續傳燈錄 5
English (machine translation) 5
- Language
- English
5.1
Table of Contents for Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Fascicle 5
5.2
Eleventh Generation Under Dajian
Six Dharma heirs of Chan Master Dongshan Xiaocong:
Chan Master Yunju Xiaoshun
Chan Master Dagui Huaiyou
Chan Master Bairi Qisong
Governor and Director Xu Shi (the above four have records); Chan Master Baizhang Xian
Chan Master Jianshan Jian (the above two have no records)
Thirty-three Dharma heirs of Chan Master Letan Huai'cheng:
Chan Master Yuwang Huailian
Chan Master Lingyin Yunzhi
Chan Master Chengtian Weijian
Chan Master Jiufeng Jianshao
Chan Master Xita Xianshu
Chan Master Chongshan Yongliang
Chan Master Huili Youwen
Chan Master Xuefeng Xiangdun
Chan Master Yunju Shouyi
Chan Master Dongshan Yongfu
Head Monk Lingtao (the above eleven have records)
Chan Master Shousheng Puchan
Chan Master Jin'e Jingmin
Chan Master Guanghui Yuxin
Chan Master Huichu Qingcheng
Chan Master Qingyang Zhong
Chan Master Nanquan Jing
Chan Master Zhizhe Yue
Chan Master Lingquan Zixiang
Chan Master Shousheng Zhiming
Chan Master Yong'an Zhi
Chan Master Nandang Liqin
Upādhyāya Yong'en of Mount Heng
Chan Master Hongze of Suzhou
Upādhyāya Yuanheng of Hongzhou
Upādhyāya Qixia of Mingzhou
Chan Master Tiansheng Dao
Chan Master Dagui Zhiming
Chan Master Huihe of Lin'an
Chan Master Yong'an Daosheng
Chan Master Yaoshan Shaoxin
Chan Master Shuangling Chuxian
Chan Master Guizong Shoulun (the above twenty-two have no records)
Seven Dharma heirs of Chan Master Dongshan Zibao:
Chan Master Dongshan Qingbian (one has a record)
Chan Master Dongshan Jianqian
Chan Master Yuehua Hailin
Chan Master Yuehua Qingyong
Chan Master Nantai Wen
Chan Master Huaguang Hui
Chan Master Changqing Huien (the above six have no records)
Three Dharma heirs of Chan Master Beita Siguang:
Chan Master Yuquan Chenghao (one has a record)
Chan Master Yongle Dezhong
Chan Master Beita Congwen (two have no records)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Y蓋 (Yungai) Zhiyong:
Chan Master Yunju Wenqing (one has a record)
Chan Master Qixian Jian (one has no record)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Cuifeng Huiyong:
Chan Master Guangguo Zeneng
Chan Master Deshan Rang (the above two have no records)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Sizhu Duan:
Chan Master Guangming Changwei (has a record)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Haihui Tong:
Chan Master Shuinan Wenxiu
Chan Master Chengtian He (two have no records)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Yandang Wenji:
Chan Master Jingguang Weijue (has a record)
Four Dharma heirs of Chan Master Jinshan Ruixin:
Chan Master Tiansheng Shoudao (one has a record)
Chan Master Tiansheng Chuxiang
Chan Master Jile Yongji
Chan Master Shangfang Shouneng (the above three have no records)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Shangfang Qiyue:
Chan Master Dongshan Shunzong (has a record)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Yuwang Changtan:
Chan Master Yuwang Chengyi
Chan Master Hushan Zhexian (the above two have no records)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Jiashan Weijun:
Chan Master Jiashan Dao (has no record)
Seven Dharma heirs of Chan Master Beichan Zhixian:
Chan Master Xinghua Shaoxian
Chan Master Fachang Yiyu
Chan Master Guangyin Zheyao (the above three have records)
Chan Master Xinghua Hui
Chan Master Beichan Shun
Chan Master Baizhao Chuisu
Chan Master Nanyue Zixiang (the above four have no records)
Thirteen Dharma heirs of Chan Master Kaixian Shanxian:
Chan Master Yunju Liaoyuan
Chan Master Zhihai Benyi
Chan Master Tiantong Yuanchu
Chan Master Wanshan Shanshuang (the above four have records)
Chan Master Ehu Gong
Chan Master Jiuxian Yuanshun
Chan Master Guanghui Wenshen
Chan Master Kaixian Haiyuan
Chan Master Anguo Sijiao
Chan Master Shangfang Shanquan
Chan Master Faji Shan
Chan Master Changqing Shaoxin
Chan Master Dongshan Huiyuan (the above nine have no records)
Five Dharma heirs of Chan Master Heshan Chucai:
Chan Master Caoshan Xiong (one has a record)
Chan Master Beichan Sheng
Chan Master Bao'en Shaoduan
Chan Master Jianfu Shouji
Chan Master Xinfeng Quanzhan (the above four have no records)
Two Dharma heirs of Chan Master Zisheng Ganqin:
Chan Master Benjue Shengwen
Chan Master Zisheng Zizhang (the above two have no records)
One Dharma heir of Chan Master Qinshan Wuqin:
Chan Master Liangshan Yingyuan (has a record)
5.3
Table of Contents for Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Fascicle 5
5.4
Eleventh Generation Under Dajian
5.5
Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Dongshan Xiaocong
5.6
Chan Master Xiaoshun of Yunju in Nankang Commandery was a native of Ruizhou. In his youth he was coarse and impetuous. Suddenly awakening to the floating illusion [of life], he turned to a master and left home. Thereupon cultivating refined practice, he went to study with Dongshan. One day he went to Wuchang to beg for alms, and first visited the home of Upāsaka Mr. Liu. The upāsaka's lofty conduct was respected by his contemporaries; in whatever his mind granted or withheld, none would not follow him. The master was young at the time and, not knowing that he was thoroughly seasoned in practice, treated him rather lightly. The upāsaka said, “This old fellow has a question. If there is mutual accord, I will open the subscription ledger. If there is no accord, please return to the mountain.” He then asked, “How is it before the ancient mirror is polished?” The master said, “Black as lacquer.” The upāsaka said, “How is it after it is polished?” The master said, “Illuminating heaven and illuminating earth.” The upāsaka made a deep bow and said, “Please, reverend, return to the mountain.” Flicking his sleeves, he went into his house. Ashamed and crestfallen, the master immediately returned to Dongshan. Dongshan asked him the reason, and the master related the matter in detail. Dongshan said, “You ask me, and I will speak to you.” The master posed the former question. Dongshan said, “From here to Hanyang is not far.” The master posed the latter question. Dongshan said, “Parrot Island before the Yellow Crane Tower.” At these words, the master was greatly awakened. His sharp point of mind could not be touched. After he became abbot, a monk asked, “We have received your words: ‘Do not talk of the profound; do not speak of the wondrous.’ Setting aside these two paths, how do you give instruction?” The master said, “A toad pursues a sparrowhawk.” The monk said, “This is entirely due to this question.” The master said, “A mouse plays with a monkey.” Ascending the hall, he said, “There is only the single adamantine body, appearing amid all dust particles. Toads and earthworms each have their burrows; crows, magpies, turtle doves, and pigeons also have their nests. Right at such a time, for what kind of person does one preach the Dharma?” After a long pause, he said, “Directions gather by kinds; things divide by groups.” Ascending the hall, he said, “On the road through the Three Gorges there is no difference; morning after morning it is only spoken of thus. Sengyou can paint a true likeness; Zhen Prefecture produces fine wrought iron.” Ascending the hall, he said, “Not long, not short; not small, not large. Whose realm is this principle? Bah!” Ascending the hall, he said, “Hearing the two words ‘Buddha Dharma’ has already defiled my ears and eyes. Before you people have crossed the gate of Yunju, right under your heels you deserve thirty blows of the stick. Although it is like this, it is also exhausting one's strength for the assembly.” Ascending the hall, he brought up Jiashan's saying: “At the gate of the bustling market, recognize the Son of Heaven; on the tips of the hundred grasses, make out the old monk.” [The master said,] “Yunju is not so. The woman rocks the loom, clack-clack; the child plays with his mouth, awry.” Ascending the hall, he said, “In various regions there are those who handle a snake’s head, pull a tiger’s tail, leap across the great ocean, or conceal their bodies within the edge of a sword. Here at Yunju, in cold weather we wash our feet in hot water; during the night we take off our socks and sleep; in the morning we hurriedly put on our leggings. When the wind blows the fence down, we call the laborers to split bamboo strips and bind it up.” Ascending the hall, he said, “Yunju does not understand Chan; / Washing feet, going to bed to sleep. / The winter melon is simply blockish; / The gourd is curved and crooked.”
5.7
Chan Master Huaiyou of Dahui in Tanzhou. A monk asked, “A person is tested with words; gold is tested with fire. I wonder, what does a patch-robed monk use to test?” The master said, “The staff.” The monk said, “What about in the end?” The master said, “Step back.” The monk assented. The master then struck him and said, “When told to stop, you refuse to stop; you wait straight until the rain drenches your head.”
5.8
Chan Master Qisong of Fori in Hangzhou was a son of the Li family of Tanjut in Tengzhou. At age seven he left home, and at thirteen he was ordained. At nineteen he traveled around visiting kalyāṇamitras everywhere, and attained the Dharma under Dongshan. At night the master would wear an image of Guanyin on his head and recite her name, invariably completing one hundred thousand repetitions before going to sleep as his regular practice. From then on, worldly classics, books, chapters, and sentences he could master without studying. He composed the Treatise on the Origin of the Teaching (Yuanjiao lun) in over one hundred thousand words, elucidating that the ways of Confucianism and Buddhism are joined by a single thread, so as to counter the anti-Buddhist arguments of Han Yu’s school; those who read it were awed into submission. Later he lived at the Yongan Hermitage, where he wrote the Chart of the Fixed Patriarchs of the Chan School (Chanmen dingzu tu), the Record of the True Lineage of Dharma Transmission (Chuanfa zhengzong ji), and the Collection for Assisting the Teaching (Fujiao bian). He presented them to Emperor Renzong, who examined them with deep admiration, and sent orders to the Dharma Transmission Academy to edit and incorporate them into the Canon, issuing an edict bestowing praise and honor and conferring the title Mingjiao. The Grand Councilor Han Qi and Participant in Determining Governmental Affairs Ouyang Xiu both invited him for audience and treated him with reverence. When he returned east, at dawn on the fourth day of the sixth month in the fourth year of the Xining reign era, he wrote a verse: ‘Later in the night the moon begins to shine bright; / Today I gladly walk alone. / I will not follow old Damei, / Coveting to hear the sound of the flying squirrel.’ At midnight he passed away. There were five parts that did not decay during cremation: the crown of the head, the ears, the tongue, the virile member, and the rosary. The skull bone yielded crystalline, pure red and white relics. Monastics and laypeople combined the indestructible parts and buried them to the left of his former dwelling at Yongan. Later, Beijian Jujian, who resided at Jingci, once wrote a Eulogy on the Five Indestructible Things. The master had a collected works in twenty fascicles, titled Tanjin, which circulated widely in the world. Xu Shi, the Prefect of Hongzhou, studied under Dongshan and attained the correct Dharma eye. One day, while he was seated with Letan Cheng and Shanglan Pu, Letan asked, “I hear that you said, Official, ‘Sitting at night on the stone connected to the clouds; / Planting in spring the pine bringing rain.’ At that time, what words did you reply to Dongshan?” The prefect said, “Today government business was dismissed early.” Letan said, “I hear you replied that the Great Saint of Sizhou appeared in Yangzhou—is that so or not?” The prefect said, “Serve some different tea.” Letan said, “Your reputation is not falsely spread.” The prefect said, “When does the Upādhyāya return to the mountain?” Letan said, “Today I was seen through by Shanglan.” Lan then shouted. Letan said, “It had to be you to manage it.” The prefect said, “Unable to do anything about the boat, one smashes the bailer.”
5.9
Dharma heirs of Chan Master Letan Cheng
5.10
Chan Master Huailian Dajue of Mount Yuwang in Mingzhou was a son of the Chen family of Longxi in Zhangzhou. On the night of his birth, his mother dreamed of Saṅgha descending into the room; thus his childhood name was Sizhou. Since there was this extraordinary sign, all knew it was an auspicious response. In childhood he left home, and in his youth he shaved his head. Zealous in the study of the Way, he neglected neither sleeping nor eating. One day while washing his face, he splashed water on the ground, had a slight awakening, and thereupon yearned to search and study. He traveled far to Letan's Dharma seat, where his capacity meshed and received the seal of approval. He served him for more than ten years. Leaving to travel to Mount Lu, he took charge of records under Chan Master Yuantong Ne. During the Huangyou reign era, Emperor Renzong issued an edict appointing him to reside at Jingyin Chan Cloister. He was summoned for an audience at the Huacheng Hall and asked about the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma; his memorialized response matched the imperial will, and he was granted the title Chan Master Dajue. Later the emperor sent a palace envoy to ask: ‘As soon as the whisk is held upright, people stand, which is hard to bear.’ The master immediately sent back a verse presenting his reply: ‘There are joints, but it is not bamboo; / Three stars and a reclining moon palace. / One person residing under the sun, / Not the same as the multitude.’ The emperor read it and was greatly pleased. He again summoned him for an audience in an informal hall, gifted him a silk fan with the ‘Verse on the Original Quiescence’ inscribed upon it, and brushed poems, verses, and answers to the master to bestow upon him, totaling seventeen pieces. In the Zhihe reign era, the master begged to retire in old age to the mountains, and thereupon presented a verse: ‘For six years in the imperial capital I have proclaimed the ancestral mechanism; / Twice in the golden palace I have attended the heavenly majesty. / Concealing myself in the green mountains, what joy do I attain? / Filling my basket, I only carry back the imperial verses.’ The emperor wrote a verse in harmony and did not permit it, further issuing an imperial instruction saying: ‘The mountains are themselves the body of suchness; where would you return? Stay again in the capital and promote the Buddha Dharma for now.’ The master again presented a verse thanking him: ‘The palace envoy announces the message coming out of the forbidden precinct, / Ordering this subject once more to dwell by this Chan door. / The green mountains do not yet allow my thousand clumsinesses to hide; / How can white hair assist the myriad affairs of state? / The luminous favor of celestial dew is just now profound and clear; / The flavor of the forests and springs is bitterly yearned for. / What is more, Yao’s benevolence is as vast as heaven; / It should permit a solitary cloud to fly at ease.’ Soon after, an envoy was sent to bestow a borneol camphor bowl. The master finished giving thanks for the imperial favor, held the bowl, and said, ‘Our Dharma uses robes of decayed color and eats from earthenware and iron; this bowl is not according to the Dharma,’ and thereupon burned it. The palace envoy returned and memorialized it; the emperor praised him without end. During the Zhiping reign era, he submitted a memorial begging to retire, and further presented a verse: ‘A thousand clusters of cloud-clad mountains, ten thousand ravine streams; / An idle body retiring in old age upon this peak. / For the rest of my life I wish to pray for your boundless longevity; / A single stick of pure incense fills the stone chamber.’ Emperor Yingzong granted what he requested and bestowed a personal imperial decree saying: ‘Chan Master Dajue Huailian received the sacred favor of the late emperor and was repeatedly bestowed imperial writings. Having repeatedly presented his sincere plea begging to be granted retirement to the forests, I now comply with what was requested so that he may fulfill his leisurely mind. Wherever he passes through minor hermitages or cloisters, he may reside at his own will; or in the Chan monasteries of the ten directions, they must not constrain or insistently press him.’ After crossing the river, the master stayed briefly at Jinshan. The prefect of Siming at West Lake, because the seat at Yuwang was vacant, welcomed him there. Master Shao of Jiufeng composed an appeal encouraging the invitation, and the people of Siming joined their efforts to build a great pavilion to store the bestowed poems and verses, plaqueing it ‘Imperial Calligraphy’ (Chenkui). When the Hanlin scholar Master Su Shi was Prefect of Hangzhou, he wrote a letter asking the master: ‘I received the request to compose the stele for the Chenkui Pavilion, and have respectfully written it. In my decrepitude and neglected learning, I do not know if it is worthy to be inscribed on stone. I saw Canliao say that on the day the Chan master departed the capital, Emperor Yingzong granted a personal imperial decree, the gist of which said: “Reside at your own will.” I wonder if this really exists or not. If so, I earnestly request that you copy and show the full text, as I wish to add it in.’ This one passage the master kept concealed and never produced; it was only found in his trunk after his death. On the day he opened the hall, a monk asked, ‘The Buddhas appear in the world to benefit and deliver all living beings. Now that the master ascends the lion seat, how will you rescue and deliver them?’ The master said, ‘When the sun rises, the waters widen.’ The monk said, ‘Flowers blossom on a rootless tree; a fish leaps over a tenthousand-fathom peak.’ The master said, ‘In the kingdom of Silla.’ The monk said, ‘The boat of compassion does not row on the clear waves; along the Sword Gorges, it is in vain that one releases the wooden goose.’ The master said, ‘Stripping off clothes and lying in thorns.’ The monk said, ‘A person is tested with words.’ The master said, ‘You are used to taking advantage.’ The monk clapped his hands. The master said, ‘Jump around some more!’ A monk asked, ‘The sage ruler’s imperial verses were personally conferred; how will the Upādhyāya repay this kindness?’ The master said, ‘Both hands pressing on the ground.’ The monk said, ‘If so, then when the one man is blessed, the millions of people rely on him.’ The master said, ‘A staff half a fathom long stirs the Yellow River.’ A monk asked, ‘How is it when oars and sweeps do not stop?’ The master said, ‘On the clear waves, the arrow flies swift.’ The monk said, ‘If so, then moving the boat, one knows the force of the water; raising the oar, one distinguishes the billows.’ The master said, ‘The Ji River crosses Silla.’ The monk said, ‘Unable to remain in the station of the ancient Buddhas, at night as before one lodges in the reed flowers.’ The master said, ‘Children do not recognize the crossroads.’ A monk asked, ‘Sitting atop the head of Vairocana, not receiving the script of Śākyamuni—this is not yet the practitioner’s conduct. What is the practitioner’s conduct?’ The master said, ‘Knocking the forehead and gazing at the bright moon.’ The monk waved his hand. The master said, ‘What are you doing?’ The monk was bewildered. The master said, ‘You have deceived a boatload of people!’ The master said, ‘If one speaks of the Buddha Dharma, both things are surplus words, petty chatter. If you people accept it right here, all of it is having two heads and three visages. For example, though gold dust is precious, it cannot be placed in the eyes. If it is a real patch-robed monk, the moment he hears it mentioned, with one shake he shakes it off, not receiving a speck of dust, solitary, detached, and free—this is the most intimate. Thereafter he can be in heaven together with heaven, among humans together with humans, among monks together with monks, among the laity together with the laity, among ordinary beings together with ordinary beings, among sages together with sages. Appearing and disappearing freely everywhere, nothing can restrain or check him, nothing can assign him a name. Why is this? Because he can establish all dharmas, yet all dharmas after all are not him. Since he has neither front nor back, first of all do not wrongly try to arrange him. Just know how to drink and eat normally and live happily without worry throughout the twelve periods of the day; only this is expected, there is nothing else. Therefore an ancient said: “Carefree, always like a foolish, dull person; his family naturally has discerning people who cherish him.”’ Ascending the hall, he said, ‘Responding to things, forms manifest like the moon in the water.’ Thereupon he held up his staff and said, ‘This is not a thing, yet right now it manifests form. Tell me, where is the moon?’ After a long pause, he said, ‘Though there is a path in the vast sky, you must still penetrate it; on the pool's bottom there are no tracks, no need to seek.’ Striking the incense stand, he stepped down from his seat.
5.11
Chan Master Cijue Yunzhi of Lingyin in Lin'an Prefecture. A monk asked, "Each Buddha that appears in the world sits upon a flower. What auspicious omen accompanied the Upādhyāya's appearance in the world?" The Master said, "White clouds lie across the mouth of the valley." The monk said, "Surpassing the past and leaving none to follow." The Master said, "Wrong." The monk said, "May the great assembly bear witness; this student offers bows of gratitude." The Master said, "Flawed." He asked, "What is the Way?" The Master said, "What way?" The monk said, "The Great Way." The Master said, "To travel a thousand miles, the first step is the beginning." The monk asked, "What is the person of the Way?" The Master said, "Stationed in the Western Heavens; general superintendent in this place." The monk bowed. The Master then uttered, "Hōng, hōng." Ascending the hall: "The sun, moon, clouds, and rosy mist are the marks of heaven; mountains, rivers, grasses, and trees are the marks of earth. Attracting the worthy and recruiting scholars are the marks of virtue; living in leisure and delighting in quietude are the marks of the Way." Holding up his staff, he said, "And tell me, what mark is this? Do you understand? Held up, there are patterns and colors; laid down, it is coarse and clumsy. If you neither hold it up nor lay it down, what will you do?" After a long pause, he said, "Helping you across the waters of the broken bridge; accompanying you back to the moonless village." Striking once, he stepped down from his seat. Ascending the hall: "The autumn wind rises; the wutong leaves in the courtyard fall. Patch-robed monks clamor to see the auspicious omen. Zhang the Third and Li the Fourth hawk their empty clamor; Shide and Hanshan squabble over cheap and dear. Meeting face to face, there is neither hard nor easy. In the thoroughfares, the stalls and market-booths crowd the empty void and fill the whole world under heaven. Let Linji be atop the mass of red flesh; Xuefeng be the southern mountain's pit viper; Xuansha see the tiger; Juzhi raise his finger. In an instant they are brought forth and given before your very face. If you deliberate further—thousands of mountains, myriad rivers." He added, "Excessive."
5.12
Chan Master Weijian of Chengtian in Wuzhou. A monk asked, "Are the Buddhas and sentient beings one or two?" The Master said, "When blossoms open, the entire tree is red; when blossoms fall, ten thousand branches are bare." The monk said, "Ultimately, are they one or two?" The Master said, "Only a single blossom remains; tomorrow I fear it will follow the wind." He asked, "What is the hair-severing sword?" The Master said, "Many stars cannot match the moon." The monk said, "What of the one who wields it?" The Master said, "Fallen." The monk said, "What after it has fallen?" The Master said, "Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva." He asked, "What is the Upādhyāya's house style?" The Master said, "When the principle is sound, one simply follows it." The monk said, "How is one to understand this?" The Master said, "Drawing a pheasant does not make a chicken." He asked, "Opening the mouth is an immediate error; closing the mouth is immediate ruin. How should one speak?" The Master said, "The tongue has no bone." The monk said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "Playing the zither to an ox." Ascending the hall: "Now, the realm of Vairocana is the mysterious gate of all wonders. The kalyāṇamitra speaks of it without exhausting it; Sudhana draws from it without depleting it; Mañjuśrī embodies it in silence; Samantabhadra realizes it in layer upon layer. If one accords with its Dharma-nature, it is like clouds dispersing from the azure sky, fundamentally not a single thing. If one accords with its functional wisdom, it is like flowers blossoming in a spring valley, its functions boundless. Although said to pervade sands of the Ganges, all equally follow the single way. Now I ask all of you: What is the single way?" After a long pause, he said, "Where the white clouds part, the bright moon is seen; when yellow leaves fall, the beating of clothes is heard. Attend!" Ascending the hall: "Do not abandon hindrances and bonds; do not seek Buddhas and patriarchs. Abandoning these two paths, upon what will you rely? Jiang Yan dreamed of a brush; Tianlong saw a tiger. As the ancients passed down: the moon does not cross five. Attend!" Ascending the hall: "Cutting in two with a single blade buries the lineage style; the lion rolling over is covered in mud and dripping with water. Even if you sit cutting off the ten directions, barring both common and sage, right beneath your heels you deserve thirty blows."
5.13
Chan Master Jianshao of Jiufeng in Mingzhou. A monk asked, "I have heard that the Upādhyāya is a direct son of Letan; is this true?" The Master said, "It is." The monk said, "Do you still remember the phrase that brought you strength back then?" The Master said, "I remember." The monk said, "Please present it." The Master said, "The left hand clenches a fist; the right hand holds a brush." Ascending the hall: "This mountain monk's speaking of Chan is like a grasshopper spitting oil: squeeze it and it comes out; if you don't squeeze it, there is not a single drop. Why? Simply because I have never read ancient and modern nidānas, nor have I arranged exquisite views and knowledge beforehand to wait for ascending the hall, only to hone my lips and lick my chops, reeking of congee and rice to scorch all of you. Whenever there is a question and an answer, it is truly out of having no choice. Is it only this mountain monk? Look at that Tathāgata Mahābhijñājñānābhibhū: he sat silently for ten kalpas without opening his mouth. Later, only because the devas, Brahmās, and sixteen princes repeatedly urged and entreatied him did he begin to speak of it. Yet it was not that he kept it secret, but simply that he dared not bury all of you. Since this mountain monk does not bury all of you, do not say that this mountain monk can ascend the seat. Attend!"
5.14
Chan Master Xianshu of Xita in Wuzhou ascended the hall: "On the seat at Huangmei they were numerous as hemp seeds; displaying their capacity in phrases, the affair was pitiable. Even if fundamentally there is not a single thing, the blue sky and white sun are obscured by clouds. Attend!"
5.15
Chan Master Yongliang of Chongshan Temple in Tiantai. A monk asked, "Are the triple gate and oneself the same or different?" The Master said, "Moving eight ounces to make half a catty." The monk said, "Then the autumn waters carry the fishing boat away." The Master said, "When the eastern house lights a lamp, why does the western house search for oil?" The monk said, "The mountain is high, so the moon rises late." The Master said, "What did you say?" The monk said, "Do not doze off." The Master said, "Entering the water, one sees a tall man."
5.16
Chan Master Youwen of Huili in Linjiang Commandery ascended the hall: "The Jianshan mountains are desolate; we sit leaning against the city wall. Flavorless talk is shattered into pieces." Striking the incense stand with his staff, he stepped down from his seat.
5.17
Chan Master Xiangdun of Xuefeng in Fuzhou. A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "Holding a torch to illuminate the fish swimming." The monk said, "What is the Dharma?" The Master said, "Translators from the Tang could not translate it." The monk said, "I have already received the Master's instruction on the Buddha and Dharma; what is the ultimate affair?" The Master said, "The thirtieth day of the twelfth month."
5.18
Chan Master Shouyi of Yunju in Nankang Commandery ascended the hall: "Mazu had just ascended the hall, when Xiongfeng rolled up the mat. A gust of spring wind comes, and flowers litter the ground in disorder." He then stepped down from his seat.
5.19
Chan Master Yongfu of Dongshan in Ruizhou ascended the hall: "At the tip of the staff, carry the sun and moon; the wooden horse neighs in the night." Holding up his staff, he said, "The Great Master Yunmen has arrived!" Striking once, he said, "Cooking sand into rice; seeing a well, making it into trousers. Attend!"
5.20
Head Monk Lingtao had long studied under Letan. Letan accordingly asked, "The Patriarch came from the West with a solitary transmission of the mind seal, directly pointing to the human mind, seeing one's nature and becoming a Buddha. How do you understand this?" The Master said, "I do not understand." Letan said, "Before you left home, what did you do?" The Master said, "Herded oxen." Letan said, "How did you herd them?" The Master said, "Early in the morning I rode out; late in the evening I rode back." Letan said, "You don't understand—how very fine!" The Master had a great awakening at these words and composed a verse: "Letting go of the ox-rope, I left home; / Shaving off hair and beard, I put on the kāṣāya. / If someone asks me about the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West: / My staff slung across my shoulder—luoli luo!"
5.21
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Zibao of Dongshan
5.22
Chan Master Qingbian of Dongshan in Ruizhou. A monk asked, "Baizhang attained great capacity; Huangbo attained great function. What did the Upādhyāya attain?" The Master gave a shout. The monk also shouted. The Master struck him. The monk said, "What about the eyes of the great assembly?" He then returned to the assembly. The Master sighed twice.
5.23
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Siguang of Beita
5.24
Chan Master Chenghao of Yuquan in Jingzhou Commandery had the surname Wang and was a native of Danling in Meizhou. Relying on Dali Cloister, he left home and received full ordination. Later he went on itinerant pilgrimage and studied under Beita, uncovering the mind essential and attaining the samādhi of great autonomy. He made calf-nose underpants and wrote the names of the successive patriarchs upon them, saying, "Only Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra are slightly better; I will write them on the waistband." Thus the monastic community called him Hao of the Cloth Underpants. During the Yuanfeng era, he served as head monk at Guyin in Xiangyang. A monk from his native region also imitated him. When the Master saw it, he scolded him, "What principle do you possess to dare make sport of this? It will be too late when you vomit blood!" Soon after, that monk passed away at Lumen just as he had predicted. Zhang Wujin, serving as imperial commissioner to the Jingxi South Circuit, went to pay him respects and invited him to open the Dharma hall at Dayang in Yingzhou. At that time, the abbot of Guyin was privately delighted for him. The Master accepted the invitation, ascended the seat, and said, "I have been at Guyin for ten years, yet I have never drunk a single drop of Guyin's water nor chewed a single grain of Guyin's rice. If you do not understand, come to Dayang and I will explain it for you." Carrying his staff, he stepped down from his seat and left haughtily. Soon after, he moved to Yuquan. He instructed the assembly: "Rain poured through the night, knocking over the grape trellis. Duty-distributor, temple officers, postulants, and laborers—those propping propped, those bracing braced. Bracing and propping until dawn, still pitiful as ever!" In a self-eulogy: "When the congee is thin, I follow behind; / When the bed is narrow, I lie down first. / Being deaf, I like loud voices; / Having dim eyes, large characters suit me best." On the winter solstice he instructed the assembly: "The solar shadow shifts along; my cloth underpants are bright red. Do not blame me for not washing them; there are no replacements." Once, a monk was entering his room while a dog was inside. The Master shouted at it, and the dog went out. The Master said, "The dog understands, but you do not." When the Master showed illness, his disciples gathered around. The Master smiled and said, "I am eighty-one years old; dying of old age, my corpse is carried out. Children, exert your strength together: three hundred and sixty days in a year." Having finished speaking, he passed away.
5.25
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Zhiyong of Yungai
5.26
Chan Master Haiyin Wenqing of Yunju in Nankang Commandery. A monk asked, "What is the phrase that covers heaven and earth?" The Master said, "Fitting together." The monk said, "What is the phrase that follows the waves and pursues the currents?" The Master said, "Vast." The monk said, "What is the phrase that cuts off all streams?" The Master said, "Narrow." Ascending the hall: "The Way is fundamentally non-action; Dharma is neither protracted nor brief. Ten thousand years in a single thought; thousands of ages present before the eyes. The moon is bright, the wind calm; the mountains green, the waters emerald. Each and every phenomenon appears before us; thing after thing is completely furnished. The ancestral meaning and doctrinal meaning are neither straight nor crooked. If you wish to know the price of rice in Luling, understand that the wheat before the mountain has ripened." Striking the meditation couch with his fly-whisk, he stepped down from his seat.
5.27
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Duan of Sizhu
5.28
Chan Master Changwei of Guangming in Fuzhou. A monk asked, "I know the Master has long kept the jewel hidden in his pouch; today on the floor, please lend it to me for a look." The Master said, "Look." The monk said, "Then I thank the Master for your instruction." The Master said, "Dropping a line at leisure, it easily took the hook."
5.29
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Wenji of Mount Yandang
5.30
Chan Master Weijue of Jingguang in Wenzhou. A monk asked, "The Master personally sings the single tune of Yunmen; what is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The Master said, "What did you say?" The monk said, "Then this is precisely where the Upādhyāya assists people." The Master said, "Wrong." He then said, "Jingguang's azure temple is the Jetavana of the ancient Buddhas. Hearing its name, worldly minds suddenly cease; beholding it with the eyes is just like ascending to heaven. Facing the city walls in front, backed by forest and springs. Everywhere people sing of the imperial transformation; what need is there to expound wonders and discuss the profound? What about the one aperture directed upward?" Suddenly seizing his staff, he struck once and said, "The mandarin ducks are embroidered—look as you please; / Do not pass the golden needle to others!" He then stepped down from his seat.
5.31
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Ruixin of Jinshan
5.32
Chan Master Shoudao of Tiansheng in Anji Prefecture ascended the hall: "The sun and moon circle Mount Sumeru; in the human realm, day and night are divided. The people of Jambudvīpa are only hindered by light and dark, form and void. Tell me: How do you speak a phrase that does not fall into light and dark?" After a long pause, he said, "The color of willows is tender gold; pear blossoms are fragrant white snow. Attend!" Ascending the hall: "Not going from one stage to another stage: within the nature of quiescent cessation, how could there be ranks? Śākyamuni bowed his head and asked Dīpaṃkara: 'Benevolent one, why is this called receiving the prediction?'" He then stepped down from his seat.
5.33
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Qiyue of Shangfang
5.34
Chan Master Shunzong of Guoqing at Dongshan in Yuezhou ascended the hall: "When mind arises, various phenomena arise; when mind ceases, various phenomena cease." Holding up his staff, he said, "This is phenomena; which is the ceased mind? If someone can say, I grant that you possess eyes on the crown of your head. If not yet so: the clouds are dark, not knowing whether the sky is early or late; the snow is deep, hard to tell whether the road is high or low. Attend!"
5.35
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Zhixian of Beichan
5.36
Chan Master Shaoxian of Xinghua in Tanzhou was a native of Quanzhou. Ascending the hall, he picked up his staff and said, 'The entire great canon of teachings is waste paper for wiping filth. Talk of surpassing the buddhas and transcending the patriarchs is deception aimed at ordinary commoners. If one considers what belongs under the gate of a patch-robed monk, not a single bit of it can be used. What is the business under the gate of a patch-robed monk?' After a long pause he said, 'Abundant emptiness is not as good as a little reality.' He struck the incense stand and descended from his seat.
5.37
Chan Master Yiyu of Fachang in Hongzhou was a son of the Lin family of Zhangzhou. In his youth he renounced household life, relied on Chongfu [Monastery] in his prefecture, and was ordained. Possessing great aspiration, he traveled widely from the time of his full ordination, making a name for himself in the monastic groves. Upādhyāya Yuan of Fushan once pointed him out and told people, 'This is a model for junior monks on itinerant pilgrimage.' He went to call upon Beichan [Zhi]xian. Xian asked, 'Where have you recently come from?' The Master said, 'Fuyan.' Xian said, 'How long is Master [Hui]si's nostril?' The Master said, 'Just the same as what the Upādhyāya saw back then.' Xian said, 'Tell me, how long was it when this old monk saw it?' The Master said, 'It is very much as though the Upādhyāya has never been to Fuyan.' Xian laughed and said, 'A fellow who mimics words!' He also asked, 'When you came, was Great Master Ma in good health?' The Master said, 'In good health.' Xian said, 'What did he say to you?' The Master said, 'He ordered Beichan not to make a confused mess.' Xian said, 'Taking pity on you as a newcomer, I do not wish to hit you.' The Master said, 'Yiyu also lets the Upādhyāya off.' After tea was finished, Xian asked again, 'What is your native place?' The Master said, 'Zhangzhou.' Xian said, 'What is Sanping doing there?' The Master said, 'Speaking of Chan and speaking of the Dao.' Xian said, 'How old is he?' The Master said, 'As old as an exposed pillar.' Xian said, 'If there is an exposed pillar, I'll grant that for now; without an exposed pillar, how old is he?' The Master said, 'Without an exposed pillar, he is not even one year less.' Xian said, 'Releasing a black rooster in the middle of the night.' Thereupon the Master bowed completely in his heart and served him as his master. Later he traveled to Xishan, loved the seclusion and depth of Shuangling, and stayed there for three years. He associated with Senior Monks Ying of Shaowu and Sheng. When accepting an invitation to Fachang, in taking his leave, he said, 'Gathered together for three years, there is no matter we do not understand. Looking back over it critically, it is not without leaks.' Making a mark on the ground with his staff, he said, 'Let this alone for a moment; what about the matter of the house style?' Ying said, 'Setting Sumeru on the nostrils.' The Master said, 'Looking at the riverbank from the edge of a cliff, a burst of sorrow.' Ying said, 'Deep Sand [Jinsha] stares with bulging eyes.' The Master said, 'What can be done about there being no different paths for the sacred and the profane, though skillful means have many gates?' Ying said, 'An iron snake cannot bore in.' The Master said, 'What point is there in speaking together?' Ying said, 'It is simply that one's faculties and power are shallow; do not blame the spring of the sun.' Then Ying made a mark and said, 'Let the house style alone for a moment; what about this matter?' The Master gave him a palm strike. Ying held him fast and said, 'Zhangzhou fellow, don't behave without propriety!' The Master said, 'Holding such a view, if I don't hit you, when should I wait for?' and gave him another palm strike. Ying said, 'It was indeed I who brought this on.' Fachang was to the north of Fenning, among a thousand peaks and myriad ravines, consisting of just a few old buildings. The Master arrived and took delight in it, clearing the land by fire and farming with a blade. Patch-robed monks occasionally arrived, but none could bear the austere simplicity; because of this, he remained solitary. On the day of opening the brazier, he beat the drum with a single assistant. Ascending the seat, he said: 'Fachang today opens the brazier, but there is not a single itinerant monk. There are only eighteen noble persons keeping their mouths shut and sitting around the brazier. It is not that the regulations are severe, but rather to avoid seeing you fall into talk. Even if your mouth were like a steelyard weight, you could not avoid being exposed by the lantern. Ignorant that the Dao cuts off merits, you vainly employ cultivating causes to realize results.' Giving a shout, he said, 'If only you can turn the mind around in a single thought, you will instantly break free from the shackles of the two vehicles.' He also said, 'The silence at Vaiśālī was an imitation of the ancestral vehicle; twirling the flower on Vulture Peak turned out to be poison. Nine years of wall-gazing confounded the ancient tradition; transmitting the robe in the middle of the night deceived later students. Mazu's "this mind is buddha" was very much like waiting by a tree stump for a hare. Panshan's "neither mind nor buddha" may be called mixing mud and stirring water. Such views all ruin the patriarchal style and extinguish the barbarian lineage. Clinging to emptiness and echoing noises, they hoodwink the sages and deceive the worthy. Later students, innocent, suffer their pointers and explanations. If one considers this matter, the buddhas never appeared in the world, nor is there a single dharma to give to people. Bodhidharma did not come from the west, and the Second Patriarch did not attain the marrow. One directly attains the imperial wind being vast and great, with old rustics singing songs. The mind has nothing to rely upon; practice has nothing to depend on. Hearing of Chan and the Dao is like seeing a deadly enemy; speaking of form and mind is like encountering a fierce tiger. Only then will Fachang pick wild greens and pound millet with you, make mixed rice, and boil hodgepodge soup. When hungry, eat; when tired, sleep. Do not rely on the stages, but naturally be lofty; do not imitate the three vehicles in setting up mealtime recitations.' When Chan Master Kuan of Daning arrived, the Master drew this symbol of [○ enclosing 'ox'] on the ground, then dragged his mattock and walked out. The next day, before ascending the seat, he said to Kuan, 'What about yesterday's gong'an?' Kuan drew this symbol of [○ enclosing 'ox'] and cast it away. The Master said, 'Under the name of Head Monk Kuan there are no hollow men.' Thereupon he ascended the seat and said: 'Suddenly in a clear sky comes the sound of thunder; / At Yu's Gate, the three leaping waves rise rugged and steep. / How many with horns have departed as dragons! / Yet the shrimps and crabs still bulge their eyes.' When Chan Master [Huanglong Hui]nan arrived, the Master was just planting pines. Nan said, 'Why plant so many pines in a small courtyard?' The Master said, 'What Linji said.' Nan said, 'How many have you managed to plant?' The Master said, 'One only sees the monkeys cry and the cranes roost, towering into the Milky Way and invading the clouds.' Nan pointed to a rock and said, 'Why not plant here?' The Master said, 'Effort is not spent in vain.' Nan said, 'So you also know there is no place to start.' The Master then pointed to the pine on the rock and said, 'Where did this come from?' Nan laughed loudly and said, 'Heavens, heavens!' He then composed a verse: 'Wearing a flower-patterned headcloth, I left Shaoshi; / Carrying a rush hat in hand, I went out from Chang'an. / Meeting again beneath the peak of Vulture Peak, / The nostrils, it turns out, are entirely the same.' He also drew this ○ and presented it. The Master said: 'Picking a winter melon from a bottle-gourd trellis; / Hooking a shrimp from within heaps of wheat waves. / Who is at the painted tower where wine is bought, / Inviting each other to come drink Zhaozhou's tea?' He also drew this ○ in reply. Nan said: 'Iron oxen in pairs, with horns of pure gold; / Wooden horses in couples, with hooves of white jade. / Loving the fine, fragrant grass of the snowy mountain, / In the deep of the night, riding the moonlight, they cross the forward stream.' He also drew ㊀ and presented it. The Master said: 'The jade qilin, carrying the moon, departs the azure heavens; / The golden phoenix, holding a flower, descends from the painted tower. / The old rustic does not mind the noble young master being drunk; / Hand in hand, they stroll along the Imperial Way together.' He also drew this ○ in reply. The Master also brought up to Nan the topic of Grand Court Censor Cheng contemplating his circumstances of birth. The Master said, 'Why did the Upādhyāya not directly cut it off for him?' Nan said, 'I too once drew feet on a snake; it was he himself who was not perceptive.' The Master said, 'What did the Upādhyāya do for him?' Nan said, 'Chewed up all the ginger, swallowed down all the vinegar.' The Master said, 'How could a vulgar master act like that again?' Nan said, 'What would the Upādhyāya do?' The Master picked up his whisk and struck him. Nan said, 'This old fellow also has no human feeling.' At that time, Nan's Dao covered the realm, and the monasteries venerated him; yet the Master exchanged verses and matched wits with him like an old friend, and many heroic minds of the time took refuge with him. When Grand Academician of the Longtu Hall Mr. Xu Xi was a commoner, he associated with the Master in journeys of Dharma delight. The day before the Master was to transform, he composed a verse and left it to him: 'This year I am seventy-seven; / For going out, one must pick a day. / Last night I consulted the turtle song, / Which announced today to be auspicious.' Xu read the verse with awe and invited Chan Master Lingyuan Qing to go together. The Master was just then sitting in his sleeping quarters, admonishing the monastic officers regarding temple affairs, saying, 'I have lived on this mountain for twenty-three years. Guarding and treasuring the communal property, I have always supervised it myself. Now I am departing. You all must apply your utmost energy.' Having spoken, he held up his staff and said, 'Tell me, to whom is this entrusted?' Xu and Lingyuan both held their breath. Thereupon he tossed the staff, lay on the bed with his arm as a pillow, and transformed.
5.38
Chan Master Zeyao of Guangyin in Fuzhou ascended the hall: 'When the king ascends the precious throne, the barbarians and Chinese share the same wind. Tying up half, breaking three, the phrase where the Buddha's hall turns upside down to hide its body—I will not ask about these. How do you speak the word that breaks through?' Picking up his staff, he said, 'The spring wind opens the bamboo door; / The night rain drips into the flower's heart.' Ascending the hall: 'An ancient said, "One only fears that in being a monk the mind is not clear; when in being a monk the mind is clear, all are bested by the monk." Furthermore, what is the clear mind of all you elders?' After a long pause he said, 'The fisherman sleeps deeply, the spring pool is wide; / White birds do not fly, the boat lies athwart of itself.' A monk asked, 'What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?' The Master said, 'East of Chang'an, west of Luoyang.' He asked, 'What is Buddha?' The Master said, 'Fuzhou olives are pointed at both ends.' He asked, 'How was it before the Buddha appeared in the world?' The Master said, 'Hugging the crags, bordering the ravines.' He said, 'How was it after he appeared in the world?' The Master said, 'The forward mountain, the rear mountain.'
5.39
Dharma Heir of Chan Master Shanxian of Kaixian on Mount Lu
5.40
Chan Master Liaoyuan Foyin of Mount Yunju in Nankang Commandery was a son of the Lin family of Fuliang in Raozhou. At the time of his birth, an auspicious light shone upward, and his beard, hair, nails, and teeth were complete and clearly formed. His spirit and frame were striking and extraordinary, surpassing ordinary children. His utterances formed literary compositions, his words according with the classics and histories. The village elders called him a child prodigy. Approaching the age when his hair was tied in horn-tufts, he read widely in the ancient canons; having unrolled a scroll once, he did not need to unroll it again, penetratingly understanding past and present. His talent and thought were brilliant and outstanding, his grace free and unconstrained. Setting his heart on the School of Emptiness, he took refuge with a master and left household life. Having passed the scriptural examination and received the full ordination, he was awakened to his past practice. He then traveled everywhere seeking instruction, and met with accord at the Dharma assembly of Kaixian. Emerging as a lineage master, he occupied the seat of a bodhimaṇḍa nine times. The four assemblies looked up to him, and his fame moved the court and the countryside. Emperor Shenzong bestowed upon him a Korean polished-cloth robe and a gold bowl to honour the Master's virtue. Ascending the hall: 'Cold, cold! The wind shakes the bamboo with a dry sound; / The water freezes and the fish swim sluggishly; / The woods are sparse, and birds find it hard to roost. / Already the severe frost is heavy with harsh power, / How much worse for the traveler whose robes are thin! / Stop longing for the thousand clusters of mountains along the purple pathways; / Come crowd round the red brazier with its heap of fire! / Put down the cornel dogwood and the bamboo peg in empty space; / Topple the monastery flagpole before Kāśyapa's gate. / If directly beneath this you still say you do not understand, / Taken all together, that too would be utterly unjustified.' He gave a shout. One day, while the Master was entering the room with his students, it happened that Layman Dongpo arrived before him. The Master said, 'There is no seat or couch here. What has the Layman come here to do?' The Layman said, 'I temporarily borrow Foyin's four great elements as a seat and couch.' The Master said, 'This mountain monk has a question. If the Layman can answer, please take a seat; if you cannot answer, you must forfeit the jade belt at your waist.' The Layman gladly said, 'Please proceed.' The Master said, 'The Layman just said that you temporarily borrow this mountain monk's four great elements as a seat and couch. Since this mountain monk's four great elements are originally empty and the five aggregates do not exist, where will the Layman sit?' The Layman could not answer, and thereupon left behind his jade belt. The Master in return presented him with a patched robe of cloud and mountain. The Layman then composed a verse: 'A hundred thousand lamps make the light of a single lamp; / All are wondrous Dharma kings like the sands of the Ganges. / Therefore Dongpo does not dare to be begrudging, / Borrowing your four great elements to make a meditation couch. / Sickness-worn bones can hardly bear the waist of a jade belt; / Dull faculties nevertheless fall into the pivot of an arrow point. / Sometime I shall beg for food at the courtesans' quarters, / Having seized the old patched robe of cloud and mountain. / This belt has seen people like an inn for travelers; / That it passed down to me is also a leisurely fate. / With my brocade robe's patchy elegance it is still well-matched, / Yet I beg to give it to the feigned-mad old Wanhui.'
First 40 of 49 passages. Read on
Linked texts (1)
- 續傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese