Records of the Transmission of the Lamp, Volume Fifteen
僧問。如何是和尚家風。師曰。七顛八倒。曰。忽遇客來。如何祇待。師曰。生鐵蒺藜劈口𡎺。
A monk asked, “What is the master’s family style?” He said, “Tumble head over heels.” Asked how he would receive a guest, he said, “Jam an iron caltrop straight into his mouth.”
雪竇榮禪師法嗣
Dharma heirs of Chan Master Rong of Xuedou.
福州雪峰大智禪師
Chan Master Dazhi of Xuefeng in Fuzhou.
僧問。如何是祖師西來意。師銜拂柄示之。僧曰。此是香嚴底。和尚又作麼生。師便喝。僧大笑。師叱曰。這野狐精。
A monk asked the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming from the West. The master held the handle of his whisk in his mouth to show him. The monk said, “That is Xiangyan’s answer. What about yours?” The master shouted. The monk laughed loudly. The master scolded, “You fox demon!”
元豐滿禪師法嗣
Dharma heirs of Chan Master Man of Yuanfeng.
福州雪峰宗演圓覺禪師
Chan Master Zongyan, Complete Awakening, of Xuefeng in Fuzhou.
恩州人也。僧問。不慕諸聖．不重己靈時如何。師曰。欵出囚口。曰。便恁麼會去時如何。師曰。換手槌胸。問。如何是大善知識心。師曰。十字街頭片瓦子。辭眾日。僧問。如何是臨岐一句。師曰。有馬騎馬。無馬步行。曰。途中事作麼生。師曰。賤避貴。上堂。遣迷求悟。不知迷是悟之鉗鎚。愛聖憎凡。不知凡是聖之鑪鞴。祇如聖凡雙泯．迷悟俱忘一句作麼生道。半夜彩霞籠玉像。天明峰頂五雲遮。
A native of Enzhou. A monk asked, “What if one neither admires the sages nor honors one’s own numinous nature?” The master said, “A confession drawn from a prisoner’s mouth.” Asked what if one understands this way, he said, “Strike your own chest with the other hand.” Asked about the mind of a great teacher, he said, “A roof tile at a crossroads.” On the day he took leave of the assembly, a monk asked for a parting phrase. He said, “If there is a horse, ride it; if not, walk.” Asked about the road, he said, “The lowly yield to the noble.” In the hall he said: “Seeking awakening by expelling delusion, you do not know delusion is the hammer that forges awakening. Loving sages and hating ordinary people, you do not know the ordinary are the furnace for the sages. What phrase silences both sages and ordinary beings, delusion and awakening? At midnight, colored clouds veil the jade image; at dawn, five clouds cover the mountain peak.”
衛州王大夫
The Lord Wang of Weizhou.
遺其名。以喪偶猒世相。遂參元豐。於言下知歸。豐一日謂曰。子乃今之陸亙也。公便掩耳。既而回壇山之陽。縛茅自處者三載。偶歌曰。壇山裡。日何長。青松嶺。白雲鄉。吟鳥啼猿作道場。散髮采薇歌又笑。從教人道野夫狂。
His name has been lost. After his wife died, he grew weary of worldly appearances and studied with Master Yuanfeng, recognizing the Way through his words. One day Yuanfeng said, “You are the Lu Gen of today.” The lord covered his ears. He then returned to the southern slope of Tanshan, built a thatched hut, and lived there for three years. One day he sang: “In Tanshan, how long the day! Pine-covered ridge, home of white clouds. Birds sing and apes cry, making a place of practice. Hair loose, I gather fern, sing and laugh; let people call me a wild madman.”
育王振禪師法嗣
Dharma heirs of Chan Master Zhen of Yuwang.
明州嶽林真禪師
Chan Master Zhen of Yuelin in Mingzhou.
上堂。古人道。初秋夏末。合有責情三十棒。嶽林則不然。靈山會上。世尊拈華。迦葉微笑。正當恁麼時。好與三十棒。何故。如此太平時節。強起干戈。教人吹大法螺。擊大法鼓。舉步則金蓮𨇾蹀。端居則寶座巍峩。梵王引之於前。香花繚繞。帝釋隨之於後。龍象駢羅。致令後代兒孫。遞相倣斆。三三兩兩。皆言出格風標。劫劫波波。未肯歸家隱坐。鼓唇搖舌。宛如鐘磬笙竽。奮臂點胸。何啻稻麻竹葦。更逞遊山翫水。撥草瞻風。人前說得石點頭。天上飛來花撲地。也好與三十棒。且道坐夏賞勞。如何酬獎。良久曰。萬寶功成何厚薄。千鈞價重自低昂。
In the hall he said: “The ancients said that at the start of autumn or end of summer, one should receive thirty blows as a warning. Yuelin is different. When the World-Honored One raised a flower at Vulture Peak and Kashyapa smiled, that was the time for thirty blows. Why? In a peaceful age, you forcibly raise arms. You make people blow the great Dharma conch and beat the great Dharma drum. With each step, golden lotuses move beneath your feet; sitting still, you tower upon a jeweled seat. Brahma leads before you, wreathed in incense and flowers; Indra follows behind, surrounded by dragons and elephants. Thus later descendants imitate one another, two or three at a time, all claiming an unconventional bearing. Through kalpas and eons they refuse to return home and sit in seclusion. They flap their lips and wag their tongues like bells, chimes, and flutes; they wave their arms and point to their chests like fields of hemp, millet, and bamboo. They boast of touring mountains and waters, brushing aside grass to admire the breeze. Before people, they say stones nodded; flowers fell from heaven. They deserve thirty blows too. How should those who sat through summer be rewarded? After a long silence: “When all treasures are produced, what is thick or thin? A thousand jun is costly, yet its price rises or falls by itself.”
招提湛禪師法嗣
Dharma heirs of Chan Master Zhan of Zhaoti.
秀州華亭觀音和尚
The Venerable Guanyin of Huating in Xiuzhou.
僧問。如何是佛。師曰。半夜烏龜火裡行。曰。意作麼生。師曰。虗空無背面。僧禮拜。師便打。
A monk asked, “What is Buddha?” The master said, “At midnight a turtle walks through fire.” Asked what that meant, he said, “Space has no front or back.” The monk bowed, and the master struck him.
青原下十四世
Fourteenth generation below Qingyuan.
淨慈明禪師法嗣
Dharma heirs of Chan Master Ming of Jingci.
臨安府淨慈象禪師
Chan Master Xiang of Jingci in Lin’an Prefecture.
越州山陰人也。上堂。古者道。一翳在眼。空花亂墜。拈拄杖曰。淨慈拈起拄杖。豈不是一翳在眼。百千諸佛總在拄杖頭。現丈六紫磨金色之身。乘其國土。遊歷十方。說一切法。度一切眾。豈不是空花亂墜。即今莫有向拄杖未拈已前坐斷得麼。出來與淨慈相見。如無。切忌向空本無花．眼本無翳處著倒。乃擲拄杖。下座。
A native of Shanyin in Yuezhou. In the hall he said: “The ancients said that when an eye is clouded, empty flowers fall in confusion. He raised his staff: “When Jingci raises this staff, is that not a clouding in the eye? All the hundreds and thousands of Buddhas are on its tip, manifesting bodies of purple-gold, sixteen feet tall, traveling through their lands in the ten directions, preaching every Dharma and delivering every being. Are these not empty flowers falling in confusion? Is anyone now able to sit through this before the staff is raised? Come out and meet Jingci. If not, be careful not to get caught up in the idea that space has no flowers and the eye no clouding.” He cast down his staff and descended.
福州雪峰隆禪師
Chan Master Long of Xuefeng in Fuzhou.
上堂。一不成。二不是。口吃飯。鼻出氣。休雲北斗藏身。說甚南山鼈鼻。家財運出任交關。勸君莫競錐頭利。
In the hall he said: “One does not succeed; two is not right. The mouth eats food, the nose breathes air. Do not speak of hiding in the Big Dipper or the turtle’s nose on South Mountain. Carry out the family wealth and trade it wherever you will; I urge you not to compete for profit at the point of a needle.”
長蘆和禪師法嗣
Dharma heirs of Chan Master He of Changlu.
鎮江府甘露達珠禪師
Chan Master Dazhu of Ganlu in Zhenjiang Prefecture.
福州人。上堂。聖賢不分。古今惟一。可謂火就燥。水流濕。鑿井而飲。耕田而食。大眾。東村王老去不歸。紛紛黃葉空狼籍。
A native of Fuzhou. In the hall he said: “Sages and worthies are not two; past and present are one. Fire seeks the dry; water flows to the wet. Dig a well and drink; plow a field and eat. Assembly, the old man Wang from the eastern village has gone and not returned; yellow leaves lie scattered in disorder.”
臨安府靈隱惠淳圓智禪師
Chan Master Huichun, Complete Wisdom, of Lingyin in Lin’an Prefecture.
上堂。吾心似秋月。碧潭清皎潔。乃喝曰。寒山子話墮了也。諸禪德。皎潔無塵。豈中秋之月可比。虗明絕待。非照世之珠可倫。獨露乾坤。光吞萬象。普天匝地。耀古騰今。且道是箇甚麼。良久曰。此夜一輪滿。清光何處無。
In the hall he said: “My mind is like the autumn moon, bright and clear in the blue pool.” He shouted: “Hanshan has let the words fall from his mouth! Chan practitioners, this clarity without dust cannot be compared with the mid-autumn moon; this empty brightness beyond all pairs is unlike any jewel illuminating the world. Alone it reveals heaven and earth, its light swallowing the myriad forms. It shines over all places, illuminating the past and surging into the present. What is it?” After a long silence: “This night the full moon hangs in the sky; where is its clear light absent?”
雪峰慧禪師法嗣
Dharma heirs of Chan Master Hui of Xuefeng.
臨安府淨慈月堂道昌佛行禪師
Chan Master Daochang, Buddha Practice, of Yuetang at Jingci in Lin’an Prefecture.
湖州寶溪吳氏。僧問。大用現前。不存軌則時如何。師曰。張家兄弟太無良。曰。恁麼則一切處皆是去也。師曰。莫唐突人好。問。心生則法生。心滅則法滅。祇如心法雙忘時。生滅在甚麼處。師曰。左手得來右手用。問。如何是從上宗門中事。師曰。一畆地。曰。便恁麼會時如何。師曰。埋沒不少。問。如何是諸佛本源。師曰。屋頭問路。曰。向上還有事也無。師曰。月下拋甎。上堂。未透祖師關。千難與萬難。既透祖師關。千難與萬難。未透時難即且置。既透了因甚麼卻難。放下笊籬雖得價。動他杓柄也無端。上堂。與我相似。共你無緣。打翻藥銚。傾出爐煙。還丹一粒分明在。流落人間是幾年。咄。上堂。鴈過長空。影沉寒水。鴈無遺蹤之意。水無留影之心。若能如是。正好買草鞋行腳。所以道動則影現。覺則冰生。不動不覺。正在死水裡。薦福老人出頭不得即且置。育王今日又作麼生。向道莫行山下路。果聞猿呌斷腸聲。歲旦。上堂。舉拂子曰。歲朝把筆。萬事皆吉。忽有箇漢出來道。和尚。這箇是三家村裡保正書門底。為甚麼將來華王座上當作宗乘。祇向他道。牛進千頭。馬入百疋。
A native of Baoxi in Huzhou, born to the Wu family. A monk asked, “When great function appears, free of rules, what then?” The master said, “The Zhang brothers are far too unkind.” The monk said this meant it was so everywhere. The master replied, “Do not be rude to people.” Asked where birth and death are when mind and dharmas both cease, he said, “What the left hand receives, the right hand uses.” Asked about the ancestral school, he said, “One mu of land.” The monk said he understood; the master said, “You have buried a lot.” Asked the source of all Buddhas, he said, “Ask the way beneath the roof.” Asked if there was anything above, he said, “Throwing a brick beneath the moon.” In the hall he said: “Before penetrating the patriarch’s barrier, there are a thousand difficulties and ten thousand hardships. After penetrating it, there are still a thousand difficulties and ten thousand hardships. Set aside the difficulty before penetration; why is it difficult after? Put down the strainer and you may get the price, but meddling with the ladle handle is pointless.” He added: “We are alike, yet have no affinity with you. I overturn the medicine pot and pour out the furnace smoke. One pill of elixir is clearly here—how many years has it been scattered among people?” Bah! He also said: “Wild geese cross the empty sky; their shadows sink in cold water. The geese leave no intention of a trace; the water keeps no intention of an image. If you can be so, it is just right to buy straw sandals and travel. Thus when there is movement, shadows appear; when awareness arises, ice forms. Without movement or awareness, you are in dead water. Let the elder of Jianfu being unable to appear pass for now—what will Yuwang do today? ‘I said, do not take the road below the mountain; indeed, the apes’ cries break the heart.’” On New Year’s Day he raised his whisk and said, “At the year’s start, take up the brush; all things go well.” A man objected that this was merely a village gatekeeper’s auspicious writing, not lineage teaching. The master said, “A thousand cattle enter; a hundred horses come in.”
臨安府徑山照堂了一禪師
Chan Master Liaoyi of Zhaotang at Jingshan in Lin’an Prefecture.
明州人。上堂。參玄之士。觸境遇緣。不能直下透脫者。葢為業識深重。情妄膠固。六門未息。一處不通。絕點純清。含生難到。直須入林不動草。入水不動波。始可順生死流。入人間世。諸人要會麼。以拄杖畫曰。祇向這裡薦取。
A native of Mingzhou. In the hall he said: “Practitioners of the mystery who meet conditions and circumstances yet cannot break through on the spot do so only because karmic consciousness is deep and emotional delusion is fixed. While the six gates have not ceased, not one place is unobstructed. Pure and utterly clear, it is hard for beings to reach. You must enter the forest without moving grass and enter water without making waves; only then can you follow the current of birth and death and enter the human world. Do you understand? He drew a line with his staff: “Recognize it right here.”
鎮江府金山了心禪師
Chan Master Liaoxin of Jinshan in Zhenjiang Prefecture.
上堂。佛之一字孰雲無。木馬泥牛滿道途。倚遍欄幹春色晚。海風吹斷碧珊瑚。還有同聲相應。同氣相求者麼。百鳥不來樓閣閉。祇聞夜雨滴芭蕉。
In the hall he said: “Who says there is no such thing as Buddha? Wooden horses and clay oxen fill the roads. I lean on the railing as spring grows late; sea winds snap the blue coral. Is there anyone whose voice answers mine and whose breath is in tune? No birds come; the tower is shut. I hear only night rain dripping on plantain leaves.”
香嚴月禪師法嗣
Dharma heirs of Chan Master Yue of Xiangyan.
鄧州香嚴倚松如璧禪師
Chan Master Ruyi, Like Jade Leaning on Pines, of Xiangyan in Dengzhou.
撫州饒氏子。上堂。變化密移何太急。剎那念念一呼吸。八萬四千方便門。且道何門不可入。入不入。曉來雨打芭蕉濕。殷勤更問箇中人。門外堂堂相對立。聞啄木鳥鳴。說偈曰。剝剝剝。裡面有蟲外面啄。多少茫茫瞌睡人。頂後一錐猶未覺。若不覺。更聽山僧剝剝剝。
A native of Fuzhou, born to the Rao family. In the hall he said: “How swiftly change steals away! Each instant, each thought, a breath. Of the eighty-four thousand skillful means, which gate cannot be entered? Enter or not enter—morning rain beats the plantains wet. I ask again, the person within: who stands facing you, upright, outside the gate?” Hearing a woodpecker, he composed a verse: “Knock, knock, knock—the insect is inside, pecking from without. How many sleepy, bewildered people remain unaware of the awl behind the head? If you do not wake, listen again to this mountain monk: knock, knock, knock.”