Why Did Chan Master Danxia Burn the Wooden Buddha Statue

After Chan Master Danxia awakened and realized the self-nature Buddha, his mind not only shattered the four marks—the mark of self, the mark of person, the mark of sentient beings, and the mark of a life span—but also shattered the mark of Buddha. He acknowledged only the true Buddha, not false Buddhas; those Buddha statues carved of wood or sculpted of stone were of course even less the true Buddha, so what harm was there in burning them? But those who have not realized the true Buddha must absolutely not imitate him, because without realizing the true, the false marks still remain, and burning false marks is the same as burning the true mark—this incurs great transgression, and the retribution for slandering and defaming the Buddha is very bad. In ancient times there was a layperson who imitated an enlightened bhikṣu by writing the names of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on his underwear, and as a result he vomited blood within a day or two; whether he died, I no longer remember. There are also modern people who threw a statue of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva into a river, and after returning home their whole body became damp and cold, and only after repenting and making amends did the serious illness finally subside. 

Danxia had deep roots of goodness from past lives, and after awakening his cultivation of the Path was far from shallow. His mind was empty and without marks; he often lay sprawled on a bridge, carefree and idle, doing nothing, and people often found him strange. For one who has attained the Way, what business could there still be? The world of the five aggregates is all empty—no marks, no wishes, no seeking. Life is just eating and sleeping, so it is perfectly normal to stretch out both legs and lie down. What is there so much to attend to? Running east and west seeking this and that, dashing about, bustling back and forth—what is there to scheme for? Only when the mind is completely empty do all dharmas naturally function spontaneously, and the Buddha will naturally come to confer the prediction of future buddhahood. If even one dharma remains un-emptied, if there is still one thing to be sought, if one still wants to become a Buddha or a patriarch, then don't even dream of the Buddha conferring a prediction. As for those who, under the name of saving sentient beings, pursue their own selfish gain and turn Buddhism into a murky mess, they will probably not only fail to receive the Buddha's prediction, but will also get fixed by the Buddha—cause and effect is fearsome. 

Some people will say, "I also believe that Buddha statues carved of wood or sculpted of stone are not the true Buddha; nothing will happen if I burn them." Then go ahead and burn one and see whether you incur the retribution of all five viscera being scorched, unbearably painful. What you yourself believe does not count; what the mind consciousness thinks is useless. If the manas does not accept it, cause and effect will not fail to respond. Those who believe themselves to have realized the fruits, who believe themselves to have seen their true mind and attained enlightenment—go write the names of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on your underwear and see, go burn a wooden Buddha and smash a stone Buddha and see. If nothing happens, it can be regarded as genuine awakening that has shattered marks. Is there anyone who dares to do this, like Chan Master Danxia?

Some people will say, "The person who confirmed my realization is quite accomplished in the Way; I simply believe him." But I say the Buddha is the most accomplished of all. If the confirmation given by the Buddha did not accord with facts, the tathāgatagarbha would not acknowledge it, and cause and effect would acknowledge it even less. Of course, this is only a hypothesis; what the Buddha confirms absolutely accords with facts and accords with the tathāgatagarbha. Some people are very stubborn, refusing to listen to anything and trusting only their own feelings. But the tathāgatagarbha is even more stubborn—it only heeds the facts. And cause and effect is especially stubborn: it dares to lock horns with everyone. For those who refuse to bow before the facts, cause and effect will lock horns with them.