Recorded Sayings from Tong'an Temple at Phoenix Perch Mountain, Jianchang County, Nanchang Prefecture, Jiangxi
When Regional Commander Yu Gong sent the Tripitaka into the mountain, the master ascended the hall. Questions and answers are not recorded here.
The master raised his whisk and said: "The Tripitaka, the twelve divisions, and all the sutras flow forth from the tip of this mountain monk's whisk. Can all of you believe this?"
He then gave it a flick and said: "The Buddha expounds the Dharma with a single sound; beings each understand according to their kind. Do you all hear it? If right here and now you see it or hear it, then you will know that the entire great treasury of teachings—though it fills the dragon palace, does not come from the dragon palace; though it can be found within a speck of dust, does not rely on the speck of dust to flow forth—is constantly, right beneath your very feet, being widely spread and expounded, profound and mysterious. If it is not like this, then this mountain monk cannot avoid once more baring his heart and liver, reporting to you from the beginning."
He gave the whisk a flick and said: "For forty-nine years, over three hundred assemblies, Śākyamuni spoke of existence and non-existence, of sudden and gradual, of partial and complete. Even to the point that every single dust mote, every single world, blazes forth speaking without interruption—all of this was because all sentient beings had lost their original source and could not grasp it directly and immediately. Thus, the World-Honored One toiled, employing various methods to sift and refine, using extraordinary means and circumlocutions. Therefore it is said: 'These nine divisions of my Dharma are spoken in accordance with sentient beings.' You must understand: arising is only the Dharma arising; ceasing is the Dharma ceasing. Is this not 'outside the mind there is no Dharma, outside the Dharma there is no mind'? As for the final act of holding up the flower, and Kāśyapa's faint smile—only then was the true intent expressed. Here, speaking of mind, speaking of nature, speaking of phenomena, speaking of principle—do these, with the teachings of beginning, end, sudden, and complete, the five dharmas, and the three self-natures, suffice? The entire great treasury of teachings is merely a footnote to the holding up of the flower. Virtuous ones! With this mountain monk's tangled vines like this, do you yet perceive the clue? If you understand within this, you will not have failed Commander Yu's sincere heart in shouldering the ancestral monastery and donating funds to request the canon."
"Even so, I dare to ask the great assembly: What is the single phrase that repays the country and requites kindness?"
He gave the whisk a flick and said: "Monks of the four seas open the true eye, together wishing our emperor ten thousand million springs."
He then descended from the seat.
On the occasion of the birthday of Master Yuyongzhong at Zunsheng Temple, he was invited to ascend the hall. The secretary asked: "Last night, the immortals left the golden palace; this morning, the turtle’s head crosses the blue waves. I won’t ask about the forty-nine years of knowing one’s faults—what about the fifty years of knowing one’s destiny?" The master said: "The sun shines on mountains and rivers, bright and clear; clouds withdraw, the great earth is silent and just as it is." The secretary pressed: "Then, before birth, what can serve as proof?" The master said: "After birth, what do you make of it?" The secretary said: "The yellow crane has yet to soar into the azure heavens, but the green ox has already left Hangu Pass." The master said: "Thank you for your kind praise."
Another asked: "Dwelling deep in the ancestral cave, refining the vessel of talent—when the Dharma decree is carried out, who is relied upon? May I ask: What is the place where a monk practices?" The master raised his whisk. The questioner pressed: "What is the place where the master receives guests?" The master also raised his whisk. The questioner pressed: "Xinghua said: 'When meeting people, do not come out; when coming out, then act for others.' What is the meaning?" The master said: "I spare you thirty blows." The questioner pressed: "And what about Sansheng saying: 'When meeting people, come out; when coming out, do not act for others'?" The master said: "I spare you thirty blows." The questioner said: "Why must one realize the face before birth? Even if realized, it is still dust." The master struck him and said: "What are you saying?"
Lifting his staff, the master said: "Before the curtain was lowered, there was no place for you to speak; after the curtain was lowered, it has long been shattered into pieces. Yet the perfect, wondrous essence has never come or gone; the nature of Dharma is seamlessly integrated—how could there be inside or outside? Therefore it is said: The sun and moon cannot shine together; rivers and seas cannot be measured; Mount Sumeru cannot stand side by side; empty space cannot contain it. It is both vast and minute, both firm and gentle, extending freely in all directions, penetrating the ten directions. Unfathomable and without entry, it responds according to circumstances—this is the original master, the true life-force of Master Yuyong."
With a shout, he said: "Since it is unfathomable and without entry, what can be called the master? Can any footnote be added here? Even if it were Buddha Peak or Phoenix Roost Ridge, they could not fully praise it. If you understand from this, then you know: when the sun shines on mountains and rivers, the horned green ox often leaves the valley; when clouds withdraw from the great earth, the featherless yellow crane soars daily into the sky. You may even fetch fire from waves or strike ice from flames. But if not, the traveler is still beyond the green mountains. Today, on the master’s birthday, he enters the mountain to offer food to the assembly and requests an exposition. This mountain monk, like the wind stirring cotton fluff, settles the case according to the facts."
He struck the floor once and said: "Able to be the master of all phenomena, not fading with the four seasons." With a shout, he descended from the seat.