The Five Lamps Meeting at the Source, Scroll Five

青原下五世

The Fifth Generation below Qingyuan

石霜諸禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Shishuang Zhu

潭州大光山居誨禪師

Chan Master Juhui of Daguang Mountain in Tanzhou

京兆人也。初造石霜。長坐不臥。麻衣草履。亡身為法。霜遂令主性空塔院。一日。霜知緣熟。試其所得。問曰。國家每年放舉人及第。朝門還得拜也無。師曰。有一人不求進。霜曰。憑何。師曰。他且不為名。霜曰。除卻今日。別更有時也無。師曰。他亦不道今日是。如是酬問。往復無滯。盤桓二十餘祀。眾請出世。僧問。祇如達磨是祖否。師曰。不是。祖曰。既不是祖。又來作甚麼。師曰。祇為汝不薦。曰。薦後如何。師曰。方知不是祖。問。混沌未分時如何。師曰。時教阿誰敘。上堂。一代時教。祇是整理時人手腳。直饒剝盡到底。也祇成得箇了事人。不可將當衲衣下事。所以道四十九年明不盡。標不起。到這裡合作麼生。更若忉忉。恐成負累。珍重。

He was a man of the capital prefecture. He first went to Shishuang, where he sat long and did not lie down, wearing hempen clothes and straw sandals, forgetting his body for the Dharma. Shuang then had him take charge of the Xingkong Stupa Court. One day Shuang, knowing his conditions were ripe, tested what he had attained and asked, 'Every year the state releases candidates who pass the examination; do they still have to bow at the court gate?' The master said, 'There is one who does not seek advancement.' Shuang said, 'On what grounds?' The master said, 'He does not do it for fame, anyway.' Shuang said, 'Setting aside today, is there any other time?' The master said, 'He does not say today is it either.' Thus they questioned and answered back and forth without obstruction. After lingering there more than twenty years, the assembly asked him to come forth into the world. A monk asked, 'Is Bodhidharma a patriarch or not?' The master said, 'He is not a patriarch.' He said, 'If he is not a patriarch, why did he come?' The master said, 'Only because you do not recognize him.' He said, 'What about after recognizing him?' The master said, 'Then you know he is not a patriarch.' A monk asked, 'What about before chaos was divided?' The master said, 'Who is it that recites the times for you?' Ascending the hall, he said: 'The teachings of one age only tidy up the hands and feet of people of the time. Even if you strip everything away to the very bottom, you only make a person who has finished the matter, and you cannot take that as the matter beneath the robe. Therefore it is said that in forty-nine years it was not made clear and could not be raised up. When you reach this, what will you do? If you go on prattling, I fear it will become a burden. Take care.'

瑞州九峰道虔禪師

Chan Master Daoqian of Jiufeng in Ruizhou

福州人也。甞為石霜侍者。洎霜歸寂。眾請首座繼住持。師白眾曰。須明得先師意。始可。座曰。先師有甚麼意。師曰。先師道。休去。歇去。冷湫湫地去。一念萬年去。寒灰枯木去。古廟香爐去。一條白練去。其餘則不問。如何是一條白練去。座曰。這箇祇是明一色邊事。師曰。元來未會先師意在。座曰。你不肯我那。但裝香來。香煙斷處。若去不得。即不會先師意。遂焚香。香煙未斷。座已脫去。師拊座背曰。坐脫立亡即不無。先師意未夢見在。住後。僧問。無間中人行甚麼行。師曰。畜生行。曰。畜生復行甚麼行。師曰。無間行。曰。此猶是長生路上人。師曰。汝須知有不共命者。曰。不共甚麼命。師曰。長生氣不常。師乃曰。諸兄弟還識得命麼。欲知命。流泉是命。湛寂是身。千波競湧。是文殊境界。一亙晴空。是普賢床榻。其次。借一句子是指月。於中事是話月。從上宗門中事。如節度使信旗相似。且如諸方先德。未建許多名目指陳已前。諸兄弟約甚麼體格商量。到這裡不假三寸試話會看。不假耳試釆聽看。不假眼試辯白看。所以道。聲前拋不出。句後不藏形。盡乾坤大地都來。是汝當人箇體。向甚麼處安眼耳鼻舌。莫但向意根下圖度作解。盡未來際亦未有休歇分。所以洞山道。擬將心意學玄宗。大似西行卻向東。珍重。問。承古有言。向外紹則臣位。向內紹則王種。是否。師曰。是。曰。如何是外紹。師曰。若不知事極頭。祇得了事。喚作外紹。是為臣種。曰。如何是內紹。師曰。知向裡許承當擔荷。是為內紹。曰。如何是王種。師曰。須見無承當底人。無擔荷底人。始得同一色。同一色了。所以借為誕生。是為王種。曰。恁麼則內紹亦須得轉。師曰。灼然。有承當擔荷。爭得不轉。汝道內紹便是人王種。你且道如今還有紹底道理麼。所以古人道。紹是功。紹了非是功。轉功位了。

He was a man of Fuzhou. He once served as Shishuang's attendant. When Shuang passed into quiescence, the assembly asked the head seat to succeed him as abbot. The master told the assembly, 'One must understand the late teacher's meaning before one may.' The seat said, 'What meaning did the late teacher have?' The master said, 'The late teacher said: Rest, cease, go to the cold and desolate place, go to one thought for ten thousand years, go to cold ashes and withered wood, go to the old shrine and its incense burner, go to a single strip of white silk. The rest I do not ask about. What is going to a single strip of white silk?' The seat said, 'That is only the matter on the side of manifesting one color.' The master said, 'So you never did understand the late teacher's meaning.' The seat said, 'You do not approve of me? Then light the incense. Where the incense smoke breaks off, if I cannot go, then I did not understand the late teacher's meaning.' So they burned incense. Before the smoke broke off, the seat had already passed away. The master stroked the seat's back and said, 'Sitting or standing to die is not nothing, but of the late teacher's meaning you have not dreamed.' After he took up residence, a monk asked, 'What practice does a person in the uninterrupted hell practice?' The master said, 'The practice of animals.' He said, 'What practice do animals practice?' The master said, 'The practice of the uninterrupted.' He said, 'That is still a person on the road of long life.' The master said, 'You must know there is one whose life is not shared.' He said, 'What life is not shared?' The master said, 'The breath of long life is not constant.' The master then said, 'Brothers, do you recognize life? If you wish to know life: the flowing spring is life, the still and silent is the body. A thousand waves racing and surging is Manjushri's realm. A single stretch of clear sky is Samantabhadra's couch. Next, borrowing one phrase is pointing at the moon; the matter within is talking about the moon. From the first, the matter in the school of the patriarchs is like the credential banner of a military governor. Now, before the virtuous ones of the various regions set up all those names and pointed them out, by what standard did you brothers discuss it? When you reach this, try to understand it without borrowing your three inches of tongue, try to hear it without borrowing ears, try to judge it without borrowing eyes. Therefore it is said: before sound it cannot be cast out, after words it does not hide its form. The whole of heaven and earth and the great earth all together — that is your own single person. Where will you put eyes, ears, nose, and tongue? Do not just scheme and make interpretations beneath the root of the intellect; even to the end of the future there will be no rest. Therefore Dongshan said: To try to learn the mystery with mind and intellect is much like heading west but going east. Take care.' A monk asked, 'There is an old saying: succeeding outwardly is the minister's position, succeeding inwardly is the king's seed. Is that so?' The master said, 'It is.' He said, 'What is succeeding outwardly?' The master said, 'If one does not know the utmost point of the matter and only becomes one who has finished the matter, that is called succeeding outwardly, and that is the minister's seed.' He said, 'What is succeeding inwardly?' The master said, 'Knowing how to accept and bear it within — that is succeeding inwardly.' He said, 'What is the king's seed?' The master said, 'One must see the person who does not accept and does not bear, and only then can one be of the same single color. Having become of the same single color, one borrows it for birth, and that is the king's seed.' He said, 'Then succeeding inwardly too must turn.' The master said, 'Clearly. With acceptance and bearing, how could it not turn? You say succeeding inwardly is the seed of the king of men. Now tell me, is there still a principle of succeeding today? Therefore the ancients said: succeeding is merit, but having succeeded is not merit. When the merit and position have turned,'

始喚作人王種。曰。未審外紹還轉也無。師曰。外紹全未知有。且教渠知有。曰。如何是知有。師曰。天明不覺曉。問。如何是外紹。師曰。不借別人家裡事。曰。如何是內紹。師曰。推爺向裡頭。曰。二語之中。那語最親。師曰。臣在門裡。王不出門。曰。恁麼則不出門者。不落二邊。師曰。渠也不獨坐世界。裡紹王種名。外紹王種姓。所以道。紹是功。名臣是偏中正。紹了轉功。名君是正中偏。問。誕生還更知聞也無。師曰。更知聞阿誰。曰。恁麼則莫便是否。師曰。若是。古人為甚麼道誕生王有父。曰。既有父。為甚麼不知聞。師曰。同時不識祖。問。古人云。直得不恁麼來者。猶是兒孫。意旨如何。師曰。古人不謾語。曰。如何是來底兒孫。師曰。猶守珍御在。曰。如何是父。師曰。無家可坐。無世可興。問。諸聖間出。祇是箇傳語底人。豈不是和尚語。師曰。是。曰。祇如世尊生下。一手指天。一手指地。雲。天上天下。唯我獨尊。為甚麼喚作傳語底人。師曰。為他指天指地。所以喚作傳語底人。僧禮拜而退。問。九重無信。恩赦何來。師曰。流光雖徧。閫內不周。曰。流光與閫內相去多少。師曰。綠水騰波。青山秀色。問。人人盡言請益。未審師將何拯濟。師曰。汝道巨嶽還曾乏寸土也無。曰。恁麼則四海參尋。當為何事。師曰。演若迷頭心自狂。曰。還有不狂者麼。師曰。有。曰。如何是不狂者。師曰。突曉途中眼不開。問。如何是學人自己。師曰。更問阿誰。曰。便恁麼承當時如何。師曰。須彌還更戴須彌。問。祖祖相傳。復傳何事。師曰。釋迦慳。迦葉富。曰。如何是釋迦慳。師曰。無物與人。曰。如何是迦葉富。師曰。國內孟嘗君。曰。畢竟傳底事作麼生。師曰。百歲老人分夜燈。問。諸佛非我道。如何是我道。師曰。我非諸佛。曰。既非諸佛。為甚麼卻立我道。師曰。適來暫喚來。

(Jiufeng continued:) “At first he was called the king’s seed.” “Does the outer succession turn back?” “The outer succession has never known existence; make him know existence.” “What is knowing existence?” “When dawn comes, one does not notice dawn.” “What is the outer succession?” “It does not borrow another’s household affairs.” “What is the inner succession?” “Push the father inward.” “Of these two phrases, which is more intimate?” “The minister is inside the gate; the king does not leave the gate.” “Then the one who does not leave the gate does not fall into either extreme.” “He does not sit alone in the world either. The inner succession names the king’s seed; the outer succession gives the king’s seed its surname. Thus succession is merit, the named minister is the impartial within the correct; when merit turns, the named ruler is the correct within the impartial.” “After birth, is there further knowing?” “Who is there to know?” “Then is it simply neither this nor that?” “If so, why did the ancients say that the king born has a father?” “If he has a father, why does he not know him?” “At the same time he does not know the ancestor.” “The ancients said that one who comes without coming is still a descendant. What does this mean?” “The ancients did not speak falsely.” “What is a descendant who comes?” “He still guards the precious treasure.” “What is the father?” “He has no home to return to and no age to revive.” “When all sages appear in the world, are they merely people who transmit words, as you say?” “Yes.” “When the World-Honored One was born, he pointed one hand to heaven and one to earth and said, ‘Above heaven and below heaven, I alone am honored.’ Why call him a transmitter of words?” “Because he pointed to heaven and earth, he is called a transmitter of words.” The monk bowed and withdrew. “Why, when the ninefold gate has no message, does an amnesty come?” “Flowing light reaches everywhere, but not within the walls.” “How far apart are flowing light and within the walls?” “Green water rises in waves; blue mountains show their beauty.” “Everyone says they seek instruction. How will you save them?” “Has a great mountain ever lacked a single clod of earth?” “Then why do people of the four seas come seeking?” “Yanruo lost his head and went mad by himself.” “Are there people who are not mad?” “Yes.” “Who is not mad?” “Suddenly awakened on the road, with eyes not yet open.” “What is the student’s own self?” “Who else are you asking?” “What if I accept it just so?” “Mount Sumeru would still bear Mount Sumeru.” “The patriarchs transmit one another; what do they transmit?” “Shakyamuni was poor, Kashyapa was rich.” “How was Shakyamuni poor?” “He had nothing to give.” “How was Kashyapa rich?” “A Mencius of the realm.” “What is the thing ultimately transmitted?” “An old man divides a night-lamp.” “The Buddhas are not my Way; what is my Way?” “I am not the Buddhas.” “If you are not the Buddhas, why establish my Way?” “A moment ago I called it forth…”

如今卻遣出。曰。為甚麼卻遣出。師曰。若不遣出。眼裡塵生。問。一切處覓不得。豈不是聖。師曰。是甚麼聖。曰。牛頭未見四祖時。豈不是聖。師曰。是聖境未忘。曰。二聖相去幾何。師曰。塵中雖有隱形術。爭奈全身入帝鄉。問。古人道。因真立妄。從妄顯真。是否。師曰。是。曰。如何是真心。師曰。不雜食是。曰。如何是妄心。師曰。攀緣起倒是。曰。離此二途。如何是本體。師曰。本體不離。曰。為甚麼不離。師曰。不敬功德天。誰嫌黑暗女。問。盡乾坤都來是箇眼。如何是乾坤眼。師曰。乾坤在裡許。曰。乾坤眼何在。師曰。正是乾坤眼。曰。還照矚也無。師曰。不借三光勢。曰。既不借三光勢。憑何喚作乾坤眼。師曰。若不如是。髑髏前見鬼人無數。問。一筆丹青為甚麼邈誌公真不得。師曰。僧繇卻許誌公。曰。未審僧繇得甚麼人證旨。卻許誌公。師曰。烏龜稽首須彌柱。問。動容沉古路。身沒乃方知。此意如何。師曰。偷佛錢買佛香。曰。學人不會。師曰。不會即燒香供養本爺娘。師後住泐潭而終。諡大覺禪師。

(Jiufeng continued:) “Now he sends it out.” “Why send it out?” “If it were not sent out, dust would arise in the eyes.” “One searches everywhere and cannot find it—is that not a sage?” “What sage is that?” “Before Niutou met the Fourth Patriarch, was he not a sage?” “The sage’s realm had not yet been forgotten.” “How far apart are these two sages?” “Though dust contains a spell of concealment, the whole body has entered the imperial land.” “The ancients said that the false is established through the true and the true is revealed through the false. Is that so?” “Yes.” “What is the true mind?” “Not mixing with food.” “What is the false mind?” “Clinging conditions that give rise to inversion.” “Apart from these two paths, what is the original substance?” “The original substance is not apart.” “Why is it not apart?” “If one does not honor the god of merit, who would dislike the dark woman?” “All heaven and earth come to be one eye. What is the eye of heaven and earth?” “Heaven and earth are inside this.” “Where is the eye of heaven and earth?” “Precisely the eye of heaven and earth.” “Does it still shine and illuminate?” “It does not borrow the power of the three lights.” “If it does not borrow them, why call it the eye of heaven and earth?” “If it were not so, countless people would see ghosts before a skull.” “Why can one painting never capture the true form of Master Zhi?” “The painter Sengyou nonetheless approved of Zhi.” “What proof did Sengyou obtain that allowed him to approve him?” “A tortoise bows before Mount Sumeru.” “The body sinks into the ancient road; only when it disappears is it known. What does this mean?” “Stealing Buddha’s money to buy incense for Buddha.” “I do not understand.” “If you do not understand, burn incense and make an offering to your own parents.” The master later dwelt at Leitan and passed away. He was posthumously titled Chan Master Dajue.

台州湧泉景欣禪師

Chan Master Jingxin of Yongquan, Taizhou

泉州人也。自石霜開示而止湧泉。一日。不披袈裟吃飯。有僧問。莫成俗否。師曰。即今豈是僧邪。彊．德二禪客於路次見師騎牛。不識師。忽曰。蹄角甚分明。爭柰騎者不鑒。師驟牛而去。彊．德憩於樹下煎茶。師回。卻下牛問曰。二禪客近離甚麼處。彊曰。那邊。師曰。那邊事作麼生。彊提起茶盞。師曰。此猶是這邊事。那邊事作麼生。彊無對。師曰。莫道騎者不鑒好。上堂。我四十九年在這裡。尚自有時走作。汝等諸人莫開大口。見解人多。行解人萬中無一箇。見解言語總要知通。若識不盡。敢道輪回去在。為何如此。蓋為識漏未盡。汝但盡卻今時。始得成立。亦喚作立中功。轉功就他去。亦喚作就中功。親他去。我所以道。親人不得度。渠不度親人。恁麼譬喻。尚不會薦取渾崙底。但管取性。亂動舌頭。不見洞山道。相續也大難。汝須知有此事。若不知有啼。哭有日在。上堂。拍盲不見佛。開眼遇途人。借問途中事。渠無丈六身。不從五天來。漢地不曾踏。不是張家生。誰雲李家子。三人拄一杖．臥一床。似伊不似伊。拈來搭肩上。為他十八兒。論不奈伊何。

He was from Quanzhou. After receiving instruction from Shishuang, he settled at Yongquan. One day he ate without wearing a robe. A monk asked, “Will this make you a layman?” The master said, “At this moment, am I really a monk?” Two Chan guests, Qiang and De, saw him riding an ox on the road without recognizing him. One suddenly said, “The hooves and horns are perfectly clear, yet the rider cannot see.” The master drove the ox away. Qiang and De rested beneath a tree and boiled tea. When the master returned, he dismounted and asked, “Where have the two Chan guests recently come from?” Qiang said, “From over there.” The master asked, “What is the matter over there?” Qiang raised the tea cup. The master said, “That is still a matter on this side. What is the matter over there?” Qiang had no answer. The master said, “Do not say that the rider cannot see.” At a teaching he said, “I have been here forty-nine years, and even I sometimes go astray. Do not open your mouths too widely. Those who have verbal understanding are many; those whose conduct accords with it are one in ten thousand. In understanding words, you must know how they connect. If understanding is not exhausted, you may say that rebirth still awaits. Why? Because the leakage of consciousness has not ended. Exhaust what is present now, and only then can you stand firm; this is called establishing merit within merit. Turn merit toward another; this is also merit within merit. Draw near to the intimate. Therefore I say: one cannot liberate the intimate, and the intimate cannot liberate one. With such an analogy, if you still cannot take hold of the whole, you merely grasp at nature and recklessly move your tongue. Did you not hear Dongshan say, ‘Continuity is extremely difficult’? You must know this matter. If you do not know it, there will be days of crying.” At another teaching he said: “Blindly groping, one does not see Buddha; opening the eyes, one meets a traveler. Ask about affairs on the road, and he has no sixteen-foot body. He did not come from the five regions of India and never set foot in China. He was not born in the Zhang family; who says he is a son of the Li family? Three people lean on one staff and lie on one bed. Whether he resembles that one or not, pick him up and rest him on your shoulder; for his eighteen sons, argument cannot do anything to him.”

潭州雲葢山志元圓淨禪師

Chan Master Zhiyuan Yuanjing of Cloud-Covered Mountain, Tanzhou

遊方時問雲居曰。志元不奈何時如何。居曰。祇為闍黎功力不到。師不禮拜。直造石霜。亦如前問。霜曰。非但闍黎。老僧亦不奈何。師曰。和尚為甚麼不奈何。霜曰。老僧若奈何。拈過汝不奈何。師便禮拜。僧問石霜。萬戶俱閉即不問。萬戶俱開時如何。霜曰。堂中事作麼生。僧無對。經半年。方始下一轉語曰。無人接得渠。霜曰。道即太煞道。祇道得八成。曰。和尚又且如何。霜曰。無人識得渠。師知乃禮拜。乞為舉。霜不肯。師乃抱霜上方丈曰。和尚若不道。打和尚去在。霜曰。得在。師頻禮拜。霜曰。無人識得渠。師於言下頓省。住後。僧問。如何是佛。師曰。黃面底是。曰。如何是法。師曰。藏裡是。問。然燈未出時如何。師曰。昧不得。問。蛇為甚麼吞卻師。師曰。通身色不同。問。如何是衲僧。師曰。參尋訪道。潭州道正表聞馬王。乞師論義。王請師上殿相見。茶罷。師就王乞劒。師握劒問道正曰。你本教中道。恍恍惚惚。其中有物。是何物。杳杳冥冥。其中有精。是何精。道得不斬。道不得即斬。道正茫然。便禮拜懺悔。師謂王曰。還識此人否。王曰。識。師曰。是誰。王曰。道正。師曰。不是。其道若正。合對得臣僧。此祇是箇無主孤魂。因茲道士更不紛紜。

While traveling, he asked Yunju, “What about when Zhiyuan cannot manage?” Yunju said, “Only because your power is not enough.” The master did not bow and went straight to Shishuang, asking the same question. Shishuang said, “It is not only you; even this old monk cannot manage.” The master asked, “Why can you not manage?” Shishuang said, “If I could manage it, I would take it past you, who cannot manage it.” The master then bowed. A monk asked Shishuang, “I do not ask about all the gates being closed. What about when all the gates are open?” Shishuang said, “What is the matter inside the hall?” The monk had no answer. After half a year he finally gave an answer: “No one can receive him.” Shishuang said, “That is much too strong; it reaches only eighty percent.” The monk asked, “What about you?” Shishuang said, “No one recognizes him.” The master understood and bowed, asking him to repeat it. Shishuang refused. The master carried Shishuang to the abbot’s room and said, “If you will not say it, I will strike you.” Shishuang said, “You may.” The master bowed repeatedly. Shishuang said, “No one recognizes him.” At these words the master suddenly awakened. Later, a monk asked, “What is Buddha?” He said, “The yellow-faced one.” “What is Dharma?” “What is in the treasury.” “What was it before Dipamkara appeared?” “It cannot be obscured.” “Why did the snake swallow the master?” “Its whole body has a different color.” “What is a patch-robed monk?” “One who investigates and seeks the Way.” Daoist Daozheng of Tanzhou was summoned by the King of Ma to debate with the master. The king invited the master into the hall. After tea, the master asked the king for a sword. Holding it, he asked Daozheng, “Your own teaching says: ‘Vague and indistinct, within it there is a thing.’ What thing? ‘Dark and obscure, within it there is essence.’ What essence? If you can answer, I will not cut you; if you cannot, I will cut.” Daozheng was bewildered, bowed, and repented. The master asked the king, “Do you recognize this man?” The king said, “I do.” “Who is he?” “Daozheng.” The master said, “No. If his Way were correct, he should be able to answer this monk. He is only a masterless wandering ghost.” After this, the Daoist no longer argued.

潭州谷山藏禪師

Chan Master Zang of Gushan, Tanzhou

僧問。法尚應捨。何況非法。如何是法尚應捨。師曰。空裡撒醍醐。曰。如何是非法。師曰。嵩山道士詐明頭。問。逼迫出來時如何。師曰。還曾拶著汝麼。

A monk asked, “The Dharma should be relinquished, how much more so what is not Dharma. What does it mean that even Dharma should be relinquished?” The master said, “Scatter clarified butter through empty space.” “What is not Dharma?” “The Daoist of Songshan falsely displays understanding.” “What about when one is forced to come forth?” “Has anyone ever pressed you into it?”

潭州中雲葢禪師

Chan Master of Middle Cloud-Covered Mountain, Tanzhou

僧問。和尚開堂。當為何事。師曰。為汝驢漢。曰。諸佛出世。當為何事。師曰。為汝驢漢。問。祖佛未出世時如何。師曰。像不得。曰。出世後如何。師曰。闍黎也須側身始得。問。如何是向上一句。師曰。文殊失卻口。曰。如何是門頭一句。師曰。頭上插花子。問。如何是超百億。師曰。超人不得肯。

A monk asked, “When you open a teaching hall, for what matter do you do it?” The master said, “For you, donkey fellow.” “When all Buddhas appear in the world, for what matter?” “For you, donkey fellow.” “What was it before the Patriarchs and Buddhas appeared?” “It cannot be represented.” “What after they appeared?” “Even you must turn sideways to pass.” “What is the phrase above?” “Manjushri has lost his mouth.” “What is the phrase at the gate?” “A flower is inserted in the head.” “What is beyond a hundred million?” “One cannot make a person go beyond unless he agrees.”

河中南際山僧一禪師

Chan Master Yichan of Nanji Mountain, Hezhong

僧問。幸獲親近。乞師指示。師曰。我若指示。即屈著汝。曰。教學人作麼生即是。師曰。切忌是非。問。如何是衲僧氣息。師曰。還曾薰著汝也無。問。同類即不問。如何是異類。師曰。要頭斫將去。問。如何是法身主。師曰。不過來。問。如何是毗盧師。師曰。不超越。師終於長慶。諡本淨大師。

A monk asked, “I am fortunate to draw near you; please instruct me.” The master said, “If I instructed you, I would put you in difficulty.” “How should I teach students?” “Be most careful not to fall into right and wrong.” “What is the breath of a patch-robed monk?” “Has it ever scented you?” “I do not ask about those of the same kind. What is the different kind?” “Cut off the head and take it away.” “What is the master of the Dharma body?” “It does not come over.” “What is Vairocana’s teacher?” “He does not transcend.” The master finally lived at Changqing and passed away. He was posthumously titled Great Master Benjing.

廬山棲賢懷祐禪師

Chan Master Huaiyou of Qixian, Mount Lushan

泉州人也。僧問。如何是五老峰前事。師曰。萬古千秋。曰。恁麼則成絕嗣去也。師曰。躊躇欲與誰。問。自遠趨風。請師激發。師曰。他不憑時。曰。請師憑時。師曰。我亦不換。問。如何是法法無差。師曰。雪上更加霜。上堂。若會此箇事。無有下口處。問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。井底寒蟾。天中明月。

He was from Quanzhou. A monk asked, “What is the matter before the Five Elders Peaks?” The master said, “Through ten thousand ages.” “Then the lineage is finally cut off.” “Hesitating, with whom would you share it?” “I have come from afar seeking your inspiration.” “He does not rely on the time.” “Please rely on the time.” “I do not change either.” “What is the equality of every Dharma?” “Frost added to snow.” At a teaching he said, “If you understand this matter, there is no place to open the mouth.” Asked for the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the West, he said, “A cold moon-frog at the bottom of a well, a bright moon in the sky.”

福州覆船山洪薦禪師

Chan Master Hongjian of Fuchuan Mountain, Fuzhou

僧問。如何是本來面目。師便閉目吐舌。又開目吐舌。曰。本來有許多面目。師曰。適來見甚麼。僧無語。問。如何是師子。師曰。善哮吼。僧拊掌曰。好手。好手。師曰。青天白日。卻被鬼迷。僧作掀禪床勢。師便打。曰。驢事未去。馬事到來。師曰。灼然作家。僧拂袖便出。師曰。將甌盛水。擬比大洋。問。如何是玄妙。師曰。未聞已前。道吾問。久嚮和尚會禪。是否。師曰。蒼天。蒼天。吾近前掩師口。曰。低聲。低聲。師與一掌。吾曰。蒼天。蒼天。師把住曰。得恁麼無禮。吾卻與一掌。師曰。老僧罪過。吾拂袖便行。師呵呵大笑曰。早知如是。不見如是。僧參。師便作起勢。僧便出。師曰。闍黎且來人事。僧回作抽坐具勢。師卻歸方丈。僧曰。蒼天。蒼天。師曰。龍頭蛇尾。僧近前叉手立。師曰。敗將投王。不存性命。問。抱璞投師。師還接否。師以手拍香臺。僧禮拜。師曰。禮拜則不無。其中事作麼生。僧卻拍香臺。師曰。舌頭不出口。師將示寂。三日前令侍者喚第一座來。師臥。出氣一聲。座喚侍者曰。和尚渴。要湯水吃。師乃面壁而臥。臨終令集眾。乃展兩手出舌示之。時第三座曰。諸人。和尚舌根硬也。師曰。苦哉。苦哉。誠如第三座所言。舌根硬去也。言訖而寂。諡紹隆大師。

A monk asked, “What is the original face?” The master closed his eyes and stuck out his tongue, then opened his eyes and stuck out his tongue again. The monk said, “The original has so many faces.” The master asked, “What did you see just now?” The monk had no answer. Asked, “What is a lion?” he said, “One good at roaring.” The monk clapped and said, “A fine hand, a fine hand.” The master said, “Under blue sky and white sun, you are still bewitched by ghosts.” The monk made as if to overturn the Chan seat, and the master struck him. The monk said, “The donkey affair has not gone, and the horse affair has arrived.” The master said, “Truly a master.” The monk shook his sleeve and left. The master said, “You would carry water in a bowl and compare it with the great ocean.” Asked, “What is the mysterious and wondrous?” he said, “Before it was heard.” Daowu asked, “I have long heard that you understand Chan—is it so?” The master said, “Heavens, heavens!” Daowu stepped forward, covered his mouth, and said, “Lower your voice.” The master slapped him. Daowu said, “Heavens, heavens!” The master held him and said, “How can you be so rude?” Daowu slapped him in return. The master said, “This old monk is at fault.” Daowu shook his sleeve and left. The master laughed loudly, saying, “If I had known it would be so, I would not have seen it so.” A monk came to interview him; the master made a rising gesture, and the monk left. The master said, “Come back and perform the formal greeting.” The monk turned and made as if to pull out his sitting mat. The master returned to the abbot’s room. The monk cried, “Heavens, heavens!” The master said, “A dragon’s head and a snake’s tail.” The monk approached and stood with hands joined. The master said, “A defeated general has surrendered to the king and no longer preserves his life.” Asked, “If I bring an uncut jade to the teacher, will the teacher receive it?” the master patted the incense platform. The monk bowed. The master said, “The bow is not absent; what is the matter within it?” The monk patted the incense platform. The master said, “Your tongue has not left your mouth.” Three days before his death, the master ordered the attendant to call the first seat. He lay down and exhaled once. The first seat told the attendant, “The master is thirsty and wants soup or water.” The master turned to face the wall and lay down. At the end he ordered the assembly gathered, then spread both hands and stuck out his tongue. The third seat said, “Everyone, the master’s tongue-root is hard.” The master said, “How bitter! It is exactly as the third seat says: the tongue-root has become hard.” Having said this, he became silent. He was posthumously titled Great Master Shaolong.

鼎州德山存德慧空禪師

Chan Master Cunde Huikong of Deshan, Dingzhou

僧問。如何是一句。師曰。更請問。問。如何是和尚先陀婆。師曰。昨夜三更見月明。

A monk asked, “What is a single phrase?” The master said, “Please ask again.” “What is the master’s salt?” “Last night at the third watch I saw the bright moon.”

吉州崇恩禪師

Chan Master Chong’en of Jizhou

僧問。祖意教意是同是別。師曰。少林雖有月。蔥嶺不穿雲。問。如何是類。師曰。奈何橋畔嘶聲切。劒樹林中去復來。

A monk asked, “Are the Patriarch’s meaning and the teaching’s meaning the same or different?” The master said, “Although Shaolin has a moon, the Onion Ridge does not pierce the clouds.” “What is the same kind?” “Beside the Bridge of No Return the cry is urgent; in the sword forest one goes and comes again.”

石霜暉禪師

Chan Master Hui of Shishuang

僧問。世尊出世。先度五俱輪。和尚出世。先度何人。師曰。總不度。曰。為甚麼不度。師曰。為伊不是五俱輪。

A monk asked, “When the World-Honored One appeared, he first liberated the five kinds of beings. When you appear, whom do you first liberate?” The master said, “I liberate no one at all.” “Why not?” “Because they are not those five kinds of beings.”

郢州芭蕉禪師

Chan Master of Plantain, Yingzhou

僧問。從上宗乘。如何舉唱。師曰。已被人冷眼覷破了。問。不落諸緣。請師直指。師曰。有問有答。問。如何是和尚為人一句。師曰。祗恐闍黎不問。問。如何是向去底人。師曰。董家稚子聲聲哭。曰。如何是卻來底人。師曰。枯木驪龍露爪牙。

A monk asked, “How should the ancestral vehicle handed down from above be proclaimed?” The master said, “It has already been exposed by someone’s cold eye.” “Please point directly without falling into conditions.” “There is question and answer.” “What is your one phrase for guiding people?” “I only fear you will not ask.” “What is the person who goes away?” “The child of the Dong family cries with every sound.” “What is the person who returns?” “A dry tree and a black dragon reveal their claws and teeth.”

潭州肥田慧覺伏禪師

Chan Master Huijue of Feitian, Tanzhou

僧問。如何是未出世邊事。師曰。髻中珠未解。石女斂雙眉。曰。出世後如何。師曰。靈龜呈卦兆。失卻自家身。問。此地名甚麼。師曰。肥田。曰。宜種甚麼。師便打。師有偈曰。修多好句枉工夫。返本還源是大愚。祖佛不從修證得。縱行玄路也崎嶇。

A monk asked, “What is the matter before birth?” The master said, “The pearl in the topknot has not been loosened; the stone woman draws in her brows.” “What after birth?” “The numinous tortoise presents an omen from the trigrams and loses its own body.” “What is this place called?” “Fertile Fields.” “What should be planted?” The master struck him. The master also composed a verse: “Cultivating many fine phrases is wasted effort; returning to the source is the great folly. Buddhas and patriarchs are not attained through cultivation and realization; even walking the mysterious road, it remains rugged.”

潭州鹿苑暉禪師

Chan Master Hui of Deer Park, Tanzhou

僧問。不假諸緣。請師道。師敲火爐曰。會麼。曰。不會。師曰。瞌睡漢。問。牛頭未見四祖時如何。師曰。如月在水。曰。見後如何。師曰。如水在月。問。祖祖相傳。未審傳箇甚麼。師曰。汝問我。我問汝。曰。恁麼則緇素不分也。師曰。甚麼處去來。

A monk asked, “Without relying on conditions, please speak.” The master struck the fire stove and asked, “Do you understand?” “I do not.” “Sleepy fellow.” “What was Niutou before meeting the Fourth Patriarch?” “Like the moon in water.” “And after meeting him?” “Like water in the moon.” “The patriarchs transmit one another; what exactly is transmitted?” “You ask me, and I ask you.” “Then black robes and white robes cannot be distinguished.” “Where have you come from and where are you going?”

潭州寶葢約禪師

Chan Master Yue of Treasure-Covered Mountain, Tanzhou

僧問。寶葢高高掛。其中事若何。請師言下旨。一句不消多。師曰。寶葢掛空中。有路不曾通。儻求言下旨。便是有西東。

A monk asked, “The treasure canopy hangs high; what is the matter within? Please give the meaning at the words; one phrase is enough.” The master said, “The treasure canopy hangs in empty space, and there is a road that has never been open. If you seek the meaning at the words, you have already created east and west.”