龍舒增廣淨土文 10
English (machine translation) 10
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10.1
Composed by Wang Rixiu, Jinshi of the National Academy
10.2
Though one who attains the most profound principle resides in a defiled world, how is it different from the Pure Land? Therefore, this fascicle records the most profound principle, entitled "Purity and Defilement as One." Yet one must also not rely on this and fail to cultivate Pure Land practice, for fear of easily lapsing into empty talk, just like the pitfall of Chan practitioners.
10.3
On Emotion
10.4
Joy, anger, fondness, aversion, cravings, and desires are all emotions. Nourishing emotion leads to evil; indulging emotion leads to devastation; curbing emotion leads to goodness; extinguishing emotion leads to sagehood. Finding one's food delicious, one's clothing beautiful, and one's dwelling spacious—such things are called nourishing emotion. Eating and drinking without limit, adorning clothing to the utmost, and dwelling without satisfaction—such things are called indulging emotion. Being offended without taking offense, being provoked without being angered, and being harmed without harboring resentment—this is called curbing emotion. Seeing offense, provocation, and harm as empty, and instead giving rise to a mind of pity for [the offender's] ignorance—this is called extinguishing emotion. If one awakens to this principle, the mind-ground will be constantly pure, as if in the Pure Land.
10.5
On "Immediately Empty"
10.6
The Buddha said: "Feeling is immediately empty." "Feeling" refers to feeling suffering, feeling pleasure, and all experiences of consumption. For instance, when food is set out in several flavors, as soon as one lays down the chopsticks, it is empty. When going out with many attendants, once arrived, it is empty. When sightseeing all day, once returned, it is empty. Again, like doing good: once the matter is finished, the toil is immediately empty, yet the wholesome karma remains entirely. Doing evil: once the matter is finished, the gratification is immediately empty, yet the evil karma remains entirely. If one deeply awakens to this principle, food can be frugal, free from the karmic debts of excessive consumption and slaughter; going out can be modest, free from the afflictions of exhausting the mind and distressing others; sightseeing can cease, free from the fault of dissipation and neglecting duties; wholesome roots can be diligently cultivated, free from the errors of indolence and procrastination; and evil can be vigorously avoided, free from the sins of indulgence and enmity. I rejoice in having attained this principle, and therefore wish to share it with others (and all experiences of consumption are precisely what is called neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling).
10.7
On the Six Sense Faculties
10.8
A thousand adornments are merely for the half-inch eye; a hundred kinds of music are merely for the bean-sized ear; aloeswood, sandalwood, camphor, and musk are merely for the two nostrils; food spread out over ten square feet is merely for the three-inch tongue; exquisite beauty and seductive charm are merely for a foul and decaying body; compliance and flattery are merely for a wild and unrestrained mind. If one can see through this principle, one will be a happy person free of affliction. The Buddha said: "Sentient beings since beginningless time have recognized a thief as their child, robbing their own family jewels." This refers to being deluded by the thieves of the six sense faculties and thereby losing one's true nature. Mencius said: "Only a sage can fulfill the physical form," which means not being deluded by these. There was a courtesan who attained the Way. Mañjuśrī asked her: "How is it that you do not become angry?" She replied: "I see that all sentient beings do not arise." He asked again: "How do you see the eighteen realms?" She replied: "Like seeing the kalpa fire burning all worlds." How wonderful are these words! They mean that all sentient beings originally do not exist and are born only from false thoughts; what anger could there be? The eighteen realms refer to the six sense faculties, the six sense objects, and the six consciousnesses. Because there are these various elements, immeasurable matters are generated and immeasurable evils are created; therefore they are like the kalpa fire burning all worlds. If one awakens to this principle, although one has not yet been born in the Pure Land, it is already as if one were born in the Pure Land.
10.9
On True Nature
10.10
The twenty-seven sections of the Diamond Sūtra, in their main thrust, do no more than state that the true nature is entirely devoid of anything, like empty space. Yet this empty space is called inert emptiness; inert emptiness is genuinely devoid of anything. But although the true nature is like empty space, within it there is being; hence it is said that true emptiness is not empty. Inert emptiness can be made and can be destroyed. If this ground is solid, digging out one foot of earth yields one foot of emptiness, and digging out one zhang of earth yields one zhang of emptiness. This is how inert emptiness can be made. If this vessel is originally empty, placing an object in it makes it solid; if this room is originally empty, placing objects in it also makes it solid. This is how inert emptiness can be destroyed. As for the emptiness of the true nature, it cannot be made and cannot be destroyed. Originally containing empty space and the worlds, how could it be made? From the beginningless past until today it has never changed or moved; how could it be destroyed? In the true nature nothing whatsoever exists, and there is nothing to compare it to; thus, out of necessity, one compares it to inert emptiness. This is why the Heart of Prajñā Sūtra says, 'All dharmas are marked by emptiness'—meaning that the mark of all dharmas being empty is precisely the true nature. It continues: 'In emptiness there is no form… up to no wisdom and no attainment,' meaning that in the true nature there is nothing whatsoever, just as in inert emptiness there is nothing whatsoever. Since there is nothing whatsoever, yet there are all sentient beings, these are merely delusive conditions appearing within the true nature. Generally speaking, the true nature is like a mirror, and all living beings are like reflections: they are reflections appearing within the true nature. Reflections come and go, but the mirror remains constantly as it is. Sentient beings undergo birth and cessation, but the true nature remains constantly as it is. Once birth and cessation are eliminated, the true nature appears; for birth and cessation are delusion, while the true nature is real. Therefore the Śūraṅgama-sūtra says, 'When all delusions are extinguished, what else is needed for the true to appear?' From the Buddhas above down to wriggling and fluttering creatures below, this nature is originally without difference; any difference is entirely delusive.
10.11
On the Mind Being Delusive Thinking
10.12
In the first fascicle of the Śūraṅgama-sūtra, the Buddha debates the mind with Ānanda seven times, concluding that what is ordinarily called the mind is merely delusive thinking, not the true mind. The true mind is precisely the nature. The Perfect Enlightenment Sūtra states: 'Sentient beings mistakenly identify the reflected shadows of the six sense objects and conditions as their own mental characteristics.' Thus what is ordinarily called the mind is merely the reflected shadows of the six kinds of dust-conditions. It is said that this mind originally does not exist; only because there are six kinds of dust-conditions externally does this mind appear internally. If externally there is form, internally there arises a mind that craves form. If externally there is sound, internally there arises a mind that craves sound. If externally there are smells, tastes, tangibles, and phenomena, internally there arises a mind that craves smells, tastes, tangibles, and phenomena. The true nature is like a mirror, and the six kinds of dust-conditions are like shapes. This mind is like a shadow: if externally there are no such six dusts, internally there is also no such mind. How could this mind not be the shadow of the six kinds of dust-conditions? When a shape comes, the shadow appears; when the shape goes, the shadow vanishes; yet the mirror of the nature remains constantly as it is. Therefore the Diamond Sūtra says: 'Past mind cannot be grasped, present mind cannot be grasped, future mind cannot be grasped.' These three minds all refer to the delusive mind; hence there are past, present, and future. As for the true mind, from the beginningless past it has never changed or moved; how could it have past, future, or present? 'Cannot be grasped' means that it does not exist. If one is hungry and thinks of food, once one obtains food this mind has passed; while actually eating and tasting, that is the present mind; before thinking of food this mind did not yet exist, hence it is the future mind. These three minds all perish with the passage of time; hence it is said that they cannot be grasped.
10.13
On the Five Aggregates Being Completely Empty
10.14
The Heart of Prajñā Sūtra says: 'The Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara illuminated and saw that the five aggregates are completely empty, transcending all suffering and hardship.' The five aggregates refer to form, feeling, perception, impulses, and consciousness. Form refers to the physical body; feeling refers to experience and enjoyment; perception refers to thinking; impulses refer to what is enacted; consciousness refers to discrimination. These five accumulate and do not disperse, obstructing and veiling the true nature; hence they are called 'aggregates' (yun). They are also called the 'five shades' (yin), meaning that they overshadow and darken the true nature. The physical body ultimately returns to decay; experiences pass away with time—how could form and feeling not be empty? Moreover, consider thinking of an object: once one obtains it, the thought ceases—how could perception not be empty? Regarding the matters one enacts, looking back they are like dreams and illusions—how could impulses not be empty? Even if one discriminates a thousand kinds of things, in another life one will no longer be able to know them—how could consciousness not be empty? All suffering and hardship arise from these five. If one can illuminate and see that the physical body is empty, one will not cling to the physical body and fear death; this is transcending this one kind of suffering and hardship. Illuminating and seeing that experience and enjoyment are empty, one will not cling to experience and enjoyment to covet pampering; one transcends yet another kind of suffering and hardship. Illuminating and seeing that thinking is empty, one will not cling to thinking, and the mind will have nowhere to attach; one transcends yet another kind of suffering and hardship. Illuminating and seeing that what is enacted is empty, one will not cling to what is enacted, and can erase one's traces; this again transcends one kind of suffering and hardship. Illuminating and seeing that discrimination is empty, one will not cling to discrimination, and can sit and forget; this again transcends one kind of suffering and hardship. Therefore, illuminating and seeing that the five aggregates are completely empty, one transcends all suffering and hardship. These five are none of them real; they are delusive conditions appearing within the true nature. The six sense organs, the six sense objects, the six consciousnesses, the twelve links of dependent origination, and the Four Truths are all of this category.
10.15
On Laying Aside the Mind and Employing the Bodily Form
10.16
Liezi said, 'Confucius laid aside his mind and employed his bodily form,' meaning that his mind was no longer nurtured by objects and was laid aside, and he merely used his bodily form to respond to objects. I deeply cherish these words; hence, though worn out with toil, I do not consider it disappointment, and amidst glory and opulent provision, I do not consider it gratification, because the mind does not attach to objects. I then reflect that when bodhisattvas resolve birth and death, they take birth among all sentient beings to establish teachings and transformations precisely because their minds do not attach to objects, merely using the bodily form to respond to them. Such being the case, Confucius in this regard was a follower of the bodhisattvas.
10.17
On Employing the Bodily Frame
10.18
The verse on a heavenly being paying homage to dry bones says:
'You were I in my previous life,
Now my divine eye has opened:
Jeweled garments arrive as thought dictates,
Jade foods come naturally.
I thank you for your past toil and hardship,
Which makes me so blissful today.
While scattering flowers, I bow again and again;
Let worldly people not wonder or suspect.'
Furthermore, the verse on a hungry ghost whipping a corpse says:
'Because of this stinking leather bag,
Tossed about and busy for eons,
Only knowing to crave pleasure,
Unwilling for a moment to turn the light inward.
My own karma fell short by ounces and drams,
In the Yellow Springs, the years and months are long.
I must truly beat you with a painful staff;
This resentment is hard to forget so suddenly.'
These words are acceptable for converting the worldly, but not for taking as literal truth. Why is this? A human spirit lodges within the bodily frame; that which employs the bodily frame is entirely the spirit. For example, a carpenter uses axes and adzes: if he uses them well, they produce fine implements; if he uses them poorly, they produce bad implements. Thus, one who becomes a heavenly being was someone who employed the bodily frame well in a previous life. One who becomes a hungry ghost was someone who did not employ the bodily frame well in a previous life. The gain or loss occurred entirely at that very time; once experiencing the retribution, what benefit is there in bowing to it or whipping it?
10.19
On Equalizing Birth and Death
10.20
Visualize the big toe of the right foot rotting, swollen, and oozing foul water, gradually reaching the shin, the knee, and the waist; the left foot likewise gradually rots, passing the waist, moving upward to the abdomen, the chest, and up to the neck and crown, completely rotted away, leaving only white bones. Next, clearly and distinctly observe the white bones, seeing each and every one completely. Observing with a calm mind, after a long while, then reflect: who is it that looks at the white bones? Whose white bones are they? From this, one knows that the body and 'I' have always been two separate things. Then gradually step away from the white bones to observe them: first one zhang away, up to five zhang, ten zhang, even a hundred zhang or a thousand zhang away. From this, one knows that the white bones and 'I' are completely unrelated. If one constantly engages in this visualization, then 'I' and the bodily frame are originally two separate things. I temporarily reside within the bodily frame; how could it be said that this bodily frame will never decay and that I will constantly reside within it? In this way, one can cross over birth and death. How much more so when, leaving this place, I go to the Pure Land! Practicing this contemplation daily, one will gain something further. Like a person drinking water, knowing for oneself whether it is cold or warm, it does not rely on verbal transmission.
10.21
On the 'Self'
10.22
Where the 'I' resides, one cannot be without a self; if there is no self, one pursues external objects. Where principle resides, one cannot have a self; if there is a self, it obscures principle. Confucius was without a self, and the bodhisattva is without the mark of a self. If one can reach this point, one is equal to empty space; how could there still be any distinction between pure and defiled? It is only to be feared that this is not easy to attain.
10.23
Longshu's Expanded Pure Land Writings, Fascicle Ten (Appended after this fascicle are three postscripts by Senior Grand Master Zhou, Attendant Gentleman Liu, and Chan Master Dahui Gao)
10.24
Wang Xuzhong of Longshu possessed profound learning. His explanations of the Six Classics, the Analects, Mencius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi avoided copying a single word or phrase from predecessors; his application of purpose was diligent indeed! One day he cast them aside and exclusively cultivated the teaching of the West, composing the Pure Land Writings, which are orderly in both fine and coarse, shallow and deep. Using these, he printed and distributed them to those with affinity, hastening through the various commanderies of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Furthermore, he intended to go in person to Jian'an to carve the printing blocks, busying himself among the bookshops as if he could not delay for even a single day. I have heard that the Amitāyus-sūtra says: 'If sentient beings hear this Buddha's name, revere it with joy in faith, and even for a single thought-moment wish to be born in that land, they immediately attain rebirth and dwell in non-retrogression.' 'Non-retrogression' in Sanskrit is called avinivartanīya; the Lotus Sūtra calls it the retribution ground attained by Maitreya Bodhisattva. With rebirth in a single thought-moment, one is identical to Maitreya. The Buddha's words are not empty; all should faithfully accept them.
10.25
Postscript by Layman Weixin, Zhou Kui of Jingxi, on the seventh day of the intercalary fourth month in the renwu year of the Shaoxing era [1162].
10.26
Postscript by Liu, First Scholar and Attendant Gentleman
10.27
In the past, when the Sixth Patriarch explained the marks and characteristics of the Western [Pure Land] to Prefect Wei, his words were extremely concise and his purport was extremely clear: since there is no gap between west and east, what marks could there be to expound? Yet when one looks at Wang Xuzhong's Pure Land Writings, how earnest and detailed they are! For I have heard that the Dharma has neither sudden nor gradual, but faculties have sharp and dull. The Sixth Patriarch expounded the primary truth for those of superior wisdom; therefore, shifting the west to the east occurred in a kṣaṇa, and they understood it as soon as spoken, allowing no room for deliberation. Xuzhong, seeking to awaken those of inferior faculties, broadly composed these discussions, directing them solely to take refuge in the West; hence he was eager to publish and circulate them, fearing only that their circulation would not be widespread. His compassionate heart for people can truly be called diligent and earnest! If anyone can gain awakening through Xuzhong's writings, would it not be like using the fish-trap and the rabbit-snare!
10.28
Written by Liu Zhang, Old Man Muneweng, on the sixth day of the sixth month in the renwu year of the Shaoxing era [1162].
10.29
Postscript by the Old Man of Miaoxi
10.30
Wang Xuzhong, Rixiu of Longshu, in the leisure of his extensive reading of all books, set his mind on the Buddha Vehicle and took benefiting others as his personal duty; he is truly a lotus amidst fire. The Buddha said: 'To cross others over before one has crossed oneself is the resolve of a bodhisattva. To already have perfected self-awakening and be able to awaken others is the Tathāgata responding to the world.' I commend his aspiration and write this after his work. If one sees the Amitābha of one's own nature, one understands the Mind-Only Pure Land. If one is not yet able to do so, then Xuzhong's composing this text will not have its merit wasted.
10.31
Written on the twentieth day of the eighth month in the gengchen year [1160] at Liu Jingwen's Lanke. Postscript by Zonggao, Miaoxi of Shuangjing.
10.32
Longshu's Expanded Pure Land Writings, Fascicle Ten (End)
Linked texts (1)
- 龍舒增廣淨土文 — Classical Chinese