續傳燈錄 35

English (machine translation) 35

Language: English

35.1

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

Eighteenth Generation under Dajian:
Fourteen Dharma heirs of Chan Master Yuwang Guang:
Chan Master Zhishan of Lingyin
Chan Master Jujian of Jingci
Chan Master Ruyan of Jingshan
Chan Master Pai of Tiantong
Chan Master Guan of Dongchan
Chan Master Xian of Shangfang (The above six persons have records)
Chan Master Zongyin of Yuwang
Chan Master Yiyun of Jingci
Chan Master Miaosong of Jingshan
Chan Master Shirui of Yuwang
Chan Master Quan of Yuwang
Chan Master Qi of Tiantong
Upādhyāya Fancong of Yunju
Chan Master Yin of Tieniu (The above eight persons have no records)

35.3

Nineteenth Generation under Dajian:
Nine Dharma heirs of Chan Master Tiantong Jie:
Chan Master Chongyue of Lingyin
Chan Master Zuxian of Wolong
Chan Master Daosheng of Jianfu
Chan Master Zijing of Tiantong
Chan Master Huiguang of Jingci
Chan Master Zhirou of Yinjing (The above six persons have records)
Chan Master Qingru of Jiangshan
Chan Master Liaowu of Lingyin
Upāsaka Vice Minister Zhang Zi (The above three persons have no records)
Four Dharma heirs of Chan Master Tiantong Daguan:
Chan Master Shanji of Huqiu (One person has a record)
Chan Master Shanjing of Huazang
Chan Master Wenwei of Tianyi
Upādhyāya Ning of Boyan (The above three persons have no records)
Seven Dharma heirs of Chan Master Jingshan Ruyan:
Chan Master Puji of Lingyin
Chan Master Wen of Jingci
Chan Master Zhao of Jingshan
Chan Master Peng of Shuanglin (The above four persons have records)
Chan Master Tan of Kuchun
Chan Master Qian of Bianshan
Chan Master Yuan of Dongshan (The above three persons have no records)
Four Dharma heirs of Chan Master Wanshou Chongguan:
Chan Master Huikai of Huanglong
Chan Master Miaoyin of Shishuang (The above two persons have records)
Chan Master Dexiu of Gufeng
Chan Master Shiguang of Hongfu (The above two persons have no records)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Yuwang Shirui:
Chan Master Chongshou of Ruiyan (Has a record)
Four Dharma heirs of Chan Master Lingyin Zhishan:
Chan Master Shanzhen of Jingshan (One person has a record)
Chan Master Zhongying of Jingci
Chan Master Wufang An
Chan Master Shuanglin Guo (The above three persons have no records)
Three Dharma heirs of Chan Master Tiantong Zhiying:
Chan Master Rujue of Jingshan (One person has a record)
Chan Master Wuben of Huqiu
Chan Master De'yin of Xuefeng (The above two persons have no records)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Jingci Jujian:
Chan Master Daguan of Yuwang (Has a record)
Chan Master Ming of Shilou (Has no record)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Gushan Anyong:
Chan Master Wuming of Jingci (Has a record)
Chan Master Fajian of Chengtian (Has no record)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Zhiweng Ju:
Chan Master Xiu of Tiantong (Has a record)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Yuwang Miaokan:
Chan Master Xiang of Donghu (Has no record)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Yuwang Zongyin:
Chan Master Fazhou of Daochang (Has no record)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Qianyuan Zongying:
Chan Master Zongjian of Gushan
Chan Master Ren of Baiyun (The above two persons have no records)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Jinshan Daoqi:
Chan Master Zuquan of Lingyin (Has no record)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Tiantong Pai:
Chan Master Wujing Che (Has no record)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Jingshan Song:
Chan Master Wuchen Jing (Has no record)

35.4

Twentieth Generation under Dajian:
Four Dharma heirs of Chan Master Wolong Zuxian:
Chan Master Shifan of Jingshan
Chan Master Faxun of Lingyin (The above two persons have records)
Chan Master Cijue of Yunju
Chan Master Daochou of Daci (The above two persons have no records)

