Jingqing Daofu
Jingqing Daofu
868 – 937
Jingqing Daofu (鏡清道怤, 868–937) was a Dharma heir of Xuefeng Yicun and one of the principal teachers of the second-generation Xuefeng community in Fujian and Wuyue[1]. The lamp records describe a master particularly known for using sensory phenomena — the sound of rain, a wind through the trees, a bird's cry — as material for testing students' direct apprehension.
The best-known of his exchanges is preserved as Case 46 of the *Bìyán Lù*: a monk asks, "What is the sound of raindrops?"; Jingqing answers, "*Liú-liú-liú*" (the dripping itself), and presses the student on whether they "themselves are turned by the sound of raindrops" or able to remain undisturbed within it[2]. The case, with Yuanwu Keqin's commentary, became one of the standard koans of the Song-period Linji curriculum and a paradigmatic Xuefeng-line investigation of the gap between direct sensation and conceptual overlay[3].
Names
Teachers and lineage of Jingqing Daofu
Teacher / root master:
Teachings
- dialogueThe Sound of Raindrops
Jingqing asked a monk, "What sound is that outside?" The monk said, "The sound of raindrops." Jingqing said, "Sentient beings are inverted. They lose themselves and follow things." The monk said, "What about you, Teacher?" Jingqing said, "I almost lose myself." The monk asked, "What do you mean, 'almost lose yourself'?" Jingqing said, "To be free from losing oneself is still easy enough. To express it completely is difficult."
- dialogueWhat Is Your Original Sound?
A monk said to Jingqing, "I have entered the gate—please show me the way." Jingqing said, "Do you hear the sound of the valley stream?" The monk said, "I hear it." Jingqing said, "Enter from there." Later Xuansha heard this story and said, "What if the monk could not hear the valley stream? The gate would be closed to him." Jingqing said, "If he could not hear it, there would be no problem at all."
Other masters in Nanyue line
Master Record Sources
868-937
Jingqing Daofu
Nanyue line
- koan_refsChart of the Chan Ancestors
16, 23, 46 35
- nameZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Jingqing Daofu
- teachersZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Xuefeng Yicun