The Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Fascicle Nineteen
延州伏龍山延慶院奉璘禪師。問如何是和尚家風。師曰。橫身臥海。日裡挑燈。問如何是伏龍境。師曰。山峻水流急三春足異華。問和尚還愛財色也無。師曰。愛曰既是善知識。為什麼卻愛財愛色。師曰。知恩者少負恩者多。師問火頭。培火了未。曰低聲。師曰。什麼處得遮消息來。曰不假多言。師曰。省錢易飽吃了還飢。問如何是和尚家風。師曰。長虀冷飯。曰又太寂寞生。師曰。僧家合如是。
Yanzhou, Mount Fulong, Yanqing Yuan, Chan Master Fenglin. Q: 'What is the Master's family style?' The master said: 'Lying sideways across the sea; in daylight lighting a lamp.' Q: 'What is the realm of Fulong?' The master said: 'The mountains are steep, the water flows swift; in late spring there are abundant rare flowers.' Q: 'Does the Master still love wealth and sex?' The master said: 'I love them.' He said: 'Since you are a good spiritual friend, why do you instead love wealth and sex?' The master said: 'Those who know gratitude are few; those who betray kindness are many.' The master asked the fire-tender: 'Have you banked the fire yet?' He said: 'Lower your voice.' The master said: 'Where did you get this news?' He said: 'It does not depend on many words.' The master said: 'Saving money makes it easy to be full, but after eating one is still hungry.' Q: 'What is the Master's family style?' The master said: 'Long pickled vegetables and cold rice.' He said: 'That is too desolate.' The master said: 'The monk's household should be like this.'
安州大安山省禪師(第三世住)問失路迷人請師直指。師曰。三門前去。問舉步臨危請師指月。師曰。不指月。曰為什麼不指月。師曰。臨坑不推人。問離四句絕百非請和尚道。師曰。我王庫內無如是刀。問重重關鎖信息不通時如何。師曰。爭得到遮裡。曰到後如何。師曰。彼中事作麼生。問如何是真中真。師曰。十字路頭泥佛子。
Chan Master Sheng of Da'an Mountain in Anzhou (third-generation abbot). [Someone] asked, 'A confused person who has lost the way asks the master to point directly.' The master said, 'Go in front of the three gates.' [He] asked, 'When raising a foot at the brink of danger, please master point to the moon.' The master said, 'I do not point to the moon.' [He] said, 'Why do you not point to the moon?' The master said, 'At the edge of a pit, one does not push people.' [He] asked, 'Freed from the four propositions and cutting off the hundred negations, please, Reverend, speak.' The master said, 'In my royal treasury there is no such sword.' [He] asked, 'When barriers are layered and locks are many, and news does not get through, what then?' The master said, 'How could it reach here?' [He] said, 'After it arrives, what then?' The master said, 'How are matters there?' [He] asked, 'What is the true within the true?' The master said, 'A clay Buddha at the crossroads.'
洪州大雄山百丈超禪師海東人也。問祖意與教意同別。師曰。金鷄玉兔聽遶須彌。問日落西山去林中事若何。師曰。洞深雲出晚。㵎曲水流遲。僧辭問曰。今日下山有人問和尚說什麼法。向他道什麼。師曰。但向他道。大雄山上虎生師子兒。
Chan Master Baizhang Chao of Mount Daxiong in Hongzhou was a native of Haidong. [Someone] asked, 'Are the meaning of the patriarchs and the meaning of the teachings the same or different?' The master said, 'The golden rooster and jade rabbit listen as they circle Mount Sumeru.' [He] asked, 'When the sun sets in the western mountains and goes down, what about the matter in the forest?' The master said, 'The cave is deep, clouds emerge late; the ravine is crooked, the water flows slowly.' A monk took leave and asked, 'Today, going down the mountain, if someone asks what Dharma the Reverend taught, what should I tell them?' The master said, 'Just tell them: On Mount Daxiong a tiger gave birth to a lion cub.'
