On the High Seat of "The Treasure of the Law"
The Sutra of the 6 th Patriarch, Hui Neng
(Translated by A.F.Price and Wong Mou-Lam)
Chapter VII. Temperament and Circumstances
(Instructions given according to the disciples' temperament and to the circumstances of the case)
Upon the Patriarch's return to the
village of Ts'ao Hou in Shao Chou from Huang Mei, where the Dharma had
been transmitted to him, he was still an unknown figure, and it was a
Confucian scholar named Liu Chih-Lueh who gave him a warm welcome.
Chih-Lueh happened to have an aunt named Wu Chin-Tsang who was a
bhikkhuni (a female member of the Order), and used to recite the Maha
Parinirvana Sutra. After hearing the recitation for only a short while
the Patriarch grasped its profound meaning and began to explain it to
her.
Whereupon, she picked up the book and asked him the meaning of certain
words. "I am illiterate," he replied, "but if you wish to know the
purport of this work, please ask." "How can you grasp the meaning of
the text," she rejoined, "when you do not even know the words?" To this
he replied, "The profundity of the teachings of the various Buddhas has
nothing to do with the written language." This answer surprised her
very much, and realizing that he was no ordinary bhikkhu, she made it
widely known to the pious elders of the village. "This is a holy man,"
she said, "we should ask him to stay, and get his permission to supply
him food and lodging." Whereupon, a descendant of Marquis Wu of the Wei
Dynasty, named Ts'ao Shu-Liang, came one afternoon with other villagers
to tender homage to the Patriarch.
The historical Pao Lin monastery, devastated by war at the end of the
Sui Dynasty, was then reduced to a heap of ruins, but on the
old site they rebuilt it and asked the Patriarch to stay there. Before
long, it became a very famous monastery. After being there for nine
months
his wicked enemies traced him and persecuted him again. Thereupon he
took
refuge in a nearby hill. The villains then set fire to the wood (where
he was hiding), but he escaped by making his way to a rock. This rock,
which has since been known as the 'Rock of Refuge', has thereon the
knee-prints
of the Patriarch and also the impressions of the texture of his gown.
Recollecting the instruction of his master, the Fifth Patriarch, that
he should stop at Huai and seclude himself at Hui, he made these two
districts his places of retreat.
Bhikkhu Fa Hai, a native of Chu Kiang of Shao Chow, in his first
interview with the Patriarch asked the meaning of the well-known
saying, 'What mind is, Buddha is.' The Patriarch replied, "To let not a
passing thought rise up is 'mind'. To let not the coming thought be
annihilated is Buddha. To manifest all kinds of phenomena is 'mind'. To
be free from all forms (i.e., to realize the unreality of phenomena) is
Buddha.
If I were to give you a full explanation, the topic could not be
exhausted
even if I took up the whole of one kalpa. So listen to my stanza:
Prajna is 'What mind is', Samadhi is 'What Buddha is'. In practicing
Prajna and Samadhi, let each keep pace with the other; Then our
thoughts will be pure. This teaching can be understood Only through the
habit of practice.
Samadhi functions, but inherently it does not become. The orthodox
teaching is to practice Prajna as well as Samadhi.
After hearing what the Patriarch had said, Fa Hai was at once
enlightened.
He praised the Patriarch with the following stanza:
'What mind is, Buddha is' is true indeed! But I humiliate myself by not
understanding it. Now I know the principal cause of Prajna and Samadhi,
Both of which I shall practice to set me free from all forms.
Bhikkhu Fa Ta, a native of Hung Chou, who joined the Order at the early
age of seven, used to recite the Saddharma Pundarika (Lotus of the Good
Law) Sutra. When he came to pay homage to the Patriarch, he
failed to lower his head to the ground. For his abbreviated courtesy
the Patriarch reproved him, saying, "If you object to lower your head
to the ground, would it not be better do away with salutation entirely?
There must be something in your mind that makes you so puffed up. Tell
me what you do in your daily exercise." "Recite the Saddharma Pundarika
Sutra," replied Fa Ta. "I have read the whole text three thousand
times." "Had you grasped the meaning of the Sutra," remarked the
Patriarch, "you would not have assumed such a lofty bearing, even if
you had read it ten thousand times. Had you grasped it, you would be
treading the same Path as mine. What you have accomplished has already
made you conceited, and moreover, you do not seem to realize that this
is wrong. Listen to my stanza:
Since the object of ceremony is to curb arrogance Why did you
fail to lower your head to the ground? 'To believe in a self' is the
source of sin, But 'to treat all attainment as void' attains merit
incomparable! The Patriarch then asked for his name, and upon being
told that his
name was Fa Ta (meaning Understanding the Law), he remarked, "Your name
is Fa Ta, but you have not yet understood the Law." He concluded by
uttering another stanza:
Your name is Fa Ta. Diligently and steadily you recite the Sutra. Lip
repetition of the text goes by the pronunciation only, But he whose
mind is enlightened by grasping the meaning is a Bodhisattva indeed! On
account of conditions which may be traced to our past lives I will
explain this to you. If you only believe that Buddha speaks no words,
Then the Lotus will blossom in your mouth.
