Entangling Vines Page 24
Aśvaghoṣa (Ashifujusha , A-shih-feng-chüsha, Ashibakusha; 2nd c.; Case 228), a name often rendered in Chinese as Mama (Ma-ming; J., Memyō) or Anapudi (A-na-p’u-ti; J., Anabotei). Aśvaghoṣa is regarded as the twelfth ancestor of the Indian Zen lineage. A second-century poet and scholar from Śrāvastī in central India, he is said to have been a Brahman critical of Buddhism before his conversion by Punyayaśas, the eleventh Indian Zen ancestor. His work Buddhacharita (The life of the Buddha) is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Indian literature. Also attributed to him is the original text of the Dacheng qixin lun (On awakening faith in the Mahayana), although the true authorship is in question.
Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin , Kuan-yin, Kannon; Cases 12 n., 88, 237), the bodhisattva of great compassion, is regarded as the manifestation in bodhisattva form of the salvific function of Amitābha Buddha. The name “Avalokiteśvara” is generally interpreted to mean “the one who perceives the sounds (or cries) of the world.” In order to better save sentient beings everywhere, Avalokiteśvara is said to appear in thirty-three different forms, including the wish-fulfilling Avalokiteśvara, the white-robed Avalokiteśvara, the horse-headed Avalokiteśvara, and the willow-branch-holding Avalokiteśvara. Among the most popular manifestations is the eleven-headed, thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara. A legend explains that, when he saw all the suffering in the world, Avalokiteśvara’s head burst, after which Amitābha Buddha put the pieces back together in the form of eleven heads. The thousand arms symbolize Avalokiteśvara’s vow to help all beings.
B
Bai Juyi (Pai Chü-i, Haku Kyoi; 772–846; Case 215); also known as Bai Letian (Pai Lo-t’ien, Haku Rakuten). Giles writes:
One of China’s greatest poets. As a child he was most precocious, knowing a considerable number of the written characters at the early age of seven months, after having had each one pointed out only once by his nurse. He graduated as chin shih at the age of seventeen, and entered upon an official career. He became a member of the Han-lin College, and soon rose to high rank under the Emperor Hsien Tsung. However, one day he was suddenly banished to Chiangchou as Magistrate, which somewhat disgusted him with public life. To console himself, he built a retreat at Hsiang-shan, by which name he is sometimes called; and there, together with eight congenial companions, he gave himself up to poetry and speculations upon a future life. To escape recognition and annoyance, all names were dropped, and the party was generally known as the Nine Old Gentlemen of Hsiang-shan. This reaching the ears of the Emperor, he was transferred to be Governor of Chung-chou; and on the accession of Mu Tsung in 821 he was sent as Governor to Hangchow. There he built one of the great embankments of the beautiful Western Lake, still known as Po’s Embankment. He was subsequently Governor of Soochow, and finally rose in 841 to be President of the Board of War. His poems were collected by Imperial command and engraved upon tablets of stone, which were set up in a garden he had made for himself in imitation of his former beloved retreat at Hsiang-shan. In several of these he ridiculed in scathing language the preposterous claims of the Tao Té Ching. (1939, p. 630)
Baiyun Shouduan (Pai-yün Shou-tuan, Hakuun Shutan; 1025–72; Cases 95, 199, 259) was born in Hengyang in Hunan ; his family name was Zhou . After becoming a monk under Chaling Yu he studied with a number of masters during the course of a long pilgrimage. He finally joined the assembly under Yangqi Fanghui. After succeeding to Yangqi’s Dharma he served as priest of a number of temples, including Haihui Chanyuan on Mount Baiyun , from which his name derives. As the teacher of Wuzu Fayan he is an ancestor of all present-day Japanese Rinzai masters.
Baizhang Huaihai (Pai-chang Huai-hai, Hyakujō Ekai; 720–814; Cases 34, 78, 95 n., 117, 123, 170 n., 182, 221) was a native of Changle in Fujian . His family name was Wang . He received ordination at age twenty and studied the Tripitaka prior to entering the assembly under Mazu Daoyi, whose Dharma heir he became. After leaving Mazu he established a monastery on Mount Baizhang , a peak on Mount Daxiong . Huaihai is honored as the creator of the first distinctly Zen monastic code, the Pure Rules for the Zen Community . Although his original rule no longer exists, all subsequent Zen monasticism has been influenced by his concept of monastic practice and his overall architectural design for the monastery. Baizhang’s vision of Zen monastic life institutionalized the acceptance of manual labor found in the earlier communities of the Fourth and Fifth Patriarchs; one of Baizhang’s best-known sayings is his famous dictum, “A day of no work—a day of no eating” (Case 117). An equally well-known story tells of Baizhang’s monks hiding his tools when they feared he was becoming too old and weak for his accustomed labor in the garden. Baizhang thereupon retired to his quarters and refused to eat until the monks returned the tools.
