An Autobiography
The recluse, known as Yu Ren, was a native of Xingguo in the Chu region. His surname was Xie, his given name Huihai, and his courtesy name Shuijian. He also went by the nickname "Sha Weng" (Old Man of the Sand), as he shared the same clan as Xuan Sha Bei Gong. Admiring Xuan Sha's character, he once said, "Xie Sanlang on the fishing boat cannot be kept in the Buddha's seat of honor." Inspired by this, he adopted that persona. In his later years, his whereabouts became uncertain, and he came to be called Yu Ren (The Wanderer).
At the age of twenty, he became a monk, traveling to the northern lectures to study scriptures and treatises in depth, often delivering explanations. He reflected that the matter of life and death was of utmost importance, and that words and texts were ultimately of no avail in this pursuit. Thus, he turned to contemplate his original nature, but found himself unable to grasp it, leaving him at a loss.
One day after a meal, he suddenly experienced a clear and profound awakening. He then visited Master Rong of Jingshan, who deepened his understanding. He also sought guidance from Venerable Masters such as Jinche Xiu, Yumen Wei, and Huyan Min, who all praised his unbound spirit. Finally, he received the Dharma transmission from Master Ling Shan Jing at Wuxing.
From then on, he spent twenty years expounding the Dharma, presiding over six Dharma centers: the Iron Buddha Temple at Tianwang in Jingnan, the Dizang Temple in Weiyang, the Huanglong Temple in Ezhou, the Qixian Temple in Hannan, and the Jinxi Temple in Jiahe. Among these, he exerted his greatest efforts at the Tianwang Temple. This temple was the very place where Master Wu had first preached the Dharma, a lamp-transmission ground for the Great Silence, and the source of the Yunmen and Fayan schools. Unfortunately, it had fallen into ruin when general Yue Fei launched his campaign against Hunan, becoming overgrown with wild grass and brambles, awaiting a restorer.
Yu Ren, setting aside any sense of inadequacy, worked tirelessly to restore the temple, reestablishing it as a place for the Dharma. He also searched through genealogical records to correct errors in the lineage of the two schools, shaming those blind and ignorant individuals who falsely claimed ancestors for their own pride. As for reviving the Huanglong and Dizang temples, these were merely routine efforts not worth mentioning. In his later years, he was invited by the grand magistrate of Hulin and the county official to serve at the Jinxi Temple, where he stayed for three years. Now, he dwells in Wumen, planning to return to Chu and spend his final days there.
Someone asked him, "Master, at sixty-nine, you are still fully able to spread the Dharma. Why do you insist on retiring to the mountains of Chu, abandoning your ancestral temple for your own ease? What is the reason?"
He replied, "My friend, your worldly perspective is too limited to discuss this with you. You do not understand that the world is like a flower in the sky—an illusion—and human life is fragile. To dwell is but a dream; to act is but a phantom. Even this four-element body is merely a temporary lodging for me. Parents, spouse, children, fame, wealth—none of these are not temporary lodgings. All the more so, to teach the Dharma, guide disciples, and uphold an ancestral temple—could these possibly be permanent fixtures, not merely temporary lodgings for me?
Scholars and officials who have traveled with me often discuss the Way, and in doing so, also talk of Zhuangzi and Laozi. When we reach the height of joy, I cannot help but gesture and dance. Those who understand me see a heart overflowing with freedom; those who do not see me as speaking recklessly, like Jie Yu. Nonetheless, my unfixed whereabouts have often been due to this. Now, I retire to Chu, living in seclusion, away from the world. I wander in ease, letting the months and years pass, awaiting the day I fill a ditch."
Someone else asked, "When a vegetable leaf floats down the stream, a woodsman may eventually find you. How will you refuse?"
He answered, "The mountain monk does not concern himself with affairs of the world. Let them trace my tracks all the way to the white clouds."
Volume 2 of the Recorded Sayings of Chan Master Shuijian Hai of Tianwang, Residing at Jinli Temple