念佛三昧寶王論 2

English (machine translation) 2

Language: English

2.1

Composed by the Śramaṇa Feixi of Caotang Monastery on Mount Zige under the Tang

2.2

Gate Eight: Mindfulness of the Present Buddha by Focusing Exclusively on One Object

The question asks: 'Being mindful of future buddhas means being mindful of sentient beings; I have already heard this profound meaning, whose phenomena are vast and whose principle is subtle. Yet I fear the mind will scatter and be hard to restrain. Now I wish to unify it by focusing exclusively on the West, being mindful of one buddha, treading the ground of non-retrogression, dispelling the mind of outflows, riding a small boat on the golden ponds, and bowing to Amida in the white jade palace, thereby penetrating the three times and hoping to partake in the nine grades—is this not also acceptable?'

2.4

I reply: The Daśabhūmika-vibhāṣā, as well as the Commentary on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra composed by Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna, states in the "Chapter on Easy Practice": 'The bodhisattva path has difficult practices, like riding a boat on dry land; and it has easy practices, like riding a boat on the water.' By the power of Amitābha Buddha's primal vow, if someone hears his name and recites it, they will naturally take refuge in that land, just like a boat reaching water and encountering a favorable wind, traveling a thousand li in a single effort—is this not easy? Thus the royal father and relatives of Śākyamuni Tathāgata, the sixty thousand of the Śākya clan, were all reborn in the land of Sukhāvatī, for the Buddha's affinity with sentient beings of this realm is deep. Focusing exclusively on one object while perfectly penetrating the three times—is this not excellent?"

2.5

The question asks: 'Focusing exclusively on one object and perfectly penetrating the three times is true indeed! Yet reciting the name, taking refuge, and being reborn in that land belongs to conditioned falsehood, where winds stir up many waves. How could it compare to not chasing thoughts outward, but simply gathering the mind inward, in accord with the principle of the unconditioned?'

2.6

I reply: “Although the conditioned is false, if one abandons it, then the endeavor of the Way cannot be accomplished. Although the unconditioned is real, if one grasps it, then the mind of wisdom will not be luminous. A sūtra says: ‘To loathe and shun conditioned merits is the work of Māra; to delight in and cling to unconditioned merits is also the work of Māra.’ Now with loathing and delight warring within you, how can you avoid penetrating to the very bones of Māra? Furthermore, when sages and worthies gather the mind, it is called internal; when ordinary beings let thought run wild, it is called external. If you consider running external to be distraction and abiding internal to be concentration, this is once again being run by the internal and external; it is not the intention of gathering the mind in buddhānusmṛti-samādhi. In his Commentary on the Vimalakīrti Sūtra, Dharma Master Kumārajīva says: ‘In a foreign land there was a woman whose body was golden in color. There was a son of an elder named Damodara, who offered a thousand ounces of gold to invite her into a bamboo grove, and they rode off together. Along the way, Mañjuśrī transformed his body into that of a white-robed layman wearing precious garments, which were exceedingly magnificent and fine. Seeing them, the woman gave rise to greed within her mind. Mañjuśrī said: “If you wish to obtain these garments, you should bring forth the bodhi-mind.” The woman said: “What is the bodhi-mind?” Mañjuśrī said: “Your very body is it.” She asked: “How is it so?” He replied: “The nature of bodhi is empty, and your body is also empty; therefore, it is so.” Formerly, before the Buddha Kāśyapa, this woman had planted many roots of goodness and widely cultivated wisdom; upon hearing this exposition, she immediately attained the forbearance of the non-arising of phenomena (anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti). Having attained this forbearance, wishing to demonstrate the fault of desire, she went back into the grove with the elder's son. Having entered the grove, she manifested her own body as dead, swollen, rotting, and foul. Seeing this, the elder's son was terrified; he went to the Buddha's place, and when the Buddha expounded the Dharma for him, he also attained dharma-forbearance.’ Because the Great Awakening is not yet accomplished and one has not yet the leisure for effortless ease, it is called ‘forbearance.’ As one contemplates the true mark of one's own body, so it is in contemplating the Buddha: the woman's body is empty, and the Buddha's body is empty; they have never differed. How could the meaning of bodhi differ? If it is like this, then all conditioned things are precisely the unconditioned! All internal and external are neither internal nor external! Thus, being in existence one has never been in existence, for existence is constantly non-existence; abiding in non-existence one has never been in non-existence, for non-existence constantly exists. What worry is there that the Buddha has marks and the mind has thoughts?”

2.7

Gate Nine: One Thought-Moment and Ten Thought-Moments in This Life and the Other Life

2.8

The question asks: “The discourse on the easy path and the difficult path, and the contemplation of the body itself as bodhi—their purport is clear as a mirror. But human life in the world is like the spark of a flint or a flash of lightning; if one loses mindfulness and falters, regret will be of no avail. A practitioner of the Way does not even hold his own mind dear, let alone his body; and not even holding his body dear, how much less what is external to the body? One constantly fears that an outgoing breath will not return, and one will belong to the next life: blown like tumbleweed in a violent wind, vast and boundless, where will one go? I pray you will show me the gate of one thought-moment and ten thought-moments, the plan for this life and the other life.”

2.9

I reply: “Now, the assembly of the Pure Land is of great merit and endeavor. The two vehicles still their spirits in voidness, indulge in emptiness, and fear marks; not being mindful of sentient beings, they therefore have no Pure Land. But the Great Vehicle has it. According to the Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka Sūtra: ‘In the past, Amida Buddha was a wheel-turning king named Araṇemin, fully endowed with the seven treasures and a thousand sons. Relying on the minister Samudrareṇu as a good friend, he brought forth the bodhi-mind before the Buddha Ratnagarbha and adopted the western Pure Land of Sukhāvatī. The renowned buddhas, bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, and others in the various sūtras were all his thousand sons of old. His eldest son, named Aniṣeṇa, is Avalokiteśvara; his second son, named Maṇi, is Mahāsthāmaprāpta; his next son, named Rājacakra, is Mañjuśrī; his next son, named Naṅgaṇu, is the bodhisattva Vajramatiraśmi; his next son, named Abhaya, is the tathāgata Padmottara; his next son, named Āmra, is the bodhisattva Gaganaraśmi; his next son, named Subāhu, is the bodhisattva Siṃhagandha; his next son, named Mintu, is Samantabhadra; his next son, named Misu, is Akṣobhya Buddha. Ever since Prince Misu first brought forth the mind, step by step as he walked, mental factor by mental factor, he was constantly mindful of the buddhas; now he has ascended to correct awakening and is born in the realm of Abhirati.’ I say that whether pacing along broad avenues or stepping through deep groves, one does not differ from Misu's view. If one enters the morning court with chiming carriage pendants or moves his girdle-pendants soaring to heaven, with solemn retinue and dashing horses and carriages, how could one not apply the mind between each and every step? Now taking this as an analogy, one also does not depart from the former discipline! Now, whoever possesses teeth and wears hair, at the intersection of life and death, is never without out-breaths and in-breaths. Moreover, that if one breath does not return, one immediately belongs to the next life, is also truly as you asked. Most people in the world use precious jade, crystal, vajra, or bodhi-seeds and soapberries as counting beads; I, however, take the out-breaths and in-breaths as my mindfulness beads. Reciting the Buddha's name in accord with the breath, one has a great reliance and protection—how could one fear that the breath will not return and one will belong to the next life? Walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, I constantly use these beads. Even if overcome by drowsiness, I sleep keeping the Buddha in mind; upon waking I immediately continue it. One will surely see that Buddha in one's dreams, like the smoke flying when drilling for fire as an omen before the flame. Dreaming of it without cease, samādhi is accomplished: one beholds the jade ūrṇā face to face and personally receives the prediction of buddhahood; then, out of ten thousand, not one will fail. You should exert yourself!”

2.10

The question asks again: “Between one thought-moment and ten thought-moments for rebirth in the Pure Land, which is correct?”

