續傳燈錄 24

English (machine translation) 24

Language: English

24.1

Table of Contents for Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Fascicle Twenty-Four

Fifteenth Generation under Dajian:
Five Dharma heirs of Chan Master Jingci Ming:
Chan Master Jingci Xiang
Chan Master Xuefeng Long (the above two have records)
Chan Master Lingyan Dezong
Chan Master Changle Benran
Chan Master Baoying Fazhao (the above three have no records)

Fifteen Dharma heirs of Chan Master Changlu He:
Chan Master Ganlu Dazhu
Chan Master Lingyin Huichun (the above two have records)
Chan Master Xuedou Ming
Chan Master Langya Cheng
Upādhyāya Yuanzhi
Upādhyāya Fengshan
Chan Master Jingyan Fengzao
Chan Master Qingliang Kesheng
Chan Master Huayan Shangliu
Chan Master Baochan Daotian
Chan Master Xianqin Zuyong
Chan Master Changlu Fayong
Chan Master Dingshui Ran
Chan Master Xingguo Yuan
Chan Master Fayin (Head Monk) (the above thirteen have no records)

Fourteen Dharma heirs of Chan Master Xuefeng Hui:
Chan Master Jingci Daochang
Chan Master Jingshan Liaoyi
Chan Master Jinshan Liaoxin (the above three have records)
Chan Master Daji Fayuan
Chan Master Nan'an Da
Chan Master Jingci Sheng
Chan Master Shisong Zutian
Chan Master Qingcheng Wuji
Chan Master Xingwang Baoji
Chan Master Baosheng Shouning
Chan Master Jianshan Fazang
Chan Master Jingci Wuhui
Chan Master Nanming Jietong
Chan Master Zhongfeng Ning (the above eleven have no records)

Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Xiangyan Yue:
Chan Master Xiangyan Rubi (has a record)
Chan Master Xiangyan Rulin (has no record)

Seven Dharma heirs of Chan Master Huilin Shen:
Chan Master Lingyin Huiguang
Chan Master Guoqing Miaoyin
Chan Master Guoqing Pushao
Chan Master Jiuzao Huisui (the above four have records)
Chan Master Yuanjue Tan
Chan Master Jinghui Faru
Chan Master Yuanjue Sheng (the above three have no records)

One Dharma heir of Chan Master Bao'en Ran:
Chan Master Zisheng Yuanzu (has a record)

Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Huilin Hai:
Chan Master Wanshan Shoujian (has a record)
Chan Master Wanshan Shoulong (has no record)

Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Kaixian Zong:
Chan Master Huangbo Weichu
Chan Master Yuelu Hai (both have records)

Four Dharma heirs of Chan Master Xuefeng Yan:
Chan Master Xichan Huishun (one has a record)
Chan Master Fengshan Daozhao
Chan Master Nengren Deneng
Chan Master Longwo Yu (the above three have no records)

Thirteen Dharma heirs of Chan Master Changlu Liao:
Chan Master Tiantong Zongjue
Chan Master Changlu Miaojue
Chan Master Guishan Yichu
Chan Master Baoning Xingyu
Chan Master Beishan Fatong (the above five have records)
Chan Master Shoushan Dechu
Chan Master Longxiang Daohui
Chan Master Shanglan Zuqing
Chan Master Nengren Chongshou
Chan Master Youyan Ziyong
Chan Master Changlu Huiwu
Chan Master Shenguang Daoxin
Chan Master Xuedou Jian (the above eight have no records)

Fourteen Dharma heirs of Chan Master Tiantong Jue:
Chan Master Xuedou Sizong
Chan Master Shanquan Fazhi
Chan Master Jingci Huihui
Chan Master Ruiyan Fagong
Chan Master Shimen Fazhen
Chan Master Guangxiao Siche
Chan Master Dahong Fawei
Chan Master Changlu Lin (the above eight have records)
Chan Master Guanghui Facong
Chan Master Fenghuang Shizhao
Chan Master Wuju Guang
Chan Master Baofu Wu
Chan Master Nengren Li
Chan Master Xuedou Sui (the above six have no records)

Five Dharma heirs of Chan Master Dahong Yu:
Chan Master Huili Wu
Head Monk Xuefeng Huishen (the above two have records)
Chan Master Zhiman Ya
Chan Master Puzhao Chong
Chan Master Jianfu Yan (the above three have no records)

One Dharma heir of Chan Master Tianfeng Gui:
Chan Master Donglin Tongli (one has a record)

Six Dharma heirs of Chan Master Tianyi Cong:
Chan Master Huiri Fa'an
Chan Master Huguo Qin
Chan Master Jixiang Yuanshi
Chan Master Touzi Daoxuan (the above four have records)
Chan Master Nengren Puxi
Chan Master Shifo Zongwei (the above two have no records)

One Dharma heir of Chan Master Jixiang Xuan:
Chan Master Nanhua Ming (has no record)

Nine Dharma heirs of Chan Master Dahong Xian:
Chan Master Ziling Zuqing
Chan Master Shengguo Daohe
Chan Master Long'an Shineng
Chan Master Beichan Zongjue
Chan Master Puning Zuwu
Chan Master Zhongjinshan Zhao
Chan Master Shouning Shouke
Chan Master Hengshan Yuanjing
Chan Master Baizhao Fatong (the above nine all have no records)