洪州天王院和尚。問國內按劍者是誰。師曰。天王。問百骸俱潰散一物鎮長靈如何。師曰。不墮無壞爛。問如何是佛。師曰錯。
The Reverend of Tianwang Monastery in Hongzhou. [Someone] asked, 'Who is the one who rests his hand on the sword within the realm?' The master said, 'The Heavenly King.' [He] asked, 'When the hundred bones are all scattered, and one thing always remains numinous, what then?' The master said, 'It does not fall into being without decay or rot.' [He] asked, 'What is the Buddha?' The master said, 'Wrong.'
常州正勤院蘊禪師(第一世住)魏府人也。姓韓氏。幼而出家老有童顏。得法於疎山之室。僧問師唱誰家曲宗風事若何。師曰。適然簫韶外六律不能過。曰不過底事作麼生。師曰。聲前拍不散句後覓無蹤。僧問。如何是正勤一條路。師曰。埿深三尺。曰如何得到。師曰。闍梨從什麼處來。問如何是。禪師曰。石裡蓮華火裡泉。曰如何是道。師曰。楞伽峰頂一莖草。曰禪道相去多少。師曰。泥人落水木人撈。師晉天福中將順寂。預告大眾。及期闔城士女奔走至院。師囑付訖。怡然坐化。門人葬於院後。經二稔發塔覩全身。儼然髮爪俱長。乃於城東闍維。收舍利真骨重建塔。
Chan Master Yun of Zhengqin Monastery in Changzhou (first-generation resident) was a man of Weifu. His surname was Han. He left home in youth, and in old age he had a boyish face. He obtained the Dharma in the room of Shushan. A monk asked, 'The Master sings the tune of which house? How are the affairs of the ancestral style?' The Master said, 'Just so, beyond the Shao music the six pitch-pipes cannot surpass it.' [The monk] said, 'What about the matter that cannot be surpassed?' The Master said, 'Before the sound the beat does not scatter; after the sentence, seek it and there is no trace.' A monk asked, 'What is the one road of Zhengqin?' The Master said, 'The mud is three feet deep.' [The monk] said, 'How can one get there?' The Master said, 'Ācārya, where do you come from?' He asked, 'What is Chan?' The Master said, 'A lotus in stone, a spring in fire.' [He] said, 'What is the Way?' The Master said, 'A single stalk of grass on the summit of Laṅkā Peak.' [He] said, 'How far apart are Chan and the Way?' The Master said, 'A clay man falls into the water; a wooden man scoops him out.' In the Tianfu era of the Jin, the Master was about to pass into quiescence. He announced it beforehand to the assembly. When the time arrived, the men and women of the whole city ran to the monastery. After the Master finished his instructions, he peacefully sat and passed away. His disciples buried him behind the monastery. After two years, they opened the stupa and saw his whole body; it was as if alive, and his hair and nails had both grown. Then they cremated him east of the city. They collected the relics and true bones and rebuilt a stupa.
襄州後洞山和尚。問道有又無時如何。師曰。龍頭蛇尾腰間一劍。
The Venerable of Houdong Mountain in Xiangzhou. [A monk] asked, 'When the Way is both existent and nonexistent, how is it?' The Master said, 'Dragon head, snake tail, one sword at the waist.'
京兆三相和尚。問如何是無縫塔。師曰。覓縫不得。曰如何是塔中人。師曰。對面不得見。
The Venerable Sanxiang of Jingzhao. [A monk] asked, 'What is the seamless stupa?' The Master said, 'You cannot find a seam.' [The monk] said, 'What is the person in the stupa?' The Master said, 'Facing him, you cannot see him.'
前樂普元安禪師法嗣
Dharma heirs of the former Chan Master Yuan'an of Yuepu.
