Zen Master Zhixian, a Tang Dynasty monk, first studied under Baizhang Huaihai before seeking guidance from Master Weishan Lingyou.
Recognizing Zhixian as a “vessel of Dharma”, Weishan aimed to ignite his wisdom. One day he challenged him:
“I won’t ask about your scholarly knowledge or memorized sutras. Before you were born — when east and west were indistinguishable — what was your original nature? Speak one phrase, and I’ll foresee your future.”
Zhixian stood speechless. After agonizing reflection, he offered several answers — all rejected. He pleaded: “Please, Master, enlighten me!”
Weishan replied:
“If I speak, it’s my insight. What good is that to you?”
Devastated, Zhixian scoured his notebooks of Zen sayings but found nothing. He sighed:
“Drawing cakes won’t satisfy hunger!”
He burned all his records, vowing:
“No more Buddhism in this life! I’ll wander as a rice-gruel monk — sparing my heart this torment.”
Weeping, he left Weishan.
Later, at Xiangyan Temple (Henan) — once National Teacher Huizhong’s sanctuary — Zhixian cleared weeds in an abandoned garden. As he tossed a brick fragment, it struck bamboo with a crisp “clink!”
The sound shattered the silence — and his delusions.
Instantly enlightened, he realized:
“All my seeking was redundant. The Dharma dwells in daily life — even in this brick’s ring!”
He bathed, lit incense, and bowed toward Weishan’s distant mountain:
“Thank you for not answering.”
Philosophical Notes
The Unanswerable Koan
Weishan’s impossible question (“What were you before birth?”) forced Zhixian to exhaust intellectual Buddhism, proving truth lies beyond words.
Burning Scriptures as Liberation
Zhixian’s fiery vow — “No more Buddhism!” — symbolized discarding conceptual crutches. Like “drawing cakes to satisfy hunger,” sutra-study without realization is futile.
Bamboo “Clink!” as Sudden Awakening
The accidental brick-bamboo strike embodied Zen’s core: Enlightenment erupts in ordinary moments when mental striving ceases.
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