One Dharma heir of Chan Master Luohan Yu:
Chan Master Caoshan Yue (has no record)

Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Jingshan Wu:
Upādhyāya Huizhao
Upādhyāya Baotuo Liaoran (both have no records)

Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Baolin Chang:
Chan Master Huguo Miaoji
Chan Master Xinghua Deguan (both have no records)

Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Baolin Hui:
Chan Master Xiangfu Liangdu
Chan Master Xuanhua Deji (both have no records)

Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Chengtian Yue:
Chan Master Chengtian Zhongyan (one has a record)
Chan Master Huguo Jiefeng (one has no record)

One Dharma heir of Chan Master Guangxiao Yin:
Chan Master Donglin Benran (has no record)

One Dharma heir of Chan Master Puzhao Qin:
Chan Master Yong'an Kewen (has no record)

Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Jingfu Wen:
Chan Master Jingguang Zang
Upādhyāya Shita of Yangzhou (both have no records)

24.3

Table of Contents for Fascicle Twenty-Four of the Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp (End)

24.4

Fifteenth Generation under Dajian

24.5

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Jingci Ming

24.6

Chan Master Jingci Xiang of Lin'an Prefecture was a native of Shanyin in Yuezhou. He ascended the hall and said: "An ancient once said: 'A cataract in the eye, and illusory flowers fall in confusion.'" Holding up his staff, he said: "When Jingci holds up this staff, is that not a cataract in the eye? Hundreds of thousands of all the Buddhas are gathered at the tip of the staff, manifesting their sixteen-foot bodies of purple-refined gold, traveling to their lands throughout the ten directions, expounding all teachings and delivering all sentient beings. Is that not illusory flowers falling in confusion? Right now, is there anyone who has severed [the flow] before the staff is held up? Come forward and meet Jingci! If there is no one, take special care not to fixate upon the place where space fundamentally has no flowers and the eye fundamentally has no cataract." He then cast down his staff and descended from the seat.

24.7

Chan Master Xuefeng Long of Fuzhou ascended the hall: "One does not become two; it is not the mouth eating food and the nose exhaling air. Cease talking of hiding the body in the Northern Dipper; why speak of the pit viper of South Mountain? With household goods carried out, let dealings be as they may; I urge you not to compete for the profit on the tip of an awl."

24.8

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Changlu He

24.9

Chan Master Ganlu Dazhu of Zhenjiang Prefecture was a native of Fuzhou. He ascended the hall: "The noble and the common are not divided; past and present are only one. It is simply that fire seeks dryness and water seeks dampness; one digs a well and drinks, tills the field and eats. Great assembly! Old Wang of the eastern village has gone and not returned; in chaotic profusion, yellow leaves scatter in vain."

24.10

Chan Master Lingyin Huichun Yuanzhi of Lin'an Prefecture ascended the hall: "'My mind is like the autumn moon, / crystal-clear in the emerald pool.'" Then he gave a shout and said: "Hanshan's words have lapsed! Venerable Chan monks! Pure and dustless—how could the mid-autumn moon compare? Emptily luminous and beyond comparison—not even a jewel illuminating the world can rival it. Encountering and exposing heaven and earth, its light engulfs myriad phenomena; spanning the heavens and encompassing the earth, it illuminates the past and vaults over the present. Tell me, what is this?" After a long pause, he said: "'On this night, a single disc is full; / where is its pure light absent?'"

24.11

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Xuefeng Hui

24.12

Chan Master Jingci Yuetang Daochang of Hangzhou was of the Wu family from Huzhou. A monk asked: "When the great functioning manifests before one without keeping to rules, how is it?" The master said: "The Zhang brothers are far too unscrupulous." The monk said: "If so, then it is present in every place." The master said: "Better not to insult people." A monk asked: "When the mind arises, phenomena arise; when the mind ceases, phenomena cease. Just when mind and phenomena are both forgotten, where are arising and ceasing?" The master said: "Obtained by the left hand, used by the right hand." A monk asked: "What is the matter of the ancestral lineage from above?" The master said: "One mu of land." The monk said: "What if one understands it just so?" The master said: "Burying it quite a lot." A monk asked: "What is the original source of all the Buddhas?" The master said: "Asking the way on the roof." The monk said: "Is there anything further beyond?" The master said: "Tossing a brick beneath the moon." He ascended the hall: "Before passing through the ancestral barrier, a thousand difficulties and ten thousand hardships; having passed through the ancestral barrier, a thousand difficulties and ten thousand hardships. Putting aside for a moment the difficulty before passing through, why is it so hard to let go after having passed through? Although the strainer commands a price, shaking its handle is quite unwarranted." He ascended the hall: "Like me, yet lacking affinity with you; knocking over the medicine pot, pouring out the hearth smoke. A single pill of the restored elixir is clearly present; how many years has it wandered in the human realm? Bah!" He ascended the hall: "A wild goose crosses the vast sky; its shadow sinks into the cold water. The wild goose has no intention to leave a trace; the water has no mind to retain a shadow. If you can be like this, it is just the right time to buy straw sandals and go on itinerant pilgrimage. Therefore it is said: 'When there is movement, shadows appear; when there is awareness, ice forms.' Without movement and without awareness, one is right inside dead water. Putting aside for a moment the old fellow of Jianfu being unable to poke his head out, how is it today for Yuwang? I tell you not to take the path below the mountain; truly one hears the heart-wrenching cries of apes." On New Year's Day, he ascended the hall, held up his whisk, and said: "'Putting brush to paper on New Year's morn, all affairs are auspicious.' If suddenly a fellow comes out and says, 'Upādhyāya, this is writing for a village headman in a hamlet of three households; why bring it beneath the gate and treat it as the ancestral lineage upon the throne of the Dharma King?' I would simply say to him, 'A thousand head of cattle enter; a hundred head of horses come in.'"

