Records of the Transmission of the Lamp, Volume Ten

僧問。吾有大患。為吾有身。父母未生。未審此身在甚麼處。師曰。曠大劫來無處所。若論生滅盡成非。曰。恁麼則周徧十方心。不在一切處。師曰。泥裡撼樁。上堂。世間所貴者。和氏之璧．隋侯之珠。金山喚作驢屎馬糞。出世間所貴者。真如解脫．菩提涅槃。金山喚作𡱰沸碗鳴。且道恁麼說話。落在甚麼處。故不是取捨心重。信邪倒見。諸人要知麼。猛虎不顧几上肉。洪爐豈鑄囊中錐。

A monk asked, 'I have a great affliction because I have a body; before my father and mother bore me, where was this body?' The Master said, 'Through vast kalpas it has had no place; if one speaks of birth and death, all becomes wrong.' He said, 'If so, then the mind pervades the ten directions and is not in any place.' The Master said, 'Shaking a post in the mud.' Ascending the hall: 'What the world prizes — the jade disk of He and the pearl of the Marquis of Sui — Jinshan calls donkey dung and horse droppings. What the world beyond prizes — suchness, liberation, bodhi, nirvana — Jinshan calls the boiling of urine and the ringing of a bowl. Tell me, where does talk like this land? It is surely not that the mind of taking and rejecting is heavy, or that one believes in false and inverted views.' Do you people want to understand? 'The fierce tiger does not look at the meat on the table; how could a great furnace cast a needle in a bag?'

乾明信禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Xin of Qianming

澧州藥山彝肅禪師

Chan Master Yisu of Yaoshan in Lizhou

僧問。佛未出世時如何。師曰。大樹大皮裹。曰。出世後如何。師曰。小樹小皮纏。問。如何是不動尊。師曰。四王擡不起。

A monk asked, 'What was it like before the Buddha came into the world?' The Master said, 'A great tree wrapped in great bark.' He said, 'And after he came into the world?' The Master said, 'A small tree bound with small bark.' He asked, 'What is the Immovable Honored One?' The Master said, 'The four kings cannot lift him.'

智門祚禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Zuo of Zhimen

明州雪竇重顯禪師

Chan Master Chongxian of Xuedou in Mingzhou

遂寧府李氏子。依普安院仁銑上人出家。受具之後。橫經講席。究理窮玄。詰問鋒馳。機辯無敵。鹹知法器。僉指南遊。首造智門。即伸問曰。不起一念。云何有過。門召師近前。師才近前。門以拂子驀口打。師擬開口。門又打。師豁然開悟。出住翠峰。後遷雪竇。開堂日。於法座前顧視大眾曰。若論本分相見。不必高陞法座。遂以手畫一畫曰。諸人隨山僧手看。無量諸佛國土一時現前。各各子細觀瞻。其或涯際未知。不免拖泥帶水。便陞座。上首白椎罷。有僧方出。師約住曰。如來正法眼藏。委在今日。放行則瓦礫生光。把住則真金失色。權柄在手。殺活臨時。其有作者。共相證據。僧出問。遠離翠峰祖席。已臨雪竇道場。未審是一是二。師曰。馬無千里謾追風。曰。恁麼則雲散家家月。師曰。龍頭蛇尾漢。問。德山臨濟棒喝已彰。和尚如何為人。師曰。放過一著。僧擬議。師便喝。僧曰。未審祇恁麼。別有在。師曰。射虎不真。徒勞沒羽。問。吹大法螺。擊大法鼓。朝宰臨筵。如何即是。師曰。清風來未休。曰。恁麼則得遇於師也。師曰。一言已出。駟馬難追。僧禮拜。師曰。放過一著。乃普觀大眾曰。人天普集。合發明箇甚麼事。焉可互分賓主。馳騁問答。便當宗乘去。廣大門風。威德自在。輝騰今古。把定乾坤。千聖祇言自知。五乘莫能建立。所以聲前悟旨。猶迷顧鑒之端。言下知宗。尚昧識情之表。諸人要知真實相為麼。但以上無攀仰。下絕己躬。自然常光現前。箇箇壁立千仞。還辯明得也無。未辯辯取。未明明取。既辯明得。能截生死流。同據佛祖位。妙圓超悟。正在此時。堪報不報之恩。以助無為之化。問。如何是佛法大意。師曰。祥雲五色。曰。學人不會。師曰。頭上漫漫。問。達磨未來時如何。師曰。猿啼古木。曰。來後如何。師曰。鶴唳青霄。曰。即今事作麼生。師曰。一不成。

