續傳燈錄 25

English (machine translation) 25

Language: English

25.1

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

Fifteenth Generation under Dajian
Twenty-two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Yan of Wuzu:
Chan Master Keqin of Zhaojue
Chan Master Huiqin of Taiping
Chan Master Qingyuan of Longmen
Chan Master Daoning of Kaifu
Chan Master Yuanjing of Dasui
Chan Master Zongtai of Wuwei
Chan Master Biaoxi of Wuzu
Chan Master Daochu of Longhua
Chan Master Qingsu of Jiuding
Head Monk Yuanli
Canon Warden Purong
Senior Monk Fachu (The above twelve persons have records)
Chan Master Huizong of Haihui
Chan Master Zunxin of Zhongfeng
Chan Master Cailiang of Yunding
Chan Master Ming of Daming
Chan Master Da of Niuxin
Chan Master Lin of Simianshan
Chan Master Zonggu of Nanchan
Chan Master Zongzi of Wuzu
Chan Master Yuan of Yanfu
Chan Master Qi of Tianmu (The above ten persons have no records)
Thirteen Dharma heirs of Chan Master Ping of Zhihai:
Chan Master Jicheng of Jingyin
Chan Master Yanzi of Falun
Chan Master Chongzhe of Kaifu (The above three persons have records)
Chan Master Congyuan of Guangjiao
Chan Master Guangwu of Yunyang
Chan Master Xiaochang of Jinshan
Chan Master Gong of Yinjing
Chan Master Mincong of Huangbo
Chan Master Xiubian of Yunyan
Chan Master Huichong of Baizi
Chan Master Zhijing of Fangguang
Chan Master Fashan of Dongchan
Chan Master Congying of Jinghui (The above ten persons have no records)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Xiao of Heshan:
Chan Master Daoquan of Xinghua (No record)
Fourteen Dharma heirs of Chan Master Xiang of Baofeng:
Chan Master Sheng of Hongfu
Chan Master Su of Wanshou
Chan Master Daoyuan of Xiangshan
Chan Master Daoqiong of Kaishan
Chan Master Jingchun of Baofeng
Chan Master Yongxuan of Huaiyu (The above six persons have records)
Chan Master Yanzong of Tianning
Chan Master Daowei of Duobao
Chan Master Dehong of Qixia
Chan Master Weizu of Letan
Chan Master Jining of Zhongji
Chan Master Min of Fenghuang
Chan Master Lin of Fengshan
Chan Master Ziyan of Mi'yan (The above eight persons have no records)
Four Dharma heirs of Chan Master Ben of Linggai:
Chan Master Huilian of Chengtian
Chan Master Zixian of Chengtian
Chan Master Weide of Xiangshan
Chan Master Yanqing of Caoyi (The above four persons have records)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Ben of Huguo:
Chan Master Pujing of Junshan (Has a record)

25.3

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

25.4

Fifteenth Generation under Dajian

25.5

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Yan of Wuzu

25.6

Chan Master Keqin Foguo of Zhaojue Temple in Chengdu Prefecture was a native of Pengzhou, from the Luo clan. For generations, his family had revered Confucianism. As a boy, the Master memorized a thousand words a day. By chance, while visiting Miaoji Temple, he saw Buddhist scriptures. Reading them three times, he felt a longing as though he had recovered old belongings, and said, "I must have been a śramaṇa in a past life!" He immediately left home, relied on Zisheng to have his head shaved, studied the doctrinal expositions under Wenzhao, and received the Śūraṅgama-sūtra from Minxing. Soon after, he fell critically ill and near death. He sighed, saying, "The true path of all Buddhas' nirvāṇa is not found in words and phrases. I wished to seek it through sounds and perceive it through forms; it serves me right that I have nothing with which to face death." He thereupon abandoned his studies and went to the assembly of Chan Master Zhenjue Sheng. Sheng had just pricked his arm to draw blood and pointed it out to the Master, saying, "This is a single drop from Caoxi." The Master was startled for a long time, and said, "Is the Way indeed like this?" Thereupon, he left Shu on foot, first paying respects to Yuquan Hao; next he relied on Jinluan Xin, Dawai Zhe, Huanglong Xin, and Donglin Du, all of whom recognized him as a vessel of the Dharma. Moreover, Huitang remarked, "One day the Linji lineage will belong to this fellow!" In the end, he went to see Wuzu [Fayan], expending all of his dynamic function, but the Patriarch approved none of it. The Master then alleged that the Patriarch was forcibly imposing alterations on people; uttering insolent words, he left in a huff. The Patriarch said, "Wait until you are struck by a bout of burning fever—only then will you remember me." When the Master reached Jinshan, he contracted a severe typhoid fever and was utterly exhausted. Testing his usual understanding, none of it provided any strength. Recalling Wuzu's words, he vowed to himself, "As soon as my illness remits a little, I will return to Wuzu." Having recovered, he sought him out and returned. As soon as the Patriarch saw him, he was delighted and had him immediately join the hall, entering the attendants' quarters for barely half a month. It happened that an imperial inspector relinquished his seal of office, returned to Shu, and visited the Patriarch to inquire about the Way. The Patriarch said, "When you were young, Judicial Commissioner, did you ever read the 'Amorous Poems'? There are two lines quite close [to this]: 'Frequently calling for Xiaoyu, though there is really no matter at all; / Only wanting her young lover to recognize her voice.'" The Judicial Commissioner answered, "Yes, yes." The Patriarch said, "Look more closely." Just then, the Master returned and stood in attendance. He asked, "I heard the Upādhyāya cite the 'Amorous Poems.' Did the Judicial Commissioner understand?" The Patriarch said, "He recognized the voice." The Master said, "'Only wanting her young lover to recognize her voice.' Since he already recognized the voice, why is he still not there?" The Patriarch said, "'What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West? The cypress tree in front of the courtyard.' Eh?" The Master suddenly had an awakening. He quickly stepped outside and saw a rooster fly onto the balustrade, flap its wings, and crow. He again said to himself, "Is this not the voice?" He then tucked incense into his sleeve, entered the room, and reported his attainment, presenting a gāthā: / "Incense burns away from the golden duck beside the embroidered screen; / Amidst the crowd of pipes and songs, drunk, one is helped back home. / A youthful affair of romantic passion— / It is only permitted for the lovely maiden alone to know." / The Patriarch said, "The great matter of the Buddhas and Patriarchs is not something those of lesser roots and inferior capacity can attain. I rejoice with you!" The Patriarch told the elders throughout the mountain, "My attendant has investigated Chan and attained it!" From then on, wherever he went, he was regarded as the foremost seat. During the Chongning era, he returned to his home region to visit his parents; the fourfold assembly welcomed and bowed to him. The Military Commissioner of Chengdu, Hanlin Academician Lord Guo Zhizhang, invited him to open the Dharma hall at Liuzu and subsequently at Zhaojue. During the Zhenghe era, he resigned his duties, exited the Gorges again, and traveled south. At that time, Zhang Wujin was staying in Jingnan; regarding himself as an adept in Dao learning, he seldom praised anyone. The Master moored his boat to visit him and engaged in a profound discussion of the essential tenets of the Avataṃsaka, saying, "The realm of direct perception in the Avataṃsaka is entirely real in both principle and phenomena, having no provisional dharmas from the beginning. Therefore, one is identical to the ten thousand, and realizing the ten thousand is identical to the one. One after one, ten thousand after ten thousand, vast and inexhaustible. Mind, Buddha, and sentient beings—these three are without distinction. Contracting and expanding freely, unobstructed and completely harmonious. Although this is the ultimate principle, it is still the ceaseless rippling of waves without wind." The Lord thereupon unconsciously leaned forward on his seat. The Master then asked, "Reaching this point, is it the same as or different from the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The Lord said, "It is the same." The Master said, "Not at all! There is no connection whatsoever." The Lord's expression became annoyed. The Master said, "Have you not seen Yunmen say, 'That the mountains, rivers, and great earth are without the slightest flaw is still a turning word; only when one directly sees not a single form is it half of the discourse. One must further know that there is a time when the whole discourse is directed upward.' Were not Deshan and Linji precisely offering the whole discourse?" The Lord then gave his assent. The next day, they again discussed the Dharma Realm of Phenomena and the Dharma Realm of Principle; coming to the Dharma Realm of Non-Obstruction between Principle and Phenomena, the Master again asked, "Can this be called Chan?" The Lord said, "It is precisely suitable for talking about Chan." The Master smiled and said, "Not so. This is still within the measure of the Dharma Realm. For the measure of the Dharma Realm is not yet extinguished. Only when one reaches the Dharma Realm of Non-Obstruction between Phenomena and Phenomena, where the measure of the Dharma Realm is extinguished, is it truly proper to talk about Chan. What is Buddha? A dry piece of excrement. What is Buddha? Three pounds of hemp. Therefore, Zhenjing's gāthā says: / 'Phenomena and phenomena are unobstructed, as one wishes and free; / Holding a pig's head in hand, chanting the pure precepts with the mouth. / Driven out of the brothel, yet to pay the wine debt; / At the crossroads, opening wide the cloth sack.'" / The Lord said, "How wonderful is this discourse! How could it be easily heard?" Thereupon, with the courtesy due a master, he detained him to reside at Biyan, and later moved to Daolin. Deng Zichang, the Bureau of Military Affairs Director, memorialized to confer the purple robe and a master's title. An imperial decree ordered him to reside at Mount Jiang in Jinling; students had no room to fit. An imperial decree appointed him to Tianning Wanshou. The Emperor summoned him for an audience, showing him profound favor and esteem. In the beginning of the Jianyan era, he moved again to Jinshan. It happened that the imperial carriage visited Weiyang; he was admitted to an audience, granted the title of Chan Master Yuanwu, and transferred to Yunju. After a long time, he once again took charge of Zhaojue. A monk asked, "What is the meaning of Yunmen saying 'Mount Sumeru'?" The Master said, "Pushing forward does not advance it; restraining it does not make it retreat." The monk asked, "May I ask whether there is still any fault?" The Master said, "It cuts off the tongue." A monk asked, "'Phenomena do not arise in isolation; they are born only relying on conditions.'" Raising his sitting mat, he said, "Which is the condition, and which is the phenomenon?" The Master said, "It seems the ācārya has seized the spear." A monk asked, "An ancient said, 'Carrying a walking staff across the shoulder, paying no heed to anyone, going straight into thousands and myriads of peaks.' I wonder, where is his dwelling place?" The Master said, "Flying