Guangfu Mountain Shengjue Temple Chan Master Miyin's Recorded Sayings (廣福山勝覺寺密印禪師語錄)

In the winter of the eighteenth year of Shunzhi (1661), the Master was staying at Huilong Chan Temple in Hongjiang, Huitong County, Huguang. At the heartfelt request of the senior monastics and virtuous laypeople of the mountain, he ascended the hall for a formal sermon.

Approaching the Dharma seat, he said: "The seat towers above the first peak of the mountain, where a thousand demons and a hundred specters all vanish without trace. Who alone can turn the Wheel of Dharma? Among the host of sages, the Great Hero manifests." He looked at the assembly and said: "Do you see? Mountains rise high as clouds gather together; oceans widen as waters follow one another."

Then ascending the seat and offering incense: "This first stick of incense has roots coiling through the four great seas, leaves covering the five Sumerus. Its fragrance spans ancient times, grace flowing from the first branch. Burning it in the furnace, I offer it above, wishing the present Emperor longevity—ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand myriad years. I pray that the radiant light of Shun's sun long illuminates the earth, and that all people look up with gratitude to his impartial virtue.

This second stick of incense: a sincere heart carries forth the noble path, shining through the sun to illuminate the world. Sound shakes a thousand realms; reputation endures across ten thousand generations. Burning it in the furnace, I offer it to the civil and military officials of the entire nation and the benefactors throughout the region. I pray that a pure wind blows once and the dust of conflict is extinguished, that the forests and springs of the four seas are transformed and flourish.

This stick of incense: when the bell rings at the fifth watch under the moon, echoes rise and fall without distinction. When clouds part and clear breeze arises, heaven and earth merge as one. Those bearing fur cannot settle their debts; linked together, they pull the plow. Unable to stop even if they wished, they still enter the mud and water. Not hesitating to offer it, I burn it in the furnace, dedicating it to the thirty-second patriarch of the Linji正统, Master Shang Ling Xia Yin, repaying the kindness of his Dharma milk. I pray that fish and dragons reaching the sea gain renewed spirit, and that foxes and rabbits shedding form lose all doubt."

Gathering his robes, he sat down. The senior monk struck the gavel and announced: "The dragon-elephant assembly of this Dharma feast should contemplate the foremost meaning."

The Master said: "The heavens circle with no path in; heretics peek with no door in. Unless you comprehend before sound and turn around beyond conventions, meeting on a narrow road, only a single thread of light passes through."

A monk asked: "The Buddhas appeared in the world for one great cause. The Patriarchs came from the West to directly see the matter before their eyes. What happens when it is seen?"

The Master said: "Sun and moon have no two faces; mountains and rivers share the same spring."

The monk continued: "If one understands it this way, is that penetrating through or not?"

The Master said: "Still on the road."

The monk said: "The sweat-stained warhorse no one recognizes—only by reopening the topic of its age-surpassing deeds."

The Master said: "If the great ocean were content, the hundred rivers would stop flowing."

The monk said: "Seizing the pearl from the black dragon's jaw, all must be dried in one moment."

The Master said: "You mind too much about idle matters."

Another monk asked: "For example, a treasure in the dark cannot be seen without a lamp. Likewise, without someone to speak it, the Dharma cannot be understood, even by the wise. How does one who transcends measure comprehend this?"

The Master said: "When hungry, eat; when thirsty, drink—the whole body functions. Coughing, spitting, swinging arms—the killing and enlivening pivot."

The monk continued: "Although the mist across the ferry is discernible, the snow covering the reeds is not yet distinguished."

The Master said: "To try distinguishing it is to miss."

The monk asked: "Then how should one settle it completely?"

The Master raised his whisk and said: "Roar like a lion king; don't howl like a wild jackal."

Then he said: "The mist across the ferry has its own cause of coming; the snow over the reeds does not leave the marks of manifestation. The thunder that shakes the earth topples the stagnant shore; the swift wind of opportunity turns and sweeps away all dust. Brocade clouds disperse together—one round sun shines forth from the nature of heaven. Embroidered vapors vanish as one—the myriad dharmas are fully revealed in the ocean of wisdom. Rice in the bowl, water in the bucket—everywhere it emits light. The leaky fence, the leakless ladle—every thing manifests auspiciousness. If you meet a seasoned one, no discussion is needed. Like a boat about to sink, one push of the pole turns it around; like a door about to close, one shove opens it. Then you know the unmoving place of practice pervades the ten directions. Attachments do not hang there; the body merges with the void itself. Reaching this point, seeing is like blindness, hearing like deafness. Ten thousand sages reaching down a hand is already wrong; a thousand Buddhas opening their mouths is already a mistake.

This mountain monk, being thus, is like one who stretches across a tiger's mouth. If someone could knock me off this seat, I would be giving my all for the assembly. If not, how does one penetrate this net that covers the sky? When feelings are exhausted and views are removed, escape into transformation; pearls return and jade turns—rejoicing in peace."

The senior monk struck the gavel and announced: "Contemplate clearly the Dharma King's Dharma—the Dharma King's Dharma is thus."

The Master descended from the seat.