24.13

Chan Master Jingshan Zhaotang Liaoyi of Lin'an Prefecture was a native of Mingzhou. He ascended the hall: "Practitioners who investigate the mystery and yet cannot directly break through when encountering objects and meeting conditions do so because their karmic consciousness is heavy and deep, and their emotional delusions are tightly glued. The six gates have not ceased, and not a single place is unblocked. Spotless and purely clean, sentient beings find it hard to reach. One must enter the forest without moving the grass, and enter the water without stirring the waves; only then can one accord with birth and death and flow into the world of men. Do all of you want to understand?" Drawing a line with his staff, he said: "Grasp it right here!"

24.14

Chan Master Jinshan Liaoxin of Zhenjiang Prefecture ascended the hall: "Who says the single word 'Buddha' does not exist? Wooden horses and mud oxen fill the roadway. Having leaned against railings on every side, the spring scenery grows late; sea winds snap off the blue coral. Is there anyone whose tone harmonizes, whose temperament resonates? The hundred birds do not come; the pavilions are closed. One only hears night rain dripping on the plantains."

24.15

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Xiangyan Yue

24.16

Chan Master Xiangyan Yisong Rubi of Dengzhou was a son of the Rao family of Fuzhou. He ascended the hall: "How excessively rushed is the subtle shift of change and transformation! A kṣaṇa, thought to thought, a single breath. Among the eighty-four thousand expedient gates, tell me, which gate can one not enter? Entering or not entering, at dawn the rain beats down and wets the plantains. Earnestly I further ask the person within: outside the door, they stand boldly facing one another." Hearing the cry of a woodpecker, he spoke a verse: "'Tock, tock, tock! / Inside there are grubs, outside it pecks. / How many vast crowds of drowsy people— / even a punch behind the crown of the head does not awaken them! / If you do not awaken, listen again to this mountain monk: / Tock, tock, tock!'"

24.17

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Huilin Shen

24.18

Chan Master Jishi Huiguang of Lingyin in Lin'an Prefecture was a son of the Xiahou clan of Qiantang. A monk asked, 'The scenery of Feilai Mountain manifests the pure Dharma-body; the sounds of the stream along the combined ravine expound the mark of the broad and long tongue. Right at such a time, what is the melody of Yunmen?' The master replied, 'Third-watch rain on plantain leaves.' The monk said, 'A single phrase fully brought forth surpasses the Buddhas and Patriarchs; the entire banquet of purple robes are all who know the tune.' The master said, 'When meeting people, you must not cite it mistakenly.' Ascending the hall, he said, 'No need to seek the real; why bother putting an end to views? Ride an ox backward and enter the Buddha hall. With a single blast of the Qiang flute, heaven and earth are void; who knows Gautama's face?'

24.19

Chan Master Yugu Miaoyin of Guoqing in Taizhou ascended the hall and said, 'Why does one whose mouth is full of explanations not know that it exists? Why can one in the ten directions who knows that it exists not explain it with a mouthful of words? And tell me, where is the discrepancy? If you understand this, I acknowledge that your illumination and function are simultaneous, light and dark both completely clear. But if you have not, whether it can be spoken or cannot be spoken, whether knowing it exists or not knowing it exists—the stone tiger of South Mountain knows how to roar like a lion.'

24.20

Chan Master Chuici Pushao of Guoqing in Taizhou ascended the hall and said, 'Lingyun awakened to the peach blossoms, / While Xuansha next to him refused to approve. / How many foolish Chan monks / Carry snow to fill a well? / This spring the flowers bloom again; / Who is able to grasp this meaning? / In truth, few people know it: / Flowers fall and the spring wind falls still.'

24.21

Chan Master Jiuzuo Huisui of Quanzhou ascended the hall and said, 'Today Jiuzuo steers an iron boat toward the solitary peak's absolute summit, cutting off the vital fords of the people of the world, making them wield their poles and move their oars without being able to capture the brocade banner. And tell me, into whose hands does it fall?' Holding up his staff, he said, 'Look, look! When told it was a dragon they stubbornly refused to believe it; only when seized effortlessly does it startle people.'

24.22

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Bao'en Ran

24.23

Chan Master Zisheng Yuanzu of Xiuzhou. A monk asked, 'The purple-gold lotus upholds the feet marked with a thousand wheels; the white jade curl shines on the body endowed with ten thousand virtues. What is the Buddha?' The master said, 'Trailing a spear and clad in armor.' The monk asked, 'Though the thousand verses strung like flowers are of different sections, pointing at the moon returns after all to the single suchness of principle. What is the Dharma?' The master said, 'The statutes of the Yuanfeng era, the decrees of the Shaoxing era.' The monk asked, 'Under the trees, gracefully being a guest outside worldly bounds; in the human realm, worthy of being a lotus in the fire. What is the Sangha?' The master said, 'Draping a mat and holding a bowl.'

