Chan master Fu Shangzuo was expounding the Mahaparinirvana Sutra at Xiaoxian Temple in Yangzhou; as he discoursed at length on the profound meaning of the Dharma Body, someone in the audience burst into laughter. After the lecture, Fu invited this Chan practitioner for tea and said, “My understanding is shallow, and I merely interpret the text literally. I saw that it made you laugh. Would you please kindly offer some insight.”
The practitioner replied, “It’s not that you said anything incorrect. But what you talked about are only the outer matters of the Dharma Body, not really its true essence.”
Fu asked, “Please would you kindly enlighten me further on the true essence of the Dharma Body?” The practitioner said, “Do you still trust me?” Fu replied, “How could I not?” The practitioner said, “Then I suggest you suspend your lectures for ten days and just sit in composed silence, gather your mind, and let go of all concerns – whether good or bad.”
Fu did exactly what he was told, meditating from the first watch of the night until the fifth, and upon hearing the sound of the night watchman blowing his horn, he suddenly attained great enlightenment.
Another story is about Liang-sui paying a visit to Chan master Magu. Upon seeing Liang-sui, Master Magu picked up a hoe and carried it into the garden to do weeding, ignoring him completely, and then returned to his quarters and shut the door. The next day, Liang-sui came to visit again, but the door was shut once more. Liang-sui then knocked on the door. Master Magu asked: “Who’s there?” Upon uttering his name in reply, Liang-sui suddenly attained enlightenment.
Fu and Sui, these two eminent masters, they attained enlightenment because they were humble enough and harbored no arrogance. People nowadays are full of self-importance; how could they ever attain such a state?
by Grand Master Lian Chi (蓮池大師), the Eighth Patriarch of Pure Land Buddhism
孚遂二座主 – 錄自明末蓮池大師《竹窗隨筆》(初筆)
太原孚上座，於揚州孝先寺講涅槃經，廣談法身妙理，有禪者失笑。孚講罷，請禪者茶，白云:「某甲狹劣，依文解義，適蒙見笑，且望教誨。」禪者云:「不道座主所說不是，然只說得法身量邊事，實未識法身在。」孚曰:「既如是，當為我說。」曰:「座主還信否?」曰:「焉敢不信!」曰:「請座主輟講旬日，端然靜坐，收心攝念，善惡諸緣一時放卻。」孚一依所教，從初夜至五更，聞角聲，忽大悟。又良遂座主參麻谷，麻谷荷鋤入園，不顧，便歸方丈閉卻門。次日復求見，又閉卻門，遂乃敲門。谷問是誰? 遂方稱名，忽大悟。此二尊宿，祇緣是虛心下賢，不存我慢故。今人自高，焉得有此?
Buddha Mind 