續傳燈錄 4

English (machine translation) 4

Language: English

4.1

Table of Contents for Fascicle Four of the Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp

Eleventh Generation under Dajian
Thirty-five Dharma heirs of Chan Master Guyin Cong:
Chan Master Jinshan Tanying, Chan Master Dongting Huiyue
Chan Master Zhangxi Xiuji
Chan Master Dacheng Dezun
Chan Master Zhuyuan Faxian
Chan Master Yongfu Yanzhao
Chan Master Jingqing Jusu
Chan Master Renshou Sizhen
Chan Master Yunmen Xianqin
Chan Master Yongqing Guangpu
Upāsaka Li Zunxu, Prince Consort
Upāsaka Xia Song, Duke of Ying (The above twelve persons have recorded entries)
Chan Master Longhua Qiyue
Chan Master Shimen Shoujin
Chan Master Guyin Kezong
Chan Master Qiyin Ziran
Chan Master Chengtian Bianyuan
Chan Master Shangfang Xin of Huzhou
Chan Master Cuifeng Pu
Chan Master Fenghuang Liaotong
Chan Master Shouning Huiling
Chan Master Yunmen Lingyi
Chan Master Anle Tongzhaoyan
Chan Master Xiqin Yuanhui
Chan Master Guangjiao Liaotong
Chan Master Sizhou Mi of Suzhou
Chan Master Shuanglin Yi
Chan Master Shushan Gu
Chan Master Puming Cheng
Chan Master Fusheng Ji
Chan Master Guangde Yuan
Upādhyāya Puzhao
Senior Monk Jueyuan of Hangzhou
Upāsaka Wang Shu, Duke of Wenkang
Upādhyāya Guyin Xue Datou (The above twenty-three persons have no recorded entries)
Fourteen Dharma heirs of Chan Master Shending Yin:
Mountain Master Kaisheng Baoqing
Chan Master Miaozhi Guangyun (The above two persons have recorded entries)
Chan Master Jiashan Ziying
Chan Master Longxing Yu of Tanzhou
Chan Master Shanguang Lan of Suizhou
Chan Master Zhenfeng Qingqi
Chan Master Aokou Zheng
Chan Master Yongkang Yanchao
Chan Master Deshan Huaiyou
Chan Master Lingzhi Zizheng
Chan Master Mengyang Xiyu
Chan Master Longxing Huimu
Chan Master Gaotian Faming
Upādhyāya Lingyan Wenzhi (The above twelve persons have no recorded entries)
Seven Dharma heirs of Chan Master Guanghui Lian:
Chan Master Huayan Daolong
Chan Master Huili Huinan
Chan Master Guanghui Dexuan
Upāsaka Yang Yi, Duke of Wen (The above four persons have recorded entries)
Chan Master Huayan Ming
Chan Master Foji Yunjiao
Chan Master Yuntai Jiqin (The above three persons have no recorded entries)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Liangshan Yan:
Chan Master Liangshan Shanfen (Has recorded entry)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Daowu Quan:
Chan Master Tianping Qiyu (Has recorded entry)
Nine Dharma heirs of Chan Master Guizong Rou:
Chan Master Luohan Xinglin
Chan Master Tiantong Xin
Chan Master Gongchen Jueke
Chan Master Tiantong Qingjian (The above four persons have recorded entries)
Chan Master Heguo Faduan
Chan Master Xuedou Qing
Chan Master Fule Zhijing
Chan Master Gutian Daocheng
Chan Master Chongsheng Daozhen (The above five persons have no recorded entries)
Three Dharma heirs of Chan Master Baizhang Heng:
Chan Master Xixian Chengshi
Chan Master Wanshou Dexing
Chan Master Yunmen Zhiyong (The above three persons have recorded entries)
Four Dharma heirs of Chan Master Chongshou Chou of Fuzhou:
Chan Master Yuntai Lingcen
Chan Master Ziguo Yuanjin (The above two persons have recorded entries)
Chan Master Jingtu Weisu
Chan Master Tiantong Zining (The above two persons have no recorded entries)
Four Dharma heirs of Chan Master Yunju Xi:
Chan Master Bore Congjin
Chan Master Qinghua Zhichao (The above two persons have recorded entries)
Chan Master Jingzhong Xian
Chan Master Faji Haichan (The above two persons have no recorded entries)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Ciyun Mi:
Chan Master Guyin Faquan (Has no recorded entry)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Shishuang Cheng:
Chan Master Yuelu Gui (Has no recorded entry)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Luohan Ren:
Chan Master Longtan Congxiao (Has no recorded entry)

4.3

Eleventh Generation under Dajian

4.4

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Guyin Cong

4.5

Chan Master Daguan Tanying of Jinshan in Runzhou was a son of the Qiu family of Hangzhou. First he visited Chan Master Dayang Xuan and asked, "When Dongshan specially set forth the biased and the right, ruler and minister, what matter did he intend to clarify?" Dayang said, "The matter before your parents gave birth to you." The Master asked, "How should one understand it?" Dayang said, "In the depth of night it is brightly illuminated; at dawn it does not show." The Master was bewildered. He then visited Guyin and brought up this previous conversation. Guyin said, "Dayang did not say it was not so, but his mouth was too narrow to express it fully. This old monk would not be like that." The Master asked, "What is the matter before one's parents gave birth to one?" Guyin said, "A lump of dried dung." The Master asked, "What is 'In the depth of night it is brightly illuminated; at dawn it does not show'?" Guyin said, "A cat sleeping beneath peony flowers." The Master became even more puzzled and startled. One day during general communal labor, Guyin asked, "Are you hauling firewood today?" The Master said, "Yes." Guyin said, "Yunmen asked a monk: 'Does the person carry the firewood or does the firewood carry the person? How do you understand this?'" The Master had no reply. Guyin said, "This matter is like someone learning calligraphy: those whose strokes and dots can be imitated are skilled; those who cannot are clumsy. This is simply because they have not yet been able to forget the rules. Only when the brush forgets the hand and the hand forgets the mind will it be right." Thereupon the Master experienced silent accord. After a long pause he said, "As Shitou said: 'Clinging to phenomena is fundamentally delusion; according with principle is also not awakening.'" Guyin said, "Do you consider these words medicine or words of sickness?" The Master said, "They are words of medicine." Guyin scolded him, "How can you take sickness as medicine?" The Master said, "Phenomena fit like a box and its lid; principle is wondrous like an arrow hitting the point straight on. How could anything be added to this? Yet you still consider it sickness—I truly have not grasped your meaning." Guyin said, "Wondrous as this is, it is still only called principle and phenomena. The Patriarch's intention cannot be reached by intellectual knowledge; how could principle and phenomena exhaust it? Therefore the Bhagavat said: 'The obstacle of principle obstructs right knowledge and vision; the obstacle of phenomena perpetuates various births and deaths.'" The Master was as if awakened from a dream and asked, "How can it be applied?" Guyin said, "If words do not leave the old ruts, how can they escape the coverings and entanglements?" The Master sighed, "As soon as it touches the lips, it falls into intentional thought; all of these are gates of death, never the living road." After taking up abbotship, he instructed the assembly, saying: "As soon as it touches the lips, it falls into intentional thought; all of these are gates of death, none the living road. Even if you break through, you are still submerged. Do not let yourself fail your whole life and waste this existence. Do you want not to fail your whole life?" Raising his staff and striking once, he said: "You must simply not be deceived by the staff—only then will you get it. Look! The staff pierces straight through all of your skulls and leaps into your nostrils!" He struck once more. A monk asked, "What are the very first two characters of the scripture?" The Master said, "The character *yi* (以)." The monk asked, "What connection is there?" The Master said, "The character *ba* (八)." The monk said, "You are truly misleading people!" The Master said, "Because of slandering this sutra, such retribution is incurred." A monk asked, "Who is made to bear an iron cangue of one hundred and twenty catties?" The Master said, "This old monk." The monk said, "You reap what you sow." The Master said, "Bitter, bitter!" A monk asked, "Has the Upādhyāya ever recited the Buddha's name or not?" The Master said, "I have never recited the Buddha's name." The monk asked, "Why do you not recite the Buddha's name?" The Master said, "I fear defiling people's mouths." He ascended the hall. When the assembly had gathered, the head monk stepped forward to bow. The Master said, "Ask properly!" Just as the head monk bowed his head to ask a question, the Master said, "Today I will not answer questions," and returned straight to the abbot's quarters. He ascended the hall and said: "This mountain monk's household is different: it has already altered the ruts of other quarters. For Mañjuśrī, I pull the wedge from his eye; I tell Samantabhadra to stop chewing the iron in his mouth. I urge people to open the hand that grasps the snake, and I chop away the post where you tie your donkey. If you hesitate and intend to deliberate—" Shouting, he said: "Pinch, pinch! Practice!" He ascended the hall and said: "Throughout my life this mountain monk has been fond of wrestling, but there has simply been no one to match me. Today let me pair up with the head monk!" Rolling up his kāṣāya, he stepped down from his seat and challenged the head monk to wrestle. As soon as the head monk came forward, the Master said, "Taking a fall on level ground!" and returned to the abbot's quarters. He ascended the hall and said: "The Buddhas of the three periods are servants and maids; the entire canon of teachings is spittle." After a long pause he said: "Now tell me, whose servants and maids are the Buddhas of the three periods?" He then took his whisk, drew a line, and said: "The Buddhas of the three periods, step over to this side! And tell me, whose spittle is the entire canon of teachings?" The Master then spat once. He ascended the hall and said: "A steelyard weight suddenly floats to the bottom of the well; an old rat, after many years, transforms into an ox. Huikong saw it and clapped his hands with laughter: the three-legged monkey is indeed an extraordinary ape!" He ascended the hall and said: "The five thousand volumes of scripture are the common talk of the Buddhas; the eighty-four thousand afflictions are the wondrous functioning of sentient beings. Yet this is still not the vajra eye. What is the vajra eye?" After a long pause he said, "Blind!" He ascended the hall. When the great assembly had settled, a monk just stepped forward to bow. The Master said, "If you wish to know the meaning of Buddha-nature, you should observe the causes and conditions of the right season." The monk then asked, "What are the causes and conditions of the right season?" The Master immediately stepped down from the seat. A monk asked, "What is a person who goes forward?" The Master said, "Having returned amidst the green peaks, he does not emerge from the white clouds." The monk asked, "What is a person who returns?" The Master said, "Ever since wandering the purple avenues, who would be willing to hide in the green mountains?" A monk asked, "What is taking away the person but not taking away the environment?" The Master said, "At home there is no longer news of the day of return; by the roadside, in vain, stands the marker for gazing toward home." The monk asked, "What is taking away the environment but not taking away the person?" The Master said, "Let the vast sea completely dry to the very bottom; let the green mountains be ground straight into dust." The monk asked, "What is taking away both the person and the environment?" The Master said, "Heaven and earth are empty of Qin's sun and moon; the mountains and rivers show no trace of Han's sovereign and ministers." The monk asked, "What is taking away neither the person nor the environment?" The Master said, "Orioles warble in a thousand groves, flowers carpet the ground; travelers wander in the third month, grass encroaches upon the sky." A monk asked, "What is the Upādhyāya's house style?" The Master said, "Stretching out the hand, one does not see the palm." The monk asked, "If suddenly a guest from Saindhava comes, what then?" The Master said, "Face to face, a thousand leagues apart." A monk asked, "Whose song does the Master sing, and whose lineage style do you succeed?" The Master said, "Linji." The monk said, "Then you are Guyin's true son!" The Master said, "Deshan." A monk asked, "What is the long Dharma-body?" The Master said, "A six-foot staff." The monk asked, "What is the short Dharma-body?" The Master said, "A three-inch counting stick." The monk said, "Then the Dharma-body is of two kinds?" The Master said, "There are still square and round ones!" He ascended the hall and said: "In other quarters the hooks are curved and the bait is fragrant; people rush together like bees swarming around their queen because of the sacred. Here the hook is straight and there is no bait at all, like pressing down a gourd in water." Raising his staff in the gesture of fishing, he said: "Taking fish from deep water, I have always trusted in fate; I have never offered wine to sacrifice to the river god." Throwing down his staff, he stepped down from his seat.

4.6

Chan Master Huiyue of Cuifeng in Dongting, Suzhou. A monk asked, "What is it like when 'a single flower opens five petals, and the bearing of fruit forms naturally'?" The Master said, "Taking off the halter and unloading the pack." The monk said, "Squeezed out into empty space, everywhere the fragrance is smelled." The Master said, "Clouds grieve hearing ghosts weep; snow presses down on the chanting skull." A monk asked, "How would you express a phrase from before the Upādhyāya saw Guyin?" The Master said, "Step by step, ascending the mountain farther and farther." The monk asked, "What about after seeing him?" The Master said, "Galloping on, trusting the horse's hooves."

4.7

Chan Master Xiuyi of Mount Zhangxi in Mingzhou was a native of Hangzhou. He traveled with Venerable Yuan of Fushan. Once he established a hermitage at Buddha Hand Crag on Mount Lu. Later he went to the heart of the Siming Mountains and lived alone for more than ten years, keeping company with tigers and leopards. He once said: "On the sheep-gut and bird paths no one arrives; a solitary person amidst the desolate clouds." Afterward, monastics and laypeople heard of his reputation and arrived, so it turned into a Chan forest. A monk asked, "What is the seamless stūpa?" The Master said, "Four edges touch the ground." The monk asked, "What is the person inside the stūpa?" The Master said, "Resting on a high pillow without care." A monk asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The Master said, "Crossing the sea by ship, returning home barefoot."

4.8

Chan Master Dezun of Mount Dacheng in Tangzhou asked Guyin, "What was the ancient's intention in asking for fire?" Guyin said, "Let it be extinguished." The Master said, "What about after it is extinguished?" Guyin said, "The thirtieth, the thirty-first." The Master said, "In that case, it is a fine season." Guyin said, "What principle do you see?" The Master said, "A bout of weariness today." Guyin then struck him. The Master then composed a verse: "The trigger of asking for fire is truly delightful; / Few are refined in the wondrous functioning of hidden sharpness. / If you wish to understand my master's intimate and true intent: / When the fire in the red furnace is exhausted, add no more firewood." A monk asked, "Please, Master, speak a phrase on the perfect integration of the world." The Master said, "Round and round, more than seven feet." A monk asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The Master said, "A big nose and deep-set eyes." He ascended the hall and said: "Coming up, you do not ask; going down, you do not doubt. I do not know whether it is right or not; if it is right, it is also extraordinary!" He then stepped down from his seat. Chan Master Faxian of Zhuyuan in Jingnan Prefecture. A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "A skilled hand cannot paint it." A monk asked, "What is the Way?" The Master said, "Crisscrossing horizontally and vertically." The monk asked, "What is the person within the Way?" The Master said, "Often they do not recognize each other."

4.9

Chan Master Yanzhao of Yongfu Monastery in Pengzhou. A monk asked, "What is the environment of Pengzhou?" The Master said, "Men and horses mixed together." The monk made the gesture of drawing a bow with his hand. The Master picked up his staff. The monk hesitated. The Master then struck him.

4.10

Chan Master Jusu of Jingqing Monastery in Anji Prefecture. A monk asked, "'This very seeing and hearing is not seeing and hearing'—why then does the Dharma-body have three kinds of illness and two kinds of light?" The Master said, "Filling in the hollows and accommodating the gaps." A monk asked, "I understand that the Upādhyāya has said: 'Within the realm, the Son of Heaven's decree; beyond the borders, the general's command.' What is the general's command beyond the borders?" The Master said, "Uncover!" The monk asked, "What is the matter within it?" The Master said, "Kick!" The monk asked, "Is that not precisely where the Upādhyāya instructs people?" The Master snapped his fingers once. A monk asked, "Having come from afar to take refuge in the Master, I beg the Master to receive me." The Master said, "A person from Silla beats the drum." The monk asked, "How should I understand this?" The Master said, "The shipmaster has never met [him]." A monk asked, "What is the first phrase?" The Master said, "Beneath the vajra tree." The monk asked, "What is the last phrase?" The Master said, "Beside the city of Kuśīnagara." The monk asked, "Is there still anything beyond?" The Master said, "There is." The monk asked, "What is the matter beyond?" The Master said, "Pāpīyas claps his hands with loud laughter; Kāśyapa raises his head and recognizes no one."

4.11

Chan Master Sizhen of Renshou in Chuzhou. A monk asked, "Knowing that the Master has already attained the essential purport in Chan, for whom do you expound the phrase facing the sun?" The Master said, "Earthen chickens and pottery dogs." The monk asked, "How should I understand this?" The Master said, "Before the gate, I do not have the mountain lad sweep; / At will, pine needles cover the forks in the road." He ascended the hall and said: "Clearly there is no awakening; where there is a dharma, there is delusion. When the sun rises without clouds, it shines brightly and universally across the sky. When there are no cataracts in the eyes, space is fundamentally without flowers. Before those without wisdom, you must not cite it mistakenly. Practice!"

4.12

Chan Master Xianqin of Yunmen in Yuezhou ascended the hall. After a long pause he said, "A fine huatou! If you arrive at other quarters, you must not cite it mistakenly." He then stepped down from his seat.

4.13

Chan Master Guangpu of Yongqing in Guozhou first asked Guyin, "The ancient said: 'Tomorrow there will be a vegetarian feast at the Great Compassion Monastery'—what was the meaning?" Guyin said, "When the sun comes out, sit leaning into the sunlight; when the weather is cold, do not raise your head." When the Master entered the abbot's room, Guyin said, "How do you understand the nidāna from a moment ago?" The Master said, "If one understands, it is used along the road; if one does not understand, it is circulated as worldly convention." Guyin said, "Not yet! Say more." The Master flicked his sleeves and walked right out. After he took up abbotship, a monk asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?" The Master said, "The land of Shu uses refined steel."

4.14

The Imperial Son-in-Law and Commandant-Escort, the upāsaka Li Zunxu, was a native of Bianzhou. He visited Guyin and asked about leaving the household. Guyin answered him with the gong'an of Lord Cui Zhaogong questioning Jingshan. Under these words, the Lord experienced great awakening. He composed a verse, saying: / 'To study the Way one must be an iron fellow; / Taking hold, the mind-ground is at once settled. / Head directly toward unexcelled bodhi; / Do not concern yourself with any right or wrong.' / One day, the Lord was seeing off Head Monk Jian. The Lord asked, 'Having recently left Shangdang and arrived at the Central Capital, we were just conversing with whisk in hand. Suddenly you turn your tiger-headed staff and point toward the azure crags of Cloud Screen, visiting the pure stream of Snow Peak. I wonder, what about the real matter here and there?' / The head monk said, 'The sharp sword sweeps open, and heaven and earth are serene; / The frosted blade is barely raised, and the Dipper and Ox constellations grow chill.' / The Lord said, 'It just so happens that today my ears are deaf.' / The head monk said, 'A single arrow fells a brace of eagles.' / The Lord said, 'Why does the head monk sleep wearing straw sandals?' / The head monk flicked his sleeve. The Lord bowed his head and said, 'Today may truly be called surrender.' / The head monk said, 'Puhua departs from the monks' hall.' / When the Lord was on the verge of death, his chest and stomach grew dry and feverish. There was a nun named Daojian who said to him, '"When sentient beings see the kalpa end / And it is burned by a great fire"—Commandant, you should take close care of your master.' / The Lord said, 'Great Master, decoct a dose of medicine and bring it to me.' / Jian was speechless. The Lord said, 'This nun does not even know how to decoct medicine!' / After the Lord finished his question-and-answer exchange with Ciming, he passed away peacefully. The words appear in the biography of Ciming.

4.15

Duke of Ying, the upāsaka Xia Song, styled Ziqiao. From the time he accorded with the opportunity under Guyin, he daily associated with elderly patch-robed monks. It happened that Chan Master Pu of Shanglan arrived. The Duke asked, 'When the hundred bones collapse and scatter, which one is the Elder's own?' / Lan said, 'On the twentieth of last month, I left Qiyang.' / The Duke let it rest. / Lan then asked, 'When the hundred bones collapse and scatter, which one is Your Grace's own?' / The Duke thereupon shouted. / Lan said, 'The shout is not lacking; after all, which one is Your Grace's own?' / The Duke answered with a verse, saying: / 'Cease recognizing the prime function before the wind; / Where in the great void can thinking be placed? / If the mountain monk wishes news to be communicated, / It is when the moon rises with no clouds for ten thousand miles.' / Lan said, 'This too is merely toying with the soul.'

4.16

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Shending Yin

4.17

Mountain Master Baoqing of Kaisheng in Jingnan Prefecture. A monk asked, 'What is the realm of Kaisheng?' / The master said, 'Three crows lead the road.' / [The monk] asked, 'What is the person within the realm?' / The master said, 'Two tigers patrol the mountain.'

4.18

Chan Master Guangyun of Miaozhi Temple on Mount Tiantai. A monk asked, 'What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?' / The master said, 'Yellow chrysanthemums by the eastern hedge.' / [The monk] asked, 'What is the purport?' / The master said, 'The ninth day, Double Ninth.'

4.19

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Guanghui Lian

4.20

Chan Master Daolong of Huayan in the Eastern Capital. He first visited Upādhyāya Che of Shimen and asked, 'An ancient said, "Just attain being peaceful and at leisure everywhere, and you will naturally accord with their ancient tracks." Although these words exist, what should one do when the mind of doubt has not yet ceased?' / Shimen said, 'Only by knowing that it exists can one be peaceful and at leisure everywhere. It is like a person living in a prefecture or county seat: whether hearing or seeing thousands of strange and bizarre things, he regards them all as ordinary. Being peaceful and at leisure without knowing that it exists is like a person living in a village: at the slightest sound or sight, he is alarmed and passes the tale along.' / Under these words, the master had an awakening. Shimen imparted to him all the purports of Dongshan. Later, he became the heir to Guanghui. One day Upādhyāya Cheng of Fuyan asked, 'Chan Master, you personally met Shimen; why then do you succeed Guanghui?' / The master said, 'When I met Guanghui, he was about to shave his head and told me to bring a stool. Guanghui said, "Practitioner of the Way, I have a poem on the stool; listen to it." He then said, "Put it down, and it is at once stable and level." At that moment, I approved of him.' He then recounted what he had attained at Shimen's place. Guanghui said, 'What Shimen showed is like the hundred delicacies, but it cannot satisfy a hungry person.' At the beginning of the Zhihe era, the master traveled to the capital as a guest at Jingde Temple. Daily he took his leisure viewing the metropolis, usually returning at the second drum. One evening, unable to enter, he lay down under the gate. Emperor Renzong dreamt that he went to the temple gate and saw a dragon coiled on the ground. Waking with a start, he dispatched a palace envoy in the middle of the night to inspect it. They saw the master fast asleep and snoring. Shaking him, the master awoke with a start. They asked his name and returned to memorialize the throne. Hearing the name Daolong ('The Way Flourishes'), the emperor was pleased and said, 'It is an auspicious sign!' The next day, [the emperor] summoned him to the side hall and inquired about the lineage tenets. The master's replies were detailed and fitting. The emperor was greatly pleased. Thereafter, verse lines were exchanged between them continuously along the road. At times he entered for audience and was kept overnight within the palace, receiving exceptionally generous courtesies. He was granted the title Chan Master Yingzhi Mingwu ('Imperial-Commissioned Clear Awakening'). During the Huangyou era, an imperial decree summoned Chan Master Dajue Lian to expound the Dharma in the Huacheng Palace. The master was summoned to ask questions. His critical words were swift and sharp. The emperor was greatly pleased, and the attendants and guards all shouted 'Ten thousand years!' The master then submitted a memorial recommending Lian in his stead, to await inquiries in the Hanlin Academy and discuss Chan in the secret palace halls, begging to return to Mount Lu. The emperor examined the memorial and did not consent. An imperial edict was issued to build a sanctuary outside the Cao Gate to lodge the master, conferring the name Huayan Chan Cloister. When opening the hall, a monk asked, 'What is the Way?' / The master said, 'High, high; low, low.' / [The monk] asked, 'What is the person within the Way?' / The master said, 'Feet are thin, straw sandals are wide.' / When the master was over eighty years of age, he entered quiescence in the height of summer. He sat peacefully for seven days, his hands and feet remaining soft and supple. His whole body was stupaed to the east of the temple.

4.21

Chan Master Huinan of Huili in Linjiang Commandery. A monk asked, 'Whose tune does the master sing? Whose house style do you inherit?' / The master said, 'The iron ox does not eat the grass beside the pen; / It climbs straight to the summit of Sumeru to sleep.' / [The monk] said, 'If so, then formerly at Ruyang you personally obtained the purport, and today at Linjiang you broadly propagate it.' / The master said, 'Make your prostrations and withdraw.' / [A monk] asked, 'What is the Buddha?' / The master said, 'Head is large, tail is small.' / [The monk] said, 'I do not yet understand your profound words; please, Master, point it out again.' / The master said, 'Eyebrows are three feet two inches long.' / [The monk] said, 'If so, then everyone upholds it on their heads, and all who see it knit their brows.' / The master gave a long sigh. The monk clapped his hands once and bowed. The master said, 'Go ahead and jump around as you please.'

4.22

Chan Master Dexuan of Guanghui in Ruzhou. A monk asked, 'Patriarch transmits to patriarch, transmitting the patriarch's seal. Whose Dharma do you now attain, and whose heir are you?' / The master said, 'The second brother plays the xun; the eldest brother plays the chi.' / [The monk] said, 'If so, then you are a true child of Guanghui and a personal grandson of Shoushan.' / The master said, 'Sitting in a pile of rafters, I do not strike the ācārya.'

4.23

Duke of Wen, the upāsaka Yang Yi, styled Danian, was a native of Jianning. In his youth he was cited as a prodigy, and upon reaching adulthood he bore a reputation for talent, yet he did not know that the Buddha existed. One day, visiting a colleague, he saw him reading the Diamond Sūtra. He laughed at and faulted him for it. The other went on reading as before. The Duke, puzzled by this, said, 'Does this somehow surpass Confucius and Mencius? Why are you so excessively flatteringly devoted to it?' Thereupon he browsed through several pages and was utterly bewildered. Only then did he begin to have a slight degree of respect and faith. Later, he met the Hanlin academician Li Wei, who encouraged him to participate and inquire [in Chan]. When he left his post as Director of the Palace Library to govern Ruzhou, he first called upon Guanghui. Guanghui received and saw the Duke, who immediately asked, 'When a cloth drum is struck before the veranda, who is the connoisseur?' / Guanghui said, 'Discerning the incoming wind deeply.' / The Duke said, 'If so, then when Chan guests meet, it is just a snap of the fingers.' / Guanghui said, 'A gentleman can be deceived.' / The Duke answered, 'Yes, yes.' / Guanghui said, 'The grass bandits suffer a great defeat.' / During their conversation at night, Guanghui asked, 'With what person has the Palace Director previously discussed the Way?' / The Duke said, 'I once asked Superintendent Liang of Yunyan, "When two big tigers bite each other, how is it?" Liang said, "A single composite form." I said, "I will just watch." I wonder, is speaking like that permissible?' / Guanghui said, 'Here it is not so.' / The Duke said, 'Please, Upādhyāya, give another turning word.' / Guanghui made the gesture of pulling a nose with his hand and said, 'This beast is still jumping around!' / Under these words, the Duke was thoroughly released from doubt. He composed a verse, saying: / 'An eight-cornered millstone runs through the empty sky; / A golden-haired lion turns into a dog. / If you intend to hide your body in the Northern Dipper, / You must join your palms behind the Southern Stars.' / He further set forth his lineage transmission and secret realization, sending it to Academician Li, saying: / 'This sick man formerly, through dull stupidity, received your encouragement and care, participating in hearing the purport of the Southern School and long accompanying you in journeys to the capital. In activity and stillness, consulting and inquiring, back and forth spurring each other on, causing me to have an attainment in emptying my mind and to be without shame facing the wall—this truly arose from beside your seat and beneath your couch! What is more, the late Great Master An constantly extended his guidance; ever since he extinguished his shadow in the Twin Trees and returned west with a single sandal, my inner mind was surging and vast, not knowing where to rest. In subsequent years, struck with lingering illness, my mental faculties were confused and bewildered. When there was a slight respite and I could once again discern the directions, I was fortunate to have the Mahāsattva Liang of Yunmen visit my thatched hut. Liang's purport ran on precisely the same track as Master An's; both came from Guizong on Mount Yunju in Mount Lu, and both are descendant streams of Fayan. Last year, having been temporarily assigned to govern this commandery, I happened to meet the Chan Elder Guanghui. He truly succeeded Nanyuan Nian; Nian succeeded Fengxue; Fengxue succeeded the former Nanyuan; Nanyuan succeeded Xinghua; Xinghua succeeded Linji; Linji succeeded Huangbo; Huangbo succeeded Baizhang; Baizhang succeeded Mazu; Mazu issued from Upādhyāya Rang; and Rang is the eldest direct heir of Caoxi. In the midst of my vegetarian retreat, my official duties were simple; in the leisure after dining, I either invited him over to sit or ordered my carriage to follow him. Asking and tapping without limit, my ignorance and stagnation were instantly released. After half a year, I was completely clear and without doubt. It was like suddenly remembering what was forgotten, like suddenly awakening from sleep. The things that normally obstructed my breast fell away with a crash; the matters that remained obscure through accumulated kalpas appeared expansively before me. Indeed, my determinations became penetratingly distinct, and my responses were without hesitation. Reflecting repeatedly upon the past worthies, they mostly engaged in widespread visits and inquiries. For instance, Xuefeng went up Mount Dong nine times and went to Touzi three times, finally succeeding Deshan. Linji attained the Dharma under Dayu, yet ultimately succeeded Huangbo. Yunyan received much instruction and guidance from Daowu, yet became a son of Yaoshan. Danxia personally received Mazu's seal of approval, yet ultimately became Stone Head's descendant. Such cases were frequent in antiquity, with no conflict in principle. This sick man's connection of inheritance now truly belongs to Guanghui, yet the source of stimulation and encouragement truly issued from Aofeng. How joyful and fortunate! How joyful and fortunate!' / The Duke asked Guanghui, 'I have heard that the Upādhyāya said all sinful karma is born from wealth and treasures, and you urge people to be detached from wealth and gain. Furthermore, the sentient beings of Southern Jambudvīpa consider wealth their very life, and states gather people by means of wealth. In the teachings there are the two kinds of giving—giving of material wealth and giving of the Dharma. How can you urge people to be detached from wealth?' / Guanghui said, 'An iron dragon's head on the tip of a banner pole.' / The Duke said, 'A horse on the ocean altar is as large as a donkey.' / Guanghui said, 'A chicken of Chu is not a phoenix of the Cinnabar Mountain.' / The Duke said, 'Two thousand years after the Buddha's nirvāṇa, bhikṣus have little shame.' / The Duke posed one hundred questions asking Guanghui to answer; Guanghui answered them one by one and sent them back. / The Duke asked Commandant Li, 'What did Śākyamuni accomplish by six years of ascetic practice?' / The Commandant said, 'Only when the shoulder pole snaps do you know the weight of the firewood.' / The Duke, due to a slight indisposition, asked Great Master Huan, 'Today I am suddenly indisposed. In your compassion, Great Master, how will you treat and cure me?' / Huan said, 'A bowl of clove soup.' / The Duke thereupon made a vomiting gesture. / Huan said, 'Affectionate love becomes affliction.' / While Huan was decocting medicine for him, the Duke shouted, 'There is a thief!' / Huan placed the medicine before the Duke, clasped his hands, and stood to one side. The Duke glared at him with eyes wide and said, 'A fellow of little monastic training!' Huan flicked his sleeve and went out. / Another day, the Duke asked, 'My four elements are about to scatter; how will the Great Master save me?' / Huan thereupon beat his chest three times. / The Duke said, 'Fortunately, I encountered an adept.' / Huan said, 'After studying the Buddha's Dharma for how many years, your worldly air is still not eliminated?' / The Duke said, 'Misfortunes never come singly.' / Huan made a hissing sound. / The Duke wrote a verse and left it to Commandant Li, saying: / 'The arising of bubbles and the vanishing of bubbles: / The two phenomena are fundamentally equal. / If you wish to know the true place of return, / It is west of Zhaozhou's Eastern Cloister.' / When the Commandant saw it, he said, 'Selling paper money in the temple of Mount Tai.' By the time the Commandant arrived, the Duke had already passed away.

4.24

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Liangshan Yan

4.25

Chan Master Shanji of Liangshan in Dingzhou. A monk asked, "What is it like when one brushes away the dust and sees the Buddha?" The Master said, "Do not let your eyes become blurred." He asked, "When will the Venerable Upādhyāya become a Buddha?" The Master said, "For now, do not press the innocent into servitude." The monk said, "Why are you unwilling to undertake it?" The Master said, "A good thing is not as good as nothing." The Master praised Luzu's wall-gazing in a verse: "Luzu's samādhi required the least effort: / As soon as he saw a monk come, he immediately faced the wall. / If one is a person who knows the mind and has reached the Way, / Without him even raising an eyebrow, one already knows him intimately."

4.26

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Daowu Quan

4.27

Chan Master Qiyu of Mount Tianping in Xiangzhou. A monk asked, "Whose song does the Master sing? Whose ancestral house style do you inherit?" The Master said, "Striking both ends of the hourglass drum." He asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The Master said, "The radish stone of Zhenzhou." Upāsaka Hancha asked, "What is it like when dharmas are without wavering?" The Master said, "You came from Lufu." The Upāsaka said, "I have not taken a single step." The Master said, "How did you manage to get here?" The Upāsaka said, "Why is the Venerable Upādhyāya talking in his sleep?" The Master said, "I let you off twenty blows of the stick." An official asked, "There is no neighbor to separate us; why do we not see each other?" The Master said, "Whom do you resent?" While the Master was walking along the corridor, he saw a monk and held out his staff to show him. The monk came forward to take it. The Master immediately struck him.

4.28

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Guizong Rou

4.29

Chan Master Zu'yin Xinglin of Luohan in Nankang Commandery. A monk asked, "Heaven rains down sweet dew, and the earth wells up the seven treasures—whose concern is this?" The Master said, "I thank you for reporting it." The monk said, "If so, then a son of the Buddha abiding in this place is precisely the Buddha's enjoyment." The Master said, "You must be more careful." When the Master ascended the hall and had just sat down, a cat suddenly jumped onto his body. The Master held it up to show the assembly and said: "In former days Nanquan personally cut it in two; / Today Yaśas shows it to the disciples of the mystery. / Now I sell it to all you Zen travelers: / The contract is clear—do you want it or not?" After a long pause, he threw down the cat and immediately stepped down from the seat.

4.30

Chan Master Xin of Tiantong in Mingzhou. A monk asked, "What is the secret function?" The Master said, "When was it ever secret?" He asked, "What is it like when the pathway of the mind is not yet open?" The Master said, "What thing is obstructing you?" He asked, "What is it like when one seeks it but cannot attain it?" The Master said, "What is the use of seeking?" The monk said, "What is it then?" The Master said, "When was it ever lost?" He asked, "What is the environment of Tiantong?" The Master said, "No one plants the clouds, yet where does their arising end? / Who commanded the water to go, never to return?"

4.31

Chan Master Xinyin Jueke of Gongchen in Hangzhou. A monk asked, "The Patriarch is not on East Mountain or West Mountain; where is he?" The Master said, "Just go search for him." He asked, "What is the naturally authentic Buddha?" The Master said, "How would I dare dress him up?"

4.32

Chan Master Qingjian of Tiantong in Mingzhou was a son of the Zhang family of Qiantang. The Master's conduct was solitary and pure; at the time people called him 'Jian, the traveler from Zhejiang.' A monk asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The Master said, "I do not wish to speak of it to you." The monk said, "Please, Upādhyāya, speak of it." The Master said, "Bodhidharma cannot come again." Later in life the Master resided at Xuedou, where he died. His stūpa was built at the southeast corner of the monastery.

4.33

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Baizhang Heng

4.34

Chan Master Chengshi of Qixian on Mount Lu was a native of Jianning. A monk asked, "The stone bridge of Zhaozhou carries donkeys and carries horses; whom should the stone bridge of the Three Gorges carry?" The Master said, "Frogs and earthworms." The monk said, "If so, then each and every thing receives the favor fully." The Master said, "They do not step upon it." He asked, "Yesterday at Xiandong the Master finished singing; today at Qixian we ask the Master to proclaim it." The Master said, "What will you do tomorrow?" The monk said, "I do not know how to understand this." The Master said, "The arrow has passed Silla." He asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "Zhang the Third and Li the Fourth." He asked, "What was the ancient's intention in slaying the snake?" The Master said, "He still did not know pain or itch." He asked, "This is the examination ground for choosing Buddhas, where those with empty minds pass and return home. How can this student pass and return home?" The Master said, "Lacking talent, I respectfully retire." At the evening gathering, when the assembly had assembled, the Master said, "This morning I did not meet with you all; tonight I cannot be without words." He then stepped down from the seat. A monk asked, "The ṛṣi Vimalanetra took Sudhana's hand and saw Buddhas numerous as fine dust. Just before he took his hand, what did he see?" The Master said, "What do you see now?" Having ascended the hall, after a long pause, the Master said, "Fortunately there is a good plate of rice; one must not sprinkle pepper and ginger over it. Even though it is like this, try to peck and eat it." He then stepped down from the seat.

4.35

Chan Master Dexing of Wanshou in Suzhou. A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "The great assembly looks up with reverence all at once." He asked, "What is the Upādhyāya's phrase for helping people?" The Master said, "For now, help yourself." He then said, "Question and answer are both complete; who among you catches the meaning? If you seek it from another, it becomes a needless detour instead. This old monk stayed in the deep mountains for a long time, originally intending to hide his clumsiness. Who would have thought that today I would enter beneath the gates of Wanshou? Truly it can be said that hiding it is impossible. Since it cannot be hidden, it is clearly exposed. I wonder who among you sees it first? If someone has a place of seeing, come forward before the assembly and utter a message." After a long pause, he said, "You have stood for a long time. Take care."

4.36

Chan Master Yong of Yunmen Yongxi in Yuezhou. A monk asked, "What is it like before the lion has left its den?" The Master said, "For now, do not roar." The monk said, "What about after it has left the den?" The Master said, "Step backward!" He asked, "What is the direct pathway of the ancient Buddhas?" The Master said, "Who does not tread upon it?" He asked, "Where is the place where the student rests the mind and ceases deliberations?" The Master said, "Have you managed to snap your staff in two yet?" He asked, "What is it like when the mind-king issues a decree?" The Master said, "Proclaim it once more and let us see." He asked, "What is the definitive meaning?" The Master said, "You must not grasp onto it." He asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?" The Master said, "This meaning is not small."

4.37

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Chongshou Chou

4.38

Chan Master Lingcen of Mount Yuntai in Quanzhou was a son of the Cai family of this prefecture. A monk asked, "What is the realm of Yuntai?" The Master said, "The mountain in front and the mountain behind." The monk asked, "What is the person in the realm?" The Master said, "A dozing fellow."

4.39

Monastery Director Yuanjin of Ziguo in Hangzhou was a native of this prefecture. A monk asked, "What was Danxia's meaning in burning the wooden Buddha?" The Master said, "Inviting the cause and bringing on the effect." He asked, "What is the meaning of the cypress tree in the courtyard?" The Master said, "The blue-eyed barbarian monk nods his head with a smile." He asked, "The ancients said, 'Become a donkey in the eastern house, become a horse in the western house'—what was the meaning?" The Master said, "Acquaintances fill the whole world."

4.40

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Yunju Xi

4.41

Chan Master Congjin of Bore in Taizhou. A monk asked, "What is it like when there is a cold spring in an ancient torrent?" The Master said, "Be sure not to drink it." The monk said, "What happens if one drinks it?" The Master said, "You will forfeit your life."

4.42

Chan Master Zhichao of Qinghua in Yuezhou was a son of the Dong family of Hangzhou. A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "What kind of person are you?" The monk said, "Could it be just this?" The Master said, "If it is 'this', there is no connection at all."

4.43

Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Fascicle 4

Linked texts (1)

續傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese