續傳燈錄 7

English (machine translation) 7

Language: English

7.1

Table of Contents for Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Fascicle Seven

Twelfth Generation under Dajian:
Fifty Dharma heirs of Chan Master Yuan of Shishuang:
Chan Master Huinan of Huanglong
Chan Master Fanghui of Yangqi
Chan Master Kezhen of Cuiyan
Chan Master Zanyuan of Jiangshan
Chan Master Shanzheng of Mount Wuquan
Chan Master Shenghui of Shuangfeng
Chan Master Daokuan of Daning
Chan Master Wuzhen of Daowu
Chan Master Baoxin of Jiangshan
Chan Master Weizheng of Baizhang
Chan Master Yunliang of Xiangshan
Chan Master Weiguang of Nanfeng
Chan Master Deqian of Dagui
Chan Master Benyan of Lingshan
Chan Master Fayuan of Guangfa
Chan Master Dezhang of Lingyin (the above sixteen persons are recorded in this work)
Chan Master Daixiu of Taiping
Chan Master Jingshao of Luopu
Chan Master Qingsui of Tiantong
Chan Master Jiancheng of Jingci
Chan Master Yixian of Yaoshan
Chan Master Jufeng of Luohan
Chan Master Yue of Yongle
Chan Master Zhen of Shouning
Chan Master Xingyuan of Cangyuan
Chan Master Yingguang of Wulong
Chan Master Zhijian of Jingci
Chan Master Chengyue of Baoben
Chan Master Cen of Jianfu
Chan Master Xiujie of Puzhao
Chan Master Ying of Shishi
Chan Master Haishan of Zifu
Chan Master Yongning of Daluo
Chan Master De of Jingang
Chan Master Xin'an of Yunjai
Chan Master Deyi of Xinghua
Chan Master Qingyu of Mufu
Chan Master Renche of Luoshan
Chan Master Liaowen of Chengtian
Chan Master Hongze of Pumen
Chan Master Guangyong of Puti
Chan Master Weishen of Luoshan
Chan Master Deya of Fashi
Chan Master Ze of Cuifeng
Chan Master Shanji of Sizhou
Chan Master Yuanlu of Sizhou
Attendant Shan of Gutian
Attendant Su of Luwan
Senior Monk Yong
Upāsaka Yang Tian, Judicial Commissioner (the above thirty-four persons have no records)
Twenty-eight Dharma heirs of Chan Master Jue of Langye:
Chan Master Chaoxin of Dinghui
Chan Master Xiaoyue of Letan
Chan Master Fang of Jiangshan
Chan Master Xianduan of Bailu
Chan Master Zhiqian of Langye
Chan Master Dongyuan of Liangfeng
Chan Master Fang of Zhenru
Chan Master Tan of Xingjiao
Chan Master Kexuan of Guizong
Chan Master Zixuan of Changshui (the above ten persons are recorded in this work)
Chan Master Jiquan of Langye
Chan Master Zhong of Xiyu
Chan Master Zihe of Gongan
Chan Master Youxin of Huanglong
Chan Master Wukong of Yuquan
Chan Master Zhiyue of Tianzhu
Chan Master Zhike of Yuantong
Chan Master Wenjie of Chongsheng
Chan Master Liang of Zhengsheng
Chan Master Renyi of Jiuru
Chan Master Liang of Ganlu
Chan Master Wuben of Yuquan
Chan Master Kehui of Huanghe
Chan Master Zhong of Baochan
Chan Master Yongsun of Baochan
Chan Master Liang of Fahai
Chan Master Xiaoyan of Kaisheng
Upāsaka Lord Zha, Academician-in-Waiting (the above eighteen persons have no records)

7.3

Table of Contents for Continued Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Fascicle Seven

