國清百錄 1

English (machine translation) 1

Language: English

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Preface to the One Hundred Records of Guoqing Monastery

My late master first retired into seclusion at Tiantai in the seventh year of Taijian of the Chen dynasty, the year yihai. The peak where he stayed was formerly named Folong. Inquiring of the local people, they said: “Those who travel through this mountain often see images of the Buddha; thus, through handed-down tradition, it came to be so called.” In the tenth year of Taijian, the year wuxu, an imperial decree from Emperor Xuan of the Chen bestowed the name Xiuchan Monastery, and Mao Xi, Minister of Personnel, inscribed the plaque in seal script and sent it to be mounted at the monastery gate. In the eighteenth year of Kaihuang of the great Sui dynasty, the year wuwu, the Grand Defender, the Prince of Jin, founded a monastery at the foot of the mountain for my late master; taking its name from the mountain, it was called Tiantai. When the prince ascended to the supreme throne, in the first year of Daye, the year yichou, he decreed to the eminent monks of Jiangyang, saying: “Formerly I founded a monastery for Zhizhe, temporarily named after the mountain. Now a proper name must be established. What superior titles are found within the sūtras and treatises? Let each state his thoughts, and We shall examine and choose.” The monks presented two names: one was Chanmen, and the other was Wujingju. Before their memorial was submitted, the monastic envoy Zhizao reported the auspicious omen of “Guoqing” (Purity of the State). The emperor decreed: “This is an auspicious spiritual omen of my late master. Use it at once! Use it at once!” He decreed that the plaque from the Daya Hall of the Jiangdu Palace be taken, filled in with orpiment, written in great seal script, and dispatched Lu Zhengli, Concurrent Director of the Palace Secretariat and Master of Protocols, to deliver and mount it at the monastery gate. The name “Guoqing” began from this. My late master was born amid miraculous light and passed away seated in the lotus posture. Within, he realized the wondrous Dharma; without, he served as Imperial Preceptor. These details are fully recorded in the three biographies by Falun of Zhugong, Zhiguo of Kuaiji, and Guanding of Guoqing. Furthermore, the monk Zhiji compiled the correspondence sent and received by our late master, but before his searches and inquiries were complete, Zhiji passed away, and the labor of his brush and ink was abandoned along with his breath. I examined his drafts, continued to arrange the various scriptural methods and other matters, bringing the total to one hundred items, and entitled it the One Hundred Records of Guoqing Monastery, bequeathing it to show future generations so they may know that abundant virtue resided here.

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Preface to the One Hundred Records of Guoqing Monastery

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Narrated by the Monk Youyan of Danqiu

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Now, whether matters are great or minute, as long as they benefit what is seen and heard, awaken people, and guide them toward the good path, they must not fail to be recorded and bequeathed to posterity. Formerly, our patriarch, Dhyāna Master Zhizhe, was originally one of the noble assembly on Gṛdhrakūṭa. Appearing in the world during the Chen and Sui dynasties, he proclaimed the esoteric teachings on behalf of the Buddha, serving as the eyes of humans and devas. In over sixty prefectures, he pointed directly to the human mind. Endowed with the Buddha’s knowledge and vision, and adding the practice of the perfect cultivation, the wondrous fruit was not far off. Furthermore, outside of the teachings he expounded, other affairs accumulated. The Venerable Zhang'an gathered those worthy of record, numbering one hundred items in all, titling them Guoqing. During the Tiansheng reign era, it was humbly favored by the imperial court with inclusion in the Great Canon. Yet having been stored away in satchels and wrappers, people of the world rarely had the opportunity to see it. From the Dhyāna Master’s entering into extinction in the seventeenth year of Kaihuang, a dingji year, up to the fourth year of Shaosheng, fully five hundred years have passed. In the spring of the following year, Chen Zongyi of Siming first planned to carve the printing blocks and publish it, so that the eminent among both clergy and laity could finally read it, and thereby know that the Dhyāna Master was an outstanding hero among the lineage of Śākya. Although we cannot see his face, by reading his writings we are able to see his mind, and seeing his mind surpasses seeing his face. Having received the order to compose a preface, I set this at the head of the work.

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Compiled by the Sui Monk Guanding

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1. The Rules of Regulation (with Preface)

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Now, new robes without holes cannot be mended with thread, and those who have cultivated pure goodness from past lives cannot be subjected to punishment. When I was first at Fudu, then in Jinling, and earlier when I entered Tiantai, the various Dharma followers came and assembled; their work on the Way did not even require gentle words of encouragement, much less establishing regulations to discipline them. But after I entered Tiantai the second time, looking upon the younger students, they were like newly caught apes and horses: if not reined in and restrained, their faults would grow worse day by day and increase month by month. For the sake of perfecting them, I overlook two faults and punish one; striking with a cattail whip merely demonstrates shame—it is not that I wish to cause them suffering. Now, to instruct the students, I briefly set forth ten articles. If hindrances arise later, they should be supplemented or reduced. Let the assembly deliberate together.

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First: The faculties and natures [of individuals] differ: some attain the Way through individual practice, while others attain liberation by communal reliance. Those who rely on the community should cultivate three practices: first, sitting in meditation according to the hall; second, repentance in a separate arena; third, administering monastic affairs. For practitioners of these three practices, the three robes, the six requisites, and the implements of the Path must be complete; if they adhere to any one practice, they may be accommodated. If their robes and requisites are lacking and they have none of the three practices, they shall not dwell together.

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Second: For the monks adhering to the hall, sitting in meditation during the four periods and worshipping the Buddha during the six periods are their constant duties; of these ten periods of meditation and worship, not one may be missed. When a monk of separate practice finishes his ritual practice, after three days he must join the communal reliance for the ten periods. If one fails to attend one period of worshipping the Buddha, he is penalized three prostrations of repentance before the assembly. If he misses an entire period, he is penalized ten prostrations of repentance before the assembly. If he misses all six periods, he is penalized by serving once as karmadāna. The same applies to sitting in meditation during the four periods, except in cases of illness or hindrance. If one informs the administrator beforehand, there is no penalty.

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Third: Regarding worshipping the Buddha during the six periods: fully ordained monks should wear robes for entering the assembly; robes without patches and seams, or unstitched single-cloth robes, are not permitted. At the third strike of the bell, assemble early and spread your seats; hold the incense burner and kneel on both knees alternately; do not recite before the chant is called, and do not disperse into casual conversation before permission is given. Bowing the head, snapping the fingers, suddenly dragging shoes and sandals, or rising and lowering unevenly are all penalized with ten prostrations of repentance before the assembly.

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Fourth: The intent of separate practice is that, regarding dwelling among the assembly as too lax, one vigorously and diligently cultivates the four types of samādhi; but if one uses the bodhimaṇḍa as a pretext and does not live up to the intent of separate practice, upon investigation and verification of the truth, he is penalized by serving once as karmadāna.

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Fifth: The administrator monk was originally appointed to establish benefit, but if instead he causes loss and depletion, taking from the community to enrich himself and indulging his personal favors, if he improperly encroaches upon even a hair’s breadth, or uses communal property without open announcement, upon investigation and verification of the truth, he shall not dwell together [with the assembly].

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Sixth: Regarding meals at the two times: unless physically ill, bedridden, or already convalescing, all must leave the hall [to eat together] and may not request meals [in their quarters]. Food utensils for joining the assembly are permitted to be made of iron or earthenware; the two vessels for oil and soup, as well as bowls, basins, spoons, and chopsticks, may not be made of bone, horn, bamboo, wood, gourds, lacquer, leather, or shells; none of these may be brought into the hall. Furthermore, one may not clatter against one’s bowl, make slurping sounds, speak with food in the mouth, demand food for oneself, or privately bring sauces and vegetables to eat alone among the assembly. Offenders are penalized three prostrations of repentance before the assembly.

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Seventh: Regarding fully ordained monks and novices, whether traveling nearby or far away, inside the monastery or outside the monastery, none may surreptitiously consume fish, meat, alliums, or alcohol, nor eat at improper times. Upon examination and verification of the truth, they shall not dwell together [with the assembly]. Except in cases of critical illness, where the attendant acts on a physician’s instructions and goes outside the monastery to seek medical treatment, there is no penalty.

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Eighth: A monk’s community is named 'harmony': through gentleness and forbearance there is harmony, and through righteous yielding there is concordance. There must be no quarreling, loud voices, ugly words, or angry expressions; if two persons dispute, each is penalized thirty prostrations of repentance before the assembly. The one who does not retort is not penalized. Those who inflict physical violence upon each other with hands or body, regardless of whether it is slight or severe, shall not dwell together [with the assembly]. The one who does not raise a hand is not penalized.

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Ninth: If one commits a grave offense, deal with it according to the Vinaya. If one makes false accusations, the accused is not penalized, while the accuser shall not dwell together [with the assembly]. If, before a trainee enters the assembly, the head of the assembly does not accept him because of a fault, so that the training assembly has not received him, and he himself claims to be a bhikṣu to enter the assembly, and subsequently commits a grave offense or falsely accuses another, the penalty is as stated before.

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Tenth: Prescribing medicine according to the sūtras is like applying medicine upon diagnosing a disease; if one rejects the prescription and vomits up the medicine, what benefit is there? If one is permitted to repent under the above nine rules, but repents repeatedly without a sense of shame and cannot renew oneself, this is a person who vomits up the medicine: he should be made to leave the assembly. If he is able to reform, he may later be permitted to return. If one violates the rules and stubbornly refuses to repent, this is a person who rejects the prescription; not complying with the communal discipline, he shall not dwell together [with the assembly].

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2. The Ritual of Reverent Bowing (with Preface)

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This ritual is based directly on Nāgārjuna's Vibhāṣā, supplemented by the intent of various sūtras. Throughout a single day and night, it maintains brevity according to the appropriate time. In the morning and at noon, reverent bowing is abbreviated, serving three purposes; in the late afternoon, reverent bowing is used while the purpose is abbreviated. In the first period of the night, it is used in full; at noon, the Ten Buddhas substitute for the middle period of the night; in the last period of the night, there is universal bowing.

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With single-mindedness, I reverently bow to the ever-abiding Three Jewels, solemnly holding incense and flowers to make offerings according to the Dharma. May this cloud of incense and flowers fill the realms of the ten directions; in every single Buddha-land, adorned with immeasurable fragrance, may it fulfill the bodhisattva path and accomplish the fragrance of the Tathāgata. Having made offerings, circumambulate according to the Dharma. Having finished circumambulating, reverently bow to the ever-abiding Three Jewels, praise the Buddha, and make aspirations. The aspiration says: “Your complexion is like Jāmbūnada gold, your face surpasses the pure full moon. Your bodily light and radiant wisdom illuminate without boundary. You destroy the hordes of Māra’s adversaries and skillfully transform gods and humans. Boarding the boat of the Eightfold Noble Path, you are able to cross over those difficult to cross. Hearing your name, one attains non-retrogression; therefore, I bow my head in reverent homage.” In praising the Buddha’s merit: may the devas and dragons of the three realms, the imperial court and the seven ancestral temples, masters, monks, and parents, monastery founders and donors, all adversaries and kin, assemble in Suchness and together accomplish the fruit of buddhahood. The sthavira should explain this with ease according to the power of his wisdom.

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Reverently bow to Vairocana, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, in the Land of Eternally Quiescent Light.

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Reverently bow to Rocana, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, in the Ocean of the Lotus Treasury.

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Reverently bow to Śākyamuni, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, in the Sahā World.

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Reverently bow to the Tathāgata Virtue of Goodness, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, in the Eastern World Free from Sorrow.

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Reverently bow to the Buddha Sandalwood Virtue, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, in the Southern World of Joy.

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Reverently bow to the Buddha Immeasurable Radiance, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, in the Western World Named Goodness.

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Reverently bow to the Tathāgata Characteristic Virtue, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, in the Northern Immovable World.

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Reverently bow to the Buddha Sorrowless Virtue, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, in the South-Eastern Bright Moon World.

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Reverently bow to the Tathāgata Jewel-Bestowing, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, in the South-Western World of Multitudinous Marks.

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Reverently bow to the Tathāgata Flower Virtue, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, in the North-Western World of Multitudinous Sounds.

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Reverently bow to the Buddha Practice of the Three Vehicles, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, in the North-Eastern World of Peace and Security.

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Reverently bow to the Tathāgata Bright Virtue, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, in the Vast World of the Zenith/Nadir [Nadir].

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Reverently bow to the Buddha Vast Multitude Virtue, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, in the Many Moons World of the Zenith.

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Reverently bow to Vipaśyin Buddha, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, beneath the Sorrowless Bodhi Tree.

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Reverently bow to Śikhin Tathāgata, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, beneath the Puṇḍarīka Tree.

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Reverently bow to Viśvabhū Buddha, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, beneath the Sāla Bodhi Tree.

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Reverently bow to Krakucchanda Buddha, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, beneath the Śirīṣa Tree.

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Reverently bow to Kanakamuni Buddha, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, beneath the Udumbara Tree.

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Reverently bow to Kāśyapa Tathāgata, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, beneath the Nyagrodha Tree.

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Reverently bow to Maitreya Tathāgata, Buddha throughout the Dharma realm, beneath the Nāgapuṣpa Bodhi Tree.

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Reverently bow to the relics, images, caityas, and precious stūpas.

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Reverently bow to the pure and wondrous Dharma of the twelve divisions of scripture.

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Reverently bow to all the worthy and noble Sangha who have attained the Way through the Three Vehicles.

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On behalf of Brahmā, Śakra, the Four Heavenly Kings, the devas and spirits who protect the nation and uphold the Dharma along with the eight classes of retainers: may their majestic authority be unimpeded in manifesting the Buddha’s work; reverently bow to the ever-abiding Buddhas.

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On behalf of the dragon kings: may wind and rain arrive in due season, and living beings receive moisture; reverently bow to the ever-abiding Buddhas.

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On behalf of the Mountain King of Mount Tiantai and his retinue, and all the unseen spirits of the peaks, foothills, forests, and wilds: may they secretly protect the saṅghārāma and bring about great benefit; reverently bow to the ever-abiding Buddhas.

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On behalf of the sacred spirits of Emperor Wuyuan, Empress Dowager Yuanming, and the seven ancestral temples: may their spirits roam in the pure lands and their rank enter the Cloud of Dharma; reverently bow to the ever-abiding Buddhas.

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On behalf of the Supreme Sacred Sovereign: may his precious reign be prolonged and the heavenly mandate endure forever, compassionately presiding over the myriad realms and delivering the four kinds of beings; reverently bow to the ever-abiding Buddhas.

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On behalf of the venerable person of the Empress: may she be adorned with a hundred blessings and protected by a thousand sages; reverently bow to the ever-abiding Buddhas.

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On behalf of His Highness the Crown Prince: may he protect the state and pacify the people, with blessings extending for ten thousand generations; reverently bow to the ever-abiding Buddhas.

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On behalf of the ministers, the various departments, and the five ranks of nobility at court: may they assist the imperial house and fully accomplish their duties with integrity; reverently bow to the ever-abiding Buddhas.

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On behalf of parents throughout lifetimes, masters and monks of successive ages, the donors among the four assemblies, and the dual kindnesses of material gifts and the Dharma: may they swiftly cross over the sea of suffering and forever emerge from the river of craving; reverently bow to the ever-abiding Buddhas.

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On behalf of the donors who established this foundation, the deceased benefactors, and the departed monks, we pray that their six perfections may soon be fulfilled and their seven [noble] treasures made complete; we revere and pay homage to the ever-abiding Buddhas.

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On behalf of the regional governor, the envoys, the assistants of the six bureaus, the garrison commander of this county, and the men and women of the five townships, we pray for auspicious winds and seasonal rains, and that the entire region may be prosperous and tranquil; we revere and pay homage to the ever-abiding Buddhas.

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On behalf of all the damage and harm committed since the founding of the monastery—in clearing land, cultivating, felling trees, [working] fields, gardens, kitchens, and granaries, and in moving about—we pray that when their lives end they return to the truth, and in the future face no retribution; we revere and pay homage to the ever-abiding Buddhas.

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For the sake of all conscious beings in the Dharma realm, whether enemies or kin, equally severing the three hindrances, with sincere minds regretting transgressions and with utmost sincerity performing kṣamā:
The boundless Buddhas of the ten directions have nothing they do not fully know;
I now disclose before them all dark and evil deeds.
Three times three make nine kinds, arising from the three afflictions.
Whether in this life or in prior lives, I perform kṣamā for all these offenses.
If in the three evil destinies I ought to undergo karmic retribution,
I pray to repay it in this life, and not enter the evil destinies.
Having performed kṣamā, pay homage to the Buddhas.

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With utmost sincerity we entreat all the Buddhas of the ten directions who have presently attained the Way:
We now request them to turn the wheel of the Dharma and bring peace and joy to all living beings.
All the Buddhas of the ten directions, if they intend to relinquish their lifespans,
We now bow with head to ground, entreating them to remain for a long time.
Having made the entreaty, pay homage to the Buddhas.

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With utmost sincerity we rejoice in all the merit of giving, keeping the precepts, and cultivating dhyāna arising from body, speech, and mind;
Whatever persons of past, present, and future train in the three vehicles or accomplish the three vehicles,
And all the merits of ordinary beings, we rejoice in them all.
Having rejoiced, pay homage to the Buddhas.

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With utmost sincerity I dedicate all my merit, uniting it completely for the sake of all living beings,
Directly dedicating it toward the Buddha path.
Offenses should be thus confessed;
The merits of entreaty and rejoicing in [others'] merit,
I dedicate toward bodhi.
Having dedicated the merit, pay homage to the Buddhas.

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With utmost sincerity make the vows:
We pray that all living beings will all give rise to the bodhi mind,
Fix their minds on constantly contemplating all the Buddhas of the ten directions.
We further pray that all living beings will forever destroy all afflictions,
And clearly perceive the Buddha-nature, just like Mañjuśrī and the others.
Having made the vows, take refuge and pay homage to the Buddhas.

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All recite together in unison; having recited, they should chant; having chanted, perform kṣamā; having performed kṣamā, pay homage to the Buddha with reverence.

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I take refuge in the Buddha; I pray that living beings will understand the Great Way and bring forth the supreme mind.

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I take refuge in the Dharma; I pray that living beings will deeply enter the treasury of sūtras, their wisdom like the ocean.

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I take refuge in the Saṃgha; I pray that living beings will lead the great assembly in harmony without obstruction.

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We pray that all living beings will purify their three karmas and uphold the revered teachings. Veneration to the Buddha, Dharma, and the noble Saṃgha!

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Next, chant verses according to the time, and when finished, announce that [practices] may proceed as desired.

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The Universal Homage Rite, Number Three (Reverence, incantations, vows, etc., are all as before):

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Universal homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time, and to Vairocana Buddha in the bodhimaṇḍa of quiescent extinction.

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Universal homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time, and to Vairocana Buddha in the Dharma Hall of Universal Light.

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Universal homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time, and to Vairocana Buddha in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven.

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Universal homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time, and to Vairocana Buddha in the Yāma Heaven.

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Universal homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time, and to Vairocana Buddha in the Tuṣita Heaven.

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Universal homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time, and to Vairocana Buddha in the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven.

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Universal homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time, and to Vairocana Buddha reunited in the Dharma Hall of Universal Light.

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Universal homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time, and to Vairocana Buddha [with] the youth Sudhana in the Jetavana Grove.

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Universal homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time, and to Vairocana Buddha of the complete, sudden teaching across the seven locations and nine assemblies.

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Universal homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time, and to Vairocana Buddha as the treasury of morality, unmoving like empty space.

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Universal homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time, and to Vairocana Buddha as the treasury of samādhi, unmoving like empty space.

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Universal homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time, and to Vairocana Buddha as the treasury of wisdom, unmoving like empty space.

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Universal homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time, and to Vairocana Buddha, through taking refuge in the Buddha attaining bodhi with a wholesome mind that never retrogresses.

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Universal homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time, and to Vairocana Buddha, through taking refuge in the Dharma attaining sarvajñā and entering the gate of great dhāraṇī.

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Universal homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three periods of time, and to Vairocana Buddha, through taking refuge in the Saṃgha extinguishing dispute and entering the ocean of great harmony.

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We pray that all living beings will purify their three karmas and uphold the revered teachings. Veneration to the Buddha, Dharma, and the noble Saṃgha!

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The Rite of Kṣamā by Invoking Avalokiteśvara, Number Four (A direct record of the practical matters; the meditative wisdom appears elsewhere in other texts):

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The sūtra says: For three [periods of] seven days, or seven [periods of] seven days, one should in all cases begin on the six fast days. One should adorn the bodhimaṇḍa, plaster the ground with scented clay, hang various banners and canopies, install a Buddha image facing south, and an Avalokiteśvara image placed separately facing east. Each day, use fresh willow branches and clean water, burn incense, and scatter flowers. The practitioners, numbering ten or fewer, should sit on the ground facing west; if the ground is low and damp, set low-legged platforms. They must take off their pure clothes when leaving or entering, and after bathing, put on pure attire. They should make offerings to the best of their ability every day; if they cannot manage that, there must not be an absence of offerings on the first day. Once settled, each holds an incense burner with a single mind, casts the five limbs to the ground toward the west, and has one with a clear voice chant:

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"Single-mindedly I bow my head in homage to our original teacher, Śākyamuni, the World-Honoured One."

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"Single-mindedly I bow my head in homage to Amitāyus, the World-Honoured One of the western direction."

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"Single-mindedly I bow my head in homage to the seven Buddhas, the World-Honoured Ones."

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"Single-mindedly I bow my head in homage to all the Buddhas, the World-Honoured Ones, of the ten directions."

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"Single-mindedly I bow my head in homage to the dhāraṇī for eliminating toxic harm, the dhāraṇī for destroying evil karmic hindrances, and the six-syllable phrase dhāraṇī."

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"Single-mindedly I bow my head in homage to all the revered Dharmas of the ten directions."

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"Single-mindedly I bow my head in homage to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva Mahāsattva."

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"Single-mindedly I bow my head in homage to Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva Mahāsattva."

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"Single-mindedly I bow my head in homage to all the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the ten directions."

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"Single-mindedly I bow my head in homage to the noble Saṃgha of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas."

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Having paid homage, burn incense, scatter flowers, and speak these words: "May this entire assembly each kneel on both knees, reverently hold incense and flowers, and make offerings in accordance with the Dharma, offering them to the Three Jewels of the Dharma realm of the ten directions." Having completed the visualization, speak sincere words aloud:
May this cloud of incense and flowers,
Fill the worlds of the ten directions,
To make offerings to all Buddhas,
Revered Dharmas, all bodhisattvas,
And the boundless assembly of śrāvakas,
Arising as a dais of light,
Surpassing boundless realms;
Within boundless Buddha lands,
To be enjoyed and perform Buddha-deeds,
Everywhere perfuming all living beings,
Causing all to bring forth the bodhi mind.
When the offering is finished, face the west, sit in the cross-legged posture, and focus the mind on counting the breaths, keeping the mind from scattering and not counting rapid or panting breaths. For the sake of living beings, continue for the span of ten breaths; having completed the ten breaths, next contemplate the Buddhas of the ten directions and the seven Buddhas, the World-Honoured Ones, whose physical form of true reality, their wondrous body, is just like empty space. One should also compassionately contemplate all living beings. Making this contemplation is like a single round of dhyāna; having sustained the contemplation for a long time, gently and slowly emerge. One person tends the incense and coals, and each kneels on both knees to make the invocations:

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"Single-mindedly I invoke: Namo our original teacher Śākyamuni Buddha." (Invoke three times the Three Jewels to which homage was previously paid.)

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Having finished the invocation, say: "I have now prepared willow branches and clean water; we pray only that the Great Compassionate One will take pity and gather us in." (Spoken three times.)

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Next, recite the names of the Three Jewels and the name of Avalokiteśvara three times. Next, join palms and recite the verses: from "We pray to be rescued from our suffering and distress" down to the conclusion of the four lines of prose sūtra text following the verse. Next, recite the mantra for eliminating toxic harm, and the seven lines of prose sūtra text following the mantra (either three or seven times). Next, again recite the names of the Three Jewels, and recite the dhāraṇī mantra for destroying evil karmic hindrances. Next, again recite the names of the Three Jewels, and having finished reciting the six-syllable phrase mantra, using one's own power of wisdom, lay bare and perform kṣamā for violating the pure conduct [of the precepts] and committing the ten evil deeds, clearing away the filth and regaining purity. Next, make vows; having finished the repentance and vows, single-mindedly pay homage, paying homage to the Three Jewels invoked above. Having paid homage, circumambulate the path in accordance with the Dharma; after three or seven circumambulations, make the three refuges. Having taken the refuges, have one person ascend the high seat to chant and recite the *Sūtra on Invoking Avalokiteśvara*. Apply the above method before noon and in the early night; at other times sit in dhyāna and pay homage to the Buddhas according to the regular method. This is the procedure for a single day and night. It is also like this for the second up through the seventh [period of] seven days.

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The Rite of Kṣamā of the Golden Light, Number Five (A direct record of the practical matters; the meditative wisdom appears elsewhere in other texts):

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Adorn the bodhimaṇḍa, separately arrange a seat for reciting the sūtra, and array banners, flowers, and so forth according to the method above. Place the seat for Guṇadevatā to the left of the Buddha's seat. If the bodhimaṇḍa is spacious, further place a seat for Sarasvatī, and seats for the Four Heavenly Kings to the right. Burn incense and scatter flowers before each seat, and prepare fruit and vegetables to the best of one's ability. In addition, separately arrange a platter of assorted fruits and vegetables meant for scattering and sprinkling in all directions. One must bathe daily and put on new, clean clothes. The sūtra says: For seven days and seven nights, one should use the six fast days. At midday on the first day of beginning, each holds an incense burner, and one person chants:

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"All show reverence."

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"Single-mindedly I bow my head in homage to all the ever-abiding Three Jewels of the ten directions." May this entire assembly each kneel on both knees, reverently hold incense and flowers, and make offerings in accordance with the Dharma. Having completed the silent offering in the mind, speak these words aloud: "May this cloud of incense and flowers fill the worlds of the ten directions..." as in the method above. Having spoken thus, make the invocations:

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"Single-mindedly I invoke our original teacher Śākyamuni Buddha."

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"Single-mindedly I invoke Akṣobhya Buddha of the eastern direction."

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"Single-mindedly I invoke Ratnaketu Buddha of the southern direction."

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"Single-mindedly I invoke Amitāyus Buddha of the western direction."

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"Single-mindedly I invoke Dundubhisvaranirghoṣa Buddha of the northern direction."

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"Single-mindedly I invoke Ratnapuṣpavaidūrya, the World-Honoured One."

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"Single-mindedly I invoke Ratnaśikhyin Buddha."

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"Single-mindedly I invoke Vimalajvalanaprabhāsa-sūryatejas Buddha."

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"Single-mindedly I invoke Suvarṇaprabhāsa Buddha."

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With single-minded devotion, I invite the Buddha Treasury of Illumination with a Hundred Golden Rays of Light.

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With single-minded devotion, I invite the Buddha Golden Mountain Jeweled Parasol.

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With single-minded devotion, I invite the Buddha Marks of Blazing Light of Golden Flowers.

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With single-minded devotion, I invite the Buddha Great Torch.

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With single-minded devotion, I invite the Buddha Ratnaketu (Jeweled Mark).

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With single-minded devotion, I invite all the Buddhas in the Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra and throughout the ten directions and the three periods of time.

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With single-minded devotion, I invite the twelve divisions of scriptures of the ocean of the Mahāyāna Suvarṇaprabhāsa.

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With single-minded devotion, I invite the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Ruciraketu (Faith Mark).

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With single-minded devotion, I invite the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Suvarṇaprabhāsa (Golden Light).

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With single-minded devotion, I invite the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Suvarṇagarbha (Golden Treasury).

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With single-minded devotion, I invite the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Sadāprarudita (Ever Weeping).

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With single-minded devotion, I invite the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Dharmodgata (Dharma Superior).

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With single-minded devotion, I invite all the Bodhisattva Mahāsattvas within the Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra and throughout the ten directions and the three periods of time.

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With single-minded devotion, I invite Śāriputra and all the holy and noble sangha of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.

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With single-minded devotion, I invite Great Noble Deva Brahmā, the thirty-three devas, the Four Kings who protect the world, the Vajra-bearer Guhyapada, Saṃjñāya, Mahāpratibhānā, Guṇavatī, Hārītī the Mother of Demon Children, and the rest of their five hundred retinues, all of whom are great bodhisattvas. I also invite the local ghosts and spirits of this place. (Summon and invite three times.)

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Next, express the intention of the mind in establishing the repentance, stating it freely according to the power of one's wisdom. Having spoken, chant three times: 'Jeweled Flower Lapis Lazuli World-Honoured One', 'Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra', and 'Guṇavatī'. Having chanted them three times, sprinkle assorted platters of food in all directions; one should recite: 'From Pūrṇa onwards until now, may all that I seek be auspicious.' When finished chanting, all reverently bow once again to each of the Three Jewels invited above. After bowing, circumambulate three times; after circumambulating, make the three refuges; after making the refuges, only then sit together and eat. This is the procedure for before noon; at other times proceed as usual, exclusively chanting and reciting the Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra.

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Sixth: The Vaipulya Repentance Ritual (briefly presenting five points; the wisdom of contemplation appears in other texts).

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First: Exhortation to practice. The sūtra says: 'After my parinirvāṇa, when this Vaipulya scripture is in Jambudvīpa, it will be like the sun and the moon illuminating the world, and sentient beings encountering its grace will be able to see the four quarters.' What is meant by Jambudvīpa is the realm of fundamental ignorance. Hearing the Vaipulya sūtras, one deeply discerns cause and effect, just as seeing the sun and the moon allows one to survey the four quarters. Thus one knows that profound scriptures and marvelous Dharmas can reveal the characteristics of the mundane world. That is to say, they reveal what is the Path and what is not the Path: what is not the Path is mundane suffering and accumulation; the Path is supramundane path and cessation. These four truths are all clearly illuminated by the Vaipulya. The sūtra also says: 'This Vaipulya sūtra has immeasurable power, capable of causing all humans, devas, asuras, hell beings, and hungry ghosts to reach the bodhimaṇḍa. Such phrases are exceedingly rare, capable of extinguishing all retribution for grave karmic offenses'—how could this not be showing worldly cause and effect? Why is that? Mentioning the five destinies is to clarify suffering; saying that it extinguishes karmic offenses, is this not accumulation? The sūtra also says: 'If one can practice it, one obtains the full share of jewels; if one can merely read and recite it, one obtains the middle share of jewels; if one makes offerings of flowers and incense, one obtains the lower share of jewels, up to the point where those of the two vehicles receive prediction to become Buddhas.' How could this not be showing supramundane cause and effect? Understanding the Four Noble Truths clearly in phenomena and principle has already been explained above; actively transforming the three obstacles will now be explained. The sūtra says: 'If one violates the three refuges, up to the six grave precepts, the twenty-four bodhisattva precepts, the precepts for śrāmaṇeras, śrāmaṇerīs, bhikṣus, and bhikṣuṇīs, if one can repent with sincere mind, it is impossible that [purity] will not be revived.' One must know that the Vaipulya can extinguish all evil karmic obstacles without doubt. It also says: 'In the hells and among the hungry ghosts, places of extreme evil retribution, through the mighty power of this sūtra, upon hearing it they immediately awaken to the Path and change their hideous forms.' It also says: 'If one's body has white leprosy, and one repents with a single mind, it is impossible that it will not be cured.' One must know that this sūtra can transform all grave retribution obstacles; these true words from the golden mouth are certainly not in vain. If one practices this true Dharma, first Avalokiteśvara of the Flower Gathering will come; next, Śākyamuni Buddha the Jeweled King will come, up to the seventh day when all the Buddhas and the great assembly will come, preaching the Dharma according to their capacities and causing them to generate the bodhicitta and not regress. One must know that this sūtra can destroy the obstacle of afflictions. With the clear text here, who would not believe? Therefore, the practitioner, with the mark of quiescence, practices the six pāramitās; in the midst of non-seeking, I still seek the Buddha's true Dharma, taking rebirth at will in the World of Wondrous Joy and before all Buddhas, destroying all afflictions and emerging from the shell of ignorance, parting forever from suffering, fulfilling the noble path and ascending to the bodhisattva stages, delivering all sentient beings, and acting widely as a parent to the three realms. If not for the Vaipulya's power of compassion, there would be no way. Just as the sun and the moon remove darkness and cause the myriad things to grow, this sūtra is likewise: it can extinguish what is not the Path and reveal the correct path; it is the great Dharma King, the excellent medicine, the priceless jewel, the bountiful and joyful land. If one hears this sūtra, it is like a prisoner hearing of a pardon, like a sick person obtaining a physician, like a poor person obtaining a treasure, like a traveler arriving home—their joy and leaping for joy are just like this. For the sake of the Dharma, one does not even begrudge one's body and life, how much less anything else! If one hears this sūtra, one should know that it does not come from small merit. Who, hearing such a Dharma, would not generate the bodhicitta, except for those unfilial, foolish, darkened, and unwise people? Therefore it says: Even if one possessed eloquence like Mañjuśrī and in one kalpa transformed all beings causing them to ascend to the stage of succession to buddhahood, weighing that merit, it would not equal the lower share of jewels [from this sūtra], how much less the upper share! Furthermore, if all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, and those of the ten faiths and stage of succession as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, were to enter together into deep dhyāna and contemplate, their merit would not equal a single fraction [of this]. Furthermore, offering the treasures of the four continents to the Tathāgata does not equal a person offering a single meal to sustain the body of one who upholds this sūtra. Why harbor doubts as to whether it is so or not? The seven Buddhas will appear to bear witness that it is true and not false; the Tathāgatas of the three periods of time all attain the Buddha Path through this Dharma.

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Second: Preparatory expedient means. When the practitioner hears that the Vaipulya has great power to increase one's lifespan and generate mind in the Dharma, like coming back to life after dying, it can also be a mother. How could one not generate the mind and arouse a heroic resolve, grieving that one has been dull and sunk for immeasurable kalpas without practicing the essentials of departure, feeling shame, and reproaching oneself? If one has committed acts subject to strict punishment, one's mind should tremble with terror, as if treading on ice over an abyss. Consider that this poisoned arrow must be drawn out urgently, and this grave illness of affliction must be treated with diligence; if one can be sincere, nothing is difficult. Having contemplated these matters, take refuge in the Twelve Dream Kings and pray for an auspicious dream. If one does not receive a response, practicing in vain is of no benefit; redouble one's sincerity, not forgetting it while eating and drinking; as soon as one sees one King, permission has been granted. Having seen this, prepare all the offering utensils: since one cannot smash one's bones and sell one's body, one must at least break stinginess and exhaust one's strength. If there was already a bodhimaṇḍa, it should be made brighter and cleaner; if there was none, one must establish one. Latrines, hot water, fire, and bathing areas should all be made secure and convenient. Prepare good flowers, incense, lamp oil, fruits, and vegetables, regardless of plenty or scarcity. If one cannot provide them daily, they must not be lacking at the beginning and the end. If one lacks the strength oneself, one should seek external protectors and entrust them with the arrangements. One set of fresh, clean clothes is required; if no new ones, wash old ones. Relying on a Vinaya master who understands both internal and external [rules], confess and receive the twenty-four precepts. Receive the dhāraṇī and recite it in advance, making sure to recite the names of the ten Buddhas, the ten Dharma princes, and the Twelve Dream Kings, keeping them in mind without forgetting. Abandon all sights, sounds, scents, tastes, and touch, generating a deep disgust for them. Know that sights are like hot gold, sounds like poisoned drums, scents like noxious winds, tastes like boiling honey, and tactile objects like vipers—none can be clung to; clinging leads to harm. Furthermore, sever all worldly entanglements, livelihoods, social affairs, skills, and crafts; do not let them linger in the mind, eradicate them at their root and do not allow them to cause distraction. Furthermore, abandon unwholesome reflections such as greed, anger, and delusion; entertain no remaining thoughts of seeking worldly blessings and pleasures, but dedicate one's intention solely to supreme, pure bodhi, mind after mind continuing in succession to enter into wholesome realms.

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Third: The method. When the preceding preparatory expedients are fully mastered and ripened, and one looks up with eager thirst, not sparing body or life, determine a date and time to practice the ritual in the bodhimaṇḍa. The initial entry begins on the second day of the month. As for the number of practice companions, it should be ten people or fewer. Smear the ground with scented clay, lay out an unrestricted circular altar, and decorate it with colorful paintings in imitation of a pure land. Burn incense, scatter flowers, hang five-colored canopies and various silk banners, invite twenty-four images, and set out foods of a hundred flavors. Three times a day, bathe, put on clean clothes, hold an incense burner, and with single-minded focus make a prostration; kneeling on alternate knees, direct your thoughts: contemplate that this cloud of incense completely covers the ten directions, universally raining down all treasures, all flavors, clothing, bedding, multistoried pavilions, and palaces, with stringed instruments emitting the sounds of Dharma, offering above to all the sages and bestowing below upon sentient beings, relying on the Buddha's spiritual power to perform Buddha-work extensively, benefiting all to enter the Buddha Path, equal to empty space and the Dharma realm. Having made this contemplation, one should reverently invite the Three Jewels, letting each sound guide one's thought while tears stream down one's face, as if facing the place of death seeking great power.

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With single-minded devotion, I invite: Homage to the Buddha Ratnarāja (Jeweled King) (and so on up to the ten Buddhas, fully set forth in the scripture).

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With single-minded devotion, I invite: Homage to the Mahādaṇḍadhāraṇī, Mother and Father of the Vaipulya.

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With single-minded devotion, I invite the ten Dharma princes, Puṣpakūṭa (Flower Gathering) and Meghasvara (Thunder Sound).

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With single-minded devotion, I invite Śāriputra and all the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.

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With single-minded devotion, I invite Brahmā, Śakra, and the Twelve Dream Kings. (Summon and invite three times in total.)

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Next, praise the Buddha:

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The World-Honoured One's wisdom is like empty space, / completely observing the past and future marks of sentient beings; / everything in the ten directions is seen and heard by him; / I should bow my head and worship the Dharma King.

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Next, having bowed one by one to the ten Buddhas, the ten princes, and so on, kneel on alternate knees and disclose and lay bare [transgressions], weeping tears of sorrow, confessing and repenting before the Three Jewels, fully truthful and sincere, without flattery or deceit, not concealing anything, speaking freely according to the practitioner's power of wisdom. Next, make vows: wishing, together with all enemies and kin throughout the Dharma realm, to transform, wash away, cultivate, and purify. Next, circumambulate one hundred and twenty circuits, reciting the dhāraṇī one hundred and twenty times—one circuit per dhāraṇī recitation, with a voice neither coarse nor thin, neither too slow nor too fast, appropriately measured. Having finished the circumambulation and recitation, bow to the ten Buddhas and the ten princes, again briefly disclosing and making vows, and then sit back to contemplate, contemplating the one true reality. (The method of contemplation appears in other texts.) After contemplation, rise again, adjust one's robes, make one bow to the Buddhas, circumambulate again for one hundred and twenty circuits, and recite the dhāraṇī one hundred and twenty times. Having finished the dhāraṇī circumambulation, bow to the Three Jewels, state one's sins and faults oneself, and return to sitting contemplation. Having done this, begin again from the start. Only on the second day is the invocation omitted; the remaining matters continue through the end of seven days.

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Fourth, the adverse and concordant states of mind. The four grave offenses and the five heinous crimes are corpses in the ocean of the Buddha; according to Hīnayāna sūtras, they are like a severed tāla tree that will never grow again, and there is no kṣamā for them. According to Mahāyāna sūtras, cleansing is permitted, like incanting a withered tree so that it produces fruit, or like the dead returning to life. Although this method exists, one must rely on utmost sincerity; principle admits neither adverse nor concordant, but phenomenal affairs involve opposition and compliance. Discussing them with respect to evil, there are ten that oppose nirvāṇa and comply with saṃsāra: First, being intoxicated and deluded by fundamental ignorance, generating attachment upon contacting sense objects. Second, with the inner mind already intoxicated, being outwardly misled by bad companions, indulging in and deluded by illicit practices, so that the evil mind blazes ever more fiercely. Third, with internal and external conditions complete, destroying one's own good and also destroying the good of others, having no mind of sympathetic joy toward any good deeds. Fourth, since one does not cultivate the good and follows only evil, giving free rein to the three karmas, leaving no evil undone. Fifth, although the evil deeds committed are not yet extensive, the evil mind spreads everywhere, wishing to take away all joy and bestow all suffering. Sixth, evil thoughts continue uninterrupted day and night; the mind dwells purely on evil without any pause. Seventh, concealing flaws and hiding away transgressions, inwardly harboring deceit and cunning while outwardly displaying worthiness and goodness. Eighth, persisting stubbornly in perverse views, presuming upon permanence, increasing one's commission of offenses, and not fearing the evil destinies. Ninth, being coarse, insolent, and headstrong like a butting ram, having no sense of shame or conscience, utterly unashamed. Tenth, repudiating cause and effect, disbelieving in good and evil, severing all wholesome dharmas, and becoming an icchantika. These ten minds take fundamental ignorance as their root, increasing and augmenting until they culminate in the icchantika; they comply with entering saṃsāra, proceeding from darkness into darkness, weaving bonds of karma without any time of liberation: this is what is meant by opposition and compliance regarding saṃsāra. Now that one recognizes the beginning and end of fundamental ignorance and wishes to practice kṣamā, cultivating good and reforming evil, one must oppose saṃsāra and comply with nirvāṇa, arousing ten kinds of minds as antidotes: First, correct faith in cause and effect—doing good brings good, and doing evil brings evil; although there may be no immediate flower-retribution, the future fruit-retribution will not be lost. Although thoughts perish from moment to moment, wholesome and unwholesome karma ultimately never perish. Faith is the mother of all merits; faith is the primary gateway for entering the Path; complying with nirvāṇa, it overturns and shatters the icchantika mind of disbelief. Second, one should feel shame and conscience: 'My offense excludes me from the ranks of humans; my offense deprives me of heavenly protection.' Feeling shame and repenting errors constitutes the white dharmas; it is also the supramundane white dharmas practiced by the Three Vehicles; this is shame and conscience overturning and shattering the black dharmas of shamelessness. Third, dread of impermanence: life is like mountain torrents, and also like something borrowed; once a single breath does not return, one drifts along according to karma. Proceeding alone into the dark, who will inquire of right or wrong? Relying solely on merit and goodness as provisions for the hazardous path, one must race against time like foam and bubbles, with no leisure for food or rest. This is contemplating impermanence, overturning and shattering the presumption of permanence and lack of fear of the evil destinies. Fourth, revealing and confessing offenses, so that the offenses are immediately extinguished; just as exposing the roots of a tree makes its branches and leaves wither, this is revealing, overturning and shattering concealment. Fifth, severing the continuous mind and renouncing evil once and for all, decisive, valiant, and fierce as a sharp blade; this is determination, overturning and shattering continuity. Sixth, arousing the bodhimind to universally grant joy to all and vow to rescue all from suffering, horizontally and vertically pervasive; this overturns and shatters the universally evil mind. Seventh, cultivating merit to make up for transgressions, vigorously urging on the three karmas with unceasing diligence; this is cultivating merit, overturning and shattering the gratuitous commission of evil through the three karmas. Eighth, protecting the true Dharma, not allowing outsiders and evil Māras to destroy the Buddhadharma, vowing to make it shine forth; this is protection, overturning and shattering the destruction of all good deeds. Ninth, being mindful of the immeasurable merit, supernatural powers, and wisdom of the Buddhas of the ten directions, praying that they protect and support me; this is mindfulness of the Buddha, overturning and shattering the mind of dwelling on bad companions. Tenth, contemplating the empty nature of offenses: offenses are born from the mind; if the mind could be apprehended, offenses could not be absent; but since my own mind is naturally empty, how could offenses exist? Offenses and blessings have no master; they are neither inside, nor outside, nor in between; they do not permanently exist by themselves, but are merely names. The mind of names is designated as offense and blessing; names are themselves empty; returning to the source and reverting to the root, they are ultimately pure. This is contemplating the empty nature of offenses, overturning and shattering the inversion and attachment of fundamental ignorance. Because fundamental ignorance ceases, karmic formations cease; because karmic formations cease, saṃsāra ceases; the great tree of the twelve links of dependent origination is destroyed, which is also called supramundane cause and effect. Clearly seeing the four directions—this is what it means.

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國清百錄 — Classical Chinese