serpents entangle the feet; creeping vines wrap the body." The monk said, "In the morning watching clouds drift piece by piece; in the evening listening to water murmuring." The Master said, "It must be cut off completely before it is achieved." The monk said, "This time it is not a dream; I have truly reached Mount Lu." The Master said, "Keep your eyes high." A monk asked, "'The ape cradles its young and returns behind the green cliffs; the bird clutches a flower and drops it before the green rock.' This was your former place of peace and security, Upādhyāya. What is the environment of Daolin?" The Master said, "The monastery gate opens wide to the Dongting wilderness; the hall's footings plunge into Red Sand Lake." The monk asked, "Who is the person within the environment?" The Master said, "Every single jewel of the Sangha is a pearl of the vast sea." The monk said, "This is Du Shaoling's poetry; what is the Upādhyāya's own?" The Master said, "Do not talk wildly." The monk asked, "What is taking away the person but not taking away the environment?" The Master said, "This mountain monk has eyes, yet has never seen." The monk asked, "What is taking away the environment but not taking away the person?" The Master said, "The ācārya asks naturally and intimately." The monk asked, "What is taking away both person and environment?" The Master said, "Gathering in." The monk asked, "What is taking away neither person nor environment?" The Master said, "Letting go." A monk asked, "'Affirmative phrases and negative phrases are like wisteria leaning on a tree.' How can one break through and be free?" The Master said, "A long sword leaning against the heavens chills people with cold." The monk said, "When the tree falls and the wisteria withers, why did Guishan burst into loud laughter?" The Master said, "He loves what is his; he puts on what is his." The monk said, "If a student suddenly overturns the Chan bed and snaps the staff, what trick will you use?" The Master said, "That too is drawing the bow after the thief has fled." A monk asked, "Vividly distinct, brightly revealed—why is it that heaven and earth cannot contain it?" The Master said, "An eight-ridged staff in the hand of Vajrapāṇi." The monk said, "If one suddenly calls and it immediately turns back, can that still bring it to life?" The Master said, "Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana can do nothing about it." The monk asked, "Not falling into illumination and not falling into function—how is it discussed?" The Master said, "Lower the cloud heads." The monk said, "What happens when one suddenly meets the person within it?" The Master said, "Riding the Buddha hall out of the mountain gate." The monk said, "The myriad phenomena do not arrive; he speaks alone. Who is made to beckon on the high peak?" The Master said, "Mistakenly using names and words." Ascending the hall, he said: "The whole body is eyes, yet seeing cannot reach it. The whole body is ears, yet hearing cannot penetrate it. The whole body is a mouth, yet speaking cannot express it. The whole body is a mind, yet reflection cannot discern it. Even if the entire earth is clearly understood without the slightest leakage, one is still halfway. According to the imperative, presenting the whole discourse—tell me, how is it displayed? / The sun and moon of the realm hang traverse; / A stretch of clear sky is eternal spring." / Ascending the hall, he said: "On the mountain peak waves roll; at the bottom of the well dust rises. The eyes listening are like rolling thunder; the ears observing are like spread-out brocade. The three hundred and sixty joints each manifest the boundless wondrous body; the eighty-four thousand hair-tips each reveal the precious King's ocean of lands. This is not miraculous function through supernatural powers, nor is it phenomena just naturally so. If you can suddenly open a thousand eyes, you directly sit severed from the ten directions. But tell me, how do you utter the single phrase that is transcendent and uniquely free? / Testing jade must pass through fire; / Seeking a pearl does not depart from mud." / Ascending the hall, he said: "Originally without form or shape, how could there be lips and mouth? Specially and broadly praising it, explaining the principle on its behalf. Tell me, who is that person?" Ascending the hall, he said: "Before the fifteenth day, a thousand oxen cannot drag it back. After the fifteenth day, a swift falcon cannot catch up. Right on the fifteenth day, heaven is level, earth is level, equally bright and equally dark. The great chiliocosm does not depart from this very place; it can swallow and spit out the ten directions of emptiness. Taking a step forward, one transcends the ineffable oceans of fragrant water; taking a step back, one cuts off thousands of layers and myriads of miles of white clouds. Neither advancing nor retreating—do not say the ācārya [cannot speak]; this old monk also has no place to open his mouth." Raising the whisk, he said: "Right at such a time, what about it? / At times taken up onto a thousand peaks, / Slashing autumn clouds, not allowing them to rise high." / Ascending the hall, he said: / "From the ten directions they gather together, / The original body is never obscured. / Each and every one studies non-action; / Upon their crowns tongs and hammer are applied. / This is the field for choosing Buddhas; / Deep and vast, it cannot be measured. / The mind emptied, they pass the examination and return; / A sharp sword is not as good as an awl. / Upāsaka Pang's tongue propped up the Brahmā Heaven, his mouth enclosed the four seas. At times he took a blade of grass to make a sixteen-foot golden body; at times he took a sixteen-foot golden body to make a blade of grass. Extremely extraordinary! Even so, after all he never touched the upward barrier. And what is the upward barrier? Casting the seal and building a high altar." Ascending the hall, he said: "'Affirmative phrases and negative phrases' transcend the lineage and surpass the norm; 'like wisteria leaning on a tree,' a silver mountain and an iron wall. When the tree falls and the wisteria withers, how many people lose their nostrils! Even if you gather it up, it is already a thousand miles, ten thousand miles away. Just when there is no such news, how is it? Can you still penetrate it? / The wind is warm, the birds' calls broken; / The sun is high, flowers' shadows heavy." / Ascending the hall, he said: "Grasping the first phrase, the Patriarch begs for life. Grasping the second phrase, humans and devas look up and fall. Grasping the third phrase, one flings one's body into the tiger's mouth. This is not following the path and keeping to the rut, nor is it changing the rut and altering the path. If you penetrate it, you have six arms and three heads; if you have not penetrated it, you are still in the human and heavenly realms. But tell me, how do you speak a phrase outside the three phrases? / One's livelihood is only on the silk fishing line; / In the bright moon, a small boat drifts across the Five Lakes." / Instructing the assembly, he said: "A single word cuts off, and a thousand sages fall silent; a single sword overhead leaves corpses strewn for ten thousand miles. Therefore it is said: Sometimes the phrase arrives but the intention does not; sometimes the intention arrives but the phrase does not. The phrase can cut away the intention; the intention can cut away the phrase. When intention and phrase run concurrently, that is the patch-robed monk's nostrils. If you can turn it this way, even the blue sky must receive a blow of the stick. Tell me, what does one rely on? / How pitiable the endless riders of the waves; / In the end, they still fall into the waves and die!" / Instructing the assembly, he said: "Letting go from the cliff of ten thousand fathoms requires the right person. Releasing the trigger of a crossbow of a thousand jun—how could it be for a tiny mouse? Yunmen and Muzhou missed it face-to-face; Deshan and Linji hoodwinked the common alleys. As for the rest who set up environments and set up dynamics, making nests and holes, they truly wipe out the barbarian race! But tell me, how do you utter the single phrase that is uniquely free? / The shifting transformations of myriad conditions are completely trifling matters; / In the fifth month, the mountain room is as cold as ice." / In the fifth year of Shaoxing, in the eighth month, on the jiyou day, he showed signs of a slight illness. Sitting cross-legged, he wrote a gāthā, bequeathed it to the assembly, threw down the brush, and passed away. After cremation, his tongue and teeth were undamaged. Five-colored relics were countless. A stupa was erected beside Zhaojue Temple. He was posthumously named Chan Master Zhenjue.

25.7

Chan Master Fogan Huiqin of Taiping in Shuzhou was a native of the Wang clan in that commandery. In his youth, he took as his teacher Yuanshen of Guangjiao, and after being tested on his studies, he was ordained. He was constantly awakened through savoring the line, 'Only this one thing is true, the other two are not.' He then called upon renowned elders far and wide, coming and going at the gate of Wuzu for years. Resentful that Wuzu would not grant him the seal of confirmation, he departed one after the other with Yuanwu. When Yuanwu returned to Wuzu and attained great, penetrating realization, the Master suddenly arrived intending to journey elsewhere. Yuanwu urged him to hang up his bowl and robe [to stay], and said, 'It has only been a little over a month since you and I parted. Compared to when we met in the past, how is it now?' The Master said, 'This is precisely what I doubt.' He then entered the hall. One day, he heard Wuzu cite: A monk asked Zhaozhou, 'What is the Upādhyāya's house style?' Zhaozhou said, 'This old monk is deaf; ask in a louder voice.' The monk asked again. Zhaozhou said, 'You asked about my house style, but I have already recognized your house style.' The Master's doubts instantly dissolved with great clarity, and he said, 'I beg the Upādhyāya to point out the ultimate principle.' Wuzu said, 'The manifold forms and myriad phenomena are imprinted by the single Dharma.' The Master bowed. Wuzu had him take charge of correspondence. Later, while in conversation with Yuanwu, the Master cited the nidāna of Dongsi asking Yangshan about the luminous pearl that subdues the sea, reaching the point where 'there was no principle to set forth.' Yuanwu questioned him, saying, 'Since it is said that he obtained and retrieved this pearl, yet it is also said that there were no words to reply with and no principle to set forth [what do you say]?' The Master could add no answer. The next day, he said to Yuanwu, 'Dongsi only sought one pearl, but Yangshan immediately poured out a whole bushel.' Yuanwu deeply approved of him, and thereupon told him, 'Elder brother, you ought to draw even closer to the old Upādhyāya.' One day, the Master went to the abbot's quarters. Before he could speak, he was scolded and reviled by Wuzu and withdrew in shame. Returning to his quarters, he closed the door and lay down to sleep, resentful of Wuzu without end. Yuanwu, having secretly learned of this, went and knocked on the door. The Master said, 'Who is it?' Yuanwu said, 'It is I.' The Master opened the door. Yuanwu asked, 'How did your meeting with the old Upādhyāya go?' The Master said, 'I was originally not going to go, but was misled by you into trouble; I suffered this old fellow's scolding and reviling.' Yuanwu laughed heartily and said, 'Do you remember the turning word you offered the other day?' The Master said, 'What word was that?' Yuanwu said, 'You said again: Dongsi only sought one pearl, but Yangshan poured out a whole bushel.' The Master instantly felt relieved. Yuanwu then led the Master to go up together to the abbot's quarters. As soon as Wuzu saw them, he said at once, 'Brother Qin, rejoice! The great matter is completely settled.' The following year, [Wuzu] appointed the Master as the first seat. It happened that Lingyuan of Taiping went to Huanglong and his seat became vacant; Yuan recommended the Master to the prefect of Shu, Sun Dingchen, who thereupon appointed him to succeed him, and Wuzu bestowed the Dharma robe. The Master received and held it up to show the assembly, saying: 'Anciently, Śākyamuni Buddha draped his sixteen-foot golden brocade kāṣāya over the thousand-foot body of Maitreya Buddha. The Buddha's body was not too long, and the kāṣāya was not too short. Do you understand? It is just this pattern, no other pattern.' From then on, his Dharma way spread widely. In the beginning of the Zhenghe era, he was summoned by imperial decree to reside at Zhihai in the Eastern Capital. In the fifth year, he requested permission to return, and obtained an edict to reside at Mount Jiang. Privy Councilor Deng Gongchang memorialized for the Master's honorific title and purple robe. A monk asked, 'What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?' The Master said, 'Drinking vinegar, one knows sourness; eating salt, one knows saltiness.' The monk said, 'What about when the bow is broken and the arrows are exhausted?' The Master said, 'A bout of shame.' The monk asked, 'What kind of person is it that does not take the myriad dharmas as companions?' The Master said, 'Crushing the exposed pillar.' The monk said, 'What about when there is no road to return home?' The Master said, 'The king's journey has its limits.' The monk said, 'What about "three three in front, three three behind"?' The Master said, 'Six times six is thirty-six.' The monk asked, 'I have heard that the Upādhyāya met Wuzu in person; is that so?' The Master said, 'The iron ox chewed up the golden grass.' The monk said, 'In that case, you indeed met Wuzu in person.' The Master said, 'What enmity or grudge do I have with you?' The monk said, 'Just as when Bodhidharma met Emperor Wu, what was his meaning?' The Master said, 'Barbarian speech is easy to distinguish, but Han language is difficult to understand.' The monk said, 'Why did he cross the river secretly in sorrow?' The Master said, 'Taking advantage of the wind.' The monk asked, 'What is the guest within the host?' The Master said, 'Advancing forward and retreating backward causes terrible sorrow.' The monk said, 'What is the host within the guest?' The Master said, 'True words turn into falsehood.' The monk said, 'What is the guest within the guest?' The Master said, 'The Master traveled, suffering distress in Chen.' The monk said, 'What is the host within the host?' The Master said, 'Walking together all day, yet not companions.' The monk said, 'Host and guest have already received your instruction; what about the matter of the supreme school vehicle?' The Master said, 'Having chopped with the great axe, rubbing one's hands.' The monk asked, 'Setting aside "mind itself is Buddha," what about "not mind, not Buddha"?' The Master said, 'Yesterday a monk asked, and this old monk did not reply.' The monk said, 'I wonder how far it is