Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Volume Twenty-Two

韶州大梵圓和尚。師上堂示眾曰。大眾好箇時光直須努力時不待人。各自歸堂參取本善知識去。僧問。大眾雲集請師舉唱。師曰。有疑請問。師因見聖僧便問僧。此箇聖僧年多少。僧曰。恰共和尚同年。師喝之。曰遮竭鬥不易道得。

Chan Master Yuan of Dafan in Shaozhou. The Master ascended the hall and addressed the assembly: "Great assembly, what a fine time this is—you must exert yourselves. Time does not wait for people. Each of you return to the hall and investigate your own original good spiritual friend." A monk asked: "The great assembly has gathered like clouds; please, Master, raise up a song." The Master said: "If you have doubts, ask." The Master, on seeing the holy monk, then asked a monk: "How old is this holy monk?" The monk said: "Exactly the same age as the Master." The Master shouted at him, saying: "This dried-up wrestler does not easily get to speak."

澧州藥山圓光禪師。僧問。藥嶠燈連師當第幾。師曰。相逢盡道休官去。林下何曾見一人。問水陸不涉者師還接否。師曰。蘇嚕蘇嚕。師問新到僧。南來北來。曰北來。師曰。不落言詮速道。曰某甲是福建道人善會鄉譚。師曰。參眾去。曰灼然。師曰。𨁝跳便打。問如何是祖師西來意。師曰。道什麼。

Chan Master Yuanguang of Yaoshan in Lizhou. A monk asked: "Yaoshan's lamp continues—how many generations does the Master rank?" The Master said: "When meeting, all say, 'I have resigned office and gone'; beneath the grove, who has ever been seen—one person?" He asked: "One who does not involve water and land—does the Master still receive him?" The Master said: "Su lu su lu." The Master asked a newly arrived monk: "From the south or from the north?" He said: "From the north." The Master said: "Without falling into words, speak quickly." He said: "I am a Daoist from Fujian, good at the local dialect." The Master said: "Go join the assembly." He said: "Clearly." The Master said: "If you jump, you get hit." (The base text has this character with the foot radical; doubtful.) He asked: "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the west?" The Master said: "What are you saying?"

信州鵝湖山雲震禪師。僧問。如何是佛。師曰。闍梨不是。師問僧。近離什麼處。曰兩淛。師曰。還將得吹毛劍來否。僧展兩手。師曰。將謂是箇爛柯仙。元來卻是樗蒱漢。問如何是鵝湖家風。師曰。客是主人相。師曰。恁麼即謝師周旋。師曰。難下陳蕃之榻。

Chan Master Yunzhen of Mount Ehu in Xinzhou. A monk asked: "What is the Buddha?" The Master said: "You, Acharya, are not." The Master asked a monk: "Where have you recently left?" He said: "The Two Zhe." The Master said: "Have you brought the hair-blowing sword?" The monk spread out both hands. The Master said: "I thought you were an immortal from rotten axe handle; originally you are a dice-playing fellow." He asked: "What is the Ehu family style?" The Master said: "The guest is the host's countenance." The Master said: "If so, then thank the Master for his attentiveness." The Master said: "Hard to lower Chen Fan's couch."

廬山開先清耀禪師。僧問。如何是燈燈不絕。師曰。青楊翻遞植。曰學人不會。師曰。無根樹下唱虛名。問披雲一句師親唱。長慶今朝事若何。師曰。家家觀世音。問如何是披雲境。師曰。一瓶淥水安窓下。便當生涯度幾秋。問如何是長慶境。師曰。堂裡老僧頭雪白。曰二境同歸應當別理。師曰。在處得人疑。問古㵎寒泉誰人能到。師曰乾。曰恁麼即到也。師曰。深多少。

Chan Master Qingyao of Kaixian in Mount Lu. A monk asked: "What is the lamp continuing without cease?" The Master said: "Green poplars are turned and transplanted in succession." He said: "The student does not understand." The Master said: "Beneath the rootless tree, one sings a false name." He asked: "The phrase 'piercing the clouds' the Master himself sings; what of Changqing's affair today?" The Master said: "Every household has Guanyin." He asked: "What is the realm of piercing the clouds?" The Master said: "A bottle of clear water placed beneath the window; just thereby make a livelihood and pass how many autumns." He asked: "What is the realm of Changqing?" The Master said: "In the hall the old monk's head is snow-white." He said: "The two realms return to the same; there should be a distinct principle." The Master said: "Wherever one is, one gets people's doubts." He asked: "The ancient ravine's cold spring—who can reach it?" The Master said: "Dry." He said: "If so, then one has reached it." The Master said: "How deep is it?"

襄州奉國清海禪師。僧問。青青翠竹盡是真如。如何是真如。師曰。點瓦成金客聞名不見形。曰恁麼即禮謝下去也。師曰。昔時妄想至今存。問承古人云。見月休觀指歸家罷問程。如何是家。師曰。試舉話頭看。問放過即東道西說。不放過怎生道。師曰。二年同一春。

Chan Master Qinghai of Fengguo in Xiangzhou. A monk asked: "The green, green emerald bamboo—all is True Suchness. What is True Suchness?" The Master said: "The guest who turns tiles into gold is known by repute but his form is not seen." He said: "If so, then I bow in gratitude and withdraw." The Master said: "Former delusions still remain to this day." He asked: "It is said the ancients said: 'Seeing the moon, cease watching the finger; returning home, stop asking the road.' What is home?" The Master said: "Try raising the topic and see." He asked: "If let go, then east and west are spoken; if not let go, how does one speak?" The Master said: "Two years share one spring."

昭州慈光和尚。僧問。即心即佛誘誨之言。不涉前蹤如何指教。師曰。東西且置南北事作麼生。曰恁麼即學人罔測也。師曰。龍頭蛇尾。

Venerable Ciguang of Zhaozhou. A monk asked: "'Mind itself is Buddha' is an enticing instruction. Without involving former traces, how do you instruct?" The Master said: "Set aside east and west for now—what about north and south?" He said: "If so, then the student is utterly unable to fathom it." The Master said: "Dragon head, snake tail."

潭州保安師密禪師。僧問。輥芥投鋒時如何。師曰。落在什麼處(梁山雲。落在汝眼裡)問不犯辭鋒時如何。師曰。天台南嶽。曰便恁麼時如何。師曰。江西湖南。

Chan Master Bao'an Shimì of Tanzhou. A monk asked, "What is it like when one rolls a mustard seed against a spear point?" The master said, "Where does it fall?" (Liangshan said, "It falls in your eye.") He asked, "What is it like when one does not violate the edge of speech?" The master said, "Tiantai and Nanyue." He said, "What about just at such a time?" The master said, "Jiangxi and Hunan."

前臺州瑞巖師彥禪師法嗣

Heirs of Chan Master Shiyan of Ruiyan in Taizhou, who preceded him.

南嶽橫龍和尚。楚王馬氏請住金輪。僧問。如何是金輪第一句。師曰。鈍漢。問如何是金輪一隻箭。師曰。過也。問如何是祖燈。師曰。八風吹不滅。曰恁麼即闇冥不生也。師曰。白日沒閑人。

Venerable Monk Henglong of Nanyue. King Ma of Chu invited him to reside at Jinlun. A monk asked, "What is the first phrase of Jinlun?" The master said, "Dull fellow." He asked, "What is the one arrow of Jinlun?" The master said, "It has passed." He asked, "What is the ancestral lamp?" The master said, "The eight winds cannot blow it out." He said, "If so, then darkness does not arise either." The master said, "In broad daylight there are no idlers."

溫州溫嶺瑞峰院神祿禪師福州福清人也。本邑天竺寺出家。得法於瑞巖久為侍者。後開山創院學侶依附。師有偈曰。

Chan Master Shenlu of Ruifeng Yuan in Wenling, Wenzhou, was a man of Fuqing in Fuzhou. He left home at Tianzhu Temple in his native district. He obtained the Dharma from Ruiyan and for a long time was his attendant. Later he opened the mountain and founded the monastery, and students attached themselves to him. The master had a verse saying:

蕭然獨處意沈吟誰信無絃發妙音

Solitary and quiet, the mind hums and ponders; who believes the stringless emits a wondrous sound?

終日法堂唯靜坐更無人問本來心

All day in the Dharma Hall he only sits in silence; no one further asks about the original mind.

時有朋彥上坐。躡前偈而問曰。如何是本來心。師召曰。朋彥。彥應諾。師曰。與老僧點茶來。彥於是信入(朋彥即廣法大師。後嗣天台國師。住蘇州長壽)師太平興國元年示滅。壽百有五歲。

At that time there was the senior monk Pengyan, who followed up on the preceding verse and asked: "What is the original mind?" The Master called, "Pengyan." Yan responded. The Master said, "Bring this old monk some tea." Thereupon Yan entered with faith. (Pengyan was none other than Great Master Guangfa. He later succeeded Tiantai Guoshi and resided at Changshou in Suzhou.) The Master passed into extinction in the first year of the Taiping Xingguo era. He lived to be one hundred and five years old.

前懷州玄泉彥禪師法嗣

Dharma heirs of the former Chan Master Xuanquan Yan of Huaizhou.

鄂州黃龍山晦機禪師清河人也。姓張氏。唐天祐中遊化至此山。節帥施俸錢建法宇。奏賜紫衣號超慧大師。大張法席。僧問。不問祖佛邊事。如何是平常之事。師曰。我住山得十五年。問如何是和尚家風。師曰。瑠璃缽盂無底。問如何是君王劍。師曰。不傷萬類。曰佩者如何。師曰。血濺梵天。曰大好不傷萬類。師便打。問佛在日為眾生說法。佛滅後有人說法也無。師曰。慚愧佛。問毛吞巨海芥納須彌。不是學人本分事。如何是學人本分事。師曰。封了合盤市裡揭。問切急相投請師通信。師曰。火燒裙帶香。問如何是大疑底人。師曰。對坐盤中弓落盞。曰如何是不疑底人。師曰。再坐盤中弓落盞。問風恬浪靜時如何。師曰。百丈竿頭五兩垂。師將順世有僧問。百年後缽囊子什麼人將去。師曰。一任將去。曰裡面事如何。師曰。線綻方知。曰什麼人得。師曰。待海燕雷聲即向汝道。言訖告寂。

Chan Master Huiji of Huanglong Mountain in Ezhou was a man of Qinghe. His surname was Zhang. During the Tianyou era of the Tang, he wandered in transformation to this mountain. The regional commander donated stipend funds to build a Dharma hall and memorialized to grant him a purple robe and the title Great Master Chaohui. He greatly spread the Dharma seat. A monk asked: "Without asking about matters on the side of patriarchs and Buddhas, what is an ordinary matter?" The Master said: "I have dwelt on this mountain for fifteen years." He asked: "What is the Master's family style?" The Master said: "A crystal alms bowl without a bottom." He asked: "What is the king's sword?" The Master said: "It does not harm the myriad kinds." He said: "What about the one who wears it?" The Master said: "Blood splashes onto the Brahma heaven." He said: "Very good—it does not harm the myriad kinds." The Master then struck him. He asked: "When the Buddha was in the world, he expounded the Dharma for living beings. After the Buddha's extinction, is there anyone who expounds the Dharma or not?" The Master said: "How shameful, Buddha." He asked: "A hair swallows the great sea; a mustard seed contains Sumeru. These are not the student's own fundamental matter. What is the student's own fundamental matter?" The Master said: "Having sealed the combined tray, display it in the marketplace." He asked: "Urgently pressing close, I beg the Master to communicate a message." The Master said: "Fire burns the sash—its fragrance." He asked: "What sort of person is one of great doubt?" The Master said: "Sitting opposite on a tray, the bow falls into the cup." He said: "What sort of person is one without doubt?" The Master said: "Sitting again on a tray, the bow falls into the cup." He asked: "What is it like when wind is calm and waves are still?" The Master said: "At the top of a hundred-zhang pole, five liang hang down." When the Master was about to accord with the world, a monk asked: "After a hundred years, who will carry away the bowl bag?" The Master said: "Let whoever will carry it away." He said: "What about the matter inside?" The Master said: "Only when the thread bursts will you know." He said: "Who obtains it?" The Master said: "Wait until the sea swallow and the sound of thunder—then I will tell you." When he had finished speaking, he announced his quiescence.

洛京柏谷和尚僧問。普滋法雨時如何。師曰。有道傳天位不汲鳳凰池。問九旬禁足三月事如何。師曰。不墜蠟人機。

The Reverend of Baigu in Luojing. A monk asked: "What is it like when the Dharma rain universally moistens?" The Master said: "When the Way is present, one transmits the heavenly position; one does not draw from the Phoenix Pool." He asked: "What about the matter of the ninety-day confinement and the three-month period?" The Master said: "Do not fall into the wax-person's mechanism."

池州和龍和尚。僧問。如何是祖祖相傳底心。師曰。再三囑爾。問如何是從上宗旨。師曰。向闍梨口裡著到得麼問省要處乞師一接。師曰。甚是省要。

The Reverend of Helong in Chizhou. A monk asked: "What is the mind transmitted from patriarch to patriarch?" The Master said: "I earnestly enjoin you again and again." He asked: "What is the ancestral purport from above?" The Master said: "Can it be placed in your mouth, O Ācārya?" He asked: "At the essential point, I beg the Master for one reception." The Master said: "It is exceedingly essential."

懷州玄泉第二世和尚。僧問。辭窮理盡時如何。師曰。不入理豈同盡。問妙有玄珠如何取得。師曰。不似摩尼絕影豔。碧眼胡人豈能見。曰有口道不得時如何。師曰。三寸不能齊鼓韻。啞人解唱木人歌。

The Second Generation Reverend of Xuanquan in Huaizhou. A monk asked: "What is it like when words are exhausted and principle is ended?" The Master said: "If one does not enter principle, how can it be the same as ended?" He asked: "How can one obtain the wondrous-existent dark pearl?" The Master said: "It is not like the mani jewel whose shadow and luster are cut off; how could the blue-eyed barbarian see it?" He said: "What is it like when one has a mouth but cannot speak?" The Master said: "Three inches cannot match the drum's rhythm; a mute person understands how to sing the wooden person's song."

潞府妙勝玄密禪師。僧問。四山相向時如何。師曰。紅日不垂影暗地莫知音。曰學人不會。師曰。鶴透群峰何伸向背。問二龍爭珠時如何。師曰。力士無心獻奮迅卻沈光。問雪峰一曲千人唱。月裡挑燈誰最明。師曰。無音和不齊明暗豈能收。

Chan Master Xuanmi of Miaosheng in Lu Prefecture. A monk asked: "What is it like when the four mountains face one another?" The Master said: "The red sun does not cast its shadow; in the dark place, do not seek a knowing sound." He said: "The student does not understand." The Master said: "A crane passes through the host of peaks—how can it extend toward or away?" He asked: "What is it like when two dragons contend for a pearl?" The Master said: "The strong man has no mind to offer; rousing his swiftness, he instead sinks his light." He asked: "A single tune of Xuefeng is sung by a thousand people; raising a lamp in the moon, who is brightest?" The Master said: "With no sound, harmony is not equal; how could brightness and darkness collect it?"

前福州羅山道閑禪師法嗣

Dharma heirs of the former Chan Master Daoxian of Luoshan in Fuzhou.

洪州大寧院隱微禪師豫章新淦人也。姓楊氏。誕夕有光明貫室。年七歲依本邑石頭院道堅禪師出家。二十於開元寺智稱律師受具。歷參宗匠至羅山。法寶大師導以師子在窟出窟之要。因之惺悟盤桓數稔。尋迴江表。會龍泉邑宰李孟俊請居十善道場。始揚宗致。師上堂謂眾曰。還有騰空底麼出來。眾無出者。師說偈曰。

Chan Master Yinwei of the Great Tranquility Cloister in Hongzhou was a man of Xingan in Yuzhang. His surname was Yang. On the night of his birth, there was a light that pierced through the room. At the age of seven, he left home under Chan Master Daojian of Shitou Cloister in his native district. At twenty, he received full ordination from Vinaya Master Zhicheng at Kaiyuan Temple. He visited masters of the tradition one after another and arrived at Luoshan. Great Master Fabao guided him with the essentials of the lion in its den and leaving the den. Because of this he became awakened and lingered there for several years. Then he returned to Jiangbiao. It happened that Li Mengjun, the magistrate of Longquan district, invited him to reside at the Shishan Daochang. There he first proclaimed the essentials of the tradition. When the Master entered the hall, he said to the assembly: 'Is there anyone who can leap into the air? Come forward.' No one in the assembly came forward. The Master spoke a verse:

騰空正是時應須眨上眉

Leaping into the air is exactly the time; one should blink the eyes upward.

從茲出倫去莫待白頭兒

From here one goes beyond the crowd; do not wait to be a white-headed child.

僧問。如何是十善橋。師曰險。曰過者如何。師曰喪。問資福和尚遷化向什麼處去也。師曰。草鞋破。問如何是黃梅一句。師曰。即今恁麼生。曰如何通信。師曰。九江路絕。問初心後學如何是學。師曰。頭戴天。曰畢竟如何。師曰。腳蹈地。問如何是法王劍。師曰露。曰還殺人也無。師曰。作麼。問如何是龍泉劍。師曰。不出匣。曰便請出之。師曰。星辰失位。問國界安寧為什麼珠不現。師曰。落在什麼處。周廣順元年辛亥金陵李氏嚮德。召入居龍光禪苑(後改名奉先)暑覺寂禪師。暨建隆二年辛酉隨江南李氏至洪井。住大寧精舍重敷玄旨。其年十月示疾。二十七日剃髮澡身升堂辭眾安坐而逝。明年二月六日歸葬于吉州吉水縣。遵遺誡也。壽七十有六。臘五十六。諡玄寂禪師。塔曰常寂。

A monk asked: 'What is the Shishan Bridge?' The Master said: 'Dangerous.' He said: 'What about one who crosses it?' The Master said: 'Lost.' He asked: 'Where has Reverend Zifu gone after his transformation?' The Master said: 'His straw sandals are broken.' He asked: 'What is the one phrase of Huangmei?' The Master said: 'How is it right now?' He said: 'How does one communicate?' The Master said: 'The road to Jiujiang is cut off.' He asked: 'For beginners and later students, what is study?' The Master said: 'The head wears heaven.' He said: 'After all, how is it?' The Master said: 'The feet tread earth.' He asked: 'What is the Dharma King's sword?' The Master said: 'Exposed.' He said: 'Does it still kill people?' The Master said: 'What?' He asked: 'What is the Longquan sword?' The Master said: 'It does not leave its sheath.' He said: 'Please bring it out at once.' The Master said: 'The stars and planets lose their places.' He asked: 'When the realm is at peace, why does the pearl not appear?' The Master said: 'Where has it fallen?' In the first year of Zhou Guangshun, xinhai, the Li family of Jinling admired his virtue. He was summoned to reside at Longguang Chan Garden (later renamed Fengxian) and was appointed Chan Master Jueji. (The base text has 'shu'.) And in the second year of Jianlong, xinyou, he followed the Li family of Jiangnan to Hongjing. He resided at the Great Tranquility Vihara and again spread the profound purport. In the tenth month of that year he showed illness. On the twenty-seventh day he shaved his head, bathed his body, ascended the hall, took leave of the assembly, sat upright, and passed away. On the sixth day of the second month of the following year, he was returned for burial in Jishui County, Jizhou. This was in accordance with his dying instruction. His age was seventy-six. His ordination age was fifty-six. He was posthumously titled Chan Master Xuanji. His stupa was called Changji.

婺州明招德謙禪師。受羅山印記靡滯於一隅。激揚玄旨。諸耆宿皆畏其敏捷。後學鮮敢當其鋒者。師在泉州招慶大殿上。以手指壁畫問僧曰。那箇是甚麼神。曰護法善神。師曰。沙汰時向什麼處去來。僧無對。師卻令僧去問演侍者演曰。汝什麼劫中遭此難來。其僧迴舉似師。師曰。直饒演上座他後聚一千眾有什麼用處。僧乃禮拜請別語。師曰。什麼處去也。清八路舉仰山插鍬話問師。古人意在叉手處。意在插鍬處。師曰。清上座。清應諾。師曰。還曾夢見仰山麼。清曰。不要下語只要上座商量。師曰。若要商量堂頭自有一千五百人老師在。師到雙巖。雙巖長老覩師風彩乃曰。某甲致一問問闍梨。若道得便捨院。道不得即不捨。金剛經云。一切諸佛及諸佛法皆從此經出。且道。此經是何人說。師曰。說與不說一時拈向那邊著。只如和尚決定喚什麼作此經。雙巖無對。師舉經云。一切賢聖皆以無為法而有差別。斯則以無為法為極則。憑何而有差別。且如差別是過不是過。若是過一切賢聖盡有過。若不是過決定喚什麼作差別。雙巖亦無語。師曰。雪峰道底。師在婺州智者寺居第一座。尋常不受淨水。主事僧問曰。因什麼不識觸淨水不肯受。師下床拈起淨瓶曰。遮箇是淨。主事無語。師乃撲破淨瓶。師自爾道聲遐播。眾請居明招山開法。四來禪者盈於堂室。師謂眾曰。希逢一箇下坡不走快便難逢。若有同生同死何妨一展。僧問。師子本出窟時如何。師曰。俊鷂趁不及。曰出窟後如何。師曰。萬里正紛紛。曰欲出不出時如何。師曰嶮。曰向上事如何。師曰眨。問如何是透法身外一句子。師曰。北斗後翻身。問十二時中如何趣向。師曰。拋向金剛地上著。問文殊與維摩對譚何事。師曰。葛巾紗帽已拈向那邊著也。問如何是和尚家風。師曰。齩得著是好手。問無煙之火是什麼人向得。師曰。不惜眉毛底。曰和尚還向得麼。

Chan Master Deqian of Mingzhao in Wuzhou. He received the seal of Luoshan and did not stagnate in one corner. He roused and spread the profound purport; all the elders feared his nimbleness, and later students rarely dared to confront his edge. The Master was in the Great Hall of Zhaoqing in Quanzhou. Pointing with his finger at a wall painting, he asked a monk, "What spirit is that?" The monk said, "A good spirit who protects the Dharma." The Master said, "When the great persecution came, where did he go?" The monk had no reply. The Master then sent the monk to ask Attendant Yan. Yan said, "In what kalpa did you meet with this calamity?" The monk returned and related this to the Master. The Master said, "Even if Upadhyaya Yan later gathers a thousand followers, what use is it?" The monk then bowed and requested an alternative phrase. The Master said, "Where has he gone?" Qing of the Eight Routes brought up Yangshan's inserting-the-spade story and asked the Master, "Did the ancients' intent lie in the clasping of hands, or did the intent lie in the inserting of the spade?" The Master said, "Upadhyaya Qing." Qing responded. The Master said, "Have you ever dreamed of Yangshan?" Qing said, "Do not give a phrase; I only want the Upadhyaya to discuss it." The Master said, "If you want to discuss it, the hall chief himself has an old teacher with one thousand five hundred people." The Master arrived at Shuangyan. When the elder of Shuangyan saw the Master's manner and bearing, he said, "I shall put one question to you, Acarya. If you can speak it, I will give up the monastery; if you cannot speak it, I will not give it up. The Diamond Sutra says, 'All Buddhas and all the Dharmas of the Buddhas all come forth from this sutra.' Now tell me: who spoke this sutra?" The Master said, "Speaking and not speaking, I pick them up together and put them over there. Just what does the Reverend definitively call this sutra?" Shuangyan had no reply. The Master brought up the sutra and said, "All worthies and sages are differentiated by the unconditioned Dharma. This takes the unconditioned Dharma as the ultimate standard. On what basis are there then differences? Just tell me: are differences a fault or not a fault? If they are a fault, then all worthies and sages entirely have faults. If they are not a fault, then definitively what do you call differences?" Shuangyan was also speechless. The Master said, "What Xuefeng said." The Master was dwelling as the first seat at Zhizhe Temple in Wuzhou. Ordinarily he would not accept pure water. The monk in charge of affairs asked, "Why do you not acknowledge contact and refuse to accept pure water?" The Master got down from his seat, picked up the pure bottle, and said, "This is pure." The monk in charge was speechless. The Master then smashed the pure bottle. From that time his fame spread far. The assembly invited him to reside at Mingzhao Mountain and open the teaching. Chan practitioners who came from all directions filled the hall and chambers. The Master said to the assembly, "Rarely does one meet someone who, at the downhill slope, does not go; when swift convenience is hard to encounter. If there are those who live together and die together, what harm is there in one unfolding?" A monk asked, "When the lion first comes out of its den, how is it?" The Master said, "A swift sparrow hawk cannot catch up." He said, "After coming out of the den, how is it?" The Master said, "Ten thousand li are in profuse disorder." He said, "When about to come out and not yet coming out, how is it?" The Master said, "Dangerous." He said, "How is the matter beyond?" The Master said, "A blink." He asked, "What is the one phrase that penetrates beyond the Dharma body?" The Master said, "Turn over behind the Northern Dipper." He asked, "How should one orient oneself throughout the twelve hours?" The Master said, "Throw it down on the diamond ground." He asked, "What did Manjushri and Vimalakirti talk about face to face?" The Master said, "The kudzu cloth scarf and black gauze cap have already been picked up and put over there." He asked, "What is the Reverend's family style?" The Master said, "One who can bite it is a good hand." (The base text has '齩'.) He asked, "The fire without smoke—who can face it?" The Master said, "One who does not begrudge his eyebrows." He said, "Can the Reverend face it?"

師曰。汝道我有多少莖眉毛在。師見新到僧才上法堂。乃舉拂子卻擲下。其僧珍重便下去。師曰。作家作家。問全身佩劍時如何。師曰。忽遇正恁麼時又作麼生僧無對。師問國泰瑫和尚。古人道俱胝只念三行呪。便得名超一切人。作麼生與他拈卻三行呪。便得名超一切人。國泰竪起一指。師曰。不因今日爭識得瓜洲客。師有師叔在廨院患甚。附書來問曰。某甲有此大病。如今正受疼痛。一切處安置伊不得。還有人救得麼。師乃迴信曰。頂門上中此金剛箭透過那邊去也。有一僧曾在師法席。辭去住庵一年。後來禮拜曰。古人道。三日不相見莫作舊時看。師乃露胸問曰。汝道我有多少莖蓋膽毛。僧無對。師卻問。汝什麼時離庵。曰今朝。師曰。來時折腳鐺子分付與阿誰。僧又無語。師乃喝出。問承。師有言。我住明招頂興傳古佛心。如何是明招頂。師曰。換卻眼。曰如何是古佛心。師曰。汝還氣急麼。問學人拏雲攫浪上來請師展缽。師曰。拶破汝頂。曰也須仙陀去。師乃棒趁出。師別有頌。示眾曰。

(The Master continued speaking:) "Tell me, how many stalks of eyebrows do I have?" The Master saw a newly arrived monk had just entered the Dharma Hall. He then raised his whisk and immediately threw it down. That monk, after making a gesture of respect, went down. The Master said, "An adept, an adept." Someone asked, "What is it like when the whole body wears a sword?" The Master said, "If you suddenly encounter exactly such a moment, then what?" The monk had no reply. The Master asked Elder Guotai Tao, "The ancients said that Juzhi merely recited three lines of mantra and thereby attained a name surpassing everyone. How would you take away those three lines of mantra from him and yet still have him attain a name surpassing everyone?" Guotai raised one finger. The Master said, "If not for today, how could one recognize the guest of Guazhou?" The Master had a junior uncle in the Xieyuan office who was gravely ill. A letter was attached and sent to ask, saying, "I have this great illness. Now I am truly suffering pain. I cannot be settled anywhere. Is there anyone who can save me?" The Master then replied by letter, saying, "A diamond arrow has struck the crown of your head and passed through to the other side." There was a monk who had once been in the Master's Dharma seat. He took leave to live in a hut for one year. Later he came to bow and said, "The ancients said, 'If three days pass without meeting, do not look upon one as before.'" The Master then exposed his chest and asked, "Tell me, how many stalks of gall-covering hair do I have?" The monk had no reply. The Master then asked, "When did you leave the hut?" He said, "This morning." The Master said, "The broken-legged cauldron you had when you came, to whom did you hand it over?" Again the monk had no words. The Master then shouted him out. Someone asked, "It is said that the Master has said, 'I dwell on the summit of Mingzhao and promote the transmission of the ancient Buddhas' mind.' What is the summit of Mingzhao?" The Master said, "Change your eyes." He asked, "What is the ancient Buddhas' mind?" The Master said, "Are you still short of breath?" Someone asked, "A student comes up grasping clouds and seizing waves, and asks the Master to unfold his bowl." The Master said, "I will press through the top of your head." He said, "Then one must go to Xianduo." The Master then drove him out with a staff. The Master has a separate verse. His instruction to the assembly said:

明招一拍和人希此是真宗上妙機

Mingzhao's single clap—those who harmonize with it are rare; this is the true school's supreme wondrous mechanism.

石火瞥然何處去朝生鳳子合應知

Flint sparks flash—where do they go? The dawn-born phoenix chick should surely know.

師住明招山四十載。語句流佈諸方。將欲遷化上堂告眾囑付。其夜展足問侍者曰。昔釋迦如來展開雙足放百寶光明。汝道吾今放多少。侍者曰。昔日鶴林今日和尚。師以手拂眉曰。莫孤負麼。又說偈曰。

The Master dwelt on Mingzhao Mountain for forty years. His phrases spread throughout the various regions. When he was about to pass away, he ascended the hall, informed the assembly, and entrusted them. That night he stretched out his feet and asked the attendant, saying, "Formerly Shakyamuni Tathagata stretched out both feet and emitted a hundred treasures' light. Tell me, how much do I emit today?" The attendant said, "Formerly the Crane Grove, today the Master." The Master brushed his eyebrows with his hand and said, "Do not be ungrateful." He also spoke a verse, saying:

驀刀叢裡逞全威汝等應當善護持

Suddenly in the thicket of blades he displays full authority; you all should carefully protect and uphold it.

火裡鐵牛生犢子臨岐誰解湊吾機

In the fire, the iron ox gives birth to a calf; at the crossroads, who understands how to match my mechanism?

偈畢安坐寂然長往。今塔院存焉。

When the verse was finished, he sat peacefully, became still, and passed away for a long time. Today the stupa courtyard still exists.

衡州華光範禪師。僧問。靈臺不立還有出身處也無。師曰有。曰如何是出身處。師曰出。問如何是西來意。師曰道。問如何是佛法大意。師曰驗。問牛頭未見四祖時如何。師曰自由。自在。曰見後如何。師曰。自由自在。問如何是佛法中事。師曰了。

Chan Master Huaguang Fan of Hengzhou. A monk asked, "If the spirit terrace is not established, is there still a place of emergence?" The Master said, "There is." He said, "What is the place of emergence?" The Master said, "Emerge." He asked, "What is the meaning of the coming from the west?" The Master said, "Speak." He asked, "What is the great meaning of the Buddhadharma?" The Master said, "Verify." He asked, "What was it like before Niutou saw the Fourth Patriarch?" The Master said, "Free and at ease." He said, "What about after seeing him?" The Master said, "Free and at ease." He asked, "What is a matter within the Buddhadharma?" The Master said, "Finished."

福州羅山紹孜禪師上堂。有數僧爭出問話。師曰。但一時出來問待老僧一時答卻。僧便問。學人一齊問請師一齊答。師曰得。問學人乍入叢林。祖師的的意請師直指。師曰好。

Chan Master Shaoci of Luoshan in Fuzhou ascended the hall. Several monks vied to come forward and ask questions. The Master said, "Just come out all at once and ask; wait for this old monk to answer all at once." A monk then asked, "Students ask all together; please, Master, answer all together." The Master said, "Agreed." He asked, "Students have just entered the monastery. The ancestral teachers' exact meaning—please, Master, point it out directly." The Master said, "Good."

西川慧禪師初參羅山(見十七卷羅山章)。羅山問。什麼處來。師曰。遠離西蜀近發開元。即今事作麼生。羅山揖曰。吃茶去師良久無言。羅山曰。秋氣稍暖去。羅山來日上堂。師出問。豁開戶牖當軒者誰。羅山乃喝。師良久。羅山曰。毛羽未備且去(一本雲。初參羅山。才禮拜起。山雲。甚處來。師雲。遠離西蜀。近發開元。卻近前雲。即今事作麼生。羅山揖雲吃茶去。師擬議間。羅山雲。秋氣稍暖出去。師到法堂自歎雲。我在西川峨眉山腳下。拾得一隻蓬蒿箭。擬擬亂天下。今日到福建道陳老師寨裡。弓折箭盡去也。休休。羅山明日升堂。師又出問。豁開戶牖當軒者誰。山便喝。師無對。山雲。羽毛未備翼。梢未全且去)。師因而摳衣久承印記。後謁台州勝光。光在繩床上坐。師直入到身邊叉手立光問。什麼處來。師曰猶待答話在。師便下去。光拈得拄杖拂子下。僧堂前見師提起拂子問曰。闍梨喚遮箇作什麼。師曰。敢死喘氣。光低頭歸方丈。

Chan Master Huì of Xichuan first studied under Luoshan (see the Luoshan chapter in volume seventeen). Luoshan asked, "Where do you come from?" The master said, "Having long left Western Shu, I recently set out from Kaiyuan. As for the matter right now, how is it?" Luoshan bowed with hands clasped and said, "Go eat tea." The master was silent for a long while. Luoshan said, "The autumn air is slightly warm; go." The next day Luoshan ascended the hall. The master came forward and asked, "Who is the one who opens wide the door and window and stands before the railing?" Luoshan then shouted. The master was silent for a long while. Luoshan said, "Your feathers are not yet complete; go for now." (One version says: He first studied under Luoshan. He had just bowed and risen when Luoshan said, "Where have you come from?" The master said, "Having long left Western Shu, I recently set out from Kaiyuan." Then he stepped forward and said, "As for the matter right now, how is it?" Luoshan bowed with hands clasped and said, "Go eat tea." As the master was about to deliberate, Luoshan said, "The autumn air is slightly warm; get out." When the master reached the Dharma hall, he sighed to himself and said, "At the foot of Mount Emei in Western Shu, I picked up one reed arrow. I intended to throw the whole world into disorder. Today I have come to Elder Chen's stockade on the Fujian road, and my bow is broken and my arrows are exhausted. Enough, enough." The next day Luoshan ascended the hall. The master again came forward and asked, "Who is the one who opens wide the door and window and stands before the railing?" Luoshan immediately shouted. The master had no reply. Luoshan said, "Your feathers are not yet complete and your wing tips are not yet whole; go for now.") Because of this, the master gathered up his robes and for a long time received the seal of approval. Later he paid respects to Sheng Guang of Taizhou. Guang was sitting on a rope bed. The master walked straight in, came to his side, crossed his hands, and stood. Guang asked, "Where do you come from?" The master said, "I am still waiting for you to answer." The master then went down. Guang picked up his staff and whisk and went down. In front of the monks' hall he saw the master and, raising the whisk, asked, "Venerable, what do you call this?" The master said, "Daring death, gasping for breath." Guang lowered his head and returned to the abbot's quarters.

建州白雲令弇和尚。師上堂謂眾曰。遣往先生門誰雲對喪主珍重。僧問。己事未明以何為驗。師曰。木鏡照素容。曰驗後如何。師曰。不爭多。問三臺有請四眾臨筵。既處當仁請師一唱。師曰。要唱即不難。曰便請師唱。師曰。夜靜水清魚不食滿船空載月明歸。

Reverend Ling Yan of Baiyun in Jianzhou. The master ascended the hall and said to the assembly, "Send him to the gate of the late teacher; who says he faces the mourner? Take care." A monk asked, "My own matter is not yet clear; by what is it verified?" The master said, "A wooden mirror reflects a plain face." He said, "After verification, how is it?" The master said, "Not much contest." He asked, "The three terraces have invited; the four assemblies are present at the feast. Since you occupy the seat of responsibility, please, master, give one chant." The master said, "If I want to chant, it is not difficult." He said, "Then please, master, chant." The master said, "In the still night the water is clear and the fish do not eat; the whole boat returns empty, carrying moonlight."