Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Fascicle 3

處州法藏禪師

Zen Master Fazang of Chuzhou

河中府懷則禪師

Zen Master Huaize of Hezhong Prefecture

常州明幹禪師

Zen Master Minggan of Changzhou

鄂州洪潭禪師

Zen Master Hongtan of Ezhou

象原懷坦禪師

Zen Master Huaitan of Xiangyuan

潞府青蓮元禮禪師

Zen Master Yuanli of Qinglian in Lufu

河中府保慶禪師

Zen Master Baoqing of Hezhong Prefecture

甘泉志賢禪師

Zen Master Zhixian of Ganquan

大會山道晤禪師

Zen Master Daowu of Mount Dahui

潞府法柔禪師

Zen Master Faru of Lufu

京兆咸通寺覺平禪師

Zen Master Jueping of Xiantong Temple in Jingzhao

義興勝辯禪師

Zen Master Shengbian of Yixing

海陵慶雲禪師

Zen Master Qingyun of Hailing

洪州開元寺玄虛禪師(已上二十三人無機緣語句不錄)

Zen Master Xuanxu of Kaiyuan Temple in Hongzhou (the above twenty-three have no sayings of encounters and are not recorded)

懷讓禪師第一世

First generation of Zen Master Huairang

江西道一禪師漢州什邡人也。姓馬氏。容貌奇異牛行虎視。引舌過鼻。足下有二輪文。幼歲依資州唐和尚落髮。受具於渝州圓律師。唐開元中習禪定於衡嶽傳法院。遇讓和尚。同參九人唯師密受心印(讓之一猶思之遷也。同源而異派。故禪法之盛始於二師。劉軻雲。江西主大寂。湖南主石頭。往來憧憧不見二大士為無知矣。西天般若多羅記達磨雲。震旦雖闊無別路。要假姪孫腳下行。金雞解銜一顆米。供養十方羅漢僧。又六祖能和尚謂讓曰。向後佛法從汝邊去。馬駒蹋殺天下人。厥後江西法嗣布於天下。時號馬祖焉)始自建陽佛跡嶺遷至臨川。次至南康龔公山。大歷中隷名於開元精舍。時連帥路嗣恭。聆風景慕親受宗旨。由是四方學者雲集坐下。一日謂眾曰。汝等諸人各信自心是佛。此心即是佛心。達磨大師從南天竺國來。躬至中華。傳上乘一心之法。令汝等開悟。又引楞伽經文。以印眾生心地。恐汝顛倒不自信。此心之法各各有之。故楞伽經云。佛語心為宗。無門為法門。又云。夫求法者應無所求。心外無別佛。佛外無別心。不取善不捨惡。淨穢兩邊俱不依怙。達罪性空念念不可得。無自性故。故三界唯心。森羅萬象一法之所印。凡所見色皆是見心。心不自心因色故有。汝但隨時言說。即事即理都無所礙。菩提道果亦復如是。於心所生即名為色。知色空故生即不生。若了此心。乃可隨時著衣吃飯。長養聖胎任運過時。更有何事汝受吾教。聽吾偈曰。

Zen Master Daoyi of Jiangxi was a man of Shifang in Hanzhou, surnamed Ma. His appearance was extraordinary: he walked like an ox and gazed like a tiger, could stick his tongue out past his nose, and had marks of two wheels on the soles of his feet. In youth he took tonsure under the Venerable Tang of Zizhou and received full ordination from the Vinaya Master Yuan of Yuzhou. In the Kaiyuan era of the Tang he practiced Zen concentration at the Chuanfa Cloister on Mount Heng, where he met the Venerable Rang. Nine people studied together, and only the master secretly received the mind-seal. (Rang's relation to Yi is like Si's relation to Qian: the same source with different branches. Therefore the flourishing of Zen began with these two masters. Liu Ke said: Jiangxi is led by Daji, Hunan by Shitou. Those coming and going in crowds, not seeing the two great masters, are called ignorant. In the West, Prajnatara predicted of Bodhidharma: Though China is vast, there is no other road; it must rely on the grandnephew's steps. A golden rooster can hold a single grain of rice in its beak and offer it to the arhats of the ten directions. Also the Venerable Neng, the Sixth Patriarch, said to Rang: Hereafter, the Buddha Dharma will go from you. A colt will trample all under Heaven. Afterwards the Dharma heirs of Jiangxi spread throughout the world, and at that time he was called Mazu.) He first moved from Buddha Trace Ridge in Jianyang to Linchuan, then to Gonggong Mountain in Nankang. In the Dali era he was registered at Kaiyuan Monastery. At that time the Regional Commissioner Lu Sigong, hearing of his fame, admired him and personally received his teaching. From then on students from all quarters gathered beneath his seat. One day he said to the assembly: "All of you, each believe that your own mind is Buddha; this mind is the Buddha mind. The Great Master Bodhidharma came from the southern land of India himself to China and transmitted the Dharma of the One Mind of the Supreme Vehicle, to make you awaken. He also cited the text of the Lankavatara Sutra to seal the mind-ground of beings. Fearing that you would be inverted and not believe in yourselves, that this Dharma of mind is something each of you has, the Lankavatara Sutra says: The Buddha's word takes mind as its tradition, and no-gate as its Dharma gate. It also says: One who seeks the Dharma should seek nothing. Apart from mind there is no other Buddha, and apart from Buddha there is no other mind. Do not take the good, do not abandon the evil; do not rely on either side, pure or defiled. Understand that the nature of sin is empty, that thought after thought cannot be obtained, because there is no own-nature. Therefore the three realms are only mind. The dense multitude of phenomena are all sealed by one Dharma. All the forms one sees are seeing the mind. The mind is not itself mind; it exists because of form. You just speak as occasion arises, and in phenomena and principle there is no obstruction at all. The bodhi way and its fruit are also like this. What arises from the mind is called form. Knowing that form is empty, arising is not arising. If you comprehend this mind, then you can put on clothes and eat meals as the occasion arises, nourish the holy embryo, pass the time at ease, and what more is there to do? You who receive my teaching, listen to my verse:

心地隨時說菩提亦只寧

The mind-ground is spoken as occasion arises; bodhi too is just quiet.

事理俱無礙當生即不生

Phenomena and principle are both unobstructed; in being born, there is no birth.

僧問。和尚為什麼說即心即佛。師雲。為止小兒啼。僧雲。啼止時如何。師雲。非心非佛。僧雲。除此二種人來如何指示。師雲。向伊道不是物。僧雲。忽遇其中人來時如何。師雲。且教伊體會大道。僧問。如何是西來意。師雲。即今是什麼意。龐居士問。如水無筋骨能勝萬斛舟。此理如何。師雲。遮裡無水亦無舟。說什麼筋骨。一日師上堂。良久百丈收卻面前席。師便下堂。百丈問。如何是佛法旨趣。師雲。正是汝放身命處。師問百丈。汝以何法示人。百丈竪起拂子。師雲。只遮箇為當別有。百丈拋下拂子。僧問。如何得合道。師雲。我早不合道。僧問。如何是西來意。師便打乃雲。我若不打汝諸方笑我也。有小師行腳迴。於師前畫箇圓相。就上禮拜了立。師雲。汝莫欲作佛否。雲某甲不解揑目。師雲。吾不如汝。小師不對。鄧隱峰辭師。師雲。什麼處去。對雲。石頭去。師雲。石頭路滑。對雲。竿木隨身逢場作戲。便去。才到石頭。即繞禪床一匝振錫一聲。問是何宗旨。石頭雲。蒼天蒼天。隱峰無語。卻迴舉似於師。師雲。汝更去。見他道蒼天。汝便噓噓。隱峰又去石頭。一依前問。是何宗旨。石頭乃噓噓。隱峰又無語。歸來。師雲。向汝道。石頭路滑。有僧於師前作四畫。上一長下三短。問雲。不得道一長三短。離此四字外請和尚答。師乃畫地一畫雲。不得道長短。答汝了也(忠國師聞別雲。何不問老僧)有一講僧來問雲。未審禪宗傳持何法。師卻問雲。坐主傳持何法。彼雲。忝講得經論二十餘本。師雲。莫是師子兒否。雲不敢。師作噓噓聲。彼雲。此是法。師雲。是什麼法。雲師子出窟法。師乃默然。彼雲。此亦是法。師雲是什麼法。雲師子在窟法。師雲。不出不入是什麼法。無對(百丈代雲。見麼)遂辭出門。師召雲坐主。彼即迴首。師雲。是什麼。亦無對。師雲。遮鈍根阿師。洪州廉使問雲。

A monk asked: "Why does the Venerable say that this very mind is the Buddha?" The master said: "To stop the child's crying." The monk said: "What about when the crying stops?" The master said: "Not mind, not Buddha." The monk said: "Apart from these two kinds of people, how do you instruct others?" The master said: "Tell them it is not a thing." The monk said: "If one of those people suddenly comes, what then?" The master said: "Then let him embody the great Way." A monk asked: "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The master said: "What is the meaning now?" Layman Pang asked: "Water has no sinews or bones yet can bear a boat of ten thousand hu; what is the principle of this?" The master said: "Here there is no water and no boat; what sinews and bones are you talking about?" One day the master ascended the hall, and after a long time, Baizhang rolled up the mat in front of him, and the master came down from the hall. Baizhang asked: "What is the aim of the Buddha Dharma?" The master said: "It is just where you let go of body and life." The master asked Baizhang: "What Dharma do you use to teach people?" Baizhang raised his whisk. The master said: "Just this, or is there something else?" Baizhang threw down the whisk. A monk asked: "How can one accord with the Way?" The master said: "I have never accorded with the Way." A monk asked: "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" The master struck him, then said: "If I did not strike you, people everywhere would laugh at me." A young monk returned from traveling, drew a circle before the master, then bowed and stood. The master said: "Do you want to become a Buddha?" He said: "I do not know how to pinch my eyes." The master said: "I am not as good as you." The young monk did not answer. Deng Yinfeng took leave of the master. The master said: "Where are you going?" He answered: "To Shitou." The master said: "The road at Shitou is slippery." He answered: "I carry my pole and wood with me, and play along where I meet the occasion." And he went. As soon as he reached Shitou, he circled the Zen couch once, shook his staff once, and asked what the aim was. Shitou said: "Blue Heaven, blue Heaven." Yinfeng had no words, and returned and told it to the master. The master said: "Go again. When he says blue Heaven, you just go 'hsu, hsu.'" Yinfeng went to Shitou again and asked what the aim was exactly as before. Shitou went "hsu, hsu." Yinfeng again had no words and came back. The master said: "I told you the road at Shitou is slippery." A monk drew four strokes before the master, one long above and three short below, and asked: "You may not say one long and three short. Apart from these four strokes, please answer me, Venerable." The master drew one stroke on the ground and said: "You may not say long or short. I have answered you." (When National Teacher Zhong heard this he said differently: "Why not ask this old monk?") A lecturing monk came and asked: "What Dharma does the Zen school transmit and hold?" The master asked in return: "What Dharma does the lecturer transmit and hold?" He said: "I have lectured on more than twenty sutras and treatises." The master said: "Are you not a lion's cub?" He said: "I dare not claim it." The master made a "hsu" sound. He said: "This is the Dharma." The master said: "What Dharma?" He said: "The Dharma of the lion coming out of its den." The master fell silent. He said: "This too is the Dharma." The master said: "What Dharma?" He said: "The Dharma of the lion staying in its den." The master said: "What Dharma is neither going out nor going in?" He had no reply. (Baizhang said in his place: "Do you see?") He then took leave and went out the door. The master called: "Lecturer." He turned his head at once. The master said: "What is this?" He had no reply again. The master said: "This dull-witted master." The Inspector of Hongzhou asked:

弟子吃酒肉即是。不吃即是。師雲。若吃是中丞祿。不吃是中丞福。師入室弟子一百三十九人。各為一方宗主轉化無窮。師於貞元四年正月中。登建昌石門山於林中經行。見洞壑平坦處。謂侍者曰。吾之朽質當於來月歸茲地矣。言訖而迴。至二月四日果有微疾。沐浴訖跏趺入滅。元和中追諡大寂禪師。塔曰大莊嚴。今海昏縣影堂存焉(高僧傳云。大覺禪師按權德輿作塔銘言。馬祖終於開元寺。荼毘於石門而建塔也。至會昌沙汰後大中四年七月。宣宗勅江西觀察使裴休重建塔並寺。賜額寶峰)。

(The Inspector continued:) "Is it right for your disciple to eat wine and meat, or right not to eat them?" The master said: "If you eat, it is the Censor's salary; if you do not eat, it is the Censor's merit." The master had one hundred thirty-nine disciples who entered his room, each became a master of a region and transformed beings without end. In the first month of the fourth year of Zhenyuan, the master climbed Shimen Mountain in Jianchang, walked in the forest, and seeing a level place in a gully, said to his attendant: "My decaying body will return to this place next month." Having said this, he returned. On the fourth day of the second month, he indeed had a slight illness. After bathing, he sat in full lotus and entered extinction. In the Yuanhe era he was posthumously given the title Zen Master Daji, and his stupa was named Great Adornment. The portrait hall in Haihun County still exists. (The Biographies of Eminent Monks calls him Zen Master Dajue. According to the stupa inscription composed by Quan Deyu, Mazu died at Kaiyuan Monastery and was cremated at Shimen, where the stupa was built. After the Huichang suppression, in the seventh month of the fourth year of Dazhong, Emperor Xuanzong ordered the Jiangxi Surveillance Commissioner Pei Xiu to rebuild the stupa and monastery, granting the plaque Baofeng.)

懷讓禪師第二世馬祖法嗣

Second generation of Zen Master Huairang, Dharma heirs of Mazu

越州大珠慧海禪師者建州人也。姓朱氏。依越州大雲寺道智和尚受業。初至江西參馬祖。祖問曰。從何處來。曰越州大雲寺來。祖曰。來此擬須何事。曰來求佛法。祖曰。自家寶藏不顧拋家散走作什麼我遮裡一物也無。求什麼佛法。師遂禮拜問曰。阿那箇是慧海自家寶藏。祖曰。即今問我者。是汝寶藏。一切具足更無欠少。使用自在。何假向外求覓。師於言下自識本心不由知覺。踴躍禮謝。師事六載。後以受業師年老遽歸奉養。乃晦跡藏用外示痴訥。自撰頓悟入道要門論一卷。被法門師姪玄晏竊出江外呈馬祖。祖覽訖告眾雲。越州有大珠。圓明光透自在無遮障。處也眾中有知師姓朱者。迭相推識。結契來越上尋訪依附(時號大珠和尚者。因馬祖示出也)師謂曰。禪客我不會禪。並無一法可示於人。故不勞汝久立。且自歇去。時學侶漸多日夜叩激。事不得已隨問隨答。其辯無礙(廣語出別卷)時有法師數人來謁曰。擬伸一問。師還對否。師曰。深潭月影任意撮摩。問如何是佛。師曰。清潭對面非佛而誰。眾皆茫然(法眼雲。是即沒交涉)良久其僧又問。師說何法度人。師曰貧道未曾有一法度人。曰禪師家渾如此。師卻問曰。大德說何法度人。曰講金剛般若經。師曰。講幾坐來。曰二十餘坐。師曰。此經是阿誰說。僧抗聲曰。禪師相弄。豈不知是佛說耶。師曰。若言如來有所說法。則為謗佛。是人不解我所說義。若言此經不是佛說。則是謗經。請大德說看。無對。師少頃又問。經云。若以色見我。以音聲求我。是人行邪道。不能見如來。大德且道。阿那箇是如來。曰某甲到此卻迷去。師曰。從來未悟說什麼卻迷。僧曰。請禪師為說。師曰。大德講經二十餘坐。卻未識如來。其僧再禮拜。願垂開示。師曰。如來者。是諸法如義。何得忘卻。曰是。是諸法如義。師曰。大德是亦未是。曰經文分明那得未是。師曰。

Chan Master Dazhu Huihai of Yuezhou was from Jianzhou, and his surname was Zhu. He took his training under the monk Daozhi of Dayun Temple in Yuezhou. At first he went to Jiangxi to call on Mazu. Mazu asked: "Where do you come from?" He said: "From Dayun Temple in Yuezhou." Mazu said: "What do you intend to do by coming here?" He said: "I have come to seek the Buddha Dharma." Mazu said: "You do not look after your own treasure, and leave home and wander about; what for? I have not a single thing here; what Buddha Dharma do you seek?" The Master then bowed and asked: "Which is Huihai's own treasure?" Mazu said: "The one who is asking me right now is your treasure. It is completely complete, lacking nothing, and you use it freely; why borrow from outside to search for it?" At these words the Master recognized his original mind, without any act of knowing or sensing, and leapt up bowing in thanks. The Master served him for six years. Later, because his ordination teacher was old, he hurried back to care for him, and then hid his traces and concealed his abilities, outwardly appearing dull and slow of speech. He himself wrote one fascicle titled "Essentials of Entering the Way by Sudden Awakening." His Dharma nephew Xuanyan secretly took it out and carried it beyond the river to show Mazu. When Mazu had read it, he told the assembly: "In Yuezhou there is a great pearl, round and bright, its light shining through, free and without any covering or obstruction." Among the assembly were those who knew that the Master's surname was Zhu, and they identified him with one another and made a pact to seek him out in Yue and attach themselves to him. (At that time he was called the Monk Dazhu, "Great Pearl," which came from Mazu's remark.) The Master said: "Chan visitors, I do not understand Chan and have not a single dharma to show anyone, so there is no need to trouble you to stand here long; go and rest." At that time the number of students gradually grew and they pressed him day and night. Having no choice, he answered whatever was asked, and his eloquence was unobstructed. (His extended sayings appear in another fascicle.) At that time several Dharma teachers came to call and said: "We would like to ask a question; will the Master answer?" The Master said: "The moon's reflection in a deep pool; grasp at it as you please." They asked: "What is Buddha?" The Master said: "Facing the clear pool, who is it if not Buddha?" The assembly were all at a loss. (Fayan said: "That is right, but it has no connection.") After a long time, one of the monks asked again: "By what dharma does the Master liberate people?" The Master said: "This poor monk has never had a single dharma with which to liberate people." He said: "All Chan masters are like this." The Master asked in return: "By what dharma does the Virtuous One liberate people?" He said: "I lecture on the Diamond Prajna Sutra." The Master said: "How many sessions have you given?" He said: "More than twenty." The Master said: "Who spoke this sutra?" The monk said loudly: "Chan master, you are making fun of me. Do you not know it was spoken by the Buddha?" The Master said: "If you say the Tathagata had a Dharma he taught, you slander the Buddha, and that person does not understand the meaning of what I say. If you say this sutra was not spoken by the Buddha, you slander the sutra. Please say it, Virtuous One." He had no reply. After a moment the Master asked again: "The sutra says: 'One who sees me by form, who seeks me by sound, practices a false way and cannot see the Tathagata.' Virtuous One, tell me, which is the Tathagata?" He said: "Having come here, I am now confused." The Master said: "You have never been awakened, so how can you say you are now confused?" The monk said: "Please explain it for me, Chan master." The Master said: "The Tathagata is the meaning of suchness of all dharmas. How could you have forgotten it?" He said: "Yes, yes, it is the meaning of suchness of all dharmas." The Master said: "Virtuous One, even this is not yet right." He said: "The sutra text is clear; how can it be not right?" The Master said:

大德如否。曰如。師曰。木石如否。曰如。師曰。大德如同木石如否。曰無二。師曰。大德與木石何別。僧無對。良久卻問。如何得大涅槃。師曰。不造生死業對。曰如何是生死業。師曰。求大涅槃是生死業。捨垢取淨是生死業。有得有證是生死業。不脫對治門是生死業。曰云何即得解脫。師曰。本自無縛不用求解。直用直行是無等等。僧曰。如禪師和尚者。實謂希有禮謝而去。有行者問。即心即佛那箇是佛。師雲。汝疑那箇不是佛指出看。無對。師雲。達即遍境是。不悟永乖疎。有律師法明。謂師曰。禪師家多落空。師曰。卻是坐主家多落空。法明大驚曰。何得落空。師曰。經論是紙墨文字。紙墨文字者俱空。設於聲上建立名句等法。無非是空。坐主執滯教體。豈不落空。法明曰。禪師落空否。師曰。不落空。曰何卻不落空。師曰。文字等皆從智慧而生。大用現前那得落空。法明曰。故知一法不達不名悉達。師曰。律師不唯落空。兼乃錯用名言。法明作色問曰。何處是錯。師曰。律師未辨華竺之音。如何講說。曰請禪師指出法明錯處。師曰。豈不知悉達是梵語邪。律師雖省過。而心猶憤然(具梵語。薩婆曷剌他悉陀。中國翻雲一切義成。舊雲悉達多。猶是訛略梵語也)又問曰。夫經律論是佛語。讀誦依教奉行。何故不見性。師曰。如狂狗趁塊師子齩人。經律論是自性用。讀誦者是性法。法明曰。阿彌陀佛有父母及姓否。師曰。阿彌陀姓憍屍迦。父名月上。母名殊勝妙顏。曰出何教文。師曰。出陀羅尼集。法明禮謝讚歎而退。有三藏法師問。真如有變易否。師曰。有變易。三藏曰。禪師錯也。師卻問三藏。有真如否。曰有。師曰。若無變易決定是凡僧也。豈不聞。善知識者能迴三毒為三聚淨戒。迴六識為六神通。迴煩惱作菩提。迴無明為大智真如。若無變易三藏真是自然外道也。三藏曰。

(The Master continued:) "Are you such, Virtuous One?" He said: "I am such." The Master said: "Are wood and stone such?" He said: "They are such." The Master said: "Is the Virtuous One's suchness the same as the suchness of wood and stone?" He said: "No difference." The Master said: "What is the difference between you and wood and stone?" The monk had no reply. After a long time he asked: "How can one attain great nirvana?" The Master said: "Do not create the karma of birth and death." He asked: "What is the karma of birth and death?" The Master said: "Seeking great nirvana is the karma of birth and death. Casting off defilement and taking purity is the karma of birth and death. Having something attained and something realized is the karma of birth and death. Not escaping the gateway of counteragents is the karma of birth and death." He said: "How, then, can one attain liberation?" The Master said: "Originally there is no bondage, so there is no need to seek release. To use directly and act directly is the unequaled equal." The monk said: "A Chan master like you, Reverend, is truly rare." He bowed in thanks and left. A practitioner asked: "Mind itself is Buddha; which one is Buddha?" The Master said: "Which do you doubt is not Buddha? Point it out." He had no reply. The Master said: "If you reach it, every realm is it; if you do not awaken, you are forever estranged." The Vinaya master Faming said to the Master: "Chan masters mostly fall into emptiness." The Master said: "It is rather the lecturers who mostly fall into emptiness." Faming was shocked and said: "How do we fall into emptiness?" The Master said: "Sutras and treatises are paper, ink, and written words. Paper, ink, and written words are all empty. Even setting up names, phrases, and dharmas on the basis of sound is nothing but emptiness. Lecturers cling to and are stuck on the substance of the teaching; do they not fall into emptiness?" Faming said: "Does the Chan master fall into emptiness?" The Master said: "I do not fall into emptiness." He said: "Why do you not fall into emptiness?" The Master said: "Words and the like all arise from wisdom, and when great function appears, how can one fall into emptiness?" Faming said: "So I know that one who has not mastered a single dharma is not called Siddhartha." The Master said: "Vinaya master, you not only fall into emptiness, but also misuse names and words." Faming changed color and asked: "Where is the mistake?" The Master said: "Vinaya master, you have not distinguished the sounds of Chinese and Sanskrit; how can you lecture?" He said: "Please point out Faming's mistake, Chan master." The Master said: "Do you not know that Siddhartha is a Sanskrit word?" The Vinaya master, though he realized his error, was still indignant in his heart. (The full Sanskrit is Sarvarthasiddha, translated in China as "all meanings accomplished." The old form, Xidaduo, is still a corrupted abbreviation of the Sanskrit.) He asked further: "The sutras, vinaya, and treatises are the Buddha's words; we read and recite them and practice according to the teaching; why do we not see our nature?" The Master said: "Like a mad dog chasing a clod, or a lion biting a person. Sutras, vinaya, and treatises are the function of self-nature, and those who read and recite are the Dharma of nature." Faming said: "Does Amitabha Buddha have parents and a surname?" The Master said: "Amitabha's surname is Kausika, his father is named Moon Above, and his mother is named Supreme Wonderful Face." He said: "In which teaching text is this found?" The Master said: "It comes from the Dharani Collection." Faming bowed, thanked and praised him, and withdrew. A Tripitaka Dharma master asked: "Does true suchness change?" The Master said: "It changes." The Tripitaka master said: "Chan master, you are wrong." The Master asked the Tripitaka master in return: "Is there true suchness?" He said: "There is." The Master said: "If it does not change, you are definitely an ordinary monk. Have you not heard: a good teacher can turn the three poisons into the three accumulations of pure precepts, turn the six consciousnesses into the six spiritual powers, turn afflictions into bodhi, and turn ignorance into great wisdom and true suchness. If it does not change, you, Tripitaka master, are truly a natural-way heretic." The Tripitaka master said:

若爾者真如即有變易。師曰。若執真如有變易亦是外道。曰禪師適來說真如有變易。如今又道不變易。如何即是的當。師曰。若了了見性者。如摩尼珠現色。說變亦得。說不變亦得。若不見性人。聞說真如變便作變解。聞說不變便作不變解。三藏曰。故知南宗實不可測。有道流問。世間有法過自然否。師曰有。曰何法過得。師曰。能知自然者。曰元氣是道否。師曰。元氣自元氣道自道。曰若如是者則應有二。師曰。知無兩人。又問。云何為邪云何為正。師曰。心逐物為邪。物從心為正。有源律師來問。和尚修道還用功否。師曰。用功。曰如何用功。師曰。饑來吃飯困來即眠。曰一切人總如是同師用功否。師曰。不同。曰何故不同。師曰。他吃飯時不肯吃飯。百種須索。睡時不肯睡。千般計校。所以不同也。律師杜口。有韞光大德問。禪師自知生處否。師曰。未曾死何用論生。知生即是無生法無離生法說有無生。祖師雲。當生即不生。曰不見性人亦得如此否。師曰。自不見性不是無性。何以故。見即是性無性不能見。識即是性故名識性。了即是性喚作了性。能生萬法喚作法性。亦名法身。馬鳴祖師雲。所言法者。謂眾生心。若心生故一切法生。若心無生法無從生。亦無名字。迷人不知法身無象應物現形。遂喚青青翠竹總是法身欝欝黃華無非般若。黃華若是般若。般若即同無情。翠竹若是法身。法身即同草木。如人吃筍。應總吃法身也。如此之言寧堪齒錄。對面迷佛長劫希求。全體法中迷而外覓。是以解道者行住坐臥無非是道。悟法者縱橫自在無非是法。大德又問。太虛能生靈智否。真心緣於善惡否。貪欲人是道否。執是執非人向後心通否。觸境生心人有定否。住寂寞人有慧否。懷傲物人有我否。執空執有人有智否。尋文取證人。苦行求佛人。離心求佛人。執心是佛人。此智稱道否。請禪師一一為說。師曰。

(The Tripitaka master continued:) "If so, then true suchness does change." The Master said: "If you cling to the view that true suchness changes, you are also a heretic." He said: "Chan master, you just said true suchness changes, and now you say it does not change. Which is correct?" The Master said: "For one who clearly sees his nature, it is like a mani jewel showing colors; to say it changes is fine, and to say it does not change is also fine. For one who does not see his nature, hearing that true suchness changes he understands it as change, and hearing that it does not change he understands it as no change." The Tripitaka master said: "So I know the Southern school is truly unfathomable." A Daoist asked: "Is there a dharma in the world that surpasses naturalness?" The Master said: "There is." He said: "What dharma surpasses it?" The Master said: "One who is able to know naturalness." He said: "Is primal qi the Way?" The Master said: "Primal qi is primal qi, and the Way is the Way." He said: "If so, there should be two." The Master said: "To know is to know that there are not two." He asked further: "What is wrong and what is right?" The Master said: "When the mind chases things, that is wrong; when things follow the mind, that is right." The Vinaya master Yuan came and asked: "Reverend, do you still apply effort in cultivating the Way?" The Master said: "I apply effort." He said: "How do you apply effort?" The Master said: "When hungry, I eat; when tired, I sleep." He said: "Everyone does just this; is it the same as the Master's effort?" The Master said: "Not the same." He said: "Why is it not the same?" The Master said: "When they eat, they will not just eat, but make a hundred demands; when they sleep, they will not just sleep, but make a thousand calculations. That is why it is not the same." The Vinaya master fell silent. The Great Virtue Yunguang asked: "Does the Chan master know where he was born?" The Master said: "I have never died, so what use is there in discussing birth? To know birth is the dharma of no-birth; apart from the dharma of birth there is no no-birth to speak of. The Patriarch said: when it is born, it is not born." He said: "Can one who has not seen his nature also be like this?" The Master said: "He himself does not see his nature, but it is not that he has no nature. Why? Seeing is nature, and without nature one cannot see. Knowing is nature, and so it is called the nature of knowing. Understanding is nature, and it is called the nature of understanding. What can produce the myriad dharmas is called Dharma-nature, also called the Dharma body. Patriarch Asvaghosha said: 'What is called dharma means the minds of sentient beings. If the mind arises, all dharmas arise; if the mind does not arise, dharmas have nowhere to arise, and have no name.' The deluded do not know that the Dharma body has no form and manifests shapes in response to things, and so they say that the green, green bamboo is all the Dharma body and the lush yellow flowers are nothing but prajna. If the yellow flowers are prajna, prajna would be the same as the insentient. If the green bamboo is the Dharma body, the Dharma body would be the same as grass and trees. As when a person eats bamboo shoots, he would be eating the Dharma body altogether. Such words are not worth recording. Face to face with the Buddha but deluded, they seek for kalpas; within the whole body of the Dharma, deluded, they seek outside. Therefore one who understands the Way finds that walking, standing, sitting, and lying are nothing but the Way, and one who awakens to the Dharma finds that moving freely in every direction is nothing but the Dharma." The Great Virtue asked further: "Can great space give rise to spiritual wisdom? Does the true mind condition on good and evil? Is a person of greed and desire on the Way? Does a person who clings to right and wrong later gain penetration of mind? Does a person who gives rise to mind on meeting objects have concentration? Does a person who dwells in quiet stillness have wisdom? Does a person who harbors arrogance toward others have a self? Does a person who clings to emptiness or existence have wisdom? A person who seeks proof by searching in texts, a person who seeks Buddha through austerities, a person who seeks Buddha apart from mind, a person who clings to the view that mind is Buddha: can these be called on the Way? Please explain each of them, Chan master." The Master said:

太虛不生靈智。真心不緣善惡。嗜慾深者機淺。是非交爭者未通。觸境生心者少定。寂寞忘機者慧沈。傲物高心者我壯。執空執有者皆愚。尋文取證者益滯。苦行求佛者俱迷。離心求佛者外道。執心是佛者為魔。大德曰。若如是應畢竟無所有。師曰。畢竟是大德。不是畢竟無所有。大德踴躍禮謝而去(此下舊本有洪州百丈山惟政禪師傳今移在第九卷百丈山海和尚下)。

(The Master continued:) "Great space does not give rise to spiritual wisdom. The true mind does not condition on good and evil. One deep in cravings has shallow capacity. Those who contend over right and wrong have not penetrated. One who gives rise to mind on meeting objects has little concentration. One who dwells in quiet and forgets scheming has sunken wisdom. One who is arrogant and high-minded has a strong self. Those who cling to emptiness or existence are all foolish. Those who seek proof in texts become more stuck. Those who seek Buddha through austerities are all deluded. Those who seek Buddha apart from mind are heretics. Those who cling to the view that mind is Buddha are demons." The Great Virtue said: "If so, there ultimately is nothing at all." The Master said: "What is ultimate is you, Virtuous One; it is not that there is ultimately nothing." The Great Virtue leapt up, bowed in thanks, and left. (Below this, the old edition has the biography of Chan Master Weizheng of Mount Baizhang in Hongzhou; it has now been moved to Fascicle Nine under the Monk Hai of Mount Baizhang.)

洪州泐潭法會禪師問馬祖。如何是西來祖師意。祖曰。低聲近前來。師便近前。祖打一摑雲。六耳不同謀。來日來。師至來日猶入法堂雲。請和尚道。祖雲。且去。待老漢上堂時出來。與汝證明。師乃悟雲。謝大眾證明。乃繞法堂一匝便去。

Chan Master Fahui of Letan in Hongzhou asked Mazu: "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" Mazu said: "Speak quietly; come closer." The Master then drew near. Mazu slapped him and said: "Six ears do not make a plan together. Come tomorrow." The next day the Master went again into the Dharma hall and said: "Please speak, Reverend." Mazu said: "Go for now. When this old man ascends the hall, come out, and I will certify you." The Master then awakened and said: "I thank the assembly for the certification." He circled the Dharma hall once and left.

池州杉山智堅禪師。初與歸宗南泉行腳時。路逢一虎。各從虎邊過了。南泉問歸宗雲。適來見虎似箇什麼。宗雲。似箇貓兒。宗卻問師。師雲似箇狗子。宗又問南泉。泉雲。我見是箇大蟲。師吃飯次。南泉收生飯雲生。師雲無生。南泉雲。無生猶是末。南泉行數步。師召雲。長老長老。南泉迴頭雲怎麼。師雲。莫道是末。一日普請擇蕨菜。南泉拈起一莖雲。遮箇大好供養。師雲。非但遮箇百味珍羞他亦不顧。南泉雲。雖然如此箇箇須嘗他始得(玄覺雲。是相見語。不是相見語)僧問。如何是本來身。師雲。舉世無相似。

Chan Master Zhijian of Mount Shan in Chizhou. In the beginning, when he was traveling with Guizong and Nanquan, they met a tiger on the road, and each passed by the tiger. Nanquan asked Guizong: "Just now when we saw the tiger, what did it look like?" Zong said: "Like a cat." Zong then asked the Master. The Master said: "Like a dog." Zong asked Nanquan. Quan said: "What I saw was a tiger." When the Master was eating, Nanquan collected the raw rice offering and said: "Raw." The Master said: "Unborn." Nanquan said: "Unborn is still the end." Nanquan walked a few steps, and the Master called: "Elder, Elder." Nanquan turned his head and said: "What?" The Master said: "Do not say it is the end." One day during communal work they were picking bracken. Nanquan picked up one stalk and said: "This is an excellent offering." The Master said: "Not only this; he would not even look at a hundred delicacies." Nanquan said: "Even so, each one has to taste it to get it." (Xuanjue said: "Are these words of meeting each other? Or not words of meeting each other?") A monk asked: "What is the original body?" The Master said: "In the whole world there is nothing like it."

洪州泐潭惟建禪師。一日在馬祖法堂後坐禪。祖見乃吹師耳。兩吹師起定。見是和尚卻復入定。祖歸方丈。令侍者持一椀茶與師。師不顧。便自歸堂。

Chan Master Weijian of Letan in Hongzhou. One day he was sitting in meditation behind the Dharma hall of Mazu. Mazu saw him and blew in the Master's ear, twice. The Master rose from concentration, saw it was the Reverend, and entered concentration again. Mazu returned to his abbot's room and had an attendant bring a bowl of tea to the Master. The Master paid no attention and went back to the hall on his own.

澧州茗谿道行禪師。師有時雲。吾有大病非世所醫。後有僧問先曹山。承古人有言。吾有大病非世所醫。未審喚作什麼病。曹雲。攢簇不得底病。雲一切眾生還有此病也無。曹雲。人人盡有。雲人人盡有。和尚還有此病也無。曹雲。正覓起處不得。雲一切眾生為什麼不病。曹雲。眾生若病即非眾生。雲未審諸佛還有此病也無。曹雲有。雲既有。為什麼不病。曹雲。為伊惺惺。僧問。如何修行。師雲。好箇阿師莫客作。僧雲。畢竟如何。師雲。安置即不堪。又僧問。如何是正修行路。師雲。涅槃後有。僧雲。如何是涅槃後有。師雲。不洗面。僧雲。學人不會。師雲。無面得洗。

Chan Master Daoxing of Mingxi in Lizhou. The Master sometimes said: "I have a great illness that the world cannot cure." Later a monk asked the former Caoshan: "I have heard the ancient said: I have a great illness that the world cannot cure. What illness is it?" Cao said: "An illness that cannot be gathered together." He said: "Do all sentient beings have this illness?" Cao said: "Everyone has it." He said: "If everyone has it, does the Reverend have this illness?" Cao said: "I am just looking for where it starts and cannot find it." He said: "Why are all sentient beings not ill?" Cao said: "If sentient beings were ill, they would not be sentient beings." He said: "Do the buddhas also have this illness?" Cao said: "They do." He said: "If they have it, why are they not ill?" Cao said: "Because they are wide awake." A monk asked: "How do I cultivate practice?" The Master said: "What a fine monk; do not be a hired hand." The monk said: "What, in the end?" The Master said: "To set it down will not do." Another monk asked: "What is the path of right practice?" The Master said: "What exists after nirvana." The monk said: "What is what exists after nirvana?" The Master said: "Not washing the face." The monk said: "This student does not understand." The Master said: "There is no face to wash."

撫州石鞏慧藏禪師。本以弋獵為務。惡見沙門。因逐群鹿從馬祖庵前過。祖乃逆之。藏問。和尚見鹿過否。祖曰。汝是何人。曰獵者。祖曰。汝解射否。曰射射。祖曰。汝一箭射幾箇。曰一箭射一箇。祖曰。汝不解射。曰和尚解射否。祖曰。解射。曰和尚一箭射幾箇。祖曰。一箭射一群。曰彼此是命。何用射他一群。祖曰。汝既知如是。何不自射。曰若教某甲自射。即無下手處。祖曰。遮漢曠劫無明。煩惱今日頓息。藏當時毀棄弓箭。自以刀截髮投祖出家。一日在廚中作務次。祖問曰。作什麼曰。牧牛。祖曰。作麼生牧。曰一迴入草去便把鼻孔拽來。祖曰。子真牧牛。師便休。師住後常以弓箭接機(如三平和尚章述之)師問西堂。汝還解捉得虛空麼。西堂雲。捉得。師雲。作麼生捉。堂以手撮虛空。師雲。作麼生恁麼捉虛空。堂卻問。師兄作麼生捉。師把西堂鼻孔拽。西堂作忍痛聲。雲大殺拽人鼻孔直得脫去。師雲。直須恁麼捉虛空始得。眾僧參次。師雲。適來底什麼處去也。有僧雲在。師雲。在什麼處。其僧彈指一聲。僧到禮拜。師雲。還將那箇來否。僧雲。將得來。師雲。在什麼處。僧彈指三聲。問如何免得生死。師雲。用免作什麼。僧雲。如何免得。師雲。遮底不生死。

Chan Master Huizang of Shigong in Fuzhou. He originally made hunting his work and hated the sight of monks. Once, chasing a herd of deer, he passed in front of Mazu's hermitage, and Mazu came out to meet him. Zang asked: "Did the Reverend see deer pass?" Mazu said: "Who are you?" He said: "A hunter." Mazu said: "Do you know how to shoot?" He said: "I know how." Mazu said: "How many do you shoot with one arrow?" He said: "One with one arrow." Mazu said: "You do not know how to shoot." He said: "Does the Reverend know how to shoot?" Mazu said: "I know how." He said: "How many does the Reverend shoot with one arrow?" Mazu said: "A whole herd with one arrow." He said: "They are all lives, so why shoot a whole herd?" Mazu said: "Since you know this, why do you not shoot yourself?" He said: "If I were told to shoot myself, there would be nowhere to begin." Mazu said: "This man's ignorance and afflictions of countless eons are suddenly ended today." Zang then broke his bow and arrows, cut off his hair with a knife, and entered Mazu's order as a monk. One day he was working in the kitchen. Mazu asked: "What are you doing?" He said: "Herding an ox." Mazu said: "How do you herd it?" He said: "Whenever it goes into the grass, I pull it back by the nose." Mazu said: "You truly herd an ox." The Master then stopped. After he became abbot, he often used a bow and arrow to engage students (as told in the chapter on the Monk Sanping). The Master asked Xitang: "Do you know how to grasp empty space?" Xitang said: "I can grasp it." The Master said: "How do you grasp it?" Tang grasped at empty space with his hand. The Master said: "How can you grasp empty space like that?" Tang asked in return: "Elder brother, how do you grasp it?" The Master pulled Xitang by the nose. Xitang made a sound of enduring pain and said: "Too brutal a pull on someone's nose; it is about to come off." The Master said: "One must grasp empty space just like this." When the monks were gathered, the Master said: "Where has what was here just now gone?" A monk said: "It is here." The Master said: "Where?" The monk snapped his fingers once. A monk came and bowed. The Master said: "Did you bring that along?" The monk said: "I brought it." The Master said: "Where is it?" The monk snapped his fingers three times. A monk asked: "How can one escape birth and death?" The Master said: "What do you want to escape for?" The monk said: "How can one escape?" The Master said: "This one does not have birth and death."

唐州紫玉山道通禪師者廬江人也。姓何氏。幼隨父守官泉州南安縣。因而出家。唐天寶初馬祖闡化建陽居佛跡巖師往謁之。尋遷於南康龔公山。師亦隨之。貞元四年二月初馬祖將歸寂。謂師曰。夫玉石潤山秀麗益汝道業遇可居之。師不曉其言。是秋與伏牛山自在禪師同遊洛陽。迴至唐州西見一山。四面懸絕峰巒秀異。因詢鄉人。雲是紫玉山。師乃陟山頂見有石方正瑩然紫色。歎曰。此其紫玉也。始念先師之言乃懸記耳。遂剪茆構舍而居焉。後學徒四集。僧問。如何出得三界。師雲。汝在裡許得多少時也。僧雲。如何出離。師雲。青山不礙白雲飛。於頔相公問。如何是黑風吹其船舫漂墮羅剎鬼國師雲。於頔客作漢。問恁麼事怎麼。於公失色。師乃指雲。遮箇是漂墮羅剎鬼國。於又問。如何是佛。師喚於頔。頔應諾。師雲。更莫別求(有僧舉似藥山。藥山雲。縛殺遮漢也。僧雲。和尚如何。藥山亦喚雲某甲。僧應諾。藥山雲是什麼)元和八年弟子金藏參百丈迴禮覲。師雲。汝其來矣。此山有主也。於是囑付金藏訖。策杖徑去襄州道俗迎之。至七月十五日無疾而終。壽八十有三。

Chan Master Daotong of Mount Ziyu in Tangzhou was from Lujiang, with the surname He. As a child he followed his father, who held office in Nan'an County in Quanzhou, and left home there. In the early Tianbao era of the Tang, when Mazu was teaching in Jianyang, living at Foji Cliff, the Master went to call on him. Soon after, he moved to Mount Gong in Nankang, and the Master followed him. In the second month of the fourth year of Zhenyuan, Mazu was about to pass into stillness and said to the Master: "Where jade and stone are moist and the mountains beautiful, it will benefit your practice; when you find such a place, live there." The Master did not understand these words. That autumn he traveled to Luoyang with Chan Master Zizai of Mount Funiu, and on returning to the west of Tangzhou, saw a mountain steep on four sides with remarkable peaks, and asked the villagers, who said it was Mount Ziyu. The Master went up to the summit and saw a square, gleaming stone of purple color, and sighed: "This is the purple jade." Only then did he recall that his late teacher's words were a prophecy. So he cut thatch and built a hut and lived there. Later students gathered from all four directions. A monk asked: "How does one get out of the three realms?" The Master said: "How long have you been in there?" The monk said: "How does one leave?" The Master said: "Green mountains do not hinder white clouds flying." Minister Yu Di asked: "What is it like when the black wind blows one's ship and it drifts and falls into the land of rakshasa demons?" The Master said: "Yu Di, you hired man, what are you doing asking this?" Duke Yu lost color. The Master pointed and said: "This is drifting and falling into the land of rakshasa demons." Yu asked again: "What is Buddha?" The Master called: "Yu Di." Di answered: "Yes." The Master said: "Do not seek further elsewhere." (A monk brought this up to Yaoshan. Yaoshan said: "Tie that fellow up and kill him." The monk said: "What would the Reverend do?" Yaoshan also called: "Monk so-and-so." The monk answered: "Yes." Yaoshan said: "What is it?") In the eighth year of Yuanhe, his disciple Jinzang returned from calling on Baizhang and paid his respects. The Master said: "You have come. This mountain now has a master." Having entrusted everything to Jinzang, he took his staff and left directly. The monks and laypeople of Xiangzhou welcomed him. On the fifteenth day of the seventh month he died without illness. He was eighty-three.

江西北蘭讓禪師。湖塘亮長老問。伏承師兄畫得先師真。暫請瞻禮。師以兩手撥胸開示之。亮便禮拜。師雲。莫禮莫禮。亮雲。師兄錯也。某甲不禮師兄。師雲。汝禮先師真。亮雲。因什麼教某甲莫禮。師雲。何曾錯。

Chan Master Beilan Rang of Jiangxi. The Elder Liang of Hutang asked: "I have heard that elder brother has painted a portrait of our late teacher; may I respectfully view it?" The Master parted his chest with both hands and showed it to him. Liang bowed. The Master said: "Do not bow, do not bow." Liang said: "Elder brother is mistaken. I am not bowing to elder brother." The Master said: "You bow to the late teacher's portrait." Liang said: "Why then do you tell me not to bow?" The Master said: "When was I mistaken?"

洛京佛光如滿禪師(曾住五臺山金閣寺)唐順宗問。佛從何方來滅向何方去。既言常住世。佛今在何處。師答曰。佛從無為來。滅向無為去。法身等虛空。常在無心處。有念歸無念。有住歸無住。來為眾生來。去為眾生去。清淨真如海。湛然體常住。智者善思惟。更勿生疑慮。帝又問。佛向王宮生。滅向雙林滅。住世四十九。又言無法說。山河及大海。天地及日月。時至皆歸盡。誰言不生滅。疑情猶若斯。智者善分別。師答曰。佛體本無為。迷情妄分別法身等虛空。未曾有生滅。有緣佛出世。無緣佛入滅。處處化眾生。猶如水中月。非常亦非斷。非生亦非滅。生亦未曾生。滅亦未曾滅。了見無心處。自然無法說。帝聞大悅益重禪宗。

Chan Master Ruman of Foguang in Luoyang (who once lived at Jinge Temple on Mount Wutai). Emperor Shunzong of the Tang asked: "From where does the Buddha come, and to where does he go when he passes away? Since it is said he abides in the world always, where is the Buddha now?" The Master answered: "The Buddha comes from non-action and passes away into non-action. The Dharma body is equal to space and always dwells in the place of no-mind. From thought one returns to no-thought, from abiding to no-abiding. He comes for the sake of sentient beings and goes for the sake of sentient beings. A sea of pure true suchness, its substance serenely abiding always. The wise should reflect well, and give rise to no further doubt." The Emperor asked again: "The Buddha was born in the royal palace and passed away between the twin sala trees. He lived in the world forty-nine years, yet also said there was no dharma to teach. Mountains, rivers, and the great sea, heaven and earth, sun and moon, when the time comes all return to exhaustion. Who says there is no arising and ceasing? My doubts are still thus; may the wise distinguish them well." The Master answered: "The Buddha's body is originally non-action; deluded feelings falsely discriminate. The Dharma body is equal to space and has never had birth or death. For those with affinity, the Buddha appears in the world; for those without affinity, the Buddha enters extinction. In every place he transforms sentient beings, like the moon in water. It is neither permanent nor annihilated, neither born nor ceased. Birth has never been born and extinction has never been extinguished. When one clearly sees the place of no-mind, there is naturally no dharma to teach." The Emperor was greatly pleased on hearing this and came to hold the Chan school in higher esteem.

袁州南源道明禪師上堂雲。快馬一鞭快人一言。有事何不出頭來。無事各自珍重。便下堂。有僧問。一言作麼生。師乃吐吞雲。待我有廣長舌相。即向汝道。洞山來參方上法堂。師雲。已相看了也。洞山便下去。至明日卻上問雲。昨日已蒙和尚慈悲。大知什麼處是與。某甲已相看處。師雲。心心無間斷。流入於性海。洞山雲。幾放過。洞山辭去。師雲。多學佛法廣作利益。洞山雲。多學佛法即不問。如何是廣作利益。師雲。一物莫違即是。僧問。如何是佛。師雲。不可道爾是也。

Chan Master Daoming of Nanyuan in Yuanzhou ascended the hall and said: "A fast horse needs one lash; a quick person needs one word. If you have business, why not come forward? If you have none, take care of yourselves." He then left the hall. A monk asked: "What is the one word?" The Master stuck out his tongue and said: "Wait until I have the broad and long tongue of a Buddha, and then I will tell you." Dongshan came to call, and had just entered the Dharma hall when the Master said: "We have already seen each other." Dongshan turned and went out. The next day he went up and asked: "Yesterday I received the Reverend's compassion; I do not know where it was that we had already seen each other." The Master said: "Mind after mind without interruption, flowing into the sea of nature." Dongshan said: "I almost let it go by." Dongshan took his leave. The Master said: "Study the Buddha Dharma widely and do much good." Dongshan said: "I do not ask about studying the Buddha Dharma widely. What is doing much good?" The Master said: "Not going against a single thing, that is it." A monk asked: "What is Buddha?" The Master said: "It cannot be said that you are it."

忻州酈村自滿禪師上堂雲。古今不異法爾如然。更復何也。雖然如此。遮箇事大有人罔措在。時有僧問。不落古今請師直道。師雲。情知汝罔措。僧欲進語。師雲。將謂老僧落伊古今。僧雲。如何即是。師雲。魚騰碧漢階級難飛。僧雲。如何即得免茲過咎。師雲。若是龍形誰論高下。其僧禮拜。師雲。苦哉屈哉誰人似我。師一日謂眾曰。除卻日明夜暗更說什麼。即得珍重。時有僧問。如何是無諍之句。師雲。喧天動地。

Chan Master Ziman of Li Village in Xinzhou ascended the hall and said: "Ancient and present are no different; the Dharma is just so by nature, so what more is there? Even so, in this matter there are many who are at a loss." At that time a monk asked: "Not falling into past or present, please speak directly, Master." The Master said: "I know well that you are at a loss." The monk was about to speak further. The Master said: "I thought this old monk had fallen into his past and present." The monk said: "What is it, then?" The Master said: "A fish leaping into the blue Milky Way; the steps are hard to fly." The monk said: "How can one avoid this fault?" The Master said: "If it has a dragon's form, who speaks of high and low?" The monk bowed. The Master said: "Bitter, how wronged; who is like me?" One day the Master said to the assembly: "Apart from the sun bright by day and the dark by night, what more is there to say? Take care of yourselves." At that time a monk asked: "What is a phrase of no contention?" The Master said: "Shaking heaven and moving earth."

朗州中邑洪恩禪師。仰山初領新戒到謝戒。師見來於禪床上拍手雲。和和。仰山即東邊立。又西邊立。又於中心立。然後謝戒了卻退後立。師雲。什麼處得此三昧。仰雲。於曹谿脫印子學來。師雲。汝道曹谿用此三昧接什麼人。仰雲。接一宿覺用此三昧。仰雲。和尚什麼處得此三昧來。師雲。某甲於馬大師處學此三昧。問如何得見性。師雲。譬如有屋。屋有六窓。內有一獼猴。東邊喚山山山山。應如是六窓俱喚俱應。仰山禮謝起雲。所蒙和尚譬喻無不了知。更有一事。只如內獼猴困睡。外獼猴欲與相見如何。師下繩床執仰山手。作舞雲。山山與汝相見了。譬如蟭螟蟲。在蚊子眼睫上作窠。向十字街頭叫喚雲。土曠人稀相逢者少(雲居錫雲。中邑當時若不得仰山遮一句語。何處有中邑也崇壽稠雲。還有人定得此道理麼。若定不得。只是箇弄精魂腳手。佛性義在什麼處玄覺雲。若不是仰山。爭得見中邑。且道。什麼處是仰山得見中邑處)。

Chan Master Hongen of Zhongyi in Langzhou. When Yangshan first brought newly ordained monks to give thanks for the precepts, the Master saw him coming and clapped his hands on the meditation seat and said: "Harmony, harmony." Yangshan stood to the east, then to the west, then in the center, and after giving thanks for the precepts, stepped back and stood. The Master said: "Where did you get this samadhi?" Yang said: "I learned it from the seal that Caoxi cast off." The Master said: "What do you say Caoxi used this samadhi to guide?" Yang said: "It was used to guide the one who awakened after a single night." Yang said: "Where did the Reverend get this samadhi?" The Master said: "I learned this samadhi from the Great Master Ma." A monk asked: "How can one see one's nature?" The Master said: "Suppose there is a house with six windows, and inside there is a monkey. Someone on the east calls 'Monkey,' and the monkey answers. In this way, if all six windows call, all answer." Yangshan bowed in thanks and stood up and said: "Everything in the Reverend's analogy I understand. There is one more matter. If the monkey inside is asleep and the monkey outside wants to meet it, what then?" The Master got down from the rope seat, took Yangshan's hand, danced, and said: "Monkey has met you. It is like the tiny mosquito-eye insect that makes a nest on a mosquito's eyelash and cries out at the crossroads: the land is wide and people are few, and those who meet are rare." (Yunju Xi said: "If Zhongyi had not got that phrase from Yangshan, where would there be a Zhongyi?" Chongshou Chou said: "Is there anyone who can settle this principle? If not, it is only juggling spirit with hands and feet. Where is the meaning of Buddha-nature?" Xuanjue said: "If not for Yangshan, how could he have seen Zhongyi? Tell me, where is the place at which Yangshan saw Zhongyi?")