35.5

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

35.6

Eighteenth Generation under Dajian

35.7

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Yuwang Guang

35.8

Chan Master Miaofeng Shan of Lingyin in Hangzhou was a son of the Liu family of Wuxing. His ancestors originally lived in Pengcheng and later moved to Wuxing. His great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all attained high official ranks. The Master was born among silken garments, yet his natural disposition was noble and pure. At the age of thirteen, he left his family and shaved his head, undertaking his studies at Qizhengyuan in Deqing. His master taught him the sūtras and treatises, and upon a single glance he thoroughly understood their grand meaning. He then traveled everywhere to visit various eminent elders. At that time, Chan Master Fozhao Guang was expounding the way at Mount Mao. The Master went to pay homage and study with him; through sharp functional encounters directly like an arrow point regarding the dialogue on the wind and banner, he received the seal of approval. [Fozhao] presented him with a verse saying:
'Today I open a line of connection for you;
Cutting through nails and shearing iron, raise up our lineage.'
From then on, his eloquence and wisdom were unobstructed and thoroughly lucid. Yet he was not satisfied with this. He traveled through Heng and Xiang, then returned and entered Mount Lu. He set down his staff below Miaogao Peak and sat wall-gazing for ten years. The students of the time respectfully addressed him as 'Chan Master Miaofeng.' He shared the seat at Nengren on Mount Yandang, and later opened the Dharma hall at various monasteries such as Huiyin, Hongfu, and Wannian. He retired to live at Liu Temple on Gaoting for more than ten years, largely as he had done during his time at Miaofeng. His disciples constantly pressed him [to teach], and he subsequently took charge of Ruiyan in Mingzhou, Wanshou in Suzhou, and Huazang in Changzhou. In his later years he came to Lingyin, which was also not what he desired. Lingyin was intimately close to the imperial traveling palace, with wheels and hooves crowding together. The Master shut his doors as if hearing nothing, never welcoming or seeing anyone off. When dukes, ministers, and nobles visited him, it was merely to exchange pleasantries about the weather. It happened that the abbot's seat at Tiantong became vacant. At that time, Zheng Qingzhi held the reins of state and thought that no one but the Master was suitable to reside there, so he urged the Master to go. The Master replied, 'This old monk is over eighty years old. Shall I still walk by night without rest?' He declined and did not accept. Duke Zheng respected him all the more. The Master ascended the hall and said, 'Responding to things, forms manifest like the moon in water; pick it up at hand, and at once it is disclosed.' Striking the left side of the meditation seat with his whisk, he said, 'Here is the cauldron of boiling water and the coals of the brazier.' Striking the right side, he said, 'Here is the forest of swords and the mountain of knives. In front are Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta; behind are Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra. Do you still know where the one move in the middle settles?' Striking it again, he said, 'Vipaśyin Buddha paid attention early on, yet even up to the present day he has not attained its wonder.' He also addressed the assembly, saying, 'Eminent scholars of long study have eyes empty of the four seas and nostrils piercing the sky. What they see, they see intimately; what they say, they say intimately; how they act, they act intimately; how they apply it, they apply it intimately. Yet they still do not recognize this old monk's staff. Why is that? About to complete a nine-fathom mountain, one fails to add the final basket of earth.' Throughout his life he was skilled in guiding his disciples, never raising his voice or showing harshness. Yet once he gave direction, their spirits blended and their minds awakened; they were delighted and sincerely convinced, and all were richly rewarded. When he was about to manifest nirvāṇa, he bathed his body, sat cross-legged, and wrote a verse saying:
'Coming is like this;
Going is also like this.
Coming and going are one suchness;
A pure breeze for ten thousand miles.'
He then passed away. It was indeed the twenty-eighth day of the ninth month in the second year of Duanping (1235). He was eighty-four years of age, with seventy-one years of monastic ordination. From the cremation, countless relics (śarīra) were obtained. A stūpa was erected on the western ridge of Lingyin. Duke Zheng composed the inscription for his stūpa.

35.9

Chan Master Beijian of Jingci in Hangzhou Prefecture was named Jujian, styled Jingsou. He was a son of the Wang family of Tongchuan in Shu. Because he resided at Beijian (North Stream) for a long time, people did not call him by his name or style, but called him Beijian. He first opened the Dharma hall at Bao'en Guangxiao Temple in Tiantai, and then retired to live on the north side of Feilai Peak in Hangzhou. Duke Zhang Chengzi and the Prefect of Xujiang sent a letter, offering him the site where the Tang monk Shaolong had opened a monastery. The Master lay high and would not rise. The fiscal commissioner of Jiangdong also tried with all his might to summon him to Donglin and Yunju, but he still would not rise. Later he moved to Jingci. The Master wrote a verse on the Bhagavat's first birth:
'With a single wail of "wa," there he is—
Springing forth as such a great icchantika!
In this land and the Western Heaven, he brings calamity and harm;
Dignified and grand, washing the dirt makes no mud.'
He also wrote a verse on the 'six unravelings and one vanishing' in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra:
'When the six functions bear no fruit, messages do not get through;
Entrust them all at once to the spring breeze.
A thread of seal-script incense smoke lingers through the clear day;
Not a single bird comes, and the flowers turn red of themselves.'
He once cleared out a room to live in, naming it the Bian Room, and composed a rhapsody to express his own mind. In brief, it said: 'Advancing, one faces a wall; retreating, one sits in a well. Suddenly the pillars give no support, and the walls immediately crumble. Spaciously empty, serenely bright; like the striking of ignorance, like the alarm of thunder.' It also said: 'Like the inexhaustible treasury, like the great round mirror. The front mountains bring green, like a valiant warrior bursting open the gates; the rear mountains wind in view, like a skilled horseman driving a fine steed. Gazing upon the wild swan in the evening view, soaring into the dark distance; laughing at the clouds and mists drifting lightly away, lingering endlessly without fixed abode. Halting the setting sun at the western ridge, welcoming the early moon at the eastern peaks.' These were all things he realized within himself. He had the Beijian Collection in nineteen fascicles circulating in the world. Duke Zhang Chengzi of Xujiang wrote a preface for it, saying, 'Reading his prose, one cannot tell whether Zongmi is the elder or younger brother; chanting his poetry, it unites Canliao and Juefan into one, beyond the match of ordinary men.' Beijian did not improperly accommodate people; nor when accommodating them did he improperly part from them. In matters of choosing and rejecting, leaving and staying, he was completely pure. Duke Ye Shuixin of Longquan presented a poem in response to the Master, saying:
'Elder Jian's poetic words are extraordinarily striking;
Tossing and turning six times, his body remains unmoved.
Say this to the little boys and girls of the eastern house:
Their daubing green and dyeing red cannot hold back the spring.'
When the Master resided at Weiyu in Tiantai, two clans were disputing over a bamboo mountain, exhausting their estates without yielding. The assistant magistrate of Xianju, Lord Wang Yi, came to request his help. The Master remonstrated with them, composing a rhapsody on planting bamboo and showing it to the two clans, whereupon the lawsuit ceased.

