宗鏡錄 97
English (machine translation) 97
- Language
- English
97.1
Compiled by Yanshou, Dhyāna Master Zhijue, Abbot of Huiri Yongming Monastery.
97.2
Now that the Buddha's teachings have been clarified, the intention of the patriarchs must be displayed. Those who have thoroughly reached the Buddha Vehicle are all in accord with the definitive meaning. As the Lotus Sūtra says: 'Whatever this person reflects upon, measures, and speaks is all the Buddha-Dharma, and none of it is untrue; it is also that which was spoken in the sūtras of former buddhas.'
97.3
The verse of the first Buddha, Vipaśyin, says: / 'The body is received and born from within the markless, / just like various forms magically produced. / The conscious mind of a phantom person is originally non-existent; / transgressions and blessings are both empty, having nowhere to abide.'
97.4
The verse of the second Buddha, Śikhin, says: / 'Giving rise to all good dharmas is originally an illusion; / creating all evil karmas is also an illusion. / The body is like gathered foam, the mind like the wind; / what is magically produced has no root and no real nature.'
97.5
The verse of the third Buddha, Viśvabhū, says:
“Borrowing the four great elements to serve as a body,
The citta is originally unborn, existing because of objects.
If the preceding objects do not exist, citta also does not exist;
Demerit and merit are like an illusion: arising, they are also extinguished.”
97.6
The verse of the fourth Buddha, Krakucchanda, says:
“Seeing the body as having no reality is the seeing of a Buddha;
Comprehending the citta as like an illusion is the comprehension of a Buddha.
Comprehending the original nature of body and citta to be empty—
How is such a person distinct from a Buddha?”
97.7
The verse of the fifth Buddha, Kanakamuni, says:
“A Buddha does not see a body; to know [this] is to be a Buddha.
If there were real knowing, there would be no other Buddha.
The wise are able to know that the nature of demerit is empty,
Serene and without fear regarding birth and death.”
97.8
The verse of the sixth Buddha, Kāśyapa, says:
“The nature of all sentient beings is pure;
From the beginning unborn, there is nothing that can be extinguished.
This very body and citta are illusory births;
Within illusory transformations there is neither demerit nor merit.”
97.9
The verse of the seventh Buddha, Śākyamuni, says:
“Illusory transformations are without cause and also without birth;
All are naturally seen as such.
Phenomena are none other than self-transformed births;
Illusory transformations are unborn, with nothing to fear.”
He further told Mahākāśyapa: “I possess the pure eye of the Dharma, the wondrous citta of nirvāṇa, the real mark without mark, the subtle and wondrous true Dharma. I entrust it to you; do not let it be broken off. Listen to my verse:
‘The Dharma originally is a Dharma of no-dharma;
A dharma of no-dharma is also a Dharma.
Now when the dharma of no-dharma is entrusted,
How has the Dharma of dharmas ever been a Dharma?’”
97.10
The Dharma-transmission verse of the first patriarch of India, Mahākāśyapa, says:
“Dharmas are fundamentally dharmas;
There is neither no-dharma nor non-dharma.
How could there be within a single dharma
What is dharma and what is non-dharma?”
97.11
The Dharma-transmission verse of the second patriarch, Ānanda, says:
“Originally there was a Dharma entrusted;
Having entrusted it, it is said that there is no dharma.
Each person must awaken for themselves;
Having awakened, there is no no-dharma.”
97.12
The Dharma-transmission verse of the third patriarch, Śāṇakavāsa, says:
“It is not a dharma, nor is it citta;
There is no citta, and also no dharma.
When it is said to be the citta-dharma,
This dharma is not a citta-dharma.”
97.13
The Dharma-transmission verse of the fourth patriarch, the venerable Upagupta, says:
“Citta is of itself the original citta;
The original citta is not an existent dharma.
If there is a dharma, there is an original citta;
It is not citta, nor is it the original dharma.”
97.14
The fifth patriarch, Dhītika, was also named Fragrant Multitude. When he first went to Upagupta to go forth, the venerable one asked, “Do you go forth for the sake of the citta, or do you go forth for the sake of the body?” Fragrant Multitude said, “In coming to go forth, I do not seek benefit for the body or citta.” The venerable one asked, “If not for the body or citta, who then goes forth?” Fragrant Multitude said, “One who goes forth does so because of selflessness. Because of selflessness, the citta does not arise or cease. That the citta does not arise or cease is constancy. Since it is constant, the Buddha is also constant. Citta has no shape or mark, and its substance is likewise.” The venerable one said, “You shall attain great awakening; your citta will naturally be clear and bright. Relying on the Buddhadharma, you will cross over beings as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.” The Dharma-entrustment verse says:
“Thoroughly penetrating the citta of the original dharma,
There is neither dharma nor non-dharma.
