Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings (26 page)

A monk asked Zen master Zhangjing Huaiyun, “Please point out the place where mind and Dharma are both gone.”

Zhangjing said, “People of Ying don’t perspire. You belabor yourself carrying an ax.”

The monk said, “Please, Master, don’t speak contrarily.”

Zhangjing said, “This is not a contrary phrase.” ([Later,] the same monk brought up this conversation to Dongshan. Dongshan said, “What speech that was. Seldom does one encounter such an adept!”)

As Huaiyun was meditating, Mayu walked up to him carrying his staff, circled his meditation platform three times, shook the staff and then stood still.

Zhangjing said, “Correct, correct.”

Mayu then went to Nanquan and circled his seat three times, shook his staff and stood quietly.

Nanquan said, “Wrong, wrong.” [Xuedou appended a word here, saying “Wrong.”]

Mayu afterward asked Nanquan, “Zhangjing said ‘correct.’ Why did you say ‘wrong’?”

Nanquan replied, “Zhangjing was correct, you are wrong. This is turned on the power of the wind. Finally it turns bad.”

A monk asked, “Regarding the mind-ground teaching that has been passed down from the ancestral teachers—is the mind they speak of the true mind, the deluded mind, or neither the true nor the deluded mind? And is it the mind that stands outside the teaching of the Three Vehicles?”
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Zhangjing said, “Do you see the emptiness before the eyes?”

The person said, “I believe that knowledge is always before the eyes. People don’t see this for themselves.”

Zhangjing said, “Don’t you see form?”

The person said, “What is your meaning, Master?”

Zhangjing raised his hand and poked the air three times, saying, “What am I doing when I do this?” Then he said, “You’ll understand in the future.”

A young adept returned from a pilgrimage. Zhangjing asked him, “How long ago did you leave here?”

The monk said, “I left you about eight years ago.”

Zhangjing said, “What have you been doing?”

The monk drew a circle on the ground.

Zhangjing said, “Just this? Nothing else?”

The monk then erased the circle and bowed.

Zhangjing said, “No! No!”

Zen master Zhangjing Huaiyun died in [the year 815]. He received the posthumous name “Zen Master Great Awakening.”

YANGUAN QI’AN

YANGUAN QI’AN (750–842) was yet another illustrious disciple of Mazu. He came from ancient Haimen prefecture.
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As a young novice he became accomplished in the teaching of the Vinaya and received ordination on Mt. Heng under the Vinaya master Zhiyan. Later he moved to Mt. Gonggong, where he first heard Mazu. It is recorded that Yanguan had an unusual appearance, and Mazu, upon seeing him, recognized him as a “great vessel.”

After Mazu’s death, Yanguan lived at various locales. In the year 820, he assumed the abbacy of Fayao Temple in Yuezhou.

A monk asked Zen master Yanguan Qi’an, “What is the true body of Vairochana Buddha?”

Yanguan said, “Bring me that pitcher of pure water.”

The monk brought Yanguan the pitcher.

Yanguan then said, “Now put it back where it was before.”

The monk returned the bottle to its former position. Then he asked his previous question again.

Yanguan said, “The ancient buddhas are long gone.”

A scholar monk came to visit Zen master Yanguan.

Yanguan asked him, “What do you do?”

The monk said, “I expound the Flower Garland Sutra.”

Yanguan said, “How many different Dharma realms are there?”

The monk said, “Broadly speaking, there are limitless Dharma realms. But they can be reduced to four types.”

Yanguan held his whisk upright and said, “What type of Dharma realm is this?”

The monk sank into reflection.

Yanguan said, “Knowing by thinking, resolving through consideration, these are the strategies of a devil house. A single lamp—when it’s put beneath the sun, it really isn’t bright.” (When Baofu Congzhan heard about this, he said, “If he bows, he’ll taste the master’s stick.” Shushan Kuangren said, “I’m not troubled by this. The master can’t be faulted.” Fayan, when hearing this, clapped his hands three times.)

Yanguan was told the story of how a monk asked the teacher Damei, “What is the essential meaning of Buddhism?” Damei answered, “There is no essential meaning.”

Upon hearing this Yanguan said, “It’s one coffin with two corpses.” (Xuansha said, “Yanguan was great.”)

Yanguan is remembered for a famous exchange with his attendant that is told in case twenty-five of the
Book of Serenity
. The scene is also recorded in the lamp records.