The Five Lamps Meeting at the Source, Scroll One

杭州徑山道欽禪師者

Chan Master Daoqin of Jingshan, Hangzhou,

蘇州崑山人也。姓朱氏。初服膺儒教。年二十八。遇素禪師。謂之曰。觀子神氣溫粹。真法寶也。師感悟。因求為弟子。素躬與落髮。乃戒之曰。汝乘流而行。逢徑即止。師遂南邁。抵臨安。見東北一山。因問樵者。樵曰。此徑山也。乃駐錫焉。僧問。如何是道。師曰。山上有鯉魚。海底有蓬塵。馬祖令人送書到。書中作一圓相。師發緘。於圓相中著一點。卻封回(忠國師聞。乃雲。欽師猶被馬師惑)。問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。汝問不當。曰。如何得當。師曰。待吾滅後。即向汝說。馬祖令智藏來問。十二時中以何為境。師曰。待汝回去時有信。藏曰。如今便回去。師曰。傳語卻須問取曹溪。崔趙公問。弟子今欲出家。得否。師曰。出家乃大丈夫事。非將相之所能為。公於是有省。唐大曆三年。代宗詔至闕下。親加瞻禮。一日。同忠國師在內庭坐次。見帝駕來。師起立。帝曰。師何以起。師曰。檀越何得向四威儀中見貧道。帝悅。謂國師曰。欲錫欽師一名。國師欣然奉詔。乃賜號國一焉。後辭歸本山。於貞元八年十二月示疾。說法而逝。諡大覺禪師。

He was from Kunshan in Suzhou and belonged to the Zhu clan. At first he devoted himself to Confucian teachings. At twenty-eight he met Chan Master Su. Su said: “Your spirit and vitality are gentle and pure; you are truly a Dharma-treasure.” The master awakened and asked to become his disciple. Su personally shaved his head and instructed him: “Go with the current; when you meet a path, stop.” The master went south to Lin’an, saw a mountain to the northeast, and asked a woodcutter about it. The woodcutter said: “This is Jingshan.” He then stayed there. A monk asked: “What is the Way?” The master said: “There are carp on the mountain and dust at the bottom of the sea.” Mazu sent him a letter containing a circle. The master opened the letter, put a dot inside the circle, and sent it back sealed. (When National Teacher Zhong heard this, he said: “Master Qin was still confused by Master Ma.”) Asked: “What is the meaning of the patriarch’s coming from the West?” he replied: “Your question is not appropriate.” The monk asked: “How can I make it appropriate?” The master said: “Wait until after I pass away, and I will tell you.” Mazu sent Zhizang to ask: “What is your object of awareness during the twelve periods of the day?” The master said: “When you return, there will be a message.” Zhizang said: “I am returning right now.” The master replied: “To convey a message, you must ask Caoxi.” Cui Zhao-gong asked: “I now wish to leave home. Is that possible?” The master said: “Leaving home is the work of a great man; it is not something a general or minister can accomplish.” The duke then had an insight. In the third year of Dali under Tang, Emperor Daizong summoned the master to the palace and personally paid him homage. One day he was sitting in the inner court with National Teacher Zhong. When the emperor arrived, the master stood up. The emperor asked: “Why does the master rise?” The master said: “How can a patron see this poor monk amid the four postures?” The emperor was pleased and said to the National Teacher: “I wish to bestow a name upon Master Qin.” The National Teacher gladly accepted the edict, and the emperor bestowed the title Guoyi, “One of the Nation.” Later the master took leave and returned to his mountain. In the twelfth month of the eighth year of Zhenyuan, he fell ill, taught the Dharma, and passed away. He was posthumously named Chan Master Dajue.

四祖下八世(旁出)

Eighth collateral generation under the Fourth Patriarch

佛窟則禪師法嗣

Dharma heirs of Chan Master Ze of Buddha Cave

天台山雲居智禪師

Chan Master Zhiyun of Mount Tiantai

甞有華嚴院。僧繼宗問。見性成佛。其義云何。師曰。清淨之性。本來湛然。無有動搖。不屬有無．淨穢．長短．取捨．體自翛然。如是明見。乃名見性。性即佛。佛即性。故曰見性成佛。曰。性既清淨。不屬有無。因何有見。師曰。見無所見。曰。既無所見。何更有見。師曰。見處亦無。曰。如是見時。是誰之見。師曰。無有能見者。曰。究竟其理如何。師曰。汝知否。妄計為有。即有能所。乃得名迷。隨見生解。便墮生死。明見之人即不然。終日見。未甞見。求名處體相不可得。能所俱絕。名為見性。曰。此性徧一切處否。師曰。無處不徧。曰。凡夫具否。師曰。上言無處不徧。豈凡夫而不具乎。曰。因何諸佛菩薩不被生死所拘。而凡夫獨縈此苦。何曾得徧。師曰。凡夫於清淨性中計有能所。即墮生死。諸佛大士善知清淨性中不屬有無。即能所不立。曰。若如是說。即有能了不了人。師曰。了尚不可得。豈有能了人乎。曰。至理如何。師曰。我以要言之。汝即應念清淨性中無有凡聖。亦無了不了人。凡之與聖。二俱是名。若隨名生解。即墮生死。若知假名不實。即無有當名者。又曰。此是極究竟處。若雲我能了．彼不能了。即是大病。見有淨穢．凡聖。亦是大病。作無凡聖解。又屬撥無因果。見有清淨性可棲止。亦大病。作不棲止解。亦大病。然清淨性中。雖無動搖。且不壞方便應用。及興慈運悲。如是興運之處。即全清淨之性。可謂見性成佛矣。繼宗踴躍。禮謝而退。

A monk named Jizong from Huayan Monastery once asked: “What is the meaning of seeing one’s nature and becoming a Buddha?” The master said: “The pure nature is originally still and unmoving. It does not belong to existence or nonexistence, purity or defilement, length or shortness, grasping or rejection; its substance is naturally free and at ease. Clearly seeing this is called seeing one’s nature. Nature is Buddha, and Buddha is nature; therefore it is said that seeing one’s nature is becoming a Buddha.” The monk asked: “If nature is pure and belongs neither to existence nor nonexistence, why is it seen?” The master said: “Seeing that there is nothing to see.” The monk asked: “If there is nothing to see, why is there any further seeing?” The master said: “Even the place of seeing is absent.” The monk asked: “When one sees in this way, whose seeing is it?” The master said: “There is no one who sees.” The monk asked: “What is the ultimate principle?” The master said: “Do you know? Falsely calculating that things exist, one establishes subject and object; only then is it called delusion. Understanding arises along with seeing, and one falls into birth and death. Those who clearly see are not like this. They see all day, yet have never seen. Seeking a name, the substance and appearance cannot be found. Subject and object are both cut off; this is called seeing one’s nature.” The monk asked: “Does this nature pervade every place?” The master said: “There is no place it does not pervade.” The monk asked: “Do ordinary people possess it?” The master said: “I just said there is no place it does not pervade. How could ordinary people lack it?” The monk asked: “Why are Buddhas and Bodhisattvas not bound by birth and death, while ordinary people alone are entangled in suffering? How can this be all-pervading?” The master said: “Within the pure nature, ordinary people calculate that there is a subject and an object, and so fall into birth and death. Buddhas and great beings know well that within the pure nature there is neither existence nor nonexistence, and so subject and object are not established.” The monk asked: “If so, then there are people who understand and do not understand.” The master said: “Understanding cannot be attained; how could there be someone who understands?” The monk asked: “What is the ultimate principle?” The master said: “Let me explain the essential point: you should remember that within the pure nature there are neither ordinary nor holy beings, nor anyone who understands or fails to understand. ‘Ordinary’ and ‘holy’ are both names. If you interpret them by following the names, you fall into birth and death. If you know that false names are unreal, there is no one who corresponds to them.” He continued: “This is the most ultimate point. To say ‘I can understand, but he cannot’ is a grave illness. To see purity or defilement, ordinary people or sages, is also a grave illness. To understand that there are no ordinary or holy beings is to fall into denial of cause and effect. To see a pure nature as something to abide in is a grave illness; to understand that there is nothing to abide in is also a grave illness. Yet although the pure nature is unmoving, it does not destroy expedient activity and function, nor the arising of compassion and compassionate action. The place where these arise and function is the whole of pure nature; this may be called seeing one’s nature and becoming a Buddha.” Jizong rejoiced, bowed in thanks, and withdrew.

徑山國一欽禪師法嗣

Dharma heirs of Chan Master Guoyi Qin of Jingshan

杭州鳥窠道林禪師

Chan Master Daolin of Bird’s Nest, Hangzhou

本郡富陽人也。姓潘氏。母朱氏。夢日光入口。因而有娠。及誕。異香滿室。遂名香光。九歲出家。二十一於荊州果願寺受戒。後詣長安西明寺復禮法師學華嚴經．起信論禮示以真妄頌。俾修禪那。師問曰。初云何觀。云何用心。禮久而無言。師三禮而退。屬代宗詔國一禪師至闕。師乃謁之。遂得正法。及南歸孤山永福寺。有辟支佛塔。時道俗共為法會。師振錫而入。有靈隱寺韜光法師問曰。此之法會。何以作聲。師曰。無聲誰知是會。後見秦望山有長松。枝葉繁茂。盤屈如葢。遂棲止其上。故時人謂之鳥窠禪師。復有鵲巢於其側。自然馴狎。人亦目為鵲巢和尚。有侍者會通。忽一日欲辭去。師問曰。汝今何往。對曰。會通為法出家。和尚不垂慈誨。今往諸方學佛法去。師曰。若是佛法。吾此間亦有少許。曰。如何是和尚佛法。師於身上拈起布毛吹之。通遂領悟玄旨。元和中。白居易侍郎出守茲郡。因入山謁師。問曰。禪師住處甚危險。師曰。太守危險尤甚。白曰。弟子位鎮江山。何險之有。師曰。薪火相交。識性不停。得非險乎。又問。如何是佛法大意。師曰。諸惡莫作。眾善奉行。白曰。三歲孩兒也解恁麼道。師曰。三歲孩兒雖道得。八十老人行不得。白作禮而退。師於長慶四年二月十日告侍者曰。吾今報盡。言訖坐亡(有云師名圓修者。恐是諡號)。

He was from Fuyang in his home commandery and belonged to the Pan clan. His mother, Lady Zhu, dreamed that sunlight entered her mouth and became pregnant. When he was born, a wondrous fragrance filled the room, so he was named Xiangguang, “Fragrant Light.” He left home at nine and received the precepts at Guoyuan Monastery in Jingzhou at twenty-one. Later he went to Ximing Monastery in Chang’an and studied the Avatamsaka Sutra and Awakening of Faith with Dharma Master Fuli. Fuli showed him a verse on true and false and instructed him to practice dhyana. The master asked: “How should I begin to contemplate? How should I use the mind?” Fuli was silent for a long time. The master bowed three times and withdrew. When Emperor Daizong summoned Chan Master Guoyi to the palace, the master went to see him and received the true Dharma. Later he returned south to Yongfu Monastery at Gushan, where there was a stupa of a Pratyekabuddha. Monks and laypeople were holding a Dharma assembly. The master entered, leaning on his staff. Dharma Master Taoguang of Lingyin Monastery asked: “Why is there noise at this Dharma assembly?” The master said: “Without sound, who would know it is an assembly?” Later he saw a tall pine on Qinwang Mountain, its luxuriant branches twisting into a canopy, and lived there. People at the time therefore called him Chan Master Bird’s Nest. A magpie also nested nearby and naturally became tame, so people called him Monk Magpie’s Nest as well. His attendant Huitong suddenly wished to leave one day. The master asked: “Where are you going?” Huitong replied: “Huitong left home for the Dharma, but the monk has shown me no compassion or instruction. Now I am going to study the Buddha-Dharma in various places.” The master said: “If it is the Buddha-Dharma, I have a little of it here too.” Huitong asked: “What is the monk’s Buddha-Dharma?” The master plucked a bit of fuzz from his robe and blew it away. Huitong then grasped the profound intent. During the Yuanhe era, Attendant Bai Juyi was appointed governor of the region and went up the mountain to visit the master. He said: “The Chan master’s dwelling is very dangerous.” The master replied: “The governor is in even greater danger.” Bai Juyi said: “I command this region; what danger is there?” The master said: “Kindling and fire meet, and consciousness never stops. Is that not dangerous?” Bai Juyi asked: “What is the great meaning of the Buddha-Dharma?” The master said: “Do no evil; practice every good.” Bai Juyi replied: “Even a three-year-old child can say that.” The master said: “A three-year-old child can say it, but an eighty-year-old man cannot practice it.” Bai Juyi bowed and withdrew. On the tenth day of the second month in the fourth year of Changqing, the master told his attendant: “My karmic lifespan is now exhausted.” Having spoken, he sat and passed away. (Some say the master’s name was Yuanxiu; it may have been his posthumous title.)

五祖大滿禪師旁出法嗣第一世

First generation of collateral Dharma heirs of the Fifth Patriarch, Great Master Daman

北宗神秀禪師者(耶舍三藏誌雲。艮地生玄旨。通尊媚亦尊。比肩三九族。足下一毛分)

Chan Master Shenxiu of the Northern School (The Record of Tripitaka Master Yashe says: ‘In the northeast, profound intent is born; those who understand the Way are honored and beloved. Three generations stand shoulder to shoulder; one hair divides those beneath their feet.’)

開封人也。姓李氏。少親儒業。博綜多聞。俄捨愛出家。尋師訪道。至蘄州雙峰東山寺。遇五祖以坐禪為務。乃歎伏曰。此真吾師也。誓心苦節。以樵汲自役。而求其道。祖默識之。深加器重。祖既示滅。秀遂住江陵當陽山。唐武后聞之。召至都下。於內道場供養。特加欽禮。命於舊山置度門寺。以旌其德。時王公士庶皆望塵拜伏。暨中宗即位。尤加禮重。大臣張說甞問法要。執弟子禮。師有偈示眾曰。一切佛法。自心本有。將心外求。捨父逃走。神龍二年於東都天宮寺入滅。諡大通禪師。羽儀法物。送殯於龍門。帝送至橋。王公士庶皆至塟所。張說及徵士盧鴻一各為碑誄。門人普寂．義福等。並為朝野所重。

He was from Kaifeng and belonged to the Li clan. As a youth he studied Confucian teachings, widely read and learned. Before long he renounced attachment, left home, and sought a teacher and the Way. He went to East Mountain Monastery at Shuangfeng in Qizhou, where he met the Fifth Patriarch practicing seated meditation, and exclaimed: “This is truly my teacher.” With firm resolve and austere discipline, he served by gathering firewood and water, seeking the Way through labor. The patriarch silently recognized him and held him in great esteem. After the patriarch passed away, Shenxiu resided on Dangyang Mountain in Jiangling. Empress Wu of Tang heard of him, summoned him to the capital, made offerings to him in the inner sanctuary, and honored him especially. She ordered Dumen Monastery built on his old mountain to commend his virtue. Princes, officials, and commoners all bowed as he passed. When Emperor Zhongzong ascended the throne, he honored him even more. The minister Zhang Yue once asked him for the essential teaching and took the disciple’s place. The master showed the assembly this verse: “All Buddha-Dharma is originally within one’s own mind. To seek outside the mind is to abandon one’s father and flee.” In the second year of Shenlong, he passed away at Tiangong Monastery in the eastern capital. He was posthumously named Chan Master Datong. His ceremonial banners and ritual objects escorted his funeral to Longmen. The emperor accompanied the procession to the bridge, and princes, officials, and commoners all went to the burial site. Zhang Yue and the recluse Lu Hongyi each composed an epitaph. His disciples PujI, Yifu, and others were highly esteemed by the court and the public.

嵩嶽慧安國師(耶舍三藏誌雲。九女出人倫。八女絕婚姻。朽床添六腳。心祖眾中尊)

National Teacher Huian of Mount Song (The Record of Tripitaka Master Yashe says: ‘Nine daughters transcend ordinary people; eight daughters sever marriage. An old bed gains six legs; the patriarch of mind is honored among the assembly.’)

荊州枝江人也。姓衛氏。隋開皇十七年括天下私度僧尼。勘師。師曰。本無名。遂遁于山谷。大業中。大發丁夫開通濟渠。饑殍相枕。師乞食以救之。獲濟者眾。煬帝徵師。不赴。潛入大和山。暨帝幸江都。海內擾攘。乃杖錫登衡嶽。行頭陀行。唐貞觀中。至黃梅謁忍祖。遂得心要。麟德元年遊終南山石壁。因止焉。高宗甞召。師不奉詔。於是徧歷名跡。至嵩少。雲。是吾終焉之地也。自爾禪者輻湊。有坦然．懷讓二僧來參問曰。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。何不問自己意。曰。如何是自己意。師曰。當觀密作用。曰。如何是密作用。師以目開合示之。然於言下知歸。讓乃即謁曹溪。武后徵至輦下。待以師禮。與秀禪師同加欽重。後甞問師。甲子多少。師曰。不記。後曰。何不記邪。師曰。生死之身。其若循環。環無起盡。焉用記為。況此心流注。中間無間。見漚起滅者。乃妄想耳。從初識至動相滅時。亦只如此。何年月而可記乎。後聞稽顙。信受。神龍二年中宗賜紫袈裟。度弟子二七人。仍延入禁中供養。三年。又賜摩衲。辭歸嵩嶽。是年三月三日。囑門人曰。吾死已。將屍向林中。待野火焚之。俄爾萬回公來。見師猖狂。握手言論。傍侍傾耳。都不體會。至八日。閉戶偃身而寂。春秋一百二十八(隋開皇二年壬寅生。唐景龍三年己酉滅。時稱老安國師)。門人遵旨。舁置林間。果野火自然。闍維得舍利八十粒。內五粒色紫。留於宮中。至先天二年門人建浮圖焉。

He was from Zhijiang in Jingzhou and belonged to the Wei clan. In the seventeenth year of Kaihuang under Sui, officials searched throughout the realm for monks and nuns ordained privately and interrogated the master. He said: “Originally there is no name,” and escaped into the valleys. During the Daye era, huge numbers of laborers were conscripted to open the Tongji Canal; the dead from starvation lay upon one another. The master begged for food and saved many people. Emperor Yang summoned him, but he did not go; instead he went secretly to Mount Taihe. When the emperor visited Jiangdu and the realm fell into turmoil, the master took up his staff, climbed Mount Heng, and practiced ascetic wandering. During the Zhenguan era of Tang, he went to Huangmei to visit Patriarch Hongren and received the essential teaching of mind. In the first year of Linde, he traveled to the stone cliffs of Zhongnan Mountain and stayed there. Emperor Gaozong once summoned him, but the master did not obey the edict. He then visited many famous sites and went to Songshan and Shaoshi, saying: “This is where I will end my days.” From then on, Chan practitioners gathered around him. Two monks, Tanran and Huairang, came to visit and asked: “What is the meaning of the patriarch’s coming from the West?” The master said: “Why not ask about your own meaning?” They asked: “What is our own meaning?” The master said: “Observe the hidden function.” They asked: “What is the hidden function?” The master opened and closed his eyes to show them. At these words Tanran knew where to return. Huairang went to visit Caoxi. Empress Wu summoned the master to the capital and treated him with the respect due a teacher. She honored him together with Chan Master Shenxiu. Later the empress asked: “How old are you?” The master replied: “I do not remember.” She asked: “Why do you not remember?” The master said: “This body of birth and death is like a cycle. A cycle has neither beginning nor end; why remember? Besides, this mind flows continuously without a break. Seeing bubbles arise and disappear is only delusion. From the first awareness until the movement ceases, it is all the same. What year or month could be remembered?” The empress heard this, bowed her head, and accepted it in faith. In the second year of Shenlong, Emperor Zhongzong bestowed a purple robe and ordained twenty-one disciples. He also invited the master into the palace and made offerings to him. In the third year he bestowed a robe of finely milled silk. The master took leave and returned to Mount Song. On the third day of the third month that year, he instructed his disciples: “When I die, place my body in the forest and let a wildfire cremate it.” Soon Master Wanhuigong came to see him. He spoke wildly and grasped the master’s hand in conversation; the attendants listened closely but could not understand. On the eighth day the master closed his door, lay down, and passed away. He was one hundred and twenty-eight. (He was born in the renyin year, the second year of Kaihuang under Sui, and died in the jiyou year, the third year of Jinglong under Tang; at the time he was called National Teacher Lao’an.) His disciples followed his instructions and carried him into the forest; a wildfire indeed arose on its own. After cremation, eighty relics were obtained, five of which were purple and kept in the palace. In the second year of Xiantian his disciples built a stupa.

袁州蒙山道明禪師者

Chan Master Daoming of Mengshan, Yuanzhou,

鄱陽人。陳宣帝之裔也。國亡落於民間。以其王孫。甞受署。因有將軍之號。少於永昌寺出家。慕道頗切。往依五祖法會。極意研尋。初無解悟。及聞五祖密付衣法與盧行者。即率同志數十人。躡跡追逐。至大庾嶺。師最先見。餘輩未及。盧見師奔至。即擲衣缽於磐石曰。此衣表信。可力爭邪。任君將去。師遂舉之。如山不動。踟躕悚慄。乃曰。我來求法。非為衣也。願行者開示於我。盧曰。不思善。不思惡。正恁麼時。阿那箇是明上座本來面目。師當下大悟。徧體汗流。泣禮數拜。問曰。上來密語密意外。還更別有意旨否。盧曰。我今與汝說者。即非密也。汝若返照自己面目。密卻在汝邊。師曰。某甲雖在黃梅隨眾。實未省自己面目。今蒙指授入處。如人飲水。冷暖自知。今行者即是某甲師也。盧曰。汝若如是。則吾與汝同師黃梅。善自護持。師又問。某甲向後宜往何所。盧曰。逢袁可止。遇蒙即居。師禮謝。遽回至嶺下。謂眾人曰。向陟崔嵬。遠望杳無蹤跡。當別道尋之。皆以為然。師既回。遂獨往廬山布水臺。經三載後。始往袁州𫎇山。大唱玄化。初名慧明。以避六祖上字。故名道明。弟子等盡遣過嶺南。參禮六祖。

He was from Poyang and a descendant of Emperor Xuan of Chen. When the kingdom fell, he lived among commoners. Because he was a royal grandson, he had once been appointed to an office and thus held the title of general. As a youth he left home at Yongchang Monastery and earnestly sought the Way. He went to the assembly of the Fifth Patriarch and studied with great care, but at first did not understand. When he heard that the Fifth Patriarch had secretly transmitted the robe and Dharma to the layman Lu, he led several dozen like-minded people to pursue him. At Dayu Ridge, the master was the first to catch up; the others had not yet arrived. When Lu saw him running up, he threw the robe and bowl onto a flat rock and said: “This robe is a token of faith. Can it be seized by force? If you wish, take it.” The master lifted it, but it would not move, as if it were a mountain. He hesitated, trembling with awe, and said: “I came seeking the Dharma, not the robe. I beg the lay practitioner to instruct me.” Lu said: “Without thinking of good, without thinking of evil, at precisely this moment, what is the original face of Senior Ming?” The master immediately awakened. Sweat covered his body, and he wept as he bowed several times. He asked: “Apart from the secret words and secret meaning already given, is there another essential teaching?” Lu said: “What I have just told you is not secret. If you turn the light back and look at your own original face, the secret is on your side.” The master said: “Though I was among the assembly at Huangmei, I truly had not yet recognized my own original face. Now, thanks to your instruction, I have found the place of entry. It is like a person drinking water and knowing for himself whether it is cold or warm. The lay practitioner is now my teacher.” Lu said: “If so, then you and I share the same teacher at Huangmei. Protect and uphold this well yourself.” The master asked: “Where should I go in the future?” Lu said: “Where you meet Yuan, stop; where you meet Meng, dwell.” The master bowed in thanks, immediately returned to the foot of the ridge, and told the others: “I climbed the steep ridge just now and looked far away, but found no trace. We should find another path and continue the search.” They all agreed. After returning, he went alone to the Waterfall Platform at Mount Lu. Three years later he went to Meng Mountain in Yuanzhou and widely proclaimed the profound teaching. At first his name was Huiming; to avoid the Sixth Patriarch’s generation-name “Hui,” he was called Daoming. He sent his disciples across the ridge to Lingnan to pay homage to the Sixth Patriarch.

五祖下二世(旁出)

Second collateral generation under the Fifth Patriarch

北宗秀禪師法嗣

Dharma heirs of Chan Master Shenxiu of the Northern School

五臺山巨方禪師

Chan Master Jufang of Mount Wutai

安陸人也。姓曹氏。幼稟業於明福院朗禪師。初講經論。後參禪會。及造北宗。秀問曰。白雲散處如何。師曰。不昧。秀又問。到此間後如何。師曰。正見一枝生五葉。秀默許之。入室侍對。應機無爽。尋至上黨寒嶺居焉。數歲之間。眾盈千數。後於五臺山闡化二十餘年。示寂。塔於本山。

He was from Anlu and belonged to the Cao clan. As a child he studied under Chan Master Lang at Mingfu Cloister. At first he lectured on sutras and treatises; later he joined the Chan assembly. When he visited the Northern School, Shenxiu asked: “What is it like where the white clouds disperse?” The master said: “It is not obscured.” Shenxiu asked again: “What about after arriving here?” The master said: “Now I see one branch grow into five petals.” Shenxiu silently approved. The master entered the inner chamber and attended him, responding to each occasion without error. Later he went to Hanling in Shangdang and settled there. Within a few years the assembly numbered a thousand. He then taught on Mount Wutai for more than twenty years. He manifested his passing, and his stupa is on the mountain.

河中府中條山智封禪師

Chan Master Zhifeng of Zhongtiao Mountain, Hezhong Prefecture

姓吳氏。初習唯識論。滯於名相。為知識所詰。乃發憤罷講。遊方見秀禪師。疑心頓釋。乃辭去。居於蒲津安峰。不下山十年。木食㵎飲。州牧衛文昇建安國院居之。緇素歸依。憧憧不絕。使君問曰。某今日後如何。師曰。日從濛汜出。照樹全無影。使君初不能諭。拱揖而退。少選開曉。釋然自得。師來往中條山二十餘年。得其道者不可勝紀。滅後。門人於州城北建塔焉。

He belonged to the Wu clan. At first he studied the Treatise on Consciousness-Only but became stuck on names and characteristics. When a knowledgeable person questioned him, he stopped lecturing in frustration and traveled to meet Chan Master Xiu. His doubts were suddenly released, and he took leave. He lived at Anfeng on the Pu River ford for ten years, never descending the western mountain, eating wood and drinking from streams. Governor Wei Wensheng built Anguo Cloister for him. Monks and laypeople alike took refuge in him, and visitors never ceased. The governor asked: “What should I do from today onward?” The master said: “The sun emerges from Mengsi and shines upon the trees, yet casts no shadow.” At first the governor could not understand, so he bowed with joined hands and withdrew. A little later he understood and felt at ease. The master traveled and lived around Zhongtiao Mountain for more than twenty years, and those who attained his Way were too many to count. After his passing, his disciples built a stupa north of the prefectural city.

兗州降魔藏禪師

Chan Master Jiangmozang of Yanzhou

趙郡人也。姓王氏。父為亳掾。師七歲出家。時屬野多妖鬼。魅惑於人。師孤形制伏。曾無少畏。故得降魔名焉。即依廣福院明讚禪師落髮。後遇北宗盛化。便誓摳衣。秀問曰。汝名降魔。此無山精木怪。汝翻作魔邪。師曰。有佛有魔。秀曰。汝若是魔。必住不思議境界。師曰。是佛亦空。何境界之有。秀懸記之曰。汝與少皡之墟有緣。師尋入泰山。數稔。學者雲集。一日告門人曰。吾今老朽。物極有歸。言訖而逝。

He was from Zhao Commandery and belonged to the Wang clan. His father served as an assistant in Bozhou. The master left home at seven. At the time, the countryside was full of demons and ghosts that bewitched people. He subdued them alone without fear, so he received the name “Demon Subduer.” He shaved his head under Chan Master Mingzan of Guangfu Cloister. Later, when the Northern School was flourishing, he vowed to study under its master. Shenxiu asked: “Your name is Demon Subduer. There are no mountain spirits or tree demons here; will you turn into a demon yourself?” The master said: “There are Buddhas and demons.” Shenxiu said: “If you are a demon, you must dwell in an inconceivable realm.” The master replied: “Even Buddha is empty. What realm could there be?” Shenxiu predicted: “You have a karmic affinity with the ruins of Shaohao.” The master later went to Mount Tai. After several years, students gathered like clouds. One day he told his disciples: “I am old and worn out. When things reach their extreme, they return.” Having spoken, he passed away.

壽州道樹禪師

Chan Master Daoshu of Shouzhou

唐州人也。姓聞氏。幼探經籍。年將五十。因遇高僧誘諭。遂誓出家。禮本部明月山慧文為師。師恥乎年長。求法淹遲。勵志遊方。無所不至。後歸東洛。遇秀禪師。言下知微。乃卜壽州三峰山。結茅而居。常有野人。服色素樸。言譚詭異。於言笑外化作佛形及菩薩．羅漢．天仙等形。或放神光。或呈聲響。師之學徒覩之。皆不能測。如此涉十年。後寂無形影。師告眾曰。野人作多色伎倆。眩惑於人。只消老僧不見不聞。伊伎倆有窮。吾不見不聞無盡。唐寶曆元年。示疾而終。

He was from Tangzhou and belonged to the Wen clan. As a youth he explored the classics. Near the age of fifty, a high monk guided him, and he vowed to leave home. He bowed to Huiwen of Mingyue Mountain in his own region and made him his teacher. Ashamed that he was old and had sought the Dharma late, the master resolved to travel widely and went everywhere. Later, returning to the eastern capital, he met Chan Master Xiu. At his words he understood the subtlety and chose to live on Sanfeng Mountain in Shouzhou, where he built a thatched hut. A wild man often appeared, dressed simply, speaking strangely. Beyond words and laughter, he transformed into the forms of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, arhats, and heavenly immortals; sometimes he emitted divine light, sometimes he made sounds appear. The master’s students all saw him but could not fathom what was happening. This continued for ten years, after which he vanished without trace. The master told the assembly: “The wild man performs many tricks of changing colors to confuse people. The old monk need only not see or hear him. His tricks are limited; my not-seeing and not-hearing are endless.” In the first year of Baoli under Tang, he fell ill and passed away.

嵩嶽安國師法嗣

Dharma heirs of National Teacher An of Mount Song

洛京福先寺仁儉禪師

Chan Master Renjian of Fuxian Monastery, Eastern Capital Luoyang

自嵩山罷問。放曠郊鄽。謂之騰騰和尚。唐天冊萬歲中。天后詔入殿前。仰視天后。良久曰。會麼。後曰。不會。師曰。老僧持不語戒。言訖而出。翌日。進短歌一十九首。天后覽而嘉之。厚加賜賚。師皆不受。又令寫歌辭傳布天下。其辭並敷演真理。以警時俗。唯了元歌一首盛行於世。

After leaving Mount Song and ending his studies, he wandered freely through the suburbs and marketplaces and was called the Wandering Monk. During the Wansui era of Tang, Empress Wu summoned him before the palace. He gazed up at the empress for a long time and asked: “Do you understand?” She said: “I do not.” The master replied: “This old monk observes the precept of not speaking.” Having spoken, he left. The next day he presented nineteen short songs. The empress read them, praised him, and bestowed generous gifts, all of which the master declined. She also ordered the songs copied and circulated throughout the empire. They all expounded true principle to awaken the customs of the age. Only one, “Song of Awakening to the Origin,” became widely known.

嵩嶽破灶墮和尚

The Monk Who Toppled the Broken Stove of Mount Song

不稱名氏。言行叵測。隱居嵩嶽。山塢有廟甚靈。殿中唯安一灶。遠近祭祀不輟。烹殺物命甚多。師一日領侍僧入廟。以杖敲灶三下曰。咄。此灶只是泥瓦合成。聖從何來。靈從何起。恁麼烹宰物命。又打三下。灶乃傾破墮落。須臾。有一人青衣峩冠。設拜師前。師曰。是甚麼人。曰。我本此廟灶神。久受業報。今日蒙師說無生法。得脫此處。生在天中。特來致謝。師曰。是汝本有之性。非吾彊言。神再禮而沒。少選。侍僧問曰。某等久侍和尚。不蒙示誨。灶神得甚麼徑旨。便得生天。師曰。我只向伊道是泥瓦合成。別也無道理為伊。侍僧無言。師曰。會麼。僧曰。不會。師曰。本有之性。為甚麼不會。侍僧等乃禮拜。師曰。墮也。墮也。破也。破也。後義豐禪師舉似安國師。安嘆曰。此子會盡。物我一如。可謂如朗月處空。無不見者。難搆伊語脈。豐問曰。未審甚麼人搆得他語脈。安曰。不知者。時號為破灶墮。僧問。物物無形時如何。師曰。禮即唯汝非我。不禮即唯我非汝。其僧乃禮謝。師曰。本有之物。物非物也。所以道心能轉物。即同如來。有僧從牛頭處來。師問曰。來自何人法會。僧近前叉手。遶師一匝而出。師曰。牛頭會下。不可有此人。僧乃回師上肩叉手而立。師曰。果然。果然。僧卻問曰。應物不由他時如何。師曰。爭得不由他。曰。恁麼則順正歸元去也。師曰。歸元何順。曰。若非和尚。幾錯招愆。師曰。猶是未見四祖時道理。見後道將來。僧卻遶師一匝而出。師曰。順正之道。今古如然。僧作禮。又僧侍立久。師乃曰。祖祖佛佛。只說如人本性本心。別無道理。會取。會取。僧禮謝。師乃以拂子打之曰。一處如是。千處亦然。僧乃叉手近前。應喏一聲。師曰。更不信。更不信。僧問。如何是大闡提人。師曰。尊重禮拜。曰。如何是大精進人。師曰。毀辱嗔恚。其後莫知所終。

No one knew his name. His words and conduct were hard to fathom, and he lived in seclusion on Mount Song. In a valley there was a shrine said to be very powerful. Only a stove stood in its hall, and people from near and far continually made offerings, killing many living creatures for sacrifice. One day the master led his attendant monks into the shrine and struck the stove three times with his staff. He said: “Hey! This stove is only made of clay and tiles. Where does the holy come from? Where does its power arise? Why kill living creatures like this?” He struck it three more times. The stove immediately tipped over and broke apart. A little while later, a man in green clothing and a high cap bowed before the master. The master asked: “Who are you?” The man said: “I was the spirit of this shrine’s stove. For a long time I suffered the karmic retribution of this place. Today, thanks to the master’s teaching of the unborn Dharma, I have been freed from here and reborn in heaven. I have come especially to give thanks.” The master said: “It is your own original nature; I did not force these words upon you.” The spirit bowed again and vanished. After a while, an attendant monk asked: “We have served the master for a long time and have received no instruction. What direct teaching did the stove spirit receive to be reborn in heaven?” The master said: “I only told him that he was made of clay and tiles. I gave him no other principle.” The attendant was silent. The master asked: “Do you understand?” The monk said: “I do not.” The master said: “If it is your original nature, why do you not understand?” The attendants then bowed. The master said: “Toppled, toppled! Broken, broken!” Later Chan Master Yifeng recounted this to National Teacher An. An sighed: “This man has completely understood. Self and things are one. He is like the bright moon in the empty sky, where nothing is unseen. It is difficult to grasp his words.” Yifeng asked: “Who can grasp his words?” An said: “One who does not know.” At the time he was called the Monk Who Toppled the Stove. A monk asked: “When things have no form, what then?” The master said: “If you bow, only you are not I; if you do not bow, only I am not you.” The monk bowed in thanks. The master said: “What originally exists is not a thing. Therefore it is said that when mind turns things, it is just like the Tathagata.” A monk came from Oxhead Mountain. The master asked: “Whose assembly do you come from?” The monk stepped forward with joined palms, circled the master once, and left. The master said: “There should not be such a person in the assembly of Oxhead.” The monk returned, stood with joined palms over the master’s shoulder, and the master said: “Indeed, indeed.” The monk then asked: “When responding to things, what is it like not to be controlled by them?” The master said: “How could you not be controlled by them?” The monk said: “Then I will follow the right path and return to the source.” The master said: “How could returning to the source be following?” The monk said: “If not for the master, I would nearly have made a grave mistake.” The master said: “You still have not seen the principle as it was before meeting the Fourth Patriarch. Tell me what it is after meeting him.” The monk circled the master once and left. The master said: “The way of following what is right has always been so, past and present.” The monk bowed. Another monk stood attending for a long time. The master said: “All patriarchs and Buddhas speak only of a person’s original nature and original mind; there is no other principle. Understand it, understand it.” The monk bowed in thanks. The master struck him with a whisk and said: “What is so in one place is so in a thousand places.” The monk stepped forward with joined palms and answered “Yes.” The master said: “You still do not believe it, still do not believe it.” A monk asked: “Who is a great icchantika?” The master replied: “One who reveres and bows.” Asked: “Who is a great diligent practitioner?” He said: “One who insults and grows angry.” No one knew what became of him afterward.

嵩嶽元珪禪師

Chan Master Yuangui of Mount Song

伊闕人也。姓李氏。幼歲出家。唐永淳二年。受具戒。𨽻閑居寺。習毗尼無懈。後謁安國師。頓悟玄旨。遂卜廬於嶽之龐塢。一日。有異人峩冠袴褶(徒頰切)而至。從者極多。輕步舒徐。稱謁大師。師覩其形貌。奇偉非常。乃諭之曰。善來仁者胡為而至。彼曰。師寧識我邪。師曰。吾觀佛與眾生等。吾一目之。豈分別邪。彼曰。我此嶽神也。能生死於人。師安得一目我哉。師曰。吾本不生。汝焉能死。吾視身與空等。視吾與汝等。汝能壞空與汝乎。苟能壞空及汝。吾則不生不滅也。汝尚不能如是。又焉能生死吾邪。神稽首曰。我亦聦明正直於餘神。詎知師有廣大之智辯乎。願授以正戒。令我度世。師曰。汝既乞戒。即既戒也。所以者何。戒外無戒。又何戒哉。神曰。此理也我聞茫昧。止求師戒我身為門弟子。師即為張座。秉爐正幾曰。付汝五戒。若能奉持。即應曰能。不能。即曰否。曰。謹受教。師曰。汝能不婬乎。曰。我亦娶也。師曰。非謂此也。謂無羅欲也。曰。能。師曰。汝能不盜乎。曰。何乏我也。焉有盜取哉。師曰。非謂此也。謂饗而福淫。不供而禍善也。曰。能。師曰。汝能不殺乎。曰。實司其柄。焉曰不殺。師曰。非謂此也。謂有濫誤疑混也。曰。能。師曰。汝能不妄乎。曰。我正直。焉有妄乎。師曰。非謂此也。謂先後不合天心也。曰。能。師曰。汝不遭酒敗乎。曰。能。師曰。如上是為佛戒也。又言。以有心奉持而無心拘執。以有心為物而無心想身。能如是。則先天地生不為精。後天地死不為老。終日變化而不為動。畢盡寂默而不為休。信此則雖娶非妻也。雖饗非取也。雖柄非權也。雖作非故也。雖醉非惽也。若能無心於萬物。則羅欲不為婬。福淫禍善不為盜。濫誤疑混不為殺。先後違天不為妄。惽荒顛倒不為醉。是謂無心也。無心則無戒。無戒則無心。無佛無眾生。無汝及無我。

He was from Yique and belonged to the Li clan. He left home as a child. In the second year of Yongchun under Tang he received the full precepts, joined Xianju Monastery, and practiced the Vinaya without laziness. Later he visited National Teacher An and suddenly awakened to the profound intent. He then built a hut in Pang Valley on the mountain. One day an unusual person arrived, wearing a high cap and military-style clothes (the character is pronounced tu-jia), accompanied by many followers. He walked lightly and unhurriedly, announced his visit, and paid homage to the master. Seeing his extraordinary appearance, the master said: “Welcome, good sir. Why have you come here?” The man asked: “Do you recognize me?” The master said: “I see Buddhas and sentient beings as equal. I treat them all the same; how could I distinguish between them?” The man said: “I am the spirit of this mountain. I can make people live or die. How can you treat me just the same?” The master said: “I was never born; how could you kill me? I regard body and emptiness as equal, and you and me as equal. Can you destroy emptiness or yourself? If you could destroy emptiness and me, I would neither be born nor die. You cannot even do this; how could you make me live or die?” The spirit bowed and said: “I am more intelligent and upright than the other spirits. How could I have known that the master had such broad wisdom and eloquence? I beg you to give me the true precepts so I may cross beyond the world.” The master said: “Since you ask for precepts, you already have them. Why? Outside the precepts there are no precepts. What precepts could there be?” The spirit said: “This principle is obscure to me. I only ask the master to give precepts to my body and accept me as a disciple.” The master prepared a seat for him, took up the incense burner, and sat upright: “I will give you the five precepts. If you can uphold them, say yes; if you cannot, say no.” The spirit said: “I respectfully accept your instruction.” The master asked: “Can you refrain from sexual misconduct?” The spirit said: “I also marry.” The master said: “I do not mean that. I mean not to be entangled in desire.” The spirit said: “I can.” The master asked: “Can you refrain from stealing?” The spirit replied: “What have I ever lacked, that I should steal?” The master said: “I do not mean that. I mean not to reward the licentious with blessings or bring misfortune upon the good.” The spirit said: “I can.” The master asked: “Can you refrain from killing?” The spirit replied: “I truly command that power. How can I say I do not kill?” The master said: “I do not mean that. I mean not to confuse and harm through wrongful or mistaken judgments.” The spirit said: “I can.” The master asked: “Can you refrain from false speech?” The spirit replied: “I am upright. How could I lie?” The master said: “I do not mean that. I mean not to make judgments that contradict the heavenly mind.” The spirit said: “I can.” The master asked: “Will you avoid being overcome by wine?” The spirit said: “I can.” The master said: “These are the Buddha’s precepts.” He continued: “With intention, uphold them without clinging; with intention, act for things without thinking of the body. If you can do this, you were not born before heaven and earth for the sake of essence, nor do you die after them from old age; you change all day yet are not moved, and remain utterly silent without resting. Trust this: though you marry, it is not a wife; though you receive offerings, it is not taking; though you wield authority, it is not power; though you act, it is not deliberate; though intoxicated, you are not confused. If you are without mind toward the ten thousand things, then desire does not make you licentious, rewarding the licentious and punishing the good is not theft, wrongful judgments are not killing, contradicting heaven is not falsehood, and confusion is not drunkenness. This is called no-mind. With no-mind there are no precepts; without precepts there is no mind. There is no Buddha, no sentient being, no you, and no me.

孰為戒哉。神曰。我神通亞佛。師曰。汝神通十句．五能五不能。佛則十句．七能三不能。神悚然避席。跪啟曰。可得聞乎。師曰。汝能戾上帝．東天行而西七曜乎。曰。不能。師曰。汝能奪地祗．融五嶽而結四海乎。曰。不能。師曰。是謂五不能也。佛能空一切相。成萬法智。而不能即滅定業。佛能知群有性。窮億劫事。而不能化導無緣。佛能度無量有情。而不能盡眾生界。是為三不能也。定業亦不牢久。無緣亦是一期。眾生界本無增減。亙無一人能主其法。有法無主。是謂無法。無法無主。是謂無心。如我解。佛亦無神通也。但能以無心通達一切法爾。神曰。我誠淺昧。未聞空義。師所授戒。我當奉行。今願報慈德。効我所能。師曰。吾觀身無物。觀法無常。塊然更有何欲邪。神曰。師必命我為世間事。展我小神功。使已發心．初發心．未發心．不信心．必信心五等人目我神蹤。知有佛有神。有能有不能。有自然有非自然者。師曰。無為是。無為是。神曰。佛亦使神護法。師寧隳叛佛邪。願隨意垂誨。師不得已而言曰。東巖寺之障。莽然無樹。北岫有之而背非屏擁。汝能移北樹於東嶺乎。神曰。已聞命矣。然昏夜必有喧動。願師無駭。即作禮辭去。師門送而且觀之。見儀衛逶迤。如王者之狀。嵐靄煙霞。紛綸間錯。幢幡環珮。凌空隱沒焉。其夕。果有暴風吼雷。奔雲掣電。棟宇搖蕩。宿鳥聲喧。師謂眾曰。無怖。無怖。神與我契矣。詰旦和霽。則北巖松栝盡移東嶺。森然行植。師謂其徒曰。吾沒後無令外知。若為口實。人將妖我。以開元四年丙辰歲囑門人曰。吾始居寺東嶺。吾滅。汝必寘吾骸於彼。言訖若委蛻焉。

(Yuangui continued:) “Then who upholds the precepts?” The spirit said: “My spiritual powers are inferior to the Buddha’s.” The master said: “Of ten kinds of spiritual power, you can do five and cannot do five. The Buddha can do seven and cannot do three.” The spirit was startled, withdrew from his seat, knelt, and asked: “May I hear them?” The master said: “Can you oppose the heavenly emperor, travel east through the sky, and make the seven luminaries go west?” The spirit said: “I cannot.” The master asked: “Can you take power from the earth deities, melt the Five Sacred Peaks, and bind the Four Seas?” The spirit said: “I cannot.” The master said: “These are two of the five you cannot do. Of the three the Buddha cannot do: the Buddha can empty all characteristics and realize the wisdom of all dharmas, but cannot immediately erase fixed karma. The Buddha can know the nature of all beings and events through billions of kalpas, but cannot guide those without karmic affinity. The Buddha can liberate immeasurable sentient beings, but cannot exhaust the realm of beings. Yet fixed karma does not last forever, lack of affinity is only temporary, and the realm of sentient beings neither increases nor decreases. From the beginning, no one can control Dharma. Dharma without a controller is called no-Dharma. No-Dharma without a controller is called no-mind. As I understand it, the Buddha has no spiritual powers either; he simply uses no-mind to penetrate all dharmas.” The spirit said: “I am truly shallow and ignorant; I have never heard the meaning of emptiness. I will uphold the precepts the master has given. Now I wish to repay your kindness by using my abilities.” The master said: “I observe the body as nothing and Dharma as impermanent. What desire could there still be?” The spirit said: “The master must command me to do something in the world, displaying a small spiritual power, so five kinds of people may see my traces: those who have already given rise to the aspiration, those newly giving rise to it, those who have not, those without faith, and those certain to have faith. They will know there are Buddhas and spirits, capacities and limitations, the natural and the non-natural.” The master said: “Uncontrived is right; uncontrived is right.” The spirit said: “The Buddha also has spirits protect the Dharma. Would the master betray the Buddha? Please instruct me as you wish.” The master had no choice and said: “The eastern ridge of this monastery is obstructed and bare of trees. The northern slope has trees, but they do not provide a sheltering screen. Can you move the northern trees to the eastern ridge?” The spirit said: “I have received your command. But at night there will surely be noise and disturbance. I hope the master will not be alarmed.” He bowed and took his leave. The master escorted him to the door and watched. His retinue stretched on and on, like that of a king. Mist, clouds, and rosy vapor interwove; banners and pendants disappeared into the sky. That night there was indeed a violent wind, roaring thunder, racing clouds, and flashing lightning. The buildings shook, and birds cried out in their nests. The master told the assembly: “Do not fear, do not fear. The spirit and I have reached accord.” The next morning the weather was clear. All the pines and cypresses on the northern cliff had been moved to the eastern ridge and planted in orderly rows. The master told his disciples: “After I am gone, do not let outsiders know. If this becomes a story, people will take me for a demon.” In the bingchen year, the fourth year of Kaiyuan, he instructed his disciples: “At first I lived on the eastern ridge of this monastery. When I pass away, place my remains there.” Having spoken, he passed away as if shedding a husk.

五祖下三世(旁出)

Third collateral generation under the Fifth Patriarch

嵩山寂禪師法嗣

Dharma heirs of Chan Master Ji of Mount Song