Recorded Sayings of Chan Master Weichan of Dounan (斗南暐禪師語錄)

Residing at the Jiedai Chan Temple in Wenzhou

On the fifth day of the fifth month in the thirty-fifth year of the Kangxi reign (1696), the master accepted the public invitation from the gentry of Wen Prefecture, including Zhou Changmao, to enter the monastery.

The mountain gate. "The gate of liberation stands open, encircled by walls of sky. Dragons and elephants mingle and interweave—how can one fully grasp it?" He struck his staff firmly and said, "Those who enter from here shall never retreat or falter."

Maitreya. "In the heavens, there is no Maitreya. On the earth, there is no Maitreya. Suddenly, you run into him— and it turns out to be this thief."

He looked left and right and said, "Thief! Thief! The heart bears no guilt toward others, the face shows no trace of shame."

Wei Tuo. "Your compassionate response extends across the three continents, manifesting wherever needed. You dispel obstacles, both within and without, relying entirely on your strength. If there is any wrongdoing, you ensure that justice prevails."

In the Buddha hall, Dongshan spoke directly, Yunmen's words were precise. Today, the new elder openly explains this truth again. He spread his sitting mat and made three prostrations.

The temple grounds: "This vast place of practice is nothing but wood and earth. The Dharma gate is so desolate, and still you feel no shame. Only when host and guest share one heart can the spirit of Vulture Peak truly shine."

Founding Masters speak: "The bald monks of both West and East — Shenguang was quick-tempered, and Bodhidharma had a careless heart."

Inserting incense, they say: "With this, we test the present moment — The true tradition is upheld with bare hands."

The Master entered the abbot's quarters. Striking his staff on the ground, he said: "In this chamber, this decree is carried out. The sword of wisdom is held horizontally, the precious mirror hung high. All buddhas and patriarchs, all demon armies, listen carefully." He struck again and exclaimed, "Ha!"

That day, the lay patrons invited the Master to give a formal Dharma talk. Holding up the invocation scroll, he said: "Once you understand the One, everything is accomplished. Even on the tip of a single hair, a message can be conveyed. But this message needs to be proclaimed once more by the rector." After the rector read the invocation, the Master pointed to the Dharma seat and said: "How does one ascend the Jeweled King's Throne? With direct and impartial mind, on the path of transcendence."

After burning incense for the Emperor, the Master took another incense stick and said: "This incense embodies seeds of goodness, nurtured by lofty cliffs, not fostered by the nation's protection but nourished by Lingyin Monastery. Karmic winds have blown it to Mount Putuo, suddenly filling the world with fragrance. Today, I freely offer it, burning it in the censer, specifically to make an offering to Master Bie'an Tong, the twenty-eighth patriarch of the Linji School now residing in Zhenhai Hall on Mount Putuo, in gratitude for the grace of his Dharma milk." He then settled his robes and took his seat.

The senior monk Zongyao struck the gavel and announced: "The assembly of dragon-elephants on the Dharma seat should behold the Ultimate Truth." The Master said: "The bright sun hangs in the sky, radiating brilliant light, illuminating the ancestral lamp and invigorating the school's tradition. Flower petals rain down in profusion, covering heaven and earth. Wherever one is, one is supreme, wielding both authority and reality, host and guest, function and reflection, giving life and death at the right moment." Raising his staff, he said: "Therefore, this wooden staff sometimes stands alone on the mountain peak, mixing with water and clay, excluding no one; sometimes it is in the bustling marketplace, with clear eyebrows and bright eyes, not inclining toward anyone. When struck in the air, it makes a sound; when struck against wood, it is silent. Its full function turns iron into gold. This is not about mystical or miraculous powers, but about a ready-made public case. I only hope that everyone will lend a hand and help piece together this cracked earthenware bowl." He called out to the assembly: "Is there anyone here willing to lend a hand? Listen to this verse:

A jewel hangs from Zhenhai Hall, quieting heaven and earth, The patterned Dipper stars shine bright in the great void. The intrinsic landscape radiates throughout the universe, A red sun circles Mount Sumeru."

Striking the gavel, he concluded: "Contemplate the Dharma King's Dharma closely; the Dharma King's Dharma is thus." The Master then descended from the seat.

New Year's Day, the Master ascended the hall.

A monk asked: "I won't ask about yesterday or today. Please, Master, speak a phrase for the new year."

The Master said: "A single firecracker blast drives the old year away; a few plum blossoms herald the spring."

The monk continued: "What about a phrase that is neither new nor old?"

The Master said: "It can be the master of all phenomena; it does not wither with the four seasons."

The monk pressed on: "You've guided us concerning the old year and the new, but what is the original face before one's parents were born?"

The Master said: "Pick up a donkey's head and put it on its tail."

The monk said: "Then, should I simply go about with eyebrows horizontal and nose vertical?"

The Master said: "Be careful not to mistake that."

The monk asked: "What is the ultimate truth?"

The Master said: "I already told you before you bowed."

The monk asked: "And after bowing?"

The Master said: "There's a stick, but I won't strike you." The monk bowed.

Then the Master waved his whisk and said: "One thought for ten thousand years, ten thousand years as one thought. Continuous and dense, fusing into one whole. Let others talk about past and future, replace the old with the new. Wearing new hats and new clothes, bowing high and bowing deep, thanking one person and another, spreading out silk and flowers, raising fists and dancing palms, viewing lanterns and admiring the moon—everything adapts to conditions. But if you cannot yet do this, then you must pay close attention to a huatou. It is like a mountain of silver and a wall of iron: you cannot go left, cannot go right. It is like chewing on an iron dumpling: you cannot swallow, cannot spit. It is like entering a dark room at night: you cannot advance, cannot retreat. Suddenly, when the moment arrives—crows caw, magpies chatter, a firecracker booms—naturally, the door opens and the old latch falls away. It will be like a brilliant sun hanging in the sky, illuminating everything without exception. This is truly the new year. Every moment is fully experienced, every thing is perfectly manifest.

Even so, tell me: now that the new year has arrived, where has the old year gone?" He picked up his staff, passed it to his left hand, and said: "It has gone from here. And where does the new spring come from?" He passed the staff to his right hand and said: "It comes from here. At just such a time, what phrase is neither coming nor going, neither new nor old? The mind encompasses the vast void and embraces sun and moon."

The Master ascended the hall and said:

"Beyond the pond, winter plum blossoms bear snow; By the winding stream, willow branches trail like golden threads. Amid the sound of flutes and pipes, the wondrous truth emerges; Within clouds and mist, it transcends all words."

He struck his staff and said: "Even the pillars and lanterns burst into laughter— In essence, there is nothing new or old that falls into the human realm."

Elder Fà Yǔ sent a letter, and the teacher went to the hall and read it out:

"Here—this single word has come a thousand miles. Out of the master's care, it is presented without any embellishment. Straight from the elbow, these eight characters reveal a secret: they open an endless treasury. Though our kitchen here may have no grain to speak of, every meal is still abundant. Dragons and snakes mingle, sages and ordinary people live together. I cannot fully promote the ancestral way, let alone defile the Dharma gate. In deep gratitude for my teacher's boundless kindness, I always protect the robe and the jewel.

Now, at just this moment, what can be said about 'selfless daily living'?

'A long journey tests a horse's strength; over time, we come to know a person's heart.'"

The Venerable Hengyue and Wenguang, leading a group of lay followers on a pilgrimage to the sea, returned and requested a Dharma talk from the master. The master ascended the hall.

A monk asked: "The staff settles at Nine Mountains on the path of awakening, the Dharma platform opens wide in the Brahma Palace. How should we receive one who embodies the whole function without traveling any path?"

The master struck his staff and said: "A plain white stick, bare and simple."

The monk continued: "Please, master, elaborate further on Linji's Three Profound Gates with skillful means."

The master said: "I'll let you spin your tangled vines."

The monk asked: "What is the first Profound Gate?" The master said: "Holding the oar, slight ripples churn the sky-high waves."

"What is the second Profound Gate?" The master said: "The staff strikes the moon's reflection in the deep pool, graceful and serene."

"What is the third Profound Gate?" The master said: "Leaving the shore, poling a bottomless boat sideways."

"What is the first Essential?" The master said: "At the entrance of Brahma Sound Cave, a winding goat path."

"What is the second Essential?" The master said: "In the sandalwood forest, the golden lion roars."

"What is the third Essential?" The master said: "Hearing sound through the eyes—the aperture beyond."

The monk said: "When Profound and Essential are both held up, nothing remains—the nine-layered sky clears, and a crane flies high."

The master said: "So you're off again like that."

He then waved his whisk and said: "Sacred sites and famous mountains emerge from the tip of a single hair. Ten thousand streams converge to the ocean, the tranquil sea walks alone. Brahma Sound manifests form, sitting in lotus posture on the Diamond Island. The Buddha-land is naturally pure, sandalwood fragrance abounds. The teaching of perfect penetration unfolds—when conditions meet, the fourfold assembly faces the Dharma seat. Do not miss this moment!"

He whisked again and said: "Right now, in a home dwelling, do not leave the path. On the path itself, do not leave the home dwelling. What is this single phrase? 'Coming from a thousand miles, showing an old face—meeting face to face, laughing happily.'"

He threw down the whisk and descended from the seat.

Leaving the monastery, the Master ascended the hall. Raising his staff, he said:

"What happened yesterday and today are not the same— At the river's heart, it's better to unfurl the sail. With a pair of simple hands holding the fishing rod, Wherever one casts the line, only dragons are caught."

He then dragged his staff and walked away.

He resided at the Ciyun Chan Temple in Wuxi.