Letter Forty-Four

Zhijun:

I have read through the letter from *** that you forwarded. This young fellow is bold and intelligent; he is promising material for Chan practice. Tell him to go nearby to Wolong Monastery in Xi’an and devote himself to investigating Chan. He need not study the Heart-of-Heart Dharma, because he already has a foundation in investigating Chan from past lives, and among all dharma gates, investigating Chan is the most direct and swift.

With only three to five years of effort, he should be able to break through completely. If this young fellow is truly willing to apply himself to investigation, he must not simply rely on saying a few wild words that seem plausible but are not, and then consider the matter finished. Moreover, even after awakening, he must diligently work to eliminate his old habitual tendencies; it is not the case that one awakens once and then rests. From now on, urge him on more often, and do not let him come looking for me again.

After I reviewed the copy of Lectures on the Blue Cliff Record that I previously sent you, I found many errors, reversals, and omissions. These have now been corrected, and it has been sent to the magazine Chan for publication. You may make the corrections according to that publication. May you advance diligently without ceasing. In the new year, may I see a new face!

Zhong Ding, January 12, 1992

[Yongshou Tongzi] The heavy responsibility of urging on that young fellow at Wolong has thus been handed over to the teacher. Ha ha. I wonder how the teacher later urged him on?

[LVM] Oh! He is a student; he should first complete his studies before discussing anything else.

[Yongshou Tongzi] Did Lectures on the Blue Cliff Record already exist at that time?

[LVM] They were the first two articles, compiled by Song Zhiming of Wenzhou. The tapes of the Elder’s lectures on the Blue Cliff Record were originally recorded in Wenzhou.