He was a son of the Li family of Suining Prefecture. He left home under the Venerable Renxi of the Pu'an Cloister. After receiving full ordination he ranged widely through the lecture seats, plumbing principles and exhausting the profound, his questioning darting like a spear point, and his mechanism and eloquence were unmatched. All knew him for a vessel of the Dharma, and with one voice they directed him south. He first called on Zhimen and at once put forward his question: 'Not giving rise to a single thought — how is there still a fault?' Zhimen called the Master to come closer. The Master had just come closer when Zhimen struck him on the mouth with his whisk. As the Master was about to open his mouth, Zhimen struck again. The Master was suddenly and greatly awakened. He went out to reside at Cuifeng, and later moved to Xuedou. On the day he opened the hall, he looked around at the assembly before the Dharma seat and said, 'If you would speak of the original share meeting each other, there is no need to ascend the high Dharma seat.' Then he drew a line with his hand and said, 'You people, follow this mountain monk's hand and look: the lands of the immeasurable Buddhas all appear at once. Each of you look carefully. If you do not know the boundary, you cannot avoid dragging mud and carrying water.' He then ascended the seat, and the head seat struck the mallet. A monk was just coming forward when the Master stopped him and said, 'The Tathagata's correct Dharma eye treasury is entrusted to this day. Let go and tiles and pebbles give forth light; hold fast and true gold loses its color. With the authority in hand, killing and giving life depend on the moment. If there is an adept, let him prove it together with me.' A monk came forward and asked, 'Having left Cuifeng's ancestral seat far behind and now arrived at Xuedou's place of the Way, I wonder whether it is one or two?' The Master said, 'A horse without a thousand-li stride need not chase the wind.' He said, 'If so, then the clouds scatter and the moon is in every house.' The Master said, 'A fellow with a dragon's head and a snake's tail.' He asked, 'Deshan's staff and Linji's shout have already been made manifest — how does the Reverend work for others?' The Master said, 'I let pass one move.' As the monk began to deliberate, the Master shouted. The monk said, 'I wonder whether it is only this or something else besides.' The Master said, 'Shooting a tiger without truth wastes the arrow's feather.' He asked, 'Blowing the great Dharma conch and beating the great Dharma drum, with the prime minister present at the feast — what is the right thing?' The Master said, 'The clear wind has not yet stopped coming.' He said, 'If so, then I have met the Master.' The Master said, 'One word is out and a team of four horses cannot bring it back.' The monk bowed. The Master said, 'I let pass one move.' Then he looked around at the great assembly and said, 'Men and gods have gathered together — what matter should be made clear? How can you divide host and guest against one another and gallop through question and answer, and then take it as the school and vehicle? The vast family style, the majesty and virtue of freedom, blazing through present and past, holding firm heaven and earth — a thousand sages can only say they know it themselves, and the five vehicles cannot establish it. Therefore one awakens to the purport before the sound, and yet is still lost at the edge of looking and mirroring; one knows the school beneath the words, and yet is still unclear beyond the surface of consciousness and feeling. Do you people want to know the true and real working? Just do not climb or look up above, and cut off your own person below; then the eternal light appears of itself, and each one stands a thousand fathoms like a wall. Can you discern and make it clear or not? If you have not discerned it, discern it; if you have not made it clear, make it clear. Once you have discerned and made it clear, you can cut off the stream of birth and death, and together occupy the seat of the Buddhas and Ancestors. The wonderful, perfect and transcendent awakening is just at this moment, and you can repay the grace that cannot be repaid, to aid the unconditioned transformation.' A monk asked, 'What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?' The Master said, 'Auspicious clouds of five colors.' He said, 'The student does not understand.' The Master said, 'Vast above your head.' He asked, 'What was it like before Bodhidharma came?' The Master said, 'Gibbons cry in the old trees.' He said, 'And after he came?' The Master said, 'Cranes call in the blue sky.' He said, 'What of the matter right now?' The Master said, 'One is not made.'

二不是。問。和尚未見智門時如何。師曰。爾鼻孔在我手裡。曰。見後如何。師曰。穿過髑髏。有僧出。禮拜起曰。請師答話。師便棒。僧曰。豈無方便。師曰。罪不重科。復有一僧出。禮拜起曰。請師答話。師曰。兩重公案。曰。請師不答話。師亦棒。問。古人道。北斗裡藏身。意旨如何。師曰。千聞不如一見。曰。此話大行。師曰。老鼠銜鐵。問。古人道。皎皎地絕一絲頭。祇如山河大地。又且如何。師曰。面赤不如語直。曰。學人未曉。師曰。徧問諸方。問。如何是學人自己。師曰。乘槎斫額。曰。莫祇這便是。師曰。浪死虗生。問。如何是緣生義。師曰。金剛鑄鐵券。曰。學人不會。師曰。閙市裡牌。曰。恁麼則行到水窮處。坐看雲起時。師曰。列下。問。四十九年說不盡底。請師說。師曰。爭之不足。曰。謝師答話。師曰。鐵棒自看。問。如何是把定乾坤眼。師曰。拈卻鼻孔。曰。學人不會。師曰。一喜一悲。僧擬議。師曰。苦。問。如何是脫珍御服。著弊垢衣。師曰。垂手不垂手。曰。乞師方便。師曰。左眼挑筋。右眼抉肉。問。龍門爭進舉。那箇是登科。師曰。重遭點額。曰。學人不會。師曰。退水藏鱗。問。寂寂忘言。誰是得者。師曰。卸帽穿雲去。曰。如何領會。師曰。披簑帶雨歸。曰。三十年後。此話大行。師曰。一場酸澁。問。坐斷毗盧底人。師還接否。師曰。殷勤送別瀟湘岸。曰。恁麼則學人罪過也。師曰。天寬地窄太愁人。僧禮拜。師曰。苦屈之詞。不妨難吐。問。生死到來。如何迴避。師曰。定花板上。曰。莫便是他安身立命處也無。師曰。符到奉行。上堂。僧問。如何是吹毛劒。師曰。苦。曰。還許學人用也無。師噓一噓。乃曰。大眾前共相酬唱。也須是箇漢始得。若也未有奔流度刃底眼。不勞拈出。所以道。如大火聚。近著即燎卻面門。亦如按太阿寶劒。

