Master Yunmen

MASTER YUNMEN
F r o m th e R e c o r d o f th e C h a n M a s t e r
G a t e o f th e C l o u d s 7
T r a n s la te d 'r e d ite d , a n d w ith a n in tr o d u c tio n b y
URS APP
K O D A N S H A
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
M ew Y ork * T o h yo
London
Kodansha A m erica, Inc.

114 Fifth A ven u e, N e w Y ork, N Y 10011, U .S .A .
Kodansha International Ltd.
1 7 -1 4 O tow a 1 -ch o m e, B u n k y o -k u , T o k y o 112 japan
Published in 1994 by Kodansha A m erica, Inc.
C opyright 1994 by Urs App.
AH rights reserved.
Printed in the U nited States o f America
94 95 9 6 97 9 8 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library o f Congress C atalogin g-in-P ub lication Data
App, Urs, 1 9 4 9 M aster Y u n tn en : from the record o f the C han M aster Gate o f the
C louds / Urs App.
p.
cm .
IS B N 1-5 6 8 3 6 - 0 0 4 -5 /I S B N 1 -5 6 8 3 6 -0 0 5 -3 (pbk.)
1. Y u n -m en , 8 6 4 -9 4 9 . 2. Z en Buddhism- D octrines. 1. Y u n -m en ,
8 6 4 -9 4 9 W orks Selections 1994. II. Title.
B Q 9 9 8 .U 5 9 A 6 7
1994
2 9 4 .3 '9 2 7 '0 9 2 dc20
[B]
9 3 -4 2 8 2 4
C IP
Book design by Laura Hough
The text o f this book was set in Bembo,
Printed and bound by R . R . D onnelly & Sons C o m p a n y ,
Harrisonburg, Virginia.
T o Y o s h ita k a Ir iy a
XV
C o n te n ts
L ist o f illu s tr a tio n s a n d T ab le s
ix
P re fa c e
xi
IN T R O D U C T IO N
A B rie f H is to r y o f C h a n
T k e L ife o f M a s te r Y u n m e n
17
T h e T e a c h in g of M a s te r Y u n m e n
33
T A LK S A N D D IA L O G U E S
C o r r e s p o n d in g to th e O c c a s io n (N o s. 11 4 4 )
83
E s s e n tia l S a y in g s fro m
th e M a s t e r s R o o m (N os. 1 4 5 2 2 1 )
156
S t a t e m e n t s W i t h A n sw ers in P la c e o f
t k e A n d ie n e e (N o s. 2 2 2 - 2 6 3 )
197
C ritic a l E x a m i n a t i o n s (N o s. 2 6 4 2 7 7 )
212
P ilg rim a g e R e co rd (N o s. 2 7 8 2 8 5 )
220
vii
C o n te n ts
M A T E R IA L S
M a jo r S o u rc e s fo r Y u n m e n s L ife a n d T e a c King
229
T k e H is to r y o f t k e R ecord o f Y u n m e n
232
O v erv iew o f tk e C o n t e n t s o f tk e
R ecord o f Y u n m e n
239
Y u n m e n - R e la t e d K o a n s
242
S ele c tiv e B ib lio g ra p k y
246
V 1L1
L ist o f illu s tr a tio n s a n d T Lies
P h o to g rap h o f the m onastery at M t. Y u n m en , 1990

W o o d -b lo c k p rin t o f a preface to the Record
T h e o u ter gate tcT the Y u n m en m onastery
O v erv iew o f C h an in history
H istorical m ap w ith Y u n m e n !s itinerary
T h e m u m m y o f M aster Y u n m e n (1928 photo)
T h e replica o f the m u m m y (1990 photo)
C alligraphy
P h o to g rap h o f a stream o n M t. Y u n m en and poem
C alligraphy
Im p o rtan t koans featuring Y u n m en
ix
xiii
X IX
6
7
16
30
32
47
80
238
243
P re fa c e
Jo u r n e y to M t. Y u n m e n
In the su m m er o f 1990 I m ade a pilgrim age to the m onastery at
the foot o f M t. G ate-o f-th e-C lo u d s (M t. Y unm en) in S outhern
C hina, the place w h ere C han M aster Y unm en taught slightly
m ore than a thousand years ago. After a sev e n -h o u r train ride
n o rth from C h in a s so u thernm ost m etropolis, G uangzhou (C an
ton), I arrived after m idnight in th e city o f Shaoguan one h u n
dred years ago an outpost feared by W esleyan missionaries b e
cause o f its h o t and h u m id clim ate and ram pant disease b u t today
ju st an o th er dusty provincial city. T h e next m o rn in g a bus took
m e ab o u t tw enty-five miles w estw ard to a to w n called Rjayuan
( Source o f M ilk ), a small settlem ent in the free zone o f the
Yao people,, a dark-skinned ethnic m inority w hose striking
b lu e-an d -p u rp le costum es appear exotic even to m ost C hinese.
A deep blue river w o u n d its w ay through this to w n , and above
its tree-lin ed m arket streets rose m ountains, m ajestic and green
th ro u g h o u t the year. From the bus station I w alked north on a
sand-covered road glim m ering in the m idsum m er heat. M aking
m y w ay th ro u g h a pretty valley d o tted w ith rice fields and ba
nana orchards, 1 en co u n tered only a few people: a boy guiding a
w ater buffalo, a peasant killing a snake at a roadside well, and a
group o f h erdsm en taking a siesta on a m eadow .
XI
P reface
After I had w alked for tw o hours, the valley expanded
across a pass in to a broad, spectacular plain flanked on the right
by a series o f m ountains cascades o f bold curves shim m ering in
ever m ore subtle shades o f green and gray u n d er th e blinding
m idday sun. D u e to the consistently w arm clim ate, the entire
plain was a single m agnificent mosaic o f rice terraces in all stages
o f cultivation. T hese squares o f green, b ro w n , and yellow w ere
separated from o n e an o th er by row s of banana trees w aving their
huge leaves lazily in the h u m id heat and by patches o f swam p
ad o rn ed w ith majestic lotus flowers.
O n the left this picturesque plain was overshadow ed by a
densely o v ergrow n m o untain shooting upw ard in spurts; M t.
G ate-o f-th e-C lo u d s or, in C hinese, Y unm en-shan. A little over
o n e thousand years ago this m ountain had housed the C han
m aster called W enyan w h o becam e fam ous u n d er its nam e: the
m aster o f M t. Y unm en. B o m in 864 near Shanghai, he had
co m e to this region w h en he was ju st ab o u t sixty years old, and,
at th e foot o f the m o u n tain, had founded th e m onastery w hose
long yellow facade I saw glow ing u n d er thousands o f green ro o f
tiles.
T o d ay s m onastery buildings w ere m ostly built during the
last ten years. This large construction project was initiated by the
present abbot o f the m onastery and partly financed by the re
gional g overnm ent, w hich is interested in the m onastery n o t
only as a cultural site but also as an attraction for C hinese and
foreign tourists alike. A fter entering the w alled-in m onastery
co m p o u n d th ro u g h an o u ter gate, a visitor first finds him self in a
courtyard w ith a curved pond. A long, tw o -sto ry building,
w hose yellow facade I had glim psed earlier, sits on one side o f
the courtyard. An open gallery at its center leads th ro u g h to the
m ain m onastery grounds. T h ere one is faced w ith a m aze o f
tree-lin ed courts and buildings o f various sizes, dom inated by th e
massive B uddha Hall w here sutra-chanting and religious cere-
xii
P r e fa c e
monies take place every morning and evening. Behind it is the

founders hall w hich used to house the mummy o f Master Y unmen. The mummy disappeared during the Cultural R evolution,
and a w ooden replica now takes its place. The meditation hall at
the back o f the monastery is comparatively small. It appears to be
little used outside the tw o traditional three-month periods o f
intensive meditation that take place every year. The monastery
also has spacious rooms for study, a small library, and a kitchen
and dining hall o f impressive size. At present, the monastery is
hom e to about eighty monks living, unlike Japanese Zen monks
w ho are housed in large halls, in small individual rooms. They
follow a strict schedule o f prayer, religious ceremony, and work.
The monastery also houses the scores o f workers w ho are still
XUl
P r e fa c e
busy w ith construction. Forty nuns occupying the nearby brandn ew n u n n ery help to ru n the m onastery and participate in the
daily ritual.
T h e square m onastery grounds are enveloped tow ards the
m ountainside by row s o f trees planted by the last famous C han
m aster w h o resided here, X u y u n ( E m pty C lo u d /' 18581959);
he is b u ried w here they m eet at the back o f the m onastery. F rom
that p o in t, a narrow and new ly paved path leads in to a steep
gorge o v erg ro w n w ith luxurious green trees and plants that is
filled w ith the perfum es o f exotic flowers and the insistent d ro n
ing o f several kinds o f cicadas. Playing hide-and-seek w ith a
rushing b ro o k , the path w inds uphill until it ends at the fo o t o f a
waterfall, n ex t to an oval po o l overlooked by a small hexagonal
pavilion. T hose prepared to climb can reach tw o m ore waterfalls
farther up the gorge.
A lthough the m onastery at M t. G a te -o f-th e -Q o u d s is n o w
w aking up to ren ew ed greatness it u n d erw en t m any centuries o f
neglect and decay. W h e n the great Japanese researcher o f B ud
dhism D aijo T o k iw a visited it in 1927, it consisted only o f a few
dilapidated buildings. In his report, the great scholar com plained
that the o n e rem aining m o n k did n o t have th e slightest idea o f its
great history and could n o t even nam e the m aster w ho had
fo u n d ed it. In addition to discovering the m u m m y o f M aster
Y u n m e n and som e d o o r plates, Professor T o k iw a stum bled on
tw o o th er very im p o rtan t rem nants o f th e m onasterys illustrious
past: tw o stone slabs, o r stelae, each the size o f a m an, standing
abandoned in a corner. Engraved on these stelae, w hich have
since been set into the m onastery c o u rts walls, are inscriptions
dating fro m 959 and 964 (ten and fifteen years after Y u n m en s
death). T h ey are the m ost im portant sources for Y u n m e n s biog
raphy and also describe the original appearance o f the m onastery:
It has m a n y b u ild in g s, lik e c lo u d s fo r m in g o n all sides. L ike
a p a la ce, it has a p e n th o u s e , piilars, so a rin g e a v e s, u p p er
XLV
P r e fa c e
an d lo w e r g alleries, d e e p g u tte rs, m u r m u r in g sp rin g s, a n d
d o o r a n d w in d o w o p e n in g s w h ic h b rea k th e s u m m e r h e a t
a n d le t c o o l air e n te r . B ig p in e trees a n d tall b a m b o o s e m it
th e ir s c e n t a n d m in g le th e ir s o u n d s m h a r m o n y . In c lo s e to
th irty years th e a ssem b ly c o u n t e d n e v e r less th a n h a lf a
th o u s a n d [p erso n s]. (S to n e in s c r ip tio n o f th e y e a r 9 5 9 )
W h e n the reconstruction o f the m onastery started around

19K5, the en d o f m y second long stay in Japan was already ap
proaching. T h re e years o f that stay had been devoted to research
o n M aster Y u n m en and his teachings, w hich form ed the subject
o f m y dissertation. T h e subsequent w ritin g in m y native Sw it
zerland o f that first b o o k T en g th study o f the m aster and his
teachings ran, w ith o u t m y know ledge, almost parallel to the
co n stru ctio n w o rk at M t. Y unm en. H ow ever, unlike the ar
chitects and construction w orkers w ho had no idea w h at the
original buildings even looked like, 1 was lucky to have access to
ancient and relatively reliable sources.
T h e stone inscriptions o f 959 and 964 constitute, to g eth er
w ith the Record o f Yunm en, the m ost im portant sources o f infor
m ation ab o u t the life and teaching o f the m aster (see descriptions
in the M aterials section). T he In tro d u ctio n follow ing this Pref
ace contains a concise biography o f Y u n m en that is based on
these and. o th er im p o rtan t C hinese sources, as w ell as a b rief
history o f C h an and a discussion o f C h an teaching.
In the m ain body o f th e b o ok, I have translated m any o f
Y u n m e n s talks and dialogues for the first tim e. T h e length o f
the Record o f Yunm en necessitated a stringent process o f selection;
I chose to translate all o f the longer talks and a representative
sample o f the hundreds o f short dialogues that the Record co n
tains. All dialogues used in the four m ajor C hinese koan collec
tions are included (see table, p. 243). Since the first volum e o f
the Record appears to be the oldest and m ost reliable, I decided to
cull from it m ore than half o f the total volum e o f translated parts.
XV
P r e fa c e
In the final p o rtio n o f this book, M aterials, the history o f

the Record is traced and an overview o f its contents given. A ddi
tionally, Y u n m e n s dialogues that appear as koans in the four
m ajor koan collections as well as relevant literature are listed.
This is the place to express m y gratitude to m y Japanese
and A m erican teachers (w ithout, o f course, im plicating them in
th e shortcom ings that a pioneering effort m ust entail): to my
teacher Yoshitaka Iriya, the m an on this globe w h o is m ost fa
m iliar w ith the language o f C h an texts and w hose years o f lec
tures and m any afternoons o f selfless help have m ade h im a
grandparent o f this book; to Seizan Yanagida, th e director o f m y
research institution, an exem plary Z en researcher and inspiring
m an; and finally to R ich ard D eM artino, w hose clear sight has
o p en ed for m e m ore perspectives than I can recount. I en co u r
age readers interested in m y discussion o f Y u n m e n s teaching to
read the deeper and m ore extensive analyses o f Z en teaching
fo u n d in D eM a rtin o s w ritings (see Selective Bibliography). M y
thanks also go to friends, colleagues, and students w h o have read
the m anuscript or parts o f it and helped m e in various o th er
ways. I am especially indebted to m y editors at K odansha; to
Professors B u rto n W atson, V ictor M air, and Steven Antinoff;
and to Lee R o ser, Stephan Schuhm acher, and W en d i A dam ek.
I w o u ld like to rem ind Sinologists, Japanologists, scholars
o f B uddhism , and o th er specialists that a separate scholarly edi
tion will b e published by the K uroda Institute. It will n o t include
the in tro d u cto ry part o f this volum e and will feature a veiy dif
ferent set o f footnotes geared to the needs and interests o f spe
cialists and translators. It will also contain, in addition to the
C hinese tex t o f all translated passages, an annotated translation o f
relevant parts o f the oldest stone inscription, a translation o f pref
aces to the text, a m ore detailed account o f the history of the
Record o f Y u n m en , extensive lists o f biographical and textual
sources, various tables that relate the Record o f Yunm en to o th er
XVI
P r e fa c e
C h a n texts and inscriptions, indices, and a m ore com prehensive

bibliography*
N o t e to T e x t a n d T r a n s la tio n
T his is a partial translation o f the Record o f Y unm en. T h e fall title
o f the original tex t is Yunm en kuangzhen chanshi guanglu (C o m
prehensive R eco rd s o f C h a n M aster K uangzhen o f Y unm en).
T o keep m atters simple, all editions o f this text w ill be referred to
as Record o f Yunm en. This translation contains approxim ately one
fourth o f the volum e o f the original text. All longer talks by the
m aster, and all koans featuring Y u n m en co n tain ed in the m ajor
koan collections, have b een translated- M ost o f the translated
m aterial stems from the oldest parts o f the Record o f Y unm en.
T h e tex t used for the translation is fo u n d as part o f the
G u zu n su yulu (R eco rd o f the Sayings o f O ld W orthies) in T ai
w a n s N atio n al C entral Library in Taipei* This oldest extant edi
tion o f the Record o f Yunm en dates from the year 1267.
Because this T aipei edition is n o t available to m ost scholars
and students, I decided to key all references to an edition found
in m any libraries in East and W est, nam ely, that contained in
v olum e 47 o f the Taisho edition o f the C hinese B uddhist
c a n o n .1 O th e r texts contained in this largest collection o f C h i
nese B uddhist texts (for exam ple, the Record o fL in ji and the Blue
C liff Record ) are also cited in the follow ing standard form at: T
(standing for Taisho), follow ed by volum e, page, section, and
line identification (e.g., T 47: 545b 15 for T aisho canon volum e
47, p. 545, section b, line 15). T h e abbreviation Z Z stands for
th e Japanese Z o k u zo k y o collection o f C hinese B uddhist texts.
T h e original C hinese text indicates the beginning o f co n
1 See the Materials section for m ore detail.
x v ii
P r e f a ce
versations or formal talks by spaces. For m ore convenient cross

reference and identification, I gave each translated section a
number.
I strove to make the translation as literal as possible w hile
con veyin g the flavor and style o f the original. In general, words
that in my opinion are implied in the terse Chinese text were put
in square brackets.1 Since such additions often affect the overall
m eaning o f the text, I judged it necessary to identify them as m y
ow n and thus give the reader the option o f ignoring everything
in brackets. W ords in parentheses have been added to convey
equivalent terms w ith w hich som e readers m ight be more famil
iar.2 T he original Chinese text contains neither brackets nor
parentheses.
1 For exam ple: [Y ou m ust be hungry after such a lo n g trip;] theres gruel and
rice on the lo n g bench! (section 104).
2 T hus I have, for exam ple, translated the C h in ese f a as separate entity
(dharm a).
xviii
X IX
Steeply
Ait,
Yunmen rises
Leaving the white clouds way below

Its streams rush so swiftly
That no fish dares to linger
A stream on M t. Yunmen and a poem
(T 4 7 : 5 5 3 h 2 0 )
80
T alk s
ana
D ialo dues
ta
C o rre s p o n d in g to tk e O c c a s io n
545a16
54662
H aving co m e to the D harm a Hall [to instruct the assem bly],1 the
M aster rem ain ed silent for a long tim e and th en said:
T h e kn ack 2 o f giving v oice to th e D ao is definitely diffi
cult to figure out. E v en if every w o rd m atches it, there still are a
m u ltitu d e o f o th er ways; h o w m u ch m o re so w h e n I rattle on
and on? So w h a ts the p o in t o f talking to you right n ow ?3
1 In this text, formal lectures to the assembly by the master are usually intro
duced by this expression. Such discourses w ere formal in the sense that in
principle all m onks o f a m onastery (and often also visitors) w ere ex p ected to be
present w h e n the master, seated on a w id e chair o n an elevated platform, ad
dressed them .
3 T h e term j i (here rendered as knack ) covers a broad spectrum o f m eanings
such as trigger (o f an even t), operating m echanism , ability, knack, force, m o v
in g pow er, device, occasion, etc. T h e fo llo w in g passage from the Collection from
the Founders H alts , 3 .2 3 , 7 ff., illustrates an aspect o f the knack in question here:
A m on k asked, T h e A ncients said that the D ao is b ey o n d words.
B u t i f the D ao is b eyon d words, w h o is able to establish this?
M aster Y ungai Z hiyuan replied, B orrow ed w ords give
v o ic e to the D ao; the D ao does not verbalize itself.
3 T h e first speech o f M aster Linji (R inzai) strikes a similar n ote (Record o f Lttijif
T47: 4 9 6 b l l 14; Sasaki translation, p. 1):
83
M a s te r Y u n m e n
T h o u g h each o f the three collections o f B uddhist teach

in g 1 has its specific sphere th e vinaya pertains to the study o f
m onastic discipline, the sutras to th e study o f m editative co n c en
tration, and the treatises to th e study o f w isdom the five v eh i
cles o f the th ree -p art B uddhist can o n and the eight teachings o f
th e five p eriods2 really all boil d o w n to ju st one thing, nam ely,
the o n e v eh icle.3 It is perfect and im m ed iate4 and extrem ely
difficult to fathom . E v en if you co u ld understand it rig h t now ,
y o u d still be as different from this p a tc h -ro b e d m o n k as earth is
from heaven. If in m y assembly so m e o n e s ability is m anifested
in a phrase,5 y o u ll p o n d e r in vain. E ven if, in o rd er to m ake
T oday, I, this m ountain m on k, having no c h o ice in the m at

ter, have perforce yielded to custom ary etiquette and taken this
seat. If I w ere to dem onstrate the Great M atter in strict k eep in g
w ith the teaching o f the Patriarchal School, I simply c o u ld n t
op en m y m ou th and there w o u ld n t be any place for y o u to find
footin g.
1 Traditionally, the written, teachings o f B udd hism are classified in three bas
kets (Pali: pitaka ): m onastic rules (vinaya), sutras, and treatises (skastras).
2 T h e com m entary in the Collection o f Items from the Garden o f the Patriarchs
(Z uting shiyuan, Z Z 113: 3 a l8 b2) points out that M aster Y u n m en is here
probably thinking o f a classification o f B uddhist teachings current in Tiantai
(Tendai) B uddhism . Such classifications w ere attempts to bring consistency
and con tin u ity to B uddhist teachings by attributing them to specific phases and
occasions o f the B uddhas life.
3 T h e singular or un iqu e veh icle (ekayana). In the C han m ov em en t, one's ow n
realization o f the n on -d u al or m indless m ind (C h. ivushin, Jap. mushift) is re
garded as the on e vehicle,
4 V arious interpretations o f the C hin ese w o rd dun (here rendered by im m ed i
ate ) have b een advanced in specialist literature. I translate it by im m ed iate
because this suggests both a tem poral dim en sion ( sudden) and the lack o f any
m ediation.
5 T h e great num ber o f C han stories and exchanges w h ere som e expression o f
o n e s understanding is requested attest to the im portance o f such verbal m ani
festations o f ability in the form o f w ords. See also the end o f section 22.
84
C o r r e s p o n d in g to t h e O c c a s io n
progress, y o u sorted o u t all C h an teachings w ith th eir thousand

differences and m yriad distinctions, y o u r m istake w o u ld still
consist in searching for proclam ations from o th e r p e o p le s
tongues.
So h o w should one approach w h at has b een transm itted?
By talking in h ere about p erfect and im m ed iate? By [this] here
o r [that] th e re ? 1 D o n t get m e w rong: y o u m ust n o t hear m e say
this and th e n speculate th at n o t perfect and n o t su d d en are it!
T h e re m u st be a real m an in here! D o n t rely o n som e
m asters p reten tio u s statem ents or h a n d -m e -d o w n phrases th at
you pass o ff everyw here as y o u r o w n understanding! D o n t get
m e w ro n g . W h a te v er y o u r p ro b lem right n o w is: try settling it
ju st h ere in fro n t o f the assembly!
A t th e tim e Prefectural G o v e rn o r H o was present. H e p e r
form ed the custom ary b o w and said, Y o u r disciple requests
y o u r in stru ctio n .
T h e M aster replied, T his w eed I see is n o different! 2
545b2-5
A n official asked, Is it true that the B uddha D harm a is like the

m o o n in the w ater? 3
1 H ere and there as a pair subsum e poles o f duality such as delusion and
en ligh tenm ent, ordinary and holy, im perfect and perfect, m ediated and un
m ediated (im m ediate), etc.
2 Since in C han texts w e ed is used as a m etaphor for illusions w h ich the
teacher steps into in order to save his disciples (see, for exam ple, section 147),
Y u n m en possibly is saying: Y ou 're quite an ordinary w eed , just like the others
here; so w hat 1 said about setding your problem in front o f everyon e applies to
you , to o ! T he answ er m ay also mean: N o special treatment here!
3 T h e teachings o f the Buddha and o f the C han masters axe regarded as aids that
can, depending on the circum stances (w hich change like w aves in the water),
take o n various forms. All teachings p o in t towards o n e s o w n aw akening (the
m oon); on e is thus w arned not to mistake the teaching d ev ice (the p oin tin g
85
T he Master replied, [Even] a pure wave has no way o f

penetrating through [to the m o o n ].
T he official pressed on, By what way did you reach it,
Reverend?
T he Master answered, W here did you get this second
question from? 1
The official w ent on, H o w about my situation right
now?2
T he Master said, T he road across this mountain pass is
totally blocked!
545b810
Som eone asked Master Y unm en, Since antiquity, the old w or
thies have transmitted mind by mind.3 Today I ask you, Master:
W hat device do you use?
T he Master said, W hen theres a question, theres an an
swer. >*&
4
finger, or in this case the reflection o f the m o o n in the water) for the ultimate
goal.
1 See Y u n m en s statem ent A coin lost in the river is found in the river (sec
tion 15). Y u n m en appears to p o in t out that the questioners treasure lies just
w here his question is com ing from, as in the Chan saying O n e s o w n housetreasure is not found o n the outside.
2 T h e questioner wants the master to tell him w here he stands o n the path to
the m o o n o f awakening.
3 Transm itting m ind by m in d 5 is a pivotal C han con cep t w hose history has
been traced in Esshu M iura and R u th Fuller Sasaki, Z en D u st (K yoto: T h e First
Z en Institute o f Am erica in Japan, 1966), p. 230 ff., and in Seizan Yanagida,
Shoki zenshushisho no kenkyu {Kyoto: H ozokan, 1967), p. 471 ff. It is said to
express the teaching m ethod o f the Buddha and Bodhidharm a.
4 In section 81, Y un m en replies practically in the same words to a question
about teaching m ethods.
86
C o r r e sp o n d in g t o tlie O c c a s io n
T h e questioner w en t on, In this case it isnt a useless de

vice! 1
T h e M aster replied, N o question, no answ er.*
545b 12-14
Som eone asked, W h at about the occasion w h en the hen pecks

and the chick flies? 2
T h e M aster said, C rack!
T h e questioner w en t on: D oes this apply [to m e]?
T h e M aster said, Slowly, slowly! 3
545b14
Som eone asked, W h a ts m y central concern?

T h e M aster replied, H ey, this question really got m e! 4
1 This is probably an expression o f appreciation: Y our teaching w o n t be lost

on m e, I accept and appreciate it.
2 W hat I translate as filing and "pecking is a C hinese expression consisting
o f tw o characters; the first is an onom atopoeric rendering o f the sound o f filing
and the second o f knocking. T hey represent the effort o f a chick to break out
o f its shell and o f the m other hen to help it in this endeavor. T his stands for the
sim ultaneous and tim ely effort o f teacher and student, resulting in the students
breaking out o f his shell. See case 16 o f the Blue C liff Record.
3 This expression was used several times by Y un m en for adm onishing his disci
ples to take o n e step at a tim e and n o t to im agine having reached the end o f the
road before having even taken the first steps. See sections 8, 29, and 46.
4 Literally: I have sincerely accepted your question! Professor Y oshitaka Iriya
points out that this is likely to be a sarcastic response: W o w ! W^hat a ques
tion !, w ith the undertone This one is really m uch too big for y o u ! Addi
tionally, there m ight be an elem en t o f Y o u re asking me about your own cen
tral concern?
87
545bl4-15
Som eone asked Master Y unm en, H o w about a phrase chat is

separately transmitted outside the written teachings?
T he Master said, C om e on, present this question to the
w hole assembly!
5 4 5 b l5 -2 7
The Master said,

D o n t say that Im deceiving you today! I simply cannot
help performing a messy scene in front o f you; what a laughing
stock Id be if some clear-sighted man were to see me! But right
n ow I cannot avoid this.1
So let m e ask you all: What has so far been the matter
w ith you?2 W hat do you lack? If I tell you that nothing whatso
ever is the matter then Ive already buried you; you yourself
must arrive at that realization! D o n t give free rein to your
mouths for haphazard questioning. Its pitch-black in your hearts,
and one o f these days som ething will be very much the matter!3
If y o u re o f hesitant disposition, then you m ight turn
your sight towards the teachings o f the old masters and look
hither and thither to find out what they mean. Y ou do want to
1 T his is an aspect o f the them e treated in section 3; w hat is essential is self

awakening, and this cannot be m ediated, just as sm elling and tasting cannot be
conveyed .
2 T h e Record o f U n ji is on the same line:
Folio w ets o f the W ay, right n o w the resolute man know s full
w ell that from the b eginn ing n oth in g is the matter. O n ly because
your faith [in this] is insufficient do you ceaselessly chase about;
having throw n away you r head y o u go on and on lo o k in g for it,
unable to stop yourself {T47: 498b 1315; cf. Sasaki translation,
P- 13)3 T his is likely to be an allusion to death.
88
C o r r e s p o n d in g to th e O c c a s io n
attain understanding, d o n t you?! T he reason [youre unable to

do so] is precisely that y o u r o w n illusion accum ulated since in
num erable eons is so thick that w h en in some lifetim e you hear
som eone talk [about the D harm a], you get doubts. Seeking u n
derstanding by asking about th e B uddha and his teaching, about
going beyond and coming back [into the co nditioned], 1 you m ove
further and further away from it.2 W h en you direct your m ind
tow ards it, y o u ve gone astray; h o w m uch m ore so if you use
w ords to describe it?3 W h a t i f n o t directing o n e s m in d w ere it?
W hy, is anything the matter? T ake care! 4
1 T he tw o concepts xiangshang and xiangxia literally mean u p , upward,

b ey o n d , ascending, and d o w n , dow n w ard, descending and were
quite popular in Chan circles around Y u n m en s tim e. T h ey have the connota
tion o f rising above (xiangshang) everything that is conditioned (including the
Buddha and his teaching) the central task o f the practitioner intent on
achieving liberation from the shackle o f duality, and thus naturally also a core
them e o f Y u n m en s teaching and Chan teaching in general and com in g back
dow n (xiangxia) into the realm o f the conditioned (the w orld o f illusion, dis
crim ination, and attachment). T h e dow nw ard m ovem en t is characteristic o f
the activity o f the teacher w h o uses all kinds o f devices as skillful means
(see section 183). See also section 147, p. 157, note 1, and section 210, p. 190,
note 5.
2 All such seeking is still directed towards objects rather rhan the questioner
himself; in this sense such a seeker is look in g south to see the Great Bear [in
the northern sky] (see also section 113).

3 C om pare M aster Lmjis words (Record o f Linji, T47: 4 9 6 b 2 5 -c l; cf. Sasaki
translation, p. 2):
B ut the instant you open your m outh you are already way off.
W hy is this so? D o n t you know ? T he venerable Sakyamuni said:
T h e essence o f my teaching is separate from words, because it is
neither subject to causation nor dependent on conditions. Y our
faith [in this] is insufficient, thats w hy I have bandied words
today.
1 This expression was often used by Chan masters at the end o f formal talks to
their com m unity. Just like the English equivalent, it can be both used as an
ordinary farewell formula and invested with m ore meaning.
89
545b28-29
8
S om eone asked, W h at tune do you sing, M aster? 1
T h e M aster replied, T h e tw enty-fifth o f the tw elfth
m o n th ! 2
W h at if I sing it?
Slowly, slowly!
5 4 5 k 2 9 c i
9
Som eone asked, W h a t did the Patriarch in ten d in com ing from
the W est?
M aster Y unm en replied, T h a ts as clear as day!
545c4
10
S om eone asked, W h a t is th e w ay beyond? 3
T h e M aster said, N in e times nine is e ig h ty -o n e. 4
545c46
11
S om eone asked, W h a t is m y T ?
T h e M aster said, Its strolling in the m ountains and enjoy
ing the rivers.
1 W hat is it chat y o u have to say; w hat is your message?

2 T his is the tim e just before a years end; the expression may correspond to our
its the eleventh h ou r.
3 W hat is the w ay b eyon d suffering, b eyon d the shackles o f duality? For

b eyon d see section 7, p .88, n o te 2.
4 Y u n m en was quite fon d o f this expression; it occurs no less than five times in
this text. Professor Iriya found that m ultiplication tables used in the Tang dy
nasty start out w ith this. Thus it could correspond to som e very basic kn ow l
edge, som ethin g that everybody w ith m inim al education know s. H ere it may
m ean first things first or, m ore aggressively, Y o u have not even begun
learning to calculate and are already talking o f such big numbers?
90
C o r r e s p o n d in g t o t k e O c c a s io n
And what is your 1/ Reverend?

T he Master replied, Y o u re lucky that the precentor isnt
here! 1
545c6- 7
Som eone asked, H o w about [the Buddha,] the instructor?

T he Master answered, Thats too rude!
13
545c7S
W hat is the teaching o f the [Buddhas] w hole lifetime?

Speaking in tune w ith any particular [occasion].2
14
Som eone asked Master Yunm en, W hat is the eye o f the genu
ine teaching?3
T he Master said, Its everywhere!4
1 T h e precentor is the m onk in charge o f genera! affairs w h o also assigns the

duties w ith in the monastery and dispenses punishm ent (including physical
beating; see H olm es W elch , The Practice of Chinese Buddhism, 1 9 0 0 -1 9 5 0
(Cam bridge, Mass.: Harvard U niversity Press, 1967), p. 67 et passim).
2 This short exchange forms case 14 o f the Blue C liff Record, w h ere Master
Y uanw u stresses in his com m ents that in transmitting this teaching one must
take the tim e and conditions into account.
3 E y e signifies the core or essence o f som ething. B oth the C hinese master
D ahui Z on ggao and the Japanese master D o g e n K igen chose this expression
(literally, treasury o f the eye o f the genuin e teaching) as tides o f their central
works.
4 T his is on e o f Master Y unm en's fam ous o n e-w o rd answers. In the original,
the charactet in question has m eanings such as: 1. vast, great; and 2. general,
universal; all, everything, everyw here. Translators including m yself must capit
ulate, in part because o fY u n m e n s intentional use o f m ultiple meanings. D ai-
91
5 4 5c8
545c9-10
15
S om eone asked: W h a t does Sitting correctly and contem plat
ing true reality1 m ean?
T h e M aster said, A coin lost in the river is found in the
nver. 2
545clOÛ
16
S om eone asked M aster Y u n m en , W hat is th e m o n k s prac
tice?
T h e M aster replied, It cannot be u n d ersto o d .
T h e questioner carried on, W h y cant it be understo od?
It ju st cannot be understood!
5 4 5 c l2 -1 6
17
A m o n k inquired, "W h a t is th e m eaning o f the [Buddhist]
teachings?
T h e M aster asked back, W h a t sutra are y o u reading?
setz T . Suzuki renders this w ord as E veryw here! {Essays in Z en Buddhism,

First Series, p. 352), Charles Luk as U niversality (Kuan-yii Lu, C h an and
Zen Teachings, Second Series [London: R ider, 1961], p. 2 03), John W u as AUcotnprehensive! ( Golden A ge o f Z en , p. 2 20), Thom as and J. C . Cleary as
Universal*' (Blue C liff Record, p. 39), and W ilh elm Gundert as C om m on!
[i.e., everybody has it though it is the m ost unfathom able m ystery] (Bt-yan-lit:
M eister Yuan-wu's Niederschrift von der Smamgdenen Felswand [Frankfurt/M .: U llstein Verlag, 1983], p. 150). See also section 18, w here Y unm en answers the
same question in a m ore definite manner.
1 Sitting correctly signifies genuine m editation in w h ich everything is seen as
it really is (Jap. sotio mama ) i.e., in its true reality,
2 See Master Linji (Record o f L in ji, T 47: 497b 1618):
If y o u w ish to differ in no w ay from the Patnarch-Buddha, just

d o n t seek outside. T h e pure light in your every th ought is noth
ing other than the Dharm akaya-Buddha w ithin you r o w n house.
92
C o r r e sp o n d in g t o th e O c c a s io n
T h e m o n k replied, T h e W isdom S u tra .

T h e M aster cited: All know ledge is p u re . H ave you
seen this even in a dream ?
T h e m o n k said, L ets leave All know ledge is p u re5 aside:
w hat is the m eaning o f the teachings?11
T h e M aster replied, If in your heart you had n o t failed
som eone, you w ould n o t be blushing.1 B ut I spare you the thirty
blows o f the staff [you deserve]. 2
18
5-45c 17
Som eone asked, W h at is the eye o f the genuine [teaching]? 3

M aster Y u n m en said, T h e steam o f rice gruel.4
5 4 5 ct7 -1 8
19
Som eone asked, W hat is perfect concentration (samadhi)?
T h e M aster replied, Shut up unless I ask you!
J T he reaction o f Master Y unm en suggests that the m on k blushed w hile he

asked this.
2 This phrase was frequently em ployed not only by Y unm en but also by his
teacher M uzhou to scold monks. Thirty blows o f the staff constitute a very
harsh punishm ent. T he masters reaction can certainly be regarded as lenient
( 1 see that you are blushing and have recognized your fault, so Lw o n t strike
y o u !>), but there m ight also be a razor-sharp edge to it: This kind o f behavior
is usually subject to harsh punishm ent but for w hat 1 see here I w o u ld n t even
lift m y hand!
3 In section 14, Y unm en answers the same question differendy.
4 Gruel is a broth made from tw o to three parts o f rice to seven or eight parts o f
water. This conjee was served for breakfast. M onastic regulations allow ed only
one m ore meal before n oon (zhat, usually rice and vegetables).
93
5 4 5c 18 -1 9
20
S om eone asked, W h at is the place from w hence all the buddhas
co m e?
M aster Y u n m en said, [W here] the East M ountains w alk
on the river. 1
5 4 5 c i9 -2 0
21
S om eone said, Please, M aster, show m e a way in!
T h e M aster said, Slurping gruel, eating rice.
545c20546a5
22
T h e M aster said,
I have n o choice;2 if I tell y o u that right n o w n o th in g is
the m atter, I have already buried y o u . H o w ev er m u ch y o u w ant
to m ake progress and seek intellectual understanding by looking
for w ords and chasing after phrases and setting up questions and
inquiries by means o f a thousand differences and m yriad distinc
tions: it ju st brings y o u a glib tongue and leads you further and
fu rth er from the W ay. W h e re is there an end to this?
1 A key to this exchange may lie in a p o em by the Buddhist layman Fu Dashi

(see note to section 170). It is found in the Record o f the Mirror o f the Teachings
(C h. Z ongjinglu, Jap. Sugyoroku; T48: 448a2123):
[W here] the East M ountains float on the river and the W est
M ountains wander on and on, in the realm [o f this world?] be
neath the Great Dipper: just there is the place o f genuin e em anci
pation,
2 O ther Chan masters see them selves in a similar bind; Master Linji, for exam
ple, began his very first serm on w ith these words (T47: 4 9 6 b l2 ; Sasaki transla
tion, p. 1):
T oday, 1, this m ountain m onk, having no ch oice m this matter,
have perforce yielded to customary etiquette and taken this seat.
94
C o r r e sp o n d in g to t k e O c c a s io n
If this very m atter could simply be found in w ords the

three vehicles tw elve divisions o f teachings certainly do n o t lack
w ords, do they?-then w hy w ould one speak o f a transmission
outside the scriptural teachings?1 If w isdom w ere a function o f
studying interpretations, it w o u ld m erely be like that o f the saints
o f the ten stages w h o , th o u g h dissem inating the D harm a as
[plentifully as] clouds and rain, w ere still severely reprim anded
[by the Buddha] because they perceived their self-nature as if
th ro u g h a veil o f gauze. H ence w e kn o w that any kind o f hav~
ing m in d 2 is as far away [from w hat is at stake here] as the sky
from the earth.
H ow ever, w h en som eone gets there, speaking about fire
does n o t bu rn his m outh. H e can discuss the m atter all day long
w ith o u t it ever to u ch in g his lips and teeth and w ith o u t uttering
a single w ord. T h o u g h he eats and all day long wears his robe, he
never touches a single grain o f rice n o r a single th read .3
A nyw ay, this is still only talk about our teachings; but you
m ust really make them yours! If w ithin these walls a phrase packs a
punch, then you will p o n d er in vain. Even if you can accept
som e statem ent as you hear it, y o u re still day dr earners.
A t the tim e a m onk asked, H o w about such a phrase?
T h e M aster replied, B rought u p .
546a5- 1
S om eone asked, W h at is being silent w hile speaking?

T h e M aster said, A clear opportunity ju st slipped th ro u g h
y o u r fingers!
1 See Introduction, p. 12.

2 T h e C hinese character for heart or m in d (xirl) stands here for the
deluded subject that experiences physical and spiritual objects, the I that
faces any other. See Introduction, p. 41 ff.
* See p. 67 ff.
95
T h e questioner w en t on, A nd w hat is speaking w hile

being silent?
T h e M aster said, O h ! 1
T h e questioner continued, W h at is it like w h e n one is
n eith er silent n o r talking?
;
W ith his staff the M aster drove the questioner out o f the /
hall.
546a7-8
24
S om eone asked, W h at is Y u n m e n s sw ord?
T h e M aster said, F o u n d er. 2
546a8 9
25
S om eone asked, W h a t is the place from w hich all buddhas
com e? 3
M aster Y u n m en said, N e x t question, please!
1 A n expression o f doubt or surprise. T his character can also be read sha, in

w hich case it w ou ld stand for an exclam ation w ith ou t specific meaning:
Shaaaa! or "Shhhh!
2 T his could also mean founders ; the C hinese text here allows no differentia
tion b etw een singular or plural m odes. H o w ev er, it is likely that instead o f the
dead founders o f Chan, the text points at the living patriarch o f w h o m M as
ter Linji said (Record o f Linji, T47: 499c 12; Sasaki translation, p. 20): Y our
m inds and M ind do not differ-th is is called [your] Living Patriarch. T he
sword that takes and gives life stands for the Chan teaching w h ose objective is
the death o f the self-attached T and the aw akening o f the living patriarch
(True Self) o f each person. T hus Y unm en's co-disciple Xuansha says (Extensive
Record o f Xuansha, Z Z 126: 179b7): [The sword] is just you , the very you that
does not understand! See also Yoshitaka Iriyas translation, Getisha koroku, vol.
1 (Kyoto: Zenbunka kenkyujo, 1987), p. 77.
1 See the virtually identical question and Y u n m en s different answer in sec
tion 20.
96
C o r r e s p o n d in g to th e O c c a s i o n
26
546a 10-11
S om eone asked M aster Y u n m en , W h at is the absolute concen

tration w h ich com prehends every single particle o f dust?
T h e M aster replied, W a te r in the bucket, food in the
b o w l.
27
5 46a 1 4 - 1.>
H o w about the place o f n o n -th in k in g ?

T h e M aster replied, C o g n itio n can hardly fathom it. 1
28
H o w ab o u t w h en one makes a hole in the wall in o rder to steal
th e n eig h b o rs light? 2
T h ere it is! 3
1 B oth question and answer stem from the Inscription on Trusting in M in d (X inxinm ing, T 51: 457b 17-18):
The realm o f non-thinking
can hardly be fathom ed by cognition;
in the sphere o f genuine suchness
there is neither I ' 1 nor other.
2 Kuang H en g, prim e minister under em peror Yuan D i o f the form er Han
period and fam ous com m entator on C onfucian canonical literature, is said to
have been so k een o n learning as a p o o r student that he stole the neighbors
light. This stands for an extraordinary effort. H ere, both question and answer
appearfocused on the light o f w hich Master Linji says (T47: 4 9 7 c4 7; cf. Sasaki
translation, p. 9):
Follow ers o f the W ay, m ind is w ith ou t form and pervades the ten
directions. In the eye it is called seeing, in the ear hearing, in the
nose it smells odors, in the m outh it holds converse, in the hands
it grasps and seizes, and in the feet it m oves and runs. Fundam en
tally it is a single subtle radiance, divided in to six sensory percep
tions. Y et since this m ind is nothing, one is free, w herever one is!
3 B oth in the sense o f Exactly! and H ere it is, shining brightly! See again
the Record o f Linji (T47: 4 9 7 b l6 20; cf. Sasaki translation, p. 8):
97
546a 15
29
546ai924
T h e M aster said,
AH tw elve divisions o f the three vehicles teachings ex
plain it back and forth, and the old m onks o f the w hole em pire
grandly proclaim , C om e on, try presenting to m e even a tiny
little b it o f w hat it all m eans!: all o f this is already m edicine for a
dead horse.
N evertheless, h o w m any are there w h o have com e even
that far? I d o n t even dare to hope for an echo o f it in y o u r w ords
o r a hid d en sharp p o in t in one o f y o u r phrases.
A blink o f an eye a thousand differences.
W hen the wind is still, the waves are calm J
M ay y o u rest in peace! 2
30
546a2425
S om eone asked, W h a t is the fundam ental teaching?

M aster Y u n m en said, N o question, no answ er. 3
If y o u w ish to differ in no way from the Patriarch-Buddha, just

don't seek outside. T h e pure light in your every th ought is
n oth in g other than the Dharm akaya-Buddha w ith in your o w n
house. . . . T his threefold bod y is nothing other than y o u w h o are
listening to m y discourse ngh t n o w before m y very eyes,
1 T h e Record o f the Mirror o f the Teachings (Zongjinglu; T48: 4 3 0c45) says:
M ind and its objects condition each other . . . like the water
w hich forms waves depending o n the winds.
2 A pious enunciation used at C hinese funerals, here probably used in an ironic
sense.
3 See section 3 for another exam ple o f this answer.
98
C o r r e s p o n d in g t o th e O c c a s io n
546a25-27
Som eone asked M aster Y u nm en, H o w about: T h e T riple

W o rld 1 is b u t m ind, and the m yriad things are b u t conscious
ness ? T h e M aster said, T oday I d o n t answ er any questions.
T h e questioner insisted, W h y d o n t y ou answ er any ques
tions?
T h e M aster said, W ill y o u understand it in th e year o f the
donkey? 3
32
Som eone asked Y u n m en , W h a t is the swôrd [so sharp that it
cuts even] a hair b lo w n [over its blade]? 4
T h e M aster said, C h o p !
H e added, Slash! 5
1 T h e three aspects o f desire, form, and formlessness are said to characterize the
w h o le object-w orld o f the human being.
2 This was in Chan literature a m u ch quoted saying o f Vijnaptimatra flavor.
This Buddhist rehgio-philosophical m o v em en t asserted that w ith o u t a subject
( m m d or consciousness ) there is n o object (Triple W o rld ) and vice
versa. See also section 77.
3 Since no such year exists ill the C hinese year-cycle, this m eans in effect
Y o u ll never ever understand it!

4 T he sword is in Chan literature com m on ly associated w ith the Chan or B ud
dhist teaching and teaching m ethod in general (as in the sabre that kills and the
sword that gives life ; see also note to section 24). T h e sword m entioned here
was fam ous for being so sharp that it cut even a hair b low n across its blade.
5 T w o onom atopoetic renderings w ere proposed by Professor Iriya, the first
standing for the sound o f cutting bone and the second for that o f slicing flesh.
See the answer chat Y u n m en s co-disciple Xuansha gave to the same question
{Extensive Record o f Xuansha, Z Z 126: 179b7):
[The sword] is just you, che very you that does not understand!
99
546a27-28
33
546a2Sb2
S om eone asked, W h a t is the in w ard -an d -o u tw ard radiance? 1

M aster Y u n m en asked back, In w hat direction is y o u r
question po in ted ?
T h e questioner said, W h a t is reaching the light?
T h e M aster asked, If som eone suddenly asked you this,
w hat w o u ld you say? 2
T h e questioner continued, H o w about after reaching the
light?
T h e M aster replied, "F o rg et the light; give m e first the
reaching!
546b2 -3
34
S om eone asked M aster Y u nm en, W h a t is th e m ost urgent
phrase?
T h e M aster said, Eat!
1 T his question probably refers to a verse ascribed to Master Tanxia Tianren

(739824). Tanxia spoke about the w ondrous pearl in each person w hich is
hard to find but can be intim ately perceived in the Sea o f the Buddhist T each
in g and then w e n t on to say {Jingde chuandengiu, T51: 4 6 3 b l6 18; see also
section 245):
This pearl constantly m oves around w ithin the five com ponents
(skandhas) o f each living being, sh ow in g and hiding itseEf, and its
inward and outward radiance is o f great supernatural pow er. N e i
ther large nor small, it shines day and night and illum inates every^
thing yet w h en one looks for it, it is no thing and leaves no
trace.
2 This appears to be on e m ore attempt by Y un m en to tell the questioner that,
since his o w n radiance is in question, no o n e else should be qualified to answer
this question.
100
35
54m
S om eone asked, W h a t is th e original m ind?

T h e M aster said, Y o u 'v e raised it; its quite apparent! 1
36
546B3-5
S om eone asked Y u n m en , W h a t is the essence o f a patch -ro b ed

m o n k ?
T h e M aster said, Its y o u r tu rn ! 2
T h e questioner insisted, Please, M aster, tell m e!
T h e M aster said, Im playing the harp for an ox! 3
0^2
H aving en tered the D harm a H all M aster Y u n m en said:

B rothers! Y ou certainly have visited m any regions search
ing for know ledge in o rd er to settle [the problem of] life-anddeath;4 and everyw here y o u w en t there m ust have been masters
w h o gave y o u expedient w ords o f compassion. N o w is there any
statem ent o f theirs that y o u could n o t penetrate? C o m e forw ard
1 Cf. the verse cited in Collection from the Founder's Halls, 1.38:
Just your m ind is the original m ind, and this original m in d is not
som ething.
2 This expression is used as in a board game: This is your m ove, its up to you!
3 Y un m en could as w ell talk to a wall. D id he not already say that the answer to
this question can com e only from the questioner him self?
4 Life-and-death circumscribes the basic framework o f hum an life: having to
live and having to die. This is what every person starts out w ith and has to deal
w ith in one w ay or another- in the first o f his Four N o b le Truths, the Buddha
called this suffering.7 See p. 37.
101
546b1115
and try relating it, so that I can discuss it w ith all o f you! A ny
thing? A nything?
Just w h en a m o n k w h o had stepped forw ard was about to
ask a question, the M aster said: Go! Go! Y o u re fu rth er than a
h u n d re d thousand [miles] from the road to India. 1
W ith that the M aster left his seat.
38
546b1920
S om eone asked M aster Y u n m en , W hat is m ost urgent for

me?1s>
T h e M aster said, T h e very you w h o is afraid that he
do esn t k n o w ! 2
39
546b2022
S om eone asked, W h a t is the m o o in g o f the clay ox o f the snow

peak? 3
T h e M aster said, M ountains and rivers are running
away!
A nd h o w about the neighing o f Y u n m e n s w o o d en
horse?
M aster Y u n m en replied, H eaven and earth black o u t.
1 This could also signify the road to the W estern Paradise/' i.e., the paradise
o f Am itabha Buddha. H o w ev er, in this case it may sim ply mean: W ay o ff the
mark!
2 T his answer occurs one m ore tim e in the Record o f Yunmen (T47: 553b3), that
tim e in response to the question: W hat is m y self?
3 M o o in g clay o xen , n eig h in g w o o d e n horses, laughing stone men, blinking
corpses, and other paradoxical creatures are com m on in Chan texts as symbols
o f the paradoxical teaching o f the Buddha (w ho is said to have taught on the
sn o w peaks o f the Himalayas) and o f the masters.
102
C o r r e s p o n d in g t o tk e O c c a s io n
40
546b2 7
Som eone asked M aster Y u n m en , H o w about doing as one

pleases? 1
T h e M aster said, Its y o u r tu rn !
41
H aving en tered the D harm a Hall, M aster Y u n m en said:
If, in bringing up a case I cause you to accept it instantly,
I am already spreading shit on top o f y o u r heads.2 E ven if you
could understand the w hole w orld w hen I ho ld up a single hair,
V d still be operating on healthy flesh.
A t any rate, you m ust first truly attain this level o f realiza
tion. If y o u re n o t yet there, y o u m ust n o t preten d that you are.
R ath er, y o u o u ght to take a step back, seek under y o u r very feet,
and see w h at there is to w hat I am saying!
In reality, there is not the slightest thing that could be the
source o f understanding or d o u b t for you. R ath er, y o u have the
o n e thing that m atters, each and every one o f you! Its great func
tio n manifests w ith o u t the slightest effort on y o u r part; y o u are
n o different from the patriarch-buddhas!3 [But since] th e ro o t o f
1 Literally, seven lengthw ise, eight across. T his expression is also found in
secular literature describing m ighty warriors w h o have mastered the technique
o f handling a sword and are capable o f using it w ithout contramt,
2 See also section 175.
3 T his could also be translated as patriarchs and buddhas. T he Record o f Linji
has several almost identical formulations (T47: 497b8; 497c 1; 5 0 2 a l3 ). T he
on e that is m ost strikingly similar to the present passage reads:
This very you standing distinctly before m e w ith o u t any form,
shining alone this can expoun d the Dharm a and listen to it!
Understand it this way, and you are n o t different from the
Patriarch-Buddha. (T47: 4 9 7 b 2 8 -c l; Sasaki translation, p. 9)
103
546b28-c17
y o u r faith has always been shallow and the influence o f y o u r evil

actions massive, y o u find yourselves all o f a sudden w earing
m any h o rn s.1 Y o u re carrying y o u r b o w l bags2 far and w ide
th ro u g h thousands o f villages and myriads o f hamlets: w hat's the
p o in t o f victim izing yourselves? Is there som ething you all are
lacking? W h ich one o f y o u full-fledged fellows hasnt got his
share?3
T h o u g h y o u m ay accept w h at I am saying for yourself,
y o u re still in bad shape.4 Y ou m ust n eith er fall for the tricks o f
others n o r simply accept th eir directives. T h e instant y o u see an
old m o n k o p en his m o u th , y o u ten d to stuff those big rocks right
into yours, and w h en y o u cluster in little groups to discuss [his
w ords], y o u re exactly like those green flies o n shit that struggle
back to back to gobble it up! W h a t a shame, brothers!
T h e old masters could n o t help using up their w hole life
tim e for the sake o f y o u all. So they dropped a w o rd here and
h alf a phrase there to give you a hint. Y ou m ay have understood
these things; p u t th em aside and m ake som e effort for yourselves,
and y o u will certainly b eco m e a bit familiar w ith it. H u rry up!
H u rry up! T im e does n o t w ait for any m an, and breathing o u t is
1 Horns are in C han literature often associated w ith dualistic attachment or

delusion in general, as are w eeds. Cf. Blue C liff Record, case 95 (T48: 2 1 8 a l9
21): W here there is a buddha, you m ust not stay; if you do, horns sprout.
W here there is n o buddha, quickly run past; if you d o n t, the w eed s w ill be ten.
feet h igh .
2 T hese bags w ere used by m onks to carry their begging b ow l and a few other
possessions around on pilgrimage.
3 See Record o f Linjis T47: 4 9 9 c l0 (Sasaki translation, p. 20):
T he non -depend en t man o f the W ay w h o right n o w before m y
eyes is listening to m y discourse, clearly distinguishable, [it is you
w h o've] never yet lacked anything.
4 Or: out o f luck.
104
C o r r e s p o n d in g t o t h e O c c a s io n
no guarantee for breathing in again! O r do you have a spare body

and m in d to fritter away? Y ou absolutely m ust pay close atten
tion! T ake care!
5 4 6c 19 - 2 t
S om eone asked: W h at is the prim ary phrase?

T h e M aster said, N in e times nine is eig h ty -o n e. 1
T h e m o n k b o w ed .2
T h e M aster said, C o m e here!
T h e m o n k stepped in front o f the M aster. T h e M aster
struck him .
43
S om eone asked, I heard a teaching that speaks o f the purity o f
all-encom passing w isdom . W h at is that purity like?
M aster Y u n m en spat at him .
T h e questioner continued, H o w about som e teaching
m eth o d o f the old masters?
T h e M aster said, C o m e here! C u t o ff y o u r feet, replace
y o u r skull, and take away the spoon and chopsticks from your
bow l: n o w pick up y o u r nose!
T h e m o n k asked, W h ere w ould one find such [teaching
m ethods]?
T h e M aster said, Y ou w indbag! A nd he struck him .
1 See section 10, note 4.

2 T h e m on k expresses his gratitude and acceptance o f the masters teaching
w hich is not at all w hat Y unm en wants.
105
546c2327
44
546(27-28
Som eone
The
The
The
asked M aster Y unm en, W hat is C han?

M aster replied, T h a ts it!
questioner w en t on, W hat is the D ao?
M aster said, O kay! 1
45
546(28547a2
S om eone asked: H o w about all things are the B uddha

D h arm a?
T h e M aster replied, T h e grannies o f a three-house hick
to w n crow d the city crossing. D o you understand?
N o .
T h e M aster said, Y o u re n o t the only one w h o does n o t
understand; th eres definitely som eone else w h o doesnt! 2
46
547a4b l7
H aving entered the D harm a Hall, M aster Y u n m en said:

I p u t the w hole universe on top o f y o u r eyelashes in one
fell sw o o p . 3
Y ou all heard me say this, yet I havent the faintest hope
that one o f y o u will get all w o rk ed up, step forw ard, and give m e
a good hard w hack. W ell, take y o u r tim e and exam ine in detail
w h eth er you have [the entire universe on y o u r eyelashes] or not!
W h at does it mean?
1 Y u n m en s answers often simply confirm the quality o f a question and push

the student to pursue it thoroughly by himself.
2 In his retirem ent lecture. Professor Iriya took this conversation as an exam ple
o f h o w Y un m en often attacks the Buddha or other C han teachers in a sarcastic
and seem ingly irreverent manner.
3 See section 99,
106
E ven th o u g h y o u m ay m anage to understand this in here:

as soon as y o u jo in m y assembly, you get beaten up so m u ch that
y o u r legs break. T h e m o m en t y o u hear m e say that th eres a sage
at w o rk som ew here, y o u should spit m e full in the face and
offend m y eyes and ears. B u t since y o u re n o t up to that, you
im m ediately accept w hatever people say. This already falls into
the category o f secondary actio n .1
H av e n t y o u heard that the instant D eshan2 saw a m o n k
enter the gate, he to o k up his stick and drove h im away? A nd
M u zh o u ,3 seeing a m o n k com e in th ro u g h the gate, said: Its a
clear case,4 b u t I spare you the thirty blows [you deserve]!5
A nd h o w should one deal w ith the rest? W ith this bunch
o f w indbags w h o gulp d ow n other p eo p les pus and slobber >can
recall heaps and loads o f rubbish, and display their donkey lips
and horse m ouths everyw here, boasting: I can ask questions in
five o r ten alternative w ays? Even if y o u ask questions from
m o rn in g till evening w ith the answers taking you into the night:
W ill y o u ever see anything, even in a dream? H o w will you
apply y o u r strength for the benefit o f others?
Y ou resem ble those people w h o , w hen som eone invites
the m onks to a donated feast, say: T h e food is fine, b u t w h a ts
1 T hese are n o t o n e s o w n realizations but rather reactions to w hat others have

realized. Such secondhand realizations are n o t o n e s o w n house-treasure, a
fact that a master im m ediately sees, as the examples that fo llo w show .
2 D eshan X uaniian (780865), the teacher o fY u n m e n s master X u efen g Y icun
(8 2 2 -9 0 8 ).
3 M uzhou, Y u n m en s first Chan teacher. See p. 19.
4 C h. xianzheng gongesn, Jap. genjo koati. This is the original m eaning o f this
expression, w h ich acquired m uch fam e, especially after D o g en used it in the
title and as the them e o f the first chapter o f his major w ork Shobogenzo, It
means a clear case, as w hen so m eo n e is caught in the act w h ile com m itting
a crime.
107
there to talk about [w ith the donor]? Som e day y o u ll be facing

th e K ing o f H ell, Y am a1^ - a n d he w o n t accept y o u r glib talk!
M y brothers, if there is one w ho has attained it, he passes
his days in conform ity w ith the ordinary. I f you have n o t yet
attained it, you m ust at any price avoid pretending that you
have. Y ou m ust n o t waste y o u r tim e, and you need very m uch
to pay close attention!
T h e old m en definitely had some w ord-creepers2 w hich
could be o f help. For instance [my teacher] X uefeng said: T he
w h o le w orld is n o th in g b u t y o u . M aster Jiashan said: G et hold
o f m e o n th e tips o f the h u n d red grasses, and recognize the em
p ero r in the bustling m arketplace. M aster L uopu said, 'T h e m o
m en t a single grain o f dust arises, th e w hole w orld is contained in
it. O n [the tip of] a single lio n s hair the w hole body o f the lion
appears/
Anyw ay, try to get a firm hold [on the m eaning o f these
sayings], pon d erin g them from all angles and after days or years
an entrance w ill open up by itself! This m atter does not allow
anyone to step in for you; it is no th in g b u t each persons very
o w n mission. If som e old m onks com e o u t into the w orld, it is
ju st to act as witness for you. I f y o u have fo u n d som e entrance or
som e clue, y o u sh ouldnt lose sight o f y o u rself If as a m atter o f
fact y o u h av en 't attained it yet, no m ethods applied [by a
teacher] will be o f any use.
M y brothers, y ou w h o all in the same w ay w ear o u t y o u r
straw sandals on pilgrimages and tu rn y o u r back on teachers and
1 Yamaraja. T his figure has different roles in the V edic, Brahmanic, and B ud
dhist traditions; in the last, he is the terrible K ing o f H ell, the underworld
administrator presiding over the ju dgm ent o f the dead.
2 W ords are in the Chan tradition often called 'creepers' because people trip
over them and get caught up in them .
108
parents y o u absolutely m ust fix y o u r eyeballs directly on this! If

you have n o t yet fo u n d any clue b u t have m et an undisguised
skillful [master w h o goes after you] like a dog that bites a boar,
and w h o doesnt care about his o w n life and w o n t shy away
from going th ro u g h m u d and w ater for you, and if he has som e
th in g good for chewing: th en blink y o u r eyes and raise your
eyebrows, hang yo u r bow l bag high [on the wall], and for ten or
tw en ty years exert yourself to the utmost! D o n t w orry about
n o t bringing y o u r effort to com pletion: should it happen that
you do n o t yet achieve it in this lifetime, you will n o t fail to get
a hum an body in the next one, and then it will turn out that you
have saved labor w ith regard to this teaching. T hus you will n o t
idly squander y o u r w hole life, and y o u will also n o t let do w n the
patrons o f B uddhism , y o u r teachers, and your parents.
Y o u m ust be cautious! D o n t idle away y o u r tim e b u m
m ing aro u n d in the provinces and loitering in the districts, w an
dering thousands o f miles w ith y o u r staff across y o u r shoulders,
spending a w in ter here and a sum m er there* enjoying th e beauti
ful m ountains and rivers and doing w hatever you feel like, being
provided w ith plenty o f donated food and easily obtaining
w orldly possessions. W h at a sham e that is, w hat a shame! [You
k n o w th e proverb:] W an tin g to get him self one peck o f rice he
ends up losing six m o n th s provisions. W hat is the use o f such
pilgrimages? H o w dare you consum e the faithful alm sgivers
bunch o f vegetables or even a single grain o f his rice?
Y o u m ust see for yourself! T h ere is nobody to stand in for
you, and tim e does n o t w ait for anyone; one day [you'll be about
to pass away and] yo u r gaze will fall on the earth. H o w will you
m anage from then on? Y ou m ust n o t resem ble a crab that,
dropped in to h o t w ater, flails its legs in a frenzy! Big w ords w o n t
help y o u m uch there, y o u windbags!
D o n t carelessly fritter away y o u r tim e. O n ce y o u lose
y o u r hum an b o d y you w o n t regain one for countless eons. This
109
Is no trifling matter! D o n 't rely on anything present. I f even a

secular m an saidf Should I hear about the W ay in the m orning,
I will die content in the evening:5 h o w m uch m ore so we
monks? W h a t is the problem w e ought to deal w ith? Y ou m ust
m ake a great effort! T ake care o f yourself!
47
547b24-27
Som eone asked, H o w a b o u t giving life?

If you had n o t failed som eone in your heart, [you w ould
n o t blush]. 2
A nd h ow about taking life?
O n e m ust n o t auction o ff a m o n k s possessions for three
days after his death. 3
W hat if one neither gives nor takes life?
M aster Y u n m en chased the questioner out o f the hall w ith
his staff.
48
5 47b 2 8 - r1
Som eone asked, If one kills o n e s father and m other, one can
repent in front o f the Buddha. W h ere does one repent if one kills
the B uddha and the patriarchs?
T h e M aster said, Exposed! 4
1 This quotation is from the fourth section o f C onfucius Analects.

2 A t other occasions (T47: 545c 15 and 546b24), Y unm en uses the full form o f
this saying (here added in brackets).

3 The possessions o f a m on k w ere auctioned o ff after his death in order to cover
m edical and burial expenses. As in his first reply, Y u n m en appears to criticize
the m onk for not being in the position to truly ask this question.
4 T h e same on e-w ord answer appears also iater in the Record o f Yunmen (T47:
566c 14): T he Master once said, W hat is a phrase that is in accord w ith under
standing? O n behalf (o f the silent audience] he replied, Exposed!
110
C o r r e s p o n d in g to t k e O c c a s io n
49
5 47c 1-2
Som eone asked, Is anything amiss w h en one does n o t even

give rise to a single th o u g h t?
T h e M aster replied, "[As m uch as] M t. S u m eru . 1
50
547e23
Som eone asked, W h at is the characteristic style o f y o u r teach

ing, M aster?
M ay a scholar com e and tell you!
51
547(4-5
S om eone asked, L ife-and-death is here; h o w am I to cope

w ith it?
T h e M aster said, W h e re is it?
52
H aving entered the D harm a H all for a form al instruction, M aster
Y u n m en said:
Y o u m onks m ust n o t think falsely; heaven is heaven,
earth is earth, m o u n tain is m ountain, river is river, m o n k is
m onk, and layperson is layperson. 2
1 T his is the m ythical m ountain o f gigantic proportions that is thought to form

the center o f the earth.
2 See the w ords o f Master Q ingyuan in the Compendium o f the Five Lam ps (W u deng huiyuan, Z Z 138: 335a9 ff):
T hirty years ago, before I practiced C han, I saw that m ountains

are m ountains and rivers are rivers. H ow ever, after having
achieved intim ate kn ow led ge and having gotten a w ay in, I saw
that m ountains are n ot m ountains and rivers are not rivers. But
111
547c11-15
M a ste r Y u n m e n
After a long pause he said, C om e on, try picking up that

hill for m e!
T h en a m onk asked, W h at is it like w hen I see that
m ountain is m ountain and river is river?
T h e M aster said, W h y does the triple-tnonastery gate pass
th ro u g h [this hall] here?
T h e m onk continued, If that is so Im no m ore deluded
n o w .
T h e M aster said, Give m e back your w ords! 1
547 cl6 -1 8
53
H aving entered the D harm a Hal] for a formal instruction, Master
Y unm en said after a long silence:
Is there anybody at all w h o can say it?2 Let the one w ho
can step forw ard!
T h e assembly rem ained silent.
T h e M aster picked up his staff and said, [My challenge]
before was a small trench full o f shit, and [the lifting o f m y stalf]
right now is a big o n e.
T h e M aster stepped dow n from his seat.
n o w that I have found rest, as before I see mountains as m ou n

tains and rivers as rivers.
T h e m onk can keep his w ords m ountain is m ountain and river is river only
w h en he sees the monastery gate pass through the hall.
2 W ith D ogen w ho devoted chapter 39 o f his Shobogenzd to this them e
this ability o f expression acquired overtones that w ere not present in China.
T here this expression had, like many others in Chan literature, both a com m on
and a religiously loaded m eaning. Q uestions like W here are you from? or
H o w are you? and phrases such as Take care o f yourself! belong to this
category, H ere, Y unm en does not just ask Can you tell me? but challenges
his disciples: Are you able to express your [awakened] self?
1 1 2
54
5 4 7 c l8 -1 9
S om eone asked, T h e m yriad things com e to one. N o w I do

n o t ask ab o u t the one b u t rather: w h at are the m yriad things?
M aster Y u n m en said, Y o u came in here to bandy w ords
and to cheat m e!
55
548a24
S om eone asked Y u n m en , I did all I could and cam e here. W ill

y o u accept?
T h e M aster said, N o th in g w ro n g w ith this question!
T h e questioner w en t on, Leaving aside this question: will
y o u accept?
T h e M aster said, E xam ine carefully w hat y o u first said!
56
H aving en tered the D harm a Hall for a form al instruction, M aster
Y u n m en said:
T o d ay I shall bring up a case [from the C h an tradition] for
y o u .
T h e w hole assembly listened attentively. A fter a w hile a
m o n k stepped forw ard and bow ed. W h e n he was ab o u t to ask a
question, M aster Y u n m en w en t after him w ith his staff, crying:
Y o u resem ble those exterm inators o f B uddhism , those m onks
w ho receive donated fo o d on the long b e n c h 1 [and say] W lia ts
there to talk ab out [with the donor]? Y ou bunch o f row dies!
U sing his staff, M aster Y u n m en chased them o u t o f th e hall
at once.
1 This was a platform inside the M oiik s Hal] on w hich five Co ten people could
meditate.
113
548a8-U
5 4 8 a ll-1 4
57
S om eone asked Y unm en, N o w that th e w hole assembly has

gathered like clouds, w hat will you talk about?
T h e M aster said, T h e text that follows is too loiig. Let's
postpone it to some o th er day!
T h e questioner continued, H o w about leaving it at that?
T h e M aster said, T rap p ed .
W h ere am I trapped?
M aster Y u n m en said, As soon as y o u ve gorged food on
the long b en ch you tell fibs.
548h2~ 2 2
58
H aving entered the D harm a Hall, the M aster said:
E ven if a w ord, th e very instant it is b ro u g h t up, puts the
thousand differences into a single groove and includes the
m inutest particles, it is still b u t an expression o f salvational teach
ing. W hat then is a patch-robed m o n k supposed to say? If he
discusses in here w hat the patriarchs and the B uddha m eant, the
Sixth Patriarchs u n ique w ay will be leveled. B ut is there anyone
w h o can p u t it right? If there is, com e forw ard!
A t the tim e a m o n k asked,1 H o w about saying som ething
that transcends the buddhas and goes beyond the patriarchs?
T h e M aster said, Sesame fiatcake. 2
T h e m o n k w en t on: W h a ts the connection?
T h e M aster said, Exactly! W h a ts the connection?!
1 T he present exchange forms case 77 o f the Blue C liff Record (T48: 2 0 4 b ll) .
2 As I learned from V ictor Mair, this is. a baked flatcake four to six inches in
diameter, made from w heat flour dough, baked plastered against the inner side
o f an earthen oven, and sprinkled w ith sesame seeds. This is one o f the m ost
celebrated instances in C han literature o f presenting everyday reality as the
highest doctrine.
114
T h e M aster th ereu p o n said, W ith o u t having u n d erstood

a thing, y o u ask about statem ents that transcend the buddhas and
patriarchs the m o m en t you hear people talk about the in ten t o f
the patriarchal teachers. W h at are you calling b u d d h a, and w hat
are you calling patriarch w h en you speak about statem ents that
transcend the buddhas and go bey o n d the patriarchs? A nd w h en
y o u ask ab o u t the escape from th e three realms (o f sensuous de
sire, form , and formlessness): bring m e these three realms! Is
there [a perceptive faculty such as] seeing, hearing, feeling, or
k n o w in g to stop you? A nd w hat object o f perception is agree
able to you? D o y o u com e to term s w ith som e [teaching] vessel?
A nd w h at do you regard as differentiating views?1
W h a t can the sages do w h e n y o u p u ff yourselves up [and
say]: M y w hole body is n o th in g b u t tru th ,5 and All things ex
hibit th e essence7? This is o u t o f y o u r reach. A nd w h en I say
to y o u R ig h t n o w , is anything the m a tte r? / I have already bur
ied you. I f y o u really d o n t have any clue, th en for a tim e go into
yourself and investigate th oroughly on y o u r ow n: W h at, besides
w earing a ro b e, eating, m oving bow els and urinating, is th e m at
ter?2 W h a ts the use o f giving rise to so m any kinds o f delusive
thoughts w ith o u t any reason?
Again, th eres a bunch o f people w ho casually gather in
groups, m anage to quote som e sayings o f the ancients, try to
1 Professor Iriva thinks that the C hinese text o f these last fe w sentences m ight
be corrupt; the translation o f this passage is tentative. H o w ev er, the tenor o f
Y u n m en s w ords seem s clear enough: he attacks his students for m entioning
things that they are unable to handle and challenges them to sh o w him what
they are talking about.
2 Cf. Record o f U n ji , T47: 498a 16-17:
Follow ers o f the W ay, the Buddhist teaching does not necessitate
any effort. Just be ordinary and w ith ou t concern defecating,
urinating, putting o n clothes, eating food, and lying d o w n w hen
tired.
See also the slightly different version in Sasakis translation, pp. 1112.
115
m em orize them , evaluate them w ith their delusive thoughts, and

say: 'I have u n d erstood the B uddhist teaching!* T hey busy th em
selves w ith n o th in g b u t discussions and w hile away their days
follow ing th eir w him s. T h e n they com e to feel that this does n o t
suit th eir fancy; they travel th ro u g h thousands o f villages and
myriads o f ham lets and turn their backs o n th eir parents as Well as
th eir teachers. Y o u re acting in ju st this way, you b u n ch o f ro w
dies. W h a t is this frantic pilgrimage y o u re engaged in?
A nd the M aster chased th em o u t w ith his staff.
548b22-
59
S om eone asked Y unm en, [It is said that] one should n o t leave
h o m e [to becom e a m onk] w ith o u t one's parents consent. H o w
w o u ld one th en be able to leave hom e?
T h e M aster said, Shallow!
T h e questioner said, I do n o t understand.
T h e M aster rem arked, D eep!
548cl-
60
S om eone asked M aster Y unm en, W h at is it like w h en all p o w
ers are exhausted?
T h e M aster said, B ring m e the B uddha Hall; then Ill dis
cuss this w ith y o u .
T h e questioner asked, Isnt that som e different m atter?
T h e M aster shouted, Bah! W indbag!
548c8-
61
H aving entered th e D harm a H all for a formal instruction, M aster
Y u n m en said:
It is w ell kno w n that shallowness fo f viitue] is the trend o f
116
these tim es, and that this generation is living at th e end o f the
im itation p erio d o f B u ddhism ;1 so nowadays, w h en m onks go
n o rth , they call this w orshiping M a n ju s h n /2 and w h en they go
south they say they jo u rn e y to N a n y u e .3 [People w ho] go on
such pilgrimages, th o u g h styled m endicant m o n k s, ju st
squander th e alms o f the faithful.4 W h a t a shame! W h a t a shame!
W h e n asked they tu rn o u t to be [as ignorant as] lacquer is black;
they ju st pass their days follow ing their w him . If there are some
o f th em w h o , by learning like crazy and inform ing them selves
w idely, m anage to absorb som e sayings and are lo o k in g every
w here for similar w ords, they get approved as venerables and
1 T h e second o f three penods o f Buddhist teaching that w ere distinguished in

China: 1. T h e period o f the correct or real teaching (500 years after the B ud
dhas death); 2. T h e period o f the sem blance or im itative teaching (the fo llo w
ing 1000 years); 3. T he period o f the end o f teaching (the follow in g 3000
years). T h ou gh Buddhist doctrine and practice do exist in the second period,
they only bear resemblance to the true kind; thus the result o f true practice and
basis o f true teaching, aw akening, is said to be lacking.
2 T he bodhisattva o f W isdom , on e o f the m ost important figures o f the B ud
dhist pantheon. T he m ost fam ous site o f M anjushn (Ch. W en sh u ?Jap. M onju)
worship in C hina was Mt. W utai (W utaishan), situated near the northeastern
border o f Shansi province. Sasaki (Record o f Linji, pp. 7 4 -7 5 , note 89) explains:
ManjushtT Bodhisattva was believed to appear frequently on the
m ountain to teach the Dharma, and thousands o f m onks as w ell
as com m on people w ou ld make pilgrimages there to pay hom age
to him .
3 T h e N an yu e (or H engyue) m ountain range, situated in the H en gzh ou pre
fecture o f H unan province, was fam ous as the place o f residence o f such cele
brated C han masters as N an yu e Huairang (677744) and Shitou X iqian (700
790).
4 Master Linji chim es in (T47: 4 9 8 c 2 6 -2 9 ; Sasaki translation, p. 16):
T heres a bunch o f students w h o seek M anjushn on W u -taishan. W ron g from the start! There's no M anjushn o n W u-t*aishan. D o you w ant to k n o w M anjushn? Y our activity right n o w ,
never changing, n ow h ere faltering this is the Jiving M anjushn.
117
lightly dismiss superior m en, thus creating karm a o f m isfortune.1

D o n t say, w h en some day the K ing o f Hell, Yam a, pins
you dow n, that nobody w arned you! W h eth er you are an in n o
cent beginner o r seasoned adept, you m ust show som e spirit!
D o n t vainly m em orize [other peoples] sayings: a little bit o f
reality is b etter than a lot o f illusion. [O therw ise,] y o u ll, ju st go
o n deceiving yourself.
W h at is the m atter w ith you?2 C o m e forw ard [and tell
m e]!
5 4 8 cl6 -1 7
62
Som eone asked M aster Y unm en, I am definitely o n the w rong
track. Please, M aster, give m e som e instruction!
T h e M aster said, W h at are you talking about?
54&cl7-18
63
S om eone asked, W h a t is the m eaning o f [Buddhist] teaching?
T h e M aster said, T h e answ er is not finished y et.
T h e questioner asked, W hat did y o u r answer consist in,
M aster?
T h e M aster said, O h , I th o u g h t you w ere smart . . . !
1 Y u n m en is not alone in warning against these dangers; Master Linji issues the
same warning (T47: 49Rb20 22; Sasaki translation, p. 14):
Followers o f the W ay, d o n t have your face stamped at random
w ith the seal o f sanction by an old master anyw here, then go
around saying, I understand C h an, I understand the W ay.
T h ou gh your eloquence is like a rushing torrent, it is nothing but
hell-creating karma.
2 As in several other passages (e.g., sections 7 and 58), Y unm en asks his students
to stop running after the sayings and insights o f others and to face their aw n
situation, their reality : Is anything the matter w ith you? If yes, what is it?
1 1 8
C o r r e sp o n d in g t o tk e O c c a s io n
64
5 4 8 c l8 -2 0
S om eone asked, W h at is the true essence o f m o n k h o o d ?

M aster Y u n m en said, Y o u m o n k over there, step for
w ard!
T h e m o n k in question stepped forward.
T h e M aster said, Bah! G et out!
65
548c20-21
H o w can I understand y o u r one phrase, M aster?

Its the tw enty-fifth day o f the tw elfth m o n th ! 1
66
548c2l22
I am n o t questioning you about the core o f B uddhist doctrine

b u t w ould like to k n o w w hat stands at the center o f o u r ow n
trad itio n .
T h e M aster replied, W ell, y o u ve posed y o u r question;
n o w quickly b o w three tim es! 2
67
S om eone asked, H o w is the buddha-and-patriarch-illness3 to
be healed?
Find o u t w h ats w rong, and it w ill all com e to g eth er.
H o w is it to be healed?
F ortunately y o u re strong!
1 Hurry up, there is hardly any tim e left.

2 B o w in g three times is a sign o f gratitude for a received teaching. B y asking the
m onk to b ow , Y unm en breaks o ff this conversation.
3 See the remarks about the bodhisattva illness in section 98, note 3.
119
548c24-26
5 4 9 a 8 - 1?
68
T h e M aster entered the D harm a Hall for a formal instruction.
W h en the assembly had gathered and settled, he to o k his staff,
po in ted in front o f him and said:
All the buddhas o f the w hole universeT^numberless as
specks o f dust, are all in here, disputing the B uddhist teaching
and trying to w in the argum ent. N o w is there anyone w ho can
dissuade them ? If n obody is up to it, let m e try doing it for y o u .
T h ereu p o n a m o n k said, Please, R ev eren d , dissuade
th em !
T h e M aster said, Y o u re a bunch o f w ild fox ghosts! 1
549a29^b2
69
S om eone asked, W h a t is it like w hen everything is sw allow ed
up in one gulp?
T h e M aster said, T h e n I am in y o u r belly.
W h y w ould yrou be in m y belly, M aster?
T h e M aster replied, Give m e back y o u r w ords! 2
549b3
70
H aving entered the D harm a Hall for a form al instruction, M aster
Y u n m en said after a long silence:
This com prom ises m e very m u ch ! 3 A nd he stepped
d o w n from his seat.
1 In East Asia, foxes are said to have various magical powers; they can, for
exam ple, transform them selves into beautiful fem m es fatales. In Chan, this e x
pression is used for criticizing impostors. See also sections 91 and 146.
2 This answer implies that the questioner was not yet in the position to ask his
first question.
1 Professor Iriya compares this to the story w here Baizhang sat o n e night in
side the Dharma Hall and suddenly spat on the floor. T o his disciples question
120
71
549b4-H

Y u n m en said:
Ive said w h at there was to say. . . .
A m o n k stepped forw ard, bow ed, and w anted to pose a
question. M aster Y u n m en to o k his staff and hit him , saying:
W h at g o o d can you tell from bad? Y ou bu n ch o f rowdies!
Y o u re all like this m onk; howr dare y o u receive the faithful of
ferings o f the almsgivers! T h e sentient beings w ith bad karm a are
all in here and w h at dry piece o f shit are they seeking to
chew ?
A nd M aster Y u n m en chased all the m onks at once o u t o f
the hall w ith his staff.
72
549b 10
S om eone asked M aster Y u n m en, W hat is C han?

T h e M aster said, Is it all right to get rid o f this w o rd ?
73
S om eone asked M aster Y unm en, W hat is the original
source? 1
T h e M aster said, W hose donations do you receive?
w h y he had don e this he replied: I was just thinking about w isdom and nir
vana.
1 In Chan literature, this expression is often used for that w h ich underlies and
grounds all phenom ena, i.e., the perceiving subject. See, for instance, the
Record o f Linji (T47: 497b25; Sasaki translation, p. 8):
Virtuous m onks, you m ust recognize the on e w h o manipulates
these reflections. H e is the primal source o f all the buddhas.
121
5 4 9 b l4 -1 5
74
54% 28-c6
H aving en tered the D harm a Hall for a form al instruction, M aster

Y u n m en said:
Y o u lo t w h o get lost o n pilgrimages: each and every one
o f you, w h eth e r y o u com e from south o f the Y ellow ^RJver o r
n o rth o f the sea, has his native place. N o w , do y o u k n o w it?
G ive it a try, com e forw ard and tell m e Ill check it o u t for
you! A nybody? A nybody?
I f y o u d o n t k n o w [your native place], th en I have de
ceived you. W o u ld y o u like to know ? If y o u r native place is in
the n o rth , there are M aster Z h a o z h o u 1 and M anjushn o f the
W u tai m ountains;2 b o th are in here. If y o u r birthplace is in the
S outh, there are X uefeng,3 W o lo n g ,4 X iyuan,5 and G ushan6
w h o are all in here. W o u ld y o u like to get to kn o w them ? M eet
th em right here! If y o u d o n 't see them , d o n t preten d that you
do! D o y o u see? D o you? I f y o u d o n t: w atch m e ride o u t astride
th e B uddha Hall! T ake care!
1 Z haozhou C ongshen (778897).

2 See section 61, p. 117, note 2.
3 Master X u efen g, one o f Y u n m en s principal teachers.
4 Several masters w ere called W o lo n g , but as Y un m en means to m ention
w e ll-k n o w n figures it seem s m ost likely that he here thinks o f Master A ngu o
H uiqiu (d. 913), a successor o f Y u n m en s older co-disciple Xuansha Shibei
(8 3 5 -9 0 8 ).
s A gain, there are a num ber o f masters w h o w ere referred to by this tem ple
nam e. T h e master in question m ay be X iyuan Daan (793883), Dharma heir o f
Baizhang.
6 Probably Gushan Shenyen (8 6 2 -9 3 8 ), a Dharma heir o f Y u n m en s teacher
X u efen g Y icun.
122
75
54 9 cl0 -l 1
S om eone asked Y u n m en , W h a t is F orm is n o th in g o th er than

em ptiness? 1
T h e M aster said, T h e staff is hitting y o u r n o se.
76
S 49c 1 5 -1 6
A m o n k asked, W h a t is m ind? 2
T h e M aster said, M in d .
T h e m o n k w en t on, [I] d o n t understand.
T h e M aster said, [You] d o n t understand.
T h e m o n k asked, So w hat is it after all?
T h e M aster replied, Bah! T ake a walk in a quiet spot
w herever y o u like!
77
Som eone asked: W h a t is it like w h en [one realizes that] the
three realms3 are n o th in g b u t m ind, and the m yriad things are
m erely [produced by o n e s] cognition? 4
T h e M aster replied, H id in g in o n e s to n g u e . 5
1 T his is part o f the central statement o f the fam ous Heart Sutra: Form is n oth
in g other than emptiness, and emptiness noth in g other than fo rm .
2 C h. xin, Jap. kokoro; see section 2 2 , p. 95, note 2.
3 T he realms o f sensuous desire, form, and formlessness.
* This expresses the central tenet o f the idealist school o f Buddhist thought
(Vijnaptimatra, i.e. C onsciousness O n ly or better R epresentation O n ly . ).
5 It is possible that the ton gu e stands for w ords ; indeed, there is an instance in
the Record o f Yunmen (562b45) w here Y u n m en speaks o f hiding in w ords :
O n ce [Master Y unm en] said, Is there one w h o is hiding h im self
in words? In place [o f his audience] h e remarked, G ot it!
123
549cl618
A nd w hat is that like?

T h e M aster said, S u -lu f su -lu . 1
549(26-21
78
H aving entered the D harm a H all for a formal instruction, Tvfester
Y u n m en said:
I let yo u talk as m uch as y o u like. F rom m orn in g till eve
n ing n o b o d y is blocking y o u r m o u th to prevent y o u from speak
ing. W ell?
549c2S
S50a3
M aster Y u n m en entered the D harm a H all for a form al instruc

tion, and the assembly gathered. After a long w hile he lifted his
staff and said:
L ook, look! T h e people o f n o rth ern U ttara -k u ru 2 saw the
trouble you to o k gathering firew ood,3 and as a present to you
th ey re holding a w restling b o u t in the m onastery yard. O n top
o f that, they are reciting for you from the W isdom Sutra: [O hj
purity o f all-encom passing w isdom , non-dual, undivided, w ith
o u t difference, n o t separate. . . . 4
1 This spell was am ong other things used for fending o ff evil spirits.
2 T h e northern o f the four continents around the central M t. Sumeru. Square
in shape, its people are said to be square faced. It is ju d ged to be superior
because people live one thousand years and produce fo o d w ith ou t effort.
2 Gathering firew ood was, together w ith other chores such as picking tea
leaves, bringing in rice, and grow ing vegetables, on e o f the activities w here the
m onks could try keeping up their m editative concentration w h ile engaged in
physical labor.
4 This is a phrase found in m any W isd o m scriptures. B y reciting such profound
doctrines w h ile performing a boisterous w resding bout, these people serve as
124
A m o n k then asked: H o w about this purity o f allencom passing w isd o m '?

M aster Y unm en said: In India theyd cut o ff y o u r head
and arm s;1 here you m ay indict yourself and get o u t!
80
550a4- 7
Som eone asked Y u n m en , W h a t is shallowness w ith in p ro fu n

dity?
T h e M aster said, M o untain, river, earth . 2
W h a t is profundity w ith in shallowness?
T h e M aster replied, Earth, m ountain, river.
T h e questioner continued, W h at is profundity?
T h e M aster said, G o ing to India in the m o rn in g and re
turn in g to C hina in the ev ening. 3
81
S om eone asked M aster Y unm en, T h e thousand expedient
means all lead back to the source. I w o n d e r w hat that source is
really a b o u t.
T h e M aster said, W h e re there is a question, there is an
answer. C o m e on, say it quickly!
T h e m o n k said, Yes, . .
T h e M aster said, Far from it!
an exam ple to the m onks w h o find it hard to keep their m editative concentra
tion even w h ile gathering w ood .
1 T h e com m entary included in Zuting skiynan (Z Z 113: 5a7) says that this was
the harsh punishm ent given to the loser o f a public debate.
3 For an additional exam ple o f this phrase, see section 112.
125
5 5 0 a l0 - 1 2
82
550a12-14
W h at is the sw ord o f Y u n m en ? 1
I ts draw n]
H o w about the one w h o is using it?
T h e M aster said: Su-lu, su-lu! 2
83
55 0a 14-15
W h at is the purpose o f the Patriarch [B odhidharm ajs com ing

fro m the W est?
T h e M aster replied, G o ahead, tell m e if there is none!
T h e questioner continued, I d o n t understand!
T h e M aster rem arked, T h at was one hell o f a question!
84
550a22bS

Y u n m en said:
I see that, in spite o f m y teaching on th e second or third
level, th e lot o f you are unable to get it. So w h ats the purpose o f
vainly w earing m o n k s robes? D o you understand? Let m e ex
plain this to y o u in plain terms: W h e n at som e later p o in t y o u go
to various places and see som e V enerable lift his finger or hold
up a fly-w hisk3 and say this is C h a n and this is the D ao , you

2 See section 77, p. 124, note 1 .
3 A horse-tail m ounted on a handle, originally used by Indian Buddhist
m onks to drive away insects. In the C h an sect, o n e o f the insignia o f office o f

a high ranking priest. Yoshitaka Iriya, R u th Fuller Sasaki, and Burton W at
son, O n Som e T exts o f A ncient Spoken C hin ese (unpublished typescript),
p. 30.
126
o u g h t to take y o u r staff, smash his head, and go away! O therw ise

y o u ll end up am ong the followers o f D eva M ara1 and ruin o u r
tradition.
I f y o u really do n o t understand, look for the tim e being
into som e w o rd-creepers.2 I keep telling you that all th e buddhas
o f past, present, and future fro m lands innum erable as specks o f
dust, including the tw en ty -eig h t Indian and th e six C hinese pa
triarchs, are all on top o f this staff; they ex p o u n d the B uddhist
teaching, m anifest by virtue o f their spiritual pow ers in different
forms, and let their voices be heard at will in all ten directions,
w ith o u t the slightest hindrance. D o you understand? If you
d o n t understand, do n o t p reten d that you do. W ell then: H ave
you closely exam ined w hat I ju st said and do you really see it?
B ut even if y o u d reach that plane, y o u still could n o t even
dream o f a true m onk. Y ou w o u ld n t even m eet o n e in a threehouse ham let!
T h e M aster abruptly seized his staff, drew a line on the
ground, and said: All [the buddhas and patriarchs] are in h e re .
H e drew an o th er line and said, All have gone o u t o f here. Take
care o f yourselves!
85
S om eone asked, W h at is S hakyam unis body?
T h e M aster said, A dry piece o f shit. 3
1 This kin g is on e o f the pow erful dem ons o f Buddhist lore; he is said to
obstruct the Buddhist truth and to interfere w h en som eone tries to do
good.
127
55 Ob 15
86
5 5 Ob!5 - 1 6
S om eone asked Y unm en, W o u ld you please, M aster, tell m e

w h at the cardinal m eaning o f o u r [Chan] tradition is?
T h e M aster said, In the S outh th eres M aster X uefeng,
and in the N o rth M aster Z h a o z h o u . 1
87
550b 17-19
S om eone asked Y unm en, T h o u g h this is constantly my m ost

pressing concern, I cannot find any w ay in. Please, M aster, show
m e a w ay in!
T h e M aster said, Just in your present concern there is a
way. 2
550b21-22
88
H o w do I actually experience the u n ique way o f subtle
pow er? 3
T h e M aster said, A fter thirty years! 4
1 See section 74 for notes about these teachers. There is one riiore instance o f
this answer, in section 134; that question addresses the central concern o f a
m onk. T he im plication seems to be: I w ill not tell you; you had better ask one
o f the m ost famous teachers!" (H ow ever, there is an exam ple o f a teacher w h o
responded to such a question w ith I have a headache, I'D tell you another
tim e!) See also sections 71 and 94.
1 See the story o f the encounter o f Shinichi Hisamatsu w ith Bernard Phillips
on p. 51.
3 H ere and in the follow in g exchange, this expression (xuanji) appears to refer
to a p ow er or activity available to an accom plished teacher, a p ow er that he also

applies in dispensing appropriate instruction. T h e student thus asks: H o w can
I get aw akened?
4 Thirty years is, according to Professor Iriya, a com m on unit o f practice; it
corresponds roughly to the num ber o f years one can devote to religious prac
tice in one lifetim e. Y unm en may thus say that this p ow er can be realized only
after a lifetim e o f arduous practice.
128
C o r r e sp o n tlin g t o tk e O c c a s io n
550b24-25
90
550b27-29

Y u n m en said:
T h e B odhisattva V asubandhu has transform ed him self
quite pointlessly into this w o o d en sta ff/1
T h e n he drew a line on th e g ro u n d w ith his staff and said:
All ye buddhas, countless like grains o f sand: go ahead, entangle
yourselves in w ords in here!
W ith this the M aster left his seat.
91
In the D harm a Hall, M aster Y u n m en said:
I w ill be candid w ith you; I know' som eone w h e n I m eet
h im .2 B u t in spite o f such old w o m e n s talk3 you fail to u n d er1 This fam ous answer is a riddle; indeed, in his com m entary to case 15 o f the
Blue C liff Record, Y uanw u remarks that the point o f the question was abstruse
and m isleading and therefore the answer had to be that w ay, too; Y uanw u goes
on to say that Y u n m en is riding the th ie fs horse in pursuit o f the th ief (T48:
1 5 5 b ll12; Cleary and Cleary translation, p. 99). T urn that statement
around! or the Clearys an up sid e-d ow n statem ent are ju st tw o possible
alternative translations.
2 M aster Linji said in similar fashion: W h oever com es to m e, 1 do not fail him:
I kn ow exactly w here h e com es from 7 (T47: 497a5) and W h oever com es
here, w hether he be m on k or layman, I discern him through and th rou gh
(499al0; both translations by Sasaki, pp. 5 and 17).
J In Chan texts, old w o m e n s talk is m ost often used in an approving sense;
extrem ely compassionate talk.
129
5 5 0 c l-4
stand. Y ou gorge yourselves ever)7 day, and after your meals you
prow l up and d ow n [from M o n k s Hall to D harm a H all]. W h at
k ind o f [teaching] vessel are y o u looking for?1 Y ou pack o f w ild
foxes! W h at the hell are y o u doing in here?
T h e M aster chased all th e m onks at once o u t w ith his staff.
550c4~6
92
S om eone asked, ' Fall is beginning and the [three-m onth] sum
m er [training period] is at its end. If in the future som eone w ere
to suddenly question m e, h o w exactly should I respond?
G et out o f here, the w hole assembly!
W h at did I do w rong?
C o m e on, give m e back the m o ney for nin ety days'
w o rth o f food!
550c6-7
93
I have only recently arrived at y o u r D harm a seat and am not yet
clear ab out the style o f y o u r teaching.
T h e M aster replied, W ell, w hat could I say w ith o u t y o u r
questions! 2
1 T h e im plication here seem s to be that after having eaten physical food the
m onks crave spiritual food. T h ey ignore the grandm otherly efforts o f their
teacher and keep looking for som ething else.
2 T his question was often posed; Y u n m en s answer here is made o f pure acid.
In another Chan text a m on k asked som e master about Bodhidharm as inten

tion in com in g from the W est, w hereupon that master said, O h, I w ou ld
never have thought o f this if you hadnt asked m e!
130
C o r r e s p o n d in g to t h e O c c a s io n
C )^
5 500-9
[It is said:] In the countries o f the ten points o f th e compass

there is only one kind o f teaching. W hat is this teaching?
W h y d o n t you ask som ething else?
T h e questioner said, T h an k you, M aster, for y o u r guid
ance.
T h e M aster im m ediately shouted: Khaaa! 1
95
550d9-20
Som eone asked M aster Y u n m en , W h at is it like w h en th e tree

has w ith ered and the leaves fallen? 2
T h e M aster said, T h a ts w holly manifest: golden autum n
w in d ,
96
S om eone asked Y u n m en , H o w about the pearl in th e cloth
bag? 3
1 T he shout (often rendered katsu ) was a frequently used device, especially

by M aster Linji and his followers. Professor S. U eda called it a " p ro to -w o rd
(U r -W o rt) i.e., a w ord before and underneath all words. See also sec
tion 145.
2 T his expression stems from chapter 25 o f the Nirvana Sutra and appears to be
a m etaphor for nirvana or enlightenm ent. Similarly, a p o em by Han Shan
evokes a tree that is older than the forest it stands in; its bark is all dried up and
its leaves have fallen and only naked reality is left. A t any rate, the question
asks w hat it is like to be enlightened and sets the stage for the answer by provid
ing the im agery o f autumn.
3 T h e m etaphor o f the pearl in a cloth bag stems from the Lotus Sutra, w here
the follow in g story is told: Before a friends departure for a lo n g jou rn ey, a man
hid a pearl in the seam o f his friends clothes in order to help him in tim es o f
trouble. T h e traveler indeed got into trouble and found the hidden pearl,
131
550c20-21
The Master said, Can you tell? 1
550(21-22
97
Som eone asked M aster Y unm en, W hat is a successor o f the
patriarchal tradition?
T h e M aster said, Sounds good!
550c23-26
M aster Y u n m en entered the D harm a Hall and said, A b o d h i

sattva striving for w isdom 2 must be able to k n o w the illness o f
sentient beings;3 then he will also be capable o f know ing [his
ow n illness], the illness o f the bodhisattva striving for wisdom .
W ell, if there is som eone here w h o can understand this, he
o u ght to step forward and try dem onstrating it to all o f us!
w hich saved him . T he pearl thus stands for som ething very precious that w e
carry w ith us but are not aware o f i.e., buddha-nature.
1 Its your pearl, so you ought to tell me!
2 O n e w ho practices to attain awakening.
1 This refers to the suffering m entioned in the first o f the Four N ob le Truths,
w hich afflicts all human beings and is at root attachment (see p. 37). O n e w h o
practices to attain w isdom thus attempts to get rid o f this illness, but that task is
easier said than done since there is not only attachment to o n eself and objects,
w hich expresses itself as greed and aversion (the illness o f sentient beings), but
also attachment to not having such attachments {the illness o f the bodhisattvas).
T h e beginning o f the Record of Baizhang gives extensive explanations about
these tw o forms o f illness and about the realm o f ultimate freedom beyond any
attachment and non-attachm ent {Baizhang guanglu, Z Z 118: 83ab). T he vari
ous forms o f attachment and their elimination are also a central them e o f the
Vimalakirti Sutra. See also Paul D em iev iiles classic article o n illness (byo) found
in Hobogirin: Dictionnaire cncydopedtque du bouddkisme d aprh les sources chitwises et
japonaises (Paris: A. M aisonneuve and Tokyo; M aison Franco-Japonaise, 1937),
vol. 3, pp. 2 2 4 -7 0
132
C o r r e sp o n d in g to t k e O c c a s io n
N o one in the assembly said a w ord.

T h e n the M aster said, If you cannot do that, th en d o n t
prevent m e from taking a w alk w herever I please!
550c27
5 5 ia 4

Y u n m en said:
T o day Im getting caught up in w ords w ith you: Shit,
ash, piss, fire! T hese dirty pigs and scabby dogs1 cant even distin
guish good from bad and are m aking th eir living in a shit pit!
Let m e tell you: y o u m ust grasp the w hole universe, the
earth, the three vehicles tw elve divisions o f teachings, and
the verbal teachings o f all buddhas o f the three realms and all the
masters in the w hole em pire at once right on y o u r eyelashes!
Even if y o u w ere able to understand this here and now , y o u d
still be a fellow o u t o f luck w h o is ju m p in g into a shit pit for no
reason at all. I f [anyone like that] should ever com e by m y assem
bly o f p atch -ro b ed m onks, Id beat h im up till his legs break!
T h re e m onks th en stepped forth sim ultaneously and
bow ed. T h e M aster said: A single indictm ent takes care [of all
three o f y o u ]. 2
1 M aybe this w h ole phrase should be taken literally as a strong curse: Slut-ashpiss-fire-dirty pig-scabby dog!
2 Y un m en says here that all three m onks com m itted the same crim e. In the
earlier stone inscription {Daijo T ok iw a, Shift a bukkyd shiseki kwcnshu [Tokyo:
Bukkyo shiseki kenkyukai, 1931], p. 113, lines 6 to 7), this last section is added
in a slightly different form to a short serm on that reads:
O n ce [Master Yunm en] saw the assembly gather, and after a
w h ile he said, Ify o u d o n t understand for thirty years, d on t say
that y o u did nt m eet a teacher.
T hereupon three m onks stepped forward sim ultaneously
and bow ed.
T h e Master said, T hree people, one warrant!'
133
55U 4-6
100
S om eone asked: H o w can one quickly go beyond the three
realms [of sensual desire, form , and formlessness]?
T h e M aster said, H o w can one quickly go beyond the
three realms?
T h e questioner said, T h a ts it!
T h e M aster rem arked, If that is it th en its all over w ith
y o u ! 1
5 5 U 7 -9
101
S om eone asked Y unm en, H o w about w h en I clear away ev
erything in one fell sw oop?
T h e M aster said, W h at do you do about m e?
T h e questioner replied, T h a ts y o u r problem !
T h e M aster exclaim ed, Y o u w indbag!
5 5 U 9 -1 0
102
W h a t is the D ao?
T h e M aster replied, T o break th ro u g h this w o rd .
W h at is it like w h en o n e has broken th ro u g h ?
A thousand miles, the same m o o d . 2
1 Cf. Y u an w u s saying (Blue C liff Record, T48: 17 7 cl0 ):

H o w ev er you manage to deal w ith this, y o u cannot get around
losing your body and life.
.
.
2 This expresses the closeness good friends feel even w h en they are a thousand
miles apart.
134
103
S om eone asked: A n old m o n k said, I have realized th e ultim ate
p rin c ip le /1 W h a t is this ultim ate principle?
T h e M aster said: H o w about w h ats in m y hand?
T h e m o n k insisted: Im asking about the ultim ate princi
ple!
T h e M aster hit him w ith his staff, crying: Boo! Boo! Just
w h en its shattered, you say: Please teach m e about it! W h e r
ever they go, people [like you] k n o w ju st h o w to squeeze things
in to their schem e at random . Step forw ard and let m e ask you:
Y o u re usually on the long [m editation] bench and ho ld discus
sions about transcending [particulars] and descending1 [into
them ],2 an d about going b ey o n d the buddhas and transcending
the patriarchs. N o w tell me: D oes a w ater buffalo kn o w w hat
going b ey o n d the buddhas and transcending the patriarchs is all
about?
T h e m o n k replied, Just before, som ebody already asked
this! 3
T h e M aster replied: This [kind o f phrase] is som ething
y o u can learn on the long [m editation] bench. N o need for
som eone to state the obvious and say it has w h en it has and it
doesnt hav e w h en it doesnt.
T h e m o n k said: If [the w ater buffalo] has [the m eaning o f
transcending the buddhas and going bey o n d the patriarchs]: for
w h at purpose does it th en have a hide and w ear horns?
T h e M aster said: I knew y o u re ju st one w h o m em orizes
w o rd s.
1 U ltim ate norm and the ultim ate are other possible translations.
2 Literally, upw ard and dow nw ard ; see section 1 , p. 8 9 f n ote 1.
3 T his appears to have been a set w ay o f evading a question: T hats an old
hat!
135
55U 10-24
M aster Y u n m en added: C om e, come! Let m e ask you

again: Y ou all carry y o u r staff across y o u r shoulders and claim
that you practice C h a n and study the D ao ' and that y o u re
searching for the m eaning o f going bey o n d the buddhas and
transcending the patriarchs. W ell, h eres m y question to you: is
the m eaning o f 'g o in g bey o n d buddhas and transcending pa
triarchs present [in all y o u r actions] during the tw elve periods o f
the day walking, standing, sitting, lying, shitting, pissing
[and anyw here including] the verm in in the privy and the linedup m u tto n traded at m arket stalls? If th eres anyone able to tell
m e, he should step forward! If nob o d y is capable o f that, d o n t
p rev en t m e from taking a w alk [w herever I please,] east or
w est!
W ith this, M aster Y u n m en left his teachers seat.
55U 26-21
104
W h a t was [B odhidharm as] purpose 'in com ing from the
W est?
T h e M aster replied, [You m ust be hungry after such a
long tnp;] th e re s gruel and rice o n the lo n g b en ch !
5 5 Ia28b2
105
A m o n k asked, W h a t wras B o d hidharm as aim w h e n he came
from the W est?
T h e M aster replied, A question from you, V enerable, and
I take that th ree-thousand-m ile leap.
T h e m o n k rejoined: T h a n k you, M aster, for y o u r in
stru ctio n .
M aster Y u n m en said, W ait, wait, tell m e: w h at I just said
to you, w h at does it m ean?
136
C o rre sp o n d in g to tk e O c c a sio n
T h e m o n k had n o an sw er.
T h e M aster rem arked: C o m e again in thirty years; th en
Ill strike y o u thirty tim es w ith m y staff! 1
106
551b79
H aving en tered the D harm a H all for a form al instruction, M aster

Y u n m en said: T h e B uddha attained the W ay w h en the m o rn
ing star appeared.
A m o n k asked: W h at is it like w hen one attains the W ay
at the appearance o f the m o rn in g star?
M aster Y u n m en said: C o m e here, com e here [Ill show it
to y o u]!
T h e m o n k w en t closer. M aster Y u n m en hit h im w ith his
staff and chased him o u t o f th e D harm a Hall.
107
M aster Y u n m en entered the D harm a H all for a form al instruc
tion.
A m o n k stepped forw ard, bow ed, and said: Please, M as
ter, respond to o u r questions!
M aster Y u n m en cried: H ey, you all!
As the m em bers o f the assembly looked up the M aster at
once left his seat.
1 T h e master attempts to prevent the student from simply accepting his teach
ing, first by questioning him and then by calling him so imm ature that even
after thirty years o f training he w ou ld be ready only for harsh physical punish
m ent.
137
5 51bl0i 1
5 5 1 b l2 -1 3
108
M aster Y u n m en entered the D harm a Hall for a form al instruc
tion, T h ere was a long silence. T h e n a m o n k stepped forw ard
and bow ed.
T h e M aster said: T o o late!
T h e m o n k consented: Y es.
T h e M aster said: Y ou lacquer bucket! 1
5 5 M 4 -1 7
109
Y u n m en said: Is there anybody w ho is able to pose a question?
C o m e on, ask o n e!
A m o n k stepped forw ard, bow ed, and said: Please, M as
ter, exam ine [me]!
T h e M aster replied: I th rew in a h o o k to catch a giant
fish b u t w hat did I m anage to catch? A frog!
T h e m o n k said: M ake no m istake, R ev eren d !
M aster Y u n m en said: T h ere you bit o ff m ore than you
can chew !2 D o n t you think?
T h e m o n k was speechless.
M aster Y u n m en hit him .
5 5 ib 2 0 22
no
Som eone asked Y unm en, W h y does Sam antabhadra ride an
elephant and M anjushn a lion? 3
1 Lacquer stands for pitch-black ignorance.

2 Literally, In the m orning you [intend to] go three thousand, but in the
even in g you ran eight hundred. Probably a proverb. T he im plication seem s to
be that one thinks or says on e can accom plish m ore than is actually possible.
3 T h e bodhisattva Samantabhadra (Ch. Puxian, Jap. Fugen) is m ost often
138
T h e M aster said, I have neither an elephant n o r a lion;

Im riding o n the B uddha H all and leave th ro u g h th e triple
m onastery gate!
111
551b24-25
W h at is it like w h en all-em bracing w isdom pervades and there

is no hindrance?
T h e M aster replied, C lean up the ground and sprinkle it
w ith w ater: His Excellency the P rim e M inister is com ing!
112
5 5 ib 2 6 -2 9
S om eone asked: W h at is that w h ich is transm itted separately

from the teachings o f the three vehicles?
T h e M aster said, If y o u d o n t ask m e I w o n 't answer. B ut
if y o u do, I go to India in the m o rn in g and return to C h in a in the
evening!
T h e questioner said, Please* M aster, p o in t it o u t to m e!
T h e M aster replied, H opeless case!
113
W h a t was the in ten tio n o f the Patriarch [Bodhidham ia] w h en
he cam e from the W est?
T h e M aster replied, W h at good is it to m um ble in o n e s
sleep in b ro ad daylight?
sh ow n riding on an elephant, and M anjushn (C h. W enshu, Jap. M onju) o n a

lion.
139
5 5 lb 2 9 -c l
114
551c4-5
W h at is the fundam ental m eaning o f B uddhist teaching?

T h e M aster said, Y o u 're facing south to see the G reat
B ear! 1
115
5 5 ic 6 -7
A m o n k asked, W h a t is th e characteristic style o f y o u r house,

M aster?
T h e M aster replied, M o n k , you to o k the vows m uch too
1
soon!
5 5 lc 1 0 ~ ll
'
116
Som eone asked Y u n m en , E ver since I came to y o u r D harm a

seat, M aster, I ju st d o n t understand. Please im part m e y o u r in
struction!
T h e M aster said, M ay I lop off y o u r head? 2
551 ( 1112
117
S om eone inquired, Please, M aster, instruct m e; m ake m e get
rid o f confusion once and for all!
1 Since o n e m ust face north in order Co see the Great Bear constellation, this
means to take a com pletely w ron g approach, to be totally o n the w ron g
track.
2 In com m en tin g upon this exchange, Professor Iriya refers to a story about a
previous life o f the Buddha contained in chapter 14 o f the Mahapannirvana

Sutra , w here Indra in the guise o f on e o f the eight kinds o f dem ons is said to
have told the future Buddha the first tw o lines o f a four-line verse and offered
to supply the second tw o lines only i f he w ould let h im self be devoured. T h e
man w h o in a later life was to b eco m e the Buddha was so determ ined to gain
this teaching that he agreed to the d em o n s proposal.
140
T h e M aster replied, W h a ts the price o f rice in X iangzhou? 1
118
5 5 U 1 2 -1 3
Som eone asked M aster Y u n m en, W h a t was it like w h en the

tw o w orth ies2 m et each o ther?
T h e M aster said, T h at was no chance e v e n t.
119
55 i d 4 - i 5
M aster Y u n m en entered the D harm a H all and said,

Indra3 and old Shakyam uni are having a fight about B ud
dhism in th e m onastery courtyard; its quite a h u b b u b !
W ith this the M aster left his seat.4
120
W h at is the actual p o in t [the Sixth Patriarch of] C aoqi is driv
ing at?
T h e M aster said, I like to be outraged. I d o n t like to be
pleased.
1 Present-day Xiangfan city in the northern part o f H ubei province. This im

portant market tow n in the m iddle region o f the Y angtze plain m ay have been
the h o m eto w n o f the questioner. Since rice was the m ost basic food , o n e must
assume that everyone including the questioner k n ew its price. Y un m en may
here question the kind o f confu sion that occupies the m onk.
2 T h e m eetin g b etw een Vimalaklrti and M anjushn that is described in the
Vimaluk.itti Sutra.
4 Professor Inya suggests that Y un m en is here instigating his disciples to take
part in the fight in order to reconcile the tw o or to b ecom e the rejoicing third
person.
141
5 5 U 1 5 -1 7
W h y is that so?
I f one encounters a sw ordsm an on the road, one ought to
offer him a sword; and to som eone w h o is n o t a p o et one doesnt
present a p o e m . 1
5 5 1c20^22
In th e D harm a Hall for a public instruction, Y u n m en said, Fel

low m onks, y o u o ug h t to grasp w hat it is that constitutes a
patch -ro b ed m onk. W ell, w h at is it that makes a p atch-robed
m o n k ?
[N o answer.]
H e added, G reat P erfection o f W isdom ! T oday w e have
great com m unal labor.
A nd he stepped do w n from his seat.
551c2225
S om eone
dharm as]
The
The
asked Y unm en, W h a t was the purpose in [Bodhi

com ing from the W est?
M aster said, T h e m ountains, the rivers, the earth. 2
m o n k insisted, Is there som ething beyond that?
1 It is possible to take this as A nsw ering you w ou ld be playing the harp for an
o x , but I favor If you m eet a Z en -m an , provoke him w ith an outrageous
Z en-question!
2 It appears that the objects m entioned in this expression are representative o f
all phenom ena that one is facing. T h e connection betw een the seer and the
seen, the hearer and the heard, the subject and its objects, is a constant them e in
C han literature; thus it is for instance said that [concerns arise] because outside
you see mountains, rivers, and the earth (case 25 o f the Blue C liff Record, T48:
166a 19), or: Baizhang said, All words, m ountains, rivers, the earth: they all
com e back to one's se lf (ibid., case 2, 142b26), or If there is a single thing
in your breast, then m ountains, rivers, and the earth appear in profusion before
you; if there is not a single thing in your breast, then outside there is not so
m u ch as a tiny hair (ibid., case 60, 1 9 2 b l9 20). See also section 80.
142
C o r r e sp o n d in g t o t k e O c c a s io n
T h e M aster said, T h ere is,

T h e questioner co n tin ued, W h a t is it?
T h e M aster said, O ld Shakyam uni is staying in India, and
B odhisattva M anjushn resides in C h in a ,
123
5 51(25-27
A m o n k asked, W h a t is it like w h en b o th father and m o th e r are

deceased?
T h e M aster replied, L ets leave both are deceased aside:
w h o are y o u r father and m o th er?
T h e m o n k said, T h e pain is d ee p .
T h e M aster said, I see, I see! 1
124
S om eone asked Y u n m en , If a totally ignorant o n e com es: h o w
do you help him ?
T h e M aster replied, B o th cases2 [his and yours] are taken
care o f by a single in d ictm en t. 3
1 If father and m other are not used allegorically here, Y u n m en s reaction

appears to be a com passionate one, although one cannot exclude irony even
here. Cf. the fierce attack o f Baizhang o n a m onk in similar circumstances
('Collection from the Founders Hallsr 4 .5 5 , 1314):
A m on k cam e crying into the Dharma Hall and Master [Bai
zhang] asked, W h ats the matter, w hats the matter? T h e m onk
replied, M y father and m other both died! Please, Master,
ch oose a day [for the funeral]. T h e M aster cried, G et out and
com e back tom orrow , F1I bury y o u together w ith them !
2 Qongati (Jap. koan): see also section 46, p. 107, note 4, on xianzheng gongan
for the legal con text o f early occurrences o f this tem i, w h ich acquired m uch
prom inence in later times. This exchange illustrates w ell h o w this term was
used before it becam e famous.
3 Y u n m en s teacher M u zh ou used to say that the case against so m eo n e was
made as soon as he entered and before he even op en ed his m outh (see section
46).
143
551(28-29
125
55 U 29552a 1
A m o n k asked M aster Y u n m en , For w hose benefit is it that

you are teaching?
T h e M aster said, C o m e closer and ask louder!
T h e m o n k stepped forw ard and asked [once m ore].
T h e M aster hit him .
126
552a13
S om eone asked M aster Y unm en, H o w old are you, M aster?

T h e M aster replied, Seven times nine is six ty -e ig h t/
T h e questioner asked, W h y w o u ld seven rimes nine be
sixty-eight?
T h e M aster said, I subtracted five years for y o u . 1
127
552a4-2 5

Y u n m en said:
R ev eren d monks! T h o u g h you say 'W h a t is the m atter?2
y o u re still p u ttin g a head on top o f a head3 and frost on top o f
snow , y o u 're blinking an eye in the coffin and are b urning m oxa
1 This is not a mistranslation.

3 H ere, the answer nothing w hatsoever is the matter is im plied. It is thus a
statement one w ould exp ect from a person for w h om everything is fine, i.e., an
enlightened one.
3 See also the Record o f Linji, T 4 7 (500c46; Sasaki translation, p. 25):
I say to y o u that there is no Buddha, no Dharma, n oth in g to
practice, nothing to prove. Just what are y o u seekin g thus in the
highw ays and byways? B lind men! Y o u re putting a head on top
o f the on e you already have. W hat do y o u yourself lack?
144
o n a m oxa b u rn scar.1 This is quite a messy scene! B u t w hat can

one do ab o u t it?
E very one o f y o u m ust strive for him self to obtain [a b et
ter] rebirth. D o n t futilely tram p around C h in as districts and
provinces! Y ou ju st w ant to get hold o f som e trivial words and
are w aiting for som e m aster's m o u th to m ove; th en you ask
ab out C h an and the D ao, u p w ard and d o w n w a rd , w hat
is . . and w hat i f . , , / and y o u stuff w hat you n ote d o w n on
big rolls o f copying paper rig h t into the bags o f skin [that you
are]. W h erev er y o u go y o u gather in small groups around the
fireplace, and m any voices m u rm u r in speculation: T hese are
im partial and eloquent w ords and those are w ords conceived on
the spot; these are w ords based on events and those are w ords
that em body-em body th e m aster or mistress in y o u r h o u se.
A nd once y o u ve gobbled these w ords d o w n y o u do n o th in g
b ut talk in y o u r sleep, saying, I have understood the B uddha
D h arm a. Its quite obvious that by such pilgrimages y o u ll never
ever2 attain rest!3
A nd then th e re s the b u n ch w h o , as soon as they hear
some talk ab o u t rest, shut th eir eyes w hile in hell.4 T h ey spend
their life in a rat hole, sit u n d er a dark m ountain w here ghosts
roam , and say, 1 fo u n d a w ay in . D o they see it even in a dream?
W h at crim e w o u ld it be to beat ten thousand people o f this
kind to death? This is called right from the outset no chance
1 A ctions that make no sense and are utterly superfluous.

2 Literally, in the year o f the d on k ey. Because the donkey is not on e o f the
animals in the C hin ese tw elve-year cycle, this sim ply means 'never.
3 O f course, rest here has a strong spiritual connotation (peace o f m ind,
awakening),
+ A m etaphor for o n e s existential ostrich-policy: to close o n e s eyes to anxiety
and unrest and pretend that on e is at rest.
145
to m eet an accom plished o n e / A fter all, these are ju st windbags.

If there really is som ething you see: com e and show it to
m e, Ill discuss it w ith you! D o n t vainly o verlook that you d o n t
k n o w good from bad, and d o n t hold those senseless gatherings
to get caught up in words! D o n t let m e see y o u [doing this],
since if I caught y o u and fo u n d o u t about the w ro n g you did, Id
have to beat you up and cut y o u in half.1 D o n t you ever say that
I d id n t tell you!
Is there any b lo o d u n d er y o u r skin? W h at good is it to
willfully victim ize yourself w h erev er y o u go? B u n ch o f ex ter
m inators o f Buddhism ! Y o u re no m ore than a pack o f w ild
foxes! W h at are you all here for?
A nd M aster Y u n m en at once chased th e m onks w ith his
staff o u t o f the D harm a Hall.
128
552a2527
S om eone asked, T h e H o n o re d O nes2 o f the ten directions all

h ad a single gatew ay to ultim ate liberation. W h a t is this gate
w ay?
T h e M aster said, I can't tell.
T h e questioner w e n t on, M aster, w hy cant you tell?
T h e M aster replied, If y o u , ju st you, present the problem
th en I can. 3
1 A legal term that means to cut o ff at the hip. T his was a punishm ent for
criminals.
2 O n e o f the ten epithets o f an aw akened on e (buddha); Sanskrit bhagavat.
3 This conversation is similar to the legendary story o f Bodhidharm as m eeting
w ith the second patriarch, Shenguang H uike. T he tradition has it that after
having stood up to his hip in the snow and cut ofFhis arm to sh o w his determ i
nation to com e to grips w ith his problem , H uike is finally allow ed to tell
Bodhidharm a about his concern;
146
C o r r e s p o n d in g t o tn e O c c a s io n
129
Som eone
M aster!
The
The
The
552b5-7
asked M aster Y u n m en , I request y o u r instruction,

M aster said, A B C D E F .
questioner: I d o n t understand.
M aster: G H IJK L . 1
130
Y unm en said:
Y o u r eyelashes stretch out horizontally in all ten direc
tions, y o u r eyebrow s penetrate heaven and earth do w n to the
yellow springs,2 and M t. S um eru has blocked y o u r throat. N o w
is there som ething [in w hat I said] that y o u understand? I f you
do: pick up V ietnam and smash it against K orea! 3
H uike: Please, Master, bring peace into m y heart-m ind!"

Bodhidharma: Sh ow m e you r heart-m ind, and I w ill pacify it!
H uike: 1 have searched for it, but L could not find it. B o d h idharma: I f y o u could search for it, h o w could it be your very
o w n heart-mind? And h o w should I bring peace to it? T hen
Bodhidharm a said to H uike, I have on ce and for all pacified
the heart-m ind for you. D o y o u n o w see it? At these words,
H u ik e was gready awakened. (Collection from the Founder's Halls,
1.73, 6 flf)
1 In the original, o f course, the first C hinese characters a child had to leam to
write are used.

2 T h e underw orld, the w orld o f the dead.
T h e almost identical talk in the second chapter o f the Record o f Yunmen

(563c29564a3) adds;
In place [o f his students, Master Y unm en] said: H a!
147
5 5 2 b 1 0 -l2
J 52b15-16
131
Y u n m en said:
G et out, get o u t o f here! Y o u re fooling each o ther w ith
o u t end!
T h en M aster Y u n m en asked the assembly: Is even to say
w hat I ju st said a mistake?
5 52b16-18
132
W h a t did the founder [Bodhidharm a] intend w h en he came
fro m th e W est?
Y ou m ust n o t ask that! 1
Y es.
Bah! Y ou d o n t even com prehend w hat I said!
5 52b18-20
133
S om eone asked, W h e n you m ake offerings to the arhats2 today,
do they com e?
M aster Y u n m en said, If y o u d o n 't ask, I w o n t answ er.
Please, M aster, tell me.1
1 D ep en d in g on w here one puts the stress, this answer can have different m ean
ings. D o es Y unm en say that the questioner is not yet in a position to ask such
a question (stress on you), or does he criticize the question as trice (stress on
thcU)i or does he im ply that the questioner him self ought to answer that ques
tion (stress on ask)?
2 Saints w h o are free from craving and rebirth and have thus reached the sev
enth stage o f the bodhisattva path, w here they are w orthy o f respect and offer
ings; or o n e o f the ten epithets o f a buddha. Even today, offerings to arhats are
given during cerem onies on every first and fifteenth day in Soto Z en temples in
Japan.
148
T h e M aster said, Fold hands in greeting in front o f the

m ain tem ple gate, and offer incense in the B uddha H all. 1
134
552b20-22
S om eone asked M aster Y u n m en , W h at is th e patch -ro b ed

m o n k s very o w n m atter?
T h e M aster said, In th e South, th e re s M aster X uefeng; in
the N o rth , th e re s M aster Z h a o z h o u . 2
T h e questioner co n tin ued, Please, M aster, d o n t com pli
cate things!
T h e M aster said, Y ou m ust n o t dodge y o u r question!
T h e student said, Y es.
T h e M aster hit him .
135
H aving en tered the D harm a H all for a form al instruction, M aster
Y u n m en said:
W ell, w hat has since ancient times been the m atter?
R ig h t n o w I can n o t help saying to all o f you: W h at thing is there
in the w h o le universe that is an object for you o r stands in rela
tion to you? If there is the slightest thing that form s an obstacle
o r constriction for you, com e get hold o f it for me) W h a t is
it that you call b u d d h a and patriarch? W h at is it that y o u
call m o u n tain , river, the earth, sun, m oon, and stars? A nd w hat
1 T his appears to be a standing expression used by teachers to effectively end

the interview . It is likely that it involves a critical elem ent, n o t unlike m o d em
Japanese R in zai masters ringing o f the bell during individual interviews: G et
out o f here!
2 See section 86.
149
552b25-c8
do y o u regard as the four elem ents1 and the five com ponents?2
W h e n I talk this way, I call it talk by a granny from a
th ree-h o u se ham let.3 If Id happen to com e across a real pilgrim
and h e d hear m e talk like this, he co u ld n t be reproached if he
grabbed m e by m y leg and th rew m e d ow n the steps.
N evertheless [I ask you]: for w hat reason is this so? D o n t
take advantage o f y o u r glib m outhpiece for haphazard talk in
here. [To be able to freely talk] you m ust first be this kind o f
man! If all o f a sudden the gro u n d on w hich you stand gets ex
am ined by m e, y o u will be cornered and get y o u r legs broken;
w ill there be anything w ro n g w ith that?
This being understood: is there som eone right n o w w ho
w o u ld like to question m e about the essence o f o u r [Chan] tradi
tion? Let me reply w ith one tu rn [of phrase] and th en go w h e r
ever I like!
Ju st w h en som e m o n k was about to ask, the M aster hit him
w ith his staff full on the m outh. T h en he left his seat.
552c 10-12
136
M aster Y u n m en entered the D harm a Hall and said,
I ve got a phrase, b u t I w o u ld n t dare to h o p e that y o u d
understand it. B u t is there [at least] som eone able to cite one?
1 Earth, water, fire, and w ind. T hese are the elem ents from w h ich ail things
w ere considered to be made.
2 T h e five skandhas (com ponents o f hum an beings): 1. form , matter; 2. recep
tion, feeling; 3. concep tion, perception; 4. volition, m ental functioning; and 5.
discrim ination, consciousness (see Sasaki, Recorded Sayings, note 113, p. 76).
3 T h e grandm other showers her children and grandchildren w ith love and
kindness; in C han texts, expressions like grandm otherly kindness or co m
passionate like a grandm others heart abound. C om passion sh ow n by a grand
m other from a three-house ham let may be even greater since she has so few
persons to distribute it to.
150
A fter a long silence he said, I always th o u g h t that [only

this] barbarians beard was red, b u t it turns out that there are
m ore red-bearded barbarians!'
T h erew ith the M aster left his seat.
137
552 c13-17

Y unm en said:
I cannot help giving m edicine to the dead horse. Im tell
ing you: W h a t is it?1 Is it east or west, n o rth or south, being or
n o n -b ein g , seeing o r hearing, up there beyond or d o w n here
below , so o r no t-so ?
This is called b o o n d o ck granny talk.2 B u t h o w m any o f
you have reached this realm? W h e th e r y o u re in accordance
w ith it or not: may it com e about at a quiet place! 3
W ith this the M aster left the hall.
138
Y u n m en said:
O ld m onks everyw here say, Y ou m ust realize that single
thing w ith o u t sound or fo rm . W ith w ords o f this kind th ey fool
p eo p les children. Inside their tiny tem ples they are deluding
them selves; n o t even in a dream have they ever seen the signifi-
1 This question, w h ose subject matter is w hat Z en is about, was a favorite one
o f Y u n m en s teacher X uefeng.
2 See also section 135, and note 3 o f section 142.
3 This magic formula was used at the end o f magic incantations in Mahayana
Buddhism . It could here be used like Su-lu, su-lu (see section 77) i.e., as a
means to drive o ff evil spirits and influences.
151
552c! S22
cance o f o u r original teach ers tradition! F or w hat purpose do

they consum e the alms o f the faithful? W h e n th eir tim e is up,
every one o f them will have to reim burse those almsgivers, panic
as he may!
Just you, each and every one o f you, m ust m ake the effort
by yourselves! Take care!
552c2129
139
S om eone asked, W h a t is the pure im m aculate D harm a body? 1
M aster Y u n m en replied, T h at peony hedge!
T h e m o n k asked, Is it all right if I understand it in this
I*9
way?
T h e M aster said, A golden-haired lion! 2
553a1-2
140
Y u n m en w en t up to the D harm a Hall, and on hearing the sound
o f the bell, he said,
1 T his expression is m ost often used in conjunction w ith the Vairocana Buddha
(the great sunlight Buddha), w h o is a representation o f the Dharma body. It
sym bolizes the pure reality o f aw akened buddhahood, w h ich is free o f the
defilem ents o f illusion. This buddhahood is not som ethin g far away; rather, it is
in Chan view ed as the very nature o f each person. Thus it is said in the Record
o f U ty i (T47: 497b 17) that the threefold body is n oth in g other than the lis
tener standing in front o f m e . So this question, w h ile conjuring up the color
ful image o f Vairocana Buddha (w hich may be reflected in Y u n m en s answer),
appears to be about the questioners o w n awakened, undefiled nature.
2 This answer is quite a riddle, and various interpretations have been advanced:
that the im m obile lion w ith its potential violent m oves stands in contrast to a
p eon y hedge, or that the golden lion sym bolizes the intetpenetration o f the
universal and the particular. It seems possible to m e that Y u n m en , in effect, is
givin g a negative answer to the m o n k s question w hether it was all right to
sim ply accept this answer; thus I tend to read Y u n m en s answer as: [N o , its
not all right. T he body o f im m aculate reality is] a golden-haired lion !
152
C o r r e s p o n d in g to tk e O c c a s io n
T h e w orld is so w ide and vast; w hy should I w ear the

seven-strip ro b e 1 at the sound o f the bell?
141
553a3
H aving entered the D harm a Hall for a formal instruction, the

M aster said:
O n e ought n ot to p u t frost on top o f snow! Take care!
W ith this the M aster left the teachers seat.
142
H aving entered the D harm a Hall for a form al instruction, the
M aster said:
T hese old shavepates everyw here! Sitting on ro u n d
chairs2 and lo n g [m editation] benches, they w an t to acquire fame
and profit. Asked about B uddha, they answ er B u d d h a, and
asked ab out patriarch they answ er patriarch, and they shit and
piss. [W hat they say] is ju st like inform ation passed around
am ong b o o n d o c k grannies.3 T h e y d o n t even k n o w good from
bad!
Y o u re all ju st like them ; [you o u g h t to] have trouble to
consum e even w ater [with a good conscience]. 4
1 T h e outer robe. This is on e o f the three robes o f a Buddhist m onk. It is so

called because it is made o f seven strips o f cloth. T h e nine-strip robe is the most
gorgeous on e, the five-strip robe the simplest. T he seven-strip robe was appar
ently w orn w h en attending formal talks o f a master.
2 A chair w ith round arm - and backrests used by Chan masters w hile giving
formal talks, etc.
3 M ost com m entators poin t out that this expression refers either simply to the
passing on o f inform ation inside a village or to a game similar to telep h o n e,
w here each person has to w hisper the words he has just heard in to his neigh
bors ear.
,
4 Y un m en seem s to im ply that these m onks are so utterly worthless creatures
153
553a47
553*8-9
^ 4 3
H aving entered the D harm a H all for a form al instruction* the

M aster said:
E very person originally has the radiant lig h t1 yet w hen
it is lo o k ed at, it is n o t seen: dark and obscure]
W ith this the M aster left the teacher's seat.
. ! *
1 4 4
H av in g entered th e D harm a H all for a formal instruction, the

M aster said:
All o f y o u w h o com e and go for no reason: W h a t are you
lo oking for in [this m onastery] here? I only k n o w h o w to eat and
drink and shit. W h at else w o u ld I be good for?
Y o u re m aking pilgrim ages all over the place, studying
C h an and asking ab out the D ao. L et m e ask you: W hat have you
m anaged to learn in all those places? T ry presenting that!
Again, he said: In the m eantim e, you cheat th e M aster in
y o u r o w n house. Is that all right? W h e n y o u m anage to find a
little slime on m y ass, y o u lick it off, take it to be y o u r ow n self,
and say: I understand C han, I understand the D ao ! Even if you
m anage to read the w hole B uddhist canon so what?!
T h e old masters c o u ld n t help it. W h en they saw you run
about aimlessly, they said to y o u suprem e w isdom (bodhi) and
nirv an a. T h ey really buried you; they drove in a stake and tied
y o u to it.2 Again, w h en they saw that y o u d id n t understand,
Chat they d on t even m erit receiving and consum ing water, a natural resource
available to everyone.
1 This is a m etaphor for aw akened w isd o m that breaks the darkness o f delusion.
2 See the Rccord o f Linji (T47: 4 9 7 c ll) : B odhi and nirvana are like hitching
posts for asses.
154
they said to you: Its n o t bod h i and nirvana. K now ing this sort
o f thing already shows that y o u re dow n on y o u r luck; [but to
m ake m atters worse,] y o u re lo o k in g for com m ents and explana
tions by others. Y o u exterm inators o f B uddhism , y o u ve been
like this all along! A nd w here has this b ro u g h t y o u today?
W h e n I was o n pilgrim age som e tim e ago, there was a
b u n ch o f people w ho gave m e explanations. T h e y d id n t have
bad intentions, b u t one day I saw th ro u g h them [and realized]
that they are laughingstocks. If I d o n t die in the next four or five
years, I ll get these exterm inators o f B uddhism and break their
legs1.
T hese days there are plenty o f tem ple priests everyw here
w h o fake it: w hy d o n t y ou go and jo in them ? W h a t dry piece o f
shit are y o u looking for in here?5
T h e M aster stepped d o w n from his seat, and he hit and
chased the m onks o u t o f the hall w ith his staff.
155
E sse n tia l S ayings fro m th e

M a s te r s R o o m
553c25-
145
Instructing th e assembly, the M aster said:
H eaven, earth, and the w hole w orld in all ten directions
are shattered to pieces by one blow o f m y staff.
If you abandon the entirety o f the w ritten B uddhist
teachings1 as well as B odhidharm as com ing from the W est, it
w o n t do. Y et if y ou hold on to them , you w o n t be w o rth a
sh o u t, 2
554al
146
Instructing the assembly, the M aster said:
T h e tw en ty -eig h t Indian and six C hinese founders3 as
w ell as the w hole em pires teachers are all on the tip o f this staff.
1 Literally: the tw elve divisions o f teachings o f the three vehicles.

2 T he shout is one o f the frequently used teaching devices o f Chan masters (see
also section 94); here it may stand for ocher devices as w ell or even for the
teaching activity o f the masters in general. T he next section has a similar them e.
3 This is the legendary lineage linking the historical Buddha w ith the Chan
tradition. For the Indian part, see the tentative Sanskrit reconstruction o f the
156
E s s e n tia l S a y in g s fr o m tk e M a s te r s R o o m
B ut even if y o u d m anage to understand and discern this

quite clearly, y o u d still be b u t halfway there. As long as you
d o n t let go, y o u re n o th in g b u t a wild fox ghost!
554a 4-9
O n e day the M aster said:

Because o f their com passion, all the venerables since
olden days held conversations that fell into the w eeds;1 through
their w ords y o u will k now w hat they are about. Y o u w ould not
be in that position had they [only] held talks that left the w eeds.2
So there are collected and condensed anecdotes. H av en t you
read the follow ing story:
Reverend Yangshan asked a m onk, W here have you just

come from?
From the Lu mountains, replied the monk.
Yangshan said, Tn that case, did you visit the Five
Elders Peak?
I ve never been there, answered the monk.
names o f the tw enty-eigh t Indian founders by Professor Gishin T ok iw a repro
duced w ith some questionable changes in A ppendix G o f Hisao Inagakis G/wjsary o f Zen Terms (Kyoto: Nagata B unshodo, 1991). T he traditional six found
ers (patriarchs) o f Chinese Z en are Bodhidharma, H uike, Sengcan, D aoxin,
H ongren, and H uineng.
1 Falling into the w eed s is a vernacular expression referring to a teacher w ho
lowers him self compassionately into the w eeds o f delusion and ignorance. In
this sense it corresponds to a dow nw ard activity-i.e., an activity that enters
into the contradictions and delusions o f the w orld in order to lead people
beyond that ( upward).
2 Straight talk by the awakened that does not make any concessions to the
illusions (weeds) o f the audience; in contrast to Calk that is adapted to the cir
cumstances and compassionately enters the w eed s.
157
Yangshan rejoined, Y o u ve never even been to the

m ountain!
M aster Y unm en said: T hese w ords are all [examples of]
having conversations in the w eeds o u t ot com passion.
554a10-12
148
T h e M aster once said:
If y o u say this very m ind is b u d d h a /1 you provisionally
accept the slave as master and life-and-death (samsara) as nirvana.
This is precisely like cutting o ff o n e s head in pursuit o f life.
Talking about buddhas and founders and their respective inten
tions is ju st like snatching away y o u r ow n eyeballs w hile looking
for soap berries.2
149
554*13-15
M aster Y unm en cited:
A man o f old has said: [Xiangyan] awakened to the Dao

upon hearing a sound, and [Master Lingyun] got enlight
ened upon seeing a color. 3
M aster Y unm en said: H o w about aw akening to the D ao
u p o n hearing a sound and getting enlightened upon seeing a
color?
1 This is a famous saying in the Chan tradition; it is usually attributed to Master

Mazu.
2 See section 179 for a variation o n this them e.
3 T hese are references to Master Xiangyan Zhixian (died 898), a disciple o f
Baizhang w h o was enlightened w hile sw eeping w h en a p iece o f rock struck a
bam boo, and to Master Lingyun Z hiqin, w ho also lived in the Tang era and
awakened to the D ao w hen seeing a peach blossom.
158
E s s e n t ia l S a y in g s fr o m tk e M a s te r s R o o m
T h e n he said: T h e B odhisattva G u an y in 1 is taking a coin

and is com ing to b u y a sesame flatcake.
L ow ering his hand, he added: I see! Itsju st a dum pling!'2
150
T h e M aster once said:
T h e lantern is your self. Y et w h en you hold y o u r bow l
and eat y o u r food, the food is n o t your self.
A m o n k asked: H o w about w h en the food is m y self?
T h e M aster cried: Y o u w ild fox ghost! C o u n try b u m p
k in ! 3
H e added: C o m e, com e! Isn't it you w h o said that the
food is y o u r self?
T h e m o n k said, Y es.
T h e M aster exclaimed: In the year o f th e donkey y o u ll
see it in a dream , you hick!
1 Guanyin (Sanskrit Avalokiteshvara, Jap. Kannon), a bodhisattva kn ow n for

boundless com passion. Professor lriya suggests that the literal m eaning o f the
C hinese nam e Guanyin (seeing sounds ) could play a role here: his sight is
supposed co be so good that he even sees sounds.
2 A steam -cooked n ee flour dum pling, usually o f round dom e-shape with
som e filling. D o es Y unm en here make fun o f G uanyin, w h o is supposed to see
even sounds yet cannot even distinguish a flatcake from a dom e-shaped dum p
ling? Professor Inya feels that Y unm en may here have taken over the role o f
Guanyin, gratefully holding up an imaginary cake and then low erin g his hands
to discover w ith astonishm ent that he did not get what he wanted w hich
m ight also be a criticism o f the audience that could not produce what Guanyin
was after, on the line of: I threw in a h ook to catch a giant fish but w hat did
I manage to catch? A frog! (section 109).
B y such provocations Y unm en sought to test people w h o by their words or
actions suggested having broken through duality (here: the duality o f food and
self),
_
159
5 5 4 n l6 -2 0
151
554a2i -23
T h e M aster once said: T ru e em ptiness does n o t destroy being,

and true em ptiness does n o t differ from form /*
T h en a m o n k asked: W h a t is true em ptiness?
T h e M aster answered: D o you hear the sound o f the
bell?
T h e m o n k replied: T h a ts the sound o f the bell.
T h e M aster cried: W ill y o u see it in a dream in the year o f
the donkey?
152
5 54b 8- 13
M aster Y u n m en quoted a verse by Sanping:1
This very seeing and hearing is not seeing and hearing.2

M aster Y u n m en said: W h a t do you call
seeing
and hear-
-j 55
ing?
[C o ntinuing the quotation, he said,]
Theres no further sound or shape that could reveal itself to

you.
T h e M aster said: D oes anyone w ant to stick his oar in?
[H e co n tin u ed quoting,]
I f you realize this right here, then nothing w ill be the

matter.
1 Sanping Y izhong lived from 781 to 872.
2 T he Collectionjrom the Founders H ath , 2 .2 9 , 5 fF., quotes tw o m ore verses by
Sanping, w hich begin w ith W hat is perceived is originally not soiled and
'W hat is perceived is originally not caused. See Seizan Yanagida, Zen no
Bunka (Shiryohen): Zenmtsdbdden, vol. 1 (Kyoto: K yoto daigaku jin b u n kagaku
kenkyujo, 1988), p. 244b. T h e same three verses appear also in the Record o f the
Mirror of the Teachings (Zongjinglu, T 48: 944b 1 ff.).
160
E s s e n tia l S a y in g s fr o m tk e M a s te r 's R o o m
T h e M aster said: Is an ything the m atter?

[He finished the quotation,]
And essence and function.1 hinder neither distinction nor

non-distinction.
T h e M aster said, W o rd is essence, essence is w o rd .
Again, he lifted his staff and rem arked, T his staff is es
sence, and the lantern is function. Its distinguishing w ith o u t
distinguishing. H av e n t you read the statem ent All know ledge is
pure ? ^
153
T h e M aster told the follow ing story:
A m onk said to Master Zhaozhou, I have just joined the

monastery and am asking for your teaching. Zhaozhou
asked back, Have you already eaten your gruel? The
m onk replied, Yes. Zhaozhou said: Go wash your
bow l! 3
M aster Y u n m en said: W ell, tell me: was w hat Z haozhou
said a teaching or not? If y o u say that it was: w h at is it that
Z h ao zh o u told the m onk? If y o u say that it w asnt: w hy did the
m o n k in question attain aw akening?
1 Essence (ti) and function (ycng) are tw o concepts that play an exceed in g
ly im portant role in C hinese philosophy, especially in Buddhist and N e o C onfucian thought. T ogether, essence and function characterize an entity.
2 See section 17*

1 In the Record of Zhaozhou (ZZ119~, I 6 la l8 - b 1 ) the initial question by the
m onk k different: W hat is m y self?*
161
5 5 4 b 16-19
154
554b20-21
M aster Y unm en m en tioned the follow ing story:

A monk asked Xuefeng for instruction. Xuefeng said to
him: What is it?1' 1 At these words the monk attained
great awakening.
M aster Y u n m en said: W h a t is it that X uefeng had told
him ?
155
554(12-14
M aster Y unm en m en tioned the follow ing w ords by Panshan:2

When both the light and the [illuminated] objects are for
gotten: what is that?3
M aster Y unm en said: E ven though he speaks like this,
h e s still only at the halfway stage. This is n o t yet th e way o f
breakthrough.
A m o n k then asked: W hat is the way o f breakthrough?

2 Panshan Baoji (dates unknow n) was a successor o f M azu. T he fragment cited
by Y unm en stems from a statement by Panshan that reads as follows:
As to the m oon o f the mind: it is lone and perfect, and its light
engulfs the myriad phenom ena. If its light does not shine on ob
jects, the objects have no existence either. W h en both light and
objects are forgotten: w hat is that? (Record o f the Transmission o f the
Lamp, T51: 2 5 3 b l5 17).
3 T he interdependence o f the human m ind and its objects is the core o f the
41Consciousness O n ly or R epresentation O n ly m ovem ent o f Buddhism
and aiso forms a cornerstone o f many philosophical works by European think
ers (for instance, Kants Critique of Pure Reason and Schopenhauers O n the
Fourfold Rxiot of the Principle of Sufficient Reason).
162
E s s e n tia l S a y in g s fr o m t h e M a s te r s R o o m
M aster Y u n m en said: T h e F low er Peak o f Tiantai, the

stone bridge o f Z h ao zh o u . 1
156
554c20-22
M aster Y u n m en m en tio n ed the follow ing story:
Xuefeng told a m onk: Come closer! W hen the m onk

did as told, Xuefeng said: Get out!
A fter telling this story, M aster Y u n m en asked a m onk:
H o w can y o u u tter a phrase o f greeting w ith hands folded at
y o u r chest?2 If y o u can say such a phrase, y o u ll m eet X uefeng!
157
M aster Y u n m en quoted a saying by the T h ird Patriarch:
W hen m ind does not arise, the myriad things have no

fault.3
M aster Y u n m en said: T h a ts all he understood!
T h en he raised his staff and added: Is anything amiss in the
w hole universe?
1 T hese are tw o proverbial sights. As to u ch ed upon in note 2 on p. 111 (section

52), w e find here first a critique o f the negative expression by Panshan and then
a positive expression. It is possible that the specific objects are not o f great
significance in this context; Y un m en could, as he often did, also have adduced
a lantern, a pillar, a m ountain, or som ethin g else.
2 Folding o n e s hands at o n e s chest is a C hinese gesture o f respectful greeting
that is not lim ited to Buddhist circles.

3 This is a quotation from the Inscription on Trusting in M ind (T51: 4 5 7 a l8 ),
163
554c23-24
5 5 5 a l-7
158
M aster Y unm en m entioned the follow ing story:
A m onk asked Master Ganfeng:1 fit is said:] The H o n

ored Ones o f the ten directions all had a single gateway to
ultimate liberation.2 I wonder where that gateway is!
Ganfeng drew a line w ith his staff and said: In
here!
M aster Y u n m en held up his fan and said, W h en this fan
ju m p s to the upperm ost heaven, it strikes the nose o f Indra,3 and
w h en it gives a blow to the carp o f the Eastern Sea, the rain
pours d ow n in torrents! D o you understand? 4
555a16-21
159
M aster Y unm en related the follow ing story:
Yangshan asked a m onk: W here have you last been?

The m onk replied: In the south. Yangshan took up his
staff and said: 'D id they talk there about this? The m onk
answered: They didnt. I f they didnt talk about this,
1 Y u ezhou Ganfeng (dates unknow n) was a disciple o f D ongshan Lkngjie
(807869).
2 Sec also section 128, w here the same quotation is used m a question to the
master.
3 Originally a pow erful H indu deity, Indra was adopted by Buddhism as a

protective deity o f Buddhism and its followers. H e was thought to reside in a
palace in the highest heaven (the thirty-third) o n M t. Sumeru.
4 This appears to be an antithesis to the rather static view o f Ganfeng. Y unm en
was fond o f such very dynamic expressions; see also section 197, w here Y u n
m en s staff turns into a dragon. Such statements are in Y u n m en s characteristic
manner fonnulated as challenges and thus fit DeM artino's definition o f the
koan (see page 53).
164
E s s e n tia l S a y in g s fr o m th e M a s te r 's R o o m
did they talk about that? T h e m onk said: They didnt.

Yangshan directed the m onk to go and take his place in the
hall, and the m onk did as told. Yangshan called him once
more. The m onk answered, Yes? Yangshan said:
Com e closer. The m onk w ent closer. Yangshan then
struck him.
M aster Y u n m en said: I f Y angshan h ad n t said those last
w ords, h o w could he have discerned that m an?
160
555a22-23
M aster Y u n m e n told the follow ing story:
Xuefeng said to a monk: Come here! W hen the m onk

did as told, Xuefeng said: W here are you going? I m
going to group w o rk , the m onk answered. Xuefeng said:
Go!
M aster Y u n m en rem arked: This is an exam ple o f k n o w
ing a m an th ro u g h his w o rd s.
161
M aster Y u n m e n m en tio n ed the follow ing episode:
Jiashan was sitting when Dongshan1 arrived and said:

H o w are you doing? Jiashan replied: Just so.
M aster Y u n m en said in place o f D ongshan: W h at will
y o u do if I w o n t go along w ith that?
In place o f Jiashan, Y u n m en gave a shout.
'Jiashan Shanhui (8 0 5 -8 8 1 ) and D ongshan Liangjie (8 0 7 -8 6 9 ). T h e latter is

on e o f the tw o m en w h o iater was term ed a founder o f the C a o d o n g /S o to
lineage o f Z en.
165
555b2-5
Again, M aster Y u n m en b ro u g h t up Jiashans w ords Just

so 1 and said: I see, y o u re ju st in a frogs hole!
T h en he added: J u s t so yet its hard to attain. 2
162
555b6-9
M aster Y u n m en cited the verse o f a founder:3
Each separate entity (dharma) is what the Buddhist teach

ing (Dharma) is originally about.
M aster Y u n m en said: W alking, standing, sitting, and re
clining are n o t w hat the B uddhist teaching is originally about.
N o th in g w hatsoever be it m ountains or rivers or the earth or
y o u r dressing and eating day and night is w h at the B uddhist
teaching is originally about. W h a ts w rong w ith that? 4
Again, M aster Y u n m en cited:
The teaching (Dharma) is at root a teaching w ith o u t object

(dharma).s
1 See also section 196, n ote 1.
2 This is a classical exam ple o f the m anner in w hich Y un m en not on ly presents
a koan to his disciples but on top o f that puts it into question. H e thus doubles
the challenge.
3 T his is a verse attributed to the first Indian patriarch, Mahakashapa. A tenta
tive translation o f the w h o le p o em {Record o f the Transmission o f the Lamp, T51:
2 0 6 b 3 -4 ) reads as follows:
Each dharma is what the Dharm a is originally about:
neither teaching nor no-teaching.
But how can there be in a teaching
both teaching and no-teaching?
4 In other words: it is okay i f a staff is just a staff.
5 This is a quotation from a p o em ascribed to the Buddha (T51: 2 0 5 c l2),
w h ich is the poin t o f reference o f Mahakashapas verse. T en tative translation.:
166
E s s e n t ia l S a y in g s fr o m t k e M a s te r s R o o m
T h e M aster held up his staff and said: This isnt at root

w ith o u t o b ject.
163
555b 14-17
M aster Y u n m en cited the w ords o f M r. B ao:1
Just as m y I is empty, all separate entities (dharmas) are

empty. This applies to all there is, regardless o f its kind.
M aster Y u n m en said: [Yet] w hen you stand y o u re not
aware o f standing, and w h en y o u w alk y o u re n o t aware o f
w alking; and the four m ajor elem ents [which constitute the
physical universe] and the five com ponents [o f living beings]
cannot be grasped. C o m e on, w h ere do you see the m ountains
and rivers and the earth? Y o u , ju st y o u w ho every day take y o u r
bow l and eat rice: w h at do you call rice? W h ere is there a single
grain o f nee?!
164
M aster Y u n m en quoted:
All sounds are the Buddhas voice; all shapes are the Bud
dha s form.
T h e M aster picked up the fly-w hisk and said: W hat is
this? I f you say it is a fly-w hisk, you w o n 't even understand the
C han o f a granny from a th ree-house hick to w n .
The teaching (Dharma) is at root a teaching without object (dharma)

but the objectless teaching is nevertheless a teaching.
H ow could each thing be the teaching
i f you now were attached to no-teuching?
1 T his man is not otherw ise know n.
167
555b18-20
165
555b24-27
T h e M aster once said: D o you w ant to k n o w the founding

masters? P ointing w ith his staff, he said: T hey are ju m p in g
around on y o u r heads! D o you w ant to know their eyeball?1 It's
right u n d er y o u r feet!
H e added: This [kind o f guidance] is offering tea and food
to ghosts and spirits.2 N evertheless, these ghosts and spirits are
n o t satisfied.
555b28~c2
166
T h e M aster once said: T alking to you about enlightened w is
dom , final deliverance, thusness, and liberation means burning
maple incense3 and offering it to you. Talking to you about b u d
dhas and founders m eans b u rn in g golden heat* incense and of
fering it to you. T alking to you about transcending th e buddhas
and going b ey o n d the founders m eans b urning bottled incense
and offering it to you. T ake refuge in the B uddha, his teaching,
and th e m onastic co m m unity!
W ith this he left the D harm a HalL
1 T he eyeball o f the founding masters stands for their awakening-i.e., their

realization o f the core (ey e) o f Buddhist teaching. In the Chan tradition, this
teaching is often called the treasury o f the eye o f the genuine teaching (Jap.
shdbogenzo), w h ich is also the dtle o f the major w ork o f D o g e n K igen (1200
1252), the father o f Japanese Soto Z en. See also section 14, note 2.
2 In one o f his talks, Deshan compares the crowds o f monks w h o run around
and proclaim to be Chan masters to such ghosts and spirits (D ahuis Treasury
o f the E ye of the Genuine Teaching [Zhengfayanzang], Z Z 1 18: 19a5).
3 T his incense is made from the resin o f the C hinese maple tree. It is not o f high
quality, and the tw o other kinds m entioned (golden heat incense and bottled
incense) are even cheaper forms o f instant incense. Y unm en appears to co m
pare this kind o f talk to a cheap offering to his audience.
168
E s s e n tia l S a y in g s fr o m t k e M a s te r s R o o m
167
T h e M aster one day held up his staff and m en tio n ed a teaching
th at goes:
The ordinary person in all sincerity says that this [staff]

exists, [representatives of] the tw o vehicles1 o f Buddhist
teaching explain that it doesnt exist, the pratyeka buddhas
say it exists as an illusion, and the bodhisattvas empty it as
it is.
T h e n M aster Y u n m en said: W h e n a p atch -ro b ed m onk
sees this staff, he ju st calls it a staff; w h en he walks, he ju st walks;
and w h en he sits, he ju st sits. In all o f this he cannot be stirred. 2
168
O n ce, w h e n the M aster had finished drinking tea, he held up the
cup and said: All the buddhas o f th e three periods3 have fin
ished listening to the teaching; they have pierced the b o tto m o f
this cup and are going away. D o y o u see? D o you see? If you
d o n t understand, lo o k it up in an encyclopedia!
555c 1.5-20
M aster Y u n m en cited P anshans4 words:
1 T he small veh icle (Hinayana or Thera vada) and the great vehicle (Mahayana).
2 See section 171 for a description o f persons w h o are still unable to simply
w alk w h en w alking, etc.
3 T h e awakerjed ones o f the past, present, and future.
4 Panshan Baoji. See section 155, note 2.
169
W hen the light [of the know ing subject] is not one that
confronts objects1 and the objects are not existent things
either: when both subject and object are forgotten, what
further thing is there?
M aster Y u n m en said: If the w hole w o rld is the light [of
the subject]: w hat are you calling y o u r self? B u t even if you had
m anaged to k n o w that light, the objects w o u ld still be out o f
y o u r reach. W h at shitty light and objects are there? A nd if n ei
ther subject n o r object can be grasped: w hat else is there?
H e added: T hese are collected and condensed anecdotes
uttered out o f com passion by the m en o f old. R ealize [what they
are about] right here w ith the utm ost clarity! It w o n 't do if you
let go* Y et if y o u d o n t let go . . . !!
T h e n the M aster raised his hands and said: Su-lu! S u-lu! 2
555c21-24
170
M aster Y u n m en q u o ted the w ords o f Fu Dashi:3
The river o f meditation follows the currents yet is calm;

the waters o f samadhi go along w ith the waves yet are
limpid.
1 T h e translation 'objects is chosen in this con text because there is an opposi
tion o f the light that stands for the subject or subjective m ind and that w hich it
confronts. Cf. also H uan gbos Essentials o f the Method o f Transmitting M ind (Ch,
C huanxin fayao, jap. D enshin hoyo), w h ich says (T 48 381 a20):
T h e ordinary man holds on to objects (jing), the man o f the W ay
holds on to mind. W h en nund and objects are both forgotten;
that is the true Dharma.
- See section 77, p. 124, n o te 1. It is conceivable that the master uttered this
spell as a kind o f purification after having said too m uch.
3 Fu D ashi (497569) was a famous C hinese layman o f the Six Dynasties p e
riod, noted for his efforts to alleviate the sufferings o f the p eop le and to spread
Buddhism . H e was som etim es called the C hinese Vimalaklrti.
170
E s s e n t ia l S a y in g s fr o m t k e M a ste r 's R o o m
T h e M aster seized his staff* po in ted at the lantern, saying:

"W ell, do y o u see it? I f y o u say that y o u see it, y o u re an ord i
nary Joe. I f y o u say th at y o u d o n t see it: y o u ve got a pair o f
eyes, h av en t you? H o w do y o u understand this?
A fter a long pause he again to o k his staff and said: T h e
w hole w o rld is n o t a w av e!'
171
555c2428
M aster Y u n m en once seized his staff, banged it on the seat and

said,
All sounds are the B u d d h as voice, and all form s are the
B uddhas shape. Y et w h en y o u hold y o u r bow l and eat your
food, y o u h o ld a b o w l-v ie w ; w h en you walk, y o u hold a
w alk -v iew ; and w h en you sit you have a sit-view .1 T h e w hole
b u n ch o f y o u behaves this w ay! 1
T h e M aster to o k his staff and drove them all away at once.
172
M aster Y u n m en cited the w ords o f th e O v ern ig h t E nlightened
O n e 2:
The spiritual action of the six senses is empty without
being empty; the perfect shine of the singular [mani jewel]
is formless form.3
' See the end o f section 167 for a description o f an accom plished m onk.
2 T his is Y ongjia Xuanjue, w h o is said to have received the Sixth Patriarchs
transmission after o n e n igh ts stay at the patriarch's temple.
5 T his quotation stems from Yongjia's Song on R ealising the W ay (T48: 395c21).
See also the Record o f Linji (T47: 497b 13):
W hat is lacking am ong our m anifold activities today? T h e spiri
tual light em anating from your six senses never ceases to shine.
171
556a79
T h e M aster held up his fly-w hisk and said, This is th e

perfect light, it is formless form . W h at do you call form? C o m e
on, try taking that up w ith m e!
173
55 6a i516
C itin g the W isdom Sutra , Y u n m en said,

[O h p u r ity o f a ll-e n c o m p a s s in g w is d o m ,] n o n -d u a l, u n d i
v id e d , w it h o u t d iffe r e n c e , n o t sep arate . . . 1
H e p o in ted to a pillar and said, H o w m u ch has this to do

w ith the W isdom Sutra?
174
55 6 a t7 19
T h e M aster cited a scripture that says,

T h e sutras an d m a g ic spells, in d e e d all letters a n d w o r d s,
are n o t at all in c o n flic t w ith th e tru e fo rm .
Y u n m en held up his staff and asked, W h a t is this? If you

say it is a staff, y o u go to hell. If it isnt a staff, w hat is it?
175
556a2426
T h e M aster once said, [Actions o f C han masters such as] snap

ping fingers, chuckling, raising eyebrow s, w in k in g eyes, picking
up a mallet, holding up a w hisk, and som etim es [drawing] a cir
cle: these are n o th in g b u t people-catchers.2 W h a t one calls
B uddha D harm a has never yet been expressed in w ords. If it had,
1 See section 79.

2 T hese are long poles w ith attached hooks that allow catching dangerous crim
inals but w ere also used by firefighters to save trapped people.
172
E s s e n t ia l S a y in g s fr o m t k e M a s te r s R o o m
that w o u ld have been n o m o re than dropping shit and spraying

- Mi
piss. 1
176
5 5 6b8 1 2
A t a donated meal, the M aster to o k one bite o f a sesame b u n and

said, I bit Indras2 nose. Indra is in agony!
T h e n he p o in ted w ith his staff [to the m o n k s feet] and
said: H e is right u n d er y o u r feet, transform ed in to old
Shakyam uni! D o you see? D o you see?
T h e K ing o f H ell, Y am a,3 hears m y talk and is laughing
out loud, saying: H a ha, m onk, y o u re quite up to it, I can t do
a thing w ith you! B ut if so m eo n es not up to it, h e s com pletely
in m y hands!
177
M aster Y u n m e n related the follow ing conversation:
A monk asked Xuansha, W hat is my self?
Xuansha answered, Just your self!
M aster Y u n m en rem arked, Im m easurably great m en
have go tten caught up in the stream o f w ords.
A m o n k asked Y u n m en , W h a t is m y self?
T h e M aster said, [The one w ho,] w hen a m an in th e
street invites y o u m onks to a donated meal, is jo in in g th e queue
to get som e food!
1 See also the beginn ing o f section 41.

2 See section 158, p .164, note 3.
-1 See section 46, p. 108, note 1.
173
556t5-$
178
556c9-12
At a d o n ated meal, the M aster held up a sesame flatcake and said:

I offer food only to S outhern C hinese people from Jiangxi and
the regions east and w est o f the Z he river.1 I d o n t offer any food
to people from the N o rth . 2
A m o n k asked, W h y do y o u only offer food to th e people
from Jiangxi and th e regions east and west o f the Z h e R iv e r but
not to people from the N o rth ?
T h e M aster answered, [Because in N o rth China] the
w eath er is cold and the days are short, and tw o people share one
b o w l.
179
556c29557*2
M aster Y u n m e n cited the follow ing story:

Xuefeng said, A man sitting next to a rice basket is starv
ing to death, and a fellow by a river is dying of thirst.
Xuansha commented, A man sitting in a rice basket
is starving to death, and a fellow up to his head in water is
dying of thirst.
M aster Y u n m en said, His w hole body is rice, his w hole
body is w ater!
557a 17-20
180
M aster Y u n m en cited an ancient [poem]:
In perfect tranquillity the form of emptiness is reflected.3
5 T his is the Zhejiang region south o f Shanghai, w here Y u n m en was born.

2 In section 198, Y un m en says just the opposite: 1 d o n t offer any food to
m onks from the South. I offer it only to those from the N o r th .
3 T his is part o f the enlightenm ent p o em o f Master D anxia cited in Collection
from the Founders Halls (1.167, 2 -5 ). T h e p o em sings about suchness and the
174
E s s e n t ia l S a y in g s fr o m tk e M a s te r 's R o o m
T h e M aster extended his hands and said, W h ere can one

attain th e m ountains, the rivers, the earth?
H e added,
All-embracing wisdom pervades and knows no hin
drance.1
M aster Y u n m en said, T h e staff goes to India and comes
back to K o re a.
T h e n he h it th e platform and said, This is y o u r nose!
181
A m o n k asked, W h at is m y self?
M aster Y u n m en said, I, this old m onk, en ter m u d and
w ater, 2
T h e m o n k exclaim ed, So I will crush my bones and tear
m y body to pieces! 3
T h e M aster shouted and said, T h e w ater o f the w hole
great ocean is o n y o u r h ead .4 Q uickly, speak! Q uickly, speak!
T h e m o n k was left w ith o u t words.
In his place, th e M aster said: I k n o w that you, M aster, fear
that Im n o t quite gen u in e.
perfection o f things as they are and ends with: H eaven and earth are em pty
like a cave; in perfect tranquillity the form o f emptiness is reflected, throw ing
brightness on the o n e way o f suchness.
1 See also section 111,
2 This im age is used for com passionate masters w h o spare no effort for the sake
o f their disciples.
3 T his stems from Yongjias Song on R ealizin g the W ay (T48: 396c21);

C rushing o n e s bones and tearing o n e s body to pieces is still not
sufficient recom pense [for the teachers efforts on our behalf].
4 T h e greatest imaginable pressure is on you. Or: I am already at the b ottom o f
the sea.
175
5J7a24-27
182
557a28-bl
T h e M aster once said: E ven if o n e may state that in th e w hole

universe n o t the slightest thing is amiss, it is still b u t a turn o f
phrase. W h e n y o u do n o t see uniform ity, it can be called half
the issue.1 B ut even if y o u re there, y o u m ust realize that there
is a tim e w h en the w hole is at stake.
183
557b4-7
M aster Y u n m en once said: T h e m anifold explanations about

enlightened w isdom and final deliverance, about thusness and
b u d d h a-n atu re are all discussions that descend [into the realm o f
the conditioned]. W h e th e r one picks up the m allet or raises the
w hisk, there w ill again be endless explanations. B ut such discus
sions am o u n t to som ething all the sam e.
A m o n k asked: Please, M aster, say som ething bey o n d [the
co n d itio n ed ]!
T h e M aster replied, Y o u ve all b een standing for a long
tim e. Q u ick ly b ow three tim es! 2
184
557b 18-20
M aster Y u n m en m en tio n ed three kinds o f people: T h e first

gets aw akened w h en hearing a talk, the second gets aw akened
w h e n called, and the third turns round and leaves w h en hearing
1 In perfect concentration (samadhi), uniform ity

this kind o f uniform ity is again different from
concentrated states o f m ind, and thus there still
w h ich Y u n m en speaks goes an all-im partant step
2 I.e., T hats it for today.
176
can be experienced ; but

m ultiplicity or from non
is duality. T h e w h o le o f
further (see page 64).
E s s e n t ia l S a y in g s fr o m tk e M a s te r 's R o o m
that an ything is b ro u g h t up. T ell m e, w h at does tu rn in g around

and going away m ean?
H e added: [The third] also deserves thirty blow s!
185
557t>25-28
M aster Y u n m en qu o ted the words:

Ill give you medicine according to your disease.1 Well,
the whole world is medicine plants; which one is your
self?2
M aster Y u n m e n said, O n e com es across a w eed, and it
turns o u t to be an o rch id .
A m o n k said, Please, M aster, instruct me fu rth e r.
T h e M aster clapped his hands once, held up his staff, and
said: T ake this staff!
T h e m o n k to o k it and b ro k e it in tw o.
T h e M aster rem arked, E ven so, you still deserve thirty
blow s.
186
M aster Y u n m en m en tio n ed the follow ing story:
At the end o f the summer [training period] Cuiyan3 said in
a formal talk, 1 have been talking to you monks through
1 T his is an im age frequently used in Chan literature. For exam ple, M aster Linji
said, W hatever I say, it is ail temporary m edicine in response to a disease
(.Record o f U n ji, T 47: 498b 18). Later on, Linji says the same o f all Buddhist
teachings (502c89).
2 I was unable to find these tw o sentences in texts other than the ones that
sim ply replicate this w h o le conversation.
3 Cuiyan Lingcan was a master in the X u efen g tradition w h o lived during the
Five Dynasties period (907960).
177
557b29c2
o u t th e su m m e r ; lo o k w h e t h e r I still h a v e e y e b r o w s or
n o t!
B a o fu said, T h ie v e s h a v e an u n ea sy h e a r t. 1
C h a n g q in g said, T h e y v e g r o w n ! 2
M aster Y u n m en said, Stuck!
187
557c16-19
M aster Y u n m en q u o ted the Heart Sutra , w hich says:

T h e r e is n e ith e r e y e n o r ear n o r n o se n o r to n g u e n o r b o d y
n o r m in d .
T h e M aster said, Because you have eyes that see, y o u re

unable to say that there is no eye. A nd since y o u re looking n g h t
n o w , y o u cannot say that there is no seeing.
E ven so, y o u see it all and w h ats w ro n g w ith that? Y et
n o th in g can he grasped. W h a t sense-object is there?
188
557c20-21
M aster Y u n m en cited:
T h e lig h t [ o f th e B u d d h a ] s e r e n e ly sh in e s o n w o r ld s as n u
m e r o u s as th e sand grain s o f th e R iv e r G a n g es.
H e asked a m onk, Isnt this a verse by C h an g Z h u o the

G enius? 3
1 A C hinese proverb signifying a bad conscience.

2 T h e C hinese say that talking a lo t makes o n e s eyebrow s grow .
3 This was a Five Dynasties and early S o n g layman w h ose precise dates are
unknow n; h e studied under the masters C hanyue and Shishuang (see n ote 2,
p. 179). T he quotation is part o f an enlightenm ent p o em in eight verses that is
featured in the Compendium o f tke Five Lamps (W udeng huiyuan, Z Z 138:
100a),
178
E s s e n tia l S a y in g s f r o m t h e M a s te r s R o o m
T h e m o n k replied, It is.
Y u n m en said, Failed.
189
558*1-4
M aster Y u n m en said,
A monk asked Master Shishuang:2 Do the [written Bud
dhist] teachings contain what the [Chan] founders aimed
at? Master Shishuang replied, Yes, they do.
The monk went on asking, And what is the
Founders aim that is contained in these teachings? Mas
ter Shishuang replied, D ont look for it inside the
scrolls!
M aster Y u n m en said in place o f Shishuang, D o n t be u n
grateful to me! A nyway, w hat good is it to sit in a trench full o f
shit?
190
M aster Y u n m en cited [the follow ing episode]:
Master Chuyuan of Shishuang3 said: Y o u must know that
there is a phrase o f special transmission outside the written
tradition.
1 Failed as used in a debate or an exam. M aster D ahui said, T h e m om en t

you open you r m outh, I k n o w y ou 'v e failed (Record o f D ahui [Dahui yulul,
T47: 8 5 6 a l2 ).
2 Shishuang Q u in gzh u (807888). T his master was famous for having practiced
seated m editation for tw enty years w ith o u t lyin g dow n and for having refused
to accept the honorary purple robe offered by a T ang em peror,

3 See previous note.
179
558a 57
A monk asked Shishuang: What is this phrase of

special transmission outside the written tradition?
Master Shishuang replied: A non-phrase.
M aster Y unm en said: A non-phrase is all the m ore a
phrase!
191
5 5 8 a 9 -t0
M aster Y unm en m entioned the following episode:

Master Dongshan1 said: You must know that there is
something which goes beyond Buddha.
A monk asked, What is it that goes beyond
Buddha?
Master Dongshan replied: Non-Buddha .*
M aster Y unm en com m ented: H e calls it n o n - because
he can neither nam e n o r attain it!
192
55 Sat 3 - 1 5
M aster Y u n m en m entioned the following:

[Pronouncements such as:] The Purity of the Dharma
body [is nothing other than] any sound and form are
without doubt very subtle statements.
[M aster Y unm en asked:] H o w about this purity, w ith
o u t any subtleties?
H e added, And h o w about the D harm a body?
[W hen nobody answered] the M aster said, T h e six do not
take it in . 2

2 T he six are the traditional six sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue,
tactile body, and mind) or the six corresponding sense-objects and faculties.
180
E s s e n tia l S a y in g s f r o m t k e M a s te r s R o o m
H e added: T h e tw en ty -eig h t star form ations o f the th irty th ird h eav en . 1
558a20~25
O n ce the M aster said:

As long as the light has n o t yet b roken th ro u g h ,2 there are
tw o kinds o f disease: 1. T h e first consists in seeing oneself facing
objects and being left in the dark ab o u t everything.3 2. T h e sec
o n d consists in having b een able to pierce through to the em p ti
ness o f all separate entities (dharmas) yet there still is som ething
that in a h id d en w ay is like an object.
[Views about] the b o d y o f the teaching also exhibit tw o
kinds o f disease: 1. H aving b een able to reach th e b o d y o f the
B uddhist teaching, one still has subjective views and is at the
m argin o f th at teaching because one has n o t gotten rid o f o n e s
attachm ent to it, 2. E ven th o u g h one has m anaged to penetrate
th ro u g h to th e body o f the B uddhist teaching, one is still unable
to let go o f it. B u t if one exam ines this [teaching] thoroughly, its
stone-dead. T h a ts also a disease!
N o n e o f these can offer any help in grasping the non-dual (and thus ungraspable) Dharm a body. See case 47 o f the Blue C liff Record,
1 D o es Y u n m en add this as a com m en t to his o w n answer ( N eith er do the
tw en ty-eigh t star formations o f the thirty-third heaven) or as an answer to his
question about the Dharma body?
3 T h e light (guang) is com m on ly used in C han texts as a m etaphor for enlight
enm ent. For exam ple, Master Linji (Record o f Linji, T47: 4 9 8 b l3 ) describes
enlightenm ent as follows:
Everyw here is purity, light penetrates all directions, and the myr
iad things are, as they are, one,
3 Y unm en expressed his m ost pressing problem in similar terms w h e n he w ent
to see M aster M uzhou: T h e matter o f m y self is not clarified.
181
194
558b 11-14
M aster Y unm en m entioned the following episode:

The Buddha asked an adherent of another religion: ^What
is in your view the essential?
M aster Y unm en answered in place o f the adherent: Hey,
old m onk, Fve seen through you!
The other religions adherent answered: W hat I regard as
essential is not to be taken in by anything.
M aster Y unm en said in place o f the Buddha: Y our
tu rn ! 1
The Buddha said: You do regard it as essential not to be
taken in by anything, do you?
M aster Y u n m en answered in place o f the adherent: Hey,
Gautam a, d o n t m ake [yourself] lose the [point o f your] ques
tion!
195
5 5 8b 1 5 - 1 7
M aster Y u n m en cited M aster X uefengs words:

The whole world is you. Yet you keep thinking that there
is something else . . .2
M aster Y unm en said: H avent you read the Shurangama
Sutra w hich says, Sentient beings are all upside dow n;3 they de
lude themselves and chase after things?
1 Show m e that yo u are not taken in by anything.

2 This saying is found in the Record q f Xuefeng (X uefeng yulu, Z Z119: 4 7 6 d l4
15).
'
3 In Buddhism , the term upside d o w n is often used as the opposite o f the

true, awakened way o f being and seeing-i.e., m ans state o f delusion. T he
182
E s s e n t ia l S a y in g s fr o m tk e M a s te r s R o o m
H e added, T f they could handle things, they w ould be

identical to th e B u d d h a.1
196
55Sb 21-22
M aster Y u n m e n cited:
W hatever is as it truly is1 contains everything.

T h e M aster said, So w hat do y o u call m ountains, rivers,
earth?
H e added, Just these entities are all characterized by em p
tiness. T h e y n eith er arise n o r disappear and are n eith er defiled
n o r pure. 2
197
T h e M aster once held up his staff and said to the assembly:
This staff has tu rn ed into a dragon and sw allow ed the
w hole universe. T h e m ountains, the rivers, the earth w here
are they to be found?
Treatise on the Ceasing o f N otions (Jueguanlun; P elliot manuscript no. 2732,

folio la) features the follow in g dialogue:
Q uestion: D o sentient beings really have mind?
Answer: If they do have m ind, they are up sid e-dow n.
D eluded thoughts arise only because they posir a m ind w ithin
n o -m in d .
1 C h. zh em u , Jap. shinnyo: just so i.e., just as som ething is in itself. This

expression stands for the reality o f the aw akened one, w hich is ju st as it is. See
also section 161.
2 T h e Record o f U n ji (T47: 498b 29c2) gives the fo llo w in g description o f this
state o f affairs:
T hen, having entered the Dharma realm o f the unborn and trav
eled through every country, y o u enter the L otu s-w om b realm
and realize that all entities are characterized by emptiness and that
there are no real entities whatsoever.
183
558b23-24
558c3-7
198
At a donated meal, the M aster held up his spoon and chopsticks
and said: 1 d o n 't offer any food to m onks from the South. I
offer it only to those from the N o rth .511
A t the tim e there was a m o n k w ho asked, W h y d o n 't you
offer food to m onks from the South?
T h e M aster replied, Because I w ant to m ake fools o f
them !
T h e m onk inquired, A nd w hy do you offer food to
m onks from the N o rth ?
T h e M aster answered, O n e arrow, tw o targets. 2
A nother m onk took this up and asked, W ell then, w hat is
your opinion about [what you said] before [concerning offering
food to m onks from the N o rth b u t not to those o f the South]?
T h e M aster said, Ail right, jo in the club!
55Hc8-l 1
199
O n e tim e, M aster Y unm en struck w ith his staff on a pillar and
said, Has the entirety o f w ritten B uddhist teaching m anaged to
say it?
T h e M aster answered himself, N o .
[W hen nobody reacted] he added: Bah! Y ou w ild fox
ghosts!
A m o n k inquired, W ell, h o w about y o u r intention [of
saying it], M aster?
T h e M aster said, M r. Z hang drinks w ine, and Mr. Li gets
d ru n k . 3
1 See section 178, w here Y u n m en says the opposite.

3 This corresponds to the English idiom killing tw o birds w ith one stone.
3 This expression is used w hen one person does the w ork w hile another reaps
184
E s s e n tia l S a y in g s fr o m tk e M a s te r 's R o o m
200
558c 14-16
M aster Y u n m en cited a national teacher w h o had said: T alk

ing about gradual: going against th e ordinary accords w ith the
D ao. T alking ab o u t im m ediate: th e re s not even the h in t o f a
trace. 1
M aster Y u n m en said, T h e actions o f picking up th e m al
let, raising the whisk, or snapping the fingers com e on, scruti
nize th em all!2 T h ey to o are n o t yet w ith o u t any trace.
201
O n ce the M aster held up his staff and said: T h e w hole universe,
the earth, killing and giving life: all is in [this staff] h e re .
A m o n k then asked, W h a t about killing?
T h e M aster replied, A total mess!
T h e m o n k w e n t on, A nd h o w about giving life?
T h e M aster said, [If] y o u w an t to be a rice stew ard . . . 3
the benefit. Y u n m en criticizes the m onk: Y o u have to say it yourself, not just
get drunk o n m y w ord s.
1 Cf. Blue C liff Record, case 38, T 48: 175c5-6:
W h en w e speak about the gradual, ev en to go against the ordi
nary is in accord w ith the D ao; in the bustling marketplace there
is com plete freedom . W h en w e discuss the im m ed iate, there
isn t even the hint o f a trace; even a thousand sages co u ld n t m an
age to find any.
2 T hese are various teaching m ethods o f Chan masters. D u rin g the Tang dy
nasty, there w ere som e fam ous masters w h o used such gestures in preference to
words; the m ost famous may be the ninth-century Master Juzhi (Jap. Gutei),
w h o is k n o w n for having answered all questions simply by raising his finger.
3 T he m on k in charge o f the preparation and co o k in g o f the rice in a m onas
tery. T h e answer seem s to be part o f a saying w hose second phrase is left out. In
this context maybe: If y o u w ant to be a rice steward, you must co o k rice.
(And i f you w ant to give hfe, you must not just talk about it!)
185
5 58c 17-20
T h e m o n k continued, W h a t about w h en one n either kills

n or gives life?
T h e M aster got up and exclaim ed, O h Great Perfection
o f W isdom !
558(21-22
202
T h e M aster once said, M eeting som eone m eans n o th in g other
than applying [awakening] w hile on the w ay.
T h en he held up his staff and said, T he staff is n o t the
w ay .1 N eith er is talk.
558c2325
203
M aster Y u n m en cited [the words]: T h e D harm a body eats
rice,2 and the em pty phantom body is n o th in g o th er than the
D harm a b o d y . 3
T h e M aster said, T h e w hole universe and the earth:
w here are they? T he various things cannot be gotten hold o f
yet y o u gobble these em pty [things] into y o u r emptiness. H o w
about investigating this? Gee, I used to think there m ust be
som ething to this kind o f talk! 4
1 T h e character used in the original here is not that for the W ay (Dao) but
rather that used in on the w ay.
2 See also sections 139, 192, and 207.
3 This is a quotation from Yongjias Song on R ealizing the W ay (T48: 395c8).

T h e w h ole line o f that text reads: [H e know s that] ignorance in its true nature
is nothing other than buddha-nature> [and that] this em pty phantom body is
nothing other than the Dharma b o d y .
4 A nother passage o f this text, w hich begins w ith the same quotation, ends w ith
the very same words: [Master Y unm en] quoted [the words] T he Dharma
body eats n e e [and added]: [To say] this is already operating on [healthy] flesh
and making a w ound. Y et I used to think that there is som ething to this kind o f
talk!
186
558(29559a2
O n ce , the M aster said: In o u r tradition there is total freedom ;

o n e kills o r gives life as the occasion requires. 1
A m o n k asked: H o w about killing?
T h e M aster said: W in te r has gone and spring c o m e . 2
T h e m o n k said: W h a t is it like w h en w in ter has gone and
spring com e?
T h e M aster said: T h en y o u re m aking a lo t o f noise and
ram ble in all four directions o f the compass w ith a staff across
y o u r shoulders!
205
Addressing th e assembly, M aster Y u n m en said:
I let you say it any w ay you like, but y o u 're n o t y et a
descendant o f o u r tradition. E ven if you w ere one, it w ould ju st
be noise m ade by a h o t b ow l.3 T h e teachings in th e tw elve divi
sions o f all three B uddhist vehicles are sleep talk, and so is B od
h id h arm as co m in g from the W est. N o w if som e old venerables
fo u n d m onasteries to explain th e B uddhist teaching for th e b en
efit o f the people, there w o u ld be n o th in g w ro n g in taking a
sharp sw ord and killing a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand o f
th em !
1 See also section 201, and Y u an w u s introductory pointer to case 9 o f the

Blue C liff Record (T48: 1 4 9 a l4 ), w here the C han master is described as follows:
W ith a sharp sword in his hand, he can kill or give life as the
occasion requires. . . . In the midst o f death he finds life, and in
the midst o f life he finds death.
2 This is likely to be a m etaphor for awakening.
3 S om ething w ith ou t any significance, H ot bow ls that are covered by a lid or
that stand o n a sm ooth surface can, because o f pressure differences, make w h in
in g noises that sound surprisingly hum an.
187
559a3-7
H e added, G ee, I used to th in k there m ust be som ething

to this k in d o f talk!
559a814
206
O n e day the M aster said: Picking up the m allet and raising the
w hisk, snapping o n es fingers and raising o n e s eyebrow s, ques
tioning and answ ering all this does n o t m atch the teaching tra
dition o f going b ey o n d . 5,1
A m o n k asked, H o w about the teaching tradition o f
going beyond?
T h e M aster replied, [Even] the families o fja m b u 2 could
all answ er this. B ut w h en y o u re for example sitting in an ani
m ated to w n district: do th e pieces o f pork that are displayed on
the tables in the m orning, and the verm in in the privy, hold
conversations ab o u t transcending the B uddha and going beyond
th e founders?
T h e m o n k said, 1 w o u ld n t say that they d o .
T h e M aster exclaim ed, Y ou w o u ld n t say that they do! If
they do hold such discussions, simply saying they d o will n o t
do; and i f they d o n t hold discussions, saying they d o n t will n o t
do either. Such words and even w hat you have yourself experi
enced, I say this straight out, have not m ade it: y o u r view is
biased.
1 It is interesting that the C han tradition is so characterized here. See also the
end o f section 210 on p. 190.
2 T h e ja m b u tree (Eugenia jambolana) gave its name to one o f the seven (or, in
the Buddhist tradition, four) islands or continents surrounding the central Mt.
Sumeru. Jambu can stand either for the tree or, as here, for the continent,
w h ich has the triangular shape o f th eja m b u trees leaves.
188
E s s e n t ia l S a y in g s fr o m th e M a s te r 's R o o m
559a 15-17
O n ce the M aster said,

I used to say that all sounds are the B u d d h as voice, all
shapes are the B u ddhas fo rm ,1 and that the w hole w o rld is the
D harm a body. T hus I quite pointlessly p ro d u ced views that fit
into the category o f B uddhist teaching. R ig h t n o w , w h en I see
a staff, 1 ju st call it staff, and w hen I see a house, I ju st call it
h o u se. 2
208
559* 18 -19
M aster Y u n m en once said, It creates w ith o u t creating, and it

uses w ith o u t using.
T h en he held up his staff and said, This isnt using w ith
o u t using. W h a t is it that y o u call a staff? 3
209
559a22-23
T h e M aster b ro u g h t up the saying:
worthies w ith o u t exception go by the law o f

yet they do have differentiation.
All
u>uu>ei4
1 See, for exam ple, sections 164 and 171.

2 See section 167.
3 Y u n m en poses various questions o f this sort (see, for exam ple, sections 135,
152, 163, and 196); in general, he confronts the audience w ith an (often para
doxical) expression o f non-duality and then goes o n to probe its understanding
by posing a seem ingly simple question about som e object.
4 This saying, w h ose source is uncertain, intimates that the law o f umwei (liter
ally ,ln o n -a ctio n ) involves no differentiation. T h e w orthies, h ow ever, are not
bound by such lack o f differentiation: they g o by the law o f untwei and never
theless differentiate. T he im port o f the w h o le quotation seem s similar to chap
ter 3 o f the Book o f D ao and D e (Daodejing): [The perfect man] acts w ith ou t
acting; thus everything is taken care o f.
189
T h e M aster added, This staff is n o t the teaching o f wuwei;

n o th in g w hatsoever is the teaching o f w uw ei .
559a29-b4
Addressing th e assembly, M aster Y u n m en said:

T h o u g h y o u may have attained freedom from being ob
structed by anything y o u en c o u n te r1 and m anaged to reach the
emptiness o f w ords, phrases, and all entities the realization that
m ountains, rivers, and the earth are b u t concepts, and that co n
cepts cannot be grasped either and [even if] you are equipped
w ith so-called sam adhi2 and the sea o f [original] n atu re:3 it still
is n o th in g b u t waves churning ro u n d and ro u n d w ith o u t any
w ind. E ven if you forget [dualistic] know ledge in aw akening
aw akening is n o th in g other than buddha-nature and are called
a m an w ith o u t co n cern ,4 you still m ust realize that everything
hinges on a single thing: going beyond! 5
559h5-8
O n ce the M aster said:

T h ere is n o th in g w hatsoever that does n o t explain the
B uddhist teaching. Striking the bell or beating the drum is no
1 This is quoted from a p o em attributed to Master Shitou that is entitled M erg

ing o f Difference and Wenfi2$(-(Cantongq:i, Jap. Sandokai; T51: 4 5 9 b l9 ). B oth in
Sh itous verse and in Y u n m en s address, the freedom from attachment to any
object that stands opposite a w atching subject is poin ted out.
2 See note to section 182.
3 T h e deep and boundless sea is a m etaphor for truth or true reality.
4 T h e Record o f Linji contains a passage (T47: 4 9 9 b ll) that contrasts the bud
dhas and patriarchs w h o are m en w ith o u t concern w ith people w h o create
karma by striving and practicing.
5 See section 206, w here the C han tradition is called the teaching tradition o f
go in g b ey o n d .
190
E s s e n tia l S a y in g s fr o m t k e M a s te r s R o o m
ex cep tio n .1 If this is the case, n o th in g will be [Buddhist teach

ing], and n o th in g will not b e.
H e added: O n e should n o t assert that w h en one speaks, it
is [the B uddhist teaching], and that w h en one doesnt speak, it
is n 't E ven w h at I ju st said has n o t quite m ade it. W ell, as long as
it benefits people, it m ay be okay. . . .
5 6 0 a l5 -1 7
O n e day the M aster p u t o n his lo n g robe and said, Im shaking

o ff the D harm a b o d y .
N o b o d y answered.
T h e M aster said, Ask m e!
So a m o n k asked, W h a t does shaking o ff the D harm a
body m ean?
T h e M aster replied, I see, y o u re getting to th e p o in t!
5 6 0 a l7 -2 6
M aster Y u n m en cited the follow ing story by X uansha:
The old venerables everywhere keep talking about making

use o f anything to guide sentient beings. I f all o f a sudden
they encountered someone w ith the three illnesses:2 how
w ould they deal w ith him? Since he is blind, he w o n t see
1 See also case 7 o f the Blue C liff Record (T48: 147a22): W hatever you pick up:
theres n oth in g thats not it.
2 Blindness, deafness, m uteness. T he Cleary brothers, as w ell as the majority o f
Japanese translators o f case 88 o f the Blue C liff Record, think that this case is
about three persons, each o f w h o m has one o f the illnesses. H o w ev er, such
persons w ou ld not be difficult to teach; it w o u ld be easy en ou gh to speak to the
blind, make gestures to the deaf, etc. T h o u g h that reading is also possible from
the poin t o f view o f grammar, I prefer to translate this w h o le story o n the line
o f on e person w ith three illnesses.
191
their picking up the gavel and raising the whisk. Since he is

deaf, he w o n t hear their most eloquent words. And since
he is mute, they may want him to speak, but he cannot. So
how would they deal w ith him? I f they cannot guide him,
then the Buddhist teaching has no spiritual use.
A m o n k asked Y unm en for instruction. T h e M aster said:
Bow , will y o u ! T he m onk bow ed and rose. Y unm en po ked at
him w ith his staff, and the m o n k drew back. Y unm en rem arked:
W ell, y o u re not blind. T h e n he told the m o n k to com e
closer again. W h en the m onk stepped in front o f him , he said:
A nd y o u re not deaf. T h e n Y u n m en held up his staff and
asked, D o you understand? T h e m onk said, I d o n t. And
Y u n m en rem arked, N e ith e r are you m u te . At this the m onk
attained insight,
560a21-29
214
M aster Y unm en m entioned the follow ing ancient saying:
The moment a w ord is brought up, the world is com

pletely contained in it . 1
T h e M aster said, W ell, tell m e, w hat w ord is it?
H e answ ered himself, W h e n the birds sing in springtim e,
they do so o n the w estern m ountain range.
T h e n the M aster told a m o n k to ask him .
T h e m o n k asked, W hat is that w ord?
T h e M aster said, H i d 2
1 See also Blue C liff Record, cases 19, 60, and 89.
2 T h e C hinese character used in the original can stand for an exclam ation o f
pain or sorrow (Oh! Alas!), but it is also used as a verb m eaning to burp, to
b elch . Professor lriya points o u t that this character was pronounced w ith a
glottal stop. T he translation follow s this lead in conjunction w ith the charac
ters verbal use.
192
215
5 60b1-3
M aster Y u n m en quoted a saying by M azu:
A ll words belong to the school o f Kanadeva;1 it considers

just these to be the principal.
M aster Y u n m en said, An excellent saying! O nly, nobody
questions m e about it.
A m onk then asked, W h at about the school o f
K anadeva?
M aster Y unm en replied, Y ou belong to the low est o f a]]
ninety-six kinds [of heretics] in India!
216
M aster Y u n m en quoted D harm a teacher [Seng] Z h a o s words:
A ll individual entities (dharmas) are w ithout difference

[yet] one must not stretch the ducks [legs] and shorten the
cranes,2 level the peaks and fill up the valleys, and then
think that they are not different!3
1 This is the fifteenth Indian patriarch, Kanadeva, w h o is said to have been a
successor o f the Indian Buddhist sage Nagarjuna. Kanadeva was by som e re
garded as the author o f the Hundred Treatise (Bailun; T 3 0 , no. 1569), one o f
three core texts o f the C hinese M adhyamika (T hree Treatise, Ch. Sanlun)
tradidon.
2 See Zhuangzi, chapter 8;
T h ou gh the duck's legs are shorty to stretch them w ou ld make it

suffer; though the cranes legs are long, to cut them shorter
w o u ld make it sad. Thus: w hat is lo n g by nature needs no cutting
off, and w hat is short by nature needs no stretching.
3 T h e quotation stems w ith insignificant differences from Seng Z h a o s Treatise
on Wisdom W ithout Knowledge (Banrewuzhi lun), w hich forms part o f the fa
mous Treatise of Zhao (Zhaolun, Jap. Joron; T 4 5 , no. 1858).
193
560bj7
M aster Y u n m e n said, T h e long is by nature long, the

short by nature sh o rt.
Again, the M aster said: A thing occupies its position, and
its m un d an e aspect always rem ains. 1
T h en he held up his staff and said, This staff is n o t a thing
that always remains, is it? 2
5 60b8-1 0
217
M aster Y u n m en m en tio n ed an old saying: E ven a single
th o u g h t contains perfect w isd o m .
T h e M aster held up his staff and said, T h e w hole universe
is o n top o f this staff. I f y o u can penetrate it, there isnt any staff
in sight either. E ven so, y o u d still be in bad shape. 3
5 6 0 b i6 - l9
218
M aster Y u n m en related [the legend according to w hich] the
B uddha, im m ediately after his birth, po in ted w ith one hand to
heaven and w ith the o th er to earth, w alked a circle in seven
steps, lo o k ed at the four quarters, and said, A bove heaven and
u n d e r heaven, I alone am the H o n o re d O n e .
T h e M aster said, H ad I w itnessed this at the tim e, I w ould
have k nocked him dead w ith one stroke and fed h im to the dogs
in o rd er to b ring about peace on earth!
1 T his is a phrase often quoted by Chan masters; in slightly different form, it is

also found in the second chapter o f the Lotus Sutra.
2 A play o n w ords may also be in volved here: the characters that are translated
as always rem ains are also a technical term m eaning m onastery property.
3 See the story about Z h aozh ou on p. 64.
194
E s s e n t ia l S a y in g s fr o m t k e M a s te r 's R o o m
219
56U 3-5
M aster Y u n m en related the follow ing story:
Changqing1 asked the Genius,2 The Buddhist teachings

say that sentient beings use it every day yet do not know it.
The Confucian texts also state that one uses it daily yet
does not know it. N o w what is that which one does not
know ? The Genius replied, One does not know the
Great W a y.
M aster Y u n m en said, Exactly, he doesnt k n o w !
220
5 6 U 8 -9
M aster Y u n m en m en tio n ed that C hangqing3 had seized his staff

and said, If y o u re able to k n o w this [staff], y o u r lifes study is
accom plished.
T h e M aster said, Y o u re able to so w hy d o n t y o u leave
it at that?
221
M aster Y u n m en m en tio n ed th e follow ing anecdote:
W hen Yunyan4 was sweeping the floor, D aow u5 said to

him : W hat good is so much petty effort?
1 C hangqing H u ilen g (85493 2 ), a co-disciple o f Y u n m en under M aster
X u efen g Y icun.
2 C hang Z h u o the Genius. See section 188, note 1.
3 C hangqing H uileng. See n ote to previous section.
4 Y unyan T ansheng (Jap. U ngan D onjo; 780?841).
5 D aow u Y uanzhi (769835).
195
561a 10-13
Yunyan replied, Y o u ought to know that there is

one w ho doesn t [make such a useless effort].
Daowu said: W e ll, thats already a second m oon!
Yunyan held up the broom and said, "W hich m oon
is this?1
D aow u shook his sleeves and went out.
M aster Y u n m en rem arked, W h e n a slave m eets his peer,
they com m iserate each other.
196
S ta te m e n ts W ith A nsw ers in

P la c e o f tk e A u d ie n c e
5 6 U 1 3 -1 6
M aster Y u n m en asked a m o n k , Are K orea and C h in a the same

o r different?
M aster Y u n m en answ ered on b eh alf o f the m o n k , T he
M o n k s Hall, the B uddha Hall, the kitch en pantry, the m ain
gate. 1
5 6 1 c l8 -2 l
In the hall, M aster Y u n m en said,

Tell m e, w hat level o f activity is it w h en the old buddhas
do it2 w ith the pillars?
1 See also section 245, w here the kitchen pantry and main gate appear in an
other context, and section 272, w h ich addresses the problem o f identity and
difference. T h e latter m ust be seen in the context o f not-tw on ess as explained
in section 275: All objects are no-objects; just this is called all objects. This
thought has been formulated in various oth er ways. T he m o d em Japanese ph i
losopher Kitaro N ishida, for exam ple, coin ed the term absolutely contradic
tory self-id en tity, D . T . Suzuki spoke o f the logic o f a s-it-is-it-is-n o t
(sokuhi no ronri), and R . D eM artino uses the term nondualistic-duality (see
p. 64).
2 Literally, to cross, to have relations w ith . This term has a strong sexual c o n n o -
197
N ob o d y answered.
T he M aster said, Ask m e, I'll tell you!
A m onk asked [whar level o f function it was], and the Mas
ter answered, O ne silk sash: thirty in cash. 1
In place o f the first w ords [about buddhas and pillars], the
M aster said, W h en clouds gather on South M ountain, rain falls
on N o rth M o u n tain . 2
T h e m o n k w ent on inquiring, H o w about one silk sash:
thirty in cash ?
T h e M aster replied, Its a deal! 3
224
O n e day M aster Y unm en said, W hat is it that you deliberate
about and concentrate upon?
In place o f the m onks, M aster Y unm en answered, Salt is
expensive, rice is cheap.
561c2223
225
O n ce M aster Y unm en said, W h at is accom plished w hen one
has m entioned the tw o w ords B uddha and 'D h arm a?
H e answered in place o f the audience, D ead frogs! 4
tation, w hich may very w ell be present here in order to attack the masters w h o
constantly used such pillars in their teaching.
1 Ic is not clear w hether this was a considerable am ount o f m o n ey or not. Som e
sexual im plication may again be present (for example, the am ount o f m oney
needed for the services o f a prostitute?).
2 In C hinese tradition, the im age o f clouds and rain is com m on ly used for the
sexual act.
3 T his expression was used at auctions to make a buyers decision final.
4 In the Chan tradition, frogs can stand for people w h o make a lot o f noise yet
have little to say.
198
S t a t e m e n t s W it k A n s w e r s in P la c e o f t k e A u d ie n c e
5 6 U 2 5 -2 7
O n e day M aster Y u n m en said, T h e ancient ones faced the wall

and shut the gate.1 B ut could they break through [this] in
here? 2
In place o f his audience, Y u n m en said, W h a t a dry piece
o f shit is [this] in here!
H e added, O n e . J
562a56
M aster Y u n m en entered the D harm a Hall, and w h e n the assem

bly h ad gathered and setded d o w n , he said, T h e re s a big m is
take;4 check it o u t m ost th o ro u g h ly .
H e said in place o f the m onks, [For this] th e re s no need
for som eone else. 5
1 This is a reference to Bodhidharm a, w h o reputedly sat facing a wall for years

after com in g to China, and to the Buddha, w h o reputedly shut h im self in at
Magadha and did not want to speak because o f the ultimate ineffability o f the
Dharma.
2 O n e could im agine that Y u n m en p oin ted to his chest w h ile he spoke these
words,
3 As w ith other on e-w o rd answers, the possibilities for translating are m anifold.
O n e could also translate this by the O n e or u n ity , etc.
4 Master D ahu i on ce said (Record o f Dahui, T47: 894b6 fF.):
W hat does m istake mean? It is to be taken in by form, sound,
scent, taste, touch, and separate entities, and not being able to
detach o n e self from them . It is seeking kn ow led ge and lo o k in g
for understanding in the w ords and phrases o f the scriptural
teachings and o f ancient w orthies.
5 See also Y u n m en s earlier statement that this matter is o n e s very o w n matter
w here no one else can take o n e s place (end o f section 46).
199
5 62a13-14
228
T h e M aster once asked a m onk, H o w are you doing?
In place o f the m onk he replied, Im hungry!
5.62a1S-22
Instructing the assembly, M aster Y unm en said, It is m entioned

once and is not talked about anym ore. H o w about that w hich is
m en tio n ed once?
H e continued, If y o u re n o t in accord w ith it, seek some
way in! E ven having buddhas num berless as specks o f dust on
your tongue and the holy teachings o f the entire B uddhist canon
under y o u r feet is now here near as good as awakening! N o w is
there anyone w ho is awakened? C om e forw ard and try express
ing it!
In place o f the silent assembly he said, T h a ts w hat y o u re
faced w ith w h en you have children.
W ith regard to the first w ords (about bringing it up once)
he said in place o f his listeners, T h o u g h the capital C hangan is
pleasant, [it is not a place for a long stay]. 1
562a27-bl
W hile picking tea, the M aster said> Picking tea is tiresome.

C om e on, ask me a question!
W h en nobody responded, he continued, 1<rI f you cant say
1 T h e full form o f this saying appears in case 64 o f the Blue C liff Record (T48:
195b l4).
200
S t a t e m e n t s W it h A n s w e r s in P la c e o f th e A u d ie n c e
anything, recite the A B C .1 A nd if y o u re n o t up to that, trace

characters! 2
In place o f the silent audience, he said, M ight be w o rth a
try. . . .s?
.
R esp o n d in g to the first w ords [ picking tea is tiresom e ],

he said in place o f his audience, I toil, yet it doesnt com e to
an y th in g .
562bl4~ 15
In the hall, th e M aster raised his staff and said, H ey, look! T h e
entire cosm os is shaking, all at once! 3 T h e n he descended from
his seat.
In place o f the silent audience he said, H eav e-h o !
5 62b 16 - 17
O n ce M aster Y u n m en said, W h at is a statem ent that does n o t

fool people? 11
In place o f his listeners he said, D o n t tell m e that this was
one th at did!
1 n the original, these are not the first letters o f the alphabet, o f course, but the
first three o f a row o f simple characters that, according to legend, y o u n g C on
fucius w rote to his father. From the m id -T an g era, they w ere used for teaching
the art o f w riting to beginners,
2 W hen learning to write, C hinese children used to trace the instructors red
characters and overw rite them in black ink.

3 in Buddhist texts, the universe is often said to have trembled w h en an em i
nent person stated a profound truth.
4 A C hinese proverb says: G ood talk does n o t fool people; i f it does, its not
good talk.1'
2 0 1
233
562b20-21
O n e day the M aster said, W h e n you exert your w hole strength,

w hat do you say?
In place o f the m onks, Y unm en said, Five sesame buns
and three bowls o f tea!
234
562b2l-22
O nce the M aster asked, W hat is the question that lays it all
out?
In place o f the asked m onk, Y unm en answered, W hack
the m onk next to m e!
235
562cl 114
O n ce, w h en the M aster had finished talking, he stood up,

banged his staff dow n on his m editation chair, and said, W ith so
m any w ord-creepers1 up to now , w hat place will I be banished
to? C lever chaps understand, b u t stupid ones are being com
pletely fooled by m e. 2
Instead o f the listeners, the M aster said, P utting frost on
top o f snow .
236
S 62c 1 7 - 1 8
O nce the M aster said, T he Buddhist teaching does not need to

be fixed in words; [but tell me:] w hat is m ost valuable in the
w orld?

-T h e w ord m e {wo} o f the Taipei edition is correct; the Taishd text has a
misprint here.
202
S t a t e m e n t s W it h A n sw ers in P i a c e o f t k e A u d ie n c e
In place o f his listeners, Y u n m e n said: D o n t tell m e this is

dim e-a-dozen!
H e added, A dry piece o f shit!
237
563al
A ddressing the assembly, M aster Y u n m en said, L ook, look! I

got killed!
P reten d in g to collapse, he said, D o you understand?
238
563a3-5
O n e day th e M aster said, I entangle m yself in w ords w ith you

every day; I cant go o n till the night. C o m e on, ask m e a ques
tio n right h ere and n o w !
In place o f his listeners, M aster Y u n m en said, Im just
afraid that R e v e re n d Y u n m en w o n t answ er.
239
563a56
O n c e the M aster said, W h at is the one phrase u n d er y o u r very

feet?
Instead o f his audience he said, Is there one?
240
O n e day th e M aster said, I m n o t asking y o u about p u ttin g
aside [the ultim ate tru th of] the B uddha D harm a, B u t is there
som eone h ere w h o know s about conventional tru th ? 1
1 T h e doctrine o f the tw o truths plays such a prom inent role in Buddhism

that already the Indian sage Nagarjuna remarked (M adhyamakii Karika 24:8,9;
translation from M ervyn Sprung, ed,, The Problem o f Tu/o Truths in Buddhism
and Vedanta [Dordrecht, Netherlands: R eid el, 1973], p. 57):
203
563a19-2i
In place o f his audience he said, If I say there is such a

th in g Til be arrested by the R ev eren d Y u n m en .
241
563b4~5
O n ce M aster Y unm en said, W h e n B odhidharm a came from

the W est, w hy did he have trouble getting successors?
In place o f the silent audience he said, O h , com e o ff it!
563b58
242
W h e n the M aster had once finished talking, he stood up and

said, If to n ig h t you understand it all, get up early, seize a sword,
and lop off m y head: that will be the end o f m y chatter! T hen
he pulled u p 1 his robe, shook it, and said, H o w about this? 2
In place o f a m o n k he said, I m ust n o t let you dow n,
M aster.3
T he buddhas teach dharma (the doctrine) by resorting to tw o

truths: O ne is the conventional or provisional truth, the other is
the ultimate truth.
T hose w h o do not com prehend the distinction betw een
these tw o truths do not com prehend the deep significance in the
Buddhas teachings.
T h e conventional truth corresponds to that w hich to the dualistic m ind seems
true, w hile ultimate or genuine truth refers to that w hich is evident to the
awakened mind.
1 O n e pulls up the robe w hen taking it off.
2 Professor Iriya suggests that Y unm en acts as if he w ere already dead, picks up
and shakes a dead m on ks robe, and thus m ocks the audience for being unable
to finish him off.
3 A similar point is made in section 247.
204
S ta tem en ts W ith A nsw ers in P lace o f th e A u d ien ce
243
5 63b17-18
Addressing the assembly, M aster Y u n m en said, Im n o t asking

y o u about before the fifteenth day; try to say som ething about
after the fifteenth day! 1
Y u n m en him self answ ered on behalf o f the listeners,
Every day is a good day! 2
244
563b19
In the D harm a Hall, th e M aster was silent for a long tim e and
th en said, Im m aking a terrible fool o f m y self W ith that he
left his seat.
In place o f the m onks he said, Aha, n o t ju st us!
245
O n ce the M aster cited a m an o f old3 w h o had said,
1 It is n o t clear w hat Y unm en means by the fifteenth day {middle o f the lunar
m onth). Since the fifteenth is one o f the tw o m on thly fast days w ith confession
and repentance cerem onies (during w h ich the faults and transgressions o f the
previous half-m onth w ere confessed and repented before the w h o le m onastic
com m unity), Y u n m en could mean: I d o n t w ant to hear about [your trans
gressions] o f the last half^month; tell m e about [your resolutions for] the c o m
ing half-m on th. Charles Luk w rote that the fifteenth day is the fu ll-m oon day;
the full m o o n sym bolizes enlightenm ent (Zen and C h an Teachings, Second Se
ries, p. 198).
3 T he man quoted here is Tanxia Tianren (739824), and the quotation is part
o f a lon g verse contained in the Collection from the Founders Halls (1.161,6). See
also section 143.
205
563b2224
M aster Y u n m en
Each and every person has the radiant light [yet] when it
is looked at, it is not seen: dark and obscure. W hat about
that radiant light?
O n behalf o f the silent audience he said, T h e kitchen
pantry, the m ain gate. 2
H e added, *Td rather have nothing!^
246
563b25~27
At a donated meal the M aster asked a m onk, Forget about all

the phrases that y o u ve ever learned in the monasteries and tell
me: h o w does m y food taste?
O n behalf o f the silent m onks he said, T h e re s too little
salt and vinegar on the vegetables.
247
56 3 cl3 -1 5
O nce he said, Just you, all o f you, are on pilgrimage and m ust
k n o w that there is a w ay in. N o w is there anyone w ho is able to
express it in words? C om e forw ard and try saying it!
1 Master Y uanw u cites in his com m ents to Y u n m en s words the follow ing
verse from Shitous Merging of Difference and Identity (T 5 l: 459c 1516):
Just within this light there is darkness
But don't confront it as darkness.
A n d within darkness there is light
But don't meet it as light.
2 See section 222 and its note.
3 There is an interesting story about Master Zhaozhou w here this expression is

used in a similar way: W h en Master Z haozhou saw a m onk perform the cus
tomary b ow , he gave him a b lo w with his staff. T he m onk said: fT o b o w is a
good thing, isnt it? Master Z haozhou replied, Id rather have nothing!
(Record of Zhaozhou, ZZ119: 1 6 6 d l).
206
S ta te m e n ts W itli A nsw ers in P lace o{ tlie A u d ien ce

O n b eh alf o f the silent audience he said, I, too, shouldnt
let the M aster d o w n , 1
248
563cl6~18
T h e M aster said to the assembly:
W ith in , there is a jew el. It is hidden inside the human

body.2
H e said: I pick up the lantern inside the B uddha Hall and
place the m ain m onastery gate on top o f it. H o w about that?
As no one answ ered he replied on behalf o f the audience,
It one chases after things, o n es intentions are sw ept along.
H e added, T he th u n d er rolls, and douds are gathering.
249
564a24~25
M aster Y u n m en addressed the assembly, saying, I d o n t w ant

any words from our tradition. [N ow tell m e in y o u r ow n
words:] W hat is self in the teaching o f our patriarchal school?
In their place he simply extended both hands.
250
W h en a m o n k came for instruction, the M aster lifted his robe
and said, If y o u can put it in words* you fall into the trap o f m y
1 Y unm en possibly advances an answer that skillfully avoids the question, and
he thereby probably castigates his listeners for being concerned only about their
relationship w ith the teacher.
- This is a saying o f Seng Zhao.
3 These are signs o f a loom in g disaster.
207
564cl4~17
M aster Y u n m en
robe. If y o u cannot, th en y o u 're sitting in a d em o n s cave. W hat
do y o u do?
H e answered on behalf o f the m onk, Im ex h au sted /'
564(17-18
251
O n ce M aster Y u n m en asked, W h a ts w rong w ith som eone
w h o is in th e dark about him self?
H e answered on behalf o f the silent m onks, T hat ought
n o t to be a problem for a great m an!
564c20-22
252
O n e day M aster Y unm en said, If y o u re sitting fin the m edita
tio n hall] underneath y o u r robe and b o w l,1 Im tying you up
deadly. A nd if you com e running up [to the D harm a Hall], I
have y o u run to death. W hat is a phrase thatll get you out o f this
fix?
H e said on behalf o f the listeners, Q u ick !
5 65a17-19
253
O n ce the M aster said, In the lands o f all ten directions there is
n o th in g b u t the teaching o f the unique vehicle. Tell me, is y o u r
self inside or outside the teaching o f the unique vehicle?
O n behalf o f the silent audience he said, C o m e in!
H e added, T h ere you are!
1 T he m on ks robe and bow l were stored over his m editation seat. R o b e and
bow l also stand for all w orldly possessions o f a m onk,
208
S ta te m e n ts W ith A nsw ers in P lace of th e A u d ien ce
254
565b4
O n e day h e said, Y ou take being as being.J H o w can you avoid

that?
O n b eh alf o f the m onks he said, T ough luck!
255
5651)7-8
O n ce M aster Y unm en said, Its so difficult to fmd o u t w here

the problem lies!
O n behalf o f the rnonks he said, Find o u t!
256
565b12-14
T h e M aster once said, D o you see?

H e answered himself, I see,
H e w en t on, W hat do you see?
O n b eh alf o f those present he replied, A flow er.
257
O n e day he said, Its eleven days since you entered the sum m er
m editation period. W ell, have you gained an entry? W h at do
you say?
O n b ehalf o f the m onks he replied, T o m o rro w is the
tw elfth. 2
1 This stands in contrast to the awakened v iew as expressed in the quotation

from the D iam ond Sutra in section 275. See also the note to section 222.
2 This answer could point towards a possible but unorthodox interpretation o f
section 243, w h ich can also be read as a reproach for continued procrastination.
209
565b2224
M aster Y u n m en
565ct2
258
O n ce M aster Y u n m en m en tio n ed an ancient's saying:
W hat enters by the gate is not your hom e treasure,1

T h e n Y u n m en asked, W h a t about the gate?
H e answ ered o n b eh a lf o f the m onks, E ven if I w ere able
to say it, it w o u ld be o f no use.
565c6-9
259
T h e M aster once said, I m n o t asking you for verbal teachings
o f o u r tradition. This is heaven. T h at is earth . P o in tin g to h im
self he said, This is m e . P o in tin g to the pillar he said, T h at's
a pillar. W h at is B uddhist teaching?
O n b eh alf o f th e silent audience he said, T h at's very diffi
cult, too. . .
5 66a 1-2
260
O n e day M aster Y u n m en said,
P eople learning the B uddhist teaching are num erous like
sand grains on the R iv e r Ganges. C o m e on, m ake a statem ent
from the tips o f th e h u n d red w eeds! 2
O n b eh alf o f th e silent assembly he said, All!
1 See Record o f Linji, T 47: 497b 1617 (Sasaki translation, p. 8):

I f you w ish to differ in no w ay from the Patriarch-Buddha, just
d on t seek outside.
2 T h e hundred w eeds stand for the infinite variety o f phenom ena in w h ich the
teaching o f the Buddha manifests itself fully. An aw akened person ought to be
able to point out the w ondrous m in d o f nirvana on the dps o f the hundred
w eeds" (Master Y u an w u s pointer to case 59 o f the Blue C lif f Record, T48:
1 9 1 cl4 ^ 1 5 ).
210
S ta te m e n ts W ith A nsw ers in P lace o f th e A u d ie n c e
261
566a2l-22
O n c e M aster Y u n m en said, I w ant to be told n eith er about

before today n o r ab o u t after today: com e on, tell m e som ething
ju st about today!
O n b eh a lf o f the audience he said, N o w 's the tim e!
262
5 6 6 b l8 19
O n e day M aster Y u n m en said, C o m e on, pose m e a question

outside th e B uddhist teaching!
O n b eh a lf o f the m onks he replied, E ven one is to o
m u c h .
263
W h e n M aster Y u n m en saw a m o n k com e to visit him , he struck
a b lo w o n a pillar an d said, Y o u came in here to deceive m e!
O n b eh a lf o f the m o n k he answ ered, [Lucky m e }] he only
h it the pillar.
M aster Y u n m en w h acked th e m o n k and said, L etting off
steam for o th er p eo p les b en efit.
211
567a4-6
C ritical E x a m in a tio n s
567r5~7
264
T h e M aster asked a m onk, W h ere have you been?
T h e m o n k replied, Ive been harvesting tea.
T h e M aster asked, D o people pick the tea, or does the tea
pick people?
T h e m onk had no answer.
In his place, M aster Y unm en answered, T h e M aster has
said it all; there's nothing I can add.
567c7-10
265
M aster Y u n m en asked a m onk, Are you the m onasterys re
pairm an?
T h e m onk said yes.
T h e M aster said, T he w hole universe is a house. H o w
about the m aster o f th e house?
T he m o n k had no answer.
T h e M aster said, Ask m e, Til tell y o u .
T h e m onk asked, and th e M aster replied, H e has passed
away.
O n behalf o f the m onk he replied to the first question,
H o w m any people has he deceived?
212
C ritic a l E x a m in a tio n s
266
5 6 7 cl4 -1 7
T h e M aster asked a m onk, W h e re do you com e from ?

T h e m o n k replied, I have paid m y respects to [the Sixth
P atriarchs] stupa.
T h e M aster inquired, W h at did he tell y o u ?
T h e m o n k asked back, W h a t do you say, M aster?
M aster Y u n m en said, A nd I was u n d er the im pression
th at y o u re a clever lad!
T h e m o n k had n o answer.
M aster Y u n m en replied on the m o n k s behalf, I only did
w h a ts right and pro p er! 1
56Sa3^6
T h e M aster asked a m o n k , D o y o u see the lantern? 2

T h e m o n k replied, I cant see it an ym ore.
T h e M aster said, T h e m o n k ey is attached to a pillar. 3
Y u n m en replied in place o f the m onk, Im deeply grate
ful to receive the p ro fo u n d heart o f y o u r B uddhist teaching,
M aster.
T o the first question he replied on behalf o f the m o n k , I d
rather have n o th in g !
1 T his refers to the C onfucian cardinal virtues o f ren and yi, hum aneness and
righteousness.
2 T he Taisho text has here Is there a lantern? ; m y translation follow s the
T aipei edition.
3 T he m on k wants to assert that the lantern is no longer an object that stands
opposite him i.e., that he has b eco m e on e w ith it. T he m o n k ey often stands
for the human m ind, w h ich resdessly m oves from object to object. T h e master
thus lets the m on k k n ow w hat he thinks o f his kind o f oneness or samadhi: it is
no m ore than the freedom o f an attached m onkey.
213
M aster Y u n m en
268
568a26-28
At a meal M aster Y unm en asked a m onk, T he broth gets ab

sorbed by the rice and the rice by the broth. W h ere lies the
problem ? If y o u can tell, w e'll discuss it further.
T h e m o n k had no answer.
T h e M aster replied in place o f the m onk, G ood broth,
good rice.
H e added, D o n t say that [this is talk by a] reverend in a
frogs ho le. 1
269
5 68b 25
W h e n M aster Y unm en saw the characters that m ean dragon

treasury, he asked a m onk, W h at is it that can com e out o f the
dragons treasury?"2
T h e m onk had no answer.
T h e M aster said, Ask m e, Ill tell you!
So the m o n k asked, and the M aster replied, W hat comes
o u t is a dead frog.
O n b eh alf o f the [baffled] m onk he said, A fart!
Again, he said, Steam -breads and steam -cookies.
270
570a21-24
M aster Y u n m en asked a m onk, W here do you com e from ?

T h e m onk replied, From the C hen district [in H u n an ].
T h e M aster asked, A nd w here did you spend your sum
m er [period o f m onastic practice]?

- This treasury stands for the Buddhist canon, w h ich is guarded by a dragon.
T h e question thus means som ething like: W hat can com e out o f the Buddhist
teaching?
214
T h e m onk: A t M aster X ich an s.
Y u n m en inquired, W h at teaching does he expound?
T h e m o n k opened his hands and let th em dangle on b o th
sides.
T h e M aster struck him .
T he m onk said, f m [still] speaking!
T h e M aster opened his hands.
T h e m o n k had no response.
T h e M aster struck him and chased him out.
In place o f the m o n k he said, Im going, I am!
570(2-6
T h e M aster asked a m o n k w h o was reading a B uddhist scripture,

W h a ts the title on the cover?
T h e m onk held up the scripture.
T h e M aster said, I ve got that, too!
T h e m o n k said, Since youV e got it, w hy do you ask?
T h e M aster replied, H o w can I help [asking]?
T h e m o n k inquired, W h a ts the problem ?
T h e M aster said, Y o u d o n t notice the stench o f y o u r
ow n shit!
In place o f the [dum bfounded] m onk, Y u n m en retorted,
T oday I n oticed that for the first tim e!
H e added: D eshan's staff and Z ih u s dog! 1
1 Master Deshan was kn ow n for his saying: I f you can put it in words, you get
tw enty blow s, and if you cannot you also get tw enty b lo w s. T he story o f
Master Z ihu is told in case 96 o f the Blue C liff Record (T48: 219c2~5):
Master Z ihu set up a sign on his outer gate; the sign said, Z ihu
has a dog: above, he grabs p eo p les heads; in the m iddle, he grabs
p eop les loins; b elow , he grabs p eop les legs. If you hesitate, you
lose your body and life!* W henever Zihu saw a new com er, he
w ould im m ediately shout, W atch out for the d og! As soon as
215
M aster Y u n m en
And further: R everend, this question o f yours is deadclever!
5 7 0 (2 5 - 2 8
272
M aster Y unm en asked a m onk, An old man said, In the realm
o f non-dualism there is not the slightest obstacle betw een self
and o th er. W hat about Japan and K orea in this context?
T h e m onk said, T h ey are n o t different.
T h e M aster rem arked, Y ou go to hell,
In place [of the m onk, Y unm en] said, O n e m ust n o t p ro
duce hell-view s.
H e added, H o w can one get the jew el and return? 1
5 7 2 a2 3 ~ 6 4
M aster Y unm en asked a m onk, W here have you ju st com e

from ?
T h e m o n k 2 said, From C hadu [in Jiangxi province].
Y unm en inquired, W h ere have you practiced during the
sum m er?
T h e m onk replied, In the Baoci m onastery in H unan
pro v in ce.
Y unm en asked, A nd w h en did you leave there?
T he m onk answered, In A ugust.
the m onk turned his head, Z ihu w ould imm ediately return to the
abbots room .
1 Getting the je w el from the dragon king at the bottom o f the sea and returning
back h om e is a metaphor for reaching the essence o f Buddhist teaching and
applying k in daily life.
1 O ther sources make it clear that the m onk in question was a disciple o f Y u n
men by the name o f D ongshan Shouchu (910990).
216
M aster Y u n m en rem arked: I spare you the three score
blows o f the staff [that y o u deserve]. 1
T h e n ext day the m o n k came to see the M aster and said to
him : Yesterday I was spared sixty blow s by you, M aster, b u t I
have n o idea w hat I was guilty of.
T h e M aster cried: Y ou rice bag! Jiangxi, H u n an , and you
still go o n this way?!
A t these w ords the m o n k had the great aw akening. T h en
he said, H ereafter Ill go to a place w here there are no hum an
hearths and will build m yself a grass hut. I w o n t grow a single
grain o f rice n o r store a single b u n ch o f vegetables, and T will
receive the sages that will com e and go from all directions. Ill
pull o u t the nails and pegs for them , tear off their greasy hats,
strip o ff th eir stinking jackets, and 111 see to it that they get clean
and free and becom e [real] p atch -ro b ed m onks. Isnt this su
perb?
Y u n m en shot back, Y ou rice bag! Y o u re the size o f a
co co n u t yet you open such a big m o u th !
274
M aster Y u n m en asked a m onk, Are you going to gather fire
w o o d today?
T h e m o n k said, Y es.
T h e M aster said, A n ancient has said, E ven if you d o n t
see a single object, y o u r eyeball is th ere.
W h ile gathering firew ood, [M aster Y unm en] th rew dow n
a piece o f w o o d and said, All B uddhist scriptures explain just
this.
1 Sixty blow s o f the staff w ou ld be an extrem ely harsh, possibly even deadly,
punishm ent.
217
S 7 2 b 2 3 -2 5
M aster Y u n m en
572b2?~d
T h e m onk replied, Y es.

Q u o tin g this scripture the M aster said,
All objects (dharmas) are no-objects; just this is called all
objects.
T h en he held up his fan and said, Y o u call this a fan.
T h a ts a concept, I hold it up b u t w here is it? W h at good is it
to be overw helm ed by delusive thoughts from m orning till
night?
5 7 2 0 -1
276
W h e n M aster Y unm en once saw a m onk reading a scripture
he said, T o read scriptures, one m ust be equipped w ith the
scripture-reading eye. T h e lantern, the pillar, and the entire
B uddhist canon lack n o th in g .
H olding up his staff, he continued, T h e entire B uddhist
canon is right on the tip o f this staff C om e on, w here do you see
a single dot? Y et [the canon] is w ide open:
Thus I have heard: The lands in all ten directions, encom
passing the worlds as numerous as grains of sands . . -1
5 7 2c! 2 - 1 5
277
M aster Y unm en asked a m onk, W h o made this sesame bread?
T he m onk held it up.
' T h e master read these words (that are com m on at the beginning o f Buddhist
scriptures) from the tip o f his staff.
218
T h e M aster said, P u t that aside; th ats som ething y o u ve
learned on the m editation platform . W h o m ade this sesame
bread?
T h e m o n k said, M aster, y o u had better n o t deceive m e!
T h e M aster said, Y ou num skull!
219
P il grim age R eco ra
571b5~10
278
Y u n m en first called on C han m aster M uzhou D ao zo n g .1 T h e
m o m en t M u zh o u saw Y unm en approach he shut the door.
T h ereu p o n Y u n m en knocked at the door, and M u zh o u asked:
W h o is it?
Y u n m en replied, It's m e!
M u zh o u asked, W h at are you here for?
Y u n m en said, I am n o t yet clear about myself. Please,
M aster, give m e guidance!
M u zh o u opened the door, cast one glance, shut it again,
and w ithdrew .
In this m anner Y u n m en w en t to knock at the door o n
three consecutive days. O n the third day, w h en M u zh o u set out
to open the door, Y u n m en forced his way in. M u zh o u seized
him and said: Say it, say it!
Y u n m en hesitated.
M u zh o u pushed h im out, saying, U tterly useless stuff, 2
T h ro u g h this Y u n m en attained awakening.
1 M uzhou was Y u n m en s first C han teacher. See p. 19 ff.

2 Literally, Stone drills from the Q in period. See the explanation on p. 20.
220
P ilgrim age Record
279
W h en Y u n m en arrived at the village at the foot o f M t. X uefeng,
he m et a m onk w hom he asked: W ill the reverend go up the
m o u n tain today?
T h e m o n k said yes, and Y unm en said, I entrust you w ith
a case to ask abbot X uefeng, b u t y o u m ust n o t say that these are
som eone elses w ords!
T h e m onk consented, and Y u n m en continued: After
y o u r arrival at the m onastery y ou will see the abbot take the high
seat in the D harm a Hall to give a formal serm on. As soon as the
assembly has gathered, go forw ard and say at once: H ey, old lad,
w hy d o n 't you rid yourself o f the iron cangue around y o u r
neck?* M
T h e m o n k follow ed Y u n m en s instructions exactly. W h en
X uefeng heard the m onk talk like this he descended from his
seat, blocked his chest, seized him , and said: Tell m e, tell m e,
quick!
W h en the m o n k did n o t answ er X uefeng let him loose and
said, T h e w ords y o u said w ere n o t yours. T h e m o n k insisted
that they w ere. B ut w h en X uefeng said, A ttendant, bring m e a
rope and a stick, will you!, the m onk adm itted: T hey w ere
n o t my words b u t those o f a m o n k from Zhejiang dow n in the
village. H e instructed m e to com e and say w hat I said. X uefeng
said, Y ou o f the assembly, go to the village and w elcom e this
spiritual guide o f five hundred persons!
T h e follow ing day Y u n m en ascended the m ountain. As
soon as X uefeng saw him , he asked, W hat enabled you to reach
such a state? Y unm en low ered his head. After this they w ere
like tw o m atching pieces o f a tally.2
1 W ooden, or iron cangues w ere used for constraining criminals.

2 Tallies (such as a broken p iece o f w o o d w hose tw o pieces fit into each other
221
5 7 3 b l0 -2 2
M aster Y u n m en
5 7 3 c 15 - 2 0
280
A m o n k asked, W h at is that w hich goes beyond the D harm a
body?
M aster Y unm en replied, Its all very well for you to talk
about b e y o n d / B ut w hat do you m ean by D harm a b o d y ?
Please, M aster, consider [what I asked]!
Y u n m en said: W ell, lets leave considerations aside for
now . H o w does the D harm a body speak?
Like this, like this!
Y u n m en rem arked, T h a ts som ething you could cook up
on the long [m editation] bench. Let m e ask you: C an the
D harm a body eat nee?
T h e m onk was speechless.
74alO-2i
281
M aster Sushan1 said to his assembly: Before the X iantong
years,2 I could understand only w hat is at the m argin o f the body
o f teaching (Dharm a body). Since the X iantong years, I am able
to understand that w hich goes beyond the D harm a b o d y .
Y u n m en asked, I heard you say that before the X iantong
years, you could understand only w hat is at the m argin o f the
D harm a b o d y and that after the X iantong years you could under
stand that w hich goes bey o n d the D harm a body. Is that correct?
perfectly) w ere used as identification badges and p ro o f o f authorization. For a

less em broidered account o f this m eeting, see p. 22. This and som e other stories
o f the Pilgrimage R ecord sh o w unmistakable traces o f later editorial activity.
1 Sushan Guangren (837909) was a Dharma heir o f Master D ongshan Liangjie, one o f the founders o f the C a o d o n g /S o to tradition o f Z en.
2 T hese are the years betw een 860 and 873. D u n n g this period Sushan prac
ticed under Master D ongshan Liangjie. Thus this means: Before I practiced
under Master Dongshan . .
222
P ilgrim age Record

Sushan said yes.
Y u n m en asked, So w hat is at the m argin o f the D harm a
body?
Sushan replied, W ith ered camellias.
Y unm en: A nd w hat is beyond th e D harm a b o d y ?'
Sushan answered, N o w ithered camellias.
Y u n m en asked, M ay I explain the reason?
Sushan said, Go ahead! 1
Y u n m en said, W ithered camellias reveal w hat is at the
m argin o f the D harm a body, and no w ithered camellias reveal
w h at is beyond the D harm a body, d o n t they?
Sushan replied: Yes, they d o .
Y unm en asked, B ut the D harm a body em braces every
thing, doesnt it?
Sushan answered, H o w w o u ld n t it?
Y u n m en p ointed at a w ater pitcher2 and said, D oes th e
D harm a body em brace this?
Sushan said, M onk, d o n t ju st understand w hat is at the
m argin o f the w ater pitcher!
Y u n m en bow ed.
282
Y unm en visited C aoshan.3 C aoshan instructed his com m unity as
follows: People everyw here all ju st adopt set patterns. W hy
1 Such a permission is rare in Chan records and already implies high esteem
o f Y unm en; in general, a question o f this kind w ould be answered w ith a
stick.
2 This p u ie pitcher was used for cleaning the m onks hands.
3 Caoshan Benji (Jap. Sozan Honjaku; 8 4 0 -9 0 1 ) and his teacher Dongshan

Liangjie (Jap. T 5zan R yokai; 807869) are revered as the founders o f the
C a o d on g/S oto tradition o f Zen.
223
574a2126
M aster Y u n m en
d o n t y o u tell th em a turning phrase1 in order to m ake them get
rid o f th eir doubt?
Y u n m en asked Caoshan: W h y is it that one does not
k n o w o f the existence o f that w hich is m ost im m ediate?
Caoshan: Just because it is the m ost im m ediate!
Y unm en: A nd h o w can one becom e truly intim ate w ith
it?
Caoshan: By n o t tu rn in g tow ards it.
Y unm en: B ut can one k n o w the m ost im m ediate if one
does n o t face it?
Caoshan: It's then that one know s it best.
Y u n m en consented: Exactly, exactly!
574a26-b1
Y u n m en asked Caoshan, W h at is the practice o f a m o nk?

C aoshan replied, Eating rice from the m onastery fields.
Y u n m en said, A nd if one does ju st that?
C aoshan replied, C an you really eat it?
Y u n m en said, Yes, I can.
Caoshan: H o w do y o u do that?
Y unm en: W h at is difficult about puttin g o n clothes and
eating rice?
C aoshan said, W h y d o n 't you say that y o u re w earing a
hide and have horns [like an animal]?
Y u n m en bow ed.
1 Such phrases have the p ow er to throw people out o f their dualistic tracks and
trigger awakening.
224
P ilgrim age Record
284
4b4-65 7
W h e n M aster Y u n m en w e n t to see T ian to n g ,1 T ian to n g said,

4H ave y o u m anaged to settle it?
M aster Y u n m en asked back, W hat are you saying, R e v
erend?
T ian to n g replied, If you haven't understood, then y o u re
involved in all that is in front o f y o u .
M aster Y u n m en said, I f y o u have understood, th en y o u re
involved in all that is in fro n t o f you!
285
Y u n m en said to G anfeng,2 T eacher, I request an answ er!
G anfeng asked: H ave y o u com e to m e yet?
Y u n m en replied, So Im late.
G anfeng said, O h , is that so? Is that so?
Y u n m en shot back, I always th o u g h t you w ere a crook;
b ut n o w I realize y o u re even worse!*3
1 This is probably on e o f tw o m en am ong D ongshan Liangjies disciples w h o

carried this name.
2 Y u ezh ou G anfeng was a Dharma heir o f Dongshan Liangjie (807869),
3 Literally: I always thought y o u w ere H oubai, but y o u re H o u h ei!5 T he

com m entary to case 40 o f the .Record o f Serenity points out that this is a proverb;
H oubai (literally, m o n k ey -w h ite) was a crook and liar o f considerable talent,
and the invented H o u h ei (literally, m on key-black ) is presumably even
worse. Such abuse is in Chan texts often the highest form o f praise.
225
574c\(Û
M a te r ia l
M a jo r S o u rc e s
F o r Y u n m e n s
L ife a n a T e a c n in
A. The two inscriptions that were carved in stone in 959 and 964, ten
and fifteen years, respectively, after Yunraen's death.
B. The Record o f Yunmen, which is partially translated in this volume.
C. Some texts of the Transmission of the Lamp genre, especially the
two following collections;
1) the Collection from the Founders Halls (Ch. Zutangji, Kor. Chodang chip, Jap. Soddshu), which was completed in 952, only
three years after Yunmens death.
2) the Jingde Era Record of the Transmission o f the Lamp (Ch. Jingde
chuandenglu, Jap, Keitoku dentoroku), which appeared m
1004.
D. The explanations about 209 difficult terms from the Record o f Yun
men, contained in the Collection of Items from the Garden o f the Patriarchs
(Ch. Zutingshiyuan, Jap. Soteijien}.
O f course; many additional sources from later times were also
consulted. They are referred to in more detail in the edition for special
ists mentioned on p. xvi.
Tfie S to n e In scription s
The first o f the two stone inscriptions that are preserved in Yunm ens
monastery was written on January 12, 959 i.e., ten years after the
229
M ajor S ou rces
master's death. The author, Lei Yue, was a high official o f the govern
ment of the Southern Han empire. While two sources bear an earlier
date, one o f them 3 contributes little to the biography o f Yunmen, and
the second2 actually appears (in spite of its early date) to be the product
of a later age. The stone inscription of 959 is thus probably the oldest
extensive biographical document about Master Yunmen. It contains a
long introduction in which the master is portrayed as a true successor to
the Buddha and the Chan founding fathers. This is followed by the
biographical part, which served as the major source of the biography
given in this volume. It closes with a description o f the burial cere
mony.
The second stone inscription stems from the hand of another
imperial official, a man by the name of Chen Shouzhong. It is dated
May 15, 964, and its writing was triggered by a miracle. Chen writes
that the magistrate Ruan Shaozhuang saw Yunmen in a dream and was
given the order to open the grave stupa. When, after the necessary
bureaucratic procedures and approval from higher authorities, the
grave site was opened, Yunmens body was found in a mummified
state. It was soon brought to the capital Guangzhou (Canton), where it
was displayed and worshiped for a whole month. Apart from this, the
content of the second inscription is quite congruent with that of the
first, which was written five years earlier.
Tke L a m p H istories
The two Chan compendia, the Collection from the Founders Halls (952)
and the Jingde Era Record of the Transmission of the Lamp (1004), are close
enough in time to Yunmen to be of considerable value, both with
1 T h e Collection from the Founders Halls (Ch. Zutangji), w hich appeared in 952.
2 T his is the biography o f the master (T47: 575c35 7 6 a l8 ) that is dated from
M ay 25, 949, the day o f Master Y u n m en s burial cerem ony. Its author is Lei
Y ue, the man w h o ten years later also w rote the first stone inscription. T h e
parallels betw een the tw o docum ents are strong, but the supposedly earlier
biography includes ostensibly later legends and was probably rewritten (or even
written) at a m uch later point in tim e.
230
j
M ajor S ou rces
respect to what they contain about the life and teaching o f Yunm en
and what they do not.
The Collection from the Founder's Halls is o f special interest, since it
originated in circles around Y unm ens teacher Xuefeng and was prob
ably not rew ritten by later editors u n til it was rediscovered in Korea in
the early tw entieth century. In Jight o f the fact that Yunm en died only
three years before this text was completed, the amount o f inform ation
about him is surprisingly large and o f great research value.
The Jingde Era Rccord o f the Transmission o f the Lamp became a
model fo r later Chan texts o f this genre; it contains substantial inform a
tion about the life and teaching o f Yunm en. This text (and, o f course,
the Record o f Yunmen as well) w ent through the hands o f successive
editors and was in the process altered to various degrees. O nly detailed
research o f the history o f a text can reveal what form and extent such
changes had.
231
T h e H isto ry of th e
Recora o f Y u n m en 1
The Edition U se d for Tti ts Translation
The Record of Yunmen is the main source fo r the teaching o f Master

Yunm en. This text has come down to us in various editions, the oldest
o f w hich is stored in the Taiwanese N ational Central Library in Taipei.
It forms part o f a larger collection o f Chan records entitled Record of the
Sayings of Old Worthies (Ch. Guzunsu yulu, jap. Kosonshuku goroku},
w hich dates from the year 1267. This unpunctuated and most reliable
edition o f the Record of Yunmen was used for the translation. It is hard to
obtain; therefore, for the convenience o f scholars and readers o f C h i
nese, I keyed all references to the most w idely available edition o f the
Record of Yunmen, the one that is found in the Taisho edition o f the
Chinese canon (Taisho shinshu dai2oky5; volum e 47, text number
1988). Though the Taisho edition features many mistakes o f punctua
tion and a num ber o f variant forms o f Chinese characters, the Chinese
text itself is, w ith the exception o f some different colophons and a few
typesetting mistakes, almost identical w ith the older edition stored in
Taipei. Im portant differences between the tw o editions are pointed out
in the notes to the translation.
The oldest extant edition o f the Record o f Yunmen was thus
1 For a more detailed history o f this text, see m y article T he M aking o f a Chan
R e co r d in A nnual Report from the Institute fo r Zen Studies (Zenbunka kenkyujo
kiyo) 17 (1991), pp. 1-90.
232
e H isto ry o f tk e R ecord o f Yunm en
printed more than three hundred years after Master Y unm ens death.
H ow ever, we are lucky to have some older source materials that allow
us to get some idea how our text evolved and w ho was involved in its
creation. Apart from the stone inscriptions and the lamp histories, we
have additional sources o f great importance fo r the research o f the his
tory o f the Record: three prefaces w ritte n fo r earlier editions o f the
Record that have not yet been found,1 and the explanations o f 209 d iffi
cult terms from the Record w hich are contained in the Collection o f Items
from the Garden of the Patriarchs (Ch. Zutingshiyuan, Jap. Soteijien), a
book completed in the year 1108. The explanations o f this book refer
in sequence to terms contained in an older edition o f the Record, w hich
is now lost. These and some additional sources make it possible to
reconstruct at least part o f the history o f the Record.
(JoUacted M otes
The editorial process o f the Record o f Yunmen took several centuries.

In itia lly, there were some students o f Master Yunm en w ho noted
down his words and collected these notes. The older o f the tw o stone
inscriptions, w ritte n ten years after the masters death, already mentions
that many words [o f Yunm en] were w ritte n down and circulate in the
w o rld . 2 U nfortunately, no source from that period tells us m ore about
the persons w ho took the notes and their procedure. A t the beginning
o f the tw elfth century, the fo llo w in g anecdote was published:
Chan Master Yunju o f Foyin had said:
W hen Master Yunm en expounded the Dharma he was
like a cloud. He decidedly did not like people to note down
his words. W henever he saw someone doing this he scolded
him and chased him out o f the hall w ith the words, Because
your own mouth is not good for anything you come to note
down my words. It is certain that some day youll sell me!
1 A nnotated translations o f these prefaces w ill be included in the edition for
specialists (see p. xvi).
2 See D aijo T ok iw a, Shina bukkyo shiseki kirienshu, p. 112.
233
T k e H isto ry o f tk e RecorJ o f Yunm en
to the records o f Corresponding to the Occasion

and Inside the [Masters] R oom :1 Xianglin and M ingjiao
had fashioned robes out o f paper and wrote them down im
mediately whenever they heard them.2
As
Since such stories first appear more than 150 years after Y u n
m ens death, they are certainly not necessarily reliable. This is especially
true in this story, where the tw o monks m entioned by name became
the fathers o f tw o lines w ith in the Yunm en trad ition and had successors
eager to forge the closest possible lin k to founding father Yunm en.
A nother story, w hich was already cited in a different context,
may be relevant in our search fo r the note takers; it figures in case 17
(T48: 157a28b4) o f the Blue C liff R.ecordt w hich appeared in 1128:
Xianglin [Yuan] stayed at Yunm ens side for eighteen years;
time and again Yunm en would just call out to him , Attend
ant Yuan! As soon as he responded, Yunm en would say,
W hat is it? A t such times, no matter how much Xianglin
spoke to present his understanding and gave play to his spirit,
he never reached mutual accord w ith Yunm en. One day,
though, he suddenly said, I understand. Yunm en said,
W hy dont you say something above and beyond this?
Xianglin stayed on for another three years. A great part o f the
verbal displays o f great ability which Yunm en accorded in his
room were designed to make his attendant Yuan abJe to gain
entry and funcdon anywhere. Whenever Yunm en uttered
words or a phrase, these were all gathered at attendant Yuans.
Based on this story, one could assume that the m onk called
X ia ng lin (a.k.a. Yuan) was the prim ary taker o f notes. H ow ever, in the
stone inscription o f 959, a man called Shou Jian, not Yuan, is m en
1 C orresponding to the O ccasion is the title o f the main part o f the first
chapter o f the Record of Yunmen (T47: 5 4 5 a l6 5 5 3 M 0 ), and Inside the [Mas
ters] R o o m is part o f the title o f the first part o f the Record*s second chapter
(Essentials o f W ords from Inside the [Masters] R o o m ; T47: 553c24
561c4).
2 Linjianlu (Jap. R inkanroku), Z Z 148: 296b812.
234
e H isto ry o f tk e R ecord o f Yunm en
tioned as principal attendant o f Yunm en. The same name also appears
in the colophons to all three fascicles o f the oldest extant edition o f the
Record of Yunmen that is stored in Taipei. These colophons say: C o l
lected by [Master Y unm ens] disciple, R ecipient o f the Purple [Robe]
Shou Jian, [entitled] Grand M aster o f Clear Knowledge. U n fo rtu
nately, very little is know n about this man, since his name is otherwise
not found in Chan literature. So w hile we cannot conclusively id entify
the first note taker(s) and editors, it is like ly that they came from the
ranks o f devoted students o f Y unm en w ho had stayed at his monastery
for an extended period o f tim e. W hether it was attendant Yuan, Shou
Jian, or some other monk(s) w ho took the notes and collected them,
notes were taken in some form , and one or several followers o f Y u n
men took charge o f collecting and arranging them.
E arly P rin te d E dition s
These notes were at some p oint prepared fo r being carved in wooden

p rinting blocks. As m entioned above, three prefaces have survived to
printed editions that have vanished. These allow the follow in g conclu
sions: The earliest printed edition o f the Record o f Yunmen probably had
already appeared by the year 1035, eighty-six years after the masters
death. In the preface to this lost edition, a certain Fuchang W eishan is
said to have been the editor o f Y unm ens Record. Fuchang was a disci
ple o f a successor o f Yunm en, Shuangquan Shikuang.
A second edition o f the Record was prepared by T ia n yi Y ih u a i in
1053, 104 years after Y unm ens death. U nfortunately this edition is
also lost except fo r the preface. The preface, also w ritte n by Tianyi,
makes it clear that he had an older printed edition as w e ll as several
manuscripts at his disposal.
About fifty years later, the learned m onk M uan Shanqing also
had at least tw o and possibly more printed editions o f Y unm ens rec
ords at hand w hile w ritin g his comments to d ifficult words entitled
Collection o f Items from the Garden of the Patriarchs. It is possible that his
comments concerning the Record o f Yunmen were keyed to the oldest
printed edition. The sequence o f the commented words allows the
conclusion that M uans basic text probably contained the first and sec235
e H isto ry o f tk e R ecorJ o f Yunmen
ond fascicles o f the Record oj Yunmen we have tod ay/ The choice o f
translated parts in this volum e was partly dictated by the fact that the
first and second fascicles appear to be the oldest segments o f the Record,
Some parts o f todays Record of Yunmen that go unm entioned in
M uans com mentary are cited or at least m entioned in other sources.
One can assume that before 1076 about tw o thirds o f todays Record
were included- O nly the first part o f fascicle three, i.e., C ritical E x
am inations, is hardly mentioned. It was probably added in 1076 by Su
X ie , the editor in charge o f a new printed edition that is the direct
ancestor o f the edition found in Taipei.
The Record o f Yunmen edited by Su X ie is also lost, but it is evi
dent from Su X ie s extant preface that his text must have included
about 90 percent o f the Taipei text o f the Record. O nly a num ber o f
poems at the end o f the first fascicle and some biographical materials at
the end o f the third fascicle go unm entioned.
The O ld est E x ta n t Text
The oldest surviving text o f the Record of Yunmen, w hich is stored in

Taiw ans N ational Central Library, has colophons w hich say that a
m onk named Yuanjue Zongyan was its editor. This m onk, w ho re
sided on M t. G u in Fuzhou province, had in 1144 finished a new
edition. A lthough that edition is lost, we can assume that the 1267
Taipei edition is sim ply a reproduction o f it. U nfortunately we do not
know much about Yuanjue Zongyan; he lived from 1074 to 1146 and
was a Chan master in the eighth generation o f the Yunm en line. He
was an im portant figure as an editor o f Chan texts; apart from the
Record of Yunmen , he also assembled and edited what we now know as
the Record of Linji. B oth records, incidentally, contain a large section
entitled C ritical Exam inations ; it is like ly that in the case o f the Rec
ord o f Yunmen this section was assembled and added by Yuanjue person1 M u an s com m ents to the first chapter are congruent w ith todays first chapter;
the second chapter must also have been present, but its tw o major parts w ere in
reverse order.
236
T h e H isto ry o f tk e R ecord o f Yunmen
ally. The opinions o f specialists are divided as to when Yuanjue worked

on the Record o f Yunmen: Seizan Yanagida thinks it was around 1120,1
but Koyu Shiina has good reasons to conclude that Yuanjue did this job
between 1143 and 1145.2
The Taipei edition was printed in 1267 as part o f the Record of the
Sayings o f O ld Worthies (Ch. Guzunsu yulu; Jap. Kosonshuku goroku).
Its printing plates were carved by a certain W ang Y i. Later editions o f
the Record o f Yunmen are (w ith the exception o f a few misprints, differ
ent colophons, and/or added punctuation) identical w ith this oldest
extant text.
The extant text o f the Record o f Yunmen is, if one compares it
w ith other texts, surprisingly w ell preserved and documented. Its first
tw o fascicles, from w hich the m ajority o f text translated in this volum e
stems, appear to date back to the earliest editions. W h ile we cannot say
how closely these correspond to the words said by Master Yunm en,
this problem is not unique to the Record of Yunmen. The w hole R e
cord o f Sayings literature o f Chan Buddhism is in general based on
notes by disciples whose accuracy we cannot judge.
B ut w hoever noted down these teachings and however they
were edited and arranged, an extraordinary man faces the reader in this
text a man whose words aim, across all differences o f tim e and loca
tion and culture and language, at the very heart o f being human. M y
heart. Y o u r heart. O ur heart.
1 Seizan Yanagida, Zenseki kaidaj, in Zenkegoroku vol. 2 (Tokyo: C hikum a

shobo, 1974), p. 475. This is to date the m ost important annotated list o f Chan
texts.
2 K oyu Shiina, U m m o n koroku to sono shorokubon no k e ito , Journal o f Soto
Studies 24 (March 1982), p. 190. This article is the most important Japanese
study o f the Record o f Yunmen.
237
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beings heart
238
O verview o f th e C o n te n ts o f th e
Record o f Yunm en
F irst Fascicle
The first fascicle begins with a preface by Su Xie that was written in
1076 for the occasion of the publication of an older, now lost text of
the Record.
The preface is followed by the main body of the first fascicle,
consisting o f 320 cases of Responses to Occasions (545al6
553bl0; sections 1 to 144 o f this translation). Close to 50 of these are
sermons of various length. The rest are exchanges between students
and Master Yunmen, usually in the form of short questions by students
and pithy answers by Master Yunmen. This is the most important and
probably also the oldest part o f the Record.
The first fascicle closes with the Songs of the Twelve Time
Periods [of the Day] (553bll18) and twelve religious verses
(553bl9-cl6).
S econ d Fascicle
The second fascicle contains two sections. The first is entitled Essence
of Words from Inside the [Masters] R oom (553c24561c4; sections
145 to 221 of this translation). In some of the 185 subsections, Master
Yunmen teaches his monastic assembly informally at various occasions
and places, such instruction is in general less long than his formal
sermons in the Dharma Hall and frequently leads rather soon to a
239
Taisho vol.
47: 544c25
553c.l8
Taisho vol.
47: 553c20S67b7
O verview o f tk e C o n te n ts o f tk e R ecord o f Yunm en

question-answer exchange. A great number of subsections in this fasci
cle feature the master citing words of, anecdotes about, or conversa
tions involving earlier or contemporary masters and monks, and some
times Buddhist texts. These anecdotes or quotes are usually followed
by Yunm ens comments, by questions, or by discussions with his stu
dents.
The second section, entitled Statements with Answers in Place
of the Audience (561c5567b5; sections 222 to 263 o f this transla
tion), contains 290 cases o f statements by Master Yunmen. They have
different forms and are o f varying structure, but all are brought forth
with the aim o f provoking the audience. As the listeners usually turn
out to be unable to respond, Yunmen usually gives one or more re
sponses that express the understanding and thoughts of the audience or
his own.
T hird Fascicle
Tmsho vol.
47: 5 67b 9 576c29
-pji e thjj-d a n cj | ast
fascicle consists o f six parts and one appendix. The
first and most voluminous part is called Critical Examinations

(5 67b 16573b3; sections 264 to 277 o f this translation); this is a collec
tion o f Yunm ens exchanges with many masters, monks, and disciples.
Most often, Yunmen confronts them with questions or challenging
statements and tries in this manner to provoke expressions o f their
Chan realization and understanding. This expression is then critically
examined by the master. Such examinations can take various forms,
but most o f Yunm ens partners fail this test; the master then often fuels
their doubts by stinging remarks or by words and/or actions that either
express his own realization and understanding or highlight (the lack of)
that of the challenged person.
The second part of the third fascicle is a Pilgrimage R ecord
(573b4-575a20; sections 278 to 283 of this translation) in which Yun
m ens conversations with many famous masters of the time are re
corded. It shows clear traces o f later editorial work and is of only lim
ited value for Yunmen's biography.
The remaining parts are relatively brief: the masters testament
(575a2lb !1 ), his last instructions (575bl2c2), a biographical record
240
O verview of tk e C o n ten ts o f tk e K ccorJ o f Yunm en

(575c3576al8) written by the official Lei Yue on the day of the mas
ters burial (but certainly heavily revised at a much later date), a petition
by court officials to the ruler of the Nanhan empire to nominate Y un
men abbot of the Lingshu monastery (576al9b6), and the story of the
opening ofYim m ens stupa seventeen years after his death (576b716).
The appendix (576b1 9c27) consists of twelve verses by Yun
m ens disciple Great Master Yuanming.
241
Y u n m e n -R e la te d K o an s
In all major koan collections, koans featuring Master Yunmen are more
numerous than those of any other master. The table on the following
pages should facilitate looking up koans from the folio wing collections
in this translation and vice versa:
1. The Blue C liff Record (Ch. Biyanlu,Jap. Hekiganroku). English
translation mentioned in the Selective Bibliography under
Cleary.
2. The Gateless Barrier (Ch. Wumenguan, Jap. Mumonkan). En
glish translations (with varying titles) are mentioned in the
Bibliography under Cleary (1993), Shibayama (1974), and
Yamada (1990). Original text: Taisho vol. 48, No. 2005.
3. The Record of Serenity (Ch. Congronglu, Jap. Shoyoroku). En
glish translation by Cleary (1990). Original text: Taisho vol.
48, No. 2004.
4. The Three Hundred Koans (Jap. Sanbyakusoku) by Dogen
Kigen. N o English translation available as o f 1993.
A dditionally, this table lets practitioners and scholars com pare
Y u n m en -related koans in the listed collections.
242
Table o f W ell-know n K oans Featuring Yunmen

T ransl.
section
R e co r d o f
Y u n m en
B lue C liff
R eco rd
5 4 5 b 2 -5
Case 39;
177c58
13
545c78
Case 14;
154c2
26
5 4 6 a l0 11
Case 50;
185b7
51
547c45
58
548b 56
85
5 5 0 b 15
89
550b 2425
92
5 5 0 c 4 -6
95
5 5 0 c 1 9 -2 0
Case 27;
167b2425
139
5 5 2 c 2 7 -2 9
Case 39;
1 7 7 b l4 17
140
5 5 3 a l- 2
147
554a69
149
5 5 4 a l3 15
158
555a37
179
5 5 6 c2 9 -5 5 7 a 2
185
557b25
186
557b 29c2
Gateless
Barrier
R eco rd o f
Serenity
3 00
Koans
Case 99;
2 9 1 b89
Case
158
Case
166
Case 78;
277b 5 -6
Case 77;
2 0 4 b l1 -1 2
Case 21;
295c6
Case
95
Case 15;
155a2122
Case
208
Case 16;
2 9 5 a l2 13
Case 34;
1 7 2 c 1 9 -2 3
Case 82;
2 8 0 a l2 14
Case 48;
299a26
Case
257
Case 61;
265a2125
Case
176
Case 87;
2 1 2 a l l 12
Case 8;
14 8 b 1 -4
243
Case 71;
272a47
Table o f W ell-know n Koans Featuring Yunmen (Continued)

Traml.
section
R ecord o f
Y u n m en
188
5 5 7 c 2 0 -2 1
191
558a810
192
5 5 8 a l4 15
193
5 5 8 a 2 0 -2 5
197
558b2324
213
5 6 0 a l7 26
B lue CHflf
R ecord
Gateless
Barrier
R eco rd o f
Serenity
300
Koans
Case 39;
2 97c2224
Case
72
Case 47;
I8 3 a l7
Case 11;
2 3 4 a 1 -8
Case
107
Case 60;
192b7 - 1 0
Case 8 8 ;
2 1 2 c8 22
221
5 6 1 a 1 0 -1 3
223
5 6 1 c l 8 2 0
Case 83;
208c29209a2
243
5 6 3 b l7 18
Case 6 ;
1 4 5 c l2 14
245
563b2224
Case 8 6 ;
Case 21;
2 4 0 c l3 - 1 8
Case 31;
248a57
Case
81
2 1 1 b l3 - 1 6
260
5 5 6 a l2
270
570a2124
273
572a2328
280
5 7 3 c 1 5 -2 0
Case
162
Case 54;
18 8 b 1 9 -2 4
Case 15;
2 9 4 c 242 9
Case
280
Case
100
281
5 7 4 a l0 -2 1
Case
285
283
574a26b l
Case
70
285
5 7 4 c l6 18
Case 40;
2 5 3 b 2 2 25
244
Table o f W ell-known K oans Featuring Yunmen (Continued)

Transl.
section
R e co r d o f
Y un m en
B lu e C liff
R eco rd
'--_
Gateless
Barrier
R eco rd o f
Serenity
300
Koans
Cases
231,261
245
S elective B iL liograpky
W orks o f Reference
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Demieville, Paul; May, Jacques; et al. Hobogirin: Dictionnaire encydopedique du bouddhisme dapres les sources chinoises et japonaises
(Hobogirin: Encyclopedic dictionary ofBuddhism after the Chi

nese and Japanese sources). 6 vols. to date. Paris: A. Maisonneuve; Tokyo: Maison Franco-Japonaise, 1927.
Fischer-Schreiber, Ingrid; Ehrhard, Franz-Karl; and Diener, Michael
S, The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen. Boston:
Shambhala, 1991.
Inagaki, Hisao, A Glossary o f Zen Terms. Kyoto: Nagata Bunshodo,
1991. (Reviewed in Urs App, Zen Glossary on the Q uick,
Japanese Religions 17, no. 1 [January 1992], pp. 75-85.)
Koinazawa daigaku nai Zengaku daijiten hensansho (Compilation of
fice at Komazawa University o f the large dictionary of Zen stud
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Miura, Isshu, and Sasaki, R uth Fuller. Zen Dust. Kyoto: The First Zen
Institute o f America in Japan, 1966 (out of print).
246
S e le c t iv e B ibliography
Muan Shanqing. Zuting shiyuan (Collection o f items from the garden of

the patriarchs). Zokuzokyo collection, vol. 113.
Mujaku Dochu. Katto gosen (Basket of difficult words). Vol. 9B {pp.
8681100) o f Zengaku sosho. Edited by Seizan Yanagida. Kyoto:
Chubun shuppansha, 1979.
--------- . Zenrin shokisen (Basket o f articles from the Zen tradition). Vol.
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shuppansha, 1979.
S to n e In scription s
Chen, Shouzhong. Dahart shaozhou yunntenshan dctjue chctnsi dariyun
kuangshen hongming dashi beiming (bingxu) (Stone inscription [with
preface] for the Great Master [entitled] Great Cloud of Compas
sion and Immense Understanding of Genuine Truth [who lived
in] the Dajue Chan temple on Mt. Yunmen in the Great Han
[empires] Shaozhou district) (964). In: Shina bukkyd shiseki
kinenshu by Daijo Tokiwa, pp. 11521. Tokyo: Bukkyo shiseki
kenkyukai, 1931.
Lei, Yue. Dahan shaozhou yunmenshan guangtai chanyuan gu kuangzhen
dashi shixingbei (bing xu) (True nature epitaph [with preface] for
the late great master Kuangzhen from Guangtai Chan temple on
Mt. Yunmen in the Great Han [empires] Shaozhou district)
(959). In: Shina bukkyd shiseki kinenshu by Daijo Tokiwa, pp.
11015. Tokyo; Bukkyo shiseki kenkyukai, 1931.
Text Collections
Dainippoti zokuzokyo (Japanese supplement to the Chinese Buddhist
canon). Kyoto: Zokyo shoin, 19051912. Abbreviated as ZZ in

text notes.
Guzunsu yulu (Record of the sayings o f old worthies) Zokuzokyo col
lection, vol. 118. (The oldest version of this collection, which
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MASTER YUNMEN

T r a n s la te d 'r e d ite d , a n d w ith a n in tr o d u c tio n b y

Kodansha A m erica, Inc.

L ist o f illu s tr a tio n s a n d T ab le s

S ele c tiv e B ib lio g ra p k y

L ist o f illu s tr a tio n s a n d T Lies

P h o to g rap h o f the m onastery at M t. Y u n m en , 1990

monies take place every morning and evening. Behind it is the

W h e n the reconstruction o f the m onastery started around

In the final p o rtio n o f this book, M aterials, the history o f

C h a n texts and inscriptions, indices, and a m ore com prehensive

1 See the Materials section for m ore detail.

versations or formal talks by spaces. For m ore convenient cross

Leaving the white clouds way below

T h o u g h each o f the three collections o f B uddhist teach

T oday, I, this m ountain m on k, having no c h o ice in the m at

progress, y o u sorted o u t all C h an teachings w ith th eir thousand

A n official asked, Is it true that the B uddha D harm a is like the

T he Master replied, [Even] a pure wave has no way o f

T h e questioner w en t on, In this case it isnt a useless de

Som eone asked, W h at about the occasion w h en the hen pecks

Som eone asked, W h a ts m y central concern?

1 This is probably an expression o f appreciation: Y our teaching w o n t be lost

Som eone asked Master Y unm en, H o w about a phrase chat is

The Master said,

1 T his is an aspect o f the them e treated in section 3; w hat is essential is self

P- 13)3 T his is likely to be an allusion to death.

attain understanding, d o n t you?! T he reason [youre unable to

1 T he tw o concepts xiangshang and xiangxia literally mean u p , upward,

the northern sky] (see also section 113).

1 W hat is it chat y o u have to say; w hat is your message?

3 W hat is the w ay b eyon d suffering, b eyon d the shackles o f duality? For

And what is your 1/ Reverend?

Som eone asked, H o w about [the Buddha,] the instructor?

W hat is the teaching o f the [Buddhas] w hole lifetime?

1 T h e precentor is the m onk in charge o f genera! affairs w h o also assigns the

setz T . Suzuki renders this w ord as E veryw here! {Essays in Z en Buddhism,

If y o u w ish to differ in no w ay from the Patnarch-Buddha, just

T h e m o n k replied, T h e W isdom S u tra .

Som eone asked, W h at is the eye o f the genuine [teaching]? 3

J T he reaction o f Master Y unm en suggests that the m on k blushed w hile he

1 A key to this exchange may lie in a p o em by the Buddhist layman Fu Dashi

If this very m atter could simply be found in w ords the

S om eone asked, W h at is being silent w hile speaking?

1 See Introduction, p. 12.

T h e questioner w en t on, A nd w hat is speaking w hile

1 A n expression o f doubt or surprise. T his character can also be read sha, in

S om eone asked M aster Y u n m en , W h at is the absolute concen

H o w about the place o f n o n -th in k in g ?

S om eone asked, W h a t is the fundam ental teaching?

If y o u w ish to differ in no way from the Patriarch-Buddha, just

Som eone asked M aster Y u nm en, H o w about: T h e T riple

Y o u ll never ever understand it!

S om eone asked, W h a t is the in w ard -an d -o u tw ard radiance? 1

1 T his question probably refers to a verse ascribed to Master Tanxia Tianren

S om eone asked, W h a t is th e original m ind?

S om eone asked Y u n m en , W h a t is the essence o f a patch -ro b ed

H aving en tered the D harm a H all M aster Y u n m en said:

S om eone asked M aster Y u n m en , W hat is m ost urgent for

S om eone asked, W h a t is the m o o in g o f the clay ox o f the snow

Som eone asked M aster Y u n m en , H o w about doing as one

y o u r faith has always been shallow and the influence o f y o u r evil

1 Horns are in C han literature often associated w ith dualistic attachment or

no guarantee for breathing in again! O r do you have a spare body