續傳燈錄 16

English (machine translation) 16

Language: English

16.1

Table of Contents for Fascicle Sixteen of the Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp

Thirteenth Generation under Dajian
Fifty-nine Dharma heirs under Chan Master Huanglong Huinan:
Chan Master Shishuang Lin
Chan Master Kaiyuan Ziqi
Chan Master Shanglan Shun
Chan Master Sanzu Fazong
Chan Master Sizu Fayan
Chan Master Wuzu Xiaochang
Chan Master Foyin Xuanming
Chan Master Lingyan Zhongque
Chan Master Dawei Yingquan
Chan Master Jiuzong Faming
Chan Master Lianquan Tanxiu
Chan Master Lingjiu Huijue
Chan Master Xinghua Facheng
Chan Master Huayao Yuangong
Chan Master Xingguo Qiya
Chan Master Baogai Ziqin
Chan Master Yunfeng Daoyuan
Chan Master Yanqing Hongzhun
Chan Master Shengye Weiheng
Chan Master Dengyun Chaoji
Hut Master Jicui Yong
Chan Master Lingyin Dezi
Chan Master Donglin Changzong
Chan Master Baoning Yuanji
Chan Master Yunju Yuanyou
Chan Master Baoben Huiyuan
Chan Master Jianlong Zhaoqing
Chan Master Qingyin Qingyuan
Chan Master Heshan Depu
Chan Master Huilin Dexun
Chan Master Yousheng Fahan
Chan Master Sanjiao Huize
Chan Master Falun Wenyu
Hut Master Guizong Zhizhi (The above thirty-four individuals have records)
Chan Master Longqing Liyan
Chan Master Huanglong Ziqing
Chan Master Daguang Yingxi
Chan Master Shuinan Zhibi
Chan Master Shengshan Shaonan
Chan Master Nanhua Qinggui
Chan Master Bajiao Renke
Chan Master Qingquan Chongya
Chan Master Zhangfa Juexin
Chan Master Huiri Fu
Head Monk Guizong Jin
Chan Master Yongquan Yi
Chan Master Shigu Dongzhu
Chan Master Jinsu Huiying
Chan Master Baosheng Chengfu
Chan Master Huiri Pujue
Chan Master Xifeng Zhengxin
Chan Master Puning Huiyin
Chan Master Cuiyan Baoyun
Chan Master Ehu Chongjian
Chan Master Yunmen Xiyan
Chan Master Jixiang Youzhen
Chan Master Qianming Chaoying
Chan Master Jingde Benlong
Chan Master Yunding Qingtai (The above twenty-five individuals have no records)
Eight Dharma heirs under Chan Master Huilin Ruochong:
Chan Master Huayan Zhiming
Chan Master Yongtai Zhihang
Chan Master Shousheng Zibang
Chan Master Guangfu Tanchang
Chan Master Shita Jie of Yangzhou (The above five individuals have records)
Chan Master Fuchang Yiduan
Chan Master Jingde Yuantai
Chan Master Bailu Zhongyu (The above three individuals have no records)
Six Dharma heirs under Chan Master Ruiyan Zihong:
Chan Master Fokou Keying
Chan Master Yuelin Tanzhen (The above two individuals have records)
Chan Master Zhongzhu Chanhui
Chan Master Jingde Song
Chan Master Zisheng Ben
Chan Master Shousheng Wenliang (The above four individuals have no records)
Six Dharma heirs under Chan Master Tianbo Zhongyuan:
Chan Master Zu'yin Shanpi
Chan Master Yuanfeng Qingman
Chan Master Shansheng Zhenwu
Chan Master Dinghui Faben (The above four individuals have records)
Chan Master Dongshan Xian
Chan Master Yi'an Huishen (The above two individuals have records)
Two Dharma heirs under Chan Master Sanzu Chonghui:
Chan Master Jurun of Lin'an (One individual has a record)
Chan Master Ganlu Mingguang (One individual has no record)

16.3

Table of Contents for Fascicle Sixteen of the Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp (End)

