveler." Danian said, "On the contrary, it does not match." The Master said, "Late at night is still tolerable; after noon is even more sorrowful for people." Danian said, "The Vajra warrior in front of Kaibao Monastery—why has he been sweating recently?" The Master said, "Known." Danian said, "Upon the Elder's departure, is there no phrase for instructing people?" The Master said, "The mountain-pass road is layered and folded." Danian said, "If so, then I shall go along with the Elder." The Master let out a hiss. Danian said, "A true lion's cub, a great lion's roar!" The Master said, "Released and then taken back." Danian said, "Just now I lost my footing and fell, but the house boy helped me up again." The Master said, "When will there ever be an end to it?" Danian laughed heartily. The Master returned to Tangming. Lord Li sent two monks to inquire after the Master. At the end of the letter, the Master drew a pair of feet, wrote the visiting monks' names, and sent it back. The Lord composed a verse: 'A single black hair extends over a thousand miles; / From the golden coffin, a pair of feet is revealed. / Devas and humans are completely unable to fathom it; / Take care, red-bearded barbarian.' Because his mother was elderly, the Master returned south. Reaching Ruizhou, he led the assembly at Dongshan. At that time, Chan Master Cong resided there. Previously, Fenyang had told the Master, 'I have called upon the descendants of Yunmen everywhere, and my only regret is not having met Cong.' Thus the Master relied on him for three years, and then traveled to Mount Yang. Yang Danian sent a letter to Huang Zongdan, the prefect of Yichun, having him invite the Master to appear in the world and expound the Dharma. The prefect invited the Master to Nanyuan, but the Master did not go. Shortly thereafter, he specially called upon the prefect and expressed his willingness to go. The prefect asked for the reason, and he replied, 'At first it was out of yielding; now I just happen to wish to do so.' The prefect deemed him of great virtue. After taking up residence, he ascended the hall [and said], 'All Buddhas and all Buddhas' teachings of anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi emerge from this sutra.' He then held up his staff and said, 'This is Nanyuan's staff. Which one is the sutra?' After a long pause, he said:

The rest of the text is long, so I leave it for tomorrow.’ He gave a shout and descended from the seat. He ascended the hall. After remaining silent for a long time, he said, ‘A person of non-action and non-affair is still troubled by the golden chains.’ He gave a shout and descended from the seat. A monk asked, ‘What is the Buddha?’ The Master said, ‘Water emerging from a high plateau.’ The monk asked, ‘What is the environment of Nanyuan?’ The Master said, ‘The Yellow River with its nine bends, water flowing out of Kunlun.’ The monk asked, ‘What is the person within the environment?’ The Master said, ‘Going along with the flow without looking back, chopping off a hand and gazing toward Fusang.’ He ascended the hall: ‘Clouds gather and mists disperse; the bright sun is in mid-sky. Without falling into light or dark, how do you communicate the message?’ A monk asked, ‘What about when one searches in the deep mountains and cannot find it?’ The Master said, ‘The mouth can invite disaster.’ The monk asked, ‘What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?’ The Master said, ‘In Dongting Lake, the waves billow to heaven.’ The monk asked, ‘What about when surging in the east and sinking in the west?’ The Master said, ‘Seek.’ The monk asked, ‘What about walking alone in the quiet of the night?’ The Master said, ‘Three bundles of thatch.’ The monk asked, ‘What about when the precious sword has not yet left its scabbard?’ The Master said, ‘It rings.’ The monk said, ‘What about after it has left the scabbard?’ The Master let out a hiss. The monk asked, ‘What about finding quiet in the midst of noise?’ The Master said, ‘Pillowing the head on a cloth sack.’ The monk asked, ‘What about Niutou before seeing the Fourth Patriarch?’ The Master said, ‘Mound upon mound.’ The monk said, ‘What about after seeing him?’ The Master said, ‘Mound upon mound.’ The monk asked, ‘What about when gaining once is gaining forever?’ The Master said, ‘Embracing a rock and throwing oneself into the river.’ The monk asked, ‘What about relying on the sword Moye to take the Master's head?’ The Master said, ‘Chop it off and take it away.’ The monk hesitated, and the Master struck him. The Master stayed for three years and then departed. He visited Chan Master Shending Yin. Shending was a senior disciple of Shoushan, of revered reputation in his time. Unless patch-robed monks were remarkably refined and outstanding, none dared to enter his gate. Having resided on the mountain for thirty years, his disciples swallowed up the other regions in prestige. The Master’s hair was long and uncut, wearing tattered clothes and speaking with a Chu accent. He announced his visit calling himself a Dharma nephew. The whole assembly laughed loudly. Shending sent an attendant boy to ask, ‘Whose Dharma heir is the elder?’ The Master looked up at the ceiling and said, ‘I come having seen Fenyang directly.’ Shending, leaning on his staff, came out. Looking at him, seeing how tall he was, he asked, ‘Fenzhou has the Lion of Xihe, does it not?’ The Master pointed behind him and screamed, ‘The house is collapsing!’ The boy ran back. Shending looked back with startled eyes. The Master sat on the ground, took off a shoe, and gazed at it. Old Shending forgot what he had asked, and also lost track of where the Master was. The Master slowly stood up, adjusted his robes, and walking away said, ‘Seeing the face is not as good as hearing the name.’ He then left. Shending sent someone to pursue him, but they could not catch him. He sighed and said, ‘Does Fenzhou indeed have such a boy?’ From then on, the Master’s reputation was weighty throughout the monasteries. The śramaṇa Benyan of Dinglin was a person of virtuous practice, well trusted and respected by the scholar-officials. Shending met Yan and praised the Master, saying his understanding could revive the Linji school. It happened that Daowu’s seat became vacant; Yan petitioned the commandery to invite the Master to preside over it. His monastic regulations were orderly and strict; those who forgot their bodies for the Dharma gathered there. He ascended the hall: ‘The former Baoying said, “If you comprehend the first sentence, you are worthy to be the teacher of buddhas and patriarchs. If you comprehend the second sentence, you are worthy to be the teacher of humans and devas. If you comprehend the third sentence, you cannot even save yourself.” Daowu is not like this. If you comprehend the first sentence, you mix with mud and water. If you comprehend the second sentence, you bind yourself without rope. If you comprehend the third sentence, all four corners hit the ground. Therefore it is said, when arising, the seas are serene and rivers clear, and travellers stay off the road; when resting, heaven and earth lose their colour, and the sun and moon have no light. Where do you people breathe out? Right now, is there anyone breathing out? If there is, come out before the assembly and breathe out for us to see. If there is no one, Daowu will breathe out for you.’ Then he let out a hiss, struck his staff once, and descended from the seat. He ascended the hall: ‘Daowu beats the drum, and the four great continents participate together. The staff held horizontally levers up heaven and earth, the great earth. The alms bowl turned upside down covers the worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. But tell me: where do you establish your lives? If you know, you eat gruel and rice in Uttarakuru. If you do not know, you eat gruel and rice on the long connected platform.’ Next he resided at Shishuang. At the end of the summer retreat, he said to the assembly: / ‘Yesterday a baby, / today old age is here. / Not having clarified the three, eight, and nine, / it is difficult to tread the ancient sovereigns’ road. / The hand scoops the Yellow River dry; / the foot kicks Mount Sumeru over. / Floating life is a dream-phantom body; / human life can hardly be preserved by evening. / Heaven and hell / are both created by the mind. / Pines of the southern mountain and northern peak; / grass of the northern peak and southern mountain. / A single rainfall moistens boundlessly; / shoots and dry stalks grow robust. / Those who travel the five lakes to study and practice, / only ask and seek from empty space. / Dying, one sheds the summer shirt; / born, one puts on the winter coat. / Clearly a person of non-affair, / purposely giving rise to afflictions.’ / He gave a shout and descended from the seat. He ascended the hall: ‘A single shout distinguishes guest and host; illumination and function operate at once. If you want to understand the meaning within this: strike the third watch at midday.’ He then gave a shout and said, ‘Tell me, is it guest or host? Is there anyone who can distinguish them? If you can distinguish them, in the morning thirty blows, in the evening eight hundred blows. If you cannot yet, this old monk takes the loss.’ Because companions of the Way visited, he ascended the hall: / ‘A rustling cool breeze and scene; / fellow travellers visit the lonely seclusion. / Boiling tea with water from the mountain; / heating the cauldron with firewood from the cave. / Take care.’ A monk asked, ‘What was it like before Bodhidharma came?’ The Master said, ‘In Chang’an, night after night, the moon shines on every home.’ The monk asked, ‘What about after he came?’ The Master said, ‘Music and songs in a few places; sorrow in a few places.’ The monk asked, ‘What about when not bringing a single thing?’ The Master said, ‘Locust trees form a forest.’ The monk asked, ‘What about when fire comes from the four mountains?’ The Master said, ‘Things flourish according to people.’ The monk asked, ‘What about ascending higher step by step?’ The Master said, ‘Clouds arise beneath the feet.’ The monk asked, ‘What was the ancient's intention in sealing blank paper?’ The Master said, ‘Poor at home, rich on the road.’ The monk asked, ‘What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the West?’ The Master said, ‘Three days of wind, five days of rain.’ He ascended the hall: ‘As for a lineage master, he snatches away the gem in the impoverished person's garment, and scrutinizes the insight of those who have attained. If not like this, they are all fellows who mix with mud and water.’ After a long silence, he said: / ‘When meeting a swordsman on the road, one must present a sword; / unless to a poet, do not offer poetry.’ / He gave a shout. He ascended the hall: ‘I have a phrase that cuts off deliberate thought and forgets conditions. It cannot be cleverly spoken; it only requires mind transmission. I also have an utterance that is nothing other than a direct presentation. But what is the sentence of direct presentation?’ After a long silence, he drew a line with his staff and gave a shout. A monk asked, ‘When one's own affair is not yet clarified, what serves as proof?’ The Master said,

Xuansha once went to see Xuefeng. Xuefeng said, "What was the underlying intent?" The Master said, "All his life he did not step outside the mountain range." A monk asked, "Are the Patriarch's intent and the teachings' intent the same or different?" The Master said, "The horse has the gratitude of letting fall the reins; the dog has the kindness of tucking in grass." The monk said, "Then there is no difference?" The Master said, "Western India, Eastern Land." A monk asked, "What is the student's own self?" The Master said, "Cracking the bone and extracting the marrow." He ascended the hall and said: "Entering the water, one sees a tall person. Take care." He ascended the hall and said: "Facing west, walking towards the east; the Northern Dipper is precisely leaving its palace. Speaking of going, when did one ever go? The cowherd boy rides the ox lying down. Take care." He ascended the hall and said: "Spring sprouting and summer growing I do not ask about. What do you people say about the phrase under your heels?" After a long pause, he said, "The abbot of Huaguang Monastery." He then stepped down from the seat. He ascended the hall and said: "When medicines are many, sickness is severe; when the net is fine, fish are crowded." He then stepped down from the seat. He gave an instruction to the assembly: striking the meditation couch once with his staff, he said, "Does the great assembly understand? Have you not heard it said: 'With one strike, what was known is forgotten; no more need for cultivation and maintenance. Those of all quarters who have attained the Way all call it the supreme capacity.' When Xiangyan was awakened in this manner, he clearly awakened to the Tathāgata Zen. But the Patriarch Zen he had not yet seen even in a dream. And tell me, what special merit does the Patriarch Zen have? If you seek a model within words, you will mislead later generations; even if you accept it under the blow of the stick, you fail the ancient sages. The myriad dharmas are inherently at leisure; it is only people who agitate themselves. Therefore, when this mountain monk lived at Fuyan, I saw only the realm of Fuyan: waking late and sleeping early, at times clouds rising from the blue peaks and the moon setting into the cold pool; musical birds flying and singing before the Prajñā Terrace; śāla flowers scattering fragrance beside Zhurong Peak; holding a slender cane, sitting on a flat rock, occasionally talking of the dark subtleties with patch-robed monks of the five lakes. With dust on my head and dirt on my face, when dwelling at Xinghua, I saw only the house style of Xinghua: welcoming and seeing off; the gate connected with the city, carriages and horses bustling; fishermen singing by the Xiao and Xiang rivers, apes crying at Yuelu; strings and flutes, songs and melodies entering the ears from time to time; furthermore, conversing daily on Zen and the Way with noble people from the four seas, completely forgetting the months and years. And tell me, between dwelling in deep mountains and staying in city walls, is there superior and inferior or not? Try and say it!" After a long pause, he said, "Every place is Maitreya; there is no gate and no Sudhana." A monk asked, "What happens when one travels on pilgrimage without meeting anyone?" The Master said, "The fishing line coils through the water." A monk asked, "Searching branches and picking leaves I do not ask about; what is cutting straight to the root source?" The Master said, "The wild-chestnut staff." The monk asked, "What is the meaning?" The Master said, "Walking, it carries on the shoulder the clouds-and-water patch-robe; sitting down, it is held steadily in the palm." A monk asked, "Since they are good spirits protecting the Dharma, why do they draw bows and nock arrows?" The Master said, "Propriety defends against the superior person." A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "Having money, spend money." He ascended the hall and said: "The Patriarch's mind-seal: one impression seals space; one impression seals water; one impression seals mud. Nowadays, is there anyone who cannot be sealed? Try to say a phrase from under your heels! Even if you can say it freely and clearly, above all do not pass through the patch-robed monk's gate. And tell me, what special merit does the patch-robed monk have?" After a long pause, he said, "The king of humanity's three inches of