7.4

Twelfth Generation under Dajian

7.5

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Yuan of Shishuang

7.6

Chan Master Huanglong Nan, whose secular surname was Zhang, was named Huinan. His ancestors were from Yushan in Xinzhou. In his childhood he was deep and reserved, having the bearing of a great man. He did not eat meat, nor did he play games. At the age of eleven, he left home and served Zhiluan of Dingshui Cloister on Mount Huaiyu as his teacher. Once, following Zhiluan along a road, he saw a local shrine; he immediately struck it with his staff, destroyed it with fire, and went away. At nineteen, he shaved his head and received the full ordination. Traveling far, he reached Guizong on Mount Lu. The venerable elder Zibao assembled the community to sit, and the Master [Huinan] leaned back instead. Bao frequently cast glances at him. From then on, whenever the Master sat, he necessarily sat cross-legged; whenever he walked, he necessarily looked straight ahead. When he reached Qixian, he relied on Chan Master Zhi. Zhi presided over the assembly with discipline and order in his advancing and halting; the Master modeled himself after this for three years. Taking his leave, he crossed the Huai River and relied on Chan Master Sanjiao Cheng. Cheng had a contemporary reputation; upon seeing him once, he recognized his capacity. When Cheng moved his residence to Letan, the Master also went with him. Cheng had him share the seat to receive followers. But Wenxue of Nanchang, seeing him, would every time return to his bed, sigh, and say: 'Nan is a vessel of the Way. It is only a pity that he has not undergone the hammering and tongs of genuine capability.' Meeting to travel together in the Western Hills, their nighttime conversation reached the Dharma style of Yunmen. Yue said: 'Although Master Cheng is a successor of Yunmen, his Dharma style is nonetheless different.' The Master asked how it was different. Yue said: 'Yunmen is like nine-times-refined cinnabar: point it at iron and it becomes gold. Master Cheng's [teaching] is mercury silver: it is merely fit for play; put into the forge, it immediately runs off.' The Master was angered and threw his pillow at him. The next day Yue apologized, and further said: 'Yunmen's bearing was like that of a king. Would he be willing to die under words? Master Cheng has a teaching to impart to people, but it is dead words. How can dead words bring a person to life?' Thereupon he turned his back and walked away. The Master pulled him back and said: 'If it is like this, who can meet your approval?' Yue said: 'Shishuang Chuyuan's methods surpass all regions. If you wish to see him, you should not delay.' The Master secretly considered it, saying: 'This is the great matter of an itinerant pilgrimage. Yue's teacher is Cuiyan, yet he sends me to see Shishuang. If I see him and gain something, what does that do for Yue?' That very day he packed his baggage. Midway, he heard that Ciming [Chuyuan] did not attend to affairs and looked down upon small monasteries; he then regretted it, wished not to go, and remained in Pingxiang for several days. Joining companions from You County, he climbed Mount Heng and lodged at Fuyan. The venerable elder called 'Xian Who Clasps the Hands' was the heir of Dayang Ming'an; he ordered the Master to take charge as recorder. Letan's Dharma companions, hearing that the Master was not going to Shishuang, sent a messenger to inquire after him. Soon Xian passed away. The prefecture appointed Ciming to take charge of Fuyan. The Master rejoiced in his heart and wished to observe the man so as to verify Yue's words. Once Ciming arrived, the Master caught sight of him, and his heart and countenance were alike solemn. Hearing his discourses, most of them criticized and stripped bare the various quarters; and the matters he enumerated one by one as false understandings were all the secret instructions and maxims entrusted by Letan. Dispirited, he returned, recollecting Yue's everyday words. Changing his mind completely, he said: 'Within the mind and core of a great man, how could one cause doubt and hindrance to oneself?' Hurrying to Ciming's room, he said: 'Huinan, being dull and shortsighted, looked toward the Way but did not see it. Lately, hearing the evening instruction was like getting a south-pointing chariot when lost on the road. I only pray that out of great compassion you will further bestow the Dharma gift so that my remaining doubts may be exhausted.' Ciming smiled and said: 'The recorder has already led disciples, traveled to various quarters, and his name is famed in the monasteries. Even if you have doubts, do not, on account of my aged unworthiness, hold me in contempt; let us sit and discuss it. Would that not be fine?' He called an attendant to bring forward a couch and had him sit. The Master firmly declined, his earnest pleading growing ever more fervent. Ciming said: 'The recorder studies Yunmen's Chan and must be good at its tenets. For instance, when it says [Yunmen] spared Dongshan three hits with the stick, did Dongshan at that time deserve to be struck or not?' The Master said: 'He deserved to be struck.' Ciming took on a stern expression and said: 'If hearing the sound of three hits of the stick is just taking a beating, then from morning to night when you hear crows cawing, magpies chattering, and the sounds of bells, wooden fish, drums, and clappers, you should also take a beating. When would the beatings ever end?' The Master stared wide-eyed and drew back. Ciming said: 'At first I doubted that I was fit to be your teacher; now I am fit.' Thereupon he made him bow. The Master bowed and rose. Ciming took up the former words again, saying: 'Supposing you understand Yunmen's intended meaning, Zhaozhou once said: "I have investigated and exposed the old woman of Mount Wutai." Try to point out where she could be investigated and exposed.' The Master's face grew hot and sweat poured down; not knowing how to reply, he hurried out. The next day he went to him, and again suffered abuse and scolding. The Master, ashamed to see those around him, at once said: 'It was precisely because I did not understand that I sought a resolution. How is scolding a model of compassionate Dharma giving?' Ciming smiled and said: 'Is this scolding?' Thereupon the Master silently awakened to his tenet. He cried out aloud: 'Letan's indeed were dead words!' He presented a verse: / 'Eminent throughout the monasteries is Zhaozhou; / The place where the old woman was investigated had no rhyme or reason. / Now the four seas are as clear as a mirror; / Let wayfarers not make an enemy of the road.' / Ciming pointed with his hand at the word 'no' [in 'no rhyme or reason'] and looked at the Master; the Master immediately changed it, and in his heart submitted to its marvelous subtlety. He stayed for over a month and then took his leave. At that time he was thirty-five years of age. Traveling behind Guangji, in a cave he made the acquaintance of Quan Dadao and spent the summer retreat together. Quan was unfathomable to the ordinary and the holy, and his dynamic eloquence surpassed the crowd. Patting the Master on the back, he said: 'You are just like Fenzhou; cherish yourself greatly.' The next year, traveling to Jingzhou, he then met with Yue at Jinluan. Looking at each other with a smile, [the Master] said: 'Had I not met you, my elder brother, and Guquan, how could I have known Ciming?' That autumn, returning north, he entered Letan alone; his former bond with Master Cheng was entirely broken. From Yunju he traveled to Tong'an. An elder named Shenli observed that the Master was weary of journeying and said to him: 'I have dwelt in the mountains for a long time without benefiting the ancestral teaching; I venture to burden you with the monastery's affairs.' And the leaders, who had long known the Master's name, went along with Li's request. Having no alternative, he accepted it. Letan sent a monk to scrutinize his instructional discourse, in which it was said: 'The ocean of wisdom has no nature; by becoming aware of delusion, one becomes an ordinary being. Awareness of delusion is originally empty; right in the ordinary mind, one sees the Buddha. Immediately rest like this!' It meant that Tong'an has no compromises; according to your upside-down wishes, the Southern Dipper has seven stars, the Northern Dipper eight. The monk returned and related it to Cheng; Cheng was displeased. Soon it was heard that he was the heir to Shishuang, and many of Letan's Dharma companions deserted him. Dwelling at Guizong, a fire reduced it to ashes in a single night. Held liable, he was thrown into prison. The officials sought faults in him in a hundred ways. The Master peacefully took the blame upon himself, not burdening others; he only went without food. Only after a long time was he released. Throughout his life, the Master never spoke of the officials' perverse abuse. Crossing Mount Huangbo, he built a hermitage by a stream, naming it Jicui. Soon thereafter, he retired, saying: 'I shall grow old here.' At that time, people from the rivers and lakes, Min, and Yue, heard of his style; and those who were around there hastened along the roads with hurried steps, fearing only to be left behind. Even those who had wandered at leisure and were satiated, originally considering themselves to have a surplus, upon arriving were dismayed and at a loss, joining the ranks of disciples. The eminent scholar of the southern region Pan Xingsi, who was named Yanzhi, once asked him the reason. The Master said: 'When a father is strict, the son is filial; today's instruction is tomorrow's model. It is like the earth: lower what is elevated and level what is sunken. If they are about to ascend above a thousand fathoms, I also go with them. If they are exhausted and reach the extreme beneath the nine abysses, I also go with them. When tricks are exhausted, delusion is ended and they release themselves.' He also said: 'Warming them and brooding over them is how spring and summer give birth and nurture; frosting them and snowing on them is how autumn and winter mature. Could I wish to be without words?' He questioned students with three phrases: 'Buddha's hand,' 'donkey's foot,' and 'the conditions of one's birth'; none could tally with his tenet. The monasteries under heaven regarded them as the 'Three Gates.' If there was someone who replied, the Master gave neither approval nor disapproval, but closed his eyes and sat erect; no one could fathom his intention. Yanzhi again asked him the reason. The Master said: 'One who has already passed the checkpoint swings his arms and goes straight on; how would he know there is a checkpoint official? To ask the official for approval or disapproval—this is one who has not yet penetrated the checkpoint.' When he resided at Huanglong, the grandeur of his Dharma assembly rivaled Letan, Mazu, and Baizhang Dazhi. On the seventeenth day of the third month in the second year of Xining, he gave a meal to two special envoys from Sizhou and Huiri. When the gathering ended, he arose and sat cross-legged in front of the sleeping chamber. The great assembly surrounded him. After a long while, he passed away. On the previous day he had spoken a verse. After another seven days, the cremation yielded five-colored relics; a stūpa was erected on the mountain's front ridge. He lived sixty-eight years and sat for fifty summer retreats. In the spring of the fourth year of Daguan, he was posthumously granted by imperial decree the title 'Pujue' [Universal Awakening].

7.7

Chan Master Yangqi was named Fanghui. He was born into the Leng family, a native of Yichun in Yuanzhou. When young, he was alert and quick-witted, humorous, and his conversation and jokes were full of flavor. Upon reaching adulthood, he did not like to engage with brush and inkstone. Registering under an assumed name in the commercial tax office, his management of assessments was the highest. Held liable for malfeasance, he was due for punishment; fleeing by night, he traveled to Jiufeng in Yunzhou. In a daze, it seemed like a place he had walked in the past; reluctant to part, he could not bear to leave. Thereupon he shaved his head and became a fully ordained monk. Reading the scriptures and listening to the Dharma, his mind fused and his spirit grasped it; he was able to humble himself thoroughly and rely on venerable elders for study. Chan Master Ciming resided at Nanyuan; Hui assisted him in ease, hardship, and toil. When Ciming moved to Daowu and Shishuang, Hui in both cases personally requested to take charge of the duties of the monastery director. This was not Ciming's intention, but the voices of the assembly unanimously praised it as good. Holding a paper blanket, he entered to manage the funds and grain. From time to time, he made blunt remarks that rubbed Ciming the wrong way; the various quarters passed them on, considering them apt. Whenever Ciming finished eating, he would certainly walk in the mountains; Chan students asking about the Way often lost track of his whereabouts. Seeing that he had not gone far, Hui would strike the drum and assemble the community. Ciming would hurriedly return, furiously reproaching him: 'In a small monastery, to ascend the seat at dusk—from where did you get this regulation?' Hui replied slowly: 'Fenzhou had evening instruction; why is it not a regulation?' Ciming had no recourse. Nowadays in the monasteries, when the three-and-eight recitations are finished, they still have instruction; this is the origin of it. Ciming moved to Xinghua; [Hui] therefore took leave of him and returned to Jiufeng. Monastics and laypeople of Pingshi came to the mountain to invite him to reside at Yangqi. At that time, Elder Qin of Jiufeng did not know Hui and said in astonishment: 'Can Director Hui also do Chan?' Hui received the letter of invitation, and after finishing questions and answers, he then said: 'Is there anyone else with a question? Try to come forward and meet. Today Yangqi's life is in the hands of all of you; let you drag me across and haul me upside down as you will. Why is it like this? A great man must make a decision before the assembly; do not behind the scenes be like pressing a gourd beneath the water. Examine and test before the assembly! See if there is anyone? If not, Yangqi loses advantage and descends from the seat.' Qin seized him and said: 'Today we are glad to have obtained a fellow cultivator.' [Hui] said: 'What is the matter of a fellow cultivator like?' Qin said: 'Yangqi pulls the plow; Jiufeng drags the harrow.' [Hui] said: 'Just at such a time, is Yangqi in front, or is Jiufeng in front?' Qin was speechless. Hui pushed him away and said: 'I thought you were a fellow cultivator, but it turns out you are not.' From this, his name was heard in the various quarters. Hui said to the assembly: 'Not seeing a single dharma is a great calamity.' Holding up his staff, he said: 'Piercing through old man Śākya's nostrils, how can you speak a phrase of shedding the body? Speak a phrase toward the place where water does not wash water!' After a long while, he said: 'I told you not to take the path beneath the mountain; indeed, one hears the sound of apes crying, breaking the heart.' He also said: 'All-knowledge penetrates without obstruction.' Holding up the staff, he said: 'The staff displays its spiritual powers in front of all of you.' Throwing it down, he said: 'Directly causing heaven and earth to shatter and mountains to tremble! Do you understand? Have you not heard it said: "The wisdom of all-knowledge is pure"?' Slapping the rope chair, he said: 'Thirty years later, do not say Yangqi had a dragon's head and a snake's tail.' His grasp of essentials was largely similar to Yunmen. He also asked a visiting monk: 'The clouds are deep and the road is remote; from where does your high carriage come?' [The monk] replied: 'Heaven has no four walls.' [Hui] said: 'How many straw sandals have you worn out?' The monk then gave a shout. Hui said: 'After one shout and two shouts, what then?' [The monk] said: 'Look at this old upādhyāya getting flustered.' Hui said: 'My staff is not here; sit for a while and drink tea.' He also asked a visiting monk: 'Fallen leaves pile like clouds; where did you leave this morning?' [The monk] replied: 'Guanyin.' [Hui] said: 'How do you say a phrase beneath Guanyin's heels?' [The monk] replied: 'Just now we met each other.' [Hui] said: 'What is the matter of meeting each other like?' The monk had no reply. Hui said: 'Let the second senior monk speak on behalf of the pilgrimage leader.' There was also no reply. Hui said: 'We have made fools of each other.' His testing of dynamic sharpness was also similar to Nanyuan. In the sixth year of Qingli, he moved to Mount Yunggai in Tanzhou. He transmitted the correct lineage of Linji to Shouduan.

7.8

Chan Master Kezhen of Cuiyan in Hongzhou was a native of Fuzhou. He once studied under Ciming. Later he went to Jinluan, where he spent the summer retreat with Attendant Shan. Shan was an eminent disciple of Ciming, whom Zhen of Daowu and Hui of Yangqi both deferred to with deep respect. The Master pridefully regarded himself as having personally seen Ciming, feeling that no one in the realm could measure up to him. When Shan spoke with him, Shan realized that he had not penetrated thoroughly, and laughed at him. One day while walking in the mountains, their discussion flared up sharp as blades. Shan picked up a piece of broken tile, placed it on a boulder, and said, "If you can utter a turning word right here, I will grant that you personally saw Ciming." The Master looked left and right, intending to reply. Shan shouted at him, "Standing in thought, halting your faculties—emotional consciousness has not yet penetrated! When have you ever seen him even in a dream?" Ashamed and alarmed, the Master immediately returned to Shishuang. Ciming saw him coming and scolded him, "An authentic patch-robed itinerant must know the seasons. What pressing matter brings you here so early before the summer retreat has ended?" The Master wept and said, "Brother Shan's poisonous mind completely blocked and obstructed me, so I have come to see the Upādhyāya." Ciming abruptly asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?" The Master said, "No clouds arise on the mountain ridge; the moon sets in the heart of the waves." Ciming glared at him and shouted, "Your head is white and your teeth are sparse, yet you still hold such an understanding! How will you ever escape birth and death?" Trembling with fear, the Master begged for instruction. Ciming said, "You ask me." The Master arranged the previous words and asked him. Ciming bellowed with a thunderous voice, "No clouds arise on the mountain ridge; the moon sets in the heart of the waves!" At these words, the Master had a great awakening. The Master's sharp energy broke out and his responsive wit was swift; the monasteries were in awe of him. When he resided at Cuiyan, a monk asked, "What is the Buddha?" The Master said, "In the same pit there is no different earth." He asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The Master said, "Plow deep, plant shallow." He asked, "What is the student's turning place?" The Master said, "When one wall is built, a hundred walls are in harmony." He asked, "What is the student's place of exerting effort?" The Master said, "Chopping firewood for a thousand days, burning it in one." He asked, "What is the student's most intimate place?" The Master said, "The whole family sees [one] off onto the ferry boat." He asked, "Please give instruction with a single phrase that benefits people." The Master said, "A three-legged toad flies up to heaven." He said, "'In the deep snow of the village ahead, a single branch blossomed last night.'" The Master said, "Hungry, encountering royal provisions—(unable to eat. He asked:) What is the Way?" The Master said, "Step out the gate and you see it at once." He asked, "What is the person within the Way?" The Master said, "Bearing a cangue to carry the warrant." Ascending the hall, he said, "An ancient worthy said, 'This matter is like heating a tortoise shell: when it cracks, it forms an omen; if it does not crack, it becomes blunt.' Whether it cracks or does not crack, it is grasped right then and there. Shanglan is not like this: without rigidity, without preconception. A horse runs through empty space; a boat sails on dry land. Clouds rise on the South Mountain; rain falls on the North Mountain." He then took up his staff and said, "The staff turns into the Great Heavenly General, patrolling the four continents. Who keeps the precepts and who does not, who possesses moral conduct and who does not—all are reported at once to Śakra, Lord of the Devas." Then he gave a shout and said, "A great man naturally possesses an ambition that pierces the heavens; / Do not walk where the Tathāgatas have trodden!" He struck [the ground] once. Ascending the hall, he cited Longya's verse: "'Studying the Way is like drilling for fire: / When you meet smoke, you must not stop. / Wait until the golden sparks appear; / Only when you return home are you finished.'" Shending said, "'Studying the Way is like drilling for fire: / When you meet smoke, stop right away! / Do not wait until the golden sparks appear / To burn your feet and burn your head.'" The Master said, "If we speak of the sudden, Longya is right in the middle of the road. If we speak of the gradual, Shending is still lacking awakening. What about right here? Worthy brothers, many leaves have fallen this year; in how many places have they been swept and brought home?" Ascending the hall, he said, "Facing the battle line to resist the enemy without fearing life and death is the courage of a general. Entering the mountains without fearing tigers and wild rhinoceroses is the courage of a hunter. Entering the water without fearing scaly dragons is the courage of a fisherman. What is the courage of a patch-robed monk?" He held up his staff and said, "This is the staff. If you can pick it up, take hold of it, and move it, the three-thousand-great-thousand worlds shake all at once. If you cannot pick it up, take hold of it, or move it, Mañjuśrī is by himself Mañjuśrī, and liberation is by himself liberation. Investigate!" Ascending the hall, he cited: "A monk asked Baling, 'What is the Way?' Baling said, 'A clear-eyed person falling into a well.' He also asked Baoying, 'What is the Way?' Baoying said, 'In front of the Five Phoenix Pavilion.' He also asked Shoushan, 'What is the Way?' Shoushan said, 'Three feet deep beneath the feet.' Of these three turning words, one stands like a thousand-fathom cliff; one sails a boat on dry land; one has guest and host intermingling. Does anyone among you choose between them? Come forward and speak! If there is no one, then for now practice the arhat's compassion to destroy the thieves of defilement; practice the bodhisattva's compassion to bring peace to sentient beings; practice the Tathāgata's compassion to attain the sign of suchness." [A monk] asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?" The Master said, "Sages endowed with the five superknowledges." He said, "The student does not understand." The Master said, "The tongue reaches the Brahmā Heaven." When the Master was about to enter extinction, he showed illness and suffered greatly. He lay on a rough straw mat on the ground, tossing and turning without resting in the least. Attendant Zhe wept and said, "Throughout your life you scolded the Buddhas and cursed the Patriarchs; why are you like this now?" The Master stared intently at him, scolded him, and said, "Do you too hold such an understanding?" He immediately sat up in full lotus posture, called his attendant, and as the smoke from the burning incense arose, he entered quiescence.

7.9

Chan Master Zanyuan Juehai of Jiangshan was a native of Yiwu in Wuzhou. His surname was Fu; he was a descendant of the Great Being [Fu Dashi]. Having cultivated the knowledge of seeds in past lives, he manifested birth in accordance with his vows. His parents felt auspicious omens, and the neighborhood considered him extraordinary. At three he left home; at seven he became a monk. At fifteen he traveled abroad, going far to Shishuang, where he ascended to the abbot's room. When Ciming saw him, he said, "Take good care of the stable!" The Master then brayed like a donkey. Ciming said, "A true vessel of the Dharma!" and made him his attendant. For twenty years he carried water and chopped firewood, undaunted by cold or heat, personally attending to everything in pursuit of the Way. Later he appeared in the world at Tianfeng, Longhua, and Baiyun in Sutai. The military commissioner invited him to reside at the bodhimaṇḍa of Baozhi. He presented the essential tenets, his responsive wit was swift, and his understanding and practice matched; all quarters deferred to him with deep respect. Prime Minister Wang Anshi respected the Master's virtue and prestige, and specially petitioned for a monastic robe and a master's title for him. The Duke also resolutely declined his high office and built a hut in the Dinglin Mountains, wandering freely with the Master beneath the trees, engaged in pure conversation all day long. He presented a verse to the Master: "Not conflicting with things, the true Way is vast; / Always following conditions as they arise, your Chan is naturally deep. / The faculty of the tongue is already pure—who can destroy it? / Your footprints are like empty space—can I ever find them?" This was indeed a rare event in an enlightened age. A monk asked, "What is the Upādhyāya's house style?" The Master said, "The east wall strikes the west wall." He said, "When a guest comes, how do you receive him?" The Master said, "Firewood on the mountain, water in the well." He asked, "What is the place where all Buddhas make their appearance?" The Master said, "A donkey's womb, a horse's belly." He asked, "What is the meaning of Ruzu gazing at the wall?" The Master said, "The abbot has many affairs." He asked, "What is a great kalyāṇamitra?" The Master said, "Slaughtering oxen and flaying sheep." He said, "Why is it like this?" The Master said, "Karma is within it." Ascending the hall, he said, "If this is it, it is like a tiger with horns. If this is not it, what do you call it?" After a long pause, he said, "Feed the donkeys, feed the horses. Take care!" In the first year of the Yuanyou era, the Master passed away. Prime Minister Wang wept bitterly at his stūpa and praised the Master's portrait: "Worthy indeed was this man! / His conduct was rigorous and his demeanor serene. / Knowing speech, he could remain silent. / He did not rejoice in praise and glory; / He was not grieved by disgrace and slander. / He was neither conceited nor boastful; / People naturally praised his virtue. / Clerics and laity / Came from north and south. / He neither complied nor opposed; / He neither resisted nor suppressed. / He looked not at your flowers, / But ate only his own fruit. / Who shall succeed him? / I have his bequeathed standard."

7.10

Chan Master Zheng of Mount Wuquan in Ruizhou—a monk asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?" The Master said, "Clothing makes the man; water makes the field." Ascending the hall, he said, "At the assembly on Mount Huangmei there were a thousand people; the Dharma was entrusted and the robe transmitted to the postulant in the threshing shed. If this is right, the red sun rises in the west; if this is wrong, the moon disc rises in the east. Investigate!"

7.11

Chan Master Xinghui of Shuangfeng on the Southern Peak ascended the hall and said, "Southern barbarians sail a boat; northerners at the frontier row an oar; a Persian enters the Great Tang; Mount Sumeru dances. What kind of talk is this?" On the seventeenth day of the ninth month of the sixth year of the Yuanfeng era, the Master shaved his hair, bathed, and bid farewell to the assembly with a verse: "Ninety-two years of time / Clearly spoken to the assembly: / Cold clouds scatter from the distant cave; / The waning moon crosses the secluded west." Having finished speaking, he passed away while sitting. After his cremation, his teeth and cranium remained intact, radiating unusual five-colored light.

7.12

Chan Master Daokuan of Daning in Hongzhou—a monk asked, "Why did the Light-Drinker with correct view smile when he saw the flower twirled?" The Master said, "He could not suppress his laughter." He asked, "When Danxia burned the wooden Buddha, why did the prior's eyebrows and beard fall out?" The Master said, "Thieves do not break into a poor man's house." He asked, "Since it is the one true Dharma realm, why are there thousands of differences and myriad distinctions?" The Master said, "The roots are deep, the leaves are luxuriant." The monk drew a circle and said, "Can one still get out of this?" The Master said, "Trying to be clever only makes a blunder." He asked, "What is 'the front three three and the back three three'?" The Master said, "Counting nine, one does not reach nine." He asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?" The Master said, "To brew tea requires water that has boiled a hundred times." He said, "What is the meaning?" The Master said, "Drink it completely; do not leave any dregs." A monk came to the Master's room and asked, "What is the white ox on open ground?" The Master inserted the fire tongs into the brazier and said, "Do you understand?" He said, "I do not understand." The Master said, "The head is not missing, and the tail is not leftover." When the Master was at Tong'an, a monk asked, "Since this is Tong'an ('Complete Peace'), why is there a sick monk who has passed away?" The Master said, "Giving alms is not as good as paying off debts." Ascending the hall, he said, "The wondrous directive of Shaolin, the ancient Buddhas' house style: adapting function according to capacity, rolling up and unfurling at ease. Like a fist becoming a palm, opening and closing have their proper times; like water forming foam, arising and ceasing have no fixed course. Movement and stillness are both manifested; speech and silence are completely revealed. Myriad functions are natural, costing no mental effort. Reaching this point is called letting the boat drift with the current. But tell me: who is an expert when rowing against the wind?" After a long pause, he said, "To ride the tide, one must be a tide-rider." He gave a shout and said, "Take care!" Ascending the hall, he said, "'No-thought' is the source; 'non-abiding' is the root. True emptiness is the essence; wondrous existence is the function. Therefore it is said: The entire earth is true emptiness; the whole Dharma realm is wondrous existence. But tell me: what kind of person can make use of it? The four seasons function and revolve; the sun and moon are eternally bright. The Dharma fundamentally does not shift; the Way has no fixed location. At ease following conditions, ascending and descending with things; in this land and other directions, entering the ordinary and entering the sage. Even though this is so, tell me: how do you speak a phrase that conforms to local customs?" After a long pause, he said, "In the Western Heavens, Sanskrit words; in this land, the language of the Tang."

7.13

Chan Master Wuzhen of Daowu in Tanzhou ascended the hall: "The sun and moon of past and present; the mountains and rivers as of old. If you can comprehend this, the Bhagavats of the ten directions [walk] the single road to the gate of nirvāṇa. If you cannot comprehend this, 'Because of slandering this sūtra, one incurs such retribution.'"

He ascended the hall: "The lion cub roars; the dragon steed leaps. The ancient Buddha shines in the mirror; over the three mountains, the solitary moon is bright." He then danced and stepped down from the seat.

He ascended the hall and brought up Dongshan's words: "'On Mount Wutai, clouds steam the rice; before the steps of the Buddha hall, a dog pisses at heaven. Atop the temple flagpole, round cakes are fried; three macaques toss coins in the night.' This old monk is not like that: 'A three-faced civet treads on the moon; a two-headed white ox grasps smoke in its hand. A crown-wearing blue-green rabbit stands by the courtyard cypress; a shelled tortoise sheds its armor and flies into the sky.' This old monk's entangling vines have been entirely seen through by all of you. Old Dongshan was exceedingly extraordinary; even so, he could only take three or four steps, and could not exceed seven or eight leaps. Tell me, where does the discrepancy lie? Today this old monk will not begrudge his eyebrows, giving away everything at once." After a long pause, he said:
"Exhortations impair your virtue;
Silence truly possesses merit.
Let the azure sea turn to dust,
To the end I will never open a passage for you."

A monk asked, "What is it like when one understands right in the midst of stillness?"
The Master said, "A pestle tied to a mouse's tail."
He asked, "What is the substance of tathatā?"
The Master said, "A yakṣa kneeling on his knees, his eyes pitch-black."
He asked, "What is the function of tathatā?"
The Master said, "The vajra pestle strikes, and the iron mountain crumbles."
He asked, "What is constant illumination?"
The Master said, "Mount Sumeru atop the tip of a needle."
He asked, "What is silent illumination?"
The Master said, "Ocean water within the eyebrows."
He asked, "What is fundamental illumination?"
The Master said, "Leaping within straw sandals."
The monk stepped back. The Master said:
"Silent illumination, constant illumination, and fundamental illumination;
Beneath the straw sandals, constantly leaping.
Understand further Mount Sumeru atop the needle's tip;
Within the water of the eyebrows, constantly boundless and vague."

A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?"
The Master said, "Dongting Lake has no lid."

He ascended the hall: "The wheat is ripe in front of the mountain; the price of rice in Luling; the radishes of Zhenzhou—there is still something else." After a long pause, he said, "At times dig wild herbs and boil them with the roots; chop green firewood right away and burn it with the leaves."

He ascended the hall: "An ancient said, 'If you recognize it, after all it is still not it.' Truly difficult to understand! The bearded chin of Saturn has much hair; the Persian's eyes are deep and his nostrils large. Exceedingly bizarre! Suddenly passing through the border of Silla."

He asked a monk, "Where do you come from?"
The monk said, "From the hall."
The Master said, "What does the holy monk say?"
The monk stepped forward to inquire after him. The Master said, "Making a donkey in the eastern house, making a horse in the western house."
The monk said, "Where does the fault lie?"
The Master said, "Ten thousand miles to Yaizhou."

The Master was unwell. A monk asked, "Upādhyāya, how is your honored person of late?"
The Master said, "The rice-gruel officer has not settled the matter."
The monk was speechless. The Master snapped his fingers once.

He ascended the hall: "Puhua strikes in the light and strikes in the dark; Budai scatters crosswise and scatters lengthwise. When the stone-room postulant trod the pestle, why did he forget to put down his feet?"

A monk asked, "What is the first mystery?"
The Master said, "The World-Honoured One's light shines on Ānanda's shoulder."
He asked, "What is the second mystery?"
The Master said, "The solitary disc [surrounded by] a crowd of myriad images."
He asked, "What is the third mystery?"
The Master said, "Weeping toward the withered mulberry, tears flowing streaming."
He asked, "What is the first essential?"
The Master said, "It is best when fine and coarse are both illumined."
He asked, "What is the second essential?"
The Master said, "Lightning flashes across heaven and earth, its radiance brilliant."
He asked, "What is the third essential?"
The Master said, "The path flanked by aged green pines."

He ascended the hall and brought up: A monk asked Shoushan, "What is the Buddha?" Shoushan said, "The bride rides the donkey; the mother-in-law leads it." The Master said:
"Holding the nose with the hand, stepping on the tail with the foot;
Facing up to look at heaven, listening to flowing water.
At dawn, sent off by the roadside;
In the quiet of night, returning into the thatched hut."

7.14

Chan Master Baoxin of Jiangshan. A monk asked, "What is it like when the moon is not yet full?"
The Master said, "Count forward."
He asked, "What is it like after it is full?"
The Master said, "Count backward."
He asked, "What is the sword that severs a hair blown against it?"
The Master said, "A black-lacquered pillar."
He asked, "How can one penetrate the two words 'sound' and 'form'?"
The Master said, "One hand blows, one hand claps."

7.15

Chan Master Weizheng of Baizhang in Hongzhou ascended the hall: "Upādhyāya Yantou used three coins to seek a wife. She only knew how to catch shrimp and scoop clams, but could not bear sons or raise daughters at all, so that right down to the present day his lineage style has been cut off. Assembly, do you wish to recognize Master Huo's wife? Today Baizhang will not begrudge his lips and mouth to explain it through for all of you: 'Disheveled hair and a thorn hairpin, rare in the world; her cloth skirt is still the clothes from her wedding.'"

A monk asked, "Before Niutou had seen the Fourth Patriarch, why did a hundred birds hold flowers in their beaks to make offerings?"
The Master said, "With money, one reaches a thousand miles."
He asked, "Why did they not hold flowers after he had seen him?"
The Master said, "Without money, one is deaf next door."
He asked, "What was it like before Bodhidharma came?"
The Master said, "Six times six is thirty-six."
He asked, "What was it like after he came?"
The Master said, "Nine times nine is eighty-one."
He asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?"
The Master said, "Wood ears grow on tree heads."
He asked, "What is the intention of 'All phenomena are the Buddha-Dharma'?"
The Master said, "Below each layer of mountain is another layer of people."
He asked, "'Practicing on high and learning below is not yet being an adept; turning one's back on Chu and casting one's lot with Wu is only then being an attained person'—is this not the Upādhyāya's saying?"
The Master said, "It is."
The monk said, "The son uses the father's wealth."
The Master said, "You try to use it and see."
The monk hesitated, and the Master struck him.

He ascended the hall: "Everyone knows of the collective work at Tiantai; what about roaming the mountains at Nanyue? If you understand, the lantern laughs at you; if you do not understand, though having eyes you are as if blind."

7.16

Chan Master Yunliang of Xiangshan in Mingzhou. A monk asked, "What is the phrase that penetrates the Dharma body?"
The Master said, "Dancing the Santai atop the temple flagpole."
He asked, "What is the phrase that receives beginners?"
The Master said, "'Shang da ren.'"
He asked, "What is the final phrase?"
The Master said, "Beneath the twin trees."
He asked, "What is the student's place of turning the body?"
The Master said, "In the millhouse."

He ascended the hall, paused for a long while, and then laughed aloud with a "He! He!", saying: "What am I laughing at? I laugh at the great swan flying up into the sky; the tortoise at the bottom of the water chasing fish. Three old women with six breasts; on the back of the vajra[-bearer], rotten like mud. Ah, he! He! Do you know or not? Elder Chen of the eastern village. Practice!"

7.17

Chan Master Weiguang of Nanfeng in Suzhou ascended the hall: "One question and one answer are like a bell containing resonance, like a valley echoing sound. It is only because things cannot be helped that, within the gate of teaching and transformation, a single thread of a way is opened. If judged by what is under the patch-robed monk's gate, heaven and earth are vastly far apart. Tell me, what strong point does a patch-robed monk have?" After a long pause, he said, "Searching for it all day, it cannot be found; at times it comes back by itself. Bah!"

7.18

Chan Master Deqian of Dagui in Tanzhou. A monk asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?"
The Master said, "Water comes forth from the mountain."
He asked, "What is the intention?"
The Master said, "How could a mountain stream detain it?"
He then said, "The mountain flowers are like silk brocade—Mañjuśrī bumps into them with his eyes; the secluded birds chirp melodiously—Avalokiteśvara plugs up his ears. Worthy ones, what else are you pondering? Last night at the third watch I could not sleep; rolling over, I caught Samantabhadra and banished him to the land of the unarisen. In one sleep straight until dawn, this morning I am again able to meet with you all and talk of dreams. Ah, what kind of talk is this?" He struck the staff and stepped down from the seat.

7.19

Chan Master Benyan of Lingshan in Quanzhou. A monk asked, "What is the Buddha?"
The Master said, "Who taught you to ask like that?"
The monk said, "Today I have stirred up the Upādhyāya."
The Master said, "Thank you for coming to visit."

7.20

Chan Master Yuan of Guangfa Temple in Anji Prefecture. A monk asked, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?"
The Master said, "Bricks and broken tiles."
He asked, "What is it like when finding stillness in the midst of clamor?"
The Master said, "Enmity must not be formed."
He asked, "What is the correct Dharma eye?"
The Master said, "Beneath the eyebrows."
He asked, "What is it like when one understands it just so?"
The Master said, "The pupils smile and nod."
He asked, "What is the matter of transcendence?"
The Master said, "The sun, moon, and stars."
He asked, "What is the matter of condescension?"
The Master said, "The boiling cauldrons of the hells."
He asked, "What is it like when there are no clouds for ten thousand miles?"
The Master said, "The macaque endures hunger."
He said, "I beg the Master to save and relieve me."
The Master said, "What color of fire is that?"
He asked, "What was the ancient's intention in taking up the mallet and raising the fly-whisk?"
The Master said, "In broad daylight there are no idle people."
He asked, "How should one take responsibility for it?"
The Master said, "Like wind passing the ears."
He asked, "What is it like when gripping a sword against one's chest?"
The Master said, "Old crows in flocks."
He said, "This is precisely the Upādhyāya's insight."
The Master said, "A snake pierces the nostrils." The monk flicked his sleeves and went out. The Master said, "Met by the assembly."
He asked, "Where do the sages from of old walk?"
The Master said, "At the crossroads."
He asked, "If so, is there not failure and ruin?"
The Master said, "I know you have not reached this realm."
He asked, "What about after reaching it?"
The Master said, "Everyday tea and rice."
He asked, "Are the Patriarch's intention and the scriptural intention the same or different?"
The Master said, "Dried ginger and aconite."
He said, "If so, they are not the same."
The Master said, "Ice flakes and snowballs."

He ascended the hall: "The spring rain drizzles, water dripping from the eaves. Hearing the sound without awakening, return to the hall and face the wall."

He ascended the hall: "If we discuss the Great Way, it would make Zhushan have no place to open his mouth. Try to open your mouths and see, all of you." A monk then asked, "What is the Great Way?" The Master said, "It cannot be shouldered." He asked, "Why can it not be shouldered?" The Master said, "The Great Way."

He ascended the hall: "If we discuss this matter, by all means do not speak of it; if you speak of it, horns will grow on your head." A monk came forward and said, "Horns have grown!" The Master said, "A disaster!" The monk said, "My fault." The Master said, "Dragon's head and snake's tail. Respectfully, take care!"

On the evening of the twelfth day of the tenth month in the eighth year of Yuanfeng, the Master suddenly wrote a verse:
"Snowy temples and frosty whiskers for ninety-nine years;
A half-shoulder woolen patchwork robe exhausts all conditions.
Laughing openly, I point to the floating clouds dispersing;
The jade rabbit's flowing radiance illumines the great thousand [worlds]."
He threw down his brush and passed away in stillness.

7.21

Chan Master Dezhang of Lingyin first resided at the West Sūtra Canon Cloister of Great Xiangguo Temple. On the first day of the ninth month in the eighth year of Qingli, Emperor Renzong summoned the Master to take a meal below Yanchun Pavilion, and ordered Master Puzhao to ask, "What is the phrase appropriate to the occasion?"
The Master said, "A single word goes far beyond the azure skies; walking on a precarious place before a tenthousand-fathom peak."
He asked, "What is walking on a precarious place?"
The Master gave a shout. He asked, "How can you do this before the Emperor?"
The Master said, "Neither can it be let pass."

The next year, he was summoned again into the palace for a meal. Puzhao was ordered again to ask, "What is snatching away the person but not snatching away the environment?"
The Master said, "Thunder startles the fine grasses, their sprouts emerging; taking steps up the high mountain, do not delay."
He asked, "What is snatching away the environment but not snatching away the person?"
The Master said, "Wearing horns and clad in fur, different in form; coming and going, free to range at will."
He asked, "What is snatching away both person and environment?"
The Master said, "Going out the gate beyond heaven, turning back; the flowing light and shadows are not real."
He asked, "What is snatching away neither person nor environment?"
The Master said, "In the cold forest there are no lodging guests; by the great sea one listens to the dragon's chant."

Later, he was summoned again to a meal in the Huacheng Hall. Shouxian was ordered to ask, "The feast of the vegetarian banquet is grandly opened; how will you repay the Sage Sovereign?"
The Master said, "Seeking bird tracks in the empty sky."
He asked, "What is the intention?"
The Master said, "Looking for fish traces in the water."

The Master presented the 'Song of the Mind-Jewel':
"Mind as you wish, mind as you wish;
Acting spontaneously according with conditions, never separated.
Only know not to seek outwardly;
Seeking outwardly in the end is not it,
Vainly expending effort and obscuring the true reality.
Know the mind-jewel—its light outshines the sun;
Secretly treasury, deep and concealed, without form or substance.
Brought forth in the palm, the crowd is astonished;
How could the vigor of the Two Vehicles ever fathom it?
The blue-eyed barbarian pointed it out directly;
How was the wondrous function in meeting the occasion ever lost?
In ordinary times, be strictly cautious about showing it to people;
Look, the great earth, mountains, and rivers shake and tremble!"

In the second year of Huangyou, the Master petitioned to return to the mountain forests to care for his old age. By imperial decree he was appointed abbot of Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou and was bestowed the title Mingjue.

First 21 of 34 passages. Read on

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續傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese