Xiangyan Zhixian
Xiangyan Zhixian
Dates uncertain
Xiangyan Zhixian is recorded in the historiography of the late-Tang / Song-period Chan transmission network as a transmission figure in its lineage. The surviving record preserves his place in the line; little distinctive doctrinal material from his teaching is preserved in modern scholarship[1].
Names
Disciples of Xiangyan Zhixian
Teachers and lineage of Xiangyan Zhixian
Teacher / root master:
Teachings
Kyogen said: "Zen is like a man hanging in a tree by his teeth over a precipice. His hands grasp no branch, his feet rest on no limb, and under the tree another person asks him: 'Why did Bodhidharma come to China from India?'" If the man in the tree does not answer, he fails; and if he does answer, he falls and loses his life. Now what shall he do?" Mumon’s comment: In such a predicament the most talented eloquence is of no use. If you have memorized all the sutras, you cannot use them. When you can give the right answer, even though your past road was one of death, you open up a new road of life. But if you cannot answer, you should live ages hence and ask the future Buddha, Maitreya. Kyogen is truly a fool Spreading that ego-killing poison That closes his pupils' mouths And lets their tears stream from their dead eyes.
Sekiso asked: "How can you proceed on from the top of a hundred-foot pole?" Another Zen teacher said: "One who sits on the top of a hundred-foot pole has attained a certain height but still is not handling Zen freely. He should proceed on from there and appear with his whole body in the ten parts of the world." Mumon’s comment: One can continue his steps or turn his body freely about on the top of the pole. In either case he should be respected. I want to ask you monks, however: How will you proceed from the top of that pole? Look out! The man who lacks the third eye of insight Will cling to the measure of the hundred feet. Such a man will jump from there and kill himself, Like a blind man misleading other blind men.
- dialogueThe Sound of Bamboo
Xiangyan had been an extremely learned monk, but when Guishan challenged him to express his understanding beyond words and letters, he could not. He burned his books and retreated to tend the grave of National Teacher Nanyang. One day while sweeping the path, he flung away a pebble that struck a stalk of bamboo. At the sound, he was suddenly awakened. He composed a verse: "One strike and I forgot all I knew. No more need for practice or proof. Moving along the ancient path, I am not fallen into passivity. Everywhere I leave no trace. Dignity of manner transcends sound and form. Those who have attained the Way all agree: this is the highest."
A painting of a rice cake cannot satisfy hunger.
- proverbTile Striking the Bamboo
Sweeping the path, a piece of tile struck the bamboo. The sound emptied my whole search of thirty years; I bowed in the direction of my old master and said: had he answered me then, I would never have arrived here.
- proverbA Man Up a Tree
A man hangs from a tree by his teeth. Hands cannot hold a branch, feet cannot reach a limb. Someone asks the meaning of the patriarch's coming from the west. If he opens his mouth, he loses his life. If he does not open it, he fails to answer. What does he do?
- proverbSweep the Path
Sweep the path. Sweep it again. Sweep it for thirty years. One day the broom will sweep the sweeper; and you will hear what tile-on-bamboo means without anyone striking either.
One blow, and all previous knowledge is forgotten. Then there is no need for tactics or rules; the body practices on its own; the day's work is enough.
Other masters in Guiyang
Master Record Sources
Xiangyan Zhixian
Guiyang
- koan_refsChart of the Chan Ancestors
5
- nameZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Xiangyan Zhixian
- teachersZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Guishan Lingyou