京兆永安院善靜禪師京兆人也。姓王氏。父任牧守。母因夢金像覺而有娠。師幼習儒學博通群言。年二十七忽厭浮幻。潛詣終南山禮廣度禪師披削受具。唐天復中南謁樂普安禪師。師器之容其入室。仍典園務力營眾事。有僧辭樂普。樂普曰。四面是山闍梨向什麼處去。僧無對。樂普曰。限汝十日內下語得中即從汝發去。其僧冥搜久之無語。因經行偶入園中。師怪問曰。上座豈不是辭去。今何在此。僧具陳所以堅請代語。師不得已代曰。竹密豈妨流水過。山高那阻野雲飛。其僧喜踴師囑之曰。秖對和尚。不須言是善靜語也。僧遂白樂普。樂普曰。誰下此語。曰某甲。樂普曰。非汝之語。其僧具言園頭所教。樂普至晚上堂謂眾曰。莫輕園頭。他日住一城隍五百人常隨也。師尋辭樂普。北還故山結盧而止。道俗歸向。復遊峨眉迴住興元。連帥王公禮重。後歸故鄉屬兵火之後舊寺荒廢。節帥創永安禪苑以居之。徒眾五百餘。僧問。知有道不得時如何。師曰。知有箇什麼。曰不可無也。師曰。恁麼即合道得。曰道即不無爭奈語偏。師曰。水凍魚難躍山寒花發遲問如何是衲衣向上事。師曰。龍魚不出海水月不吞光。問不可以智知不可以識識時如何。師曰。鶴鷺並頭蹋雪睡。月明驚起兩遲疑問如何。是西來意。師曰。壁上畫枯松蜂來不見蘂。問牛頭未見四祖時如何。師曰。異境靈松覩者皆羨。曰見後如何師曰。葉落已枝摧風來不得韻。問如何得生如來家。師曰。披衣望曉論劫不明。曰劫後如何明。師曰。一句不可得。師往遊棘道。避昭宗蒙塵之亂。以漢開運丙午歲冬。鳴犍稚集僧囑累。入方丈東向右脅而化。壽八十有九。臘六十。勅諡淨悟禪師。
Chan Master Shanjing of Yongan Cloister in Jingzhao was a man of Jingzhao. His surname was Wang. His father served as a governor. His mother dreamed of a golden image; when she awoke, she was pregnant. As a child the master studied Confucianism and was broadly versed in the many teachings. At the age of twenty-seven he suddenly grew weary of floating illusions. He secretly went to Mount Zhongnan, paid reverence to Chan Master Guangdu, had his head shaved, and received full ordination. During the Tianfu era of the Tang, he went south to visit Chan Master Lepu An. The master recognized his capacity and allowed him to enter his room. He was also put in charge of garden affairs and worked hard at managing communal matters. There was a monk who took leave of Lepu. Lepu said, ‘Surrounded on four sides by mountains, where are you going, Acarya?’ The monk had no reply. Lepu said, ‘I give you ten days. If you can produce a phrase that hits the mark, then I will let you leave.’ The monk searched deeply for a long time but had no words. As he was walking in meditation, he happened to enter the garden. The master asked in surprise, ‘Venerable, were you not taking leave? Why are you here now?’ The monk fully explained the reason and earnestly asked him to speak in his place. The master, unable to refuse, spoke in his place: ‘How can dense bamboo hinder flowing water from passing? How can high mountains block wild clouds from flying?’ The monk leaped for joy. The master instructed him, saying, ‘Just answer the Master. You need not say that it is Shanjing’s words.’ The monk then reported to Lepu. Lepu said, ‘Who uttered this?’ He said, ‘I did.’ Lepu said, ‘It is not your saying.’ The monk fully told him that the garden head had taught it to him. In the evening Lepu entered the hall and said to the assembly, ‘Do not slight the garden head. In a future day he will dwell in a city, and five hundred people will constantly follow him.’ Soon the master took leave of Lepu. He returned north to his old mountain, built a hut, and settled there. Monastics and laypeople turned to him. He again traveled to Mount Emei, and on returning he stayed at Xingyuan. The regional commander, Lord Wang, honored him greatly. Later he returned to his native place; it was after the fires of war, and the old monastery lay waste. The military commissioner established the Yongan Chan Grove for him to dwell in. His followers were more than five hundred. A monk asked, ‘When one knows but cannot speak the Way, how is it?’ The master said, ‘What is there that you know?’ He said, ‘It cannot be that there is nothing.’ The master said, ‘If so, then you should be able to speak it.’ He said, ‘Speaking is indeed not absent, but what can be done about words being partial?’ The master said, ‘When water freezes, fish find it hard to leap; when the mountain is cold, flowers bloom late.’ He asked, ‘What is the matter beyond the patch robe?’ The master said, ‘Dragons and fish do not leave the sea; the water-moon does not swallow light.’ He asked, ‘When it cannot be known by wisdom and cannot be recognized by consciousness, how is it?’ The master said, ‘Crane and egret, heads together, tread the snow and sleep. When the moon is bright, startled awake, both hesitate.’ He asked, ‘What is the meaning of the coming from the West?’ The master said, ‘On the wall is painted a withered pine; a bee comes but does not see the stamen.’ He asked, ‘When Niutou had not yet seen the Fourth Patriarch, how was it?’ The master said, ‘In a strange land, the numinous pine—all who see it admire it.’ He said, ‘After seeing him, how is it?’ The Master said: 'When the leaves have fallen, the branches are already broken; when the wind comes, it cannot make harmony.' Asked: 'How can one be born into the Tathagata's family?' The Master said: 'Putting on robes and gazing toward dawn, in discussing kalpas one is not clear.' Someone said: 'After the kalpa, how is one clear?' The Master said: 'Not a single phrase is obtainable.' The Master went traveling to Jidao. To avoid the turmoil of Emperor Zhaozong's flight, in the winter of the bingwu year of Kaiyun of the Han, he sounded the gong, assembled the monks, and entrusted them. He entered the abbot's quarters, faced east, and passed away lying on his right side. His age was eighty-nine; his dharma-age was sixty. By imperial decree he was posthumously titled Chan Master Jingwu.
蘄州烏牙山彥賓禪師。問未作人身以前作什麼來。師曰。三腳石牛坡上走。一枝瑞氣月前分。問匹馬單槍直入時如何。師曰。饒爾雄信解拈槍。猶較秦王一步在。問久戰沙場為什麼功名不就。師曰。雙鵰隨箭落李廣不當名。問百步穿楊中的者誰。師曰。將軍不上便橋。金牙徒勞拈筈。問螮蝀飲雲根時如何。師曰。金輪天子下閻浮。鐵饅頭上金花異。
Chan Master Yanbin of Wuyashan in Qizhou. Asked: 'Before you had a human body, what did you do?' The Master said: 'A three-legged stone ox walks on the slope; a branch of auspicious vapor divides before the moon.' Asked: 'What about when a single horse and single spear charge straight in?' The Master said: 'Even if you, Xiongxin, know how to handle a spear, you are still one step behind the Prince of Qin.' Asked: 'Having long fought on the battlefield, why is merit and fame not achieved?' The Master said: 'Two vultures fall following the arrow; Li Guang does not live up to the name.' Asked: 'Who is the one who pierces a willow leaf from a hundred paces?' The Master said: 'The general does not ascend the Bian Bridge; Jinya vainly fits the nock.' Asked: 'What about when a rainbow drinks at the cloud roots?' The Master said: 'The golden-wheel emperor descends to Jambudvipa; on the iron steamed bun, golden flowers are extraordinary.'
