續傳燈錄 7.32

7.32

Lecturer Zixuan of Changshui in Xiuzhou was a native of Jiaxing in that prefecture. From the time his hair was shaved, he recited the Śūraṅgama-sūtra without ceasing. He followed Dharma Master Hongmin; when the lecturing reached the point that 'the two marks of movement and stillness are clearly unborn', he had an awakening. He said to Min, "Striking empty space and beating wood (one source has 'bamboo') still fall into traps and snares; raising the eyes and lifting the eyebrows have already become deliberation. Only when one leaves these two paths does one accord with this purport." Min patted him and certified him. However, wishing to explore the source of Chan, he did not know where to go. Hearing that Langya's Way was esteemed throughout the age, he immediately hastened to his seat. It happened during an ascent of the hall that he came forward and asked, "Pristine and fundamentally so, how do mountains, rivers, and the great earth suddenly arise?" Langya forcefully replied, "Pristine and fundamentally so, how do mountains, rivers, and the great earth suddenly arise?" The Master grasped the awakening, bowed in thanks, and said, "I wish to attend to your towel and pitcher." Langya said to him, "Your school has not flourished for a long time. You should exert your will to uphold it and repay the Buddha's benevolence; do not let the difference of schools become an obstacle." [Zixuan] then bowed twice in accordance with the instruction and took his leave. Later he resided at Changshui; when giving instructions, he looked at the assembly and said, "The Way is not obtained through words or forms; Chan is not known through deliberation. Comprehending the meaning and penetrating the lineage have never had any separate purport." Because of this, both schools looked up to him. He once wrote commentaries on the Śūraṅgama and other sūtras, which circulated widely in the world.