續傳燈錄 26
English (machine translation) 26
- Language
- English
26.1
Table of Contents for Fascicle 26 of Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp
26.2
The Fifteenth Generation under Dajian
Twelve Dharma heirs of Chan Master Doushuai Yue:
Chan Master Doushuai Huizhao
Chan Master Shushan Liaochang
Grand Councilor Upāsaka Zhang Shangying (the above three have records)
Chan Master Yangqi Ziyuan
Chan Master Touzi Daosheng
Chan Master Ciyun Mingjian
Chan Master Doushuai Huixuan
Chan Master Luoxi Huiyi
Chan Master Guanghui Shouzhen
Upādhyāya Zhixuan of Ganzhou
Upādhyāya Zhiyan of Qingxi
Upādhyāya Zhanlin of Fuzhou (the above nine have no records)
Five Dharma heirs of Chan Master Letan Zhun:
Chan Master Yunyan Tianyou
Chan Master Sanjiao Zhiyao (the above two have records)
Chan Master Xinghua Zongxuan
Chan Master Guangxiao Zhiduan
Upāsaka Li Peng (the above three have no records)
Three Dharma heirs of Chan Master Quchi Jichang:
Chan Master Quchi Huizhao
Chan Master Dasui Yuanxin
Chan Master Jingguang Liaowei (the above three have no records)
Three Dharma heirs of Chan Master Fayun Gao:
Chan Master Dongshan Bian
Chan Master Huihai Yi
Dharma Master Luan of Western Shu (the above three have records)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Huayao Ying:
Chan Master Qixian Daoning (no record)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Wenshu Neng:
Chan Master Tianning Qiong (has a record)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Falun Tian:
Chan Master Lingzhu Dezong
Chan Master Fengqi Run (the above two have no records)
Four Dharma heirs of Chan Master Guyin Jingxian:
Chan Master Shimen Zheng
Chan Master Baishui Zongyue
Chan Master Xingyang Hao
Chan Master Guyin Yin (the above four have no records)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Guishan Jin:
Chan Master Puzhao Qi
Chan Master Yuelu Zutan (the above two have no records)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Yangshan Jian:
Chan Master Yangshan Pu
Chan Master Tianning Yun (the above two have no records)
Four Dharma heirs of Chan Master Zhaojue Chunbai:
Chan Master Xinxing Zongxian (one has a record)
Chan Master Tiexiang Song
Chan Master Anxiang of Chengdu
Chan Master Longqing Huaizong (the above three have no records)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Guangli Yi:
Chan Master Longxing Shun (no record)
One Dharma heir of Hermit Mazu Yan:
Chan Master Zijiao Xize (no record)
Five Dharma heirs of Chan Master D стру Chuan:
Chan Master Zhongyan Yunneng
Chan Master Yunding Zongyin (the above two have records)
Chan Master Qianyuan Xishi
Chan Master Lingfeng Liaozhen
Chan Master Tianzhen Fakong (the above three have no records)
Five Dharma heirs of Chan Master Jianfu Ying:
Chan Master Dengjue Puming (one has a record)
Chan Master Miaoguo Deyuan
Chan Master Helin Zhilin
Chan Master Chongning Qingshu
Chan Master Mi'yan Shanzhong (the above four have no records)
Eighteen Dharma heirs of Chan Master Letan Qian:
Chan Master Longya Zongmi
Chan Master Yuantong Daomin
Chan Master Tiantong Pujiao
Chan Master Dongchan Congmi
Chan Master Shengyin Xianjing
Hermit Zhihe of Erling
Chan Master Xinghua Kedu
Chan Master Daowu Chufang (the above eight have records)
Chan Master Xuefeng Youxu
Chan Master Zifu Yu
Chan Master Jingde Liangyu
Chan Master Jianfu Zhen
Chan Master Kaifu Deyun
Chan Master Nangang Zhao
Chan Master Yunju Rushan
Chan Master Shishuang Chuchan
Chan Master Muping Juecheng
Chan Master Zifu Xingwu (the above ten have no records)
Sixteen Dharma heirs of Chan Master Kaixian Ying:
Chan Master Dawei Haiping
Chan Master Cishi Ruixian (the above two have records)
Chan Master Daolin Fazhao
Chan Master Guangxiao Wenjing
Chan Master Youdi Ruying
Chan Master Sanzhi Guanchong
Chan Master Baogai Yongxing
Chan Master Tianning Zongshun
Chan Master Lingshan Huihao
Chan Master Jingtu Xi
Chan Master Huangbo Daoqin
Chan Master Jiuxian Cian
Chan Master Zhengfa Wuzhao
Chan Master Zhitong of Lushan
Chan Master Longya Zongmi
Chan Master Deshan Shengjue (the above fourteen have no records)
Four Dharma heirs of Chan Master Yuantong Xian:
Chan Master Jingguang Liaowei
Chan Master Mingzhao Wenhui (the above two have records)
Chan Master Xiangfu Li
Chan Master Fushan Fazhen (the above two have no records)
Four Dharma heirs of Chan Master Huili Chang:
Chan Master Huili Dongyuan (one has a record)
Chan Master Fusheng Changji
Chan Master Huideng Zexing
Chan Master Yunxi Wenqing (the above three have no records)
26.3
Table of Contents of Fascicle Twenty-Six of the Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp (End)
26.4
The Fifteenth Generation under Dajian
26.5
Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Doushuai Yue
26.6
Chan Master Doushuai Huizhao of Longxing Prefecture was a son of the Guo family of Nan'an. He ascended the hall and said: "Beneath Mount Long'an roads crisscross in all directions; within the palace of Tuṣita pavilions layer upon layer. Though not in heaven, neither is it among humankind. Those who arrive here set their minds at ease and completely forget all thoughts. One who travels well does not move both feet; one who enters well does not stir the two door-leaves. Able of himself to laugh proudly among the misty creepers, who cares about sitting in vain as months and years waste away? Since it is like this, tell me: is there still something beyond or not?" After a good while he said: "Do not let the stone before the cliff be pushed down to shatter the sun-obscuring clouds below." Ascending the hall, he held up his whisk and said: "On the Double Fifth festival, at Long'an the oars are also drummed; among the clouds of the green mountains one attains carefree roaming. Eating when hungry, drinking when thirsty—endless joy; who cares about vying for first place to seize the brocade pennant? Yet row a boat upon dry ground, and raise waves atop a high mountain. Beat the jade drum openly, unfold the iron banner in secret. A cup of calamus tea, a few sugar zongzi. For now, bring over Northern Uttarakuru to bump heads with Southern Jambudvīpa and see!" Striking the meditation bench, he stepped down from the seat. Ascending the hall, he said: "Doushuai has no skills whatsoever, yet also imitates the model of the various quarters. Once every five days ascending the hall, troubling so many dragons and elephants. There is neither Chan way nor Buddhadharma—arriving here, what will be used to make offerings? You must know that when Bodhidharma came from the West, he handed down a single staff." He then picked it up and said: "Therefore it is said: 'If you have a staff, I give you a staff; if you have no staff, I strip you of your staff.' Now tell me, which is the guest phrase, and which is the host phrase? If you can resolve it, then you enjoy its use while on the road; if you cannot resolve it, for now let it circulate in conventional truth." He then cast down the staff.
26.7
Chan Master Shushan Liaochang of Fuzhou Prefecture. A monk asked: "What is Shushan's phrase for guiding people?" The master said: "The jade ruler in the bosom is not lightly tossed; the gold mallet in the sleeve strikes right in the face." Ascending the hall, he said: "Casually let go, even the Buddha's hand cannot cover it; deliberately drawn in, the great earth is devoid of the finest speck of dust. I tell you: do not doubt or guess! Everywhere and in everything, behold Sudhana. When distinct beneath the mallet, as if having attained the purpose, the eyes of boundless toiling mortals open naturally."
26.8
Grand Councillor Upāsaka Zhang Shangying was styled Tianjue and named Wujin. At the age of nineteen, he went to the capital to take the examinations. His route passed by the Xiang family household. Xiang had previously dreamt of a spirit person informing him, saying, "Tomorrow you will receive a grand councillor." At dawn, [Zhang] arrived. Xiang marveled at him and treated him with diligent solicitude and generous hospitality. He then said, "You are an unmarried scholar; I should offer my daughter to attend to your sweeping." The councillor declined repeatedly with modesty. Xiang said, "Even if this journey is not successful, I shall not break our previous pact." Later, [Zhang] indeed passed the examination, and then married her. When first serving as a registrar, he entered a Buddhist monastery and saw the palm-leaf bundles of the Tripiṭaka with gold lettering neatly arranged. He said indignantly, "How can the books of our Sage Confucius not be looked up to and revered by people as much as the teachings of these barbarians?" At night he sat in his study grinding ink and wetting his brush, leaning over the paper and chanting aloud, remaining awake until midnight. Lady Xiang called out, "My lord, it is late at night; why do you not go to sleep?" The councillor explained his previous intention to her, saying that he was precisely composing a treatise on the non-existence of Buddha. Lady Xiang responded immediately, saying, "Since there is no Buddha, what treatise can there be? You ought rather to compose a treatise on the existence of Buddha; only then will it do." The councillor doubted her words and thereupon dropped the matter. Later, visiting a colleague, he saw a scriptural scroll before a Buddha niche and asked, "What book is this?" His colleague said, "The Scripture Spoken by Vimalakīrti." The councillor opened the scroll at random and read it; coming to the passage where it says, "This illness is not the earth element, nor is it apart from the earth element," he sighed, "Can the words of barbarians also be like this?" He asked, "How many scrolls does this scripture have?" [The colleague] replied, "Three scrolls." He then borrowed it and returned home to read it. Lady Xiang asked, "What book are you reading?" The councillor said, "The Scripture Spoken by Vimalakīrti." Lady Xiang said, "You may read this scripture thoroughly, and only after that compose your treatise on the non-existence of Buddha." The councillor was startled and struck by her words. From this he developed deep faith in the Buddha vehicle and turned his mind to the ancestral way. In the sixth year of Yuanyou, serving as the transport commissioner of Jiangxi, he first visited Chan Master Zhaojue Zong. Jue questioned his insights, and finding that they coincided with his own, gave him the seal of approval. Jue said, "I have a disciple who attained the Dharma residing at Yuxi; it is Ci Gujing. You may converse with him as well." Later, while inspecting his administrative circuit, the councillor passed through Fenning, and the various Chan masters came out to welcome him. Upon arrival, the councillor first paid respects to Ci of Yuxi, then to the other mountains, and last of all inquired of Chan Master Yue of Doushuai. Yue was short in stature. The councillor had previously heard Gong De Zhuang praise Yue's cleverness and amiability, so he said, "I have heard that you are skilled in literary composition." Yue laughed heartily and said, "The transport commissioner has lost a single eye! Congyue is a ninth-generation descendant of Linji; for me to discuss literary composition with you, commissioner, is just like you, commissioner, discussing Chan with Congyue." The councillor did not approve of his words, and counting on his fingers with difficulty, said, "Indeed, the ninth generation." He asked, "How far from here is Yuxi?" [Yue] replied, "Thirty li." He asked, "And Doushuai?" [Yue] replied, "Five li." That night, the councillor went straight to Doushuai. The night before, Yue had dreamt that the solar disc rose into the sky and Yue grasped it with his hands. He then told the head monk, "The solar disc has the meaning of transport (yun). I hear that Transport Commissioner Zhang will pass by here before long. I must apply a deep awl and a painful prick to him; if he is willing to turn his head, it will be a fortunate matter for our gate." The head monk said, "Nowadays scholar-officials are accustomed to being flattered; I fear he may fly into a rage and cause further trouble." Yue said, "Even if he gets upset, at most he can only dismiss me from my monastery; there will be no other trouble." While conversing with Yue, the councillor praised Donglin. Yue would not concede to his assertions. The councillor then inscribed a poem on the "Simulating Waterfall Pavilion" behind the monastery, which went roughly: "Without seeking where it falls on Mount Lu, / The elephant king's nostrils vainly reach across the sky." His intention was to mock Yue for not agreeing with Donglin. The councillor conversed with Yue until late into the night, discussing the affairs of the ancestral lineage. Yue said, "Since Donglin gave the commissioner the seal of approval, do you have the slightest doubt regarding the teachings of the Buddhas and Patriarchs?" The councillor said, "I do." Yue said, "What words do you doubt?" The councillor said, "I doubt Xiangyan's verse on the 'single leg' and Deshan's gong'an of carrying the bowl." Yue said, "Since you have doubts about these, how could you be without doubt regarding the rest? Just take Yantou's statement about the 'final phrase'—is there one, or is there not?" The councillor said, "There is." Yue laughed heartily, returned to the abbot's quarters, and shut the door. The councillor could not sleep peacefully all night. At the fifth watch, stepping down from the bed, he kicked over the chamber pot, whereupon he had a great breakthrough and suddenly awakened to the previous gong'an. Thereupon he composed a verse: "The drum is silent, the bell has subsided, and he returns carrying his bowl; / Yantou's single pressing word was like thunder. / Truly he could live for only three years; / Could it be that he received a prediction from him?" He then knocked on the door of the abbot's quarters and said, "I have caught the thief!" Yue said, "Where is the loot?" The councillor had no words. Yue said, "Transport commissioner, please leave for now; let us meet tomorrow." The next day, the councillor brought up the previous verse. Yue then said to him, "Practicing Chan is merely because the life-root is not cut off, and one gives rise to understanding based on words. Regarding such explanations, you have already deeply awakened. Yet when it comes to the most extremely subtle points, people are made to fall into limitations without knowing or sensing it." He then composed a verse to verify it: "Casually walking along, every step is suchness; / Though dwelling in sound and form, how could one be stuck in being or non-being? / The single mind is without difference, the ten thousand dharmas are not distinct; / Stop dividing substance and function, do not pick between fine and coarse. / Responding to circumstances without obstruction, answering things without constraint; / When sentiments of right and wrong are exhausted, ordinary and sage are both eliminated. / Who gains and who loses? What is close and what is distant? / Grasping the head to make the tail, pointing to the real as the empty. / Turning the body in the realm of Māra, turning one's steps on evil paths; / Completely free of contrary or compliant, without expending any effort." The councillor invited Yue to Jianchang. Along the way he observed everything closely and composed ten verses recounting the events; Yue also composed ten verses in reply. This was in the eighth month of the eighth year of Yuanyou. One day, the councillor said to Dahui, "Reading Xuedou's 'appraisals of the ancients' up to the nidāna of Baizhang visiting Mazu a second time, which says: 'Refined gold from the great furnace should not change color,' I threw down the book and sighed, saying: 'If it were truly like this, how could there be today's Linji?' Thereupon I composed a verse: 'Mazu's single shout at Mount Daxiong / Penetrated deep into the skull, deafening for three days. / Huangbo heard of it and stuck out his tongue in shock; / Jiangxi from this established the house style.' Later, Chan Master Ping sent a letter saying: 'Last summer I read the Linji lineage and came to know that the upāsaka has attained the great capacity and great function; I also request a copy of the verse.' I composed a verse and sent it to him: 'Sticking out the tongue and deafened ears, the master has already understood; / Pounding the chest, one can only weep to the azure heavens. / Turning cartwheels in the assembly of Panshan; / Only reaching here does one know the madness of Puhua.' The various quarters often consider me clever and knowledgeable, yet few truly know me. Master, you come from the Dharma cavern of Jiangxi; you must be able to discern superior and inferior—try speaking of it for this old man." Dahui said, "The upāsaka's view accords with Zhenjing and Sixin." The councillor said, "What do you mean?" Dahui cited Zhenjing's verse: "The traveler's feelings turn at every step with others; / Though possessing great majestic radiance, it cannot be manifested. / Suddenly a single shout, and both ears are deafened; / Nata's eyes open on Huangbo's face." Sixin appraised it, saying: "Yunyan wishes to question Xuedou: 'Since it is refined gold from the great furnace and should not change color, why was he deaf in both ears for three days?' Do you all wish to know? 'Hitherto the battle-weary horse was known to no one; / It was merely needed to re-evaluate the epoch-making deed.'" The councillor slapped the table and said, "If not for your words, how could I have seen the function of Zhenjing and Sixin? Were it not for these two great elders, it would be difficult to bring to light Xuedou and Master Ma!" At dawn in the eleventh month of the fourth year of Xuanhe, the councillor orally composed his testamentary memorial and commanded his sons and younger brothers to write it down. Presently he picked up his pillow and threw it against the door and window, the sound reverberating like thunder; when the assembly looked at him, he had already passed away. The councillor had verses on the ancients circulating in the world, which are not recorded again here.
26.9
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Letan Zhun
26.10
Chan Master Tianyou, "Pawned Ox" of Yunyan in Longxing Prefecture, was a son of the Zheng family of Chengdu. First he took the examination at the commandery school, and then went to Zizhou to take the examination. Both places granted him the rank of tribute scholar. The master did not dare accept it; he changed his name and left the pass. By chance he met the Daoist of Shangu returning west. Seeing his uncommon character and transcendent discourse, they took the same boat downstream. He went straight to Mount Lu, placed himself under a master, had his head shaved, and did not change his former name. He first visited Sixin but did not connect, so he relied upon Zantang at Letan. One day, Letan gave a general discourse, saying, "All of you strive bitterly to seek the Buddha Dharma from Elder Zhun." He then slapped his knee and said, "Do you understand? Adding frost on top of snow." He slapped his knee again and said, "If you still do not understand, have you not seen: Qianfeng instructed the assembly, saying: 'Raising one, do not raise two; letting the first move pass falls into the second.'" Hearing this, the master attained a clear and open awakening. He emerged into the world at Y蓋 (Yungai), and then transferred to Yunyan. He once matched Practitioner Zhong's "Oxherding Verse": "Two horns point to the sky, / Four feet tread the earth. / Snapping the nose rope, / What shit or fart is there to let out?" Zhang Wujin was greatly impressed upon seeing it. Later he retired from Yunyan and passed by Mount Lu. The master of Xixian had no intention of receiving him, so he said, "At such an advanced age, he is truly a pawned ox in a pawnshop." Hearing this, the master composed a verse and left, saying: "How could a pawnshop ever know how to pawn an ox? / It is only because the price is heavy and truly hard to match. / I imagine your basic capability is not much; / In the end it is hard to bear this single head!" Thereupon he built a hermitage at Wuning, with a plaque reading "Pawned Ox." For the rest of his life he did not go out. When Tudu met him, he was already ninety-three years old. He ascended the hall, planted his staff, and said, "A prolonged rain not clearing up—snap! The golden crow flies to the corner of the bell tower." He planted it once more and said, "Still in the shell." He planted it again and said, "Let patch-robed monks describe it as they will!" He ascended the hall and said, "With Mazu's single shout, Baizhang missed the mark. That young lad Linji picked up a worn-out straw sandal from a dung heap, shouting recklessly and wildly." The master shouted with a resounding voice and said, "Can this be called shouting recklessly and wildly?" He ascended the hall and said, "Xianggu rolling the ball—his skill was exhausted. Xuansha cutting the signboard—his craft was also at an end. Do you still understand? A spark enters the opening of the trousers—the matter arises right at the doorstep of the urgent." He ascended the hall and said, "Three hundred, five hundred, copper heads and iron foreheads; the wooden flute is blown horizontally, who will come to catch the beat?" At that time a monk came forward. The master said, "Drawing the bow after the thief has already passed." He ascended the hall and said, "Baofeng has a directive, spoken clearly to the assembly: last night before the third watch, the black tortoise swallowed the turtle." On the winter solstice festival, he ascended the hall and said, "The shadow shifts, the sun reaches its southern extreme. The cloth breeches are unwashed, with no replacement to change into. On Great and Little Yuquan, waves rise without wind. Seeing injustice along the road, Yunyan smashes it to powder with a single hammer blow!" He then said in a loud voice, "Watch your step!" He ascended the hall and cited: "Liangshan said, 'To those coming from the south I give thirty blows of the stick; to those coming from the north I give thirty blows of the stick. Although it is like this, it does not yet hit the mark of the ancestral lineage.' Later, Venerable Langye said, 'Liangshan took a fine piece of true gold and sold it as base iron. Langye is not like that: to those coming from the south I give thirty blows of the stick; to those coming from the north I give thirty blows of the stick—let the whole world depreciate and criticize it!'" The master appraised it, saying, "One can unfurl but cannot roll up; one can roll up but cannot unfurl. Under Yunyan's gate, let them come from the south or come from the north as they will—let it pass like this for now. If suddenly you wash your face and touch your nose, then come and I will give you thirty blows!" He ascended the hall and said, "The sun may grow cold, the moon may grow hot, but all demons cannot destroy the true discourse. What is the true discourse? Beginning three, eleven; middle nine, lower seven. If you cannot believe this, Yunyan will explain it clearly for you: where ten thousand people point together, a single wild goose falls from the cold sky." Arising from illness, he ascended the hall and cited: "Great Master Ma said, 'Sun Face Buddha, Moon Face Buddha.' Later, Venerable Yan of Dongshan composed a verse: 'A girl with bound coils paints her moth eyebrows; / Before the luan mirror stand, her words seem foolish. / Saying herself that her jade face is hard to match, / She then comes to the rack to put on silken robes.'" The master said, "For the old man of Dongshan to praise it with a full mouth is indeed so, but examining it closely, he inevitably retains some local sentiment. Yunyan is again not like that: 'Beat to death the yellow oriole; / Do not let it sing on the branch. / Many times it has startled my lady's dreams, / Preventing her from reaching Liaoxi.'"},Boolean(false) ? null : {
26.11
Chan Master Zhiyao of Sanjiao in Tanzhou ascended the hall and said, "Pinching earth determines a thousand jun; on the tip of the steelyard not a fly can stand. The slight matter within this drove Neng of Lingnan to death. Is there still anyone who grasps it? Even if you grasp it, it is still the second moon."
26.12
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Fayun Gao
26.13
Chan Master Bian of Dongshan in Suizhou ascended the hall: "It is not mind, it is not Buddha, it is not a thing—a sky-piercing falcon, a sky-crossing hawk. It does not cross through fire, it does not cross through water, it does not cross through a furnace—an arrow loosed from the bowstring has no path of return. Even if you understand it completely, you will make the blue-eyed barbarian who came from the West double over in laughter."
26.14
Chan Master Yi of Huihai in Dongjing ascended the hall: "The formless Tathāgata manifests a body, destroying the host of Māra's troops without leaving a speck of dust. The Seven Stars shine obliquely where the wind arises; the four seas return once more to their former master. Virtuous ones! When Mahākāśyapa saw the Buddha twirl a flower at the assembly on Gṛdhrakūṭa, he matched the occasion and smiled faintly. When Subhūti heard the Buddha preach the Dharma, he deeply understood its meaning and purport, shedding tears in grief. Tell me, is the one who laughed right, or is the one who wept right? Have you not heard it said: / 'Ten thousand streams flowing crosswise all head east; / towering detached on all eight sides, naturally lucid and bright. / Ten thousand men lose their courage on the field of sand; / a single arrow pierces two vultures, falling from the azure sky.'" Ascending the hall, he cited: "While Guishan was seated, Yangshan asked, 'A hundred years after you, the Upādhyāya, have passed, if someone asks what our late master's Dharma path was, how should I answer?' Guishan said, 'A bowl of gruel, a bowl of rice.' Yangshan asked, 'If someone ahead will not accept it, then what?' Guishan said, 'An adept monk.' Yangshan then bowed. Guishan said, 'Whenever you meet someone, you must not bring this up wrongly.'" The Master said: "From antiquity to the present, how many people have provided turning words, saying 'severe yet not menacing, respectful yet without ritual,' holding their staffs horizontally or raising their fists! If it is only like that, how could they know the place where father and son tally with each other? Today this mountain monk also wants you all to know it together: do not distinguish between that and this, for that and this are without difference. A stranded fish stays in the puddle; a sick bird perches in the reeds. Hesitating without stepping forward into the mud, how can one obtain the gentleman's single scroll of writing?"
26.15
Dharma Master Luan of Western Shu was thoroughly versed in both the Great and Small Vehicles. When Fozhao resigned his duties and resided at Jingde, the Master asked Zhao, "Why do Chan practitioners' words mostly lack foundation?" Zhao said, "What sūtras and treatises do you study?" He replied, "I have a rough knowledge of the various sūtras and am quite conversant with the Hundred Dharmas." Zhao said, "Just like yesterday it rained and today it is clear—under which dharma is this subsumed?" The Master was bewildered. Zhao raised a backscratcher, struck him, and said, "Do not say it is fine that what Chan practitioners say lacks foundation!" The Master said indignantly, "Yesterday it rained and today it is clear—under what dharma is it ultimately subsumed?" Zhao said, "It is subsumed under the twenty-fourth, the dharma non-concomitant [with mind] of time." The Master was suddenly awakened and immediately bowed in thanks. Later, he returned to Shu and resided at lecture gatherings, showing students the direct path without getting bogged down in names and marks. Many among the assembly drifted away. He then spoke a verse and ended his lectures, saying: / "The crowd sells flowers, while I alone sell pine; / its green color cannot match their red. / Reckoned up, in the end it does not suit the times; / let me return into the emerald mist!" / Thereupon he lived in seclusion for twenty years. Monastics and laypeople longed for him and repeatedly requested him to expound the Dharma. Smiling, he replied with a verse, saying: / "Hiding my tracks, I secluded myself on a lofty peak; / but the lofty peak would not tolerate me either. / It is better to return to Jinli, / and sell green pine just as before." / The assembly bowed in rows and repented their faults. Lecturers of the two Shu regions vied to rely upon him.
26.16
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Neng of Wenshu
26.17
Chan Master Qiong of Deshan in Changde Prefecture, on the day he accepted the invitation [to become abbot], ascended the hall and said: "An adept will not stay in a cage or snare; when called, he will not turn his head. Why has he crossed from east to west?" Speaking on his own behalf, he said, "Look in five days."
26.18
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Chunbai of Zhaojue
26.19
Chan Master Zhengjue Zongxian of Xinxiang in Chengdu Prefecture was a son of the Wang family of Tongchuan. In his youth, he achieved renown as an advanced scholar. Once during the day, he scooped stream water in play. Reflecting on it when night came, he suddenly saw water, cool and pure, filling the room. He wished to draw it, but could not, and the sensory realm emptied of itself. He said, "My worldly net is torn!" He went to rely on Zhaojue, attained deliverance, and took the full precepts, after which he followed the assembly in questioning and practice. One day, Jue asked the Master, "Standing on the summit of the highest peak, walking on the floor of the deepest ocean—how do you understand this?" At these words, the Master had a sudden awakening and said, "The heels are nailed down!" Jue held up his whisk and said, "And what about this?" The Master smiled and went out. He served diligently for seven years. Traveling south, he reached the capital and passed through the Huai and Zhe regions. Later, he saw Upādhyāya Yan of Wuzu at Haihui. Coming forward, he asked, "Without knowing the latch-mechanism, it is difficult to cross the Zhaozhou Bridge. I will not ask about the Zhaozhou Bridge; what is the latch-mechanism?" Zu said, "Just stand outside the gate for now." The Master stepped forward, stamped his foot, and withdrew. Zu said, "After so much tea and rice, it turns out there is someone who knows the flavor after all." The next day he entered the room. Zu said, "Are you the monk who asked a question yesterday? I certainly know your view; it is just that you have not yet crossed the Baiyun barrier." The Master said, "Take care," and went right out. At that time, Yuanwu was the attendant. The Master questioned him on the meaning of the Baiyun barrier. Wu said, "You must just understand it right here!" The Master laughed and said, "It is not that I do not understand; I am just not familiar with it yet. Wait until I see that old fellow to sort it out with him." The next day, Zu went to Shucheng. The Master and Wu followed him there, happening to meet at Xinghua. Zu asked the Master, "Do you remember that we once met in the commandery?" The Master said, "A total blaze, waiting on you." Zu looked at Wu and said, "This fellow is talkative." From then on, their faculties and circumstances tallied. Returning from a tour of Mount Lu, the Master reported to Wuzu the words he had realized about 'standing on the summit of the highest peak, walking on the floor of the deepest ocean.' Zu said, "I once questioned my late master on this matter. The late master said, 'I once asked Upādhyāya Yuan.' Yuan said, 'A cat has the merit of licking blood; a tiger has the virtue of raising the dead. Unless one has long reached the fundamental source, one cannot attain this.'" The Master attended upon him for a long time, and Zu held him in deep affection. Later, he took his leave to return west. [Zu] held a minor convocation and saw him off with a verse, saying: / "Having left home for more than forty years, / in an instant I have forgotten the speech of Shu. / When you, Chan practitioner, return to Chengdu, / you must be sure to remember the speech of Lu." / At that time, Jue was still in good health. The Master attended upon him again, and his fame spread widely. He then went forth to reside at Changsong, later transferring to Baofu and Xinxiang. A monk asked, "The Buddhas of the three periods and the patriarchs of the six generations all cannot get out of this encirclement. What is this encirclement?" The Master said, "The lip of the well-curb." Ascending the hall, he cited: "Yangshan asked Zhongyi, 'What is the meaning of Buddha-nature?' Yi said, 'I will give you an analogy, and you will understand immediately. For instance, a room has six windows, and inside is a macaque. Outside is a macaque calling from the eastern side, "Xingxing!" and the macaque inside responds. In this way, at all six windows it calls and at all [windows] it responds.' Yangshan then bowed and said, 'Just now I received the Upādhyāya's instruction, but I have a doubt.' Yi said, 'What doubt do you have?' Yangshan said, 'Just like when the inner macaque is asleep, if the outer macaque wants to see it, then what?' Yi came down from the Chan bed, took Yangshan's hand, and said, 'Xingxing and you have seen each other!'" The Master said: "Do you all want to see the two elders? I will also give you an analogy. Zhongyi is very like a goldsmith. Yangshan brought a lump of gold to make the goldsmith appraise the price. The goldsmith also gave the full price in return. When the trade was about to be completed, the one selling gold added extra weight to the scale. Although the goldsmith was secretly pleased, he could not avoid nursing suspicions within his heart. Why? If it is not a spy, it is certainly stolen goods!" He then stepped down from the seat.
26.20
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Chun of Dagui
26.21
Chan Master Huimu Yunneng of Zhongyan in Meizhou was a son of the Lü family of this commandery. At age twenty-two, he was an editor for a wealthy family in a village. While casually touring a mountain monastery, he saw Chan texts, read them, and seemed to gain an understanding. He immediately tore off his cap, took the full precepts, and set out wandering with a single bowl. He first studied under Chan Master Chengpu of Baosheng; his inclinations were quite exceptional. Reaching the Jinghu region, he called upon Xi of Yong'an, Zhe of Zhenru, and Hui of Deshan; his attainment grew ever higher. When he reached Dagui, Gui asked, "Where is the Elder's native place?" The Master said, "Western Chuan." [Gui] said, "I have heard that Samantabhadra Bodhisattva manifests in Western Chuan; is this so?" The Master said, "Today I have had the fortune to behold his compassionate countenance." [Gui] said, "Where is the white elephant?" The Master said, "Fangs and claws are already complete." [Gui] said, "Can you still turn your body?" The Master took up his sitting mat and walked once around the Chan bed. Gui said, "It is not this principle." The Master hurried out. One day, Gui held an interview in the room for the assembly and asked a monk, "After Huang Chao passed, did anyone pick up the sword?" The monk raised his fist. Gui said, "A vegetable knife." The monk said, "What can be done about using it endlessly?" Gui shouted him out. Next he asked the Master, "After Huang Chao passed, did anyone pick up the sword?" The Master also raised his fist. Gui said, "It is also just a vegetable knife." The Master said, "If it can kill people, that is enough!" He then approached and struck him in the chest. Gui said, "For thirty years I have played at riding horses; today I have been thrown by a donkey!" Later he returned to Shu and built a hermitage at an old site. Answering the invitation of the fourfold assembly, he came forth to reside at Bao'en. Ascending the hall: "Longji said: 'The ten thousand dharmas are the light of mind; the various conditions are illuminated only by nature. Originally there is no one confused or awakened; it only requires being settled today.'" The Master said, "Since there is neither confusion nor awakening, what is there to settle? Bah!" Ascending the hall, he cited: "One day, when Xuefeng called a general labor to carry firewood, he met a monk on the road, dropped a piece of firewood, and said, 'The entire great canon of teachings only speaks of this.' Later, Zhenru Zhe said, 'The entire great canon of teachings does not speak of this.' Judging by what these two venerable elders said, are they the same or different? This mountain monk is not so." Raising his whisk, he said, "Lifting it up, it is 'Thus have I heard'; putting it down, it is 'faithfully accepting and practicing.'" In the abbot's room, he asked Zhan Tou of Chongzhen, "What were your parents before the empty kalpa?" Zhen understood and said, "Upādhyāya, please lower your voice." He then presented a verse matching the occasion, saying: / "Inside the ten-thousand-year granary, I was once starved; / living in the midst of the great ocean, I was continually thirsty. / When I sought it originally, I could not find it; / now when I try to avoid it, I cannot avoid it." / The Master gave him the seal of approval. One day, while playing weiqi with Judicial Intendant Huang, Huang asked, "Among several games, not a single game is the same. A thousand moves and ten thousand moves are indeed so; what is that one move?" The Master picked up a game piece and showed it to him. Huang hesitated in thought. The Master said, "Have you not heard it said: / 'Heretofore, the nineteen lines have utterly bewildered how many people?'" / The Master was abbot for over thirty years; whenever he preached the Dharma, he did not permit his words to be recorded. Nearing the end, he wrote a verse, sat cross-legged, and passed away. At the cremation, a violent wind suddenly arose, and wherever the smoke reached, it rained relics (śarīra). Monastics and laypeople dug the earth and all obtained them. His heart and tongue were not decayed. A stūpa was built on his home mountain.
26.22
Chan Master Baojue Zongyin of Yunding in Huai'an Commandery ascended the hall: "An ancient said, 'If you know the small orange, it is more than sufficient on all sides.' He also said, 'If you know the small orange, heaven and earth are as far apart as can be.' This mountain monk does not do so at all: knowing the small orange, what kind of useless furniture is that?" One day, after finishing a general sermon, the Master said, "Disciples, do not scatter just yet; listen further to a verse." He then said: / "Forty-nine years, / a scene of clamorous bustle. / Eighty-seven springs, / the old fellow played alone. / Who has less, who has more? / All the same, dreaming a dream. / Let me return, let me return! / On the plum branch, the snow is heavy." / Having finished speaking, he stepped down from the seat, leaned on his staff, and passed away.
26.23
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Ying of Jianfu in Raozhou
26.24
Chan Master Puming of Dengjue in Fuzhou. On the day of opening the hall, when the leader of the assembly struck the mallet, the master paused for a good while, looked across the great assembly, and said: "Marvelous! Wondrous! Can you all perceive it right here? If you truly perceive it here, then throughout the worlds of the ten directions there is not even a hair's breadth of phenomena that can serve as seeing or hearing for you, nor is there a tiny speck of a mustard seed's phenomena that can serve as an object or counterpart for you. It may be called naked and bare, exposed and free. If you cannot perceive it, you are certainly bound and untangled in sense-bases and sense-objects, and have not cast off the emotional calculations of ordinary and holy. All day long you merely tumble upside down within right and wrong, gain and loss; what use is that? Is there not among the assembly a patch-robed monk who is transcendent, uniquely free, and unrestrained? There is no harm in stepping forward so I can verify you." A monk asked, "What is taking away the person but not the environment?" The master said, "Clear wind, white moon." The monk said, "What is taking away the environment but not the person?" The master said, "Head covered with ash, face smeared with dirt." The monk said, "What is taking away neither person nor environment?" The master said, "The seas are calm, the rivers clear." The monk said, "What is taking away both person and environment?" The master said, "Not a drop of water leaks through." The monk asked, "What is the guest within the guest?" The master said, "Solitary, wandering, even more bitter and toilsome." The monk said, "What is the host within the guest?" The master said, "The place from which the question comes is very clear." The monk said, "What is the guest within the host?" The master said, "Letting down hands and entering the red dust." The monk said, "What is the host within the host?" The master said, "A precious sword right before the chest." The monk said, "Having already received the master's instruction on host and guest, what is the matter of the supreme lineage vehicle?" The master said, "Wait until another time to come." He then said: "Cease! Cease! Even if questions linked like strings of pearls and answers poured out like a tilted pitcher, you would still be far, far from the Way. Why is this said? If we discuss this matter, the entire great canon of teachings cannot explain it; the Buddhas of the three periods only attained it by themselves to illuminate the present and brighten antiquity. Forgetting views and ending knowing, it pervades the ten directions of space. How could it have a definite place? It is only because emotions arise that wisdom is blocked, and thoughts change so that the essence appears different; in daily activities one cannot awaken on one's own. Therefore, past masters took the trouble to turn back to the worldly toils, open up skillful means, and reveal the true reality. The gate of skillful means has already been thrown wide open; is there still anyone who can enter? If you can enter right here, you can hold the seal of true reality, raise the great banner of Dharma, appear and disappear freely, and roll up and unfold at ease. Yet even reaching this point, you still fall within the gates of teaching and transforming; it is not yet the patch-robed monk's direct, essential road. What is the direct, essential road?" After a good while, he said: "It cannot bear the slightest weight; only when completely unloaded is it wondrous. Take care."
26.25
Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Qian of Letan
26.26
Chan Master Zongmi of Longya in Tanzhou was a native of Yuzhang. A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The master said, "Do not talk in your sleep." The monk asked, "What are all phenomena?" The master said, "Already fallen into the second [order]." Ascending the hall, when the great assembly gathered, the master said: "It is already round and complete; there is no need for carving and chiseling. Return to the hall and drink tea." Ascending the hall, [the master said]:
"Do not compare this body to courtyard flowers:
After courtyard flowers fall, spring comes again;
Once this body is gone, where will it be?
The three realms are vast and hazy—it breaks one's heart with sorrow."
26.27
Chan Master Daomin Yuanji of Yuantong in Jiangzhou was known to the world as an Ancient Buddha. He was a son of the Cai family of Xinghua. His mother dreamed that she swallowed a maṇi jewel and became pregnant. When born, for five years he did not walk on his feet nor speak from his mouth. His mother carried him to visit Ximing Temple; upon seeing an image of the Buddha, he suddenly walked on the ground, joined his palms, exclaimed, 'Homage to the Buddha,' and made prostrations. People were greatly amazed by him. When he went to study in Daliang, he took monastic vows under Dexiang at Jingde Temple and was ordained upon passing the scriptural examination. He traveled everywhere for instruction and had a taste of them all. He attended closely on Chan Master Zhe of Guishan for the longest time. Later, admiring Letan, he went to call on him. When Letan saw him, he silently regarded him as a vessel of Dharma. The master presented what he had attained throughout his travels, but received no seal of approval. Letan brought up the saying of the World-Honoured One twirling a flower and Mahākāśyapa smiling to question him, but again there was no accord. Later, while attending Letan on a walk, Letan rested his staff across his shoulder, sighed deeply, and said, 'Do you understand?' The master was about to reply when Letan struck him. A moment later, Letan picked up a blade of grass, showed it to him, and said, 'What is this?' The master was again about to reply when Letan gave a shout. Thereupon, he suddenly comprehended the great Dharma, made the gesture of twirling a flower, and said, 'This time you cannot deceive Elder Min!' Letan pulled him and said, 'Say more! Say more!' The master said, 'Clouds rise on the South Mountain; rain falls on the North Mountain,' and immediately bowed. Letan nodded in approval. Later, he opened the Dharma hall at Guanxi, and next resided at Yuantong, matching the prophecy of Chan Master Daoji. Students flocked to him. When the court heard of his Way, the chief councilor repeatedly petitioned on his behalf, bestowing upon him the honorary robe and the title 'Yuanji' (Round Mechanism). Ascending the hall, [the master said]: 'When the Buddhas appear in the world, they have no Dharma to give to people; they only pull out nails, draw out pegs, remove doubts, and sever delusions. Practitioners of the Way must not deceive themselves. If you have a single doubt the size of a mustard seed, that is your true kalyāṇamitra.' He gave a shout and said, 'What is it? By all means, do not plunge your head into a tub of glue!'
