Jade Buddha Monastery Lectures Week 1.

[Shi Da Dao]

Bodhidharma who was the twenty-eight Indian Patriarch, came to the East where he became the first (Chinese) Patriarch. From his transmission (of the Dharma) until the time of the) Fifth Patriarch, the Mind-lamp shone brilliantly. The Sixth Patriarch had forty-three successors among whom were (the eminent) Ch'an masters Hsing Szu andHuai Jang. Then came (Ch'an master) Ma Tsu who had eighty-three successors. At the time, the Right Dharma reached its zenith and was held in reverence by emperors and high official. Although the Tathagata expounded many Dharma, the Sect's was the unsurpassed one.

As to the Dharma which consists in repeating only the name of Amitabha (Buddha), it was extolled by (Ch'an Patriarchs\0 Asvaghosa and Nagajuna, and after master Hui Yuan, Ch'an master Yen Shou of the Yung Ming monastery became the Sixth Patriarch of the Pure Land Sect (Chin T'u Tsung), which was subsequently spread by many other Ch'an masters.

After being propagated by Ch'an master I Hsing, the Exoteric Sect spread to Japan but disappeared inChina where there no one to succeed to the master.

[Shi Da Dao]

The Dharmalaksana Sect was introduced by Dharma master Hsuan Tsang but did not last very long.

Only our (Ch'an) Sect (is like a stream) which is still flowing from its remote source bringing devas into its fold and subduing dragons and tigers.

Lu Tung Pin, alias Shun Yang, a native of Ching Ch'uan, was one of the (famous) group of eight immortals. Towards the end of the T'ang dynasty, he stood thrice for the scholar's examination but failed each time. Being disheartened, he did not return home, and one day, he met by chance a wine-shop at Ch'ang An, an immortal named Chung Li Ch'uan who taught him the method of lengthening his span of life infinitely. Lu Tung Pin practiced the method with great success and could even become invisible and fly in the air at will all over the country. One day, he paid a flying visit to the Hai Hui monastery on Lu Shan mountain; in its bell tower, he wrote on the wall:

(After) a day of leisure when the body is at ease,
The six organs (now) in harmony, announce that all is well.
With a gem in the pubic region there's no need to search for truth.
When mindless of surroundings, there's no need for Ch'an.

Sometime later, as he was crossing the Huang Lung mountain, he beheld (in the sky) purple clouds shaped like an umbrella. Guessing that there must be some extraordinary person (in the monastery there), he entered it. It happened at the sametime that in the monastery, after beating the drum, (Ch'an master) Huang Lung was ascending to his seat (to expound the Dharma). Lu Tung Pin followed the monks and entered the hall to listen to the teaching.

Huang Lung said to the assembly: 'Today there is here a plagiarist of my Dharma; the old monk (i.e. I) will not expound it.' Thereupon, Lu Tung Pin came forward and paid obeisance to the master, saying: 'I wish to ask the Venerable Master the meaning of these lines:

A grain of corn contains the Universe:
The hills are river (fill) a small cooking-pot.'

Huang Lung scolded him and said: 'What a corpse-guarding devil (you are).' Lu Tung Pin retorted: 'But my gourd holds the immortality-giving medicine.' Huang Lung said: 'Even if you succeed in living 80,000 aeons, you will not escape from falling into the dead void.'

[Shi Da Dao]

Forgetting all about the (fortitude advocated in his own line:)

'When mindless of surroundings there's no need for Ch'an.'

Lu Tung Pin burned with anger and threw his sword at Huang Lung. Huang Lung pointed his finger at the sword which fell to the ground and which the thrower, could not get back. With deep remorse, Lu Tung Pin knelt upon his knees and inquired about the Buddha Dharma. Huang Lung asked: 'Let aside (the line:) "The hills, and rivers (fill) a small cooking-pot" about which I do not ask you anything. (Now) what is the meaning of: "A grain of corn contains the Universe"? Upon hearing this (question), Lu Tung Pin instanteously realised the profound (Ch'an) meaning. Then, he chanted the following repenetence-poem:

I throw away my gourd and smash my lute.
In future I'll not cherish gold in mercury.
Now that I have met (the master) Huang Lung,
I have realised my wrong use of mind.

This is the story of an immortal's return to and reliance on the Triple Gem and his entry into the monastery (Sangharana) as a guardian of the Dharma. Lu Tung Pin was also responsible for reviving the Daoist Sect at the time and was Fifth (Dao) Patriarch in the North. The Daoist Tzu Yang also realised the mind after reading the (Buddhist) collection 'Tzu Ying Chi' and became the Fifth (Dao) Patriarch in the South. Thus the Dao faith was revived thanks to the Ch'an Sect.

[Shi Da Dao]

Confucius' teaching was handed down until Mencius after whom it came to an end. In the Sung dynasty Confucian scholars (also) studied the Buddha Dharma, among them, (we can cite) Chou Lien Ch'i who practiced the Ch'an training and succeeded in realising his mind, and others such as Ch'eng Tzu, Chang Tzu (all famous Confucians). Therefore, the Ch'an Sect contributed (in no small measure) to the revival of Confucianism.

Nowadays, there are many people who despise the Ch'an Dharma and who even make slanderous remarks abou it, thus deserving hell. Today, we have this excellent opportunity of being favoured wiht a co-operating cause (which gathers us here). We should feel joy and should take the great vow to become objects of reverence for dragons and devas and to perpetuate the Right Dharma for ever. This is no child's play; so please make strenuous efforts to obtain more progress in your self-cultivation.

End of the first Ch'an week.

Extracted from: Ch'an and Zen Teaching - First Series: By Charles Luk, page 49-109.