from "mind itself is Buddha"?' The Master said, 'Near, it is thousands or tens of thousands of miles; far, it is not separated by a hair's breadth.' The monk said, 'If a student suddenly cuts off both ends and sits safely at home, what then?' The Master said, 'Where is your home?' The monk said, 'Within the great trichiliocosm, a single free body.' The Master said, 'You have not yet arrived home; speak further!' The monk said, 'When a student arrives here, he truly cannot distinguish east from west or north from south.' The Master said, 'That is not beyond bounds.' Ascending the hall, [the Master said]: 'The supreme Way is not difficult; it merely avoids picking and choosing. Peach blossoms are red, plum blossoms are white—who says they blend into only one color? Swallows chatter, orioles sing—who says their "guan guan" is just one sound? If you do not penetrate the Patriarch's mechanism, you vainly mistake mountains and rivers for eyes.' Ascending the hall, [the Master said]: 'Day after day, the sun sinks in the west; day after day, the sun rises in the east. If you wish to learn bodhi—' He threw down his staff and said, 'Just look at this appearance!' On the first anniversary of Wuzu's passing, he ascended the hall and said: 'At this time on this day last year, a flake of snow flew into a red-hot furnace. At this time of year today, Cao E reads the stele in the night. The final phrase, even the Buddha eye cannot peer into. Atop the peak of White Lotus, the red sun circles Mount Sumeru. Birds peck at the coral tree; a whale swallows a water-parting rhinoceros. The Taiping family estate remains, inheriting Yangqi for a thousand ages.' Ascending the hall, he held his staff horizontally and said: 'Illumination first, then function.' Holding it upright, he said: 'Function first, then illumination.' Turning it upside down, he said: 'Illumination and function simultaneously.' Striking it once, he said: 'Illumination and function not simultaneously. All of you have been swallowed whole by the staff! It is simply that you do not realize it. If right here you can utter a body-turning phrase, you will avoid a bout of stifling misery. If not, this old monk has suffered a loss today.' Ascending the hall, [the Master said]: 'The golden crow is swift; the jade rabbit is fast. The fleeting light rushes on: the tenth of the seventh month. Countless wanderers do not return home; even if they return, they only stand before the gate. Standing before the gate, one takes their hands to lead them, but they refuse to enter. For ten thousand miles, look—not an inch of grass. Withered flowers fall to the ground, with no one to gather them up. No one to gather them up; each time the rain passes, each time it gets wet.' Ascending the hall, [the Master said]: 'The Bhagavat had an esoteric word; Kāśyapa did not conceal it.' Then he said: 'Your ordinary talk of yellow and black, criticizing ancient and modern—is this not an esoteric word? Your ordinary revolving and bowing, picking up a spoon, holding chopsticks, bowing with folded hands and offering greetings—is this concealing or not concealing? Suddenly having a flash of insight, it cannot be known. Do you wish to understand? "The Bhagavat had an esoteric word"—from winter to Cold Food is one hundred and five days. "Kāśyapa did not conceal it"—water leaking through without a gap has already exposed the stolen goods. If an agile patch-robed monk can understand: another layer of frost atop a layer of snow.' Ascending the hall, [the Master said]: 'Before the fifteenth day, things are like brocade on which flowers are laid. After the fifteenth day, things are like a bubble arising on the ocean. Exactly on the fifteenth day, it is much like a one-foot mirror reflecting an image of a thousand miles. Although true emptiness is trace-free, how about the ocean-seal emitting radiance? Let the exposed pillar bloom with flowers; what need to speak of the Buddha's face being a hundred times ugly? Why is it that in the end, on a frosty night, the moon naturally sets into the stream before us?' Ascending the hall, he cited: A monk asked Zhaozhou, 'What is the meaning of non-movement?' Zhaozhou made the gesture of flowing water with his hand. The monk had an awakening. Another monk asked Fayan, '"Not grasping at characteristics, such-like and unmoving." How does not grasping at characteristics manifest as such-like and unmoving?' Fayan said, 'The sun rises in the east and sets in the west at night.' That monk also had an awakening. [The Master said:] 'If you can see into this, only then will you know that the whirling storm winds uprooting mountains are originally always tranquil, and rivers rushing in competition from the start do not flow. If not, I cannot avoid chattering on further for you: Heaven rotates to the left, Earth turns to the right; from past to present, how many times has it passed? The golden crow flies, the jade rabbit runs; no sooner has it emerged from the ocean gate than it sets behind the blue mountains again. The rivers and rivers have vast waves; the Huai and Ji have surging currents; flowing straight into the vast ocean day and night.' He then said in a loud voice, 'Venerable Chan practitioners, do you still see such-like and unmoving?' In the abbot's room, the Master used six wooden dice, each side written with the character "gong" (public). As soon as a monk entered, the Master would throw them and say, 'Do you understand?' If the monk hesitated or did not hesitate, the Master would drive him out with blows. On the eighth day of the ninth month of the seventh year, he ascended the hall and said: 'The Patriarch's mind-seal is shaped like the function of the iron ox. If it goes, the seal stays; if it stays, the seal is broken. Even if it neither goes nor stays, it is still not the place where a patch-robed monk treads. And what is the place where a patch-robed monk treads? Wait until around the tenth month, and I will annotate and break it open for you.' When the eighth day of the next month arrived, he bathed, changed clothes, and sat upright. By hand he wrote several letters to bid farewell to old acquaintances, then stopped his brush and transformed. The cremation collected his sacred bones, and a śarīra stūpa was erected on the mountain.

