Shitou and His Disciples
Shitou was a Dharma teacher for at least 26 years. He had many noteworthy disciples, whose biographies also appear in the chan histories of the Song Period. Since these often include dialogues with Shitou, they also provide us with more knowledge about Shitou's teachings.
Changzi Kuang
Changzi returned to Shitou after paying a formal visit to the Sixth Patriarch's memorial pagoda at Cao Xi. Shitou asked, "Where are you coming from?" Changzi said, "From Lingnan." "Did you do everything you were supposed to in Lingnan?" "I did everything I was supposed to do, but I could use some further understanding." Shitou, "Would you like some now?" "Please." Shitou kicked him. Changzi bowed down before him. Shitou said, "What did you see just now that made you bow down in front of me?" Changzi said, "From my position, your action affected me like snow upon a red hot stove."
Shitou asks Changzi if he has performed all the steps necessary for a formal pilgrimage to Cao Xi,Huneng's temple in Lingnan, the area south of Hunan Province. When Shitou kicks him—the Chinese says literally "sticks out his foot," so this might mean only that he was sitting cross-legged and moved one foot outwards,or something similar—Changzi says his action was like snow hitting a hot stove. This might mean that he suddenly a gained a clear understanding, or that Shitou's action melted his ignorance. The Chinese saying,"Snow melts, ice thaws," means that someone understands something.
Jingzhao Shili
Jingzhao Shili asked Shitou, "What are Buddhist monks supposed to do?" Shitou said, "What are you asking me for?" Jingzhao said, "If I don't ask you, where can I find what I'm looking for?" Shitou, "Are you sure you've really lost it?" Jingzhao understood.
Zhaoti Huilang
Zhaoti Huilang asked Shitou, "What is the Buddha?" Shitou said, "You don't have Buddha's mind." Zhaoti said, "I'm a human being, I run around and have ideas." Shitou said, "People who are active and have ideas also have Buddha's mind." Zhaoti said, "Then why don't I have Buddha's mind?" "Because you're not willing to remain a human being." Zhaoti awakened.
Just by asking a question about Buddha, Zhaoti had already separated himself from Buddha's mind. When Shitou says that Zhaoti doesn't have the mind of Buddha, Zhaoti protests that he necessarily has it, since all persons have the mind of Buddha, and he is a person too. But if Zhaoti really understood that the ordinary mind is Buddha's mind, he wouldn't have needed to ask what Buddha is,as if it were something apart from himself. He should have been to content to remain a human being instead of trying to be like Buddha.
Danxia Tianrang
Danxia Tianrang approached Shitou with his hand raised to his hat [indicating he had a question]. Shitou said, "Go the stables" [and do some work before I answer you]. Danxia bowed and went to the hall for untonsured monks. There he worked as a cook for three years. One day Shitou said to all the monks, "Tomorrow we'll pull up some weeds in front of the Buddha Hall." The next day, the monks were digging up weeds with their spades. But Danxia Tianran filled a basin with water, wet his hair and knelt down before Shitou. Shitou laughed and shaved off his hair, and then he instructed him in the monastic discipline. [Danxia understood removing weeds to mean shaving his beard, thereby becoming a monk. Perhaps Shitou was also testing to see who might become a disciple.]
Dadian Baotong
When Dadian Baotong first met Shitou, Shitou asked him, "Can you show me your mind?" Dadian said, "That which distinguishes your words is my mind." Shitou started shouting at him and drove him away. Ten days later, Dadian approached Shitou said, "If what I said last time wasn't my mind, then what is it?" Shitou said, "Without raising your eyebrows or blinking your eyelids, show me your mind." Dadian said, "I don't have any other mind to show you." Shitou, "Originally you do have a mind, so why say you don't? If you deny it, it's the same as lying." Dadian understood.
Sometime later when Dadian Baotong was standing nearby, Shitou asked,"Are you the kind of monk who is serious about Buddhism, or are you the kind of monk who hangs around all day?" Dadian said, "I'm the first kind." Shitou said, "What is chan?" Dadian said, "Raising your eyebrows or blinking your eyelids." Shitou said, "Show me your original face without raising your eyebrows or blinking your eyelids." Dadian said, "You show me." Shitou: "I just did." Dadian said: "I did it too." Shitou said, "You just said you showed me your mind. Tell me what this mind of yours is like." Dadian said. "My mind is just like your mind." Shitou said, "My mind has nothing whatsoever to do with your mind." Dadian said, "Originally nothing exists." Shitou: "In that case, you don't have an original face." Dadian said, "Emptiness is the real state of things." Shitou: "In that case, phenomena can't be grasped. This is the correct understanding, and you should try to remember that." Later, Dadian Baotong had his own monastery, and students came from all directions to study with him.
Tianhuang Daowu
Tianhuang Daowu asked Shitou, "Besides concentrating upon the mind (ding) and upon wisdom (hui), what else do you have to teach us?" Shitou said, "I don't limit you to mind and wisdom," [so that you'll be able to reach some additional understanding on your own]. Tianhuang said, "Then how can I understand it?" Shitou said, "Can you grasp emptiness?" Tianhuang said, "If you're going to talk like this, I won't discuss it with you today. I'm leaving." Shitou said, "At first I didn't think you were coming from there [meaning from a state of emptiness], but now I know it." Tianhuang said, "I didn't come from there." Shitou said, "I knew that before you got here." Tianhuang said, "Why are you insulting me?" Shitou said, "Actually you did come here from there." Tianhuang said, "How can we teach others after us?" Shitou said, "Who do you suppose is going to come after us?" Tianhuang awakened.
Huineng was famous for his teaching of ding and hui. In the Platform Sutra, Huineng says: "Good friends, my teaching of the Dharma takes meditation and prajna as its basis." The point that Shitou is making is that Tianhuang shouldn't insist on some traditional philosophical teaching, but should realize emptiness in daily living.
The Record of Dongshan Liangjie includes the following dialogue between Shitou and Wu Xie, who was teacher of Dongshan in Mazu's lineage.
The following incident occurred. When Wu Xie was with Shitou, he said, "If you can say something useful, I'll stay. If not, I'm leaving." Shitou started to sit down, and Wu Xie started to leave. Shitou called out to him. Wu Xie turned around. Shitou said, "From birth to death, nothing else exists. Why do you keep searching?" Wu Xie awakened and broke his walking staff.