The traditional story of the enlightenment of the Oxhead school’s founder, Niutou Farong, is recounted in the Wudeng Huiyuan:
Zen master Farong of Mt. Niutou came from Yanling in Run Province. His surname was Wei. By the age of nineteen he was versed in the classic Confucian histories, but later he read the Nirvana Sutra and thereupon penetrated the truth.
One day he exclaimed, “Confucianism is a doctrine of worldly affairs, but it isn’t a teaching of the highest truth. When I read the Nirvana Sutra, I finally found a vessel for leaving the world behind.”
Thereupon Niutou concealed himself on Mao Mountain, where he studied under a teacher and was ordained as a monk. Later, as he sat in meditation in a rock grotto north of Secluded Perch Temple on Mt. Niutou, a hundred birds with flowers in their beaks came to pay homage to him.
During the Zhen Guan era [627–49], the Fourth Ancestor, Zen master Daoxin, saw a strange celestial sign in the distance and realized that an unusual person must be living on Niutou Mountain. He personally climbed the mountain to find the person and pay him a visit.
Seeing a temple monk, he asked, “Is there a monk here?”
The monk responded, “Who among those who’ve ‘left home’ is not a monk?”
Daoxin responded, “What one is a [real] monk?”
The temple monk couldn’t reply.
Then another monk from the temple said, “About ten miles from here in the mountains there’s a hermit. His name is Farong. When he sees people coming he doesn’t get up, nor does he pay attention to common courtesy. Is he the one you’re looking for?”
Daoxin then traveled into the mountains. There he found Niutou sitting upright in meditation, completely self-absorbed, paying no attention to Daoxin whatsoever.
Daoxin asked him, “What are you doing?”
Farong responded, “Perceiving mind.”
Daoxin said, “Who is it who is perceiving mind? And what is ‘mind’?”
Farong had no answer. Standing up, he bowed.
Later, he asked, “Where does Your Worthiness reside?”
Daoxin said, “This poor monk has no permanent home. Sometimes I live here, sometimes I live there.”
Farong said, “Perhaps you know the master Daoxin.”
Daoxin replied, “What would you ask him?”
Farong said, “I’ve respected his virtue for some time now. I would like to pay my respects to him.”
Daoxin said, “I am Zen master Daoxin.”
Farong said, “Why have you come here?”
Daoxin said, “I’ve come here especially to pay you a visit. Do you have someplace we can take a rest?”
Farong pointed and said, “Over there I have a small cottage.”
He then led Daoxin to a cottage that was surrounded by wild beasts such as tigers and wolves. Daoxin put both of his hands up in the air as if he were scared.
Farong said, “Are you still like this?”
Daoxin said, “What is ‘this’?”
Farong couldn’t answer.
Later, Daoxin wrote the word “Buddha” on Farong’s meditation seat.
When Farong saw this he was horrified.
Daoxin said, “Are you still like this?”
Farong didn’t understand, so he bowed and asked Daoxin to explain his meaning.
Daoxin said, “The hundred thousand gates of the Buddhadharma, they all return to this mind. The source of the countless exquisite sublime practices is this mind. All of the precepts and monastic rules, Zen meditation, Dharma gates of knowledge, and wisdom and every sort of miraculous manifestation are your natural possession, not separate from your mind. Every type of nuisance and karmic impediment is fundamentally empty and without real existence. All causes and effects are but illusions. There are no three worlds that are to be cast off.26 There is no bodhi that can be attained.27 The original nature and appearance of what is human and what is nonhuman does not differ. The great way is empty and vast, without a single thought. If you have attained this Dharma, where nothing whatsoever is lacking, what difference is there between yourself and Buddha? When there is not a single teaching left, then you are just left to abide in your own nature; with no need to worry about your behavior; no need to practice cleansing austerities; but just living a life without desires; with a mind without anger, without cares; completely at ease and without impediment; acting according to your own will; without needing to take on any good or evil affairs; just walking, abiding, sitting, and lying down; with whatever meets your eye being nothing other than the essential source; and all of it is but the sublime function of Buddha; blissful and without care. This is called ‘Buddha.’”
According to tradition, after Farong received this teaching from Daoxin and fully attained the way of Zen, birds no longer left flowers for him. Farong’s enlightenment left no special sign by which it could be recognized.