Recorded Sayings of Chan Master Poshan (破山禪師語錄)

Recorded Sayings of Chan Master Poshan, Volume 4

Compiled by Yinzheng and Others, Dharma Successors at Yuquan Temple in Dangyang

Ascending the Hall, Fourth

Residing at Daning Chan Monastery in Kaixian, Kuizhou Prefecture, upon entering the monastery, at the main gate, he said: "In all directions there are no walls, and on all four sides there are no gates—from where should this mountain monk enter?" With his staff, he drew this ㊇ symbol and said: "Enter from here, with the eight characters flung wide open."

The abbot said, "To use this is to be free from this; host and guest exchange places. When the barbarian comes, he appears; when the Han comes, he appears—beauty and ugliness distinguish themselves. The new elder cannot help but smile, letting the turtle be drilled and the tile be struck."

The lay patron Xu Daochen requested the opening of the hall. Ascending the Dharma seat, he said: "To rise from the ground into emptiness is easy; to release from emptiness is difficult. Setting aside both difficulty and ease, one directly penetrates the highest barrier. The new Great Ning directly penetrates the highest barrier—do all of you see it? If there is a path to ascend, even higher beings will walk it." Then he ascended the seat, took incense, and said: "This stick of incense, its sound transmits through the state, its worth outweighs mountains and rivers, is solemnly offered to wish His Majesty the Emperor ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years. May the winds of Yao blow, scattering the inner fog and border clouds; may the sun of Shun shine brightly, illuminating the deep, hidden darkness with lasting light." Again he took incense and said: "This stick of incense is offered for the civil and military ministers of the entire nation. May they never forget their entrusted duty, eternally serving as the golden fortress of the Dharma; may they directly undertake it, forever acting as the eyes of humans and gods." Finally, he took incense and said: "This stick of incense is offered to the Venerable Miyun of Mount Tiantong in Ningbo Prefecture, Zhejiang, in gratitude for the nourishment of the Dharma milk. May I once receive his seal of approval under his compassionate shade; may the nine places where it is taken up finally find their proper measure." He straightened his robe and sat in meditation. After the leading monk struck the wooden block, the master said: "The fierce furnace and bellows, the harsh tongs and hammer—forging sages and refining worthies in an instant, transcending life and death in a moment—this is not supernatural power or wondrous function; it is simply thus as it is. I wonder if among the assembly there is one with a head of bronze and a brow of iron? Come forth and meet this mountain monk." A monk came forward, bowed, rose, flicked his sitting cloth, and spread both hands. The master said: "The official pond has already spoken it clearly for you." The monk waved his sitting cloth, circled once, and returned to his place. The master said: "A hollow pretender."

The monk asked, "I, a student, sit in stillness. Please, Master, illuminate me clearly."

The master struck his staff once.

The monk shouted a loud "Ha!"

The master said, "What good does this 'Ha!' of yours accomplish?"

The monk advanced and said, "To reveal a single thread is a trap for tigers; to conceal all traces is to be without sound or scent."

The master shouted, "Idle chatter!"

The monk bowed in reverence.

The master then said, "The mountain's staff and the river's shout point out the Three Essentials and the Three Profundities. The river's horse and the Luo's turtle seal, shattering the soundless and scentless. Severing an arm to seek peace of mind, capsizing a boat to find the true heir—each transmission has its proof, each imparting is without selfishness. This not only re-establishes the weighty matter of the ancestral way, but also aids in the restoration of the imperial order. At such a time, how shall we speak of the great peace that repays the nation? The winds and waves of the two rivers converge and merge, washing away the strife of war and the pestilence of miasma."

The master ascended the hall. A monk asked, "When the precious sword is drawn, heaven and earth grow still; as the golden blade is raised, the stars turn cold." The master said, "Disaster, disaster!" The monk pressed on, "So then, the thirty thousand warriors in the desert all turn their heads to gaze at the moon?" The master raised his staff and said, "A blazing light fills the sky." The monk continued, "When all lands follow the way, they return to the king's rule; with a single, selfless heart, they celebrate great peace." The master immediately struck him.

Again, it was brought up: "A monk once asked Baling: 'Are the meaning of the patriarchs and the meaning of the teachings the same or different?' Baling replied: 'When a chicken is cold, it goes up a tree; when a duck is cold, it goes into the water.'"

The master said: "Even so, the belly of a chicken does not know the affairs of a duck's belly, and thus the division between Chan and the teachings arises. But Daning is not like this. If someone were to ask: 'Are the meaning of the patriarchs and the meaning of the teachings the same or different?' I would simply say to them: 'Water flows cold from beside the rocks; wind carries fragrance as it passes through the blossoms.'"

The master ascended the hall and said: "The mountains stand tall, the waters flow, year after year unchanged. East or West, how could the true land ever shift? In death itself is life, in life itself is liberation— Beyond male or female, beyond cause or condition.

If you stir a thought, you miss the face you had at birth; If you move a mind, you stray from before time began. Yet with complete practice, complete virtue, one ascends the nine lotus grades, Where the pond of merit swells with golden blossoms.

Thus it is said: Boundless worlds upon worlds— Self and other are not separated by even a hair's breadth. Past and future across ten ages— Beginning and end never leave this very moment.

Like geese flying across the vast sky— Their shadows still sink into the water.

Now, at just such a time, What phrase would convey the Lady's solitary freedom?

'To be born—truly one is born; To depart—yet one never really leaves.'"

The Master ascended the platform and said: "Before the fifteenth day, the opportunity to teach the Dharma is not yet ripe; after the fifteenth day, the opportunity to teach the Dharma has already passed. Right on the fifteenth day, the opportunity to teach the Dharma is like a flash of lightning, and the words spoken are like rumbling thunder. Let me ask: Has Mr. Li Chun'ao understood this yet? If he has, then he would understand what Confucius meant when he said: 'Does Heaven speak? The four seasons proceed, and all things are born. Does Heaven speak?' Therefore, it is said: The greatest sound is barely audible; the greatest skill appears clumsy. Wordlessness is the ultimate speech; silence is the truest teaching. If this is not yet clear, listen to another verse:

Leaping from the fiery pit swiftly and smoothly, At life's end, right mindfulness is the true essence. The Western Pure Land is perfectly contained within this, No need to labor in vain seeking it outside."

At Foen Temple in Dazhu County, the Great Buddha Hall was erected. The lay patrons requested the master to give a Dharma talk. A monk asked, "What is the realm of Buddha's grace?" The master said, "Tall and short, a thousand trees." The monk pressed further, "What is the person within that realm?" The master said, "Scattered here and there, a few monks." The monk continued, "The realm and the person have been pointed out by the master. What is Linji's direct, illuminating phrase?" The master raised his whisk and said, "Do you understand?" The monk said, "Then there is a place to know gratitude." The master roared with a mighty shout.

Question: "The ancients took a single blade of grass and erected a temple, thereby repaying the Buddha's kindness. How should we do so today?"

The Master replied: "From all directions, those who follow the Way return to the king's rule; throughout the land, songs of praise celebrate peace and prosperity."

The questioner continued: "By the Stone Flower Mountain, a golden sound stirs, startling a pair of phoenix chicks in the crimson grove."

The Master did not respond. The monk bowed.

The Master then said: "In the Hall of Buddha's Kindness, two lions crouch upon the earth; before the Great Upholding Hall, a lone goose cries out to the sky. Two streams converge at their source; a single mountain rises in emerald green. Lofty, bright, far-reaching, enduring—the ancestral tradition remains undiminished. Marvelous, splendid, excellent, magnificent—the moon of the cassia tree is not far away. Because such a place gives rise to such people, because such people carry out such deeds—not only is the land auspicious and the people virtuous, but also the name is established and the reality achieved. Assembly, tell me: Does the new Buddha's Kindness still have its eyebrows?"

He struck his staff and said: "Thousands upon thousands of dragon-elephants gather here from now on; myriads upon myriads of lion-unicorns return to this place henceforth."