Master Yaoshan Weiyan (751–834 CE) was a prominent Chan (Zen) master during the Tang Dynasty. Born in Guizhou Province, Weiyan became a monk at an early age and studied under several masters before ultimately becoming a disciple of Master Shitou Xiqian. He founded Yaoshan Temple, from which he got his name, in Hunan (now a National Key Buddhist Temple) and inspired later schools (Caodong, Yunmen) through disciples like Yunyan Tansheng.
When Yunyan Tansheng first visited Master Yaoshan, Yaoshan asked:
“Where do you come from?”
Yunyan: “From Master Baizhang Huaihai.”
Yaoshan: “What teachings did Baizhang give?”
Yunyan: “He often said: ‘I have one phrase, complete with a hundred flavors.’”
Yaoshan challenged:
“Salty has salty flavor; bland has bland flavor; neutral is ordinary flavor — what is this ‘hundred-flavored phrase’?”
Yunyan stood silent.
Yaoshan offered:
“I too have a phrase: What of life and death before your eyes?”
Yunyan: “No life or death before my eyes.”
Yaoshan: “How long with Baizhang?”
Yunyan: “Twenty years.”
Yaoshan sighed: “Two decades, yet worldly dust clings.”
Later, Yaoshan pressed again:
“Beyond ‘hundred flavors,’ what else did Baizhang teach?”
Yunyan: “Sometimes he gave three phrases, saying: Drop six to grasp one.”
Yaoshan scoffed: “Irrelevant as clouds three thousand miles away!”
Then, smiling: “What more?”
Yunyan: “Sometimes, after the assembly stood ready, he’d drive them out with his staff — then recall them. Instead of teaching, he’d demand: WHAT IS THIS?”
Yaoshan beamed:
“Why not say this sooner? Through your words, I meet my brother Huaihai today!”
At this, Yunyan awakened.
Philosophical Notes
“Hundred Flavors” as Empty Label:
Yaoshan’s deconstruction (salty/bland/neutral) exposed Yunyan’s attachment to poetic Zen — a trap of mistaking metaphors for realization.
Staff as Ultimate Teaching:
Baizhang’s act — driving out monks then demanding “WHAT IS THIS?” — embodied Zen’s core:
Shattering ritual (dispersing the assembly)
Pointing to raw presence (the unanswered shout)
Meeting Huaihai Through Action:
Yaoshan’s joy erupted not from Yunyan’s words but from recognizing Baizhang’s living essence in the staff anecdote — proving true Dharma transmits beyond doctrines.
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