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

The Huayan Abbot Asks the Chan Master

A Huayan abbot asked the Chan master: "Why do you not allow that 'The lush green bamboo is entirely the dharmakaya truth-body/reality-body,' and 'The blooming yellow flowers are nothing but prajna transcendent wisdom'?" Chan Master Dazhu replied: "The dharmakaya has no form; it responds to the green bamboo to form a shape. Prajna has no awareness; it reflects against the yellow flowers to manifest as an image. It is not that those yellow flowers or green bamboo possess the dharmakaya or prajna inherently. Therefore, the sutra says: 'The Buddha's true dharmakaya is like empty space, responding to things by manifesting forms, like the moon in the water.' If yellow flowers were prajna, then prajna would be the same as something inanimate. If green bamboo were the dharmakaya, then the dharmakaya could still be used as an object." The abbot was subdued and understood the meaning.

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Chan Master Deshan Mi and the Chan Practitioner

Under Chan Master Deshan Mi, there was a Chan practitioner who exerted himself intensely. He observed the koan of "The dog has no Buddha-nature" for a long time without entering into realization. One day, he suddenly saw a dog's head as large as the sun wheel, opening its mouth as if to eat him. The practitioner was frightened, left his seat, and ran away. A neighbor asked him the reason, and the practitioner explained the event in detail. He then reported it to Deshan. Deshan said, "There is no need to fear. Just intensify your concentration."

"Wait until it opens its mouth, then charge straight into it, and you will be done." The practitioner followed the teaching and sat until midnight. The dog appeared again. The practitioner gathered his strength and charged at it with his head, and he found himself inside a storage cabinet. Thereupon, he was thoroughly enlightened. Later, he appeared in the world at Wenshu Dao, and the Dharma flourished greatly. This was Master Zhen.

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Dharma Words of Chan Master Guifeng Zongmi

Chan Master Guifeng Zongmi said: "One should only take emptiness and stillness as one's own body; do not mistake the physical body for it. Take spiritual awareness as your own heart-mind; do not mistake deluded thoughts for it. If deluded thoughts arise, do not follow them. Then, when the time of death arrives, karma will naturally be unable to bind you. Whether in the heavens or among humans, you will be reborn wherever you wish. This is the essential method of practice for those who understand the truth, both morning and evening."

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Prime Minister Zhang Zhuo Composes a Verse

Prime Minister Zhang Zhuo visited Shishuang. Shishuang asked the elder, "What is your surname?" He replied, "My name is Zhuo, and my surname is Zhang." The master said, "If you seek 'skill,' you will never find it original: "呵" (a sound of exclamation or dismissal); so where does 'clumsiness' come from?" Zhang had a realization at these words and composed a verse: "Bright, silent, and illuminating, it pervades the sands of the Ganges. Ordinary and sage, all sentient beings are one family. Not a single thought arises..."