Records of the Transmission of the Lamp, Volume Ten

郢州興陽山遜禪師

Chan Master Xun of Xingyang Mountain in Yingzhou

僧問。如何是佛。師曰。髮白麵皺。曰。如何是法。師曰。暑往寒來。問。如何是三界外事。師曰。洛陽千里餘。不得舊時書。

A monk asked, 'What is the Buddha?' The Master said, 'Hair white and face wrinkled.' He said, 'What is the Dharma?' The Master said, 'Heat goes and cold comes.' He asked, 'What is the matter beyond the three realms?' The Master said, 'More than a thousand li to Luoyang, and no letter from former days.'

德山遠禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Yuan of Deshan

廬山開先善暹禪師

Chan Master Shanxian of Kaixian in Mount Lu

臨江軍人也。操行清苦。徧遊師席。以明悟為志。參德山。見山上堂。顧視大眾曰。師子嚬呻。象王回顧。師忽有省。入室陳所解。山曰。子作麼生會。師回顧曰。後園驢吃草。山然之。後至雪竇。竇與語。喜其超邁。目曰海上橫行暹道者。遂命分座。四方英衲敬畏之。他日竇舉師出世金鵝。師聞。潛書二偈於壁而去。曰。不是無心繼祖燈。道慙未廁嶺南能。三更月下離巖竇。眷眷無言戀碧層。二十餘年四海間。尋師擇友未甞閑。今朝得到無心地。卻被無心趂出山。晚年。眾請滋甚。遂開法開先。以慰道俗之望。開堂日。上首白椎罷。師曰。千聖出來。也祇是稽首讚歎。諸代祖師提挈不起。是故始從迦葉。迄至山僧。二千餘年。月燭慧燈。星排道樹。人天普照。凡聖齊榮。且道承甚麼人恩力。老胡也祇道。明星出現時。我與大地有情同時成道。如是則彼既丈夫。我亦爾。孰為不可。良由諸人不肯承當。自生退屈。所以便推排一人半箇先達出來。𮞏相開發。也祇是與諸人作箇證明。今日人天會上。莫有久遊赤水。夙在荊山。懷袖有珍。頂門有眼。到處踐踏覺場底衲僧麼。卻請為新出世長老作箇證明。還有麼。時有僧出。師曰。象駕崢嶸謾進途。誰信螳螂能拒轍。問。一棒一喝。猶是葛藤。瞬目揚眉。拖泥帶水。如何是直截根源。師曰。速。曰。恁麼則祖師正宗和尚把定。師曰。野渡無人舟自橫。問。如何是露地白牛。師曰。瞎。問。妙峰頂上即不問。半山相見事如何。師曰。把手過江來。曰。高步出長安。師曰。腳下一句作麼生道。僧便喝。師曰。山腰裡走。問。一雨所潤。為甚麼萬木不同。師曰。羊羹雖美。眾口難調。問。年窮歲盡時如何。師曰。依舊孟春猶寒。問。更深夜靜時如何。師曰。老鼠入燈籠。問。瞥瞋瞥喜時如何。師曰。適來菩薩面。如今夜叉頭。上堂。一若是。二即非。東西南北人不知。

He was a man of Linjiang Jun. His conduct was pure and austere, and he traveled to every master's seat, taking clear awakening as his aim. He studied under Deshan, and saw Deshan ascend the hall and look around at the assembly saying, 'The lion frowns and groans; the elephant king turns his head.' The Master was suddenly awakened. He entered the room and set out his understanding. Deshan said, 'How do you understand it?' The Master looked back and said, 'In the back garden the donkey eats grass.' Deshan agreed. Later he came to Xuedou. Dou conversed with him and was delighted by his transcendence, calling him 'the man of the Way Xian who roams the seas.' He then had him share the seat. Learned patch-robed monks from the four quarters revered him. One day Dou brought up the Master's name for a teaching post at the Golden Goose. When the Master heard of it, he secretly wrote two verses on the wall and left. They said: 'It is not that I have no mind to succeed the Ancestor's lamp; I am ashamed that my Way cannot yet rank with Lingnan's Neng. At the third watch under the moon I leave the rocky cave, lingering wordless, longing for the blue heights. For over twenty years among the four seas, seeking masters and choosing friends I have never been idle. Today I have reached the mind-ground of no-mind, and yet I am driven out of the mountain by no-mind.' In his later years the assembly begged him ever more earnestly, and so he opened the teaching at Kaixian to comfort the hopes of the clergy and laity. On the day he opened the hall, after the head seat had struck the mallet, the Master said, 'When a thousand sages appear, they too only bow their heads and praise. The Ancestral Masters of every generation cannot lift it up. Therefore from Kashyapa at the beginning down to this mountain monk, for over two thousand years, the moon has illumined the lamp of wisdom and the stars have arrayed the tree of the Way, universally shining on men and gods, and sages and commoners alike flourish.' And tell me, by whose grace is this borne? The old Indian also only said: when the morning star appeared, I and the sentient beings of the great earth attained the Way at the same time. If so, then since he was a great man, I am the same — who says it cannot be? It is only that you people will not undertake it, and of yourselves give rise to withdrawal and discouragement. Therefore one after another has been pushed forward — one man, half a man, an earlier worthy — to open up and develop it in turn. It is only to be a certification for you people. Today at this assembly of men and gods, is there a patch-robed monk who has long roamed the Red Water, dwelt of old in Jing Mountain, carries a treasure in his sleeve and has an eye on his crown, and everywhere treads the field of enlightenment? Let him come forward and be a certification for the newly-emerged elder. Is there any?' At that time a monk came forward. The Master said, 'The elephant carriage towers loftily — in vain you advance on the road; who believes a mantis can stop a cartwheel?' He asked, 'One blow of the staff and one shout are still vines and rattans; blinking the eyes and raising the brows is dragging mud and carrying water. What is cutting straight to the root?' The Master said, 'Quick.' He said, 'If so, then the Master holds firm the Ancestor's correct school.' The Master said, 'At a wild crossing with no one, the boat lies across of itself.' He asked, 'What is the white ox that roams in the open ground?' The Master said, 'Blind.' He asked, 'I do not ask about the summit of the Wondrous Peak — what of meeting halfway up the mountain?' The Master said, 'Take my hand and cross the river.' He said, 'With high steps I leave Chang'an.' The Master said, 'How will you speak the phrase beneath your feet?' The monk then shouted. The Master said, 'Walking along the mountain's waist.' He asked, 'One rain moistens all, why are the ten thousand trees different?' The Master said, 'Though mutton soup is fine, it is hard to suit every mouth.' He asked, 'What about when the year is exhausted and the season is spent?' The Master said, 'It is still the first month and still cold.' He asked, 'What about when the night is deep and all is still?' The Master said, 'A rat enters the lantern.' He asked, 'What about when one blinks in anger and blinks in joy?' The Master said, 'Just now a bodhisattva's face, and now a yaksha's head.' Ascending the hall: 'If you say one, it is so; if you say two, it is not. People of east, west, south and north do not know.'

休話指天並指地。青山白雲徒爾為。以拄杖擊香臺。下座。問。雨雪連天。為甚麼孤峰露頂。師曰。有甚遮掩處。上堂。僧問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。洛陽城古。曰。學人不會。師曰。少室山高。僧禮拜。師廼曰。佛種從緣起。遂舉拄杖曰。拄杖子是緣。且作麼生說箇起底道理。良久曰。金屑雖貴。落眼成翳。卓拄杖。下座。

'Say no more of pointing to heaven and pointing to earth; green mountains and white clouds do it all in vain.' He struck the incense stand with his staff and descended from the seat. He asked, 'Rain and snow cover the sky — why does the lone peak show its summit?' The Master said, 'Where is there anything to cover?' Ascending the hall, a monk asked, 'What is the Ancestor's meaning of the coming from the West?' The Master said, 'The city of Luoyang is old.' He said, 'The student does not understand.' The Master said, 'Shaoshi Mountain is high.' The monk bowed. The Master then said, 'The Buddha seed arises from conditions.' He raised his staff and said, 'The staff is a condition — how then will you speak the principle of that which arises?' After a long while he said, 'Though gold dust is precious, in the eye it becomes a film.' He planted his staff and descended from the seat.

吉州禾山楚材禪智禪師

Chan Master Chucai Chanzhi of Heshan in Jizhou

臨江軍人也。僧問。佛令祖令。諸方並行。未審和尚如何。師曰。山僧退後。曰。恁麼則諸方不別也。師曰。伏惟伏惟。問。如何是離凡聖底句。師曰。山河安掌上。曰。恁麼則迥超今古外。師曰。展縮在當人。問。一毫未發時如何。師曰。海晏河清。曰。發後如何。師曰。徧界無知己。問。如何是和尚說法底口。師曰。放一線道。問。抱璞投師。請師雕琢。師曰。不雕琢。曰。為甚麼不雕琢。師曰。弄巧翻成拙。

He was from Linjiang Army. A monk asked, ‘The Buddha’s command and the patriarchs’ command are both practiced throughout the various regions. How does the master regard them?’ The master said, ‘This mountain monk steps back.’ The monk said, ‘Then there is no difference among the various regions.’ The master replied, ‘I bow to you, I bow to you.’ Asked, ‘What is a phrase that leaves both ordinary people and sages behind?’ he said, ‘Mountains and rivers rest in the palm of your hand.’ The monk said, ‘Then it transcends all past and present.’ The master said, ‘Expansion and contraction lie with the person himself.’ Asked, ‘What is it like before a single hair has stirred?’ he said, ‘The seas are calm and the rivers clear.’ Asked, ‘And after it stirs?’ he said, ‘Throughout the world there is no one who knows you.’ Asked, ‘What is the mouth with which the master teaches?’ he said, ‘Leave a narrow opening.’ Asked, ‘I bring an uncut jade and submit myself to the master; please polish it.’ He said, ‘I will not polish it.’ Asked why, he replied, ‘Trying to be clever only makes you clumsy.’

秀州資聖院盛勤禪師

Chan Master Shengqin of Zisheng Monastery in Xiuzhou

僧問。如何是正法眼。師曰。山青水綠。問。四威儀中如何履踐。師曰。鷺鶿立雪。曰。恁麼則聞鐘持缽。日上欄幹。師曰。魚躍千江水。龍騰萬裡雲。曰。畢竟如何。師曰。山中逢猛虎。天上見文星。上堂。多生覺悟非幹衲。一點分明不在燈。拈拄杖曰。拄杖頭上祖師。燈籠腳下彌勒。須彌山腰鼓細即不問你。作麼生是分明一點。你若道得。無邊剎境總在你眉毛上。你若道不得。作麼生過得羅剎橋。良久曰。水流千派月。山鎻一溪雲。卓拄杖。下座。

A monk asked, ‘What is the Eye of the True Dharma?’ The master said, ‘Green mountains and clear waters.’ Asked how to practice amid the four dignified postures, he said, ‘A heron standing in snow.’ The monk said, ‘Then one hears the bell and takes up the bowl, while the sun rises above the railing.’ The master replied, ‘Fish leap in rivers by the thousand; dragons soar through clouds for ten thousand miles.’ Asked what it ultimately came to, he said, ‘Meet a fierce tiger in the mountains; see a literary star in the sky.’ At a sermon he said, ‘Awakening through many lives has nothing to do with wearing a patched robe; the one clear point is not in a lamp.’ He raised his staff and said, ‘The patriarch is on the staff’s tip; Maitreya is beneath the lantern’s foot. I will not ask you about the drum at Mount Sumeru’s waist. Tell me: what is this one clear point? If you can say it, boundless Buddha lands are all on your eyebrows. If you cannot, how will you cross the Rakshasa Bridge?’ After a long pause he said, ‘The moon flows with the water through a thousand channels; clouds lock the valley stream between the mountains.’ He struck his staff down and left the seat.

潭州鹿苑圭禪師

Chan Master Gui of Luyuan in Tanzhou

桂州人也。僧問。如何是道。師曰。吳頭楚尾。曰。如何是道中人。師曰。騎馬踏鐙。不如步行。問。如何是第一義諦。師曰。胡人讀漢書。上堂。凡有因緣。須曉其宗。若曉其宗。無是無不是。用則波騰海沸。全真體以運行。體則鏡淨水沉。舉隨緣而會寂。且道兜率天宮。幾人行幾人坐。若向這裡辯得緇素。許你諸人東西南北。如雲似鶴。於此不明。踏破草鞋。未有了日在。參。

He was from Guizhou. A monk asked, ‘What is the Way?’ The master said, ‘At the head of Wu and the tail of Chu.’ Asked, ‘Who is a person in the Way?’ he said, ‘Riding a horse and stepping in the stirrup is not as good as walking.’ Asked, ‘What is the highest truth?’ he said, ‘A foreigner reading a book in Chinese.’ At a sermon he said, ‘Whenever there is a koan, one must understand its principle. If you understand its principle, neither “is” nor “is not” applies. In its function, waves surge and seas boil, while the complete true essence moves through them. In its essence, it is like a clear mirror and settled water; each arising follows conditions and returns to stillness. Tell me, in the palace of Tushita Heaven, how many walk and how many sit?’ If you can distinguish black from white here, I allow you to go east, west, north, and south, like clouds and cranes. If you do not understand this, you will wear out your sandals without ever finishing. Investigate!

青原下十世上

The tenth generation in the Qingyuan lineage, upper branch

洞山聰禪師法嗣

Heirs of Chan Master Cong of Dongshan

南康軍雲居曉舜禪師

Chan Master Xiaoshun of Yunju Monastery in Nankang Army

瑞州人也。少年麤猛。忽悟浮幻。投師出家。乃修細行。參洞山。一日如武昌行乞。首謁劉公居士家。士高行。為時所敬。意所與奪。莫不從之。師時年少。不知其飽參。頗易之。士曰。老漢有一問。若相契即開疏。如不契即請還山。遂問。古鏡未磨時如何。師曰。黑似漆。士曰。磨後如何。師曰。照天照地。士長揖曰。且請上人還山。拂袖入宅。師懡㦬即還洞山。山問其故。師具言其事。山曰。你問我。我與你道。師理前問。山曰。此去漢陽不遠。師進後語。山曰。黃鶴樓前鸚鵡洲。師於言下大悟。機鋒不可觸。住後。僧問。承師有言。不談玄。不說妙。去此二途如何指示。師曰。蝦蟇趕鷂子。曰。全因此問也。師曰。老鼠弄猢猻。上堂。唯一堅密身。一切塵中現。蝦蟇蚯蚓各有窟穴。烏鵲鳩鴿。亦有窠巢。正當與麼時。為甚麼人說法。良久曰。方以類聚。物以群分。上堂。三峽道無別。朝朝祇麼說。僧繇會寫真。鎮府出鑌鐵。上堂。不長不短。不小不大。此箇道理是誰境界。咄。上堂。聞說佛法兩字。早是汙我耳目。諸人未跨雲居門。腳跟下好與三十棒。雖然如是。也是為眾竭力。上堂舉夾山道。閙市門頭識取天子。百草頭上薦取老僧。雲居即不然。婦搖機軋軋。兒弄口㗻㗻。上堂。諸方有弄蛇頭。撥虎尾。跳大海。劒刃裡藏身。雲居這裡。寒天熱水洗腳。夜間脫韈打睡。早朝旋打行纏。風吹籬倒。喚人夫劈篾縛起。上堂。雲居不會禪。洗腳上床眠。冬瓜直儱侗。瓠子曲彎彎。

He was from Ruizhou. As a youth he was rough and forceful, but suddenly realized that all things are illusory. He went to a master and left home, then cultivated careful conduct and studied under Dongshan. One day, while begging in Wuchang, he first visited the home of the layman Liu, a man of exemplary virtue respected by his contemporaries, whose decisions everyone followed. The master was young, and Liu did not know how widely he had studied, so he treated him rather lightly. Liu said, ‘I have one question. If we meet each other’s understanding, I will open the monastery register; if not, please return to your mountain.’ He asked, ‘What was the ancient mirror like before it was polished?’ The master said, ‘Black as lacquer.’ Liu asked, ‘And after polishing?’ He replied, ‘It shines on heaven and earth.’ Liu bowed deeply and said, ‘Please, Venerable, return to your mountain,’ then swept into his house. Embarrassed, the master returned to Dongshan, who asked what had happened. The master told him everything. Dongshan said, ‘Ask me, “What would you say to me?”’ The master repeated the question. Dongshan said, ‘Ask it as before.’ The master asked, ‘Hanyang is not far from here; what would you say next?’ Dongshan replied, ‘Parrot Islet before Yellow Crane Tower.’ At these words the master awakened greatly; his responses became impossible to touch. After he took up residence, a monk asked, ‘You have said that you do not discuss the abstruse or speak of the wondrous. Leaving these two paths aside, how do you instruct us?’ He said, ‘A frog chasing a hawk.’ The monk said, ‘It was entirely because of this question—’ The master said, ‘A mouse playing with a monkey.’ At a sermon he said, ‘There is only one firm, dense body, appearing in every particle. Frogs and earthworms each have their holes; magpies and doves each have their nests. At just such a time, for whom is the Dharma taught?’ After a long pause he said, ‘People gather according to kind; things divide according to their group.’ At another sermon he said, ‘The Three Gorges road is no different; every morning I say just this. Gu Kaizhi could paint portraits; the prefecture produces fine steel.’ At another he said, ‘Neither long nor short, neither great nor small: whose realm is this principle?’ He cried, ‘Hah!’ At another sermon he said, ‘Hearing the words “Buddha Dharma” has already sullied my ears and eyes. Before you have crossed Yunju’s gate, you deserve thirty blows on the soles of your feet. Even so, I am exhausting myself for the assembly.’ He cited Jia-shan’s saying, ‘Recognize the emperor at the marketplace gate; find this old monk atop every blade of grass.’ Yunju, however, put it differently: ‘The wife works the loom with a clatter; the child babbles as he plays.’ At another sermon he said, ‘In other places they toy with snakes’ heads, prod tigers’ tails, leap into the sea, and hide amid sword blades. Here at Yunju we wash our feet with hot water in cold weather, take off our socks and sleep at night, bind our leggings in the morning, and when the wind topples a fence, call the workers to split bamboo and tie it back up.’ At another sermon he said, ‘Yunju does not understand Zen: he washes his feet, climbs into bed, and sleeps. The winter melon is straight and squat; the bottle gourd curves and bends.’

潭州大溈懷宥禪師

Chan Master Huaiyou of Dayi in Tanzhou

僧問。人將語試。金將火試。未審衲僧將甚麼試。師曰。拄杖子。曰。畢竟如何。師曰。退後著。僧應喏。師便打。曰。教休不肯休。直待雨淋頭。

A monk asked, ‘People are tested with words, and gold is tested with fire. What do you test a monk with?’ The master said, ‘A staff.’ Asked what that ultimately meant, he said, ‘Step back and stand there.’ The monk assented. The master struck him and said, ‘You were told to stop, but you would not; now you have to wait until the rain pours down.’

杭州佛日契嵩禪師

Chan Master Qisong of Furi in Hangzhou

藤州鐔津李氏子。七歲出家。十三得度。十九遊方。徧參知識。得法於洞山。師夜則頂戴觀音像而誦其號。必滿十萬乃寢。以為常。自是世間經書章句。不學而能。作原教論十餘萬言。明儒釋之道一貫。以抗宗韓排佛之說。讀之者畏服。後居永安蘭若。著禪門定祖圖．傳法正宗記．輔教編。上進仁宗皇帝。覧之加歎。付。傳法院編次入藏。下詔褒寵。賜號明教。宰相韓琦．大參歐陽脩皆延見而尊禮之。洎東還。熈寧四年六月四日。晨興寫偈曰。後夜月初明。吾今喜獨行。不學大梅老。貪隨鼯鼠聲。至中夜而化。闍維不壞者五。曰頂．曰耳．曰舌．曰童真．曰數珠。其頂骨出舍利。紅白晶潔。道俗合諸不壞。塟於故居永安之左。後住淨慈。北磵居簡嘗著五種不壞贊。師有文集二十卷。目曰鐔津。盛行於世。

He was a son of the Li family of Tanjin in Tengzhou. He left home at seven, received full ordination at thirteen, and traveled at nineteen, visiting teachers everywhere. He received the Dharma from Dongshan. Each night he wore an image of Guanyin on his head and recited her name a hundred thousand times before sleeping; this was his regular practice. From then on he could master the classics and literary passages of the world without studying them. He wrote the Treatise on the Origin of the Teaching, more than a hundred thousand words, showing that the ways of Confucians and Buddhists are one, in opposition to Han Yu’s rejection of Buddhism. Readers were awed and persuaded. Later he lived at Yong’an Hermitage and wrote the Diagram of Chan’s Patriarchs, Record of the True Lineage of Dharma Transmission, and Collection for Supporting the Teaching. He presented them to Emperor Renzong, who praised them and ordered the Institute for the Translation of Sutras to edit them for inclusion in the canon. An edict commended him and bestowed the title “Mingjiao.” The chancellor Han Qi and Grand Councilor Ouyang Xiu both summoned him and treated him with respect. When he returned east, on the fourth day of the sixth month in the fourth year of Xining, he rose at dawn and wrote this verse: ‘The moon first brightens late at night; today I rejoice to walk alone. I will not imitate old Damei, greedily following the sound of flying squirrels.’ He died at midnight. Five things remained unburned after cremation: his crown of the head, ears, tongue, youthful body, and prayer beads. Relics emerged from his skull, clear red and white as crystal. Monks and laypeople gathered these remains. He was buried beside his former residence at Yong’an. Later he lived at Jingci. Beijian Jujian once composed a eulogy to the five remains. The master left twenty volumes of collected writings, called Tanjin, which circulated widely.

洪州太守許式

Xu Shi, Prefect of Hongzhou

參洞山。得正法眼。一日。與泐潭澄上藍溥坐次。潭問。聞郎中道。夜坐連雲石。春栽帶雨松。當時答洞山甚麼話。公曰。今日放衙早。潭曰。聞答泗州大聖在揚州出現底。是否。公曰。別點茶來。潭曰。名不虗傳。公曰。和尚早晚回山。潭曰。今日被上藍覷破。藍便喝。潭曰。須是你始得。公曰。不奈船何。打破戽斗。

He studied under Dongshan and attained the Eye of the True Dharma. One day he sat with Cheng of Letan and Pu of Shanglan. Cheng asked, ‘I heard that the Gentleman said, “At night I sit on a stone touching the clouds; in spring I plant pines in the rain.” What did you answer Dongshan then?’ Xu said, ‘Today the office closed early.’ Cheng asked, ‘I heard you answered the question about the Great Sage of Sizhou appearing in Yangzhou—is that so?’ Xu said, ‘Bring another pot of tea.’ Cheng said, ‘Your reputation is well deserved.’ Xu asked, ‘When will the master return to the mountain?’ Cheng said, ‘Today Shanglan has seen through me.’ Pu then shouted. Cheng said, ‘Only you could do that.’ Xu said, ‘Unable to manage the boat, I smashed the bailer.’

泐潭澄禪師法嗣

Heirs of Chan Master Cheng of Letan

明州育王山懷璉大覺禪師

Chan Master Huailian, Great Awakening, of Yuwang Mountain in Mingzhou

漳州龍溪陳氏子。誕生之夕。夢僧伽降室。因小字泗州。既有異兆。僉知祥應。齠齓出家。丱角圓頂。篤志道學。寢食無廢。一日洗面。潑水於地。微有省發。即慕參尋。遠造泐潭法席。投機印可。師事之十餘年。去遊廬山。掌記於圓通訥禪師所。皇祐中仁廟有詔。住淨因禪院。召對化成殿。問佛法大意。奏對稱旨。賜號大覺禪師。後遣中使問曰。才去竪拂。人立難當。師即以頌回進曰。有節非幹竹。三星偃月宮。一人居日下。弗與眾人同。帝覽大悅。又詔入對便殿。賜羅扇一把。題元寂頌於其上。與師問答詩頌。書以賜之。凡十有七篇。至中和乞歸老山中。乃進頌曰。六載皇都唱祖機。兩曾金殿奉天威。青山隱去欣何得。滿篋唯將御頌歸。帝和頌不允。仍宣諭曰。山即如如體也。將安歸乎。再住京國。且興佛法。師再進頌謝曰。中使宣傳出禁圍。再令臣住此禪扉。青山未許藏千拙。白髮將何補萬幾。霄露恩輝方湛湛。林泉情味苦依依。堯仁況是如天濶。應任孤雲自在飛。既而遣使賜龍腦缽。師謝恩罷。捧缽曰。吾法以壞色衣。以瓦鐵食。此缽非法。遂焚之。中使回奏。上加歎不已。治平中上疏丐歸。仍進頌曰。千簇雲山萬壑流。閑身歸老此峰頭。餘生願祝無疆壽。一炷清香滿石樓。英廟依所乞。賜手詔曰。大覺禪師懷璉受先帝聖眷。累錫宸章。屢貢誠懇。乞歸林下。今從所請。俾遂閑心。凡經過小可菴院。任性住持。或十方禪林。不得抑逼堅請。師既渡江。少留金山西湖。四明郡守以育王虗席迎致。九峰韶公作疏。勸請四明之人。相與出力。建大閣藏所賜詩頌。榜之曰宸奎。翰林蘇公軾知杭時。以書問師曰。承要作宸奎閣碑。謹已撰成。衰朽廢學。不知堪上石否。見參寥說。禪師出京日。英廟賜手詔。其略雲。任性住持者。不知果有否。如有。切請錄示全文。欲添入此一節。師終藏而不出。逮委順後。

He was a son of the Chen family of Longxi in Zhangzhou. On the night of his birth, he dreamed that the monk Sengqie descended into the room; hence his childhood name was Sizhou. Auspicious signs appeared, and all knew this foretold good fortune. He left home in childhood, received full ordination while still young, and devoted himself to the Way, never neglecting study or practice. One day, after washing his face, he splashed water onto the ground and had a slight awakening. He then longed to visit teachers and traveled far to the Dharma seat at Letan. His understanding was recognized, and he served that master for more than ten years. He later traveled to Mount Lu and kept records for Chan Master Ne of Yuantong. During the Huangyou era, Emperor Renzong ordered him to reside at Jingyin Monastery and summoned him to Huacheng Hall to ask about the essentials of Buddhism. His responses pleased the emperor, who bestowed on him the title Chan Master Dajue. Later an imperial envoy asked, ‘As soon as you raise the whisk, people find it hard to answer.’ The master sent back a verse: ‘Knotted sections are not necessarily bamboo; three stars form a crescent-moon palace. One person lives beneath the sun, unlike the crowd.’ The emperor greatly rejoiced and summoned him again to a side hall, presenting him with a silk fan on which he inscribed the master’s verse of original stillness. He also gave him seventeen poems and exchanges. When the master asked to retire to the mountains, he offered a verse: ‘For six years in the capital I proclaimed the patriarchs’ teaching; twice I served the imperial presence in the golden halls. Gladly I withdraw into the green hills, carrying home only a chest of royal verses.’ The emperor composed a response but would not grant his request, declaring, ‘The mountain is itself the body of suchness; where would you go? Remain in the capital and help the Buddha Dharma flourish.’ The master again submitted a verse of thanks: ‘An imperial envoy carried the decree beyond the palace gates, ordering me again to remain at this Chan retreat. The green hills are not yet allowed to hide my many failures; what can my white hair contribute to the myriad affairs? The grace of Heaven’s dew and clouds is still abundant, yet I deeply cherish the taste of forests and springs. Yao’s benevolence is broad as the sky; let a solitary cloud fly freely.’ The emperor then sent a messenger with a bowl of borneol. After giving thanks, the master held it up and said, ‘Our Dharma uses robes of faded color and bowls of clay or iron; this bowl is not in keeping with it.’ He burned it. When the envoy reported back, the emperor praised him without end. During the Zhiping era he petitioned again to return, offering a verse: ‘Clouds cluster over a thousand mountains; streams flow through ten thousand ravines. I wish to retire here, free and unburdened, atop this peak. For the rest of my life I pray for the emperor’s boundless longevity; one stick of incense fills the stone hall.’ Emperor Yingzong granted his request and sent a handwritten edict: ‘Chan Master Dajue Huailian received the late emperor’s favor and repeated imperial gifts of writings. He has repeatedly and sincerely asked to retire among the forests, and we now grant this request so he may fulfill his wish for leisure. At any small hermitage he passes, he may reside as he pleases; no Chan monastery anywhere may pressure him with insistent invitations.’ After crossing the river he stayed briefly at Jinshan and West Lake. The prefect of Siming invited him to fill the vacant seat at Yuwang. Master Shao of Jiufeng wrote a petition, and the people of Siming contributed to build a great pavilion to house the poems and verses bestowed by the emperor, naming it the Pavilion of Imperial Writing. When Su Shi, a Hanlin academician, governed Hangzhou, he wrote, ‘You asked me to compose the inscription for the Pavilion of Imperial Writing; I have respectfully completed it. In my declining years, my studies neglected, I do not know if it is fit to be carved in stone.’ He asked Canliao, ‘When the Chan master left the capital, Emperor Yingzong gave him a handwritten edict, saying in brief that he could reside wherever he pleased. Do you know whether there is such an edict? If so, please copy its full text so I can add it here.’ The master kept the edict hidden and did not reveal it until after his passing.

獲於篋笥。開堂日。僧問。諸佛出世。利濟群生。猊座師登。將何拯濟。師曰。山高水闊。曰。華發無根樹。魚跳萬仞峰。師曰。新羅國裡。曰。慈舟不棹清波上。劒峽徒勞放木鵝。師曰。脫卻衣裳臥荊棘。曰。人將語試。師曰。慣得其便。僧拊掌。師曰。更𨁝跳。問。聖君御頌親頒賜。和尚將何報此恩。師曰。兩手拓地。曰。恁麼則一人有慶。兆民賴之。師曰。半尋拄杖攪黃河。問。艣棹不停時如何。師曰。清波箭急。曰。恁麼則移舟諳水勢。舉棹別波瀾。師曰。濟水過新羅。曰。古佛位中留不住。夜來依舊宿蘆花。師曰。兒童不識十字街。問。坐斷毗盧頂。不稟釋迦文。猶未是學人行業。如何是學人行業。師曰。斫額望明月。僧以手便拂。師曰。作甚麼。僧茫然。師曰。賺卻一船人。師曰。若論佛法兩字。是加增之辭。廉纖之說。諸人向這裡承當得。盡是二頭三首。譬如金屑雖貴。眼裡著不得。若是本分衲僧。才聞舉著。一擺擺斷。不受纖塵。獨脫自在。最為親的。然後便能在天同天。在人同人。在僧同僧。在俗同俗。在凡同凡。在聖同聖。一切處出沒自在。並拘檢他不得。名邈他不得。何也。為渠能建立一切法故。一切法要且不是渠。渠既無背面。第一不用妄與安排。但知十二時中。平常飲啄。快樂無憂。祇此相期。更無別事。所以古人云。放曠長如痴兀人。他家自有通人愛。上堂。文殊寶劒。得者為尊。乃拈拄杖曰。淨因今日恁麼。直得千聖路絕。雖然如是。猶是矛盾相攻。不犯鋒鋩。如何運用。良久曰。野蒿自發空臨水。江燕初歸不見人。參。上堂。太陽東昇。爍破大千之暗。諸人若向明中立。猶是影響相馳。若向暗中立。也是藏頭露影漢。到這裡作麼生吐露。良久曰。逢人祇可三分語。未可全拋一片心。參。上堂。世法裡面。迷卻多少人。佛法裡面。醉卻多少人。祇如不迷不醉。

The document was found in his case. On the day he opened the hall, a monk asked, ‘The Buddhas appear in the world to benefit and save living beings. Now that you have ascended the lion throne, how will you rescue us?’ The master said, ‘High mountains and broad waters.’ The monk said, ‘A tree with white hair and no roots; a fish leaps to a peak ten thousand fathoms high.’ The master said, ‘In the land of Silla.’ The monk said, ‘The compassionate boat does not row upon clear waves; at Sword Gorge it is futile to release a wooden goose.’ The master replied, ‘Take off your clothes and lie among thorns.’ Asked how monks should be tested, he said, ‘One who knows how to seize the opportunity.’ The monk clapped. The master said, ‘Jump about some more.’ Asked how he would repay the emperor’s personal gift of verses, he said, ‘With both hands pressed to the earth.’ The monk said, ‘Then one man is blessed and the myriad people depend on him.’ The master said, ‘A staff fifteen feet long stirs the Yellow River.’ Asked about rowing without pause, he said, ‘The clear current rushes like an arrow.’ The monk said, ‘Then move the boat knowing the current, and raise the oar to part the waves.’ The master said, ‘Cross the Ji River and reach Silla.’ The monk said, ‘Unable to remain in the seat of the ancient Buddha, last night I again slept among the reeds.’ The master said, ‘A child does not know the crossroads.’ Asked what the student’s practice was, beyond sitting atop Vairocana’s head and taking no instruction from Shakyamuni, he said, ‘Shade your eyes and gaze at the bright moon.’ The monk brushed the air with his hand. The master asked, ‘What are you doing?’ The monk was at a loss. The master said, ‘You have fooled everyone aboard the boat.’ He added, ‘The words “Buddha Dharma” are themselves an unnecessary addition. If you take them up here, you are all two-headed and three-necked. Gold dust may be precious, but you cannot put it in your eye. A monk of the true lineage, as soon as he hears these words, sweeps them all away, accepts not a speck of dust, and stands free and independent; this is the most intimate way.’ Then one can be one with heaven among the gods, one with people among people, one with monks among monks, one with laypeople among laypeople, one with ordinary beings among ordinary beings, and one with sages among sages. One appears and disappears freely everywhere; no one can restrain or describe him. Why? Because he can establish all dharmas, yet none of them is himself. Since he has neither front nor back, above all do not contrive arrangements. Simply eat and drink naturally through the twelve periods of the day, joyful and without worry; this is all we ask, nothing else. As an old saying goes: ‘Live open and unrestrained, like a foolish, motionless man; a person of understanding will naturally cherish you.’ At a sermon he said, ‘Manjushri’s jeweled sword: whoever obtains it is honored.’ He raised his staff and said, ‘Today at Jingyin, this cuts off the path of a thousand sages. Yet even this is still conflict between opposites. How do you use it without touching its edge?’ After a long pause he said, ‘Wild mugwort grows by itself beside the water; river swallows return in early spring, though no one sees them.’ At another sermon he said, ‘The sun rises in the east, blazing through the darkness of the great chiliocosm. If you stand in the light, you are still chasing shadows; if you stand in darkness, you are hiding your head while exposing your shadow. How will you speak from here?’ After a long pause he said, ‘When meeting people, say only three-tenths; do not reveal your whole heart.’ At another sermon he said, ‘How many are deluded by worldly ways, and how many intoxicated by the Buddha Dharma? What about one who is neither deluded nor intoxicated?’

是甚麼人分上事。上堂。言鋒才擊。義海交深。若用徑截一路。各請歸堂。上堂。應物現形。如水中月。遂拈起拄杖曰。這箇不是物。即今現形也。且道月在甚麼處。良久曰。長空有路還須透。潭底無蹤不用尋。擊香臺。下座。上堂。白日東上。白日西落。急如投壺閃寥廓。神龍一舉透無邊。纖鱗猶向泥中躍。靈燄中。休湊泊。三歲孩童髽四角。參。上堂良久。舉起拳頭曰。握拳則五嶽倒卓。展手則五指參差。有時把定佛祖關。有時拓開千聖宅。今日這裡相呈。且道作何使用。拍禪床曰。向下文長。付在來日。

What sort of person’s affair is this? At a sermon he said, ‘As soon as words clash, the sea of meaning grows deep. If you would take the direct, decisive path, each of you may return to the hall.’ At another sermon he said, ‘Responding to things, it manifests forms, like the moon in water.’ He raised his staff and said, ‘This is not a thing, yet right now it manifests a form. Tell me, where is the moon?’ After a long pause he said, ‘There is a road through the vast sky, and one must pass through it; there is no trace at the bottom of the pool, so there is no need to search.’ He struck the incense platform and left the seat. At another sermon he said, ‘Daylight rises in the east and sets in the west, swift as an arrow flashing through the wide sky. A divine dragon rises once and pierces the boundless; tiny scales still leap in the mud. Do not linger in the blaze of spiritual fire. A three-year-old child wears four tufts of hair.’ He paused. Then he raised his fist and said, ‘Clench it and the Five Peaks turn upside down; open the hand and the five fingers are uneven. Sometimes I hold fast the gate of Buddhas and patriarchs; sometimes I open the dwelling of a thousand sages. I show it here today; tell me, what use will you make of it?’ He struck the meditation seat and said, ‘The rest of the text is long; I will leave it for tomorrow.’

臨安府靈隱雲知慈覺禪師

Chan Master Zhijue of Yun at Lingyin Monastery in Lin'an Prefecture

僧問。一佛出世。各坐一華。和尚出世。有何祥瑞。師曰。白雲橫谷口。曰。光前絕後去也。師曰。錯。曰。大眾證明。學人禮謝。師曰。點。問。如何是道。師曰。甚麼道。曰。大道。師曰。欲行千里。一步為初。曰。如何是道中人。師曰。西天駐泊。此地都監。僧禮拜。師乃吽吽。上堂。日月雲霞為天標。山川草木為地標。招賢納士為德標。閑居趣寂為道標。拈拄杖曰。且道這箇是甚麼標。會麼。拈起則有文有彩。放下則糲糲磕磕。直得不拈不放。又作麼生。良久曰。扶過斷橋水。伴歸無月村。卓一下。下座。上堂。秋風起。庭梧墜。衲子紛紛看祥瑞。張三李四賣囂虗。拾得寒山爭賤貴。覿面相逢。更無難易。四衢道中。棚欄瓦市。畐塞虗空。普天帀地。任是臨濟赤肉團上。雪峰南山鼈鼻。玄沙見虎。俱𦙆舉指。一時拈來。當面佈施。更若擬議。千山萬水。復曰。過。

A monk asked, ‘When each Buddha appears in the world, he sits upon a flower. What auspicious sign accompanied your appearance?’ The master said, ‘White clouds stretch across the valley mouth.’ The monk said, ‘That surpasses all before and after.’ The master said, ‘Wrong.’ The monk said, ‘May the assembly bear witness; I bow in thanks.’ The master said, ‘Point.’ Asked, ‘What is the Way?’ he said, ‘Which way?’ The monk said, ‘The Great Way.’ The master said, ‘If you wish to travel a thousand miles, take the first step.’ Asked who walks in the Way, he said, ‘A stationed envoy from India, a local inspector.’ The monk bowed, and the master grunted. At a sermon he said, ‘Sun, moon, clouds, and rosy mists are signs of heaven; mountains, rivers, plants, and trees are signs of earth; attracting worthy people is a sign of virtue; living quietly and delighting in stillness is a sign of the Way.’ He raised his staff and asked, ‘What sign is this? Do you understand? Raise it and it has pattern and color; lay it down and it is rough and clattering. What if I neither raise nor lower it?’ After a long pause he said, ‘Help me across the water by the broken bridge, and accompany me home to the moonless village.’ He struck once and left the seat. At another sermon he said, ‘The autumn wind rises, the courtyard parasol tree sheds leaves, and monks crowd around to look for auspicious signs. Zhang San and Li Si peddle empty talk; Shide and Hanshan haggle over what is cheap and dear. Face to face, nothing is difficult or easy. At the crossroads, in the market stalls and tiled shops, everything fills empty space, reaching across all heaven and earth.’ Whether it is Linji’s lump of flesh, Xuefeng’s turtle with a hooked nose on South Mountain, or Xuansha’s sighting of a tiger, all raise a finger. I take them all up and give them to you face to face. If you hesitate, there are a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers.’ He added, ‘Pass through!’

婺州承天惟簡禪師

Chan Master Weijian of Chengtian in Wuzhou

僧問。佛與眾生。是一是二。師曰。花開滿樹紅。花落萬枝空。曰。畢竟是一是二。師曰。唯餘一朵在。明日恐隨風。問。如何是吹毛劒。師曰。星多不當月。曰。用者如何。師曰。落。曰。落後如何。師曰。觀世音菩薩。問。如何是和尚家風。師曰。理長即就。曰。如何領會。師曰。繪雉不成鷄。問。開口即失。閉口即喪。未審如何說。師曰。舌頭無骨。僧曰。不會。師曰。對牛彈琴。上堂。夫遮那之境界。眾妙之玄門。知識說之而莫窮。善財酌之而不竭。文殊體之而寂寂。普賢證之以重重。若也隨其法性。如雲收碧漢。本無一物。若也隨其智用。如花開春谷。應用無邊。雖說徧恆沙。乃同遵一道。且問諸人。作麼生是一道。良久曰。白雲斷處見明月。黃葉落時聞擣衣。參。上堂。莫離葢纏。莫求佛祖。去此二途。以何依怙。江淹夢筆。天龍見虎。古老相傳。月不跨五。參。上堂。一刀兩段。埋沒宗風。師子飜身。拖泥帶水。直饒坐斷十方。不通凡聖。腳跟下好。與三十。上堂。拈一放一。妙用縱橫。去解除玄。收凡破聖。若望本分草料。大似磨甎作鏡。衲僧家合作麼生。良久曰。寔。

A monk asked, ‘Are Buddhas and sentient beings one or two?’ The master said, ‘When the flowers bloom, every tree is red; when the flowers fall, ten thousand branches are bare.’ Asked whether they were ultimately one or two, he said, ‘Only one flower remains; tomorrow it may be carried off by the wind.’ Asked, ‘What is the sword that cuts a hair?’ he said, ‘Many stars do not rival the moon.’ Asked how it is used, he said, ‘Fall.’ Asked what comes after the fall, he said, ‘Bodhisattva Guanyin.’ Asked about the master’s family style, he said, ‘What is right and reasonable is adopted.’ Asked how to understand it, he said, ‘Painting a pheasant does not make a chicken.’ Asked how to speak when opening one’s mouth is already a mistake and keeping it closed is already a loss, he said, ‘The tongue has no bones.’ The monk said, ‘I do not understand.’ The master said, ‘Playing a lute to a cow.’ At a sermon he said, ‘The realm of Vairocana and the gate of myriad wonders cannot be exhausted by the explanations of teachers, nor depleted by Sudhana’s drawing from them. Manjushri embodies it in stillness, and Samantabhadra realizes it in layers upon layers. If one follows its Dharma-nature, it is like clouds clearing from the blue sky: originally there is not a single thing. If one follows its wisdom’s function, it is like flowers opening in a spring valley, responding without limit. Though it is spoken of as pervading the sands of the Ganges, all follow the same Way. Tell me, what is this one Way?’ After a long pause he said, ‘Where the white clouds part, the bright moon appears; when yellow leaves fall, one hears someone beating cloth.’ At another sermon he said, ‘Do not leave the bonds, and do not seek the Buddhas and patriarchs. Once these two paths are left behind, what can you rely on? Jiang Yan dreamed of a writing brush; the heavenly dragon saw a tiger. The ancients handed down this saying: the moon does not cross the fifth.’ At another sermon he said, ‘Cutting in two with one stroke buries the school’s style; the lion turns around and drags itself through the mud. Even if you sit and cut off the ten directions, with neither ordinary people nor sages able to pass, you deserve thirty blows at your feet.’ At another sermon he said, ‘Pick up one and put down one: wondrous function runs freely. Remove and dissolve the abstruse; gather in ordinary people and break through sages. If you expect the food of the true lineage, it is like grinding a brick to make a mirror. What should a monk of the true lineage do?’ After a long pause he said, ‘Indeed.’

明州九峰鑒韶禪師

Chan Master Jianshao of Jiufeng in Mingzhou

僧問。承聞和尚是泐潭嫡子。是否。師曰。是。曰。還記得當時得力句否。師曰。記得。曰。請舉看。師曰。左手握拳。右手把筆。上堂。山僧說禪。如蠔蜢吐油。揑著便出。若不揑著。一點也無。何故。祇為不曾看讀古今因緣。及預先排疊勝妙見知等候。陞堂便磨唇捋觜。將粥飯氣燻炙諸人。凡有一問一答。葢不得已。豈獨山僧。看他大通智勝如來。默坐十劫。無開口處。後因諸天．梵天及十六王子再三勸請。方始說之。卻不是秘惜。祇為不敢埋沒諸人。山僧既不埋沒諸人。不得道山僧會陞座。參。

A monk asked, ‘I have heard that you are Letan’s direct heir. Is that so?’ The master said, ‘Yes.’ Asked whether he remembered the phrase that helped him at the time, he said, ‘I remember.’ The monk asked him to give it. He said, ‘My left hand clenched in a fist; my right hand held a brush.’ At a sermon he said, ‘When this mountain monk speaks of Zen, it is like a grasshopper spitting oil: squeeze it and it comes out; if you do not squeeze it, not a drop appears. Why? I have never studied the old and contemporary cases or arranged marvelous views and understandings in advance to await the moment. I ascend the hall and merely wag my lips and tongue, using the smell of rice and gruel to smoke you.’ Every question and answer is unavoidable—not only for this mountain monk. Consider Tathagata Mahabhijnajnanabhibhu, who sat silently for ten kalpas, unable to open his mouth. Only after the gods, Brahma, and the sixteen princes repeatedly urged him did he begin to speak. It was not that he hid or begrudged it; he simply did not wish to leave you neglected. Since this mountain monk does not neglect you, you must not say that he knows how to ascend the seat. Investigate!

婺州西塔顯殊禪師

Chan Master Xianshu of West Pagoda in Wuzhou

上堂。黃梅席上數如麻。句裡呈機事可嗟。直是本來無一物。青天白日被雲遮。參。

At a sermon he said, ‘At Huangmei’s assembly they were as numerous as hemp seeds; presenting the pivotal point in a phrase is lamentable. Though it was truly said that originally there is not a single thing, clouds still covered the blue sky in broad daylight.’ Investigate!

天台崇善寺用良禪師

Chan Master Yongliang of Chongshan Monastery on Tiantai