2.11

I reply: “Rebirth with merely a single thought-moment, abiding in the stage of non-retrogression—this is correct. As the Buddha said, slandering the Buddha, defaming the sūtras, striking a monk, reviling an elder, the five heinous deeds, and the four grave offenses—all are accomplished by a single thought-moment of evil karma, and one falls into the Avīci Hell as swiftly as an arrow shot. Now, being mindful of the Buddha and being born in the Pure Land is likewise accomplished by a single thought-moment of good karma, and one immediately ascends to Sukhāvatī. Just as in bending one's arm, the five aggregates of the preceding thought-moment perish and the five aggregates of the succeeding thought-moment arise, like a wax seal stamping clay: when the seal is broken, the impression is formed. Not even two thought-moments are needed; how could it require reaching ten thought-moments? Striking a monk and reviling an elder, though not among the actual heinous sins, belong to the category of the five heinous deeds. Furthermore, as for a single thought-moment, it is as a sūtra says: ‘The novice monk who craved curd gave rise to a single thought-moment of craving, and was later born as a worm in curd.’ Again, the wife of the elder Mahāsārthavāha sat facing a bright mirror, enamored of her own body; when an ocean gale wrecked the ship, she was born as a worm inside her former corpse, frolicking back and forth without leaving that place. These were all a single thought-moment, not ten thought-moments. Furthermore, the Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra explains that with a single thought-moment of buddha-mindfulness, all attain rebirth. The Contemplation Sūtra speaks of ten thought-moments for good reason: because someone afflicted by illness is emaciated and weak, with feeble strength and inferior mind, they require ten recitations of Amida to assist their mindfulness. If the mind is robust and not bewildered, rebirth occurs in a single thought-moment, just as planting a hair-thin seedling can grow to a girth of a hundred spans.”

2.12

Gate Ten: This Mind Is Buddha, This Mind Creates Buddha

2.13

The question asks: “The sūtra explains that ‘this mind is Buddha, this mind creates Buddha.’ What need is there to recite the name of Amida far away and maintain thoughts of the land of Sukhāvatī, or to be mindful of the buddhas near at hand and give rise to reverence for the honored ones of the future? These are all seeking from outside; how can they be called ‘this mind is Buddha’?”

2.14

I reply: “Your question is mistaken. You merely quote the sūtra without understanding the sūtra's aim. The sūtra is the Contemplation of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life Sūtra, whose text precisely explains mindfulness of Amida. ‘Because of mindfulness of the Buddha, the Buddha arises from thought’; therefore it is said that ‘this mind is Buddha.’ How can you illicitly take the contemplation of Amida and turn back to bite the mind of Amida? If it were so, that not being mindful of the Buddha at all one could say ‘this mind is Buddha,’ should it also be that not thinking of evil at all one could say ‘this mind is evil’? If the latter is not so, how could the former be permissible? Moreover, in that land of Sukhāvatī, with the Most Honored Amida, a hundred billion kings of Mount Meru do not obstruct the eye organ; and the marks and signs of light, numerous as the sands of the Ganges, are accomplished in visualization through the power of the Buddha's vows. One attains rebirth in the time it takes to bend an arm; why calculate the distance of that realm?”

2.15

The question asks: “As for ‘this mind is Buddha,’ I have respectfully heard its principle. However, regarding the sixteen wonderful contemplations explained in this sūtra, when Vaidehī attained them, ice and the sun could be visualized, and the golden mountain shone brightly. When demonic light and buddha light, self-contemplation and other-contemplation, heterodox and orthodox are mixed together, how are they to be settled and made clear? Please explain them one by one, so that a practitioner of buddha-mindfulness, sitting alone away from a teacher, may have a mind as serene as the sea.”

2.16

I reply: “The visualization of ice is the foundation for the lapis lazuli ground; the visualization of the sun is the stepping-stone to the light of the ūrṇā. Appearing in accord with the visualization is called ‘from oneself’ and ‘orthodox’; appearing not in accord with the visualization is called ‘from an other’ and ‘heterodox.’ If originally one visualizes the ūrṇā and the ūrṇā does not appear, while one has not yet visualized the dark blue eyes and the dark blue eyes appear, this goes contrary to one's original intention; how could it not be heterodox? How much more so for the various other visualizations! Furthermore, demonic light has shadows and dazzles the eyes, whereas buddha light has no shadows and does not dazzle the eyes. Thus a verse in the Laṅkāvatāra says:

2.17

“‘The Buddha stage is called most supreme,
Pure and wonderfully adorned,
Shining like a raging fire,
Its radiant light reaching everywhere,
With blazing flames that do not harm the eyes,
Circumambulating and transforming the three states of existence.’”

2.18

The question asks: “Now when light appears, if its blazing flames harm the eyes, how could it not be demonic? If it is light without dazzling, how could it not be the Buddha?”

2.19

I answer: “Furthermore, when the light is genuine, it causes the body and mind of the practitioner of buddha-mindfulness to become settled, still, and pure; when the light is counterfeit, it causes the mind of the practitioner of buddha-mindfulness to become restless, agitated, and flurried. Therefore the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: ‘Settled, still, and pure is true liberation. True liberation is precisely the Tathāgata.’ This is clear!”

2.20

The question asks again: “The ultimate person is without thought, yet now you employ visualization; is this not mistaken?”

2.21

I reply: “It is not mistaken! As the Mahābalavīryadhāraṇī Sūtra says: ‘To transcend the fetters of existence, one should give rise to the mind of desire and visualize matters free of desire.’ Now taking this as an analogy, if one wishes to cultivate buddha-mindfulness, one should give rise to the mind of thought and visualize matters free of thought. Therefore the Bhadrapāla Sūtra says: ‘With evil desire thinking of a woman, one sees a woman in a dream; with good desire thinking of a buddha, one sees a buddha in a dream.’ I say that though the two thoughts share the same name, good and evil are as far apart as heaven and earth; one must not, upon hearing the word ‘thought,’ loathe it across the board. If one should loathe it, then even if one does not defame the sūtras or slander the Buddha, one will surely be born in the palace of the asaṃjñisattva heaven! If one stubbornly clings to thoughtlessness and attacks thinking of the Buddha, it is called slandering the Dharma; because of slandering the Dharma, one will abruptly enter the indiscriminate dungeons of the ten directions with no known day of emergence—how could one have any hope of a heavenly palace? Even if one managed to be born there, it is called a non-Buddhist heaven, not the path to liberation. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: ‘Upon hearing the poison-smeared drum, whether near or far, all die.’ This is also like that: following one's denial of thought, whether near or far, all fall. What a sūtra describes as ‘sometimes wandering back and forth one or two feet off the ground’ refers to this! How could this be the same as transmigration in the three realms? How could this be the same as rebirth in the nine grades? Moreover, water is what capsizes the boat and what carries the boat; ground is what causes one to fall and what allows one to rise. Thinking falsely is precisely sentient beings; thinking truly is precisely the buddhas. Apart from thought, what else could one use?”

2.22

The question asks: “The explanation of the phenomenon is finished, but where does the principle lie? As the Pratyutpanna-samādhi Sūtra says: ‘When the mind gives rise to thought, that is delusion; thoughtlessness is nirvāṇa.’ Does not the present use of thought also apply to this?”

2.23

I reply: “Not so! If one clings to a buddha who is visualized and a mind that visualizes, or if one avoids visualizing the buddha and thus takes an evil grasping of emptiness as ‘no-thought’, this is the height of delusion! Now I realize that all buddhas are born from thought; since there is neither buddha nor thought, what delusion could there be? This is the samādhi of contemplating emptiness, not a wrong view. You also ask: ‘Where does the principle lie?’ Now, the perfected person unites with the real, embodies stillness, and empties his bosom. Although all myriad phenomena are simultaneously illuminated, they never inhere in his mind; ultimate wisdom has no conditions, and so is named ‘unthinking’; conventional wisdom has conditions, and so thoughts and conceptions arise. Furthermore, thought is not different from emptiness, and emptiness is not different from thought; this is called the principle of the Middle Way in the highest sense, which reveals the dharmakāya. Emptiness is precisely thought; this is called the principle of conventional truth; the myriad virtues like sands of the Ganges all rely on conventional truth, which reveals the saṃbhogakāya. Thought is precisely emptiness; this is called the principle of ultimate truth; destroying the twenty-five states of existence and attaining the twenty-five samādhis, being constantly empty yet constantly transforming, softening its light to benefit beings—this reveals the nirmāṇakāya. Thus, by means of the three contemplations, one contemplates the three truths, realizes the three virtues, accomplishes the three bodies, and so forth up to the ten triads of dharmas; what could be impermissible about this? Why then would you wish to discard pure thought and grasp at the thought of no-thought? Why block the gate of meditative concentration and grasp at the threshold of becoming a buddha? Both the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra and the Ghanavyūha Sūtra state: ‘Better to raise a view of existence as vast as Mount Sumeru.’ This means that by believing in cause and effect, holding thought and being mindful of the buddha, one is reborn in the pure land of Sukhāvatī; therefore it says ‘better to raise [a view of] existence.’ ‘Do not raise a view of emptiness as small as a mustard seed.’ This means that by rejecting cause and effect and slandering buddha-mindfulness, one is born in the Avīci Hell; therefore it says ‘do not raise [a view of] emptiness.’ Alas, what is truly to be feared lies right here!”

2.24

Gate 11: Mindfulness of the Buddha with a Loud Voice and Facing West

2.25

Question: “That ‘thought is precisely no-thought’, I have respectfully heard. Yet in the vaipulya sūtras, one cultivates supreme, profound, and wondrous dhyāna-concentration, being instructed to continuously visualize the ūrṇā and recite the buddha's name in order to pray for superior concentration; once one has accorded with it, mind and buddha are both forgotten. I truly believe this! But if one’s silent mindfulness is as clear as a spring, samādhi will naturally arrive on its own; what need is there for voices to clamor in the village streets and echoes to shake the mountain forests before it can be considered the Path?”

2.26

I reply: “It is indeed as you ask, yet vocal sound is also not flawed; let me try to explain it. Why? The essential technique for dispelling distraction lies in sound. If the voice is not vigorous, the mind is timid and drifts without stability. If the voice is vigorous, it uproots weeds with their tangled roots, driving them forward; facing them once with one’s whole life, one permanently bids farewell to a hundred sorrows. This is the first meaning. Taken closer at hand, wherever the sound and light reach, ten thousand misfortunes melt away like ice; the grove of merit and virtue flourishes like pines on a thousand hills. This is the second meaning. Spoken from afar, the golden countenance sparkles and scatters radiance, and jeweled flowers shower gently from the sky; as clearly as pointing to one's palm, all are brought about by sound. This is the third meaning. Just as when dragging heavy timber and stones they are burdensome and cannot advance, but when a mighty shout rings out, they are lifted lightly and easily. This is the fourth meaning. When battling the demon armies, with banners and drums facing each other, using vocal martial tunes upon the war chariots, one decisively destroys the powerful enemy. This is the fifth meaning. Possessing these various meanings, why should it be reviled? Is it not better when clamor and quiet are both preserved, śamatha and vipaśyanā are jointly exercised, according with the buddha’s intention? If calm and discernment are balanced, then both forgetting mind and buddha will truly be as you have said. Therefore Master Yuan of Mount Lu’s ‘Preface to the Buddhānusmṛti-samādhi’ states: ‘Its merit is high and progress is easy; buddha-mindfulness comes first.’ When examining how the profound sound strikes the heart, upon hearing it, defiling burdens are melted away and stagnant feelings become harmoniously luminous. If it were not the supreme marvel of the world, who could take part in this? As for clear evidence, it is best shown by the verse in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra:

2.27

“‘Better to endure boundless suffering / to hear the voice of the Buddha, / than to receive all pleasures / and not hear the Buddha’s name.’

2.28

“This being so, the Buddha's voice shakes from afar to open the sprouts of goodness, just as spring thunder stirs the hundred grasses; how could one lightly defame it?”

2.29

Question: “Whether with a loud or soft voice, one recites the buddha's name; I respectfully accept its meaning. Yet there are tathāgatas in the pure lands of the ten directions; why cling so tenaciously to facing the west?”

2.30

I reply: “Your question is mistaken. It is the vaipulya Buddhist sūtras that speak like this, not the personal opinion of human teachers. How could you slander the vaipulya sūtras?”

2.31

Question: “I respectfully hear the teaching; where does the principle lie?”

2.32

I reply: “There is indeed a principle for it. For example, if a foolish person sees that Avalokiteśvara has eleven faces, he immediately raises an objection, saying: ‘Why not install twelve faces?’ And following along with his words, one might also raise an objection, saying: ‘Why not install eleven faces?’ Your wish to challenge west by bringing up east is just like this. To one who is deluded and not yet awake, one tells him to arrange this very body so that it does not turn its back on a single direction, and then he will naturally awaken. If he does not awaken, he truly cannot be transformed, and can only be pitied! Furthermore, the ‘Two Practices Chapter’ of the Suvikrāntajñānakokiparipṛcchā Sūtra explains that among the eighty minor marks of the Tathāgata, there is a mark of light and merit named ‘Facing All Directions,’ meaning he never turns his back on others. Now the Buddha cannot be turned away from; he constantly faces all sentient beings, unlike enemies who do not wish to see each other. This is compassion at its utmost; this is its meaning. From the year he reached young adulthood until he reached sixty, the Great Master Zhiyi would join his palms when lying down and always face west when sitting. When he was gravely ill, he had the forty-eight vows and the nine grades of rebirth read aloud; radiant light filled the mountain, and heavenly music played in succession as he was reborn in the Pure Land. Is not the meaning of facing west truly vast?”

2.33

Question: “Regarding facing west, I have respectfully heard the teaching and the principle. What is the meaning of pratyutpanna?”

2.34

I reply: “In Sanskrit it is called pratyutpanna, and here it is translated as ‘manifesting before one,’ meaning that through uninterrupted reflection, the Buddha manifests in samādhi. The general practice of continuously walking for ninety days is an auxiliary condition for pratyutpanna, not the direct explanation of its meaning.”

2.35

Question: “The wondrous gate of the Pure Land and the meaning of pratyutpanna have both been thoroughly analyzed. Yet in recent times, who has managed to ascend to the land of Sukhāvatī? Since no one has reported back, how do we know their destination? Please elucidate this.”

2.36

I reply: “Dharma Master Yuan of Mount Lu during the Jin dynasty was its foremost pioneer. Master Yuan received the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi from Tripiṭaka Master Buddhabhadra, and together with his younger brother Huichi, the eminent monk Huiyong, court dignitaries and noble scholars, and recluses of pure faith—Zong Bing, Zhang Ye, Liu Yimin, Lei Cizong, Zhou Xuzhi, Xie Lingyun, Que Gongze, and others, one hundred and twenty-three in total—carved an inscription into the mountain, vowing to be reborn in the Pure Land. Liu Yimin composed a text whose general drift states: ‘Reflecting upon the transience of locking arms only to sink into the waves, realizing the urgency of impermanence, carefully examining the marks of the three karmic retributions, and spurred by the awareness that the perilous paths are hard to escape—this is why our like-minded worthy companions are watchful in the evening and diligent in the night, looking upward and contemplating that which rescues. Thereafter, contemplating the great meaning with wondrous insight, opening the mind in correct illumination, consciousness is renewed through awakening, and bodily form is transformed by cultivation. Resting upon lotus blossoms in midstream, chanting poetry sheltered beneath jeweled branches, our cloud-robes flutter across the eight directions, drifting in fragrant breezes to exhaust our years. The physical frame forgets repose yet becomes ever more serene; the mind transcends worldly pleasure to take delight in itself. Looking down upon the three evil paths, we bid them a distant farewell; disdaining the heavenly palaces, we take our permanent leave of them. Carrying on the lineage of all spiritual sages to follow their footsteps, we take the abandonment of our last breath as our period of fulfillment. When plumbing this path to its depths, is it not magnificent!’ Master Yuan composed a ‘Preface to the Buddhānusmṛti-samādhi’ which says: ‘What is meant by samādhi? It refers to concentrating the mind and stilling thought. When thoughts are concentrated, the aspiration is unified and unmoving; when thoughts are stilled, the vital breath is empty and the spirit is luminous. When the vital breath is empty, wisdom illuminates in tranquility; when the spirit is luminous, there is no obscurity that it does not penetrate. These two are a natural, profound tally; merging as one, they bring about the function. Furthermore, the samādhis are very numerous in name; their merit is high and progress is easy, with buddha-mindfulness coming first. If compared with the conditions of ordinary people's various concentrations, one cannot even speak of their superiority or inferiority; this can be known right where one dwells.’ Xie Lingyun’s ‘Ode on the Pure Land’ says: ‘Dharmākara grew up in a royal palace, / yet cherishing the Way he left the city walls. / He made forty-eight vows, / a vast pledge to rescue all living beings. / How wondrous is the Pure Land! / Those who come are all the finest. / How could declining years be relied upon? / Borne on transformation, one must journey at dawn.’ To your question, ‘No one has seen rebirth reported back,’ there was Que Gongze of the Jin dynasty, who vowed to be reborn and came back to report. Later, when a friend bound by the same vow was at the Baima Monastery in the Eastern Capital turning the sūtras on the anniversary of Que Gongze's death, the forest and the hall all turned a golden color, and a voice spoke in the sky, saying: ‘I am Que Gongze! That which I prayed for—rebirth in the jeweled land of Sukhāvatī—has now been fulfilled, and so I have come to report.’ Having finished speaking, he disappeared. Zhi Daolin praised him, saying:

2.37

“‘Great was Lord Que! / Revering the void and receiving the spirit, / his spiritual transformation was in the Western Realm, / and its trace verified in the Eastern Capital. / Hovering in the night sky, / his echoing voice flowed and his form shone brightly. / How could he merely crave a single praise? / He revealed that it is not dark and obscure.’

2.38

“Yu Xiaojing also praised him, saying:

2.39

“‘Splendid was Gongze! / He was the first to savor the flavor of the Dharma. / Those who understand me are rare, / and so his way was truly precious. / The golden light shone bright at night; / his jade countenance was radiant in the morning. / Not abandoning those with whom he had karmic affinity, / he spoke to inform his fellows.’”

2.40

Gate 12: Dream and Awakening as the One Mind to Clarify Samādhi

2.41

Question: “Que Gong’s rebirth and the report of golden light, I respectfully accept. But the Buddha taught that all dharmas are like a dream; I do not know whether the buddha who is contemplated and the pure land to which one is reborn are also like a dream or not. If they are not a dream, then the buddha is outside the mind; if they are a dream, then the buddha is within a dream. Just as when obtaining gold in a dream, upon awakening one has acquired nothing, I truly fear that vainly contemplating the three bodies will in the end reduce to a single delusion. Please clarify this.”

2.42

I reply: “It is not a delusion! How do we know this? If a person cultivating the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi were like someone obtaining gold in a dream who acquires nothing upon waking, then it would be identical to delusion. But ultimately, being reborn in the pure land due to buddha-mindfulness, how could that be called delusion? For example, when practicing the method for the divine eye, one first visualizes lights such as pearls and fire; visualizing them without cease, the divine eye truly manifests. Who could call that a delusion? How could it be the same as gold in a dream, which in the end does not exist? Do not take distant matters with near sight and cite dreams as an analogy. It is clear that one must not treat buddha-mindfulness and rebirth as completely identical to a dream! Furthermore, the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: ‘Mind, buddha, and sentient beings: these three have no distinction.’ When the mind is deluded, it is like a dream; this is the sentient beings of the nine dharma realms. When the mind is awakened, it is like being awake; this single dharma realm is precisely the buddhas. Delusion and awakening exist solely in the one mind; dream and awakening have never been two tracks. As the sūtra states: ‘Realizing that delusion is fundamentally real, one sees Vairocana.’ Even if it were a dream or a delusion, what flaw would there be? Let the mind alone observe this, and make your resolve unyielding like stone.”

2.43

Gate 13: Mindfulness of the Three Bodies of the Buddha to Destroy the Three Kinds of Obstacles

2.44

Question: “The Buddha has three bodies; how should one be mindful of them? Please show the skillful means so that nothing is lost.”

2.45

I reply: The three bodies of the Buddha are the dharmakāya, the saṃbhogakāya, and the nirmāṇakāya. The dharmakāya is like the substance of the moon, the saṃbhogakāya is like the light of the moon, and the transformed buddha is like the reflection of the moon. In myriad waters there is in each a moon: is this moon many, or is it one? One cannot say it is one, for the moons in the myriad waters are ever distinct! One cannot say it is many, for the moon in the empty sky is ever one! Like the Sanskrit letter *i* or the three eyes of Maheśvara, whether vertical, horizontal, combined, or distinct, they are all inconceivable! The sūtra says: 'Or manifesting a small body of sixteen feet or eight cubits'—these are all buddhas within the water of sentient beings' minds. The Buddha does not even have form; how could there be two? Pure lands and defiled realms also arise from that alone. If you wish to use mindfulness of the three bodies to destroy the three kinds of obstacles, I shall now attempt to explain it. The arising of the Buddha's bodies arises from śamatha and vipaśyanā; if śamatha and vipaśyanā are not balanced, these obstacles will surely arise. When a person practicing buddha-mindfulness cultivates śamatha and the mind sinks, the obstacle of darkness arises and obstructs the nirmāṇakāya buddha. One must then urge it on with a mind of vipaśyanā, being mindful of the light of the ūrṇā to destroy the obstacle of darkness. When cultivating vipaśyanā and the mind floats, there is no evil it does not create, and it obstructs the saṃbhogakāya buddha. One must return to cultivating śamatha to stop all evil; be mindful of the past causes of all buddhas, their Ganges-sands of merits and perfection of wisdom, where repaying the causes is called retribution, thereby destroying the obstacle of evil thoughts. If the obstacles of the two extremes stir, with deceptive shapes and peculiar forms, the myriad marks in tumultuous confusion, and the two thieves of hardness and softness obstructing the dharmakāya buddha, one destroys them with the Middle Way's supreme emptiness of ultimate truth. The verse says:

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'Without color, without shape or mark,
Without root, without dwelling place,
Because it is unarisen and unceasing,
I pay homage to that which has nothing to contemplate.'

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The principle that is contemplated is like a violent vairambha wind blowing away dense clouds to reveal and illuminate the pure jewel moon of the dharmakāya, destroying the obstacle of afflictive distress. Is this not truly administering medicine in response to the illness? (This is the interpretation of Great Master Tiantai Zhizhe. Having not surveyed broadly, I have truly never seen any master offer such a wondrous explanation. The meaning of śamatha and vipaśyanā has already been briefly distinguished above; it awaits oral explanation and cannot be verified by writing alone.) Once I transform others, others also transform beings; when both beings and self are perfected, the samādhi flourishes all the more; as sentient beings are endless, the samādhi never ceases.

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The above six gates all consist of being mindful of the present Amitābha Buddha so as to encompass the meaning of the three times. They are explained at length in works such as the *Anle ji*, the *Tiantai shiyi lun*, Dharma Master Xian's *Shi qunyi lun*, the *Wangsheng zhuan*, and Dhyāna Master Chou's *Fabao yi lun*, and are also broadly clarified in the one fascicle of *Wushang shenmiao chanmen chuanji fabao* previously composed by Feixi.

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Treatise on the Jewel King of Buddha-Mindfulness Samādhi, Middle Fascicle

Linked texts (1)

念佛三昧寶王論 — Classical Chinese