35.10

Chan Master Ruyan of Jingshan in Hangzhou was styled Zhe'weng. He was a son of the Zhou family of Taizhou. His outstanding awakening surpassed his peers. He composed a verse of praise for Vimalakīrti:
'At Vaiśālī he feigned illness, acting foolish and slow,
Filling the people of the time with stomachs full of doubt.
If Mañjuśrī himself had not seen through him,
Who would have known of these few subtle flaws?'

35.11

Chan Master Pai of Tiantong in Mingzhou was styled Wuji. He inscribed a verse on the portrait of Abbot Yu of Mount Lushan:
'When his lame donkey stumbled at the mountain creek bridge,
He mistook a pea for a genuine pearl.
The foolish children do not understand how to hide family shame,
Laughing until old Yangqi falls over.'

35.12

Chan Master Guan of Dongchan was styled Xingkong. He ascended the hall and brought up the story: 'Because a monk asked National Teacher Yanguan, "What is the fundamental Locana?" Yanguan said, "Bring the water jar to this old monk." The monk brought the water jar. The master said, "Put it back where it was before." The monk returned to ask again, and the master said, "The ancient Buddha has long passed away."'
The Master said, 'It is difficult to share patterns and colors with the blind; it is difficult to share sounds and voices with the deaf. Since this monk did not comprehend the incoming functional dynamic, the National Teacher's words were merely set forth in vain. Yunmen said, "There are no traces or omens," but that does not prop up the National Teacher. Xuedou said, "One hand points to the sky, one hand points to the earth—how could there be none?" This also does not prop up the National Teacher.' Drawing a line with his whisk, he said, 'The previous vines and entanglements are all cut through at once. Now tell me, in the final analysis, what is the fundamental Locana?' He threw down his whisk and descended from the seat.
He also brought up the gong'an of Baoshou opening his hall, when Sansheng pushed forward a monk. The Master said, 'The assembly discusses it, saying, "Sansheng had the action of crossing a blade in a rushing torrent, surging waves on level ground; Baoshou applied the functional dynamic of swift flames outrunning the wind, crashing thunderclaps in the empty sky. The two great elders each put forth one hand to uphold the True Dharma Eye Treasury of Linji." Talking like that, if you want to be descendants of Linji, just hold on a bit. Dongchan says: How can a mosquito lift a great pillar? How can a lotus thread prop up Sumeru? If it were the True Dharma Eye Treasury of Linji, it would indeed be extinguished at the hands of those two men.'

35.13

Chan Master Pulao Xian of Shangfang had a natural endowment of extraordinary brilliance and eloquence that was wide and unhindered. He praised the portrait of Bodhidharma, saying:
'Once a single word has been spoken, a team of four horses cannot overtake it;
Fortunately, the king let him pass.
In the middle of the Yangzi River, a single reed was his boat;
How could the crest of the waves compare to the peril of the question?'

