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Source: pramana-mt · Machine translation by Gemini 3.8 Flash (2026-10-21) of in.bauddha.taisho.1896 · Machine output without human authorship: no copyright is claimed (CC0 1.0). The original text keeps its own…

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2 — 101 parts

Text

1.1

Composed by the śramaṇa Shi Daoxuan at Ximing Monastery in the capital, in the first year of the Longshuo era of the Great Tang.

1. The Origin of Reverence and the Arising of the Teaching (Meaning that at the beginning of the Buddha's transforming guidance, etiquette and rites were not yet known; the sacred Dharma, seizing the opportune time, enacted this practice of audience and reverence. Therefore, sincere teachings are cited extensively to serve as the foremost fundamental principle of faith, in the hope that none will be deluded about the pedagogical instruction.)

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2. Rescuing the Times and Protecting the Dharma (Meaning that the faculties of people in this decadent age are dull, and without reverence [the Dharma] cannot be propagated; hence to rescue the capacities of the times, comprehensive training must be far-reaching. This causes them to vie in following along, superiors and inferiors respecting one another, so that with social relations unconfused, the Three Jewels will thereby flourish.)

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3. Establishing Rites in Accordance with Capacities (Meaning that the times encompass the corrupt and the pure, and inclinations are divided into the sharp and the dull, leading the founders of the teachings to establish divergent paths of allowance and restraint: either that the merits of that Buddha are exalted and calling his name eradicates sin foremost, or that this realm is originally pure and the two karmas can be illuminated, and so forth.)

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4. Undertaking Practices in Accordance with the Mind (Meaning that while phenomena have not yet perished, their practical application is based on the mind; duties are assigned according to conditions, and their branches and streams must be known. Because the mind permeates the three natures while phenomena are defiled by the six dusts, when sin arises from merit, one remains ignorant of the practice of the Way.)

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5. Grounding the Ultimate and the Conventional in Conditions (Meaning that the Dharma accommodates the provisional path, inclinations conform to karmic principles, and mind and bodily form occupy two positions, like the dual fish-traps pointing toward the moon. Or, through the shallow estimation of the vulgar world, failing to recognize one's proper measure, one rashly attempts to enter the ultimate, which truly amounts to sinking into the conventional.)

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6. Citing the Teachings and Verifying the Traces (Meaning that in the Degenerate Dharma faculties are dull, and many are bound by inborn habits, so that sacred words must be cited as authoritative teaching. Now, by using the four reliances to examine practice and the four seals to verify and illuminate, one avoids involvement in superficial talk, and simulated fraud is thereby severed.)

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7. Structuring Periods of Practice (Meaning that the mind's actions have gradations, and diligence and indolence are inconstant; hence rules are established to inspect the mind, dividing time to spur practice. Thus we know that overcoming thoughts to cultivate holiness finds its true home in these words; otherwise, adrift and drowning, one reverts to being as in beginningless time.)

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8. Orderly Dignified Deportment (Meaning that the marks of reverence manifest the mind, and sincere devotion exerts its influence. Now one must cite sincere teachings to list appearances and rites in full; then deportment will be as if in deep reflection, and words will be calm and steady. If one does not regulate by the Dharma's plumb line, one will have nowhere to put one's hands and feet.)

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9. Functional Efficacy and Sympathetic Resonances (Meaning that karma is accomplished through practice, and efficacy arises from the mind; when the mind harbors defilement or purity, karma is likewise real or false. Because conceptions and views are not yet clear, and good and evil are intertwined, if conditions and retribution are not revealed, delusion and stagnation will be difficult to clarify.)

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10. Evaluating Capacities and Setting Forth Traces (Meaning that listening to words and observing deeds are rarely followed by the worldly; hence regulations are established to purify the path of the mind.)

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Chapter One: The Origin of Reverence and the Arising of the Teaching (Meaning that in establishing the origin of reverence, without correct faith it will not be propagated; without faith reverence will certainly not arise, and where there is reverence one must first harbor faith. The chapter clarifies faith as the foundation, because reverence arises subsequently.)

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The preface states: Ever since the beneficial manifestation of the Dharma King, quiet contemplation has necessarily come first. Thus a treatise says: “In what place, at what time, and by whom was this view aroused? Because the Buddha completely severed all views.” This text serves as fine evidence. However, when habitual perfuming has lasted long, there is no way to realize an accord. One must establish reverence and institute rites to open the method of the foremost principle of faith; accommodating sentiments and regulating outward marks, one reveals the efficacy of successful transformation. Only then, with uttermost devotion and broken bones, knowing the supreme veneration of the universe, one's reverence exceeds that toward blood relatives; (For parents give birth to the physical body, whose repayment of kindness lies in a single lifetime; the Buddha arouses the dharmakāya, whose distant compensation extends through repeated eons. Either his merit is so exalted that it is difficult to reward, his virtue so deep that it cannot be adequately thanked, or his wisdom is so profound and his benefit so generous that it is beyond any compensation.) and understanding the far-reaching greatness of the teachings and their meaning, the Way surpasses ordinary delusion. (For the Seven Summaries cover the contemporary age with policies for establishing one's person and state, yet one remains submerged within the three realms of existence; whereas the principle upheld by the eight treasuries, the Dharma that eradicates emptiness and severs existence, utterly transcends the nine abodes.)

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Observing this, one recognizes the two paths of physical form and mind, the twin tracks of phenomena and principle: Physical form is bound to worldly habits, constantly entangled in the aggregates of suffering; hence it must be subdued so as to take refuge, dissecting and analyzing, to contemplate its arrogance and delusion. The mind is confined by erroneous inversions, which consist in taking what is born as permanent; hence one must mirror arising and ceasing to discipline it, reflecting and recollecting, to know its false attachments. One deeply considers that the four mountains constantly oppress us, and unless observed moment to moment, one does not know how keenly they press upon the body; the eight inversions intertwine, and unless observed anew at each moment, one does not understand how to regulate the mind. Therefore, dissecting and analyzing to quiet arrogance and delusion is not what those who have severed craving rejoice in; reflecting and recollecting to weary of false attachments is what ordinary beings turn their backs on. One must surely grasp the sincere teachings and rectify and verify them through the Dharma; then the born body will not be abandoned in vain to the lower dust, and the non-conscious will not be born in vain into higher destinies.

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I venture to preface these principles, citing texts to verify them.

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A Hīnayāna treatise says: “Reverence takes modesty as its essence. Because my own virtue is slight and the objective realm before me is exalted, I therefore practice reverence.” Nowadays, conversely, people lack modesty and feel no shame, which is deeply laughable.

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A Mahāyāna treatise says: “Due to faith and wisdom, one reveres that [object]. Because of faith one is not heterodox; because of wisdom one gives rise to reverence.” Therefore, citing sincere teachings: faith, wisdom, and modesty are indeed the roots of reverence.

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The Benqi Jing states: “When the Buddha first descended and was born, he walked around to the ten directions, raised his finger to point to heaven and earth, and said: ‘Above the heavens and beneath the heavens, I alone am the most honored. (Because the ninety-six non-Buddhist schools esteemed by the worldly were called great sages and Teachers of Gods and Humans; in order to sever heterodoxy and return to the correct, he manifested this sign: the Buddha alone is the most honored, and all the rest are heterodox paths. Since he is called venerable and solemn, taking refuge in him and propagating and protecting [his teaching] cannot be accomplished without faith and reverence.) The three realms are all suffering; there is nothing pleasurable.’” (Sentient beings of the three realms have the three sufferings converging upon them, yet they have no thought of wearying of or turning away from them, and their greedy attachment grows ever deeper; hence he uttered these words to cause them to give rise to revulsion. Having revulsion toward the body of suffering causes them to contemplate the root of suffering; observing and comprehending that karma and delusion are deeply the causes of suffering, by not drowning in various views they attain liberation; whereas others abandon suffering with suffering, long submerged in suffering.)

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This single sūtra constitutes the root of taking refuge and veneration, and determines the fundamental principle of upholding faith. In principle, one must rely upon and attach oneself to it in order to ascend to lofty and distant destinies. Thus a treatise says: “Taking refuge is a term of turning around.” This is because formerly one turned one's back on the correct to follow heterodoxy, wandering through the destinies of rebirth; now that the Buddha has appeared in the world, uttering the words of supreme honor, one immediately turns around that heterodox mind and changes to follow the correct path. Thereupon, the method of refuge was established, with gradations of five ranks, beginning with the first abandonment of the secular and culminating in the pinnacle of entering the Way, all taking refuge in the Three Jewels as the trace of a teacher for the mind. The one taken as teacher is ultimate, and what is done is great (meaning that initially one complies with one's body, and ultimately one eliminates delusions of the mind); how can one be arrogant, with an attitude lacking all awe and dread? How much worse to add slander and calumny, spreading rumors through the vulgar world, sinking oneself into the ocean of suffering with no hope of deliverance! Furthermore, this causes evil habits of body and mind to increase more and more from moment to moment; it also causes dignified deportment to lose its measure, constantly binding karma. The metaphor of the upturned vessel is as evident as dust and dew before one's eyes; the false pretense of catching mice arises incessantly in one's breast. How can one not take warning? How can one not take warning?

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Furthermore, according to the Sūtra of the Buddha Meeting King Bimbisāra: “The Tathāgata achieved awakening at Mount Gayā, and after converting Kāśyapa, remembered that King Bimbisāra had formerly made an earlier invitation, and led his assembly of disciples to set out for that kingdom. When the king, his gentlemen, and the śramaṇas (also called sangmen or shamenna, which are all fine titles for Daoist-ascetics in India and ordinary designations in worldly usage; they also refer to practitioners of pure conduct in that country, translated here as ‘pure-willed’, designating them by their meaning) first heard that the Buddha had arrived, all went far out to welcome him. Not knowing how to show etiquette and reverence, some bowed at his feet and sat down, some raised their hands to inquire after him and sat down, some announced their names, some crossed their hands and joined their palms, and some sat in silence. All doubted whether Kāśyapa was the long-standing former master and now, having come following the Buddha, did not know who was the one relied upon. Kāśyapa, knowing this and wishing to resolve the assembly's doubts, ascended into the sky and came down, bowed reverently at the Buddha's feet, stroked them with his hands, kissed them with his mouth, and said himself: ‘The Buddha is my master, and I am the Buddha's disciple.’ He also held a fan and fanned behind the Buddha.”

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This second sūtra clarifies the first sprouting of the correct etiquette of etiquette and reverence. Where the text is incomplete, what exists is spoken of. Stroking with the hands and kissing with the mouth represent the utmost of cherish and respect, which could not be contained. Distant reverence begins at the lowest place, and therefore starts at the feet. As for the rest, announcing names and displaying outward marks to resolve the doubts of those who were uncertain, these were not correct reverence.

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The Da zhidu lun says: “Because non-Buddhists belong to another teaching, when they arrive they sit of their own accord. Because white-robed laity follow the etiquette of guests, they are told to sit. As for all the five groups of renunciants, because their bodies and minds belong to the Buddha, they stand and do not sit. If they are arhats who have attained the Way, such as Śāriputra and others, they all sit to listen to the Dharma. Those of the three fruits and below are not permitted to sit at all, because what had to be done is not yet accomplished and the thieves of the defilements are not yet destroyed.”

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This third text clarifies the ranks of status and the marks of reverence. Nowadays, there are those who sit comfortably before the statues without any attitude of reverence and deference; this can truly be called receiving blame for no reason, destroying body and mind in vain. If those of the three fruits above still stood, how much more so base ordinary beings? Sitting while the statue stands is all the more irreverent; comparing this to lords and fathers of today, one may draw an analogy. Hence we know that circumambulating, walking, and standing are practiced for the sake of reverence; how can one foster arrogance, so that bowing and repenting incurs sin? These words are easy, but facing the occasion is difficult! Always hold this resolve in mind, striving to suppress and restrain oneself, before reform is possible. Otherwise, though one reads it, there is no remedy; constantly practice reflecting on this and pondering it.

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Therefore the Ekottarika Āgama states: “Those who lack a reverent mind toward the Buddha will be born among dragons and snakes. Because in the past they came from among them, they still lack reverence in the present, being much given to sleep, delusion, and the like; this serves as fine evidence.” The Dabeijing says: “When the Buddha in the past was practicing the bodhisattva path, whenever he saw the relics, stupas, or statues of the Three Jewels, his teachers and monks, parents, elders and virtuous friends, non-Buddhists, rṣis, śramaṇas, and brahmins, he never failed to bow deeply, behaving humbly, reverently, and deferentially. As a retribution for this, ever since he became a Buddha, mountains, forests, humans, and beasts have never failed to bow down and pay reverent homage to the Buddha.”

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This fourth text clarifies the underlying causes of paying reverence. It is just as the secular Book of Rites says: “In all things let there be reverence; deport oneself as if in deep reflection; speak with calm and steady words; arrogance must not be allowed to grow; desires must not be indulged; ambitions must not be completely satisfied.”

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Relying on the sūtras, vinaya, and treatises, the rites of reverence are clarified. The Buddha addressed the bhikṣus: “When you show reverence to one another, welcoming and inquiring after each other, where should it begin?” The bhikṣus addressed the Buddha, each stating his view. Some spoke of great clans and noble lineages, some spoke of those with high and penetrating spiritual wisdom, some spoke of the Buddha's own kinsmen, and some spoke of those whose attainment of the Way had reached the sacred fruits, citing various factors.

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The Buddha said: “What you have said all fosters arrogance and is not worthy of regard. You should accord with the Dharma's admonitions and circulate them in the world; when you show mutual reverence within my Dharma and Vinaya, the Buddha-Dharma will be able to circulate. The rites of reverence are four: the religious do not bow to the secular, which is the first; monks do not bow to nuns, which is the second; those who maintain the precepts do not bow to those who break the precepts, which is the third; those who were ordained earlier do not bow to those who were ordained later, which is the fourth. As for the rest among the five groups, though their presence or absence differs, they all establish reverence according to the order of their monastic seniority.”

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He therefore cited an ancient story: In the past, a partridge, a monkey, and a great elephant lived together in the same forest as friends. They said to one another, "Those who are elder and senior should by propriety be sustained with offerings. How can we live together without knowing ritual respect?" The elephant said, "I saw this tree when its growth only reached up to my belly." The monkey said, "I once squatted on the ground and pulled down the top of the tree with my hand." The bird said, "In a distant forest I ate a fruit of this tree, dropped it out [in my droppings], and it sprouted; I must be the eldest." At once the great elephant carried the monkey on its back, the bird perched atop the monkey, and they traveled all around, whereupon they spoke a verse: / "Those who revere the elderly— / Such people can protect the Dharma, / Gaining renown in the present life, / And being born in the good destinies in the future." / Thereupon people all emulated them, and universally practiced ritual respect. All wise people grasp the meaning through metaphor. A sūtra says: "Revere stūpas and temples, / Humble yourself before all monks, / Stay far from a haughty mind, / And constantly contemplate wisdom." It also says: "If one has wisdom, there is no greed or attachment. If one is now greedy and haughty, accompanied by attachments, then such folly is unsurpassable."

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Chapter 2: Rescuing the Age and Protecting the Dharma (This means that to protect, maintain, and rescue living beings, unless through the Three Jewels, it cannot flourish.)

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The preface states: Setting up images to represent the true is a constant norm of worldly custom; pointing the finger to trap the moon is the ordinary rule of the transcendent path. Yet because of deluded thoughts and inverted passions, perpetuating ingrained habits, they never consider reforming and changing, but drift and sink along with their karma. Therefore a sūtra says: "Practicing good is like climbing up: those who rise cleanly are like the soil on a fingernail; doing evil is like a landslide: those who sink and stagnate are like the earth of the great ground." These words here are truly the utmost admonition. How is this known? It is only that the mountain of pride rises high above, looking down upon people and things; the room of the ego is shrouded on all four sides, harboring views and craving. When there is pride, there is no reality of receiving the Dharma, as the sūtra clarifies with the metaphor of a guest like an overturned vessel; the ego has the function of harboring attachments, as the treatise reveals with the meaning of taking in smoke. When the vessel is turned upward, no thought is not subdued, and once subdued, the root of pride is surely uprooted; when the room is destroyed, one returns to the great void, and where can views and craving find ground to take shape? The principle naturally holds thus. To turn one's back on this is not to be an ordinary person, and the conduct of practical matters will be accomplished; to depart from this belongs to the noble ones, whose roamings and strides adapt to converting beings. Thus it is.

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However, trapped in delusion for long kalpas, there were people who withdrew from their seats even in the Buddha's era; failing to know their own measure, the decadent times abound with scholars who treat life lightly. All these belong to the company of the unthinking. One should know that our body belongs to other conditions, darkly unaware of whence it came; our spirit belongs to delusion and karma, rushing along without divining what kind of mind it is. A sūtra says: "Life is like a lamp in the wind: / One knows not the moment it will be extinguished. / Today follows another today, / Without realizing the arrival of death. / Darkly following karmic conditions, / One knows not in what path one will be born." These are supreme words. Yet trivial affairs never disturb their concerns—alas, how sorrowful!

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Furthermore, although there are three equal types of wisdom, my own is the same as the wisdom of oxen and sheep; the transcendent path is unique, but oxen and sheep are different from me and not of my kind. When humans do not practice the conditions of the path, they are again identical to beasts; the retribution of the beast realm is heavy, obstinate, and dense, and the Dharma is not what they can hear. Now that our form is light and clear, and the conscious mind is alert and capable, we weary of the toilsome births in past kalpas, and rejoice in breaking free from the net in the future. Surely we should erect images to manifest deportment, prostrating in reverence while throwing down our gathering of dust; relying on conditions to look upward in reverence, washing away the afflictions and burdens from our renewed mind. Then our feelings will differ from oxen and sheep, mounting bright wisdom to propagate the path; though our bodies are like wood and stone, they rely on carving and polishing to become vessels. Can it be otherwise? Can it be otherwise?

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When a rat enters a horn, it reaches an absolute dead end—whither else could it turn? Names invoke words to reveal reality—the principle reaches its ultimate here. How much more so when the five defilements crisscross and the four mountains constantly oppress us—can one who remains complacently resigned to worldly affairs still be charmed by dim confusion? Therefore, the Great Sage, knowing the proper time, broadly converted and skillfully guided: he established the correct Three Jewels to guide that to which defiled consciousness takes refuge; he opened and illuminated the four seals to show confused beings how to be free from darkness. Surely, that the Dharma can abide for ten thousand years is a benefit due to the merit of taking refuge and veneration; that the spirit ascends to the Four Heavens certainly relies on the power of transmitting and propagating. As set forth at length in the sūtras of loving-kindness, how could this be an empty fabrication?

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The original intention of this present composition is to assist the initial mindset of later learners; it provides detailed guidance in naming the substance of merits, which is not what earlier worthies needed to ponder beforehand. One must indeed take pains to point out clearly and lay out the characteristics, knowing that the Three Jewels possess several kinds of expedient devices, and understanding that the seven assemblies have no second teacher to aspire toward. The words are only plain and direct, and the intention lies in cultivation and practice; I trust that discerning persons will recognize this without needing elaborate literary embellishment. Thus the Buddha said: "My words do not reside in fancy ornaments; causing people to receive and understand is paramount." Daring to follow this track, I write down this preface:

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Now in this chapter, I reveal the characteristics of the Three Jewels. Characteristics arise in accordance with views, categorized into four positions according to faculties: first, the single essence; second, conditioned by principle; third, transformation characteristics; fourth, the maintaining [aspect]. Each has its name and characteristics.

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First, as for the Three Jewels of the single essence: "Single" is the name for non-duality; "essence" refers to the fundamental consciousness. It is only because the essence of mind from beginningless time is pure by nature like empty space, but adventitious defilements of deluded thoughts entrap it in delusion and subject it to contamination, that it has accompanied them down to the present day, passing through births and experiencing deaths without any means of wearying of it and awakening. Therefore a sūtra says: "All dharmas are originally empty and tranquil in nature and characteristics; sentient beings falsely calculate self and other, gain and loss, reincarnating in saṃsāra without attaining liberation." A sūtra says: "All sentient beings possess the Buddha-nature." This is our fundamental consciousness, an auspicious name for emergence from hindrances. Through delusion it is called ordinary, and upon awakening it is named noble. Therefore, like the poor woman's treasure trove or the wrestler's forehead jewel, its nature is constantly pure, existing yet unusable because it is covered by delusions and has no means to shine forth. As a sūtra says, a dense thicket conceals the jewel, and changing currents mingle various tastes, yet its fundamental nature is radiant, pure, and flawless. Therefore, earlier cultivators who heard this exerted their strength in diligent contemplation; with each passing day and renewing kalpa, they ultimately realized this virtue. And when they accomplished wondrous enlightenment, they came to rely upon the dharmakāya; this body is not newly born, but relies on conditions to be cultivated and revealed. When later learners hear this, they arouse a great aspiration to seek it: "Those [Buddhas] have gone and returned; why do I remain behind?" Following the path to advance in virtue, they too will ascend to the ultimate rank. From the past until now, this vehicle has no expedient: all have attained correct enlightenment, soaring far out of the cage, looking down to respond to the minds of all beings, arousing compassion to answer their needs. The Buddha and I are truly identical from beginningless time. Because he was awakened first, he was the first to emerge from existence; I alone have not awakened, lingering among the lowly ordinary beings. Once I reflect on this matter, how can my remorse and burning anguish be in time? If I do not cultivate now, what will future lives rely upon?

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Therefore, following and honoring the Brahmajāla Sūtra, to net the fish and dragons (the sūtra uses the metaphor that internal poisons are like dragons, hard to touch, and greedy desire is like a whale swallowing the ocean), one dons the three bodies and relies upon the three trainings. When first setting foot on the path, one first receives the lineage of precepts. The precepts fundamentally have three aspects, which are the root of the three bodies: first, the precepts of restraining deportment, which means cutting off all evil, and is the cause of the dharmakāya (because the dharmakāya is fundamentally pure and covered by evil so that it is not manifest; now cultivating detachment from evil, when the work is accomplished its virtue appears); second, the precepts of embracing wholesome dharmas, which means cultivating all goods, and is the cause of the saṃbhogakāya (because retribution is accomplished by numerous goods, and in accomplishing good nothing surpasses cessation and action; now cultivating the two goods of cessation and action, they serve as the conditions for accomplishing the retribution Buddha); third, the precepts of embracing sentient beings, which means having the mind of compassionate rescue, and is the cause of accomplishing the transformation Buddha (because the transformation Buddha is without mind, responding immediately according to stimulus; now with great compassion universally rescuing, the intention and function are equal). In relation to the Buddha there are three, with three differences according to meaning; the objects are not outside the mind, and the hundred thoughts all return here. The principle is truly like this and cannot be viewed otherwise; lest some be confused about this, I shall try to elaborate it again. However, regarding the root of merits, without precepts it cannot flourish; when one first leaves the worldly to take refuge in the path, one must first respectfully receive them. Arousing the mind according to objects, there are none that are not the three sets of precepts. For instance, in relation to a single life, when the mind harbors no evil, it embraces the restraining deportment; when there is compassion giving rise to good, it embraces wholesome dharmas; when about to rescue beings from suffering, it protects sentient beings. Since internal conditions are like this, the three Buddhas are all so; their separation and combination await the proper time, not fixed as three or one. Therefore a sūtra says: "This body of mine right now is the dharmakāya." This is the trace following the root. It also says: "Those who see me by form or voice are walking a heterodox path." This is the trace differing from the root. Therefore, when the path was accomplished in Magadha, the high mountains were illuminated first; when governance was inaugurated in the Jetavana, the lower vehicle occupied the later seats. The various teachings provide for this, serving as a comprehensive mirror; hence I first reveal the causes and conditions, and later clarify the nature and characteristics. Wishing to clarify the essential nature, words are used to convey the principle; this is not glossing over faults, but ultimately aims to reveal reality. It will cause the essential nature to be thoroughly illuminated and understood like a lamp of the mind; afterward, covered by the trap of words, one reaches the shore and abandons the raft—this will be acceptable.

1.38

As for the Three Jewels of the single essence: When the practitioner comes to know that the mind-nature is fundamentally pure and their awakening and understanding are without deviation, this is called correct enlightenment. Enlightenment is the Buddha. The nature being pure and without defilement is the Dharma; the nature being pure and without obstruction is the Saṅgha. Now, awakening to the fundamental is called initial enlightenment; the fundamental substance being truly pure is called prior enlightenment. Settling the mind like this and training the body like this, in all our actions and comportment, no thought will fail to be overcome. The worldly saying goes: "Only the madman, overcoming his thoughts, becomes a sage; only the sage, failing to heed his thoughts, becomes a madman." If those submerged worldly scholars still uttered such expansive words, how could the transcendent path conversely lack this principle? That would be utterly unacceptable.

1.39

The question asks: "Sir, in making this statement, what authority do you rely on? Thought after thought is entirely the discriminating mind, and word after word is entirely devoid of wise discernment. How can one rely on this to soar ninety thousand li in a single leap?"

1.40

The answer states: "Now, the noble path is distant and difficult to aspire to, while the pure mind is close and easy to be confused about. Building a mountain begins with a single basketful of earth; becoming a Buddha arises from the initial thought. Therefore, accomplishing a journey of ten thousand li cannot be mounted without the first step; the merit of three kalpas cannot be achieved without the initial mind. Thus we know that when a practitioner sets out, they constantly tread this mind; revelation does not come from the outside, and realization indeed arises from within. When confused, one thinks one is bowing to external objects; once awakened, one returns to bowing to one's own mind. Therefore a sūtra says: 'When the mind envisions the Buddha, this mind is the Buddha.' Focusing one's thoughts like this, one will surely be diligent; accumulating perfuming unceasingly, it will naturally become pure. Forgetting this and seeking outside, only then undertaking the practice of the path, merely toils the body and mind and ultimately amounts to worldly blessing. Therefore Śāriputra, failing to reflect, dwelt in regression and forgetfulness for kalpas; while Nanda, composing his thoughts, liberated his spirit within a single morning." The above clarifies the Three Jewels of the single essence.

1.41

Second, explaining the Three Jewels as conditioned by principle: 'Principle' refers to the ultimate principle, innately true and permanently abiding, which is none other than the substance of the mind. Spoken for the moment from the perspective of defilement, it has no beginning but has an end; merely caught in the net of delusions, it cannot transcend obstructions. Now, cutting through entanglements and fetters by means of the three trainings, once deluded karma is overturned, the mind-nature shines forth radiantly: from beginning to end its nature is pure, without beginning and without end. Established through Dharma, its characteristics are distinguished according to conditions; these characteristics are then named the fivefold dharmakāya, namely: morality, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation. The former three trainings take their names from the cause: through the protective assistance of morality, the dharmakāya is perfected as the fruit, hence it is called the 'body of morality'; concentration and wisdom are analogous to this and can be known by class. The latter two take their names sequentially from the fruit: the 'body of liberation' means that through wisdom delusions are overcome, and the locus where delusions are absent is named the body of liberation; the 'knowledge and vision of liberation' means that having emerged from entanglements and shattered obstructions, one turns back the light to contemplate the mind, hence it is called the 'body of knowledge and vision'. Only within the Buddha Dharma do the noble ones of the three vehicles possess these five parts, able to act as the great refuge for the six destinies. Therefore a treatise says: 'Taking refuge in the Buddha' refers to the fivefold dharmakāya of all-knowledge. 'Taking refuge in the Dharma' refers to the truth of cessation, nirvāṇa. 'Taking refuge in the Saṅgha' refers to the noble ones' merits of the stages of training and no-more-training, the locus where one's own body and other bodies are exhausted. That is to say, it is the locus where the delusions of self and others are extinguished and absent, hence called the 'locus of exhaustion'. Therefore a sūtra says: 'All noble persons are designated by unconditioned dharmas.' 'Unconditioned' is another name for 'untainted'. Because these Three Jewels permanently abide in the world and are not subject to the insults or contempt of worldly dharmas, they are called 'Jewels', just as worldly rare jewels are prized by living beings. Now these Three Jewels are that to which all living beings, the three vehicles, and the seven assemblies take refuge and look up with reverence; therefore it is called the correct refuge. If one lacks exclusive faith and promiscuously serves heterodox spirits, even if one receives the refuge and precepts, one will not attain the noble Dharma. Therefore a sūtra says: 'One who takes refuge in the Buddha is truly called a pure-faith layman; they will never falsely take refuge in any of the other heavenly spirits.' What is the reason for this? Because the true Three Jewels are permanently abiding in nature and characteristics, worthy to be a reliance for living beings. As for the rest, the heavenly kings, their bodies and minds suffer distress; they are conditioned and tainted, powerless and incapable; having no leisure to save themselves, how could they save living beings? Only the supramundane Jewels have the power to uphold. Taking refuge is like relying on the power of a king to be free from harm. Now relying on the correct Jewels, whose awesome virtue and blessings are boundless, the divine dragons escape the penalty of the garuḍa, and the faithful layman transcends the peril of the yakṣa. The five kinds of taking the three refuges all take refuge in these Jewels. They are also called the Three Jewels of Identical Characteristics; because their principle pervades the three times and their meaning exhausts the ten directions, the permanently abiding Three Jewels are the utmost culmination of this. A sūtra says: 'If a person gets to hear the two words "permanently abiding", this person life after life will not fall into evil destinies.' What is the reason for this? Because knowing that the Dharma Buddha is permanently of fundamental nature, once heard and understood, it perfumes the fundamental consciousness-mind; once the seed of karma is formed, pure faith is not lost, let alone if one can make a vow to take refuge and venerate them as a master and model! Surely one will remain pure and preeminent for repeated kalpas, and in principle never sink down. As in the sūtra, a person received the three refuges, and at Maitreya's first assembly was liberated from birth and death; this is indeed the fine ford for crossing the ocean of suffering, the graded rank for entering the Buddha Dharma. Yet because sins are manifold and evil is heavy, those who treat them lightly and with contempt, though having once received the refuges, will lose them again according to conditions. Therefore, when wise persons first receive the refuges, they single-mindedly condition their minds upon this, thereby attaining what is called taking refuge; thus they move benevolent spirits to follow and protect them. Above, the explanation of the Buddha is concluded. The latter two Jewels arise conditioned by this, as extensively set forth before to open the spiritual storehouse.

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These Three Jewels of principle can produce transformation characteristics, propagating the Way to benefit living beings, universally evoking responses of both sin and blessing. Therefore, Devadatta causing [the Buddha] to bleed incurred the karma of a kalpa-long sin; Jīvaka causing [the Buddha] to bleed incurred the karma of a Brahmā blessing. Because a transformation Buddha is without mind, like a blazing light; an image is insentient, its substance purely indeterminate. The sins and blessings evoked are still based on the dharmakāya, because through the manifestation of physical forms, the dharmakāya serves as the basis. For the Dharma is fundamentally without form, untainted and without physical matter; if not revealed through characteristics, upon what could all beings rely? Therefore images are erected to express the ultimate truth, and this is its import. Hence we know that making offerings to or defaming a transformation Buddha both directly affect the dharmakāya; it has neither rise nor fall, and is uniquely called permanently abiding—words cannot exhaust it. The intention is to make it understood, but because degeneracy and purity follow their numbers, and misfortune and fortune correspond to their capacities, the three stages of the Dharma were set forth, limited to ten thousand years. Thus the Golden River dried up in the west, and the Jade Gate sped to the east; eight or nine dynasties have passed, over six hundred years, and three times [the Dharma] suffered extermination, yet ultimately rose and flourished again. What brought this about? The allotted span had not yet run out. After ten thousand years, the degenerate wind can no longer be checked, and there will surely be no transmission, for the heavenly mandate will have ended. When the fortune of Maitreya opens, the path assembly will arise through conditions; the pure source will be about to burst forth, alternating at the appointed time—it was not established in vain. This clarifies that the Jewel of principle is the foundation of taking refuge; therefore I examine it in detail again, so that the mind may have a place of reliance. Thus the *Chu yao [jing]* says: 'The Way being in the mind does not depend on age; only in fierce resoluteness is it called the Way. If faithful mind is preserved, where can one go without succeeding?' This text provides fine proof; how could one not reflect upon it?

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Third, explaining the Three Jewels as transformation characteristics: Śākyamuni Tathāgata is the Buddha Jewel; the truth of cessation spoken by him is the Dharma Jewel; those of prior wisdom whose suffering was exhausted are the Saṅgha Jewel. These Three Jewels of transformation characteristics are also called 'distinct characteristics'. Their substance is impermanent, altered by the four characteristics; their passing into extinction has surpassed a thousand years, and one can only long for them from afar to increase one's eager veneration. In the Bhadrakalpa, three Buddhas have already passed away, and without our fourth, upon whom could living beings rely? Perpetually sinking in the ocean of suffering, there would be no road to liberation. Therefore the Benevolent One, responding to his appointed time, appeared in the world, expounding the Dharma to deliver people, opening the wondrous gate of the Eightfold Path, showing the one straight, level road, nearby leading out of the desire-mud of humans and gods, far off mounting the ford and raft of the worthy and noble. About to proceed along this Way, the gradual steps have their source; explaining the Three Jewels of principle causes beings to take refuge and turn toward them. Is it not that the true principle is permanently abiding, employing the expedient to steer the real, untying the knots of form and mind, so that one is called a disciple of the Buddha? The guest who receives the Way realizes the fundamental purity of clear non-existence; the metaphor of the fish trap and rabbit snare reveals the profound principle of nature-emptiness. The phenomenal meaning is radiant, and the spiritual functioning is clear! Living beings rely on this support, and birth and death are brought to an end. Once his great work was accomplished, he announced the period when his allotted lifespan would end. Manifesting physical matter though not material expresses that the dharmakāya does not perish; leaving bones though formless shows that the transformation traces do not vanish. Therefore, shattering his body to generate living beings' faith, leaving his whole eye to guide spiritual efficacy, this Way is inconceivable, and his benevolent grace cannot be repaid with thanks. Therefore one must revere and care for stupas and images to arouse the roots of faith; one must first prepare this mind, and only then will one know its origin and details.

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Fourth, explaining the Three Jewels of upholding and sustaining: humans can propagate the Way, which pours forth compassion for ten thousand years; the Way relies on humans to propagate it, and the three stages of the Dharma thereby establish their positions. Thus across generations it was raised and established, and everywhere transmitted and propagated; without relying on the Saṅgha to proclaim it, the Buddha Dharma would have sunk into oblivion. As when Emperor Wu of Han was at the height of his power, he first heard the Buddha's name, but since there was no transmission by the Saṅgha, the opening of the lineage was cut off. When Emperor Xianzong opened the Dharma, he searched far off to Huaxu, which led to Kāśyapa Mātaṅga and Dharmaratna arriving with dignity, expounding and disseminating the oral teachings, civilizing customs and fulfilling affairs, inspiring faith and turning hearts; this truly depended on the labor of unfolding and explaining, and sincerely relied on the power of external forms: this is named the Saṅgha Jewel. The spoken words and phrases primarily express principle; if principle were not for texts and words, there would be no way to grasp awakening; therefore, based on nominal teachings, the conditions of speaking and listening are named the Dharma Jewel. This principle is profound and abstruse, unknown except to the noble; though the noble ones are said to have perished, shadow-images were erected: this is named the Buddha Jewel. Yet because living beings' blessings are shallow, they cannot reach the transformation source; having a slight reserve of surplus resources, they still encounter the bequeathed Dharma.

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The substance of these Three Jewels is conditioned, replete with taints and defilements, and insufficient to present veneration. Yet they are that upon which the Jewel of principle relies and is sustained; if there are those who can honor and respect them, they will follow these forms to transcend existence. Just as an envoy of a secular king patrols the regions, one does not interrogate his physical person, hence veneration is uniform. A sūtra says: 'As in the world where there is silver, gold is the superior jewel; where there is no silver and there is brass, it is also called priceless.' Therefore, for the final Three Jewels, veneration is likewise equal to that for the true. If one does not render veneration now, there is no other way to show esteem; where could one cast one's heart, and upon what could one base the arousal of refuge? Therefore one must physically revere the spiritual images and inwardly hold the true principle; guiding conditions and establishing transformation, the meaning culminates in this. A sūtra says: 'Making an image the size of a barley grain reaps boundless blessings.' This is because it is a vessel of the dharmakāya. A treatise says: 'Metal, wood, earth, and stone are insentient in substance, but because an image was made, those who revere or defame it naturally reap sins or blessings.' In every case they express and manifest the dharmakāya, causing its function to be limitless. Therefore, when practitioners with mind face these spiritual images, none fail to let tears flow freely, unconsciously adding veneration.

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Yet because the true form has already departed, one sees only the bequeathed traces, like entering an ancestral temple: naturally sorrowful and solemn, lifting one's eyes one is deeply moved, as though [the spirits] were present without doubt. Today we are also like this: the Compassionate Honoured One has long since departed, leaving only shadow-images to guide the banner of our pride; it is necessary to bend low and touch their feet, carrying out salutation and veneration as if facing the true form expounding the Dharma for us. If today we neither see nor hear it, our minds stem from lack of faith; how do we know this? For as far as the mind's intent aims, the three realms are brought into being; how could this single hall be stubborn, foolish, and unmoved? The *Great Treatise* says: 'All Buddhas constantly emit light and preach the Dharma; because of living beings' beginningless sins, they are face-to-face yet do not see.' If one image is like this, other images follow the same rule. Trees, stones, mountains, and forests, erected according to their forms, guide my mind's path, not departing from the noble deportment.

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Furthermore, one should think: although what is seen is physical matter, understanding that physical matter is produced from mind and that outside the mind there are no dust-objects is called the ultimate contemplation. That speech arises from mind and truly exists only as consciousness is called the conventional contemplation. Gradually increasing in clarity, thought after thought without interruption, once time and effort have accumulated, perfuming and habituation will increase even more. With the path of contemplation cultivated and clear, not confused by conditioned conventionalities, one is named a practitioner cultivating the path at the stage of aspiration and joy. The Way is cultivated by humans, and humans can cultivate the Way, therefore a practitioner is called a 'man of the Way'. Now if one hears admonitions and harbors resentment, one will surely face the true record. That which is called 'daily decrease' becomes self-evident here; how could one not take warning?

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Chapter 3: Establishing the Teachings According to Capacities (Meaning that wisdom has darkness and brightness, and veneration resides in phenomena and principle.)

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The preface states: Rites (li) means stepping (lü); it is reverence and nothing more. The sūtra says: "It is to show reverence to stūpas and shrines and to humble oneself before monks." However, natures range from dim to bright, and their capacity runs from broad to narrow; many follow mere names and marks, and few cherish far-reaching aspirations. Therefore, they study by merely tracking the text, picking up street talk and passing it along, never examining it thoroughly, recklessly reciting words and phrases. Even the secular world says: "Learning without thinking leads to perplexity; thinking without learning is perilous." How much more so with the profound and abstruse Buddhadharma, which encompasses both principle and phenomena! If one acts upon hearing without understanding, many will fall into degradation. For instance, when a sūtra illuminates a pure land and the Buddha's boundless virtues, following the sound [of the words], they dare not alter their focus, cherishing it and holding it dear without forgetting it in mind or speech. Yet upon suddenly hearing of the Buddhas of the defiled lands, their minds feel not a single bit of joy, and they forthwith say that there is no virtue to which to take refuge and no sins that can be eliminated. How can their aversion and love be like this? Truly it is not worth speaking of in detail. Again, hearing a treatise speak of Prabhūtaratna as guiding minds for a different time, they consider themselves energetic and resolute, and thereupon abandon taking refuge and mindfulness altogether. When dense, lowly, foolish ordinary people act with such obstinate attachment, although their habitual nature has lasted long, it must ultimately be changed gradually. If they do not renew themselves, the ordinary can never become noble, and clinging to their former delusions, their burden of shame will grow ever heavier. Passing down the lineage in this manner truly fails the legacy entrusted [by the Buddha]. From this we know that the pedagogical methods are skillful, adapting to capacities deep and shallow. For the deep, practicing the ten defilements entails no flaw; for the shallow, showing the five burnings brings purification. The pure realms are not single: one takes birth in accord with one's inclinations and desires. The Buddha's wisdom is inexhaustible: it accords with the conditions of the times and secretly accords [with beings]. It is like the bright moon in the sky, shedding light into vessels small and large; like crashing thunder within the clouds, sending sound between the manifest and the concealed. What is heard depends on prior conditions; their dispositions and paths cannot be made uniform. Vessels are formed only by accumulated habits; truly it is difficult to equalize the sharp and the dull. Viewed from this perspective, we only then realize that Sikhin and Śāriputra each confined their minds to the defiled or the pure; the Sahā World and the Land of Bliss each set forth their outlines of defilement and purity. Therefore the text says: "My pure land is not destroyed, yet the multitude sees it burned up." This is the very proof of it. How could one not know that Amitābha's mingled defilements are also shown to guide [beings] broadly? How could one not know that the six kinds of earth tremors awaken the daylight dimness of ignorant minds, and the manifestations of the three wheels govern the night illumination of the multitudes' dispositions? These are not set forth in vain. The sūtra says: "Ever since I attained Buddhahood, through various causes and conditions and various parables, I have extensively expounded the verbal teachings. By countless skillful means I have guided sentient beings to make them leave all attachments behind." Attachment is the root of the illness; following words, one immediately fixates. Hearing of the pure, one attaches to the pure; hearing of the defiled, one attaches to the defiled. A treatise says: "Just as a fly attaches to every place except a flame, sentient beings are also like this: they attach to both wholesome and unwholesome phenomena, but only fail to attach to the emptiness of nature." Therefore the Buddha taught the four reliances: rely on wisdom, not on consciousness. If one merely sees and hears with the physical eye, one is no different from cattle and sheep. With the correct teaching being such, how could one fall into confusion? One must surely prevent the five faults before they arise, taking the four reliances as an ancestral rule. These words are ultimate. What more could one desire?

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