24.24

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Huilin Hai

24.25

Chan Master Wanshan Shoujian of Mount Lu was a native of Xiangzhou. On New Year's Day he ascended the hall and said, 'There is a person who does not bow to the new year nor welcome the new; cold and heat cannot invade his body, sage and ordinary cannot confound his traces. From the start his nostrils have reached to the sky; who cares about the calendar of many years? Great assembly, tell me: where is this person right now?' Striking his staff, he said, 'Tsk, tsk, tsk! Nowhere to go.'

24.26

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Kaixian Zong

24.27

Chan Master Huangbo Weichu of Ruizhou was a son of the Cai clan of Changzhou. Ascending the hall, he said, 'I observed elder brother Zong sitting erect in silent witheredness throughout his life, having a so-called withered-wood body. Never did his lips and tongue chatter noisily, treating the words and teachings of the Buddhas and Patriarchs as a sectarian gate. He only required that one rest completely, hundred percent; naturally one would not cling to this leaking shell.' A monk asked, 'Since one does not cling to this leaking shell, I wonder how one preserves it?' The master said, 'There is no place for you to apply your mind.' The monk said, 'Does the upādhyāya have no expedient means?' The master said, 'When a flat pancake has no gravy, how could pressing sand yield oil?'

24.28

Chan Master Yuelu Hai of Tanzhou. A monk asked, 'What happens when stepping three paces forward?' The master said, 'Bumping heads and striking brows.' The monk asked, 'What happens when stepping three paces back?' The master said, 'Falling into a pit and tumbling into a trench.' The monk asked, 'What happens when neither advancing nor retreating?' The master said, 'A fellow standing dead on his feet.'

24.29

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Xuefeng Yan

24.30

Chan Master Xichan Huishun of Fuzhou was a native of Zhending Prefecture. Ascending the hall, he said, 'Every five days an entry into the room; on days with three and eight, a general discourse. A thousand discourses and ten thousand discourses, spoken horizontally and spoken vertically. Suddenly a fellow comes forth and says, "It is not that there is no speaking, but what about the two at the monastery gate who refuse to agree?" This mountain monk would immediately say to him: "Blind fellow! Were it not for those two, Xichan would very much be without an intimate friend."'

24.31

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Changlu Liao

24.32

Chan Master Tiantong Zongjue of Mingzhou. A monk asked, 'What is the Way?' The master said, 'Stop rubbing your brow at the crossroads.' Ascending the hall, he said, 'Taking strides before the kalpa; throwing one's body sideways beyond the world. Wondrous tallying cannot be reached by deliberate thought; true realization cannot be transmitted by words. One must truly become empty and tranquil, drawing in the breath—white clouds sever against the cold cliff; spiritual light shatters the darkness—the bright moon follows the night boat. Right at such a time, how does one tread? The partial and the true have never departed from their fundamental positions; moving freely, how could it involve verbal causes and conditions?'

24.33

Chan Master Changlu Miaojue Huiwu of Zhenzhou ascended the hall and said, 'The entire great earth is a gate of liberation, yet even when dragged by the hand people refuse to enter. Why did old man Xuefeng coerce people? Once having arrived here, why are your nostrils in someone else's hands?' After a long pause, he said, 'Greedily gazing at the moon in heaven, one loses the oar in one's hand.' A monk asked, 'The wild goose passes through the boundless sky, its shadow sinks in the cold water. The goose has no intention of leaving a trace; the water has no mind to sink the shadow. Is this truly so or not?' The master said, 'Reed flowers on both banks are snow; river water beneath a sky of autumn.' The monk asked, 'What about when going forward just like this?' The master said, 'What about the wild goose passing through the boundless sky?' The monk hesitated. The master said, 'A sharp patch-robed monk.'

24.34

Chan Master Guishan Yichu of Fuzhou ascended the hall and said, 'Remaining silent for long about this essential, not rushing to preach it quickly—why did old Śākya talk in his sleep? "I now preserve this matter for you; in the end it is not in vain"—this is very much like forcing the free into servitude. Since it is not so, after all what is it? White clouds envelope the mountain peak; green hues turn ever more towering.'

24.35

Chan Master Baoning Xingyu of Jiankang ascended the hall and said, 'Stepping into the bodhimaṇḍa, shadows are contained in the lineage mirror. Splendidly stars spread across the cleared night; luxuriantly flowers blossom in springtime. The wooden man operates secretly, the transforming mechanism without the slightest discrepancy; the stone woman brings it forth completely, the pattern of the seal of emptiness manifestly radiant. And tell me: neither one nor different, without coming and without going—how does one understand and realize it? Clearly, moving freely, everything is wondrous function; this person originally does not come from among differences.'

24.36

Chan Master Beishan Fatong of Zhenzhou ascended the hall and said, 'Why can the one who swallows all the three times not open his mouth? Why can the one who illuminates through the four continents not open his eyes? How can one attain thorough and unimpeded penetration? The golden needle with double locks fully provided; leaves and dew concealed, all included.' A monk asked, 'Please give instruction on the place where words are cut off and thought is extinguished.' The master said, 'Not a drop of water enters stone.'

24.37

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Tiantong Jue

24.38

Chan Master Xuedou Sizong of Mingzhou was a son of the Chen clan of Huizhou. In his youth he studied the scriptures and received full ordination. While questioning Chan Master Miaozhan Hui, he suddenly had an awakening; Hui transmitted the whisk to him. Later he visited Hongzhi and received the seal of approval, and his way became even more venerated. He went forth to reside at Puzhao, Shanquan, Cuiyan, and Xuedou. Ascending the hall, he said, 'Everyone has nostrils, but only Shanquan has no nostrils. Why none? Twenty years ago they were snatched away by someone. Everyone has two eyes, but only Shanquan has no eyes. Why none? They were swapped for soapberries by someone. Everyone has a skull, but only Shanquan has no skull. Why none? It was borrowed by someone to use as a shit-ladle.' Then he addressed the great assembly, saying, 'No nostrils, no eyes, no skull either—do you all still recognize Shanquan? If you do not recognize him, you are burying Shanquan. If not so, listen further to a verse: / A mud ox at the ravine bottom with gold leaf on its face; / A stone woman on the mountain peak wearing bright crimson. / On the tethering peg for donkeys, lingzhi mushrooms grow; / It is not the clouds gathering on Incense Burner Peak.' Ascending the hall, he said, 'It is not that Cuiyan does not speak, but merely that there was no such occasion. Today a convenient opportunity is hard to meet; in one phrase I dissect and resolve it for you: The exposed pillar is fundamentally wood; the steelyard weight is merely cast iron. If you go to other places, do not say this mountain monk is talkative.' A monk asked, 'How is it before the lotus emerges from the water?' The master said, 'Drowning your nostrils.' The monk asked, 'How is it after emerging from the water?' The master said, 'Piercing through your eyes.' The monk asked, 'What is the true Dharma eye?' The master said, 'Black beans.' He asked, 'What is the ruler?' The master said, 'Polishing the three-foot sword, waiting to behead the unjust.' The monk asked, 'What is the minister?' The master said, 'White clouds never resting; flowing water far too busy.' The monk asked, 'What is the harmony of ruler and minister?' The master said, 'Clouds move and rain falls; the moon is bright and stars shine.' He asked, 'What is the partial within the true?' The master said, 'Before the water caltrop flower reflects.' The monk asked, 'What is the true within the partial?' The master said, 'Completely round, without the slightest surplus.' The monk asked, 'What is coming from within the true?' The master said, 'Throughout the realm, completely free of fine dust.' The monk asked, 'What is arrival within both?' The master said, 'Biting the arrowhead—child's play beforehand.' The monk asked, 'What is reaching within both?' The master said, 'Along the ten paths, no news gets through.' He asked, 'What is shifting the merit to enter the position?' The master said, 'Letting go without reliance, the entire body is manifested; the fisherman in the skiff sleeps among the reed flowers.' The monk asked, 'What is shifting the position to enter merit?' The master said, 'At midnight on the mountain ridge, the wind and moon are still; from high in the tree, an old ape cries once.' The monk asked, 'What is merit and position both manifest?' The master said, 'Going out the gate, not treading the path by which one came; filling the eyes with flying dust, completely devoid of specks.' The monk asked, 'What is merit and position both concealed?' The master said, 'The mud ox drinks dry the moon in the clear pool; the stone horse feels the whip and does not turn its head.' The master passed away on this mountain. His whole body was stupaed in the southwest corner of the monastery.

24.39

Chan Master Shanquan Fazhi of Changzhou was a son of the Bo clan of Shan Prefecture. In his prime, he shaved his head at Shengguo Monastery in the Western Capital and studied Huayan. Leaving it behind, he called upon Jin of Nanyang, and next visited Zhi of Dahong. For over ten years he had no realization. Later, at a word from Hongzhi, he was suddenly enlightened. He went forth to reside at Shanquan, and next moved to Jinsu. Ascending the hall, he said, 'Before the bright moon hangs high and shines, / The white-eyebrowed one leans on the jade balustrade. / In the deep night the rain passes, wind and thunder cease; / Guests scatter from the cloud pavilion, wine bowls are dry.' Ascending the hall, he said, 'In the three realms there are no dharmas; where can one seek the mind? A startled snake enters the grass; a flying bird leaves the forest. Rain passes over the mountain hall, the autumn night is quiet; city sounds never reach the solitary summit.'

24.40

Chan Master Zide Huihui of Jingci in Hangzhou was a native of Kuaiji surnamed Zhang. In his youth, he shaved his head and took full ordination under Chengzhao Daoning. At just twenty, he questioned Zhenxie at Changlu, gaining a slight realization. Returning to his home region, he visited Hongzhi. Hongzhi questioned him, bringing up: 'Right when within the light there is darkness, do not meet through darkness. Right when within darkness there is light, do not look through light.' His words did not tally. During his evening samādhi, he returned and burned incense before the Holy Monk. Hongzhi happened to arrive just then. Upon seeing him, the master suddenly understood the earlier words. The next day he entered the abbot's room, and Hongzhi tested him by quoting: 'How lamentable that on the day of departure the face was like jade; yet one sighs that upon returning the temples are like frost.' The master said, 'Its entering is detachment; its emerging is subtle.' From then on, their questions and answers flowed without obstruction. Hongzhi recognized him as a true son within his chamber. In the ding-si year of the Shaoxing reign era, he opened the Dharma hall at Pituo, and subsequently moved to Wanshou, Jixiang, and Xuedou. In the third year of the Chunxi reign era, he was appointed by imperial order to Jingci. He ascended the hall and said, 'The northern wind is biting cold, sweeping the wintry forest. Leaves fall to return to the root, exposing the bare red heart. Myriad streams pay court to the source, and the boat reaches the shore. The six windows are emptily translucent, as a needle catches a mustard seed. Originally fully manifest—do not seek it elsewhere! The nature-ground is leisurely, illuminating past and present. Outside the door the frost melts, and spring colors stir. The four mountains completely resound with the roar of wooden dragons.' He ascended the hall and said, 'Old Śākya plumbed principles and exhausted natures, his golden mouth proclaiming the teachings of an entire generation, revolving pearls and turning jade; yet people call it used toilet paper for wiping filth! Patriarch Bodhidharma, by means of the One Vehicle Dharma, directly pointed with solitary transmission, gazing at the wall for nine years without establishing words or letters; yet people call him the wall-gazing Brahmin! Now tell me, how should one practice? "The hare was pointed out and pursued by a bystander; wrapped in a patch-robe over the head, myriad concerns are put to rest." At this moment, this mountain monk does not understand at all.' He ascended the hall and said, 'A nest knows the wind; a burrow knows the rain. What is sweet is sweet; what is bitter is bitter. There is no need to calculate and further deliberate: five times five has always been twenty-five. When myriad kinds of expedient arrangements reach the ordinary, these are the words of seasoned practice in the monasteries. Do all of you understand fully? The rustic old man knows nothing of the power of Yao and Shun; dong-dong he beats the drum, making offerings to the river god.' He ascended the hall and said, 'The spirit of the valley, the essential pivot: within this, inquire on the side and attain the wondrous on the returning path. Though clouds move, they are ever idle. Though the moon wanes in darkness, it shines all the more. Guest and host mutually interlock; the right and the biased both arrive. On the ten continents spring has ended and blossoms wither away; in the forest of coral trees the sun shines brilliantly.' A monk asked, 'What is the biased within the right?' The master said, 'Last night at the third watch, stars filled the sky.' The monk asked, 'What is the right within the biased?' The master said, 'White clouds enfold the peak, yet never reveal the craggy height.' The monk asked, 'What is coming from within the right?' The master said, 'Do not say the giant fish lacks wings; today it comes directly by the bird's path.' The monk asked, 'What is arriving within the unified?' The master said, 'Responding without traces, functioning without marks.' The monk asked, 'What is reaching within the unified?' The master said, 'The stone person's tunic is torn, but throughout the great earth no one can sew it.' He ascended the hall and said, 'Skin falls away, leaving no directions or corners. Cleared of body and mind, not a single thing exists. Wondrously entering the deep, silent place of the realm of the Way, the jade person serenely drives the white ox cart. Those who reach the wondrous, luminous ground are indeed rare; cognitive consciousness cannot reach it—only through realization is it known. The son of white clouds is brilliantly self-illuminating; the father of green mountains towers majestically, ever enduring. The dynamic functioning distinguishes the light behind the crown; the wisdom tallies with the eye before the kalpas. Therefore it is said: "The path of Xinfeng is steep and rugged; the cave of Xinfeng is serene and fertile. Let those who climb, climb without wavering; let those who wander, wander without haste. Though there are pavilions and halls, few people reach them; within the woods and springs, no ordinary trees grow." Venerable Chan monks! The transcendental move of nobility is difficult to understand. In the lapis lazuli palace, one does not claim nobility; before the kingfisher curtain, one still joins company. Just at such a time, needle and thread pass through, and the true lineage does not fall away. How should it be arranged? With a head full of white hair, one leaves the crags and valleys; in the dead of night, piercing through the clouds, one enters the marketplace.' He ascended the hall and cited Mahāsattva Fu's verse on the Dharmakāya: 'Empty-handed, holding a hoe; walking on foot, riding a water buffalo. A person crosses over the bridge; the bridge flows, but the water does not flow.' Great Master Yunmen said: 'All of you come from the east, come from the west, come from the south, and come from the north, each and every one riding a water buffalo here. Although it is like this, among thousand and ten thousand heads, you only need to recognize this single head.' The master said, 'Yunmen is usually so dry and hard that an awl cannot pierce him, yet when he comes to this place, he too knows how to drag through mud and carry water. Do all of you right now wish to see this single head? The weather is slightly chilly; let each of you return to the hall.' He ascended the hall and cited the gong'an of the wind and the banner. The master said, 'Where the wind and banner move, if you can place an eye, then you are the elder. Where the wind and banner move, if you lose your eye, then it is the wind and banner. If it is not yet so: it is neither wind nor banner, nor is it mind; patch-robed monks in vain forcefully ply awl and needle. Rain passes over the crag chamber, the dim mist is cleared away; lying down, one listens to the cool wind rising in the bamboo grove.' In the autumn of the seventh year, he retired to Xuedou. In the tenth year, in the middle of winter, on the twenty-ninth day at midnight, he bathed and passed away. His whole body was entombed to the right of Mingjue's stupa.

24.41

Chan Master Shichuang Fagong of Ruiyan in Mingzhou was a native of Fenghua in the same prefecture, surnamed Lin. He shaved his head and received full ordination at Qizhen Cloister. He went to Yanqing to attend lectures. One evening, reciting the Lotus Sūtra up to the line, 'With the eyes born of one's father and mother, one completely sees the three-thousandfold world,' he heard the wind rustling palm leaves and suddenly had an awakening. Leaving the lectures, he relied on Tiantong, where he first understood the great purpose. He then went to inquire and resolve doubts with all those who propagated the Dharma in his day. He became abbot at Nengren, Guangxiao, and Ruiyan. He ascended the hall and said, 'The spring wind: the willows' eyebrows; spring birds mimic a hundred tongues. A single piece of the Patriarch's mind is leaked out in both places. Without taking a step, one returns home, and habitual defilements are suddenly extinguished. In darkness, the tip of the jade thread is cast; at dawn, it threads the eye of the golden needle. Deep, firm, and truly profound and remote: without a person, who can discern it? Ashamed, how pitiable! At every point, all accords with the track. Do not recite Amitābha; take refuge in the dry piece of shit! Before foolish people without wisdom, on no account should this be spoken.' He ascended the hall and said, 'Seeing through thoroughly, in its functioning it is intimate. Everyone one meets is an insider. Looking to empty space and showering treasures—cease boasting of wealth; having no ground to stick an awl is not yet poverty. Treading on a steelyard weight, it is hard as iron: eight ounces was originally half a catty.' He ascended the hall and cited the gong'an of the Bhagavat pointing to heaven and pointing to earth at birth, presenting a verse: 'Throughout the five Indias, a single weed arrow / Stirred up a million soldiers in China. / Without Yunmen enforcing the authentic order, / One would have almost mistaken the fixed star on the steelyard.'

24.42

Chan Master Qingliang Fazhen of Shimen in Xiangzhou was a native of Jianmen. He ascended the hall and said, 'The color of willows enfolds the mist, the spring scene exceptionally fine; a single peak stands uniquely towering, myriad plants vie in splendor. White clouds drifting gently have already no mind; the green mountains filling the eye originally do not move. The old fisherman drops his line: across the creek, the cold snow has never melted; at the deserted crossing no person is present: for ten thousand kalpas the green pool is clear as a mirror. Host within the guest: the staff horizontally carries the wheel of the sun and moon. Guest within the host: wearing through straw sandals, walking barefoot. Right up to where host and guest mutually reveal each other, killing and giving life are at one's command, principle and phenomena blend without obstruction, and the right and the biased do not stagnate. Entering a barren field without choosing, picking up grass as the hand reaches. And tell me, how will you understand this thoroughly? Though in the midst of dust there is the art of hiding one's body, how can that compare to entering the imperial city with the whole body?'

24.43

Chan Master Liaotang Siche of Guangxiao in Mingzhou ascended the hall and said, 'A sheep-headed cart pushes the bright moon; a bottomless boat carries the morning wind. A single phrase immediately transcends the bounds of emotion and calculation; the Way knows no north, south, east, or west. Therefore, news from before the kalpas cannot be transmitted through mouth and ear; how could the true rule beyond conventions be understood by deliberation? You must know that buddhas and patriarchs completely have not a single dharma for people; descendants immediately bear the burden with their whole body. Since myriad contrivances have already ceased, naturally not a speck remains. Deep and clear waves: the cold green water embraces the autumn hues; brilliant illumination: the cleared sky cleanly washes the icy wheel. Gracefully inquiring on the side, harmoniously penetrating the interrelated state: with a hand pushing open the jade door, turning the body, one sets the mechanical wheel in motion. No sooner is the authentic order enacted than one sees the single yang begin to sprout; the operations of nature function secretly, suddenly startling one with the transformations of the three times. Although silent without words, what can be done about it blazing forth in constant preaching? Devoid of transition and change: today this is set aside; having the old and the new: tell me, how will you discuss and understand it? Do all of you understand fully? The crowd of yin is completely stripped away; tomorrow is the day for recording the clouds.'

24.44

Chan Master Dahong Fawei of Suizhou was a native of Tiantai surnamed Bao. He ascended the hall and said, 'The Dharmakāya is without form; it cannot be sought through sound. The wondrous Way transcends words; how could it be grasped through letters? Even if one surpasses buddhas and leaps over patriarchs, one still falls into stages; even granted that one speaks of the wondrous and discusses the profound, it ultimately hangs on lips and teeth. One must achieve that where meritorious practice does not intrude and no trace remains: dry wood on a cold crag having no more moisture, illusory people and wooden horses empty of all cognitive feeling. Only then can one drop one's hands and enter the market, turning the body among different kinds. Have you not heard it said: "Unable to remain in the country of no-outflows, one returns to the misty cove to lie in the cold sand"?'

