Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings (104 page)

“The wind blows and the pine makes a sound. A frog or a duck makes a sound. Why don’t you go and listen to those things and figure them out? If everywhere there are meaningful sounds and forms, then how much meaning can be ascribed to this old monk? There’s no doubt about it. Sounds and forms assault us every moment. Do you directly face them or not? If you face them directly then your diamond-solid concept of self will melt away. How can this be? Because these sounds penetrate your ears and these forms pierce your eyes, you are overwhelmed by conditions. You are killed by delusion. There’s not enough room inside of you for all of these sounds and forms. If you don’t face them directly then how will you manage all of these sounds and forms? Do you understand? Face them or not face them. See for yourself!”

After a pause, Dizang continued, “‘Perfection.’ ‘Constancy.’ ‘Tranquillity.’ ‘Reality.’ Who talks like this? Normal people in the village don’t talk like this. Its just some old sages that talk this way and a few of their wicked disciples that spread it around. So now, you don’t know good from bad, and you are absorbed in ‘perfection’ and ‘reality.’ Some say I don’t possess the mysterious excellence of our order’s style. Shakyamuni didn’t have a tongue! Not like you disciples here who are always pointing at your own chests. To speak about killing, stealing, and lewdness is to speak of grave crimes, but they are light by comparison. It’s unending, this vilification of nirvana, this blinding the eyes of beings, this falling in the Avici Hell
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and swallowing hot iron balls without relief.

“Therefore the ancients said, ‘When the transgression is transformed into the host, it no longer offends.’ Take care!”

A monk asked, “What is Luohan’s single phrase?”

Luohan said, “If I tell you it will turn into two phrases.”

A monk asked, “What is Luohan’s house style?”

Luohan said, “I can’t tell you.”

The monk said, “Why not?”

Luohan said, “Because it’s my house style.”

Zen master Luohan saw a monk approach. He held up his whisk and said, “Do you understand?”

The monk said, “Thank you for your compassionate instruction, Master.”

Luohan said, “You see me raise the whisk and you say I’m instructing you. When you see the mountains and rivers each day, do they not instruct you?”

Another time Luohan saw a monk approaching and held up his whisk. The monk shouted in praise and bowed.

Luohan said, “When you saw me raise the whisk you bowed and shouted. Why is it that when someone holds up a broom you don’t shout in praise?”

Luohan asked a monk, “From where do you come?”

The monk said, “From Zouzhou.”

Luohan said, “What did you bring with you?”

The monk said, “I didn’t bring anything with me.”

Luohan said, “Why are you deceiving people?”

The monk remained silent.

Luohan then asked, “Doesn’t Zouzhou produce parakeets?”

The monk said, “Those are produced in Longzhou.”

Luohan said, “About the same.”

Once, Luohan traveled to the provincial capital with Baofu and Changqing. They saw some discarded peonies by the road.

Baofu said, “What a wonderful bunch of flowers.”

Changqing said, “I’ve never seen such flowers.”

Luohan said, “Too bad. It’s a bunch of flowers.”

([Later,] Xuanjue said, “Was the speech of these three old Zen masters intimate or not? If Luohan spoke like this, to where had he fallen?”)

Upon his death, Dizang received the posthumous title “Zen Master True Response.”
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WANG YANBIN

WANG YANBIN (n.d.) was the governor of ancient Quanzhou and a lay disciple of Changqing Huileng.

Once, lay official Wang Yanbin entered the Buddha hall at Zhaoqing Temple. He pointed to an offering bowl and asked the temple attendant, “Whose bowl is this?”

The attendant said, “It’s the Medicine Buddha’s bowl.”
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Layman Wang said, “I’ve heard that it is the ‘Great Dragon’s’ bowl.”

The attendant said, “Wait until a great dragon comes here, then it will be a great dragon bowl.”

Layman Wang said, “What would you do if a dragon suddenly arrived here riding the wind and waves?”

The attendant said, “I wouldn’t pay attention to anything else.”

Layman Wang said, “What you said misses the mark.” ([Later,] Xuansha commented, “Even if you expended your effort to the utmost, how could you go anywhere?” Baofu Zhan said, “Zen master Baizhang, like an inverted bowl, firmly supported taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.” Yunmen said, “His sun shone brightly in the sky. He didn’t want to let down his teacher.”)

Zen master Changqing said to the layman Wang, “Xuefeng once raised his whisk to give instruction to a monk. The monk then walked out. If I saw such behavior, I’d call him back and give him a painful blow.”

Layman Wang said, “From what mind would such behavior arise?”

Changqing said, “If he were more amenable, I’d let him go.”