人天眼目 5

English (machine translation) 5

Language: English

Wang Jinggong asked Chan Master Fohui Quan: "Where does the Chan school's so-called 'World-Honoured One holding up a flower' appear in the canonical texts?" Quan said, "The collection of sūtras also does not record it." Gong said, "When I was recently in the Hanlin Academy, I happened to see the three fascicles of the Sūtra on the Questions of the Mahābrahmā King to the Buddha for Resolving Doubts. Upon perusing it, what is recorded in the text of the sūtra is very detailed: The Brahmā King arrived at Vulture Peak, offered a golden flower to the Buddha, gave up his body as a seat, and requested the Buddha to preach the Dharma for sentient beings. The World-Honoured One mounted the seat and held up the flower to show the assembly. The millions of humans and gods were all at a loss. Only the Golden Ascetic broke into a subtle smile. The World-Honoured One said: 'I have the treasury of the true Dharma eye, the marvelous mind of nirvāṇa, the true mark of formlessness; I entrust it to Mahākāśyapa.' Because this sūtra mostly discusses kings serving the Buddha and making requests, it was kept secret and hidden, unheard of by the world."

5.4

The Three Bodies (Newly Added)

5.5

The three bodies refer to the Dharma, reward, and transformation [bodies]. The Dharma body is Vairocana, translated here as 'pervading all places'. The reward body is Rocana, translated here as 'pure and full'. The transformation body is Śākyamuni, translated here as 'capable of benevolence and quiescent silence'. Within the bodies of sentient beings, they are precisely quiescence, wisdom, and function. Quiescence is the Dharma body; wisdom is the reward body; function is the transformation body (Shiyuan).

5.6

The Golden Light Sūtra (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamarāja-sūtra) states: All Tathāgatas have three kinds of bodies, completely gathering and embracing anuttara-bodhi. As for the transformation body (nirmāṇakāya), in the past when the Tathāgata was on the stages of practice, for the sake of sentient beings he cultivated various teachings and attained sovereign power; in accordance with sentient beings' minds and in accordance with sentient beings' realms, he manifests various bodies—this is called the transformation body. As for the response body (saṃbhogakāya), it refers to all Tathāgatas explaining the true reality to all bodhisattvas, causing them to understand that saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are of one taste; to eliminate the fear of sentient beings who hold to a view of the self, and to provide provisional joy; and to serve as the basis for limitless Buddha-dharmas. Corresponding to true reality, through the fundamental vow power of suchness and the wisdom of suchness, it is endowed with the thirty-two marks and eighty minor characteristics, with a circular halo of light behind the head—this is called the response body. As for the Dharma body (dharmakāya), to eliminate afflictions and other hindrances, and to be endowed with all wholesome dharmas, there is only suchness and the wisdom of suchness—this is called the Dharma body. The former two bodies are called provisionally existent; the latter, third body is truly existent, serving as the root and basis for the former two bodies. Why is this? Apart from the suchness of dharmas and apart from non-conceptual wisdom, all Buddhas have no other dharma. Furthermore, all Buddhas benefit themselves and benefit others: benefiting oneself is the suchness of dharmas; benefiting others is the wisdom of suchness. Furthermore, the Necklace Sūtra (Yingluo jing) states: The five-part Dharma body is distinguished by the nature of consciousness. The fragrance of morality gathers the body; the fragrance of concentration gathers the mind; the fragrance of wisdom gathers distraction; the wisdom of liberation gathers inverted views; the knowledge of liberation gathers ignorance. These five kinds of fragrance adorn its body as a necklace.

5.7

The Four Wisdoms (newly added)

5.8

The Great Mirror Wisdom (reflecting all forms and images like a great round mirror); the Wisdom of Equality (contemplating all dharmas as completely equal); the Wisdom of Wondrous Contemplation (skilfully contemplating all dharmas and functioning without hindrance); the Wisdom of Accomplishing Actions (accomplishing the tasks that ought to be done through fundamental vow power. Transforming the eight consciousnesses to accomplish the four wisdoms).