16.4

Thirteenth Generation under Dajian

16.5

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Huanglong Nan

16.6

Chan Master Shishuang Lin of Tanzhou. When he first went on itinerant pilgrimage, he traveled together with Ling of Jiashan. Having long relied on Chan Master Cai of Fori, he had ceased seeking instruction. Then, traveling together with Ling to Huangbo, they attended the informal gathering of Chan Master Huinan. Not understanding his purport, the Master sought to enter the abbot's room. Ling was greatly enraged, gave him a severe beating, and departed. The Master remained alone, and before long experienced a great awakening to the Huanglong lineage tenets. His sharp wit and acumen stood out, and his fame shook the monastic groves. Under Master Nan, he was equally renowned alongside Wen of Guansi, Ying of Shaowu, and others. He then opened the Dharma hall at Shishuang. Ascending the hall, he instructed the assembly, saying: "Frost and mist fill the realm, bleak as far as the eye can see. In front of the Hall of Withered Trees, the wind blows and the grass bends. The clear waters surge endlessly; white clouds gather and part again. Coming and going, the Chan guests are thoroughly satisfied; meeting under the trees to enjoy the scene, they break out in loud laughter. Tell me, what are they laughing at?" After a long pause he said, "In the third and fourth months in misty villages, there is an entirely different spring." He stepped down from the seat. He also said: / "Whether talking of the mystery or speaking of the wondrous, / Deshan and Linji clap their hands and laugh. / If one goes on to say that having nothing to say is bodhi, / then after many years, glossy ganoderma grows on the roof beam—yee!" / A monk asked, "Setting aside taking up the mallet and raising the whisk, please answer my question, Master." The Master said, "Raise your eyes high." The monk said, "An accomplished master!" The Master said, "You have stumbled underfoot." The monk made a stroke with his sitting mat. The Master said, "Take yourself out." He also asked, "When the Dharma King appears in the world, please issue the command." The Master said, "One, two, three, four, five." The monk said, "The Dharma order is put into effect." The Master said, "A boatman on the Xiao and Xiang rivers." A monk asked, "The clouds of compassion are dense, and the sun of wisdom shines brightly. The great assembly rejoices and begs the Master to receive us." The Master said, "Good." The monk said, "Without speaking, it contains all forms; where can we thank its impartiality?" The Master said, "The stone woman smiles and nods by the stream." A monk asked, "How is it when Shishuang's withered tree comes back to life?" The Master said, "At the bottom of the sea, the golden tortoise runs; at the edge of heaven, the jade rabbit shines." The monk said, "If so, then the flower of awakening has a place to bloom, and the fruit naturally smells sweet when ripe." The Master said, "On top of Mount Sumeru, walk toward the south." The Master's Dharma preaching was quite similar to Zhenjing's. Though he was not acquainted with Zhenjing, he respected him in his heart. When the Master was at Shishuang, Zhenjing was at Dongshan. The Master saw a verse Zhenjing had sent off a monk with, which said: / "Restlessly seeking Chan throughout the four seas, / if one does not reach Xinfeng, one is foolish indeed." / On the eighth day of the third month in the seventh year of the Yuanfeng era, the Master shaved his head and bathed. When night came, he held an informal gathering and said: "Throughout my life of itinerant pilgrimage, only now have I truly met a person. In a lifetime of Chan inquiry, I have gained strength from beginning to end. Becoming a Buddha and making a patriarch does not depart from this very mind. The boiling cauldron and charcoal stove exist only in the present moment. This news is like a person drinking water—only they know whether it is cold or warm. Listen to my verse: / A span of great illusion, / radiantly blazing bright. / Troubling and distressing sentient beings, / sooner or later it disperses." / In the middle of the night, he uprightly manifested entering quiescence. After the cremation, relics were obtained and buried at his home mountain.

16.7

Chan Master Kaiyuan Ziqi of Qizhou was a son of the Xu family from Quanzhou. Relying on Zhitong of Kaiyuan, he passed the scriptural examination and was ordained. He was proficient in the Śūraṅgama and Perfect Awakening sūtras. Leaving them behind, he visited Chan Master Zhen of Cuiyan and asked about the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma. Zhen spat on the ground and said, "Where did this drop fall?" The Master patted his chest and said, "This student has a spleen ache today." Zhen smiled. Taking his leave, he went to study with Jicui; within a year or so, he fully attained his way. Taking an opportunity while attending on Jicui to discuss the ancient and modern, a heavy snow happened to fall. Jicui pointed and said, "Can this be equated with a broom?" The Master said, "If it could not, then when the sky clears, the sun comes out, and the clouds and mists scatter and break apart, how could that ever happen again? A person who knows what is has it like splitting bamboo at a single phrase: though there are a hundred joints, they split effortlessly as the blade approaches. How could any sound be tolerated in hesitation?" One day, Jicui sent a monk to ask him in reverse, "What about the old upādhyāya's three checkpoints?" The Master said in a stern voice, "Why are you concerning yourself with affairs from long ago?" Hearing this, Jicui found him all the more extraordinary. Thereupon his name became prominent in the monasteries. After Jicui passed away, Chan Master Yan of Sizu ordered him to share the seat. In the abbot's room he gave the instructional words: "A person has a mouth but cannot speak; what is their surname and personal name?" Later this reached Donglin, and Chan Master Zong sighed and said, "Head Monk Qi is like an iron mountain of ten thousand fathoms; it is utterly difficult to hook into the pulse of his words." Before long, Kaiyuan was designated as a Chan monastery, and they invited the Master to be the first generation abbot. Ascending the hall, he said: / "Empty space has no inside or outside; / phenomena and principle have lengths and breadths. / When aligned, it becomes bodhi; / when opposed, it becomes defilement. / The lantern is constantly dozing; / the exposed pillar is also vexed. / The Great Way is right before your eyes; / where else will you seek it?" / He struck the Chan bed with his whisk. Ascending the hall: "On the four sides there are no gates; in the ten directions there are no walls. Hair disheveled, ears perked up. Each and every one of you is a stout fellow and a great man; why bind yourselves without a rope? Tell me, how do you say a phrase of penetration and release?" After a long pause he said, "Treading through straw sandals, walk barefoot." A monk asked, "Sumeru containing a mustard seed is not my question. What about when the great Dharma wheel turns inside a speck of dust?" The Master said, "One step advances another step." The monk said, "If so, then in the morning one reaches Western Heaven, and in the evening one returns to the land of Tang." The Master said, "Being a guest is not as good as returning home." The monk said, "Having long admired your way and style, I ask to meet with you, Master." The Master said, "The clouds and moon are the same; the streams and mountains are each different."

