續傳燈錄 6.6

6.6

舒州投子山義青禪師青社。李氏子。七齡頴異。往妙相寺出家。試經得度。習百法論。未幾歎曰。三祇途遠自困何益。乃入洛聽華嚴義若貫珠。嘗讀諸林菩薩偈。至即心自性。猛省曰。法離文字寧可講乎。即棄遊宗席。時圓鑑禪師居會聖巖。一夕夢畜青色鷹為吉徵。屆旦師來。鑑禮延之。令看外道問佛不問有言不問無言因緣。經三載。一日問曰。汝記得話頭麼試舉看。師擬對。鑑掩其口。師了然開悟遂禮拜。鑑曰。汝妙悟玄機邪。師曰。設有也須吐却。時資侍者在傍曰。青華嚴今日如病得汗。師回顧曰。合取狗口。若更忉忉我即便嘔。自此復經三年。鑑時出洞下宗旨示之。悉皆妙契。付以大陽頂相皮履直裰囑曰。代我續其宗風。無久滯此善宜護持。遂書偈送曰。須彌立太虛。日月輔而轉。群峯漸倚他。白雲方改變。少林風起叢。曹溪洞簾捲。金鳳宿龍巢。宸苔豈車碾。令依圓通秀禪師。師至彼無所參問唯嗜睡而已。執事白通曰。堂中有僧日睡當行規法。通曰。是誰。曰青上座。通曰。未可。待與按過。通即曳杖入堂。見師正睡。乃擊床呵曰。我這裏無閑飯與上座喫了打眠。師曰。和尚教某何為。通曰。何不參禪去。師曰。美食不中飽人喫。通曰。爭奈大有人不肯上座。師曰。待肯堪作甚麼。通曰。上座曾見甚麼人來。師曰。浮山。通曰。怪得恁麼頑賴。遂握手相笑歸方丈。由是道聲籍甚。初住白雲。次遷投子。上堂召大眾曰。若論此事如鸞鳳沖霄不留其迹。羚羊挂角那覓乎蹤。金龍不守於寒潭。玉兔豈棲於蟾影。其或主賓若立。須威音世外搖頭問答言陳仍玄路旁提為唱。若能如是猶在半途。若更凝眸不勞相見。上堂。宗乘若舉凡聖絕蹤。樓閣門開別戶相見。設使卷簾悟去豈免旁觀。春遇桃花重增眼病。所以古人道。向上一路千聖不傳。諸仁者。既是不傳。為甚麼鐵牛走過新羅國裏。遂喝曰。達者須知暗裏驚。僧問。師唱誰家曲宗風嗣阿誰。師曰。威音前一箭。射透兩重山。曰如何是相傳底事。師曰。全因淮地月。得照郢陽春。曰恁麼則入水見長人也。師曰。秖知荊玉異。那辨楚王心。僧禮拜。師以拂子擊之。復曰。更有問話者麼。如無彼此著便。問和尚適來拈香祝延聖壽。且道當今年多少。師曰。月籠丹桂遠。星拱北辰高。曰南山直聳齊天壽。東海洪波比福源。師曰。雙鳳朝金闕。青松古韻高。曰聖壽已蒙師指示。治化乾坤事若何。師曰。不如緘口退。却是報皇恩。師示寂書偈曰。兩處住持。無可助道。珍重諸人。不須尋討。投筆奄息。闍維多靈異茲不盡具獲設利五色。同靈骨塔于寺北三峯菴。

Chan Master Yiqing of Mount Touzi in Shuzhou was a native of Qingshe and a son of the Li family. At age seven he was exceptionally precocious. He went to Miaoxiang Temple to leave home, and passed the scriptural examination to receive ordination. He studied the Treatise on the Hundred Dharmas, but before long sighed and said, 'Three asaṃkhyeya kalpas is a long road; what is the benefit of exhausting oneself?' He then went into Luoyang to listen to the Avataṃsaka, its meanings flowing like a string of pearls. He once read the verses of the Bodhisattvas of the Forest, and reaching 'Mind itself is the self-nature,' he had a sudden realization and said, 'The Dharma is free from written words; how could it be lectured upon?' He immediately abandoned [the lectures] to travel among the Zen assemblies.

At that time, Chan Master Yuanjian resided at Huisheng Crag. One night he dreamt of keeping a blue falcon, which was an auspicious omen. At dawn the Master arrived, and Jian welcomed him with courteous etiquette. He instructed him to investigate the nidāna: 'A non-Buddhist asked the Buddha: "I do not ask about the spoken; I do not ask about the unspoken."' Three years passed. One day [Yuanjian] asked, 'Do you remember the huatou? Try citing it.' The Master prepared to reply, but Jian covered his mouth. The Master had a clear and luminous awakening, and thereupon bowed. Jian said, 'Have you wondrously awakened to the mysterious mechanism?' The Master said, 'Even if I had, it would have to be spat out.' At the time, Attendant Zi was at his side and said, 'Qing of the Huayan is today like someone whose fever broke with sweat.' The Master turned his head, looked at him, and said, 'Shut your dog's mouth! If you babble any more, I will vomit right now.'

