Slash Spring Breeze in the Electric Light and Shadow

Title: Cutting the Spring Breeze in a Flash of Light and Shadow

Zen Master Zǔ Yuán (https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%97%A0%E5%AD%A6%E7%A5%96%E5%85%83/1625592), also known as Wú Xué, was born in the late Southern Song dynasty. In his teens he became a disciple of the Jing‑shan monk Wú Zhǔn (https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%97%A0%E5%87%86%E5%B8%88%E8%8C%83/1762500). After many years of diligent practice, he attained deep samādhi and inherited Wú Zhǔn’s lineage. His mastery of meditation has been praised since ancient times, and a famous anecdote illustrates this: one time the master entered a three‑day‑three‑night meditation, still as a wooden Buddha, not moving a hair. The disciples, seeing this, thought he had passed away; only when they approached did they notice his faint breathing, and they finally relaxed.

Later the master went to Zhenru Temple in Taizhou (http://epaper.lhnews.com.cn/html/2012-03/16/content_7_1.htm). When news spread that the Yuan army was advancing south, he fled to Néngrén Temple in Wenzhou (http://www.ydsnrs.cn/). The Yuan troops, however, pressed quickly down the Yangtze, soon captured Wenzhou, and swarmed into Néngrén Temple. Monks from every mountain and monastery fled, but Master Wú Xué Zǔ Yuán remained seated in the meditation hall, entering deep samādhi, calm and unmoving. Among the rushing Yuan soldiers, one brandished a great sword and pressed it to the master’s throat, shouting, “Monk, stand up!” Only then did the master emerge from meditation, composedly performed a full‑circle hand gesture, and recited a verse:

The universe is boundless, a solitary bamboo staff,
Joyfully I realize that both people and dharma are empty;
A priceless three‑foot sword of the Great Origin,
In a flash of light and shadow, I cut the spring breeze!

The aggressor was so struck by the master’s demeanor and spirit that he withdrew his sword and fled.

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The late Southern Song period was a pivotal era for Sino‑Japanese cultural exchange after the Tang dynasty. Zen Buddhism entered Japan during this time (https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E7%A6%85%E5%AE%97/3440849) and left a profound impact on Japanese culture; Master Zǔ Yuán was a key figure in this exchange (https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1615918069847274501) – see Research on the Song‑Dynasty Monk Wú Xué Zǔ Yuán’s Journey to Japan (https://book.douban.com/subject/6004609/).

The “seed” of Zen sown in this era not only blossomed in Japan but later traveled from Japan to the West in modern times. Among the Zen teachers who introduced Zen to the West, two Suzuki masters stand out:

• D. T. Suzuki (https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%93%83%E6%9C%A8%E5%A4%A7%E6%8B%99/952099): renowned in Western humanities for introducing Eastern Zen thought and culture; in Japan he is called “the world’s Zen master.” His major works include Zen and Japanese Culture (https://book.douban.com/subject/26263501/), The Zen Way (https://book.douban.com/subject/26828478/), Zen and the Art of Living (https://book.douban.com/subject/26828508/), and An Introduction to Zen Buddhism (https://book.douban.com/subject/10514957/).
• Shunryū Suzuki (https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%93%83%E6%9C%A8%E4%BF%8A%E9%9A%86): brought Zen to the West and founded the first Zen training center outside Asia, the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (http://sfzc.org/tassajara). His celebrated book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind (https://book.douban.com/subject/4898627/) became a bestseller in the West.

References

• [Wú Xué Zǔ Yuán’s Calligraphic Verse: “Chongyang Hall Poem”] (http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_769fb5f30102vu7p.html)
• [Cloud • Zen • Painting – Cutting the Spring Breeze in a Flash of Light and Shadow] (http://www.merit-times.com/NewsPage.aspx?unid=349284)
• [Cutting the Spring Breeze in a Flash of Light and Shadow] (http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_601b6f740100e8y7.html)
• [Interpretation of Zǔ Yuán’s Poetry] (https://so.gushiwen.org/authors/authorvsw_caca9b2d4a84A1.aspx)
• [Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._T._Suzuki)
• [Shunryū Suzuki] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunry%C5%AB_Suzuki)

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Originally written by Ping Xia (平侠) and published in Chinese on Stories. Translated and adapted for DriftSeas with permission.