Records of the Transmission of the Lamp, Volume Ten

僧問。如何是正法眼。師曰。瞎。問。如何是和尚關棙子。師竪起拂子。僧便喝。師便打。問。如何是三乘教。師曰。上大人。曰。意旨如何。師曰。化三千。

A monk asked, 'What is the correct Dharma eye?' The Master said, 'Blind.' He asked, 'What is the Reverend's latch and bolt?' The Master raised his whisk. The monk then shouted, and the Master then beat him. He asked, 'What are the teachings of the three vehicles?' The Master said, 'The great man above.' He said, 'What does it mean?' The Master said, 'He transforms three thousand.'

披雲寂禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Ji of Piyun

廬山開先照禪師

Chan Master Zhao of Kaixian in Mount Lu

僧問。向上宗乘。乞師垂示。師曰。白雲斷處見明月。曰。猶是學人疑處。師曰。黃葉落時聞擣衣。問。如何是和尚家風。師曰。一條寒㵎木。得力勝兒孫。曰。用者如何。師曰。百雜碎。上堂。叢林規矩。古佛家風。一參一請。一粥一飯。且道明得箇甚麼。祇如諸人心心不停。念念不住。若能不停處停。念處無念。自合無生之理。與麼說話。笑破他人口。參。

A monk asked, 'The school and vehicle above — I beg the Master to let fall his instruction.' The Master said, 'Where the white clouds break, one sees the bright moon.' He said, 'That is still the student's place of doubt.' The Master said, 'When the yellow leaves fall, one hears the laundry being beaten.' He asked, 'What is the Reverend's family style?' The Master said, 'One log from a cold ravine is more use than children and grandchildren.' He said, 'How is it for the one who uses it?' The Master said, 'A hundred pieces.' Ascending the hall: 'The rules of the monastery, the family style of the ancient Buddhas, one interview and one invitation, one bowl of gruel and one meal of rice — tell me, what do they make clear? As for you people, your minds never stop and your thoughts never abide. If you can stop where there is no stopping and be without thought where there are thoughts, you will naturally accord with the principle of no-birth.' Speaking like this makes others laugh their mouths apart. Study.

金陵天寶和尚

The Reverend Tianbao of Jinling

僧問。白雲抱幽石時如何。師曰。非公境界。問。如何是和尚家風。師曰。列半作三。曰。學人未曉。師曰。鼻孔針筒。

A monk asked, 'What about when white clouds embrace the secluded stone?' The Master said, 'That is not your realm.' He asked, 'What is the Reverend's family style?' The Master said, 'Arrange the half and make it three.' He said, 'The student does not yet understand.' The Master said, 'A needle tube in the nostril.'

舜峰韶禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Shao of Shunfeng

磁州桃園山㬢朗禪師

Chan Master Xilang of Taoyuan Mountain in Cizhou

僧問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。西來若有意。斬下老僧頭。曰。為甚卻如此。師曰。不見道。為法喪軀。

A monk asked, 'What is the Ancestor's meaning of the coming from the West?' The Master said, 'If the coming from the West had a meaning, cut off this old monk's head.' He said, 'Why is it so?' The Master said, 'Have you not heard it said: for the Dharma one gives up one's body?'

安州法雲智善禪師

Chan Master Zhishan of Fayun in Anzhou

僧問。如何是古佛道場。師曰。山青水綠。

A monk asked, 'What is the ancient Buddha's place of the Way?' The Master said, 'Green mountains and green water.'

般若柔禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Rou of Prajna

藍田縣真禪師

Chan Master Zhen of Lantian County

僧問。如何是大定門。師曰。拈柴擇菜。上堂。成山假就於始簣。脩途託至於初步。上座適來從地爐邊來。還與初步同別。若言同。即不會不遷。若言別。亦不會不遷。上座作麼生會。還會麼。這裡不是那裡。那裡不是這裡。且道是一處兩處。是遷不遷。是來去不是來去。若於此顯明得。便乃古今一如初終。自爾念念無常。心心永滅。所以道觀方知彼去。去者不至方。上座適來恁麼來。卻請恁麼去。參。

A monk asked, 'What is the gate of great concentration?' The Master said, 'Picking firewood and choosing vegetables.' Ascending the hall: 'A mountain is made by beginning with the first basket of earth; a long journey is accomplished by starting with the first step. You elders have just now come from beside the earthen stove — is that the same as the first step or different? If you say it is the same, you do not understand non-movement. If you say it is different, you also do not understand non-movement. How will you elders understand it? Do you understand?' This is not that place, and that place is not this. Tell me, is it one place or two places? Is it movement or non-movement? Is it coming and going or not coming and going? If you can make this clear, then ancient and present are as one, beginning and end. From then on thought after thought is impermanent, and mind after mind is forever extinguished. Therefore it is said: observing the direction, one knows he has gone; the one who goes does not arrive at the direction. You elders have just come in this way; now please go back in this way. Study.

妙勝臻禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Zhen of Miaosheng

西川雪峰欽山主

The mountain master Qin of Xuefeng in Xichuan

上堂。昨日一。今日二。不用思量。快須瞥地。不瞥地。蹉過平生沒巴鼻。咄。

Ascending the hall: 'Yesterday one, today two — no need to deliberate; quickly you must see through. If you do not see through, you stumble past your whole life with nothing to hold. Ho!'

薦福古禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Gu of Jianfu

和州淨戒守密禪師

Chan Master Shoumi of Jingjie in Hezhou

僧問。如何是佛。師曰。稽首。稽首。曰。學人有分也無。師曰。頓首。頓首。僧作舞而出。師曰。似則恰似。是即未是。

A monk asked, 'What is the Buddha?' The Master said, 'Homage, homage.' He said, 'Has the student a share or not?' The Master said, 'Bowing the head, bowing the head.' The monk danced and went out. The Master said, 'Like, yes, he is like; it, no, he is not it.'

清涼明禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Ming of Qingliang

吉州西峰雲豁禪師

Chan Master Yunhuo of Xifeng in Jizhou

郡之曾氏子。早扣諸方。晚見清涼。問。佛未出世時如何。涼曰。雲遮海門樹。曰。出世後如何。涼曰。擘破鐵圍山。師於言下大悟。涼印可之。歸住寶龍。雲侶駢集。真宗皇帝遣使召至。訪問宗要。留上苑。經時冥坐不食。上嘉異。賜號圓淨。辭歸。珍錫甚隆。皆不受。以詩寵其行。改寶龍曰祥符。旌師之居也。甞有問易中要旨者。師曰。夫神生於無形。而成於有形。從有以至於無。然後能合乎妙圓正覺之道。故自四十九衍。以至於萬有一千五百二十。以窮天下之理。以盡天下之性。不異吾聖人之教也。示寂日。為眾曰。天不高。地不厚。自是時人覷不透。但看臘月二十五。依舊面南看北斗。瞑然而逝。茶毗獲設利建塔。

He was a son of the Zeng family of the prefecture. In his early years he called on the various quarters; late in life he met Qingliang. He asked, 'What was it like before the Buddha came into the world?' Liang said, 'Clouds cover the trees at the sea gate.' He said, 'And after he came into the world?' Liang said, 'Split open the Iron Enclosure Mountain.' The Master was greatly awakened at these words, and Liang certified him. He returned to reside at Baolong, and companions in the clouds gathered in crowds. Emperor Zhenzong sent an envoy to summon him to court and asked him about the essentials of the school, keeping him in the imperial park. For a long time he sat in silent meditation and did not eat. The emperor admired and marveled at him, and granted him the title Yuanjing. He begged leave to return; the imperial gifts were very generous, but he accepted none. The emperor favored his departure with a poem and changed the name Baolong to Xiangfu, to mark the Master's residence. Once someone asked him about the essential points of the Book of Changes. The Master said, 'Spirit is born of the formless and is completed in the formed. From the formed it proceeds to the formless; only then can it accord with the Way of wonderful, perfect and correct enlightenment. Therefore from the forty-nine stalks it extends to the ten thousand one thousand five hundred and twenty, in order to exhaust the principles of the world and to exhaust the natures of the world — not different from our sage's teaching.' On the day of his passing he said to the assembly, 'Heaven is not high, earth is not thick; it is only that people of the time cannot see through. Just watch the twenty-fifth of the twelfth month, and still face south to look at the Big Dipper.' He closed his eyes and passed away. After cremation, relics were obtained, and a stupa was built.

青原下九世

Ninth Generation below Qingyuan

文殊真禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Zhen of Manjushri

瑞州洞山曉聰禪師

Chan Master Xiaocong of Dongshan in Ruizhou

遊方時在雲居作燈頭。見僧說泗州大聖近在揚州出現。有設問曰。既是泗州大聖。為甚麼卻向揚州出現。師曰。君子愛財。取之以道。後僧舉似蓮華峰祥庵主。主大驚曰。雲門兒孫猶在。中夜望雲居拜之。住後。僧問。達磨未傳心地印。釋迦未解髻中珠。此時若問西來意。還有西來意也無。師曰。六月雨淋淋。寬其萬姓心。曰。恁麼則雲散家家月。春來處處花。師曰。腳跟下到金剛水際是多少。僧無語。師曰。祖師西來。特唱此事。自是上座不薦。所以從門入者。不是家珍。認影迷頭。豈非大錯。既是祖師西來特唱此事。又何必更對眾忉忉。珍重。問。無根樹子向甚麼處栽。師曰。千年常住一朝。僧問。如何是離聲色句。師曰。南贍部洲。北鬱單越。曰。恁麼則學人知恩不昧也。師曰。四大海深多少。問。古鏡未磨時如何。師曰。此去漢陽不遠。曰。磨後如何。師曰。黃鶴樓前鸚鵡洲。問。如何是佛。師曰。理長即就。上堂。教山僧道甚麼即得。古即是今。今即是古。所以楞嚴經道。松直棘曲。鵠白烏玄。還知得麼。雖然如是。未必是松一向直。棘一向曲。鵠便白。烏便玄。洞山道。這裡也有曲底松。也有直底棘。也有玄底鵠。也有白底烏。久立。上堂。僧問。學人進又不得。退又不得時如何。師曰。抱首哭蒼天。僧無語。師曰。汝還知缽盂鐼子落處麼。汝若知得落處。也從汝問。三十年後。驀然問著也不定。上堂。舉寒山雲。井底生紅塵。高峰起白浪。石女生石兒。龜毛寸寸長。若要學菩提。但看此模樣。良久曰。還知落處也無。若也不知落處。看看菩提入僧堂裡去也。久立。上堂。春寒凝冱。夜來好雪。還見麼。大地雪漫漫。春風依舊寒。說禪說道易。成佛成祖難。珍重。上堂。晨雞報曉靈。粥後便天明。燈籠猶瞌睡。露柱卻惺惺。復曰。惺惺直言惺惺。歷歷直言歷歷。明朝後日。莫認奴作郎。珍重。

While he was traveling on pilgrimage he was the lamp keeper at Yunju. He saw a monk say that the Great Sage of Sizhou had recently appeared in Yangzhou. Someone put the question: 'Since he is the Great Sage of Sizhou, why did he appear in Yangzhou?' The Master said, 'The gentleman loves wealth but takes it by the proper way.' Later a monk brought this up to the master of the Xiang hermitage on Lotus Peak. The master was greatly startled and said, 'Yunmen's children and grandchildren are still here.' In the middle of the night he bowed toward Yunju. After he took up residence, a monk asked, 'Bodhidharma did not yet transmit the mind seal, and Sakyamuni had not yet untied the pearl in his topknot.' At this moment, if one asked about the meaning of the coming from the West, 'is there still a meaning of the coming from the West or not?' The Master said, 'In the sixth month the rain pours down, broadening the hearts of the ten thousand surnames.' He said, 'If so, then when the clouds scatter the moon is in every house, and when spring comes there are flowers everywhere.' The Master said, 'How far is it from under your heel to the vajra water's edge?' The monk was silent. The Master said, 'The Ancestor came from the West especially to sing of this matter. It is only that you, elder, do not take it up. Therefore what enters by the gate is not the family treasure; to mistake the shadow and lose the head — is that not a great error? Since the Ancestor came from the West especially to sing of this matter, why must one be so long-winded before the assembly? Take care.' He asked, 'Where is the rootless tree planted?' The Master said, 'A thousand years abiding, one morning.' A monk asked, 'What is the phrase apart from sound and form?' The Master said, 'Jambudvipa, Uttarakuru.' He said, 'If so, then the student knows grace and is not ungrateful.' The Master said, 'How deep are the four great seas?' He asked, 'What about when the ancient mirror is unpolished?' The Master said, 'It is not far from here to Hanyang.' He said, 'And after polishing?' The Master said, 'Parrot Island before the Yellow Crane Tower.' He asked, 'What is the Buddha?' The Master said, 'When the principle is long, one goes along with it.' Ascending the hall: 'What would you have this mountain monk say? The ancient is the present, the present is the ancient. Therefore the Surangama Sutra says: the pine is straight, the thorn is crooked; the swan is white, the crow is black. Do you understand? Though it is so, it is not necessarily that the pine is always straight and the thorn always crooked,' and that the swan is white and the crow is black. Dongshan says: here too there are crooked pines, and here too there are straight thorns; here too there are black swans, and here too there are white crows. Stand long.' Ascending the hall, a monk asked, 'What about when the student can neither advance nor retreat?' The Master said, 'Clasp your head and weep to the blue sky.' The monk was silent. The Master said, 'Do you know where the bowl and the spoon have fallen? If you know where they have fallen,' then you may ask. 'Thirty years from now, if someone suddenly asks, it is not certain.' Ascending the hall, he brought up Hanshan: 'Red dust grows at the bottom of the well; white waves rise on the high peak. A stone woman bears a stone child; tortoise hair grows an inch at a time. If you would learn bodhi, just look at this model.' After a long while he said, 'Do you know where it falls? If you do not know where it falls, watch out — bodhi is going into the monks' hall. Stand long.' Ascending the hall: 'The spring cold is freezing; last night there was fine snow. Do you see it? The great earth is covered with snow, and the spring wind is still cold. To speak of Chan and speak of the Way is easy; to become a Buddha and become an Ancestor is hard. Take care.' Ascending the hall: 'The morning rooster announces the dawn's spirit; after the gruel it is daylight. The lantern is still dozing, but the exposed pillar is wide awake.' Again he said, 'Wide awake, plainly say wide awake; clear and distinct, plainly say clear and distinct. Tomorrow and the day after, do not mistake the servant for the master. Take care.'

因事示眾。天晴葢卻屋。乘乾刈卻禾。早輸王稅了。鼓腹唱巴歌。問。德山入門便棒。猶是起模畫樣。臨濟入門便喝。未免揑目生花。離此二途。未審洞山如何為人。師曰。天晴久無雨。近日有雲騰。曰。他日若有人問洞山宗旨。教學人如何舉似。師曰。園蔬枯槁甚。擔水潑菠稜。師一日不安。上堂辭眾。述法身頌曰。參禪學道莫茫茫。問透法身北斗藏。餘今老倒尫羸甚。見人無力得商量。唯有钁頭知我意。栽松時復上金剛。言訖而寂。塔於金剛嶺。

Once, because of some matter, he addressed the assembly: 'The sky is clear — cover the roof. Take the dry weather — cut the grain. Pay the king's tax early, and then, belly full, sing a Ba song.' A monk asked, 'Deshan's blow at the gate is still making models and drawing pictures, and Linji's shout at the gate cannot avoid rubbing the eyes and making flowers. Apart from these two roads, I wonder how Dongshan works for others?' The Master said, 'The sky has been clear and without rain for a long time; these days the clouds are rising.' He said, 'If some day someone asks about Dongshan's purport, how should the student set it out?' The Master said, 'The garden vegetables are very withered — carry water and sprinkle the spinach.' One day the Master was unwell, and he ascended the hall to take leave of the assembly. He recited a verse on the dharma body: 'Studying Chan and learning the Way, do not be bewildered; ask through to the dharma body, hidden in the Big Dipper. I am now old, fallen and very frail; seeing people, I have no strength to deliberate. Only the hoe knows my mind — when I plant pines I sometimes go up to Vajra.' Having spoken he passed away in silence, and a stupa was built on Vajra Ridge.

南臺勤禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Qin of Nantai

汝州高陽法廣禪師

Chan Master Faguang of Gaoyang in Ruzhou

僧問。如何是大悲千手眼。師曰。墮坑落壍。

A monk asked, 'What are the great compassion's thousand hands and eyes?' The Master said, 'Falling into a pit and dropping into a moat.'

潭州石霜節誠禪師

Chan Master Jiecheng of Shishuang in Tanzhou

僧問。古者道。捲簾當白晝。移榻對青山。如何是捲簾當白晝。師曰。過淨瓶來。曰。如何是移榻對青山。師曰。卻安舊處著。上堂。心外無法。法外無心。隨緣蕩蕩。更莫沉吟。你等諸人。才上堦道。便好回去。更要待第二杓惡水潑。作甚麼。

A monk asked, 'The ancients said: roll up the blind against the white day, move the couch to face the green mountains. What is rolling up the blind against the white day?' The Master said, 'Pass me the pure bottle.' He said, 'What is moving the couch to face the green mountains?' The Master said, 'Put it back in its old place.' Ascending the hall: 'Outside the mind there is no dharma; outside the dharma there is no mind. Following conditions, vast and free — deliberate no further. You people, the moment you step up the stairs, had best turn back. What do you want with a second ladle of dirty water thrown over you?'

德山晏禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Yan of Deshan

鼎州德山志先禪師

Chan Master Zhixian of Deshan in Dingzhou

僧問。見色便見心時如何。師曰。角弓彎似月。寶劒利如霜。曰。如何領會。師曰。金甲似魚鱗。朱旗如火燄。問。遠遠投師。乞師一接。師曰。不接。曰。恁麼則虗伸一問。師曰。少逢穿耳客。多遇刻舟人。問。大通智勝佛。十劫坐道場。為甚麼不得成佛道。師曰。貪觀天上月。失卻掌中珠。問。軍期急速時如何。師曰。十字街頭滿面塵。曰。為甚麼如此。師曰。知而故犯。問。如何是無為之談。師曰。石羊石虎喃喃語。曰。是何言教。師曰。長行書不盡。短偈絕人聞。問。如何是一稱南無佛。師曰。皆以成佛道。

A monk asked, 'What about when one sees form and so sees the mind?' The Master said, 'A horn bow bent like the moon, a precious sword keen as frost.' He said, 'How does one understand it?' The Master said, 'Golden armor like fish scales, a vermilion banner like flames.' He asked, 'Coming from afar to seek the Master, I beg the Master to receive me.' The Master said, 'I do not receive.' He said, 'If so, then I have put forward a question in vain.' The Master said, 'Rarely does one meet a guest with pierced ears; often one meets men who carve the boat.' He asked, 'The Buddha Great Penetration Wisdom Supreme sat in the place of the Way for ten kalpas — why did he not attain the Buddha Way?' The Master said, 'Greedily watching the moon in the sky, he lost the pearl in his palm.' He asked, 'What about when the military deadline is urgent?' The Master said, 'The crossroads are covered with dust.' He said, 'Why is it so?' The Master said, 'Knowing it and doing it on purpose.' He asked, 'What is the talk of the unconditioned?' The Master said, 'Stone sheep and stone tigers murmur and speak.' He said, 'What teaching is that?' The Master said, 'The long lines cannot be written out, and the short verses are cut off from men's hearing.' He asked, 'What is one invocation of Namo Buddha?' The Master said, 'All thereby accomplish the Buddha Way.'