16.8

Chan Master Shun of Shanglan in Hongzhou was a native of Western Shu. He had far-reaching discernment and was diligent, earnest, and completely genuine in character. Junior monks in the monastic communities all respected and loved him. When he first departed Shu, he traveled together with Yuantong Ne. Later, he also associated with Dajue Lian for a long time. Furthermore, he was on good terms with Old Gentleman Su. Therefore, Huangmen later praised his portrait, saying: 'Traveling with Ne, dwelling with Lian; he obtained the Dharma from Nan and became Nan's eldest son.' Yet his karmic conditions were meager; the places he resided were all remote small temples. He also lived at Jingfu, Xiangcheng, and Shuangfeng. Students who passed by his gate were unwilling to stay. The Master was also aloof and self-content, regarding worldly conditions as specks of flying dust passing before the eyes. At the age of over eighty, he shed his body while sitting at Mount Xiangcheng; his facial appearance was as if alive. Throughout his life he was on friendly terms with Pan Yanzhi. Nearing his end, he sent someone to invite Yanzhi to bid farewell. When Yanzhi arrived, the Master had already passed away. His instructions to the assembly mostly consisted of verses, all of which were words of virtue. He had a verse that went: / 'In summer days, everyone shakes a fan; / When winter comes, they fill the stove with burning charcoal. / If here you can completely understand, / The ignorance of dust-kalpas is dissolved right on the spot.' / He also composed a verse on Zhaozhou interrogating the old woman: / 'Zhaozhou asked the way of the old woman, / Who replied, "Go straight on like this." / All say he saw through the old woman, / But for the old woman, there is nowhere for you to clear her away.' / He also composed verses on Huanglong's Three Barriers: / 'Over the long Yangzi, snow scatters and waters billow endlessly; / Suddenly a wild wind rises, and the waves surge high. / Not knowing the fisherman's profound, wondrous intent, / One perversely watches the wind and billows in the midst of the waves.' / Another said: / 'A Persian from the Southern Sea enters the Great Tang; / When someone recognizes the gem, they make a deal. / At times it meets with low value, at times high; / The sun reaches the western peak and the shadow gradually lengthens.' / Another said: / 'Old Upādhyāya Huanglong / Had a saying on the causes of birth. / This mountain monk succeeded him, / And today raises it for you. / Raising it for you: / The cat is singularly skilled at catching mice.' / These were widely praised in the monastic communities.

16.9

Chan Master Fazong of Sanshan in Shuzhou. A monk asked, 'What is the Buddha?' The Master said, 'Eating salt increases thirst.' He asked, 'What is the Way?' The Master said, 'Ten li, double tablets; five li, a single mound.' The monk said, 'What is the person within the Way?' The Master said, 'The young yield to the elder; the humble yield to the noble.' He asked, 'What is the mind of a kalyāṇamitra's doing?' The Master said, 'A single piece of brick at the crossroads.' The monk said, 'What is a single piece of brick at the crossroads?' The Master said, 'I do not know.' The monk said, 'Since you do not know, why speak like that?' The Master said, 'No one steps on it.' Ascending the hall, he said, 'Five times five is twenty-five; people of the day all know how to count. Picking up the second counter in reverse, the aimless have no basis. Why do they have no basis? Loving one of his threads, they lose a whole bolt.' Ascending the hall, he said, 'Bright and gleaming, lively and flopping! The worlds of the ten directions are a single tip of hair. Tossed right in front of you—do you know it or not? Do not go picking it up upon the sense faculty of mind.' He clapped his hands once. Ascending the hall, he said, 'Erecting a ladder allows one to climb high, yet though one ascends, one cannot reach the Silver River. Casting a shovel allows one to dig and bore, yet sharp though it may be, it cannot reach the wind wheel. One's tools waste labor; one's schemes become ever more delusional. It is better to return home and sit, avoiding running through the dusty soil. Assembly! Which is the dusty soil? The Patriarchs, the Buddhas, Chan, and the Way.'

16.10

Chan Master Fayan of Mount Sizushan in Qizhou was a native of Guizhou. A monk asked, 'What are the characteristics of mind?' The Master said, 'Mountains, rivers, and the great earth.' The monk said, 'What is the substance of mind?' The Master said, 'What do you call mountains, rivers, and the great earth?' Ascending the hall, he said, 'Leaves leave the branches; autumn is already late. Those who investigate the mysterious must be alert and awakened. Do not say there will be another spring next year, carelessly missing the path before the cliff. And tell me, what is the path before the cliff?' After a long pause, he said, 'Perilous!' Ascending the hall, he said, 'The master mountain swallows up the table mountain—ordinary talk and the staff pervade all dusty realms, which is not yet wondrous enough. When both light and boundary are annihilated, what is it again?' After a long pause, he said, 'The kalpa fire burns completely, and every tip of hair is exhausted; / The green mountain remains as ever amidst the white clouds.' Ascending the hall, he said, 'The Way of the Buddhas and Patriarchs stands like a wall a thousand fathoms high. To deliberate and seek after it is just like a fish hitting its forehead. Consciousness cannot discern it; wisdom cannot know it. The ancient sages, arriving here, dropped a word or half a phrase, wanting you all to have a point of entry. Therefore it is said: / "Lowering the head, one does not see the ground; / Raising the face, one does not see the sky. / If you wish to know the place of the white ox, / Just look before the skull." / Now above your heads is the roof, beneath your feet is the ground, and in front of you is the Buddha hall. And tell me: where is the white ox?' He then addressed the assembly. The assembly raised their heads. The Master scolded them.

16.11

Chan Master Xiaochang of Wuzushan in Qizhou. A monk asked, 'What is the affair within the ancestral vehicle?' The Master said, 'Can you move your lips?' He asked, 'What is the eye of the true Dharma?' The Master said, 'Can you choose?' He asked, 'What is the Dharma body?' The Master said, 'Can you say that you do not understand?' He asked, 'How is it before the lotus emerges from the water?' The Master said, 'It cannot be seen.' The monk said, 'How is it after it emerges from the water?' The Master said, 'Pure fragrance fills the road.' Ascending the hall, he said, 'One thought of confident faith is one thought of Buddha; / Thought after thought, it is never anything else. / Do the exits and entrances through the six gates count as spiritual powers? / A single track of bright light has no rules. / Walking is walking, sitting is sitting; / Talking or laughing, they are not two. / If right now you recognize this one, / For ten thousand li of green mountains there is not an inch of grass.'

16.12

Chan Master Xuanming Foyin of Gaotai Temple on Mount Nanyue. A monk asked, 'The treasury of the true Dharma eye and the wondrous mind of nirvāṇa—please present them.' The Master looked straight up. The monk said, 'Then humans and devas have someone to rely on.' The Master said, 'Gold dust, though precious...'

