俱空契斌 Jukong Qibin (1383-1452)

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六十三世俱空契斌禪師
俱空契斌 Jukong Qibin (1383-1452), Patriarch of the Sixty-third Generation

63rd Generational Patriarch Dhyana Master Chi Bin of Jyu Kung
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)
宣化上人講 Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua (宣化 Xuanhua, 1918-1995)
一九八五年五月二十四日, May 24, 1985
金剛菩提海 Vajra Bodhi Sea (VBS): A Monthly Journal of Orthodox Buddhism, Nos. 277-279.

http://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/277/vbs277p015.htm
http://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/278/vbs278p016.htm
http://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/279/vbs279p014.htm

The Master was born in Bwo County. He was from the Wang family. He went to learn from Ning Ran and requested for the essentials of the Dharma from him. Ran uttered, "Speak up before Bodhidharma arrives." The Master was dumbfounded for a long while. Then, upon seeing a locust tree in the Chin Mountain Range, he had a sudden enlightenment. Thereupon, he expressed it to the abbot. The moment Ran saw him, he remarked, "Chi Bin can meditate now." The Master let out a shout. Ran asked, "What are you doing?" The Master replied, "How can you plant your plundered goods in my place?" Ran asked further, "When Jau Jou went to test the old lady, where did he fall short?" The Master retorted, "A pair of weights without any loops." Ning Ran inquired, "What does Jau Jou mean?" The Master answered, "A snare in the thorny underbrush." Ning Ran responded, "The rock (Master Shr Tou) said, 'I delivered neither the message nor the letter!' What does this mean?" The Master replied, "The same wind blows a thousand miles." Ning Ran asked, "Why did Ching Ywan put his leg down?" The Master uttered, "Calamities! Calamities!" Then Ran said, "The responsibility of the Dung school now rests upon you." In the year of Ren Shen, during the reign of Jing Tai, the Master manifested stillness. A pagoda was erected for him in Shau Lin.

Commentary:

Dhyana Master Chi Bin of Jyu Kung was the Sixty-third Patriarch of the Tsau-Dung School. The Master was born in Bwo County. It was in He Nan. He was from the Wang family. His lay surname was Wang. He went to learn from Ning Ran. He heard that Dhyana Master Ning Ran was a person of lofty Tao and virtue, so he went to call on him, and requested for the essentials of the Dharma from him. He requested Ning Ran to instruct him on the essentials of the Buddhadharma. What is the main import of the Buddhadharma? He sought for guidance on this.

Ran uttered, "Speak up before Bodhidharma arrives." Dhyana Master Ning Ran said to him, "Speak up before Bodhidharma arrives." He inquired from Dhyana Master Ning Ran, who then answered with a question, saying: you asked for the essentials of the Buddhadharma, requested me to expound on the quintessence of the Dharma and on the method for transcending birth and death. Now, tell me, what were your thoughts before Bodhidharma came? Why don't you attempt to communicate? If you speak, then I will know your state.

The Master was dumbfounded for a long while. The Dhyana Master paused for a long time because he did not know what to say. Then, upon seeing a locust tree in the Chin Mountain Range, he had a sudden enlightenment. Then, he saw a locust tree up in the Chin Mountain Range. As he was about to say something, he suddenly experienced an enlightenment. What does this refer to? In the Chan School, this refers to when you are pressed to the point where there is no way out. It is like undergoing a resurrection after death and thereupon experiencing instantaneous enlightenment. Just at the point where you have no way out, when you arrive at the edge of the mountains and river, unexpectedly you run into something or see some state. You suddenly become enlightened and understand. That's the way it is. Thus, Dhyana Master Chi Bin became enlightened at that very moment. Thereupon, he expressed it to the abbot. He went before the abbot to disclose the principle he had awakened to. The moment Ran saw him, he remarked, "Chi Bin can meditate now." When Ning Ran heard the state he had enlightened to, he said, "Chi Bin, you can now practice Dhyana contemplation well." This means that you have presently entered the door and can meditate. He was lauding him when he mentioned that he could now sit in Dhyana. The Master let out a shout. When he was being commended, he evinced an awesome mien to exemplify that praises were really unnecessary. There was no need for it. Thus, he hollered. Ran asked, "What are you doing?" Ning Ran said, "What are you doing?" The Master replied, "How can you plant your plundered goods in my place?" The Master answered, "How can you put your stolen goods in my place to do me in?" Since Dhyana Master Ning Ran had certified that he could now sit in Dhyana, he did not think there was any need to speak about it. Stating it would be just like placing pilfered goods in his house which would make him impure. Therefore, when he was being acclaimed, he asserted that he had been wrongly accused, for it was absolutely unnecessary.

Ran asked further, "When Jau Jou went to test the old lady, where did he fall short?" Dhyana Master Ning Ran inquired again, "Where did Jau Jou go wrong? Jau Jou set forth to check this ignorant old lady out. But upon reaching that place, he returned as if nothing had happened. He attempted to draw her into a vocal repartee. However, even before the verbal combat had begun, he bowed out and acted like nothing had transpired. So, he queried where Jau Jou had failed. All this is just gibberish.

The Master retorted, "A pair of weights without any loops." He declared, "A pair of weights without any loops." He did not answer his question. Instead of responding to his inquiry, he spoke about a pair of loopless weights. He evaded the question. If you understand, then you would conceive that he's right. Ning Ran inquired, "What does Jau Jou mean?" Ning Ran did not feel that he was up to the level yet. So, he questioned him again. Define precisely what was jau Jou's real intent.

The Master answered, "A snare in the thorny underbrush." The Master replied: It is amid the thicket which is difficult to tread upon for there is a profusion of thorns. It is easy neither to enter nor to emerge from it. Once you have come forth, it is difficult to get in again. This is an analogy. It means it is hard for you to enter through Jau Jou's door. When you have gone in, it will not be easy for you to come out. The thorny undergrowth makes entering and emerging difficult. Moreover, a trap had been set up there. When Ning Ran asked what jau jou's intent was, the Master replied that a trap was laid in the midst of the bushes.

Ning Ran responded, "The rock said, 'I delivered neither the message nor the letter!' What does this mean?" Ning Ran asked what "Shr Tou" (the rock) meant when he said that he did not deliver the message or the letter. What did Dhyana Master Ching Ywan intend to confer upon Hwai Rang when he told Shr Tou to ask Hwai Rang to return quickly? He was planning to give him an ax. This is a kind of wisdom. Ching Ywan had intended to bestow wisdom upon him so the he could use it to smash the spikes and steel and be capable of discerning instantly. The ax refers to having an acute apprehension. Thus, he told Shr Tou to deliver this message. But, when he returned, he said he had not relayed the message or given him the letter. What did this imply? Why didn't he transmit the message when instructed to? So, Ning Ran questioned Chin Bin again on its meaning. The Master replied, "The same wind blows a thousand miles." This denotes that it was totally unnecessary. There was no need to send a message to him. They shared an identical awareness. What need was there to sent this letter? It was unnecessary. Thereupon, he uttered that the same wind blows for a thousand miles for we have understood. Since we have already understood, what need is there to write letters? You understand me and I understand you. This is sharing the same wind for a thousand miles.

Ning Ran asked, "Why did Ching Ywan put his leg down?" Ching Ywan must have been sitting in full lotus position when he deliberately let one leg down. Ning Ran asked the Master what was going on. The Master uttered, "Calamities! calamities!" The Master replied, "Calamities! Calamities!" He meant that there would be no stop to this. This is like great disasters have befallen me. This is perturbing indeed. It is difficult to teach and transform people. That was why he said that calamities had befallen him. Calamities refers to trouble.

Then Ran said, "The responsibility of the Dung School now rests upon you." Maybe he was referring to the Tsau-Dung School or the Dung-Yun School. The future of this school lies within you. You cannot evade it even if it is too burdensome. You have to fulfill your obligation even if it brings you misfortune. So, he asserted that the responsibility rests within him.

In the year of Ren Shen, during the reign of Jing Tai, the Master manifested stillness. A pagoda was erected for him in Shau Lin. In the year of Ren Shen, during the reign of Jing Tai, he manifested stillness. His pagoda was built in the Shau Lin Monastery.

A verse in praise says:

An iron awl without a hole
Was hurled right in his face.
Neither the message nor the letter was delivered;
Mount Kun Lun toppled over.
On Mount Chin, the locust tree was concealed by clouds;
Rain fell on Bear Ear's peak.
The rock path was slippery;
Hence thistles were sown.

An iron awl without a hole. An iron awl without a hole cannot be called an iron awl. It can only be called an iron bullet. But it cannot be a bomb or an atomic bomb. I would modify its name from "iron awls without holes" to iron bullets, because iron bullets don't have holes. Wouldn't it be more logical if we called it a pair of iron bullets? Was hurled right in his face. It was tossed right in his face, just like a hand grenade.

Neither the message nor the letter were delivered. Communication was cut off, and so letters did not reach their destination. All contact was cut off, and no information could pass through.

Mount Kun Lun toppled over. Mount Kun Lun was turned upside-down. This is known as "moving the mountains and turning over the seas." This does not mean the mountains are transformed into seas.

On Mount Chin, the locust tree was concealed by clouds. This locust tree is probably on the Chin Mountain Range. On the Chin highland, this tree is covered by clouds.

Rain fell on Bear Ear's peak. It rains on the summit of Bear's Ear Mountain. The Dharma rain sustains the living beings on this great earth.

The rock path was slippery. The Rock ("Shr Tou") refers to the person who delivered the letter. He was most skillful and cunning. That is one way to interpret it. It could also be explained that a street paved with stones is not easy to tread upon. It is very slippery. You should be cautious and mindful—don't fall.

Hence thistles were sown. Because it is too smooth, thistles have been planted so that it won't be so slippery. These are all analogies and riddles, known as the "Ch'an banter" of the Dhyana School. You should view from the opposite angle. Don't interpret it superficially for that would be "falling into the pit" and being ensnared in the trap.

HSUAN HUA'S VERSE SAYS:

Past, future, and present,
It is not odd for Bodhidharma to sit facing the wall.
Apart from words, what can be said?
Not relying on diction, paper is void.
Penetrating through Dhyana, allegations arise.
Realizing the nature is complete, one lets go.
Ching Ywan put down his leg and calamity ensued.
Descendants of ten thousands sit on lotus platforms.

Hsuan Hua's verse says:

Past , future, and present. Don't you think this calamity is great? This is referring to the three minds of the past, future and present! These three minds cannot be got at. Therefore, it is not odd for Bodhidharma to sit facing the wall; The reason Bodhidharma sat facing the wall was just to realize the nonexistence of these three minds. What is so strange about that? There is nothing unusual about it. He put everything down, and acted just like a living dead person. So, there is nothing strange about it.

Apart from words, what can be said? What is there to speak of? He was asked to say something before Bodhidharma arrived. Actually, there is nothing to say, so why should he say anything? All this is just the repartee of the Dhyana School, which creates trouble where there is none, in order to baffle others. Not relying on diction, paper is void. You are wordless, just like a blank sheet of paper with nothing on it. Penetrating through Dhyana, allegations arise. When Dhyana Master Ning Ran said he had attained Dhyana, he shouted to say, "If you can attain Dhyana, then you attain Dhyana, that's all. Why talk about it? "When he hollered, Ran asked, "What are you doing?" He replied, "How can you, the monk, plant stolen goods in my place?"

Realizing the nature is complete, one lets go. If you understand that everything is replete within our own nature, what is there to attach to? What is it that you cannot let go of? Thereupon, you let go completely.

Ching Ywan put down his leg and calamity ensued. A disaster has occurred. Descendants of ten thousand generations sit on the lotus platforms. The people of future generations will become enlightened upon learning of this and all can sit on lotus platforms.