iron; everywhere is covered with swords and spears." He gave a shout, planted his staff, and stepped down from the seat. He ascended the hall and said: "The sky has already brightened, the drum has already sounded; the assembly of holy ones has gathered, palms joined together. Nowadays, is there anyone who does not join palms? If there is, Nirgrantha rejoices; if there is not, Gautama flies into a rage. Standing for a long time—take care." A monk asked, "Grinding a three-foot sword to go reform unfair people: what is the Master's intention?" The Master said, "Go well." The monk said, "Checked." The Master said, "Look at you." The monk clapped his hands once and returned to the assembly. The Master said, "Finished." He ascended the hall and said: "North of North Mountain, south of South Mountain; sun and moon both shine, heaven and earth are dark. The great seas, rivers, and streams all radiate light; meeting Guanyin, ask Maitreya. Take care." A monk asked, "What happens when one has the principle but it is difficult to express?" The Master said, "Bitter." The monk said, "Then the tongue is pressed against the upper palate?" The Master hissed with a breath. The monk said, "I supposed the barbarian's beard was red." The Master said, "Have you seen Xinghua's heels even in a dream?" He instructed his disciples with a verse: "Black, black, black! / Speak, speak, speak! / Clear, clear, clear! / Attained, attained, attained!" In his room, the Master had planted a sword, with a pair of straw sandals and a basin of water placed beside the sword. Whenever he saw someone enter the room, he immediately said, "Look, look!" If anyone went to the side of the sword and hesitated in thought, the Master said, "Danger! You have lost your body and forfeited your life!" and shouted them out. In winter, the Master posted a placard in the monks' hall, writing these characters: 'two two two three table [...]'. Beneath it he wrote a note: 'If someone recognizes this, it does not depart from the four deportments.' The head monk saw it and said, 'Today the upādhyāya exempts us from assembly.' Hearing this, the Master laughed. In the wuyin year of the Baoyuan era, Commandant Li sent an envoy to invite the Master, saying, 'In all the land, my Dharma friends are only you, Master, and Yang Danian. Danian left me and passed away before me. In recent years, I have suddenly felt my decline; holding back death, I hope for one meeting.' The Commandant also sent a letter to the prefect of Tan Prefecture urgently requesting him to dispatch the Master. The Master was moved with sympathy and took a boat eastward with an attendant. While in the boat, he composed a verse: 'The Yangtze River's course is never-ending; / When will I reach the imperial capital? / Having already caught the advantage of the cool breeze, / Cease working the scull and oars.' Arriving at the capital, he met with Lord Li. A little over a month later, Lord Li indeed passed away. On the verge of death, he drew a circle and also composed a verse presented to the Master: 'The world has nothing to rely upon; / Mountains and rivers pose no obstacle. / The great sea is a speck of dust; / Sumeru contains a mustard seed. / Taking off the turban cap, / Loosening the belt from the waist: / If you seek birth and death, / Ask of this skin bag.' The Master asked, 'What is the original Buddha-nature?' The Lord said, 'Today is hotter than yesterday.' Immediately upon those words, he asked the Master, 'What is the phrase on the verge of departure?' The Master said, 'Originally without obstruction; wherever one is, let it be square or round.' The Lord said, 'It is evening and I am weary; I shall not answer further.' The Master said, 'Where there is no Buddha, act as the Buddha.' Thereupon, the Lord passed away peacefully. Emperor Renzong paid particular attention to the School of Emptiness. Hearing of Lord Li's passing and his dialogue with the Master, he sighed in admiration for a long time. The Master wept bitterly for him and parted at the grave. An imperial decree bestowed an official boat for his return south. On the way, he said to the attendant, 'I have suddenly caught wind-paralysis.' Looking at him, his mouth was already skewed.

The attendant stamped his foot on the ground and said, "What can be done? All your life you scolded the Buddhas and reviled the Patriarchs; now it has come to this!" The Master said, "Do not worry; I will straighten it for you." He adjusted it with his hand as before, and said, "From now on, I will not cause you embarrassment." On the fifth day of the first month of the following year, he showed his passing. His age was fifty-four; his Dharma age was thirty-two. An inscription of his deeds was set up at Xinghua, and his whole body was stupaed at Shishuang. (According to the Continued Comprehensive Mirror, the pacification of Hedong occurred in the jimao year of Taiping Xingguo. According to the Chronological Record of the Buddhist Lineage, the Master entered extinction in the gengchen year of Kangding. Counting backward from his lifespan, the Master was born in the dinghai year of Yongxi. The record in the Chronicle of the Sangha's Treasures is probably lacking in critical verification.)