16.13

Chan Master Chongque Zhengjue of Mount Lingyanshan in Qizhou ascended the hall and said, 'The Patriarch's mind-seal is shaped like the iron ox's mechanism: a needle cannot pick it out; a spoon cannot lift it up. Whose fault is it? Though green grasses number a thousand kinds, fragrance belongs to only a single orchid.' Ascending the hall, he said, 'Neither square nor round, neither above nor below; the bray of a donkey, the bark of a dog—in the ten directions, beyond price.' He struck the meditation bench and descended from the seat.

16.14

Chan Master Yingquan of Daguishan in Tanzhou. A monk asked, 'How is it when the ancient mirror is not yet polished?' The Master said, 'Pitch black and vast.' The monk said, 'How is it after it is polished?' The Master said, 'It blazes through the crown of the head.' He also asked, 'What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?' The Master said, 'Boarding a ship at Guangzhou.' The monk said, 'What is the intention?' The Master said, 'Gazing at the wall at Shaolin.' The monk said, 'The student does not understand.' The Master said, 'Returning to Western India.' Ascending the hall, he said, 'The mountain is high and the water is cold; travelers seldom arrive. Below the slope where cows are herded, Chan guests wander back and forth. Going out and coming in, do not let them fall into the weeds. Does speaking like this still have the principle of the Buddha Dharma or not?' After a long pause, he said, 'Yet I recall that Yangshan once had a saying: "Each time entering the weeds, each time pulling back." Hūṃ!'

16.15

Chan Master Faming of Mount Jiuyanshan in Anzhou. Ascending the hall, a monk asked, 'Having ascended the precious seat on this day, please utter a sentence, Master, that reveals what is fresh and sharp.' The Master said, 'Within the words there is an echo.' The monk said, 'The marsh crane cries connecting to heaven; / The golden crow circles the tree in flight.' The Master said, 'Recognize the huatou.' He also asked, 'How is it when one arrives at the jewel mountain and returns empty-handed?' The Master said, 'One who expends effort loses out.' The monk said, 'Exhausting one's intent on the road, ashamed and humiliated, one turns and returns.' The Master said, 'Be strictly careful not to speak of it.' He instructed the assembly, saying, 'The mind is fundamentally free of dust; sentient beings obscure it themselves. It is just like the clear ocean when waves arise and wind is generated; it is also like the pure empty expanse when clouds gather and rain is made. Good people, before the wind has risen and the clouds have gathered, Hanshan and Shide celebrate great peace. The pines on the ridges of Mount Jiuyan are high and verdant; the flowing water in front of the temple has been pure from past to present. A patch-robed monk with clear eyes must be meticulous.' Then he smiled and said, 'You have been standing a long time; take care.'

16.16

Chan Master Tanxiu of Lianquan. A monk asked, 'How is it when with a mouth full one cannot speak?' The Master said, 'The speech has fallen into error.' He asked, 'How is it when one takes no companion among the ten thousand dharmas?' The Master said, 'One draws on one's own belly.' He asked, 'What is the student's place of turning the body?' The Master said, 'Sweeping the ground and watering the flowers.' The monk said, 'What is the student's most intimate place?' The Master said, 'Pillowing high on the pillow.' The monk said, 'How is it when it is not so at all?' The Master said, 'Orioles sing on the ridge; flowers bloom before the cliff.' He asked, 'What is the patch-robed monk's mouth?' The Master said, 'Killing someone without using a knife.'

16.17

Chan Master Huijue of Lingjiu in Xinzhou ascended the hall and said, 'Assembly! The hundreds of thousands of samādhis and immeasurable wondrous meanings are all right beneath your feet. May each of you interpenetrate on your own! Do you understand? Whether interpenetrating or not interpenetrating, recognize the road of returning home. Wisdom serves as the bridge; gentle compliance serves as the refuge. Abiding in peace, one ponders danger; being in joy, one must know grief. Have you not seen Upāsaka Pang, / Tossing away yellow gold like dirt and manure? / Father and daughter, gathered intimately in a circle, together spoke the words of non-arising. / The words of non-arising must still be remembered: / In the three months of summer, snowflakes fly; in the three months of winter, sweat pours like rain.'

16.18

Chan Master Facheng of Xinghua in Hongzhou ascended the hall and said, 'Clouds encircle the green precipices; rain sprinkles the broad sky. The hundred grasses vie in greenness; the thousand mountains compete in verdure. The realm of Vairocana: the flower-store gate opens. Everywhere is Sudhana, tier upon tier of Maitreya. Host and companion interweave, preaching in mutual alternation. Great compassion is inexhaustible; saving sentient beings is never tiring. Assembly! Do you still see Maitreya?' After a long pause, he said, 'I long remember the third month in Jiangnan, / Where the partridge cries and the hundred flowers are fragrant.'

16.19

Chan Master Yuangong of Huayao in Hengzhou. A monk asked, 'What is the Way?' The Master said, 'The entire body has no obstruction.' The monk said, 'What is the person within the Way?' The Master said, 'Coming and going entirely at ease.' He asked, 'How is it before the lotus emerges from the water?' The Master said, 'Branches and leaves are very distinct.' The monk said, 'How is it after it emerges from the water?' The Master said, 'Left entirely to everyone to view.' The monk said, 'If heaven and earth cause it to emerge from the pond, how would it dare hide?' The Master said, 'Do not engage in false thinking.' He asked, 'How is it before the signs have arisen?' The Master said, 'A Persian reading Sanskrit scriptures.' The monk said, 'How is it after they have arisen?' The Master said, 'The foreign monk smiles and nods.' The monk said, 'How is it when about to arise but not yet arisen?' The Master said, 'Washing the feet and boarding the fishing boat.' The monk said, 'It is entirely due to today.' The Master said, 'Combing the hair without washing the face.'

16.20

Chan Master Qiya of Xingguo in Anzhou. A monk asked, 'I ask the Master to answer without relying on speech or silence.' The Master struck once with his staff. The monk said, 'Upādhyāya, do not be hasty and hurried.' The Master said, 'In Western India, heads are cut off and arms are severed.' The monk bowed. The Master said, 'Fallen! Fallen!' Ascending the hall, he said, '"The mind is like the bright moon, tranquil along with the heavens."' He then drew a circle, saying, '"Master Hanshan, the nature is like a cold pond, thoroughly clear to the bottom." What kind of realm is this?' After a long pause, he said, 'The priceless nocturnal pearl—people do not recognize it. Even if they recognized it, what would it be fit for? For how many thousands of springs has one spent the nine heavens in vain?' Then, laughing heartily, he said, 'How can it compare to sitting alone beneath the bright window? / Falling and blooming, flowers have their own time.' He descended from the seat.

16.21

Chan Master Ziqin of Mount Baogaishan in Tanzhou. A monk asked, 'Now that the Master has already sung the foreign tune, with what Dharma will you further instruct future followers?' The Master said, 'One character hanging down at both ends.' The monk said, 'Majestic radiance divides this night; from what gate do illumination and function emerge?' The Master said, 'Above the head, the bright light blazes; beneath the feet, pitch-black darkness.' The monk said, 'Entering the water, one sees the tall person.' The Master said, 'The bystander is ugly.' Ascending the hall, he said, 'Though streams and mountains differ, clouds and moon are the same. Adapting to the square and round, freely going west or east. Assembly! Phenomena are not separate from form; resonance is not separate from sound. Arriving here, forms and sounds are clearly manifest—how do you penetrate them? Is there anyone who penetrates them?' After a long pause, he said, 'The bell sounds and the drum echoes, answering one another; / The green mountain does not hinder the flight of the white clouds.'

16.22

Chan Master Daoyuan of Yunfeng Temple on Mount Dayuling was a native of Nanxiong Prefecture. By nature pure, he traveled as an itinerant monk from an early age. Although he had practiced extensively, he had not yet penetrated thoroughly. Hearing that Chan Master [Huanglong Huinan] was staying at Jicui Hermitage on Mount Huangbo, he went to rely on him. One day, while quietly sitting after the boards had been struck, he heard two monks bringing up Baizhang's nidāna of the wild fox. One monk said, 'Even not obscuring cause and effect still did not escape the body of a wild fox.' The other monk replied, 'Even not falling into cause and effect, when did he ever fall into the body of a wild fox?' Hearing their words, the master was astounded and struck by their wonder. Without realizing his body rising, his mind walked forward. Going up to the hermitage and crossing a mountain stream, he suddenly had a great awakening. He went to see Master Nan and recounted the event. Before he had finished, tears streamed down his cheeks. Master Nan had him sleep soundly on an attendant's couch. Suddenly getting up, he composed a verse, saying: / 'Cause and effect: neither falling into nor obscuring; / Between monk and layperson, there is fundamentally no taboo. / A great man's mettle is like a king's; / How could he tolerate being hidden in a bag or covered under a quilt? / With a single staff, free to go horizontally and vertically, / The wild fox leaps into the golden-maned pride.' / Master Nan saw it and laughed heartily for a long time. Daoyuan also composed a verse on the wind and banner, saying: / 'It is not the wind, nor is it the banner; / The white clouds, as of old, cover the blue mountain. / In recent years, growing old, I have completely lost my strength; / Stealing a little leisure amidst the bustle.' / Chan Master Zhenjing Wen praised it greatly, considering that his sharp responsiveness was no less than that of Ying of Shaowu. He once wrote down these two verses with his own hand. In his later years, the master resided at Yunfeng Temple on Mount Dayuling.

16.23

Chan Master Hongzhun of Yanqing in Fuzhou was a native of Guilin. He spent a long time following Chan Master [Huinan]. By nature pure and prudent, he never crossed others. When he heard of someone's good deed, it was as if it came from himself, and an overflowing joyful aura arose on his brow. When he heard of someone's wrongdoing, he would clasp his palms and bow to empty space as if reproaching himself. All who saw him laughed at him, yet the master's sincerity remained one and the same from beginning to end. He became abbot at Yanqing. In his twilight years, he resigned from monastic duties and resided at Hanxi Temple, having passed eighty years of age. Day and night he had no other affairs; aside from sleeping and eating, he only chanted Sanskrit tones praising Avalokiteśvara. At the time of his passing, his disciples had all gone to attend an offering by a dānapati; only a servant boy remained. Carrying his chime, the master sat before the Earth God shrine, recited the Peacock Sūtra once, bid farewell, and returned. He sat serenely with closed eyes and passed away. For three days his body did not lean. Villagers came to view it, crowding like a wall. Suddenly opening his eyes and smiling, the master had them sit on the ground. After a short while, his disciples returned. The master called them to stand at his right and took them by the hand. After watching them for as long as it takes to cook a meal, he quietly departed. His facial expression did not change, and his cheeks were rosy as if alive. Monastics and laypeople made a statue of him and enshrined it.

16.24

Chan Master Weiheng of Shengye on the Southern Peak. A monk asked, 'Having just entered the monastery, I beg the master's instruction.' The master said, 'Wishing to travel a thousand miles, one step is the beginning.' The monk said, 'Throughout the twelve periods of the day, how should one practice?' The master said, 'The white clouds have no mind; the blue sky has the sun.' He instructed the assembly, saying, 'Whether there is profit or no profit, do not leave the marketplace. Never mind Master Wang selling his body; tell me, is there anyone who will make an offer on the rice of Luling? If no one does, this old monk will sell it and buy it himself.' After a long pause, he said, 'Walking eastward, one does not see the profit of walking westward.' He struck once with his staff.

