Records of the Transmission of the Lamp, Volume Ten

黑水璟禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Jing of Black Water

峨嵋黑水義欽禪師

Chan Master Yiqin of Black Water in Mount Emei

上堂。僧出禮拜。師曰。大地百雜碎。便下座。

Ascending the hall, a monk came forward and bowed. The Master said, 'The great earth is smashed to a hundred bits.' He then descended from the seat.

五祖戒禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Jie of the Fifth Ancestor

洪州泐潭懷澄禪師

Chan Master Huaicheng of Letan in Hongzhou

僧問。見者是色。聞者是聲。離此二途。請師別道。師曰。古寺新牌額。問。不與萬法為侶者。是甚麼人。師曰。觀世音菩薩。師一日見僧披衲。師曰。得恁麼好針線。曰。祇要牢固。師曰。打草驚蛇作甚麼。曰。客來須看。師曰。祇有這箇更別有。曰。雲生嶺上。師曰。未在更道。曰。水滴巖間。問。如何是佛法大意。師曰。文殊自文殊。解脫自解脫。

A monk asked, 'What is seen is form and what is heard is sound. Apart from these two roads, I beg the Master to speak otherwise.' The Master said, 'An old temple with a new plaque.' He asked, 'What sort of man is he who does not make companions of the ten thousand dharmas?' The Master said, 'Bodhisattva Guanyin.' One day the Master saw a monk putting on his robe and said, 'What fine needlework you have got.' He said, 'It only needs to be sturdy.' The Master said, 'Why beat the grass and startle the snake?' He said, 'When a guest comes one must look at him.' The Master said, 'Is there only this, or something more?' He said, 'Clouds rise on the ridge.' The Master said, 'Not yet — say more.' He said, 'Water drips among the rocks.' He asked, 'What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?' The Master said, 'Manjushri is Manjushri of himself, and liberation is liberation of itself.'

瑞州洞山自寶禪師

Chan Master Zibao of Dongshan in Ruizhou

上堂。總恁麼風恬浪靜。那裡得來。忽遇洪波浩渺。白浪滔天。當恁麼時。覓箇水手也難得。眾中莫有把拖者麼。眾無對。師曰。賺殺一船人。僧問。如何是佛。師曰。腰長腳短。

Ascending the hall: 'If it is all calm wind and still waves, where does one get that? If one suddenly meets vast billows and white waves flooding the sky, at such a time one would find it hard even to find a boatman. Is there anyone in the assembly who can hold the helm? The assembly had no answer.' The Master said, 'He has cheated a whole boatload of people to death.' A monk asked, 'What is the Buddha?' The Master said, 'Long in the waist and short in the legs.'

復州北塔思廣禪師

Chan Master Siguang of North Stupa in Fuzhou

僧問。如何是衲僧變通之事。師曰。東湧西沒。曰。變通後如何。師曰。地肥茄子嫩。問。如何是和尚家風。師曰。左手書右字。曰。學人不會。師曰。歐頭柳腳。

A monk asked, 'What is the patch-robed monk's matter of transformation and freedom?' The Master said, 'Emerging in the east, disappearing in the west.' He said, 'And after transformation and freedom?' The Master said, 'The soil is rich and the eggplants are tender.' He asked, 'What is the Reverend's family style?' The Master said, 'Writing the character for right with the left hand.' He said, 'The student does not understand.' The Master said, 'A Ou-style head and a Liu-style leg.'

蘄州四祖端禪師

Chan Master Duan of the Fourth Ancestor in Qizhou

法身頌曰。燈心刺著石人腳。火急去請周醫博。路逢龐公相借問。六月日頭乾曬卻。

A verse on the dharma body: 'A lamp wick pricks the stone man's foot; urgently go and call Doctor Zhou. On the road one meets Layman Pang and asks after him: in the sixth month the sun dries it up.'

潭州雲葢志顒禪師

Chan Master Zhiyong of Yungai in Tanzhou

僧問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。古寺碑難讀。曰。意旨如何。師曰。讀者盡攢眉。

A monk asked, 'What is the Ancestor's meaning of the coming from the West?' The Master said, 'An old temple's stele is hard to read.' He said, 'What does it mean?' The Master said, 'Those who read it all knit their brows.'

舒州海會通禪師

Chan Master Tong of Haihui in Shuzhou

僧問。如何是佛法大意。師曰。柿桶葢椶笠。曰。學人不曉。師曰。行時頭頂戴。坐則掛高壁。

A monk asked, 'What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?' The Master said, 'A persimmon bucket covers a palm-bark hat.' He said, 'The student does not understand.' The Master said, 'Walking, wear it on the head; sitting, hang it on the high wall.'

瑞州洞山妙圓禪師

Chan Master Miaoyuan of Dongshan in Ruizhou

僧問。如何是佛。師曰。頭腦相似。

A monk asked, 'What is the Buddha?' The Master said, 'He has a head like it.'

蘄州義臺子祥禪師

Chan Master Zixiang of Yitai in Qizhou

僧問。如何是義臺境。師曰。路不拾遺。曰。如何是境中人。師曰。桀犬吠堯。

A monk asked, 'What is the realm of Yitai?' The Master said, 'No property is picked up from the road.' He said, 'What is the man within the realm?' The Master said, 'Jie's dog barks at Yao.'

明州天童懷清禪師

Chan Master Huaiqing of Tiantong in Mingzhou

僧問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。眼裡不著沙。曰。如何領會。師曰。耳裡不著水。曰。恁麼則禮拜也。師曰。東家點燈。西家暗坐。

A monk asked, 'What is the Ancestor's meaning of the coming from the West?' The Master said, 'No sand in the eye.' He said, 'How does one understand it?' The Master said, 'No water in the ear.' He said, 'If so, then I bow.' The Master said, 'The east house lights the lamp, and the west house sits in the dark.'

越州寶嚴叔芝禪師

Chan Master Shuzhi of Baoyan in Yuezhou

僧問。如何是佛。師曰。土身木骨。曰。意旨如何。師曰。五彩金裝。曰。恁麼則頂禮去也。師曰。天台楖栗。

A monk asked, 'What is the Buddha?' The Master said, 'An earthen body and wooden bones.' He said, 'What does it mean?' The Master said, 'Decked in five-colored gold.' He said, 'If so, then I will bow in reverence.' The Master said, 'A jujube-wood staff from Tiantai.'

蘄州五祖山秀禪師

Chan Master Xiu of the Fifth Ancestor Mountain in Qizhou

僧問。無法可說。是名說法。既是無法可說。又將何說。師曰。霜寒地凍。曰。空生不解巖中坐。惹得天花動地來。師曰。日出冰消。僧擬議。師曰。何不進語。僧又無語。師曰。車不橫推。理無曲斷。

A monk asked, 'There is no dharma to speak; this is called speaking the Dharma. Since there is no dharma to speak, what will you speak with?' The Master said, 'Frost is cold and the ground is frozen.' He said, 'Subhuti did not understand sitting in the rock, and drew down heavenly flowers to move the earth.' The Master said, 'The sun comes out and the ice melts.' As the monk began to deliberate, the Master said, 'Why do you not speak?' The monk was again silent. The Master said, 'A cart is not pushed sideways, and principle is not cut crookedly.'

襄州白馬辯禪師

Chan Master Bian of White Horse in Xiangzhou

僧問。如何是佛。師曰。水來河漲。曰。如何是法。師曰。風來樹動。

A monk asked, 'What is the Buddha?' The Master said, 'When water comes, the river rises.' He said, 'What is the Dharma?' The Master said, 'When wind comes, the tree moves.'

隨州水南智昱禪師

Chan Master Zhiyu of Shuinan in Suizhou

上堂。欲識解脫道。鷄鳴天已曉。趙州庭前栢。打落青州棗。咄。

Ascending the hall: 'If you would know the way of liberation: the rooster crows and the sky is already bright. Zhaozhou's cypress before the courtyard knocks down the Qingzhou jujubes. Ho!'

福昌善禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Shan of Fuchang

安吉州上方齊嶽禪師

Chan Master Qiyue of Shangfang in Anji Prefecture

僧問。如何是菩提。師曰。甎頭瓦子。曰。意旨如何。師曰。苦。上堂。旋收黃葉燒青煙。竹榻和衣半夜眠。粥後放參三下鼓。孰能更話祖師禪。便下座。

A monk asked, 'What is bodhi?' The Master said, 'A brick and a tile.' He said, 'What does it mean?' The Master said, 'Bitter.' Ascending the hall: 'Gathering yellow leaves to burn for green smoke, sleeping half the night on a bamboo couch in my clothes; after the gruel, release for study at the third drum — who can speak further of the Ancestor's Chan?' He then descended from the seat.

明州育王常坦禪師

Chan Master Changtan of Yuwang in Mingzhou

僧問。如何是有中有。師曰。金河峰上。曰。如何是無中無。師曰。般若堂前。上堂。千花競發。百鳥啼春。是向上句。諸佛出世。知識興慈。是向下句。作麼生是不涉二途句。若識得。頂門上出氣。若識不得。土牛耕石田。擊禪床。下座。

A monk asked, 'What is the within of the within?' The Master said, 'On the Golden River Peak.' He said, 'What is the without of the without?' The Master said, 'Before the Prajna Hall.' Ascending the hall: 'A thousand flowers vie in bloom and a hundred birds cry out in spring — this is the phrase above. The Buddhas come into the world and the good friends rouse compassion — this is the phrase below. What is the phrase that touches neither road? If you recognize it, breath comes out from the top of your head. If you do not recognize it, a clay ox plows a stone field.' He struck the meditation bed and descended from the seat.

潤州金山瑞新禪師

Chan Master Ruixin of Jinshan in Runzhou