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明招德謙 Mingzhao Deqian (ca. 9–10th c.)

aka 婺州明招德謙 Wuzhou Mingzhao Deqian

(Rōmaji:) Meishō Tokken (Myōshō Tokken)

PDF: Chan Master Wuzhou Mingzhao Deqian 婺州明招德謙禪師
from Taisho 51. 2076 景德傳燈錄, 23.744
Records of the Transmission of the Lamp up to the Jingde reign period (1004-7 CE)
Translated by Randolph S. Whitfield

 

Cf.
Biyan lu / Blue Cliff Record (1125) > Case 48
Congrong lu / Book of Serenity (1223)
> Case 87
Shūmon kattōshū / Entangling Vines (1689)
> Case 32

 

MINGZHAO DEQIAN
by Andy Ferguson
In: Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings, Wisdom Publications, pp. 332-334.

MINGZHAO DEQIAN (n.d.) was a disciple of Luoshan Daoxian.
He taught in ancient Wuzhou (now the city of Jinhua in Zhejiang
Province). In the Wudeng Huiyuan it is recorded that Mingzhao’s
quick and incisive Zen style led his contemporaries to fear his
formidable skills in Dharma combat. Mingzhao taught at Wuzhou
for forty years.

Mingzhao pointed to a painting on the wall and asked a monk,
“What god is that?”
The monk said, “The benevolent god who protects the
Dharma.”
Mingzhao said, “Where did he go during the Hui Chang
persecution?”
The monk didn’t answer.
Mingzhao told the monk to ask attendant Yan. Yan said, “In
what kalpa did you encounter this problem?”
The monk related this to Mingzhao. Mingzhao said, “Be
lenient with attendant Yan. Later he’ll reside over a congregation
of a thousand, so of what use is it?”
The monk bowed and then asked Mingzhao the question again.
Mingzhao said, “He went everywhere!”

Mingzhao went to Tan Chang’s place.
Tan said, “People study the phrase ‘One person present must
arrive. A half-person present also must arrive.’”
Mingzhao then asked, “Not asking about ‘one person being
present,’ what is a ‘half-person being present’?”
Tan didn’t answer. Later Tan instructed Xiaoshi to ask
Mingzhao about this.
Mingzhao said, “If you want to know what a half-person being
present is—it’s just a fellow making mud balls.”

Qing Balu raised a question to Mingzhao concerning the story of
Yangshan sticking a hoe in the ground. He said, “Did the
ancient’s meaning lie in his clasping his hands or was it in his
sticking the hoe in the ground?”
Mingzhao called, “Qing!”
Qing responded, “Yes?”
Mingzhao said, “Are you still dreaming about Yangshan?”
Qing said, “I don’t want the master to give an explanation of
this. I just want to talk about it.”
Mingzhao said, “If you only want to talk then there are fifteen
hundred teachers in front of the hall.”

Mingzhao went to Shuangyan Monastery. On one occasion the
abbot there invited Mingzhao to drink tea. Yan said, “I’ll present
you with a question. If you answer it successfully, then I’ll give up
my position as abbot and hand it over to you. If you don’t answer
successfully, then I won’t give it up.”
He then quoted a verse from the Diamond Sutra, “‘All of the
buddhas and all of their anuttara-samyaksambodhi dharmas come
forth from this scripture.’ Who is it who speaks this scripture?”
Mingzhao said, “The one who speaks it does not speak, and
thereby it is revealed. But what about you, Master, who do you
say recites this scripture?”
Yan did not answer.
Mingzhao then said, “All the sages and saints each hold a
difference from the Dharma of nonaction, and thus they take
nonaction as the highest principle. From where does the difference
arise? As for the difference, is it an error or not? If it is an error,
then all of the sages and saints have each erred. If it is not an error,
then what is it that is a difference?”
Yan again did not speak.
Mingzhao said, “Yee! It’s what Xuefeng said.”

When Mingzhao was at Zhizhu Temple in Wuzhou, he often did
not get his ration of pure water. The temple attendant asked him,
“Your Reverence, you don’t know tainted from pure. Why don’t
you get your pure water?”
Mingzhao jumped off the meditation bench, picked up the pure
water pitcher and said, “Is this tainted or pure?”
The attendant didn’t answer.
Mingzhao then broke the pitcher.

When Mingzhao was near death, he went into the hall to say
farewell to the monks and give them final instructions.
A monk asked, “Master, where will you be one hundred years
from now?”
Mingzhao lifted one foot and said, “Look beneath my foot.”
In the middle of the night he said to his attendant, “Formerly,
at the assembly on Vulture Peak, the Tathagata Shakyamuni lifted
both feet and they emitted a hundred rays of brilliant light.”
Mingzhao then lifted his feet and said, “How many do I have?”
The attendant said, “In former times, Shakyamuni. Tonight, the
master.”
Mingzhao then pointed at the attendant’s eyebrows and said,
“You’re not forsaking me?”
Mingzhao then recited a verse:

A flashing blade exposes the monastery’s complete majesty.
All of you, protect it well.
Within the fire, an iron ox gives birth to a calf.
At this juncture, who will compile my teaching?

After reciting this verse, Mingzhao sat in a cross-legged position
and passed away. His stupa was built at the temple.