六祖大師法寶壇經 1.85

1.85

「即心名慧，即佛乃定，定慧等持，
意中清淨。悟此法門，由汝習性，
用本無生，雙修是正。」

transcends all the characteristics is buddha. If I were to explain it completely,

I could not finish in an eon! Listen to my verse, which goes:

With regard to the mind, it’s called wisdom.

With regard to the Buddha, it’s called meditation.

When meditation and wisdom are maintained equally,

All is pure within the consciousness.

If you are enlightened to this teaching

It is through your cultivation of the nature

Its function is fundamentally birthless;

The dual cultivation is correct.

Fahai experienced a great enlightenment upon hearing these words. He gave praise in verse, saying:

The mind is fundamentally buddha.

To be unenlightened to this is to subjugate oneself.

I understand the causes of meditation and wisdom.

By the dual cultivation one transcends all things.

The monk Fada was from Hongzhou. He left home [to become a monk] at age seven, [after which time] he constantly recited the Lotus Sutra. He came to do obeisance to Huineng, but did not touch his head to the ground. The master rebuked him, “To bow without touching the ground—can this be anything but irreverent? You must have something on your mind. To what are you disposed?”105 [Fada] said, “I have recited the Lotus Sutra three thousand times.” The master said, “Even if you recite it ten thousand times it won’t help you understand the meaning of the scripture. You should practice along with me. You’re undertaking this effort without understanding how wrong it is. Listen to my verse, which goes:

Reverence is fundamentally to bend the canopy of conceit,

So how can one’s head not touch the ground?

Have [the illusion of] selfhood, and transgressions are generated;

Destroy merits, and one’s blessings are beyond measure!

The master also said, “What is your name?” [The monk] answered, “Fada.” The master said, “You are named Fada (“Dharma Penetration”), but when have you ever penetrated the Dharma?” He spoke another verse, which went:

Your name is now Fada.

You have diligently recited [the Lotus Sutra] without cease.

Reciting in vain, you have only been emanating sounds.

It is the wise mind that is called bodhisattva.

Since you have now had this connection [with me],

I will now explain [Buddhism] for you:

Simply have faith that the Buddha was silent,

That [only] lotuses came forth from his mouth.

After Fada heard this verse he said in gratitude, “From now on I will be

deferential toward all. Your disciple has recited the Lotus Sutra without

understanding its meaning, and my mind always harbored doubts. Your Rev-

erence’s wisdom is vast, so would you please briefly explain the sutra’s mean-

ing?”

The master said, “Fada, the Dharma is profoundly penetrating, but your

mind has not penetrated it. The sutra is fundamentally without doubt; it is your

mind itself that doubts. As you recite this sutra, what is its central doctrine?”

Fada said, “This student is dull of disposition and has always just relied

on reciting the text. How could I understand its central purport?”

The master said, “I do not understand words, but try reciting the sutra

for me once and I will explain it for you.”

Fada then recited the sutra aloud. When he came to the “Chapter on

Parables” the master said, “Stop. The central doctrine of this sutra is funda-

mentally the causes and conditions and the appearance [of the buddhas] in