After this, another three years passed. Jian frequently brought forth the lineage tenets of the Dongshan branch to show him, and he was in wondrous accord with all of them. [Jian] transmitted to him Dayang's portrait, leather slippers, and direct robe, enjoining him: 'Succeed to his lineage style on my behalf. Do not linger here long; protect and uphold it well.' He then wrote a verse to see him off, saying:

'Mount Sumeru stands in the great void; / The sun and moon attend and revolve around it. / The myriad peaks gradually lean upon it; / Only then do the white clouds transform. / The wind of Shaolin stirs the thicket; / The cave curtain of Caoxi is rolled up. / The golden phoenix roosts in the dragon's nest; / How could imperial moss be crushed by carriage wheels?'

He ordered him to rely on Chan Master Yuantong Xiu. When the Master arrived there, he did not participate in questioning, but merely loved to sleep. The monastery administrator reported to Tong, 'There is a monk in the hall who sleeps by day; we should enforce the communal rules.' Tong said, 'Who is it?' He replied, 'Senior Monk Qing.' Tong said, 'Not yet. Wait until I have tested him.' Tong then dragged his staff into the hall and saw the Master fast asleep. Striking the bed, he rebuked him: 'Here I have no idle rice for you, Senior Monk, to eat and then slumber.' The Master said, 'What does the Upādhyāya instruct me to do?' Tong said, 'Why not go practice Chan?' The Master said, 'Fine delicacies are not fit for a sated person to eat.' Tong said, 'Nevertheless, there are plenty of people who do not approve of you, Senior Monk.' The Master said, 'Waiting for approval—what would that be good for?' Tong said, 'Whom have you seen before, Senior Monk?' The Master said, 'Fushan.' Tong said, 'No wonder you are so obstinate!' He then grasped his hand with a laugh and returned to the Abbot's quarters. From this, the Master's reputation in the Way spread far and wide.

He first resided at Baiyun, and next moved to Touzi. He ascended the hall and called to the assembly: 'If we discuss this matter, it is like a luan or phoenix soaring into the sky without leaving a trace; like an antelope hanging by its horns—where can its tracks be sought? The golden dragon does not stay in the cold pool; how could the jade rabbit dwell in the toad's shadow? If host and guest happen to be set up, one must shake one's head beyond the kalpa of the Voice of Majesty; when questions and answers are expressed in words, one still raises the dark path obliquely as a presentation. If one can be like this, one is still halfway on the journey. If you further fix your gaze, there is no need for us to meet.'

He ascended the hall: 'If the ancestral vehicle is brought forth, the common and the sacred vanish without a trace. When the tower gate opens, one meets through another door. Even if you awaken by rolling up the curtain, how can you escape being a bystander? Coming upon peach blossoms in spring only increases the eye disease. Therefore the ancients said: "The path of the transcendental is not transmitted by the thousand sages." Worthies, since it is not transmitted, why did the iron ox run across into the kingdom of Silla?' He then shouted and said, 'Those who have reached it must know the secret startle!'

A monk asked, 'Whose melody does the Master sing? Whose lineage style do you inherit?' The Master said, 'An arrow before the Voice of Majesty / Pierces through two layers of mountains.' The monk asked, 'What is the matter that has been handed down?' The Master said, 'Entirely because of the moon in the Huai region, / Spring at Yingyang is illuminated.' The monk said, 'Then one enters the water to see the tall man.' The Master said, 'You only know the rarity of the jade of Chu; / How could you discern the King of Chu's mind?' The monk bowed; the Master struck him with his whisk. He added, 'Is there anyone else with a question? If not, each of us should take our leave.'

A monk asked, 'Just now the Upādhyāya offered incense to wish long life to the Emperor; tell me, how old is the present Sovereign?' The Master said, 'The moon veils the cinnabar cassia far away; / The stars encircle the Northern Pole star on high.' The monk said, 'The Southern Mountain towers straight up, rivaling heaven in longevity; / The vast billows of the Eastern Sea match the source of blessing.' The Master said, 'A pair of phoenixes attends the Golden Palace; / The green pine's ancient cadence is lofty.' The monk said, 'We have already received the Master's instruction on the imperial longevity; what about the matter of governing and transforming heaven and earth?' The Master said, 'Better to close one's mouth and retreat; / That indeed is repaying the imperial favor.'

When the Master was about to show his passing, he wrote a verse: 'Abbot in two places, / With nothing to aid the Way. / Take care, everyone; / No need to seek or search.' He tossed down the brush and quietly ceased breathing. At the cremation, many miraculous signs appeared, which cannot all be detailed here; five-colored relics were obtained, and together with his holy bones were entombed north of the temple at Sanfeng Hermitage.