SUTRA SPOKEN BY THE SIXTH PATRIARCH
ON THE HIGH SEAT OF "THE TREASURE OF THE LAW"
Translated by A.F.Price and Wong
Mou-Lam
---o0o---
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 skilful 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 travelled 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 mis-identified the Essence of Mind, and that you have
not yet found the skilful 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, Hsuan Ts'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," Hsuan Ts'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 Hsuan Chiao 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
non-existent. 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.
A bhikkhu quoted the following stanza composed by Dhyana Master Wo 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?
---o0o---
| Content -
The Treasure of Law Sutra |
---o0o---
Update: 01-12-2001
