Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings (71 page)

The following passages are taken from the
Transmission of the Lamp
.

Qinshan, Yantou Quanhuo, and Xuefeng Yicun were once passing through Jiangxi, where they stopped at a teahouse.

Qinshan said, “Anyone who can’t turn with penetrating spirit doesn’t get tea.”

Yantou said, “In that case I certainly won’t get tea.”

Xuefeng said, “The same with me.”

Qinshan said, “You two fellows don’t recognize the words right here.”

Yantou said, “The words where?”

Qinshan said, “Although the crow inside the bag is alive, it’s like it was dead.”

Yantou said, “Retreat! Retreat!”

Qinshan said, “Elder brother Huo is dismissed. What will Duke Cun do?”

Xuefeng used his hand to draw a circle.

Qinshan said, “No gaining, no asking.”

Yantou laughed and said, “Too far.”

Qinshan said, “Some mouths don’t get any, but there are many who are drinking tea.”

Yantou and Xuefeng were silent.

While speaking to some monks, Qinshan raised his fist straight up and said, “I open my fist and the five fingers are separated. And if I now close my fist then there is nothing that surpasses it. Now tell me, does Qinshan have penetrating talk or not?”

The monk came forward and raised his fist.

Qinshan said, “If that’s it, then it’s just a mouthless fellow.”

A monk said, “I’m not familiar with how the master receives people.”

“If I receive people, then each and every one of you go!”

A monk said to Qinshan, “It’s something special about meeting with you, Master, that causes one to vomit up the doctrinal wind of our school.”

Qinshan said, “If you come in some special way, I’ll have to vomit.”

The monk said, “Please do.”

Qinshan hit him.

The monk was silent.

Qinshan said, “Trying to catch a rabbit by waiting for it to run into a stump. You’re wasting your mind.”

LONGYA JUDUN, “ZHENGKONG”

LONGYA JUDUN (835–923) was a disciple of Dongshan Liangjie. He came from ancient Fuzhou (now in modern Jiangxi Province). At the age of fourteen he left home to live at Mantian Temple in Jizhou. Later he received ordination on Mt. Song. Longya traveled far and wide, meeting and studying with many famous teachers such as Cuiwei Wuxue and Deshan Xuanjian. Eventually he came to study with Dongshan, under whom he realized great enlightenment. After a period of study with Dongshan, Longya continued traveling and engaged still more teachers, including Linji Yixuan, to deepen his understanding. Finally, he took up the abbacy of Miaoji Temple on Mt. Longya (near modern Changsha City), where a large congregation gathered from throughout the country. The following account of Longya’s initial encounters with the great Zen adepts is taken from the
Transmission of the Lamp
.

When Longya met with Cuiwei he said, “Your student has been here for more than a month. Every day the master enters the hall to speak but we have not received any instruction about even one Dharma.”

Cuiwei said, “So what?” (A monk asked Dongshan this same question. Dongshan said, “Are you accusing me of something?” [Later,] Fayan said, “The ancestors are here!” Zen master Dongshan also said, “Were these three worthies intimate with
it
or not? If so, where? If not, where is the eye?”)

So Longya went to study under Deshan. He asked, “From afar I’ve heard of Deshan’s ‘one phrase’ Buddhadharma, but up to now I haven’t heard the master say one phrase about the Buddhadharma. Why is this?”

Deshan said, “So what?”

Longya couldn’t accept this, and so he went to study with Dongshan. Longya asked Dongshan the same question.

Dongshan said, “Are you accusing me of something?”

Longya then relayed the words spoken by Deshan. Suddenly awakening to their meaning on his own, he thereupon settled on Mt. Dong and sought instruction from Dongshan along with the other monks.

One day Longya asked, “What is the essential meaning of Zen?”

Dongshan said, “Wait until Dong Creek flows uphill. Then I’ll tell you.”

Longya suddenly awoke to the deepest meaning of Dongshan’s words.

After becoming abbot of Miaoji Temple, Longya’s fame spread widely and he had many students. One day he entered the hall and addressed the monks, saying, “You who study must pass through the buddhas and ancestors before you’ll understand. Zen master Xinfeng said, ‘The buddhas and ancestors are like deceptive thieves. If you gain some understanding, but are unable to penetrate beyond them, then they have deceived you.’”

A monk asked, “Do the buddhas and ancestors have deceptive minds or not?”

Longya said, “You’re asking whether rivers and lakes have obstructive minds or not. Although rivers and lakes don’t have obstructive minds, yet sometimes there are people who can’t get across them, and they become like obstacles for people. So one can’t say they don’t obstruct people. Although the buddhas and ancestors don’t have deceptive intent, sometimes people can’t penetrate their meaning, and so they in effect become deceptive. Thus, one can’t say they don’t deceive people. When one penetrates the buddhas’ and ancestors’ deception, then one goes beyond the buddhas and ancestors and, for the first time, experiences their meaning. Then that person is the same as all the ancients. If one has not penetrated this understanding, but only studies the buddhas and ancestors, then in incalculable eons there will not be an instance of realization.”