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DOC: Huanglong pai
The lineage of the Huanglong branch of the Linji school

From Dahui’s autobiographical stories it is clear that thereafter most of his
teachers and associates until the beginning of his study with Yuanwu belonged
to the Huanglong branch of the Linji lineage. Dahui tells many stories of his
time studying with Zhantang Wenjun (1061–1115) at Jewel Peak Monastery
(Baofeng si)* in the Stone Gate Mountains in the northern part of present-day
Jiangxi Province.

*This monastery is also known as Letan after a local lake.

Zen Masters, p. 97.

Zhantang also thought Dahui was perfect in his performance of all aspects
of his teaching role as First Seat. As Dahui tells it, Zhantang called the younger
monk to him and made the following comment:

“Senior monk Gao [i.e., Dahui], you understood my Chan at once.
When I ask you to explain it, you explain it well. When I ask you
to hold up stories of the ancients (niangu), or make up poems
praising the masters of old (songgu), to give instructions to the
monks, or to give general sermons (pushuo), you also do all these
things well. 43There is only one thing that is not right. Do you know
what it is?”

Dahui replied, “What is it that I do not know?”

Zhantang said, “Ho! You lack this one liberation.” 44

Zen Masters, p. 99.

In 1115, when Dahui was twenty-seven years old by Chinese reckoning,
Zhantang died, and Dahui, still without the full certifi cation he needed to
be an abbot and an independent teacher, was left without a mentor.
Zhantang’s death resulted in Dahui’s seeking out the prominent lay Buddhist
scholar Zhang Shangying (T. Tianjue) (1043–1122), also called in Buddhist
circles “the Inexhaustible Layman” (Wujin), to ask him to write a biographical
epitaph (taming, literally, “stupa inscription”) for his teacher.

Zen Masters, p. 100.

The Chan Master Zhantang Wenzhun of Letan [I.e., Zhantang Wenzhun (1061-1115)] said,

When it’s hot, the heat kills; when it’s cold, the cold.
The origins of cold and heat are of no concern.*
Going all the way to heaven’s shore, while memorizing wordly matters.
On the old master’s head, place a crown of boar skin.
Now, we must ask, “What is the principle of “no concern”? Speak! Speak!

Treasury of the True Dharma Eye Book 37
Spring and Autumn Shunjū
Translated by Carl Bielefeldt

*Cf. Letan Zhantang, Zen Master Wenzhun, said:
When it is hot, heat prevails; in cold, cold prevails. From the beginning, cold and heat do not interfere with.