With one  stroke,  all  previous  knowledge   is

　　　　  forgotten.

　　　　  No  cultivation  is  needed  for this.

　　　　  This occurrence reveals the ancient way.

　　　　  And is free from the track of quiescence.

　　　　  No trace is left anywhere.

　　　　  Whatever  I hear  and  see does  not conform  to

　　　　  rules.

　　　　  All those who are enlightened.

　　　　  Proclaim this to be the greatest action.

　　   These  lines  indicate  that Hsiang-yen  indeed  has

　　   completely  let go of his misguided fixation on mere

　　   scholarship, something  he was unable  to accomplish

　　   by simply  burning  his notes.  Being instantaneous,

　　   his　　 break-through　　 required　　 no   (conscious)

　　   cultivation. On the contrary, it involved what Chang

　　   Chung-Yuan   refers   to  as  "the  cultivation   of

　　   non-cultivation."  Nonetheless, there  is an air  of

　　   verbal pretentiousness  about these lines, betraying

　　   a dissonance  with consummate  Ch'an.  The poet  is,

　　   perhaps, too eloquen t and still too attached to his

　　   intellectual acumen. Hence, he boldly claims to have

　　   revealed the "ancient way" and to have freed himself

　　   from "the track of quiescence."  Conformity  to mere

　　   rules is disavowed, and he

　　   ────────────

　　   (43) Tokusan  as  quoted  by  Lucien  Stryk  in  his

　　　　   preface  to  Zen  Poems  of  China  and  Japan,

　　　　   p.vlviii.

　　　　　　　　　　　　  P.370

　　   ranks himself  among the enokghtened  in his closing

　　   proclamation.

　　　　  Learning  of  Hsiang-yen's  experience, a fellow

　　   monk.  Yang-shan  Hui-chi  (807-883), went to him to

　　   verify Hsiang-yen's enlightemnent. After hearing the

　　   above gaathaa  he relegated  it to the lowest level,

　　   and raised a challenge  to Hsiang-yen: "Hereing  you

　　   followed the sayings of the ancient masters.  If you

　　   have  really  been  awakened, speak  from  your  own

　　   experience."   In  response  Hsiang-yen  composed  a

　　   second gaathaa:

　　　　  My poverty  of last  year was not real  poverty.

　　　　  This year it is want indeed.

　　　　  In last  year's  poverty  there  was room, for a