Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings (150 page)

One day Fojian heard Wuzu relate the following story, “A monk asked Zhaozhou, ‘What is the master’s family style?’ Zhaozhou said, ‘This old monk is deaf. Ask your question again louder.’ The monk asked his question again. Zhaozhou said, ‘You asked about my family style, but what I see is your family style.’”

Fojian, suddenly seized by doubt, then said to Wuzu, “I ask the master to offer instruction about the ultimate principle.”

Wuzu said, “The phenomena of the universe and the ten thousand forms, these are the seal of the one Dharma.”

Fojian then prostrated himself before Wuzu. Wuzu thereafter allowed Fojian to be in charge of writing materials.

Later, when Fojian was speaking with Yuanwu [a Dharma brother and the chief monk under Wuzu], Fojian brought up for discussion a story in which the monk Dongsi asks Yangshan about “the lustrous pearl of causation in the Zhen Sea.”

Fojian said, “This lustrous pearl is in a place where principle does not reach.”

Yuanwu agreed and said, “If it is said to be obtained, then the pearl is concealed. Thus it is said that no words can respond to it and no principle can reach it.”

Fojian could say nothing to Yuanwu in response. But the next day, Fojian said to Yuanwu, “Dongsi revealed a pristine pearl. Beneath it Yangshan tipped over a basket.”

Yuanwu deeply approved this statement and said to Fojian, “You should go see the old master.”

The next day, Fojian went to see Wuzu, but before he could speak Wuzu suddenly cursed him. Angry and frustrated Fojian returned to his cottage and slammed the door, filled with resentment.

Later Yuanwu knocked on the door.

Fojian called “Who is it?”

“Me,” said, Yuanwu. “What happened when you saw the old master?”

Fojian said, “I actually didn’t see him. You’ve tricked me! He only swore at me!”

Yuanwu laughed loudly and said, “Remember what you said last night?”

Fojian said, “What?”

Yuanwu said, “You said that Dongsi revealed a pristine pearl and Yangshan tipped over the basket.”

These words caused Fojian to finally understand. Yuanwu then took Fojian to see Master Wuzu. When Wuzu saw them coming he suddenly said, “Brother Qin [Fojian], how joyous that the great matter is finally resolved.”

Fojian later received formal Dharma transmission from Wuzu and assumed the abbacy of the Taiping Xingguo Monastery on Mt. Zhong.
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In the year 1111, he became abbot of the Zhihai Temple in Bianjing.
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Five years later he returned to Mt. Zhong to reside at Jiankang Temple.

Among Fojian’s patrons was a high official of the imperial court named Deng Zi. He presented Fojian with the ceremonial purple robe and the name Fojian (“Buddha Mirror”), by which he is remembered.
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Upon receiving the robe of transmission from Wuzu, Fojian held it up with both hands and showed it to the congregation, saying, “In former times Shakyamuni Buddha, with a ten-foot gold-trimmed robe, cloaked the entire thousand-foot Buddha body. The Buddha body was not too tall, nor was the robe too short. Do you understand? It’s just like this. It’s not some other way.”

A monk asked, “Why did Bodhidharma come from the west?”

Fojian said, “If you taste vinegar then you know sour. If you taste salt then you know saltiness.”

A monk asked, “I’ve heard that you personally saw Master Wuzu. Is that so?”

Fojian said, “The iron ox grazed in the golden grass.”

The monk said, “Then you personally saw Wuzu?”

Fojian said, “Did I give you an offensive answer?”

The monk said, “Was [your meeting with Wuzu] like when Bodhidharma met Emperor Wudi?”

Fojian said, “Foreign speech is easy to understand, but Chinese is difficult to comprehend.”

A monk asked, “Putting aside ‘Mind is Buddha,’ what is the meaning of ‘No mind, no Buddha’?”

Taiping said, “Yesterday a monk asked me this. I didn’t answer him.”

The monk said, “I don’t understand whether this is much different from ‘Mind is Buddha.’”

Taiping said, “It’s as close as ten thousand miles away. It’s as far as a gap that a hair can’t fit into.”

The monk said, “If I suddenly cut off the two heads and ‘returned home’ to sit in seclusion, then what?”

Taiping said, “Where is your home?”

The monk said, “It’s a liberated body within the ten thousand worlds.”

Taiping said, “You haven’t reached your home yet. Speak again.”

The monk said, “When I reach this place, I don’t differentiate anything. There’s no difference between north and south.”

Taiping said, “Just so.”

Zen master Taiping entered the hall and addressed the monks, saying, “Attaining the Way is not difficult. Just disdain picking and choosing. The peach blossoms are red and the plum blossoms are white. Who says it’s all mixed up to be one color? The sparrow chirps. The oriole sings. Who says that birds make only one sound?

“Those of you who haven’t penetrated the essential connection with the ancestors; just let the mountains and rivers be your eye!”

Taiping Huiqin kept six wooden dice in his abbot’s quarters. On each side of every die was a single dot. When a monk would enter for an interview, Taiping would throw the dice and say, “Do you understand?” If the monk hesitated, Taiping would drive him from the room with blows.

In the month of August in [the year 1117], Fojian entered the hall and addressed the monks, saying, “The mind-seal of Wuzu is like the great function of an iron ox. The seal was laid down and then destroyed. It may be said that it has neither gone nor remained, nor is it at a place to which a monk may take a pilgrimage. And, after all, what is a place to which a monk may take a pilgrimage? Wait until about October and I’ll show you.”

On the eighth day of the following month, Fojian bathed, put on his robe, and then sat cross-legged in an upright position. With a brush and paper he wrote a few words of farewell. Then, laying down the brush, he passed away. His cremated remains were placed in a stupa by the temple.