Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings (46 page)

Zhaowang asked Zen master Zhaozhou, “At your venerable age, Master, how many teeth do you have left?”

Zhaozhou said, “Just one.”

Zhaowang said, “Can you still eat things?”

Zhaozhou said, “Although there’s only one, it’s still chewing.”

Zhaozhou then gave Zhaowang his whisk and said, “If you asked where this came from, I couldn’t tell you even if I spent my whole life trying to do so.”

An official asked Zhaozhou, “Will the master go into hell or not?”

Zhaozhou said, “I entered hell long ago.”

The official said, “Why do you enter hell?”

Zhaozhou said, “If I don’t enter hell, who will teach you?”

A monk asked, “Does the cypress tree in the garden have buddha nature or not?”

Zhaozhou said, “It has.”

The monk asked, “When will it become a buddha?”

Zhaozhou said, “When the great void falls to earth.”

The monk asked, “When will the great void fall to earth?”

Zhaozhou said, “When the cypress becomes a buddha.”

On the second day of the eleventh month in [the year 897], Zhaozhou lay down on his right side and passed away. He was 120 years old. He received the posthumous title “Great Teacher Truth’s Limit.”

YUNYAN TANSHENG

YUNYAN TANSHENG (780–841) was a disciple of Yaoshan Weiyan. Yunyan came from ancient Jianchang.
⁹⁶
Although he studied for about twenty years under Baizhang Huaihai he did not attain enlightenment. After Baizhang passed away, Yunyan traveled to many other teachers before completely ripening under Yaoshan. Yunyan was a close friend of his fellow student Daowu Yuanzhi. The recorded exchanges between these two monks were widely known and quoted by later generations of Zen students. Yunyan later lived on Yunyan Mountain in Tanzhou (near modern Changsha). Among his Dharma heirs was Dongshan Liangjie, the founder of the Caodong (in Japanese,
Sōtō
) Zen school.

Yunyan Tansheng of Tanzhou came from Jianchang in Zhongling. His lay name was Wang. He left home at a young age to live at Shimen Mountain.
⁹⁷
He studied under Baizhang Huaihai for twenty years but did not meet with the source. Later, he studied with Yaoshan.

Yaoshan asked him, “Where have you come from?”

Yunyan answered, “From Baizhang.”

Yaoshan asked, “What did Baizhang say to his disciples?”

Yunyan said, “He often said, ‘I have a saying which is, “The hundred tastes are complete.”’”

Yaoshan said, “Something salty tastes salty. Something bland tastes bland. What is neither salty nor bland is a normal taste. What is meant by the phrase, ‘One hundred tastes are complete’?”

Yunyan couldn’t answer.

Yaoshan said, “What did Baizhang say about the life and death before our eyes?”

Yunyan said, “He said that there is no life and death before our eyes.”

Yaoshan said, “How long were you at Baizhang’s place?”

Yunyan said, “Twenty years.”

Yaoshan said, “So you spent twenty years with Baizhang, but you still haven’t rid yourself of rustic ways.”

One day when Yunyan was serving as Yaoshan’s attendant, Yaoshan asked him, “What else did Baizhang have to say?”

Yunyan said, “Once he said, ‘Go beyond three phrases and enlightenment’s gone. But within six phrases there’s comprehension.’”

Yaoshan said, “Three thousand miles distant the joy can’t be felt.”

Then Yaoshan said, “What else did Baizhang say?”

Yunyan said, “Once Baizhang entered the hall to address the monks. Everyone stood. He then used his staff to drive everyone out. Then he yelled at the monks, and when they looked back at him he said, ‘What is
it?
’”

Yaoshan said, “Why didn’t you tell me this before. Thanks to you today I’ve finally seen elder brother Hai.”

Upon hearing these words Yunyan attained enlightenment.

One day Yaoshan asked, “Besides living at Mt. Baizhang, where else have you been?”

Yunyan answered, “I was in Guangnan [Southern China].”

Yaoshan said, “I’ve heard that east of the city gate of Guangzhou there is a great rock that the local governor can’t move, is that so?”

Yunyan said, “Not only the governor! Everyone in the country together can’t move it!”

One day Yaoshan said, “I’ve heard that you can tame lions. Is that so?”

Yunyan said, “Yes.”

Yaoshan said, “How many can you tame?”

Yunyan said, “Six.”

Yaoshan said, “I can tame them too.”

Yunyan asked, “How many does the master tame?”

Yaoshan said, “One.”

Yunyan said, “One is six. Six is one.”

Later, Yunyan was at Mt. Gui.

Guishan asked him, “I’ve often heard that when you were at Yaoshan you tamed lions. Is that so?”

Yunyan said, “Yes.”

Guishan asked, “Were they always under control, or just sometimes?”

Yunyan said, “When I wanted them under control they were under control. When I wanted to let them loose, they ran loose.”

Guishan said, “When they ran loose where were they?”

Yunyan said, “They’re loose! They’re loose!”

Yunyan was making tea.

Daowu asked him, “Who are you making tea for?”

Yunyan said, “There’s someone who wants it.”