Tianjie Temple in Jinling Discourse Record

In the Vajra Hall, offering incense. "The temple gates rise high, touching the heavens, vast and profound, revealing the mystery of the ancestral path. Today, with my own steps firmly planted here, the shadow of the udumbara flower spreads across the three thousand worlds."

Heavenly Kings Hall, offering incense. "From ancient times, vows of compassion have displayed their majestic power, illuminating the void with a radiant glow. Among the realms of beings and their environments, who can truly discern? Upon the mountain peaks, purple clouds are often seen soaring."

In the Great Hero Hall, offering incense. "Three honored Buddhas upon the golden hall, a single monk within the white jade light. At just such a moment, what is there to rely on? Swirling clouds of incense gather in countless layers."

In the Zong Hall, the master takes his seat. "The precious mirror on the altar reveals what is true and what is false. Who alone walks the great path? Boshan's methods have always been sharp; when guests arrive, bitter herbs are served as tea."

The Dharma Hall is opened. "This single stick of incense spans heaven and earth, illuminates past and present, gathers auspiciousness from the Great Ultimate, and extends blessings from the Primal Origin. As it is lit in the incense burner, it is offered in veneration to our Great Ancestor Emperor Taizu of the Ming, and Emperor Chengzu the Literary Emperor, who established the Three Jewels, propagated the Great Vehicle, widely transformed living beings, and together perfected sagely wisdom. This mountain monk, so-and-so, today in this Dharma assembly, every word and phrase flows from the grace of the sages. Even if the ocean were used as ink to write praises, it could not exhaust even one ten-thousandth of it. Humbly, may the imperial virtue govern the heavens, spreading widely throughout the great chiliocosm; may the sacred spirit shine through the ages, illuminating eternally for ten thousand generations."

This single stick of incense, like a spiritual sprout moist with dew, like a precious tree in full bloom, gathers auspicious stars to bathe in pure blessings, condenses propitious clouds to ride upon favorable fortune. As it burns in the incense burner, it is offered with reverence to pray for the long-lasting peace and boundless life of the present emperor, for the empress to share in his eternal longevity, and for the crown prince to flourish in virtue and enjoy everlasting peace. Humbly we wish that the golden wheel of Dharma may forever stand firm, renewing daily the noble traditions of Vulture Peak; that the precious throne may shine ever brighter, advancing continuously toward the governance of the golden ages of Yao and Shun.

This single incense stick represents the life force from which all things are born, the harmony of yin and yang that brings forth flourishing growth. It manifests as auspicious rain, enriching the nation and protecting the people. We light it in the incense burner to repay the generosity of our patrons, the officials of the court and the entire region, and the great lay protectors of the Dharma. May their foundations of merit and positions of prosperity increase, and may their spiritual roots and innate wisdom grow ever more abundant.

This single stick of incense emerges from the Dragon Palace, is taken from Vulture Peak, shines like a precious mirror to benefit all beings, penetrates the profound mysteries to encompass the true life. We now burn it in the censer, offering it especially to our original teacher, the Great Monk Shouchang, in gratitude for the nourishment of his Dharma-milk. The Master then adjusted his robe and took his seat.

The wooden gavel fell silent. The Master struck his staff and said:

"Brothers in the Dharma! When the great master Bodhidharma crossed the seas and came to this land, he directly pointed to the human mind, teaching that to see one's true nature is to attain Buddhahood. Though his gate stood ten thousand feet high and his walls rose a thousand layers deep, he taught only the Dharma of the One Mind—nothing else.

When the Sixth Patriarch transmitted the robe, and the Five Houses flourished in turn, turning the unimpeded wheel and teaching beings beyond condition, they taught only the Dharma of the One Mind—nothing else.

When the great master Guishan struck and sang in unison, his hidden mechanisms perfectly aligned—pouring from the bottle to discern those beyond convention, shaking the tea to reveal wondrous function—he taught only the Dharma of the One Mind—nothing else.

When the great master Yunmen, with arrowheads meeting, encompassed heaven and earth in a single phrase—a raised eyebrow already falling into a rut, a glance still too slow—like flowing clouds and soaring cranes, like clear water and a bright sky, he taught only the Dharma of the One Mind—nothing else.

When the great master Fayan lifted the stone before him to block the mouth of emptiness, with everything fully present, the six senses interchanging and their functions operating freely, he taught only the Dharma of the One Mind—nothing else.

When the great master Linji, in a single phrase containing the Three Mysteries, and within each mystery containing the Three Essentials, drove the plowman's ox and seized the hungry man's food—like lightning or a spark from stone, leaving one dazed even with eyes open—he taught only the Dharma of the One Mind—nothing else.

When the great master Dongshan, neither blending nor categorizing, established the Samadhi of the Precious Mirror to illuminate the very heart of students, distinguishing jade from stone across the five lakes—like snow filling a silver bowl, moonlight shining on golden sand—he taught only the Dharma of the One Mind—nothing else.

And today, I, Boshan, relying on the compassionate shade of all these ancestors, following the rules and keeping to the path, borrowing the road to return home, steering the familiar course with ease, teach only the Dharma of the One Mind—nothing else.

Brothers in the Dharma! All sentient beings possess this Dharma of the One Mind. Practitioners seek to understand this Dharma of the One Mind. All Buddhas of the three times and all ancestral teachers throughout the ages have revealed this Dharma of the One Mind. Thus, the *Lankavatara Sutra* says: 'The Buddha's teaching takes mind as its essence; the gateless is the Dharma gate.'

Brothers in the Dharma! The great earth offers no obstruction. If you try to go, you cannot move; if you try to stay, you cannot remain. So I ask you: Where will you vent your breath? Do you understand?

Birds sing among cloudy trees, each call summoning the wanderer home. Fish leap through misty waves, each flash turning over Master Zhi's old case. Sanskrit letters swirl in the empty sky, scraping away the heavy film over your eyes. So I ask you: Where will you recognize your own mind-ground?"

He struck his staff and said:

"Your nose is right on your face—no need for further hesitation. Take care."

That evening, during informal instruction: "Master Nanyue said, 'All phenomena arise from the mind. When the mind is unborn, phenomena have no abiding place. If one realizes the nature of mind, all actions become unobstructed.' Fellow practitioners! If the mind is unborn, from where do mountains, rivers, and the great earth come? If phenomena have no abiding place, why, in our daily activities of dressing and eating, do we still cling to the notion of a self? Beyond these two extremes, how do you reconcile? Each of you must examine this for yourselves. If anyone can penetrate this message, I, Boshan, will cover them with my robe."

Tea Talk. "If we speak of the matter within the domain of practice, to have you grasp it right now, to settle it right now—that would already be burying you all. There are two kinds of wrong paths here.

One kind: Practitioners carry the Buddha on their backs and wander from house to house. They seek the Buddha, seek the Dharma, seek Zen, seek the Way, seek the profound, seek the wondrous, and so on. Wherever they go, they shoulder a load, their whole body covered in 'Buddhadharma.' Like a tortoise carrying a chart on its back, it invites its own demise; like a phoenix entangled in a golden net, when will it ever soar to the heavens?

Then there is another kind of practitioner who takes themselves as the master, saying: 'What Buddha is there to seek? What Zen is there to practice? What Way is there to learn?' They just strip everything away until it's clean and uncluttered, and call this their own personal attainment. In truth, they haven't reached that clean place. All such perverse views arise from the mind of karmic consciousness. Even if one did reach that clean place, it still wouldn't qualify as having entered the domain of practice.

Brothers! If you give rise to worldly greed, hatred, or delusion, the fault, though heavy, is still relatively light. But if you take that 'clean place' as the ultimate of practice, then this karmic obstruction is the heaviest; nothing in the world equals it.

Brothers! You must overturn these two kinds of perverse views. Now tell me: Where will you find peace and ease? An ancient worthy said: 'What is the head? You must simply know that there is. If you truly know that there is, don't worry—you won't fail to exhaust the present moment.' The patriarchs of old considered this matter the most wonderful, the most profound—like the taste of licorice root, like a vajra pestle. Only if your eyes are opened here are you permitted to have a share in the conversation.

