The Five Lamps Meeting at the Source, Scroll One

杭州鹽官海昌院齊安國師

National Teacher Qi'an of Haichang Monastery in Yanguan, Hangzhou

海門郡人也。姓李氏。生時神光照室。後有異僧謂之曰。建無勝幢。使佛日回照者。豈非汝乎。長依本郡雲琮禪師落髮受具。後聞大寂行化於龔公山。乃振錫而造焉。師有奇相。大寂一見深器之。乃令入室。密示正法。僧問。如何是本身盧舍那。師曰。與老僧過淨瓶來。僧將淨瓶至。師曰。卻安舊處著。僧送至本處。復來詰問。師曰。古佛過去久矣。有講僧來參。師問座主。蘊何事業。對曰。講華嚴經。師曰。有幾種法界。曰。廣說則重重無盡。略說有四種。師竪起拂子曰。這箇是第幾種法界。主沉吟。師曰。思而知。慮而解。是鬼家活計。日下孤燈。果然失照。(保福聞雲。若禮拜即吃和尚棒。禾山代雲。某甲不煩。和尚莫怪。法眼代拊掌三下)。僧問大梅。如何是西來意。大梅曰。西來無意。師聞乃曰。一箇棺材。兩箇死漢(玄沙雲。鹽官是作家)。師一日喚侍者曰。將犀牛扇子來。者曰。破也。師曰。扇子既破。還我犀牛兒來。者無對(投子代雲。不辭將出。恐頭角不全。資福代作圓相。心中書牛字。石霜代雲。若還和尚即無也。保福雲。和尚年尊。別請人好)。師一日謂眾曰。虗空為鼓。須彌為椎。甚麼人打得。眾無對(有人舉似南泉。泉雲。王老師不打這破鼓。法眼別雲。王老師不打)。有法空禪師到。請問經中諸義。師一一答了。卻曰。自禪師到來。貧道總未得作主人。法空曰。請和尚便作主人。師曰。今日夜也。且歸本位安置。明日卻來。法空下去。至明旦。師令沙彌屈法空禪師。法空至。師顧沙彌曰。咄。這沙彌不了事。教屈法空禪師。屈得箇守堂家人來。法空無語。法昕院主來參。師問。汝是誰。對曰。法昕。師曰。我不識汝。昕無語。師後不疾。宴坐示滅。諡悟空禪師。

was a man of Haimen Commandery. His family name was Li. When he was born, a divine light shone in the room. Later a strange monk said to him, 'Is it not you who will set up the banner of the unsurpassed and make the Buddha-sun shine back?' When he grew up he shaved his head and received full ordination under Chan Master Yuncong of his own commandery. Later, hearing that Daji was spreading the teaching at Mount Gonggong, he shook his staff and went there. The Master had unusual marks. Daji saw him once and thought highly of him, and had him enter his room, where he secretly showed him the true Dharma. A monk asked, 'What is Vairocana in his own person?' The Master said, 'Pass me the pure water bottle.' The monk brought the bottle. The Master said, 'Put it back in its old place.' The monk returned it to its place and came back to question him again. The Master said, 'The ancient Buddha passed away long ago.' A lecturing monk came to call. The Master asked the seat-master, 'What is your business?' He answered, 'I lecture on the Avatamsaka Sutra.' The Master said, 'How many kinds of dharma-realm are there?' He said, 'Broadly speaking, they are layer upon layer without end; briefly, there are four.' The Master raised his whisk and said, 'Which kind is this?' The seat-master fell silent. The Master said, 'To know by thinking and to understand by deliberation is the business of ghosts. A lone lamp under the sun—sure enough, it loses its light.' (Baofu heard this and said, 'If he bows, he gets the Master's stick.' Heshan spoke in his place, 'I would not trouble you; Master, do not take offense.' Fayan spoke in his place, clapping his hands three times.) A monk asked Damei, 'What is the meaning of the coming from the West?' Damei said, 'The coming from the West has no meaning.' Hearing this the Master said, 'One coffin, two dead men.' (Xuansha said, 'Yanguan is a master craftsman.') One day the Master called an attendant and said, 'Bring me the rhinoceros fan.' The attendant said, 'It is broken.' The Master said, 'Since the fan is broken, give me back my little rhinoceros.' The attendant had no reply. (Touzi spoke in his place, 'I would not mind bringing it out, but I fear its horns are not whole.' Zifu spoke in his place by drawing a circle and writing the word for ox inside it. Shishuang spoke in his place, 'If I return it to the Master, then there is none.' Baofu said, 'The Master is advanced in years; better to ask someone else.') One day the Master said to the assembly, 'Let the void be the drum and Mount Sumeru the drumstick. Who can beat it?' The assembly had no reply. (Someone reported this to Nanquan. Nanquan said, 'Old Wang does not beat that broken drum.' Fayan also said, 'Old Wang does not beat it.') Chan Master Fakong arrived and asked about the meanings in the sutras. The Master answered them one by one, and then said, 'Since you arrived, poor Daoist has not once been able to play host.' Fakong said, 'Please, Master, just play host.' The Master said, 'It is night now; go back to your place and rest. Come again tomorrow.' Fakong went down. The next morning the Master sent a novice to invite Chan Master Fakong. Fakong came. The Master looked at the novice and said, 'Tut, this novice understands nothing. I told him to invite Chan Master Fakong, and he brings me a hall-keeper.' Fakong was speechless. The rector of Faxin Hall came to call. The Master asked, 'Who are you?' He answered, 'Faxin.' The Master said, 'I do not know you.' Faxin was speechless. Later the Master, without illness, sat in meditation and passed into quiescence. He was posthumously titled Chan Master Wukong.

盧山歸宗寺智常禪師

Chan Master Zhichang of Guizong Monastery on Mount Lu

上堂。從上古德。不是無知解。他高尚之士。不同常流。今時不能自成自立。虗度時光。諸子莫錯用心。無人替汝。亦無汝用心處。莫就他覔。從前祇是依他解。發言皆滯。光不透脫。祇為目前有物。僧問。如何是玄旨。師曰。無人能會。曰。曏者如何。師曰。有向即乖。曰。不向者如何。師曰。誰求玄旨。又曰。去。無汝用心處。曰。豈無方便門。令學人得入。師曰。觀音妙智力。能救世間苦。曰。如何是觀音妙智力。師敲鼎蓋三下。曰。子還聞否。曰。聞。師曰。我何不聞。僧無語。師以棒趂下。師嘗與南泉同行。後忽一日相別。煎茶次。南泉問曰。從來與師兄商量語句。彼此已知。此後或有人問。畢竟事作麼生。師曰。這一片地大好卓庵。泉曰。卓庵且置。畢竟事作麼生。師乃打飜茶銚。便起。泉曰。師兄吃茶了。普願未吃茶。師曰。作這箇語話。滴水也難銷。僧問。此事久遠。又如何用心。師曰。牛皮鞔露柱。露柱啾啾呌。凡耳聽不聞。諸聖呵呵笑。師因官人來。乃拈起帽子兩帶曰。還會麼。曰。不會。師曰。莫怪老僧頭風。不卸帽子。師入園取菜次。乃畫圓相。圍卻一株。語眾曰。輙不得動著這箇。眾不敢動。少頃。師復來。見菜猶在。便以棒趂眾僧曰。這一隊漢。無一箇有智慧底。師問。新到甚麼處來。曰。鳳翔來。師曰。還將得那箇來否。曰。將得來。師曰。在甚麼處。僧以手從頂擎捧呈之。師即舉手作接勢。拋向背後。僧無語。師曰。這野狐兒。師剗草次。有講僧來參。忽有一蛇過。師以鉏斷之。僧曰。久嚮歸宗。元來是箇麤行沙門。師曰。你麤。我麤。曰。如何是麤。師竪起鉏頭。曰。如何是細。師作斬蛇勢。曰。與麼。則依而行之。師曰。依而行之且置。你甚處見我斬蛇。僧無對。雲巖來參。師作挽弓勢。巖良久。作㧞劒勢。師曰。來太遲生。上堂。吾今欲說禪。諸子總近前。

Ascending the hall: 'The venerable ancients of old were not without understanding. As lofty gentlemen they were not of the common run. People today cannot stand on their own or establish themselves, and idly pass the time. You followers, do not misuse your minds. No one can do it for you, and there is no place for you to apply your mind. Do not seek it from others. Hitherto you have only relied on the understanding of others, and every word you speak is blocked. The light does not shine through, simply because there is something before your eyes.' A monk asked, 'What is the profound purport?' The Master said, 'No one can understand it.' 'What about one who turns toward it?' The Master said, 'To turn toward it is to deviate.' 'What about one who does not turn toward it?' The Master said, 'Who is it that seeks the profound purport?' He added, 'Go. There is no place for you to apply your mind.' 'Is there no expedient gate by which a student may enter?' The Master said, 'The wonderful power of Guanyin's wisdom can save the world from suffering.' 'What is the wonderful power of Guanyin's wisdom?' The Master tapped the lid of the cauldron three times and said, 'Do you hear it?' 'I hear it,' said the monk. The Master said, 'Why do I not hear it?' The monk was speechless. The Master drove him out with his staff. The Master had once traveled together with Nanquan, and one day they suddenly parted. While boiling tea, Nanquan asked, 'In all the phrases we have discussed together, brother, we have understood each other. If someone asks hereafter about the ultimate matter, what then?' The Master said, 'This patch of ground is just the place for a hut.' Nanquan said, 'Set the hut aside. What about the ultimate matter?' The Master knocked over the tea kettle and rose to go. Nanquan said, 'The brother has finished his tea; Puyuan has not.' The Master said, 'For talk like that, even a drop of water is hard to swallow.' A monk asked, 'This matter is far off—how then should one apply the mind?' The Master said, 'Leather wraps the exposed pillar, and the exposed pillar chirps and squeaks. Ordinary ears hear it not; the sages all laugh ha ha.' When an official came, the Master picked up his hat by its two bands and said, 'Do you understand?' 'I do not understand.' The Master said, 'Do not blame the old monk's headache for not taking off his hat.' When the Master went into the garden to pick vegetables, he drew a circle around one plant and told the assembly, 'On no account touch this one.' The assembly dared not move it. After a while the Master returned, saw the vegetable still there, and drove the monks out with his staff, saying, 'This bunch, not one of them has any wisdom.' The Master asked, 'Where have you newly come from?' 'From Fengxiang.' The Master said, 'Did you bring that along?' 'I brought it.' The Master said, 'Where is it?' The monk lifted it with his hands from above his head and presented it. The Master at once raised his hand as if to take it, and flung it behind his back. The monk was speechless. The Master said, 'This wild fox cub.' While the Master was hoeing grass, a lecturing monk came to call. Suddenly a snake passed by. The Master cut it in two with the hoe. The monk said, 'I have long heard of Guizong; so you are just a coarse monk after all.' The Master said, 'You are coarse, I am coarse.' 'What is coarse?' The Master raised the hoe. 'What is fine?' The Master made the gesture of cutting the snake. 'Then one should follow and practice accordingly,' said the monk. The Master said, 'Following and practicing accordingly—set that aside. Where did you see me cut the snake?' The monk had no reply. Yunyan came to call. The Master made the gesture of drawing a bow. After a long while Yunyan made the gesture of drawing a sword. The Master said, 'You came too late.' Ascending the hall: 'I now wish to speak of Chan; you followers, all come forward.'

大眾近前。師曰。汝聽觀音行。善應諸方所。問。如何是觀音行。師乃彈指曰。諸人還聞否。曰。聞。師曰。一隊漢向這裡覔甚麼。以棒趂出。大笑歸方丈。僧辭。師問。甚麼處去。曰。諸方學五味禪去。師曰。諸方有五味禪。我這裡祇有一味禪。曰。如何是一味禪。師便打。僧曰。會也。會也。師曰。道。道。僧擬開口。師又打。僧後到黃檗。舉前話。檗上堂曰。馬大師出八十四人。善知識問著。箇箇屙漉漉地。祇有歸宗較些子。江州刺史李㴾問。教中所言。須彌納芥子。㴾即不疑。芥子納須彌。莫是妄譚否。師曰。人傳使君讀萬卷書籍。還是否。曰。然。師曰。摩頂至踵如椰子大。萬卷書向何處著。李俛首而已。李異日又問。一大藏教。明得箇甚麼邊事。師舉拳示之。曰。還會麼。曰。不會。師曰。這箇措大。拳頭也不識。曰。請師指示。師曰。遇人即途中授與。不遇即世諦流佈。師以目有重瞳。遂將藥手按摩。以致兩目俱赤。世號赤眼歸宗焉。後示滅。諡至真禪師。

The assembly came forward. The Master said, 'You hear the practice of Guanyin, which well responds in every place.' A monk asked, 'What is the practice of Guanyin?' The Master snapped his fingers and said, 'Do you all hear it?' 'We hear it.' The Master said, 'What is this bunch looking for here?' He drove them out with his staff, laughing loudly, and returned to his quarters. A monk took his leave. The Master asked, 'Where are you going?' 'I am going to the various regions to study five-flavored Chan.' The Master said, 'The various regions have five-flavored Chan; here I have only one-flavored Chan.' 'What is one-flavored Chan?' The Master hit him. The monk said, 'I understand, I understand.' The Master said, 'Say it, say it.' As the monk was about to open his mouth, the Master hit him again. Later the monk went to Huangbo and recounted the foregoing. Huangbo ascended the hall and said, 'Ma the Great Master produced eighty-four good teachers; when questioned, every one of them dribbles and slobbers. Only Guizong is somewhat better.' Li Bo, prefect of Jiangzhou, asked, 'The teachings say that Mount Sumeru contains a mustard seed, and of that I have no doubt. But that a mustard seed contains Mount Sumeru—is that not idle talk?' The Master said, 'People say you have read ten thousand scrolls, is that so?' 'It is.' The Master said, 'From the crown of your head to your heels you are no bigger than a coconut—where do ten thousand scrolls fit?' Li could only bow his head. Another day Li asked again, 'What matter does the whole Canon clarify?' The Master raised his fist and showed it to him, saying, 'Do you understand?' 'I do not understand.' The Master said, 'This poor scholar does not even know a fist.' 'Please, Master, instruct me.' The Master said, 'When you meet someone, give it on the road; when you meet no one, let it spread as worldly truth.' Because the Master had double pupils in his eyes, he massaged them with a medicated hand, so that both eyes turned red. The world called him Red-Eyed Guizong. Later he passed into quiescence. He was posthumously titled Chan Master Zhizhen.

明州大梅山法常禪師者

Chan Master Fachang of Damei Mountain in Mingzhou,

襄陽人也。姓鄭氏。幼歲從師於荊州玉泉寺。初參大寂。問。如何是佛。寂曰。即心是佛。師即大悟。遂之四明梅子真舊隱縛茆燕處。唐真元中。鹽官會下有僧。因採拄杖。迷路至庵所。問。和尚在此多少時。師曰。祇見四山青又黃。又問。出山路向甚麼處去。師曰。隨流去。僧歸舉似鹽官。官曰。我在江西時曾見一僧。自後不知消息。莫是此僧否。遂令僧去招之。師答以偈曰。摧殘枯木倚寒林。幾度逢春不變心。樵客遇之猶不顧。郢人那得苦追尋。一池荷葉衣無盡。數樹松花食有餘。剛被世人知住處。又移茅舍入深居。大寂聞師住山。乃令僧問。和尚見馬大師得箇甚麼。便住此山。師曰。大師向我道。即心是佛。我便向這裡住。僧曰。大師近日佛法又別。師曰。作麼生。曰。又道。非心非佛。師曰。這老漢惑亂人。未有了日。任他非心非佛。我祇管即心即佛。其僧回舉似馬祖。祖曰。梅子熟也(僧問禾山。大梅恁麼道。意作麼生。禾山雲。真師子兒)。龐居士聞之。欲驗師實。特去相訪。才相見。士便問。久嚮大梅。未審梅子熟也未。師曰。熟也。你向甚麼處下口。士曰。百雜碎。師伸手曰。還我核子來。士無語。自此學者漸臻。師道彌著。上堂。汝等諸人。各自迴心達本。莫逐其末。但得其本。其末自至。若欲識本。唯了自心。此心元是一切世間．出世間法根本。故心生種種法生。心滅種種法滅。心且不附一切善惡而生。萬法本自如如。問。如何是佛法大意。師曰。蒲花柳絮。竹針麻線。夾山與定山同行。言話次。定山曰。生死中無佛。即無生死。夾山曰。生死中有佛。即不迷生死。互相不肯。同上山見師。夾山便舉問。未審二人見處那箇較親。師曰。一親一疎。夾山復問。那箇親。師曰。且去。明日來。夾山明日再上問。師曰。親者不問。問者不親(夾山住後自雲。當時失一隻眼)。新羅僧參。

was a man of Xiangyang. His family name was Zheng. In his youth he studied under a teacher at Yuquan Monastery in Jingzhou. When he first called on Daji, he asked, 'What is the Buddha?' Daji said, 'This very mind is the Buddha.' The Master at once had a great awakening, and went to Siming, to the old hermitage of Meizi Zhen, where he bound thatch and dwelt at ease. In the Zhenyuan era of the Tang, a monk in Yanguan's assembly, while gathering staffs, lost his way and came to the hut. He asked, 'How long have you been here, Master?' The Master said, 'I have only seen the four mountains turn green and then yellow.' He asked again, 'Which way does the road out of the mountains go?' The Master said, 'Follow the stream.' The monk returned and reported this to Yanguan. Yanguan said, 'When I was in Jiangxi I once met a monk, and since then I have had no news of him. Could it be this monk?' He sent the monk to invite him. The Master answered with a verse: 'A withered tree, battered, leans in the cold forest; how many springs has it met without changing its heart? The woodcutter passes it and does not even look; how could the man of Ying wear himself out seeking it? A pond of lotus leaves is clothing without end; a few trees of pine flowers are food more than enough. No sooner do worldly people know where I dwell than I move my thatched hut deeper in.' When Daji heard that the Master was living on the mountain, he sent a monk to ask, 'What did you get from seeing Great Master Ma, that you live on this mountain?' The Master said, 'The Great Master told me that this very mind is the Buddha, and so I live here.' The monk said, 'The Great Master's Buddhadharma has lately changed.' The Master said, 'How so?' He said, 'He also says, not mind, not Buddha.' The Master said, 'That old man deludes people and will never be done. Let him say not mind, not Buddha; I will just keep to this very mind is the Buddha.' The monk returned and reported this to Mazu. Mazu said, 'The plum is ripe.' (A monk asked Heshan, 'What does Damei mean by speaking thus?' Heshan said, 'A true lion's cub.') When the layman Pang heard of it, he wanted to test whether the Master was genuine, and made a special visit. As soon as they met, the layman asked, 'I have long heard of Damei; I wonder whether the plum is ripe or not.' The Master said, 'Ripe. Where will you bite it?' The layman said, 'A hundred bits and pieces.' The Master stretched out his hand and said, 'Give me back the pit.' The layman was speechless. From then on students gradually gathered, and the Master's teaching became ever more renowned. Ascending the hall: 'You people, each of you turn your mind back and reach the root; do not chase the branches. Once you have the root, the branches come of themselves. If you wish to know the root, just understand your own mind. This mind is originally the root of all worldly and world-transcending dharmas. Therefore when the mind arises, the various dharmas arise; when the mind ceases, the various dharmas cease. The mind does not arise attached to any good or evil, and the ten thousand dharmas are originally thus, just as they are.' A monk asked, 'What is the great meaning of Buddhadharma?' The Master said, 'Cattail blossoms and willow catkins, bamboo needles and hemp thread.' Jiashan and Dingshan were traveling together, conversing. Dingshan said, 'If there is no Buddha within birth and death, then there is no birth and death.' Jiashan said, 'If there is a Buddha within birth and death, then one is not deluded by birth and death.' Neither would yield, and together they went up the mountain to see the Master. Jiashan raised the question: 'Which of the two views is closer?' The Master said, 'One is close, one is distant.' Jiashan asked again, 'Which is close?' The Master said, 'Go away for now. Come tomorrow.' The next day Jiashan came up and asked again. The Master said, 'The one who is close does not ask; the one who asks is not close.' (After Jiashan had settled in his own place, he said of himself, 'I lost one eye at the time.') A monk from Silla came to call.

師問。發足甚處。曰。欲通來處。恐遭怪責。師曰。不可無來處也。曰。新羅。師曰。爭怪得汝。僧作禮。師曰。是與不是。知與不知。祇是新羅國裡人。忽一日謂其徒曰。來莫可抑。往莫可追。從容間聞鼯鼠聲。乃曰。即此物。非他物。汝等諸人。善自護持。吾今逝矣。言訖示滅。永明壽禪師讚曰。師初得道。即心是佛。最後示徒。物非他物。窮萬法源。徹千聖骨。真化不移。何妨出沒。

The Master asked, 'Where did you set out from?' He said, 'If I were to tell you where I come from, I fear I would be blamed.' The Master said, 'You cannot be without a place you came from.' He said, 'Silla.' The Master said, 'How could I blame you?' The monk bowed. The Master said, 'Right or wrong, knowing or not knowing, you are simply a man of the country of Silla.' One day he suddenly said to his disciples, 'Coming cannot be held back; going cannot be pursued.' In a leisurely moment he heard the cry of a flying squirrel, and said, 'It is just this thing, not another thing. You people, guard it well. I am going now.' Having spoken, he passed into quiescence. Chan Master Yongming Yanshou praised him: 'When the Master first attained the Way, this very mind was the Buddha. At the end he showed his disciples that the thing is not another thing. He plumbed the source of the ten thousand dharmas and penetrated the marrow of a thousand sages. True transformation does not shift—what hindrance are coming and going?'

洛京佛光如滿禪師(曾住五臺山金閣寺)

Chan Master Ruman of Foguang in Luojing (he once lived at Jinge Monastery on Mount Wutai)

唐順宗問。佛從何方來。滅向何方去。既言常住世。佛今在何處。師答曰。佛從無為來。滅向無為去。法身等虗空。常住無心處。有念歸無念。有住歸無住。來為眾生來。去為眾生去。清淨真如海。湛然體常住。智者善思惟。更勿生疑慮。帝又問。佛向王宮生。滅向雙林滅。住世四十九。又言無法說。山河與大海。天地及日月。時至皆歸盡。誰言不生滅。疑情猶若斯。智者善分別。師答曰。佛體本無為。迷情妄分別。法身等虗空。未曾有生滅。有緣佛出世。無緣佛入滅。處處化眾生。猶如水中月。非常亦非斷。非生亦非滅。生亦未曾生。滅亦未曾滅。了見無心處。自然無法說。帝聞大悅。益重禪宗。

Emperor Shunzong of Tang asked, 'From what quarter did the Buddha come, and to what quarter did he pass away? Since you say he always abides in the world, where is the Buddha now?' The Master answered, 'The Buddha came from the unconditioned and passed away into the unconditioned. His dharma-body is equal to space, ever abiding where there is no mind. What has thought returns to no-thought; what has abiding returns to no-abiding. He came for the sake of living beings, and departed for the sake of living beings. The pure ocean of suchness, limpid, its essence ever abides. Let the wise ponder this well, and give rise to no more doubt.' The Emperor asked again, 'The Buddha was born in the royal palace and passed away in the twin sal trees. He dwelt in the world forty-nine years, and yet you say he spoke no dharma. Mountains and rivers, the great sea, heaven and earth, sun and moon—when their time comes they all return to extinction; who then is said to be unborn and undying? If doubt still remains like this, let the wise distinguish it well.' The Master answered, 'The Buddha's essence is originally unconditioned; it is deluded feeling that vainly discriminates. The dharma-body is equal to space, and has never had birth or death. When conditions are present the Buddha appears in the world; when conditions are absent the Buddha enters extinction. Everywhere he transforms living beings, like the moon in the water. It is neither permanent nor annihilated, neither born nor extinguished. Birth was never birth, extinction was never extinction. Clearly seeing the place of no-mind, naturally there is no dharma to speak.' The Emperor heard this with great delight and esteemed the Chan school all the more.

婺州五洩山靈默禪師

Chan Master Lingmo of Wuxie Mountain in Wuzhou

毗陵人也。姓宣氏。初謁馬祖。遂得披剃受具。後遠謁石頭。便問。一言相契即住。不契即去。石頭據坐。師便行。頭隨後召曰。闍黎。師回首。頭曰。從生至死。祇是這箇。回頭轉腦作麼。師言下大悟。乃拗折拄杖而棲止焉(洞山雲。當時若不是五洩先師。大難承當。然雖如此。猶涉在途。長慶雲。險。玄覺雲。那箇是涉在途處。有僧雲。為伊三寸途中薦得。所以在途。玄覺雲。為復薦得自己。為復薦得三寸。若是自己。為甚麼成三寸。若是三寸。為甚麼悟去。且道洞山意作麼生。莫亂說。子細好)。

was a man of Piling. His family name was Xuan. He first called on Mazu, and there received the shave and full ordination. Later he traveled far to call on Shitou, and said at once, 'If a single word agrees, I stay; if not, I go.' Shitou sat there. The Master then started to leave. Shitou called after him, 'Acharya.' The Master turned his head. Shitou said, 'From birth to death it is just this. What are you turning your head and rolling your eyes for?' At these words the Master had a great awakening, and he snapped his staff and settled there. (Dongshan said, 'If it had not been for the late Master of Wuxie at that time, it would have been very hard to bear. Even so, he was still wading in the road.' Changqing said, 'Perilous.' Xuanjue said, 'Where is the place of wading in the road?' A monk said, 'Because he understood it on the road of three inches, therefore he was on the road.' Xuanjue said, 'Did he understand himself, or did he understand three inches? If it was himself, why did it become three inches? If it was three inches, why did he awaken? Now tell me, what does Dongshan mean? Do not talk nonsense—be careful.')

唐貞元初。住白沙道場。復居五洩。僧問。何物大於天地。師曰。無人識得伊。曰。還可雕琢也無。師曰。汝試下手看。問。此箇門中。始終事如何。師曰。汝道目前底成來得多少時也。曰。學人不會。師曰。我此間無汝問底。曰。和尚豈無接人處。師曰。待汝求接我即接。曰。便請和尚接。師曰。汝少欠箇甚麼。問。如何得無心去。師曰。傾山覆海晏然靜。地動安眠豈採伊。元和十三年三月二十三日。沐浴焚香端坐。告眾曰。法身圓寂。示有去來。千聖同源。萬靈歸一。吾今漚散。胡假興哀。無自勞神。須存正念。若遵此命。真報吾恩。儻固違言。非吾之子。時有僧問。和尚向甚麼處去。師曰。無處去。曰。某甲何不見。師曰。非眼所覩(洞山雲。作家)。言畢。奄然順化。

In the early Zhenyuan era of the Tang he lived at the Baisha practice place, and later dwelt at Wuxie. A monk asked, 'What is greater than heaven and earth?' The Master said, 'No one knows it.' 'Can it be carved and polished?' The Master said, 'Just try your hand at it.' 'In this gate, what is the matter of beginning and end?' The Master said, 'How long do you say what is before your eyes has been accomplished?' 'I do not understand.' The Master said, 'There is nothing here for you to ask about.' 'Has the Master no way of receiving people?' The Master said, 'When you seek to be received, I receive you.' 'Then please receive me, Master.' The Master said, 'What is it that you lack?' 'How can one attain no-mind?' The Master said, 'Though mountains topple and seas overturn, one is calmly still; though the earth quakes, one sleeps on and heeds it not.' On the twenty-third day of the third month of the thirteenth year of Yuanhe, he bathed, burned incense, and sat upright, and told the assembly, 'The dharma-body is perfect quiescence; it shows itself as coming and going. A thousand sages share one source, ten thousand spirits return to one. I now scatter like foam—why should grief be stirred? Do not weary your spirits; keep to right mindfulness. If you obey this command, you truly repay my kindness. If you stubbornly go against my words, you are not my sons.' Then a monk asked, 'Where is the Master going?' The Master said, 'Nowhere.' 'Why do I not see it?' The Master said, 'It is not seen by the eye.' (Dongshan said, 'A master craftsman.') Having spoken, he quietly passed on.

幽州盤山寶積禪師

Chan Master Baoji of Panshan in Youzhou

因於市肆行。見一客人買豬肉。語屠家曰。精底割一斤來。屠家放下刀。叉手曰。長史。那箇不是精底。師於此有省。又一日出門。見人舁喪。謌郎振鈴雲。紅輪決定沉西去。未委魂靈往那方。幕下孝子哭曰。哀哀。師忽身心踴躍。歸舉似馬祖。祖印可之。住後。僧問。如何是道。師便咄。僧曰。學人未領旨。師曰。去。上堂。心若無事。萬法不生。意絕玄機。纖塵何立。道本無體。因體而立名。道本無名。因名而得號。若言即心即佛。今時未入玄微。若言非心非佛。猶是指蹤極則。向上一路。千聖不傳。學者勞形。如猿捉影。上堂。夫大道無中。復誰先後。長空絕際。何用稱量。空既如斯。道復何說。上堂。夫心月孤圓。光吞萬象。光非照境。境亦非存。光境俱亡。復是何物。禪德譬如擲劒揮空。莫論及之不及。斯乃空輪無跡。劒刃無虧。若能如是。心心無知。全心即佛。全佛即人。人佛無異。始為道矣。上堂。禪德。可中學道。似地擎山。不知山之孤峻。如石含玉。不知玉之無瑕。若如此者。是名出家。故導師雲。法本不相礙。三際亦復然。無為無事人。猶是金鎻難。所以靈源獨耀。道絕無生。大智非明。真空無跡。真如凡聖。皆是夢言。佛及涅槃。並為增語。禪德直須自看。無人替代。上堂。三界無法。何處求心。四大本空。佛依何住。璿璣不動。寂爾無言。覿面相呈。更無餘事。珍重。師將順世。告眾曰。有人邈得吾真否。眾將所寫真呈。皆不契師意。普化出曰。某甲邈得。師曰。何不呈似老僧。化乃打筋斗而出。師曰。這漢向後掣風狂去在。師乃奄化。諡凝寂大師。

While walking in the marketplace, the Master saw a customer buying pork. The customer said to the butcher, 'Cut me a pound of the lean.' The butcher put down his knife, folded his hands, and said, 'Chief of staff, which part is not lean?' At this the Master had an insight. Another day, going out the gate, he saw people carrying a coffin. The mourning singer shook his bell and said, 'The red wheel surely sinks in the west; I know not where the soul has gone.' The filial son under the canopy wailed, 'Woe, woe.' The Master suddenly felt his body and mind leap up, and he returned and reported this to Mazu. Mazu confirmed him. After he had settled in his own place, a monk asked, 'What is the Way?' The Master shouted. The monk said, 'I have not grasped your meaning.' The Master said, 'Go.' Ascending the hall: 'If the mind has no affairs, the ten thousand dharmas do not arise. When thought cuts off the profound mechanism, how could even a speck of dust stand? The Way is originally without substance; because of substance a name is given. The Way is originally without name; because of a name a title is got. If you say that this very mind is the Buddha, you have not yet entered the profound and subtle. If you say not mind, not Buddha, you are still pointing at the ultimate of traces. The one road above—a thousand sages have not transmitted it. Students weary their bodies, like a monkey grasping at shadows.' Ascending the hall: 'The great Way has no middle—who then is first or last? The vast sky has no edge—what use is measuring it? Since space is thus, what can be said of the Way?' Ascending the hall: 'The mind-moon is alone and round; its light swallows the ten thousand forms. The light does not illumine a field, nor does the field exist. When both light and field are gone, what thing is that? Men of Chan, it is like brandishing a sword in the air—do not discuss whether it reaches or not. This is the wheel of space leaving no trace, the sword's edge nowhere blunted. If you can be like this, then mind after mind is without knowing. The whole mind is the Buddha, the whole Buddha is the person. When person and Buddha are not two, then it is the Way.' Ascending the hall: 'Men of Chan, to study the Way in the midst of this is like the earth holding up a mountain and not knowing the mountain's solitary steepness; like a stone containing jade and not knowing the jade has no flaw. If you are like this, you are called one who has left home. Therefore the guiding teacher said, Dharmas originally do not obstruct one another, and the three periods are likewise so. The person of no action and no affairs still finds the golden lock hard. Thus the numinous source shines alone, and the Way cuts off birth. Great wisdom is not illumination, true emptiness leaves no trace. Suchness and the ordinary and the sage are all dream-talk. Buddha and nirvana alike are added words. Men of Chan, you must look for yourselves—no one can take your place. Ascending the hall: 'In the three realms there is no dharma—where will you seek the mind? The four elements are originally empty—on what does the Buddha depend? The mechanism of heaven does not move, silent and wordless. Face to face it is presented; there is nothing further. Take care.' When the Master was about to pass on, he told the assembly, 'Can anyone draw my true likeness?' The assembly presented the portraits they had made, but none matched the Master's meaning. Puhua came forward and said, 'I can draw it.' The Master said, 'Why not show it to the old monk?' Puhua then turned a somersault and went out. The Master said, 'This fellow will go off mad later.' Then the Master passed into quiescence. He was posthumously titled Great Master Ningji.

蒲州麻谷山寶徹禪師

Chan Master Baoche of Maku Mountain in Puzhou

侍馬祖行次。問。如何是大涅槃。祖曰。急。師曰。急箇甚麼。祖曰。看水。師使扇次。僧問。風性常住。無處不周。和尚為甚麼卻搖扇。師曰。你祇知風性常住。且不知無處不周。曰。作麼生是無處不周底道理。師卻搖扇。僧作禮。師曰。無用處師僧。著得一千箇。有甚麼益。問僧。甚處來。僧不審。師又問。甚處來。僧珍重。師下床擒住曰。這箇師僧。問著便作佛法祇對。曰。大似無眼師。放手曰。放汝命。通汝氣。僧作禮。師欲扭住。僧拂袖便行。師曰。休將三歲竹。擬比萬年松。師同南泉二三人去謁徑山。路逢一婆。乃問。徑山路向甚處去。婆曰。驀直去。師曰。前頭水深過得否。婆曰。不濕腳。師又問。上岸稻得與麼好。下岸稻得與麼怯。婆曰。總被螃蠏吃卻也。師曰。禾好香。婆曰。沒氣息。師又問。婆住在甚處。婆曰。祇在這裡。三人至店。婆煎茶一瓶。攜盞三隻至。謂曰。和尚有神通者即吃茶。三人相顧間。婆曰。看老朽自逞神通去也。於是拈盞傾茶便行。僧問。如何是佛法大意。師默然。僧又問石霜。此意如何。霜曰。主人擎拳帶累。闍黎拖泥涉水。

Once, as he was walking along with Mazu, he asked, 'What is great nirvana?' Mazu said, 'Hurry.' The master said, 'Hurry at what?' Mazu said, 'Watch the water.' Once, as the master was using a fan, a monk asked, 'The nature of wind abides forever and reaches everywhere. Why then does the reverend master still wave a fan?' The master said, 'You know only that the nature of wind abides forever; you do not know that it reaches everywhere.' The monk said, 'What is the principle of reaching everywhere?' The master simply went on waving the fan. The monk bowed. The master said, 'A thousand useless monks could be kept here, and what good would they do?' He asked a monk, 'Where do you come from?' The monk did not give the customary greeting. The master asked again, 'Where do you come from?' The monk said, 'Take care of yourself.' The master got down from his seat, seized him, and said, 'This monk, the moment he is questioned, just makes up Chan answers.' The monk said, 'You are very much like a master without eyes.' The master let go and said, 'I spare your life and let you breathe.' The monk bowed. When the master moved to twist and hold him, the monk shook his sleeves and walked off. The master said, 'Do not take a three-year bamboo for a ten-thousand-year pine.' The master went with Nanquan and two or three others to call on Jingshan. On the road they met an old woman, and asked her, 'Which way does the road to Jingshan go?' The woman said, 'Straight on.' The master said, 'Is the water ahead deep enough to cross?' The woman said, 'It will not wet your feet.' The master asked again, 'Why is the rice on the upper bank so good, and the rice on the lower bank so poor?' The woman said, 'The crabs have eaten it all.' The master said, 'The grain smells sweet.' The woman said, 'It has no breath.' The master asked again, 'Where does the old woman live?' The woman said, 'Right here.' When the three reached the shop, the woman brewed a pot of tea, brought three cups, and said, 'Any reverend with spiritual powers may drink the tea.' As the three looked at one another, the woman said, 'Watch this old woman show off her own spiritual powers.' With that she picked up a cup, poured out the tea, and walked away. A monk asked, 'What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?' The master was silent. The monk then asked Shishuang, 'What does this mean?' Shishuang said, 'The host raised his fist and got entangled; the reverend dragged through mud and waded through water.'

湖南東寺如會禪師

Chan Master Ruhui of Dongsi in Hunan

始興曲江人也。初謁徑山。後參大寂。學徒既眾。僧堂床榻為之陷折。時稱折床會也。自大寂去世。師常患門徒以即心即佛之譚誦憶不已。且謂。佛於何住。而曰即心。心如畫師。而云即佛。遂示眾曰。心不是佛。智不是道。劒去遠矣。爾方刻舟。時號東寺為禪窟焉。相國崔公群出為湖南觀察使。見師問曰。師以何得。師曰。見性得。師方病眼。公譏曰。既雲見性。其柰眼何。師曰。見性非眼。眼病何害。公稽首謝之(法眼別雲。是相公眼)。公見鳥雀於佛頭上放糞。乃問。鳥雀還有佛性也無。師曰。有。公曰。為甚麼向佛頭上放糞。師曰。是伊為甚麼不向鷂子頭上放。仰山參。師問。汝是甚處人。仰曰。廣南人。師曰。我聞廣南有鎮海明珠。是否。仰曰。是。師曰。此珠如何。仰曰。黑月即隱。白月即現。師曰。還將得來也無。仰曰。將得來。師曰。何不呈似老僧。仰叉手近前曰。昨到溈山。亦被索此珠。直得無言可對。無理可伸。師曰。真師子兒。善能哮吼。仰禮拜了。卻入客位。具威儀。再上人事。師才見。乃曰。已相見了也。仰曰。恁麼相見。莫不當否。師歸方丈。閉卻門。仰歸。舉似溈山。溈曰。寂子是甚麼心行。仰曰。若不恁麼。爭識得他。後復有人問師曰。某甲擬請和尚開堂得否。師曰。待將物裹石頭煖即得。彼無語(藥山代雲。石頭煖也)。唐長慶癸卯歲歸寂。諡傳明大師。

He was a man of Qujiang in Shixing. He first called on Jingshan, and later studied under Daji. When his students grew numerous, the beds and platforms of the monks' hall collapsed under them, and he was known at the time as Collapsed-Bed Hui. After Daji passed away, the master was troubled that his followers never stopped reciting and recalling the saying that this very mind is Buddha, and he said, 'Where does the Buddha dwell, that you call it this very mind? The mind is like a painter, yet you call it Buddha.' So he taught the assembly, 'The mind is not Buddha; wisdom is not the Way. The sword has gone far already, and only now do you carve the boat.' At that time Dongsi was called a den of Chan. When Chancellor Cui Qun was appointed observing commissioner of Hunan, he visited the master and asked, 'By what have you attained?' The master said, 'By seeing the nature.' The master happened to have an eye ailment, and the chancellor mocked him: 'Since you speak of seeing the nature, what about your eyes?' The master said, 'Seeing the nature is not the eye; what harm does an eye disease do?' The chancellor bowed his head and apologized. (Fayan gave another answer: 'It is the chancellor's eye.') The chancellor saw birds dropping dung on a Buddha image and asked, 'Do birds have Buddha-nature or not?' The master said, 'They have.' The chancellor said, 'Then why do they drop dung on the Buddha's head?' The master said, 'Why do they not drop it on the sparrowhawk's head?' Yangshan came to pay his respects. The master asked, 'Where are you from?' Yangshan said, 'From Guangnan.' The master said, 'I hear that Guangnan has a pearl that calms the sea. Is that so?' Yangshan said, 'It is.' The master said, 'What is that pearl like?' Yangshan said, 'In the dark moon it hides; in the bright moon it appears.' The master said, 'Can you bring it here?' Yangshan said, 'I can bring it.' The master said, 'Then why not show it to this old monk?' Yangshan crossed his hands and stepped forward, saying, 'Yesterday when I reached Mount Wei I was asked for this pearl too, and I truly had no word with which to answer and no principle to set forth.' The master said, 'A true lion's cub, well able to roar.' After bowing, Yangshan went into the guest quarters, put on full formal demeanor, and came again to pay his respects. The master, the moment he saw him, said, 'We have already met.' Yangshan said, 'Meeting in this way — is it not improper?' The master went back to the abbot's quarters and shut the door. Yangshan returned and told this to Weishan. Weishan said, 'Jizi, what state of mind is this?' Yangshan said, 'If not for this, how could one know him?' Later someone asked the master, 'I intend to ask the reverend master to open a teaching hall; may I?' The master said, 'When you can wrap a stone in cloth and warm it, then you may.' The man had nothing to say. (Yaoshan answered in his stead: 'The stone is warm.') He passed into quiescence in the guimao year of the Changqing era of Tang. His posthumous title was Great Master Chuanming.

䖍州西堂智藏禪師

Chan Master Zhizang of Xitang in Qianzhou

䖍化廖氏子。八歲從師。二十五具戒。有相者覩其殊表。謂之曰。骨氣非凡。當為法王之輔佐也。師遂參禮大寂。與百丈海禪師同為入室。皆承印記。一日。大寂遣師詣長安。奉書於忠國師。國師問曰。汝師說甚麼法。師從東過西而立。國師曰。祇這箇更別有。師卻從西過東邊立。國師曰。這箇是馬師底。仁者作麼生。師曰。早箇呈似和尚了也。尋又送書上徑山(語在國一章)。屬連帥路嗣恭延請大寂居府。應期盛化。師回郡。得大寂付授衲袈裟。令學者親近。僧問馬祖。離四句．絕百非。請師直指西來意。祖曰。我今日勞倦。不能為汝說得。問取智藏。其僧乃來問師。師曰。汝何不問和尚。僧曰。和尚令某甲來問上座。師曰。我今日頭痛。不能為汝說得。問取海兄去。僧又去問海百丈和尚。海曰。我到這裡卻不會。僧乃舉似馬祖。祖曰。藏頭白。海頭黑。馬祖一日問師曰。子何不看經。師曰。經豈異邪。祖曰。然雖如此。汝向後為人也須得。曰。智藏病思自養。敢言為人。祖曰。子末年必興於世。師便禮拜。馬祖滅後。師唐貞元七年。眾請開堂。李尚書嘗問僧。馬大師有甚麼言教。僧曰。大師或說即心即佛。或說非心非佛。李曰。總過這邊。李卻問師。馬大師有甚麼言教。師呼李翱。李應諾。師曰。鼓角動也。師普請次。曰。因果歷然。爭柰何。爭柰何。時有僧出。以手托地。師曰。作甚麼。曰。相救。相救。師曰。大眾。這箇師僧猶較些子。僧拂袖便走。師曰。師子身中蟲。自食師子肉。僧問。有問有答。賓主歷然。無問無答時如何。師曰。怕爛卻那(後有僧舉問長慶。慶雲。相逢盡道休官去。林下何曾見一人)。制空禪師謂師曰。日出太早生。師曰。正是時。師住西堂。後有一俗士問。有天堂地獄否。師曰。有。曰。有佛法僧寶否。師曰。有。更有多問。盡答言有。曰。和尚恁麼道莫錯否。師曰。

He was a son of the Liao family of Qianhua. He followed a teacher at the age of eight and received full ordination at twenty-five. A physiognomist saw his remarkable appearance and told him, 'Your bone-spirit is uncommon; you are sure to be a support to the Dharma King.' The master then went to pay his respects to Daji, and together with Chan Master Baizhang Huaihai he was among the inner-chamber disciples, both receiving his seal. One day Daji sent the master to Chang'an to deliver a letter to National Teacher Zhong. The national teacher asked, 'What Dharma does your teacher teach?' The master walked from the east side over to the west side and stood there. The national teacher said, 'Is it just this, or is there something more?' The master walked back from the west to the east side and stood there. The national teacher said, 'That is Mazu's doing. What about you, sir?' The master said, 'I have already shown it to the reverend master.' Soon afterward he again delivered a letter to Jingshan (the conversation is recorded in the chapter on the national teacher). When the regional commander Lu Sigong invited Daji to reside in the prefectural seat, the teaching flourished greatly in due season. The master returned to the prefecture and received from Daji the transmission of the patched robe, and was told to let students draw near him. A monk asked Mazu, 'Beyond the four propositions and cutting off the hundred negations, please, master, point directly to the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the west.' Mazu said, 'I am tired today and cannot explain it to you. Go and ask Zhizang.' The monk then came and asked the master. The master said, 'Why do you not ask the reverend master?' The monk said, 'The reverend master told me to ask the senior.' The master said, 'I have a headache today and cannot explain it to you. Go and ask brother Hai.' The monk then went and asked Hai, the reverend master of Baizhang. Hai said, 'When it comes to this, I do not understand.' The monk reported this to Mazu. Mazu said, 'Zang's head is white, Hai's head is black.' One day Mazu asked the master, 'Why do you not read the scriptures?' The master said, 'Are the scriptures different?' Mazu said, 'Even so, later on, when you teach people, you will need them.' The master said, 'Zhizang is ill and thinks only of caring for himself; how dare he speak of teaching others?' Mazu said, 'In your later years you will surely prosper in the world.' The master bowed. After Mazu's passing, in the seventh year of the Zhenyuan era of Tang, the assembly asked the master to open a teaching hall. Minister Li once asked a monk, 'What teachings did the great master Ma give?' The monk said, 'The great master sometimes said that this very mind is Buddha, and sometimes said that it is not mind and not Buddha.' Li said, 'It all comes over to this side.' Li then asked the master, 'What teachings did the great master Ma give?' The master called out, 'Li Ao!' Li answered. The master said, 'The drum and horn are sounding.' Once, at the communal work gathering, the master said, 'Cause and effect are plainly clear — what is to be done, what is to be done?' A monk then stepped forward and pressed his hands to the ground. The master said, 'What are you doing?' The monk said, 'Save me, save me!' The master said, 'Assembly, this monk is a little better than the rest.' The monk shook his sleeves and walked off. The master said, 'The worm in the lion's body eats the lion's own flesh.' A monk asked, 'When there are questions and answers, host and guest are plainly distinct. What about when there is no question and no answer?' The master said, 'I fear it will rot away.' (Later a monk asked Changqing about this. Qing said, 'Meeting one another, all say they will resign office and go; among the groves, when has anyone ever been seen?') Chan Master Zhikong said to the master, 'The sun rises too early.' The master said, 'It is exactly the time.' The master dwelt at Xitang. Later a layman asked, 'Are there heavens and hells?' The master said, 'There are.' He asked, 'Are there the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha?' The master said, 'There are.' To many further questions he answered, 'There are.' The layman said, 'Is the reverend master not mistaken in speaking this way?' The master said:

汝曾見尊宿來邪。曰。某甲曾參徑山和尚來。師曰。徑山向汝作麼生道。曰。他道一切總無。師曰。汝有妻否。曰。有。師曰。徑山和尚有妻否。曰。無。師曰。徑山和尚道無即得。俗士禮謝而去。師元和九年四月八日歸寂。憲宗諡大宣教禪師。穆宗重諡大覺禪師。

(The master continued:) 'Have you ever met an elder adept?' The layman said, 'I once studied under the reverend master of Jingshan.' The master said, 'What did Jingshan say to you?' He said, 'He said that everything is nothing.' The master said, 'Do you have a wife?' He said, 'I do.' The master said, 'Does the reverend master of Jingshan have a wife?' He said, 'No.' The master said, 'It is all right for the reverend master of Jingshan to say there is nothing.' The layman bowed in thanks and left. The master passed into quiescence on the eighth day of the fourth month in the ninth year of Yuanhe. Emperor Xianzong gave him the posthumous title Chan Master Daxuanjiao. Emperor Muzong gave him a further title, Chan Master Dajue.

京兆府章敬寺懷暉禪師

Chan Master Huaihui of Zhangjing Monastery in the Capital Prefecture

泉州謝氏子。上堂。至理亡言。時人不悉。強習他事。以為功能。不知自性元非塵境。是箇微妙大解脫門。所有鑒覺。不染不礙。如是光明。未曾休廢。曩劫至今。固無變易。猶如日輪。遠近斯照。雖及眾色。不與一切和合。靈燭妙明。非假鍛鍊。為不了故。取於物象。但如揑目。妄起空華。徒自疲勞。枉經劫數。若能返照。無第二人。舉措施為。不虧實相。僧問。心法雙亡。指歸何所。師曰。郢人無汙。徒勞運斤。曰。請師不返之言。師曰。即無返句(後僧舉問洞山。山雲。道即甚道。罕遇作家)。百丈和尚令僧來候。師上堂次。展坐具。禮拜了。起來拈師一隻靸鞋。以衫袖拂卻塵了。倒覆向下。師曰。老僧罪過。或問。祖師傳心地法門。為是真如心。妄想心。非真非妄心。為是三乘教外別立心。師曰。汝見目前虛空麼。曰。信知常在目前。人自不見。師曰。汝莫認影像。曰。和尚作麼生。師以手撥空三下。曰。作麼生即是。師曰。汝向後會去在。有僧來。遶師三匝。振錫而立。師曰。是。是(長慶代雲。和尚佛法身心何在)。其僧又到南泉。亦遶南泉三匝。振錫而立。泉曰。不是。不是。此是風力所轉。終成敗壞。僧曰。章敬道是。和尚為甚麼道不是。泉曰。章敬即是。是汝不是(長慶代雲。和尚是甚麼心行。雲居錫雲。章敬未必道是。南泉未必道不是。又云。這僧當初但持錫出去。恰好)。小師行腳回。師問曰。汝離此間多少年邪。曰。離和尚左右將及八年。師曰。辦得箇甚麼。小師於地畫一圓相。師曰。祇這箇。更別有。小師乃畫破圓相。便禮拜。師曰。不是。不是。僧問。四大五蘊身中。阿那箇是本來佛性。師乃呼僧名。僧應諾。師良久曰。汝無佛性。唐元和十三年示滅。諡大覺禪師。

He was a son of the Xie family of Quanzhou. Ascending the hall, he said: 'The ultimate principle is beyond words, and people of the time do not understand it. They force themselves to practice other things and take that as their merit. They do not know that their own nature is originally not a defiled object; it is a subtle and wondrous gate of great liberation. All discerning awareness is neither stained nor obstructed. Such radiance has never ceased. From ancient kalpas down to now it has truly never changed. It is like the disc of the sun, shining on the near and the far alike. Though it reaches all colors, it does not merge with anything. The numinous lamp of wondrous clarity needs no polishing. Because they do not understand, people grasp at forms; it is like pressing the eye and falsely seeing flowers in the sky. They wear themselves out to no purpose and pass through kalpas in vain. If you can turn the light back and shine, there is no second person. In every action and undertaking you will not damage true reality.' A monk asked, 'When both mind and Dharma are forgotten, where does one take refuge?' The master said, 'When the man of Ying has no smudge, the axe is swung in vain.' The monk said, 'Please, master, give me the words that do not turn back.' The master said, 'There is no turning-back sentence.' (Later a monk asked Dongshan about this. Shan said, 'What he said was well said, but one rarely meets a true adept.') The reverend master of Baizhang sent a monk to inquire after him. As the master was ascending the hall, the monk spread his sitting cloth, bowed, then rose, picked up one of the master's slippers, wiped the dust off with his sleeve, and turned it upside down. The master said, 'This old monk is at fault.' Someone asked, 'The Patriarch's transmission of the mind-ground Dharma gate — is it the mind of true suchness, the mind of deluded thought, the mind that is neither true nor deluded, or a separate mind established outside the three vehicles?' The master said, 'Do you see the empty space before you?' The questioner said, 'I believe I know it is always before me; people simply do not see it.' The master said, 'Do not mistake a reflection.' He asked, 'What about the reverend master?' The master swept his hand through the air three times. The questioner said, 'How is that it?' The master said, 'You will understand later.' A monk came, circled the master three times, shook his staff, and stood still. The master said, 'Yes, yes.' (Changqing offered in his stead: 'Where are the reverend master's Buddha Dharma, body, and mind?') The monk then went to Nanquan and likewise circled him three times, shook his staff, and stood still. Quan said, 'No, no. This is turned by the power of wind and will end in ruin.' The monk said, 'Zhangjing said yes; why does the reverend master say no?' Quan said, 'Zhangjing is right; it is you who are wrong.' (Changqing offered in his stead: 'What state of mind is the reverend master in?' Yunju Xi said, 'Zhangjing was not necessarily right, and Nanquan was not necessarily wrong.' He also said, 'If this monk had just picked up his staff and gone out at the start, that would have been just right.') A junior monk returned from his pilgrimage. The master asked, 'How many years have you been away from here?' He said, 'Nearly eight years away from the reverend master's side.' The master said, 'What have you accomplished?' The junior monk drew a circle on the ground. The master said, 'Is it just this, or is there something more?' The junior monk then drew through and broke the circle and bowed. The master said, 'No, no.' A monk asked, 'Among the four elements and five aggregates that make up this body, which is the original Buddha-nature?' The master called the monk by name. The monk answered. After a long pause the master said, 'You have no Buddha-nature.' He manifested extinction in the thirteenth year of Yuanhe of Tang. His posthumous title was Chan Master Dajue.

越州大珠慧海禪師

Chan Master Dazhu Huihai of Yuezhou

建州朱氏子。依越州大雲寺智和尚受業。初參馬祖。祖問。從何處來。曰。越州大雲寺來。祖曰。來此擬須何事。曰。來求佛法。祖曰。我這裡一物也無。求甚麼佛法。自家寶藏不顧。拋家散走作麼。曰。阿那箇是慧海寶藏。祖曰。即今問我者。是汝寶藏。一切具足。更無欠少。使用自在。何假外求。師於言下。自識本心。不由知覺。踴躍禮謝。師事六載後。以受業師老。遽歸奉養。乃晦跡藏用。外示痴訥。自撰頓悟入道要門論一卷。法姪玄晏竊出江外。呈馬祖。祖覽訖。告眾曰。越州有大珠。圓明光透自在。無遮障處也。眾中有知師姓朱者。相推來越尋訪依附(時號大珠和尚)。師謂曰。禪客。我不會禪。並無一法可示於人。不勞久立。且自歇去。時學侶漸多。日夜叩激。事不得已。隨問隨答。其辭無礙。時有法師數人來謁。曰。擬伸一問。師還對否。師曰。深潭月影。任意撮摩。問。如何是佛。師曰。清譚對面。非佛而誰。眾皆茫然(法眼雲。是即沒交涉)。僧良久。又問。師說何法度人。師曰。貧道未曾有一法度人。曰。禪師家渾如此。師卻問。大德說何法度人。曰。講金剛經。師曰。講幾座來。曰。二十餘座。師曰。此經是阿誰說。僧抗聲曰。禪師相弄。豈不知是佛說邪。師曰。若言如來有所說法。則為謗佛。是人不解我所說義。若言此經不是佛說。則是謗經。請大德說看。僧無對。師少頃。又問。經云。若以色見我。以音聲求我。是人行邪道。不能見如來。大德且道。阿那箇是如來。曰。某甲到此卻迷去。師曰。從來未悟。說甚卻迷。曰。請禪師為說。師曰。大德講經二十餘座。卻不識如來。僧禮拜曰。願垂開示。師曰。如來者。是諸法如義。何得忘卻。曰。是諸法如義。師曰。大德。是亦未是。曰。經文分明。那得未是。師曰。大德如否。曰。如。師曰。木石如否。曰。如。師曰。

He was a son of the Zhu family of Jianzhou. He studied under the reverend master Zhi of Dayun Monastery in Yuezhou. He first called on Mazu. Zu asked, 'Where do you come from?' He said, 'From Dayun Monastery in Yuezhou.' Zu said, 'What do you intend to do here?' He said, 'I have come to seek the Buddha Dharma.' Zu said, 'I have not a single thing here; what Buddha Dharma would you seek? Why do you neglect your own treasure house and run about scattering your home?' He said, 'Which is Huihai's treasure house?' Zu said, 'The one asking me right now — that is your treasure house. It is complete in every way, lacking nothing, and works freely; why seek it outside?' At these words the master recognized his own original mind by himself, not through knowing or perceiving, and he leaped up, bowed, and thanked him. After serving him as a teacher for six years, because his original preceptor was old, he hurried home to care for him, and then concealed his traces and hid his function, outwardly appearing dull and slow of speech. He himself composed one fascicle, the Treatise on the Essential Gate of Entering the Way through Sudden Awakening. His Dharma nephew Xuanyan secretly carried it beyond the river and presented it to Mazu. After reading it, Zu told the assembly, 'In Yuezhou there is a great pearl, perfectly bright, radiant and free, with nowhere obstructed.' Among the assembly, those who knew that the master's surname was Zhu urged one another to come to Yue and seek him out and attach themselves to him (he was then called the Monk Great Pearl). The master said to them, 'Chan visitors, I do not understand Chan, and I have not a single Dharma to show anyone. Do not trouble to stand long; just rest yourselves and go.' As his students gradually increased and pressed him day and night, he could not help it and answered whatever was asked, his words unobstructed. At that time several Dharma masters came to visit and said, 'We intend to put a question; will the master answer it?' The master said, 'The moon's reflection in a deep pool — grasp and rub it as you please.' They asked, 'What is Buddha?' The master said, 'Facing you in plain conversation — if not Buddha, who?' The assembly was all bewildered. (Fayan said, 'That is, then, no connection at all.') After a long while the monk asked again, 'What Dharma does the master teach to save people?' The master said, 'This poor monk has never had a single Dharma to save people with.' The monk said, 'Chan masters are all like this.' The master asked in turn, 'What Dharma does the venerable teach to save people?' He said, 'I lecture on the Diamond Sutra.' The master said, 'How many sessions have you lectured?' He said, 'More than twenty.' The master said, 'Who spoke this sutra?' The monk raised his voice: 'The master is making fun of me — do you not know it was spoken by the Buddha?' The master said, 'If you say the Tathagata has something spoken, that is slandering the Buddha, and such a person does not understand the meaning of what I have said. If you say this sutra was not spoken by the Buddha, that is slandering the sutra. Please, venerable, say something.' The monk had no reply. After a moment the master asked again, 'The sutra says: If one sees me in form or seeks me in sound, that person walks a false path and cannot see the Tathagata. Now, venerable, which is the Tathagata?' The monk said, 'When it comes to this, I become confused.' The master said, 'You were never awakened to begin with; what do you mean, you become confused?' The monk said, 'Please, Chan master, explain it for me.' The master said, 'You have lectured on this sutra more than twenty times, and yet you do not know the Tathagata.' The monk bowed and said, 'I beg you to bestow instruction.' The master said, 'The Tathagata means the suchness of all dharmas — how could you have forgotten it?' The monk said, 'It is the suchness of all dharmas.' The master said, 'Venerable, that is so, and yet it is not so.' The monk said, 'The text is clear; how can it not be so?' The master said, 'Is the venerable thus?' He said, 'Thus.' The master said, 'Are wood and stone thus?' He said, 'Thus.' The master said:

大德如同木石如否。曰。無二。師曰。大德與木石何別。僧無對。良久。卻問。如何得大涅槃。師曰。不造生死業。曰。如何是生死業。師曰。求大涅槃。是生死業。捨垢取淨。是生死業。有得有證。是生死業。不脫對治門。是生死業。曰。云何即得解脫。師曰。本自無縛。不用求解。直用直行。是無等等。曰。禪師如和尚者。實謂希有。禮謝而去。有行者問。即心即佛。那箇是佛。師曰。汝疑那箇不是佛。指出看。者無對。師曰。達即徧境是。不悟永乖疎。律師法明謂師曰。禪師家。多落空。師曰。卻是座主家落空。明大驚曰。何得落空。師曰。經論是紙墨文字。紙墨文字者。俱是空設。於聲上建立名句等法。無非是空。座主執滯教體。豈不落空。明曰。禪師落空否。師曰。不落空。明曰。何得卻不落空。師曰。文字等皆從智慧而生。大用現前。那得落空。明曰。故知一法不達。不名悉達。師曰。律師不唯落空。兼乃錯會名言。明作色曰。何處是錯處。師曰。未辨華竺之音。如何講說。明曰。請禪師指出錯處。師曰。豈不知悉達是梵語邪。明雖省過。而心猶憤然(梵語具雲。婆曷剌他悉陀。中國翻雲一切義成。舊雲悉達多。猶是訛略梵語也)。又曰。夫經律論是佛語。讀誦依教奉行。何故不見性。師曰。如狂狗趂塊。師子齩人。經律論是性用。讀誦者是性法。明曰。阿彌陀佛有父母及姓否。師曰。阿彌陀姓憍屍迦。父名月上。母名殊勝妙顏。明曰。出何教文。師曰。出鼓音王經。法明禮謝。讚歎而退。有三藏法師問。真如有變易否。師曰。有變易。藏曰。禪師錯也。師卻問三藏。有真如否。曰。有。師曰。若無變易。決定是凡僧也。豈不聞善知識者。能回三毒為三聚淨戒。回六識為六神通。回煩惱作菩提。回無明為大智。真如若無變易。三藏真是自然外道也。藏曰。若爾者。真如即有變易也。師曰。

(The master continued:) 'Is the venerable's thusness the same as the thusness of wood and stone?' He said, 'There is no difference.' The master said, 'Then what distinguishes the venerable from wood and stone?' The monk had no reply. After a long pause the monk asked, 'How does one attain great nirvana?' The master said, 'By not creating the karma of birth and death.' He asked, 'What is the karma of birth and death?' The master said, 'Seeking great nirvana is the karma of birth and death. Rejecting the impure and grasping the pure is the karma of birth and death. Having attainment and certification is the karma of birth and death. Not escaping the gate of antidotes is the karma of birth and death.' He asked, 'How then does one gain liberation?' The master said, 'There was never any bondage to begin with, so there is no need to seek release. Using it directly and acting directly — that is the unequalled.' The monk said, 'A Chan master like the reverend is truly rare.' He bowed in thanks and left. A postulant asked, 'This very mind is Buddha — which is the Buddha?' The master said, 'Point out the one you doubt is not Buddha.' The postulant had no reply. The master said, 'To one who understands, every place is it; to one who does not awaken, it is forever far away.' Vinaya Master Faming said to the master, 'Chan masters mostly fall into emptiness.' The master said, 'It is rather the lecturers who fall into emptiness.' Faming was startled and said, 'How do they fall into emptiness?' The master said, 'The sutras and treatises are paper and ink words. Paper and ink words are all empty contrivances. Names, phrases, and the like set up upon sounds are nothing but emptiness. The lecturer clings fast to the body of the teachings — does he not fall into emptiness?' Faming said, 'Does the Chan master fall into emptiness?' The master said, 'I do not.' Faming said, 'How is it that you do not fall into emptiness?' The master said, 'Words and the rest all arise from wisdom; when the great function appears before you, how could there be any falling into emptiness?' Faming said, 'So one knows that if a single dharma is not understood, one is not called Siddhartha.' The master said, 'The Vinaya master not only falls into emptiness, he also misunderstands the words.' Faming flushed and said, 'Where is the mistake?' The master said, 'You cannot even tell Chinese sounds from Indian ones — how do you lecture?' Faming said, 'Please, Chan master, point out the mistake.' The master said, 'Do you not know that Siddhartha is Sanskrit?' Though Faming recognized his fault, his heart was still resentful. (In full Sanskrit it is Sarvarthasiddha, which in Chinese is rendered All Meanings Accomplished. The older form Siddhartha is an abbreviated and corrupt Sanskrit form.) He also said, 'The sutras, the vinaya, and the treatises are the Buddha's words. If one reads and recites them, follows the teachings, and practices accordingly, why does one not see the nature?' The master said, 'That is like a mad dog chasing a clod while the lion bites the man. The sutras, the vinaya, and the treatises are the function of the nature; reading and reciting is the dharma of the nature.' Faming said, 'Does Amitabha Buddha have parents and a surname?' The master said, 'Amitabha's surname is Kaushika; his father was named Moon Rise and his mother Wondrous Excellent Countenance.' Faming said, 'From what scripture does this come?' The master said, 'From the Drum Sound King Sutra.' Faming bowed in thanks, praised him, and withdrew. A Tripitaka master asked, 'Does true suchness change?' The master said, 'It changes.' The Tripitaka master said, 'The Chan master is wrong.' The master asked him in turn, 'Is there true suchness?' He said, 'There is.' The master said, 'If it did not change, you would certainly be just an ordinary monk. Have you not heard that a good teacher can turn the three poisons into the three pure precepts, turn the six consciousnesses into the six spiritual powers, turn affliction into bodhi, and turn ignorance into great wisdom? If true suchness did not change, the Tripitaka master would truly be a follower of the naturalist heresy.' The Tripitaka master said, 'If so, then true suchness does change.' The master said:

若執真如有變易。亦是外道。曰。禪師適來說真如有變易。如今又道不變易。如何即是的當。師曰。若了了見性者。如摩尼珠現色。說變亦得。說不變亦得。若不見性人。聞說真如變易。便作變易解會。說不變易。便作不變易解會。藏曰。故知南宗實不可測。有道流問。世間還有法過於自然否。師曰。有。曰。何法過得。師曰。能知自然者。曰。元氣是道不。師曰。元氣自元氣。道自道。曰。若如是者。則應有二也。師曰。知無兩人。又問。云何為邪。云何為正。師曰。心逐物為邪。物從心為正。源律師問。和尚修道。還用功否。師曰。用功。曰。如何用功。師曰。饑來吃飯。困來即眠。曰。一切人總如是。同師用功否。師曰。不同。曰。何故不同。師曰。他吃飯時不肯吃飯。百種須索。睡時不肯睡。千般計較。所以不同也。律師杜口。韞光大德問。禪師自知生處否。師曰。未曾死。何用論生。知生即是無生。法無離生。法有無生。祖師曰。當生即不生。曰。不見性人。亦得如此否。師曰。自不見性。不是無性。何以故。見即是性。無性不能見。識即是性。故名識性。了即是性。喚作了性。能生萬法。喚作法性。亦名法身。馬鳴祖師雲。所言法者。謂眾生心。若心生故。一切法生。若心無生。法無從生。亦無名字。迷人不知法身無象。應物現形。遂喚青青翠竹。總是法身。鬱鬱黃華。無非般若。黃華若是般若。般若即同無情。翠竹若是法身。法身即同草木。如人吃筍。應總吃法身也。如此之言。寧堪齒錄。對面迷佛。長劫希求。全體法中。迷而外覔。是以解道者。行住坐臥。無非是道。悟法者。縱橫自在。無非是法。光又問。太虗能生靈智否。真心緣於善惡否。貪欲人是道否。執是執非人向後心通否。觸境生心人有定否。住寂寞人有慧否。懷傲物人有我否。執空執有人有智否。

(The master continued:) ‘If you cling to the idea that suchness changes, you are still an outsider.’ Someone asked: ‘The Chan master just said that suchness changes, but now says it does not. Which is correct?’ The master replied: ‘One who clearly sees his nature may say it changes or does not change, just as a wish-fulfilling jewel displays colors. One who has not seen his nature hears “suchness changes” and constructs an idea of change; hears “it does not change” and constructs an idea of changelessness.’ Zang said: ‘Now I see that the Southern School truly cannot be measured.’ A monk asked: ‘Is there anything in the world that surpasses nature?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘What surpasses it?’ ‘One who knows nature.’ ‘Is primal energy the Way?’ ‘Primal energy is primal energy; the Way is the Way.’ ‘Then there must be two.’ ‘There are not two knowers.’ He asked: ‘What is wrong, and what is right?’ The master said: ‘When mind follows things, that is wrong; when things follow mind, that is right.’ Vinaya Master Yuan asked: ‘Does the master exert effort in cultivating the Way?’ ‘I do.’ ‘How?’ ‘When hungry, I eat; when tired, I sleep.’ ‘Everyone does that. Do they cultivate as you do?’ ‘No.’ ‘Why not?’ ‘While eating, they refuse simply to eat and make all sorts of demands. While sleeping, they refuse simply to sleep and entertain a thousand calculations. That is why they differ.’ The Vinaya master fell silent. Great Virtue Yunguang asked: ‘Do you know where you were born?’ The master replied: ‘I have not yet died; why discuss birth? To know birth is to know the unborn. Dharma is not apart from birth, and Dharma has the unborn. The patriarch said, “Birth itself is nonbirth.”’ ‘Can one who has not seen his nature say this too?’ ‘It is oneself who fails to see one’s nature; it is not that there is no nature. Why? Seeing is itself nature; without nature there can be no seeing. Knowing is nature, hence “knowing nature”; understanding is nature, hence “understanding nature.” That which gives rise to all things is called dharma-nature, also the Dharma-body. Patriarch Ashvaghosha said: “Dharma means the mind of sentient beings. When mind arises, all dharmas arise; when mind does not arise, no dharma arises, nor is there a name for it.” Deluded people do not know that the Dharma-body has no fixed form and manifests according to conditions. They therefore say that every green bamboo is the Dharma-body and every flourishing yellow flower is Prajna. If yellow flowers were Prajna, Prajna would be no different from insentient things; if green bamboo were the Dharma-body, the Dharma-body would be no different from plants and trees. When someone eats bamboo shoots, would he then be eating the Dharma-body? Such talk is hardly worth repeating. People face the Buddha and miss him, seeking him through long ages; though wholly within Dharma, they are deluded and seek outside. Thus for one who understands the Way, walking, standing, sitting, and lying are all the Way. For one who awakens to Dharma, every movement in every direction is Dharma.’ Guang further asked: ‘Can the great void produce spiritual awareness? Does the true mind attach to good and evil? Is a covetous person on the Way? Will one who clings to right and wrong later attain unobstructed mind? Does one who gives rise to mind upon meeting objects possess concentration? Does one who dwells in stillness possess wisdom? Does one who looks down on others have a self? Is one who clings to emptiness or existence wise?’

尋文取證人．苦行求佛人．離心求佛人．執心是佛人。此智稱道否。請禪師一一為說。師曰。太虗不生靈智。真心不緣善惡。嗜慾深者機淺。是非交爭者未通。觸境生心者少定。寂寞忘機者慧沉。傲物高心者我壯。執空執有者皆愚。尋文取證者益滯。苦行求佛者俱迷。離心求佛者外道。執心是佛者為魔。曰。若如是。畢竟無所有也。師曰。畢竟是大德。不是畢竟無所有。光踴躍禮謝而去。問。儒．釋．道三教同異如何。師曰。大量者用之即同。小機者執之即異。總從一性上起用。機見差別成三。迷悟由人。不在教之同異也。

(Yunguang continued:) ‘Are those who seek proof in written texts, practice austerities to become Buddhas, seek Buddha apart from mind, or cling to mind as Buddha wise and on the Way? Please explain each one.’ The master said: ‘The great void does not produce spiritual awareness. The true mind does not attach to good or evil. Deep craving means shallow capacity. Those who contend over right and wrong have not penetrated. Those whose minds arise upon meeting objects have little concentration. Those who sink into stillness and forget their function let wisdom grow dull. Those who look down on things and hold themselves high strengthen the ego. Those who cling to emptiness or existence are both foolish. Those who seek proof in texts become more obstructed. Those who practice austerities to seek Buddhahood are deluded. Those who seek Buddha apart from mind are outsiders. Those who cling to mind as Buddha are demons.’ The questioner said: ‘Then ultimately nothing exists.’ The master replied: ‘“Ultimately” is you, Great Virtue; it does not mean that ultimately nothing exists.’ Guang joyfully bowed in gratitude and left. Someone asked: ‘How are Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism alike or different?’ The master said: ‘For those of broad capacity, they are the same when put to use; those of narrow capacity cling to them and make them different. Their functions all arise from one nature; differing capacities perceive them as three. Delusion and awakening depend on the person, not on whether the teachings are alike or different.’

洪州百丈山惟政禪師

Chan Master Weizheng of Mount Baizhang, Hongzhou.

有老宿見日影透窻。問師。為復窻就日。日就窻。師曰。長老房中有客。歸去好。師問南泉。諸方善知識。還有不說似人底法也無。曰。有。師曰。作麼生。曰。不是心。不是佛。不是物。師曰。恁麼則說似人了也。曰。某甲即恁麼。和尚作麼生。師曰。我又不是善知識。爭知有說不說底法。曰。某甲不會。請和尚說。師曰。我太煞。與汝說了也。僧問。如何是佛佛道齊。師曰。定也。師因入京。路逢官人吃飯。忽見驢鳴。官人召曰。頭陀。師舉頭。官人卻指驢。師卻指官人(法眼別雲。但作驢鳴)。

An elder saw sunlight shining through a window and asked the master: ‘Does the window face the sun, or does the sun face the window?’ The master said: ‘There is a guest in your room, Elder. You had better go back.’ The master asked Nanquan: ‘Among the good teachers in various places, is there any Dharma they do not explain to people?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘What is it?’ ‘It is not mind, not Buddha, and not a thing.’ The master said: ‘Then you have explained it to someone.’ Nanquan said: ‘That is how I put it. What about you, Master?’ The master replied: ‘I am no good teacher; how would I know of a Dharma that is or is not explained?’ ‘I do not understand. Please tell me, Master.’ ‘I have already told you far too much.’ A monk asked: ‘What is the Buddha’s Way, in which all Buddhas are equal?’ The master said: ‘Settled.’ Once, while traveling to the capital, the master passed an official who was eating. A donkey suddenly brayed. The official called, ‘Ascetic!’ The master raised his head. The official pointed at the donkey; the master pointed at the official. (Fayan offered another response: ‘Simply bray like a donkey.’)

洪州泐潭法會禪師

Chan Master Fahui of Leitan, Hongzhou.

問馬祖。如何是祖師西來意。祖曰。低聲。近前來。向汝道。師便近前。祖打一摑曰。六耳不同謀。且去。來日來。師至來日。獨入法堂曰。請和尚道。祖曰。且去。待老漢上堂出來問。與汝證明。師忽有省。遂曰。謝大眾證明。乃繞法堂一匝。便去。

Someone asked Mazu: ‘What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the West?’ Mazu said: ‘Lower your voice. Come closer and I will tell you.’ The master stepped forward. Mazu slapped him and said: ‘A secret cannot be shared among six ears. Go for now; come tomorrow.’ The next day the master entered the Dharma Hall alone and said: ‘Please tell me, Master.’ Mazu replied: ‘Go for now. Wait until I ascend the hall and ask you, then I will confirm it for you.’ The master suddenly had an insight and said: ‘Thank you all for confirming it.’ He circled the hall once and left.

池州杉山智堅禪師

Chan Master Zhijian of Shanshan, Chizhou.

初與歸宗．南泉行腳時。路逢一虎。各從虎邊過了。泉問歸宗。適來見虎似箇甚麼。宗曰。似箇貓兒。宗卻問師。師曰。似箇狗子。又問南泉。泉曰。我見是箇大蟲。師吃飯次。南泉収生飯。乃曰。生聻。師曰。無生。泉曰。無生猶是末。泉行數步。師召曰。長老。泉回頭曰。作麼。師曰。莫道是末。普請擇蕨次。南泉拈起一莖曰。這箇大好供養。師曰。非但這箇。百味珍羞。他亦不顧。泉曰。雖然如是。箇箇須甞過始得(玄覺雲。是相見語不是相見語)。僧問。如何是本來身。師曰。舉世無相似。

When the master was traveling with Guizong and Nanquan, they came upon a tiger and each passed by it. Nanquan asked Guizong: ‘What did that tiger look like just now?’ Guizong said: ‘Like a cat.’ Then he asked the master, who replied: ‘Like a dog.’ Nanquan asked the master, and said: ‘I saw a great beast.’ Once, while the master was eating, Nanquan took away his uncooked rice and asked: ‘And what of the unborn?’ The master said: ‘No birth.’ Nanquan said: ‘“No birth” is still the last word.’ After Nanquan had walked a few steps, the master called: ‘Elder!’ Nanquan turned and asked: ‘What is it?’ The master said: ‘Do not say it is the last word.’ While they were gathering fiddlehead ferns together, Nanquan held up a stalk and said: ‘This would make a fine offering.’ The master said: ‘Not only this; he would not care for a hundred delicacies.’ Nanquan said: ‘Even so, each one must be tasted first.’ (Xuansha commented: ‘Was this an encounter in words, or not?’) A monk asked: ‘What is the original body?’ The master said: ‘Nothing in the whole world resembles it.’

洪州泐潭惟建禪師

Chan Master Weijian of Leitan, Hongzhou.