5.9

The Commentary on the Miaozang quan states: The Buddha transforms the eight consciousnesses to form the four wisdoms: using the eighth as the Great Mirror Wisdom, the seventh as the Wisdom of Equality, the sixth as the Wisdom of Wondrous Contemplation, and the first five as the Wisdom of Accomplishing Actions. Consciousness only discriminates; wisdom can decisively determine. The Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra states: 'Transforming the eight consciousnesses forms the four wisdoms; binding the four wisdoms is complete with the three bodies.' The ancients said: The five consciousnesses, such as the eye [consciousness], are the Wisdom of Accomplishing Actions, gathered by the transformation body; the mind [consciousness] is the Wisdom of Wondrous Contemplation, gathered by the transformation body; manas is the Wisdom of Equality, gathered by the reward body; the ālaya is the Great Mirror Wisdom, gathered by the Dharma body. Chan Master Zhitong read the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra more than a thousand times without understanding the three bodies and four wisdoms. He went to Caoxi to question the Sixth Patriarch. The Patriarch said: 'The three bodies are: the pure Dharma body is your nature; the complete reward body is your wisdom; the thousands of myriads of transformation bodies are your practice. If one speaks of the three bodies apart from the fundamental nature, this is called having bodies without wisdom. If one awakens to the three bodies having no self-nature, this is called the bodhi of the four wisdoms. Listen to my verse:
Self-nature is endowed with the three bodies; / Illumining them, it accomplishes the four wisdoms. / Without departing from the conditions of seeing and hearing, / One transcendently ascends to the Buddha stage. / I now explain it for you: / Truly believe it, and you will forever be without delusion. / Do not emulate those who race about seeking outside, / Speaking of bodhi all day long.'
Tong said: 'May I hear the meaning of the four wisdoms?' The Patriarch said: 'Once you understand the three bodies, the four wisdoms become clear. If you speak of the four wisdoms apart from the three bodies, this is called having wisdom without bodies; then this very wisdom turns back into non-wisdom.' He spoke another verse, saying:
'The Great Mirror Wisdom's nature is pure (eighth); / In the Wisdom of Equality, the mind has no illness (seventh); / The Wisdom of Wondrous Contemplation sees without effort (sixth); / The Wisdom of Accomplishing Actions is identical to the round mirror (fifth). / Five and eight (fruits), six and seven (causes)—cause and fruit transform; / They are only conventional names without real nature (transforming the names, not transforming the substance). / If one retains no emotional attachment at the point of transformation, / Though manifold activities flourish, one forever abides in the nāga samādhi' (Transmission of the Lamp).

5.10

○ Eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind: the six sense faculties; the six sense objects; the six consciousnesses. The five consciousnesses transform into the Wisdom of Accomplishing Actions.

5.11

The Prajñā Sūtra states: The six sense faculties and six sense objects form the twelve sense bases; adding the six consciousnesses combining with them forms the eighteen sense elements. The Awakening of Faith states: The meaning of perfuming is by four kinds of dharmas: first, purity, which is suchness; second, defilement, which is ignorance; third, the deluded mind, which is karmic consciousness; fourth, deluded sense objects, which are the six sense objects. The Śūraṅgama states: The six consciousnesses create karma, and the evil retributions they incur arise from the six sense faculties. The Avataṃsaka states: The eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mental sense, and all the faculties of sentient feeling—by these they constantly revolve, yet there is none who can turn them. The Awakening of Faith also states: The three realms are illusory and false, created only by the mind; apart from the mind, there are no realms of the six sense objects. The Vibhāṣā asks: What is the difference between mind (citta), thought (manas), and consciousness (vijñāna)? It replies: There is no difference. Mind is thought; thought is consciousness; all have the same meaning. Like fire, it is called flame and it is also called blazing. The Prajñā also states: If one truly knows that self-nature is completely empty, this is one who can master the six sense faculties, six sense objects, and six consciousnesses. The ancestral master said: 'Pervasively manifesting, it covers all the sands of the worlds; retracted, it is contained in a single fine particle of dust. Those who recognise it call it Buddha-nature; those who do not recognise it call it the spirit-soul.' Even though it is like this, those who miss it are extremely numerous, and those who misunderstand it are not few.

5.12

○ The seventh, manas consciousness, transforms into the Wisdom of Equality.