25.8

Chan Master Foyan Qingyuan of Longmen in Shuzhou was a son of the Li family of Linqiong. He was stern, upright, and of few words. At fourteen he received full ordination, and relying on the Vinaya, investigated its teachings. When reading the Lotus Sūtra, he came to the passage: 'This Dharma cannot be understood through thought or discrimination.' Taking this, he questioned a lecturing master, but the lecturer could not answer. The master sighed and said, 'The nominal characteristics of doctrinal study are not the means to resolve the great matter of birth and death.' Thereupon he rolled up his robes and traveled south, arriving at the Dharma seat of Chan Master [Fayan] Yan of Taiping in Shuzhou. Once, while begging for food in Luzhou, both his feet accidentally slipped and he fell to the ground. In his distress and frustration, he heard two people violently cursing each other. A bystander reproving them said, 'Are you still harboring affliction?' The master had an awakening at these words. Upon returning, whenever he had a question, Yan would just say, 'I am not as good as you; you understand very well yourself,' or would say, 'I do not understand; I am not as good as you.' The master grew even more doubtful, so he consulted Head Monk Yuanli to resolve it. Li then took the master's ear in his hand, led him around the hearth several times, and as he walked, said, 'You understand very well yourself.' The master said, 'I hoped for an opening; why do you mock me like this?' Li said, 'Later, when you awaken, only then will you understand today's twists and turns.' When Taiping was about to move to Haihui, the master lamented, 'I have just returned from holding my bowl to practice again, and following along to a desolate monastery, how could I thoroughly resolve my own matter?' Thereupon he composed a verse, took his leave, and went to Jiangshan to spend the summer retreat. There he met Chan Master Lingyuan, and their friendship grew deeper by the day. In the midst of leisurely conversation, the master said, 'Lately I saw a venerable elder in the capital whose words seemed to accord with my affinity.' Lingyuan said, 'Master Yan is the foremost lineage master under heaven. Why discard him to engage in distant travel? What you call having an affinity is merely a master of intellectual understanding who happens to correspond with your initial mind.' Following his encouragement, the master went straight to Haihui. Later, he was appointed guest master. Sitting alone on a cold night, he poked the hearth and saw a tiny spark of fire like a single bean. Startled into self-delight, he said, 'Deeply poked, there is a tiny bit! The business of a whole life is just like this.' He immediately got up and read the Record of the Transmission of the Lamp on his desk. When he reached the nidāna of the Broken Stove Breaker, he suddenly had a great awakening. He composed a verse: 'Chirp, chirp, the forest birds cry; / Throwing on my robes, I sit through the night. / Poking the fire, I awoke to my whole life; / Exhausting the spirit, I return to the Broken Stove. / The matter is clear, yet people delude themselves; / The melody is subtle—who can harmonize? / Remembering it, I will never forget: / The gate stands open, yet few pass through.' Because of this, Yuanwu went to his quarters and cited the case of Qinglin carrying soil to test him, adding, 'Past and present, no one has been able to step out of this. How do you understand it?' The master said, 'What difficulty is there in that?' Yuanwu said, 'Just as he said, "What is the intention within the realm of the Iron-Wheel Heavenly King?"' The master said, 'I say: an imperial amnesty is proclaimed in Śakra's palace.' Yuanwu stepped back and told others, 'Fortunately, Brother Yuan has a phrase that brings people to life!' From then on, he lived in seclusion at the Sizhuan Dazhong Hermitage. It happened that the Chongning Wanshou Monastery was newly renovated under heaven, and Wang Huanzhi, the prefect of Shuzhou, invited the master to open the Dharma hall. Next, he succeeded to Longmen, where his reputation for the Dao flourished even more. Later, he was transferred to Baochan in Hezhou. Privy Councillor Deng Xunwu memorialized to grant him a purple robe and a title. He ascended the hall: 'On the road to Mount Tai, wayfarers are entirely scarce; / Before the hall of the Broken Stove, there is no place to repay kindness. / Snow buries the courtyard cypress; ice locks Yanchi creek. / Though by the hearth in the South, / I do not enter into another's pickle jar. / Look, look! On the thirtieth day of the twelfth month, / It is the first month of spring, yet still cold. / All of you must strive forward; on no account give rise to retreating.' Ascending the hall, he struck his staff and said, 'Complete, luminous awareness does not depend on mind or thought. Insisting to the death on speaking, one falls into pits and tumbles into ditches. In the end, what is it?' Thereupon, leaning on his staff, he stepped down from his seat. Ascending the hall: 'Illusory bubbles are alike without obstruction— / Why do you not thoroughly awaken? / The pupil in the eye blows a whistle; / The penetrative Dharma is within it, / Neither present nor past. / Six dice, the entire basin is red! / Assembly, why do the people of today sit on the ground looking at Yangzhou? An alms bowl resting on its stand—a newly altered pattern! / Riding an ox atop an ox—it makes one die of laughter!' Ascending the hall: 'Zhaozhou did not see Nanquan; / this mountain monk does not know Wuzu. / Sweet melons are sweet right to the stem; / bitter gourds are bitter down to the roots.' Ascending the hall: 'A single leaf falls, and the whole world is spring; / Having no way to ponder makes one die of laughter. / Below is heaven, above is earth; / These words do not suit the worldly mind. / South is made north, east is made west; / Moving yet still, joyful yet grieving. / A snake's head, a scorpion's tail—try them once! / A living sparrow in the ferocious tiger's mouth! / What kind of talk is this? Return to the hall!' Ascending the hall: 'A thousand words and ten thousand explanations are not as good as seeing it face to face in person. Even without speaking, it is naturally clear of itself. The simile of the prince's precious sword, the simile of the blind men feeling the elephant, the matter of beckoning across the river in Chan study, the matter of meeting at Wangzhou Pavilion, the matter of the utterly secluded place where no one goes, the matter of the crags in the deep mountains—these are all seen face to face in person, not in speaking.' Ascending the hall: 'Su Wu herded sheep, disgraced yet unyielding; Li Ling gazed toward Han, joyful so as to forget returning. Were they in a foreign land or in their own country? Among the Buddha's disciples, there was one who jumped over a ditch with both feet, one who heard a zither and began to dance, one who buried his body in filth, and one who scolded the river goddess. Were these habitual tendencies or wondrous functions? As for holding up a pitchfork and striking the ground, raising a whisk and knocking on the seat, Muzhou always shutting the door, and Luzu facing the wall all year round—was this for people, or was it not for people? Know with certainty that all ordinary people bury the treasure store, utterly failing to be true men! Why cannot you all swing the rudder, unfurl the sails, cross the river, reach the shore, and cease? To drive stakes further and swing the scull—when will you ever arrive home? Since you are people of Caoxi and fellows of the household, do you still see the affairs of the household?' A monk asked, 'When the kalpa fire blazes and the great chiliocosm is utterly destroyed, I wonder, is this one destroyed or not?' The master said, 'Golden color inside a black lacquer tub.' A monk asked, '"Is the Dao far away? Touching things, one finds reality." What is the Dao?' The master said, 'Eight feet five inches on top of the head.' The monk asked, 'What is the principle of this?' The master said, 'Seven or eight inches square and round.' A monk asked, 'Before the kalpa fire and King Majestic Voice, there was another separate heaven in a gourd. Hunting before the imperial pavilion is not mowing a field of thatch.' Raising his sitting mat, he said, 'What is this called?' The master said, 'It is precisely mowing a field of thatch.' The monk then shouted. The master said, 'Still acting as the host!' The master asked a monk, 'When a solitary lamp shines alone, how is it?' The monk had no answer. The master said on his behalf, 'The bare pillar bears witness.' Hearing the sound of the clapper ending meditation, the master said, 'Concluding the case according to the confession.' The master once wrote an inscription on the wall of the Yanshou Infirmary at Longmen: 'The Buddha permitted that the sick should be treated, allowing a place to rest and recuperate. In Chan monasteries there are several names for it: some call it Nirvāṇa, seeing that the Dharma body is permanently abiding and comprehending that phenomena do not arise; some call it Xingxing (Examining Deeds), knowing that these adverse conditions all arise from the suffering of conditioned action; some call it Yanshou (Prolonging Life), desiring the wisdom-life to support the physical body. In reality, it is a place for people to resolve birth and death. Often I see people who enter this hall as soon as they feel a slight ailment; if they do not force themselves to endure, there is benefit. But when sick for a long time, they unwholesomely yearn for their hometowns, failing to reflect and eradicate the root of suffering. The former sages said, "Illness is a good medicine for sentient beings; if one takes it properly, there is none that will not be cured."' In the beginning of the Xuanhe era, he retired due to illness and returned to the Eastern Hall of Jiangshan. In the second year, on the day before the winter solstice, after finishing his meal, he sat cross-legged and said to his disciples, 'Elders in all quarters, when facing death, invariably leave a verse bidding farewell to the world. Can the world be bid farewell to? And where would one go?' Thereupon, joining his palms, he placidly passed away into quiescence. His disciples enshrined his bones, returned to Longmen, and placed them in a stūpa beside the Lingguang Terrace.

25.9

Chan Master Daoning of Kaifu in Tanzhou was a son of the Wang family of Xixi. In his prime, he served as a lay practitioner tending the baths at Chongguo Monastery. One day, as he was about to wash his feet, he happened to recite the Diamond Sūtra, reaching the line: 'Those who can give rise to true faith, taking this as real.' He thereupon forgot his discursive knowledge, and suddenly lowering his feet into the boiling water, his own realization opened up. Later, he shaved his head at Jiangshan and relied on the elder Master Liang of Xuedou. After more than two years, he traveled through the monasteries, studying under various famous elders. In his later years, he arrived at Bailian; hearing Wuzu give an informal discourse citing National Teacher Zhong's ancient Buddha pure vase and Zhaozhou's dog having no Buddha-nature, he abruptly penetrated the Dharma source. During the Daguan era, Governor Xi Zhen of Tanzhou invited him to reside at Kaifu, and patch-robed monks followed him like shadows. On the Buddha's birthday, he ascended the hall: 'Before leaving Tuṣita, he had already descended into the royal palace; before emerging from his mother's womb, he had already finished saving people. Venerable Chan monks! Day after day, the sun rises from the east; / Morning after morning, the rooster crows at the fifth watch. / Though it is not the Peach Blossom Cave, / When spring arrives, peach blossoms also fill the stream.' He also said, 'Born from the right rib in the Lumbinī Grove, / Walking seven steps in all directions, looking in the four directions: / "In heaven and on earth, I alone am supreme!" / This is much like greedily gazing at the moon in the sky and losing the pearl in one's hand. / Do you know where it falls? If you know where it falls, only then are you a filial son and an obedient grandson. If not, it cannot be helped that I must add another footnote.' After a pause, he said, 'Naturally endowed with tricks, capable of extraordinary wonders; / Before going up, one yields to him to put on a show.' Instructing the assembly, he said, 'The autumn sun blazes in the vast sky; / The autumn river steeps in empty azure. / How lamentable are those outside the gate, / Everywhere seeking Maitreya! / Suddenly raising their heads on the road, / Meeting each other, yet not recognizing each other. / Venerable Chan monks, since they meet each other, why do they not recognize each other? / Cutting all the bamboo before the frost; / Facing the creek, it does not turn into a dragon.' Ascending the hall: 'Throughout the realm, it has never been hidden; / The entire body has no image or shadow. / Meeting each other, do not marvel at being too foolish; / From kalpas without beginning until now, there are no clever tricks. / Having no clever tricks, few people know; / In general, one must grant his fair skin and fine bones— / What need to face the mirror and paint moth eyebrows?' Ascending the hall: 'The correct command of Magadha inevitably encounters rough roads; / Shaoshi's extending compassion already injured the style and spirit. / Carrying bags on the waist and lifting the staff, one betrays an entire lifetime; / Refining practice with ashen heart, they mutually dull one another. / How can that compare to the spring rain clearing and the spring mountains turning green? / Three or four patches of white clouds, / One or two chirps of the yellow bird. / The Great Compassionate One of a thousand eyes cannot look enough; / Though Wang Wei was skillful, it is hard to paint. / Even granting it is just like that, / one is still embarking on a journey. / What can be said in a single phrase that does not embark on a journey? / When a man comes from Bianzhou, no letter from the Eastern Capital is received.' A monk asked, 'Before the lotus flower emerges from the water, how is it?' The master said, 'Humans and devas join their palms.' The monk asked, 'After it emerges from the water, how is it?' The master said, 'It does not obstruct coming and going to look.' A monk asked, 'What is it when the phrase arrives but the intention does not arrive?' The master said, 'Auspicious grass originally has no roots; one picks it up at will to use.' The monk asked, 'What is it when the intention arrives but the phrase does not arrive?' The master said, 'Catch the meaning at the hook's tip; do not cling to the zero mark on the steelyard.' The monk asked, 'What is it when both intention and phrase arrive?' The master said, 'The Great Compassionate One does not extend a hand, yet the whole body is eyes.' The monk asked, 'What is it when neither intention nor phrase arrives?' The master said, 'You head toward the Xiao and Xiang rivers; I head toward Qin.' On the fourth day of the eleventh month in the third year of the Zhenghe era, he shaved his hair and bathed. The next day, after the noon meal, he gave an informal discourse, urging the assembly to practice the Dao with sincere and earnest words, predicting his demise on the seventh day. When the day came, at the hour of the rooster (5–7 PM), he sat cross-legged and passed away. The cremation yielded five-colored relics (śarīra), which were returned and enshrined in a stūpa.

