A Self-Laugh Shocks Heaven and Earth

Title: A Self‑Amused Laugh Shocks Heaven and Earth

“A solitary wheel shines alone over the tranquil landscape; I laugh to myself and the heavens are startled.”
This verse comes from the founder of the Linji school of Chan https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%B4%E6%B5%8E%E5%AE%97/1101550, Master Yìxuán https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B9%89%E7%8E%84/7429471, and is recorded in the Linji Record https://book.douban.com/subject/1411340/:

“When I arrived at Fenglin, Lin asked, ‘May I borrow something for a question?’
The master replied, ‘How can one carve flesh to make a wound?’
Lin said, ‘The sea‑moon is clear and without shadow; the wandering fish is lost.’
The master said, ‘If the sea‑moon has no shadow, how can the fish be lost?’
Lin said, ‘Watching the wind reveals the rising waves; playing with water makes a lone sail drift.’
The master said, ‘A solitary wheel shines alone over the tranquil landscape; I laugh to myself and the heavens are startled.’
Lin said, ‘Let a three‑inch brilliance illuminate the world; I’ll test the Way with a single spontaneous line.’
The master said, ‘When you meet a swordsman on the road, present your sword; if you are not a poet, do not offer poetry.’
Fenglin then departed. The master composed a verse:
“The great Way is beyond sameness, turning east or west as it wills.
A flash of stone fire cannot catch it; lightning’s light cannot reach it.””

These two lines reveal Master Yìxuán’s bold spirit. His path to enlightenment and his method of transmission were equally striking: teaching through the act of striking and being struck. See the following anecdote:

“At Huangbo, a monk asked, ‘What is the essence of the Buddha‑Dharma?’
Huangbo struck him. The same question was asked three times, and each time the monk was struck.
The monk then left Huangbo; Huangbo pointed to a great fool.
Speaking to the fool, he attained a profound awakening.
Returning to Huangbo, he recounted the previous exchange.
Huangbo said, ‘The great fool is a loquacious old man; he will soon feel pain and a single blow.’
The master said, ‘What you are waiting for is here—now I will strike.’ He delivered a punch.
Huangbo replied, ‘The wind‑tossed man comes, the tiger‑whisker is pulled.’ The master shouted.
Huangbo said, ‘The attendant leads the wind‑tossed man into the hall.’
In the hall, a monk asked, ‘What is the essence of the Buddha‑Dharma?’
The master raised his fly‑whisk; the monk shouted, and the master struck.
He asked again, ‘What is the essence of the Buddha‑Dharma?’
The master again raised his fly‑whisk; the monk shouted, the master also shouted, and then struck.”

This fierce, incisive style—free, vigorous, and uncompromising—has been likened to a general commanding his troops, earning the nickname “General Linji” https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/491380378.html.

The Linji School Emphasizes Seeking Truth and Self‑Confidence

The master taught the assembly: “Today’s students of the Dharma must demand genuine insight.
If you obtain true understanding, birth and death no longer stain you; you become free of attachment and of staying.
Do not chase after superiority; superiority will arise on its own.
The Way flows! As the ancient sages did, each found a path beyond ordinary people, like a mountain monk pointing the way.
As long as you are not deceived by others, use what is useful without hesitation.
If you cannot trust yourself, you will be busy chasing every circumstance, swapping one illusion for another, never attaining freedom.
The master added, ‘The Way flows! Insist on true insight and move boldly across the world, lest you be confused by ordinary charms.’
He further said, ‘Now, practitioners, cultivate self‑confidence; do not look outward.
All the worldly dust and realms are indistinguishable in right and wrong.
Whether we speak of ancestors or Buddhas, they are all part of the teaching lineage.
When someone lifts a single phrase—whether hidden or obvious—doubt arises, the heavens and earth are illuminated, and people scramble for answers.
A true man does not waste time debating thieves versus masters, right versus wrong, appearance, wealth, or idle chatter.
The Way flows; if you wish to attain the proper view, you must be a true man.
A flimsy vessel cannot hold the essence; a great vessel must not be swayed by others, must be master everywhere, and its presence is always authentic.’”

Attitude Toward the Buddha

“A genuine practitioner does not cling to the Buddha, nor to bodhisattvas, arhats, or the three realms. He stands apart, unbound by anything.
Even if heaven and earth overturn, I remain undoubting.
Though countless Buddhas appear before me, not a single thought of delight arises.
Though the three hells flash before me, not a single thought of fear arises.
The Way flows! If you seek a proper view, do not be misled.
Kill whatever you meet—Buddha, ancestor, arhat, parent, relative—then you attain liberation.
Unbound, you become free.
When asked, ‘How does one burn a sutra image?’ the master answered, ‘See that causes and conditions are empty, mind is empty, dharmas are empty. One decisive thought cuts it off; nothing remains, and the sutra image is burned.’
The Way flows! Do not treat the Buddha as the ultimate meaning; to me, he is like a toilet seat, and bodhisattvas and arhats are merely shackles that bind people.
Thus Manjushri wielded a sword against Shakyamuni, and the goose‑diggers brandished knives against the Śaiva tradition.
The Way flows! A great, virtuous teacher who first destroys Buddha and ancestors, rejects the Tripiṭaka, insults children, and searches for people in both rebellion and conformity.”

A Peculiar Approach to Scripture and Meditation

One day, the court attendant Wang visited the master and sat with him before the monks’ hall. He asked, “Do the monks still study the sutras in this hall?”
The master replied, “They do not study the sutras.”
The attendant asked, “Do they still practice meditation?”
The master said, “They do not practice meditation.”
The attendant persisted, “If they neither read sutras nor practice meditation, what are they doing?”
The master answered, “They are all preparing to become Buddhas and ancestors.”
The attendant replied, “Even gold dust, though precious, becomes blind when it falls into the eye; what then?”
The master said, “You will remain an ordinary layperson.”

Integrating the Way into Everyday Life

The master also taught: “The Way flows! Buddhist practice is not a waste of effort; it is simply impermanence and emptiness. Defecate, urinate, eat, sleep when tired. Fools laugh at me; the wise understand.”

This pursuit of truth and self‑confidence exemplifies the “inner‑seeking” spirit of Chan, and the view that daily life is itself practice gives the Linji school its lasting vitality. After being transmitted to Japan, it became one of the major Japanese Zen lineages. In Hangzhou’s Tiānmù Mountain, masters such as Gāofēng Yuánmiào https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%AB%98%E5%B3%B0%E5%8E%9F%E5%A6%99%E7%A6%85%E5%B8%88/1637756?fr=aladdin and Zhōngfēng Míngběn https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%98%8E%E6%9C%AC/4035601 are celebrated Linji figures, and a few relics remain on the mountain.

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Further Reading

• Reflections on the Linji Record – https://book.douban.com/subject/34886127/ https://book.douban.com/subject/34886127/
• The Linji Record – https://book.douban.com/subject/30558697/ https://book.douban.com/subject/30558697/

The 20th National Congress also emphasizes cultural confidence; see:
One Glance – Three Sentences to Understand the President’s Deep Meaning in Visiting the Yinxu Ruins https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1748372461793579437

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References

• 佛祖道影 – 临济义玄 http://www.drbachinese.org/online_reading_simplified/sf_others/patriarchs.v2/vol2.htm#24
• 临济录原文 https://www.douban.com/group/topic/49051711/
• 临济祖师语录 http://www.sohu.com/a/241167653_99944394
• 古尊宿语录卷第五 https://bbs.china95.net/thread-2824846-1-1.html
• 临济禅机，千古风流 http://www.360doc.com/content/11/0901/18/3754135_145062596.shtml
• 临济宗的禅宗风格有什么特色 https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1618929472715095949
• 语录王者，临济将军 http://www.sohu.com/a/218822275_100098289
• 临济义玄禅法，怎会败在，一头畜生身上 https://www.jianshu.com/p/e2179f104eca

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