5.13

The Laṅkāvatāra states: Manas is translated here as 'defiled mind', constantly examining and calculating; hence it is also called the transmitting consciousness. The Buddha said to Mahāmati: Broadly speaking there are eight; briefly speaking there are two: the internal manifesting consciousness, which grasps as self, belongs to the ālaya; the external discriminating object-consciousness, which grasps as self, belongs to the first six consciousnesses. The true nature is the real nature of consciousness, which also belongs to the pure portion of the ālaya. As for having coarse and subtle: it refers to the three subtle and six coarse [aspects]. The two consciousnesses, coarse and subtle, both arise relying on the ground of abiding ignorance. Through fundamental ignorance, that quiet mind is moved, giving rise to subtle consciousness; relying on this subtle consciousness, coarse mind in turn arises. With ignorance as the root and relying on ignorance as the cause, the three subtle non-corresponding minds are produced; relying on sense objects as conditions, the three coarse corresponding minds are produced. Therefore it is said: The two consciousnesses, coarse and subtle, each possess two causes before they can arise and abide. As for the manifesting consciousness, the Awakening of Faith states: It is the non-corresponding mind; it is produced relying on inconceivable perfuming, and it abides relying on inconceivable transformation. The realms manifested by this manifesting consciousness move that ocean of mind, raising the waves of various object-consciousnesses. As for the discriminating object-consciousness, the Awakening of Faith states: It is the corresponding mind; it is produced relying on sense objects, and it abides relying on the ocean of mind. These consciousnesses are all ignorance perfuming suchness, accomplishing defiled dependent origination. The treatise states: You should know that ignorance can govern all defiled dharmas; all defiled dharmas are marks of non-enlightenment. The Essentials of Various Sūtras (Zhutian yaoji) states: When consciousness ceases from below going upward, reaching above the navel, one is born among humans; reaching the heart, one does not lose a human body; reaching the head and face, one is born in heaven; reaching the crown of the head, one forever cuts off saṃsāra. When it ceases from above going downward, reaching the waist, one is in the ghost realm; reaching the feet, one is in hell. The treatise states: If one is free from deluded thoughts, then there are no marks of any sense realms; there is only the one true mind.

5.14

○ The eighth, ālayavijñāna, transforms into the Great Mirror Wisdom.

5.15

The Zongjing [lu] states: Because the eighth consciousness has mostly the nature of maturation (vipāka), it is also called the storehouse consciousness; it is also called the Eight Princes, the Eight Liberations, and the Eight Great Persons; altogether it has four times eight, thirty-two marks. These are the marks of the fruit, the wisdom of the cause, and the virtues of the retribution. The seventh and eighth consciousnesses are never separate. The Sandhinirmocana Sūtra states: Because this eighth consciousness can initiate the former six evolving consciousnesses, the eighth consciousness refers to how in past lives, with wholesome and unwholesome karma as the cause, it incurs and induces the arising of the eighth maturation mind, which is the fruit. This ālaya is precisely the true mind: not preserving its own nature, following defiled and pure conditions, it combines without truly combining; because it can store all realms, both ultimate and conventional, it is named the storehouse consciousness. Just as a bright mirror does not combine with forms and images, yet contains forms and images, it is also named the tathāgatagarbha consciousness. A gāthā states: 'All dharmas are in the storehouse consciousness, / And consciousness is likewise in all dharmas; / Mutually they serve as causal marks, / And mutually they serve as fruition marks.' The Laṅkāvatāra states: Only if one does not cling to the views of the two vehicles and non-Buddhists can one practice in accordance with reality, destroy the evil views of other treatises, relinquish grasping to self, and so on; being able, through wondrous wisdom, to rely on consciousness—this means the four wisdoms transforming the eight consciousnesses. Entering the stage of the Tathāgata's self-realization means realizing and attaining identically with all Buddhas. In the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, the Buddha said to Mahāmati: 'Yet those consciousnesses do not think: "We simultaneously and reciprocally serve as causes," but rather regarding the realms manifested by their own minds, they discriminate and cling, arising simultaneously without different characteristics, each discerning its own realm.' The commentary states: 'Those consciousnesses each discerning their own realms' means that the eight consciousnesses are all able to discriminate their respective realms, not knowing they are merely the deluded manifestations of their own minds. That is, form is the realm of eye-consciousness, and so on up to the seeing-aspect of the ālaya being the realm of the seventh consciousness; the sense faculties, body, seeds, and receptacle world are the realms of the storehouse consciousness. However, these eight consciousnesses have no separate substance apart from the tathāgatagarbha. Because sentient beings do not understand, they cling to the names of the eight consciousnesses; because all Buddhas realize it, they can accomplish the function of the four wisdoms. If one is deluded about it, the eighth consciousness gives rise to the title of grasping storehouse, the seventh consciousness receives the name of defiled, the sixth consciousness gives rise to the sentiment of pervasive attachment, and the five consciousnesses pursue the marks of sense faculties and objects. If one understands: the ālaya accomplishes the substance of the round mirror, upholding the gate of merits; manas becomes the source of equality, unifying the nature of self and other; the sixth gives rise to the wonder of contemplation, turning the wheel of the true Dharma; the five consciousnesses generate the work of accomplishment, bestowing the traces of responsive transformation. In this way, the one mind is not stirred, yet consciousness and wisdom are naturally distinguished: it does not transform its substance, but only transforms its names; it does not divide its principle, but divides its phenomena. Simply subduing the six consciousnesses so they do not grasp sense objects is called the cessation of consciousness. Therefore, sense objects apart from the mind are completely empty in text and principle; sense objects that are identical to consciousness have grounds for evaluation. When the mad mind does not stop—stopping is bodhi. When defilement is purified, the mind is clear: originally, one is Buddha.

5.16

○ The ninth, ādānavijñāna.

5.17

It is also named the purely clean consciousness. The Helun states: Lodging an explanation, it designates the ādāna consciousness (translated here as 'appropriating and maintaining') as the ninth purely clean consciousness. Just as the five, six, seven, and eight consciousnesses constantly depend on the ninth consciousness as their support, the ordinary and foolish do not understand and deludedly grasp it as a self. Just as a violent torrent of water does not separate from the substance of water, and all the waves rely on water, so the five, six, seven, and eight consciousnesses constantly take the pure consciousness as their support. Why is the ninth called the pure consciousness? Because people of the two vehicles have long harbored fear of the sixth, seventh, and eighth consciousnesses as karmic seeds of saṃsāra, fearing that they would have difficulty believing, as an expedient means, outside the seeds of saṃsāra, a pure consciousness is separately posited, causing compassion and wisdom gradually to arise and leading them to penetrate consciousness to accomplish wisdom. A verse of the Sandhinirmocana Sūtra states: 'The ādāna consciousness is extremely subtle and fine, / All seeds are like a violent torrent; / I do not expound it to the ordinary and foolish, / Fearing they would discriminate and grasp it as a self.'

5.18

Examining the various expositions of the three bodies and four wisdoms, the citations drawn from sūtras and treatises provide clear and detailed evidence. They bear a profound relationship to the points where Guiyang distinguishes consciousnesses, and can aid deep Chan practitioners of genuine cultivation to tread the right path rather than straying onto side tracks. For this reason, I have selected them. Often men of our own circle inevitably say: 'In our tradition of solitary transmission directly pointing [to the mind], why rely on this?' Little do they realize that for students of the Way, the torment caused by mind, mentation, and consciousness is severe indeed! Empty illumination shines of itself, originally without anything else; yet when the winds of sensory objects blow, it abruptly strays into error. Even men of thorough penetration and reached masters still do not escape it, let alone those beneath them! How could one lack the power of expedient contemplation? If, relying on these peeling and revealing explanations, one breaks through their falsehoods and demolishes their nests, then where one has function will all be the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom. Once refined gold has undergone ten thousand smeltings, it never returns to ore.