Awakened, it is the same as unawakened;
With no-citta, one attains no-dharma.”
97.15
The Dharma-entrustment verse of the sixth patriarch, Micchaka, says:
“With no citta there is nothing to be attained;
What is spoken of as attained is not called a dharma.
If one comprehends that the citta is not citta,
Only then does one understand the Dharma of citta after citta.”
97.16
The Dharma-entrustment verse of the seventh patriarch, Vasumitra, says:
“Citta is identical to the realm of empty space;
It shows dharmas equal to empty space.
When empty space is realized,
There is neither ‘is’ nor non-dharma.”
97.17
The Dharma-entrustment verse of the eighth patriarch, Buddhanandi, says:
“Empty space has neither inside nor outside;
The citta-dharma is also like this.
If one comprehends empty space,
One has reached the principle of tathatā.”
97.18
The verse of the ninth patriarch, the venerable Buddhamitra, asking the venerable Buddhanandi, says:
“Father and mother are not my closest kin;
Who is the closest kin?
The Buddhas are not my Path;
What is the supreme Path?”
The verse in reply says:
“Your words are close to citta;
Father and mother cannot compare.
Your conduct accords with the Path;
The Buddhas' citta is precisely this.
Seeking externally for a Buddha with marks
Bears no resemblance to you.
If you wish to know your original citta,
It is neither joined nor difficult.”
Because of this he awakened to the Path. The Dharma-entrustment verse says:
“The true principle is originally without name;
Because of names the true principle is revealed.
Having received the real Dharma,
It is neither true nor false.”
97.19
The Dharma-transmission verse of the tenth patriarch, the venerable Pārśva, says:
“The true substance is naturally true;
Because of the true, a principle is spoken of.
Having grasped the real Dharma,
There is neither practice nor stopping.”
97.20
Regarding the eleventh patriarch, Puṇyayaśas: at that time the venerable Pārśva, under a tree, pointed with his finger to the ground beneath the tree and told the great assembly, “If this ground turns into a golden color, a sage will enter this assembly.” No sooner had he spoken, in an instant, it turned into a golden color. The venerable one raised his hand, and saw a person standing before the assembly. The venerable one asked, “Where do you come from?” Yaśas said, “My citta does not go.” The venerable one asked, “In what place do you abide?” Yaśas said, “My citta does not stop.” The venerable one asked, “Are you unsettled?” Yaśas said, “The Buddhas are also like this.” The venerable one asked, “You are not the Buddhas.” Yaśas said, “The Buddhas are also not.” At that time Yaśas spoke a verse in praise:
“The master sits on the golden ground,
Constantly preaching the real meaning.
Turning the light to illuminate me,
He causes me to enter samādhi.”
Furthermore, the Dharma-transmission verse says:
“Delusion and awakening are like concealment and manifestation;
Light and darkness are not separate from each other.
Now I entrust the Dharma of concealment and manifestation:
It is neither one nor two.”
97.21
The Dharma-transmission verse of the twelfth patriarch, the venerable Aśvaghoṣa, says:
“Concealment and manifestation are precisely the original dharma;
Light and darkness are fundamentally non-dual.
Now I entrust the Dharma of having awakened:
It is neither grasped nor abandoned.”
97.22
The Dharma-transmission verse of the thirteenth patriarch, the venerable Kapimala, says:
“A dharma neither concealed nor manifest
Is spoken of as the limit of reality.
Awakening to this dharma of concealment and manifestation,
One is neither foolish nor wise.”
