직지심체요절 (Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests' Zen Teachings — World's Oldest Movable Metal Type, 1377)

Double-page spread from a woodblock-printed Zen Buddhist text (Chan collection). The text contains numerous red punctuation marks including side-dots and circles. There are interlinear red glosses and a marginal note on the left page. A red handwritten character '課' appears at the top of the center gutter.

sounds, even the sounds of toads and earthworms, will be your proclamation. If you enter through the gate of Samantabhadra, you will arrive without moving a step. I now use these three gates of skillful means to show you. It is like using a broken chopstick to stir the water of the great ocean, making the fish and dragons know that water is their life. Do you understand? If you do not have the eye of wisdom to examine this, no matter how skillful you are, it will not be the ultimate.

○ Baling, because a monk asked, "Are the meaning of the Patriarchs and the meaning of the teachings the same or different?" The Master said, "When the chicken is cold, it climbs the tree; when the duck is cold, it descends into the water. Same source, different branches." As it is said: "To transmit it through the mouth is called teaching; to transmit it to the heart is called Zen. Those who reach the source see that they are not two. Zen and teaching each cling to one claw."

Chan Master Dongshan Shouchu, because Yunmen asked, "Where did you recently leave?" The Master said, "Chadu." Yunmen said, "Where were you for the summer?" [The Master] said, "Hunan, Puzi." Yunmen said, "When did you leave there?" [The Master] said, "August 25th." Yunmen said, "I spare you three rounds of the stick." The next day, the Master asked again, "Yesterday, I was graced by the Venerable One sparing me three rounds of the stick, but I do not know what my transgression was."

Yunmen said, "You rice bag! Going back and forth between Jiangxi and Hunan like that!" The Master was awakened at these words.

Jianfu showed the assembly, saying, "You must realize yourself during the time of the 'empty eon' a state of primordial nothingness before creation. Recognize it before you were even conceived in the womb. What is the self of the empty eon? Originally it has no name; for convenience, it is called the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, the Marvelous Mind of Nirvana."

Chan Master Qinghuo first studied under the hut-master Qiru, then met Sleeping Dragon. One day, Dragon asked the Master, "Which venerable teacher have you visited? Have you had an awakening yet?" The Master said, "I, Huo, once visited Dazhang and found an entry point." Dragon then went up to the hall, gathered the assembly, and called out, "Monk Qinghuo, come forward and state your awakening before the assembly, and burn incense. Let the old monk verify it for you." The Master stepped out, picked up incense, and said, "The incense is already burned, but the awakening is not an 'awakening'." Dragon was greatly pleased and approved him.

○ Master Xuanjue Dao heard the sound of a turtledove and asked a monk, "What is that sound?" [The monk] said, "The sound of a turtledove." The Master said, "If you want to avoid inviting the karma of the uninterrupted hell, do not slander the wheel of the Tathagata's True Dharma."

Straight Pointing