25.10

Chan Master Nantang Yuanjing of Dasui in Pengzhou, later named Daoxing, was a son of the great Confucian scholar Lord Zhao Yuezhong of Yushan in Langzhou. At age ten he fell severely ill; his mother prayed, and moved by an extraordinary dream, allowed him to leave home. The master was a lineage descendant of Baosheng Cloister at Daci in Chengdu. In the third year of the Yuanyou era (1088), having mastered the scriptures, he received ordination. He remained among the lecturing assemblies for years and then journeyed south. First he called upon Chan Master En of Yong'an, gaining illumination upon Linji's 'three beatings with the stick' story. Next he relied upon various celebrated seniors, none of whom satisfied his mind. Hearing of Wuzu's sharp dynamic, he wished to test him, and so visited the Patriarch. The Patriarch then said: 'Here with me is unlike other quarters. In the abbot's room I do not want you advancing forward, stepping back, raising a finger, thrusting up a fist, circling the meditation seat, making prostrations like a woman, lifting up the sitting mat, or engaging in a thousand kinds of tricks. I only want you to be exact and fitting in a single phrase—that will be your insight.' The master withdrew in bewilderment. He practiced there for three years. One day, after entering the abbot's room, the Patriarch said to him: 'The phrases you have brought forth have already attained ten-tenths. Try to explain them further for me to see.' The master immediately analyzed and presented them. The Patriarch said: 'Your explanation is also ten-tenths. Try further to judge them for me to see.' The master judged them in accordance with each question. The Patriarch said: 'Good though it is, you still have not grasped this old monk's talk. After the midday meal, come to the Patriarch's Stūpa; only when I review them with you one by one will it do.' When he arrived there, the Patriarch immediately tested and examined him with [such sayings as] 'Mind itself is Buddha', 'Neither mind nor Buddha', Muzhou's 'board-carrying fellow', Nanquan's 'cutting the cat in two', and Zhaozhou's 'A dog has no Buddha-nature' and 'has Buddha-nature'. The master's replies were completely free of obstruction. Coming to Zihu's dog story, the Patriarch suddenly turned his face away and said: 'Wrong.' The master said: 'If it is wrong, what then?' The Patriarch said: 'If this is wrong, then together with those before, all are wrong.' The master said: 'I look to the upādhyāya's compassion to give instruction.' The Patriarch said: 'Look at what he says: "Zihu has a dog: above, it takes people's heads; in the middle, it takes people's waists; below, it takes people's legs. Those entering the gate, take good care!" As soon as he sees a monk entering the gate, he immediately says: "Look at the dog!" At the point where Zihu says "Look at the dog!", bring forth a turning word to make Zihu tongue-tied and this old monk clamp his mouth shut—then that will be where you are settled.' The next day he entered the room, and the master silently revealed his explanation. The Patriarch laughed and said: 'I do not say that you are not a man completely accomplished in every way; but this phrase is merely like a phrase brought forth by my late master.' The master said: 'Who am I to be like Upādhyāya Duan?' The Patriarch said: 'Not so. Although this old monk inherited his lineage, I say his words were clumsy, for he only used the methods of Old Master Yuanlu to receive people. If this old monk joined with Old Master Yuanlu, we would walk hand-in-hand with the likes of Baizhang, Huangbo, Nanquan, and Zhaozhou. The moment one sees clumsy words, it is unacceptable.' The master thought otherwise and, dragging his staff, crossed the river. Just then a great flood swelled, so he was delayed; four peer companions of the Patriarch persuaded him to return. After another two years, the Patriarch finally gave his approval. Once, while discussing the past and present, he took the master's hand and said: 'When you can speak, I must raise it; when you raise it, I must speak. From now on, the secret essentials of the Buddhas and Patriarchs and the key pivots of every quarter will not escape your grasp.' Thereupon he established Nantang ('South Hall') for him to dwell in. Thereupon his fame crowned the world. Lord Xi Dan, the military commissioner of Chengdu, requested him to open the Dharma hall at Jiayou. Before long he moved to Zhaojue, transferred to Nengren, and then to Dasui. Ascending the hall: 'When the sovereign is clear-sighted, generals and commanders are astute. Winning victory once, the six states are peaceful and serene.' Ascending the hall, he cited the story of Linji visiting Huangbo. Upādhyāya Baiyun Duan's verse said: / 'A single fist punches down Yellow Crane Tower, / A single kick overturns Parrot Islet. / Where there is high spirit, spirit is added; / Where there is no romance, there is also romance.' / The master said: 'Dasui is not so: / Walking along at seventy, an old totterer, / Eyes bright and clear, ears not deaf. / If someone suddenly bullies me, / A single punch knocks him down beyond the eastern pass!' Ascending the hall, when questions and answers were concluded, he then said: 'Ever since the Patriarchs, people of the times have misunderstood, merely taking words and phrases to be the Chan Path. Little do they know that the Path originally has no substance, but obtains a name on account of substance; the Path originally has no name, but establishes a title on account of names. Just like just now, when the elder monk came forth like this and then returned to the assembly like this: tell me, does he possess the eye or not possess the eye? If you say he possesses the eye, as soon as he came forth like this, where was the eye? If you say he does not possess the eye, how could he go off just like this? Worthy friends! If you see distinctly and uninhibitedly here, then you will know that the Second Patriarch's bowing and standing in his place truly attained the marrow. Just this little bit is the life-root of the Buddhas of the three periods, the life-vein of the six generations of Patriarchs, and the place where the old upādhyāyas under heaven settle their bodies and establish their lives. Although this is so, you must arrive there personally before it will do.' Ascending the hall: 'One's own fields and gardens are cultivated at will; / For the ancestral estate, one must strive with all one's might. / Awakening, one sits beside the heads of the thousand sages; / Functioning, one walks beneath the three evil destinies.' A monk asked: 'Regarding the Patriarchs' mind-seal, please instruct directly, Master.' The master said: 'Do you feel the heat?' The monk said: 'I feel it.' The master said: 'For now, you do not feel the cold.' The monk said: 'Does the upādhyāya also feel the heat or not?' The master said: 'I do not.' The monk said: 'Why do you not feel it?' The master waved his fan and said: 'Because I have this.' He was asked: 'What is taking away the person but not taking away the environment?' The master said: 'Capturing the demon king alive, his nostrils are pierced.' 'What is taking away the environment but not taking away the person?' The master said: 'The tree in the center belongs to our company.' 'What is taking away both person and environment?' The master said: 'A single hook catches the three mountains, linked to six turtles.' 'What is taking away neither person nor environment?' The master said: 'Riding an ox in broad daylight, passing through the marketplace.' He was asked: 'How is it before the lotus emerges from the water?' The master said: 'Good.' 'How is it after it emerges from the water?' The master said: 'Good.' 'What is the lotus?' The master said: 'Good.' The monk bowed. The master said: 'Given three "goods" to him, / The ten thousand affairs cease all at once.' He was asked: 'I do not ask about hiding the world in the world; but—' raising his fist, he said: 'How to hide this one?' The master said: 'What difficulty is there?' The monk said: 'For now, how to hide it?' The master said: 'Inside the coat sleeve.' The monk said: 'I wonder, what kind of person regulates and disciplines the Buddha Dharma?' The master said: 'It cannot be a ghost.' The monk said: 'If one suddenly encounters someone who kills the Buddhas and kills the Patriarchs, how should one deal with him?' The master said: 'This old monk has eyes, but has never seen such a one.' A monk asked: 'A student newly entered into the monastery begs the master for instruction.' The master said: 'Eating gruel and eating rice, do not let them be put behind your head.' The monk said: 'When eating all day long, one has never eaten.' The master said: 'An ungrateful patch-robed monk does not know good from bad.' He was asked: 'When the kalpa-fire burns fiercely and the great chiliocosm is completely destroyed, I wonder, is this one destroyed or not?' The master said: 'Who told you to ask like this?' The monk stepped forward, bowed, and said: 'I do not know.' The master said: 'Is it destroyed or not destroyed?' The monk was speechless. He was asked: 'What is Chan in the mountains?' The master said: 'Tender bamboo in front of the courtyard first grows shoots; / Withered pine down in the ravine grows old branches.' 'What is Chan in the city?' The master said: 'On the six avenues, drums and bells boom in rhythm; / Right on the spot, gold is spread throughout the world.' 'What is Chan in the village?' The master said: 'Bandits and thieves are eradicated, silkworms and wheat ripen; / Singing and dancing, rejoicing in peace.' He was asked: 'What is the place where all Buddhas make their appearance?' The master said: 'You asked very appropriately.' The monk said: 'When going on like this, what then?' The master said: 'The answer is even more extraordinary.' He was asked: 'Because of the mountain one sees the water; seeing the water, one forgets the mountain. When mountain and water are both forgotten, where does principle return?' The master said: 'When this mountain monk sits down on his tongue, heaven and earth turn pitch-black.' An old senior had put forth a saying: 'At the crossroads, a thatched latrine is built; only people are not allowed to defecate.' A monk raised this to query the master. The master said: 'You already defecated first; whom else do you tell to defecate?' Hearing of this, the senior burned incense, looked toward Dasui from afar, and bowed twice in thanks. In the yimao year of Shaoxing (1135), in the seventh month of autumn, heavy snow fell like rain, and there were anomalous signs in the mountains. The master said: 'My time has arrived.' On the seventeenth day, he took leave of the commandery prefect; after that, three days later, he showed a slight illness at Tianpeng. On the night of the twenty-fourth, he said to the attendant monk: 'When dawn breaks and there is no moon, how is it?' The monk made no reply. The master said: 'Inverted, you make me set fire for you before it will do.' The next day he returned to the public cloister at Bengkou, left his final admonitions, and shed his body, showing nirvāṇa. His disciples brought his whole body back; mists gathered from all four quarters, and apes and birds cried sorrowfully. During the cremation, an extraordinary fragrance filled the fields; the root of his tongue remained as before, and multicolored relics were beyond count. They were buried to the west of Dingguang Stūpa. Later, Wenli of Tianmu, who resided at Tiantong, composed a portrait encomium for the master, which can supplement the gaps in his biographical record; it is therefore recorded together here. The encomium says: / 'Among the gathering at Dongshan, / Only he was unastute. / Setting up an idle room elsewhere, / Difficult to investigate in the monasteries. / Fang River pool's serpent emerges to startle people; / The blunt iron cauldron's rooster crows in broad daylight. / When the variety play is performed, / It takes the full fire to wait on it. / In his later years he indulged in laxity and leisure, / Yet harmonized and mingled with the vulgar world. / Qin Ba-zi sent someone to test him; / Tossing the incense wrapper immediately revealed his house style. / Dingguang has no Buddha—in vain was the snare cast; / On the verge of departure, shaking the bell in empty space— / Who knew he thoroughly buried the Baiyun lineage?'

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續傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese