續傳燈錄 26.8

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.