The Five Lamps Meeting at the Source, Scroll Five

越州雲門山拯迷寺海晏禪師

Chan Master Haiyan of Rescue-the-Lost Monastery on Cloud Gate Mountain, Yuezhou

僧問。如何是衲衣下事。師曰。如齩硬石頭。問。如何是古寺一爐香。師曰。歷代無人齅。曰。齅者如何。師曰。六根俱不到。問。久嚮拯迷。到來為甚麼不見拯迷。師曰。闍黎不識拯迷。

A monk asked, “What is the matter beneath the patch robe?” The master said, “Like biting a hard stone.” “What is the single censer of incense in the ancient monastery?” “No one through the ages has smelled it.” “What about the one who smells it?” “The six faculties cannot reach it.” “I have long heard of Rescue-the-Lost. Why, having come, do I not see rescue?” “You do not recognize Rescue-the-Lost.”

湖南文殊禪師

Chan Master Manjushri of Hunan

僧問。僧繇為甚麼邈誌公真不得。師曰。非但僧繇。誌公也邈不得。曰。誌公為甚麼邈不得。師曰。彩繪不將來。曰。和尚還邈得也無。師曰。我亦邈不得。曰。和尚為甚麼邈不得。師曰。渠不以苟我顏色。教我作麼生邈。問。如何是密室。師曰。緊不就。曰。如何是密室中人。師曰。不坐上色牛。

A monk asked, “Why could the painter Sengyou never capture the true form of Zhi Gong?” The master said, “Not only Sengyou; Zhi Gong himself could not be painted.” “Why could Zhi Gong not be painted?” “Paint and color cannot bring him.” “Can you paint him?” “I cannot either.” “Why can you not?” “He does not take my colors as his own; how could I paint him?” “What is a secret room?” “It cannot be tightly joined.” “Who is the person in the secret room?” “He does not sit on a colored ox.”

鳳翔府石柱禪師

Chan Master Shizhu of Fengxiang Prefecture

遊方時到洞山。時虔和尚垂語曰。有四種人。一人說過佛祖。一步行不得。一人行過佛祖。一句說不得。一人說得行得。一人說不得行不得阿那箇是其人師出眾曰。一人說過佛祖行不得者。祇是無舌不許行。一人行過佛祖一句說不得者。祇是無足不許說。一人說得行得者。祇是函葢相稱。一人說不得行不得者。如斷命求活。此是石女兒。披枷帶鎻。山曰。闍黎分上作麼生。師曰。該通分上卓卓寧彰。山曰。祇如海上明公秀又作麼生。師曰。幻人相逢。拊掌呵呵。

While traveling he reached Dongshan. At that time Chan Master Qian said, “There are four kinds of people: one speaks beyond Buddhas and patriarchs but cannot take a step; one walks beyond Buddhas and patriarchs but cannot utter a phrase; one can both speak and act; one can neither speak nor act. Which one is the person?” The master stepped from the assembly and said, “The one who speaks beyond Buddhas and patriarchs but cannot walk is simply a tongueless person forbidden to walk. The one who walks beyond Buddhas and patriarchs but cannot speak is simply a legless person forbidden to speak. The one who can speak and act is one whose box and lid fit together. The one who can neither speak nor act is like a condemned person seeking life; this is a stone woman’s child wearing cangue and chains.” Dongshan asked, “What is your position?” The master said, “When all is communicated, why should the outstanding be hidden?” Dongshan asked, “What about the illustrious Master Mingxiu on the sea?” The master said, “When illusion-people meet, they clap and laugh.”

河中府棲巖山大通院存壽禪師

Chan Master Cunshou of the Datong Monastery on Qiyan Mountain, Hezhong Prefecture

初講經論。後於石霜之室忘筌。住後。僧問。如何是和尚得力處。師曰。不居無理位。豈坐白牛車。問。蓮華未出水時如何。師曰。汝莫問出水後蓮華事麼。僧無語。師平居罕言。叩之則應。諡真寂禪師。

At first he lectured on scriptures and treatises; later, in Shishuang’s room, he forgot the raft of words. After he took a seat, a monk asked, “Where is the master’s strength?” He said, “If I did not dwell in a position without principle, how could I sit in the white ox cart?” “What was the lotus before it emerged from the water?” “Do not ask me about the lotus after it emerges.” The monk had no answer. In ordinary life the master rarely spoke; when questioned, he responded. He was posthumously titled Chan Master Zhenji.

南嶽玄泰禪師

Chan Master Xuantai of Nanyue

沉靜寡言。未甞衣帛。時謂之泰布衲。始見德山。陞於堂矣。後謁石霜。遂入室焉。掌翰二十年。與貫休齊己為友。後居蘭若。曰金剛臺。誓不立門徒。四方後進依附。皆用交友之禮。甞以衡山多被山民斬伐燒畬。為害滋甚。乃作畬山謠曰。畬山兒。畬山兒。無所知。年年斫斷青山嵋。就中最好衡嶽色。杉松利斧摧貞枝。靈禽野鶴無因依。白雲迴避青煙飛。猿猱路絕巖崖出。芝朮失根茆草肥。年年斫罷仍再鉏。千秋終是難復初。又道今年種不來。來年更斫當陽坡。國家嶽域向如此。不知此理如之何。遠邇傳播。達於九重。有詔禁止。故嶽中蘭若無復延燎。師之力也。將示滅。乃召一僧令備薪蒸。留偈曰。今年六十五。四大將離主。其道自玄玄。箇中無佛祖。不用剃頭。不須澡浴。一堆猛火。千足萬足。端坐垂一足而逝。闍維收舍利。建塔於迎雲亭側。

He was quiet and sparing of speech, and never wore silk or fine cloth; people called him the Great Cloth Robe. He first met Deshan and entered the hall, then visited Shishuang and entered his inner room. For twenty years he held the brush and was a friend of the poets Guanxiu and Qiji. Later he lived in a hermitage called Vajra Terrace. He vowed never to establish a line of disciples, and when students from every direction came to him he received them as friends. Seeing Hengshan repeatedly cut and burned by local people, he composed a song of the burned hills: “Children of the burned hills, ignorant children, year after year you cut down the green mountain ridges. The finest colors of Hengyue are ruined by sharp axes; firs and pines lose their sound branches. Sacred birds and wild cranes have no place to rest; white clouds flee before drifting smoke. Monkeys lose their paths as cliffs are exposed; medicinal herbs lose their roots while weeds grow thick. Each year the cutting ends only for the plowing to begin again; after a thousand years the hills will still not return to their first state. You say there is no time to plant this year, so next year you cut the sunny slope again. This is the nation’s sacred mountain domain—how can one not ask what will become of it?” The song spread near and far and reached the imperial court. An edict forbade the destruction, and the hermitages on the mountain were no longer burned; this was the master’s work. When he was about to enter extinction, he ordered a monk to prepare firewood and left this verse: “This year I am sixty-five; the four elements are about to leave their master. The Way is mysterious beyond mystery; within it there are no Buddha and no patriarch. Do not shave the head, and do not bathe the body. One fierce heap of fire is entirely sufficient.” He sat upright, lowered one leg, and passed away. After cremation, his relics were collected and a stupa was built beside Yingyun Pavilion.

潭州雲葢禪師

Chan Master of Cloud-Covered Mountain, Tanzhou

僧問。佛未出世時如何。師曰。月中藏玉兔。曰。出後如何。師曰。日裡背金烏。問。不可以情測時如何。師曰。無舌童兒機智盡。風穴參。師問。石角穿雲路。攜笻意若何。穴曰。紅霞籠玉象。擁嶂照川源。師曰。相隨來也。穴曰。和尚也須低聲。師曰。且坐吃茶。

A monk asked, “What was it like before the Buddha appeared in the world?” The master said, “The jade rabbit hidden in the moon.” “What after he appeared?” “The golden crow carried in the sun.” “What is it when feeling and thought cannot measure it?” “The tongueless child has exhausted all cleverness.” Fengxue came to visit. The master asked, “At the stone horn that pierces the clouds, what is your intention in carrying a staff?” Fengxue said, “Red clouds enfold a jade elephant, and the encircling peaks illuminate the river source.” The master said, “You have come along with it.” Fengxue said, “The master too should lower his voice.” The master said, “Sit for now and drink tea.”

邵武軍龍湖普聞禪師

Chan Master Puwen of Dragon Lake, Shaowu Army

唐僖宗太子也。幼不茹葷。長無經世意。僖宗鍾愛之。然百計陶寫。終不能回。中和初。僖宗幸蜀。師斷髮逸遊。人無知者。造石霜。問曰。祖師別傳事。肯以相付乎。霜曰。莫謗祖師。師曰。天下宗旨盛大。豈妄為之邪。霜曰。是實事那。師曰。師意如何。霜曰。待案山點頭。即向汝道。師於言下頓省。辭去至邵武城外。見山鬱然深秀。遂撥草。至煙起處。有一苦行居焉。苦行見師至。乃曰。上人當興此。長揖而去。師居十餘年。一日有一老人拜謁。師問。住在何處。至此何求。老人曰。住在此山。然非人。龍也。行雨不職。上天有罰當死。願垂救護。師曰。汝得罪上帝。我何能致力。雖然。可易形來。俄失老人所在。視坐傍有一小蛇。延緣入袖。至暮雷電震山。風雨交作。師危坐不傾。達旦晴霽。垂袖。蛇墮地而去。有頃。老人拜而泣曰。自非大士慈悲。為血腥穢此山矣。念何以報斯恩。即穴巖下為泉。曰。此泉為他日多眾之設。今號龍湖。邦人聞其事。施財施力。相與建寺。衲子云趨。師闡化三十餘年。臨示寂聲鍾集眾。說偈曰。我逃世難來出家。宗師指示箇歇處。住山聚眾三十年。尋常不欲輕分付。今日分明說似君。我斂目時齊聽取。安然而逝。塔於本山。諡圓覺禪師。

He was the crown prince of Emperor Xizong of Tang. As a child he ate no meat, and when grown he had no interest in worldly affairs. Xizong loved him dearly and tried every means to amuse and persuade him, but could not change his mind. In the early Zhonghe era, when Xizong went to Shu, the prince cut his hair and wandered in seclusion, unknown to people. He visited Shishuang and asked, “Would you transmit to me the matter of the Patriarch’s separate transmission?” Shishuang said, “Do not slander the Patriarch.” The prince said, “The principles of the world’s schools are magnificent; could they have been made up?” Shishuang said, “They are matters of fact.” The prince asked, “What is your meaning?” Shishuang replied, “When the mountain opposite the desk nods, I will tell you.” At these words the prince suddenly awakened. He left the city of Shaowu and saw a mountain deep and luxuriant, so he cleared the grass. Where smoke rose he found an ascetic living alone. Seeing him arrive, the ascetic said, “You are destined to make this place flourish,” made a deep bow, and departed. The master lived there for more than ten years. One day an old man came to bow before him. The master asked, “Where do you live, and what do you seek here?” The old man said, “I live on this mountain. I am not human but a dragon. I have failed in my duty to bring rain and Heaven has condemned me to die. I beg you to save me.” The master said, “You have offended Heaven; how could I help? Still, return in another form.” The old man vanished. Beside the master’s seat was a small snake, which wound into his sleeve. Toward evening thunder and lightning shook the mountain and wind and rain came together, but the master sat upright without moving. At dawn the sky cleared. He lowered his sleeve and the snake fell out and departed. Soon the old man bowed, weeping: “Without your compassion, this mountain would have been polluted with blood. How could I repay such kindness?” He then dug a spring beneath the cliff and said, “This spring is provided for the many who will come in later days.” It is now called Dragon Lake. When local people heard what happened, they gave money and labor and built a monastery together. Monks gathered like clouds. The master taught there for more than thirty years. At the approach of his death he rang the bell and assembled the community, then recited: “I escaped worldly difficulties and came to leave home; a lineage master showed me a place to rest. I have lived on this mountain and gathered people for thirty years, ordinarily unwilling to transmit lightly. Today I speak clearly to you all: when I close my eyes, listen together.” He passed away peacefully. His stupa stands on the mountain, and he was posthumously titled Chan Master Yuanjue.

張拙秀才

Presented Scholar Zhang Zhuo

因禪月大師指參石霜。霜問。秀才何姓。曰。姓張名拙。霜曰。覓巧尚不可得。拙自何來。公忽有省。乃呈偈曰。光明寂照徧河沙。凡聖含靈共我家。一念不生全體現。六根才動被雲遮。斷除煩惱重增病。趣向真如亦是邪。隨順世緣無𦊱礙。涅槃生死等空花。

At the direction of Chan Master Chanyue, he went to study with Shishuang. Shishuang asked, “What is your surname, scholar?” He replied, “My surname is Zhang, and my name is Zhuo.” Shishuang said, “Even cleverness cannot be found; where could clumsiness come from?” The scholar suddenly had an insight and presented this verse: “Radiance and silent illumination fill the sands of the Ganges; ordinary and holy beings, all with awareness, share my home. When a single thought does not arise, the whole substance is revealed; as soon as the six faculties move, clouds obscure it. To cut off afflictions only adds another illness; to turn toward suchness is also a deviant path. Following worldly conditions without obstruction, nirvana and birth-and-death are equally empty flowers.”

夾山會禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Huizhan

澧州洛浦山元安禪師

Chan Master Yuan’an of Luopu Mountain, Lizhou

鳳翔麟遊人也。丱年出家。具戒通經論。問道臨濟。後為侍者。濟甞對眾美之曰。臨濟門下一隻箭。誰敢當鋒。師蒙印可。自謂已足。一日侍立次。有座主參濟。濟問。有一人於三乘十二分教明得。有一人不於三乘十二分教明得。且道此二人是同是別。主曰。明得即同。明不得即別。師曰。這裡是甚麼所在。說同說別。濟顧師曰。汝又作麼生。師便喝。濟送座主回。問師。汝豈不是適來喝老僧者。師曰。是。濟便打。師後辭濟。濟問。甚麼處去。師曰。南方去。濟以拄杖畫一畫。曰。過得這箇便去。師乃喝。濟便打。師作禮而去。濟明日陞堂曰。臨濟門下有箇赤梢鯉魚。搖頭擺尾。向南方去。不知向誰家虀甕裡淹殺。師遊歷罷。直往夾山卓庵。經年不訪夾山。山乃修書。令僧馳往。師接得便坐卻。再展手索。僧無對。師便打。曰。歸去舉似和尚。僧回舉似。山曰。這僧若開書。三日內必來。若不開書。斯人救不得也。師果三日後至。見夾山不禮拜。乃當面叉手而立。山曰。鷄棲鳳巢。非其同類。出去。師曰。自遠趨風。請師一接。山曰。目前無闍黎。此間無老僧。師便喝。山曰。住。住。且莫草草怱怱。雲月是同。谿山各異。截斷天下人舌頭即不無。闍黎。爭教無舌人解語。師佇思。山便打。因茲服膺(興化代雲。但知作佛。莫愁眾生)。一日問山。佛魔不到處如何體會。山曰。燭明千里像。闇室老僧迷。又問。朝陽已昇。夜月不現時如何。山曰。龍銜海珠。遊魚不顧。山將示滅。垂語曰。石頭一枝。看看即滅矣。師曰。不然。山曰。何也。師曰。他家自有青山在。山曰。苟如是。即吾宗不墜矣。暨夾山順世。師抵於涔陽。遇故人因話武陵事。問曰。倐忽數年。何處逃難。師曰。秖在闤闠中。曰。何不向無人處去。師曰。無人處有何難。曰。闤闠中如何逃避。師曰。雖在闤闠中。要且人不識。故人罔測。

He was from Linyou in Fengxiang. He left home as a child, received the precepts, and mastered the scriptures and treatises. He sought the Way from Linji and later served as his attendant. Linji once praised him before the assembly: “Under Linji’s gate there is a red-tailed carp; who dares face its point?” The master received Linji’s approval and thought his understanding complete. One day, while he stood in attendance, a lecture master visited Linji. Linji asked, “One person understands the Three Vehicles and the twelve divisions of teaching; another does not understand them. Are these two the same or different?” The lecturer replied, “Understanding makes them the same; not understanding makes them different.” The master said, “What place is this, to speak of sameness and difference?” Linji turned to him: “What do you say?” The master shouted. After seeing the lecturer out, Linji asked, “Were you not the one who just shouted at this old monk?” He said, “Yes.” Linji struck him. Later he took leave. Linji asked where he was going. “To the south.” Linji drew a line with his staff and said, “Cross this and go.” The master shouted, and Linji struck him again. The master bowed and departed. The next day Linji said in the hall, “There is a red-tailed carp in my gate, wagging its head and tail as it goes south. I do not know whose pickle jar will drown it.” After traveling, the master went straight to Jingshan and built a hut. For years he did not visit Jingshan’s master. Jingshan sent a letter by a monk. The master received it, sat on it, then stretched out his hand asking for more. The monk had no answer. The master struck him and said, “Go back and report this to your teacher.” Jingshan said, “If this monk opens the letter, he will come within three days; if he does not, he cannot be saved.” The master came three days later. He stood before Jingshan with joined hands but did not bow. Jingshan said, “A chicken’s nest is not a phoenix’s nest; you are not of the same kind. Leave.” The master said, “I have come from far away seeking your wind; please receive me once.” Jingshan said, “There is no you before my eyes and no old monk here.” The master shouted. Jingshan said, “Stop. Clouds and moon are alike, streams and mountains differ. Cutting off everyone’s tongue is possible; how will you make the tongueless speak?” The master hesitated, and Jingshan struck him. From then on he submitted himself to the teaching. Once he asked, “How should one understand the place untouched by Buddha or demon?” Jingshan said, “A lamp makes images visible for a thousand miles; in a dark room this old monk is lost.” He asked, “What when the morning sun has risen and the night moon is no longer visible?” Jingshan said, “A dragon carries a pearl from the sea, and fish do not notice.” When Jingshan was about to die, he said, “The branch of Shitou will soon disappear.” The master said, “No.” “Why not?” “His house still has its green mountains.” Jingshan said, “If so, our lineage will not fall.” After Jingshan passed away, the master reached Canyang and met an old acquaintance. Asked where he had hidden during the years of danger, he said, “Right in the market.” “Why not go where no one is?” “What difficulty is there where no one is?” “How do you hide in the market?” “Though I am in the market, people still do not recognize me.” The acquaintance could not fathom him.

又問。佛佛相應。祖祖相傳。彼此不垂曲時如何。師曰。野老門前。不話朝堂之事。曰。合譚何事。師曰。未逢別者。終不開拳。曰。有人不從朝堂來。相逢還話會否。師曰。量外之機。徒勞目擊。師尋之澧陽洛浦山卜築宴處。後遷止朗州蘇谿。四方玄侶。憧憧奔湊。上堂。末後一句始到牢關。鎻斷要津。不通凡聖。尋常向諸人道。任從天下樂欣欣。我獨不肯。欲知上流之士。不將佛祖言教貼在額頭上。如龜負圖。自取喪身之兆。鳳縈金網。趍霄漢以何期。直須旨外明宗。莫向言中取則。是以石人機似汝。也解唱巴歌。汝若似石人。雪曲也應和。指南一路。智者知疏。僧問。瞥然便見時如何。師曰。曉星分曙色。爭似太陽輝。又問。恁麼來不立。恁麼去不泯時如何。師曰。鬻薪樵子貴。衣錦道人輕。問。供養百千諸佛。不如供養一箇無心道人。未審百千諸佛有何過。無心道人有何德。師曰。一片白雲橫谷口。幾多歸鳥盡迷巢。問。日未出時如何。師曰。水竭滄溟龍尚隱。雲騰碧漢鳳猶飛。問。如何是本來事。師曰。一粒在荒田。不耘苗自秀。曰。若也不耘。莫被草埋卻也無。師曰。肌骨異蒭蕘。稊稗終難隱。問。不傷物命者如何。師曰。眼花山影轉。迷者謾彷徨。問。不譚今古時如何。師曰。靈龜無卦兆。空殻不勞鑽。曰。爭奈空殻何。師曰。見盡無機所。邪正不可立。曰。恁麼則無棲泊處也。師曰。玄象始於未形。虗勞煩於飾彩。問。龍機不吐霧滋益事如何。師曰。道本無名。不存明暗。曰。不掛明暗底事。又作麼生。師曰。言中易舉。意外難提。問。不生如來家。不坐華王座時如何。師曰。汝道火爐重多少。問。祖意教意。是同是別。師曰。師子窟中無異獸。象王行處絕狐蹤。問。一時舉來時如何。師曰。獻璞不知機。徒勞招刖足。問僧。近離甚處。曰。荊南。師曰。有一人與麼去。還逢麼。曰。

He was asked, “When Buddha responds to Buddha and patriarch transmits to patriarch, what is it when neither bends toward the other?” The master said, “At the old man’s gate, we do not discuss affairs of the court.” “What should we discuss?” “Until one meets the one who is different, the fist never opens.” “If someone does not come from the court, can we still speak when we meet?” “A capacity beyond measure is wasted by merely looking.” The master later built a quiet dwelling on Luopu Mountain in Liyang, then moved to Suxi in Langzhou. Seekers from all directions gathered. In the hall he said, “Only the final phrase reaches the firm barrier. It locks the vital pass and admits neither ordinary nor holy. I always tell you: let the whole world rejoice as it will; I alone refuse. If you wish to know the superior person, do not paste the Buddha’s and patriarchs’ words on your forehead. Like a tortoise carrying a diagram, you would take the omen of your own death; like a phoenix caught in a golden net, how could it rise to the sky? You must understand the school beyond the words and must not take a rule from the words. A stone man with your capacity can sing the songs of Ba; if you are like a stone man, you should answer even the snow song. The pointing road is understood as incomplete by the wise.” A monk asked, “What is it when one suddenly sees?” The master said, “The dawn star divides the colors of morning; how could it compare with the sun’s brilliance?” “What is it when coming does not establish and going does not perish?” “The woodcutter selling firewood is valued; the robed man in brocade is light.” “The sutras say that offering a hundred thousand Buddhas is not as good as offering one mindless Wayfarer. What fault do the Buddhas have, and what virtue does the mindless person possess?” “A white cloud crosses the valley mouth, and many returning birds lose their nests.” “What is it before the sun rises?” “The sea is drained, yet the dragon remains hidden; clouds rise through the blue sky, and the phoenix still flies.” “What is the original matter?” “A single grain lies in a barren field; without tilling, its shoot grows.” “If it is not tilled, will weeds not bury it?” “Its flesh and bones differ from wild grass; weeds cannot finally conceal it.” “What is it when one does not injure living things?” “When the eyes blur, the mountain shadows turn; the deluded wander in vain.” “What is it when one does not discuss past or present?” “The numinous tortoise has no omen on its shell; the empty shell needs no drilling.” “What about the empty shell?” “When every place without an operative device is seen, neither right nor wrong can be established.” “Then there is no place to rest.” “The mysterious image begins before form; empty labor troubles itself by decorating colors.” “What is the dragon’s mechanism that does not exhale mist to nourish things?” “The Way is originally nameless and does not preserve brightness or darkness.” “What about what is not hung on brightness or darkness?” “Words make it easy to point out; outside meaning it is hard to raise.” “What is it when one is not born in the Tathagata’s household and does not sit on the Lotus King’s seat?” “Tell me, how heavy is the fire stove?” “Are the Patriarch’s meaning and the teaching’s meaning the same or different?” “In the lion’s cave there is no other beast; where the elephant king walks, fox tracks end.” “What is it when everything is brought out at once?” “Offering uncut jade without knowing the moment only brings the loss of one’s feet.” A monk said he had recently left Jingnan. The master asked whether someone who went that way would meet him; the monk began to answer…

不逢。師曰。為甚不逢。曰。若逢即頭粉碎。師曰。闍黎三寸甚密。雲門於江西見其僧。乃問。還有此語否。曰。是。門曰。洛浦倒退三千里。問。行不思議處如何。師曰。青山常舉足。白日不移輪。問。枯盡荒田獨立事如何。師曰。鷺倚雪巢猶可辯。烏投漆立事難分。問。如何是主中賓。師曰。逢人常問路。足下鎮長迷。曰。如何是賓主雙舉。師曰。枯樹無橫枝。鳥來難措足。問。終日朦朧時如何。師曰。擲寶淵沙中。識者天然異。曰。恁麼則展手不逢師也。師曰。莫將鶴唳悞作鶯啼。問。圓伊三點人皆會。洛浦家風事若何。師曰。雷霆一震。布鼓聲銷。問。正當亭午時如何。師曰。亭午猶虧半。烏沈始得圓。要會箇中意。牛頭尾上安。問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。颯颯當軒竹。經霜不自寒。僧擬進語。師曰。祇聞風擊響。知是幾千竿。上堂。孫臏收鋪去也。有卜者出來。僧曰。請和尚卜。師曰。汝家爺死。僧無對(法眼代拊掌三下)。問。如何是西來意。師以拂子擊禪床曰。會麼。曰。不會。師曰。天上忽雷驚宇宙。井底蝦蟇不舉頭。問。如何是佛法大意。師曰。雪覆孤峰峰不白。雨滋石筍筍須生。問。法身無為。不墮諸數。是否。師曰。惜取眉毛好。曰。如何免得斯咎。師曰。泥龜任你千年。終不解隨雲鶴。曰。直是孫臏。也遭貶剝。師曰。不穿鼻孔底牛。有甚禦處。僧便作牛吼。師曰。這畜生。僧便喝。師曰。掩尾露牙。終非好手。問。萬丈懸崖撒手去。如何免得喪於身時如何。師曰。須彌繫藕絲。曰。是何境界。師曰。剎竿頭上仰蓮心。曰。恁麼則湛湛澄澄去也。師曰。須彌頂上再翻身。曰。恁麼則兢兢切切去也。師曰。空隨媒鴿走。虗喪網羅身。曰。如何得不隨去。師曰。罌鵝缾項小。擬透望天飛。問。露不垂群木時如何。師曰。有虎鴉須噪。無人鳥不驚。問。撥亂乾坤底人來。師還接否。

The monk continued, “We do not meet.” The master asked, “Why do you not meet?” “If we met, my head would be smashed to pieces.” The master said, “Your three-inch tongue is very well hidden.” Yunmen later met this monk in Jiangxi and asked whether he still had these words. When the monk said yes, Yunmen said, “Luopu has retreated three thousand miles.” Asked how it is to move in the inconceivable place, the master said, “The green mountain always lifts its feet; the white sun does not move its wheel.” Asked about standing alone after the barren field is exhausted, he said, “A egret beside a snowy nest can still be distinguished; a crow standing in lacquer is hard to tell apart.” Asked about guest within host, he said, “Meeting people, one always asks the road, while one’s own feet remain lost.” Asked about host and guest raised together, he said, “A dead tree has no cross branches; when a bird comes, it can find nowhere to set its feet.” Asked about being dim and obscure all day, he said, “Throw a treasure into deep sand; those who recognize it know its natural difference.” “Then one opens one’s hands and never meets the teacher.” “Do not mistake a crane’s cry for an oriole’s song.” Asked about the three dots of the round character, he said, “A thunderclap makes the sound of a cloth drum disappear.” Asked about high noon, he said, “At noon it is still half deficient; only when the crow sinks does it become whole. To understand the meaning, place the ox’s head on its tail.” Asked about the Patriarch’s coming from the West, he said, “The bamboo before the window rustles; after frost it is not itself cold.” When the monk tried to add a word, the master said, “You hear only the wind striking and know that there are thousands of stalks.” In the hall he said, “Sun Bin has closed his shop. Let a diviner come out.” A monk asked him to divine. The master said, “Your father has died.” The monk had no answer. Fayan clapped three times in his place. Asked again about the Western meaning, the master struck the Chan seat with his whisk and asked whether he understood. When the monk said no, he said, “A sudden thunder in heaven startles the universe; a frog at the bottom of a well does not raise its head.” Asked about the essential meaning of Buddhadharma, he said, “Snow covers the lonely peak, yet the peak is not white; rain nourishes the stone shoot, and the shoot must grow.” Asked whether the unconditioned Dharma body falls into numbers, he said, “Take good care of your eyebrows.” Asked how to escape the fault, he said, “A mud tortoise may live a thousand years, but never learns to follow a cloud crane.” The monk acted like an ox. The master called him a beast; the monk shouted. The master said, “Covering the tail while showing the teeth is not the work of a master.” Asked how to avoid losing oneself when letting go from a precipice, he said, “Mount Sumeru is tied with a lotus-root thread.” Asked what realm this was, he said, “At the top of the banner pole, look up at the lotus heart.” The monk said he would go in clear stillness; the master told him to turn again on Mount Sumeru’s summit. When he said he would go in fear and urgency, the master said, “You will follow an empty pigeon decoy and lose your body in a net.” Asked how not to follow, he said, “The goose jar has a narrow neck; trying to pass through, it looks up and flies toward the sky.” Asked when dew does not hang on the trees, he said, “If there is a tiger, crows must cry; when no one is there, birds are not startled.” A person who could set heaven and earth in order came to ask whether the master would receive him.

師竪拂子。僧曰。恁麼則得遇明君去也。師曰。依稀似曲才堪聽。又被風吹別調中。問。佛魔不到處。如何辨得。師曰。演若頭非失。鏡中認取乖。問。如何是救離生死。師曰。執水苟延生。不聞天樂妙。問。四大從何而有。師曰。湛水無波。漚因風激。曰。漚滅歸水時如何。師曰。不渾不濁。魚龍任躍。問。如何離得生死去。師曰。一念忘機。太虗無玷。問。如何是道。師曰。存機猶滯跡。去杌卻通途。問。如何是一大藏教收不得者。師曰。雨滋三草秀。片玉本來輝。問。一毫吞盡巨海。於中更復何言。師曰。家有白澤之圖。必無如是妖怪(保福別雲。家無白澤之圖。亦無如是妖怪)。問。凝然時如何。師曰。時雷應節。震嶽驚蟄。曰。千般運動。不異箇凝然時如何。師曰。靈鶴翥空外。鈍鳥不離巢。曰。如何。師曰。白首拜少年。舉世人難信。問。諸聖恁麼來。將何供養。師曰。土宿雖持錫。不是婆羅門。問。祖意教意。是同是別。師曰。日月並輪輝。誰家別有路。曰。恁麼則顯晦殊途。事非一槩。師曰。但自不亡羊。何須泣岐路。問。學人擬歸鄉時如何。師曰。家破人亡。子歸何處。曰。恁麼則不歸去也。師曰。庭前殘雪日輪消。室內遊塵遣誰掃。乃有偈曰。決志歸鄉去。乘船渡五湖。舉篙星月隱。停棹日輪孤。解䌫離邪岸。張帆出正途。到來家蕩盡。免作屋中愚。問。動是法王苗。寂是法王根。根苗即不問。如何是法王。師舉拂子。僧曰。此猶是法王苗。師曰。龍不出洞。誰人奈何。侍者謂師曰。肇法師製得四論。甚奇怪。師曰。肇公甚奇怪。要且不見祖師。者無對(法燈代雲。和尚甚麼處是。雲居錫雲。甚麼處是肇公不見祖師處。莫是有許多言語麼。又云。肇公有多少言語)。問。如何是生機一路。師曰。敲空有響。擊木無聲。曰兩山開法。語播諸方。光化元年八月。誡主事曰。出家之法。

The master raised his whisk. The monk said, “Then one has met a wise ruler and may leave.” The master said, “A tune is faintly heard and only just worth listening to, then the wind blows it into another melody.” Asked how to distinguish a place reached by neither Buddha nor demon, he said, “Yanruo’s head was not lost; look in the mirror and recognize the error.” Asked how to escape birth and death, he said, “Clinging to water merely prolongs life; it does not hear the wondrous music of heaven.” Asked where the four elements come from, he said, “Still water has no waves; bubbles arise when wind stirs it.” “When bubbles vanish and return to water?” “Neither muddy nor turbid, it lets fish and dragons leap freely.” “How can one leave birth and death?” “Forget the mechanism in a single thought; empty space is then unstained.” “What is the Way?” “Keeping the mechanism still leaves one trapped in traces; removing the stump opens the broad road.” “What is beyond the reach of the whole Buddhist canon?” “Rain makes the three grasses flourish; a piece of jade shines by its original nature.” “If one hair swallows the great sea, what more can be said?” “A household with a picture of the auspicious beast has no such demon.” Baofo offered another answer: “A household without that picture has no such demon either.” Asked about unmoving stillness, he said, “Seasonal thunder answers its time, shaking mountains and awakening insects.” “What about every movement being no different from stillness?” “The numinous crane flies beyond the sky; the dull bird never leaves its nest.” “How?” “An old man bows to a youth; the whole world finds it hard to believe.” Asked what offering should be made when sages come, he said, “The earth star may hold a staff, but he is not a Brahman.” Asked whether Patriarch and teaching are the same, he said, “Sun and moon shine together; whose house has another road?” “Then brightness and darkness are different paths.” “As long as one does not lose the sheep, why weep at a forked road?” Asked about returning home, he said, “When the house is ruined and the people gone, where can the child return?” “Then one should not return.” “The wheel of the sun melts the leftover snow before the hall; who will sweep the drifting dust within the room?” He then recited: “I have resolved to return home and will cross the Five Lakes by boat. When I raise the oar, stars and moon disappear; when I stop, the lonely sun remains. I cast off from the shore of error and set sail on the right course. When I arrive, the house will be entirely empty, and I will not remain a fool inside it.” Asked, “Movement is the Dharma King’s sprout, stillness his root. Apart from root and sprout, what is the Dharma King?” The master raised his whisk. The monk said, “That is still the sprout.” The master said, “If the dragon does not leave its cave, who can do anything?” An attendant said, “Master Zhao’s four treatises are extraordinary.” The master said, “Zhao was indeed extraordinary, but he still did not see the Patriarch.” The attendant had no answer. Asked about the road of living activity, he said, “Strike empty space and there is a sound; strike wood and there is no sound.” His teaching spread through the regions. In the first year of Guanghua, in the eighth month, he admonished the monastery officers: “In leaving home, keep no surplus possessions. At sowing time, reduce everything carefully; stop all building and construction. Time passes swiftly and the Way is profound. If you merely drift along, how can you awaken?”

長物不留。播種之時。切宜減省。締搆之務。悉從廢停。流光迅速。大道玄深。苟或因循。曷由體悟。雖激厲懇切。眾以為常。略不相儆。至冬示微疾。亦不倦參請。十二月一日告眾曰。吾非明即後也。今有一事問汝等。若道這箇是。即頭上安頭。若道不是。即斬頭求活。第一座對曰。青山不舉足。日下不挑燈。師曰。是甚麼時節。作這箇語話。時有彥從上座對曰。離此二途。請和尚不問。師曰。未在更道。曰。彥從道不盡。師曰。我不管汝盡不盡。曰。彥從無侍者祇對和尚。師便休。至夜令侍者喚從問曰。闍黎今日祇對。甚有道理。汝合體得先師意。先師道。目前無法。意在目前。不是目前法。非耳目之所到。且道那句是賓。那句是主。若擇得出。分付缽袋子。曰。彥從不會。師曰。汝合會。曰。彥從實不會。師喝出。乃曰。苦。苦(玄覺雲。且道從上座實不會。是怕見缽袋子粘著伊)。二日午時。別僧舉前話問師。師曰。慈舟不棹清波上。劒峽徒勞放木鵝。便告寂。

(Luopu continued:) “Keep no excess. At planting time, reduce everything carefully; abandon every construction project. Time passes swiftly and the Great Way is profound. If you simply drift along, how will you realize it?” Though his words were urgent, the assembly treated them as ordinary and did not warn one another. In winter he showed a slight illness but did not tire of receiving visitors. On the first day of the twelfth month he told the assembly, “I may die tomorrow or the day after. I have one matter to ask you. If you say this is it, you put a head on top of a head; if you say it is not, you cut off the head to seek life.” The first seat answered, “The green mountain does not lift its feet; beneath the sun no lamp is raised.” The master said, “What time is this, to speak such words?” Yanzong said, “Please do not ask me within these two paths.” The master said, “Not yet—say more.” Yanzong said, “I have not exhausted the Way.” The master said, “I do not care whether you have exhausted it.” Yanzong said, “I have no attendant and can answer only you.” The master then stopped. That night he called Yanzong and said, “Your answer today had much reason; you should embody the former master’s intent. The former master said: ‘There is no Dharma before the eyes; the meaning is before the eyes. It is not a Dharma before the eyes and cannot be reached by ear or eye.’ Tell me which phrase is guest and which is host. If you can distinguish them, I will transmit the bowl and bag.” Yanzong said, “I do not understand.” The master said, “You ought to understand.” Yanzong said, “I truly do not.” The master shouted him out and said, “Bitter, bitter.” Xuanjue commented, “Tell me, does the first seat truly not understand, or is he afraid of seeing the bowl and bag cling to him?” At noon on the second day, another monk raised the earlier exchange and asked the master. He replied, “The compassionate boat does not row upon clear waves; in the sword gorge it is vain to release the wooden goose.” He then announced his quiet passing.

撫州逍遙山懷忠禪師

Chan Master Huaizhong of Xiaoyao Mountain, Fuzhou

僧問。不似之句還有人道得否。師曰。或即五日齋前。或即五日齋後。問。劒鏡明利。毫毛何惑。師曰。不空罥索。問。洪鑪猛燄。烹鍛何物。師曰。烹佛烹祖。曰。佛祖作麼生烹。師曰。業在其中。曰。喚作甚麼業。師曰。佛力不如。問。四十九年不說一句。如何是不說底句。師曰。隻履西行。道人不顧。曰。莫便是和尚消停處也無。師曰。馬是官馬不用印。問。如何是一老一不老。師曰。三從六義。曰。如何是奇特一句。師曰。坐佛床。斫佛樸。問。祖與佛阿那箇最親。師曰。真金不肯博。誰肯換泥丸。曰。恁麼則不肯去也。師曰。汝貴我賤。問。懸劒萬年松時如何。師曰。非言可及。曰。當為何事。師曰。為汝道話。曰。言外事如何明得。師曰。日久年多筋骨成。問。不敵魔軍。如何證道。師曰。海水不勞杓子舀。問。不住有雲山。常居無底船時如何。師曰。果熟自然香。曰。更請師道。師曰。門前真佛子。曰。學人為甚麼不見。師曰。處處王老師。

A monk asked: 'Can anyone express the phrase that is not like anything?' The master said: 'Either before the five-day fast, or after the five-day fast.' [The monk] asked: 'The sword and the mirror are bright and sharp — why then is a hair's tip deluded?' The master said: 'The Unfailing Noose.' [The monk] asked: 'In the roaring blaze of the great furnace, what is being cooked and forged?' The master said: 'Cooking Buddhas, cooking patriarchs.' [The monk] said: 'How are Buddhas and patriarchs cooked?' The master said: 'Karma is inside it.' [The monk] said: 'What is that called, karma?' The master said: 'Buddha-power does not match it.' [The monk] asked: 'For forty-nine years he did not speak a single phrase. What is the phrase that was not spoken?' The master said: 'One shoe going west; the man of the Way does not look back.' [The monk] said: 'Is that not where the monk comes to rest?' The master said: 'The horse is a government horse; it needs no brand.' [The monk] asked: 'What is the one that is old and the one that is not old?' The master said: 'The three obediences and the six duties.' [The monk] said: 'What is the extraordinary phrase?' The master said: 'Sitting on the Buddha's seat, chopping the Buddha's block.' [The monk] asked: 'Between the patriarch and the Buddha, which is nearer kin?' The master said: 'True gold will not be bartered; who would take a mud pellet in exchange?' [The monk] said: 'Then I am unwilling to go.' The master said: 'You are noble, I am base.' [The monk] asked: 'What of hanging a sword on a ten-thousand-year pine?' The master said: 'It is beyond words.' [The monk] said: 'For the sake of what matter?' The master said: 'To speak words for you.' [The monk] said: 'How can the matter outside words be made clear?' The master said: 'When the days are long and the years many, the sinews and bones are formed.' [The monk] asked: 'If one has not defeated the army of Mara, how does one realize the Way?' The master said: 'The ocean's water needs no gourd ladle to scoop it.' [The monk] asked: 'What of not dwelling on the clouded mountain, but always abiding in a bottomless boat?' The master said: 'When the fruit is ripe it is fragrant of itself.' [The monk] said: 'Please, master, say something more.' The master said: 'Before the gate stands a true son of the Buddha.' [The monk] said: 'Why does the student not see him?' The master said: 'Teacher Wang is everywhere.'

袁州蟠龍山可文禪師

Chan Master Kewen of Mount Panlong in Yuanzhou

僧問。亡僧遷化向甚麼處去也。師曰。石牛㳂古路。日裡夜明燈。問。如何是佛。師曰。痴兒捨父逃。

A monk asked: 'When a dead monk is transformed in passing away, where does he go?' The master said: 'A stone ox follows the ancient road; by day a lamp that shines at night.' [The monk] asked: 'What is the Buddha?' The master said: 'A foolish child forsakes his father and runs away.'

撫州黃山月輪禪師

Chan Master Yuelun of Mount Huang in Fuzhou

福唐許氏子。初謁三峰。機緣靡契。尋聞夾山盛化。乃往叩之。山問。名甚麼。師曰。月輪。山作一圓相。曰。何似這箇。師曰。和尚恁麼語話。諸方大有人不肯在。山曰。闍黎作麼生。師曰。還見月輪麼。山曰。闍黎恁麼道。此間大有人不肯諸方。師乃服膺參訊。一日。夾山抗聲問曰。子是甚麼處人。師曰。閩中人。山曰。還識老僧麼。師曰。和尚還識學人麼。山曰。不然。子且還老僧草鞋錢。然後老僧還子廬陵米價。師曰。恁麼則不識和尚也。未委廬陵米作麼價。山曰。真師子兒。善能哮吼。乃入室受印。依附七年。眾請住黃山。上堂。祖師西來。特唱此事。自是諸人不薦。向外馳求。投赤水以尋珠。就荊山而覓玉。所以道。從門入者。不是家珍。認影迷頭。豈非大錯。僧問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。梁殿不施功。魏邦絕心跡。問。如何是道。師曰。石牛頻吐三春霧。木馬嘶聲滿道途。問。如何得見本來面目。師曰。不勞懸石鏡。天曉自鷄鳴。問。宗乘一句。請師商量。師曰。黃峰獨脫物外秀。年來月往冷颼颼。問。不辨中言。如何指撥。師曰。劒去遠矣。爾方刻舟。問。如何是衲衣下事。師曰。石牛水上臥。東西得自由。問。如何是目前意。師曰。秋風有韻。片月無方。問。如何是學人用心處。師曰。覺戶不掩。對月莫迷。問。如何是青霄路。師曰。鶴棲雲外樹。不倦苦風霜。問。過去事如何。師曰。龍呌清潭。波瀾自肅。師於同光三年示寂。塔於院之西北隅。

He was a son of the Xu family of Futang. He first paid homage to Sanfeng, but the affinity did not match. Soon he heard that Jiashan's teaching flourished, so he went to call on him. Shan asked: 'What is your name?' The master said: 'Yuelun, Moon Wheel.' Shan drew a circle and said: 'What does this resemble?' The master said: 'If the master talks in this way, there are plenty of people in every quarter who will not accept it.' Shan said: 'How would you put it, Acharya?' The master said: 'Do you see the moon wheel?' Shan said: 'If you talk like this, Acharya, there are plenty of people here who will not accept the other quarters.' The master then bowed to him in submission and sought instruction. One day Jiashan asked in a raised voice: 'Where are you from?' The master said: 'A man of Min.' Shan said: 'Do you know this old monk?' The master said: 'Does the master know this student?' Shan said: 'Not so. You had better first pay this old monk the price of his straw sandals, and then this old monk will pay you the price of rice in Luling.' The master said: 'Then I do not know the master after all. I still wonder what the price of rice in Luling is.' Shan said: 'A true lion cub, well able to roar.' He then entered the master's room and received the seal. He stayed in attendance for seven years. The assembly invited him to reside at Mount Huang. He ascended the hall: 'The patriarch came from the West and made a special point of proclaiming this matter. It is simply that you people do not recognize it and run seeking outside yourselves. You cast yourself into the Red River to look for a pearl, and go to Mount Jing to hunt for jade. Therefore it is said: What enters through the gate is not the family treasure. To mistake the shadow and lose your head — is that not a great error?' A monk asked: 'What is the meaning of the patriarch's coming from the West?' The master said: 'The halls of Liang wrought no merit; the land of Wei cut off every trace of mind.' [A monk] asked: 'What is the Way?' The master said: 'A stone ox keeps breathing out the mist of the third spring; a wooden horse's whinny fills the whole road.' [A monk] asked: 'How can one see the original face?' The master said: 'No need to hang up a stone mirror; when the sky dawns, the cock crows of itself.' [A monk] asked: 'One phrase of the patriarchal teaching — please, master, discuss it.' The master said: 'The yellow peak stands alone, elegant beyond all things; as the years come and the months go, it is cold and soughing.' [A monk] asked: 'If one cannot tell the words within, how is one to be guided?' The master said: 'The sword has gone far; only now do you carve the boat.' [A monk] asked: 'What is the matter beneath the patched robe?' The master said: 'A stone ox lies down on the water, free to go east or west.' [A monk] asked: 'What is the meaning before one's eyes?' The master said: 'The autumn wind has its rhythm; a slice of moon has no fixed place.' [A monk] asked: 'Where should a student apply his mind?' The master said: 'The door of awakening is not shut; facing the moon, do not be deluded.' [A monk] asked: 'What is the road to the blue sky?' The master said: 'A crane perches in a tree beyond the clouds, untiring through bitter wind and frost.' [A monk] asked: 'What of the matter of the past?' The master said: 'A dragon cries in the clear pool; the waves of themselves are calmed.' The master passed away in the third year of Tongguang. His stupa was raised at the northwest corner of the monastery.

洛京韶山寰普禪師

Chan Master Huanpu of Mount Shao in Luojing

有僧到參。禮拜起立。師曰。大才藏拙戶。僧過一邊立。師曰。喪卻棟梁材。問。如何是韶山境。師曰。古今猿鳥呌。翠色薄煙籠。曰。如何是境中人。師曰。退後看。僧參。師問。莫是多口白頭因麼。因曰。不敢。師曰。有多少口。曰。通身是。師曰。尋常向甚麼處屙。曰。向韶山口裡屙。師曰。有韶山口即得。無韶山口向甚麼處屙。因無語。師便打。遵布衲訪師。在山下相見。遵問。韶山路向甚麼處去。師以手指曰。嗚。那青青黯黯處去。遵近前把住曰。久嚮韶山。莫便是否。師曰。是即是。闍黎有甚麼事。遵曰。擬伸一問。師還答否。師曰。看君不是金牙作。爭解彎弓射尉遲。遵曰。鳳凰直入煙霄去。誰怕林間野雀兒。師曰。當軒畵鼓從君擊。試展家風似老僧。遵曰。一句逈超千聖外。松蘿不與月輪齊。師曰。饒君直出威音外。猶較韶山半月程。遵曰。過在甚處。師曰。倜儻之辭。時人知有。遵曰。恁麼則真玉泥中異。不撥萬機塵。師曰。魯般門下。徒施巧妙。遵曰。學人即恁麼。未審師意如何。師曰。玉女夜拋梭。織錦於西舍。遵曰。莫便是和尚家風也無。師曰。耕夫製玉漏。不是行家作。遵曰。此猶是文言。如何是和尚家風。師曰。橫身當宇宙。誰是出頭人。遵無語。師遂同歸山。才人事了。師召近前曰。闍黎有沖天之氣。老僧有入地之謀。闍黎橫吞巨海。老僧背負須彌。闍黎按劒上來。老僧掗鎗相待。向上一路。速道。速道。遵曰。明鏡當臺。請師一鑒。師曰。不鑒。遵曰。為甚不鑒。師曰。水淺無魚。徒勞下釣。遵無對。師便打。僧問。如何是一如相。師曰。鷺飛霄漢白。山遠色深青。問。是非不到處。還有句也無。師曰。有。曰。是甚麼句。師曰。一片白雲不露醜。終後諡無畏禪師。

A monk came to call on him, bowed, and stood up. The master said: 'Great talent hides in a humble house.' The monk stepped aside and stood there. The master said: 'You have ruined a pillar-and-beam timber.' [The monk] asked: 'What is the realm of Mount Shao?' The master said: 'From ancient times apes and birds cry out; the kingfisher-green is wrapped in thin mist.' [The monk] said: 'Who is the person within that realm?' The master said: 'Step back and look.' A monk came to call. The master asked: 'Are you not Duokou, White Head Yin?' Yin said: 'I would not presume.' The master said: 'How many mouths have you?' He said: 'The whole body is one.' The master said: 'Where do you usually relieve yourself?' He said: 'In the mouth of Mount Shao.' The master said: 'If there is a mouth of Mount Shao, that will do. If there were no mouth of Mount Shao, where would you relieve yourself?' Yin had no reply. The master then struck him. Zun the Patch-robe Monk came to visit the master, and they met at the foot of the mountain. Zun asked: 'Which way does the road to Mount Shao go?' The master pointed with his hand and said: 'Wu — it goes toward that blue-black place.' Zun came close and seized him, saying: 'I have long heard of Mount Shao; is this indeed he?' The master said: 'It is, it is. What business does the Acharya have?' Zun said: 'I intend to put a question; will the master answer it?' The master said: 'I see you were not made with golden teeth — how could you draw a bow and shoot Yuchi?' Zun said: 'The phoenix flies straight up into the misty clouds; who fears the wild sparrows in the woods?' The master said: 'The painted drum at the railing is yours to beat; try showing a family style like this old monk's.' Zun said: 'One phrase towers far beyond a thousand sages; pine and dodder do not keep pace with the moon wheel.' The master said: 'Even if you step straight outside the Sound of Weiyin, you are still half a month's journey from Mount Shao.' Zun said: 'Where is the fault?' The master said: 'Unrestrained phrases — people of the time know they exist.' Zun said: 'Then true jade stands out in the mud, and does not stir up the dust of ten thousand concerns.' The master said: 'In the school of Lu Ban you only waste your cleverness.' Zun said: 'The student is like this. I have not yet understood the master's meaning.' The master said: 'A jade girl tosses the shuttle by night, weaving brocade in the western chamber.' Zun said: 'Is that not the master's family style?' The master said: 'A ploughman making a jade water-clock — that is not the work of a professional.' Zun said: 'That is still patterned words. What is the master's family style?' The master said: 'Lying across the cosmos — who is the one who sticks his head out?' Zun had no reply. The master then returned to the mountain with him. As soon as the matter was settled, the master called him close and said: 'The Acharya has a spirit that pierces the sky; this old monk has a plan that reaches into the earth. The Acharya swallows the great ocean crosswise; this old monk carries Mount Sumeru on his back. The Acharya comes on with his sword set; this old monk waits with his spear braced. On the road above, speak quickly, speak quickly!' Zun said: 'A bright mirror is set on its stand; please, master, give it one look.' The master said: 'I do not look.' Zun said: 'Why do you not look?' The master said: 'Shallow water has no fish; you waste your time casting the line.' Zun had no answer. The master then struck him. A monk asked: 'What is the mark of suchness?' The master said: 'An egret flies, white against the sky; the mountain is far, its color deep blue-green.' [The monk] asked: 'Where right and wrong do not reach, is there still a phrase?' The master said: 'There is.' [The monk] said: 'What phrase is it?' The master said: 'A single white cloud does not show its ugliness.' After his death he was given the posthumous title Chan Master Wuwei, Fearless.

洪州上藍令超禪師

Chan Master Lingchao of Shanglan in Hongzhou

初住瑞州上藍山。唱夾山之道。學侶俱會。後於洪井創禪苑。還以上藍為名。化道益盛。僧問。如何是上藍本分事。師曰。不從千聖借。豈向萬機求。曰。祇如不借不求時如何。師曰。不可拈放汝手裡。得麼。問。鋒前如何辨的。師曰。鋒前不露影。莫向舌頭尋。問。如何是無舌人唱歌。師曰。韻震青霄。宮商不犯。問。二龍爭珠。誰是得者。師曰。其珠徧地。目覩如泥。問。善財見文殊後。為甚卻往南方。師曰。學𠗦入室。知乃通方。曰。為甚麼彌勒卻遣見文殊。師曰。道廣無涯。逢人不盡。至唐大順正月初。告眾曰。吾本約住此十年。今化事既畢。當即行矣。齋畢聲鐘。端坐長往。諡元真禪師。

He first lived at Mount Shanglan in Ruizhou, proclaiming Jiashan's Way, and students gathered to him. Later he founded a Chan grove at Hongjing and again named it Shanglan; his transforming work grew ever more flourishing. A monk asked: 'What is Shanglan's own matter?' The master said: 'It is not borrowed from a thousand sages; how could it be sought among ten thousand concerns?' [The monk] said: 'What about when one neither borrows nor seeks?' The master said: 'I cannot pick it up and put it in your hand — can you get it?' [A monk] asked: 'How does one discern clearly before the point of the blade?' The master said: 'Before the blade no shadow shows; do not go looking on the tongue.' [A monk] asked: 'What of a tongueless man singing?' The master said: 'The melody shakes the blue sky, yet the notes strike no mode.' [A monk] asked: 'In two dragons fighting over a pearl, who gets it?' The master said: 'That pearl lies everywhere; seen with the eye it is like mud.' [A monk] asked: 'After Sudhana met Manjushri, why did he go off to the south?' The master said: 'Entering the room to learn the Way, one comes to understand the whole compass.' [The monk] said: 'Why then did Maitreya send him to see Manjushri?' The master said: 'The Way is vast without limit; meeting people it never runs out.' At the beginning of the first month of Dashun in the Tang, he told the assembly: 'I originally undertook to stay here ten years. Now that the work of transformation is finished, I shall go at once.' After the meal the bell was sounded, and he sat upright and passed away. He was given the posthumous title Chan Master Yuanzhen, Original Truth.

鄆州四禪禪師

Chan Master Sichan of Yunzhou

僧問。古人有請不背。今請和尚入井。還去也無。師曰。深深無別源。飲者消諸患。問。如何是和尚家風。師曰。會得底人意。須知月色寒。問。諸佛未出世時如何。師曰。王宮絕消息。曰。出世後如何。師曰。榮枯各不同。

A monk asked: 'The ancients did not turn away when invited. Now we invite the master to enter the well — will you go?' The master said: 'Deep, deep, with no other source; whoever drinks of it dissolves all afflictions.' [A monk] asked: 'What is the master's family style?' The master said: 'One who understands the mind of another must know that the moonlight is cold.' [A monk] asked: 'What was it like before the Buddhas appeared in the world?' The master said: 'The royal palace cuts off all news.' [The monk] said: 'And after they appeared?' The master said: 'Flourishing and withering are each different.'

太原海湖禪師

Chan Master Haihu of Taiyuan