續傳燈錄 2.56

2.56

Chan Master Shanxian of Kaixian Monastery on Mount Lu was a native of Linjiang military prefecture. His conduct was pure and ascetic, and his wisdom and discernment were bright and penetrating. When Chan Master Yuan was at Deshan, the Master went and relied on him. One day, Yuan ascended the hall, looked around at the assembly, and said, 'The lion roars and stretches; the elephant king turns to look back.' The Master suddenly had an awakening. He entered the abbot's room and presented his understanding. Yuan said, 'How do you understand it?' The Master looked back and said, 'In the back garden, the donkey eats grass.' Yuan approved him. From this time on, his active wit was swift and sharp, and the Chan forests called him 'Daoist Xian Who Strides Broadly across the Seas.' Later he also called upon Xuedou Xian. Xian loved his remarkable brilliance and kept him in his seat for several years, wishing to recommend him to become abbot of Jin'e in Mingzhou. Hearing of this, the Master wrote two gāthās on the wall and departed:

'It is not that I have no heart to succeed to the ancestral lamp,
In the Way, I am ashamed not yet to rank with Neng of Lingnan.
Under the midnight moon I depart from the rock hollow,
With lingering affection, wordless, longing for the azure peaks.'

'For over thirty years across the four seas,
Seeking teachers and choosing companions, I was never at leisure.
Today, having reached the place of no-mind,
I am instead driven out of the mountain by no-mind.'

Later, when he resided at Kaixian as the Dharma heir of Chan Master Deshan Yuan, he nonetheless sent a letter to Xuedou. An old woman before the mountain saw the special envoy arrive and asked, 'For whom did Head Monk Xian burn incense upon coming into the world [as abbot]?' The special envoy said, 'Upādhyāya Deshan Yuan.' The old woman then cursed, saying, 'Xuedou shook out his bowels of shit to speak Chan for you—how could you betray such kindness and virtue!' On the day he opened the hall, after the senior monk finished striking the mallet, the Master said: 'Even if a thousand sages appeared, they would only bow their heads and offer praise; the patriarchs of all generations could not lift it up. Therefore, from Kāśyapa down to this mountain monk, for over two thousand years, the lamp of wisdom has shone like the moon and the trees of the Way have been arrayed like stars; humans and devas are universally illumined, and commoners and sages equally flourish. But tell me: through whose favor and strength is this received? The Old Barbarian merely said, "When the bright star appeared, together with the sentient beings of the great earth, I accomplished the Way at the same time." If it is like this, then since he was a great hero, so too am I—who says it cannot be so? It is truly because you people are unwilling to undertake it yourselves and spontaneously retreat in defeat that you push forward one or two predecessors to come forth and open it up for one another; yet they merely serve as verification for you people. Today in this assembly of humans and devas, isn't there any patch-robed monk who has roamed the Red Waters for long, has dwelt of old on Mount Jing, conceals a jewel in his sleeve, has an eye on the top of his head, and tramples over bodhimaṇḍas everywhere? Step forward, please, and provide verification for this elder who has newly come into the world. Is there anyone?' Then a monk came forward. The Master said, 'The elephant carriage moves toweringly, idly advancing on the road; who would believe that a praying mantis could block the wheel-rut?' The monk asked, 'How does the assembly on Gṛdhrakūṭa differ from today's?' The Master said, 'Do not harbor false thoughts.' The monk said, 'An adept lineage teacher!' The Master said, 'Thirty years later, someone will naturally know.' The monk asked, 'To speak of buddhas and speak of patriarchs is adding frost upon snow. What is the functioning of silence?' The Master said, 'Your mouth will receive the stick.' As the monk hesitated, the Master then gave a shout. The monk asked, 'A blow of the stick and a shout are still tangled vines; a blink of the eye and a raised eyebrow are dragging through mud and water. What is cutting directly to the root source?' The Master said, 'Quick!' The monk said, 'If so, then the upādhyāya holds fast the authentic lineage of the patriarchs.' The Master said, 'At the deserted ferry, with no one there, the boat drifts athwart.' The monk asked, 'What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?' The Master said, 'The ancient city of Luoyang.' The monk said, 'I do not understand.' The Master said, 'High is Mount Shaoshi.' The monk asked, 'How was it before Bodhidharma came?' The Master said, 'Pure poverty, lasting joy.' The monk said, 'How was it after he came?' The Master said, 'Turgid wealth, much worry.' The monk asked, 'What is the white ox on the open ground?' The Master said, 'Blind.' The monk asked, 'I do not ask about the summit of the Wondrous Peak; how is it when meeting halfway up the mountain?' The Master said, 'Cross the river hand in hand.' The monk said, 'Taking high strides, depart from Chang'an.' The Master said, 'What do you say about the phrase under your feet?' The monk gave a shout. The Master said, 'Running along the mountainside.' The monk asked, 'Why are ten thousand trees not the same when moistened by a single rain?' The Master said, 'Though mutton soup is delicious, it is hard to suit every palate.' The monk asked, 'How is it when the year is depleted and the days are exhausted?' The Master said, 'As before, the first month of spring is still cold.' The monk said, 'How is it in the depth of night when all is quiet?' The Master said, 'An old rat enters the lantern.' The monk asked, 'How is it when one suddenly angers and suddenly rejoices?' The Master said, 'Just now the face of a bodhisattva; now the head of a yakṣa.' The Master then said: 'To choose a buddha or choose a patriarch, right now is the time. Do not just harbor doubt all day long like this. With such views, your whole life will have passed. Fortunately meeting this excellent gathering, resolve it before the assembly. Yet, this matter is not found in the clashing of lips and tongues. Therefore it is said: "Cast aside throat, lips, and mouth, and speak!" If you can be like this, you can forget all concerns, attain certainty in your own mind, and naturally the constant light will appear before you. Each of you operates in solitary fashion within it; the mountains, rivers, and the great earth do not obstruct seeing and hearing; the ten thousand forms and myriad phenomena are constantly revealed. Is there anyone here who can undertake it? Since each operates in solitary fashion, whom else would you have undertake it? The grass robe is yielded to the rustic guest; the wood diet belongs to the mountain hermit. Take care.' He also ascended the hall and said, 'If one is right, two is wrong; people of the east, west, south, and north do not know. Cease speaking of pointing to heaven and pointing to earth; green mountains and white clouds do so in vain.' He struck the incense stand once with his staff. The Master resided at Kaixian for eighteen years in all, and later manifested extinction on his own mountain.