Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings (65 page)

A monk came to see Deshan. Walking up to him, he posed as if to strike him.

Deshan said, “Why didn’t you bow? You should get a blow from this mountain monk’s staff!”

The monk shook his sleeves and started to walk out.

Deshan said, “Even if I grant you that. It’s still just one-half.”

The monk turned around and shouted.

Deshan struck him and said, “I have to hit you for it to happen.”

The monk said, “In every direction there are clear-eyed people.”

Deshan said, “In all nature there is the eye.”

The monk opened his eyes wide and said, “Cat!”

Then the monk went out.

Deshan said, “In three thousand years the Yellow River runs clear but once.”

A monk asked, “Is there much difference between sacred and ordinary?”

Deshan shouted.

Because Deshan had become ill, a monk asked, “Is there someone who is not ill?”

Deshan said, “Yes.”

The monk asked, “What about the one who is not ill?”

Deshan yelled, “Aagh! Aagh!”

Deshan gave a final admonishment to his congregation, saying, “Groping after what is empty and chasing echoes will only fatigue your mind and spirit. Beyond awakening from a dream and then going beyond this awakening, what matters remain?”

After saying this, Deshan peacefully sat and passed away. The date was the third day of the twelfth lunar month in [the year 865]. He received the posthumous name “Zen Master Behold Self-Nature.”

Twelfth Generation

XINGHUA CUNJIANG

XINGHUA CUNJIANG (830–88) was a disciple and Dharma heir of Linji Yixuan. He lived and taught in ancient Weizhou (near the Yellow River, upstream from the modern city of Jinan in Shandong Province). The Linji lineage continued from Linji directly through Xinghua and his Dharma heirs down to the present day.

Xinghua often said, “When I was on pilgrimage in the South, I once suffered blows from the staff, but it never brought out a person who understands Buddhadharma.”

Sansheng asked him, “What do you see that you can talk like that?

Xinghua shouted.

Sansheng said, “You’re beginning to get it.”

Later, Dajue heard about this.
¹²²

He said, “How was this blown into Dajue’s doorway?”

Later, Xinghua served as the head monk at Dajue’s monastery. One day Dajue called to him and said, “I’ve heard that you said that when you were on pilgrimage in the South you once suffered blows from the staff, but it never revealed someone who understood Buddhadharma. By what principle could you speak like this?”

Xinghua shouted.

Dajue struck him.

Xinghua shouted again.

Dajue again struck him.

Then Xinghua said, “When I was at elder brother Sansheng’s place, we learned a phrase about ‘guest’ and ‘host.’ Elder brother Sansheng turned everything topsy-turvy. I want you to provide me a blissful method of entering the Way.”

Dajue said, “You blind fool! This gibberish you’ve said is sorely lacking! Take off your robe and I’ll give you a painful whack!”

Upon hearing these words Xinghua grasped the meaning of his late master Linji’s having suffered a beating at Huangbo’s place.

Later Xinghua went into the buddha hall, and presenting a stick of incense to the Buddha, he said, “This stick of incense is for elder brother Sansheng, although Sansheng was too aloof from me. This is also for elder brother Dajue, although he was also removed. Neither can be compared to the honor I give to my late teacher, Linji.”

Master Xinghua asked a monk, “Where are you coming from?”

The monk said, “From a precipitous Zen place.”

Xinghua said, “Did you bring the shout of a precipitous Zen place?”

The monk said, “I didn’t bring it.”

Xinghua said, “Then you haven’t come from there.”

The monk shouted. Xinghua hit him.

Xinghua said to the monks, “I’m always hearing shouts in the corridor as well as in back of the hall. I tell you all that you mustn’t blindly shout wild shouts. Even if you shout so loud that it takes my breath away and stops me cold, when my breath comes back I’ll tell you, ‘Still not it!’ Why? I haven’t been passing out precious gems in vermilion wrappings to all of you! What’s all the shouting about?”

The late Tang dynasty emperor Zhuang Zong honored master Xinghua with the gift of a riding horse. While the master was riding the horse it was startled and the master fell off, injuring his foot. The emperor sent some special medicine to the master to help heal his foot.

Xinghua gave instructions to the monastery director, saying, “Make me a walking stick.”

The monastery director made the stick and brought it to Xinghua. The master took the stick and proceeded to circle the hall, and as he did so he asked the monks, “Do you recognize me?”

The monks answered, “How could we not recognize you?”

The master said, “Dharma Master Foot! He can speak but he can’t walk.”

Xinghua then went into the hall and instructed the attendant to ring the bell and assemble the monks.

Xinghua then addressed the monks, saying, “Do you recognize me?”

The monks didn’t know what to say.

Xinghua then threw down the staff and passed away solemnly in an upright position.