Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings (113 page)

A monk asked, “What is the source of the great way?”

Fenyang said, “Digging in the earth to find the blue sky.”

The monk asked, “What is attained by doing this?”

Fenyang said, “Not knowing the deep mystery.”

A monk asked, “What is it when guest meets guest?”

Fenyang said, “Put your palms together in front of the hut and ask the World-Honored One.”

The monk asked, “What is it when guest meets host?”

Fenyang said, “The other is not a companion.”

The monk asked, “What about when host meets guest?”

Fenyang said, “The clouds are arrayed above the sea. Draw the sword and disturb the dragon’s gate.”

The monk then asked, “What is it when host meets host?”

Fenyang said, “Three heads and six arms terrify heaven and earth. Furiously the emperor’s bell is struck.”

The following passages appear in
The Record of Fenyang Wude
.

A monk asked, “What is the Way?”

Fenyang said, “Emptiness is unobstructed. You can roam everywhere.”

The monk said, “I deeply thank the master for this instruction.”

Fenyang said, “What do you proclaim as the Way?”

The monk was silent.

Fenyang said, “You can ride the tiger, but you can’t get off.”

A monk asked, “When Zen master Qingyuan Xingsi was asked about the great meaning of our school, why did he answer, ‘What is the price of rice in Luling?’”

Fenyang said, “When that home-leaver in pursuit of the Way asked about the great meaning of our school, and Qingyuan answered about the price of rice in Luling, mind and environment were, in one instant, both annihilated.”

A monk asked, “What should be done if the mind-ground is troubled?”

Fenyang said, “Who is troubling you?”

The monk said, “How can one deal with this?”

Fenyang said, “What you do, you receive.”

A monk asked, “What is the essential flavor of the Buddhadharma?”

Fenyang said, “Exactly where one’s body and life are liberated.”

A monk asked, “Is the essential teaching of the ancestors the same as the general teachings of Buddhism?”

Fenyang said, “The cold pine on the high peak stands noble and straight. The winding brook in the gully moves lazily.”

Fenyang said, “Zen teachers everywhere, because of the demands placed upon them, constantly talk about this or that without let up. So all of you think this is what you should be doing, and you confusedly gather in groups, go sleepless, and say that you are ‘pursuing practice.’ Where do you think you’re going in order to practice? An ancient said, ‘Anyone who makes external effort is a fool.’ You should listen to what I’m saying. You won’t be around long! Take care!”

A monk asked, “When the lamp is not clear, then what?”

Fenyang said, “Extinguish it!”

The monk said, “After it is extinguished, then what?”

Fenyang said, “It’s clear.”

The monk said, “What if one can’t see that it’s burning brightly?”

Fenyang said, “It burns constantly, without interruption. It has been clear from the infinite past down to the present.”

Fenyang addressed the monks, saying, “The sound of the bell. The chirp of the sparrow. Through these things the true source can be met. Seeking it someplace else is a deluded waste of effort. If you grasp some belief then it will be like a brisk wind extinguishing a flame. Not believing will be like a ditch in a flat plain.

“Affairs press upon us without end, rising forms and painted patterns. Therefore Lingshan spoke of the moon. The Sixth Ancestor pointed to the moon. Where is this moon? Point it out for me. Tell me directly and don’t go looking for it up in the sky!”