Tonight, at the tea gathering in the abbot's quarters, I've revealed a hint of this. How will the assembly understand it? If you break through based on these words, it's not difficult. But if not, then each of you, drink your tea and return to the hall."

The master ascended the hall and said, "Great Master Dongshan's enlightenment verse states:

'Be sure not to seek from others, For that will only distance you from yourself. Now I go forth alone, Yet everywhere I meet him. He is now precisely me, But I am not him. Only if you understand it thus, Can you truly accord with Suchness.'

This is the essential teaching of Dongshan. All the intricate and interwoven subtleties of his school flow from this verse. It cannot be ignored.

Brothers! Within this verse, two lines are most crucial: 'He is now precisely me, / But I am not him.' What is this 'he' that is precisely me? And what is this 'I' that is not him? Tell me, are they one or are they two? If you can penetrate this point, only then do you have the capacity for true study.

You must understand: this verse is not merely the essence of the Caodong school. All five schools, in their responsive teaching and interaction, must be verified through these lines to be genuine. Otherwise, if you grasp some partial understanding from a single situation or a single teaching device, you are merely a vain braggart—what true understanding could you possibly have?

Therefore, the Caodong school speaks of three kinds of leakage: First, leakage of view: when the mind's function does not depart from its fixed position, one falls into a sea of poison. This 'not departing' is precisely the poisonous sea. Second, leakage of sentiment: when wisdom holds to distinctions of 'toward' and 'away,' one's insight becomes lopsided and withered. This 'toward and away' is precisely the withering. Third, leakage of speech: when one grasps the wondrous essence but loses the fundamental principle, the mind's function becomes obscured from beginning to end. This 'grasping the wondrous' is precisely the obscuration.

Based on these three kinds of leakage, a student's clarity or obscurity is as visible as seeing their liver and lungs. Therefore, when I, Boshan, raise my eyes, no one dares to test me with notions of arising and ceasing. If you thoroughly see through this verse, Great Master Dongshan has never entered extinction. Although I, Boshan, am here in the present age, I am also not conversant with present-day affairs. I merely join the ranks with all of you, following the daily schedule.

Brothers! Amidst the ancient trees and thickets, tarrying reveals the Dharma-body. Churning in the depths of the great ocean, clarity is lost to the fisherman. Thoroughly see your original face—wild clouds scatter, the sky is blue. Tear open your feverish, burdened chest—the seam of your robe splits, the body is exposed.

Is there anyone who can join hands with Great Master Dongshan?"

He struck his staff down and said, "Lifting my head, I gaze beyond the heavens—who is there like me?"

The master ascended the teaching seat. "What is Buddha? The most numinous being in all the worlds. What is Dharma? The ancient path stretches far, mossy and slippery. Yet when we inquire into the source of Buddha and Dharma, clouds scatter across the vast sky, a crane cries out; not a speck of dust remains, clear as if washed, three monkeys toss coins at night. Brothers! Are matters of our school so easily grasped? A single word, a single phrase—the entire Tripitaka cannot fully annotate them. The ancestral masters through the ages, profound in insight and vast in wisdom, secretly stir and silently move—Mount Sumeru stands upside down, the staff advances sideways, painting colors in empty space, casting the great chiliocosm beyond the square inch. Tell me: where can you grasp it? Thus it is said: 'The net won't hold it, calling won't make it turn back; the ancient sages made no arrangements, to this day it has no fixed abode.' Master Xuansha, with such grandmotherly kindness, only wished for you all to know where it lands. Brothers! In the deep blue shadows, the woodcutter borrows no path to return home; in the dense thickets, the weaver lays down her golden needle to weave by night. Incense fades in brocade curtains, dew moistens the lotus, a clear whistle rises from deep chambers, subtle words are spoken on shared pillows, affection deepens and minds meet. I ask you, brothers: do you understand yet?" After a long pause, he said: "A clear episode of flowing grace—I won't compare its length with any of you."