續傳燈錄 8.7

8.7

Chan Master Faxiu Yuantong of Fayun Monastery in the Eastern Capital was a native of Longcheng in Qinzhou, born to the Xin family. His mother dreamt of an elderly monk asking for lodging, and upon waking she was pregnant. Prior to this, an elderly monk of Maiji Mountain had been close friends with Upādhyāya Lu of Yingqian Monastery. He had once wished to travel as an itinerant pilgrim with Lu. When Lu was departing, having grown old, his parting words were: "In the future, you must look for me in front of the Zhupu Slope, below the Tiechang Ridge." Later, Lu heard that a boy had suddenly been born in that area and immediately went to see him. The child smiled at him. At the age of three, he wished to follow Lu home, and so he took Lu's surname. At nineteen, he passed the scriptural examination and received full ordination. Striving diligently in the lecture halls, he studied the *Yuanjue* (*Sūtra of Complete Enlightenment*) and *Huayan* (*Avataṃsaka Sūtra*), penetrating their subtle and essential meanings. Hearing of the thriving Dharma assembly of Chan Master Huai of Tiefo Monastery in Wuwei Military Commandery, he went straight to pay respects. Huai asked, "Seat Master, what scripture do you lecture on?" The Master replied, "The *Huayan*." Huai asked, "What does the *Huayan* take as its lineage tenet?" The Master said, "The Dharma-realm is its lineage tenet." Huai asked, "What does the Dharma-realm take as its lineage tenet?" The Master said, "The mind is its lineage tenet." Huai asked, "What does the mind take as its lineage tenet?" The Master had no reply. Huai said, "A hair's breadth of difference, and heaven and earth are pulled far apart. You must look into it yourself; you will surely have an illumination." Later, the Master heard a monk recount the case of Baizhao visiting Baoci: "What is it like when emotions have not yet arisen?" Baoci replied, "Separated." The Master suddenly attained great awakening. He went straight to the abbot's room and presented his realization. Huai said, "You are a true Dharma vessel. Our lineage will be carried forth by you in days to come." He initially resided at Simian in Liangshu, and later was imperial summoned to reside at Changlu and Fayun as their founding ancestor. When Emperor Shenzong ascended to heaven, he was decreed to preach the Dharma before the imperial portrait and was bestowed the title Yuantong. A monk asked, "Without leaving saṃsāra, one attains nirvāṇa; without departing the realm of Māra, one enters the realm of the Buddha. What is the principle behind this?" The Master said, "Spreading red clay on cow's udders." The monk said, "Thank you, Master, for your reply." The Master said, "What was your topic about?" The monk hesitated, and the Master gave a shout. A monk asked, "In the second and third months of warm spring, all myriad things sprout. May I ask whether the sprout of the Dao also grows?" The Master said, "Look for yourself." The monk asked, "Isn't this precisely your instruction?" The Master said, "How tall is the plantain?" The monk said, "'Wildfires cannot burn it out; the spring wind blows, and it grows again.'" The Master said, "That belongs to Master Bai [Juyi]. What about yours?" The monk said, "Let us wait for another time." The Master said, "Look at you, unable to say a word." Ascending the hall, the Master said: "To set sails according to the wind is precisely following the waves and drifting with the surge. Cutting off the myriad streams still cannot avoid leaking as before. Measuring talent to assign office—how can it exceed length and shortness? Buying a hat to fit the head—it is difficult to make it just right. Even if you see no heaven above and no earth below, discern neither east nor west, and distinguish neither south nor north—of what use is that? Even if it is forged from pure steel or cast from pig iron, sweat must still pour from your forehead. If it is altogether not like this, how do you deliberate?" After a long pause, he said, "Who can know this piece by piece of sincere heart? It makes the stone girl of Huangmei laugh herself to death." Ascending the hall, he said: "This mountain monk cannot speak skillfully; for the most part, I merely respond to the season. Calling to each other to drink a bowl of tea, there are also no wondrous directives of the ancestral masters. If you Chan practitioners have not yet familiarized yourselves with it, stepping on it, the steelyard weight is harder than iron." Ascending the hall, he said: "Autumn clouds, autumn waters, green mountains filling the eyes—if you are clear right here, it is a thousand-fold and myriad-fold sufficient. If not yet so, the Daoist priest rides his ox backward. Consult!" Ascending the hall, he said: "The cold rain is fine, the north wind howls high; blowing sand and rolling stones, uprooting trees and making branches roar. All of you know it is there. But tell me, what color is the wind? If you can recognize it, I acknowledge you possess the eye. If you do not recognize it, do not blame me for deceiving you. Consult!" Ascending the hall, he said: "Shaolin sat coldly for nine years, yet was seen through by Shenguang. Today, jade and stone are difficult to distinguish; one can only wrap hemp in paper. Do you understand? Those who laugh at me are many; those who sneer at me are few." Ascending the hall, he said: "For a patch-robed monk, bowing high to Śākyamuni and not prostrating to Maitreya is not beyond his bounds. But what about sacrificing one's body for half a gāthā, or throwing oneself into fire for a single phrase? What was he aiming for?" After a long pause, he said, "Each of us is a mountain dweller; why must it be laid bare further?" Showing signs of illness, the Master told the assembly, "I have served as abbot in six places, troubling the temple officers, head monk, and the great assembly. Today my four elements are not steadfast; fire and wind are about to disperse. Each of you should rest secure in the Way and do not violate my instructions." He then said: "Coming, there is nothing; going, it is empty. North, south, east, and west—matters are all the same. Having served as abbot in six places brought no benefit..." The Master paused for a long time. The prior, Huidang, stepped forward and said, "Upādhyāya, why not speak the final phrase?" The Master said, "Take care! Take care!" Having spoken, he passed away.