Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

續傳燈錄 18

English (machine translation) 18

Language
English

18.1

Table of Contents for Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Fascicle 18

18.2

Fourteenth Generation under Dajian
Eleven Dharma heirs under Chan Master Letan Ying:
Chan Master Qitian of Falun
Chan Master Yun of Huiming
Chan Master You'en of Yangshan
Chan Master Qixun of Dawei
(The above four appear with records)
Chan Master Huaiji of Fangguang
Chan Master Zijun of Baogai
Chan Master Xingyu of Shangfeng
Chan Master Shucong of Huazang
Chan Master Yong of Baoxiang
Chan Master Chuiyi of Wuya
Chan Master Zigao of Shishuang
(The above seven are without records)
Eight Dharma heirs of Chan Master Xingwei of Yangshan:
Chan Master Jingxian of Guyin
Chan Master Yongtai of Huangbo
Chan Master Shansui of Longwang
Chan Master Ming of Huiri
(The above four appear with records)
Chan Master Huixian of Mountain Wangshi
Chan Master Zihe of Hanxi
Chan Master Qing of Muping
Head Monk Yongcong of Shengguo
(The above four are without records)
Twelve Dharma heirs of Chan Master Yuansu of Baizhang:
Chan Master Qingjian of Yangshan
Chan Master Weigu of Baizhang
Chan Master Shenjian of Yuezhu
(The above three appear with records)
Chan Master Faman of Chuigong
Chan Master Xinquan of Yongshou
Chan Master Guantong of Luopu
Chan Master Daolong of Qingquan
Chan Master Yuanbi of Xifeng
Chan Master Ning of Fajiao
Chan Master Fu of Jiuxian
Chan Master Ye of Luyuan
Chan Master Youzui of Fenghuang
(The above nine are without records)
Sixteen Dharma heirs of Chan Master Weisheng of Huangbo:
Chan Master Chunbai of Zhaojue (One person appears with a record)
Chan Master Qi of Taiping
Chan Master Yunzhen of Shishuang
Chan Master Juyue of Baishui
Chan Master Wenyi of Guangli
Chan Master Biaoqi of Yunding
Chan Master Liaoru of Putong
Chan Master Ju'an of Tianwang
Chan Master Chuyou of Chengtian
Chan Master Deng of Xichan
Chan Master Wuqian of Lingquan
Chan Master Xize of Ningguo
Chan Master Weiguang of Maxie
Chan Master Zungu of Mount Wangchuan
Hermitage Master Huaiyan of Mazu
Chancellor Lü Weizhong
(The above fifteen are without records)
Three Dharma heirs of Chan Master Qingjian of Longqing:
Chan Master Wenyi of Anhua (One person appears with a record)
Chan Master Cong of Longxu
Chan Master Puzi of Zifu
(The above two are without records)
Nine Dharma heirs of Chan Master Shouzhi of Yungai:
Chan Master Zuile of Baoshou
Chan Master Faru of Daochang
Chan Master Huiming of Shifo
(The above three appear with records)
Chan Master Ji of Dacheng
Chan Master Wenyu of Kaifu
Chan Master Ji of Daning
Chan Master Pu of Yangshan
Chan Master Xiqian of Taolin
Chan Master Youji of Bao'en
(The above six are without records)
Four Dharma heirs of Chan Master Shun of Shanglan:
Assistant Administrator Su Zhe (One person appears with a record)
Chan Master Jitong of Fangguang
Chan Master Yunzhi of Yousheng
Chan Master Yi of Jinyan
(The above three are without records)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Li'yan of Longqing:
Chan Master Xian of Xiangyan (One person is without a record)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Shouyan of Yinjing:
Chan Master Zongxian of Guanghui
Chan Master Fashun of Jixiang
(The above two are without records)
Ten Dharma heirs of Chan Master Shouyi of Benjue:
Chan Master Cuigui of Yuefeng
Chan Master Benming of Shoushan
Hermitage Master Ru of Tiantai
Chan Master Nun Fahai of Xizhu
(The above four appear with records)
Chan Master Fenghua of Fuguo
Chan Master Weibian of Xifeng
Chan Master Yuanshi of Faji
Chan Master Yuxian of Niutou
Chan Master Zhizhang of Xuansha
Chan Master Qin of Benjue
(The above six are without records)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Huijue of Qianming:
Chan Master Yingyuan of Changqing (One person appears with a record)
Chan Master Qingji of Baoji (One person is without a record)
Fifteen Dharma heirs of Chan Master Chongxin of Changlu:
Chan Master Zhine of Miaokong
Chan Master Huaishen of Huilin
Chan Master Faquan of Zhizhe
Chan Master Rugui of Guangxiao
Chan Master Ruzhe of Tianyi
(The above five appear with records)
Chan Master Quan of Shita
Chan Master Ming of Wanshou
Chan Master Huaiwu of Zisheng
Chan Master Zhixian of Tianyi
Chan Master Fanqin of Zifu
Chan Master Jingzhen of Guangxiao
Chan Master Xianyong of Lingyan
Chan Master Zhizhao of Qingshan
Chan Master Daoxian of Xichan
Hermitage Master Faxiu of Longmen
(The above ten are without records)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Xun of Kaixian:
Chan Master Xiyong of Yanchang
Chan Master Zong of Kaixian
(The above two appear with records)
Eleven Dharma heirs of Chan Master Ying of Baoning:
Chan Master Weishang of Guangfu
Chan Master Faning of Xuedou
Chan Master Qin of Luohan
Chan Master Shanxiu of Luohan
(The above four appear with records)
Chan Master Qiguo of Jixiang
Chan Master Zhiquan of Wuwei
Chan Master Tong of Huqiu
Chan Master Chang of Xiangshan
Chan Master Yi of Huazang
Chan Master Shouyuan of Guangjiao
Chan Master Yuanzhao of Guangjiao
(The above seven are without records)
Three Dharma heirs of Chan Master Ziling of Jiashan:
Chan Master Facong of Xifeng
Chan Master Weixian of Doushuai
Chan Master Shan of Cengshan
(The above three are without records)
Three Dharma heirs of Chan Master Qingman of Yuanfeng:
Chan Master Zongpu of Changxing
Chan Master Zongyan of Xuefeng
Grand Master Wang of Weizhou
(The above three appear with records)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Xian of Xiandong:
Chan Master Dao of Mingjiao (Without a record)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Jue of Jingyin:
Chan Master Huilan of Huayan (One person appears with a record)
Chan Master Sheng of Yasong (One person is without a record)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Zhi of Dahong:
Chan Master Shu of Tianzhang (Appears with a record)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Xuan of Ganlu:
Chan Master Nun Wenzhao of Miaozhan (Appears with a record)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Ju of Ruiyan:
Chan Master Chuyou of Wannian (Appears with a record)
Chan Master Yuanrui of Huguo (Without a record)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Yue of Jingyin:
Chan Master Tichun of Gushan (Appears with a record)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Hui of Jinshan:
Chan Master Jueran of Bao'en (Appears with a record)

18.3

Table of Contents for Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Fascicle 18 (End)

18.4

Fourteenth Generation under Dajian

18.5

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Hongying of Letan

18.6

Chan Master Qitian of Falun on Mount Nanyue. A monk asked, "The student comes forward and begs for the Master's instruction." The master said, "Did you just hear the sound of the drum?" The monk said, "I heard it." The master said, "Give me back my topic." The monk bowed. The master smiled and said, "Making people feel doubtful!" He also ascended the hall, gave a shout, and said, "A lion's roar!" He gave another shout and said, "The elephant king stretches!" He gave another shout and said, "A mad dog chases a clod!" He gave another shout and said, "A leaping shrimp cannot jump out of the peck measure!" He then said, "Among these four shouts, there is one shout worthy of being teacher to the buddhas and patriarchs. Clear-eyed patch-robed monks, pray test and pick it out. If you cannot pick it out, it is much like losing one's way at midday." He also ascended the hall, paused for a long while, and said, "When nature is tranquil, the emotions are at ease." Then he gave a shout and said, "When the mind moves, the spirit is fatigued." He then looked left and right, and said, "Keeping to the true, the will is content." Picking up his staff, he said, "Pursuing things, the intention shifts." Suddenly calling out to the assembly, he said, "Seeing the strange without taking it as strange, its strangeness collapses on its own."

18.7

Chan Master Yun of Huiming in Quanzhou. A monk asked, "How do you guide people within the ocean of prajñā?" The master said, "Clouds disperse, and the Silver River is distant." The monk said, "In the end, what then?" The master said, "Blood is seen at the tip of the stick." A monk asked, "Vipaśyin Buddha paid attention long ago, yet up until now has not attained wondrousness. What is the meaning?" The master said, "Ugly and clumsy, intolerable." The monk said, "If all of a sudden one bears it, what then?" The master said, "Not worth even half a penny." The monk said, "What is right?" The master said, "South of Zhaozhou, north of the stone bridge." The monk bowed. The master struck the meditation seat three times. Ascending the hall, he said, "The bequeathed style of Shaoshi, the essential tenets of Caoxi: gathered by Huangbo, raised up by Linji. Weapons and armor of the three checkpoints vie to be divided; the four selections opening and shutting, how could it stop at this? Establish the lineage school, set up the governing principles! Right in the face of the matter, verify the rice of Luling. Rather than determining high and low by pecks and pints, how can it compare to Master Bei sealing the blank paper? Xianggu raised his mind, rejoicing in secret; the shared wind from past to present spreads through the monasteries. Above all, do not tap the jaws and startle the teeth!" He also said, "Xuefeng's turtle-nosed snake; Guishan's water buffalo; Linji's three checkpoints; Yunmen's one pu. I urge you all to penetrate each and every one, and capture the tiger beneath Mount Daxiong."

18.8

Chan Master You'en of Yangshan in Yuanzhou ascended the hall. Striking the meditation seat once with his staff, he said, "Buddha's commands and patriarchs' orders dissolve like tiles shattering and ice melting. Half-words and full words: thousands of mountains and tens of thousands of rivers. Before patch-robed monks, the grass bends and the wind sweeps. Even though it is so, 'the authorities allow not a needle, but privately carriages and horses pass through.' I have a remarkable nidāna to bring forth to the assembly." After a long while, he said, "Bodhidharma vainly wall-gazed for nine years; returning to the West, he was ashamed to face the people of Luoyang." He also said, "Where mists and clouds part, the sun and moon shine together. Reflections fall upon a thousand rivers; light encompasses all phenomena. Each and every one shines forth clearly—none is not one's own house style. Every single thing is fully manifest—all is the Patriarch's lively livelihood. If you understand here, you nod your head and swallow your saliva. If you do not understand here, for now swing your arms and shake your head. Speaking like this is much like acting as if no one were around. If someone steps forth and gives a cough, this mountain monk will step back three paces."

18.9

Chan Master Qixun of Dawei in Tanzhou. A monk asked, "The jade rabbit does not conceive; why then does the heifer give birth to a calf?" The master said, "Go to the feeding trough." The monk said, "At the foot of the ox-herding slope." The master said, "Do not let it fall into the weeds." The monk said, "Every step treads upon it." The master said, "Fellow in the weeds!" He then said, "If recognized before the horns have grown, it has already trespassed upon this mountain monk's crops. Must one wait until it carries a head and wears horns, coming among different kinds to give birth to calves and nurture young? How could one bear that? Have you not seen that Yangshan said, 'Every time it enters the grass, every time I pull it by the nose'? Even though it is so, it cannot avoid trespassing on others' crops. Tell me, how can one avoid trespassing?" After a long while, he said, "The iron ox does not eat the grass beside the railing; it goes straight up to the peak of Sumeru to sleep." He also said, "Green mountains tier upon tier, waters vast and boundless; / The apes love the fragrant ripe fruits before the crag. / There is yet another aspect worthy of envy: / Who knows that there is an uncommon consideration?"

18.10

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Xingwei of Yangshan

18.11

Chan Master Jingxian of Guyin in Xiangzhou. A monk asked, "How is it when presenting oneself face-to-face?" The Master said, "The pure breeze comes endlessly." The monk said, "Penetrating through from top to bottom, not a single hair is admitted." The Master said, "The bright moon shines impartially." He asked, "Since the literary brilliance is already evident, we wish to hear you expound it." The Master said, "A yakṣa patrolling the sea with horns on his head." The monk said, "Where the five petals of the flower bloom in the Jeta Grove, it does not distinguish the Lord of the East; it is another spring altogether." The Master said, "Layer upon layer, the mountain passes and roads." He asked, "I do not ask about breaking three barriers with a single arrow. How is it when people of the Way meet?" The Master said, "The thief's body is already exposed." He then said, "Wind every three days, rain every five days; the times are peaceful and the Way flourishes, folksongs fill the roads. Śākya shut himself in his room, deliberating in vain; Vimalakīrti stopped his mouth, bringing it up no more. If you wish to know the ultimate, original source, recognize bearded Li of the southern manor. I dare ask everyone: what excellence does this bearded Li have? Do you understand? This year there must certainly be a coming year; it is better to sow extra millet for the coming year." He also said, "As the sun's shadow shifts, the day lengthens by a thread. Tell me, how much does the Buddhadharma grow?" He himself answered, "Nine times nine is eighty-one. Do you people still understand? If no one understands, this mountain monk will explain it for your sake." He spoke a verse: "Nine times nine is eighty-one, / the day the sun turns south and the solstice arrives. / As the sun's shadow has already shifted, / let everyone understand clearly together. / This is not for circulating worldly conventions, / but to accommodate the season and receive blessings—examine this!" He also said, "Today is the fifth of the first month. Great assembly, look clearly: atop fire, heat is added; amidst bitterness, bitterness is increased. How laughable that Guyin is so unreasonable, letting riddles flow before the crags of the empty valley!" He gave a shout. He also said, "Speaking, silence, looking, and blinking all preach; seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing all listen. In the World of Accumulated Fragrance, one eats fragrant rice and awakens to the unproduced; in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, one listens to the wind through the branches and awakens to prajñā." He then took up his staff and said, "If you listen with your ears, it is ultimately hard to comprehend; only when you hear sound where the eyes are will you first know it." He struck once.

18.12

Chan Master Yongtai of Qiyuan on Mount Huangbo in Ruizhou was a native of Suizhou. A monk asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The Master said, "Cast of iron." The monk hesitated. The Master said, "Do you understand?" The monk bowed. The Master said, "Why were you not like this sooner?"

18.13

Chan Master Shansui of Mount Longwang in Tanzhou. A monk asked, "What is the realm of the Dragon King?" The Master said, "A crystal palace." He said, "What is the wish-fulfilling jewel of the Dragon King?" The Master said, "In the topknot upon his crown." The monk bowed. The Master said, "It is best not to say it does not fulfill wishes."

18.14

Chan Master Ming of Huiri on Mount Lu ascended the hall. "There is no need to seek with the mind; one must only rest one's views. Although the Great Master the Third Patriarch avoided the golden hook, he was completely unaware that he had already swallowed the red line. Huiri, however, is not like that: no need to seek truth, nor to rest one's views. Riding the ox backward, I enter the Buddha hall. With a single tune from the shepherd's flute, heaven and earth are broad. Bowing the head to Gautama, he truly has a yellow face!"

18.15

Dharma heirs of Chan Master Yuansu of Baizhang

18.16

Chan Master Qingjian of Mount Yang in Yuanzhou. A monk asked, "The udumbara flower appears today; we wish you would use the flower's pistil to guide deluded beings." The Master said, "Just let the snow melt away; naturally spring will arrive." The monk said, "Hearing one thing and awakening to a thousand, one immediately realizes all-pervading penetrative understanding." The Master said, "The mind does not fail others; the face has no look of shame." He asked, "A guest outside the worldly realm for twenty years—how is it when appearing in the world today?" The Master said, "Clouds follow the dragon; wind follows the tiger." The monk said, "Ten thousand fathoms of white clouds cannot conceal it; a single wheel of the bright moon shines in the blue sky." The Master said, "'Walking to where the water ends, sitting to watch when the clouds arise.'" He asked, "The clear matter beneath the Cloud-Gathering Peak—please, Master, impart the four rattan canes." The Master said, "Zhaozhou went on itinerant pilgrimage only at eighty." The monk said, "How could he be so unaware of the seasons?" The Master said, "Having reached Nanquan, he simply ceased." He then said, "Having just arrived at this splendid seat, it truly comforts my spirit. Hearing a thousand explanations in days past is not as good as arriving here for a single day. Monks return to the mountain cottages; people return to the prefectural city. Affairs shift, yet the principle does not change. Why is this? The Xiang River directly connects to the Xiu River; leaving a mountain, one enters yet another mountain. How could activity, stillness, going, and coming obstruct profound serenity? The prefectural peaks and lined-up ridges constantly reveal one's own house style; the green pines lining the path lead directly to the great road of Chang'an. Mist and clouds stretch across the plains; halls and pavilions tower into the sky. Without shifting half a step, one instantly enters the Lotus Treasury World. While entering is not nonexistent, do you still see Sudhana?" He then lowered one foot and said, "Eminent practitioners who have long inquired already know on their own where to return; Chan practitioners newly arrived might as well stand where they are and grasp it all at once." He also said, "The new calendar has just begun; the rosy dawn announces daybreak. The weather wishes to turn warm yet turns cold again; the climate seems like winter, yet suddenly turns to spring. Because the image of primal chaos has just arisen, the severe, freezing cold has not yet receded. In a mere moment, the season will already belong to the Lord of the East. Do not trouble yourselves with this; together proclaim receiving the new year. Yet there is precisely one person not within these limits: heaven and earth have no way to cover or carry him; how could cold and heat shift him? The sun and moon cannot match him in shining down; yin and yang can hardly alter him. If you have this person receive the new year, he will ultimately not be content; yet when the season arrives, how can he deny it? Tell me, when the person who receives the new year and the person who does not receive the new year meet each other, how do they offer congratulations?" After a long pause, he said, "Cold follows the single night and departs; spring pursues the fifth watch and arrives."

18.17

Chan Master Weigu of Baizhang in Ruizhou ascended the hall. When the great assembly had settled, he held up his staff, showed it to the assembly, and said, "Much emptiness is not as good as a little reality." He struck once and then rose.

18.18

Chan Master Shenjian of Yuezhu in Jiading Prefecture. A monk requested to record in writing the essentials of the Master's words. The Master said, "Bodhidharma came from the West, solely transmitting the mind seal; the Sixth Patriarch of Caoxi did not know a single word. Today, the sayings of those appearing in the world across the various quarters are like mountains, multiplying ropes and chains all the more." He then slapped the meditation bench and said, "If you understand at this, you are still of dull faculties. If not yet so: lie as you please deep within the white clouds, but take special care regarding the cold apes crying at midnight."

18.19

Dharma heirs of Chan Master Weisheng of Huangbo

18.20

Chan Master Chunbai of Zhaojue in Chengdu Prefecture was a native of Feiwu in Zizhou, surnamed Zhi. His father, Qian, heard the Dharma under the Daoist Practitioner of Mount Song and treated life and death as child's play. In white robes and with pure conduct, no one among the monastic or secular surpassed him. He once said, "My faculties are dull, unable to enter the complete and sudden [teaching]; if only I have a son to continue the Buddha's life of wisdom, that will be enough." In his youth, the Master heard his father's instructions, listening carefully and contemplating deeply, as if it were a habit from past lives. One day, leaping across a stream, he suddenly had an awakening and unwittingly burst into laughter. He was sent to rely upon Huayan Temple on Mount Emei, where his hair was shaved and he received full ordination. Father and son together visited lecture halls throughout Chengdu, mastering the scriptures and treatises of both the nature and characteristics schools. Leaving them, he journeyed south, first calling upon Chan Master Jun of Taiping in Lizhou. Jun was greatly amazed by him and said, "He is truly a son of our Dharma!" and offered him a thirteen-strip Dharma robe, but the Master declined it. Later, he went to Mount Huangbo to pay respects to Chan Master Zhenjue Sheng and attended on him closely for more than a year. Sheng never once looked at him, yet the Master served him with ever greater diligence. One day, Sheng suddenly raised his eyes and looked at him. The Master scolded, "Why can this old fellow not keep his composure?" Sheng laughed heartily and thereupon gave the seal of approval to his mind ground. At the end of the Yuanfeng era, an imperial clan member, the Prince of Nankang Commandery, invited Sheng from Huangbo to the capital. The Master accompanied him in attendance. Soon after, it happened that Imperial Academy students submitted a memorial accusing an erudite; their words implicated Sheng, and an imperial decree released him to return to Shu. His disciples scattered like stars; only the Master carried his towel and bowl to follow him. It happened that the Governor of Chengdu Prefecture memorialized to convert Zhaojue into a ten-directions [public monastery] and asked Zhenjue who could serve as abbot. Zhenjue put forward the Master in response to the request. After the Master took charge of the monastery, he adhered to the southern standards and completely transformed the Vinaya residence. Ascending the hall to instruct the assembly, he had a saying: "Not transcending the ocean of nature is bondage by principle and phenomena; not penetrating the wheel of sound is bondage by speech and language." Thereupon, the pure companions of Shu flocked to his style, and the lecture halls of the scriptures were emptied because of it. Gentleman for Court Audiences Feng Gan, Gentleman for Court Discussion Duan Qi, Song Fang the hermit of Mount Tiantai, and Xiangli Yu the scholar of Tang'an all gathered their robes and performed the etiquette of disciples. At the end of the Yuanyou era, the office of Buddhist monk-rectifier at Baishui on Mount Emei became vacant. Prime Minister Cai Jing, who was then governing Chengdu, ordered the Master to take the post. The Master was displeased, so he resigned from Zhaojue as well. Cai perceived his sincerity and again invited him to return to his former monastery. He increasingly established the essentials of the lineage, solitary, stern, steep, and rigorous. He was greatly envied by his peers, and slanderous talk filled the roads. The Master paid no heed to it, and after a long time it naturally settled. When the Master showed illness, he handed a verse to his disciple Zongxian, saying: "The wind is high and the moon is cold; / the waters are far and the sky is long. / Going out the door, there is no shadow / in all directions." Joyfully, he passed into quiescence. His secular age was fifty-nine, and he had sat for thirty-four summer retreats. The disciples who attained the Dharma and appeared in the world were Zongxian and Zonghua; his Dharma heirs were Changzhao of Yuanfeng in Jianzhou and Zisong of Tiexiang in Qiongzhou. The Master was the first generation at Zhaojue; his stūpa exists to this day.

18.21

Dharma heirs of Chan Master Qingjian of Longqing in Luling

18.22

Chan Master Wenyi of Anhua in Tanzhou. A monk asked, "Where the intentional meaning does not reach is specially suited for deliberation. I wonder, what kind of person's realm is this?" The Master said, "Zhang the Third and Li the Fourth." The monk said, "The wooden man holds clappers and claps them amidst the clouds; the stone woman plays the reed pipes and blows them beneath the water." The Master said, "Why run about in confusion?" The monk said, "I must also have the Upādhyāya recognize it." The Master said, "India and this land." Ascending the hall, he said, "Twirling a flower and subtly smiling was an empty expenditure of effort; standing in the snow waist-deep was using effort in vain. How could it compare to Old Lu, who, being of no use, nevertheless transmitted the robe and bowl and raised the true house style? Great assembly, tell me: what was the robe and bowl transmitted by Old Lu? Could it be that which could not be lifted on the summit of the Great Yu Ridge? Do not mistakenly recognize the zero point on the steelyard!" Striking the meditation bench with his whisk, he descended from the seat.

18.23

Dharma heirs of Chan Master Shouzhi of Yungai

18.24

Chan Master Zuile of Baoshou in Fuzhou was a native of Gutian. Ascending the hall: "The Buddhas do not truly preach the Dharma to save the multitude of sentient beings; the bodhisattvas possess wisdom, yet their seeing of the nature is not distinct. The white clouds have no mind, yet sprinkle rain for the world; the great earth harbors no sentiment, yet can grow all grasses and trees. If you can understand, cognitive understanding still remains; if you cannot understand, you fall into the indeterminate. Leaving behind these two paths, what is right? The sea is broad, hard to conceal the moon; the mountains are deep, exceptionally cold."

18.25

Chan Master Faru of Daochang in Anji Prefecture was a son of the Xu family of Quzhou. He called upon Yungai and awakened to Fenyang's topic on the ten kinds of wisdom sharing one reality. Usually he often spoke of the ten kinds of wisdom sharing one reality, so the monastic groves called him 'Ru of the Ten Shared.' Both Shui'an and Yuanji relied upon him. Yuanji once praised him, saying: 'His cast-iron face is difficult to approach; / casually taking a step, he moves heaven and earth. / Playfully taking up the topic of the ten kinds of wisdom sharing one reality, / he does not fail Huanglong's authentic descendants.' Ascending the hall: "'Setting up knowledge upon knowing and seeing is the root of ignorance; knowing and seeing without seeing is itself nirvāṇa.' It is uncontaminated, true and pure; how could it admit other things within it? Old Śākya threw down his whole body—how will later descendants carry it on? Do you wish to understand? Tongxuan is not of the human realm; with green mountains filling the eyes, where will you seek it?"

18.26

Chan Master Huiming Jiekong of Shifo in Shaoxing Prefecture. A monk asked, "What is the realm of Baoxiang?" The Master said, "Chiseled out over three lifetimes." He asked, "Who is the person within the realm?" The Master said, "One Buddha and two bodhisattvas."

18.27

Dharma heirs of Chan Master Shun of Shanglan

18.28

Assistant Administrator Upāsaka Su Zhe, styled Ziyou. In the third year of the Yuanfeng era, while serving as Assistant Magistrate of Suiyang, he was demoted to the post of Director of the Monopoly Bureau in Ruizhou. At that time, Chan Master Shun of Shanglan in Hongzhou had a rapport with his father, Master Wen'an. [Su Zhe] therefore went to visit him, and they enjoyed each other's company immensely. The Duke inquired about the mind Dharma, and Shun pointed to the nidāna of twitching the nose. Thereupon he had an awakening, and composed a verse presenting it: 'In middle age I heard the Way and realized my former errors; / by chance I encountered the old master Shun. / Twitching the nose, I directly plumbed my true face; / shaking my head, I accept no other tongs and hammer. / Withered vine and ragged patch-robe, what business has the Duke? / White wine and green salt, who am I? / Full of gratitude, as the waning moon rises over the eastern porch, / a cup of sweet dew is smooth as malt syrup.'

18.29

Dharma heirs of Chan Master Shouyi of Benjue

18.30

Chan Master Miaojue Cuigui of Yuefeng in Fuzhou was a native of the same commandery, surnamed Lin. A monk asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The master replied, "Lean fields ruin the seed." The monk said, "I do not know how to comprehend this." The master said, "The sickle that reaps grain is bent like a hook." The monk asked, "How is it when clever mechanisms do not reach?" The master said, "Carrying a pitcher to irrigate the garden." The monk said, "This is still an affair on the side of mechanisms." The master said, "Rain must drench the head."

18.31

Chan Master Benming of Shoushan in Fuzhou. On the day of opening the hall, a monk asked, "In years past Minister Li visited Yaoshan: 'Clouds in the blue sky, water in the pitcher.' The prefectural governor has invited the master to occupy the high seat; I do not know how the Patriarch's intention may be clarified?" The master said, "Past and present should not fall away; it is clearly right before the eyes." The monk said, "I had supposed Shoushan had no path through; it turns out there is an intimate knower beyond the worldly realm." The master said, "How do you speak the one phrase of the present and the past?" The monk said, "Boya and Ziqi are not as good as casual acquaintances." The master said, "Blown by the wind into another tune again!" The monk asked, "What is the environment of Shoushan?" The master said, "Three mountains are ever in view; a single path through cedars and pines." The monk said, "Who is the person within the environment?" The master said, "Idly holding a walking stick, smiling and asking passersby." The monk asked, "What is the affair of the vehicle of the school of transcendence?" The master said, "The dragon roars and mist arises; the tiger howls and wind is born." The monk asked, "I know the master has long concealed the hair-severing sword; what is the hair-severing sword?" The master said, "A clear breeze from all eight directions." The monk said, "How do those of middling and lower capacities understand it?" The master said, "Take care not to meet the blade." The monk said, "If so, then it can be used today." The master said, "Swift advantage is hard to encounter." He then said, "The past buddhas have already passed; the future buddhas have not yet arrived. Right at the very juncture of emptiness, with whom does the Buddha-Dharma truly rest? If you turn the light around in a single thought to illuminate backward, past and present across ten eras never leave the present thought. How could there be any interval of before and after, going and coming? Even if the holy ones appeared as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, not one or a half of them could point it out head-on. Therefore Old Śākya could not finish speaking it in forty-nine years, and the three vehicles and twelve divisions of teachings are also just talk of yellow leaves to stop crying. Coming down to the assembly on Gṛdhrakūṭa, being left with no choice, he twirled a flower and showed it to the assembly. Kāśyapa broke into a smile, and he then said, 'I possess the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye and entrust it to Mahākāśyapa.' From this time onward, it turned into ruts and paths, handed down and transmitted successively between the Western Heaven and this land, like using a seal to stamp the mind, and the mind being settled with the seal. Truly there is not a single dharma given to people, but only pointing directly to the person's own allotment. The true mechanism has no omen, endlessly embracing a thousand ages; the great wisdom is empty and boundless, endlessly extending through the ten directions. How could the realm of phenomena be obtained from another? The perfect illumination is never apart from what is before the eyes. Raising a foot and lowering a foot are nowhere not the true bodhimaṇḍa; rolling up and unfurling, how could they be apart from the profusely flourishing great function? Grasses, trees, and dense groves all manifest the samādhi of the physical body; mountains, rivers, and the great earth all turn the fundamental wheel of the Dharma. If you can be like this, only then will you know how to repay the Buddha's profound benevolence, and assist from above in the everlasting firmness of the imperial realm. Take care!" He also ascended the hall and said: "Green mountains on four sides line up like a painted screen; / Who knows that body and world are level with the clouds? / Pine-wind and water-moon face each other in stillness; / Separately occupying a slice of purity within the pot. Therefore, within the shadows of white clouds and before the crags of ancient buddhas, the green pines and verdant cypresses fully display the house style of ancient buddhas. How do prominent pavilions and grand towers differ from the world of the heavenly palaces? Having arrived here, one needs no snapping of fingers for the pavilion doors to open. What talk of Tiantai and Nanyue? Why is it like this? The Peak of Longevity pierces the Milky Way; the red dust does not reach the barrier."

18.32

Hermitage Master Ru of Tiantai in Taizhou long relied on Fazhen. Due to examining Yunmen's phrase 'Eastern Mountain walks on water', he brought to light his own understanding. The master hid himself in his native mountain, taking apes and deer as companions. The commandery prefect heard of his demeanor and sent an emissary to pressure him into serving as abbot. The master composed a verse saying: 'For thirty years I have lived on this mountain; / For what business do the commandery tallies arrive in the woods? / Do not take petty worldly affairs / To exchange for my life of leisure upon leisure.' He then burned down his hut, and in the end no one knew where he stayed.

18.33

Chan Master, Nun Fahai of Xizhu Temple in Pingjiang Prefecture was the paternal aunt of Bureau Director Lü Jia. She first called upon Upādhyāya Fayun Xiu, and later received the message under the words of Fazhen. Various famous scholars repeatedly urged her to take up teaching in the world, but she firmly refused. On the day of her death, she spoke a verse saying: 'On a frosty day, clouds and fog congeal; / The mountain moon coldly holds its glow. / At night I receive news from my native village; / Setting out at dawn, no one knows.' At dawn, she passed away while seated.

18.34

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Qianming Jue

18.35

Chan Master Yingyuan of Changqing in Pingjiang, Yuezhou ascended the hall: "The cold qi is about to wane, and the spring days arrive. The mud oxen without ropes all leap and bound, striking the nostrils of Mount Kunlun, knocking down Mount Sumeru to become sweepings of dung. The cowherd boy has thrown away the whip, too lazy to blow the holeless flute; clapping his hands, he laughs heartily: 'Return home! Return home! Deep within the mists and clouds, falling down with clothes on!'" After a long pause, he said, "Take care not to fall asleep!"

18.36

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Changlu Xin

18.37

Chan Master Zhina Miaokong of Jingshan in Lin'an Prefecture was a native of Xiuzhou, surnamed Xia. A monk asked, "How was it before Niutou met the Fourth Patriarch?" The master said, "Sitting long brings fatigue." The monk asked, "How was it after he met him?" The master said, "It does not hinder me from walking east and walking west."

18.38

Chan Master Huaishen Cishou of Huilin in the Eastern Capital was a native of Shouchun Prefecture, surnamed Xia. When he was born, an auspicious light appeared at the house; Chan Master Wenshu Jian saw it from afar and suspected it was a fire. Upon inquiring the next morning, he learned the master had just been born and went to visit him. As soon as the master saw Jian, he laughed. His mother permitted him to leave household life, and at fourteen, cutting off family attachments, he was tonsured. Four years later, he sought the Way beyond the mundane sphere, relying on Jingzhao at Zisheng in Jiahe. Zhao brought up the nidāna of Liangsui visiting Magu and asked, "What is Liangsui's place of knowing?" The master was immediately thoroughly enlightened. When he went forth to dwell at Zifu, shoes filled the outside of his door. Chan Master Fogjian Qin of Jiangshan arrived on a preaching tour. After tea, the master led him to inspect the quarters, reaching the Thousand-Person Ward. Qin asked, "Since it is the Thousand-Person Ward, why is there only one person?" The master said, "Much emptiness is not as good as a little reality." Qin said, "Is that so?" The master flushed with shame. It happened that the court turned Zifu into a Shenxiao Palace; therefore he abandoned it and went to Jiangshan, staying at the Western Hermitage to repeatedly request instruction. Qin said, "If Zifu knows it is this sort of affair, then stop." The master said, "I am truly not yet settled; I hope the Venerable will not treat me as an outsider." Qin brought up the topic of Qiannü's soul departing, probing it back and forth; the master greatly resolved his doubts and presented a verse saying: 'It is merely where I used to walk; / Casual mention of it brings confusion. / Last night a gust of wild wind arose; / Who knows how many peach blossoms were blown down?' Qin tapped the table and said, "Isn't this the living meaning of the Patriarchs?" Before long, an imperial order appointed him to dwell at Jiao Mountain. A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The master said, "A yellow face is not real gold leaf." The monk asked, "What is the affair beyond the Buddha?" The master said, "One arrow, one lotus flower." The monk bowed. The master snapped his fingers three times. The monk asked, "How is it when one knows it is there but cannot speak it?" The master said, "A mute eating honey." The monk asked, "How is it when one can speak it but does not know it is there?" The master said, "A parrot calling people." The monk bowed. The master scolded, "This message-bearing fellow!" The monk asked, "What kind of person is not swallowed by impermanence?" The master said, "I only fear it has no place to bite into." The monk said, "If so, then a single thought penetrates the profound arrow, and the Three Corpse ghosts lose their deceit." The master said, "If you have a single thought, you will certainly be swallowed by it." The monk asked, "How is it when there is no single thought?" The master said, "Captured, Ācārya!" Ascending the hall, [the master said:] "An ancient said: 'Patience, patience! The Tathāgatas of the three times end from this. Forbearance, forbearance! Ten thousand disasters and a thousand calamities melt away from this. Silence, silence! Unsurpassed bodhi is attained from this.'" The master said, "Once you comprehend these three phrases, what an unhappy fellow! This mountain monk merely gets a cow from someone and returns a horse, splashing water and spitting at one another, interrupting and cursing each other." Striking his staff, he said, "All come out evenly! All come out evenly!" Ascending the hall: "From which mountain do clouds arise? / From which ravine is wind born? / A fine place of entry; / On the official road, few people walk." Ascending the hall: "It is not the environment, nor is it the mind; / Even calling it Buddha causes it to sink away. / Within this there are originally no gradations; / Take care not to seek where there are no gradations. / If you do not seek at all, the fault is even deeper; / Break open the rice bag of Yunmen, / Only then do you know red earth is yellow gold. Du!"

18.39

Chan Master Faquan of Zhizhe in Wuzhou ascended the hall: "If you want to knock at the mystery gate, you must possess integrity, be extremely impassioned, able to sever nails and cut through iron, a fellow who is hard and unyielding—only then will you succeed. If you are mediocre fellows who cringe from swords and dodge arrows, you will only have a share in watching." Striking the meditation couch with his whisk, he descended from the seat.

18.40

Chan Master Rugui Zhengwu of Wanshou in Pingjiang Prefecture was of the Wei family of Jianning. On the day of opening the hall, a monk asked, "What is the environment of Sutai?" The master said, "The mountain lies horizontally, the lion is elegant; the waters join, Lake Tai is clear." The monk asked, "Who is the person within the environment?" The master said, "Robes and caps after the August Song; rites and music before the Great Zhou." Whenever the master saw a monk, he would certainly ask, "How is it recently?" As the monk prepared to reply, the master would slap his back and say, "Inconceivable!" When he was about to manifest passing into extinction, the assembly gathered; he said again, "Inconceivable!" Then, joining his palms, he passed away.

18.41

Chan Master Ruzhe of Tianyi in Yuezhou, whose lineage and native place are unknown, resided at Wanshou in Pingjiang after retiring from his seat. He ate and drank without discrimination, and many people insulted him. Someone asked about Ruiyan calling his master; the master answered with a verse saying: 'Ruiyan constantly calls to the master; / He springs out atop Mount Sumeru's highest peak. / Overturning the great earth, there is nowhere to seek him; / A tune of pipes and songs inside the painted pavilion.' One day he said, "I am departing," and had the bamboo litter he rode cleaned. He then wrote a verse to inform the assembly: 'The Way lies in function; function lies in death. / People of the time only indulge in craving joy and pleasure, / Unwilling to learn non-action.' Having recounted his past studies and inquiries to encourage the assembly to advance in cultivation, he suddenly raised his fist and said, "Everyone, tell me: where does this fall?" The assembly had no answer. The master struck the table once and said, "Entrusted completely to the autumn wind!" He then entered the litter, sat upright, and passed away.

18.42

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Kaixian Xun

18.43

Chan Master Xiyong of Yanchang in Luzhou. A monk asked, "What was the meaning of Shaolin wall-gazing?" The master said, "Mortifyingly shameful."

18.44

Chan Master Kaixian Zong of Luzhou ascended the hall: "One: do not do it; two: do not rest. / Twist around the nostrils and press down the clouds. / Heshan knows how to strike Yanguan's drum; / Sengyou does not paint Dai Song's oxen. / Luling rice, Touzi oil; / Xuefeng rolls two balls just as before. / Last night the wind brought news from Hengyang; / A cold wild goose's single cry beneath the quiet frosty moon."

18.45

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Baoning Ying

18.46

Chan Master Weishang of Guangfu Cloister in Lin'an Prefecture initially visited Jueyin and asked, "What was the intention of Nanquan cutting the cat?" Yin said, "You must be Nanquan before you can do it." Yin questioned him with the previous words, and the master could not answer. Arriving at the monks' hall, he suddenly experienced great awakening and said, "The ancients said: 'From this day forward I no longer doubt the tongues of the venerable old teachers of the world.' Truly it is so!" He composed a verse and presented it to Yin: 'It must be Nanquan's primary mechanism; / Unwittingly, unawares, struck abruptly on the head. / Face to face, if one lacks blue-and-white eyes, / One is still like an otter guarding an empty pool.' Before he finished citing it, Yin raised his fist and said, "Right at such a time, how is it?" The master overturned the meditation couch. Yin then shouted. The master said, "Drawing the bow after the thief has passed!" When he went out to dwell at Guangfu, in the room he asked a monk, "Holding it up, how do you comprehend it?" He also said, "Tell me, what is it that requires someone to hold it up?"

18.47

Chan Master Faning of Xuedou in Mingzhou was a native of Quzhou, surnamed Du. Ascending the hall, [he said:] "The hundred rivers have different courses, taking the ocean as their ultimate. The myriad phenomena take emptiness as their ultimate. The four sages and six ordinarinesses take the Buddha as their ultimate. The clear-eyed patch-robed monk takes the staff as his ultimate. And tell me, what does the staff take as its ultimate? If someone can speak it, this mountain monk will entrust it with both hands. If not yet so, it is better to lean idly beside the meditation couch, leaving it for sons and grandsons to point out the road."

18.48

Chan Master Luohan Qin of Mount Lu ascended the hall and said, "Luohan has a phrase: deliberating makes it an open proclamation. Take responsibility for it right here and now, and go back to the hall to drink tea." He also ascended the hall and said, "When the moon is on its first day, the Tathāgatas of the three times cannot leap out. When the moon is on its second day, it is distinctly clear right here and now—cease all deliberation. When the moon is on its third day, the biting, frosty wind penetrates bone-deep with cold." He then took up his staff and said, "The past of this mountain monk's staff cannot be attained; its present cannot be attained. Everyone, how do you understand this? If you can distinguish it here, you are entirely free to stride forth in all directions; if not yet so, beware of running about haphazardly." Striking the meditation couch, he stepped down from his seat.

18.49

Chan Master Luohan Shanxiu of Luzhou ascended the hall and said, "One breath without speaking, and the host of fragrant blossoms vie to burst forth. Smoke is misty, the water emerald, and the mountains green; the sun lingers slow, luan-birds sing, and swallows chatter. Peach blossoms smile as ever at the spring wind; after Lingyun parted, who knows where they went?" He suddenly took up his staff and said, "Do you see?" After a long pause he said, "Nostrils and eyes pierced through in a single instant!" He brought his staff down once.

18.50

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Yuanfeng Qingman

18.51

Chan Master Changxing Zongpu of Xiangzhou ascended the hall and said, "I have a directive that I speak whenever meeting someone: when rain falls it is cool, and when the weather is blazing hot it is hot everywhere. Does the assembly understand? If you understand, dust has fallen into your eyes; if you do not understand, today you have met defeat. Have you not heard it said: 'Different, different—the old man of Shaoyang obtained one half.'" He also said, "The twelfth month is bitterly cold; the plants and trees are all dried up and withered. How many seekers of fame and profit find their views shrouded in total darkness?" He gave a shout.

18.52

Chan Master Xuefeng Zongyan Yuanjue of Fuzhou was a native of Enzhou. A monk asked, "How is it when one does not admire the holy ones and does not value one's own spirit?" The Master said, "A confession comes from the prisoner's mouth." The monk said, "How is it when one understands it just so?" The Master said, "Swapping hands and beating the chest." The monk asked, "What is the mind of a great kalyāṇamitra?" The Master said, "A piece of broken tile at the crossroads." Bidding farewell to the assembly, a monk asked, "What is the one phrase at the parting of ways?" The Master said, "If there is a horse, ride the horse; if there is no horse, travel on foot." The monk said, "How are things on the road?" The Master said, "The lowly yield to the noble." Ascending the hall, [the Master said,] "Dispelling delusion to seek awakening—one does not know that delusion is the tongs and hammer of awakening. Loving the sacred and detesting the mundane—one does not know that the mundane is the furnace and bellows of the sacred. Just tell me: how do you express the phrase where the sacred and mundane are both vanished and delusion and awakening are both forgotten? / At midnight rosy clouds enfold the jade statue; / At dawn five-colored clouds veil the peak's crest."

18.53

Grand Master Wang of Weizhou: his given name is lost. Having lost his spouse, he became weary of worldly phenomena. He then called upon Yuanfeng and under his words knew his homecoming. One day Feng said to him, "You are indeed the Lu Gen of today." The gentleman then covered his ears. Soon after, he returned to the sunny south of Mount Tan, where he tied thatched grass to live alone for three years. He occasionally sang: / "How long the days inside Mount Tan! / Ridge of green pines, homeland of white clouds; / Singing birds and crying gibbons make the bodhimaṇḍa. / With hair unbound, gathering fern, I sing and laugh again; / Let people say this rustic fellow is mad."

18.54

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Jingyin Jue

18.55

Chan Master Huayan Zhenyi Huilan of the Eastern Capital ascended the hall. "Great Master Bodhidharma sat wall-gazing for nine years. Before he opened his mouth, it could not help but make people suspicious; yet seeing Shenguang, the lecturer, his hands and feet became flustered, and he said, 'I originally came to this land / To transmit the Dharma and save deluded beings. / A single flower opens into five petals, / And the fruit naturally ripens.' At that time, had there been a fellow who had behind his head eyes illuminating ancient and modern, and in his hands tongs and hammer severing empty space, the moment he saw him speak thus, he would have seized him straight by the chest and asked him, 'Setting aside the single flower and five petals for a moment, what is the Dharma that you transmit?' Waiting for him to open his mouth, he would have overturned his meditation couch; even if Bodhidharma exerted his full capacity, he would have retreated three thousand li, avoiding entangling his descendants down through a thousand ages. How could Huayan today act in vain? Not only will I reorganize the decayed guidelines, but I also intend to vindicate you all of your grievances." He then took his staff, laid it crosswise on the table, and called to the assembly, "Where has Great Master Bodhidharma gone?" Throwing down the staff, he stepped down from his seat. Ascending the hall, he took up his staff and said, "In the assembly on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa it is called twirling a flower; before Shaoshi Peak it is called attaining the marrow. Ancient worthies from the past could only look on from the side; lineage masters of later generations all fold their hands. Huayan today cannot follow the waves and chase the billows; I intend to bring forth the spring colors of the entire world before the peak of ten thousand fathoms. Do you understand? The skull has no joyful consciousness; the withered tree possesses the dragon's roar."

First 55 of 67 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)