35.14

Nineteenth Generation under Dajian

35.15

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Tiantong Jie

35.16

Chan Master Songyuan of Lingyin in Hangzhou Prefecture was named Chongyue. He was born into the Wu family of Longquan in Chuzhou. His natural endowment was pure and earnest, and his attainments were upright and solid. In his early years he longed for the world-transcending Dharma. When somewhat older, he abandoned his family, donned sweeping robes, and took the five precepts at Daming Monastery. He first called upon Master Miao of Lingshi, and then saw Master Dahui Gao at Jingshan. Dahui ascended the hall and praised Ying'an of Jiangshan for acting swiftly and directly. Hearing this, the Master set out without waiting for dawn. Having arrived and entered the room, he had not yet accorded with [the master's mind]. Retiring, he spurred himself on all the more, inquiring day and night. Ying'an cited: 'The Bhagavat had a secret word; Kāśyapa did not conceal it.' The Master said, 'You are disgracing yourself, Upādhyāya.' Ying'an gave a stern shout. The Master had an awakening. Ying'an was greatly delighted, considering him a vessel of the Dharma, and spoke a gāthā urging him to shave his head. In the early Longxing era, the Master was finally ordained at the Bailian Hermitage by the West Lake in Lin'an. From then on, he visited eminent elders everywhere, yet rarely did any match his expectation. He then went into Fujian to see Master Mu'an Yong of Ganyuan. One day, taking leave of Mu'an, Mu'an cited: 'Being-phrases and non-being-phrases are like wisteria leaning on a tree.' The Master said, 'Torn to pieces.' Mu'an said, 'Langye said, "What a pile of rotten firewood!"' The Master said, 'Adding a tip to an arrow.' In this way they exchanged thrusts several times. Mu'an said, 'My elder brother, old monk that I am, I cannot surpass the words you utter. Yet what of it, when it is not yet there? Some day when the whisk handle is in your hand, you will neither be able to guide people nor test people.' The Master said, 'As for guiding people, causing an ordinary mortal rooted in the ground to leap directly into the sacred realm is indeed difficult. As for testing people, having them pass before one's face without waiting for them to open their mouths, already knowing their bones and marrow—what difficulty is there in that?' Mu'an raised his hand and said, 'Clearly I say to you: opening the mouth does not depend on the tongue. Later you will know for yourself.' After a year, he met Mi'an at the Western Mountain in Quzhou. Whatever was asked, he answered immediately; Mi'an merely smiled. The Master was so intent on the ultimate that he forgot sleep and food. When Mi'an moved to Huazang on Jiangshan and then to Jingshan, he followed him everywhere. It happened that as Mi'an was in the room, he asked a nearby monk: 'It is not mind, it is not Buddha, it is not a thing.' The Master, attending at his side, was suddenly greatly awakened. Thereupon he said, 'Only today do I understand Mu'an's words: opening the mouth does not depend on the tongue.' From then on, his dynamic eloquence was unhindered. When Mi'an was transferred to Lingyin, the Master was granted a divided seat. Soon he became an abbot at Chengzhao in Pingjiang as Mi'an's Dharma heir. He was subsequently transferred to Guangxiao in Jiangyin, Yefu in Wuwei, Jianfu in Raozhou, Xiangshan in Mingzhou, and Huqiu in Pingjiang. In the third year of Qingyuan, the abbacy of Lingyin fell vacant, and by imperial decree he was appointed to fill the seat. The Master ascended the hall and said, 'Generally, to uphold and establish the ancestral vehicle, one must possess the correct eye atop the crown of the head and hang the efficacious talisman behind the elbow. Just like Baoshou opening his hall: Sansheng pushed forward a monk, and Baoshou struck him at once. Sansheng said, "Guiding people like this blinds the eyes of everyone in the city of Zhenzhou!" Baoshou threw down his staff and returned directly to the abbot's quarters. When those two venerable elders casually clashed and pressed, they immediately brought to light Linji's heart and marrow. But they simply did not know that life and destiny were entirely in this monk's hands! Is there anyone who can examine this thoroughly? In past years I sought fire and found it together with smoke; today I carry spring water and return bringing the moon along.' Again, on New Year's Day, he instructed the assembly: 'The first day of the year turns over, and all things become manifest. Sometimes letting go, sometimes sitting in judgment. Not begrudging a couple of eyebrows, turning the sitting-mat completely around. Buddha Dharma and worldly affairs become wholly one piece. Since they are Buddha Dharma and worldly affairs, how can they become one piece? Only cultivate an affirmative mind, and you will surely not be deceived.' He stayed at Lingyin for six years; the way of the Dharma flourished, and those who attained the Dharma were numerous. He retired to the Eastern Hermitage. Soon he contracted a slight illness, yet did not neglect propagating the Way. He suddenly wrote letters in his own hand to bid farewell to the ministers and nobles, and left behind two sayings to test future students, saying: 'Why can a person of great strength not lift his feet? Opening the mouth does not depend on the tongue.' He also sent letters to his Dharma heirs, Guangmu of Xiangshan and Shan'kai of Yunju, entrusting them with the Great Dharma. He then wrote a gāthā: 'Coming, there is no place to come from; / Going, there is no place to go to. / In a flash turning the mysterious barrier, / Buddhas and patriarchs are left at a loss.' Sitting cross-legged, he passed into silence. This was on the fourth day of the eighth month of the second year of Jiatai. He lived to seventy-one years of age, with forty summer retreats. A stupa for his complete body was erected on the plateau of North Peak.

35.17

Chan Master Po'an of Wolong in Kuizhou was named Zuxian. He was a son of the Wang family of Guang'an. His practice was steady and solid, and his understanding was clear. He once held a divided seat at Lingyin in Hangzhou. A practitioner asked for further instruction, saying, 'The monkey cannot be caught. I pray you offer an instruction.' The Master said, 'What use is catching it? Like the wind blowing on water, ripples naturally form.' At that time, Wuzhun, attending at his side, was greatly awakened. The Master gave a gāthā to a Śūraṅgama lecturer: 'Seeing is still apart from seeing, not true seeing; / Returning fully the eight returnings, there is nothing to return. / Leaves fall into the autumn sky and the mountain's bones appear; / I wonder who recognizes old Gautama?'

35.18

Chan Master Caoyuan Sheng of Jianfu in Raozhou was a native of Nanjian. He held a divided seat at Yunju, became abbot at Miaoguo, and moved to Guifeng. Later, he lived at Jianfu for over a month and passed away. Chanting on the Lingyun Stone, he had a gāthā that said: 'Clouds coming and clouds going are not intentional; / Clouds coming and clouds going are also without mind. / Cutting off being and non-being, where is the miraculous? / Towering lofty, a solitary peak has been blue until now.'

35.19

Chan Master Kuchan Zijian of Tiantong was a son of the Gao family of Fuzhou. He composed a gāthā upon hanging a bell: 'Cast from a single mold, it becomes ever more refined; / Taught on level ground, it refuses to cease. / If you wish its magnificent sound to echo throughout the universe, / You must ascend yet one more story.'

35.20

Chan Master Huiguang of Jingci was styled Qian'an. He composed a gāthā upon soliciting salt: 'Combining water and mud, they are boiled in one place; / Water dries, mud is exhausted, and snow blossoms emerge. / Taking advantage of the season to demand a sky-high price, / The public verification is clear—who dares dispute it?'

35.21

Chan Master Wan'an Zhirou of Yinjing in Taiping Prefecture was a son of the Chen family of Chaozhou. Ascending the hall, he cited Chan Master Tianyi Huai's case of 'the wild goose crossing the expansive sky, its shadow sinking in the cold water.' He then eulogized it: 'A solitary wild goose across the expansive sky brings a sound of autumn; / The Persian presenting jewels has a hook-like nose. / The wind rolls the white clouds back to another peak; / At dusk, the moon hangs upon the tips of the willow threads.'

35.22

Dharma Heir of Chan Master Daguan of Tiantong

35.23

Chan Master Aotang Shanji of Huqiu in Suzhou inscribed a praise on an icon of the Fish-Basket Avalokiteśvara: 'With cloud-like coiffure and heavy makeup, she painfully forces a smile, / Entering the dusty world for the sake of other people's trivial matters. / Bringing a living one, no one buys it; / They only look upon it as ordinary dead goods.'

35.24

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Ruyan of Jingshan

35.25

Chan Master Dachuan of Lingyin was named Puji. He was a native of Fenghua in Mingzhou. He compiled the Wudeng Huiyuan. Writing a gāthā on the Bhagavat's departure from the mountains, he said: 'With dragon countenance and phoenix essence, he left the royal palace; / With exposed elbows and worn clothes, he descended the Snowy Peaks. / With the vow of wisdom, he must empty all realms of existence; / Yet who knows when all realms of existence will ever be emptied?'

35.26

Chan Master Yanxi Wen of Jingshan in Hangzhou was a native of Fujian. Ascending the hall upon lighting the stove, he cited: Zhaozhou instructed the assembly, saying: 'Thirty years ago, by the Southern hearth, this old monk had a saying without host or guest; until now, no one has ever brought it up.' The Master commented: 'The myriad array of phenomena, light and dark, form and emptiness, bring it up day and night. It is not that the ancient Buddha Zhaozhou did not know it; he was merely too hasty in his journey.'

35.27

Chan Master Huaihai Zhao of Jingshan was a native of Taizhou. His gāthā in praise of Bodhidharma said: 'Treading over the earthly axle and the heavenly gate, / Pursued by the whole nation, he never returned. / Leaving and going, his single body was light as a leaf; / Across the Long River of a thousand ages, waves rise like mountains.'

35.28

Chan Master Jieshi Ming of Shuanglin in Wuzhou, upon seeing a portrait of Mountain Master Yu, was asked by a nearby monk for a eulogy. Writing freely, the Master penned: 'Picking up a bright pearl, smiling eyes open wide; / Saying that when the dust is gone, dust only rises all the more. / Were there no one to directly take responsibility, / It would have failed the ācārya's single tumble.'

35.29

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Chongguan of Wanshou

35.30

Chan Master Huikai of Huanglong was styled Wumen. He was a native of Hangzhou. Composing a gāthā on facing the sun and mending his robes, he said: 'The thing urgently needed when it is cold: / Take advantage of the warmth to put in some stitches. / When the twelfth month suddenly arrives, / It will keep hands and feet from flustered hurry.'

35.31

Chan Master Zhuyan Miaoyin of Shishuang in Tanzhou composed a gāthā on reading sūtras facing the moon: 'Before moving the tongue, the patterned brilliance is revealed; / More than five thousand fascicles are completed all at once. / If you say one must wait for the moon to open the scroll again, / I dare guarantee that even in the year of the donkey you will not have finished.'

35.32

Dharma Heir of Chan Master Shirui of Yuwang

35.33

Chan Master Ruiyan Shou of Mingzhou was styled Wuliang. A monk asked, 'On the eighth day of the twelfth month, before the Mountain of Right Awakening, the Bhagavat gazed at the morning star at night and realized the Way. What is the meaning of this?' The Master answered with a gāthā: 'Where the morning star appeared, eyelids were pierced through; / Chinese words and foreign speech in tens of thousands. / Newly rich beggar, stop speaking of dreams! / In whose kitchen stove does the fire have no smoke?'

35.34

Dharma Heir of Chan Master Zhishan of Lingyin

35.35

Chan Master Cangsou of Jingshan in Hangzhou was named Shanzhen. He was a son of the Lü family of Nan'an County in Quanzhou. At the age of thirteen, he took Upādhyāya Nan of Chongfu Temple in his commandery as his master, left home, and had his head shaved. At sixteen, he traveled on pilgrimage, reached Hangzhou, and took the full ordination. He visited Master Miaofeng Shan at Lingyin, entered his room, and awakened to the lineage tenets. Later, he became abbot at Guangxiao in his native place and ascended the seat at Chengtian. Successively he moved to Yuanjue on Sixi in Anji, and Xuefeng in Fuzhou. Furthermore, by imperial order he was transferred to Yuwang in Siming and Jingshan in Lin'an. The Master instructed the assembly, saying: 'The ancients said: the single character "knowing" is the gate of myriad wonders. Others also said: the single character "knowing" is the gate of myriad calamities. Regarding these two gates, once you can enter, you must also be able to exit. The Buddhas of the three periods cannot exit; the patriarchs of the six generations cannot exit; the old upādhyāyas under heaven cannot exit. Why? Transforming iron into gold is easy; transforming gold into iron is difficult.' Again, sitting in his room, he said, 'Is this a place where, after making inquiries and burning incense, one comes to stand beside this old monk? Fool! Disgracing yourself is one thing; do not come to disgrace an incoming monk.' He once inscribed his own portrait: 'Practicing Chan without awakening, knowing only a few characters. / Triangular eyes like a sorrowful barbarian of Yanshan; / A face with a hundred wrinkles like Dame Zhao sipping vinegar. / A single move surpasses all directions; / I dare say rice is made from grain.' The Master was born on the twelfth day of the tenth month in the jiayin year of the Shaoxing era of the Song, and passed into silence on the twenty-first day of the fifth month in the dingchou year. His age was eighty-three. His complete body was entombed in the South Stupa Yard of Jingshan.

35.36

Dharma Heir of Chan Master Zhiying of Tiantong

35.37

Chan Master Jingsou of Jingshan in Lin'an Prefecture was named Rujue. He was a native of Wuzhou. In the room, a monk asked, 'What is the Buddha?' The Master answered, 'A rotten winter melon.' He then eulogized it: '"What is the Buddha? A rotten winter melon!" / Biting into it, ice and frost pierce teeth and gums. / Although the root and stem have no cellar, / Once a year, each time it blossoms.'

35.38

Dharma Heir of Chan Master Jujian of Jingci

35.39

Chan Master Daguan of Yuwang in Mingzhou was a son of the Lu family of Hengxi in Yin County, styled Wuchu. In his early years he studied under Beijian at Jingci and awakened to the lineage tenets. He was renowned for literary composition and had a great reputation. In his later years he resided at Yuwang, where eminent monks gathered beneath his seat like ants. Ascending the hall, he said: 'The orthodox lineage of Bodhidharma is the patch-robed monk's lifeline, filling empty space with nowhere to evade. How laughable are the deluded masses: in bright daylight under a clear blue sky, they open their eyes only to doze off! Furthermore, there is the yellow-faced old man, who, not recognizing good and bad, stepped into the mud and water, yet said, "At the place of Dīpaṃkara Buddha, there was not a single phenomenon to be attained, yet he bestowed a prophecy upon me." How is this different from gouging out a wound from healthy flesh, or seeking a stem on a sky-flower? In the end, what is it? Siri siri!' After he passed away, his stupa was erected at the Western Hermitage of the monastery.

35.40

Dharma Heir of Chan Master Anyong of Gushan

35.41

Chan Master Huiweng Wuming of Jingci [Monastery] in Hangzhou was a native of Fuzhou. Ascending the hall, he cited: 'A monk from Jiashan’s assembly arrived at Gaoting. Just as he bowed, Gaoting hit him at once. The monk said, "I have come specially to bow in homage; why do you hit me, Master?" and bowed again. Gaoting hit him again and drove him out. The monk returned and related this to Jiashan. Jiashan said, "Do you understand?" He replied, "I do not understand." Jiashan said, "Fortunate it is that you do not understand! If you had understood, Jiashan's mouth would have been struck dumb." Ying'an brought this up and said, "Gaoting could not contain himself on that occasion, but alas, his staff was released too quickly! If this monk had been a real fellow at that moment, not to mention Gaoting and Jiashan, even if Great Master Bodhidharma had stepped forth, he would have chopped him into three pieces! For what reason? When a family is rich, it produces filial sons; when a state is flourishing, it has resourceful ministers." Ying'an also commented: "The tactical operations of Gaoting and Jiashan were each appropriately suited; only the person in the middle was slightly inferior. Ying'an speaking like this is also like a Gong County teapot."' The Master once compiled the *Liandeng huiyao* (Essentials of the Linked Lamps) to transmit throughout the monastic groves.

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Dharma Heir of Chan Master Zhiweng Ju

