직지심체요절 (Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests' Zen Teachings — World's Oldest Movable Metal Type, 1377)

Thinking of evil, what is it? The Master then returned to his hut to sit in quiet meditation. The heavenly spirit did not appear for several days, so he wept and left.

Wanfu Gu cited this story, saying: "All you seniors, that ancient man attained such a state of body and mind, yet he was still seen by ghosts and spirits. How much more so for you people of the present time? From dawn until dusk, you deceive yourselves. The heavenly spirits and local deities see your every move, good or bad; they know it all. For the sake of this one thought of yours, do not forget: the current intent is simply to have all of you put to rest the mind that seeks studies, and put to rest the mind that seeks cultivation. Go like a block of dull stone, go like cold ashes and dead embers. If you can be like this, you will attain a share of resonance. If you do not act like this, even if you cultivate the six paramitas perfections and ten thousand practices, or even if you cultivate until the end of the future, you will only attain a sambhogakaya reward body or nirmanakaya manifested body Buddha. You will not see the truth. The Sutra says: 'The reward and manifested bodies are not the true Buddha, nor are they those who preach the Dharma.'"

A large open circle (ensō) used as a section marker.

Yunju, because a monk asked, "What is the One Dharma?" The Master said, "What are the all-dharmas?" The monk said, "I do not know how to understand this." The Master said, "The One Dharma is your original mind. The all-dharmas are your original...

...nature. Now tell me, are mind and nature one or two?" The monk bowed. The Master then composed a verse saying: "The One Dharma and all-dharmas are the school. The ten thousand dharmas are one mind. All is mind, all is your nature. Do not speak of differences or sameness."

A large open circle (ensō) used as a section marker.

Chan Master Caoshan Benji, because Jingqing asked, "When the principle of emptiness and tranquility is reached, there is ultimately no body. How is it then?" The Master said, "The principle is like this, but what about the phenomenon?" [Jingqing] said, "It is as the principle, so is the phenomenon."

A large open circle (ensō) used as a section marker.

Caoshan asked the Elder De: "The true Dharma body of the Buddha is like empty space, manifesting forms in response to things, like the moon in water. How do you explain the principle of this response?" De said, "Like a donkey looking into a well." The Master said, "You said it quite well, but you only got eight-tenths of it." De said, "What about the Venerable One?" The Master said, "Like a well looking at a donkey."

A large open circle (ensō) used as a section marker.

Jingqing asked a monk, "What is that sound outside the gate?" The monk said, "The sound of raindrops." The Master said, "Sentient beings are inverted; they are deluded and chase after objects." [Jingqing] asked another monk, "What is that sound outside the gate?" [The monk] said, "A snake biting a toad." The Master said, "I thought that sentient beings suffered, but it is actually the suffering that follows the sentient beings."

Straight Pointing, 15