16.25

Chan Master Chaonai of Mount Dengyun in Guizhou. A monk asked, 'I do not know, how does one ascend the clouds?' The master said, 'Shouldering a staff across one's back, paying no heed to others.' The monk said, 'The mountain is high, rugged, and steep; how does one climb it?' The master said, 'Go straight toward the thousand peaks and ten thousand peaks.' The monk said, 'Is this where you help people?' The master said, 'Look beneath your feet.' The monk said, 'Thank you, master, for your instruction.' The master said, 'Steep!' He added, 'Mount Dengyun is exceedingly rugged and steep.' After a long pause, he said, 'This mountain monk stumbled on level ground today.' He stepped down from the seat.

16.26

Hermitage Master Yong of Jicui on Mount Huangbo instructed the assembly, saying, 'Ever since this mountain monk came to reside in this hermitage, there has been no Chan to preach and no Dharma to transmit, nor any exceptional rare treasures. I have only preserved a single piece of firebrand for continuing the fire, leaving it for future people to ensure that its smoke and flames never cease and its light shines perpetually.' Thereupon he threw down his whisk. At that time, a monk picked it up from the ground and blew on it next to his mouth. The master then shouted and said, 'Who knew that from this fellow's side, the firebrand for continuing the fire would have its smoke dissipated and fire extinguished!' Thereupon he flicked his sleeves and returned to the hermitage. The monk stuck out his tongue. The master also once asked the monk Shenqi, 'I have not seen you for a long time; what have you been doing?' Qi said, 'I saw that Canon Custodian Wei has a place of peace and joy.' The master said, 'Try to cite it to me.' Qi then recounted what he had attained. The master said, 'You are right; Wei is not yet right.' Qi could not fathom it. He returned and told Wei. Wei laughed loudly and said, 'You are not right; Yong is not wrong.' Qi ran to Jicui to question Master Nan about it. Nan also laughed loudly. Hearing of this, the master composed a verse, saying: / 'Light and darkness intertwine in the dynamic of killing and bringing to life; / The realm of a great man is known by Samantabhadra. / Born of the same branch, yet not dying of the same branch; / Making the old awl in the hermitage fall over laughing.'

16.27

Mountain Master Dezi of Linyin in Susong County, Shuzhou, was a native of Shu. He resided at the temple for twenty years. Every day he would ascend the hall alone and say, 'Every morning is alike; every day is the same. Just this is it; seek nothing else.' On the fourth day of the tenth month of the sixth year of the Yuanfeng era, he ascended the hall and gathered the assembly. After a long pause, he said, 'Do you understand?' The assembly was silent. The master solemnly passed away.

16.28

Chan Master Changzong of Donglin Xinglong Temple in Jiangzhou was a son of the Shi family of Yanping. Having long relied on Huanglong, he was secretly conferred the ultimate purport of the great Dharma. Coming forth to reside at Letan and next moving to Donglin, both events fulfilled prophetic signs. A monk asked, 'Within heaven and earth, throughout the universe, amidst them is a jewel hidden in the mountain of form. What is this jewel?' The master said, 'The bright moon appears; the dark moon conceals.' The monk said, 'Not only have I heard its name, today I see it in person.' The master said, 'Tell me, where is the jewel?' The monk said, 'The ancient hall's doors open, radiance brilliant; a person among the society beside the white lotus pond.' The master said, 'Recognizing jewels must still be left to the blue-eyed barbarian.' Another monk came out from the assembly, lifted up his sitting mat, and said, 'Please, master, answer my question.' The master said, 'Put it down.' The monk again made the gesture of spreading it. The master said, 'Fold it up.' The monk said, 'In former years I was a swordsman seeking a sword; today I encounter an expert.' The master said, 'What place is this?' The monk gave a shout. The master said, 'Shouting at this old monk?' The monk shouted again. The master said, 'How could I let you off?' and struck him. He ascended the hall: 'Heaven and earth, the great earth, constantly proclaim the complete sound. The sun, moon, and stars perpetually speak of the true mark. In turn, I recall my late teacher Huanglong saying, "The autumn rain pours continuously all through the night until dawn; not a single drop fails to fall, none falling anywhere else." He also said, "It drips through your eyes and soaks through your nostrils." Donglin is not so: ultimately it returns to the great ocean to form waves.' Striking the Chan bench, he stepped down from the seat. He ascended the hall: 'Old Lu was illiterate, yet he was immediately enlightened to the Buddha's mind, because the Buddha's mind is free from written words. Baizhao did not know how to read, yet he fully awakened to the lineage vehicle, because the lineage vehicle is not in verbal explanations. Such grandmotherly kindness clearly enters the mud and water. People today still hold onto the bridge pillars to wash themselves and hold onto the mooring cables to cast off a boat.' After a long pause, he said, 'How can you blame this old monk?'

16.29

Chan Master Yuanji of Baoning Temple in Jinling was a son of the Lin family of Fuzhou. A monk asked, 'When birth and death arrive, how does one avoid them?' The master said, 'Doze in the hall; relieve yourself in the quarters.' The monk said, 'What about just at such a time?' The master said, 'You must know there is a road of turning the body.' The monk said, 'What is the road of turning the body?' The master said, 'Pouring out your brain and marrow; yanking out your nostrils.' The monk said, 'Then from this day forward, I shall have no doubts.' The master said, 'How do you understand it?' The monk said, 'Simply know to do good deeds, no need to ask about the future.' The master said, 'It must be so.' He ascended the hall: 'The source of the Way is not far; the ocean of nature is not distant. Just seek within yourself; do not search from others. For the ancients to speak like this was much like mistaking a servant for a gentleman, or pointing at a deer and calling it a horse. With Cuiyan, it is not so: neither seeking within oneself nor searching from others. Why? The two eyebrows are fundamentally horizontal; the nostrils are fundamentally vertical. Even if one speaks so that heavenly flowers fall in disarray and stubborn stones nod their heads, upon reflection, much emptiness is not as good as a little reality. And tell me, what is the matter of a little reality?' After a long pause, he said, 'The winter melon is straight and thick; the gourd is crooked and curved.' He ascended the hall: 'The spring rain is gentle, all things are suitable; the rice shoots grow luxuriant, and vegetables are in season. Ānanda seems to join his palms, and Kāśyapa also knits his brows. Even twirling a flower and smiling at the assembly on Gṛdhrakūṭa, upon reflection, still touches upon subtlety. How could it compare to an old man in a three-family village, plowing deeply and planting shallowly, each knowing their proper season? When there is business, speak of it face-to-face; who cares about the blinking of eyes or the raising of brows? There is yet another extraordinary matter: the final move must also be known.' Striking with his whisk, he stepped down from the seat. He ascended the hall: 'Widely searching through texts and meanings is seeking a form in a mirror; stilling thoughts and contemplating emptiness is scooping up the moon in water. The solitary transmission of the mind seal specially creates many complications. Deshan and Linji wasted their efforts; Shigong and Zihu turned it into something extraordinary. With Baoning, it is completely not so. Just follow conditions in drinking and pecking; in everything ordinary, hide deep among the white clouds, content to be one beyond learning. May I ask everyone: in the end, seeking what does Baoning repay the four kindnesses and the three realms of existence?' After a long pause, he said, 'A sorrowful person should not speak to a sorrowful person; speaking to a sorrowful person will grieve them to death.' When the master passed into quiescence and was cremated, two pieces remained indestructible. They were mixed with five-colored relics and stupaed to the left of Yuhuatai.

16.30

Chan Master Yuanyou of Yunju in Nankang Commandery was a native of Shangrao in Xinzhou, surnamed Wang. At age thirteen, he served as a disciple under the śramaṇa Qisheng of Chengtian Monastery on Mount Boshan. At twenty-four, he was ordained and took the full precepts. At that time, Chan Master Nan was at Huangbo; [Yuanyou] then went and relied on him for more than ten years. After Nan passed away, he traveled in the Xiang region, building a hut at the former foundation of Mazu on Mount Heng. Patch-robed monks followed him, and his reputation grew eminent across Jing and Chu. Xie Shizhi, governor of Tanzhou, wished to convert Daolin into a Chan monastery, and with the utmost etiquette invited the master to be its first-generation abbot. The master gladly agreed to come. At Daolin, peak rooms and ant-like chambers intermingled, with tiers of mountain ridges emerging; its abundance of statues and altars surpassed anything west of the Xiang. The master cleared and razed them, making an empty hall and a meditation chamber so as to assemble students from the four seas. The laborers did not dare demolish the statues, so the master himself took a hoe and dumped them into the river, saying: 'Originally they were not established; now how could they be destroyed? Our Dharma does not even admit ordinary sentiments, how much less can it preserve holy conceptions?' In six years the halls and pavilions were majestically completed. He then abandoned them and went to travel on Mount Lu. Lu Zhi, the prefect of Nankang, invited him to reside at Yujian Temple. King Xu, hearing of his reputation, memorialized to confer upon him a purple rectangular robe. The master wrote a verse declining it, saying: / 'A monk for sixty years, my sideburns already grayed; / Useless to the Empty Gate, I blush to have left home. / I beg to return the Ministry of Rites’ diploma sealed, / That I may not betray old Lu's patch-robed kaṣāya.' / When asked the reason, the master said: 'The favor of the sovereign and the alms of kings and dukes are not things I dare decline to court fame; it is merely that the Dharma is fundamentally equal. Long ago, Huiman would not accept overnight invitations, saying, "Only when there are no monks in all under heaven would I accept your offerings." What kind of man was Huiman!' Wang Anshang, younger brother of Lord Jing, asked the master about the Dharma and invited him to Yunju. The master gladly accepted, saying: 'I shall carry these bones back to be buried on the mountain peak, that is all.' He mounted the carriage and departed. When the master first opened the hall, after the dialogue ended, he said: 'The newly inaugurated Dharma banquet brings humans and devas together in assembly. Such a rare encounter is hard to meet, and is happening right now. Are there still patch-robed monks who seize the moment and adapt to changes? Step forward, and I shall provide verification for you.' After a long pause, he said: 'Those who do not show their heads are the adept hands. Even so, Daolin has today taken a tumble on flat ground. Fortunately, I met the Mahāsattva of Golden Grain, who possessed the non-dual Dharma gate and left open a ray of a way; only then could Daolin untie the neck of the cloth bag, sufficiently able to unfold the house style and proclaim supremacy where there is no Buddha. Then, pointing across the three realms and gazing at the four quarters, lounging under the sky of Yao and singing loudly in the sun of Shun, I raise the melody of the Sound King, sing the "Bodhisattva Barbarian", and play the stringless zither imbued with ancient intent. At that moment, Mañjuśrī should cease lamenting, and Samantabhadra can stop brooding. Even if a thousand sages were to emerge and speak with different mouths but one voice, they would not be worth a single slap of the hand. You have been standing a long time; take care.' Ascending the hall: 'Moonlight blends with the white of clouds; / Pine sounds bring the chill of dew. / What a fine, true message— / I rely on you all to look closely.' [He also said:] 'My late master Huanglong threw his whole body flat on the ground. Is there anyone who can help him up? When the ancestors are not finished, the calamity extends to the descendants.' Striking the meditation bench, he stepped down from his seat. He also instructed the assembly: 'All sounds are the Buddha's voice.' Striking the meditation bench with the whisk, he said: 'The Brahmā sound is profound and far-reaching, making people delight in hearing it.' He also said: 'All forms are the Buddha's form.' Raising the whisk, he said: 'Now the Buddha emits radiant light to help illuminate the meaning of true reality. Those who have attained it should bear it on their heads and practice it; those who have not attained it should know it thus and believe it thus.' Striking the meditation bench, he stepped down from his seat. In the renchen year (1092), on the seventh day of the seventh month, at the midnight hour, the master arranged his seat in the abbot's room and said to the assembly: 'Having been abbot in three places, I have not transmitted a single phenomenon. The gathering and dispersing of fire and wind is the ordinary nature of things. After my extinction, you must not follow worldly customs with thick burials, mourning clothes, and weeping. You should follow the Dharma of our Buddha from Western India: cremate my remains and return them to a stupa.' He then spoke a verse: / 'This year I am sixty-six; / In three places the conditions are fulfilled. / At midnight fire burns the mountain; / I leap into the fire to bathe.' / Having finished speaking, he passed away. Cremation yielded five-colored relics. A stupa was erected on Mount Yunju. The master was gaunt, with white hair that was left uncut, and an exceptionally heroic demeanor. In preaching the Dharma he was fond of ridiculing other quarters, and gracefully referred to himself as "Elder Wang You".

16.31

Chan Master Huiyuan of Baoben was of the Ni family from Chaozhou. Even with hanging hair, he was as grave and dignified as a mature adult; when a crowd of children played before him, he merely tucked his hands into his sleeves and sat cross-legged. His parents discussed it, saying: 'Our son's talents being such, how could he endure worldly employment? We should let him serve the Buddha and the saṅgha; that will do.' Hearing this, the master startled, arose, and bowed. He then relied on a vihāra south of the city to chant the Lotus Sūtra. At nineteen he shaved his head and took full ordination. Traveling about, he arrived at the capital and stayed at Huayan Monastery. There was a Dharma Master Yuanming who saw him, was amazed by him, and said: 'Venerable, you are young; from where have you come here, and what is it you seek?' He replied: 'Huiyuan came from the Southern Sea, seeking nothing else but the Buddha Dharma.' Yuanming laughed and said: 'The royal city is a shortcut to fame and profit, a cage of wine and sex, where cross-eyed mortals contend daily in ten thousand ways. How could there be Buddha Dharma here? The Buddha Dharma is entirely in the South!' The master then traveled from the Luoyang capital across Xiang and Han, visiting famous mountains everywhere. Wherever he arrived, he approached kalyāṇamitras, yet none brought him awakening. In the spring of the second year of Zhiping (1065), he arrived at Huanglong. At that time, Nan had newly come from Jicui, and "dragons and elephants" gathered from all sides. Whenever the master sat down on the bench, he would stretch out his hand, turn it over and back, looking at it and saying: 'What principle is there in saying it resembles a Buddha's hand? He knows my home is Chaoyang, so why does he again ask: where was I born?' One day he suddenly awakened, completely dispelling all his doubts, whereupon he departed. In the first year of Xining (1068), he entered the Wu region and opened the Dharma hall at Shousheng Temple in Wujiang. He sent a monk to Huanglong with a letter requesting recognition as a Dharma heir. Nan looked at the name and said to the special envoy: 'I happen to have forgotten this monk. I do not yet wish to open the letter. Have him come in person to see this old monk.' The envoy returned with the message. That very day, the master strapped on his bag and set out, reaching Yuzhang; but Nan had already passed into parinirvāṇa, leaving him to sigh in grief. Just then, Old Man Huitang came out of the city and met him; talking with the master, he was greatly amazed and deeply regretted that their late teacher had not met him in time. After staying for more than a month, he returned to the Wu region. Monastics and laypeople revered him as a teacher. He was further invited to reside at Huiyan Cloister in Kunshan for ten years. Once, while returning by night boat from Zhaochuan, bandits raided the boat with flashing blades clashing. The boatmen were terrified and did not know what to do. The master sat peacefully and said slowly: 'All money and silk are given to you; human lives must not be harmed.' After the bandits left, when people came at dawn to inspect the boat, they presumed the master was dead; but his appearance was harmonious and his spirit collected, just as on ordinary days. His ability to remain detached and untroubled in the face of life, death, calamity, and fortune was like this. In the fourth year of Yuanyou (1089), he moved to Chengtian Wanshou Temple, and his assembly flourished even more. He personally carried his alms bowl to Huzhou. The people of Huzhou said: 'The master makes his home wherever he goes; why do you exclusively love Gusu?' They firmly detained him and would not let him return. When the people of Su heard this, they brandished clubs and sticks, clamoring as they entered Hu, saying: 'Why have you seized our region's kalyāṇamitra? You must return him at once! Otherwise, there will only be death!' The master was cheerful and felt no attachment about leaving or staying, saying: 'I simply follow conditions.' They guarded against each other for a whole month; when the provisions of the Su people ran out, they finally departed, and he ultimately belonged to the people of Hu, whereupon he took up residence at Baoben Chan Cloister. On the sixteenth day of the eleventh month of the sixth year (1091), he ascended the seat and spoke a verse: / 'Fifty-five years of a phantom dream body: / East, west, south, or north, what can be held dear? / White clouds completely disperse beyond the green hills; / Across ten thousand leagues of autumn sky, a single moon is new.' / Having finished speaking, he transformed. Right Remonstrator Lord Chen Yingzhong personally witnessed the event in Hu, saying: 'The master's character was solitary and unbending, and his demeanor was exceptionally lofty. His deportment was solemn and dignified, sitting erect all day long. Among the disciples of Chan Master Nan, the only one who could trace the footsteps of his comings and goings was this master.' His dying instructions were to be buried on the south of Mount Xian. His disciple Yuanzheng asked: 'Why do you think only of Mount Xian?' The master said: 'In future days a temple can be built there.' Thirty years later, Grand Preceptor the Duke of Chu, Wang Fu, reminisced on the master's Dao and petitioned the court, which bestowed the posthumous title Chan Master Zhenggu (Realized Awakening), and his stupa was named Dingying. An imperial decree ordered the construction of Xianhua Temple, ordaining monks annually to maintain the incense and lamps.

First 31 of 58 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)

續傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese