Records of the Transmission of the Lamp, Volume Ten
處州仁壽嗣珍禪師
Chan Master Sizhen of Renshou, Chuzhou.
僧問。知師已得禪中旨。當陽一句為誰宣。師曰。土鷄瓦犬。曰。如何領會。師曰。門前不與山童掃。任意松釵滿路岐。上堂。明明無悟。有法即迷。日上無雲。麗天普照。眼中無翳。空本無花。無智人前。不得錯舉。參。
A monk asked: ‘Knowing that what is seen and heard here is not seeing and hearing, whom does the direct phrase address?’ The master said: ‘A clay chicken and a tile dog.’ ‘How should I understand?’ ‘No village boy sweeps before the gate; pine needles lie scattered along the road.’ At an assembly he said: ‘Clearly there is no awakening; if you posit a Dharma, you are deluded. The sun rises without clouds and shines across the sky; when the eye is free of film, flowers never existed in empty space. Do not raise this incorrectly before those without understanding. Investigate!’
越州雲門顯欽禪師
Chan Master Xianqin of Yunmen, Yuezhou.
上堂。良久曰。好箇話頭。若到諸方。不得錯舉。便下座。
At an assembly, after a long pause, he said: ‘That is a fine subject. When you go to other places, do not repeat it incorrectly.’ Then he descended.
果州永慶光普禪師
Chan Master Guangpu of Yongqing, Guozhou.
初問谷隱。古人道。來日大悲院裡有齋。意旨如何。曰。日出隈陽坐。天寒不舉頭。師入室次。隱曰。適來因緣汝作麼生會。師曰。會則途中受用。不會則世諦流佈。曰。未在更道。師拂袖便出。住後。僧問。如何是佛法大意。師曰。蜀地用鑌鐵。
He first asked Guyin: ‘The ancients said, “Tomorrow there will be a meal at the Great Compassion Monastery.” What did they mean?’ Guyin said: ‘At sunrise I sit in the shade; in cold weather I do not raise my head.’ When the master entered the room, Guyin asked: ‘How do you understand the encounter just now?’ He replied: ‘If understood, it is useful on the road; if not, it is merely worldly discourse.’ Guyin said: ‘Not yet. Say more.’ The master swept his sleeves and left. After taking up residence, a monk asked: ‘What is the great meaning of Buddhadharma?’ He said: ‘In Shu, they use refined steel.’
駙馬都尉李遵勗居士
Layman Li Zunxu, Commandery Duke and Imperial Son-in-Law.
謁谷隱。問出家事。隱以崔趙公問徑山公案答之。公於言下大悟。作偈曰。學道須是鐵漢。著手心頭便判。直趣無上菩提。一切是非莫管。公一日與堅上座送別。公問。近離上黨。得屆中都。方接麈談。遽回虎錫。指雲犀之翠嶠。訪雪嶺之清流。未審此處彼處。的的事作麼生。座曰。利劒拂開天地靜。霜刀才舉鬥牛寒。公曰。恰直今日耳聵。座曰。一箭落雙鵰。公曰。上座為甚麼著草鞋睡。座以衣袖一拂。公低頭曰。今日可謂降伏也。座曰。普化出僧堂。公臨終時。膈胃躁熱。有尼道堅謂曰。眾生見劫盡。大火所燒時。都尉切宜照管主人公。公曰。大師與我煎一服藥來。堅無語。公曰。這師姑藥也不會煎得。公與慈明問答罷。泊然而終。語見慈明傳中。
He visited Guyin and asked about leaving home. Guyin answered with the old case of Duke Cui asking Jing-shan. The duke awakened at that phrase and composed a verse: ‘To study the Way, be an iron man: set your heart and mind firmly at the outset. Go straight toward unsurpassed Bodhi; pay no heed to any right or wrong.’ One day the duke took leave of Elder Jian. He asked: ‘You recently left Shangdang and reached the central capital. We have only just begun our conversation, yet you turn back with your staff. You point to emerald peaks crowned by clouds and visit clear streams by snowy ridges. What, precisely, is the matter here and there?’ The elder replied: ‘A sharp sword sweeps heaven and earth clear; when a frosty blade is raised, it chills the Dipper and Ox.’ The duke said: ‘It happens that today I am deaf.’ The elder said: ‘One arrow brings down two eagles.’ The duke asked: ‘Why does the elder sleep in straw sandals?’ The elder swept his sleeve. The duke lowered his head and said: ‘Today I have indeed been subdued.’ The elder said: ‘Puhua has left the monks’ hall.’ As the duke was dying, his stomach and chest felt hot and dry. The nun Daojian said: ‘When sentient beings see the kalpa ending and are consumed by great fire, Duke, take good care of your original master.’ He said: ‘Please prepare a dose of medicine for me.’ Daojian had no answer. He said: ‘This nun does not even know how to prepare medicine.’ After exchanging questions and answers with Ciming, the duke passed away peacefully. The exchange is recorded in Ciming’s biography.
英公夏竦居士
Layman Xia Song, Duke Ying.
字子喬。自契機於谷隱。日與老衲遊。偶上藍溥禪師至。公問。百骸潰散時。那箇是長老自家底。藍曰。前月二十離蘄陽。公休去。藍卻問。百骸潰散時。那箇是相公自家底。公便喝。藍曰。喝則不無。畢竟那箇是相公自家底。公對以偈曰。休認風前第一機。太虗何處著思惟。山僧若要通消息。萬裡無雲月上時。藍曰。也是弄精魂。
His courtesy name was Ziqiao. After awakening in an encounter with Guyin, he associated daily with the old monks. Once Chan Master Pu of Shanglan arrived. The duke asked: ‘When the hundred bones fall apart, which one is your own?’ Shanglan said: ‘On the twentieth of last month I left Qiyang.’ The duke stopped. Shanglan asked in turn: ‘When the hundred bones fall apart, which one is your own, Minister?’ The duke gave a shout. Shanglan said: ‘The shout is there, but which one is yours?’ The duke answered in verse: ‘Do not mistake the foremost phrase before the wind; where in vast space can thought take hold? If this mountain monk would send a message, it is when the moon rises beneath a cloudless sky, ten thousand miles wide.’ Shanglan said: ‘That too is playing with vital energy.’
廣慧璉禪師法嗣
Dharma heirs of Chan Master Lian of Guanghui.
東京華嚴道隆禪師
Chan Master Daolong of Huayan Monastery, Tokyo.
初參石門徹和尚。問曰。古者道。但得隨處安閑。自然合他古轍。雖有此語。疑心未歇時如何。門曰。知有乃可隨處安閑。如人在州縣住。或聞或見。千奇百怪。他總將作尋常。不知有而安閑。如人在村落住。有少聲色則驚怪傳說。師於言下有省。門盡授其洞上厥旨。後為廣慧嗣。一日。福嚴承和尚問曰。禪師親見石門。如何卻嗣廣慧。師曰。我見廣慧。渠欲剃髮。使我擎凳子來。慧曰。道者。我有凳子詩聽取。乃曰。放下便平穩。我時便肯伊。因敘在石門處所得。廣慧曰。石門所示。如百味珍羞。祇是飽人不得。師至和初遊京。客景德寺。日縱觀都市。歸常二鼓。一夕不得入。臥於門之下。仁宗皇帝夢至寺門。見龍蟠地。驚覺。中夜遣中使視之。覩師熟睡鼻鼾。撼之驚矍。問名歸奏。帝聞名道隆。乃喜曰。吉徵也。明日召至便殿。問宗旨。師奏對詳允。帝大悅。後以偈句相酬唱。絡繹於道。或入對留宿禁中。禮遇特厚。賜號應制明悟禪師。皇祐間。詔大覺璉禪師於化成殿演法。召師問話。機鋒迅捷。帝大悅。侍衛皆山呼。師即奏疏舉璉自代。禁林待問。秘殿譚禪。乞歸廬山。帝覧表不允。有旨。於曹門外建精舍延師。賜號華嚴禪院。開堂。僧問。如何是道。師曰。高高低低。曰。如何是道中人。師曰。腳瘦草鞋寬。師年八十餘。示寂於盛暑。安坐七日。手足柔和。全身塔於寺之東。
He first studied with Chan Master Che of Shimen and asked: ‘The ancients said, “If you can be at ease wherever you are, you naturally accord with the old way.” Though this is said, my doubt has not ceased. What then?’ Shimen said: ‘Only when you know can you be at ease wherever you are. Someone living in a county town may hear or see countless strange things, yet take them all as ordinary. Being at ease without knowing is like living in a village: a little noise or spectacle makes one alarmed and eager to spread the news.’ The master had an insight at these words, and Shimen fully transmitted the Dongshan lineage to him. Later he became a Dharma heir of Guanghui. One day Chan Master Cheng of Fuyan asked: ‘You personally met Shimen. Why then did you inherit Guanghui?’ The master replied: ‘I saw Guanghui ask me to bring a stool for him to sit on. He said, “Practitioner, listen to my verse about the stool: Set it down, and all is steady.” I accepted him then.’ He recounted what he had learned from Shimen. Guanghui said: ‘What Shimen showed you is like a hundred delicacies, but it cannot fill a person.’ In the early years of Zhihe, the master traveled to the capital and stayed at Jingde Monastery. Each day he wandered through the city and returned around the second watch. One night he could not get in and lay beneath the gate. Emperor Renzong dreamed he came to the monastery gate and saw a dragon coiled on the ground. Startled awake, he sent an inner court attendant at midnight to investigate. The attendant found the master asleep and snoring, roused him, learned his name, and reported back. Hearing that he was Daolong, the emperor rejoiced: ‘An auspicious sign!’ The next day he summoned him to a side hall and asked about the lineage. The master answered in detail and with precision, pleasing the emperor. Thereafter they exchanged verses continually. Sometimes he was summoned to an audience and lodged inside the palace, receiving exceptional courtesy. He was granted the title Chan Master Yingzhi Mingwu. During the Huangyou era, the emperor summoned Chan Master Lian of Dajue to expound Dharma in Huacheng Hall, and called the master to question him. Their exchanges were swift and keen; the emperor was delighted, and the guards cried out in acclamation. The master submitted a memorial recommending Lian to take his place. Though the emperor wished him to remain at court to answer questions and discuss Chan in the secret palace, the master requested leave to return to Mount Lu. The emperor refused, but ordered a hermitage built outside Caomen and invited him to reside there, granting it the name Huayan Chan Monastery. At its opening, a monk asked: ‘What is the Way?’ The master said: ‘High and low.’ ‘Who is the person on the Way?’ ‘Thin feet, wide straw sandals.’ He passed away in midsummer, aged over eighty. He sat peacefully for seven days; his hands and feet remained supple. His complete body was enshrined in a stupa east of the monastery.
臨江軍慧力慧南禪師
Chan Master Huinan of Huili, Linjiang Prefecture.
僧問。師唱誰家曲。宗風嗣阿誰。師曰。鐵牛不吃欄邊草。直上須彌頂上眠。曰。恁麼則昔日汝陽親得旨。臨江今日大敷揚。師曰。禮拜了退。問。如何是佛。師曰。頭大尾小。曰。未曉玄言。乞師再指。師曰。眉長三尺二。曰。恁麼則人人皆頂戴。見者盡攢眉。師長噓一聲。僧拍一拍便禮拜。師曰。一任𨁝跳。
A monk asked: ‘Whose song do you sing, and whose lineage do you continue?’ The master said: ‘The iron ox eats no grass beside the fence; it goes straight to the summit of Mount Sumeru to sleep.’ The monk said: ‘Then in former days Yang of Ruyang personally received the intent, and today Linjiang proclaims it widely.’ The master said: ‘Bow and leave.’ Asked: ‘What is Buddha?’ he said: ‘Big head, small tail.’ ‘I do not understand this mysterious phrase; please point it out again.’ ‘Eyebrows three feet two inches long.’ The monk said: ‘Then everyone carries it on their head, and all who see it knit their brows.’ The master let out a long sigh. The monk clapped once and bowed. The master said: ‘Go ahead and leap about.’
汝州廣慧德宣禪師
Chan Master Dexuan of Guanghui, Ruzhou.
僧問。祖祖相傳傳祖印。師今得法嗣何人。師曰。仲氏吹塤。伯氏吹篪。曰。恁麼則廣慧的子。首山親孫也。師曰。椽塠裡坐地。不打闍黎。
A monk asked: ‘The patriarchs transmitted the Patriarch’s seal from generation to generation. From whom did you receive the Dharma?’ The master said: ‘The younger brother plays the xun; the elder brother plays the chi.’ The monk said: ‘Then you are a son of Guanghui and the direct grandson of Shoushan.’ The master said: ‘I am sitting among the rafters; I will not strike you, Venerable.’
文公楊億居士
Layman Yang Yi, Duke Wen.
字大年。幼舉神嬰。及壯負才名而未知有佛。一日過同僚。見讀金剛經。笑且罪之。彼讀自若。公疑之曰。是豈出孔孟之右乎。何侫甚。因閱數板。懵然始少敬信。後會翰林李公維。勉令發問。及由秘書監出守汝州。首謁廣慧。慧接見。公便問。布鼓當軒擊。誰是知音者。慧曰。來風深辯。公曰。恁麼則禪客相逢祇彈指也。慧曰。君子可八。公應喏喏。慧曰。草賊大敗。夜語次。慧曰。秘監曾與甚人道話來。公曰。某曾問雲巖諒監寺。兩箇大蟲相齩時如何。諒曰。一合相。某曰。我祇管看。未審恁麼道還得麼。慧曰。這裡即不然。公曰。請和尚別一轉語。慧以手作拽鼻勢。曰。這畜生更𨁝跳在。公於言下脫然無疑。有偈曰。八角磨盤空裡走。金毛獅子變作狗。擬欲將身北斗藏。應須合掌南辰後。復杼其師承密證。寄李翰林曰。病夫夙以頑憃。獲受獎顧。預聞南宗之旨。久陪上國之遊。動靜諮詢。周旋策發。俾其刳心之有詣。墻面之無慙者。誠出於席間床下矣。矧又故安公大師每垂誘導。自雙林滅影。隻履西歸。中心浩然。罔知所止。仍歲沉痾。神慮迷恍。殆及小間。再辯方位。又得雲門諒公大士見顧蓬蒿。諒之旨趣。正與安公同轍。竝自廬山雲居歸宗而來。皆是法眼之流裔。去年假守茲郡。適會廣慧禪伯。實承嗣南院念。念嗣風穴。穴嗣先南院。南院嗣興化。興化嗣臨濟。臨濟嗣黃檗。黃檗嗣百丈。丈嗣馬祖。祖出讓和尚。讓即曹溪之長嫡也。齋中務簡。退食之暇。或坐邀而至。或命駕從之。請扣無方。蒙滯頓釋。半歲之後。曠然弗疑。如忘忽記。如睡忽覺。平昔礙膺之物。嚗然自落。積劫未明之事。廓爾現前。固亦決擇之洞分。應接之無蹇矣。重念先德。率多參尋。如雪峰九上洞山。三到投子。遂嗣德山。臨濟得法於大愚。終承黃檗。雲巖多蒙道吾訓誘。乃為藥山之子。丹霞親承馬祖印可。
His style name was Danian. As a child he was selected as a prodigy. When grown, he was renowned for his talent, yet had not known of the Buddha. One day he visited a colleague and saw him reading the Diamond Sutra. He laughed and rebuked him, but the man continued reading calmly. The official grew curious: ‘Could this surpass Confucius and Mencius? How absurd!’ He read several pages and was bewildered, only then beginning to respect and believe it. Later he met the Hanlin academician Li Wei, who encouraged him to raise questions. When he left the Office of the Imperial Library to become prefect of Ruzhou, he first visited Guanghui. Guanghui received him, and the official asked, ‘A cloth drum is struck before the hall; who is its connoisseur?’ Guanghui said, ‘A deep discernment of the coming wind.’ The official said, ‘Then when Chan practitioners meet, they need only snap their fingers.’ Guanghui said, ‘A gentleman may be eight.’ The official assented repeatedly. Guanghui said, ‘The bandits are utterly defeated.’ During their evening conversation, Guanghui asked, ‘With whom has the Imperial Librarian discussed the Way?’ The official said, ‘I once asked the supervisory monk Liang of Yunyan, “What is it like when two tigers fight?” Liang said, “A single composite appearance.” I said, “I will just keep watching.” I wonder whether that answer was adequate.’ Guanghui said, ‘Here I would not put it that way.’ The official said, ‘Please give another turning phrase.’ Guanghui made a gesture as if pulling an animal by the nose and said, ‘This beast is still leaping about!’ At these words the official was suddenly free of doubt. He composed a verse: ‘An eight-sided millstone rolls through empty space; a golden-maned lion turns into a dog. If you would hide your body in the Northern Dipper, you must first put your palms together behind the Southern Dipper.’ He also described the secret realization he had received from his teachers in a letter to Hanlin academician Li: ‘This ailing man has long been stubborn and obtuse, yet has received your encouragement and care. I was allowed to hear the Southern School’s teaching and for a long time enjoyed traveling in the capital. I asked questions in every circumstance and received your counsel at every turn. The ability to empty my mind and make progress, and the freedom from shame even when facing a wall, truly came from our conversations in the hall and beneath the bed. Moreover, Master An of Gu’an repeatedly guided me. Since Shuanglin passed into stillness and returned west on one shoe, my heart has been vast and empty, and I have not known where to stop. For years I suffered severe illness, my mind and awareness clouded and confused. When I recovered somewhat and could again tell the directions, the great monk Yunmen Liang took notice of me, a weed in the wilderness. Liang’s teaching is precisely in accord with Master An’s. Both came from Yunju and Guizong on Mount Lu; they are descendants of the Fayan lineage. Last year, while acting as prefect of this commandery, I happened to meet Chan Master Guanghui, who is truly an heir of Nanyuan Nian. Nian inherited from Fengxue; Fengxue from the earlier Nanyuan; Nanyuan from Xinghua; Xinghua from Linji; Linji from Huangbo; Huangbo from Baizhang; Baizhang from Mazu; and Mazu from Rang, who was the senior heir of Caoxi. With duties at the office light, during leisure after meals I sometimes invited him to come and sit, or went to him in my carriage. I asked questions without limit, and my obstructions were at once dispelled. After half a year I was completely free of doubt. It was as if I had forgotten and suddenly remembered, or slept and suddenly awoke. What had long weighed on my breast burst away; matters left unclear through accumulated kalpas opened plainly before me. My discernment became decisive and clear, and I could respond without hindrance. Thinking again of the worthy ones of old, most of them sought teachers everywhere. Xuefeng went nine times to Dongshan and three times to Touzi before inheriting from Deshan. Linji received the Dharma from Dayu and ultimately succeeded Huangbo. Yunyan was repeatedly taught and guided by Daowu before becoming Yaoshan’s heir. Danxia personally received Mazu’s confirmation…’
而終作石頭之裔。在古多有。於理無嫌。病夫今繼紹之緣。實屬於廣慧。而提激之自。良出於鼇峰也。欣幸。欣幸。公問廣慧曰。承和尚有言。一切罪業。皆因財寶所生。勸人疎於財利。況南閻浮提眾生。以財為命。邦國以財聚人。教中有財法二施。何得勸人疎財乎。慧曰。幡竿尖上鐵龍頭。公曰。海壇馬子似驢大。慧曰。楚鷄不是丹山鳳。公曰。佛滅二千歲。比丘少慚愧。公置一百問。請廣慧答。慧一一答回。公問李都尉曰。釋迦六年苦行。成得甚麼事。尉曰。擔折知柴重。公因微恙。問環大師曰。某今日忽違和。大師慈悲。如何醫療。環曰。丁香湯一盌。公便作吐勢。環曰。恩愛成煩惱。環為煎藥次。公呌曰。有賊。環下藥於公前。叉手側立。公瞠目眎之曰。少叢林漢。環拂袖而出。又一日。問曰。某四大將欲離散。大師如何相救。環乃槌𮌎三下。公曰。賴遇作家。環曰。幾年學佛法。俗氣猶未除。公曰。禍不單行。環作噓噓聲。公書偈遺李都尉曰。漚生與漚滅。二法本來齊。欲識真歸處。趙州東院西。尉見遂曰。泰山廟裡賣紙錢。尉即至。公已逝矣。
(Yang Yi continued:) ‘…and ultimately became a descendant of Shitou. This was common in antiquity and presents no doctrinal difficulty. As for this ailing man, my present opportunity to continue the lineage truly came through Guanghui, while the initial stimulation came, in fact, from Aofeng. I am deeply grateful.’ The official asked Guanghui, ‘I have heard you say that all sinful karma arises from wealth and treasure, and that you urge people to distance themselves from wealth and profit. Yet beings in Jambudvipa regard wealth as life itself, and states gather people through wealth. The teachings also speak of the two forms of giving, material and Dharma. How can you urge people to shun wealth?’ Guanghui said, ‘An iron dragon’s head atop a banner pole.’ The official said, ‘The little horse on the sea altar is as large as a donkey.’ Guanghui said, ‘A Chu rooster is no phoenix of Mount Dan.’ The official said, ‘Two thousand years after the Buddha’s nirvana, monks have little shame.’ The official set out a hundred questions, and Guanghui answered each one. The official asked Commandant Li, ‘What did Shakyamuni accomplish through six years of ascetic practice?’ Li said, ‘When the shoulder pole breaks, you learn how heavy the firewood is.’ When the official was slightly unwell, he asked Master Huan, ‘Today I have suddenly taken ill. Master, with compassion, how would you treat me?’ Huan said, ‘A bowl of clove soup.’ The official pretended to vomit. Huan said, ‘Affection and attachment become affliction.’ While Huan was preparing medicine for him, the official shouted, ‘There is a thief!’ Huan set the medicine down before him and stood respectfully with hands folded. The official stared at him and said, ‘You petty fellow of the monastery!’ Huan swept out with his sleeve. Another day the official asked, ‘My four elements are about to scatter. Master, how will you rescue me?’ Huan beat his chest three times. The official said, ‘Luckily I met a true adept.’ Huan said, ‘After years studying the Buddha Dharma, you still have not shed your worldly airs.’ The official said, ‘Misfortune never comes singly.’ Huan made a soft sighing sound. The official wrote a verse for Commandant Li: ‘Bubble born and bubble gone: these two are originally equal. If you wish to know the true place of return, it is east or west of Zhaozhou’s monastery.’ The commandant saw it and said, ‘They sell paper money at the Mount Tai shrine.’ When he arrived, the official had already passed away.
南嶽下十一世
The eleventh generation below Nanyue
石霜圓禪師法嗣
Heirs of Chan Master Yuan of Shishuang
洪州翠巖可真禪師
Chan Master Kezhen of Cuiyan Monastery in Hongzhou
福州人也。嘗參慈明。因之金鑾同善侍者坐夏。善乃慈明高第。道吾真．楊岐會皆推伏之。師自負親見慈明。天下無可意者。善與語。知其未徹。笑之。一日山行。舉論鋒發。善拈一片瓦礫。置盤石上。曰。若向這裡下得一轉語。許你親見慈明。師左右視。擬對之。善叱曰。竚思停機。情識未透。何曾夢見。師自愧悚。即還石霜。慈明見來。叱曰。本色行腳人。必知時節。有甚急事。夏未了早已至此。師泣曰。被善兄毒心。終礙塞人。故來見和尚。明遽問。如何是佛法大意。師曰。無雲生嶺上。有月落波心。明嗔目喝曰。頭白齒豁。猶作這箇見解。如何脫離生死。師悚然。求指示。明曰。汝問我。師理前語問之。明震聲曰。無雲生嶺上。有月落波心。師於言下大悟。師爽氣逸出。機辯迅捷。叢林憚之。住翠巖日。僧問。如何是佛。師曰。同坑無異土。問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。深耕淺種。問。如何是學人轉身處。師曰。一堵墻。百堵調。曰。如何是學人著力處。師曰。千日斫柴一日燒。曰。如何是學人親切處。師曰。渾家送上渡頭船。問。利人一句。請師垂示。師曰。三腳蝦蟇飛上天。曰。前村深雪裡。昨夜一枝開。師曰。饑逢王膳不能餐。問。如何是道。師曰。出門便見。曰。如何是道中人。師曰。擔枷過狀。上堂。先德道。此事如𪹼龜文。𪹼即成兆。不𪹼成鈍。𪹼與不𪹼。直下便揑。上藍即不然。無固無必。虗空走馬。旱地行船。南山起雲。北山下雨。遂拈拄杖曰。拄杖子變作天大將軍。巡歷四天下。有守節不守節。有戒行無戒行。一時奏與天帝釋。乃喝一喝曰。丈夫自有沖天志。莫向如來行處行。卓一下上堂。舉龍牙頌曰。學道如鑽火。逢煙未可休。直待金星現。歸家始到頭。神鼎曰。學道如鑽火。逢煙即便休。莫待金星現。燒腳又燒頭。師曰。若論頓也。龍牙正在半途。若論漸也。
He was from Fuzhou. He had once studied with Ciming, then went to Jinluan and spent the summer retreat with Attendant Shan. Shan was Ciming’s foremost disciple; Daowu Zhen and Yangqi Hui both deferred to him. The master prided himself on having personally met Ciming and thought there was no one in the world to his liking. Shan spoke with him, realized he had not penetrated the matter, and laughed at him. One day as they walked in the mountains, their discussion sharpened. Shan picked up a piece of tile and placed it on a flat rock. ‘If you can give a turning phrase here, I will acknowledge that you have personally met Ciming.’ The master looked around, about to answer. Shan scolded him, ‘You pause to think and halt your response; your conscious understanding has not penetrated it. How could you ever have dreamed of seeing him?’ Ashamed and shaken, the master immediately returned to Shishuang. When Ciming saw him, he scolded, ‘A genuine traveler in the Way must know the proper time. What urgent business brings you here before the summer retreat is over?’ The master wept and said, ‘Brother Shan has a poisonous heart; he has completely blocked me. That is why I have come to see you.’ Ciming promptly asked, ‘What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?’ The master said, ‘No clouds arise above the ridge; the moon falls into the heart of the waves.’ Ciming glared and shouted, ‘Your hair is white and your teeth are gone, yet you still hold this view! How will you escape birth and death?’ The master was startled and asked for instruction. Ciming said, ‘Ask me.’ The master repeated the question he had asked before. Ciming thundered, ‘No clouds arise above the ridge; the moon falls into the heart of the waves.’ At these words the master greatly awakened. His spirit was bold and unrestrained, and his responses quick and incisive; the monasteries feared him. While residing at Cuiyan, a monk asked, ‘What is Buddha?’ The master said, ‘The same pit, no different earth.’ Asked the meaning of the patriarch’s coming from the West, he said, ‘Plow deeply and plant shallowly.’ Asked where a student can turn around, he said, ‘One wall, a hundred walls in harmony.’ Asked where a student should apply effort, he said, ‘Chop firewood for a thousand days, burn it for one.’ Asked where the student’s closest point is, he said, ‘The whole family sees you off to the ferryboat.’ Asked for a phrase that benefits people, he said, ‘A three-legged toad flies up to heaven.’ The monk said, ‘In the deep snow at the village before, one branch blossomed last night.’ The master said, ‘Meeting a royal feast while hungry, yet unable to eat.’ Asked, ‘What is the Way?’ he said, ‘Step outside and you will see.’ Asked who walks in the Way, he said, ‘Carrying a cangue to plead a case.’ At a sermon he said, ‘The worthy ones of old said this matter is like drilling the shell of a turtle: drilling produces a sign; not drilling leaves it dull. But drilling or not drilling, one simply pinches it straightaway. Shanglan puts it differently: nothing is fixed or certain. A horse runs through the sky; a boat sails on dry land. Clouds rise over the southern mountain, rain falls on the northern mountain.’ He raised his staff and said, ‘The staff turns into the Great General of Heaven and patrols the four continents. Whether people keep their vows or not, whether they observe precepts or not, it reports them all to Indra.’ He shouted and said, ‘A true man has a will that pierces heaven; do not follow the path trodden by the Tathagata.’ He struck once. At another sermon he cited Longya’s verse: ‘Studying the Way is like drilling for fire; when smoke appears, do not stop. Wait until the golden spark appears; only then have you reached home.’ Shending said, ‘Studying the Way is like drilling for fire; when smoke appears, stop at once. Do not wait for the golden spark to appear, or you will burn your feet and your head.’ The master said, ‘If we speak of suddenness, Longya is still halfway there. If we speak of gradualness…’
神鼎猶少悟在。於此復且如何。諸仁者。今年多落葉。幾處掃歸家。上堂。臨陣抗敵。不懼生死者。將軍之勇也。入山不懼虎兕者。獵人之勇也。入水不懼蛟龍者。漁人之勇也。作麼生是衲僧之勇。拈拄杖曰。這箇是拄杖子。拈得．把得．動得。三千大千世界。一時搖動。若拈不得。把不得。動不得。文殊自文殊。解脫自解脫。參。上堂。舉。僧問巴陵。如何是道。陵曰。明眼人落井。又問寶應。如何是道。應曰。五鳳樓前。又問首山。如何是道。山曰。腳下深三尺。此三轉語。一句壁立千仞。一句陸地行船。一句賓主交參。諸人莫有揀得者麼。出來道看。如無。且行羅漢慈。破結賊故。行菩薩慈。安眾生故。行如來慈。得如相故。問。如何是佛法大意。師曰。五通賢聖。曰。學人不會。師曰。舌至梵天。師將入滅。示疾甚勞苦。席藁於地。轉側不少休。喆侍者垂泣曰。平生訶佛罵祖。今何為乃爾。師熟視。訶曰。汝亦作此見解邪。即起趺坐。呼侍者燒香。煙起遂示寂。
(The master continued:) ‘…Shending has still not awakened enough. What about this, good people? This year many leaves have fallen; in how many places have they been swept home?’ At a sermon he said, ‘A general’s courage is to face the enemy in battle without fearing death. A hunter’s courage is to enter the mountains without fearing tigers or rhinoceroses. A fisherman’s courage is to enter the water without fearing crocodile dragons. What is a monk’s courage?’ He raised his staff and said, ‘This is a staff. If you can lift it, hold it, and move it, the three thousand great thousand worlds all tremble at once. If you cannot lift it, hold it, or move it, Manjushri remains Manjushri, and liberation remains liberation. Investigate!’ At a sermon he cited these exchanges. A monk asked Baling, ‘What is the Way?’ Baling said, ‘A clear-eyed person falls into a well.’ He asked Baoying, ‘What is the Way?’ Baoying said, ‘Before the Five-Phoenix Tower.’ He asked Shoushan, ‘What is the Way?’ Shoushan said, ‘Three feet beneath your own feet.’ ‘Of these three turning phrases, one stands like a wall a thousand fathoms high, one sails a boat on dry land, and one joins host and guest in mutual exchange. Can any of you distinguish them? Come forward and say so. If not, practice the compassion of arhats, for it breaks the thieves of affliction; practice the compassion of bodhisattvas, for it brings peace to living beings; practice the compassion of the Tathagata, for it realizes suchness.’ Asked, ‘What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?’ he said, ‘The sages with the five supernormal powers.’ The monk said, ‘I do not understand.’ He said, ‘The tongue reaches the Brahma heaven.’ When the master was about to enter nirvana, he became gravely ill and suffered greatly, lying on a mat of straw and turning from side to side without rest. Attendant Zhe wept and said, ‘All your life you reviled Buddhas and patriarchs; why are you like this now?’ The master stared at him and scolded, ‘Do you hold this view too?’ He immediately sat cross-legged, called for the attendant to burn incense, and passed away as the smoke rose.
蔣山贊元覺海禪師
Chan Master Zanjue, Baoxin, of Jiangshan
婺州義烏人。姓傅氏。乃大士之裔也。夙修種智。隨願示生。父母感祥。閭裡稱異。三歲出家。七歲為僧。十五遊方。遠造石霜。陞於丈室。慈明一見曰。好好著槽廠。師遂作驢鳴。明曰。真法器耳。俾為侍者。二十年中。運水搬柴。不憚寒暑。悉己躬親。求道後出世蘇臺．天峰．龍華．白雲。府帥請居誌公道場。提綱宗要。機鋒迅敏。解行相應。諸方推服。丞相王公安石重師德望。特奏章服師號。公又堅辭鼎席。結廬定林山中。與師蕭散林下。清談終日。贈師頌曰。不與物違真道廣。每尋緣起自禪深。舌根已淨誰能壞。足跡如空我得尋。此亦明世希有事也。僧問。如何是和尚家風。師曰。東壁打西壁。曰。客來如何祇待。師曰。山上樵。井中水。問。如何是諸佛出身處。師曰。驢胎馬腹。問。魯祖面壁。意旨如何。師曰。住持事繁。問。如何是大善知識。師曰。屠牛剝羊。曰。為甚麼如此。師曰。業在其中。上堂。這箇若是。如虎戴角。這箇若不是。喚作甚麼。良久曰。餧驢餧馬。珍重。元祐元年。師乃遷化。丞相王公慟哭於塔。讚師真曰。賢哉人也。行厲而容寂。知言而能默。譽榮弗喜。辱毀弗戚。弗矜弗克。人自稱德。有緇有白。來自南北。弗順弗逆。弗抗弗抑。弗觀汝華。唯食己實。孰其嗣之。我有遺則。
He was from Yiwu in Wuzhou, surnamed Fu, and descended from Fu Dashi. From former lives he had cultivated the seed of wisdom and appeared in this world in accordance with his vow. Auspicious signs moved his parents, and the neighbors regarded him as extraordinary. He left home at three and became a monk at seven. At fifteen he traveled to Shishuang and entered the abbot’s room. Ciming saw him and said, ‘Good, good! Get into the livestock pen.’ The master brayed like a donkey. Ciming said, ‘A true vessel of the Dharma!’ and assigned him as attendant. For twenty years he carried water and firewood, fearing neither cold nor heat, and did all the work himself. After seeking the Way, he taught at Sutai, Tianfeng, Longhua, and Baiyun. The prefectural commander invited him to reside at Zhigong’s monastery. He expounded the essentials of the school, answered swiftly and sharply, and united understanding with practice, winning the respect of all quarters. Chancellor Wang Anshi esteemed his virtue and reputation and specially petitioned that he receive formal robes and a title. The chancellor also firmly declined the chief minister’s seat, built a hut on Dinglin Mountain, and spent unhurried days in the woods with the master, conversing freely from morning to night. He presented the master with a verse: ‘Not opposing things, the true Way is vast; tracing conditions, his Chan grows deep. The tongue-root is pure—who can corrupt it? His footprints are like empty space, where I can find him.’ This too was a rare event in the world. A monk asked, ‘What is the master’s family style?’ The master said, ‘The east wall strikes the west wall.’ Asked how he treats a guest, he said, ‘Firewood on the mountain, water in the well.’ Asked where all Buddhas emerge from, he said, ‘A donkey’s womb, a horse’s belly.’ Asked what Lu Zu meant by facing the wall, he said, ‘The abbot has many duties.’ Asked what a great spiritual friend is, he said, ‘Butchering cattle and skinning sheep.’ The monk asked why. He said, ‘Karma is right there.’ At a sermon he said, ‘If this is it, it is like a tiger wearing horns. If this is not it, what shall we call it?’ After a long pause he said, ‘Feed the donkeys and horses. Take care.’ In the first year of Yuanyou, the master passed away. Chancellor Wang wept bitterly at the stupa and praised the master’s portrait: ‘How worthy this man was! His conduct was austere, his bearing serene; he knew when to speak and could remain silent. He was not delighted by honor and praise, nor distressed by insult and blame. He made no claims and achieved nothing, yet people themselves called him virtuous. Monks and laypeople alike came from north and south. He neither yielded nor resisted, neither defied nor suppressed. He did not admire your flowers, but ate only his own fruit. Who will inherit him? I have his legacy as a rule.’
瑞州武泉山政禪師
Chan Master Zheng of Wuquan Mountain in Ruizhou
僧問。如何是佛法大意。師曰。衣成人。水成田。上堂。黃梅席上。海眾千人。付法傳衣。碓坊行者。是則紅日西昇。非則月輪東上。參。
A monk asked, ‘What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?’ The master said, ‘Clothing makes a person; water makes a field.’ At a sermon he said, ‘At Huangmei’s assembly were a thousand monks. The Dharma was transmitted and the robe handed on to a worker at the rice-pounding hut. If this is so, the red sun rises in the west; if not, the moon rises in the east. Investigate!’
南嶽雙峰寺省回禪師
Chan Master Xinghui of Shuangfeng Monastery on Mount Heng
上堂。南番人汎船。塞北人搖艣。波斯入大唐。須彌山作舞。是甚麼說話。師元豐六年九月十七日淨髮。沐浴辭眾。偈曰。九十二光陰。分明對眾說。遠洞散寒雲。幽牕度殘月。言訖坐逝。茶毗齒頂不壞。上有五色異光。
At a sermon he said, ‘People of the southern seas sail boats; people north of the passes handle the oars. Persians enter the Great Tang, and Mount Sumeru dances. What sort of talk is this?’ On the seventeenth day of the ninth month in the sixth year of Yuanfeng, the master shaved his head, bathed, and bade farewell to the assembly. He composed a verse: ‘Ninety-two years of passing time; I have made it clear before the assembly. Clouds disperse from the distant cave; the waning moon crosses the secluded window.’ When he finished, he sat and passed away. After cremation, his teeth and crown remained intact, with extraordinary five-colored light above them.
洪州大寧道寬禪師
Chan Master Daokuan of Daning in Hongzhou
僧問。飲光正見。為甚麼見拈花卻微笑。師曰。忍俊不禁。問。丹霞燒木佛。院主為甚麼眉鬚墮落。師曰。賊不打貧兒家。問。既是一真法界。為甚麼卻有千差萬別。師曰。根深葉茂。僧打圓相曰。還出得這箇也無。師曰。弄巧成拙。問。如何是前三三。後三三。師曰。數九不到九。問。如何是佛法大意。師曰。點茶須是百沸湯。曰。意旨如何。師曰。吃盡莫留滓。有僧造師之室。問。如何是露地白牛。師以火筯插火爐中。曰。會麼。曰。不會。師曰。頭不欠。尾不剩。師在同安日。時有僧問。既是同安。為甚麼卻有病僧化去。師曰。佈施不如還卻債。上堂。少林妙訣。古佛家風。應用隨機。卷舒自在。如拳作掌。開合有時。似水成漚。起滅無定。動靜俱顯。語默全彰。萬用自然。不勞心力。到這裡喚作順水放船。且道逆風舉棹。誰是好手。良久曰。弄潮須是弄潮人。喝一喝曰。珍重。上堂。無念為宗。無住為本。真空為體。妙有為用。所以道。盡大地是真空。徧法界是妙有。且道是甚麼人用得。四時運用。日月長明。法本不遷。道無方所。隨緣自在。逐物昇沈。此土他方。入凡入聖。雖然如是。且道入鄉隨俗一句作麼生道。良久曰。西天梵語。此土唐言。
A monk asked, ‘Kashyapa saw the truth directly. Why did he smile when he saw the flower being held up?’ The master said, ‘He could not hold back his laughter.’ Asked why Danxia’s burning of the wooden Buddha made the abbot lose his eyebrows and beard, he said, ‘A thief does not rob a poor man’s house.’ Asked why, if there is one true Dharma realm, there are a thousand differences, he said, ‘Deep roots, luxuriant leaves.’ The monk drew a circle and asked, ‘Can you get out of this?’ The master said, ‘Trying to be clever makes you clumsy.’ Asked what ‘the first three-three, the last three-three’ meant, he said, ‘Count to nine without reaching nine.’ Asked the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma, he said, ‘To make tea, use water at a full boil.’ The monk asked its meaning. He said, ‘Drink it all; leave no dregs.’ A monk came to his room and asked, ‘What is the white ox in the open field?’ The master stuck fire tongs into the brazier and asked, ‘Do you understand?’ The monk said, ‘I do not.’ The master said, ‘Its head is not lacking; its tail is not left over.’ When the master was at Tong’an, a monk asked, ‘Since this is Tong’an, why has a sick monk passed away here?’ The master said, ‘Giving alms is not as good as repaying a debt.’ At a sermon he said, ‘The wondrous secret of Shaolin, the family style of the ancient Buddhas: responding to circumstances, it rolls up and unfurls at will. A fist becomes a palm; it opens and closes at the right time. Water becomes bubbles, arising and vanishing without a fixed pattern. Movement and stillness both appear; speech and silence fully reveal it. Its myriad functions are natural and require no effort. If you call this sailing downstream, tell me: who is skilled at rowing against the wind?’ After a long pause he said, ‘Only one who rides the tide can play with the tide.’ He shouted, ‘Take care!’ At another sermon he said, ‘No-thought is the school’s aim; non-abiding is its foundation. True emptiness is its essence; wondrous existence is its function. Thus it is said: the whole earth is true emptiness, and the whole Dharma realm is wondrous existence. Tell me, who can use it? The four seasons turn, the sun and moon shine forever. Dharma does not move; the Way has no fixed place. Following conditions, it is free; following things, it rises and sinks. Here or in other lands, it enters the ordinary and the holy. Even so, how do you say the phrase for adapting to local custom?’ After a long pause he said, ‘In India it is Sanskrit; in this land it is Tang speech.’
潭州道吾悟真禪師
Chan Master Wuzhen of Daowu in Tanzhou
上堂。古今日月。依舊山河。若明得去。十方薄伽梵。一路涅槃門。若明不得。謗斯經故。獲罪如是。上堂。師子兒哮吼。龍馬駒𨁝跳。古佛鏡中明。三山孤月皎。遂作舞。下座。上堂。舉。洞山道。五臺山上雲蒸飯。佛殿堦前狗尿天。剎竿頭上煎甚子。三箇猢猻夜簸錢。老僧即不然。三面狸奴腳踏月。兩頭白牯手拏煙。戴冠碧兔立庭栢。脫殻烏龜飛上天。老僧葛藤盡被汝諸人覷破了也。洞山老人。甚是奇特。雖然如是。祇行得三步四步。且不過七跳八跳。且道誵訛在甚麼處。老僧今日不惜眉毛。一時佈施。良久曰。叮嚀損君德。無言真有功。任從滄海變。終不為君通。問。凝然便會時如何。師曰。老鼠尾上帶研槌。問。如何是真如體。師曰。夜叉屈膝眼睛黑。曰。如何是真如用。師曰。金剛杵打鐵山摧。問。如何是常照。師曰。針鋒上須彌。曰。如何是寂照。師曰。眉毛裡海水。曰。如何是本來照。師曰。草鞋裡𨁝跳。僧退。師曰。寂照常照本來照。草鞋底下常𨁝跳。更會針鋒上須彌。眉毛中水常渺渺。問。如何是佛。師曰。洞庭無葢。上堂。山前麥熟。廬陵米價。鎮州蘿蔔。更有一般。良久曰。時挑野菜和根煑。旋斫生柴帶葉燒。上堂。古人道。認著依前還不是。實難會。土宿頷下髭鬚多。波斯眼深鼻孔大。甚奇怪。歘然透過新羅界。問僧。甚處來。曰。堂中來。師曰。聖僧道甚麼。僧近前不審。師曰。東家作驢。西家作馬。曰。過在甚麼處。師曰。萬裡崖州。師不安。僧問。和尚近日尊位如何。師曰。粥飯頭不了事。僧無語。師鳴指一下。上堂。普化明打暗打。布袋橫撒竪撒。石室行者踏碓。因甚忘卻下腳。問。如何是第一玄。師曰。釋尊光射阿難肩。曰。如何是第二玄。師曰。孤輪眾象攢。曰。如何是第三玄。師曰。泣向枯桑淚漣漣。曰。如何是第一要。師曰。最好精麤照。曰。
At a sermon he said, ‘The sun and moon of past and present are unchanged; so are the mountains and rivers. If you understand this, the Bhagavans of the ten directions share one path, the gate of nirvana. If you do not understand it, you slander this sutra and incur just such a fault.’ At another sermon he said, ‘The lion cub roars; the dragon colt leaps. In the ancient Buddha’s mirror there is brightness; the three mountains stand beneath a lonely moon.’ He danced and left the seat. At another sermon he cited Dongshan: ‘On Mount Wutai, clouds steam rice; before the Buddha hall, dogs urinate at the sky. What are you frying atop the temple banner pole? Three monkeys sift coins in the night.’ The master said, ‘I would put it differently: Three-sided civet cats tread upon the moon; two-headed white oxen hold smoke in their hands. A green hare wearing a cap stands in the courtyard cypress; a shell-less tortoise flies up to heaven. Your eyes have seen through all this old monk’s rambling. Old Dongshan was most extraordinary. Even so, he managed only three or four steps, not even seven leaps or eight bounds. Tell me, where is the mistake? Today this old monk spares no eyebrows and gives it all away.’ After a long pause he said, ‘Admonishing you diminishes your virtue; true merit lies in silence. Let the blue sea change as it will; I will never explain it for you.’ Asked what it was like to understand immediately and calmly, he said, ‘A mouse carries a grinding pestle on its tail.’ Asked the essence of suchness, he said, ‘A yaksha bends its knees; its eyes are black.’ Asked its function, he said, ‘A vajra pestle strikes, and the iron mountain crumbles.’ Asked what is constant illumination, he said, ‘Mount Sumeru on a needle point.’ Asked what is still illumination, he said, ‘An ocean in your eyebrows.’ Asked what is original illumination, he said, ‘Leaping inside straw sandals.’ The monk withdrew. The master said, ‘Still illumination, constant illumination, original illumination—leaping forever beneath your straw sandals. If you understand Mount Sumeru on a needle point, the water between your eyebrows is always vast.’ Asked, ‘What is Buddha?’ he said, ‘Lake Dongting has no cover.’ At a sermon he said, ‘The wheat ripens before the mountain; rice prices in Luling; radishes in Zhenzhou.’ After a long pause he said, ‘Pick wild greens and boil them roots and all; chop fresh firewood and burn it with the leaves.’ At another sermon he said, ‘The ancients said, “Recognize it, and still it is not it.” This is hard to understand. The earth spirit has a great beard on his chin; the Persian has deep-set eyes and a large nose. How strange! Suddenly pass through the border of Silla.’ He asked a monk, ‘Where have you come from?’ The monk said, ‘From the hall.’ The master asked, ‘What did the holy monk say?’ The monk stepped forward and bowed. The master said, ‘In the east house you become a donkey; in the west house you become a horse.’ The monk asked, ‘What is my fault?’ The master said, ‘Ten thousand miles away in Yazhou.’ When the master was unwell, a monk asked, ‘How is the master’s health these days?’ He said, ‘The rice and gruel business is not finished.’ The monk was speechless. The master snapped his fingers once. At a sermon he said, ‘Puhua struck in the open and in secret; Budai scattered things crosswise and lengthwise. Why did the worker at Shishi Monastery, treading the mill, forget to step down?’ Asked what is the first mystery, he said, ‘The Buddha’s light shines on Ananda’s shoulder.’ Asked the second, he said, ‘The solitary wheel gathers all images.’ Asked the third, he said, ‘Weeping toward a withered mulberry, tears stream down.’ Asked the first essential, he said, ‘Best to illuminate coarse and fine.’ The monk said…
如何是第二要。師曰。閃電乾坤光晃耀。曰。如何是第三要。師曰。路夾青松老。上堂。舉。僧問首山。如何是佛。山曰。新婦騎驢阿家牽。師曰。手提巴鼻腳踏尾。仰面看天聽流水。天明送出路傍邊。夜靜還歸茅屋裡。
(The monk continued:) ‘What is the second essential?’ The master said, ‘Lightning flashes and the universe shines.’ The monk asked, ‘What is the third essential?’ The master said, ‘The road runs between old green pines.’ At a sermon he cited this exchange. A monk asked Shoushan, ‘What is Buddha?’ Shoushan said, ‘A bride rides a donkey while her mother-in-law leads it.’ The master said, ‘Holding its nose in one hand, stepping on its tail with one foot, face raised to watch the sky and listen to flowing water: at dawn I lead it out beside the road; in the quiet of night I return to the thatched hut.’