Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings (70 page)

A monk asked, “What is the place of the transcendent path?”

Yunju said, “Below Heaven, great peace.”

Upon his death, Yunju received the posthumous title “Zen Master Vast Awakening.”

QINSHAN WENSUI

QINSHAN WENSUI (n.d.) was a disciple of Dongshan Liangjie. He came from ancient Fuzhou. As a young man he entered a Zen monastery in Hangzhou headed by a teacher named Zishan Huanzhong. Later he studied with his friends Yantou and Xuefeng under the famous teacher Deshan Xuanjian. Deshan’s strict methods were too severe for Qinshan, and he left to study under Dongshan Liangjie. Under Dongshan’s instruction Qinshan realized the Buddhadharma and went on to become a well-known teacher.

Qinshan asked Deshan, “Tianhuang spoke thus, and Longtan spoke thus. How does the master speak?”

Deshan said “Why don’t you check out Tianhuang and Longtan and see?”

Qinshan started to speak when suddenly Deshan hit him.

Qinshan went back to the Long Life Hall and said, “Right is right, but hitting me is going too far.”

Yantou said, “If you speak like this, you’ll never see Deshan.”

Qinshan studied under Dongshan and attained realization. He became Dongshan’s Dharma heir. At the age of twenty-seven, Qinshan traveled to Mt. Qin. There, in front of the entire congregation, he realized great enlightenment. He then told the congregation about his initial meeting with Dongshan.

“Dongshan asked me, ‘Where have you come from?’

“I said, ‘From Mt. Dazi [“Great Compassion”].’

“Dongshan said, ‘Did you see Great Compassion?’

“I said, ‘I saw it.’

“Dongshan said, ‘Did you see it before form? Or did you see it after form?’

“I said, ‘I saw it neither before nor after form.’

“Dongshan was silent.”

Qinshan then [said to the congregation at Mt. Qin], “I left the master too soon. I had not yet fully realized Dongshan’s meaning.”

A monk asked, “All of the buddhas and all of the Buddhadharmas come forth from this sutra. What is this sutra?”

Qinshan said, “Forever turning.”

A monk asked, “What is the style of the master’s house?”

Qinshan said, “A silver embroidered fragrant sachet. When the wind blows the entire road is filled with fragrance.”

Once, Qinshan, Yantou, and Xuefeng were sitting together and Dongshan brought some tea. Qinshan closed his eyes.

Dongshan said, “Where have you gone?”

Qinshan said, “I’ve entered samadhi.”

Dongshan said, “Samadhi has no gate, so how have you entered it?”

Qinshan went into the bathhouse. A monk there was turning the water wheel.

Qinshan said, “Luckily, I’ve already turned the wheel. So why are you doing that?”

The monk got off the wheel and said, “What if you hadn’t turned it?”

Qinshan said, “If not, then what good would Qinshan’s eye be for anyone?”

The monk said, “What is the master’s eye?”

Qinshan pointed at his own eyebrows.

The monk said, “How can the master act like this?”

Qinshan said, “It’s what I do. It’s not what you do! It’s not what you do!”

The monk was silent.

Qinshan said, “If you enter battle without valor, you’ll lose morale at the first engagement.”

After a long pause, Qinshan asked the monk, “Do you understand?”

The monk said, “I don’t understand.”

Qinshan said, “Qinshan will only do half of it for you.”