26.28
Chan Master Pujiao of Tiantong in Qingyuan Prefecture was a son of the Bi family of Wanling in that prefecture. He was clever from his youth and was ordained before reaching adulthood. He went to Nanping to study the Tiantai teachings. Once, when performing repentance for a patron, someone asked: 'Is the sin you repent your own sin or another's? If it is your own sin, where does the nature of sin come from? If it is another's sin, another's sin is not yours; how could you repent it?' The master could not answer. Thereupon, he changed his robes and traveled on pilgrimage. He arrived at Letan; as soon as his feet crossed the threshold, Letan scolded him. The master was about to ask a question when Letan dragged his staff and chased him out. One day, Letan suddenly called the master to his abbot's room and said, 'I have an ancient gong'an that I want to discuss with you.' The master was about to offer words when Letan shouted. The master was thoroughly enlightened and broke into a great laugh. Letan stepped down from the rope chair, grasped the master's hand, and said, 'Do you understand the Buddha Dharma?' The master gave a shout and pushed him away. Letan laughed heartily. Thereupon, his fame spread in all directions, and students looked up to him. Later, he returned to his native place and remained at Tiantong, closing his gate and sweeping away callers for eight years. When the monastery happened to have a vacant seat, the prefectural officials ordered the master to open the Dharma hall. Fearing he might flee, they sent officers ahead to wait on the road, so he could not decline. On the day he accepted the invitation, he ascended the hall and said: 'Pah! Yellow-faced old fellow! Handing over the Buddha Dharma to kings and ministers! A cold, aloof guest beneath the forest is hounded to death by official duties! Is there anyone who knows my heart who can exempt me? If not, there is no choice but to take error for error.' He then stepped down from the seat. Whenever the master saw a monk coming, he would invariably reprimand him, saying: 'Before your staff was shouldered, it was already explained to you! And tell me, what was explained? Beckoning with the hand, washing the bowl, picking up the fan, drawing the bow; Zhaozhou's cypress tree; Lingyun seeing the peach blossoms—set them all aside for a moment! This mountain monk has no such idle lips to entangle in vines with you. Why not rest from it all?' He would pick up his staff and chase them out. On the twentieth day of the third month in the sixth year of Xuanhe, he bathed, ascended the hall, spoke a verse, and freely passed away. The verse said:
'The precious staff strikes empty space, spring everywhere;
The message within it specifically encompasses all.
Last night the wind stirred, the cold crag was chilly;
Startled awake, the mud ox plows the white clouds.'
He lived seventy-seven years, with fifty-eight years of monastic seniority.
26.29
Chan Master Zujian Congmi of Dongchan in Fuzhou was a native of Tingzhou. Ascending the hall, [he said]:
'Opening the mouth is not Chan;
Closing the mouth is not the Way.
Taking a step intending to move forward,
The whole body falls into wild grass.'
26.30
Chan Master Xiyu Xianjing of Shengyin in Chuzhou was a son of the Gao family of that prefecture. Ascending the hall, [he said]: 'Wandering throughout the realm, you should know that you have never moved an inch. Having passed through every gate, under no house's stove can there be a lack of smoke. Therefore, shouldering the bamboo staff and putting on high clogs, one sets off on an impulse; pulling the hook and letting down the line, one stays according to one's nature. It is not because the lands of the old home are pleasant; wherever causes and conditions ripen, that is home. Today, picking it up freely with open hands, how was there ever calculation in the past? Not departing from the old script, each time it is raised it is fresh. Those with clear eyes turn around in a flash; those not yet awakened must recognize their true face. And tell me, what is the original face?' After a good while, he said: 'Flowers bloom on the front terrace, seen from the rear terrace; the bell tolls in the upper realm, heard in the lower realm.' Striking the meditation couch with the whisk, he stepped down from the seat. Ascending the hall, he cited: 'The World-Honoured One was in Magadha preaching the Dharma for the assembly. At that time, as the summer retreat was about to begin, he said to Ānanda: "To the great disciples, humans, devas, and the four assemblies, I constantly preach the Dharma, yet they do not give rise to reverence. I will now enter the Yinshajiu chamber to spend the summer retreat for ninety days. If someone suddenly comes to ask about the Dharma, you preach on my behalf: 'All phenomena do not arise; all phenomena do not cease.'" Having spoken, he closed the chamber and sat.' The master called to the great assembly and said: 'When the old fellow Śākya first attained the Buddha Way, it was mostly out of having no other choice. No sooner had he formed a fellowship than feelings of weariness and withdrawal arose in him. If Shengyin had seen him then, I would have nailed the chamber door shut to give him no way out for his entire life, so as to prevent later descendants from imitating him one after another. Have you not heard it said: "If one does not transmit the Dharma to deliver sentient beings, one is not called a requiter of kindness"?' Striking with the whisk, he stepped down from the seat. Later, he lived in seclusion at Tianning in Lianyi and manifested a slight illness. He wrote a verse, saying:
'Having finished the shadow play,
Seventy-one years have passed.
If you ask further, what of it?
I will return for another match.'
Putting down the brush, he passed away.
First 30 of 43 passages. Read on
Linked texts (1)
- 續傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese