Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings (107 page)

Shoushan said, “They don’t go outside the gate.”

The monk said, “Why don’t they go outside the gate?”

Shoushan said, “Because they are given to everyone on earth.”

Near death, Shoushan entered the hall to bid farewell to the monks. He then recited this verse:

The Silver World, the Golden Body,
Impassioned or passionless, together one Truth,
When brightness and darkness are exhausted, neither shines forth.
The sun past its apex reveals the whole body.

After reciting this verse, the master sat peacefully and then passed away. A stupa was built to house his sacred relics.

LIANGSHAN YUANGUAN

LIANGSHAN YUANGUAN (n.d.) was a disciple of the Caodong lineage master, Tongan Guanzhi.

A monk asked Zen master Liangshan Yuanguan, “What is the style of the master’s house?”

Liangshan said, “The current in Yiyang River is swift, and the fish move slowly. The pine trees on White Deer Mountain are tall, and the birds nest there with difficulty.”

A monk asked, “What is the self?”

Liangshan said, “The emperor of the universe. The general who commands the strategic pass.”

The monk then asked, “When this state is realized, then what?”

Liangshan said, “The bright moon in the sky. Sitting silently in one’s room.”

Zen master Liangshan would recite this verse:

The song of Liangshan,
Even the skilled find it hard to sing.
These ten years I’ve searched for someone to sing it,
But ‘til now I’ve found no one.

Zen master Liangshan said to the monks, “If you let down your line into the four seas you’ll only catch ferocious dragons. But if you demonstrate true ability, you’ll seek to know your own self.”

ZHIMEN GUANGZUO

ZHIMEN GUANGZUO (d. 1031) was a disciple of Xianglin Chengyuan. His home was in Zhejiang Province. He traveled to Yizhou (near modern Chengdu City) where he studied under Xianglin Chengyuan. After receiving the mind-seal from Xianglin he first taught at Shuangchuan in Suizhou. Later, he moved to Zhimen Temple, from which he derived his mountain name.

A monk asked Zen master Zhimen, “What is Buddha?”

Zhimen said, “When the straw sandals are worn out, continue barefoot.”

The monk asked, “What is the affair that is beyond Buddha?”

Zhimen said, “The tip of the staff upholds the sun and moon.”

A monk asked, “What is the meaning of the First Ancestor’s coming from the west?”

Zhimen said, “The eyes can’t see the nose.”

The person then asked, “What is it when one understands in this manner?”

Zhimen said, “Smelling your nose.”

Zhimen entered the hall and addressed the monks, saying, “If there is one Dharma, then Vairochana becomes a commoner. If the ten thousand dharmas are lacking, then Samantabhadra loses his realm. Just when it is like this, Manjushri has nowhere to show his head, and if he can’t show his head, then the golden-haired lion is cut in two. If you enjoy a bowl of food, don’t eat the spicy meat cakes.”

A monk asked, “What is the pure dharmakaya?”

Zhimen said, “The entire eye is dust.”

A monk asked, “What is it before the ancient mirror is polished?”