24.45

Chan Master Changlu Lin of Zhenzhou ascended the hall, held up his staff, and said, 'Its lineage leaves behind mind, consciousness, and intellection; its purport transcends past, future, and present. Because it leaves behind mind, consciousness, and intellection, when sorting the myriad kinds, no differentiation is seen. Because it transcends past, future, and present, throughout the ten directions there is no further leakage. Meeting it directly, do not violate it; thoroughly, there is nothing to rely on. Awaken toward before omens have arisen; function in the place where meritorious practice does not intrude. In ordinary livelihood, there is no need to hesitate; in the twinkling of deliberation, there is already no connection.'

24.46

Dharma heirs of Chan Master Dahong Yu

24.47

Chan Master Huili Wu of Linjiang Commandery ascended the hall and said, 'All sounds are the Buddha's voice: before the eaves, raindrops resound crisp and cool. All forms are the Buddha's form: manifested face-to-face, they cannot be concealed. Even so, how will you understand it? Beyond the clouds in the azure sky, the moonlight is pure.'

24.48

Head Monk Huishen of Xuefeng in Fuzhou showed the assembly: 'If you have not attained entry, you should be earnest. Once you have attained entry, you must make it thorough. Although having attained entry there is originally no "nothing", do not cling to "nothing-nothing" without ceasing.' When Dahong heard this, he said, 'Elder brother Shen speaks of Chan like this; it is only a pity that his karmic fortune is not superior.' One day, after concluding a general discourse, he waved his brush, composed a verse to bid farewell to the assembly, struck once with the brush, and passed away.

24.49

Dharma heirs of Chan Master Tianfeng Gui

24.50

Chan Master Tongli of Donglin in Jiangzhou ascended the hall and said, 'Atop the peak, steering an iron boat; at the third watch, the sun's disc is brilliant. The mind at leisure does not clarify itself; who knows who sweeps the fallen leaves? Casually picking a pear from Zhengzhou, releasing the hand, it was originally a date from Qingzhou.'

24.51

Dharma heirs of Chan Master Tianyi Cong

24.52

Chan Master Fa'an of Huiri in Suzhou was a native of the same prefecture. A monk asked, 'What is the Upādhyāya's single phrase for instructing people?' The master said, 'A dog runs and shakes its mouth.' The monk asked, 'What is the meaning?' The master said, 'A monkey worries and scratches its head.'

24.53

Chan Master Huguo Qin of Wenzhou ascended the hall and said, 'With phrases, without phrases; coming in light, going in darkness. Captured alive and seized directly; a victory banner publicly posted. Like a vine clinging to a tree; things gather by kind. People from beyond the seas participate; in Shu, silk clings. The tree falls and the vine withers—strictly avoid conceptual patterns! Where does the phrase return? Sulu sulu. Ha-ha, a great laugh! The broken mirror does not reflect. The great earth is vast and boundless—freely let it leap about!'

24.54

Chan Master Jixiang Yuanshi of Wuwei Commandery was a native of Gaoyou. Ever since coming to Tianyi, he was diligent morning and night, his ribs never touching the mat. One day, he accidentally broke into laughter and disturbed the assembly; Tianyi expelled him. In the middle of the night, lodging in the fields, he gazed at the sparkling stars and moon and had an awakening. At dawn, returning and proceeding to the abbot's room, Tianyi saw him and asked, 'How do you understand Dongshan's five ranks of lord and minister?' The master said, 'Here with me, there is not even a single rank.' Tianyi ordered him to join the hall and said to the attendant monk, 'This fellow does have a view; but what a pity he does not know the lineage tenets.' When he next entered the room, Tianyi had beforehand ordered five postulants to stand in order. When the master arrived, they all called out, 'Elder Shi!' The master thereupon secretly tallied with the profound purport, and composed a verse: 'One rank is no sooner manifested than the five ranks divide; / Where lord and minister harmonize, purple clouds gather. / The nighttime luminous curtain rolled up, it shines without bias; / Golden palaces in multiple layers reveal the Supreme Lord.' Tianyi praised it. Later, he resided at Jixiang.

24.55

Chan Master Daoxuan of Touzi in Shuzhou served Tianyi for a long time without any awakening. Tianyi berated him. For more than a month, the master forgot to eat and sleep. One night, hearing the sound of the night watchman's bell, he suddenly had a powerful awakening and said: 'Stop, stop! A single sound penetrates straight through the path of the blue sky. The moon is bright in the cold pool—who knows? The mud ox has knocked over and snapped the coral tree.' When Tianyi heard of this, he appointed him to the office of the canon library. Later, when he was abbot, whenever anyone questioned him, he would make the gesture of ringing a bell with his whisk.

24.56

Dharma Heir of Chan Master Chengyue of Chengtian

24.57

Chan Master Zhongyan of Chengtian in Wuzhou. A monk asked: 'When King Brahmā requested the Buddha, it was entirely for the multitude of sentient beings. Today the regional governor has invited you, Master; what should it be for?' The master said: 'The great assembly knows there is benevolence.' The monk said: 'In that case, humans and devas come into communion.' The master said: 'Indeed, you possess the eye.'

24.58

Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Fascicle Twenty-Four

Linked texts (1)

續傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese