Shitou Xiqian and Qingyuan Xingsi
Huineng died at Cao Xi in 713, leaving behind more than forty Dharma successors. Many of them seem to have withdrawn into the mountains, forsaking life and teaching careers in the established chan monasteries, which would not have been numerous in those early times. But two of Huineng's disciples handed down mind-to-mind Dharma transmission from the Sixth Patriarch to the two leading ancestors of all the surviving chan schools in China. The first, Nanyue Huaizhang (677-744),became the teacher of Mazu, while Qingyuan Xingsi (660-740), who taught at Qingyuan Mountain (monastery) in Jiangxi, appointed Shitou Xiqian his Dharma successor in 740.
Not much is written about Qingyuan in the Song-period chan histories, although Jingde chuan deng lu does state specifically that he was the foremost student of Huineng. This has led some historians to speculate that Qingyuan was invented by the Song historians to document an authentic lineage between Shitou's successors and Huineng. But it could be equally true that simply not much was known of him. In any event,the biography and record of Qingyuan present some important information about Shitou Xiqian. Especially interesting is the circumstance that Shitou,who would have left Huineng as a boy at the age of 13,is shown in this text to be already clearly awakened, so that Qingyuan's purpose is just to test his understanding and to give him Dharma succession.
As the Sixth Patriarch lay dying, a young monk named Xiqian asked, "Who will I go to after you die?" The Sixth Patriarch said, "You'll have to answer that question by yourself."
After his death, Shitou sat quietly in meditation, as if it were he who had died. The head monk said to him, "The Master's gone, why keep sitting?" Shitou said, "It's what he told me to do." The head monk said, "Your teacher is now Xingsi, who lives at Qingyuan. He'll instruct you from now on—you'll only get confused if you stay by yourself." Shitou accepted the advice, bowed to the remains of the Sixth Patriarch, and left for Qingyuan Monastery.
Qingyuan asked Shitou where he had come from. Shitou said from Cao Xi. Qingyuan asked, "What have you brought with you?" Shitou replied, "I had everything I needed before I went to Cao Xi." Qingyuan said, "If that's so, why did you go there?" Shitou answered, "If I hadn't gone there, how would I have known it?"
Shitou asked Qingyuan, "Did you know the master of Cao Xi?" Qingyuan said, "Do you know me?" Shitou said, "If I knew you, would I understand you?" Qingyuan said, "I have many cows with horns, but just one unicorn." [Qingyuan says that he has many students,but Shitou is unique among them.]
Then Shitou asked, "When did you get here after leaving Cao Xi?" Qingyuan said, "I don't remember leaving Cao Xi." Shitou said, "I didn't obey the master of Cao Xi by coming here." Qingyuan said, "I know very well where you came from [i.e.,from emptiness]." Shitou said, "It's fortunate for me that you have this understanding."
Later, Qingyuan again asked Shitou where he had come from. Shitou replied, "From Cao Xi." Qingyuan held up his whisk and asked, "Does something like this exist also in Cao Xi?" Shitou said, "Nothing like this exists in all of India, let alone in Cao Xi." "You haven't been to India, so how would you know?" "If I had been to India, then it would exist," Shitou retorted. Qingyuan said, "Something like this never existed to begin with. Explain it to me further." Shitou said, "You should explain some of it yourself and not rely totally on me." Qingyuan said, "It's not that I won't speak on your behalf—it's just that nobody would understand what I'm talking about."
Qingyuan holds up a ceremonial whisk, usually made of white horsehair attached to a wooden handle, carried by a temple abbot. This dialogue is commented upon extensively by the Japanese Soto master Keizan (1268-1325) in Dentoroku (Transmission of Light). The sense of the story is this: Qingyuan tries to trap Shitou into forgetting the true nature of phenomena. In Cao Xi as in India, nothing exists essentially except emptiness. But Shitou won't be tricked into making a dualistic statement about emptiness, which of course isn't possible to begin with—unless Qingyuan goes first!
Qingyuan asked Shitou to take a letter to Huaizhang at Nanyue. "You must return quickly after you deliver the letter. I have an axe to give you when you lead your own temple. " Shitou went to present Qingyuan's letter to Huaizhang, but first he asked him, "What is it like when teachers are no longer needed, but one's own understanding hasn't been recognized?" Master Huaizhang said, "That's really a difficult question, can't you ask something simpler?" Shitou said, "Even if I were reborn endlessly, I couldn't reach liberation by following teachers." Huaizhang was silent and Shitou returned to Qingyuan.
Qingyuan said, "You weren't gone very long. Did you deliver my message?" Shitou said, "No message was delivered and no news was communicated." Qingyuan said, "What do you mean by that?" Shitou reported what he had done and then told Qingyuan, "You said you would give me an axe when I leave here: go get it for me now." Qingyuan got up from his seat. Shitou Xiqian bowed down and left at once for South Mountain.An axe is a symbol of authority in China. Possibly a ceremonial axe of some sort is meant. The "teachers" mentioned here are more like spiritual authorities or experts—the Chinese word is sometimes translated as "sages" in English, or even "saints."
Jing de chuan deng lu then gives two further teacher-student dialogues with Qingyuan Xingsi:
When Shenhui of Ho Chen came to study with Qingyuan, the Master asked where he was coming from, and Shenhui said from Cao Xi. " What's new in Cao Xi?" asked Qingyuan. When Shenhui remained silent, Qingyuan said, "Tiles and pebbles are still in your way." Shenhui asked, "Do you have some true gold to give to others?" Qingyuan said, "Even if I had some, how would you hold on to it?"
Once a monk asked, "What is the main teaching of Buddhism?" Qinguan replied, "What is the price of rice in Luling?"
Qingyuan appointed Shitou Xiqian his Dharma successor. On December 13th in the 28th year of Kai Yuan [740 CE], he took his place in the lecture hall, sat in meditation posture and announced his departure. The Emperor Xi Zong granted him the posthumous name Hong Ji (Great Benefit). His memorial tower was named "Returning to the Truth."