師云。江州廬山蓮華峰祥庵主。嗣奉先深禪師。雲門嫡孫。知見甚高。氣壓諸方。履踐分明。非常情所測。師臨終上堂。舉拄杖問眾曰。汝道古佛到這裏。為什麼不肯住。萬松道。生怕枯樁繫鈍驢。石室行者。善道禪師時遭沙汰。常以拄杖示眾曰。過去諸佛也恁麼。未來諸佛也恁麼。現在諸佛也恁麼。萬松道。歷代祖師不恁麼。不見道。丈夫自有沖天志。不向如來行處行。雪峰一日僧堂前拈拄杖示眾云。這箇祗為中下根人。時有僧出問云。忽遇上上人來時如何。峰拈拄杖便去。雲門云。我即不似雪峯。打破狼藉。僧問未審和尚如何。雲門便打。萬松道。狼藉不少。駙馬都尉李文和公。公主貴降。命三大宗師同日陞座。末後葉縣。橫拄杖就膝上。抝作兩截。便下座。公曰。老作家手段終別。縣云。都尉也不得無過。庵主舉此話示眾。臨終散場。大作佛事。眾竟無語。一曲離騷歸去後。汨羅江上獨醒人。自代云。為他途路不得力。萬松恁麼舉。諸人恁麼聽。若無得力處。彼各圖箇什麼。却道途路不得力。葢色見聲求。是行邪道。忘聲泯色。是斷滅相。途路之樂。終不到家。燈錄廣本。更有一句。復問作麼生得力去。萬松道。臨行之際。撒手還家。指出路頭。還須拄杖。燈錄復有橫拄杖於肩上曰。楖𣗖橫擔不顧人。却入千峰萬峰去。天童作直入。各有理在。嚴陽尊者。路逢一僧。拈拄杖云。是什麼。僧云不識。嚴云。拄杖一條也不識。嚴復以拄杖地上劄一下云。還識麼。僧云。不識。嚴云。土窩箇也不識。嚴復拈拄杖擔云。會麼。僧云。不會。嚴云。楖𣗖橫擔不顧人。直入千峯萬峰去。便見蓮峰末後轉身吐氣。羅籠不住。呼喚不回。紅塵擾擾道常在。何況碧山深更深。天童拈道。負入不負出。本色住山人。祗有受璧心。而無割城意。羅什道。有非真要。時復蹔游。空為理宗。以為常宅。華嚴普眼入百千三昧。終不見普賢。亦猶大通智勝佛。十劫坐道場。竟不成佛道。梁誌公。遣僧傳語南岳思大和尚云。何不下山教化眾生。向山頭目視雲漢作麼。思大云。三世諸佛。被我一口吞盡。何處更有眾生可度。天童密罰却道病在甚麼處。不見道。莫守寒巖異草青。坐著白雲宗不妙。任是深山更深處。也應無處避征徭。風穴拈云。若立一塵。家國興盛。故天童拈起拄杖卓一下云。官不容針。私通車馬。古人以向上路為本分事。以建化門頭曲為今時。慈覺道。有為雖偽。棄之則功行不成。無為雖真。趣之則聖果難尅。天童經事多矣。

The Master said: "The venerable Abbot Xiang of Lotus Peak on Lushan Mountain in Jiangzhou was a disciple of Master Fengxian Shen, and thus a direct heir in the Dharma line of Yunmen. His insight was lofty, his presence overshadowed all others, and his conduct was clear and impeccable, beyond ordinary comprehension.

As the Master approached his passing, he ascended the hall, raised his staff, and asked the assembly: 'Tell me, why would the ancient buddhas, upon reaching this point, refuse to stay?'

Wansong comments: 'He feared a withered stump tethering a dull donkey.'

The hermit Shizhe—Master Shandao—faced persecution during a purge of monks. He would often hold up his staff and say: 'The buddhas of the past were thus. The buddhas of the future will be thus. The buddhas of the present are thus.'

Wansong says: 'The patriarchs of past generations were not thus. Have you not heard: A true man has a soaring will; he does not walk where the Tathagata walks.'

One day, Xuefeng held up his staff before the monk's hall and said: 'This is only for those of middling and lesser capacity.' A monk stepped forward and asked: 'What if someone of supreme capacity comes?' Xuefeng raised his staff and walked away.

Yunmen said: 'I am not like Xuefeng—shattering everything into chaos.' A monk asked: 'What about you, Master?' Yunmen immediately struck him.

Wansong says: 'Plenty of chaos remains.'

Prince Consort Li Wenhe, who had married a princess, invited three great masters to give discourses on the same day. Finally, Master Yexian placed his staff horizontally across his knee, broke it in two, and stepped down from the seat. The prince consort sighed: 'An old hand's methods are truly unique!' Yexian replied: 'The prince consort is not without fault.'

The Abbot of Lotus Peak recounted these stories before the assembly. As the end drew near, he made a great display of Dharma activity. The assembly had nothing to say.

*'After playing the Lisao, a lone awakened one by the Miluo River.'*

He spoke on behalf of all: 'Because they had no strength on the road.'

Wansong says: 'Now I have thus spoken, and you are thus listening. If you gain nothing of substance, what are you all after? And yet you say there was no strength on the road?'

Indeed, seeking through form and sound is practicing a false path; forgetting sound and erasing form falls into the view of annihilation. The joy of the road never reaches home.

The extensive version of the Lamp Record includes an additional line: The Master asked again: 'Then how does strength come?'

Wansong says: 'At the moment of departure, let go and return home. The path is pointed out—still, you need the staff.'

The Lamp Record also has: The Master slung his staff across his shoulder and said: 'Carrying my staff indifferently, I enter a thousand peaks, ten thousand peaks.'

Tiantong writes 'straight in'—both have their reasoning.

One day, the venerable Yanyang met a monk on the road, held up his staff, and said: 'What is this?' The monk replied: 'I don't know.' Yanyang said: 'You don't even recognize a staff?' He then jabbed the staff into the ground and said: 'Do you know this now?' The monk said: 'I don't know.' Yanyang said: 'You don't recognize even a hole in the earth?' Lifting his staff to his shoulder again, he asked: 'Do you get it now?' The monk said: 'I don't understand.' Yanyang said: 'Carrying my staff indifferently, I enter a thousand peaks, ten thousand peaks.'

Thus we see the final turn and release of Lotus Peak—uncaged, beyond calling. Amid the tumultuous worldly dust, the Way is ever present—and even more so in the serene, deep blue mountains.

Tiantong remarks: 'He takes up his burden but does not put it down—this is true mountain dweller. He has the heart to receive a jade disc, but no intention to cede the city.'

Kumarajiva said: 'Existence is not ultimate reality. Sometimes, explore it lightly. Emptiness is the true principle; take it as your everlasting home.'

In the Avatamsaka Sutra, Universal Virtue enters hundreds of thousands of samadhis, yet never sees Samantabhadra. This is like the Buddha Supreme Victorious, who sat in meditation for ten kalpas without achieving buddhahood.

Master Liangzhi sent a monk to say to Master Nanyue Huisi: 'Why don't you descend the mountain to teach sentient beings? Why stare at the clouds from the peak?' Huisi replied: 'I have swallowed all the buddhas of past, present, and future in one gulp—where are there any sentient beings to save?'

Tiantong, however, secretely penalized him and asked: 'What is his illness?' Have you not heard: 'Do not cling to the rare green grass on the cold cliff, for sitting in white clouds is not the supreme. Even in the deepest mountains, there is no escape from conscription.'

Fengxue remarked: 'If one particle of dust is established, the homeland flourishes.' So Tiantong raises his staff and strikes the ground once, saying: 'The law does not permit even a needle; but privately, wagons may pass.'

The ancients regarded the 'upward path' as their essential concern, while adopting provisional teachings to suit contemporary needs.

Cijue says: 'Though conditioned practice is illusory, abandoning it fails to perfect meritorious deeds. Unconditioned truth is real, but rushing toward it blocks the attainment of sagehood.'

Tiantong has seen much of this world.