A verse in praise says:

Becoming Fu Rong’s room-entering disciple,
He forgot the way he came and went.
Smashing the body-mountain,
Basically there is no ground to stand on.
Kings and ministers are harmonious and united.
Egrets hide among the rushes in the moonlight.
Riding the boat of compassion he returns;
Countless are the people he saved.

Commentary:
An eight-line verse was written in praise of the Patriarch. Becoming Fu Rong’s room-entering disciple: The disciple who receives the precept-robe and bowl, the items that certify his Dharma transmission from his master, is called a “room-entering” disciple. He forgot the way he came and went. He no longer came or went. He had forgotten the road from which he came, and so he no longer came. He had also forgotten the road on which he went, and therefore he did not go. There is nowhere from which he came, and nowhere to which he was going. He had arrived at the place where he did not come into being nor cease to be, was neither pure nor defiled, neither increasing or decreasing. He neither came nor went.

Smashing the body-mountain: This means smashing all attachments. If you still have attachments, then you have not shattered the body’s mountain. Basically there is no ground to stand on. If there is no place you can stand on, what kind of attachment could you possibly cling to? If you feel there is a place you can stand on, such as a physical body, you’ll still feel you are somebody. You might feel you are good looking, and become arrogant because of your beauty. Or, you might feel you are ugly and become arrogant because of your ugliness, wouldn’t you say that is strange? Ugly people think, “Once you look at me you will be scared, because I am ugly.” However, this Dharma Master was rid of those attachments. What’s beauty? What’s ugliness anyway? Upon further investigation, all of this is empty. Since there is nothing at all, one can smash the body’s mountain. Basically, there is no ground to stand on.

Kings and ministers are harmonious and united. This also means paths of the teacher and the disciple tally.

Egrets hide among rushes in the moonlight. Egrets are spotted vaguely among the rushes under the moonlight, so that you cannot see them clearly. However, if you truly and distinctly recognize the situation, the egret is the egret, flowering reeds are flowering reeds, the bright moon is the bright moon, and white snow is white snow. You cannot lump them all together.

Riding the boat of compassion he returns. This Dharma Master was a great provisional manifestation. For the sake of the actual, he bestowed the provisional. Riding the boat of compassion he returns; Countless are the people he saved. He taught and transformed many living beings.

Another verse says:

A monk at twenty, he traveled in search of teachers.
Studying under Master Fu Rong, his samadhi and wisdom were anchored
Within heaven and earth, inside the body-mountain a jewel is hidden,
Invaluable as space and impartial as the sea of karma.
Smashing attachments, where can one be?
Return to enlightenment from confusion: just this is Bodhi
Riding the boat of compassion, he comes back to find us.
Together let’s reach the “other shore”; do not have doubts.

Commentary:
A monk at twenty, he traveled in search of teachers. Having left the home-life, he went everywhere visiting good knowing advisors. He went to study under Dharma Master Fu Rong and became enlightened there.

Studying under Master Fu Rong, his samadhi and wisdom were anchored. He entered Master Fu Rong’s room and maintained samadhi and wisdom. This included precepts, samadhi, and wisdom, the three non-outflow studies. After his enlightenment, he ascended the Dharma Hall and said: Within heaven and earth, inside the body-mountain a jewel is hidden. “Within heaven and earth, in the midst of the universe, there is a jewel secretly hidden away in the body’s ‘mountain.’”

Invaluable as space and impartial as the sea of karma. There is no price attached to empty space, and the sea of karma is very straight and just.

Smashing attachments, where can one be? Cultivating, you should smash attachments and leave false appearances behind.

All conditioned dharmas
Are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows.
Like dewdrops and a lightning flash;
You should contemplate them thus.

You should truly contemplate dharmas in this way. Don’t just say, “Yes, I know,” but then at the critical moment you aren’t able to pass the test. You should be able to pass it! You should not be attached to anything. Regard favorable and unfavorable situations in the same way. Success and failure, right and wrong, all of these are the same.

Return to enlightenment from confusion: just this is Bodhi. Just that is the enlightenment path to enlightenment.

Riding the boat of compassion, he comes back to find us. Do you know why this Dhyana Master turns the boat of compassion around? Because he has come to look for you and me. If you do not know this, then after you hear it you’ll think it has absolutely nothing to do with you.

Together let’s reach the “other shore”; do not have doubts. Together he wants us all to arrive at the “other shore.” Don’t entertain doubts, “He couldn’t possibly be looking for me. He doesn’t know me; what does this have to do with me?” Then you are being very foolish. Usually, in the Chinese translation for “doubts,” the character chi (“late”) is used. Here, I have used another word with the same sound, meaning “delusion” or “foolishness.” Why are people late and tardy? Because they are foolish.

The End