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(MASTER FA
TSANG) ESTABLISHES THE DHARMA AT SAN FENG, WIDELY PROPAGATING THE (LIN) CHI
SCHOOL. AFTER HE DIED A STUPA WAS BUILT FOR HIM ON THAT MOUNTAIN.
COMMENTARY:
MING DYNASTY
DHYANA MASTER SAN FENG FA TSANG, SAN FENG, "Three Peaks" is the name of a
mountain. DHYANA MASTER FA TSANG "Dharma Treasury" dwelt there.
THE MASTER
WAS FROM HSI SHAN. His father and mother had the name SU. He was THE SON
OF A SU FAMILY, after he left home, HE INVESTIGATED THE
SURANGAMA SUTRA
exclusively, to the point that he read it while he ate, he recited it while he
walked. In every move he made, he investigated THE SURANGAMA SUTRA. When he had
investigated for several years, he CULTIVATED KUAN YIN'S PERFECT PENETRATION OF
THE EAR ORGAN. He cultivated the Dharma-door of "entering the stream and
forgetting the place of entry, of returning the hearing to hear the
self-nature."
HE RAN INTO
A MONK WHOSE ROBE HAD CAUGHT ON A BAMBOO FENCE, He met a member of the Sangha
coming in the door whose clothing had caught on the bamboo fence and had broken
the bamboo. HEARING THE BAMBOO BREAKING--it was like rolling thunder--oooooohhmmmmm!!!--such
a loud sound. SOUNDING LIKE A ROLL OF THUNDER HE EXPERIENCED THE GREAT
PENETRATION, he became enlightened. "Oh!" and the ear organ
became perfectly penetrating.
HE WENT TO
MEET THE HIGH MASTER MI YUN OF CHIN HSI. He went to Chin Hsi to bow to the High
Master Mi Yun.
ONE-DAY
MASTER CHIN HSI BROUGHT UP THE CASE OF THE SANGHA MEMBER WHO QUESTIONED AN
ANCIENT WORTHY. There was a public record, which dealt with a member of the
Sangha who questioned a Dharma Master. The Dharma Master's name is not given; he
is simply called THE ANCIENT WORTHY. What was his question?
The Sangha
member asked, "WHAT ABOUT WHEN THE BRIGHT MOON IS IN EMPTY SPACE? When the
perfectly full, bright moon is in empty space, what is it like then? Say
something and we'll see how it is. We'll test your skill.
THE WORTHY
SAID, "YOU'RE STILL A FELLOW AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS. You haven't
entered the door. You're an outsider. You haven't gone up the stairs and in the
door. To get in the door, you've got to walk up the stairs." A fellow at
the bottom of the stairs is one who is still outside the door; he is not yet
enlightened. He still has that bright moon hanging there in space. In other
words, he still has an attachment and so the Worthy One said, "You're at
the bottom of the stairs; you haven't gone in the door. “You're still
attached." He thought the state of the bright moon in space was very fine
when actually he was still an outsider.
THE SANGHA
MEMBER SAID, "WILL THE MASTER PLEASE LEAD ME UP THE STAIRS? Please,
Worthy One, won't you take me in the door?"
THE WORTHY
SAID, "COME AND SEE ME AGAIN WHEN THE MOONS GONE DOWN." Ultimately,
what were they saying? I don't know what it was and neither do you. Only the
Ancient Worthy and the Sangha member know. Perhaps the two of them know, but
perhaps they don't know either.
So, having related this case. Master Hsi then
asked Dhy5na Master Fa Tsang, "NOW, YOU TELL ME, HOW DID THEY MEET WHEN THE
MOON WENT DOWN? You tell me. Speak up. After the moon went down, how did they
meet? Who did they meet? What did they meet?"
THE MASTER
IMMEDIATELY LEFT THE HALL. When he heard that sentence, what do you think Master
Fa Tsang did? He tossed his sleeve and stamped right out of the room. He
walked right out. (MASTER) HSI WENT TO REST, because there was nothing left for
him to say at that point.
(MASTER FA
TSANG) ESTABLISHED THE DHARMA AT SAN FENG. Later, Dhyana Master Fa Tsang
established the Dharma at San Feng Monastery on San Feng Mountain, WIDELY
PROCLAIMING THE CHI SCHOOL. No doubt you all know what that means?
Disciple:
"It's the Lin Chi School."
Master:
"And what about 'widely propagating.'?"
Disciple:
"Propagating the Lin Chi Ch'an School."
Master "Greatly propagating the Lin Chi
School! You should not say the 'Lin Chi Ch'an School.' Greatly propagating the
Lin Chi School."
AFTER HE
MOVED AND TRANSFORMED. What does that mean?
Disciple:
"After he entered extinction."
Master:
"How can you call entering extinction 'moving'? How do you explain the word
'moved'?"
Disciple:
"It means you couldn't see him anymore."
Master:
"What? 'Moved and transformed' means he 'moved house.' He moved from this
body into another body. He moved. Moved and changed means that he was done here
and so he 'moved' to another place, 'changed' locations. He went elsewhere.
A STUPA WAS
BUILT FOR HIM ON THAT MOUNTAIN. They built a STUPA, a pagoda, for him on that
very mountain.
TEXT:
A VERSE IN
HIS PRAISE RUNS:
AT THE SOUND
OF THE SPLITTING BAMBOO
HE DEEPLY
ENTERED PERFECT PENETRATION.
THE MYRIAD
FORMS OF CREATION
ALL COME
TOGETHER IN THIS SCHOOL.
IN FRONT OF
THE STAIRS, AS THE MOON FELL,
FACE TO FACE
THEY MET.
WITH A TOSS
OF HIS SLEEVE, HE TOOK HIS LEAVE,
TO SIT ON
THREE PEAKS, ALONE.
COMMENTARY:
AT THE SOUND
OF THE SPLITTING BAMBOO/HE DEEPLY ENTERED PERFECT PENETRATION. THE MYRIAD FORMS
OF CREATION, the mountains, the rivers, the earth itself, the vegetation,
forests, and the myriad things, the houses and the buildings--these are called
"all of creation." ALL COME TOGETHER IN THIS SCHOOL. All of the things
in the world unite in the Ch'an school. See? He became enlightened just hearing
the sound of breaking bamboo. Ah! To say nothing of breaking bamboo, one could
smash a piece of steel and you still wouldn't get enlightened. Why? Because your
attachments are too heavy. With hearts heavy with attachment there is no way to
become enlightened.
IN FRONT OF
THE STAIRS AS THE MOON FALLS. In front of the stairs, outside the door, they
waited until the moon went down...and then FACE TO FACE THEY MET. They saw each
other once again. WITH A TOSS OF HIS SLEEVE, HE TOOK HIS LEAVE. He shook his
sleeve and departed, TO SIT ON THREE PEAKS, ALONE. He sat on San Feng Mountain
alone, teaching and transforming living beings.
TEXT:
ANOTHER VERSE IN HIS PRAISE
RUNS:
GOING INTO
THE STREAM, FORGETTING THE PLACE,
THE EAR ORGAN PERFECTLY PENETRATES;
THE
WONDERFUL ENLIGHTENMENT OF HEARING THE NATURE
IS PRESENT IN ITS MIDST.
THE HEART
EMBRACES THE GREAT VOID,
ENCOMPASSING REALMS LIKE GRAINS OF SAND,
THE MARKS OF
SELF AND OTHER DESTROYED,
ONE PERVADES LANDS LIKE DUST.
IN A SINGLE
THOUGHT, TRANSCEND
AEONS WITHOUT LIMIT,
THE HUNDRED
DHARMAS DON'T GO BEYOND
SAMADHI'S FUSION.
SAN
FENG'S
VIRTUE IN THE WAY
FILLED ALL UNDER HEAVEN.
THE GREAT
TEACHING BENEFITS ALL
TRANSFORMING EAST AND WEST.
COMMENTARY:
GOING INTO
THE STREAM, FORGETTING THE PLACE, THE EAR ORGAN PERFECTLY PENETRATES. Kuan Yin
Bodhisattva talks about entering the stream and forgetting the place of entry.
You enter the stream, forget the place of entry, and then the ear organ attains
perfect penetration. THE WONDERFUL ENLIGHTENMENT OF HEARING THE NATURE IS
PRESENT IN ITS MIDST. Hearing the nature, this inconceivably wonderful
enlightenment, is within it. THE HEART EMBRACES THE GREAT VOID, ENCOMPASSING
REALMS LIKE GRAINS OF SAND. Our hearts encompass the great void. The great void
is within our hearts. The heart encompasses realms as many as grains of sand in
the Ganges River.
THE MARKS OF
SELF AND OTHERS DESTROYED, ONE PERVADES LANDS LIKE DUST. When there is no
mark of people and no mark of self, then one pervades all the lands like dust,
and they all become as one. IN A SINGLE THOUGHT, TRANSCEND AEONS WITHOUT LIMIT.
In the space of a thought, you can pass beyond limitless kalpas. THE HUNDRED
DHARMAS DON'T GO BEYOND SAMADHI'S FUSION. Although a hundred dharmas are a great
many, if you are concentrated, you can understand them all, you can unite with
them all and they don't go beyond samadhi's fusion--they are all fused.
SAN FENGS
VIRTUE IN THE WAY FILLED ALL UNDER HEAVEN. This Dhyana Master's virtue in the
Way was very great; it filled everything under heaven. THE GREAT TEACHING
BENEFITS ALL, TRANSFORMING THE EAST AND WEST. The great teaching is Buddhism. He
taught the Buddha's teaching; with the Buddha's teaching he benefited all living
beings, teaching and transforming people in the East and in the West.
Bhiksu Heng Kuan, Bhiksuni Heng Yin, and Bhiksuni Heng
Ch’ih are all committee chairmen of the Buddhist Text Translation Society.
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