'And two is not so.' He asked, 'What was it like before the Reverend met Zhimen?' The Master said, 'Your nostrils are in my hand.' He said, 'And after meeting him?' The Master said, 'They pass through the skull.' A monk came forward, bowed, rose and said, 'I beg the Master to answer a question.' The Master then struck him with his staff. The monk said, 'Is there no expedient means?' The Master said, 'A crime is not punished twice.' Again a monk came forward, bowed, rose and said, 'I beg the Master to answer a question.' The Master said, 'A double case.' He said, 'I beg the Master not to answer.' The Master struck him too. He asked, 'The ancients said: hide the body in the Big Dipper — what does it mean?' The Master said, 'A thousand hearings are not as good as one seeing.' He said, 'These words will greatly prevail.' The Master said, 'A rat carries iron in its mouth.' He asked, 'The ancients said: bright and clear, cut off from a single thread — what then of mountains, rivers and the great earth?' The Master said, 'A red face is not as good as straight words.' He said, 'The student does not yet understand.' The Master said, 'Ask everywhere in all quarters.' He asked, 'What is the student's own self?' The Master said, 'Riding a raft, one cuts one's forehead.' He said, 'Is it not just this?' The Master said, 'Dying in vain, living empty.' He asked, 'What is the meaning of conditioned arising?' The Master said, 'A vajra-forged iron deed.' He said, 'The student does not understand.' The Master said, 'A signboard in a noisy market.' He said, 'If so, then one walks to where the water ends and sits to watch when the clouds rise.' The Master said, 'Set it below.' He asked, 'What was not finished in forty-nine years — I beg the Master to speak it.' The Master said, 'Contending for it is not enough.' He said, 'I thank the Master for answering.' The Master said, 'Look at the iron staff yourself.' He asked, 'What is the eye that holds firm heaven and earth?' The Master said, 'Take away the nostrils.' He said, 'The student does not understand.' The Master said, 'One joy, one sorrow.' As the monk began to deliberate, the Master said, 'Bitter.' He asked, 'What is taking off the precious robe and putting on the shabby, soiled garment?' The Master said, 'Hanging down the hand or not hanging down the hand.' He said, 'I beg the Master for expedient means.' The Master said, 'Pick the sinew from the left eye, gouge the flesh from the right eye.' He asked, 'At the dragon gate all strive to leap — which one passes the examination?' The Master said, 'He is again marked on the forehead.' He said, 'The student does not understand.' The Master said, 'The water recedes and the fish hides its scales.' He asked, 'In silence and stillness, forgetting words, who is the one who attains?' The Master said, 'Taking off his hat, he goes through the clouds.' He said, 'How does one understand it?' The Master said, 'Wearing a straw cape, he returns in the rain.' He said, 'Thirty years from now these words will greatly prevail.' The Master said, 'A bout of sourness and astringency.' He asked, 'Does the Master still receive one who has cut off Vairocana?' The Master said, 'Earnestly seeing you off at the Xiao and Xiang banks.' He said, 'If so, then the student is at fault.' The Master said, 'The sky is wide and the earth narrow, and it troubles a man greatly.' The monk bowed. The Master said, 'Words of bitter grievance are not easy to spit out.' He asked, 'When birth and death come, how does one avoid them?' The Master said, 'On the fixed-flower board.' He said, 'Is that not where he settles body and life?' The Master said, 'When the tally arrives, carry it out.' Ascending the hall, a monk asked, 'What is the hair-cutting sword?' The Master said, 'Bitter.' He said, 'Will the student be permitted to use it?' The Master breathed out a sigh. Then he said, 'To sing in chorus together before the great assembly, one must also be a man. If you do not have the eye that crosses the rushing stream and passes the blade, there is no need to bring it out. Therefore it is said: like a great fire — come near and your face is scorched. It is also like holding the Tai'e sword across,'

沖前即喪身失命。乃曰。太阿橫按祖堂寒。千里應須息萬端。莫待冷光輕閃爍。復雲。看看。便下座。上堂。僧問。如何是維摩一默。師曰。寒山訪拾得。曰。恁麼則入不二之門。師噓一噓。復曰。維摩大士去何從。千古令人望莫窮。不二法門休更問。夜來明月上孤峰。上堂。春山疊亂青。春水漾虗碧。寥寥天地間。獨立望何極。便下座。卻顧謂侍者曰。適來有人看方丈麼。者曰。有。師曰。作賊人心虗。上堂。十方無壁落。四面亦無門。古人向甚麼處見客。或若道得接手句。許你天上天下。上堂。田地穩密底。佛祖不敢近。為甚麼擡腳不起。神通遊戲底。鬼神不能測。為甚麼下腳不得。直饒十字縱橫。朝打三千。暮打八百。上堂。大眾這一片田地。分付來多時也。爾諸人。四至界畔猶未識在。若要中心樹子。我也不惜。問。如何是諸佛本源。師曰。千峰寒色。曰。未委向上。更有也無。師曰。雨滴巖花。上堂。僧問。雪覆蘆花時如何。師曰。點。曰。恁麼則為祥為瑞去也。師曰。兩重公案。乃曰。雪覆蘆花欲暮天。謝家人不在漁船。白牛放卻無尋處。空把山童贈鐵鞭。師一日遊山。四顧周覧。謂侍者曰。何日復來於此。侍者哀乞遺偈。師曰。平生唯患語之多矣。翌日。出杖屨衣盂散及徒眾。乃曰。七月七日復相見耳。至期盥沐攝衣。北首而逝。塔全身於寺之西塢。賜明覺大師。

'and rushing forward means losing body and life.' Then he said, 'Holding the Tai'e sword across, the ancestral hall turns cold; for a thousand li one should put a stop to ten thousand ends. Do not wait for the cold gleam to lightly flicker.' Again he said, 'Look, look.' He then descended from the seat. Ascending the hall, a monk asked, 'What is Vimalakirti's one silence?' The Master said, 'Hanshan visits Shide.' He said, 'If so, then one enters the gate of non-duality.' The Master breathed out a sigh. Again he said, 'Where has the great being Vimalakirti gone? Through a thousand ages men gaze at him without end. Ask no more about the gate of non-duality: last night the bright moon rose over the lone peak.' Ascending the hall: 'Spring mountains heap up tangled green; spring waters ripple in empty blue-green. Vast and empty between heaven and earth, standing alone, one gazes without limit.' He then descended from the seat. Then he turned and said to his attendant, 'Did anyone just now look in at the abbot's quarters?' The attendant said, 'Yes.' The Master said, 'A thief's heart is empty.' Ascending the hall: 'The ten directions have no wall or enclosure, and the four sides have no gate either. Where did the ancients see a guest? If you can speak the phrase that takes over, I will allow you heaven above and heaven below.' Ascending the hall: 'The one whose field is firm and dense — even Buddhas and Ancestors dare not come near. Why can he not lift a foot? The one who plays with spiritual powers — even ghosts and gods cannot fathom him. Why can he not set a foot down? Even if you cross and recross at the crossroads, three thousand blows in the morning and eight hundred at dusk.' Ascending the hall: 'Assembly, this one field has been handed over for a long time. You people still do not recognize its four boundaries. If you want the central tree, I will not begrudge it.' A monk asked, 'What is the source of all the Buddhas?' The Master said, 'A thousand peaks turn cold in color.' He said, 'I wonder whether above there is more or not.' The Master said, 'Rain drips on the rock flowers.' Ascending the hall, a monk asked, 'What about when snow covers the reed flowers?' The Master said, 'A dot.' He said, 'If so, then it is an auspicious omen.' The Master said, 'A double case.' Then he said, 'Snow covers the reed flowers as the day nears its end; the Xie family's people are not in the fishing boat. The white ox is let loose and there is no place to seek it; in vain one gives the mountain boy an iron whip.' One day the Master was roaming the mountain, looking around on all sides, and said to his attendant, 'When shall I come back here again?' The attendant sorrowfully begged for a parting verse. The Master said, 'All my life my only affliction has been the abundance of my words.' The next day he brought out his staff, sandals, robe and bowl and distributed them among the assembly, and said, 'We shall meet again on the seventh day of the seventh month.' When the time came he bathed, put on his robe, lay down with his head to the north and passed away. His whole body was enshrined in a stupa at the western dock of the monastery, and he was granted the title Great Master Mingjue.

襄州延慶山子榮禪師

Chan Master Zirong of Yanqing Mountain in Xiangzhou

僧問。如何是隨色摩尼珠。師曰。三箇童兒弄花毬。曰。恁麼則終朝盡日也。師曰。頭白齒落。上堂。僧問。靈光隱隱。月照寒牕。善法堂前。請師舉唱。師曰。聽。曰。此猶是這邊事。那邊事作麼生。師曰。腳下毛生。問。如何是佛。師曰。橫身彰十號。入槨示雙趺。曰。將何供養。師曰。合掌當胷。問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。穿耳胡僧不著鞋。

A monk asked, 'What is the wish-fulfilling pearl that follows color?' The Master said, 'Three children toss a flower ball.' He said, 'If so, then all day long and all day.' The Master said, 'Hair white and teeth fallen.' Ascending the hall, a monk asked, 'The numinous light faintly gleams, the moon shines on the cold window; before the Hall of Good Dharma, I beg the Master to raise and sing.' The Master said, 'Listen.' He said, 'That is still the matter on this side — what of the matter on that side?' The Master said, 'Hair grows on the feet.' He asked, 'What is the Buddha?' The Master said, 'Stretching out his body he displays the ten titles; entering the coffin he shows both feet.' He said, 'With what shall I make offering?' The Master said, 'Palms joined on the breast.' He asked, 'What is the Ancestor's meaning of the coming from the West?' The Master said, 'An ear-pierced Indian monk does not wear shoes.'

洪州百丈智映寶月禪師

Chan Master Zhiying Baoyue of Baizhang in Hongzhou

僧問。師唱誰家曲。宗風嗣阿誰。師曰。窣堵那吒掌上擎。曰。恁麼則北塔的子。韶石兒孫也。師曰。斫額望新羅。

A monk asked, 'Whose family's tune does the Master sing, and whose school's wind does he inherit?' The Master said, 'Nata holds the stupa in his palm.' He said, 'If so, then he is the heir of North Stupa and the descendant of Shaoshi.' The Master said, 'Cutting the forehead, one gazes toward Silla.'

韶州南華寶緣慈濟禪師

Chan Master Baoyuan Ciji of Nanhua in Shaozhou

僧問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。青山綠水。曰。未來時還有意也無。師曰。高者高。低者低。

A monk asked, 'What is the Ancestor's meaning of the coming from the West?' The Master said, 'Green mountains and green water.' He said, 'Before he came, was there still a meaning or not?' The Master said, 'The high are high, the low are low.'

黃州護國院壽禪師

Chan Master Shou of Huguo Monastery in Huangzhou

僧問。如何是一路涅槃門。師曰。寒松青有千年色。一徑風飄四季香。問。如何是靈山一會。師曰。如來才一顧。迦葉便低眉。

A monk asked, 'What is the one road of the gate of nirvana?' The Master said, 'The cold pine is green with a thousand years' color; along one path the wind carries the fragrance of the four seasons.' He asked, 'What is the assembly at Vulture Peak?' The Master said, 'The Tathagata had just looked once, and Kashyapa lowered his eyes.'

瑞州九峰勤禪師

Chan Master Qin of Jiufeng in Ruizhou

僧問。方便門中。請師垂示。師曰。佛不奪眾生願。曰。恁麼則謝師方便。師曰。卻須吃棒。上堂。口羅舌沸。千喚萬喚。露柱因甚麼不回頭。良久曰。美食不中飽人吃。便下座。

A monk asked, 'Within the gate of expedient means, I beg the Master to let fall his instruction.' The Master said, 'The Buddha does not snatch away the wishes of beings.' He said, 'If so, then I thank the Master for the expedient means.' The Master said, 'You still must take the blows.' Ascending the hall: 'Mouths chatter and tongues boil, called a thousand times and ten thousand times — why does the exposed pillar not turn its head?' After a long while he said, 'Fine food does not suit a man who is full.' He then descended from the seat.

潭州雲葢繼鵬禪師

Chan Master Jipeng of Yungai in Tanzhou

初謁雙泉雅禪師。泉令充侍者。示以芭蕉拄杖話。經久無省發。一日。泉向火次。師侍立。泉忽問。拄杖子話試舉來。與子商量。師擬舉。泉拈火筯便𢷾。師豁然大悟。住後。僧問。如何是佛法大意。師曰。舌頭無骨。問。如何是祖師西來意。師曰。湯瓶火裡煨。問。佛未出世時如何。師曰。天。曰。出世後如何。師曰。地。上堂。高不在絕頂。富不在福嚴。樂不在天堂。苦不在地獄。良久曰。相識滿天下。知心能幾人。

He first called on the Reverend Ya of Shuangquan. Quan made him serve as attendant and showed him the story of the banana-tree staff. For a long time he had no awakening. One day, as Quan was warming himself at the fire and the Master stood in attendance, Quan suddenly asked, 'Try bringing up the story of the staff and let me deliberate with you.' As the Master was about to bring it up, Quan picked up the fire tongs and thrust them at him, and the Master was suddenly and greatly awakened. After he took up residence, a monk asked, 'What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?' The Master said, 'The tongue has no bone.' He asked, 'What is the Ancestor's meaning of the coming from the West?' The Master said, 'A soup pot simmering in the fire.' He asked, 'What was it like before the Buddha came into the world?' The Master said, 'Heaven.' He said, 'And after he came into the world?' The Master said, 'Earth.' Ascending the hall: 'The high are not on the summit; the rich are not at Fuyan; joy is not in heaven; suffering is not in hell.' After a long while he said, 'Acquaintances fill the world — how many know your heart?'

鄂州黃龍海禪師

Chan Master Hai of Huanglong in Ezhou

僧問。如何是黃龍家風。師曰。看。曰。忽遇客來。如何祇待。師以拄杖點之。問。如何是最初一句。師曰。掘地討天。

A monk asked, 'What is the family style of Huanglong?' The Master said, 'Look.' He said, 'If a guest suddenly comes, how do you receive him?' The Master pointed at him with his staff. He asked, 'What is the very first phrase?' The Master said, 'Digging the ground to seek the sky.'

鼎州彰法澄泗禪師

Chan Master Chengsi of Zhangfa in Dingzhou

僧問。如何是佛法大意。師曰。多少人摸索不著。曰。忽然摸著又作麼生。師曰。堪作甚麼。

A monk asked, 'What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?' The Master said, 'How many people grope for it and cannot touch it.' He said, 'If one suddenly touches it, then what?' The Master said, 'What is it good for?'

泉州雲臺因禪師

Chan Master Yin of Yuntai in Quanzhou

僧問。如何是和尚家風。師曰。嗔拳不打笑面。曰。如何施設。師曰。天台則有。南嶽則無。問。如何是佛。師曰。月不破五。曰。意旨如何。師曰。初三十一。問。如何是佛法大意。師曰。今日好曬麥。曰。意旨如何。師曰。問取磨頭。上堂。菩薩子。不在內。不在外。不在中間。且道落在甚麼處。良久曰。南贍部洲。北鬱單越。

A monk asked, 'What is the Reverend's family style?' The Master said, 'An angry fist does not strike a smiling face.' He said, 'How do you set it out?' The Master said, 'Tiantai has it, Nanyue does not.' He asked, 'What is the Buddha?' The Master said, 'The moon is not broken on the fifth.' He said, 'What does it mean?' The Master said, 'The first and the thirty-first.' He asked, 'What is the great meaning of the Buddha Dharma?' The Master said, 'Today is a good day to dry wheat.' He said, 'What does it mean?' The Master said, 'Ask the miller.' Ascending the hall: 'Bodhisattva children, it is not within, not without, not in between — tell me, where does it fall?' After a long while he said, 'Jambudvipa, Uttarakuru.'

福嚴雅禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Ya of Fuyan

潭州北禪智賢禪師

Chan Master Zhixian of Beichan in Tanzhou

僧問。如何是佛。師曰。匙挑不上。曰。如何是道。師曰。險路架橋。歲夜小參曰。年窮歲盡。無可與諸人分歲。老僧烹一頭露地白牛。炊黍米飯。煑野菜羹。燒榾柮火。大家吃了。唱村田樂。何故。免見倚他門戶傍他墻。剛被時人喚作郎。便下座歸方丈。至夜深。維那入方丈問訊。曰。縣裡有公人到勾和尚。師曰。作甚麼。那曰。道和尚宰牛不納皮角。師遂捋下頭帽。擲在地上。那便拾去。師跳下禪床。攔胸擒住。呌曰。賊。賊。那將帽子覆師頂曰。天寒。且還和尚。師呵呵大笑。那便出去。時法昌為侍者。師顧昌曰。這公案作麼生。昌曰。潭州紙貴。一狀領過。

A monk asked, 'What is the Buddha?' The Master said, 'You cannot scoop it up with a spoon.' He said, 'What is the Way?' The Master said, 'Building a bridge on a perilous road.' On New Year's Eve at the minor assembly he said, 'The year is exhausted and the season is spent; I have nothing to share with you people for the passing of the year. This old monk has cooked a white ox that roams in the open ground, steamed millet rice, boiled a soup of wild greens and lit a fire of wood stumps. Let us all eat and sing country field songs. Why? To avoid having to lean on his door and nestle against his wall.' He had just been called a fine fellow by people of the time, and so descended from the seat and returned to the abbot's quarters. Late at night the director of affairs entered the abbot's quarters to pay his respects and said, 'A constable from the county has come to summon the Reverend.' The Master said, 'What for?' The director said, 'He says the Reverend slaughtered an ox and did not hand in the hide and horns.' The Master then pulled off his head cap and threw it on the ground. The director picked it up and went off. The Master jumped down from the meditation bed, seized him by the chest and cried, 'Thief, thief.' The director put the cap back on the Master's head and said, 'The weather is cold; let me return it to the Reverend.' The Master laughed heartily, and the director went out. At that time Fachang was the attendant. The Master looked at Chang and said, 'How do you make out this case?' Chang said, 'Paper is dear in Tanzhou — one indictment covers it all.'

南嶽衡嶽寺振禪師

Chan Master Zhen of Hengyue Monastery in Nanyue

山居頌曰。阿呵呵。瘦松寒竹鎻清波。有時獨坐磐陀上。無人共唱太平歌。朝看白雲生洞口。暮觀明月照娑婆。有人問我居山事。三尺杖子攪黃河。

A verse on dwelling in the mountains: 'Ah ha ha — lean pines and cold bamboo lock the clear waves; sometimes I sit alone on a flat boulder, and there is no one to sing the song of great peace with me. In the morning I watch white clouds rise at the cave mouth; at dusk I watch the bright moon shine on the Saha world. If someone asks me about dwelling in the mountains: a three-foot staff stirs the Yellow River.'

開福賢禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Xian of Kaifu

日芳上座

The elder Rifang

僧問。如何是函葢乾坤句。師竪起拄杖。僧曰。如何是截斷眾流句。師橫按拄杖。僧曰。如何是隨波逐浪句。師擲下拄杖。僧曰。三句外請師道。師便起去。師贊開福真曰。清儀瘦兮。可瞻可仰。仰之非親。妙筆圖兮。可擬可像。像之非真。非親非真。秋月盈輪。有言無味兮的中的。既往如在兮覓焉覓。當機隱顯兮絲髮誵訛。金烏卓午兮迅風霹靂。

A monk asked, 'What is the phrase that envelops heaven and earth?' The Master raised his staff upright. The monk said, 'What is the phrase that cuts off the multitude of streams?' The Master held his staff crosswise. The monk said, 'What is the phrase that follows the waves and chases the billows?' The Master threw down his staff. The monk said, 'Apart from the three phrases, I beg the Master to speak.' The Master then rose and left. The Master praised the portrait of Kaifu: 'Pure in bearing and lean — fit to be looked up to and admired; yet looking up to it, it is not kin. A wondrous brush has painted it — fit to be imitated and resembled; yet resembling it, it is not true. Not kin and not true: the autumn moon fills its disk. Having words without flavor — exactly the mark. Gone and yet as if present — where will you seek it? At the moment of the mechanism it hides and shows — a hair's error. The golden crow stands at noon — a swift wind and a thunderclap.'

報慈嵩禪師法嗣

Dharma Heirs of Chan Master Song of Baoci