Baizhang’s innovations in many ways marked the dividing point between Indian and Chinese Zen. In India, farm work had been forbidden, owing, among other things, to the inevitable loss of life it involved, whereas in Chinese Zen farming was viewed not only as a means of self-sufficiency but also as an excellent way of expressing the meditative mind in the activities of everyday life. Furthermore, Baizhang’s establishment of a Zen monastic rule was instrumental in defining Zen as an independent Buddhist school (previously Zen monks had resided in temples of the Vinaya school). Baizhang is thus honored as one of the Zen school’s founders in the Ancestors’ Hall of major Zen monasteries.
The master’s Dharma heirs include Guishan Lingyou, who, with Yangshan Huiji, was cofounder of the Guiyang lineage , and Huangbo Xiyun, whose lineage, through Linji Yixuan, includes all present-day masters of Chinese and Korean Zen, and of Japanese Rinzai Zen.
Baizhang Weizheng (Pai-chang Wei-cheng, Hyakujō Isei; 8th–9th c.; Cases 93, 193) was also known as Baizhang Fazheng (Pai-chang Facheng, Hyakujō Hōshō) and Baizhang Niepan (Pai-chang Nieh-p’an, Hyakujō Nehan). A Dharma heir of Baizhang Huaihai (sometimes identified as an heir of Mazu Daoyi, Baizhang’s teacher), Weizheng succeeded Huaihai as abbot of the monastery on Mount Baizhang . His nickname “Niepan” derived from his constant study of the Niepan jing (Nirvana Sutra).
Bajiao Huiqing (Pa-chiao Hui-ch’ing, Bashō Esei; 10th c.; Case 71) was a native of Silla , one of the three main kingdoms of ancient Korea. A Dharma successor of Nanta Guangyong (Nan-ta Kuang-yung, Nantō Kōyū; 850–938) of the Guiyang school, Huiqing later moved to the province of Hubei and lived on Mount Bajiao , from which he derived his name.
Baling Haojian (Pa-ling Hao-chien, Haryō Kōkan; 10th c.; Case 269), a monk of the Five-Dynasty (907–60) era, was an eccentric known for always carrying around a tattered sitting-cloth. He studied under Yunmen Wenyan and eventually succeeded to his Dharma. It is said that at the time of his transmission he submitted, instead of the usual written exposition of his understanding, the exchange known as the Three Turning-Phrases of Baling: (1) “What is the Way?” The master said, “A clear-eyed person falls into a well” (Case 269); (2) “What is the Blown-hair Sword?”1 The master said, “Branches of coral support the moon”; (3) “What is the Tipo school?”2 The master said, “A silver bowl filled with snow.”
Yunmen, extremely pleased, said, “On the anniversary of my death, simply recite these Three Turning-Phrases. That will suffice to repay my kindness.” Later, as abbot of the temple Xinkai yuan in Baling , Hunan , Haojian is said to have marked his teacher’s passing in that way.
1. The Blown-hair Sword is the name of a famous sword with a blade so sharp it could cut a hair blown against it. It symbolizes the keen functioning of the Zen master in cutting off the delusions of the student.
2. The Tipo school is the teaching of the fifteenth Indian Zen ancestor, Āryadeva (also called Kānadeva; tipo is the Chinese transliteration of Skt. deva, the abbreviation, in this case, of Kānadeva [C. Jianatipo ]). The school emphasized the śūnyatā teachings of the Madhyamaka school.
Baoshou Zhao (Pao-shou Chao, Hōju Shō; 9th c.; Case 123) is remembered principally as the author of the “Memorial Tower Inscription of Chan Master Linji Yixuan,” which provid
es a short biography of Linji Yixuan. Very little is known of his life, other than the fact that he was a Dharma heir of Linji and resided at Baoshou si in Zhenzhou , present Hebei .
Beijian Jujian (Pei-chien Chü-chien, Hokkan Kokan; 1164–1246; Case 95) was a native of Tongchuan , in present-day Sichuan , with the family name Long . He received ordination from the priest Yuancheng of the temple Guangfu yuan and studied under Biefeng and Tudu of Mount Jin . Upon attaining some degree of insight when reading the words of Wan’an Daoyan he went to Mount Yuwang in Zhejiang to meet Fozhao Deguang (Fo-chao Te-kuang, Busshō Tokkō; 1122–1203), who recognized his awakening. He remained with the assembly on Mount Yuwang for fifteen years. He later taught at the temple Bore Chanyuan in Taizhou , Zhejiang, then moved to Bao’en Guangxiao Chansi in the same region. Prevented by illness from assuming the priesthood of the prestigious Donglin si on Mount Lu , Jujian retired to Beijian on Mount Feilai , where he built himself a hut and dwelt for ten years. He later served as abbot of a number of important temples.
Bhikku Meghaśri (Deyun Biqiu , Te-yün Pi-ch’iu, Toku’un Biku; Case 89) was, after the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, the first of the fifty-three “good friends” that the bodhisattva Sudhana met on his travels in search of the Way, as recorded in the “Entry into the Realm of Reality” chapter of the Avataṁsaka Sutra. Bhikku Meghaśri tells Sudhana that he has attained awareness of all the buddhas, and can perceive the buddhas of all the lands in the ten directions.
Bodhidharma (Putidamo , P’u-t’i-ta-mo, Bodaidaruma; d. 528? 536? 543?; Cases 1, 9, 19-1, 34 n., 43, 46-2 n., 64, 109 n., 113, 170, 207-1, 207-2, 221, 254 n., 255 n., 270-1 n.). Bodhidharma is regarded as the twenty-eighth ancestor of the Indian Zen lineage and the first patriarch of the Chinese Zen lineage (he is often referred to simply as “the Patriarch” ). According to the legendary accounts of his life, he was the third son of a king in southern India. After meeting Prajñātara, the twenty-seventh Indian ancestor of Zen, Bodhidharma left the palace to study Buddhism under his guidance. Prajñātara urged him to spread the Zen tradition to China, so some years after Prajñātara’s death he made the long journey to that country and remained there the rest of his life. He first visited the land of Liang in southern China, where he had the famous exchange with Emperor Wu described in Case 64. He subsequently journeyed north and settled at Shaolin si , where for nine years he sat in meditation in a cave. He transmitted the Dharma to his disciple Huike. His teaching appears to have aroused opposition—the chronicles report that on six occasions he miraculously escaped attempts by his enemies to poison him. Some accounts say that he finally returned to India; others that he died in China and was buried on Bear Ear Mountain ; and still others that he crossed the sea to Japan.
C
Caoshan Benji (Ts’ao-shan Pen-chi, Sōzan Honjaku; 840–901; Cases 15, 111, 162), a native of Quanzhou in present-day Fujian with the family name Huang , studied Confucian thought before becoming a monk at the age of nineteen. After receiving the full precepts at Mount Lingshi at age twenty-five, he joined the assembly under Dongshan Liangjie and eventually became Dongshan’s Dharma heir; together with Dongshan he is regarded as the cofounder of the Caodong (J., Sōtō) school. His interpretation of Dongshan’s Five Ranks represents, in the view of many Zen masters (including the great Japanese Rinzai master Hakuin Ekaku), the profoundest doctrine in Zen.
Chaling Yu (Ch’a-ling Yü, Charyō Iku; n.d.; Case 258). Chaling Yu is so called because he was born in the region of Chaling and later lived on Mount Yu in the same district. He is known primarily as the ordination master of Baiyun Shouduan. A devoted supporter of the sangha, Chaling received the following koan from a Zen monk: “A monk asked Fadeng , ‘How can one step forward from the top of the hundred-foot pole?’ Fadeng answered, ‘Ah!’” (“Ah” is a “one-word barrier” signifying the ultimate inexpressibility of the Zen teachings.) Later a donkey Chaling was riding slipped after crossing a bridge over a ravine. Chaling fell, and at that moment he had a deep enlightenment. He immediately called upon Yangqi Fanghui, who confirmed his understanding. Chaling’s enlightenment verse appears in Case 258.
Changqing Huileng (Ch’ang-ch’ing Hui-leng, Chōkei Eryō; 854–932; Case 265) was a native of Hangzhou in Zhejiang ; his family name was Sun . He became a monk at the age of thirteen in Suzhou , modern Jiangsu , and later journeyed south. He studied under Lingyun Zhiqin and Xuansha Shibei, and finally completed his training under Xuefeng Yicun in Fuzhou , present-day Fujian . Changqing was an earnest student; it is said that he wore out seven sitting cushions in his twenty years of monastic practice. According to the Zutang ji (Annals of the ancestral hall), when he went to Xuefeng’s monastery the master said to him, “I’ll give you the medicine that horse doctors use to revive dead horses. Can you take it?” Changqing said he could, so Xuefeng advised him to “maintain body and mind as still as a burnt stump on a mountain. If you’re slow you’ll realize something in ten years; if you’re average, then after seven; and if you’re quick, then after three.”
One night, after he had practiced in this way for two and a half years, Changqing rose from meditation to walk around the garden a bit, then lay down on the bare ground to sleep. Upon awaking he returned to the meditation hall. As he raised the bamboo screen at the entrance he suddenly saw the beam of the lantern inside and at that moment was enlightened. He went to the master’s quarters and waited there for Xuefeng to finish his night’s sleep. Suddenly he let out a laugh. Xuefeng came out and enquired what had happened. Changqing replied, “How strange! How strange! When the screen is rolled up, all under Heaven is complete. Were someone to ask me what I’ve seen, I’d pick up my whisk and hit him on the mouth” (Miura and Sasaki 1966, p. 293).
Changqing subsequently traveled between Xuefeng’s temple and other communities, and in 906 he finally settled in Quanzhou , where he taught a community of never less than fifteen hundred students at the temple Changqing yuan , built for him by the prefect, Wang Yanbin .
Changqing Lan’an (Ch’ang-ch’ing Lan-an, Chōkei Ran’an; 793–883; Cases 32, 209) was also known as Changqing Da’an (Ch’ang-ch’ing Ta-an, Chōkei Daian), Guishan Lan’an (Kuei-shan Lan-an, Isan Ran’an), and Guishan Da’an (Kuei-shan Ta-an, Isan Daian). A native of Fujian with the family name Chen , he was ordained at a young age on Mount Huangbo , then went to study under Baizhang Huaihai.
Lan’an is said to have asked Baizhang, “I seek to know buddha. What is it?” Baizhang answered, “You’re like someone seeking an ox while riding an ox.” Lan’an asked, “After realizing this, what then?” Baizhang replied, “Do as one who rides an ox, heading home.” Lan’an said, “How should I guard it through to the end?” Baizhang said, “Like an oxherd who, with stick in hand, watches it and doesn’t let it graze on other people’s crops.” Lan’an understood his meaning and never again ran about searching. (T 51:267b)
After receiving transmision from Baizhang, Lan’an went to Mount Gui to help Guishan Lingyou, his brother disciple under Baizhang, establish his new monastery there; when Lingyou passed away, Lan’an succeeded him as abbot. In his teaching Lan’an continued to use the metaphor of the ox:
I have lived on Mount Gui for thirty years, eating Mount Gui’s food and shitting Mount Gui’s shit, but I did not study Mount Gui’s Zen. I simply tended an ox. When the ox left the road and entered the grass I pulled it back with its nose ring; when it entered other people’s fields I tamed it with the whip. For some time it has been gentle, amiably accepting my words. Now it has become “the white bull on the bare ground” [a Zen symbol for original nature] and is always before me, showing itself clearly throughout the day. Even if I try to chase it off it doesn’t go away. (T 51:267c)
Later Lan’an went to Fuzhou in modern Fujian and taught at Changqing Chanyuan . According to most accounts Lan’an returned to Mount Huangbo and died there at the age of ninety.
Changsha Jingcen (Ch’ang-sha Ching-ts’en, Chōsa Keishin; 9th c.; Cases 25 n., 79, 168, 196, 206, 272). Little is known of Jingcen�
�s life except that he was an heir of Nanquan Puyuan; that, after leaving Nanquan, he founded the temple Luyuan yuan in present Hunan ; and that he subsequently journeyed throughout the district of Changsha in the same province spreading the Dharma teachings.
One of the best-known koans involving Changsha is that of the “hundred-foot pole,” Record of Equanimity 79:
“The man sitting atop the hundred-foot pole: though he’s gained entry, this is not yet the real. Atop the hundred-foot pole, he should step forward: the universe in all directions is the whole body.” [A] monk said, “Atop the hundred-foot pole, how can you step forward?” Changsha said, “The mountains of Lang, the rivers of Li.” The monk said, “I don’t understand.” Changsha said, “The whole land is under the imperial sway.” (Cleary 1988, p. 335)