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蕃光淨璨 Fanguang Jingcan (17th c.)

七十一世蕃光淨璨禪師
蕃光淨璨 Dhyana Master Fanguang ("Abundant Light") Jingcan ("Pure Gems"), Patriarch of the Seventieth Generation
佛祖道影白話解 Lives of the Patriarchs
虛雲老和尚編輯 Composed by the Elder Master Hsu Yun (虚云 Xuyun, 1840-1959)
宣公上人講於一九八五年七月十八日 Commentary by the Venerable Master Hua on July 18, 1985 (宣化 Xuanhua, 1918-1995)
金剛 菩提海 Vajra Bodhi Sea (VBS): A Monthly Journal of Orthodox Buddhism, No. 330-331.

http://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/330/vbs330p013.htm
http://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/331/vbs331p016.htm

Text:  The Master was born in Jinling to the Zhu family. He studied with Dhyana Master Bianshan and had an awakening. Shortly thereafter he went into seclusion. Upon hearing the sound of a fruit falling from a tree and hitting a tile, he was greatly enlightened. He composed a verse: "I came in contact with it many times before, but now I've met it for real." He left seclusion and went to express his gratitude to Dhyana Master Bianshan in Baizhang's place.  The Master said, "I've come a thousand miles to beg the Master to receive me." Bianshan gave him a beating. The Master said, "I thank the Venerable Monk for receiving me." Bianshan said, "Who's going to pay back the money for the straw sandals?"  The Master said, "How could I dare to mention this matter in the Venerable Monk's honorable presence?" Bianshan said, "Now that you've been beaten, say something!" The Master said, "The first month of spring is cold. I respectfully hope that the Venerable Monk takes good care of himself." Then he left. Not long afterwards, Bianshan entrusted his robe and whisk to him. In the year of binxu of the Sunzhi reign period, he inherited the abbotship from Bianshan. In his old age he lived at Jinxian ("Golden Immortal") Monastery in Gusu. The Master's virtue and practice were extraordinary. He encouraged the assembly by setting personal example . In the spring of the year of wuxu, he departed in a sitting position. A full-body stupa was erected at Bianshan (Bian Mountain), north of the bridge on Za River. He lived for fifty-nine years, and twenty-some disciples inherited his Dharma. Commentary:   This Dhyana Master Fanguang came from the same family as Hong-wu Zhu [the first emperor of the Ming dynasty, 'hong' sounds like "red"]; his name was Lyu-wu Zhu [lyu =  "green"]. He was also known as Dhyana Master Jingcan ("Pure Gems").  The Master was born in Jinling to the Zhu family.   Since Hongwu Zhu had his capital in Nanjing, all those by the surname Zhu went to Jinling [Nanjing], settled there, and produced many offspring. And so this Master was a son of the Zhu family.   He studied with Dhyana Master Bianshan and had an awakening.  He had a bit of enlightenment.  Shortly thereafter he went into seclusion.  While in seclusion, he didn't have much to do, so he looked for something to do. What did he do? He secretly listened to what people were doing outside. Every day he paid attention to external sounds. When he reached the utmost point of stillness, his mind moved. Since he couldn't keep himself focused inward, he sought outside. What did he listen to as he sought outside? Just as he was intently and stealthily trying to see how far he could listen, [ upon hearing the sound of a fruit falling from a tree and hitting a tile,] he was greatly enlightened.  He was shocked into enlightenment. He was so terrified that he turned back. He understood, and never listened on the sly again. He'd listened enough. He didn't dare to listen anymore. He composed a verse . It's not mentioned how many lines the verse was, but one line said:  "I came in contact with it many times before, but now I've met it for real."  In the past he ran into it, but didn't recognize it. Now he truly saw it for what it was. What did he recognize? The thing he ran into. You can't find it, nor can you see or hear it. You reason that he heard it on the sly, so you want to listen on the sly, too, but while he could hear it, you can't. He truly and actually knew that it was there. This line of verse proved that he was enlightened. It certified that he had recognized his original face.  He  opened the door of his seclusion cell and  left seclusion . A seclusion cell is usually sealed and locked, so that no one can leave or enter. But now, as he had broken through the door, he could go out or in as he pleased.  And  then he  went to express his gratitude to Dhyana Master Bianshan in Baizhang's  Way- place. The  Dhyana  Master  Jingcan  said, "I've come a thousand miles to beg the Master to receive me."  He was bragging about his own merit, saying, "I've come from such a long way, you must transmit the Dharma to me. If you don't, my trip will have been in vain." He was asking for pity. He said, "I implore the Master to accept my request. Please give me guidance on the points I don't understand." When Dhyana Master  Bianshan  heard him talking like that, he  gave him a beating , slapping him on the face and saying, "You deserve a beating, you..."  The Master said, "I thank the Venerable Monk for receiving me."  The Master thought Dhyana Master Bianshan was kidding, so he said, "I thank the Venerable Monk for teaching me; now I understand." Dhyana Master  Bianshan  couldn't tell whether he was being serious or not, so he  said, "Who's going to pay back the money for the straw sandals?  You've worn out so many pairs of straw sandals. Who are you going to ask to pay for them?" The Master said, "How could I dare to mention this matter in the Venerable Monk's honorable presence?"  His meaning was, "In any case, I wouldn't dare to ask you to pay my debt for me. I couldn't ask to borrow money from you to pay for my sandals. In your honorable presence, I wouldn't dare to bring this up." He was saying that he wouldn't be so rash and rude, like a country bumpkin, someone who didn't follow the rules. "I wouldn't be dare to be so unruly in your presence, Venerable Monk," he said. Bianshan said, "Now that you've been beaten, say something!  Ultimately, how much is it worth? Speak up! What's your understanding? Do you really understand? You haven't said enough. Tell me about the Dharma door within your mind." But the Master acted as if he hadn't heard the question.  The Master said, "The first month of spring is cold. " Dhyana Master Bianshan had asked him to talk about what he had awakened to in his mind, but he couldn't answer, because anything he said would be "adding a head on top of his head." So he said, "The first month of spring is cold." In Chinese, there are special names for the first, second, and third months of each season. For example, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the eighth month, which is the second month of fall. The seventh month is the first month of fall, the eighth month is the second month of fall, and the ninth month is the third month of fall. The three months of winter are the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth months.  So he said, "The first month of spring is quite cold.  I  very earnestly and  respectfully hope that the Venerable Monk takes good care of himself." Then he left.  Take a look at Master Jingcan! He was given a beating for uttering a polite sentence. After that he asked the Venerable Monk to take care of himself, and then he departed.

From last issue:  Master Jingcan was given a beating for uttering a polite sentence. After that he asked the Venerable Monk to take care of himself, and then he departed. Commentary: Not long afterwards,  in just a short while, Dhyana Master  Bianshan entrusted his robe , alms bowl,  and  dust- whisk to him.  These are the Dharma articles used by an abbot.  In the year of binxu of the Sunzhi reign period, he inherited the abbotship from Bianshan.  He became the abbot at Bian Mountain.  In his old age he lived at Jinxian ("Golden Immortal") Monastery in Gusu , which is Suzhou [Sichuan Province]. The Master's virtue and practice were extraordinary.  Ordinary people couldn't compare to him. He was an outstanding individual that history has not seen the likes of ever again.  He encouraged the assembly by setting an example of himself.  No matter what he was doing, he always set a good example by putting the principles into practice himself. He would do the things that no one else was willing to do.  In the spring of the year of wuxu, he departed in a sitting position.  He completed the stillness.  A full-body stupa was erected at Bianshan (Bian Mountain), north of the bridge on Za River. He lived for fifty-nine years, and twenty-some disciples inherited his Dharma. A verse in praise says:  A fruit fell from the treetop, Triggering an instantaneous breakthrough. He plumbed the depths of the Dharma And seized Baizhang's banner. He assumed the abbotship at the peak of Bian, And the unicorn tracks followed in continual succession. His spiritual Way spread across the whole country: An ancient Buddha at Golden Immortal. Commentary: A fruit fell from the treetop,  hitting the tile with a "plop,"  triggering an instantaneous breakthrough.  He was greatly enlightened right then and there. He plumbed the depths of the Dharma , understand the true source of the Dharma,  and seized Baizhang's banner. He captured Baizhang's banner at Baizhang's place. Actually, he didn't take it over by force. He was simply so outstanding that someone transmitted the Dharma to him.  He assumed the abbotship at the peak of Bian . He was the abbot at Bian Mountain.  And the unicorn tracks followed in continual succession.  Since he conducted himself in such a lofty and noble manner, his disciples were all extraordinary people, comparable to the unicorn. Unicorns are humane creatures, in that they are careful never to tread on living things. They can't bear to step on ants or insects and crush them to death. Since they have such compassion, they are considered very auspicious animals. They are also very rare, and the path they walk is not the same as that of other beings. So the text says that "the unicorn tracks followed in succession." His disciples were all very outstanding, and there was an unending succession of them.  His spiritual Way spread across the whole country , reaching every corner of the world. He was like  an ancient Buddha at Golden Immortal  Monastery, turning the ship of compassion around to teach living beings. Another verse says: The son of Zhu from Jinling, the Venerable Jincan, Cultivated in quiet seclusion, reciting the spiritual texts. When the tree swayed, the ripe fruit broke from the stem and fell.  Amidst floral scent and birdsong, there was a great turnaround. He faced reality and took the test. Hearing about emptiness, he awakened to his past lives. To exhort the assembly, he himself set a good example. A model for ten thousand generations, he created lasting merit. Commentary: A certain shameless person who had nothing better to do decided to show off his amateur skills and write a few useless verses, messing up the blank white paper. His verse says:  The son of Zhu from Jinling,  known as  the Venerable Jincan  after he left the home-life,  cultivated in quiet seclusion, reciting the spiritual texts.  No one knew he was there, because he never did any publicity for himself. He never went on television or radio to promote himself. He just recited Sutras and mantras on his own, allowing them to saturate his mind. When the tree swayed  in the wind , the ripe fruit broke from the stem and fell  with a plop on a piece of tile. He was like a ripe melon falling from the vine.  Amidst floral scent and birdsong, there was a great turnaround. Smelling the fragrance of the flowers and listening to the birds chirping, he understood. He became enlightened and experienced a turnaround. He awakened to birth and death. He was like a dead person coming back to life. After his enlightenment,  he faced reality and took the test  that Dhyana Master Bianshan gave him to certify his state.  Hearing about  the principle of true  emptiness, he awakened to his past lives.  He comprehended what his past lives were all about.  To exhort the assembly, he himself set a good example.  He could encourage everyone to practice; he was able to serve as a representative and model for them. So as  a  good  model for ten thousand generations, he created lasting merit.  His merit in Buddhism was certainly very great.