5.19

Shitou's *Cantongqi* (with Xuedou's capping phrases; newly added)

5.20

The mind of the great sage of the land of India (Who is able to bring it up?) / was secretly transmitted from west to east. (Spreading his eyebrows in regret.)
Human faculties may be sharp or dull; (How is that?) / in the Way there are no southern or northern patriarchs. (Take it easy.)
The spiritual source is clear and pure; (Clapping hands with a ha-ha!) / its branching streams secretly flow on. (Neither is granted.)
Grasping at things is fundamentally delusion; (Opening both hands.) / merging with principle is still not enlightenment. (Taken away already!)
Each and every realm of the senses (Discarding the short to follow the long.) / interacts and does not interact. (Exchanging head for tail.)
Interacting, they yet interrelate; (This is a staff.) / otherwise, each abides in its own position. (Do not mistake the fixed star on the steelyard!)
Forms fundamentally differ in quality and shape; (How could one abruptly open one's eyes?) / sounds originally differ in joy and suffering. (Still like covering one's ears.)
Darkly matching words of high and middle, (The mind does not betray others.) / clearly distinguishing pure and turbid expressions. (The mouth ought to hang on the wall.)
The four elements return to their own natures (Following what they depend upon.) / like a child finding its mother. (It can be known.)
Fire is hot, wind moves and shakes; (Spring ice melts of itself.) / water is wet, and earth is solid. (From dawn until dusk.)
Eyes see forms, ears hear sounds; (The seas are tranquil, the rivers clear.) / nose smells scents, and tongue tastes salty and sour. (Trustworthy and verified.)
Yet with respect to each and every dharma, (Reporting to you again.) / according to roots and leaves they branch out and spread. (Understand it well!)
Root and branch must return to the source; (Only I can know it.) / high and low make use of their speech. (An inviolable order.)
Within the light there is darkness; (Darkness will certainly become light.) / do not encounter it as darkness. (Light is still not seen.)
Within the darkness there is light; (Seeing three in one.) / do not regard it as light. (No divergent explanation.)
Light and darkness face each other, (How to divide them?) / like the forward and backward steps. (Not like this.)
All things have their own function, (Its purport being so, how could it stop?) / according to speech, application, and place. (Vertical and horizontal, crosswise and lengthwise.)
Things exist like box and lid fitting together; (Look closely.) / principle accords like arrowheads meeting point-to-point. (Do not make a mistake.)
Hearing the words, you must understand the source; (Before signs appear, it is not light.) / do not establish rules on your own. (Sticking out, it is hard to discern.)
If your eyes encounter it and you do not understand the Way, (What harm is there?) / how can your feet know the path? (Coming forth is not bad.)
Stepping forward is neither near nor far; (The higher the song,) / delusion separates you by mountains and rivers. (the fewer join in harmony.)
I respectfully say to those who investigate the mystery: (Those who hear will surely return together.) / do not let the light and shade pass in vain! (Truly, these are sincere words!)

5.21

Jiyin said: 'I once examined this work thoroughly. It has just over forty lines, and half of them speak in terms of light and darkness. Right at the beginning it says: "The spiritual source is clear and pure; its branching streams secretly flow on." From this one knows that the meaning of light and darkness takes root here. It also says: "Darkly matching words of high and middle, clearly distinguishing pure and turbid expressions." This tunes and opens them up. Reaching where it points out its source and shows its direction, it says: "Root and branch must return to the source; high and low make use of their speech." Therefore, below it broadly narrates lines of light and darkness, endlessly stringing them together in sequence. This is not to determine that material phenomena are false and deceptive, but to clarify their speech. Because Wuben of Dongshan grasped this purport, he had the exposition of the Five Ranks of partial and upright. As for Linji's "mystery within the phrase" and Yunmen's "going along with the waves and pursuing the ripples," they have no different flavour. Yet latter-day juniors accept his words and immediately imagine that within light and darkness there is a place where they conceal or reveal each other. Is this not an error?'

5.22

Five Inquiries

5.23

This was because students of doctrine at that time fabricated theories together to slander the former sages and malign the Chan school. Chan Master Zicong asked the venerable Daguan Ying five questions to stop these heterodox errors; therefore, he elucidated them in detail.

5.24

The monk Zicong asked the venerable Daguan Ying: 'Many masters of sūtras and treatises say that in India, from Kāśyapa down to the Venerable Simha, the transmission of ancestral masters was severed at that point. What is the truth about this?' He replied: 'Alas, those who speak like this have minds of arising and ceasing. Not knowing how to cherish men for the sake of the Dharma, they are like fireflies fighting the blazing sun, or sparrows trying to fill the vast sea—they only toil in vain. Furthermore, the twenty-fourth patriarch, the Venerable Simha, converted Basiasita, and from him also emerged Dharmadatta. The details of these circumstances are fully present in the *Baolin zhuan* compiled by the Śramaṇa Faju of Jinling, with a preface by the Śramaṇa Lingche of Kuaiji in the Tang, and corroborated by the *Xufa ji* of the Indian Tripiṭaka Master Jñānagupta of the Former Wei. It fully clarifies the matter of the transmission of the robe and the conferral of Dharma by the Venerable Simha prior to meeting his tragedy: starting with Mahākāśyapa as the head, the bloodline goes straight down to the twenty-fifth patriarch Basiasita, the twenty-sixth patriarch Puṇyamitra, and the twenty-seventh patriarch Prajñātāra, who conferred it upon Bodhidharma, who is the first patriarch of the land of Tang. Originally, when Tripiṭaka Master Jñānagupta came to China, he arrived at Baima Monastery in Luoyang. That was precisely the second year of the Jingyuan era (xinsi) under the Former Wei emperor, the Duke of Gaogui. Only two years had passed since Simha entered nirvāṇa. By this it is clearly known that the various masters of sūtras and treatises slander and deceive later generations. Alas, what can be done?' He asked: 'Did Great Master Bodhidharma bring the four-fascicle *Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra* from India or not?' He answered: 'No. Busy-bodies made that up. Moreover, Bodhidharma transmitted solely the mind seal, did not establish words, and directly pointed to the human mind to see nature and become a Buddha. How could there be a four-fascicle sūtra?' Cong said: 'The *Baolin zhuan* also says this.' Ying said: 'The compilers did not have leisure to examine it in detail. Let me assess it for you: the *Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra* has three translations. The first translation in four fascicles was translated by the Indian Tripiṭaka Master Guṇabhadra under the Song dynasty. The second in ten fascicles was translated by Bodhiruci during the Yuan Wei; Bodhiruci lived at the same time as Bodhidharma and was the one who administered poison to Bodhidharma. The third in seven fascicles was translated by the Khotanese Tripiṭaka Master Śikṣānanda during the reign of the Heavenly Empress of the Tang. Using these as proof, the order and falsehood can be known. Chan Master Ji of Yangshan also once argued this; the matter is very clear.'

5.25

He asked: 'There are no translations of the Dharma-transmission verses, nor are these verses in the *Fu fazang zhuan*, which has caused various authors to claim they lack foundation. I pray you grant your supreme instruction.' He answered: 'Alas! The descendants have divided into branches, and disputes have arisen like swarming bees, simply because they cannot investigate to the root. Consider how, before Bodhidharma entered this land, he already understood the language of Tang. How is this known? One can know it simply from his dialogue upon his first audience with Emperor Wu of Liang. Later, the Second Patriarch, Great Master Ke, served him for ten years, going so far as standing in the snow and cutting off his arm; his determination to seek the patriarchal vehicle was diligent and sincere to the utmost. Later, Bodhidharma told him: "I have a kāṣāya to bestow on you as a pledge of faith. People in the world will surely doubt, saying: 'I am a man of India, while you are a son of this land; how could there be true faith in attaining the Dharma?' You should use my words as proof." He also said: "From the holy teacher Śākyamuni down to Prajñātāra and down to me, all transmitted the robe to symbolize the Dharma and left verses upon transmitting the Dharma. I now confer them upon you." The verse says: "I originally came to this land / to transmit the Dharma and save deluded beings. / A single flower opens into five petals; / the fruit forms naturally of itself." Thereupon he cited the verses of the successive patriarchs from above and conferred them one by one. Internally he transmitted the Dharma seal to tally and verify the mind; externally he conferred the kāṣāya to fix the cardinal lineage. From this, one knows that Bodhidharma's conferral upon the Second Patriarch was decisive. This is solitary transmission and oral instruction—what leisure was there for translation?'

