人天眼目 3

English (machine translation) 3

Language: English

Venerable Dongshan was named Liangjie. Born to the Yu family of Kuaiji, he shaved his head under Chan Master Mo of Mount Wuxie. He attained the Dharma from Chan Master Yunyan Tansheng. At first he resided at Dongshan in Junzhou, where he provisionally established the Five Ranks to adeptly receive those of the three faculties, greatly proclaimed the single voice to broadly spread it to the myriad classes, brandished a precious sword across his path to shear the dense thicket of various views, and wondrously harmonized and broadly penetrated to cut off the strained interpretations of heterodox views. Later he obtained Chan Master Caoshan Benji, who thoroughly understood the clear aim and wondrously sang fine maxims. Their Dao matched like lord and vassal, partial and upright interchanging. From this, the profound style of Dongshan spread throughout the realm. Therefore, the lineage masters of all quarters joined in revering and honoring it, calling it the Caodong lineage.

3.3

The Five Ranks of Lord and Vassal

3.4

A monk asked Caoshan about the essential instructions of the Five Ranks of Lord and Vassal. Caoshan said, "The rank of the upright belongs to the realm of emptiness; fundamentally there is not a single thing. The rank of the partial belongs to the realm of form; there are myriad images. 'The upright within the partial' means setting aside phenomena to enter principle. 'Arriving from within the upright' means turning one's back on principle to approach phenomena. 'Integration' means implicitly responding to all conditions without following various existences, being neither defiled nor pure, neither upright nor partial. Therefore it is called the vacuous, abstruse Great Way, the non-attached true lineage. Forebears and past worthies from of old have exalted this single rank as the most wondrous and most abstruse. One must carefully examine and clearly distinguish it. The lord is the rank of the upright; the vassal is the rank of the partial. The vassal turning toward the lord is the upright within the partial. The lord looking upon the vassal is the partial within the upright. The Dao of lord and vassal harmonizing is the phrase of integration." Then a monk came forward and asked, "What is the lord?" Caoshan said, "Wondrous virtue honored throughout the realm; exalted brilliance illuminates the great void." "What is the vassal?" He said, "Numinous dynamic broadens the sacred Dao; true wisdom benefits all living beings." "What is the vassal turning toward the lord?" He said, "Not falling into different destinies, with gathered mind gazing at the sacred countenance." "What is the lord looking upon the vassal?" He said, "Though the wondrous countenance does not move, its illuminating light is fundamentally without partiality." "What is the Dao of lord and vassal harmonizing?" He said, "Confounded together without inside or outside, harmonious and blended, above and below are level." He also said, "Speaking in terms of lord and vassal, partial and upright, is because one does not wish to violate the center; thus when the vassal addresses the lord, he dares not speak directly. This is the cardinal essential of our Dharma." He then composed a gāthā: "Students must first recognize their own school; / Do not mix the true limit with inert voidness. / When the wondrous, bright essence is fully exhausted, know how to avoid injury and touch; / Power lies in facing conditions without borrowing from within. / Utter words in a way that truly cannot be burned; / In your hidden practice you must be identical to the ancients. / Having no body yet having affairs transcends divergent paths; / Having no affairs and having no body falls into beginning and end."

3.5

Dayang's Odes

3.6

Without establishing merit, sitting in the court hall,
How dare the assembly of vassals gaze upon the pure light?
Profound and deep, the forbidden palace is exceedingly majestic;
Quiet and lonely, with no one present, the night has not yet ended.
(The lord)

3.7

Civil classics and martial strategies pacify the Central Florescence,
Gradually passing through ranks to assist the state.
Meritorious achievements already exalted, the nine bestowed honors added;
Look closely at the spirit and air alongside the lord.
(The vassal)

3.8

Honored at the position of nine and five, he never abides there;
Always sharing a single path with the assembly of vassals.
Deeply concealed in the rear palace, the realm is governed;
Spared from having the border tribes gaze for deliverance.
(The lord looks upon the vassal)

3.9

Thought after thought offering loyalty, not daring to deceive,
In every situation revering and honoring like a stalwart hero.
Looking toward the lord on the thousand-li road to Chang'an,
Jade stirrups all head back toward the imperial palace.
(The vassal turns toward the lord)

3.10

Vassal and sovereign forgetting each other, the ancient hall is cold;
The scholar tree of ten thousand years is blanketed in snow.
A thousand gates sit closed, quiet as water;
There are only weeping willows dancing in emerald mist.
(The Dao of lord and vassal harmonizing)

3.11

Within nothingness there is a road penetrating to Chang'an;
Beyond the kalpa, who dares climb the numinous branch?
Moss grows on the precious palace, honored, heavy, and noble;
At the third watch, the red sun is pitch-black.
(General ode)

3.12

Questions and Answers

3.13

A monk asked, "What is the partial within the upright?"

3.14

Fenyang Zhao said, "The jade hare having shone bright, after the first watch of the night, the golden rooster must crow before the fifth watch."
Daowu Zhen said, "All the sons come to pay respects to the Great Immortal."
Hongzhi Jue said, "After the clouds disperse in the vast sky, the night moon shines in the empty hall."
Ciyan Zong said, "Before the water-chestnut blossom mirror reflects."
Huayan Jue said, "In the deep of the night, lowering the night-bright curtain."

3.15

What is the upright within the partial?

3.16

Fen said, "The tip of a hair becomes a great tree; a drop of water makes rivers and lakes."
Wu said, "Ten thousand waters and a thousand mountains are as bright as a mirror."
Zhi said, "The white-haired old woman is ashamed to look into the mirror."
Yan said, "Round and complete, with nothing left over."
Jue said, "At daybreak, the thief jumps into the ancient well."

3.17

What is arriving from within the upright?

3.18

Fen[yang] said, "Lotus blossoms open one by one on dry land." A monk asked, "What about after they have opened?" Fen[yang] said, "Golden stamens and silver threads receive the jade dew; the eminent monk does not sit on the Phoenix Terrace." [Baoneng]wu said, "The pure and shining cosmos roars with earthly thunder." [Huanglong Hui]zhi said, "Frosty eyebrows and snowy temples emerge from the fire; dignified and imposing, he ultimately does not fall into the present time." [Shishuang Qiqing]yan said, "Pervading the realm, dust and defilement are utterly gone." [Baofeng Keqing]jue said, "The hundred flora receive spring and blossom everywhere."

3.19

"What is arrival within integration?" (Jiyin said: "It should read 'arrival within the partial'; the explanation is below.")

3.20

Fen[yang] said, "Heroic spirit is not obtained from heaven and earth; how could a hero rely on the urge of the four seasons?" [Baoneng]wu said, "Deployment in all directions without fear." [Huanglong Hui]zhi said, "Great function appears right before you without adhering to rules and regulations." [Shishuang Qiqing]yan said, "A game before the merit of catching arrows in the teeth." Yan also said, "Snow and rain pelt down together with nowhere to hide."

3.21

"What is attainment within integration?"

3.22

Fen[yang] said, "The jade maiden throws the shuttle—the loom rattles; the stone man beats the drum—the rhythm booms." [Baoneng]wu said, "Passed through before black and white were yet divided." [Huanglong Hui]zhi said, "The ranks line up early outside the curtain of night brightness; on the hall of the King of Emptiness, there is no intimate knower." [Shishuang Qiqing]yan said, "Across the ten directions, no tidings get through." [Xingjiao Baling Hao]yan said, "Both ends cut off, with nothing to rely upon; only when mind and phenomena are both forgotten is the profound attained."

3.23

Jiyin Rectifies the Errors of the Five Ranks (Newly Added)

3.24

Jiyin said: "As the Way has increasingly declined, even the designations of the ranks have become erroneously scrambled and out of order. For example, 'the partial within the upright', 'the upright within the partial', and further 'arriving from within the upright', 'arrival within the partial', and then concluding with 'attainment within integration' to make up the Five Ranks in total. Nowadays, people substitute 'arrival within the partial' with 'arrival within integration'—I do not know what they take it to mean! Yet old masters and veteran monks calmly take no notice of the anomaly; it is truly laughable." (From a colophon in Wenzi chan on the sayings of Yunju Hongjue.)

3.25

Preface to the Five Ranks (by Danxia Chun)

3.26

"Now, when black and white are not yet divided, this and that can hardly be distinguished; after black and yellow [appear], self and other are positioned in direction. Thereupon, black is borrowed to represent the upright, and white is used provisionally to show the partial. The upright does not abide in the upright: at midnight, an empty brightness. The partial does not abide in the partial: at daybreak, a dim obscurity. The entire essence is itself the function: blossoms open on a withered tree. The entire function is itself the real: fragrant clusters are not gaudy. Breaking down integration and exhausting the profound and subtle, the jade phoenix and golden simurgh cannot be disentangled. Therefore, on that side of Bhīṣmagarjitasvararāja, cease talking of how it is; bending [to circumstances] for the present age, it is deployed by human means. I briefly present my humble views to indicate a direction, hoping that those of like mind will kindly refrain from clapping their hands in laughter."

3.27

Gāthās on the Five Ranks (These follow the Sengbao zhuan in reading 'arrival within the partial')

3.28

The partial within the upright:

3.29

In the third watch, during the initial part of the night before the moon shines— / Do not wonder at meeting without recognizing each other; / Faintly, former grievances are still harbored.

3.30

The upright within the partial:

3.31

An old woman who overslept at dawn searches for the ancient mirror; / Clearly face-to-face, there is nothing else. / Cease losing your head and mistaking the reflection [for yourself].

3.32

Arriving from within the upright:

3.33

From within nothingness there is a road leading out of the dust. / If you can just avoid violating the present taboo, / You will surpass the talent of the previous dynasty who had his tongue cut off.

3.34

Arrival within the partial:

3.35

When two blades cross, you must evade; / An expert hand is like a lotus in the fire, / Naturally endowed with an atmosphere that pierces the sky.

3.36

Attainment within integration:

3.37

Not falling into being or nonbeing, who dares harmonize with it? / Everyone desires to leave the common flow, / But in the end, it turns out that they sit among the charcoal.

3.38

Kefu the Daoist

3.39

The partial within the upright:

3.40

At midnight in the clear deep pool, the moon is perfectly round; / In Mañjuśrī's scabbard, the green serpent roars, / Startling Vairocana out of his native garden (one version reads: "native pass").

3.41

The upright within the partial:

3.42

Yajñadatta, with his jade-like face, is confused by the ancient mirror; / How laughable to ride an ox while still searching for an ox! / Motionless and serene is the seal of Vairocana.

3.43

Arriving from within the upright:

3.44

Phoenix bamboo and dragon strings, sitting on the fishing terrace; / The eminent monk does not violate the present taboo, / But hides his flowered crown and laughs once.

3.45

Arrival within integration:

3.46

The giant turtle rages, dragons surge, and the Nine Rivers boil; / Zhang Qian discovers the source of the Mengjin Ford, / Overturning Mount Kunlun, leaving nothing to lean on.

3.47

Attainment within integration:

3.48

Dragon banners line up along the imperial street early; / The celestial procession slightly opens before the Phoenix Pavilion, / Yet ordinarily, the present emperor's title is avoided in taboo.

3.49

Fenyang Zhao (Fenyang places 'arriving from within the upright' first, followed by 'the partial within the upright')

3.50

Arriving from within the upright:

3.51

The vajra treasure sword brushes against heaven and opens; / A single sheet of divine light traverses the world, / Bright, radiant, and shining, utterly devoid of fine dust.

3.52

The upright within the partial:

3.53

Behold the Dharma King executing the true mandate: / Seven treasures and a thousand sons all accompany his person, / Yet he still searches for the golden mirror along the road.

3.54

The partial within the upright:

3.55

Look closely at the dynamic pivot of the thunderclap; / Sparks struck from stone and flashes of lightning are still sluggish. / If you deliberate and hesitate, you are separated by a thousand mountains.

3.56

Arrival within integration:

3.57

The three-year-old golden-maned lion is equipped with claws and teeth; / When a thousand demons and a hundred monsters stick out their heads, / With a single roar, all bow to the ground.

3.58

Attainment within integration:

3.59

Grandly manifesting without effort, cease making contrivances; / The wooden ox steps through fire at every pace. / Truly, the Dharma King is the wonder among wonders.

3.60

In inquiring into the Five Ranks, you must understand with urgency: / The slightest stirring, and you immediately diverge. / When the vajra breaks through the sheath, who can wield it? / Only Nata possesses the foremost capacity. / Raising his eyes, he calms the three realms; / Shaking his bell, he causes the nine heavens to submit. / The wondrous concordance in the upright penetrates mutual interchange; / Deliberation at the sharp edge loses all its power. (General Gāthā)

3.61

Ciming's General Gāthā

3.62

Returning to the upright from within the partial is supremely profound; / The upright leaving and the partial coming—principle and phenomena are complete. / You must know that the upright rank is not words: / Vague omens belong to conditions. / With integration arriving, leaving and coming arouse wondrous function; / Having attained integration, why chase after verbal explanations? / How could appearing and disappearing encompass the world? / Vast and without reliance, the bird's path is profound.

3.63

Fushan Yuan

3.64

The partial within the upright:

3.65

The kalpa of voidness is far away, originally silent and still; / Beneath the vajra limit, doing somersaults, / The spiritual dynamic in the palm pervades the great chiliocosm.

3.66

The upright within the partial:

3.67

Vast and surging amid the dust, the kalpa is pure; / Reaching the fork in the road, let go your hands and return on the path. / Before the shadowless hall, present the true mandate.

3.68

Arriving from within the upright:

3.69

The halo behind the crown illuminates the ancient terrace; / Although shining through the human world, / It does not touch the sharp edge, utterly free of speck or dust.

3.70

Arrival within integration:

3.71

Wondrous function crisscrosses—cease deliberating! / From beginning to end, their locked battle is inherently profound. / Standing like a wall, the divine blade is exceedingly sharp.

3.72

Attainment within integration:

3.73

The bright capacity beyond the ordinary nurtures integrity; / Completely understanding that the myriad things cannot encompass it, / Who could continue to cling to the profound and abstruse?

3.74

Caotang Qing

3.75

The partial within the upright:

3.76

The tuft-headed Kunlun slave sleeps in the void; / The stone woman's shuttle rattles with sound; / The wooden man shakes his sleeves and steps out before the courtyard.

3.77

The upright within the partial:

3.78

The clear pool imprints the reflection of the cassia wheel;
Everyone turns toward the reflection to make it round.
When reflection vanishes and the pool dries up, who can realize?

3.79

Arriving from within the upright.

3.80

Within the fire, lotuses bloom blossom by blossom;
How could their root and sprout be ordinary things?
The great function is not like material suited for the mundane world.

3.81

Arrival within integration.

3.82

Mutual dynamic interchange cuts off all taboos;
A hero displays his prowess against another hero.
Hit upon it and fail to come forth, and you will be shattered to dust.

3.83

Attainment within integration.

3.84

The iron ox has eaten all the grass beside the railing,
Yet asks the herd boy where he resides.
Pointing east and west, he obtains a single treasure.

3.85

Hongzhi Jue

3.86

The partial within the upright.

3.87

Cleared blue: the starry river coldly steeps the sky;
At midnight the wooden boy knocks upon the lunar gate,
In the dark startling awake the jade person's sleep.

3.88

The upright within the partial.

3.89

Ocean clouds faintly crown the peak of the immortals;
A woman's temples and hair hang down in white silk threads,
Ashamed to face the Qin Terrace, where cold reflections shine.

3.90

Arriving from within the upright.

3.91

On a moonlit night the great whale molts its armor and opens forth;
Its great back brushes heaven, shaking its cloudy wings;
Soaring and roaming the bird's path, it can hardly be categorized.

3.92

Arrival within integration.

3.93

Face to face, there is no need for mutual taboo;
The transforming mores cause no harm, the true intention is profound.
Within the light there is a path naturally distinct.

3.94

Attainment within integration.

3.95

The Dipper's handle lies slanted; the sky has not yet dawned.
The crane's dream begins to wake; the dewy leaves are cold.
Flying forth from the old nest, the cloud-pine topples over.

3.96

Zide Hui

3.97

The partial within the upright.

3.98

Before the midnight when primal chaos first divided,
The turning wooden man was startled awake from his dream;
Snow-covered reeds fill the eyes, granting no sleep.

3.99

The upright within the partial.

3.100

The precious moon is round and full, the golden palace cold;
Directly illuminated, one does not offend, but withdraws oneself in secret;
Turning the gaze, the shadow shifts to the peak of the western mountain.

3.101

Arriving from within the upright.

3.102

The imperial mandate is dispatched to deploy transformative talents;
The bright sun newly rises, the realms of sand are quiet;
Numinously so, never bearing a speck of dust.

3.103

Arrival within integration.

3.104

Along the great boulevard of Chang'an one constantly roams at play;
Everywhere is selfless, empty blending with empty;
Every phenomenon returns alike, water returning to water.

3.105

Attainment within integration.

3.106

Where white clouds break, the native mountain is fine;
Smashing to pieces the black dragon's luminous pearl,
The Kunlun enters the sea without a trace.

3.107

Ming'an's Five Ranks of Host and Guest (seen in the Separate Record of Ming'an)

3.108

An said: "The partial within the upright is bestowing compassion to receive beings; that is the guest within the host. The first phrase is snatching away the person. The upright within the partial has illumination and function; that is the host within the guest. The second phrase is snatching away the environment. Arriving from within the upright is extraordinary reception and use; that is the host within the host. The third phrase is snatching away both person and environment. Arrival within integration is neither existence nor non-existence; that is the guest within the guest. The fourth phrase is snatching away neither person nor environment. Attainment within integration transcends standards and is unconstrained, leaving behind the four propositions and cutting off the hundred negations; it is the marvel of exhausting the marvel of fundamental non-existence."

3.109

Dongshan's Five Ranks of Merit (with verses)

3.110

Orientation, service, merit, shared merit, merit of merit.

3.111

A monk asked the Master, "What is orientation?"
The Master said, "How is it when eating rice?"
He also said, "Gaining strength, one must forget satiety; ceasing provisions, one is no longer hungry."

3.112

(Dahui said: "'How to orient oneself at the time of orientation' refers to tending toward this matter. Answering 'How is it when eating rice?' means that in this matter, one cannot be without merit and have interruptions even when eating rice.")

3.113

The sage lord has always patterned himself after Emperor Yao,
Governing people with ritual, bending the dragon waist.
Sometimes passing by the bustling marketplace,
Everywhere civilized and bright, celebrating the sagely court.

3.114

"What is service?"
The Master said, "How is it when turning one's back?"
He also said, "Knowing only the nobility of vermilion and purple,
One lets down the original person."

3.115

(Dahui said: "'Service' is the service of rendering reverence. Like a person serving a superior, one first presents respect and afterward renders service. 'Orientation' is where merit is established; as soon as there is orientation, there is the intent of serving. Therefore, the answer 'How is it when turning one's back?' means that this matter has no interruption: just as it is so when serving, it is also so when turning one's back. Speaking of turning one's back conveys the meaning of service, for serving and turning one's back are both merit.")

3.116

For whose sake wash clean the thick makeup?
Amid the cuckoo's cry, urging people to return.
Though all the hundred grasses wither, its crying never ends,
Crying yet further toward the depths of the jumbled mountains.

3.117

"What is merit?"
The Master said, "How is it when laying down the hoe?"
He also said, "Releasing the hands and sitting upright,
At leisure deep within the white clouds."

3.118

(Dahui said: "'Merit' is function. Answering 'How is it when laying down the hoe?': grasping the hoe expresses function, while laying down the hoe is non-function. The Master's intent means that both function and non-function are merit.")

3.119

A withered tree blooms with flowers—spring beyond the kalpas;
Riding a jade elephant backward, chasing the qilin.
Now hidden high beyond a thousand peaks,
The moon is bright, the breeze clear—an auspicious day and time.

3.120

"What is shared merit?"
The Master said, "Not obtaining form."
He also said, "Plain powder makes it hard to sink traces; one does not dwell long in Chang'an."
(Dahui said: "'Shared merit' means that phenomena and environment match each other. Answering 'Not obtaining form' means that phenomena and environment must not become a single form. At the very moment of function, that which is non-function is revealed; non-function is function. If made into a single form, it is completely dead words. The ancestral teachings of Dongshan taboos completely fixed words; therefore he said 'not obtaining form'—these are living words.")

3.121

Sentient beings and all Buddhas do not encroach upon each other;
The mountains are naturally high, the waters naturally deep.
A myriad distinctions and a thousand differences clarify this matter;
Where the partridge cries, the hundred flowers are fresh.

3.122

"What is merit of merit?"
The Master said, "Not sharing."
He also said, "So blended there is nothing taboo;
beyond this, what more is there to seek?"
(Dahui said: "'Merit of merit' means that both phenomena and environment are empty; it means the great liberation of effortless functioning. Answering 'Not sharing' means there is no phenomenon that can be shared. The meaning of not sharing reverts entirely to the side of merit, just as in the Dharma realm phenomena and phenomena are unobstructed. Before you, there is no me; before me, there is no you. Thus Jiashan said, 'Here there is no old monk, and before the eyes there is no ācārya.' Such explanations are all tending toward and rendering service, accomplishing within the four daily deportments the mundane and supramundane without failing to circulate throughout; this is called the Five Ranks of Merit.")

3.123

As soon as horns begin to sprout, it is already intolerable;
To produce a mind seeking Buddha is truly shameful.
Remotely distant through the kalpa of voidness, unknown to anyone,
Would one be willing to head south to consult the fifty-three?
(After Dahui explained the Five Ranks of Merit, he then said: "You say: was that ancient's meaning really like this? If it were only like this, what extraordinary thing would there be? It would merely be the entangling vines of oral transmission and mind-to-mind bestowal. Since it is not like this, tell me: what was the ancient's intention?")

3.124

Questions and Answers on Merit (Ciyan Zong)

3.125

A monk asked Cuiyan, "What is shifting from merit to rank?"
Yan said, "Releasing the hands with nothing to rely on, the whole body is manifested;
a fisherman in a small boat sleeps among the reed flowers."

3.126

"What is shifting from rank to merit?"
Yan said, "At midnight on the mountain ridge, the wind and moon are serene;
from high up in a tree sounds an old ape's cry."

3.127

"What is simultaneous deployment of merit and rank?"
Yan said, "Going out the gate, one does not tread the road by which one came;
filling the eyes, flying dust leaves not a trace of dirt."

3.128

"What is mutual concealment of merit and rank?"
Yan said, "The mud ox completely drinks up the moon in the clear pool;
the stone horse, spurred on by the whip, does not turn its head."

3.129

Caoshan's Chart of the Five Ranks of Lord and Vassal (with verses and preface)

3.130

Now, the upright: black and white are not yet distinguished, omens have not yet arisen; it does not fall into any stage of the sages. The partial: omens have arisen; thus the myriad phenomena have their wondrous gates of concealment and manifestation.

3.131

Though a commoner is appointed prime minister,
This matter is not extraordinary.
Those of long-standing lineage of hatpins and ribbons—
Speak not of when they were down on their luck.

3.132

At midnight, when occupying the upright rank,
Light uprightness consists in lord and vassal.
Not yet having left the realm of Tuṣita,
A black chicken walks upon the snow.

3.133

⊙ Within the flames, cold ice congeals;
Willow catkins fly in the ninth month.
A mud ox roars on the water's surface;
A wooden horse whinnies chasing the wind.

3.134

○ On the day the imperial palace first descends,
The jade rabbit cannot depart.
Not yet having attained the purport of non-effort,
How greatly are humans and gods delayed!

3.135

● Blended together, principle and phenomena are concealed;
Omens are in the end difficult to clarify.
Bhīṣmagarjitasvararāja did not yet understand it;
How could Maitreya be alert to it?

3.136

Chart of the Five Ranks of Merit

3.137

The partial within the upright (birth within the lineage); the rank of lord; orientation; when black and white have not yet changed (also written: when they have not yet divided).

3.138

The upright within the partial (court-born, external succession); vassal's rank; service; manifest.

3.139

⊙ Arriving from within the upright (last-born, dwelling in concealment); lord viewing vassal; merit; without words, with words.

3.140

○ Arrival within integration (transformationally born, spiritual function); vassal oriented toward lord; shared merit; mutually unhindered.

3.141

● Attainment within integration (inwardly born, not emerging); lord and vassal united; merit of merit; not confronting head-on.

3.142

Shishuang's Answers on the Princes of the Five Ranks

3.143

"What is the prince born [to the manor]?" Shishuang said, "Noble lineage, no common seed; / Born by nature to the most exalted rank."

3.144

"What is the court-born prince?" Shishuang said, "A commoner serving as a worthy minister, / Directly pointing into the forbidden palace halls."

3.145

"What is the last-born prince?" Shishuang said, "Only on the long road does he perceive nobility; / Advancing gradually, he does not recognize the honored state."

3.146

"What is the transformationally born prince?" Shishuang said, "His governance and majesty are beyond compare; / His spiritual function cannot be matched."

3.147

"What is the inwardly born prince?" Shishuang said, "Within the layered curtains, victory and defeat cease; / In the golden palace he reclines in the pure breeze."

3.148

(Dahui said: "Taking a circle of two parts black and one part white as the partial within the upright, one turns to the white area to speak of the black, yet must not infringe upon the word 'black'; if one infringes upon it, one violates the taboo. Dongshan's verse says, 'The partial within the upright: the third watch, at the beginning of the night, before the moon grows bright.' This means the third watch is black, the beginning of the night is black, and before the moon grows bright is black; this is being able to interpenetrate without violating the taboo. He also said: 'Taking a circle of two parts white and one part black as the upright within the partial, one turns to the black area to speak of the white, yet must not infringe upon the word 'white.' Dongshan's verse says, 'The old woman who has overslept encounters an ancient mirror.' He does not speak of 'bright' or 'white,' but speaks of 'overslept' and 'ancient mirror'; this is being able to interpenetrate the words 'bright' and 'white' without violating the taboo. For oversleeping is brightness within darkness, and an ancient mirror is also brightness within darkness; that the old woman's head is white is what is meant by interpenetrating the word 'white.' He also said: 'Arriving from within the upright: within nothingness there is a road to leave the dust and dirt.' This means whenever there are words and phrases, all are sung forth from nothingness, and thus there is the embracing of subtlety. There is none that does not come from the upright rank. Whether bright or dark, whether arriving or attaining, all subtly embrace and penetrate the lineage. Every single rank possesses these five matters, like the five fingers of a palm, without deficiency and without excess.' He also said: ''Arrival within integration' means integrating white and black, integrating partial and upright, and so arriving. What is meant by 'arriving'? It is like someone returning home who has not yet reached it but arrives; the separate estate is merely an affair on the road for the sake of others, which also can interpenetrate; the subtlety is prior to the essence.' He also said: ''Attainment within integration' means integrating the preceding four ranks, all embracing the subtlety and returning to the upright rank; it is called 'in the end, collapsing together, returning to sit amidst the charcoal.' This too is speaking of the black area while interpenetrating the word 'black,' hence he speaks of charcoal.' Having cited Caoshan, Dahui then said: 'Speaking of principle and speaking of phenomena have clear scriptural statements. Is the path of a separate transmission outside the teachings, directly pointing, truly like this? If it were truly like this, what good Caoshan could one seek?")

3.149

Verses on the Princes of the Five Ranks (Topics set by Shishuang Zhu, verses by Wuben)

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Born to the Manor (Internal succession, legitimate birth; also said to be the upright rank, the fundamental wisdom, the heir apparent crown prince)

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A naturally noble descendant, fundamentally without merit; (Not relying on cultivation and realization, fundamentally complete of itself)
His virtue unites Heaven and Earth, his nurturing power flourishing; (Fundamentally coming from within the honored and noble)
From beginning to end in this one span, no mixed seed; (Fundamentally without mixed thoughts)
Dividing into palaces and six halls, belonging to no other lineage. (The six sense faculties act through only one functional pivot)
Upper is harmonious and lower is agreeable, yin and yang are accordant; (Before and after are one continuum)
Sharing the same breath and linked branches, their capacity identical. (Beginning and end are not two)
If you wish to recognize the father of the prince born [to the manor], (You must know that higher up there is still another person)
A crane soars through the firmament, emerging from the silver cage. (Not transmitted by the thousand sages)

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Court-Born (Born of a concubine, son of the prime minister, having already fallen into the partial rank, undertaking great merit; also called external succession, the vassal's seed)

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Bitterly studying doctrines and sentiments, unmatched in the world; (Having cultivation and having realization)
Emerging, in all matters he already surpasses the multitude. (Though having cultivation and realization, fundamentally coming from within the honored and noble)
Poetry formed in five characters like the snows of the three winter months; (Cannot be defiled)
The brush dripping fine strokes like clouds over the four seas. (Does not abide)
Accumulating merit through ten thousand scrolls, displaying the sage era; (Cultivation and realization through great merit)
With single-minded loyalty and filial piety, assisting the enlightened sovereign. (Knowing there is one above, only then can he serve and venerate)
Salt and plums [of statecraft] are not known from birth; (Cultivation and realization are also the same)
Why labor the golden list to display the utmost merit? (Not relying on cultivation and realization; not awaiting merit)

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Last-Born (Having cultivation and having realization; the rank of the multitude of vassals)

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Long dwelling among crags and peaks, exerting effort; (Having cultivation and having realization)
On a grass mat by a brushwood door, guarding solitary resolve. (Truly not awaiting merit; completely undefiled)
Through ten years of seeing and hearing, the mind naturally submits; (Only then wholly acknowledging and venerating)
One body through winter and summer, without silk or fine cloth. (Stripped bare and clean)
Cold and still, sadly viewing the thoughts of the three months of autumn; (Completely undefiled)
With pure asceticism and lofty fame, he plans for the highest wisdom. (The practitioner can act for the honored and noble affairs of the king)
His work accomplished in the towering examinations, fulfilling his highest aim; (The fundamental work accomplished)
Of late, the minister-chancellor does not block the way. (Even though it is like this, merit does not infringe)

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Transformationally Born (Borrowing rank to clarify merit; the general's rank)

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Taking a share of imperial transformation to propagate and uphold it; (Branching into buddhas and arraying patriarchs)
Across ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers, spreading governmental majesty. (The true mandate in active operation)
A red-shadowed sun-disc congeals over the lower realm; (Coming from within the honored and noble)
The green-oiled wind turns chilly during the sweltering summer heat. (When majesty is actively displayed, who dares violate the mandate?)
How could high and low abolish the veneration between noble and base? (Those who know that which is above understand how to serve and venerate)
Reviving roads of mud and charcoal, near and far all know; (Bringing life to those amidst mud and charcoal)
Holding the wondrous seal in hand, the smoky borders are tranquil. (Who dares confront him head-on?)
Standing directly in the sun, how could he disclose the slightest impulse? (From beginning to end, merit is not infringed)

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Inwardly Born (Also internal succession, emerging together from the fundamental; the same as born to the manor)

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Deep and secret within the ninefold palace, what more is there to proclaim? (Without words and without speech, the true mandate in active operation)
Wearing worn clothes has always revealed the wondrous transmission. (Accommodating the present time)
Only serving one person, the most noble of Heaven and Earth; (Serving and venerating the father of the inwardly born prince)
Let the various provinces divide authority among themselves. (Though spoken of as one function, it must reside in the single functional pivot)
The purple silk curtains close, lord and vassal separated; (Entering the state without differentiated marks, realizing they share the same country)
The yellow council screens hang down, prohibitions fully in force. (The songs of the world completed, the true mandate in active operation)
Yearning for you, the officials of the directional realms, (Precisely the young prince)
He thereupon takes yellow leaves as money to stop the crying. (Cannot avoid this expedient question)

3.160

Shanquan Zhi's Verses on the Princes of the Five Ranks

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Born to the Manor

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When the noble descendant is born, the wheel aligns with the void; / Tingling with jade pendants, he dwells in the Eastern Palace. / Where the Moon Hall shines, he pays court to the sovereign father; / Knocks directly at Yao's steps, yet borrows merit.

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Court-Born

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Scholarly learning, poetry, and classics, his virtuous conduct complete; / Submitting petitions at the Golden Gate, joining the ranks of the Purple Aster. / If the Three Terraces star did not leave the straw-raincoat and fishing rod, / How could he serve the Sacred Countenance morning and evening?

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Last-Born

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Impoverished, today he has reached utmost purity and emptiness; / Sorrow and joy are desolate, not a single thing exists. / Wishing straightaway to soar as a phoenix of nine colors, / Faintly in the clouded trees, a lonely nest beneath the moon.

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Transformationally Born

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The imperial command arrives, descending from the nine heavens; / Inside and outside the forbidden city, transformation is personally proclaimed. / Returning along the path, again wondrous, holding the golden seal; / In the true mandate, not a single word was ever transmitted.

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Inwardly Born

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With the posture of a phoenix and stride of a dragon, a great hero; / Naturally honored and noble, distinct from the six palaces. / Moss seals the ancient palace, where no one arrives; / How could common folk casually recognize him?

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Yongjia Qin's Five Ranks of Merit

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Meeting everywhere, fundamentally not recognizing; / At times not recognizing, yet meeting. / Music Master Xiang had no eyes, yet it was as if he saw; / Music Master Kuang was sharp of hearing, just as if deaf: Orientation.

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Golden needles dense and fine, embroidering mandarin ducks; / Brocade seams continuous, the jade thread long. / Hung toward the spring garden, unnoticed by people; / Drawing bees and butterflies to bustle past: Service.

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Master Yan in his narrow alleyway, nothing to distress him; / All day like a fool, his joy self-reliant. / In vain is it said that sitting and forgetting is beneficial; / It only burdened his Confucius with a bout of sorrow: (Merit).

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The Daoist of Huainan wears genuine red; / Do not say passions are forgotten and form is empty. / After offering sacrifice at the jade altar, the Big Dipper's handle shifts; / A single tune of walking in the void facing the spring breeze: (Shared merit).

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When the Han founder first arose between Pei and Feng, / A three-foot Dragon Spring sword secured the imperial domain. / By the time Shusun perfected the rites and music, / He fundamentally did not share the same platter with you: (Merit of merit).

3.177

Jiyin on Internal and External Succession of the Royal Seed

3.178

Jiyin said: "This is like Guo Zhongling and Li Xiping of the Tang; both were called princes, yet they were not of the royal seed. They arrived at it through meritorious service. The Prince of Qin under Gaozu and Suzong under Minghuang, however, were born into the imperial household and both had the royal seed; they did not arrive at it through meritorious service. What is called internal succession is the merit of no-merit; the ancient sages prized it. What is called external succession occurs by borrowing meritorious enterprise; hence it is also named 'borrowed phrase.' Chan Master Caoshan Benji's verse says in brief: 'When the wondrous and bright essence is exhausted, one knows injury and impact; / Strength lies in encountering conditions without borrowing.' Chan Master Yunju Hongjue said: 'Thoroughly clear in every respect, penetrating every single thing—this is merely called a person who has settled affairs; ultimately, it is not called honored and noble. One must know that the single road of the honored and noble is distinct of itself.'"

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Caoshan's Three Kinds of Falling

3.180

Caoshan said: "Worldly sentiments and sacred views are a mysterious road with golden locks; one must straightforwardly interpenetrate. Those who take the food of right livelihood must possess three kinds of falling: first, wearing fur and bearing horns; second, not severing sound and form; third, not receiving food." Choucouna asked, "What kind of falling is wearing fur and bearing horns?" He said, "It is falling into the [animal] species." He asked, "What kind of falling is not severing sound and form?" He said, "It is falling along with [phenomena]." He asked, "What kind of falling is not receiving food?" He said, "It is falling into the honored and noble." He then said: "Darkly tallying with the initial mind while knowing there is that which is above—this is falling into the species. Knowing there is that which is above without obstructing the six dusts—this is falling along with phenomena. Vimalakīrti said: 'The six non-Buddhist teachers are your teachers; where those teachers fall, you also fall along with them—only then may you take food.' The 'food' is the food of right livelihood. 'Food' also refers to seeing, hearing, knowing, and perceiving right at the gates of the six sense faculties; simply not being defiled by them is taken as falling, yet it is not the same as [ordinary falling]."

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Ming'an said: "These three kinds must be understood through shifting ranks before one gets it. First, becoming a water buffalo is falling into the species; this is the phrase of a śramaṇa's turning of the body, an affair among different species. If one does not understand this meaning, one will be obstructed. One simply must have a single thought without self-interest, and then there will be a path of emergence. Because a lecturer on the Vimalakīrti Sūtra asked Venerable Dazhu: 'The sūtra says: "Those six non-Buddhist teachers are your teachers. Where your teachers fall, you also fall along with them. Those who give alms to you do not gain a field of merit; those who make offerings to you fall into the three evil paths. Slander the Buddha, destroy the Dharma, do not enter the Sangha's assembly, and never attain extinction—if you are like this, only then may you take food." Now I request the Chan master clearly to explain this.' Dazhu said: 'Deluded following of the six sense faculties is called the six teachers. Seeking a Buddha outside the mind is called non-Buddhist. Having a thing to give is not called a field of merit. Giving rise to a mind that receives offerings causes one to fall into the three evil paths. If you slander the Buddha, that is seeking without clinging to the Buddha; if you destroy the Dharma, that is seeking without clinging to the Dharma; if you do not enter the Sangha's assembly, that is seeking without clinging to the Sangha; never attaining extinction is the wisdom-function being manifested before you. If one understands in this way, one obtains the food of Dharma joy and meditation bliss.' Second, it is said: 'Not severing sound and form is falling along with phenomena.' Because of not understanding sound and form, one falls wherever one goes. One must have a road of emergence toward sound and form. What is the phrase outside of sound and form? The answer: sound is not sound, form is not form; therefore it is said 'not severing.' When pointing to the palm, what palm should be pointed to? Third, it is said: 'Not receiving food is falling into the honored and noble.' One must know that side, and then come to this side to practice; not making this rank empty, one then falls into the honored and noble."

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Food of Right Livelihood (Newly added)

3.183

Jiyin said: The *Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra* states, 'There are three kinds of death: namely, due to exhaustion of lifespan, due to exhaustion of merit, and due to failing to avoid imbalances. It should be known that there are also timely and untimely deaths, and they occur either from a wholesome mind, an unwholesome mind, or an indeterminate mind. What is death due to exhaustion of lifespan? It is like someone whose lifespan, as conditioned [by past karma], has reached its full limit, and thus they die; this is called timely death. What is death due to exhaustion of merit? It is like someone dying due to a lack of life-sustaining necessities. What is death due to failing to avoid imbalances? As the World-Honoured One spoke of the nine causes and nine conditions under which one dies before exhausting one's lifespan. What are the nine? Namely: eating without measure; eating at inappropriate times; eating again before digestion; not regurgitating what is raw; retaining what is fully cooked; not approaching doctors and medicine; not knowing what is harmful or beneficial to oneself; and indulging in unchaste conduct at improper times and without restraint. This is called untimely death.' Viewing it in this light, I know that eating in accordance with the proper time means not dying in vain, and this is called right-livelihood food. Huangbo said, 'Nowadays, as soon as people come out from the assembly, they only want to know much and understand much, seeking broadly for texts and meanings, calling this practice. They do not know that much knowledge and much understanding turn out to cause obstructions. It is just like giving a child too much curd, having no idea at all whether it is digested or undigested. Practitioners of the three vehicles are all like this; all of it is called undigested food. Undigested food refers to intellectual understanding that is not digested, all of which becomes poison, all belonging to the realm of arising and ceasing. Within true suchness, there is no such thing.' From this we know that Caoshan valued right-livelihood food and established the three falls.

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Not Cutting Off Sights and Sounds Fall, Following Along Fall, Noble Fall (Newly added)

3.185

Jiyin said: The *Vimalakīrti-sūtra* states, 'In order to break through the mark of composite entities, one should take morsel food; in order to have no reception, one should take that food. Entering the village with the perception of an empty settlement: what is seen as form is equal to the blind; what is heard as sound is equal to an echo; what is smelled as fragrance is equal to the wind; what is tasted as flavour is not discriminated; experiencing touches is like the realization of wisdom; knowing all dharmas to be like illusory forms, without self-nature, without other-nature, originally unproduced, and now without cessation.' This is the basis upon which the 'not cutting off sights and sounds fall' was established. It also states, 'Subhūti did not see the Buddha, nor hear the Dharma. Those six non-Buddhist teachers are your teachers; because of them you went forth. Where those teachers fall, you also follow and fall; only then may you take food.' This is the basis upon which the 'following along fall' was established. It also states, 'Slandering the Buddha, disparaging the Dharma, not entering the assembly, and ultimately never attaining extinction—if you are like this, only then may you take food.' This is the basis upon which the 'noble fall' was established. I have often observed Caoshan: he was without shame in comparing himself to the Sixth Patriarch, because his clearing away of sentiments of holy and mundane possessed great expedient means. Nanquan said, 'The Buddhas of the three periods do not know it exists; cats and white oxen, on the contrary, know it exists.' Yet that is not as good as Caoshan simply establishing the single word 'fall'.

3.186

Jiyin's Verse on the Three Falls

3.187

Tumultuously, activity and rest are the same, / A silver bowl holding snow. / If you wish to be different from an ox, / How are you different from an ox? / (Class).

3.188

All that is heard is fundamentally unheard; / All that is seen is originally no thing. / If you cut off sights and sounds in your seeking, / A wooden puppet should become a Buddha. / (Following along).

3.189

Born into an imperial house, / How could there still be noble rank? / Naturally, one should wear precious imperial robes; / Why look upon them with astonishment? / (Noble).

3.190

Baizhang Duan (Verses on the Three Falls and Summary)

3.191

Putting on a tattered robe, / Stripping off the trousers born of one's mother, / Taking casual steps into the wild grasses, / Forgetting the road to Chang'an. (Class) / In the Qin tower, singing under the night moon; / At the palace gates of Wei, drunk on the spring breeze. / After family and state have fallen and perished, / Letters to the homeland no longer get through. (Following along) / Sitting alone atop an isolated peak, / Carriages and horses cease their coming and going. / Pitiable is this pair of feet, / Which has never stepped into the human world. (Noble) / Clouds do not linger over the blue mountains; / A mirror does not detain beauty or ugliness. / Before passing through the Demon's Gate, / At every place, one gets stuck in a rut. (Summary).

Linked texts (1)

人天眼目 — Classical Chinese