臨濟宗
Linji School
甞見繪事家圖七佛之始。始于威音王佛。惟大作一○圓相之後。則七佛各有言詮。言詮雖異。而諸佛之偈旨。不出圓相也。夫威者。形之外者也。音者。聲之外者也。威音王者。形聲之外。未有出載。無所考據。文字已前最上事也。若龍樹所現而仰上。所謂無相三昧。然燈已前是也。圓相出于西天諸祖。七佛偈出于達磨傳來。葢有所本也。甞試原之。圓相早具五家宗旨矣。五宗各出一面。然有正宗。第一先出臨濟宗旨。此相拋出直下。斷人命根。于一○中。賓主輥輥。直入首羅眼中。所謂沿流不止問如何。真照無邊說似他。離相離名人不稟。吹毛用了急須磨是也。次則雲門三句一字關也。溈仰圓相。本于此也。法眼談教義於六相之外。曹洞分回互于黑白之交。只一○中。五宗具矣。其餘傍出道理極。則教家玄妙淵微。莫不悉俻。故七佛各以一偈攝之。毗婆尸佛偈曰。身從無相中受生。猶如幻出諸形象。幻人心識本來無。罪福皆空無所住。葢以身有相而無相。直截痛快。臨濟宗也。中間微露其旨。雲門宗也。無相中受圓相。之謂溈仰宗也。身無相六相義。之謂法眼宗也。身兼無相。曹洞五位之旨也。其餘六佛。及四七諸祖。莫不同此矣。但未明言顯示耳。至般若多羅讖曰。二株嫩桂久昌昌。此鉗記五宗之分。從二家始矣。故有南嶽青原。為五宗之源也。又曰。震旦難濶無別路。要使兒孫脚下行。金鷄解啣一粒粟。供養十方羅漢僧。此記當有馬姓者。出于十邡。為二株之正宗。脚下當出四宗。而惟臨濟一宗。為正的也。及初祖至金陵。武帝問。造寺度僧有功德否。祖曰。實無功德。此臨濟直截語也。雲門法眼溈仰。何所不具。帝問。何以無功德。祖曰。此但人天小果有漏之因。如影隨形。雖有非實。豈非曹洞語乎。至二祖。有居士請懺罪。祖曰。將罪來。與汝懺。士良久曰。覔罪了不可得。祖曰。與汝懺罪竟。一將罪來。一懺罪竟。臨濟雲門宗也。問答歷然。溈仰法眼曹洞宗也。沙彌問三祖。乞解脫法門。祖曰。誰縛汝。此非臨濟雲門宗乎。栽松道者問四祖曰。法道可得聞乎。祖曰汝已老。脫有聞其能廣化邪儻。若再來。吾尚遲汝。此語全看。則臨濟雲門。細開闔之。則諸宗悉具矣。五祖接盧能。以杖擊碓三下。非臨濟張本乎。六祖問南嶽曰。何處來。曰嵩山。祖曰什麼物與麼來。曰說似一物即不中。祖曰。還有修證否。曰修證即不無。染污即不得。觀讓公說似一物即不中語。此臨濟宗而亦雲門之旨也。修證即不無。染污即不得。寧非溈仰法眼宗旨乎。葢四宗之源。發於此也。馬駒之讖。定於此矣。及向馬師磨磚。馬問磨磚作麼。曰作鏡。曰磨磚豈得作鏡。曰坐禪豈得成佛。只此一句。臨濟宗旨大振矣。雲門亦具焉。及問如何即是。曰如牛駕車。車若不行。打牛即是。打車即是。則溈仰法眼始於此。馬祖曰。藏頭白海頭黑。日面佛月面佛。有時喝。有時打。此臨濟宗也。僧參次。師𦘕一圓相云。入也打。不入也打。僧纔入。師便打。僧云。和尚打某甲不得。師靠柱杖休去。只此一則。便四宗齊收也。震聲一喝於百丈挂拂之後。三日耳聾於黃檗吐舌之前。三頓痛棒。大樹蔭天。臨濟一宗。岧然五宗之頂。從威音至此。而乳中醍醐。精極玅極。馬駒踏殺天下人鍾意不在是乎。是知大愚肋下三拳。密闔顯開。橫分竪結。踏四家而獨步。出三句以咸羅。四料簡。盡人境法以褫其大綱。三玄要。卷生死關而歸于頂。獨道法細分。始能事事心佛。二三同一。方可句句斷玄。影草動。則主在我而驗人。金剛提。則力在腕而破物。師踞有地。浮汎者未識來由。喝本無從。認真者定迷落處。兩堂一喝。陸遜迷八陣之圖。兩處讓賓。諸葛有隱蓬之䇿。二禪客賓主。成於陞座。四賓主機用。毒於膠盆。或學人先喝以挑鋒。須防伏卒。或知識隨奪而掠陣。貴設陷坑。或夫唱而婦隨。或分疆而裂土。相共一場懡㦬。放收兩換交加。囊沙減竈。各顧成功。自縛詐降。獨施冷刺。呢呢喁喁而隱蠆。轟轟靂靂而濡尾。用鏌鎁於太平之後。提祖印於未定之天。舉頭天外。誰是其人。掛鏡當軒。豈容魔異。待心死而伏誅。須切用前之照。先擒下而去續。略挑用後之燈。濟船筏於黑風鬼國之間。開晴霽於碧浪通歌之外。頭頭為求格外。著著要了機先。了法者盡法而無民。亡人者隨人而施藥。撫猊絃而絕眾聲。滴獅乳而迸驢酪。從遮裏過得。向隨處安閑。行雲行雨。不濕僊衣。驅電驅雷。豈關天怒。興化得於脫下衲衣之一頓。向古廟裏藏身。致使克賓於棒了處。更罰錢出院。南院拈出啐啄同時。失之便打。終令那僧於棒折處。見燈影裏行。風穴從守廓處。入玄要法門。便於南院處。賓主歷然。識破詐道不饑。領棒下無師之旨。法華於古路上不墮悄然。向白兆處。草賊大敗。好手不肯張名。見太平斬痴之略。汾州見象王行處絕狐踪。遂到放身命處。石霜從掩口知道出常情。解道荒草裏行。楊岐截路打慈明。知是般事便休。辭雲竟入亂峰深處。既向兩喝後禮拜。復於擔荷處便行。會老失笑驚白雲。會得箇中便了放手。撲到萬仞崖底。有時擲下柱杖。有時放過一著。五祖演不會興化古廟裏話。會白雲一叱。便解轉磨。既得出身白汗。廣展下載清風。昭覺勤盡五祖機用邊事。由演師不肯。及再領栢子。復證鷄鳴。雖會一串穿却。還合頂𩕳添眼。虎丘隆至見不及處舉拳。解道竹密不妨流水過。終成睡虎。應菴華舉放泥盤處大笑。解道禹力不到處。河聲流向西。方見真獅。華藏傑以拄杖兩卓一拋道。三十年後。已全面目。破菴先於不心不佛物處。將拄杖一卓。略見一斑。無準範道。三人證龜成鼈。真不欠少。雪嵓欽道。三拳三拜是同許會三玄。高峰妙以龍頭蛇尾。輥作一團。中峰本於脫衣一頓。許你半箇。千嵓長見鼠食猫飯。碗破矣而碎甓。萬峰蔚見淨瓶踢倒。鈍漢已而三十。寶藏持承三要印來。爪牙不少。東明旵賴重新悟來。到底無遺。寶峰瑄語若流雲。出身有路。天奇瑞當賓不讓。去有來由。無聞聰深水裏出頭。石中迸火。笑巖寶操履中兼用。水裏有龍。幻有傳一點燈花。虗空𪹼破。金粟悟一棒到底。不管主賓。三峰藏挽臨濟七百年之大法。頭尾宛然。水雲中飛騰隱顯。何處摸索。
I once saw a painter depicting the origin of the Seven Buddhas. It began with King Awesome Sound Buddha. It started simply with a single circular mark, and only after that did each of the Seven Buddhas have their own words and explanations. Though their words differ, the essential meaning of all the Buddhas' verses does not go beyond that circular mark. Now, "awesome" refers to what is beyond form. "Sound" refers to what is beyond voice. "King Awesome Sound" means that which is beyond both form and sound — before anything came into existence, there is no record and nothing to verify. It is the highest matter, prior to all words and letters. It is like what Nagarjuna revealed when he looked upward — what is called the samadhi of no-marks, which is what existed before Burning Lamp Buddha. The circular mark comes from the patriarchs of the Western Heavens. The verses of the Seven Buddhas come down through Bodhidharma's transmission. Both have their sources. Let me try to trace this. The circular mark already contains the essential teachings of the Five Schools. Each of the Five Schools reveals one aspect, yet there is an orthodox lineage. The first to emerge was the essential teaching of Linji. When this mark is cast forth directly, it cuts off the very root of life. Within the single circle, host and guest roll and turn upon each other, entering directly into the eye of Shiva. This is what is meant by: "Flowing on without cease — ask what it is. True illumination without boundary — tell it to another. One who has left behind marks and names is not received. The blade of the sword, once used, must quickly be sharpened." Next is Yunmen's three phrases and one-word barrier. The circular mark of Guiyang originates from this as well. Fayan discusses the teachings beyond the six marks. Caodong distinguishes mutual interaction in the interplay of black and white. Within just one circle, all Five Schools are complete. As for the rest, the teachings that branch off and extend the principles to their utmost — the profound and subtle mysteries of the doctrinal schools — none are missing from it. Therefore, each of the Seven Buddhas compresses it into a single verse. Vipashyin Buddha's verse says: "The body is born from the markless, like illusions producing all forms. The illusion-person's mind-consciousness is originally nothing. Sin and merit are both empty, with nothing to dwell upon." This is because the body has marks yet is markless — direct and utterly痛快 — this is the Linji School. In between, it faintly reveals its meaning — this is the Yunmen School. Receiving the circular mark within the markless — this is the Guiyang School. The body is markless, the meaning of the six marks — this is the Fayan School. The body encompasses both marklessness — this is the meaning of Caodong's five positions. The remaining six Buddhas, and the twenty-eight patriarchs, are all no different from this. It is just that it was not explicitly stated. When Prajnaparamita spoke his prophecy: "Two tender cassia trees will flourish long and bright" — this was a sealed prediction of the division of the Five Schools, beginning from two houses. Thus there were Nanyue and Qingyuan, who were the source of the Five Schools. He also said: "In this land of Qin, difficult and vast, there is no other road. One must make the descendants walk beneath their feet. The golden rooster understands a single grain of millet, offered to the arhat monks of the ten directions." This records that there should be one surnamed Ma, emerging from the ten directions, who would be the orthodox heir of the two cassia trees. Beneath his feet should emerge four schools, and only the Linji School alone would be the true and central one. When the First Patriarch arrived in Jinling, Emperor Wu asked: "Does building temples and ordaining monks have merit?" The Patriarch said: "Truly no merit." This is Linji's direct, cutting words. Yunmen, Fayan, Guiyang — what do they not contain? The Emperor asked: "Why no merit?" The Patriarch said: "This is merely a small fruit of gods and humans, a defiled cause. It follows like a shadow, and though it exists, it is not real." Is this not the language of Caodong? When the Second Patriarch was approached by a layman who asked to have his sins repented, the Patriarch said: "Bring me your sins, and I will repent them for you." The layman was silent for a long while and said: "I cannot find my sins." The Patriarch said: "Your sins have been repented for." One says "Bring your sins" — one says "Repented for." This is the Linji and Yunmen School. The question and answer are clearly distinct — this is also Guiyang, Fayan, and Caodong. A novice monk asked the Third Patriarch: "I beg for the Dharma-gate of liberation." The Patriarch said: "Who has bound you?" Is this not Linji and Yunmen? The pine-planting ascetic asked the Fourth Patriarch: "Can I hear of the Way?" The Patriarch said: "You are already old. Even if you heard it, could you broadly transform others? If you were to come again, I would still wait for you." Read these words fully — Linji and Yunmen are there. Examined closely, all schools are fully present. The Fifth Patriarch received Lu Neng by striking the rice pounder three times with his staff. Is this not the foundation of Linji? The Sixth Patriarch asked Nanyue: "Where do you come from?" He said: "From Mount Song." The Patriarch said: "What thing comes in such a way?" He said: "To say it resembles a thing misses the mark." The Patriarch said: "Is there still cultivation and realization?" He said: "Cultivation and realization are not nonexistent, but defilement cannot be attained." Look at Master Rang's words: "To say it resembles a thing misses the mark" — this is the Linji School and also Yunmen's meaning. "Cultivation and realization are not nonexistent; defilement cannot be attained" — is this not the essential teaching of Guiyang and Fayan? The source of these four schools issues from this. The prophecy of the horse-stallion was settled here. When he went to Master Ma and polished a brick, Ma asked: "Why polish a brick?" He said: "To make a mirror." Ma said: "Can polishing a brick make a mirror?" He said: "Can sitting in meditation make a Buddha?" With just this one phrase, the Linji School's essential teaching greatly flourished. Yunmen is also present. When asked "How then is it right?" Ma said: "It is like an ox pulling a cart. If the cart does not go, do you hit the ox or hit the cart?" Then Guiyang and Fayan began from this. Master Ma said: "The head of the storehouse is white, the head of the sea is black. The sun-face Buddha, the moon-face Buddha. Sometimes a shout, sometimes a blow." This is the Linji School. When a monk came to visit, the Master drew a circle and said: "Enter and you get hit. Do not enter and you get hit." The monk had just entered and the Master hit him. The monk said: "The Master cannot hit me." The Master leaned on his staff and withdrew. With just this one case, all four schools are gathered together. The thunderous shout at Baizhang after hanging up the whisk. Three days of deafness before Huangbo stuck out his tongue. Three blows of the painful staff. The great tree's shade covers the sky. The Linji School towers at the peak of the Five Schools. From Awesome Sound to this, the cream of the cream — utterly refined, utterly wondrous. Is not the meaning of "the horse-stallion tramples the people of the world to death" precisely this? Thus we know: the three blows beneath Dayu's ribs — secret closing, open revealing — horizontally dividing, vertically binding. Treading over four schools and walking alone. Bringing forth three phrases to encompass all. The four discriminations — exhausting person, environment, and dharma to strip away the great outline. The three mysteries and essentials — rolling up the gate of birth and death and returning to the summit. Only when the teaching-dharma is finely divided can one make every matter, mind, and Buddha. Two and three are one — only then can every phrase cut off the mystery. When the shadow-grass stirs, then the initiative is mine and I test the person. When the vajra is raised, then the strength is in the wrist and shatters the object. The Master sits with ground beneath him; those who drift on the surface have not recognized the source. The shout has no origin; those who take it seriously will surely be confused about where they have fallen. Two halls, one shout — Lu Xun was confounded by the eight-array diagram. Two places yielding guest — Zhuge had the hidden-strategy. The two meditators' host and guest is accomplished at the raising of the seat. The four host-guest maneuvers are more poisonous than a glue-bowl. Or a student shouts first to provoke the edge — one must guard against ambush. Or a teacher follows with seizing to raid the array — what is valued is setting a pit. Or the husband sings and the wife follows. Or they divide borders and split territory. Together they make a great embarrassment. Releasing and gathering, the two turn and interlace. Filling bags, reducing stoves — each looks to their own success. Binding oneself, feigning surrender — alone delivering a cold stab. Whispering and murmuring while hiding a scorpion. Crashing and thundering while wetting the tail. Using the Mo Ye sword after the great peace. Raising the ancestral seal in a sky not yet settled. Lifting the head beyond the sky — who is the person? Hanging a mirror at the eaves — how can demons differ? Wait for the mind to die and then be executed — one must sharply use the illumination before. First capture and then continue — briefly pick up the lamp after use. Ferrying the raft across between dark winds and ghost lands. Opening clear skies beyond the blue waves and singing. Every head seeks beyond the rules. Every stroke must understand the moment before. One who understands dharma exhausts dharma and has no people. One who destroys others follows others and administers medicine. Stroking the lion's string and silencing all sounds. Dropping lion's milk and bursting forth donkey's curd. If you can pass through here, then wherever you are, you are at ease. Moving clouds, moving rain — they do not wet the immortal's robe. Driving lightning, driving thunder — how does it concern heaven's anger? Xinghua attained it through the one blow of taking off his robe — hiding his body in an old temple. This caused Kebin, at the point where the staff was taken away, to be fined even more and expelled from the hall. Nanyuan brought forth "the simultaneous shout" — missing it, he hit. In the end, he made that monk, at the point where the staff broke, see someone walking in the lamp's shadow. Fengxue, through Shoukuo, entered the gate of mystery and essentials. Then at Nanyuan's place, host and guest were clearly distinguished. Seeing through the false claim of "not hungry." Receiving the meaning of "no teacher beneath the staff." Fahua, on the ancient road, did not fall into quietness. At Baizhao's place, the grass-thief was utterly defeated. The skilled hand does not wish to make a name. Seeing the strategy of "at great peace, slaying delusion." Fenzhou saw that where the elephant king walks, fox tracks are cut off. Then he arrived at the place of releasing body and life. Shizang, through covering his mouth, knew that the way goes beyond ordinary feelings. He could say, "Walk in the wild grass." Yangqi cut off the road and hit Ciming. Knowing that such matters are thus, he stopped. Taking leave of Yun, he entered the depths of the chaotic peaks. After two shouts, he bowed. Then at the place of bearing the burden, he went on. Hui laughed in surprise at Baiyun. Understanding within, he let go and released his hand. He threw himself down to the bottom of the ten-thousand-fathom cliff. Sometimes he tossed down his staff. Sometimes he let one move pass. Wuzu Yan did not understand Xinghua's words about the old temple. He understood Baiyun's one shout. Then he understood the turning mill. Having emerged with sweat throughout his body, he broadly spread the refreshing breeze for those below. Zhaojue Qin exhausted the matters of Wuzu's workings. Because Master Yan did not consent. And when he again received the cypress seed. He further verified the cock's crow. Though he could string them all together in one thread, he still needed to add an eye to the crown of his head. Huqiu Long, at the point where seeing did not reach, raised his fist. He could say, "Bamboo thick — it does not hinder flowing water passing through." In the end he became a sleeping tiger. Ying'an Hua, at the place of releasing the mud basin, laughed greatly. He could say, "Where the power of Yu does not reach, the sound of the river flows westward." Only then did he see the true lion. Huazang Jie, with his staff, struck twice and threw it down, saying: "Thirty years from now, the complete face." Po'an Xian, at the place of "no mind, no Buddha, no thing," struck the staff once. Briefly revealing a glimpse. Wuzhun Fan said: "Three people verifying a turtle becomes a soft-shelled turtle." Truly nothing is lacking. Xueyan Qin said: "Three blows, three bows — this is the same as understanding the three mysteries." Gaofeng Miao, with dragon's head and snake's tail, rolled into one ball. Zhongfeng Ben, at the one blow of taking off the robe, allowed you half a one. Qiongyan Chang saw the rat eating the cat's food. The bowl was broken — and shattered bricks. Wanfeng Wei saw the pure bottle kicked over. The dull fellow — thirty years. Baozang Chi received the three essentials' seal. Claws and fangs were not few. Dongming Han relied on renewing his awakening. In the end, there was nothing left behind. Baofeng Xuan's words flow like clouds. He emerged with a road. Tianqi Rui, facing a guest, did not yield. Going had its reason. Wuwen Cong emerged from deep waters. Fire burst from stone. Xiaoyan Bao, in his conduct, used both. In the water there is a dragon. Huanyou transmitted a single lamp-flower. Empty space was blasted open. Jinli Wu, one blow to the bottom. Not caring about host or guest. Sanfeng Zang rescued the great dharma of Linji's seven hundred years. Head and tail perfectly complete. Soaring and hidden in water and clouds. Where can you grope for him?