Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings (166 page)

138
“Han” is the traditional name of ethnic Chinese.

139
An
arhat
(“worthy one”) is a person who has attained the highest awakening as to the nature of reality. Such a person has not undertaken the great vow to save all beings, and thus has attained salvation only for himself. An arhat is considered to be the ideal of Hinayana (“lesser vehicle”) Buddhism.
Tathagata
(“thus come”) is one of the ten titles of the Buddha, one who has attained supreme enlightenment.

140
This Mt. Gui is a different mountain from the Mt. Gui associated with the Guiyang school of Zen.

141
Namufo
is the recitation in praise of Amida Buddha used in the Pure Land school of Buddhism.

142
The Buddha of Supreme Wisdom and Penetration is described in chapter seven of the Lotus Sutra. He existed in an ancient time, measured before the present by
kalpas
(world ages) equal to the atoms in a chiliocosm. He spent ten kalpas in meditation before becoming a buddha. He had sixteen sons, including (in later rebirths) Amitabha and Shakyamuni buddhas.

143
A play on words.
Su,
here indicated as a surname, also means “common” or “lay” (nonclerical). Thus, the monk is remarking on the Buddhist view of the world’s condition.

144
The Chinese term
tihu
, here translated as “sweet cream,” literally refers to fine ghee, but also means “the goodness of the Buddha.”

145
The term “rice bag” alludes to a monk who doesn’t seriously pursue practice, but merely consumes the monastery’s rice each day. A similar term of derision is “clothes hanger.”

146
Jiangxi and Hunan are provinces in south central China where a great number of Zen temples existed.

147
To “pull out nails and draw out wedges” means to liberate beings.

148
Avici is the eighth and deepest Buddhist hell.

149
Luohan’s posthumous title may be translated several ways, including “Zen Master Truth Echo” or even “Zen Master True Presence.”

150
The “Medicine” or “Healing” Buddha (in Chinese,
Yao Shi Fo
) is often found in Chinese temples sitting at Shakyamuni Buddha’s left side.

151
Vulture Peak was the location where the Buddha lectured and passed the first transmission of the Zen school to his disciple Mahakashyapa.

152
Maitreiya Buddha is a buddha that is believed will come in the future to offer salvation.

153
Qicong was a fellow student of Fenyang who studied under Shoushan.

154
“West River” is another name for the district in Fenzhou where Fenyang taught.

155
A “dragon gate adept” refers to a Chinese myth about fish that meet once a year, converging at the rapids in a branch of the Yellow River. There they try to pass upstream through roaring rapids. The fish that manage to pass through the rapids turn into dragons. The fish unable to pass are forced back and receive a mark on their foreheads.

156
Dayang made this change due to a then current taboo on using the word “xuan.”

157
See the section on Fushan Fayuan (p. 386) for more information.

158
A person who starts strong but finishes weak.

159
A mythical sword.

160
Zen master Qingfeng Chengyi was a teacher in the Caodong lineage.

161
The Chinese phrase
bing ding tongzi
may also be translated as “fire god.” It originally referred to the youth responsible for lighting lanterns in the evening.

162
This passage is from a Song dynasty text entitled
The Celestial Eye of Humanity
, compiled by the monk Huiyan Zhishao. The text provides a description of the five houses of Zen.

163
The
Compendium of Five Lamps
uses the term “Dharma eye.” The
Transmission of the Lamp
uses the term “Pure Wisdom.”

164
Longchuan of Chu Province was located in the area of modern Zhejiang Province.

165
Zhiyi (538–97) founded the Tiantai school of Buddhism on this mountain.

166
The dharmadhatu is everything in the phenomenal and noumenal universe, the myriad dharmas.

167
A bird, said to live in the valleys of the Himalayan Mountains, that possesses a sweet song.

168
The Chinese here is a translation of the Sanskrit word
prajna
, usually translated as “wisdom.”

169
Guquan, also known by the name “The Banana Hermit,” was a student and Dharma heir of Fenyang Shanzhao.

170
The
Chan Lin Seng Bao Zhuan
is a collection of short biographies and recorded teachings of eighty-one Zen masters who lived during the period 907–1117.

171
Yang Danian (974–1020), also known as Yang Yi, was a literary figure of the Northern Song dynasty era.

172
“Sweet dew” is a traditional phrase of high praise for Buddhist teachings. In old China the phrase also had the meaning “great peace.”

173
The “Ru Sea” is a play on words. In classical Chinese, the word
ru
also means “you.”

174
The Chinese word
qing
, which occurs in Touzi’s name, means “blue.”

175
Su Taichu was a political figure during the Warring States period in China who suffered persecution.

176
Lord Xiang was a political-military figure who, being surrounded by enemy troops, killed himself on the banks of the Niao River.

177
This is one of eight mythical dragons that live in the sea, a protector of Kwan Yin Bodhisattva. The mythical Garuda bird eats dragons. However, the Garuda cannot eat this dragon.

178
For an explanation of this passage see note 156.

179
Tiantong is located near modern Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province.

180
During the Tang dynasty the large number of young people wanting to enter the Buddhist clergy caused the government to limit the number of monks by instituting examinations. One such exam required the candidate to completely memorize and demonstrate an understanding of a number of Buddhist scriptures. This type of examination continued up through the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).

181
The San Mountain Pass is a famous location in the San Mountains in Shanxi Province.

182
Longce Temple was located in Hangzhou.

183
Guoqing Temple is located at the foot of Mt. Tiantai in Tiantai County, Zhejiang Province.

184
The “Faxiang” school is one of several names ascribed to the followers of the Consciousness-Only doctrine.

185
The famous West Lake of Hangzhou was seen from the front gate of Yongming Monastery.

186
Mt. Huanglong (“Yellow Dragon Mountain”) is located in modern Xiushui County of Jiangxi Province.

187
The monk was meeting the master in a formal visit commonly known by the Japanese term
sanzen
. These interviews of the monks by their teacher are meant to determine the monk’s level of understanding. In the Japanese Sōtō school of Zen these interviews are known by the Japanese term
dokusan
.

188
Daju was a student of Mazu Daoyi.

189
Four seas surrounded the mythical Mt. Sumeru.

190
The
Tseng Ting Fo Tsu Tao Ying (Annotated Portraits of the Buddha Ancestors)
was compiled and edited by Hsü Yun and reprinted by Hsin Wen Fêng, Taipei, 1975.

191
See footnote 69.

192
Yangqi Hui is Yangqi Fanghui, founder of the Yangqi branch of the Linji school of Zen.

193
These are the names of legendary rulers of ancient China.

194
This was a famous park in India where the Buddha taught, a place now in the modern city of Setmahet.

195
Mt. Putuo is the Chinese home of Kwan Yin Bodhisattva.

196
According to Buddhist tradition, the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, was the seventh buddha to appear in the world.

197
This was probably the temple of Zen master Dagui Huaixiu, a teacher in ancient Fuzhou.

198
The Chinese phrase used here literally means “couldn’t accord with him” or, more literally, he “couldn’t connect” with his teacher, Huanglong.

199
Huanglong’s name means “yellow dragon.”

200
A student of Cuiyan Zhi, Yunfeng was a prominent Zen teacher of the Song dynasty who taught at Falun Temple on Mt. Heng. He later lived and taught at Yunfeng.

201
Zen master Yuantong Na (1010–71), a prominent teacher who resided at Yuantong Temple on Mt. Lu, located south of Jiujiang City in Jiangxi Province. Chengtian Temple is located east of Jiujiang City in Jiangxi Province.

202
This is a reference to three anciently known beautiful palaces in China, located in what is now Henan Province.

203
Varanasi is the former name for the city of Benares, in India.

204
The term “wearing feathers and horns” means to become like a beast.

205
Longan is a place name of where Doushuai lived.

206
The Tripitaka is the complete canon of Buddhist scriptures.

207
A teacher of the Yunmen lineage, Yuanzhao was a student of Tianyi Yihuai.

208
The Mani jewel is a gem or luminous pearl symbolizing the Buddha’s teaching.

209
The Dongchan Temple on Wuzu Mountain (also called “East Mountain”) is located near the site of the modern city of Huangmei in Hubei Province. “East Zen” refers to the East Mountain school of Zen, the school established on this mountain by the Fifth Ancestor, Daman Hongren.

210
The “Five Mountains” were five leading Zen temples of this era. They included Xingshen Wanshou Zen Temple on Mt. Jing, Lingyin and Jingzi temples in Hanzhou, and Jingde and Guanli temples on mountains near what is now Ningbo City in Zhejiang Province.

211
Kumu Facheng (1071–1128). Mt. Xiang is located near the city of Linru in modern Henan Province.

212
Here the words “house woods” are a double entendre, meaning Zen and the Buddhist community.

213
Chongzhu City in Pengzhou was located in the area of modern Peng County in Sichuan Province.

214
Jinshan Temple is a famous temple located northwest of modern Zhenjiang City in Jiangsu Province.

215
This is a well-known kōan by Zhaozhou.

216
The monk Nian Chang compiled this text during the Yuan dynasty (1206–1333).

217
The Zhaojue (“Luminous Enlightenment”) Temple was located in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province.

218
The Blue Cliff Temple was another name for the Ling Quan Monastery on Mt. Jia. Its location is about fifteen kilometers southwest of the modern village of Sanbanqiao in Shimen County, Hunan Province.

219
Foguo means “buddha essence” or “buddha seed.”

220
The “five stars” is an ancient Chinese phrase that means “fate.”

221
The Taiping Xingguo Yuan (“Great Peace Rejuvenate the Country Monastery”) was located on Mt. Zhong near what is now the city of Nanjing.

222
The Zhihai (“Wisdom Ocean”) Temple in ancient Bianjing was located near what is now the city of Kaifeng in Henan Province.

223
The Chinese characters of Fojian’s name also imply the meanings “Buddha Example,” or even “Buddha Precept.”

224
Fayan’s famous “three buddhas” included Foguo Keqin, Fojian Huiqin, and Foyan Qingquan. The word “Fo” in each of their names means “buddha.”

225
This teacher is obscure. Shu Province was an area in the southern part of modern Anhui Province.

226
Tianning Temple is located in Jiangsu Province near the city of Tianning, in Jiangdu County.