Thiền master Vô Ngôn Thông was born
in 759 in Canton, China. His family
name was Trịnh, and he entered the monastic life at Song Lâm Temple, Vũ Châu,
when he was young. He was calm, quiet,
and very intelligent. He learned fast,
had a good memory, and a vast knowledge and wisdom. That was why his contemporaries named him “Vô Ngôn Thông” (Thông
means “thorough knowledge and immense wisdom”; Vô Ngôn means “wordless” or
“taciturn”)
He was usually known by that name; and no one knows what his real Dharma name
was. In Stories About Famous Monks in
the Lamp Transmission Records (Cao tăng truyền đăng lục) by Thông Tuệ in
the Song Dynasty, he was also referred to as Thiền Master Thông (Thông
thiền sư).
There are many legends about the time when thiền master Vô Ngôn Thông
began his monastic training. One story
goes like this: One day after he (then a young monk) had just finished paying
homage to the Buddha in the temple, a thiền master came up to him and asked,
“What have you just paid homage to?”He replied, “The Buddha.” The
master pointed at the statue on the shrine, and said, “ Do you mean this is the
Buddha?” He remained silent. That night
he dressed himself formally, and went to the thiền master’s room, prostrated
himself in front of the master, and asked, “This morning you asked me one
question, but I haven’t got your implication.” The master then asked, “How many times have you been in summer
retreats?” He replied, “Ten.” “Have you actually entered monastic life?”
asked the master. This question puzzled him, and he could not
answer. The master reproached,” If you
could not understand my question, it would be useless for you to spend one
hundred summer retreats.” Vô Ngôn Thông immediately prostrated himself in
front of the thiền master, and begged him to become his disciple.
However, the master did not accept Vô Ngôn
Thông, but told the latter to go to Giang Tây to learn from thiền master Mã Tổ
Đạo Nhất. Unfortunately, when he came,
Mã Tổ had demised. Vô Ngôn Thông was referred to thiền master Bách Trượng Hoài Hải, the
enlightened disciple of Mã Tổ Đạo Nhất, in hope that Vô Ngôn Thông could learn
the core of Mã Tổ’s teachings. The
young monk later became one of Bách Trượng’s best disciples, and passed down
the Nam Nhạc Hoài Nhượng sect’s lineage transmission.
Another story tells us about his special
enlightenment. Other Thiền masters usually got enlightened while they
were contemplating on a certain koan under the guide of their own master, or in
the middle of their dialogue with their master. Vô Ngôn Thông’s case was different. He got enlightened when he was listening to a dialogue between
his master and another person. As legend goes, one day a monk came to consult
thiền master Bách Trượng, with a question.
The monk asked, “What is the fastest way to enlighenment in Mahayana
Buddhism?” Bách Trượng said, “When the
earth mind is no longer clouded, the wisdom sun shines naturally” (tâm địa nhược
thông, tuệ nhật tự chiếu). Upon hearing
this from his own master, Vô Ngôn Thông became enlightened. Aftre that he returned to Hòa An Temple in
his homeland Quảng Châu.
One day at Hòa An Temple, one man asked Vô Ngôn Thông: “ Are you a thiền
master?” “I have never learned thiền,”
replied Vô Ngôn Thông. After a while,
he called the man, who replied, “Yes?” Vô Ngôn Thông pointed at an old mahogany
tree in the yard but said nothing. He
meant thiền or thiền master is not to be defined, like the mahogany tree, just
seeing it directly with your own eyes, and you will see, without using any
concept or language.
(To be continued)
Bằng Hư. The Story about the Founder Partriarch of the Famous Vô Ngôn Thông Thiền School in Việt Nam. (Chuyện về sư tổ sáng lập dòng thiền Vô Ngôn Thông nổi danh Việt Nam)
http://www.daophatngaynay.com/vn/phatgiao-vn/con-nguoi-vn/9542-Chuyen-ve-su-to-sang-lap-dong-thien-Vo-Ngon-Thong-noi-danh-Viet-Nam.html