鳳翔府青峰山傳楚禪師涇州人也。性淳貌古眼有三角。承樂普開示心地俾宰於眾事。一日樂普問曰。院主汝去什麼處來。師曰。掃雪來。曰雪深多少。師曰。樹上總是。曰得即也得。汝向後有山住箇雪窟定矣。自受記乃訪於白水。白水問。樂普有生機一路是否。師曰是。白水曰。止卻生路向熟路上來。師曰。生路上死人無數。熟路上不著活漢。白水曰。此是樂普底爾作麼生。師曰。非但樂普夾山亦不奈何。曰夾山為什麼不奈何。師曰。不見道生機一路。師住後有僧問。佛魔未現向什麼處應。師曰。諸上座聽秖對。問如何是臨機一句。師曰。便道將來。曰請和尚道。師曰。穿過髑髏不知痛處。問如何是明瞭底人一句。師曰。駿馬寸步不移。鈍鳥昇騰出路。
Chan Master Chuanchu of Qingfeng Mountain in Fengxiang Prefecture was a native of Jingzhou. His nature was simple and his appearance ancient; his eyes were triangular. He received Yuepu's instruction on the mind-ground and was made to oversee communal affairs. One day Yuepu asked, 'Director, where have you come from?' The Master said, 'I have come from sweeping snow.' [Yuepu] said, 'How deep was the snow?' The Master said, 'It is all on the trees.' [Yuepu] said, 'Attainment is indeed attainment. Henceforth, when you have a mountain, you will surely dwell in a snow cave.' After he received the prediction, he visited Baishui. Baishui asked, 'Does Yuepu have one road of vital activity?' The Master said, 'Yes.' Baishui said, 'Stop the road of life and come onto the familiar road.' The Master said, 'On the road of life countless people die; on the familiar road no living man alights.' Baishui said, 'This is Yuepu's; what will you do?' The Master said, 'Not only Yuepu; even Jiashan cannot do anything about it.' [Baishui] said, 'Why can Jiashan not do anything about it?' The Master said, 'Have you not heard it said: one road of vital activity?' After the Master took up residence, a monk asked, 'When Buddha and Mara have not yet appeared, where does one respond?' The Master said, 'Venerable ones, listen to the direct reply.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the one phrase at the brink of the moment?' The Master said, 'Say it right away.' [The monk] said, 'Please, Master, say it.' The Master said, 'It passes through the skull without knowing the place of pain.' [A monk] asked, 'What is the one phrase of a person who is clear?' The Master said, 'A fine horse does not move a single step. A dull bird soars up, making its way out.'
鄧州中度和尚。問海內不逢師如何是寰中主。師曰。金鷄常報曉時人不自知。問如何是暗中明鏡。師曰。萬機昧不得。曰未審照何物。師曰。什麼物不照。問如何是實際理地不受一塵。佛事門中不捨一法。師曰。真常塵不染海內百川流。問請和尚離聲色外答。師曰。木人常對語有性不能言。
Venerable Zhongdu of Dengzhou. A monk asked: “When within the four seas one does not meet a teacher, how is one the lord within the realm?” The Master said: “The golden rooster always announces the dawn, but people of the time do not know it themselves.” He asked: “What is the bright mirror in the dark?” The Master said: “The myriad workings cannot obscure it.” He said: “I wonder what it illuminates.” The Master said: “What thing does it not illuminate?” He asked: “What is the ground of actual truth that receives not a single mote of dust, while in the gate of Buddha-work not a single dharma is abandoned?” The Master said: “True permanence is unstained by dust; within the seas a hundred rivers flow.” He asked: “Please, Master, answer apart from sound and form.” The Master said: “The wooden man constantly converses; though it has nature, it cannot speak.”
嘉州洞谿和尚初問樂普。月樹無根枝覆蔭。請師直指妙幽微。樂普曰。森羅秀處事不相依。淥水千波孤峰自異。師於是領旨承嗣。問蛇師為什麼被蛇吞。師曰。幾度扣門拈不出。
Venerable Dongxi of Jiazhou first asked Yuepu: “The moon-tree has no root, yet its branches give shade. Please, Master, directly point out the wondrous and subtle.” Yuepu said: “In the flourishing array of myriad phenomena, things do not depend on one another; in the clear water’s thousand waves, the solitary peak stands apart.” The Master thereupon received the purport and inherited the succession. He asked: “Why was the snake-charmer swallowed by a snake?” The Master said: “Several times he knocked at the door, yet could not pick it out.”
京兆臥龍和尚初開堂。有僧問。杲日符天際。珠光照舊都。浦津通法海。今日意如何。師曰。寶劍暉時豈該明暗。
Venerable Wolong of Jingzhao first opened the hall. A monk asked: “The bright sun matches the sky’s edge; the pearl light shines on the old capital; the ford connects to the Dharma sea. What is the meaning today?” The Master said: “When the precious sword gleams, how could it pertain to light and dark?”
前江西逍遙山懷忠禪師法嗣
Dharma heir of the aforementioned Chan Master Huaizhong of Xiaoyao Mountain in Jiangxi.
泉州福清院師巍和尚號通玄禪師。僧問。枝分夾嶺的紹逍遙寶座既登法雷請震。師曰。逍遙逈物外物外霞不生。問如何是西來的的意。師曰。立雪未為勞斷臂方為的。曰恁麼即一華開五葉芬芳直至今。師曰。因圓三界外果滿十方知。
The monk Shiwei of Fuqing Cloister in Quanzhou, titled Chan Master Tongxuan. A monk asked: “The branch divides at Jialing, truly continuing Xiaoyao; since the jeweled seat has been ascended, let the Dharma thunder roar.” The Master said: “Xiaoyao is far beyond things; beyond things, the sunset clouds do not arise.” He asked: “What is the true meaning of the coming from the West?” The Master said: “Standing in the snow was not yet toil; cutting off the arm was truly the point.” He said: “If so, then one flower opens five petals, its fragrance reaching down to today.” The Master said: “The cause is perfected beyond the three realms; the fruit is fulfilled and known throughout the ten directions.”
京兆白雲無休禪師。問路逢猛虎如何降伏。師曰。歸依佛歸依法歸依僧。問如何是白雲境。師曰。月夜樓邊海客愁。
Chan Master Wuxiu of Baiyun in Jingzhao. A monk asked: “Meeting a fierce tiger on the road, how is it subdued?” The Master said: “Take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, take refuge in the Sangha.” A monk asked: “What is the realm of Baiyun?” The Master said: “On a moonlit night by the tower, the sea traveler grieves.”
前袁州盤龍山可文禪師法嗣
Dharma heir of the aforementioned Chan Master Kewen of Panlong Mountain in Yuanzhou.
江州盧山永安淨悟禪師。僧問。如何是出家底事。師曰。萬丈懸崖撒手去。曰如何是不出家底事。師曰。逈殊雪嶺安巢節。有異許由掛一瓢。問六門不通如何通信。師曰。闍梨外邊與誰相識。問脫籠頭卸角馱來時如何。師曰。換骨洗腸投紫塞。洪門切忌更銜蘆。問從上諸聖將何示人。師曰。有異祖龍行化節。逈超棲鳳越揚塵。問如何是解作客底人。師曰。寶御珍床猶尚棄。誰能歷劫傍他門。問眾手淘金誰是得者。師曰。黃帝不曾遊赤水。珠承罔象也虛然。問雪覆蘆華時如何。師曰。雖則沍凝呈瑞色。太陽輝後卻迷人。
Chan Master Jingwu of Yong'an on Mount Lu in Jiangzhou. A monk asked, 'What is the matter of leaving home?' The master said, 'Let go at the ten-thousand-fathom cliff.' He asked, 'What is the matter of not leaving home?' The master said, 'Utterly different from the time of nesting peacefully on the Snowy Ridge; different from Xu You hanging up a single gourd.' He asked, 'When the six gates are not open, how can one communicate?' The master said, 'Acarya, outside, with whom are you acquainted?' He asked, 'When one has taken off the halter and unloaded the pack from the horns, how is it?' The master said, 'Change your bones and wash your intestines, and cast yourself into the Purple Frontier. At Hongmen, above all, do not again carry reeds in your beak.' He asked, 'The holy ones from of old—what do they use to show people?' The master said, 'Different from the chapter of the Ancestral Dragon's transforming career; far surpassing the phoenix perched and the dust raised in Yue.' He asked, 'What is a person who understands how to be a guest?' The master said, 'Even a precious carriage and jeweled couch are still abandoned; who can, through kalpas, lean by another's gate?' He asked, 'When many hands pan for gold, who is the one who gets it?' The master said, 'The Yellow Emperor never once roamed the Red Water; even the pearl received by Wangxiang is likewise empty.' He asked, 'When snow covers the reed flowers, how is it?' The master said, 'Although frozen and congealed it displays an auspicious color, after the sun shines it instead deludes people.'
袁州木平山善道禪師。初謁樂普問。一漚未發已前如何辨其水脈。樂普曰。移舟諳水勢舉棹別波瀾。師不愜意乃參盤龍。語同前問。盤龍曰。移舟不辨水舉棹即迷源。師從此悟入。僧問。如何是西來意。師曰。石羊頭子向東看。問如何是正法眼。師曰。拄杖孔。問如何是不動尊。師曰。浪浪宕宕問如何是木平一句。師曰。畐塞虛空。曰畐塞虛空即不問。如何是一句。師乃打之。師凡有新到僧。未許參禮先令運土三擔。而示偈曰。
Chan Master Shandao of Mount Muping in Yuanzhou. He first visited Yuepu and asked, 'Before a single bubble has arisen, how can one discern its watercourse?' Yuepu said, 'Move the boat and know the water's force; lift the oar and distinguish the waves.' The master was not satisfied, so he went to consult Panlong. He asked the same question as before. Panlong said, 'Move the boat without discerning the water; lift the oar and you lose the source.' The master was awakened from this. A monk asked, 'What is the meaning of coming from the West?' The master said, 'The stone sheep's head looks to the east.' He asked, 'What is the True Dharma Eye?' The master said, 'The hole in the staff.' He asked, 'What is the Immovable Honored One?' The master said, 'Wandering and drifting.' He asked, 'What is Muping's one phrase?' The master said, 'Filling the void.' (The base text reads '畐塞'.) He said, 'I do not ask about filling the void. What is the one phrase?' The master then hit him. Whenever a newly arrived monk came, before permitting him to pay respects, the master first had him carry three loads of earth. Then he showed a verse, saying:
南山路仄東山低新到莫辭三轉泥
The road on South Mountain is narrow, East Mountain is low; Newcomer, do not decline three turns of mud.
嗟汝在途經日久明明不曉卻成迷
Alas, you have been on the road for a long time; clearly not understanding, you instead become deluded.
師肉髻羅紋。金陵李氏嚮其道譽。迎請供養待以師禮。嘗問。如何是木平。師曰。不動斤斧。曰如何不動斤斧。師曰。木平。時大法眼禪師。有偈贈曰。
The Master had a fleshy usnisa with spiral lines. The Li family of Jinling sought him out because of his reputation in the Way. They welcomed and invited him, made offerings, and treated him with the etiquette due a master. They once asked, “What is Muping?” The Master said, “Not moving the axe.” They said, “How is it not moving the axe?” The Master said, “Muping.” At that time the Great Chan Master Fayan presented him with a verse, saying:
木平山裡人貌古年復少
A man of Muping Mountain, / His countenance ancient, his years yet few.
相看陌路同論心秋月皎
Looking at one another, we are the same on an unfamiliar road; / Discussing the mind, the autumn moon is bright.
壞衲線非蠶助歌聲有鳥
The thread of the worn robe is not from silkworms; / There are birds whose voices join the song.
城闕今日來一漚曾已曉
Today I come to the city towers; / A single bubble had long since been understood.
師異跡頗多此不繁述。滅後門人建塔刊石影本國。諡真寂禪師。塔曰普慧。
The Master had many extraordinary traces; they are not recounted in detail here. After his death, his disciples built a stupa and carved a stone portrait in his native land. He was posthumously titled Chan Master Zhenji. His stupa was called Puhui.
陝府龍谿和尚。上堂謂眾曰。直饒說似箇無縫塔。也不免老僧下一箇橛。作麼生免得下橛。眾無對。師自代曰。下去。僧問。如何是無縫塔。師曰。百寶莊嚴今已了。四門開豁已多時。
The Reverend Longxi of Shan Prefecture. Entering the hall, he said to the assembly: “Even if one speaks it to resemble a seamless stupa, one still cannot avoid this old monk driving in a peg. How can one avoid driving in a peg?” The assembly had no reply. The Master answered on their behalf: “Get down.” A monk asked, “What is the seamless stupa?” The Master said, “The hundred treasures’ adornment is now completed; / The four gates have been wide open for a long time.”
前撫州黃山月輪禪師法嗣
Dharma heir of the former Chan Master Yuelun of Mount Huang in Fuzhou.
郢州桐泉山和尚。初參黃山。問天門一合十方無路。有人道得擺手出漳江。師對曰。蟄戶不開龍無龍句。黃山曰。是爾恁麼道。師曰。是即直言是。不是直言不是。黃山曰。擺手出漳江。黃山復問。卞和到處荊山秀。玉印從他天子傳時如何。師曰。靈鶴不於林下憩。野老不重太平年。黃山深肯之。師住後僧問。如何是相傳底事。師曰。龍吐長生水魚吞無盡漚。問請師挑揥(他狄切)。師曰。攂鼓轉船頭棹挑波裡月。
The Reverend of Tongquan Mountain in Ying Prefecture. He first called on Huangshan. [Huangshan] asked, “When the heavenly gate closes, the ten directions have no road. If someone can speak it, wave your hand and leave Zhangjiang.” The Master replied, “If the hibernating door does not open, the dragon has no dragon phrase.” Huangshan said, “It is you who speak thus.” The Master said, “If it is so, plainly say it is so; if it is not, plainly say it is not.” Huangshan said, “Wave your hand and leave Zhangjiang.” Huangshan again asked, “Wherever Bian He goes, Mount Jing is beautiful. What about when the jade seal is passed on by the Son of Heaven?” The Master said, “The numinous crane does not rest beneath the forest; / The rustic old man does not value a peaceful year.” Huangshan deeply approved of him. After the Master took up residence, a monk asked, “What is the matter transmitted from one to another?” The Master said, “The dragon spits the water of long life; the fish swallows endless bubbles.” [Another] asked, “Please, Master, pluck it out.” (fanqie: ta-di) The Master said, “Beat the drum, turn the boat’s head; the oar stirs the moon in the waves.”
前洛京韶山寰普禪師法嗣
Dharma heir of the former Chan Master Huanpu of Shaoshan in Luojing.
潭州文殊和尚。僧問。如何是祝融峰前事。師曰。巖前瑞草生。問仁王登位萬姓霑恩。和尚出世何如。師曰。萬裡長沙駕鐵船。問如何是本爾莊嚴。師曰。菊華原上景行人去路長。
The Reverend Wenshu of Tanzhou. A monk asked, “What is the matter before Zhurong Peak?” The Master said, “Auspicious grass grows before the cliff.” [The monk] asked, “The benevolent king ascends the throne and the myriad surnames receive grace. How is the Master’s emergence into the world?” The Master said, “Ten thousand li of Changsha, driving an iron boat.” [The monk] asked, “What is your original adornment?” The Master said, “On the chrysanthemum plain is the scene; the traveler’s road ahead is long.”