Having heard this stanza, Fa Ta became remorseful and apologized to the
Patriarch. He added, "Hereafter, I will be humble and polite
on all occasions.
As I do not quite understand the meaning of the Sutra I recite, I am
doubtful as to its proper interpretation. With your profound knowledge
and high wisdom, will you kindly give me a short explanation?" The
Patriarch replied, "Fa Ta, the Law is quite clear; it is only your mind
that
is not clear.
The Sutra is free from doubtful passages; it is only your mind that
makes them doubtful. In reciting the Sutra, do you know its principal
object?" "How can I know, Sir," replied Fa Ta, "since I am so dull and
stupid? All I know is how to recite it word by word." The Patriarch
then said, "Will you please recite the Sutra, as I cannot read it
myself. I will then explain its meaning to you." Fa Ta recited the
Sutra, but when he came to the chapter entitled 'Parables' the
Patriarch stopped him, saying, "The key-note of this Sutra is to set
forth the aim and object of
a Buddha's incarnation in this world. Though parables and illustrations
are numerous in this book, none of them goes beyond this pivotal point.
Now,
what is that object? What is that aim? The Sutra says, 'It is for a
sole
object, a sole aim, verily a lofty object and a lofty aim that the
Buddha
appears in this world.' Now that sole object, that sole aim, that lofty
object, that lofty aim referred to is the 'sight' of Buddha-Knowledge.
"Common people attach themselves to objects without; and within, they
fall into the wrong idea of 'vacuity'. When they are able to free
themselves from attachment to objects when in contact with objects, and
to free themselves from the fallacious view of annihilation on the
doctrine of 'Void'
they will be free from delusions within and from illusions without.
He who understands this and whose mind is thus enlightened in an
instant
is said to have opened his eyes for the sight of Buddha-Knowledge. "The
word 'Buddha' is equivalent to 'Enlightenment', which may be dealt with
(as in the Sutra) under four heads:
To open the eyes for the sight of Enlightenment-knowledge. To show the
sight of Enlightenment-knowledge. To awake to the sight of
Enlightenment knowledge. To be firmly established in the
Enlightenment-knowledge.
"Should we be able, upon being taught, to grasp and understand
thoroughly the teaching of Enlightenment-knowledge, then our inherent
quality or true nature, i.e., the Enlightenment-knowledge, would have
an opportunity to manifest itself. You should not misinterpret the
text, and come to the conclusion that Buddha-knowledge is something
special to Buddha and not common to us all because you happen to find
in the
Sutra this passage, 'To open the eyes for the sight of
Buddha-knowledge,
to show the sight of Buddha-knowledge, etc.' Such a misinterpretation
would amount to slandering Buddha and blaspheming the Sutra. Since he
is a Buddha, he is already in possession of this
Enlightenment-knowledge and there is no occasion for himself to open
his eyes for it. You should therefore accept the interpretation that
Buddha-knowledge is the Buddha-knowledge of your own mind and not that
of any other Buddha.
"Being infatuated by sense-objects, and thereby shutting themselves
from their own light, all sentient beings, tormented by outer
circumstances and inner vexations, act voluntarily as slaves to their
own desires. Seeing this, our Lord Buddha had to rise from his Samadhi
in order to exhort them with earnest preaching of various kinds to
suppress their desires
and to refrain from seeking happiness from without, so that they might
become the equals of Buddha. For this reason the Sutra says, 'To open
the
eyes for the sight of Buddha-knowledge, etc.' "I advise people
constantly
to open their eyes for the Buddha-knowledge within their mind. But in
their perversity they commit sins under delusion and ignorance; they
are kind in words, but wicked in mind; they are greedy, malignant,
jealous, crooked, flattering, egotistic, offensive to men and
destructive to inanimate objects. Thus, they open their eyes for the
'Common-people-knowledge'. Should they rectify their heart, so that
wisdom arises perpetually, the mind would
be under introspection, and evil doing replaced by the practice of
good;
then they would initiate themselves into the Buddha-knowledge. "You
should
therefore from moment to moment open your eyes, not for 'Common-people
knowledge' but for Buddha-knowledge, which is supramundane, while the
former is worldly. On the other hand, if you stick to the concept that
mere
recitation (of the Sutra) as a daily exercise is good enough, then you
are infatuated like the yak by its own tail." (Yaks are known to have a
very high opinion of their own tails.) Fa Ta then said, "If that is so,
we have only to know the meaning of the Sutra and there would be no
necessity
for us to recite it. Is that right, Sir?" "There is nothing wrong in
the
Sutra," replied the Patriarch, "so that you should refrain from
reciting it. Whether sutra-reciting will enlighten you or not, or
benefit you or not,
all depends on yourself. He who recites the Sutra with the tongue and
puts its teaching into actual practice with his mind 'turns round' the
Sutra. He who recites it without putting it into practice is 'turned
round'
by the Sutra. Listen to my stanza:
When our mind is under delusion, the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra 'turns
us round'. With an enlightened mind we 'turn round' the Sutra instead.
To recite the Sutra for a considerable time without knowing
its principal object Indicates that you are a stranger to its meaning.
The correct way to recite the Sutra is without holding any arbitrary
belief; Otherwise, it is wrong. He who is above 'affirmative' and
'negative'
Rides permanently in the White Bullock Cart (the Vehicle of Buddha)."
Having heard this stanza, Fa Ta was enlightened and moved to tears. "It
is quite true," he exclaimed, "that heretofore I was unable to 'turn
round'
the Sutra. It was rather the Sutra that 'turned' me round." He then
raised
another point. "The Sutra says, 'From Sravakas (disciples) up to
Bodhisattvas, even if they were to speculate with combined efforts they
would be unable to comprehend the Buddha-knowledge.' But you, Sir, give
me to understand that if an ordinary man realizes his own mind, he is
said to have attained the Buddha-knowledge. I am afraid, Sir, that with
the exception of those gifted with superior mental dispositions, others
may doubt your remark.
Furthermore, three kinds of Carts are mentioned in the Sutra, namely,
Carts yoked with goats (i.e., the vehicle of Sravakas), Carts yoked
with deers (the vehicle of Pratyeka Buddhas), and Carts yoked with
bullocks (the vehicle of Bodhisattvas). How are these to be
distinguished from the White Bullock Carts?" The Patriarch replied,
"The Sutra is quite plain on this point; it is you who misunderstand
it. The reason why Sravakas, Pratyeka Buddhas and Bodhisattvas cannot
comprehend the Buddha-knowledge is because they speculate on it. They
may combine their efforts to speculate, but the more they speculate,
the farther they are from the truth. It was to ordinary men, not to
other Buddhas, that Buddha Gautama preached this Sutra. As for those
who cannot accept the doctrine he expounded, he let them leave the
assembly. You do not seem to know that since we are already riding in
the White Bullock Cart (the vehicle of Buddhas), there is
no necessity for us to go out to look for the other three vehicles.
Moreover, the Sutra tells you plainly that there is only the Buddha
Vehicle, and that there are no other vehicles, such as the second or
the third. It
is for the sake of this sole vehicle that Buddha had to preach to us
with innumerable skillful devices, using various reasons and arguments,
parables and illustrations, etc. Why can you not understand that the
other three vehicles are makeshifts, for the past only; while the sole
vehicle, the
Buddha Vehicle, is the ultimate, meant for the present? "The Sutra
teaches
you to dispense with the makeshifts and to resort to the ultimate.
Having
resorted to the ultimate, you will find that even the name 'ultimate'
disappears.
You should appreciate that you are the sole owner of these valuables
and
they are entirely subject to your disposal.
When you are free from the arbitrary conception that they are the
father's, or the son's, or that they are at so and so's disposal, you
may be said to have learned the right way to recite the Sutra. In that
case from kalpa to kalpa the Sutra will be in your hand, and from
morning to night you will be reciting the Sutra all the time." Being
thus awakened, Fa Ta praised the Patriarch, in a transport of great
joy,
with the following stanza:
The delusion that I have attained great merits by reciting the Sutra
three thousand times over Is all dispelled by an utterance of the
Master of Ts'ao Ch'i (i.e., the Patriarch).
He who has not understood the object of a Buddha's incarnation in this
world Is unable to suppress the wild passions accumulated in many lives.
The three vehicles yoked by goat, deer and bullock respectively, are
makeshifts only, While the three stages, preliminary, intermediate, and
final, in which the orthodox Dharma is expounded, are well set
out, indeed. How few appreciate that within the burning house itself
(i.e., mundane existence) The King of Dharma is to be found! The
Patriarch
then told him that henceforth he might call himself a 'Sutra reciting
Bhikkhu'. After that interview, Fa Ta was able to grasp the profound
meaning of Buddhism, yet he continued to recite the Sutra as before.
Bhikkhu Chih Tung, a native of Shao Chou of An Feng had read the
Lankavatara Sutra a thousand times, but he could not understand the
meaning of Trikaya and the four Prajnas. Thereupon, he called on the
Patriarch for an interpretation. "As to the Three Bodies," explained
the Patriarch, "the pure Dharmakaya is your (essential) nature; the
perfect Sambhogakaya is your wisdom; and myriad Nirmanakayas are your
actions.
If you deal with these Three Bodies apart from the Essence of Mind,
there would be 'bodies without wisdom'. If you realize that these Three
Bodies have no positive essence of their own (because they are only the
properties of the Essence of Mind) you attain the Bodhi of the four
Prajnas. Listen to my stanza:
The Three Bodies are inherent in our Essence of Mind, By development of
which the four Prajnas are manifested. Thus, without shutting your eyes
and your ears to keep away from the external world You may reach
Buddhahood directly. Now that I have made this plain to you Believe it
firmly, and you will be free from delusions forever. Follow not those
who seek Enlightenment from without; These people talk about Bodhi all
the time (but they never find it).
"May I know something about the four Prajnas?" asked Chih Tung. "If you
understand the Three Bodies," replied the Patriarch, "you should
understand the four Prajnas as well; so your question is unnecessary.
If you deal with the four Prajnas apart from the Three Bodies, there
will be Prajnas without bodies, in which case they would not be
Prajnas." The Patriarch then uttered another stanza:
The Mirror-like Wisdom is pure by nature. The Equality Wisdom frees the
mind from all impediments. The All-discerning Wisdom sees things
intuitively without going through the process of reasoning. The All
Performing Wisdom has the same characteristics as the Mirror-like
Wisdom.
The first five vijnanas (consciousness dependent respectively
upon the five sense organs) and the Alayavijnana (Storehouse of
Universal consciousness) are 'transmuted' to Prajna in the Buddha
stage; while the klista-mano-vijnana (soiled-mind consciousness or
self-consciousness) and the mano-vijnana (thinking consciousness), are
transmuted in the Bodhisattva stage. These so called 'transmutations of
vijnana' are only changes of appellations and not a change of
substance. When you are able to free
yourself entirely from attachment to sense-objects at the time these
so-called
'transmutations' take place, you will forever abide in the
repeatedly-arising Naga
(dragon) Samadhi. (Upon hearing this), Chih Tung realized suddenly the
Prajna of his Essence of Mind and submitted the following stanza to the
Patriarch:
Intrinsically, the three Bodies are within our Essence of Mind. When
our mind is enlightened the four Prajnas will appear therein. When
Bodies and Prajnas absolutely identify with each other We shall be able
to respond (in accordance with their temperaments and dispositions) to
the appeals of all beings, no matter what forms they may assume. To
start by seeking for Trikaya and the four Prajnas is to take an entirely
wrong course (for being inherent in us they are to be realized and not
to be sought). To try to 'grasp' or 'confine' them is to go against
their intrinsic nature. Through you, Sir, I am now able to grasp the
profundity of their meaning, And henceforth I may discard forever their
false and arbitrary names.
(Note: Having grasped the spirit of a doctrine, one may dispense with
the names used therein, since all names are makeshifts only).
Bhikkhu Chih Ch'ang, a native of Kuei Ch'i of Hsin Chou, joined the
Order in his childhood, and was very zealous in his efforts to realize
the Essence of Mind. One day, he came to pay homage to the Patriarch,
and was asked by the latter whence and why he came. "I have recently
been to the White Cliff Mountain in Hung Chou," replied he, "to
interview
the Master Ta T'ung, who was good enough to teach me how to realize the
Essence of Mind and thereby attain Buddhahood. But as I still have some
doubts, I have traveled far to pay you respect. Will you kindly clear
them up for me, Sir." "What instruction did he give you?" asked the
Patriarch. "After staying there for three months without being given
any instruction, and being zealous for the Dharma, I went alone to his
chamber one night and asked him what was my Essence of Mind. 'Do you
see the illimitable void?' he asked. 'Yes, I do,' I replied. Then he
asked me whether the void had any particular form, and when I said that
the void is formless and therefore cannot have any particular form, he
said, 'Your Essence of Mind is like the void. To realize that nothing
can be seen is right seeing.
To realize that nothing is knowable is true knowledge. To realize that
it is neither green nor yellow, neither long nor short, that it is pure
by nature, that its quintessence is perfect and clear, is to realize
the Essence of Mind and thereby attain Buddhahood, which is also called
the Buddha-knowledge.' As I do not quite understand his teaching, will
you please enlighten me, Sir." "His teaching indicates," said the
Patriarch, "that he still retains the arbitrary concepts of views and
knowledge, and this explains why he fails to make it clear to you.
Listen to my stanza:
To realize that nothing can be seen but to retain the concept
of 'invisibility' Is like the surface of the sun obscured by passing
clouds. To realize that nothing is knowable but to retain the concept
of 'unknowability' May be likened to a clear sky disfigured by a
lightning
flash. To let these arbitrary concepts rise spontaneously in your mind
Indicates that you have misidentified the Essence of Mind, and that you
have not yet found the skillful means to realize it. If you realize for
one moment that these arbitrary concepts are wrong, Your own spiritual
light will shine forth permanently.
Having heard this Chih Ch'ang at once felt that his mind was
enlightened.
Thereupon, he submitted the following stanza to the Patriarch:
To allow the concepts of invisibility and unknowability to rise in the
mind Is to seek Bodhi without freeing oneself from the concepts of
phenomena. He who is puffed up by the slightest impression, 'I am now
enlightened,' Is no better than he was when under delusion. Had I not
put myself at the feet of the Patriarch I should have been bewildered
without knowing the right way to go.
One day, Chih Ch'ang asked the Patriarch, "Buddha preached the doctrine
of 'Three Vehicles' and also that of a 'Supreme Vehicle'.
As I do not understand this, will you please explain?" The Patriarch
replied, "(In trying to understand these), you should introspect your
own mind and act independently of things and phenomena. The distinction
of these four vehicles does not exist in the Dharma itself but in the
differentiation of people's minds. To see, to hear, and to recite the
sutra is the small vehicle.
To know the Dharma and to understand its meaning is the middle vehicle.
To put the Dharma into actual practice is the great vehicle. To
understand thoroughly all Dharmas, to have absorbed them completely, to
be free from all attachments, to be above phenomena, and to be in
possession
of nothing, is the Supreme Vehicle. "Since the word 'yana' (vehicle)
implies 'motion' (i.e., putting into practice), argument on this point
is quite unnecessary. All depends on self-practice, so you need not ask
me any more. (But I may remind you that) at all times the Essence of
Mind
is in a state of 'Thusness'." Chih Ch'ang made obeisance and thanked
the Patriarch.
Henceforth, he acted as his attendant until the death of the Master.
Bhikkhu Chih Tao, a native of Nan Hai of Kwang Tung, came to the
Patriarch for instruction, saying, "Since I joined the Order I have
read the Maha Parinirvana Sutra for more than ten years, but I have not
yet grasped its main idea. Will you please teach me?" "Which part of it
do you not understand?" asked the Patriarch. "It is about this part,
Sir, that I am doubtful: 'All things are impermanent, and so they
belong to the Dharma of becoming and cessation (i.e., Samskrita
Dharma). When both becoming and cessation cease to operate, the bliss
of perfect rest and cessation of changes (i.e., Nirvana) arises.'"
"What makes you doubt?" asked the Patriarch. "All beings have two
bodies - the physical body
and the Dharmakaya," replied Chih Tao. "The former is impermanent; it
exists and dies. The latter is permanent; it knows not and feels not.
Now the Sutra says, 'When both becoming and cessation cease to operate,
the bliss of perfect rest and cessation of changes arises.' I do not
know
which body ceases to exist and which body enjoys the bliss. It cannot
be the physical body that enjoys, because when it dies the four
material
elements (i.e., earth, water, fire and air) will disintegrate, and
disintegration
is pure suffering, the very opposite of bliss. If it is the Dharmakaya
that ceases to exist, it would be in the same state as 'inanimate'
objects,
such as grass, trees, stones etc.; who will then be the enjoyer?
"Moreover,
Dharma-nature is the quintessence of 'becoming and cessation', which
manifests
as the five skandhas (rupa, vedana, samjna, samskara and vijnana). That
is to say, with one quintessence there are five functions. The process
of 'becoming and cessation' is everlasting. When function or operation
arises from the quintessence, it becomes; when the operation or
function
is absorbed back into the quintessence, it ceases to exist. If
reincarnation
is admitted, there would be no 'cessation of changes', as in the case
of
sentient beings. If reincarnation is out of the question, then things
will
remain forever in a state of lifeless quintessence, like inanimate
objects.
If this is so, then under the limitations and restrictions of Nirvana
even
existence will be impossible to all beings; what enjoyment could there
be?" "You are a son of Buddha, (a bhikkhu)," said the Patriarch, "so
why do
you adopt the fallacious views of Eternalism and Annihilationism held
by
the heretics, and criticize the teaching of the Supreme Vehicle? "Your
argument implies that apart from the physical body there is a Law body
(Dharmakaya); and that 'perfect rest' and 'cessation of changes' may be
sought apart from 'becoming and cessation'.
Further, from the statement, 'Nirvana is everlasting joy,' you infer
that there must be somebody to play the part of the enjoyer.
"Now it is exactly these fallacious views that make people crave for
sensate existence and indulge in worldly pleasure. It is for these
people,
the victims of ignorance, who identify the union of five skandhas as
the
'self', and regard all other things as 'not-self' (literally, outer
sense
objects); who crave for individual existence and have an aversion to
death; who drift about in the whirlpool of life and death without
realizing
the hollowness of mundane existence, which is only a dream or an
illusion;
who commit themselves to unnecessary suffering by binding themselves to
the wheel of re-birth; who mistake the state of everlasting joy of
Nirvana
for a mode of suffering, and who are always after sensual pleasure; it
is for these people that the compassionate Buddha preached the real
bliss
of Nirvana. "At any one moment, Nirvana has neither the phenomenon of
becoming,
nor that of cessation, nor even the ceasing of operation of becoming
and
cessation. It is the manifestation of 'perfect rest and cessation of
changes',
but at the time of manifestation there is not even a concept of
manifestation;
so it is called the 'everlasting joy' which has neither enjoyer nor
non-enjoyer.
"There is no such thing as 'one quintessence and five functions' (as
you
allege), and you are slandering Buddha and blaspheming the Law when you
state that under such limitation and restriction of Nirvana existence
is
impossible to all beings. Listen to my stanza:
The Supreme Maha Parinirvana Is perfect, permanent, calm, and
illuminating. Ignorant people miscall it death, While heretics hold
that it is annihilation. Those who belong to the Sravaka Vehicle or the
Pratyeka Buddha Vehicle Regard it as 'Non-action'. All these are mere
intellectual speculations, And form the basis of the sixty-two
fallacious
views. Since they are mere fictitious names invented for the occasion
They have nothing to do with the Absolute Truth. Only those of
super-eminent
mind Can understand thoroughly what Nirvana is, and take up the
attitude
of neither attachment nor indifference towards it. They know that five
skandhas And the so-called 'ego' arising from the union of these
skandhas,
Together with all external objects and forms And the various phenomena
of sound and voice Are equally unreal, like a dream or an illusion.
They
make no discrimination between a sage and an ordinary man. Nor do they
have any arbitrary concept on Nirvana. They are above 'affirmation' and
'negation' and they break the barrier of the past, the present, and the
future. They use their sense organs, when occasion requires, But the
concept
of 'using' does not arise.
Even during the cataclysmic fire at the end of a kalpa, when
ocean-beds are burnt dry, Or during the blowing of the catastrophic
wind when one mountain topples on another, The real and everlasting
bliss of 'perfect rest' and 'cessation of changes' Of Nirvana remains
in the same state and changes not. Here I am trying to describe to you
something which is ineffable So that you may get rid of your fallacious
views. But if you do not interpret my words literally You may perhaps
learn a wee bit of the meaning of Nirvana! Having heard this stanza,
Chih
Tao was highly enlightened. In a rapturous mood, he made obeisance and
departed.
Bhikkhu Hsing Ssu, a Dhyana Master, was born at An Cheng of Chi Chou of
a Liu family. Upon hearing that the preaching of the Patriarch had
enlightened a great number of people, he at once came to Ts'ao Ch'i to
tender him homage, and ask him this question: "What should a learner
direct his mind to, so that his attainment cannot be rated by the
(usual) 'stages of progress'?" "What work have you been doing?" asked
the Patriarch. "Even the Noble Truths taught by various Buddhas I have
not anything to do with," replied Hsing Ssu. "What stage of progress
are you in?" asked the Patriarch.
"What stage of progress can there be, when I refuse to have anything to
do with even the Noble Truths?" he retorted. His repartee commanded the
great respect of the Patriarch who made him leader of the assembly. One
day the Patriarch told him that he should propagate the Law in his
own district, so that the teaching might not come to an end. Thereupon
he returned to Ch'ing Yuan Mountain in his native district. The Dharma
having been transmitted to him, he spread it widely and thus
perpetuated
the teaching of his Master.
Upon his death, the posthumous title 'Dhyana Master Hung Chi' was
conferred on him.
Bhikkhu Huai Jang, a Dhyana Master, was born of a Tu family in Chin
Chou. Upon his first visit to 'National Teacher' Hui An of Sung-Shan
Mountain, he was directed by the latter to go to Ts'ao Ch'i to
interview the Patriarch. Upon his arrival, and after the usual
salutation, he was asked by the Patriarch whence he came. "From Sung
Shan," replied he.
"What thing is it (that comes)? How did it come?" asked the Patriarch.
"To say that it is similar to a certain thing is wrong," he retorted.
"Is
it attainable by training?" asked the Patriarch. "It is not impossible
to attain it by training; but it is quite impossible to pollute it," he
replied. Thereupon, the Patriarch exclaimed, "It is exactly this
unpolluted thing
that all Buddhas take good care of. It is so for you, and it is so for
me as well. Patriarch Prajnatara of India foretold that under your feet
a colt would rush forth and trample on the people of the whole world. I
need not interpret this oracle too soon, as the answer should be found
within your mind."
Being thereby enlightened, Huai Jang realized intuitively what the
Patriarch had said. Henceforth, he became his attendant for a period of
fifteen years; and day by day his knowledge of Buddhism got deeper and
deeper.
Afterwards, he made his home in Nan Yueh where he spread widely the
teaching of the Patriarch. Upon his death, the posthumous title,
"Dhyana Master Ta Hui (Great Wisdom) was conferred on him by imperial
edict.
Dhyana Master Hsuan Chiao of Yung Chia was born of a Tai family in
Wenchow. As a youth, he studied sutras and shastras and was well-versed
in the teaching of samatha (inhibition or quietude) and vipasyana
(contemplation or discernment) of the T'ien T'ai School. Through the
reading of the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra he realized intuitively the
mystery of his own mind. A disciple of the Patriarch by the name of
Hsuan Ts'e happened to pay him a visit. During the course of a long
discussion, HsuanTs'e noticed that the utterance of his friend agreed
virtually with the sayings of the various Patriarchs. Thereupon he
asked, "May I know the name of your teacher who transmitted the Dharma
to you?" "I had teachers to instruct me," replied Hsuan Chiao, "when I
studied the sutras and the shastras of the vaipulya section. But
afterwards it was through the reading of the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra
that I realized the significance of the Buddhacitta (the
Buddha Mind); and I have not yet had any teacher to verify and confirm
my
knowledge." "Before the time of Bhisma Garjitasvara Raja Buddha,"
HsuanTs'e remarked, "it was possible (to dispense with the service of a
teacher); but
since that time, he who attains enlightenment without the aid and the
confirmation
of a teacher is a natural heretic." "Will you, Sir, kindly act as my
testifier,"
asked Hsuan Chiao. "My words carry no weight," replied his friend, "but
in Ts'ao Ch'i there is the Sixth Patriarch, to whom visitors in great
numbers
come from all directions with the common object of having the Dharma
transmitted
to them. Should you wish to go there, I shall be pleased to accompany
you." In due course they arrived at Ts'ao Ch'i and interviewed the
Patriarch.
Having circumambulated the Patriarch thrice, Hsuan Chiao stood still
(i.e.,
without making obeisance to the Master) with the Buddhist staff in his
hand. The Patriarch remarked: "As a Buddhist monk is the embodiment of
three thousand moral precepts and eighty thousand minor disciplinary
rules,
I wonder where you come from and what makes you so conceited." "The
question
of incessant rebirths is a momentous one," replied he, "and as death
may
come at any moment (I have no time to waste on ceremony)." "Why do you
not
realize the principle of 'birthlessness', and thus solve the problem of
transiency in life?" the Patriarch retorted.
Thereupon Hsuan Chiao remarked, "To realize the Essence of
Mind is to be free from rebirths; and once this problem is solved, the
question of transiency no longer exists." "That is so, that is so," the
Patriarch agreed. At this stage, Hsuan Chiao gave in and made obeisance
in full ceremony. After a short while he bid the Patriarch adieu. "You
are going away too quickly, aren't you?" asked the Patriarch.
"How can there be 'quickness' when motion intrinsically exists not?" he
retorted. "Who knows that motion exists not?" asked the Patriarch. "I
hope you, Sir, will not particularize," he observed. The Patriarch
commended him for his thorough grasp of the notion of 'birthlessness';
but Hsuan Chiao remarked, "Is there a 'notion' in 'birthlessness'?"
"Without
a notion, who can particularize?" asked the Patriarch in turn. "That
which
particularizes is not a notion," replied Hsuan Chiao. "Well said!"
exclaimed
the Patriarch. He then asked Hsuan Chiao to delay his departure and
spend
a night there.
Henceforth HsuanChiao was known to his contemporaries as the
'enlightened one who had spent a night with the Patriarch'. Afterwards,
he wrote the famous work, 'A Song on Spiritual Attainment', which
circulates
widely. His posthumous title is 'Grand Master Wu Hsiang' (He who is
above
form or phenomena), and he was also called by his contemporaries
'Dhyana
Master Chen Chiao' (He who is really enlightened).
Bhikkhu Chih Huang, a follower of the Dhyana School, after his
consultation with the Fifth Patriarch (as to the progress of his work)
considered himself as having attained samadhi. For twenty years he
confined himself in a small temple and kept up the position all the
time. Hsuan Ts'e, a disciple of the Sixth Patriarch on a meditation
journey to the
northern bank of Huang Ho, heard about him and called at his temple.
"What
are you doing here?" asked Hsuan Ts'e. "I am abiding in samadhi,"
replied
his friend, Chih Huang. "Abiding in samadhi, did you say?" observed
Hsuan
Ts'e. "I wish to know whether you are doing it consciously or
unconsciously.
For if you are doing it unconsciously, it would mean that it is
possible
for all inanimate objects such as earthenware, stones, trees, and
weeds,
to attain samadhi. On the other hand, if you are doing it consciously,
than all animate objects or sentient beings would be in samadhi also."
"When I am in samadhi," observed Chih Huang, "I know neither
consciousness
nor unconsciousness." "If that is the case," said Hsuan Ts'e, "it is
perpetual samadhi; in which state there is neither abiding nor leaving.
That state which you can abide in or leave off is not the great
Samadhi." Chih Huang was dumbfounded. After a long while, he asked,
"May I know who is your teacher?" "My teacher is the Sixth Patriarch of
Ts'ao Ch'i," replied Hsuan Ts'e.
"How does he define dhyana and samadhi?" Chih Huang asked.
"According to his teaching," replied Hsuan Ts'e, "the Dharmakaya is
perfect and serene; its quintessence and its function are in a state of
Thusness. The five skandhas are intrinsically void and the six
sense-objects are nonexistent. There is neither abiding nor leaving in
samadhi. There is neither quietude nor perturbation. The nature of
dhyana is non-abiding, so we should get above the state of 'abiding in
the calmness of dhyana'. The nature of dhyana is uncreative, so we
should get above the notion of 'creating a state of dhyana'. The state
of the mind may be likened unto space, but (it is infinite) and so it
is without the limitations of the
latter." Having heard this, Chih Huang went immediately to Ts'ao Ch'i
to
interview the Patriarch. Upon being asked whence he came, he told the
Patriarch
in detail the conversation he had had with Hsuan Ts'e. "What Hsuan Ts'e
said is quite right," said the Patriarch. Let your mind be in a state
such
as that of the illimitable void, but do not attach it to the idea of
'vacuity'. Let it function freely. Whether you are in activity or at
rest, let your mind abide nowhere. Forget the discrimination between a
sage and an ordinary man. Ignore the distinction of subject and object.
Let the Essence of Mind and all phenomenal objects be in a state of
Thusness. Then you will be in samadhi all the time." Chih Huang was
thereby fully enlightened.
What he had considered for the past twenty years as an attainment now
vanished. On that night inhabitants of Ho Pei (the northern bank of the
Yellow
River) heard a voice in the air to the effect that Dhyana Master Chih
Huang had on that day gained enlightenment. Some time after Chih Huang
bid the Patriarch adieu and returned to Ho Pei, where he taught a great
number of men and women, monks as well as the laity.
A Bhikkhu once asked the Patriarch what sort of man could obtain the
keynote of the teaching of Huang Mei. "He who understands the Buddha
Dharma can get it," replied the Patriarch. "Have you, Sir, got it
then?" asked the Bhikkhu. "I do not understand the Buddha Dharma," was
his reply.
One day the Patriarch wanted to wash the robe which he had inherited,
but could find no good stream for the purpose. Thereupon he walked to a
place about five miles from the rear of the monastery, where he noticed
that plants and trees grew profusely and the environment gave an air
of good omen. He shook his staff (which makes a tinkling noise, as
rings are attached to the top of it) and stuck it in the ground.
Immediately water spurted out and before long a pool was formed. While
he was kneeling down on a rock to wash the robe, a bhikkhu suddenly
appeared before him and tendered him homage.
"My name is Fang Pien," said he, "and I am a native of Szechuan. When I
was in South India I met Patriarch Bodhidharma, who instructed me to
return to China.
'The Womb of the Orthodox Dharma,' said he, 'together with the robe
which I inherited from Mahakasyapa have now been transmitted to the
Sixth Patriarch, who is now in Ts'ao Ch'i of Shao Chou. Go there to
have a look at them and to pay your respect to the Patriarch.' After a
long voyage, I have arrived. May I see the robe and begging bowl you
inherited?" Having shown him the two relics, the Patriarch asked him
what line of work he was taking up. "I am pretty good at sculptural
work," replied he. "Let me see some of your work then," demanded the
Patriarch. Fang Pien was confounded at the time, but after a few days
he was able to complete a life-like statue of the Patriarch, about
seven inches high, a masterpiece of sculpture. (Upon seeing the
statue), the Patriarch laughed and said to Fang Pien, "You know
something about the nature of sculptural work, but you do not seem to
know the nature of Buddha." He then put his hand on Fang Pien's head
(the Buddhist way of blessing) and declared, "You shall forever be a
'field of merit' for human and celestial beings." In addition, the
Patriarch rewarded his service with a robe, which Fang Pien divided
into three parts, one for dressing the statue, one for himself, and one
for burying in the ground after covering it up with palm leaves. (When
the burial took place) he took a vow to the effect that by the time the
robe was exhumed he would be reincarnated as the abbot of the
monastery, and also that he would undertake to renovate the shrine and
the building.
Abhikkhu quoted the following stanza composed by Dhyana MasterWo Lun:
Wo Lun has ways and means To insulate the mind from all thoughts. When
circumstances do not react on the mind The Bodhi tree will grow
steadily.
Hearing this, the Patriarch said, "This stanza indicates that
the composer of it has not yet fully realized the Essence of Mind.
To put its teaching into practice (would gain no liberation), but bind
oneself more tightly." Thereupon, he showed the Bhikkhu the following
stanza of his own:
Hui Neng has no ways and means to insulate the mind from all thoughts.
Circumstances often react on my mind, And I wonder how can the Bodhi
tree grow?
Chapter 3. Questions and Answers
Chapter 7. Temperament and Circumstances