5.26

He asked: 'What about the Dharma gate of the three contemplations in one mind of the Venerable of Tiantai compared to the intention of the ancestral masters?' He answered: 'If you had not asked, it would be difficult for me to speak of it. I have seen it said in the doctrinal teachings: "I have the treasury of the true Dharma eye, which I entrust to Mahākāśyapa," and it is not within the Three Vehicles and Five Teachings. Originally, the teachings of the Buddhas and patriarchs all had transmission. Formerly I heard that the Great Master [Zhiyi] obtained the *Mūlamadhyamakakārikā* composed by Nāgārjuna from the canon. Reading up to the fourth fascicle, which refutes all dharmas having a fixed nature, showing that if there were a fixed nature there would be no causes and conditions, etc., as the verse says: "Dharmas that arise from causes and conditions, / I say are precisely emptiness; / they are also termed provisional designations, / and are also the meaning of the Middle Way." The next verse says: "Never has there been a single dharma / that does not arise from causes and conditions; / therefore among all dharmas, / there is none that is not empty." From this he composed the three contemplations in one mind, termed emptiness, provisionality, and the middle. If one relies on doctrinal purport, generally a single verse has four lines to complete its meaning. Zhiyi separated them into three contemplations, which seems like branching vines, and the transmission is not clear. Because of this, it is said that he received it remotely from Nāgārjuna, taking Nāgārjuna as ancestor, while closely he received it from Master Si—which can be known. If succession can skip generations, I fear that in later generations there will surely be clever people who merely read Buddhist sūtras and claim to receive it directly from Śākyamuni! How could that be right? Simply because Zhiyi possessed great merit, wisdom, and eloquence, and repeatedly served as imperial preceptor, he established the doctrine of a single school, with vast language and subtle principle. Yet his latter-day descendants, claiming to transmit the patriarchal teachings, conversely malign the Venerable Simha's personal transmission of the Dharma to Basiasita, and even regard the transmission of the robe and conferral of Dharma to the Sixth Patriarch in this land as heterodox understanding. Alas! If I discuss it fully, it will become an argument. Discern it for yourself.'

5.27

He asked: 'Since Bodhidharma came to this land, why are the spoken teachings of the various ancestral masters different from those of the Indian patriarchs and even from those up through the Sixth Patriarch? Niutou's lineage, Northern Xiu, Heze, Nanyue Rang, and Qingyuan Si gradually diverged in words and phrases, their viewpoints differed, and each faction supported its own school and excessively defamed the others. How can these contentions be put to rest?' He answered: 'Strange indeed is this question! When the ancestral master came to this land, it was like planting a single seed in the ground, which sprouts through the convergence of causes and conditions. The seed was Bodhidharma together with the Second Patriarch; the branches and leaves were the likes of Daofu, Zongchi, and Daoyu. As the Second Patriarch was the seed, the Third Patriarch was the sprout; and so on, until the Sixth Patriarch was the seed, and Nanyue Rang was the sprout. Niutou, Shenxiu, Heze, and the like were all just branches and leaves. However, under the Sixth Patriarch, branches and leaves flourished luxuriously and produced many offspring. That seed, in turn, followed the suitability of climate and soil: those who obtained leaves valued leaves; those who obtained branches valued branches. It is like a tree that becomes an orange in the south and a trifoliate orange in the north: although shape and flavour change, how could the root change? It is also like the sun: in the east it is morning, and in the west it is evening. The sun turns according to directions, which is merely the shadow of its disc; its space certainly does not turn. What is there to wonder at? You need only understand your internal mind and not follow external dharmas. The internal mind frees you from birth and death; external dharmas chase after attachment and aversion. When attachment and aversion arise, you are far from the Buddhas and patriarchs. For you, I have leisurely selected the phrases of the orthodox lineage and the lateral branches, setting forth their background origins below each, so that students may clearly distinguish the direct descendants from the collateral.'

5.28

Preface to the Re-collated Genealogies of the Five Houses by Juemengtang

5.29

During the Jingde era of our august dynasty, the Wu monk Daoyuan compiled the thirty fascicles of the Chuandeng lu (Record of the Transmission of the Lamp). Tracing downwards from Caoxi, he divided [the lineage] into two branches: one was Nanyue Rang, and Rang brought forth Great Master Ma; the other was Qingyuan Si, and Si brought forth Shitou Qian. From these two branches, five houses were further distinguished. Great Master Ma brought forth eighty-four good spiritual friends; among them was Baizhang Hai, who brought forth the two masters Huangbo Yun and Dawei You. From Yun's line came Linji Xuan; hence it is designated the Linji lineage. From You's line came Dayang Ji; hence it is designated the Guiyang lineage. Among the eighty-four masters, there was also Tianwang Wu. Wu obtained Longtan Xin; Xin obtained Deshan Jian; Jian obtained Xuefeng Cun. From Cun's line issued the Yunmen lineage and the Fayan lineage. Shitou Qian brought forth two masters, Yaoshan Yan and Tianhuang Wu. Wu's line obtained Huizhen; Zhen obtained Youxian; Xian obtained Wenben, and then it became extinct. Only Yaoshan obtained Yunyan Sheng; Sheng obtained Dongshan Jie; Jie obtained Caoshan Ji. This constitutes the Caodong lineage. The present Chuandeng lu, however, gathers both the Yunmen and Fayan lineages and subsumes them under Shitou; this is an error. This is because at that time there were two persons named Daowu. One was Daowu of Tianwang Monastery in the west of Jiangling City, a man of Zhugong and a descendant of Cui Ziyu; he was an heir to Mazu. He passed away on the thirteenth day of the fourth month in the thirteenth year of the Yuanhe era. Qiu Xuansu, Grand Master of Right Counsel, composed his stūpa inscription, a text of several thousand words. Its summary states: 'Mazu instructed him, saying, "In the future, do not leave your old place"; thus he returned to Zhugong.' The other was Daowu of Tianhuang Monastery in the east of Jiangling City, a man of Dongyang in Wuzhou, surnamed Zhang; he was an heir to Shitou. He passed away in the dinghai year, the second year of the Yuanhe era. The stele was composed by Vinaya Master Fu Zai. What is recorded in both steles regarding the circumstances of their lives and their careers is extremely detailed. But when Daoyuan was gathering materials for the Chuandeng lu, he did not personally investigate and seek each one out, but merely acquired them indirectly by relying on others' compilations; thus his error is easily understood. From the Jingde era down to the present, all within the four seas have taken the Chuandeng lu as their authority; even those who preside over monastic seats and establish lineages have been incapable of making even a slight inquiry and discernment. Only the two gentlemen, Prime Minister Layman Wujin and Lü Xiaqing, whenever they met to discuss matters within the ancestral school, used to say: 'Shitou obtained Yaoshan, and Yaoshan obtained the single lineage of Caodong; doctrine, principle, practice, and fruition are roundabout in their expression. On the other hand, from Tianwang Daowu issued Master Zhou the Diamond, who scolded the wind and cursed the rain, so that even the buddhas and patriarchs dared not face the tip of his weapon. We fear there may have been an error regarding Tianhuang.' Venerable Jiyin also once doubted this, saying: 'There seem to have been two Daowus.' Later, at the place of Daguan Ying, Wujin obtained the stūpa record of Tianhuang Daowu composed by Fu Zai of the Tang, and also sought out and obtained the stūpa record of Tianwang Daowu composed by Qiu Xuansu. Carrying them, he showed them everywhere throughout the various quarters, saying: 'I used to doubt why Deshan and Dongshan, if both descended from Shitou, differed so greatly between death and life in extending their hands. Now, verifying it with the two records of Qiu and Fu, it is brilliantly clear. Only now do I know that my selection of the Dharma and evaluation of people was not mistaken.' Jiyin said: 'When Guifeng replied to Chancellor Pei, in the "Document on the Tenets" he listed six heirs of Mazu; the first was Daowu of Jiangling, under which it was noted: "He also received instruction from Jingshan." Nowadays, those who arbitrarily dispute the two lineages of Yunmen and Linji might well provoke a laugh.' I have briefly written an outline to transmit to the discerning, so that they may know that the orthodox lineages of the five houses are simply like this.

5.30

Miscellaneous Records of the Ancestral School, Fascicle 5 (End)

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人天眼目 — Classical Chinese