Records of the Transmission of the Lamp, Volume Ten

僧問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。三尺杖子破瓦盆。問。如何是佛。師曰。桶底脫。問。從上諸聖有何言句。師曰。如是我聞。曰。不會。師曰。信受奉行。

A monk asked: 'What is the meaning of the patriarch's coming from the west?' The master said: 'A three-foot staff breaks a clay basin.' The monk asked: 'What is the Buddha?' The master said: 'The bottom of the bucket drops out.' The monk asked: 'What sayings did the sages from the first have?' The master said: 'Thus have I heard.' The monk said: 'I do not understand.' The master said: 'Believe, accept, and practice.'

池州仁王院處評禪師

Chan Master Renwang Yuan Chuping of Chizhou

問首山。如何是佛法大意。山便喝。師禮拜。山拈棒。師曰。老和尚沒世界那。山拋下拄杖曰。明眼人難謾。師曰。草賊大敗。

He asked Shoushan: 'What is the great meaning of the buddhadharma?' Shoushan at once shouted. The master bowed. Shoushan picked up his staff. The master said: 'The old Master has nowhere in the world.' Shoushan threw down his staff and said: 'A clear-eyed man is hard to deceive.' The master said: 'The straw thief is badly beaten.'

隨州智門迥罕禪師

Chan Master Zhimen Jionghan of Suizhou

為北塔僧使點茶次。師起揖曰。僧使近上坐。使曰。鷂子頭上。爭敢安巢。師曰。棒上不成龍。隨後打一坐具。使茶罷。起曰。適來卻成觸忤和尚。師曰。江南杜禪客。覓甚麼第二盌。

When he was serving tea to the monk-envoy from the North Pagoda, the master rose and saluted, saying: 'Pray, monk-envoy, sit higher.' The monk-envoy said: 'On a sparrowhawk's head, how dare one nest?' The master said: 'It never becomes a dragon on the staff.' Then he struck him with his sitting cloth. When the tea was finished the monk-envoy rose and said: 'Just now I have offended the Master.' The master said: 'Chan guest Du of Jiangnan, what are you looking for in a second bowl?'

襄州鹿門慧昭山主

The mountain chief Huizhao of Lumen, Xiangzhou

楊億侍郎問曰。入山不畏虎。當路卻防人時如何。僧曰。君子坦蕩蕩。僧問。如何是鹿門山。師曰。石頭大底大。小底小。曰。如何是山中人。師曰。橫眠竪臥。

The Vice Minister Yang Yi asked: 'What of entering the mountain without fearing the tiger, yet guarding against men on the road?' The monk said: 'The gentleman is broad and level.' A monk asked: 'What is Lumen Mountain?' The master said: 'The big stones are big, the small stones are small.' The monk said: 'What of the person in the mountain?' The master said: 'Lying crosswise or lying lengthwise.'

丞相王隨居士

The layman Chancellor Wang Sui

謁首山。得言外之旨。自爾履踐。深明大法。臨終書偈曰。畵堂燈已滅。彈指向誰說。去住本尋常。春風掃殘雪。

He paid his respects to Shoushan and obtained the meaning beyond words. From then on he practiced it and deeply clarified the great dharma. As death approached he wrote a verse: 'The lamp in the painted hall has gone out; to whom shall the finger snap be told? Going and staying are both ordinary; the spring wind sweeps away the leftover snow.'

南嶽下十世

The tenth generation below Nanyue

汾陽昭禪師法嗣

Dharma heirs of Chan Master Fenyang Zhao

潭州石霜楚圓慈明禪師

Chan Master Shishuang Chuyuan Ciming of Tanzhou

全州李氏子。少為書生。年二十二。依湘山隱靜寺出家。其母有賢行。使之遊方。聞汾陽道望。遂往謁焉。陽顧而默器之。經二年。未許入室。每見必罵詬。或毀詆諸方。及有所訓。皆流俗鄙事。一夕訴曰。自至法席已再夏。不蒙指示。但增世俗塵勞。念歲月飄忽。己事不明。失出家之利。語未卒。陽熟視。罵曰。是惡知識。敢裨販我。怒舉杖逐之。師擬伸救。陽掩師口。乃大悟曰。是知臨濟道出常情。服役七年。辭去。依唐明嵩禪師。嵩謂師曰。楊大年內翰知見高。入道穩實。子不可不見。師乃往見大年。年問曰。對面不相識。千里卻同風。師曰。近奉山門請。年曰。真箇脫空。師曰。前月離唐明。年曰。適來悔相問。師曰。作家。年便喝。師曰。恰是。年復喝。師以手劃一劃。年吐舌曰。真是龍象。師曰。是何言歟。年喚客司。點茶來。元來是屋裡人。師曰。也不消得。茶罷又問。如何是上座為人一句。師曰。切。年曰。與麼。則長裙新婦拖泥走。師曰。誰得似內翰。年曰。作家。作家。師曰。放你二十棒。年拊膝曰。這裡是甚麼所在。師拍掌曰。也不得放過。年大笑。又問。記得唐明當時悟底因緣麼。師曰。唐明問首山。如何是佛法的的大意。山曰。楚王城畔。汝水東流。年曰。祇如此語。意旨如何。師曰。水上掛燈毬。年曰。與麼則孤負古人去也。師曰。內翰疑則別參。年曰。三腳蝦蟇跳上天。師曰。一任𨁝跳。年乃大笑。館於齋中。日夕質疑智證。因聞前言往行。恨見之晚。朝中見駙馬都尉李公遵勗曰。近得一道人。真西河師子。李曰。我以拘文。不能就謁。奈何。年默然。歸語師曰。李公佛法中人。聞道風遠至。有願見之心。政以法不得與侍從過從。師於是邌明謁李公。公閱謁使童子問曰。道得即與上座相見。師曰。今日特來相看。又令童子曰。碑文刊白字。當道種青松。師曰。

He was a son of the Li family of Quanzhou. In his youth he was a scholar. At the age of twenty-two he left home under Yinjing Monastery on Mount Xiang. His mother was a woman of worthy conduct, and she sent him out to travel. Hearing of Fenyang's fame for the way, he went to pay his respects to him. Fenyang looked at him and silently valued him. Two years passed and he was not permitted to enter his room. Whenever they met he was sure to be scolded and reviled, or Fenyang would slander and belittle the various quarters, and his instructions were all vulgar and common matters. One evening he stated his case: 'Since coming to this dharma seat it has been two summers, and I have received no instruction, only added to the dust and toil of the world. I think how the years fly by and my own matter is not yet clear, and I have lost the benefit of leaving home.' Before he had finished speaking, Fenyang stared at him and reviled him, saying: 'You are an evil friend, daring to peddle me!' Angrily he raised his staff to drive him out. The master was about to open his mouth to plead, and Fenyang covered his mouth. Thereupon the master was greatly awakened, and said: 'Only now do I know that Linji's way goes beyond ordinary feeling.' He served for seven years, then took his leave and relied on Chan Master Tang Ming Song. Song said to the master: 'Yang Danian the Hanlin scholar has high knowledge and vision and enters the way firmly and solidly. You must not fail to meet him.' So the master went to see Danian. Danian said: 'Facing each other we do not know each other; a thousand miles apart yet the same wind.' The master said: 'I have lately received the monastery's invitation.' Danian said: 'Truly you slip away into emptiness.' The master said: 'Last month I left Tang Ming.' Danian said: 'Just now I regretted asking.' The master said: 'An adept.' Danian at once shouted. The master said: 'Exactly so.' Danian shouted again. The master drew a line with his hand. Danian put out his tongue and said: 'Truly a dragon elephant.' The master said: 'What kind of talk is that?' Danian called the guest officer: 'Bring tea. So he was one of us all along.' The master said: 'That is not necessary either.' After the tea he asked again: 'What is the one phrase with which the Venerable One acts for others?' The master said: 'Earnest.' Danian said: 'Then a new bride in a long skirt walks dragging mud.' The master said: 'Who can match the Hanlin scholar?' Danian said: 'An adept, an adept.' The master said: 'You are excused twenty blows.' Danian slapped his knee and said: 'What place is this?' The master clapped his hands and said: 'Nor will I let you off.' Danian laughed heartily. He asked again: 'Do you remember the occasion of Tang Ming's awakening?' The master said: 'Tang Ming asked Shoushan: "What is the precise great meaning of the buddhadharma?" Shoushan said: "Beside the city of the king of Chu, the Ru River flows east."' Danian said: 'Just these words — what is the meaning?' The master said: 'A lantern ball hung on the water.' Danian said: 'Then you fail the ancients.' The master said: 'If the Hanlin scholar has doubts, consult elsewhere.' Danian said: 'A three-legged frog leaps into the sky.' The master said: 'Leap as you please.' Danian then laughed heartily. He lodged him in his study, and day and evening they questioned and answered about wisdom and realization. Hearing of former words and past deeds, he regretted meeting him so late. At court he met the imperial son-in-law Li Zunxu and said: 'I have lately found a man of the way, a true lion of the Western River.' Li said: 'I am bound by the rules of law and cannot come to pay my respects. What is to be done?' Danian was silent. When he returned he said to the master: 'Lord Li is a man within the buddhadharma. Hearing that the wind of the way had come from afar, he had the wish to see you, but by law he may not associate with attendants.' So at dawn the master went to pay his respects to Lord Li. When Li read the name card, he had a boy ask: 'If you can speak, then I will meet you.' The master said: 'I have come today especially to see you.' The boy was sent again to say: 'The stele inscription is carved in white characters; by the road green pines are planted.' The master said:

不因今日節。餘日定難逢。童又出曰。都尉言。與麼則與上座相見去也。師曰。腳頭腳底。公乃出。坐定問曰。我聞西河有金毛獅子。是否。師曰。甚麼處得者消息。公便喝。師曰。野幹鳴。公又喝。師曰。恰是。公大笑。師辭。公問。如何是上座臨行一句。師曰。好將息。公曰。何異諸方。師曰。都尉又作麼生。公曰。放上座二十棒。師曰。專為流通。公又喝。師曰。瞎。公曰。好去。師應喏喏。自是往來楊李之門。以法為友。久之。辭還河東。年曰。有一語寄與唐明。得麼。師曰。明月照見夜行人。年曰。卻不相當。師曰。更深猶自可。午後更愁人。年曰。開寶寺前金剛。近日因甚麼汗出。師曰。知。年曰。上座臨行。豈無為人底句。師曰。重疊關山路。年曰。與麼則隨上座去也。師噓一聲。年曰。真師子兒。大師子吼。師曰。放去又收來。年曰。適來失腳踏倒。又得家童扶起。師曰。有甚麼了期。年大笑。師還唐明。李公遣兩僧訊師。師於書尾畵雙足。寫來僧名以寄之。公作偈曰。黑毫千里餘。金槨示雙趺。人天渾莫測。珍重赤鬚胡。師以母老。南歸至瑞州。首眾於洞山。時聰禪師居焉。先是。汾陽謂師曰。我徧參雲門兒孫。特以未見聰為恨。故師依止三年。乃遊仰山。楊大年以書抵宜春太守黃宗旦。使請師出世說法。守以南源致師。師不赴。旋特謁守願行。守問其故。對曰。始為讓。今偶欲之耳。守大賢之。住後。上堂。一切諸佛．及諸佛阿耨多羅三藐三菩提法。皆從此經出。乃竪起拄杖曰。這箇是南源拄杖子。阿那箇是經。良久曰。向下文長。付在來日。喝一喝。下座。上堂。良久曰。無為無事人。猶是金鎻難。喝一喝。下座。問。如何是佛。師曰。水出高原。問。如何是南源境。師曰。黃河九曲。水出崑崙。曰。如何是境中人。師曰。隨流人不顧。斫手望扶桑。上堂。雲收霧卷。杲日當空。

(The master continued:) 'Were it not for today's festival, on other days it would surely be hard to meet.' The boy came out again and said: 'The son-in-law says that being so, he will meet you.' The master said: 'Foot to head, head to foot.' The lord then came out. When they were seated he asked: 'I hear there is a golden-haired lion on the Western River. Is it so?' The master said: 'Where did you get that news?' The lord at once shouted. The master said: 'A jackal's howl.' The lord shouted again. The master said: 'Exactly so.' The lord laughed heartily. The master took his leave. The lord asked: 'What is the Venerable One's phrase on departing?' The master said: 'Take good care of yourself.' The lord said: 'How is that different from other quarters?' The master said: 'What about you, son-in-law?' The lord said: 'You are excused twenty blows.' The master said: 'Especially for the sake of its circulation.' The lord shouted again. The master said: 'Blind.' The lord said: 'Farewell.' The master answered, 'Yes, yes.' From then on he went back and forth between the gates of Yang and Li, taking the dharma as his friend. After a long time he took his leave to return to Hedong. Danian said: 'I have a phrase to send to Tang Ming. May I?' The master said: 'The bright moon shines on the night traveler.' Danian said: 'That does not match.' The master said: 'Deep night is still bearable; after noon it is more grievous.' Danian said: 'The vajra before Kaibao Monastery — why has it been sweating lately?' The master said: 'I know.' Danian said: 'On departing, Venerable One, have you no phrase for the sake of others?' The master said: 'Layered passes and mountain roads.' Danian said: 'Then it goes with the Venerable One.' The master sighed. Danian said: 'A true lion cub, a great lion's roar.' The master said: 'Released and gathered back again.' Danian said: 'Just now I lost my footing and fell, and again a houseboy helped me up.' The master said: 'Is there any end to it?' Danian laughed heartily. The master returned to Tang Ming. Lord Li sent two monks to inquire after the master. The master drew a pair of feet at the end of the letter and sent back the names of the monks who came. The lord wrote a verse: 'Black hair a thousand miles and more; the golden coffin shows the two feet. Gods and men alike cannot fathom it; take care, red-bearded barbarian.' Because his mother was old, the master returned south to Ruizhou and served as chief seat at Dongshan. At that time Chan Master Cong was residing there. Earlier Fenyang had said to the master: 'I have consulted all the sons and grandsons of Yunmen, and my one regret is not having met Cong.' So the master stayed with him three years, and only then traveled to Mount Yang. Yang Danian wrote to the prefect of Yichun, Huang Zongdan, asking him to invite the master to go out into the world and teach. The prefect invited the master to Nanyuan; the master did not go. Soon after he made a special visit to the prefect and was willing to go. The prefect asked why. He replied: 'At first I declined; now I happen to want to go.' The prefect deeply esteemed him as worthy. After he became abbot he mounted the hall: 'All buddhas, and the buddhas' dharma of unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, come forth from this scripture.' Then he raised his staff and said: 'This is the Nanyuan staff. Which is the scripture?' After a long while he said: 'What follows is long; leave it for another day.' He shouted once and descended from the seat. He mounted the hall and after a long while said: 'The person of non-doing and no affairs is still trapped by the golden lock.' He shouted once and descended from the seat. A monk asked: 'What is the Buddha?' The master said: 'Water comes from the high plain.' The monk asked: 'What is the realm of Nanyuan?' The master said: 'The Yellow River makes nine bends; its water comes from Kunlun.' The monk said: 'What of the person within the realm?' The master said: 'The follower of the stream does not look back; with cut hand he gazes toward Fusang.' He mounted the hall: 'The clouds gather and the mist rolls up, the bright sun is in the sky,

不落明暗。如何通信。僧問。山深覓不得時如何。師曰。口能招禍。問。如何是佛法大意。師曰。洞庭湖裡浪滔天。問。東湧西沒時如何。師曰。尋。問。夜靜獨行時如何。師曰。三把茆。問。寶劒未出匣時如何。師曰。響。曰。出匣後如何。師噓一聲。問。閙中取靜時如何。師曰。頭枕布袋。問。牛頭未見四祖時如何。師曰。堆堆地。曰。見後如何。師曰。堆堆地。問。一得永得時如何。師曰。抱石投河。問。仗鏌鎁劒。擬取師頭時如何。師曰。斬將去。僧擬議。師便打。師住三年。棄去謁神鼎諲禪師。鼎。首山高第。望尊一時。衲子非人類精奇。無敢登其門者。住山三十年。門弟子氣吞諸方。師髮長不剪。弊衣楚音。通謁稱法姪。一眾大笑。鼎遣童子問。長老誰之嗣。師仰視屋曰。親見汾陽來。鼎杖而出。顧見頎然。問曰。汾州有西河師子。是否。師指其後。絕呌曰。屋倒矣。童子返走。鼎回顧相矍鑠。師地坐。脫隻履而視之。鼎老忘所問。又失師所在。師徐起整衣。且行且語曰。見面不如聞名。遂去。鼎遣人追之不可。歎曰。汾州乃有此兒邪。師自是名重叢林。定林沙門本延有道行。雅為士大夫所信敬。鼎見延。稱師知見可興臨濟。會道吾虗席。延白郡。請以師主之。法令整肅。亡軀為法者集焉。上堂。先寶應曰。第一句薦得。堪與祖佛為師。第二句薦得。堪與人天為師。第三句薦得。自救不了。道吾則不然。第一句薦得。和泥合水。第二句薦得。無繩自縛。第三句薦得。四稜著地。所以道。起也海晏河清。行人避路。住也乾坤失色。日月無光。汝輩向甚麼處出氣。如今還有出氣者麼。有即出來。對眾出氣看。如無。道吾為汝出氣去也。乃噓一聲。卓拄杖下座。上堂。道吾打鼓。四大部洲同參。拄杖橫也挑括乾坤大地。缽盂覆也葢卻恆沙世界。且問諸人向甚麼處安身立命。若也知得。

(The master continued:) 'not falling into bright or dark — how does one communicate?' A monk asked: 'What of when the mountain is deep and it cannot be found?' The master said: 'The mouth can invite disaster.' The monk asked: 'What is the great meaning of the buddhadharma?' The master said: 'Waves surge to heaven in Dongting Lake.' The monk asked: 'What of when it surges in the east and sinks in the west?' The master said: 'Seek.' The monk asked: 'What of walking alone in the still of night?' The master said: 'Three handfuls of thatch.' The monk asked: 'What of when the precious sword has not yet left its sheath?' The master said: 'It rings.' The monk said: 'What of after it leaves the sheath?' The master sighed. The monk asked: 'What of seeking stillness amid noise?' The master said: 'Head on a cloth bag.' The monk asked: 'What of when Niutou had not yet met the Fourth Patriarch?' The master said: 'Heaped and piled.' The monk said: 'What of after meeting him?' The master said: 'Heaped and piled.' The monk asked: 'What of when one gain is eternal gain?' The master said: 'Hugging a stone and throwing yourself into the river.' The monk asked: 'What of when one wields the Moye sword intending to take the Master's head?' The master said: 'Cut it off and take it.' The monk was about to deliberate, and the master at once struck him. The master had been abbot for three years, then abandoned it and went to pay his respects to Chan Master Shending Yin. Shending was the foremost disciple of Shoushan and his prestige was honored by the whole age; among patch-robed monks, unless one was the finest of men, none dared to climb his gate. He had dwelt on the mountain thirty years, and his disciples looked down on every quarter. The master's hair had grown long and was uncut; his robe was torn and his speech carried a Chu accent; he announced himself as a dharma nephew, and the whole assembly laughed. Shending sent a boy to ask: 'Whose heir is the Elder?' The master looked up at the roof and said: 'I have personally seen Fenyang.' Shending came out with his staff. Seeing the master's tall stature, he asked: 'Is there a lion of the Western River in Fenzhou?' The master pointed behind him and cried out shrilly: 'The house is falling down!' The boy turned and ran. Shending turned his head to look, and there was the master, vigorous in countenance. The master sat down on the ground and took off one shoe and looked at it. Shending was old and forgot what he had asked, and could not find where the master was. The master slowly rose, straightened his robe, and said as he walked away: 'Meeting in person is not as good as hearing the name.' And he left. Shending sent men after him, but they could not catch up; he sighed and said: 'So Fenzhou actually had such a son!' From then on the master's name was heavy in the monasteries. The shramana Benyan of Dinglin had practice and virtue, and had long been trusted and respected by the officials. When Shending met Benyan, he said that the master's knowledge and vision could revive Linji. It happened that Daowu had an empty seat, so Benyan reported to the prefecture and asked that the master be made abbot. His rules and orders were strict, and those who forgot their bodies for the dharma gathered to him. He mounted the hall: 'The former Baoying said: If you understand the first phrase, you are fit to be the teacher of patriarchs and buddhas. If you understand the second phrase, you are fit to be the teacher of gods and men. If you understand the third phrase, you cannot even save yourself. Daowu is not like that. If you understand the first phrase, you mix mud with water. If you understand the second phrase, you bind yourself without a rope. If you understand the third phrase, you sit square on the ground. Therefore it is said: when he rises, the seas are calm and the rivers clear, and travelers give way. When he stays, heaven and earth lose their color and sun and moon have no light. Where do you people breathe from? Is there anyone now who breathes? If there is, come forward and breathe before the assembly. If there is not, Daowu will breathe for you.' Then he sighed, planted his staff and descended from the seat. He mounted the hall: 'Daowu strikes the drum, and the four continents all gather to study. When the staff is held crosswise it carries the whole of heaven and earth; when the alms bowl is turned over it covers the worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Now let me ask you people: where do you settle your body and establish your life? If you know it,

向北俱盧洲吃粥吃飯。若也不知。長連床上吃粥吃飯。次住石霜。當解夏。謂眾曰。昨日作嬰孩。今朝年已老。未明三八九。難踏古皇道。手鑠黃河乾。腳踢須彌倒。浮生夢幻身。人命夕難保。天堂並地獄。皆由心所造。南山北嶺松。北嶺南山草。一雨潤無邊。根苗壯枯槁。五湖參學人。但問虗空討。死脫夏天衫。生披冬月襖。分明無事人。特地生煩惱。喝一喝。下座。上堂。一喝分賓主。照用一時行。要會箇中意。日午打三更。遂喝一喝。曰。且道是賓是主。還有分得者麼。若也分得。朝打三千。暮打八百。若也未能。老僧失利。因同道相訪。上堂。颯颯涼風景。同人訪寂寥。煑茶山上水。燒鼎洞中樵。珍重。問。達磨未來時如何。師曰。長安夜夜家家月。曰。來後如何。師曰。幾處笙歌幾處愁。問。一物不將來時如何。師曰。槐木成林。曰。四山火來時如何。師曰。物逐人興。曰。步步登高時如何。師曰。雲生足下。問。古人封白紙。意旨如何。師曰。家貧路富。問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。三日風。五日雨。上堂。夫宗師者。奪貧子之衣珠。究達人之見處。若不如是。盡是和泥合水漢。良久曰。路逢劒客須呈劒。不是詩人莫獻詩。喝一喝。上堂。我有一言。絕慮忘緣。巧說不得。祇要心傳。更有一語。無過直舉。且作麼生是直舉一句。良久。以拄杖畫一畫。喝一喝。問。己事未明。以何為驗。師曰。玄沙曾見雪峰來。曰。意旨如何。師曰。一生不出嶺。問。祖意教意。是同是別。師曰。馬有垂韁之報。犬有𩥇草之恩。曰。與麼則不別也。師曰。西天東土。問。如何是學人自己。師曰。打骨出髓。上堂。入水見長人。珍重。上堂。面西行向東。北斗正離宮。道去何曾去。騎牛臥牧童。珍重。上堂。春生夏長即不問。你諸人腳跟下一句作麼生道。良久曰。華光寺主。便下座。上堂。藥多病甚。

(The master continued:) ‘Eat your porridge and rice in Uttarakuru. If you still do not understand, eat your porridge and rice on the long monastic platform.’ He then settled at Shishuang. At the end of the summer retreat he addressed the assembly: ‘Yesterday a baby, this morning already old; not yet understanding three, eight, and nine, how can one tread the ancient sovereign’s Way? My hands could melt the Yellow River dry; my feet could kick Mount Sumeru over. This floating life is a dreamlike body; life may not last even till evening. Heaven and hell are both made by the mind. Pines on the southern hills, grass on the northern slopes; the northern slopes have grass, the southern hills have pines. One rain moistens all without limit, strengthening roots and shoots, reviving the withered. Students from the Five Lakes ask only the empty sky. Dead, they shed their summer robes; alive, they don winter coats. Clearly a person with nothing to do, yet deliberately giving rise to afflictions.’ He shouted once and descended. At a Dharma talk he said: ‘One shout distinguishes guest from host; illumination and function operate together. If you would grasp the meaning here, strike the third watch at noon.’ He shouted and asked, ‘Tell me, is this guest or host? Can anyone distinguish them? If you can, I’ll strike three thousand times in the morning and eight hundred in the evening. If you cannot, this old monk loses.’ When a fellow practitioner came to visit, he gave a talk: ‘The cool breeze rustles through the scene; a friend visits this quiet place. We boil tea with water from the mountain and heat the pot with wood from the cave. Take care.’ Asked, ‘What was it like before Bodhidharma came?’ the master said, ‘Every night the moon shines on every household in Chang’an.’ ‘And after he came?’ ‘In some places songs and flutes, in others sorrow.’ Asked, ‘What is it like when you bring nothing at all?’ he said, ‘Locust trees become a forest.’ ‘What when fire comes from all four mountains?’ ‘Things follow people and arise.’ ‘What when each step climbs higher?’ ‘Clouds rise beneath your feet.’ Asked what an ancient person meant by sealing a blank sheet of paper, he said, ‘The household is poor, but the road is rich.’ Asked, ‘What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the West?’ he said, ‘Three days of wind, five days of rain.’ At a talk he said: ‘A true master takes the jewel from a poor man’s robe and investigates the awakened person’s understanding. Otherwise, he is just someone mixing mud and water.’ After a long pause he said, ‘When you meet a swordsman on the road, present your sword; do not offer poetry to one who is no poet.’ He shouted once. At another talk he said: ‘I have a saying: cut off thought and forget conditions. It cannot be explained skillfully; it requires only mind-to-mind transmission. There is another phrase, nothing but a direct indication. What is this direct phrase?’ After a long pause, he drew a line with his staff and shouted. Asked, ‘If one has not clarified one’s own matter, what can serve as proof?’ he said, ‘Xuansha once met Xuefeng.’ ‘What did that mean?’ ‘He never left the mountain in his whole life.’ Asked whether the Patriarch’s intention and the teaching’s intention were the same or different, he said, ‘A horse repays kindness by lowering its reins; a dog repays it by carrying grass.’ The monk said, ‘So they are not different.’ The master said, ‘India and China.’ Asked, ‘What is the student’s own self?’ he said, ‘Strike the bones and draw out the marrow.’ At a talk he said, ‘Enter the water and meet the elder. Take care.’ At another he said: ‘Walk westward facing east; the Dipper stands in the Li palace. Where could the Way go, if it never went anywhere? A herdboy rides an ox, lying down.’ Take care.’ At another he said, ‘I will not ask about spring’s sprouting or summer’s growth. What phrase do you people have at your very feet?’ After a long pause he said, ‘The abbot of Huaguang Monastery.’ Then he descended. At another talk he said, ‘Too much medicine means too much illness—’

網細魚稠。便下座。示眾。以拄杖擊禪床一下雲。大眾還會麼。不見道。一擊忘所知。更不假修持。諸方達道者。鹹言上上機。香嚴恁麼悟去。分明悟得如來禪。祖師禪未夢見在。且道祖師禪有甚長處。若向言中取則。悞賺後人。直饒棒下承當。辜負先聖。萬法本閑。唯人自閙。所以山僧居福嚴。祇見福嚴境界。晏起早眠。有時雲生碧嶂。月落寒潭。音聲鳥飛鳴般若臺前。娑羅花香散祝融峰畔。把瘦笻。坐磐石。與五湖衲子時話玄微。灰頭土面住興化。祇見興化家風。迎來送去。門連城市。車馬駢闐。漁唱瀟湘。猿啼嶽麓。絲竹謌謠。時時入耳。復與四海高人。日談禪道。歲月都忘。且道居深山．住城郭。還有優劣也無。試道看。良久雲。是處是慈氏。無門無善財。問。行腳不逢人時如何。師曰。釣絲絞水。問。尋枝摘葉即不問。如何是直截根源。師曰。楖栗拄杖。曰。意旨如何。師曰。行即肩挑雲水衲。坐來安在掌中擎。問。既是護法善神。為甚麼張弓架箭。師曰。禮防君子。問。如何是佛。師曰。有錢使錢。上堂。祖師心印。一印印空。一印印水。一印印泥。如今還有印不著者麼。試向腳跟下。道將一句來。設你道得倜儻分明。第一不得行過衲僧門下。且道衲僧有甚麼長處。良久曰。人王三寸鐵。徧地是刀鎗。喝一喝。卓拄杖下座。上堂。天已明。鼓已響。聖眾臻。齊合掌。如今還有不合掌者麼。有即尼乾歡喜。無則瞿曇惡發。久立。珍重。問。磨礱三尺劒。去化不平人。師意如何。師曰。好去。僧曰。點。師曰。你看。僧拍手一下。歸眾。師曰。了。上堂。北山南。南山北。日月雙明天地黑。大海江河盡放光。逢著觀音問彌勒。珍重。問。有理難伸時如何。師曰。苦。曰。恁麼則舌拄上顎也。師噓一聲。僧曰。將謂胡鬚赤。師曰。夢見興化腳跟麼。示徒偈曰。黑黑黑。道道道。明明明。得得得。

(The master continued:) ‘—the finer the net, the more crowded the fish.’ Then he descended. He struck the Chan seat once with his staff and asked the assembly, ‘Do you understand? It is said: “With one strike, all knowing is forgotten; no further cultivation is needed. Those throughout the regions who have realized the Way all call it the highest capacity.” Xiangyan awakened in this way and clearly realized the Tathagata’s Chan; he had not even dreamed of the Patriarchs’ Chan. Tell me, what special strength does the Patriarchs’ Chan have? If you take words as your rule, you mislead those who come after. Even if you claim to understand beneath the blows of a staff, you betray the ancient sages. The myriad dharmas are originally at rest; only people make a commotion. Thus, when I live at Fuyan, I see only Fuyan’s scenery: rising late and sleeping early; sometimes clouds rise over green peaks, the moon sinks into a cold pool, and birds sing before the Prajna Terrace; the fragrance of sala blossoms spreads beside Mount Zhurong. I carry a slender staff, sit on a flat rock, and now and then discuss the subtle with patch-robed monks from the Five Lakes. When I live at Xinghua, covered in dust, I see only Xinghua’s way: receiving visitors and seeing them off; the gate opens onto the city, carriages and horses crowd the road; fishermen sing on the Xiang River, monkeys cry on Yuelu; flutes, zithers, songs, and ballads reach my ears at every moment. I also speak of Chan and the Way each day with eminent people from the four seas, forgetting the passing years. Tell me, is there any superiority or inferiority between living in deep mountains and dwelling in a city? Try answering.’ After a long pause he said, ‘Everywhere is Maitreya; nowhere is Sudhana.’ Asked, ‘What is it like to travel on pilgrimage and meet no one?’ he said, ‘A fishing line tangles in the water.’ Asked, ‘Setting aside picking branches and leaves, what is the direct source?’ he said, ‘A chestnut staff.’ The monk asked what he meant. The master said, ‘When walking, shoulder the cloud-and-water robe; when sitting, hold it in your palm.’ Asked, ‘If these are Dharma-protecting deities, why do they draw bows and set arrows?’ he said, ‘Courtesy restrains the gentleman.’ Asked, ‘What is Buddha?’ he said, ‘If you have money, spend money.’ At a talk he said: ‘The Patriarchs’ mind-seal: one seal stamps space, one stamps water, one stamps mud. Is there anything it cannot stamp even now? Say a phrase from right beneath your feet. Even if you speak clearly and freely, above all do not pass through the gate of a patch-robed monk. Tell me, what strength do patch-robed monks have?’ After a long pause he said, ‘The human king’s three-inch iron blade; spears and swords cover the land.’ He shouted, planted his staff, and descended. At another talk he said: ‘Day has broken, the drum has sounded, the holy assembly has gathered and joined its palms. Is there anyone who does not join palms? If so, Nirgrantha will rejoice; otherwise Gautama will become furious. You have stood long. Take care.’ Asked, ‘I sharpened a three-foot sword to go and transform the unjust. What is the master’s intention?’ he said, ‘Go well.’ The monk said, ‘Point it out.’ The master said, ‘Look.’ The monk clapped once and returned to the assembly. The master said, ‘That is it.’ At a talk he said: ‘North of the northern hills, south of the southern hills; sun and moon shine together, and heaven and earth grow dark. The seas and rivers all radiate light. Meet Guanyin and ask Maitreya. Take care.’ Asked, ‘What when one cannot make a case for what is right?’ he said, ‘Suffering.’ The monk said, ‘So the tongue is pressed against the palate.’ The master made a shushing sound. The monk said, ‘I thought your beard was red.’ The master said, ‘Have you dreamed of Xinghua’s heels?’ He gave his disciples this verse: ‘Black, black, black; Way, Way, Way; bright, bright, bright; attain, attain, attain.’

師室中插劒一口。以草鞋一對。水一盆。置在劒邊。每見入室。即曰。看。看。有至劒邊擬議者。師曰。險喪身失命了也。便喝出。師冬日牓僧堂。作此字。【圖：X80p0240_01.gif】

The master set a sword upright in his room, with a pair of straw sandals and a basin of water beside it. Whenever someone entered, he would say, ‘Look, look!’ If anyone went toward the sword and hesitated, the master said, ‘Danger! You have lost your body and life!’ and shouted him out. One winter he posted a notice in the monks’ hall bearing this character. [Image: the printed source contains an illustration here.]

幾[(┐@三)*(田/?)][水-?+(曲-曰+口)]。其下注曰。若人識得。不離四威儀中。首座見曰。和尚今日放參。師聞而笑之。寶元戊寅李都尉遣使邀師曰。海內法友。唯師與楊大年耳。大年棄我而先。僕年來頓覺衰落。忍死以一見公。仍以書抵潭帥。敦遣之。師惻然與侍者舟而東下。舟中作偈曰。長江行不盡。帝裡到何時。既得涼風便。休將艣棹施。至京師。與李公會月餘。而李公果歿。臨終畫一圓相。又作偈獻師。世界無依。山河匪礙。大海微塵。須彌納芥。拈起幞頭。解下腰帶。若覓死生。問取皮袋。師曰。如何是本來佛性。公曰。今日熱如昨日。隨聲便問師。臨行一句作麼生。師曰。本來無𦊱礙。隨處任方圓。公曰。晚來睏倦。更不答話。師曰。無佛處作佛。公於是泊然而逝。仁宗皇帝尤留神空宗。聞李公之化。與師問答。加歎久之。師哭之慟。臨壙而別。有旨賜官舟南歸。中途謂侍者曰。我忽得風痺疾。視之口吻已喎斜。侍者以足頓地曰。當柰何。平生呵佛罵祖。今乃爾。師曰。無憂。為汝正之。以手整之如故。曰。而今而後。不鈍置汝。後年正月五日示寂。壽五十四。臘三十二。銘行實於興化。塔全身於石霜(續通鑑則平河東。在太平興國己卯。據佛運統紀。則師入滅於康定庚辰。以壽數逆而推之。則雍熈丁亥師始生。僧寶傳所載。恐失考證)。

The source had two characters in an image here, but they were lost in transcription. A note below said, ‘If someone recognizes them, they will not leave the four dignified postures.’ The head monk saw it and said, ‘Today the master has dismissed the assembly early.’ When the master heard this, he laughed. In the Wuyin year of Baoyuan (1038), Li, the Commandant, sent an envoy to invite the master, saying, ‘Among Dharma friends in the realm, only you and Yang Dayan remain. Dayan left me and went ahead. In recent years I have suddenly felt my strength decline; I have endured this illness to see you once.’ He also wrote to the governor of Tan, urging him to send the master. The master was moved, and sailed east with an attendant. On the boat he composed a verse: ‘The Yangtze’s course has no end; when shall I reach the imperial capital? Now that a cool breeze has come, there is no need to row.’ In the capital he met Lord Li for more than a month, and Lord Li soon died. At the end, Li drew a circle and composed a verse for the master: ‘The world has no support; mountains and rivers are no hindrance. The great sea holds mote-like dust; Mount Sumeru contains a mustard seed. Lift the official cap; loosen the belt. If you seek life and death, ask this skin-bag.’ The master asked, ‘What is the original Buddha-nature?’ Lord Li said, ‘Today is as hot as yesterday.’ Then, in turn, he asked the master, ‘What is your final phrase as you depart?’ The master said, ‘Originally there is no obstruction; wherever you are, let it be round or square.’ Lord Li said, ‘I am tired this evening; I will say no more.’ The master said, ‘Make a Buddha where there is no Buddha.’ Lord Li then passed away peacefully. Emperor Renzong was especially attentive to the teachings of emptiness. Hearing of Lord Li’s death and his exchange with the master, he praised them at length. The master wept bitterly and took leave beside the grave. An imperial order granted him a government boat to return south. On the way he told his attendant, ‘I have suddenly suffered paralysis.’ They looked and saw his mouth had twisted. The attendant stamped his foot and said, ‘What can be done? You spent your life mocking Buddha and cursing the Patriarchs, yet now you are like this!’ The master said, ‘Do not worry. I will straighten it for you.’ He adjusted it with his hand until it was as before, and said, ‘From now on I will not make things difficult for you.’ Later, on the fifth day of the first month, he manifested extinction. He was fifty-four years old and had thirty-two years in the precepts. His deeds were inscribed at Xinghua, and his whole body was enshrined in a pagoda at Shishuang. (The Continued Comprehensive Mirror says that Hedong was pacified in the Jimao year of Taiping Xingguo. According to the Comprehensive Record of Buddhist History, the master died in the Gengchen year of Kangding. Counting backward from his age, he would have been born only in the Dinghai year of Yongxi. The account in the Biographies of Monastic Treasures may be inaccurate.)

滁州琅邪山慧覺廣照禪師

Chan Master Huijue Guangzhao of Langya Mountain, Chuzhou

西洛人也。父為衡陽太守。因疾傾喪。師扶櫬歸洛。過澧陽藥山古剎。宛若夙居。緣此出家。遊方參問。得法汾陽。應緣滁水。與雪竇明覺同時唱道。四方皆謂二甘露門。逮今淮南遺化如在。僧問。如何是佛。師曰。銅頭鐵額。曰。意旨如何。師曰。鳥觜魚腮。上堂。奇哉十方佛。元是眼中花。欲識眼中花。元是十方佛。欲識十方佛。不是眼中花。欲識眼中花。不是十方佛。於此明得。過在十方佛。於此未明。聲聞起舞。獨覺臨粧。珍重。僧問。阿難結集即不問。迦葉微笑事如何。師曰。尅時尅節。曰。自從靈鷲分燈後。直至支那耀古今。師曰。點朱點漆。問。如何是賓中賓。師曰。手𢹂書劒謁明君。曰。如何是賓中主。師曰。捲起簾來無可覩。曰。如何是主中賓。師曰。三更過孟津。曰。如何是主中主。師曰。獨坐鎮寰宇。問。蓮花未出水時如何。師曰。貓兒戴紙帽。曰。出水後如何。師曰。狗子著靴行。問。拈椎竪拂即不問。瞬目揚眉事若何。師曰。趙州曾見南泉來。曰。學人未曉。師曰。今冬多雨雪。貧家爭奈何。上堂。欲知常住身。當觀爛壞體。欲知常住性。當觀拄杖子。拄杖子吞卻須彌。須彌吞卻拄杖子。衲僧到這裡。若也擬議。劒梁落膊輸降款。鐵作胸襟到海隅。擊禪床。下座。上堂。見聞覺知。俱為生死之因。見聞覺知。正是解脫之本。譬如師子反躑。南北東西且無定止。汝等諸人。若也不會。且莫孤負釋迦老子。吽。上堂。山僧今日為諸人說破。明眼衲僧莫去泥裡打坐。珍重。上堂。天高莫測。地厚寧知。白雲片片嶺頭飛。綠水潺潺㵎下急。東湧西沒一句即不問。你生前殺後一句作麼生道。良久曰。時寒吃茶去。上堂。阿呵呵。是甚麼。開口是。合口過。輕舟短棹汎波心。𬕞衣箬笠從他破。咦。上堂。十方諸佛是箇爛木橛。三賢十聖是箇茅溷頭籌子。汝等諸人來到這裡作麼。良久曰。

He was from western Luo. His father had served as prefect of Hengyang and died of illness. The master escorted the coffin back to Luoyang. Passing the ancient Yaoshan monastery in Liyang, he felt as though he had returned home, and so became a monk there. He traveled and sought instruction, receiving the Dharma from Fenyang. He responded to conditions by the Chu River and expounded the Way at the same time as Mingjue of Xuedou. People everywhere called them the two Gates of Sweet Dew. To this day, their legacy of transformation remains alive in Huainan. A monk asked, ‘What is Buddha?’ The master said, ‘A copper head and iron forehead.’ The monk asked what he meant. The master said, ‘A bird’s beak and a fish’s gills.’ At a talk he said: ‘How wondrous! The Buddhas of the ten directions are originally flowers in the eye. If you wish to know the flowers in the eye, they are originally the Buddhas of the ten directions. If you wish to know the Buddhas of the ten directions, they are not flowers in the eye. If you wish to know the flowers in the eye, they are not the Buddhas of the ten directions. Understand this, and the fault lies with the Buddhas of the ten directions. Fail to understand it, and the Hearers dance while the Solitary Realizers put on makeup. Take care.’ A monk asked, ‘Set aside Ananda’s compilation of the teachings; what was the matter of Kashyapa’s smile?’ The master said, ‘It was exactly the right time.’ The monk said, ‘Since the Lamp was divided at Vulture Peak, its light has shone through China, past and present.’ The master said, ‘Dot it with vermilion and lacquer.’ Asked, ‘Who is the guest among guests?’ he said, ‘Carrying books and sword, he seeks an audience with the enlightened ruler.’ ‘Who is the host among guests?’ ‘Draw back the curtain; there is nothing to see.’ ‘Who is the guest among hosts?’ ‘At the third watch, cross Mengjin.’ ‘Who is the host among hosts?’ ‘Sitting alone, he governs the whole realm.’ Asked, ‘What was the lotus like before emerging from the water?’ he said, ‘A cat wearing a paper hat.’ ‘And after emerging?’ ‘A dog walking in boots.’ Asked, ‘Setting aside raising the hammer and lifting the whisk, what about the matter of blinking and raising the eyebrows?’ he said, ‘Zhaozhou once came to visit Nanquan.’ The monk said, ‘I do not understand.’ The master said, ‘This winter there is much snow and rain; what can a poor household do?’ At a talk he said: ‘To know the eternal body, look at the decaying body. To know the eternal nature, look at this staff. The staff swallows Mount Sumeru; Mount Sumeru swallows the staff. If a patch-robed monk hesitates here, he is like a defeated soldier surrendering beside a sword beam, though his chest is iron and he reaches the edge of the sea.’ He struck the Chan seat and descended. At another talk he said: ‘Seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing are all causes of birth and death. Seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing are precisely the basis of liberation. It is like a lion turning and leaping; it has no fixed dwelling in north, south, east, or west. If you do not understand, do not let down Shakyamuni. Hah!’ At another talk he said, ‘Today I will explain it plainly for you. Clear-eyed patch-robed monks, do not sit down and wallow in the mud. Take care.’ At another talk he said: ‘The sky’s height cannot be measured; who knows the earth’s depth? White clouds fly in pieces over the ridge; green water rushes below in the ravine. Set aside the phrase about rising in the east and sinking in the west. What phrase will you speak before birth and after death?’ After a long pause he said, ‘It is cold; go drink tea.’ At another talk he said: ‘Ah, ha, ha! What is it? To open the mouth is right; to close it is a mistake. A light boat with short oars floats at the heart of the waves; let the straw cape and bamboo hat wear out as they may. Hah!’ At another talk he said: ‘The Buddhas of the ten directions are rotten wooden pegs; the Three Worthies and Ten Sages are toilet sticks. Why have you come here?’ After a long pause he said—

欲得不招無間業。莫謗如來正法輪。上堂。剪除狂宼。掃蕩攙搶。猶是功勳邊事。君臣道合。海晏河清。猶是法身邊事。作麼生是衲僧本分事。良久曰。透網金鱗猶滯水。回途石馬出紗籠。上堂。承言須會宗。勿自立規矩。若人下得通方句。我當刎頸而謝之。上堂。拈起拄杖曰。山僧有時一棒作箇漫天網。打俊鷹快鷂。有時一棒作箇布絲網。摝蜆撈蝦。有時一棒作金毛師子。有時一棒作蝦蟇蚯蚓。山僧打你一棒。且作麼生商量。你若緇素得出。不妨拄杖頭上眼。開照四天下。若也未然。從教立在古屏畔。待使丹青入畵圖。上堂。擊水魚頭痛。穿林宿鳥驚。黃昏不擊皷。日午打三更。諸禪德既是日午。為甚卻打三更。良久曰。昨見垂楊綠。今逢落葉黃。上堂。拈起拄杖。更無上上。放下拄杖。是何模樣。髑髏峰後即不問汝諸人。馬鐙裡藏身一句作麼生道。若道不得。拄杖子道去也。卓一下。便歸方丈。上堂。進前即死。退後即亡。不進不退。又落在無事之鄉。何故。長安雖樂。不是久居。上堂。汝等諸人在我這裡過夏。與你點出五般病。一．不得向萬裡無寸草處去。二．不得孤峰獨宿。三．不得張弓架箭。四．不得物外安身。五．不得滯於生殺。何故。一處有滯。自救難為。五處若通。方名導師。汝等諸人若到諸方。遇明眼作者。與我通箇消息。貴得祖風不墜。若是常徒。即便寢息。何故。躶形國裡誇服飾。想君太煞不知時。上堂。山僧因看華嚴金師子章第九由心回轉善成門。又釋曰。如一尺之鏡。納重重之影象。若然者道有也得。道無也得。道非亦得。道是亦得。雖然如是。更須知有掛杖頭上一竅。若也不會。拄杖子穿燈籠。入佛殿。撞著釋迦。磕倒彌勒。露柱拊掌。呵呵大笑。你且道笑箇甚麼。卓拄杖下座。上堂。拈拄杖曰。盤山道向上一路滑。南院道壁立千仞嶮。臨濟道石火電光鈍。

(The master continued:) ‘If you wish to avoid the karma that leads to the Uninterrupted Hell, do not slander the Tathagata’s true Dharma-wheel.’ At a talk he said: ‘Cutting down rebels and sweeping away comets is still a matter on the side of merit. When ruler and ministers accord and the seas are calm, the rivers clear, that too is still a matter on the side of the Dharma-body. What is the patch-robed monk’s own affair?’ After a long pause he said, ‘A golden-scaled fish that has passed through the net is still trapped in water; a stone horse on its return path comes out of its gauze enclosure.’ At a talk he said: ‘On hearing words, you must grasp the source; do not set up rules for yourself. If anyone can give a phrase that works everywhere, I will cut off my head in gratitude.’ At another talk he raised his staff and said: ‘Sometimes my staff becomes a net covering the sky, catching swift hawks and falcons. Sometimes it becomes a fine-mesh net, scooping clams and shrimp. Sometimes it becomes a golden-maned lion. Sometimes a toad or an earthworm. When I strike you with this staff, how will you assess it? If you can distinguish black from white, an eye may open on the staff’s tip and illuminate the four continents. If not, stand beside the old screen and wait for the painter to put you in the picture.’ At a talk he said: ‘Fish hurt their heads striking the water; birds roosting in the woods are startled. At dusk the drum is not struck, yet at noon the third watch is sounded. Chan friends, since it is noon, why strike the third watch?’ After a long pause he said, ‘Yesterday I saw the willows green; today I meet yellow fallen leaves.’ At a talk he said: ‘Pick up the staff: there is nothing higher. Put it down: what does it look like? I will not ask you about the far side of Skull Peak. What phrase lets you hide inside a stirrup? If you cannot say it, the staff will speak for you.’ He struck once and returned to his quarters. At a talk he said: ‘Advance and you die; retreat and you perish. If you neither advance nor retreat, you fall into a realm of idleness. Why? Chang’an is pleasant, but it is no place to live forever.’ At a talk he said: ‘You have spent the summer retreat here with me. I will point out five kinds of illness: first, do not go to a place ten thousand li away where not a blade of grass grows; second, do not lodge alone on a solitary peak; third, do not draw a bow and set an arrow; fourth, do not make your home outside the world; fifth, do not become stuck in killing or saving. Why? If you are stuck in one place, saving yourself is difficult. If you pass through all five, you may be called a guide. When you go to other places, if you meet a clear-eyed master, send me word so the ancestral way will not decline. If you meet an ordinary fellow, go to sleep. Why? Boasting of fine clothes in a naked country shows you know nothing of the times.’ At a talk he said: ‘I was reading the ninth chapter, “The Gate of the Mind’s Turning and Perfect Fulfillment,” in the Golden Lion chapter of the Avatamsaka. The commentary says it is like a one-foot mirror containing layers upon layers of images. If so, one may say there is being, or there is no being; one may say it is not, or that it is. Even so, you must know there is an aperture on the tip of the staff. If you do not understand, the staff will pierce a lantern, enter the Buddha hall, bump into Shakyamuni, knock Maitreya over, and make the pillars clap their hands and laugh loudly. Tell me, what are they laughing at?’ He planted his staff and descended. At a talk he raised his staff and said: ‘Panshan says the upward road is slippery. Nanyuan says it is perilous, like a sheer wall a thousand fathoms high. Linji says it is dull, like flint sparks and lightning.’

琅邪有定乾坤底句。各各高著眼。高著眼。卓拄杖下座。

(The master continued:) ‘Langya has a phrase that settles heaven and earth. Each of you, keep your eyes raised—keep your eyes raised!’ He planted his staff and descended.

瑞州大愚山守芝禪師

Chan Master Shouzhi of Dayu Mountain, Ruizhou

才陞座。僧問。如何是和尚家風。師曰。一言出口。駟馬難追。問。如何是城裡佛。師曰。十字街頭石幢子。問。不落三寸時如何。師曰。乾三長。坤六短。曰。意旨如何。師曰。切忌地盈虗。問。昔日靈山分半座。二師相見事如何。師曰。記得麼。僧良久。師打禪床一下。曰。多年忘卻也。乃曰。且住。且住。若向言中取則。句裡明機。也似迷頭認影。若也舉唱宗乘。大似一場寐語。雖然如是。官不容針。私通車馬。放一線道。有箇葛藤處。遂敲禪床一下。曰。三世諸佛。盡皆頭痛。且道大眾。還有免得底麼。若一人免得。無有是處。若免不得。海印發光。師乃竪起拂子曰。這箇是印。那箇是光。這箇是光。那箇是印。掣電之機。徒勞佇思。會麼。老僧說夢。且道夢見箇甚麼。南柯十更若不會。聽取一頌。北斗掛須彌。杖頭挑日月。林泉好商量。夏末秋風切。珍重。問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。天寒日短。問。心法無形。如何雕琢。師曰。一丁兩丁。曰。未曉者如何領會。師曰。透七透八。上堂。一擊響玲瓏。喧轟宇宙通。知音才側耳。項羽過江東。與麼會。恰認得驢鞍橋作阿爺下頷。上堂。大愚相接大雄孫。五湖雲水競頭奔。競頭奔。有何門。擊箭寧知枯木存。枯木存。一年還會兩度春。兩度春。帳裡真珠撒與人。撒與人。思量也是慕西秦。上堂。竪窮三際。橫徧十方。拈起也帝釋心驚。放下也地神膽戰。不拈不放。喚作甚麼。自雲。蝦䗫。上堂。三世諸佛不知有。狸奴白牯卻知有。乃拈起拂子云。狸奴白牯總在這裡放光動地。何謂如此兩段不同。問。如何是佛。師曰。鋸解秤錘。上堂。大眾集定。乃曰。現成公案。也是打揲不辦。便下座。上堂。大洋海底排班立。從頭第二𩯭毛斑。為甚麼不道第一𩯭毛斑。要會麼。金蘂銀絲成玉露。高僧不坐鳳凰臺。上堂眾集。乃曰。為眾竭力。禍出私門。

As soon as he took the seat, a monk asked, ‘What is the master’s house style?’ He said, ‘Once a word leaves the mouth, four horses cannot catch it.’ Asked, ‘What is the Buddha in the city?’ he said, ‘A stone pillar at the crossroads.’ Asked, ‘What is it like before falling into three inches?’ he said, ‘Qian is three long strokes; Kun is six short ones.’ The monk asked what he meant. The master said, ‘Above all, do not be filled or emptied by the ground.’ Asked, ‘When Vulture Peak was divided in half long ago, what was the matter of the two masters meeting?’ he said, ‘Do you remember?’ The monk was silent for a long time. The master struck the Chan seat and said, ‘I forgot it many years ago.’ Then he said, ‘Wait, wait. If you seek the rule in words and try to grasp the workings in phrases, it is like mistaking your shadow for your head. If you expound the ancestral teaching, it is much like a dream utterance. Even so, the official road admits no needle, yet private carts and horses pass freely. Leave a narrow passage, and there will be some entanglement.’ He tapped the seat and said, ‘The Buddhas of the three times all have headaches. Tell me, is there anyone in this assembly who escapes it? If even one person escapes, that is impossible. If no one escapes, the ocean seal radiates light.’ He raised his whisk and said, ‘This is the seal; that is the light. This is the light; that is the seal. The lightning-fast moment makes waiting and thinking useless. Do you understand? This old monk is speaking of a dream. Tell me, what did I dream? If you do not understand the ten watches of the Southern Branch, listen to this verse: “The Dipper hangs from Mount Sumeru; the staff lifts sun and moon. The forest spring is a fine place to discuss; at summer’s end, the autumn wind is sharp. Take care.”’ Asked, ‘What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the West?’ he said, ‘The days are short in cold weather.’ Asked, ‘The mind-Dharma has no form; how can it be carved?’ he said, ‘One ding, two ding.’ The monk said, ‘How can one who does not understand grasp it?’ The master said, ‘Through seven, through eight.’ At a talk he said: ‘One strike rings clear and resonant; its roar passes through the universe. A person who knows the sound has barely turned an ear when Xiang Yu crosses east over the river.’ To understand it that way is just to mistake a donkey’s saddle bridge for your father’s jaw. At a talk he said: ‘Dayu welcomes the descendants of the Great Hero; clouds and waters from the Five Lakes race here, pressing forward. Pressing forward—what is the way? Who knows that a withered tree remains when arrows strike? The withered tree remains, and twice each year it meets spring. Twice each spring, pearls scatter from the curtain and are given to people. Given to people—thinking it over, one is still longing for Western Qin.’ At a talk he said: ‘Vertically it exhausts the three times; horizontally it fills the ten directions. Raise it, and Indra’s heart is alarmed; put it down, and the earth spirit trembles. If neither raised nor put down, what is it called?’ He answered himself, ‘A toad.’ At a talk he said: ‘The Buddhas of the three times do not know it; cats and white oxen do.’ He raised his whisk and said, ‘Cats and white oxen are all here, radiating light and shaking the earth. Why are these two accounts different?’ Asked, ‘What is Buddha?’ he said, ‘Saw a scale weight in two.’ At a talk, once the assembly had gathered, he said, ‘The ready-made case is still something one cannot get in order.’ Then he descended. At a talk he said: ‘At the bottom of the great ocean they stand in ranks; the second from the front has gray sideburns. Why not say the first has gray sideburns? Want to understand? Golden stamens and silver threads form jade dew; the eminent monk does not sit at Phoenix Terrace.’ When the assembly had gathered, he said, ‘Exerting oneself for the community brings trouble from one’s own door—’

便下座。上堂。翠巖路嶮𡾟。舉步涉千溪。更有洪源水。滔滔在嶺西。擊禪床。下座。示眾。擎起香合雲。明頭合。暗頭合。道得天下橫行。若道不得且合卻。下座。問。如何是為人一句。師曰。四角六張。曰。意旨如何。師曰。八凹九凸。上堂。沙裡無油事可哀。翠巖嚼飯餧嬰孩。他時好惡知端的。始覺從前滿面埃。擊禪床下座。

(The master continued:) ‘—then he descended. At a talk he said: “The road at Green Cliff is steep and rugged; every step crosses a thousand streams. Beyond lies a vast source of water, surging west of the ridge.” He struck the Chan seat and descended. Addressing the assembly, he held up the incense box and said, ‘In bright times it fits; in dark times it fits. If you can say it, you may travel freely throughout the world. If you cannot, then close it.’ He descended. Asked, ‘What is the phrase that guides people?’ he said, ‘Four corners, six openings.’ The monk asked his meaning. The master said, ‘Eight hollows, nine ridges.’ At a talk he said: ‘There is no oil in sand—how lamentable! Green Cliff chews rice and feeds it to babies. Later, when you truly know good and bad, only then will you realize how dusty your face was before.’ He struck the Chan seat and descended.

潭州石霜法永禪師

Chan Master Fayong of Shishuang, Tanzhou

僧問。如何是佛。師曰。臂長衫袖短。問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。布袴膝頭穿。

A monk asked, ‘What is Buddha?’ The master said, ‘Long arms, short sleeves.’ Asked, ‘What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the West?’ he said, ‘The knees of the cloth trousers are worn through.’

舒州法華院全舉禪師

Chan Master Quanju of Fahua Monastery, Shuzhou

到公安遠和尚處。安問。作麼生是伽藍。師曰。深山藏獨虎。淺草露群蛇。曰。作麼生是伽藍中人。師曰。青松蓋不得。黃葉豈能遮。曰。道甚麼。師曰。少年翫盡天邊月。潦倒扶桑沒日頭。曰。一句兩句。雲開月露。作麼生。師曰。照破佛祖。到大愚芝和尚處。愚問。古人見桃花意作麼生。師曰。曲不藏直。曰。那箇且從。這箇作麼生。師曰。大街拾得金。四隣爭得知。曰。上座還知麼。師曰。路逢劒客須呈劒。不是詩人不獻詩。曰。作家詩客。師曰。一條紅線兩人牽。曰。玄沙道。諦當甚諦當。敢保老兄未徹在。又作麼生。師曰。海枯終見底。人死不知心。曰。卻是。師曰。樓閣凌雲勢。峰巒疊翠層。到琅邪覺和尚處。邪問。近離甚處。師曰。兩浙。曰。船來陸來。師曰。船來。曰。船在甚處。師曰。步下。曰。不涉程途一句。作麼生道。師以坐具摵一摵曰。杜撰長老。如麻似粟。拂袖而出。邪問侍者。此是甚麼人。者曰。舉上座。邪曰。莫是舉師叔麼。先師教我尋見伊。遂下。旦過問上座。莫是舉師叔麼。莫怪適來相觸忤。師便喝。復問。長老何時到汾陽。邪曰。某時到。師曰。我在浙江早聞你名。元來見解祇如此。何得名播寰宇。邪遂作禮曰。某甲罪過。師到杭州西菴。菴主曾見明招。主舉頌曰。絕頂西峰上。峻機誰敢當。超然凡聖外。瞥起兩重光。師曰。如何是兩重光。主曰。月從東出。日向西沒。師曰。菴主未見明招時如何。主曰。滿盞油難盡。師曰。見後如何。主曰。多心易得乾。住後。僧問。如何是奪人不奪境。師曰。白菊乍開重日暖。百年公子不逢春。曰。如何是奪境不奪人。師曰。大地絕消息。翛然獨任真。曰。如何是人境兩俱奪。師曰。草荒人變色。凡聖兩齊空。曰。如何是人境俱不奪。師曰。清風與明月。野老笑相親。上堂。釋迦不出世。達磨不西來。佛法徧天下。談玄口不開。

He came to the place of the Elder Gong'an Yuan. Gong'an asked: 'What is the monastery?' The master said: 'Deep mountains hide a lone tiger; shallow grass reveals a crowd of snakes.' Gong'an said: 'What is the person within the monastery?' The master said: 'The green pines cannot cover him; how could yellow leaves hide him?' Gong'an said: 'What are you saying?' The master said: 'In youth he played out all the moons at heaven's edge; worn out, he holds up Fusang with no sun left.' Gong'an said: 'One phrase or two, the clouds open and the moon shows. What of it?' The master said: 'It shines through and breaks the buddhas and patriarchs.' He came to the place of the Elder Dayu Zhi. Dayu asked: 'What did the ancients mean by seeing the peach blossom?' The master said: 'The crooked does not hide the straight.' Dayu said: 'Let that one go. What about this one?' The master said: 'Picking up gold in the main street — how would the four neighbors know?' Dayu said: 'Do you also know, Venerable One?' The master said: 'Meeting a swordsman on the road, one must show one's sword; if one is not a poet, one does not present a poem.' Dayu said: 'An adept, a poet guest.' The master said: 'One red thread pulled by two people.' Dayu said: 'Xuansha said: "Very much to the point, very much to the point — but I dare to guarantee that you, old brother, are not yet through." What about that?' The master said: 'When the sea dries up one sees the bottom at last; when a man dies one does not know his mind.' Dayu said: 'That is so.' The master said: 'The tower reaches the clouds in its posture; the peaks pile up in layered verdure.' He came to the place of the Elder Langye Jue. Langye asked: 'Where have you recently come from?' The master said: 'The two Zhes.' Langye said: 'By boat or by land?' The master said: 'By boat.' Langye said: 'Where is the boat?' The master said: 'Below my feet.' Langye said: 'A phrase that does not touch the journey — how do you say it?' The master flicked him once with his sitting cloth and said: 'Fabricated elders, as many as hemp and millet.' He brushed his sleeves and went out. Langye asked the attendant: 'Who is this?' The attendant said: 'The Venerable Ju.' Langye said: 'Can it be Uncle Ju, the master? My late teacher told me to find him.' So he came down to the lodging hall and asked the Venerable One: 'Are you not Uncle Ju? Do not mind my offending you just now.' The master at once shouted, and then asked: 'When did the Elder arrive at Fenyang?' Langye said: 'I arrived at such and such a time.' The master said: 'In Zhejiang I heard your name early; it turns out your understanding is only like this. How is your fame spread through the world?' Langye then bowed and said: 'It is my fault.' The master came to the Western Hermitage in Hangzhou. The hermit had once seen Mingzhao. The hermit raised a verse: 'On the western peak of the summit, who dares face the steep working? Transcending ordinary and holy, in a blink two lights arise.' The master said: 'What are the two lights?' The hermit said: 'The moon comes out in the east, the sun sets in the west.' The master said: 'What of when the hermit had not yet seen Mingzhao?' The hermit said: 'A full cup of oil is hard to exhaust.' The master said: 'What of after seeing him?' The hermit said: 'Too many minds are easily dried up.' After he became abbot, a monk asked: 'What is it to take away the person but not the object?' The master said: 'White chrysanthemums just opening under a warm double sun; a hundred-year nobleman does not meet spring.' The monk said: 'What is it to take away the object but not the person?' The master said: 'The great earth is utterly without news; freely and alone he lets the real be.' The monk said: 'What is it to take away both person and object?' The master said: 'The grass is wild and men's faces change; ordinary and holy are both equally empty.' The monk said: 'What is it to take away neither person nor object?' The master said: 'Clear wind and bright moon; the old rustic laughs and draws near.' He mounted the hall: 'Shakyamuni did not appear in the world, Bodhidharma did not come from the west. The buddhadharma fills the world; speaking of the profound, the mouth does not open.'

上堂。鐘鳴鼓響。鵲噪鴉鳴。為你諸人說般若．講涅槃了也。諸人還信得及麼。觀音菩薩向諸人面前作大神通。若信不及。卻往他方救苦利生去也。上堂。開口又成增語。不開口又成剩語。乃曰。金輪天子勑。草店家風別。上堂。三世諸佛。口掛壁上。天下老和尚作麼生措手。你諸人到諸方作麼生舉。山僧恁麼道。也是久日樺來唇。喝一喝。上堂。古者道。我若一向舉揚宗教。法堂裡草深一丈。不可為闍黎鎻卻僧堂門去也。雖然如是。也是烏龜陸地弄塵行。上堂。語漸也返常合道。論頓也不留朕跡。直饒論其頓返其常。也是抑而為之。問。牛頭未見四祖時。為甚麼百鳥銜花獻。師曰。果熟猿兼重。曰。見後為甚麼不銜花。師曰。林疎鳥不過。問。七星光彩天將曉。不犯皇風試道看。師曰。將軍馬蹄紅。曰。錯。師便打。僧禮拜。展坐具始收。師曰。一展一收。法法皆周。擬欲更問。著甚來由。遂問。會麼。僧曰。不會。師便打。

He mounted the hall: 'The bell rings and the drum sounds, the magpie chatters and the crow caws — they have preached prajna and expounded nirvana for you people. Can you people believe it fully? The bodhisattva Guanyin performs a great spiritual power before you people. If you cannot believe fully, then she goes off to other lands to save the suffering and benefit beings.' He mounted the hall: 'To open the mouth is again to add words; not to open the mouth is again to leave surplus words.' Then he said: 'The golden-wheel emperor's edict; the straw-hut family style is different.' He mounted the hall: 'The buddhas of the three ages have their mouths hung on the wall. How will the old monks of the world set their hands? How will you people bring it up in other quarters? That the mountain monk speaks like this is also the lips worn thin by birch bark over many days.' He shouted once. He mounted the hall: 'The ancients said: if I were always to proclaim the school and the teaching, the grass in the dharma hall would grow a fathom deep. I cannot shut the monks' hall door on you, Acharya. Even so, it is a turtle walking on dry land stirring up dust.' He mounted the hall: 'Spoken gradually, one returns to the constant and accords with the way; spoken suddenly, one leaves no trace. Even if you discuss the sudden and return to the constant, it is still forced.' A monk asked: 'Before Niutou met the Fourth Patriarch, why did a hundred birds carry flowers to offer?' The master said: 'When the fruit is ripe the gibbon grows heavy.' The monk said: 'Why did they not carry flowers after he met him?' The master said: 'When the grove is sparse the birds do not pass.' The monk asked: 'The seven stars gleam and the sky is about to dawn; without trespassing on the imperial air, try to speak.' The master said: 'The general's horse hooves are red.' The monk said: 'Wrong.' The master at once struck him. The monk bowed, and had just spread and folded his sitting cloth. The master said: 'One spread, one fold — every dharma is complete. If you mean to ask more, what grounds are there?' Then he asked: 'Do you understand?' The monk said: 'No.' The master at once struck him.

南嶽芭蕉菴大道谷泉禪師

Chan Master Dadao Guquan of the Bajiao Hermitage, Nanyue

泉州人也。受法汾陽。放蕩湖湘。後省同參慈明禪師。明問。白雲橫谷口。道人何處來。師左右顧視。曰。夜來何處火。燒出古人墳。明曰。未在更道。師作虎聲。明以坐具便摵。師接住。推明置禪床上。明卻作虎聲。師大笑曰。我見七十餘員善知識。今日始遇作家。師因倚遇上座來參(遇後住法昌)。問。菴主在麼。師曰。誰。曰。行腳僧。師曰。作甚麼。曰。禮拜菴主。師曰。恰值菴主不在。曰。你聻。師曰。向道不在。說甚麼你我。拽棒趂出。遇次日再來。師又趂出。遇一日又來。問。菴主在麼。師曰。誰。曰。行腳僧。揭簾便入。師攔胷搊住曰。我這裡狼虎縱橫。尿床鬼子。三回兩度來討甚麼。曰。人言菴主親見汾陽來。師解衣抖擻曰。你道我見汾陽有多少奇特。曰。如何是菴中主。師曰。入門須辯取。曰。莫祇這便是麼。師曰。賺卻幾多人。曰。前言何在。師曰。聽事不真。喚鐘作甕。曰。萬法泯時全體現。君臣合處正中邪去也。師曰。驢漢不會便休。亂統作麼。曰。未審客來將何祇待。師曰。雲門餬餅趙州茶。曰。恁麼則謝師供養去也。師叱曰。我這裡火種也未有。早言謝供養。師因大雪。作偈曰。今朝甚好雪。紛紛如秋月。文殊不出頭。普賢呈醜拙。慈明遷住福嚴。師又往省之。少留而還。作偈寄之曰。相別而今又半年。不知誰共對談禪。一般秀色湘山裡。汝自匡徒我自眠。明覧笑而已。

He was a man of Quanzhou. He received the dharma from Fenyang and lived unrestrained among the lakes and rivers of Hunan. Later he went to call on his fellow student Chan Master Ciming. Ciming asked: 'White clouds bar the valley mouth; where does the man of the way come from?' The master looked left and right and said: 'What fire last night burned out the ancients' graves?' Ciming said: 'Not yet. Say more.' The master made the sound of a tiger. Ciming struck at him with his sitting cloth. The master caught it and pushed Ciming down onto the meditation bed. Ciming then made the sound of a tiger. The master laughed heartily and said: 'I have seen more than seventy good friends, and only today have I met an adept.' Because the Venerable Yu came to consult him (Yu later resided at Fachang), he asked: 'Is the hermit in?' The master said: 'Who?' The Venerable Yu said: 'A pilgrim monk.' The master said: 'What for?' The Venerable Yu said: 'To pay my respects to the hermit.' The master said: 'It happens that the hermit is not in.' The Venerable Yu said: 'And you?' The master said: 'I told you he is not in. What you and me?' He dragged out a stick and drove him away. The Venerable Yu came again the next day, and the master drove him out again. One day the Venerable Yu came again and asked: 'Is the hermit in?' The master said: 'Who?' The Venerable Yu said: 'A pilgrim monk.' He lifted the curtain and went in. The master seized him by the chest and said: 'Here wolves and tigers run wild. Bed-wetting devil, what are you after, coming three times and twice?' The Venerable Yu said: 'People say the hermit has personally seen Fenyang.' The master took off his robe and shook it, saying: 'How much of the remarkable do you say I saw in Fenyang?' The Venerable Yu said: 'What is the host in the hermitage?' The master said: 'On entering the gate one must distinguish.' The Venerable Yu said: 'Is it not just this?' The master said: 'How many people has that deceived?' The Venerable Yu said: 'Where are your former words?' The master said: 'Hearing a matter imprecisely, one calls a bell a jar.' The Venerable Yu said: 'When the ten thousand dharmas are extinguished the whole appears; where lord and minister join, one is exactly in the crooked.' The master said: 'If a donkey fellow does not understand, let it be. Why the confusion?' The Venerable Yu said: 'I wonder how a guest is to be received?' The master said: 'Yunmen's flatbread, Zhaozhou's tea.' The Venerable Yu said: 'Then I thank the Master for the offering.' The master scolded him: 'Here I do not even have tinder, and you already speak of thanking for the offering.' Once, because of heavy snow, the master made a verse: 'What fine snow today, falling thick as an autumn moon. Manjushri does not show his head; Samantabhadra displays his ugliness.' When Ciming moved to reside at Fuyan, the master went again to call on him, stayed a little and returned, and sent him a verse: 'Since we parted it is now half a year; I do not know with whom you discuss Chan. The same fair color in the Xiang mountains — you go on leading disciples and I go on sleeping.' When Ciming read it he only laughed.

蘄州黃梅龍華寺曉愚禪師

Chan Master Xiaoyu of Longhua Monastery, Huangmei, Qizhou

到五祖戒和尚處。祖問曰。不落唇吻一句。作麼生道。師曰。老老大大。話頭也不照顧。祖便喝。師亦喝。祖拈棒。師拍手便出。祖召曰。闍黎且住。話在。師將坐具搭在肩上。更不回首。上堂。摩騰入漢。已涉繁詞。達磨西來。不守己分。山僧今日與麼道。也是為他閑事長無明。

He came to the place of the Fifth Patriarch, the Elder Jie. The Fifth Patriarch asked: 'A phrase that does not fall on lips and tongue — how do you say it?' The master said: 'Old as you are, you do not even look after your own words.' The Fifth Patriarch at once shouted. The master also shouted. The Fifth Patriarch picked up his staff. The master clapped his hands and went out. The Fifth Patriarch called: 'Acharya, stay a moment; the words remain.' The master put his sitting cloth on his shoulder and did not look back. He mounted the hall: 'When Matanga entered Han he was already mired in profuse words. When Bodhidharma came from the west he did not keep to his own share. That the mountain monk speaks like this today is also meddling in others' idle affairs and increasing ignorance.'

安吉州天聖皓泰禪師

Chan Master Tiansheng Haotai of Anji Prefecture