Recorded Sayings from Guanyin Chan Monastery in Shunqing Prefecture

The master ascended the hall. A monk asked, "Before you left the abbot's quarters, you had already tangled with the vines. Now that you've climbed the high seat, there's been quite a show. It must be the natural way of things, yet it's all just idle talk. Without standing on either path, how do you offer guidance?" The master said, "One stands firm, two are distinguished."

The monk continued, "When the four seas are calm, dragons sleep soundly; when the nine heavens are clear, cranes soar high." The master said, "High is excessive, low is insufficient."

The monk said, "Even if auspicious grass grows before the hall, it's better to have no such happenings." The master said, "You've implicated yourself."

The monk said, "If so, then on Mount Wutai, clouds steam rice, and before the Buddha hall, dogs piss at the sky." The master said, "You must cut it off directly."

Then he cited: "Master Sixin said, 'Where there is one person, you must go; where there is half a person, you must go; where there is no one, you must go.' Look at this old man's words and breath—they hold the measure to settle monks and distinguish dragons from snakes. If you can understand and penetrate these three phrases, you can stir the long river into ghee and transform the great earth into gold. If not, you'll inevitably face pitfalls and mounds everywhere, thorns blocking the path. Tell me, is there anyone here who can understand and penetrate this place? A seasoned archer who has fought a hundred battles, a strong iron whip with no enemy to strike."