Hengshan Dengbing 衡山燈炳

School: Linji | 1611–1680 | Teacher: Qingzhong Tiebi Huiji | Students: Zhuofeng Xingjue

Of the Feng (馮) family of Hejiang county, Luzhou, in southern Shu; a Confucian household. He first studied the doctrinal teachings, then said 'yellow leaves may quiet a crying child, but they mislead the infant who would leave the world', and set out to find a master. Passing Xinglong monastery in Wanxian he met Chuiwan Guangzhen (吹萬廣真) and was hammered by him; he followed Guangzhen to Juyun monastery in Zhongzhou and served as his attendant for years, not lying down to sleep. When Guangzhen died and TIEBI HUIJI took the seat, Dengbing served Tiebi as he had served Guangzhen, broke through under Tiebi's staff, and was sealed with a verse on the tenth of the sixth month of 1651. He held Xianglu monastery at Shisi, then was invited to Fancun in Zhongzhou, where in the middle of the wars he cleared the thorns himself and built the monastery he named Qingyun ('Auspicious Cloud'). He travelled ten thousand li to sweep Dahui's stupa at Shuangjing in Zhejiang, and came back grieving that its dharma-seat stood empty. He died on the eighteenth of the sixth month of 1680, aged 70, with 53 years in robes; his bones were buried inside his teacher's stupa on Gaofeng.

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