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Chan Master Xiu of Tiantong in Mingzhou was styled Yunwai. He belonged to a certain clan of Changguo. Small of stature, his energetic prowess was more than ample. He served Zhiweng Ju as his master, shaved his head, investigated the Caodong lineage tenets, and exhausted them to their very source and depth. He made his advent in the world at Shimen in Cixi, passed through Zhimeng in Xiangshan, transferred to Tianning in the commandery seat, and subsequently, on the recommendation of the three schools, the fourfold assembly urged him forward to ascend and take up residence at Tiantong. None in the monastic groves failed to bow their heads and rejoice. When preaching the Dharma, the Master was able to use skillful analogies and indirect citations; he valued lowering himself to meet students and guide them to completion. Yet when it came to his transcendent leaps leaving no dust behind, even a falcon's eye or a dragon's gaze could catch no glimpse of him. Ascending the hall, he said: 'Amidst the red dust of the noisy marketplace there is the Buddhadharma of the red dust of the noisy marketplace. Amidst the crags and cliffs of the deep mountains there is the Buddhadharma of the crags and cliffs of the deep mountains. Yesterday, as this mountain monk walked out of the city gate, the Buddhadharma of the red dust of the noisy marketplace was instantly forgotten. Walking for twenty li into the pine clouds, I immediately saw the Buddhadharma of the crags and cliffs of the deep mountains. Tell me, all of you, what is the Buddhadharma of the crags and cliffs of the deep mountains?' After a long pause, he said: 'White clouds, pale and vast, appear and disappear in the great void; green creepers, winding along, climb directly up to the crests of the cold pines.' Again, giving thanks to the head monk, recorder, and director of the canon, he ascended the hall, drew a circular figure with his whisk, and said: 'The Mahāyāna Dharma is free from the four propositions and cuts off the hundred negations.' He drew another circular figure and said: 'In the application of ritual, harmony is to be prized; of the ways of the former kings, this is the most beautiful.' He drew yet another circular figure and said: 'The mani-jewel no one knows, personally obtained from within the Tathāgata-garbha. Do you see it, everyone? What is seen is not the same; each has its gain and loss. Here at Tiantong, I have no preconceptions and no insistence.' The Master was not haughty; he did not hoard wealth, nor did he eat in secret. When he received offerings, he distributed them to others. When he saw younger monks, he respected them with increasing deference. At the two daily meals of porridge and rice, he unfailingly went to the dining hall together with the assembly. When he passed away, he had no remaining wealth; the Chan monks pooled their funds to cover his final affairs, and his stūpa was buried on the local mountain. His disciples Da Fangcheng, Du Musheng, Yu'anzheng, and Wuyin were four men fully capable of magnifying his lineage; yet their positions did not match their virtue, and rarely did anyone inherit his Dharma.

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Twentieth Generation after Dajian

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Dharma Heir of Chan Master Wolong Zuxian

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Chan Master Wuzhun Shifan of Jingshan in Hangzhou was named Shifan. He was born to the Yong clan of Zitong in Shu. At the age of nine, he went to monk Daoqin of Mount Yinping to leave home. Classics and scriptures, once seen, were committed to memory. In the winter of the fifth year of the Shaoxi era, he received full ordination. The following year, he went to Chengdu to spend the summer retreat at Zhengfa. He met an elder named Yao, from whom he requested guidance on the practice of seated meditation (zuochan). Yao said, 'What thing is Chan? Who is the one sitting?' The Master received his words and investigated them day and night. One day, while using the privy, he brought up the previous topic and had an awakening. The next year, he took his leave and went to visit Fozhao at Yuwang. Fozhao asked the Master, 'Where are you from?' The Master said, 'A man of Jianzhou.' Fozhao said, 'Did you bring your sword along?' Following the sound, the Master gave a shout. Fozhao laughed and said, 'This black-headed boy is also making a fuss!' Because he was destitute and had no means to shave his head, Fozhao often called him 'the black-headed boy' in the abbot's room. After some time, he returned to Lingyin. Po'an resided there as the head monk. After the mid-day meal, they went together to Shisun Hermitage. A practitioner at the hermitage asked for instruction regarding the 'monkey' topic. Po'an answered him—the words are recorded in the biography of Po'an. The Master, standing in attendance by his side, had an awakening. When Po'an went to Tiantong to sweep the stūpa of Mi'an, the Master went with him. When Po'an assumed duties at Qionglong, soon afterwards, because they had not yet been to Tiantai and Yandang, he brought along Yue Shixi to travel together to Ruiyan. At that time, Yunchao was serving as the abbot; he retained the Master to share the seat. Suddenly one night, the Master dreamed of a man in magnificent robes and a cap holding a clump of thatch, which he presented to him. The next day, a special envoy from Qingliang in Mingzhou arrived, and the Master accepted the invitation to enter the monastery. He saw the so-called saṅghārāma deity, whose surname was Mao (Thatch), and whose robes and cap were no different from what he had seen in the dream the night before. Ascending the hall to open the Dharma, he dedicated an incense offering to Po'an. After three years, he moved to Jiaoshan. After one full year, he moved to Xuedou. After three years, he was ordered by imperial decree to move to Yuwang. Another three years later, Song Shaolin dissolved his assembly, and the imperial court ordered the Master to take his place at Jingshan. The following year, the monastery burned down. The Master foresaw that this was destined, and his countenance did not shift nor was his mind troubled. In the tenth month of that year, an imperial decree summoned him to the palace. The Emperor received him in the Xiuzheng Hall. The Master's memorial in response was detailed and clear, and the Emperor was visibly moved. He bestowed a golden brocade saṅghāṭī and further commanded him to ascend the seat in the Ciming Hall. The Emperor listened behind a lowered screen. Thereupon, he bestowed the title Chan Master Fojian upon him. Three years later, the monastery was completed. After six years, it burned down again. The Master was neither startled nor altered; help arrived like gathering clouds, and within a few years, the monastery buildings were magnificently reconstructed. Forty li from the monastery, he constructed several hundred bays of rooms to receive itinerant monks, naming it Wannian Zhengxu (Ten-Thousand Years of Orthodox Continuity). Several hundred paces to the west of Zhengxu, he built a hermitage to serve as the place for his final interment. Above, he built a multistoried pavilion to secretly store the imperial writings bestowed on him over time. On the east and west sides of his humble chambers, he maintained incense offerings for the Patriarchs and his ancestors. On his birthdays, he held meals for the monks and Buddhist rites to foster their unseen blessings. Because his ancestral offerings had been severed during the rebellions in Shu, he established this shrine to display his filial longing. When the Emperor heard of it, he praised and admired him, bestowing a plaque reading 'Yuanzhao' (Perfect Illumination). In the autumn of the wushen year of the Chunyou era, the Master built a chamber by the Mingyue Pool, with a plaque reading 'Tuigeng' (Retiring from Plowing). He petitioned the court to retire due to old age, and an old illness flared up just then. On the first day of the third month, he ascended the hall and instructed the assembly, saying: 'This mountain monk is old and sick; I have no strength left to converse this way and that with you. Today I have forced myself to come forth; what I have left unsaid from the past, I shake out completely before you.' He then stood up, shook his robes, and said: 'How much is it?' On the fifteenth day, he assembled the two ranks to arrange his final affairs, personally writing his posthumous memorial and more than ten final letters, laughing and joking as usual. His disciples requested a farewell verse; taking up the brush, he wrote swiftly: 'At the time of coming, completely empty; / at the time of going, stark naked. / If you still want to know the truth of the matter: / there is a stone bridge on Mount Tiantai.' After a short while, he passed away. His coffin was kept for two weeks. When his posthumous memorial was reported to the throne, the Emperor dispatched an inner envoy to offer incense and bestow silk fabrics. His whole body was enshrined in a stūpa at Yuanzhao Hermitage. Among those who received his Dharma and spread the teachings were Xueyan Qin, Duanqiao Lun, and Xiyan Hui.

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Chan Master Faxun of Lingyin in Hangzhou was styled Shitian. He was a son of the Peng clan of Meishan. The Master was intelligent and keen from birth; at the age of three or four, upon seeing Buddha [images] or monks, he knew to pay reverence. At the age of sixteen, he went to leave home under Zhiming at the Fabao Cloister on Mount Shilong in Danling. At twenty-two, he shaved his head and received the full precepts. Thereupon he traveled, reaching Shishuang to pay homage at the Leiqian Stūpa. He composed a verse, saying: 'The compassionate countenance in a single thought is originally not separated; / why should there specially be an unrestrained perversity? / Bringing down the high to match the low, her motherly heart was earnest; / vexing the Thunder God into a busy night.' Through this, the Master's name became widely renowned. Hearing of the prestige in the Dao of Chan Master Po'an Xian of Qionglong in Wumen, he went to rely on him. At first sight, Po'an knew he was a vessel of the Dharma. In the abbot's room, Po'an cited the Bhagavat twirling a flower and Mahākāśyapa smiling. The Master said, 'Striking a scorched brick, frozen to the very bottom; / a red eye bumping into the tip of a burning stick.' Po'an secretly marveled at him. In daily speech and silence, Po'an deliberately raised doubts in him. Thereupon, the Master resolved to remain, consulting him at all times, daily stimulating and urging each other on alongside Wuzhun Shifan. Taking his leave, he traveled extensively through the gates of various elders. He visited Songyuan Yue of Lingyin, Kengtang Chong of Jingci, and Dun'an Yan of Huazang; all said that coming forth from the furnace of a true adept, he was indeed extraordinary. Soon after, he made his advent in the world at Gaofeng in Suzhou. Gaofeng was a tiny monastery; suffering hardship and constraint, he led by personal example, and in less than three years, it took on an entirely new look. Next, he moved to Fengqiao, where the assembly gathered like a continuous cord. When the seat at Zhongshan became vacant, the court, after careful selection, appointed the Master to fill the post. In the early Baoqing era, he moved to Jingci, and in the second year of the Duanping era, he moved to Lingyin. On the full moon of the third month in the jiachen year of the Chunyou era, he instructed his disciples, saying: 'Just grasp the root, do not worry about the branches. What do you call the root? What do you call the branches? The pines and cypresses are green for a thousand years, but do not suit the minds of contemporary people; the peony is red for a single day, and the young lords of the whole city are intoxicated. This mountain monk speaks thus: if anyone does not agree, they are my fellow practitioner!' His disciple Shijun painted the Master's portrait and requested an encomium; the verse contained: 'The final word is entrusted to the kitchen mountain.' The assembly was quite surprised by this. The next day, he suddenly showed signs of illness. The day after that, he stepped down and returned to Baoshou to make haste with arrangements for his end. His whole body was buried in the mountain behind the monastery, not going against the Master's intention. He lived seventy-five years, with fifty-three years in the monastic order. The Master had an archaic demeanor, an upright character, and a clear, resounding voice. Over thirty-two years, he moved five times among prominent monasteries. He practiced economy and had enough for use; he weighed carefully and calculated expenditures; even when there were grand constructions, he never bothered people in the slightest. When he saw those elsewhere holding donation ledgers, waiting at people's doors and whispering in hopes of obtaining alms, he directly despised and ridiculed them. Yet wherever he went, timber, stone, gold, and azure decorations were completed.

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Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Fascicle Thirty-Five

Linked texts (1)

續傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese