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

九峰和尚入江西城。人問入𮠔教化以何為眼。九峰曰。日月不曾亂(法眼別雲。待有眼)。

Reverend Jiufeng entered Jiangxi city. Someone asked, when entering the marketplace to teach and convert, what does one take as the eye? (In the base text the character for "market" has the net radical; it should be "market.") Jiufeng said, "Sun and moon have never been disordered." (Fayan said in substitution, "Wait until there is an eye.")

僧問龍牙。終日區區如何頓息。龍牙曰。如孝子喪卻父母始得(東禪齊雲。眾中道。如喪父母何有閑暇。恁麼會還息得人疑情麼。除此外且作麼生會龍牙意)。

A monk asked Longya, "How can one suddenly put an end to being busily troubled all day?" Longya said, "It is possible only if one is like a filial son who has lost his parents." (Dongchan Qi said, "People in the assembly say: if one has lost one's parents, what leisure does one have? If you understand it like that, can it still put an end to people's doubt? Apart from this, how would you understand Longya's meaning?")

僧問龍牙。十二時中如何著力。龍牙曰。如無手人慾行拳始得(東禪齊雲。好言語且作麼生會。嘗問一僧。他道無手底人何更行得拳也。及問伊佛法。伊便休去將知路布說。得無用處不如子細體取古人意好)。

A monk asked Longya, "How should one apply effort throughout the twelve hours?" Longya said, "It is possible only if one is like a handless person trying to throw a punch." (Dongchan Qi said, "A fine saying, but how do you understand it? I once asked a monk. He said, how can a handless person throw a punch? When I then asked him about Buddhadharma, he immediately stopped. Know then that arranging words is useless; better to carefully embody the ancients' meaning.")

鼓山曰。欲知此事如一口劍。僧問。學人是死屍如何是劍。鼓山曰。拽出遮死屍著。僧應諾便歸僧堂結束而去。鼓山晚間聞去乃曰。好與拄杖(東禪齊雲。遮僧若不肯鼓山有什麼過。若肯何得便發去。又鼓山拄杖賞伊罰伊。具眼底上座試商量看)。

Gushan said, "If you want to know this matter, it is like a single sword." A monk asked, "I am a corpse. What is the sword?" Gushan said, "Drag out this corpse." The monk assented, then returned to the monks' hall, packed up, and left. When Gushan heard in the evening that he had gone, he said, "He deserves a staff." (Dongchan Qi said, "If this monk did not accept Gushan, what fault was there? If he accepted, why did he immediately depart? Moreover, Gushan's staff rewards him or punishes him. Let the senior seat who has an eye try to discuss this.")

有菴主見僧來竪火筒曰。會麼。曰不會。菴主曰。三十年用不盡底。僧卻問。三十年前用箇什麼(歸宗柔代雲。也要知)。

An hermit master saw a monk coming, held up a fire tube, and said, "Do you understand?" He said, "I do not understand." The hermit master said, "What thirty years cannot exhaust." The monk then asked, "What did you use thirty years ago?" (Guizong Rou said in substitution, "One also needs to know.")

招慶和尚拈缽囊問僧。爾道直幾錢(歸宗柔代雲。留與人增價)。

Chan Master Zhaoqing picked up a bowl bag and asked a monk, "What do you say it is worth?" (Guizong Rou said on his behalf: "Leave it for others to increase its price.")

雲門和尚以手入木師子口曰。咬殺我也相救(歸宗柔代雲。和尚出手太殺)。

Chan Master Yunmen put his hand into the mouth of a wooden lion and said, "It is biting me to death, save me!" (Guizong Rou said on his behalf: "The Master's action is too deadly.")

有座主念彌陀名號次。小師喚和尚。及迴顧小師不對。如是數四。和尚叱曰。三度四度喚有什麼事。小師曰。和尚幾年喚他。即得某甲才喚便發業(法燈代雲。咄叱)。

A sutra master was reciting the name of Amitabha. A junior monk called out, "Master!" When he turned to look, the junior monk said nothing. This happened three or four times. The master scolded him, saying, "Three times, four times you call—what is the matter?" The junior monk said, "Master, how many years have you called him and it works? I have only just called, and it already produces karma." (Fadeng said on his behalf: "Shout! Scold!")

鷂子趁鴿子飛向佛殿欄幹上顫。有人問僧。一切眾生在佛影中常安常樂。鴿子見佛為什麼顫(法燈代雲怕佛)。

A sparrowhawk chased a pigeon, which flew to the railing of the Buddha hall and trembled. Someone asked a monk, "All sentient beings within the Buddha's shadow are always peaceful and always joyful. Why does the pigeon tremble when it sees the Buddha?" (Fadeng said on his behalf: "Afraid of the Buddha.")

悟空禪師問忠座主。講什麼經。曰法華經。悟空曰。若有說法華經處我現寶塔當為證明。大德講什麼人證明(法燈代雲。謝和尚證明)。

Chan Master Wukong asked Lecturer Zhong, "What sutra are you lecturing on?" He said, "The Lotus Sutra." Wukong said, "Wherever the Lotus Sutra is expounded, I manifest a jeweled stupa as testimony. Great Virtuous One, who is your testimony?" (Fadeng said on his behalf: "Thank you, Master, for your testimony.")

僧問老宿。魂兮歸去來食我家園葚。如何是家園葚(玄覺代雲。是亦食不得。法燈別雲。汙卻爾口)。

A monk asked an old worthy, "Soul, come back! Eat the mulberries of my home garden. What are the mulberries of the home garden?" (Xuanjue said on his behalf: "Even so, they cannot be eaten." Fadeng said separately: "It has soiled your mouth.")

官人問僧。名什麼。曰無揀。官人曰。忽然將一椀沙與上座又作麼生。曰謝官人供養(法眼別雲。此猶是揀底)。

An official asked a monk, "What is your name?" He said, "No Picking." The official said, "Suddenly if I give a bowl of sand to the Senior Seat, then what?" He said, "Thank you, Official, for the offering." (Fayan said separately: "This is still the picked one.")

廣南有僧住菴。國主出獵。人報菴主大王來請起。曰非但大王來佛來亦不起。王問。佛豈不是汝師。曰是。王曰。見師為什麼不起(法眼代雲。未足酬恩)。

In Guangnan there was a monk living in a hermitage. The king went out hunting. Someone reported to the hermitage master that the great king had come and asked him to rise. He said: “Not only if the great king comes—even if a Buddha came, I still would not rise.” The king asked: “Is not the Buddha your teacher?” He said: “Yes.” The king said: “If you see your teacher, why do you not rise?” (Fayan commented in his place: “Not enough to repay the debt of gratitude.”)

僧辭趙州和尚。趙州謂曰。有佛處不得住無佛處急走過。三千里外逢人莫舉(法眼代雲。恁麼即不去也)。

A monk took leave of Zhaozhou Heshang. Zhaozhou said to him: “Where there is Buddha, you must not dwell; where there is no Buddha, hurry past. Three thousand li away, when you meet people, do not bring it up.” (Fayan commented in his place: “If it is like that, then do not go.”)

泗州塔前一僧禮拜。有人問。上座日日禮拜還見大聖麼(法眼代雲。汝道禮拜是什麼義)。

In front of the pagoda at Sizhou, a monk bowed in worship. Someone asked: “Upadhyaya, every day you bow in worship—do you still see the Great Sage?” (Fayan commented in his place: “Tell me, what is the meaning of bowing in worship?”)

僧問圓通和尚。一塵才起大地全收。還見禪床麼圓通曰。喚什麼作塵。又問法燈曰。喚什麼作禪床(東禪齊雲。此二尊宿語明。伊問處。不明伊問處。若明伊問處還得盡善也未。試斷看。忽然向伊道。爾指示我。更要答語。又作麼生會。莫道又答一轉子)。

A monk asked Heshang Yuantong: “Only when a single dust mote arises is the whole great earth gathered in. Do you still see the Chan bed?” Yuantong said: “What do you call dust?” He also asked Fadeng, saying: “What do you call the Chan bed?” (Dongchan Qi said: “These two venerable elders’ words clarify where he is asking and do not clarify where he is asking. If they clarify where he is asking, are they fully skillful or not? Try to judge. Suppose suddenly someone says to him: You point it out to me. If one further wants an answering phrase, how would you understand it? Do not say another turning phrase in reply.”)

玄覺和尚聞鳩子叫問增。什麼聲。僧曰。鳩子。師曰。欲得不招無間業。莫謗如來正法輪(東禪齊雲。上座道是鳩子聲便成謗法。什麼處是謗處。若道不是還得麼。上座且道。玄覺意作麼生)。

Heshang Xuanjue heard a dove coo and asked a monk: “What sound is that?” (The base text has “seng” as “zeng”; it should be “seng.”) The monk said: “A dove.” The master said: “If you wish not to incur the karma of uninterrupted hell, do not slander the Tathagata’s right Dharma wheel.” (Dongchan Qi said: “If the upadhyaya says it is the sound of a dove, then it becomes slandering the Dharma. Where is the place of slander? If he says it is not, does that still work? Upadhyaya, just say—what is Xuanjue’s meaning?”)

保福僧到地藏。地藏和尚問。彼中佛法如何。曰保福有時示眾道。塞卻爾眼教爾覷不見。塞卻爾耳教爾聽不聞。坐卻爾意教爾分別不得。地藏曰。吾問爾。不塞爾眼見箇什麼。不塞爾耳聞箇什麼。不坐爾意作麼生分別(東禪齊雲。那僧聞了忽然惺去。更不他遊。上座如今還得麼。若不會每日見箇什麼)。

A Baofu monk arrived at Dizang. Heshang Dizang asked: “How is the Buddha Dharma there?” He said: “Baofu sometimes instructs the assembly, saying: ‘Block up your eyes and make you unable to see. Block up your ears and make you unable to hear. Sit down your mind and make you unable to discriminate.’” Dizang said: “I ask you: if your eyes are not blocked, what do you see? If your ears are not blocked, what do you hear? If your mind is not sat down, how do you discriminate?” (Dongchan Qi said: “When that monk heard this, he suddenly awakened and no longer wandered elsewhere. Upadhyaya, nowadays can you still do it? If you do not understand, what do you see every day?”)

福州洪塘橋上有僧列坐。官人問。此中還有佛麼(法眼代雲。汝是什麼人)。

On Hongtang Bridge in Fuzhou, monks were seated in a row. An official asked: “Is there a Buddha in here or not?” (Fayan commented in his place: “What sort of person are you?”)

人問僧。無為無事人為什麼卻有金鎖難(五雲代雲。只為無為無事)。

Someone asked a monk: “Why does the person of non-doing and non-affairs still have the difficulty of the golden lock?” (Wuyun commented in his place: “Only because of non-doing and non-affairs.”)

老宿問僧。什麼處來。曰牛頭山禮拜祖師來。老宿曰。還見祖師麼(歸宗柔代雲。大似不相信)。

An old master asked a monk: “Where have you come from?” He said: “From Niutou Mountain, where I bowed to the patriarch.” The old master said: “Did you see the patriarch?” (Guizong Rou commented in his place: “This is very much like not believing.”)

有僧與童子上經了。令持經著函內。童子曰。某甲念底著向那裡(法燈代雲。汝念什麼經)。

There was a monk who, together with a boy, finished reciting a scripture and told him to put the scripture into the box. The boy said: “Where should what I recited go?” (Fadeng commented in his place: “What scripture did you recite?”)

一僧注道德經。人問曰。久嚮大德注道德經。僧曰。不敢。曰何如明皇(法燈代雲。是弟子)。

A monk annotated the Daode Jing. Someone asked, saying: “For a long time we have heard that the great virtuous one annotates the Daode Jing.” The monk said: “I do not dare.” The person said: “How do you compare with Minghuang?” (Fadeng commented in his place: “He is a disciple.”)

雲門和尚問僧。什麼處來。曰江西來。雲門曰。江西一遂老宿寱語住也未。僧無對(五雲代雲。興猶未已)。

Heshang Yunmen asked a monk: “Where have you come from?” He said: “I have come from Jiangxi.” Yunmen said: “Has the old master of Jiangxi stopped his sleep-talking or not?” The monk had no reply. (Wuyun commented in his place: “His excitement is still not over.”)

後有僧問法眼。和尚不知雲門意作麼生。法眼曰。大小雲門被遮僧勘破(五雲曰。什麼處是勘破雲門處。要會麼。法眼亦被後僧勘破也)。

Later a monk asked Fayan: “The heshang does not know—what was Yunmen’s meaning?” Fayan said: “Big or small, Yunmen was seen through by this monk.” (Wuyun said: “Where is the place where Yunmen was seen through? Do you want to understand? Fayan was also seen through by the later monk.”)

因開井被沙塞卻泉眼。法眼問僧。泉眼不通被沙塞。道眼不通被什麼物礙。僧無對(師自代雲。被眼礙)。

Because a well was being dug, sand blocked up the spring eye. Fayan asked a monk: “The spring eye is not unobstructed because sand blocks it. The eye of the Way is not unobstructed—what thing obstructs it?” The monk had no reply. (The master himself commented in his place: “It is obstructed by the eye.”)