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洞山良价 Dongshan Liangjie (807-869)



寶鏡三昧(歌) Baojing sanmei(ge)

(Rōmaji:) Tōzan Ryōkai: 宝鏡三昧 Hōkyō zanmai(ka)

(English:) Song of Precious Mirror Samadhi / Most Excellent Mirror Samadhi / Jewel Mirror Samādhi

(Magyar:) Tung-san Liang-csie: Paocsing szanmej(ko): Kincstükör szamádhi

五位偏正 Wuwei pianzheng

(Rōmaji:) Goi hensho

(English:) The Five Ranks / The Five Relations Between Particularity and Universality / Five Juxtaposing Opposites / Biased and Right Five Positions

(Magyar:) Vu-vej pien-cseng > Tung-san Liang-csie: Az öt rang

瑞州洞山良价禪師語錄 Ruizhou Dongshan Liangjie chanshi yulu

(Rōmaji:) Zuishū Tōzan Ryōkai zenji goroku

(English:) The Record of Liang-chieh of Tung-shan in Jui-chou

(Magyar:) Zsuj-csou Tung-san Liang-csie csan-si jü-lu / Tung-san csan mester összegyűjtött mondása i



Cover painting by Ma Yuan





瑞州洞山良价禪師語錄

Jui-chou Tung-shan Liang Chieh ch'an-shih yü-lu

The Record of Liang-chieh of Tung-shan in Jui-chou

Translated by William F. Powell

The Record of Tung-shan. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1986. pp. 21-90.

[Cf. Powell, William F. The Record of Tung-shan: An Analysis of Pedagogic Style in Ch’an Buddhism (China).

Ph. D. dissertation, University of California, Berkeley. 1982.]

PDF: Text in full





-1-



The Master, whose personal name was Liang-chieh, was a member of the Yü family of Kuei-chi. Once, as a child, when reading the Heart Sutra with his tutor, he came to the line, "There is no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind." He immediately felt his face with his hand, then said to his tutor, "I have eyes, ears, a nose, a tongue, and so on; why does the sutra say they don't exist?" 1



This took the tutor by surprise, and, recognizing Tung-shan's uniqueness, he said, "I am not capable of being your teacher," and instruct him to go to Wu-hsieh Mountain.



The Master went there, after making obeisance to Zen Master Mo, he took the robe and shaved his head. 2 When he was twenty-one he went to Sung Mountain 3 and took the Complete Precepts. 4





-2-



The Master set out on pilgrimage, and, going first to visit Nan-ch'üan, 5 he arrived when preparations were under way for Ma-tsu's 6 memorial banquet. 7



Nan-ch'üan posed the following question for the assembly, saying, "Tomorrow, we will pay homage to Ma-tsu. Do you think he will return or not?" 8



No one offered a reply, so the Master came forward and said, "He will come as soon as his companion is present." 9



Nan-ch'üan said, "This fellow, though young, is suitable for being cut and polished." 10



The Master replied, "Ho-shang, do not crush what is good into something mean."



(*Ho-shang: Venerable monk)





-3-



Next the Master made a visit to Kuei-shan 11 and said to him, "I have recently heard that the National Teacher Chung of Nan-ch'üan 12 maintained the doctrine that nonsentient beings expound the Dharma. 13 I have not yet comprehended the subtleties of this teaching.



Kuei-shan said, "Can you, Acarya, remember the details of what you heard?"



"Yes, I can," said the Master.



"Then why don't you try to repeat it for me?" said Kuei-shan.



The Master began, "A monk asked Hui-chung, 'What sort of thing is the mind of the ancient buddhas?' 14



"The National Teacher replied, 'It's wall and tile rubble.' 15



'Wall and tile rubble! Isn't that something nonsentient?' asked the monk.



'It is,' replied the National Teacher.



"The monk said, 'And yet it can expound the Dharma?'



'It is constantly expounding it, radiantly expounding it, expounding it without ceasing,' replied the National Teacher.



"The monk asked, 'Then why haven't I heard it?'



"The National Teacher said, 'You yourself haven't heard it, but this can't hinder those who are able to hear it'



'What sort of person acquires such hearing?' asked the monk.



'All the sages have acquired such hearing,' replied the National Teacher.



"The monk asked, 'Can you hear it, Ho-shang?'



'No, I can't,' replied the National Teacher.



"The monk said, 'If you haven't heard it, how do you know that nonsentient beings expound the Dharma?'



"The National Teacher said, 'Fortunately, I haven't heard it. If I had, I would be the same as the sages, and you, therefore, would not hear the Dharma that I teach.'



'In that case, ordinary people would have no part in it,' said the monk. 16



'I teach for ordinary people, not sages,' replied the National Teacher.



'What happens after ordinary people hear you?' asked the monk.



'Then they are no longer ordinary people,' said the National Teacher.



"The monk asked, 'According to which sutra does it say that nonsentient beings expound the Dharma?'



'Clearly, you shouldn't suggest that it's not part of the sutras. Haven't you seen it in the Avatamsaka Sutra? It says, "The earth expounds Dharma, living beings expound it, throughout the three times, everything expounds it." ' " 17 The Master thus completed his narration.



Kuei-shan said, "That teaching also exists here. However, one seldom encounters someone capable of understanding it."



Tung-shan said, "I still don't understand it clearly.Would the Master please comment."



Kuei-shan raised his fly wisk, 18 saying, "Do you understand?"



"No, I don't. Please, Ho-shang, explain," replied Tung-shan.



Kuei-shan said, "It can never be explained to you by means of the mouth of one born of mother and father."



Tung-shan asked, "Does the Master have any contemporaries in the Way who might clarify this problem for me?"



"From here, go to Yu-hsien of Lu-ling where you will find some linked caves. 19 Living in those caves is a man of the Way, Yün-yen. 20 If you are able to 'push aside the grass and gaze into the wind,' 21 then you will find him worthy of your respect" said Kuei-shan.



"Just what sort of man is he?" asked Tung-shan.



Kuei-shan replied, "Once he said to this old monk, 22 'What should I do if I wish to follow the Master?'



"This old monk replied, 'You must immediately cut off your defilements.'



"He said, 'Then will I come up to the Master's expectation?'



"This old monk replied, 'You will get absolutely no answer as long as I am here.' "





-4-



Tung-shan accordingly took leave of Kuei-shan and proceeded directly to Yün-yen's. Making reference to his previous encounter with Kueishan, he immediately asked what sort of person was able to hear the Dharma expounded by nonsentient beings.



Yün-yen said, "Nonsentient beings are able to hear it."



"Can you hear it, Ho-shang?" asked Tung-shan.



Yün-yen replied, "If I could hear it, then you would not be able to hear the Dharma that I teach."



"Why can't I hear it?" asked Tung-shan.



Yün-yen raised his fly wisk and said, "Can you hear it yet?"



Tung-shan replied, "No, I can't."



Yün-yen said, "You can't even hear it when I expound the Dharma; how do you expect to hear when a nonsentient being expounds the Dharma?"



Tung-shan asked, "In which sutra is it taught that nonsentient beings expound the Dharma?"



Yün-yen replied, "Haven't you seen it? In the Amitābba Sūtra it says, 'Water birds, tree groves, all without exception recite the Buddha's name, recite the Dharma.'" 23



Reflecting on this, Tung-shan composed the following gāthā:

How amazing, how amazing!

Hard to comprehend that nonsentient beings expound the Dharma.

It simply cannot be heard with the ear,

But when sound is heard with the eye, then it is understood.

-5-



Tung-shan said to Yün-yen, "I have some habits 24 that are not yet eradicated."



Yün-yen said, "What have you been doing?"



Tung-shan replied, "I have not concerned myself with the Four Noble Truths." 25



Yün-yen said, "Are you joyful yet?" 26



Tung-shan said, "It would be untrue to say that I am not joyful. It is as though I have grasped a bright pearl in a pile of shit."





-6-



Tung-shan asked Yün-yen, "When I wish to meet you, what shall I do?"



"Make an inquiry with the chamberlain," replied Yün-yen. 27



Tung-shan said, "I am inquiring right now."



"What does he say to you?" asked Yün-yen.





-7-



Once, when Yün-yen was making some straw sandals, 28 Tung-shan approached him and said, "I would like to have the Master's eyes."



Yün-yen said, "Where have yours gone?"



"Liang-chieh has never had them," replied Tung-shan.



Yün-yen said, "Supposing you did have them, where would you put them?"



Tung-shan said nothing. Yün-yen said, "Isn't it the eye that desires eyes?"



"It is not my eye," replied Tung-shan.



"Get out!" thundered Yün-yen.





-8-



When Tung-shan was taking his leave, Yün-yen asked, "Where are you going?"



Tung-shan replied, "Although I am leaving you, I still haven't decided where I'll stay."



Yün-yen asked, "You're not going to Hunan, are you?"



"No," replied Tung-shan.



"You're not returning to your native town, are you?" asked Yün-yen.



"No," replied Tung-shan.



"When will you return?" asked Yün-yen.



"I'll wait until you have a fixed residence," said Tung-shan.



Yün-yen said, "After your departure, it will be hard to meet again."



Tung-shan said, "It will be hard not to meet."





-9-



Just before leaving, 29 Tung-shan asked, "If, after many years, someone should ask if I am able to portray the Master's likeness, how should I respond?" 30



After remaining quiet for a while, Yün-yen said, "Just this person." 31



Tung-shan was lost in thought. Yün-yen said, "Chieh Acarya, having assumed the burden of this Great Matter, 32 you must be very cautious."



Tung-shan remained dubious about what Yün-yen had said. Later, as he was crossing a river, he saw his reflected image and experienced a great awakening to the meaning of the previous exchange. He composed the following gāthā:

Earnestly avoid seeking without,

Lest it recede far from you.

Today I am walking alone,

Yet everywhere I meet him.

He is now no other than myself,

But I am not now him.

It must be understood in this way

In order to merge with Suchness.

-10-



Later, during a memorial service before Yün-yen's portrait, a monk asked, "When the former master said, 'Just this person,' was it actually this?"



Tung-shan replied, "It was."



The monk said, "What did he mean?"



"At that time I nearly misunderstood the former master's intent," said Tung-shan.



The monk said, "I wonder if the former master actually knew reality." 33



Tung-shan said, "If he didn't know reality, how could he have known such a way in which to answer? If he knew reality, why did he go to the trouble of answering that way"





-11-



Because the Master was conducting a memorial feast for Yün-yen, a monk asked, "What teaching did you receive while you were at Yün-yen's place?"



The Master said, "Although I was there, I didn't receive any teaching."



"Since you didn't actually receive any teaching, why are you conducting this memorial?" asked the monk.



"Why should I turn my back on him?" replied the Master.



"If you began by meeting Nan-ch'üan, 34 why do you now conduct a memorial feast for Yün-yen?" asked the monk.



"It is not my former master's virtue or Buddha Dharma that I esteem, only that he did not make exhaustive explanations for me," replied the Master.



"Since you are conducting this memorial feast for the former master, do you agree with him or not?" asked the monk.



The Master said, "I agree with half and don't agree with half."



"Why don't you agree completely?" asked the monk.



The Master said, "If I agreed completely, then I would be ungrateful to my former master."





-12-



Yün-yen, addressing the assembly, said, "A son exists in a certain household who always answers whatever is asked."



The Master came forward and asked, "How big a library does he have in his room?"



Yün-yen said, "Not a single word."



The Master said, "Then how does he know so much?"



"Day or night, he never sleeps," replied Yün-yen.



"Is it all right to ask him a question?" asked the Master.



"He could answer, but he won't," said Yün-yen.





-13-



The prior 35 returned from a visit to Shih-shih. 36 Yün-yen asked him, "Since you entered the Stone Caverns, you shouldn't return just so, should you?"



The prior made no reply.



Tung-shan replied for him, "Someone had already occupied his place there."



Yün-yen said to Tung-shan, "And what will you do when you go?"



The Master said, "One should not break with customary etiquette."





-14-



Yün-yen asked a nun, "Is your father living?"



The nun replied, "Yes, he is."



Yün-yen asked, "How old is he?"



The nun said, "Eighty years old."



Yün-yen said, "You have a father who is not eighty. Do you know who that is?"



The nun answered, "Isn't he the one who has come just so?" 37



Yün-yen said, "That person is still no more than the child or the grandchild."



The Master said, "Actually, even the person who has not come just so is no more than the child or the grandchild."





-15-



On the Master's first visit to Lu-tsu, 38 he payed homage and stood waiting. After a short time he went out and re-entered. Lu-tsu said, "Just so, just so. So that's how you are!"



The Master said, "There is definitely someone who disagrees."



Lu-tsu said, "Why do you concern yourself with eloquence?"



The Master accordingly did obeisance and attended Lu-tsu for several months.





-16-



A monk asked Lu-tsu, "What is wordless speaking?" 39



Lu-tsu asked, "Where do you keep your mouth?"



The monk replied, "There is no mouth." 40



Lu-tsu said, "With what will you eat?"



The monk didn't reply.



The Master said in his place, "He isn't hungry. What food would he eat?"





-17-



The Master visited Nan-yüan. 41 When he went up to the Dharma Hall, Nan-yüan said, "We have already met."



The Master then left the hall. But the next day he went up to the hall again and asked, "Yesterday I was the recipient of the monk's benevolence. However, I don't know where it was that we met before."



Nan-yüan said, "Between mind and mind there is no gap. They all flow into the sea of original nature." 42



The Master said, "I was nearly overly credulous."





-18-



When the Master took his leave, Nan-yüan said, "Make a thorough study of the Buddha Dharma, and broadly benefit the world."



The Master said, "I have no question about studying the Buddha Dharma, but what is it to broadly benefit the world?"



Nan-yüan said, "Not to disregard a single being."





-19-



The Master went to Ching-chao to pay respects to the monk Hsingp'ing. 43 Hsing-p'ing said, "You shouldn't honor an old dotard."



The Master said, "I honor one who is not an old dotard."



Hsing-p'ing said, "Those who are not old dotards don't accept honoring."



The Master said, "Neither do they obstruct it."





-20-



Then the Master asked, "What sort of thing is the mind of the ancient buddhas?" 44



Hsing-p'ing said, "It is your very mind."



The Master said, "Although that's so, it's still a problem for me."



Hsing-p'ing said, "If that's the way it is, you should go ask a wooden man." 45



The Master said, "I have a single sentence with which to express it, and I don't rely on the words of the sages."



Hsing-p'ing said, "Why don't you go ahead and say it?"



The Master said, "It's none of my affair."





-21-



When the Master was taking his leave, Hsing-p'ing said, "Where will you go?"



The Master said, "I will just roam about, without any fixed place to stop."



Hsing-p'ing said, "Will it be the Dharma-body or the Reward-body that roams about?" 46



The Master said, "I would never explain it that way."



Hsing-p'ing clapped his hands.





-22-



The Master, together with Uncle Mi, 47 called on Pai-yen. 48 Pai-yen asked them, "Where did you come from?"



The Master replied, "We came from Hunan."



"What is the surname of the intendant there?" asked Pai-yen. 49



"I didn't get his surname," the Master replied.



"What is his given name?" asked Pai-yen.



"I didn't get his given name either," replied the Master.



"Does he still administer affairs or not?" asked Pai-yen.



"He has ready assistants," said the Master.



"Does he still make his circuit tours?" asked Pai-yen. 50



"No, he doesn't," replied the Master.



"Why doesn't he make his circuit tours?" inquired Pai-yen.



The Master turned, swinging his sleeves, and went out. The next morning Pai-yen entered the hall, and, summoning the two shang-tsos, said to them, "Yesterday this old monk was unable to reply to you with an apt turning phrase. 51 The whole night I could not rest easily, so today please provide me with a turning phrase. If it accords with this old monk's mind, then I will make provisions for congee, and we can pass the summer together." 52



The Master said, "Please go ahead and ask, Ho-shang."



"Why doesn't he make his circuit tours?" asked Pai-yen.



"He's far too noble for that," said the Master.



Pai-yen made provisions for the congee, and together they passed the summer.





-23-



The Master together with Uncle Mi went to visit Lung-shan. 53



The old monk asked, "There are no roads into these mountains, so what route did you follow to get here?" 54



"Granted, there are no roads, so what, then, did you follow to get here, Ho-shang?" countered the Master.



The old monk said, "I didn't come following clouds or water."



"How long has the Ho-shang lived on this mountain?" asked the Master.



"I am not concerned with the passing of springs and autumns," replied the old monk.



"Which was situated here first, you, Ho-shang, or the mountain?" asked the Master.



"I don't know," said the old monk.



"Why don't you know?" asked the Master.



"I didn't come following gods or men," replied the old monk.



"What reason do you, Ho-shang, find for dwelling on this mountain?" asked the Master.



"I saw two clay oxen 55 struggling with each other, until they fell into the sea. Ever since then, fluctuations have ceased," the old monk replied.



The Master paid homage with a renewed sense of decorum.





-24-



When the Master was making a pilgrimage, he met an official who said, "I intend to write a commentary on the Third Patriarch's Inscription on Believing in Mind." 56



"How will you explain the sentence, 'As soon as there is assertion and denial, the mind is lost in confusion'?" 57





-25-



When the Master first set out on a pilgrimage, he met an old woman carrying water. The Master asked for some water to drink.



The old woman said, "I will not stop you from drinking, but I have a question I must ask first. Tell me, how dirty is the water?" 58



"The water is not dirty at all," said the Master.



"Go away and don't contaminate my water buckets," replied the old woman.





-26-



When the Master was in Leh-t'an, he met Head Monk Ch'u, 59 who said, "How amazing, how amazing, the realm of the Buddha and the realm of the Path! 60 How unimaginable!"



Accordingly, the Master said, "I don't inquire about the realm of the Buddha or the realm of the Path; rather, what kind of person is he who talks thus about the realm of the Buddha and the realm of the Path?"



When, after a long time, Ch'u had not responded, the Master said, "Why don't you answer more quickly?"



Ch'u said, "Such aggressiveness will not do."



"You haven't even answered what you were asked, so how can you say that such aggressiveness will not do?" said the Master.



Ch'u did not respond. The Master said, "The Buddha and the Path are both nothing more than names. Why don't you quote some teaching?"



"What would a teaching say?" asked Ch'u.



"When you've gotten the meaning, forget the words," 61 said the Master.



"By still depending on teachings, you sicken your mind," said Ch'u.



"But how great is the sickness of the one who talks about the realm of the Buddha and the realm of the Path?" said the Master.



Again Ch'u did not reply. The next day he suddenly passed away. At that time the Master came to be known as "one who questions head monks to death."





-27-



When the Master was crossing a river with Uncle Mi of Shen-shan, he asked, "How does one cross a river?"



"Don't get your feet wet," said Shen-shan.



At your venerable age, how can you say such a thing!" said the Master.



"How do you cross a river?" asked Shen-shan.



"Feet don't get wet," replied the Master. 62





-28-



One day the Master was cultivating the tea plot with Shen-shan. The Master threw down his mattock and said, "I haven't the least bit of strength left."



"If you haven't any strength left, how is it that you can even say so?" asked Shen-shan.



"I always used to say that you were the one with lots of strength" said the Master.





-29-



Once, while the Master was on pilgrimage with Shen-shan, they saw a white rabbit suddenly cross in front of them. Shen-shan remarked, "How elegant!"



"In what way?" asked the Master.



"It is just like a white-robed commoner paying respects to a high minister."



"At your venerable age, how can you say such a thing!" said the Master.



"What about you?" asked Shen-shan.



"After generations of serving as a high official, to temporarily fall into reduced circumstances," replied the Master.





-30-



When Shen-shan had picked up a needle to mend clothes, the Master asked, "What are you doing?"



"Mending," answered Shen-shan.



"In what way do you mend?" asked the Master.



"One stitch is like the next," said Shen-shan.



"We've been traveling together for twenty years, and you can still say such a thing! How can there be such craftiness?" said the Master.



"How then does the venerable monk mend?" asked Shen-shan.



"Just as though the entire earth were spewing flame," replied the Master.





-31-



Shen-shan said to the Master, "There is nowhere that a friend 63 would be unwilling to go for the sake of friendship. Could you express the essential point of this in a few words?"



"Uncle, with such an idea how could you ever succeed!" replied the Master.



As a result of the Master saying this, Shen-shan was suddenly awakened, and from then on his manner of speaking became unusual. Later, when they were crossing a log bridging a stream, the Master preceded Shen-shan across, picked up the log, and said, "Come on over."



"Acarya!" called Shen-shan.



The Master threw down the log.





-32-



Once, when the Master was walking with Shen-shan, he pointed to a roadside shrine and said, "There is a person in there teaching about mind and nature."



"Who is it?" asked Shen-shan.



"If you can ask an appropriate question, Uncle, death will be completely cut off," said the Master.



"Who teaches about mind and nature?" said Shen-shan.



"While dead is living," 64 added the Master.





-33-



The Master asked Hsueh-feng, 65 "Where did you come from?"



"I came from T'ien-t'ai," replied Hsueh-feng.



"Did you meet Chih-i?" 66 asked the Master.



"I will definitely partake of the iron cudgel," 67 said Hsueh-feng.





-34-



Hsueh-feng went to pay his respects to the Master.



The Master said, "When you enter the door, you must say something. 68 It won't do to say that you have already entered."



"I have no mouth," said Hsueh-feng.



"Although you may have no mouth, you should still give me back my eyes," said the Master.



Hsueh-feng said nothing.





-35-



Once, when Hsueh-feng was carrying a bundle of firewood, he arrived in front of the Master and threw the bundle down.



"How heavy is it?" asked the Master.



"There is no one on earth who could lift it," replied Hsueh-feng.



"Then how did it get here?" asked the Master.



Hsueh-feng said nothing.





-36-



The Master wrote the character for "Buddha" on a fan. Yün-yen saw it and, taking exception, wrote the character for "un-." 69 The Master altered it, writing the character for "not." 70 Hsueh-feng saw the fan and immediately got rid of it. 71





-37-



Hsueh-feng was serving as the rice cook. 72 Once, while he was culling pebbles from the rice, the Master asked, "Do you cull out the pebbles and set the rice aside, or do you cull out the rice and set the pebbles aside?"



"I set aside the rice and pebbles at one and the same time," replied Hsueh-feng.



"What will the monks eat?" asked the Master.



Hsueh-feng immediately turned over the rice bucket.



The Master said, "Given your basic affinities, you will be most compatible with Te-shan." 73





-38-



One day the Master asked Hsueh-feng, "What are you doing?"



"Chopping out a log for a bucket," replied Hsueh-feng.



"How many chops with your axe does it take to complete?" asked the Master.



"One chop will do it," answered Hsueh-feng.



"That's still a matter of this side. What about a matter of the other side?" asked the Master.



"To accomplish it directly without laying a hand on it," replied Hsuehfeng.



"That's still a matter of this side. What about a matter of the other side?" asked the Master.



Hsueh-feng gave up.





-39-



When Hsueh-feng took his leave, the Master said, "Where are you going?"



"I'm returning to the peaks," replied Hsueh-feng.



"When you left, what road did you come out by?" asked the Master.



"I came out by way of Flying Monkey Peaks," 74 said Hsueh-feng.



"What road will you take now on your return?" asked the Master.



"I'll go by way of Flying Monkey Peaks," said Hsueh-feng.



"There is a person who doesn't go by way of Flying Monkey Peaks. Would you recognize him?" asked the Master.



"I wouldn't recognize him," said Hsueh-feng.



"Why wouldn't you recognize him?" asked the Master.



"He has no face," replied Hsueh-feng.



"If you wouldn't recognize him, how do you know he has no face?" asked the Master.



Hsueh-feng made no reply.





-40-



Tao-ying of Yün-chü 75 came to see the Master. The Master asked, "Where have you come from?"



"I came from Ts'ui-wei's place," 76 replied Yün-chü.



"What words does Ts'ui-wei have for his disciples?" asked the Master.



Yün-chü replied, "When Ts'ui-wei was performing a memorial for the arhats, 77 I asked, 'Do the arhats actually come when a memorial is held for them?' Ts'ui-wei replied, 'What do you eat every day?'"



"Did he really say that?" asked the Master.



"He did," replied Yün-chü.



"It was not in vain that you called on such an able master," said the Master.





-41-



The Master asked Yün-chü, "What is your name?"



"Tao-ying,' answered Yün-chü.



"Say what it was before that," said the Master.



"Before that I was not called Tao-ying," said Yün-chü.



"That's the same as this old monk's answer to Tao-wu," 78 said the Master.





-42-



Yün-chü asked, "Why did the Patriarch come from the West?" 79



"Acarya! Later, when you have a handful of thatch to cover your head, 80 should someone ask you that, how would you answer?" asked the Master.



"Tao-ying has erred," said Yün-chü.





-43-



One day, when the Master was talking with Yün-chü, he asked, "I have heard that the great monk Ssu was reborn in Wo as a king. 81 Is that so or not?"



"If it was Ssu, he will not become a Buddha," replied Yün-chü.



The Master concurred.





-44-



The Master asked Yün-chü, "Where have you been?"



"I've been walking the mountains," replied Yün-chü.



"Which mountain was suitable for residing on?" asked the Master.



"None was suitable for residing on," said Yün-chü.



"In that case, have you been on all the country's mountains?" said the Master.



"No, that isn't so," said Yün-chü.



"Then you must have found an entry-path," said the Master.



"No, there is no path," replied Yün-chü.



"If there is no path, I wonder how you have come to lay eyes on this old monk," said the Master.



"If there were a path, then a mountain would stand between us, Hoshang," said Yün-chü.



The Master said, "Henceforth, not by a thousand, not even by ten thousand people will Yün-chü be held fast."





-45-



Once, while the Master was crossing a river with Yün-chü, the Master asked, "How deep is this river?"



"Not wet," replied Yün-chü.



"Vulgar fellow!" said the Master.



"What would you say?" asked Yün-chü.



"Not dry," replied the Master.





-46-



One day, when Yün-chü was doing garden work, he accidentally chopped an earthworm. The Master said, "Watch out!"



"It didn't die," said Yün-chü.



"What about when the Second Patriarch went to Yeh-chou?" 82 said the Master.





-47-



The Master questioned Yün-chü, "An icchantika 83 is someone who commits the five heinous sins. 84 How can such a one be filial?"



"Only in so doing does he become filial," replied Yün-chü.





-48-



The Master described for Yün-chü the following exchange between Nan-ch'üan and a monk who was a specialist on the Maitreya S?tra. 85 "Nan-ch'üan asked the monk, 'When will Maitreya descend to be reborn on the earth?



"The monk replied, 'Maitreya is in his Heavenly Palace, and will descend later to be reborn.'



"Nan-ch'üan then said, 'There is no Maitreya, either in heaven above or on earth below.'"



Following up on this, Yün-chü asked, "If there is no Maitreya, either in heaven above or on earth below, I wonder who gave him his name?"



As soon as the Master was asked this question, his meditation seat began to shake. He said, "Acarya Ying, when I was with Yün-yen and asked the old man a certain question, the brazier shook. 86 As soon as you questioned me today, my body was covered with sweat."





-49-



After that Yün-chü constructed a hut on San-feng Mountain. 87 He passed ten days there without coming to the meal hall. The Master asked him, "Why haven't you come for meals these past several days?"



"Because regularly, every day, heavenly spirits 88 bring me food," replied Yün-chü.



The Master said, "Until now I have always said you were an exceptional person, but still you possess such views! Come to my place late tonight."



Later that evening, when Yün-chü went to Tung-shan's room, the Master called out, "Hut Master Ying!" When Yün-chü replied, the Master said, "Don't think of good. Don't think of evil. What is it?" 89



Yün-chü returned to his hut and peacefully took up his meditation. From then on the heavenly spirits were completely unable to find him, and after three days, they ceased appearing.





-50-



The Master asked Yün-chü what he was doing.



"Making soy paste," Yün-chü replied.



"How much salt do you use?" asked the Master.



"I add a little from time to time," said Yün-chü.



"How is the taste?" asked the Master.



"Done," said Yün-chü.





-51-



Shu-shan 90 arrived just when the Master was giving his morning lecture. He came forward and asked, "Please instruct us using terms that have yet to exist."



"I won't reply. No one would accept it."



"Nonetheless, would it be of any value?" asked Shu-shan.



"Do you value it now?" asked the Master.



"I don't value it, and so there is no point in shunning it," answered Shu-shan.





-52-



One day during his lecture the Master said, "If you wish to know this Matter, 91 then you must be like the sear old tree that produces blossoms. 92 Then you will accord with it."



Shu-shan asked, "How would it be if one does not oppose it anywhere?"



"Acarya, that would be something on the side of gaining merit. Fortunately, there is the merit of no merit. Why don't you ask about that?"



"Isn't the merit of no merit that of a person on the other side?" replied Shu-shan.



"Someone could have a good laugh at such a question as you have just asked," said the Master.



"In that case, I would make myself remote," said Shu-shan.



"Remoteness is neither remoteness nor non-remoteness," said the Master.



"What is remoteness?" asked Shu-shan.



"It won't do to call it 'a person on the other side,'" said the Master.



"What is non-remoteness?" asked Shu-shan.



"That can't be determined," said the Master.





-53-



The Master asked Shu-shan, "What sort of person will be living during the Kalpa of Emptiness 93 when there are no human dwellings?"



"I wouldn't recognize him," replied Shu-shan.



"Would that person still have any ideas?" asked the Master



"Why don't you ask him?" said Shu-shan.



"I am doing that now," said the Master.



"What is he thinking?" asked Shu-shan.



The Master didn't reply.





-54-



Shih-ch'ien of Ch'ing-lin 94 came to visit the Master. The Master asked, "Where have you just come from?"



"Wu-ling," 95 replied Ch'ing-lin.



"How does the Dharma at Wu-ling compare with the Dharma here?" asked the Master.



"It's a barbaric land in which bamboo shoots come up in winter," replied Ch'ing-lin.



The Master said to an attendant, "Prepare some fragrant rice in a special crock and feed this man."



Ch'ing-lin swung his sleeves and departed.



The Master said, "Later this person will cause great consternation among men."





-55-



One day Ch'ing-lin came to take his leave. The Master asked, "Where will you go?"



Ch'ing-lin replied, "The adamantine disk 96 is not something concealed. Throughout the world it cuts the red dust."



"Take good care of yourself," said the Master.



Ch'ing-lin left with great care. The Master saw him to the gate and said, "Say something about leaving this way."



"Step by step, I tread the red dust. No part of my body leaves a shadow," 97 said Ch'ing-lin.



The Master remained silent for a while.



Ch'ing-lin said, "Why haven't you said anything sooner, old Ho-shang?"



"You've become very earnest!" said the Master.



"I have erred" said Ch'ing-lin, who then paid his respects and left.





-56-



Lung-ya 98 asked Te-shan, 99 "If I were holding the Mo-yeh sword 100 and intended to take the Master's head, what would you do?"



Te-shan stretched out his head toward the monk and shouted, "Huo!" 101



"Your head has fallen," said Lung-ya.



"Ha, ha!" laughed Te-shan loudly.



Later Lung-ya went to Tung-shan's and told him about the previous incident.



The Master asked, "What did Te-shan say?"



"He didn't say anything," replied Lung-ya.



"Don't say he didn't say anything. Show this old monk Te-shan's fallen head," commanded the Master.



For the first time Lung-ya understood, and he admitted his error.





-57-



Lung-ya asked, "Why did the First Patriarch come from the West?" 102



"I will only answer you when Tung Creek 103 flows backwards," replied the Master.



For the first time Lung-ya awoke to the significance of this issue.





-58-



Hsiu-ching of Hua-yen 104 said to the Master, "I am without a proper path. 105 I still can't escape the vicissitudes of feelings and discriminating consciousness."



"Do you still think there is such a path?" asked the Master.



"No, I don't think there is any such path," answered Hua-yen.



"Where did you get your feelings and discriminating consciousness?" asked the Master.



"I am asking you that in all seriousness," said Hua-yen.



"In that case, you should go to a place where there is not an inch of grass for ten thousand li," said the Master.



"Is it all right go to a place where there is not an inch of grass for ten thousand li?" asked Hua-yen.



"You should only go in such a way," replied the Master.





-59-



Once when Hua-yen was carrying wood, the Master stopped him and asked, "If we met on a narrow path, what would you do?" 106



"Turn aside, turn aside," said Hua-yen.



"Mark my words," said the Master. "If you dwell in the South you will have one thousand followers, but if you dwell in the North, you will have only three hundred." 107





-60-



Ch'in-shan 108 visited the Master. The Master asked, "Where have you come from?"



"From Ta-tz'u Mountain," 109 replied Ch'in-shan.



"Were you able to see Huan-chung of Ta-tz'u?"



"Yes, I saw him," said Ch'in-shan.



"Did you see his outward appearance or what was behind that appearance?" 110 asked the Master.



"I saw neither his outward appearance nor what was behind it," replied Ch'in-shan.



The Master remained silent.



Ch'in-shan later said, "I left the Master too soon and did not completely acquire his mind"





-61-



After Ch'in-shan had been doing sitting mediation together with Yen-t'ou 111 and Hsueh-feng, the Master brought them tea. However, Ch'inshan had closed his eyes.



"Where did you go?" asked the Master.



"I entered samādhi," 112 said Ch'in-shan.



"Samādhi has no entrance. Where did you enter from?" asked the Master.





-62-



T'ung of Pei-yüan 113 visited the Master. The Master went up to the Dharma Hall and said, "Cut down the host, 114 but don't fall into secondary views." 115



T'ung emerged from the assembly and said, "You should know that there is one man unaccompanied by a companion." 116



"That is nothing more than a secondary view," said the Master.



T'ung then flipped over his Zen cushion.



"Elder brother, what are you doing?" asked the Master.



"Only when my tongue has rotted out will I answer you, Ho-shang," replied T'ung. 117



Later T'ung was taking his leave of the Master and was planning to enter the mountains. The Master said, "Be careful. Flying Monkey Peaks are steep and beautiful." 118



T'ung thought about this and did not enter the mountains.





-63-



Tao-ch'uan 119 asked the Master, "What is the essence of shunning the world?"



"Acarya! There is smoke rising under your feet," said the Master.



Ch'uan immediately experienced awakening and did not go wandering elsewhere.



Yün-chü offered the comment, "Under no circumstances should you be ungrateful to the Ho-shang (Tung-shan), under whose feet smoke is also rising."



The Master said, "Treading the Darkling Path is persevering in practice." 120





-64-



The Master was eating some nuts with Head Monk T'ai 121 during the festival of the winter solstice when he suddenly said, "There is something the upper part of which props up heaven, the lower part of which props up the earth, is as black as lacquer, and is always in motion. In the midst of this motion, it can't be grasped. Tell me where it is passing now."



"It is passing where its motion takes it," said T'ai.



The Master called his attendant and had him clear away the nut tray.





-65-



When the Master saw Yu Shang-tso 122 coming, he immediately rose and hid behind his Zen seat.



Yu said, "Why do you avoid me, Ho-shang?"



"I have always said that it was the Acarya who didn't see this old monk, " said the Master.





-66-



While the Master was inspecting the rice paddies, he saw Shang-tso Lang 123 leading an ox.



"You should watch that ox carefully. Otherwise, I fear it will damage people's rice seedlings," said the Master.



"If it is a good ox, it shouldn't damage people's seedlings," said Lang.





-67-



A monk asked Chu-yü, 124 "What is the practice of a sramanna? 125



"His practice should be such that nothing is absent, but if he is conscious of his practice, it is wrong." 126



Another monk reported this to the Master, who said, "Why didn't he say, 'I wonder what practice that is?' "



The monk subsequently carried this comment to Chu-yü, who said, "Buddha-practice, Buddha-practice."



The monk reported this to the Master, who said, "Yu-chou is all right, but Hsin-lo is insufferable." 127





-68-



Again a monk asked, "How should a sramanna practice?"



The Master replied, "A three-foot head, a two-inch neck." 128



The Master called his attendant and told him to convey these words to Ho-shang Jan of San-sheng Temple. 129



San-sheng snatched at something in the attendant's hand. The attendant then returned and reported this incident to the Master. The Master approved.





-69-



Ho-shang Mi of Ching-chao 130 sent a monk to ask Yang-shan 131 the following question: "Right in this very moment, are you dependent on enlightenment?"



Yang-shan said, "There is no absence of enlightenment. Why fall into what is secondary?" 132



Mi then sent the monk to the Master with the question, "What is the ultimate?"



"You must ask Yang-shan," replied the Master.





-70-



Ch'en Shang-shu 133 asked, "Among the fifty-two bodhisattvas, why isn't the stage of subtle consciousness seen?" 134



"The shang-shu intimately sees the stage of subtle consciousness," said the Master.





-71-



An official asked, "Is there a practice for people to follow?"



The Master said, "When you become a man, there is such a practice."





-72-



The Master, addressing the assembly, said, "Brothers, it is the beginning of autumn, and the end of summer. 135 You may go east or west, but you should go only to a place where there is not a single inch of grass for ten thousand li." 136 After pausing for a while he asked, "How does one go to a place where there is not a single inch of grass for ten thousand li?"



Later this was related to Shih-shuang, 137 who said, "Why didn't someone say, 'As soon as one goes out the door, there is grass'?"



The Master, hearing of this response, said, "Within the country of the Great T'ang such a man is rare."





-73-



A monk said, "I would like to see the Ho-shang's original teacher. How can I do that?"



"If you are of comparable age, there will be no problem" the Master replied.



When the monk was about to reply, the Master said, "Don't tread a previous path. You should formulate a question independently."



The monk did not respond.





-74-



A monk asked, "How does one escape hot and cold?"



"Why not go where it is neither hot nor cold?" said the Master.



"What sort of place is neither hot nor cold?" asked the monk.



"When it's cold, you freeze to death; when it's hot, you swelter to death"





-75-



The Master went up to the hall and asked, "Is there anyone who does not reciprocate for the four forms of benevolence or respond to the three classes of beings?" 138



The assembly made no response.



The Master spoke again, saying, "If one does not personally experience the meaning of this, how can he transcend the tribulation of birth and death? 139 If constantly and without a break you don't let any thought come into contact with things or any step come to rest, then you will accord with reality. You should strive earnestly and not pass the day at ease."





-76-



The Master asked a monk, "Where have you come from?"



"From wandering in the mountains," the monk said.



"Did you go to the top of any mountain?" asked the Master.



"Yes, I did," the monk replied.



"Was there anyone on the top?" asked the Master.



"No, there wasn't," 140 said the monk.



"In that case, you didn't reach the top," said the Master.



"If it were the case that I hadn't gone to the top, how could I know there was no one there?" responded the monk.



"Why didn't you stay awhile?" asked the Master.



"I wasn't opposed to staying, but there is one in India who wouldn't permit it."



"I've been suspicious of this fellow from the first," the Master said.





-77-



A monk asked, "Why did the First Patriarch come from the West?"



The Master replied, "It is much like the chicken-scaring rhino." 141





-78-



A monk asked, "If a snake were swallowing a frog, what would be the consequences of rescuing it or of not rescuing it?"



"If you were to rescue it," said the Master, "then you would not be seeing with your two eyes. And if you were not to rescue it, shapes and shadows would no longer be manifest."





-79-



A sick monk wanted to see the Master. Accordingly, the Master visited him. The monk said, "Ho-shang, why don't you rescue the sons and daughters of householders?"



The Master asked, "What sort of household are you from?"



"I am from an icchantika household," 142 said the monk.



The Master remained quiet. The monk continued, "What does one do when the four mountains 143 close in upon one?"



The Master said, "Formerly, this old monk also passed time under a householder's roof.



"Will we meet again or not?" asked the monk.



"We will not meet again," said the Master.



"Tell me where I am going," said the monk.



"To a cleared field," 144 said the master.



"The monk gave a sigh and said, "Take care of yourself." Then, while still sitting, he died.



The Master tapped him on the head three times with his staff and said, "You know only how to go, not how to come."





-80-



During an evening lecture, when the lanterns were not lit, a monk came forward to raise a question and then withdrew. The Master had his attendant light the lanterns and then directed him to summon the monk who had raised the question. When the monk arrived, the Master said to his attendant, "Obtain three pinches 145 of powdered incense and give it to this shang-tso."



The monk swung his sleeves and left. From this he gained understanding, immediately got rid of his excess clothing and possessions, and set up a food kitchen.



After three years he took leave of the Master.



"Be careful," said the Master.



At that time Hsueh-feng, who was standing by the Master, asked, "With regard to this monk who has just taken his leave, how long will it be before he returns?"



The Master said, "He knows only how to go, not how to come."



The monk returned to the Monk's Hall and, taking his place underneath the shelf for his bowls and robes, died while sitting. Hsueh-feng came to report this to the Master.



The Master said, "Even though he died like that, compared to this old monk, he differs by three rebirths."





-81-



The Master asked a monk, "Where have you come from?"



"From the stupa of the Third Patriarch," 146 he answered.



Since you have come from the Patriarch's place, why is it that you still want to meet this old monk?" asked the Master.



"Because I am different from the Patriarch, but not from you, Ho-shang," said the monk.



"I want to be your original teacher. Is that possible?" asked the Master.



"Only if you first show your own face, Ho-shang," said the monk.



"I wasn't here just now," said the Master.





-82-



A monk asked, "What does it mean to say,: 'Having come upon it, he doesn't seize it. His mind aroused, he realizes its presence.'?" 147



The Master joined his palms and raised them to his head.





-83-



The Master asked Te-shan's attendant, "Where have you come from?"



"From Te-shan's," replied the monk.



"Why have you come?" asked the Master.



"I've come out of filial feeling for you, Ho-shang," said the attendant.



"What is the most filial behavior in this world?" asked the Master.



The attendant did not reply.





-84-



The Master went up to the hall and said, "There is a person who, in the midst of a thousand or even ten thousand people, neither turns his back on nor faces a single person. Now you tell me, what face does this person have?"



Yün-chü came forward and said, "I am going to the Monk's Hall."





-85-



One time the Master said, "If you would experience that which transcends even the Buddha, you must first be capable of a bit of conversation."



A monk asked, "What kind of conversation is that?"



"When I am conversing, you don't hear it, Acarya," said the Master.



"Do you hear it or not, Ho-shang?" asked the monk.



"When I am not conversing, I hear it," replied the Master.





-86-



A monk asked, "What is proper questioning and answering?"



"When it doesn't come from the mouth," replied the Master.



"If someone were to question you, would you answer or not?" asked the monk.



"I've never been questioned," replied the Master.





-87-



A monk asked, "What does it mean to say, 'That which enters through the door is nothing precious'?" 148



"It would be better to disregard that."





-88-



A monk said, "Since the Ho-shang has entered the world to teach, how many people have acknowledged him?"



"Not a single person has acknowledged me," replied the Master.



"Why hasn't anyone acknowledged you?" asked the monk.



"Because the realm of each individual's mind is like that of a king?"





-89-



The Master asked a monk who lectured on the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, "What is being referred to when the sutra says, 'He cannot be known by intellect or perceived by consciousness'?" 149



"Those words praise the Dharma-body," replied the monk.



"That which is called the Dharma-body has already been praised," said the Master.





-90-



A monk asked, "Why can't one obtain the robe and bowl when one 'endeavors constantly to wipe it clean'? 150 What sort of person should obtain them?"



The Master replied, "One who does not enter through the door." 151



"If one does not enter through the door, can he obtain them or not?" asked the monk.



"Although it's just as I have said, it isn't the case that he does not have them," replied the Master.



The Master also said, "Even to say 'From the very beginning not a single thing exists' 152 is similarly not a case of being worthy of obtaining the robe and bowl. Now speak! Who is worthy of obtaining the robe and bowl? You should present a turning phrase right here. What turning phrase will you present?"



At that time there was a monk who presented ninety-six turning phrases, but none was suitable. Finally he presented a phrase that satisfied the Master.



"Why didn't you say that earlier?" said the Master.



Another monk had eaves-dropped on these exchanges but had missed hearing the final turning phrase. Therefore, he sought help from the first monk, but that monk would not agree to talk about his answer. For three years he pestered the first monk, but in the end it still had not been explained to him.



One day, when he was ill, the second monk said, "For three years I have sought to be told that previous phrase, but I have not yet benefited from your kindness. Since I have not gotten it by peaceful means, I will use violence." With that, the monk seized a knife and said, "If you don't explain it for me, I will kill you, Shang-tso."



"Wait a moment, Acarya. I will tell you," said the first monk in terror.



"Even if I were to bring them out, there would be no place to put them."



The second monk made his apologies.





-91-



A hut-dwelling monk, 153 who was not well would say to all the monks he saw, "Save me, save me."



Many monks spoke to him, but none of their solutions satisfied him. When the Master went to call on him, the hut-dweller called out, "Save me."



The Master asked, "What sort of salvation do you want?"



The hut-dweller asked, "Aren't you the Dharma-descendant of Yüeh-shan 154 and Yün-yen?"



"I humbly acknowledge that I am," replied the Master.



The hut dweller joined his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "I'm leaving you all," and then passed away.





-92-



A monk asked, "When a dying monk passes away, where does he go?"



"After the fire, a single reed stem," said the Master.





-93-



One day, when the monks had all gone out for general labor, the Master made the rounds of the monks quarters. Seeing a monk who had not gone out for general labor, he asked, "Why haven't you gone out?"



"Because I am not well," replied the monk.



"Have you ever gone out when you were in normal health?" asked the Master.





-94-



A monk said, "The Master normally tells us to follow the bird path. I wonder what the bird path is?" 155



"One does not encounter a single person," replied the Master.



"How does one follow such a path?" asked the monk.



"One should go without hemp sandals 156 on one's feet," replied the Master.



"If one follows the bird path, isn't that seeing one's original face?" 157 said the monk.



"Why do you turn things upside down so?" asked the Master.



"But where have I turned things upside down?" asked the monk.



"If you haven't turned things upside down, then why do you regard the slave as master?" said the Master.



"What is one's original face?" asked the monk.



"Not to follow the bird path," responded the Master. 158





-95-



The Master addressed the assembly, saying, "To know the existence of the person who transcends the Buddha, you must first be capable of a bit of conversation."



A monk asked, "What sort of person is he who transcends the Buddha?"



"Not a Buddha," replied the Master.





-96-



The Master asked a monk, "Where did you come from?"



The monk replied, "From making sandals."



"Did you know how to make sandals by yourself, or did you rely on someone else?" asked the Master.



"I relied on someone else," replied the monk.



"Did that person actually teach you or not?" asked the Master.



"If one accepts his teaching, there can be no mistake."





-97-



A monk asked, "What does it mean to say, 'Amidst the darkling, darken again'?" 159



"It's like a dead person's tongue," replied the Master.





-98-



One time when the Master was washing his bowls, he saw two birds contending over a frog. A monk who also saw this asked, "Why does it come to that?"



The Master replied, "It's only for your benefit, Acarya."





-99-



"What sort of thing is the teacher of Vairocana 160 and the essence of the Dharma-body?" asked a monk.



"Rice straw and millet stalks," replied the Master.





-100-



A monk asked, "Of the three Buddha-bodies, which one did not fall among the multitudinous things?" 161



The Master replied, "I was once very concerned about that." 162





-101-



Among the assembly there was an old monk who returned from a visit to Yün-yen's. The Master asked him, "What did you go to Yün-yen's to do?"



"I couldn't do anything," replied the monk.



The Master substituted this reply: "Cliffs mounting layer upon layer."





-102-



A monk asked, "What is the meaning of 'blue-green mountains, the father of white clouds'?" 163



"A place not densely wooded," replied the Master.



"What is the meaning of 'white clouds, the child of blue-green mountains'?" asked the monk.



"No distinction between East and West," replied the Master.



"What is the meaning of 'the white clouds hang about all day'?" asked the monk.



"Can't leave," replied the Master.



"What is the meaning of 'the blue-green mountains completely unknown'?" asked the monk.



"Nothing to watch," said the Master.





-103-



A monk asked, "What kind of grass is on the other shore?"



"Grass that doesn't sprout," answered the Master.





-104-



The Master asked a monk, "What is the most tormenting thing in this world?"



"Hell is the most tormenting thing," answered the monk.



"Not so. When that which is draped in these robe threads is unaware of the Great Matter, that I call the most tormenting thing," said the Master.





-105-



The Master asked a monk, "What is your name?"



"I," answered the monk.



"What, then, is the Acarya's host?" asked the Master.



"Just who you see answering," replied the monk.



The Master said, "How sad, how sad. The likes of people today are all just like this monk. They can only see themselves as the horse behind the donkey. That is to make the Buddha Dharma common. They still don't even understand the guest's view of the host. How could they perceive the host from the point of view of the host?"



"What is the host's view of the host?" asked the monk.



"That is for you to say," said the Master.



"What I can speak about is the guest's view of the host. What is the host's view of the host?" said the monk.



"To speak that way is easy, but to carry on that way is very difficult," the Master said. He then recited the following gāthā:

Really! Look at the followers of the Way these days.

Innumerable are those who acknowledge the main entrance.

It's just like setting out for the capital to pay homage to the emperor

But only reaching T'ung Pass 164 and stopping.

-106-



The Master went up to the hall, and said, "The Way has no thought of accommodating man; man has no thought of accommodating the Way. If you wish to know the meaning of this, one is an old man and the other is not." 165





-107-



The following incident was brought up. When Wu-hsieh 166 went to Shih-t'ou's, he said, "If in a word you can say something appropriate, I will stay. If you can't, I will leave."



Shih-t'ou took his seat, and Wu-hsieh left. Shih-t'ou immediately called, "Acarya, Acarya!"



Wu-hsieh turned his head back.



Shih-t'ou said, "From birth to death there is only this. What's the use of turning your head this way and that?"



Wu-hsieh was suddenly awakened and broke his walking stick.



The Master said, "Because Wu-hsieh was not a master at that time, it was too difficult for him to fully appreciate what had taken place. So although things happened as they did, Wu-hsieh still had farther to go."





-108-



A monk was taking leave of Ta-tz'u. Ta-tz'u asked, "Where are you going?"



"To Kiangsi," answered the monk.



"May I trouble you with something?" asked Ta-tz'u.



"What is it?" asked the monk.



"Would you mind taking this old monk with you?" asked Ta-tz'u.



"There is already someone who surpasses you, Ho-shang, but I can't even take him," answered the monk.



Ta-tz'u went to rest.



Later the monk told the Master about this. The Master said, "Why did you answer like that, Acarya?"



"How would you have answered, Ho-shang?" asked the monk.



The Master said, "All right, I'll take you."





-109-



Later the Master asked this monk, "What other teachings does Ta-tz'u have?"



The monk said, "Once, when addressing the assembly, he said, 'To talk about ten feet is not as good as accomplishing a foot. To talk about a foot is not as good as accomplishing an inch.' " 167



"I wouldn't have said it that way," said the Master.



"How would you have said it, Ho-shang?" asked the monk.



"People talk about what they cannot do and do what cannot be talked about," said the Master.





-110-



Once, when Yüeh-shan was walking in the mountains with Yün-yen, a knife in his belt made a noise. Yün-yen asked, "What made that noise?"



Yüeh-shan drew out the knife and made a powerful slashing motion just in front of his face.



The Master described this incident for the assembly and said, "Look at Yüeh-shan. He inclined his body to deal with this matter. If the people of today want to clarify the Supreme Matter, they must first experience this kind of mind?"





-111-



During an evening assembly, Yüeh-shan did not have the lanterns lit. He said, "I have something to say to you, but until the bull gives birth to a calf, I will not do so."



A certain monk said, "The bull has already given birth to a calf. It's only that you haven't told us what you have in mind."



Yüeh-shan said, "Attendant! Bring a lantern."



By the time the lantern arrived the monk had withdrawn and was lost among the assembly of monks.



Yüyen recounted this incident to the Master and asked, "What do you think about that?"



"Although the monk understood, he was simply not willing to pay homage," replied the Master.





-112-



The Master recounted the following discussion:



" Yüeh-shan asked a monk, 'Where did you come from?'



'From Hunan,' replied the monk.



'Is Tung-t'ing Lake 168 full of water or not?' asked Yüeh-shan.



'It's not full,' replied the monk.



'After such a long period of rain, why isn't it full?' asked Yüeh-shan.



"The monk didn't answer."



Tao-wu said, "It's full."



Yün-yen said, "Replete and becalmed."



The Master said, "In what kalpa has it ever increased or decreased?"





-113-



Yüeh-shan said to a monk, "It's said you know how to cast horoscopes. Is that true?"



"I must admit it is," replied the monk.



"Try to cast my horoscope," said Yüeh-shan.



The monk did not reply.



Yün-yen recounted this to the Master and asked, "What about you?"



"Please tell me what month you were born in, Ho-shang" said the Master.





-114-



The Master composed the "Gāthā of the Five Ranks, the Lords and Vassals:" 169

Phenomena within the real:

At the beginning of the night's third watch, 170 before there is moonlight,

Don't be surprised to meet yet not recognize

What is surely a familiar 171 face from the past.



The real within phenomena:

An old crone, having just awakened, comes upon an ancient mirror;

That which is clearly reflected in front of her face is none other than her own likeness.

Don't lose sight of your face again and go chasing your shadow.



Coming from within the real:

Amidst nothingness there is a road far from the dust.

If you are simply able to avoid the reigning monarch's personal name,

Then you will surpass the eloquence of previous dynasties.



Going within together:

Two crossed swords, neither permitting retreat:

Dexterously wielded, like a lotus amidst fire. 172

Similarly, there is a natural determination to ascend the heavens.



Arriving within together:

Falling into neither existence nor nonexistence, who dares harmonize?

People fully desire to exit the constant flux;

But after bending and fitting, in the end still return to sit in the warmth of the coals.

-115-



The Master went up to the hall and said, "When looking upon, what is it? When serving, what is it? When accomplishing, what is it? When accomplishing mutually, what is it? When there is the accomplishment of accomplishment, what is it?"



A monk asked, "What is 'looking upon'?"



"When eating, what is it?" replied the Master.



"What is 'serving'?" asked the monk.



"When ignoring, what is it?" replied the Master.



"What is 'accomplishing'?" asked the monk.



"When throwing down a mattock, what is it?" replied the Master.



"What is 'accomplishing mutually'?" asked the monk.



"Not attaining things," replied the Master.



"What is the 'accomplishment of accomplishment'?" asked the monk.



"Nothing shared," replied the Master.



The Master offered the following gāthā:

The sage kings from the beginning made Yao the norm;

He governed the people by means of rites and kept his dragonwaist bent.

When once he passed from one end of the market to the other,

He found that everywhere culture flourished and the august dynasty was celebrated. For whom do you wash your face and apply makeup?

The sound of the cuckoo's call urges one home;

Countless multitudes of flowers have fallen, yet the cuckoo's call is not stilled;

Going farther into the jumbled peaks, in deep places its call continues. The blooming of a flower on a sear old tree, a spring outside of kalpas;

Riding backwards on a jade elephant, chasing the ch'i lin. 173

Now hidden far beyond the innumerable peaks,

The moon is white, the breeze cool at the approach of sunrise. Ordinary beings and Buddha have no truck with each other;

Mountains are naturally high, waters naturally deep.

What the myriad distinctions and numerous differences show is that

Where the chukar cries, many flowers are blooming. Can't stand head sprouting horns anymore; 174

When the mind rouses to seek the Buddha, it's time for compunction.

In the unimpeded vista of the Kalpa of Emptiness, 175 when no one is perceived,

Why go south in search of the fifty-three? 176

-116-



Because Ts'ao-shan 177 was taking his leave, the Master transmitted this teaching to him. "When I was at Master Yün-yen's, he secretly entrusted me with the Jewel Mirror Samādhi, 178 thoroughly conveying its essence. Now I am giving it to you. It goes as follows:

The Dharma of Suchness, directly transmitted by buddhas and patriarchs,

Today is yours; preserve it carefully.

It is like a silver bowl heaped with snow and the bright moon concealing herons—

When classified they differ, but lumped together their whereabouts is known.

The Mind, not resting in words, accommodates what arises;

Tremble and it becomes a pitfall; missing, one falls into fretful hesitations.

Neither ignore nor confront what is like a great ball of flame. 179

Giving it literary form, immediately defiles it.

Clearly illuminated just at the middle of the night, it does not appear in the morning light;

It is a standard for all beings, used to extricate them from all suffering.

Although it takes no action, it is not without words.

Like gazing into the jewel mirror, form and reflection view each other;

You are not him, but he is clearly you.

Just as in the common infant, the five characteristics are complete;

No going, no coming, no arising, no abiding, Ba-ha wa-wa, speaking without speaking; 180

In the end, things are not gotten at, because the words are still not correct.

In the six lines of the doubled li hexagram, Phenomena and the Real interact;

Piled up to become three, each transformed makes five. 181

Like the taste of the [five-flavored] chih grass, like the [fivepronged] vajra; 182

Secretly held within the Real, rhythm and song arise together.

Penetration to the source, penetration of the byways, Grasping the connecting link, grasping the route.

Acting with circumspection is auspicious; 183 there is no contradiction.

Innately pure, moreover subtle, no connection with delusion or enlightenment.

According to time and circumstance, it quietly illuminates.

Fine enough to penetrate where there is no space, large enough to transcend its boundaries.

Being off by the fraction of a hairsbreadth, the attunement of major and minor keys is lost.

Now there is sudden and gradual because principles and approaches have been set up;

With the distinction of principles and approaches, standards arise.

Even if one penetrates the principle and masters the approach, the true constant continues as a [defiled] outflow.

Externally calm, internally shaking, like a tethered charger or a hiding rat;

The former sages, having compassion for such people, made a gift of the Dharma.

In their topsy-turvy state, people take black for white.

But when their topsy-turvy thinking is destroyed, the acquiescent mind is self-acknowledged.

If you wish to conform with ancient tracks, please consider the ancients:

The Buddha, on the verge of accomplishing the Way, spent ten kalpas beneath the tree of contemplation; 184

Like the tiger which leaves some remains of its prey, and like the charger whose left hind leg has whitened. 185

For the benefit of those with inferior ability, there is a jeweled footrest and brocade robes; 186

For the benefit of those capable of wonder, a wildcat or white ox. 187

Yi used his skill [as an archer], 188 and there was the bowman who pierced the target at one hundred paces. 189

Two arrowpoints meeting head-on, 190 — how is such great skill attained?

The wooden man begins to sing, and the stone woman rises to dance;

It is not attained in thought or feeling, so why reflect upon it?

A vassal serves his lord, and a child obeys its father;

It is unfilial not to obey, improper not to serve.

Working unobserved, functioning secretly, appearing dull, seemingly stupid —

If one can simply persist in that, it is called the host's view of the host.

-117-



The Master said, "In this Dharma-ending age people possess much idle knowledge. If you want to distinguish true from false, there are three types of defilement to be aware of. The first is defiled views. This is said to be not departing from a particular fixed view about the potential for enlightenment and thus falling into a sea of poison. The second is defiled emotions. This is said to be entrapment in preferences and repulsions, thus having one's perspective become one-sided and rigid. The third is defiled language. This is said to be mastering trivia and losing sight of the essential. The potential for enlightenment is thoroughly obscured. You should understand clearly that a disciple whose understanding is muddled and is going round and round in circles has not done away with these three types of defilements."



There is also the "Gāthā of the Essentials" in three verses. The verse "Rhythm and Song Performed Together" goes:

One metal pin holds a pair of locks;

The paths for the pin found, its function mysteriously simultaneous.

The Precious Seal corresponding to the subtleness of the wind,

Like the visibility of overlapping brocade stitches.

The second verse, "The Path of the Darkling Lock," goes:

Interacting, darkness amidst light,

One comes to feel that successful endeavor is difficult.

One's strength exhausted, progress and retreat are forgotten;

The metal locks pull each other like the meshes of a net.

The third verse, "On Not Falling into Distinctions Between Sagely and Common" goes:

Principle and phenomena have no relation to each other;

Reflected light cuts through dark mystery.

Ignoring the wind, with neither skill nor incompetence,

The lightning bolt is impossible to escape.

-118-



The Master was unwell and directed a novice monk to deliver a message to Yün-chü, saying, "If he asks whether I am well, simply reply that the transmission of Yün-yen's way will be interrupted. When you deliver this message, you should stand back. Otherwise, I fear he will hit you."



The novice monk acknowledged that he understood and went to transmit the message. But well before he had finished speaking, he was given a blow by Yün-chü, after which he remained silent.





-119-



When the Master was about to enter perfect rest, 191 he addressed the assembly, saying "I've had a worthless name in this world. Who will get rid of it for me?"



When none of the assembly replied, a novice monk came forward and said, "Please say what the monk's Dharma name is."



The Master said, "My worthless name has been eradicated."



A monk asked, "Although the monk is unwell, is there actually one who is not sick?"



"There is," replied the Master.



"Will the one who is not sick treat the monk?"



The Master said, "I am entitled to see him."



"I wonder how the monk will see him?"



"When I see him, there will be no perception of sickness," replied the Master.



The Master continued by asking the monk, "After I have left this filthoozing shell, where will we meet?"



The monk didn't reply.



The Master recited a gāthā:

Disciples as numerous as grains of sand in the River Ganges, not one has gained enlightenment;

They err in seeking it as a path taught by others.

To eliminate form and eradicate its traces,

Make utmost effort, and strive diligently to walk in nothingness.

Then the Master had his head shaved, bathed himself, and put on his robes. He struck the bell and announced his departure to the assembly. Sitting solemnly, he began to pass away. Immediately the large assembly began to wail and lament. This continued for some time without stopping. The Master suddenly opened his eyes and addressed the assembly, saying, "For those who have left home, a mind unattached to things is the true practice. People struggle to live and make much of death. But what's the use of lamenting?"



Then he ordered a temple official to make arrangements for a "delusion banquet." However, the assembly's feeling of bereavement did not go away, so preparations for the banquet were extended over seven days. The Master joined with the assembly in completing the preparations, saying, "You monks have made a great commotion over nothing. When you see me pass away this time, don't make a noisy fuss."



Accordingly, he retired to his room, sat correctly, and passed away in the third month of the tenth year of the Hsien-t'ung era (869). He was sixty-three and had spent forty-two years as a monk; his posthumous name was Zen Master Wu-pen. 192 His shrine was called the Stupa of Wisdom-awareness.





-120-



From the end of the Ta-chung era of the T'ang (847-859), the Master received and instructed students at Hsin-feng Mountain. 193 After that, his teaching flourished at Tung-shan in Kao-an of Yu-chang hsien. 194 He expediently set forth the doctrine of the "Five Ranks" and skillfully instructed people of each of the three root types. 195 He magnificently proclaimed the single sound, 196 extending it to encompass myriad beings. He freely brandished the jewel sword, 197 cutting through dense groves of various false views. He wondrously harmonized the various teachings and widely propagated the Way, cutting off fruitless probings into all manner of things. Moreover, he gained Ts'ao-shan as a disciple. With profound understanding of the ultimate goal, he wondrously intoned tis excellent design, a way that integrates lord and vassal and in which exists the mutual interaction of the Real and phenomena. Because of this, Tung-shan's subtle influence spread beneath heaven. Consequently, masters from every quarter unite in revering him. His lineage is called the Ts'ao-tung Lineage. 198



