Yaoshan Weiyan

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Yaoshan Weiyan (藥山惟儼; Japanese: Yakusan Igen; Korean: Yaksan Yuǒm) (745-827) was a Chinese Chan master who lived during the Tang dynasty.

Biography

There are conflicting lines of evidence concerning Yaoshan's life. The earliest biographical information comes from Tang Shen, who wrote Yaoshan's epitaph in 834, seven years after his death. While he is traditionally regarded as a student of Shitou Xiqian, Tang Shen's inscription mentions that he stayed with Mazu Daoyi for nearly twenty years. It also mentions Shitou as his teacher, however. Some scholars consider the epitaph to be a later forgery, although many elements of it agree with other sources. A story dating to the middle of the eleventh century relates an encounter between Yaoshan and Shitou in which Yaoshan failed to awaken, but a later visit to Mazu results in his enlightenment. This is almost certainly a fanciful jibe at Shitou and praise for Mazu, however.

Recorded sayings

The Jingde chuandeng lu ("Transmission of the Lamplight") includes the following story of Yaoshan:

Once, when the Master was sitting, a monk asked him, "What are you thinking of, [sitting there] so fixedly?"

The master answered, "I'm thinking of not thinking (sīliàng gè bùsīliàng dǐ 思量箇不思量底)."

The monk asked, "How do you think of not thinking?"

The Master answered, "Beyond thinking (C. fei siliang J. hishiryō 非思量).

This story is frequently referenced in the writings of Dōgen, such as in the Shōbōgenzō, Eihei Kōroku, and most prominently his early work the Fukan zazengi. According to Bielefeldt (2006), this passage encapsulates the essence of Dōgen's teaching on zazen.

Another passage of the Jingde chuandeng lu states:

One day, as Yaoshan was sitting, Shitou asked him, "What are you doing here?"

Yaoshan said, "I’m not doing a thing."

Shitou said, "Then you’re just sitting leisurely."

Yaoshan said, "If I were sitting leisurely I’d be doing something."

Sources

• Bielefeldt, Carl (2006), Treasury of the Eye of the True Dharma, Book 66: The King of Samadhis Samadhi, Sotoshu Shumucho .
• Ferguson, Andy (2011), Zen's Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings, Wisdom Publications 
• Jia, Jinhua (2007), The Hongzhou School of Chan Buddhism in Eighth- Through Tenth-Century China, SUNY Press  PDF version
• Tanahashi, Kazuaki, ed. (2012), Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, Zen Master Dogen's Shobo Genzo, Shambhala . Archive version

Further reading

• Yaoshan Weiyan, terebess.hu