Tianping Congyi

Tianping Congyi was a student of Xuefeng Yicun known for his sharp wit and penetrating exchanges. In one well-known encounter, he arrived at a monastery and was met by the assembly, who expected a formal teaching. Instead, Tianping pointed to the ground and said, "The Third Patriarch said the great Way is not difficult, just avoid picking and choosing." Then he added, "But I only pick and choose." This provocative reversal challenged the assembly to see beyond the literalism of scripture.

Tianping's teaching reveals the dialectical freedom that characterized the best of Tang dynasty Chan—the ability to affirm and negate in the same breath, keeping the student from settling into any fixed position. His recorded sayings, though few, show a master who understood that even the highest teaching can become a trap if it is held rigidly.