97.23
The fourteenth patriarch, the venerable Nāgārjuna, traveled and transformed beings, reaching South India. The people of that country mostly practiced deeds of merit and did not understand the Buddha's principle; they engaged only in petty debate and did not possess great wisdom. When asked about Buddha-nature, they said, “Giving: we seek deeds of merit, not understanding Buddha-nature. You understand Buddha-nature; explain it to us.” The master said, “If you wish to learn the Path, first eliminate self-conceit; only when you produce a reverent citta can you attain Buddha-nature.” The assembly asked, “What is the size of Buddha-nature?” The master said, “It is not something you know; it is not spoken of as large or small. If one speaks of large or small, that is just large or small, not Buddha-nature.” The assembly said, “We wish to abandon petty debate and return to the great ocean.” Nāgārjuna then preached the Dharma for them, manifesting an unusual mark before the great assembly: his body was like a moon disk, sitting upon the seat; they heard only the preaching of the Dharma, but did not see his form. In that assembly was an elder named Deva, who said to the assembly, “Do you recognize this auspicious sign or not?” The assembly said, “Unless one is a great sage, who could recognize it?” At that time, Deva's mental faculty had long been pure, and he also saw that mark. Silently matching and comprehending it, he told the assembly, “The master manifests the meaning of Buddha-nature, not the master's body. The signless samādhi, shaped like a full moon, is the meaning of Buddha-nature.” Before he had finished speaking, the master manifested his original body and spoke a verse upon the seat:
“The body manifests the mark of a full moon
In order to express the substance of all Buddhas.
Preaching the Dharma without physical form,
The function of eloquence is not sound or form.”
Furthermore, the Dharma-transmission verse says:
“In order to clarify the dharma of concealment and manifestation,
Only then is the principle of liberation spoken of.
Regarding dharmas, the citta does not realize anything;
There is neither anger nor joy.”
97.24
The Dharma-transmission verse of the fifteenth patriarch, the venerable Kāṇadeva, says:
“Originally facing the one to whom the Dharma is transmitted,
I preach for him the principle of liberation.
Regarding dharmas there is truly nothing realized;
There is neither end nor beginning.”
97.25
The Dharma-transmission verse of the sixteenth patriarch, the venerable Rāhulata, says:
“Regarding dharmas there is truly nothing realized;
It is neither grasped nor departed from.
Dharmas are without the marks of existence and non-existence;
How could internal and external arise?”
97.26
The Dharma-transmission verse of the seventeenth patriarch, the venerable Saṅghanandi, says:
“The ground of citta is originally unborn;
Because of seeds, it arises from conditions.
Conditions and seeds do not obstruct each other;
Flowers and fruits are also like this.”
97.27
Regarding the eighteenth patriarch, Gayāśata: initially, the seventeenth patriarch, Saṅghanandi, arrived at his house and suddenly saw a boy holding a bronze mirror in his hand coming to the master's place. The venerable one asked, “How old are you, boy?” The boy said, “I am one hundred years old.” At that time, seeing him answer one hundred years old, the venerable one asked again, “You must be without knowledge; you look very young. Answering that you are one hundred years old does not accord with reason.” The boy said, “I do not understand reason, but I am precisely one hundred years old.” The venerable one asked, “Boy, are you adept with the capacity [for awakening]?” The boy said, “A Buddha's verse says: ‘If a person lives a hundred years without understanding the capacity of all Buddhas, it is not as good as living for a single day and attaining decisive resolution regarding it.’” At that time the venerable one respected him, deeply knowing he was a sage, and further questioned him, “What is the meaning and situation of your holding this mirror?” At that time the boy answered in verse:
“The great round mirror of the Buddhas
Has no flaw or blemish inside or outside.
When two people together get to see it,
Their cittas and eyes are both alike.”
The parents, seeing the boy's extraordinary nature, thereupon gave him up to go forth. The venerable one then led him on teaching travels, arrived at an ancient monastery, and gave him the precepts, giving him the name Gayāśata. In that hall, there was a bronze bell ringing as it was shaken by the wind. The venerable one asked, “Does that wind ring? Does that bell ring? Or does that bronze ring?” The boy said, “It is just my citta ringing, not the wind, bronze, or bell.” The venerable one said, “If not the wind, bronze, or bell, who is my citta?” The boy said, “Both are tranquil; is this not samādhi?” The venerable one said, “Excellent, true bhikṣu! You skillfully understand the principle of all Buddhas, skillfully preach the essentials of all dharmas, and skillfully recognize the real meaning.” He further told him, “I now entrust the treasury of the Dharma eye to you. Receive my verse and go forth to transform beings.” The verse says:
“The ground of citta is originally unborn;
Because of seeds, it arises from conditions.
Conditions and seeds do not obstruct each other;
Flowers and fruits are also like this.”
Later, Gayāśata gave the Dharma-transmission verse to Kumāralāta, saying:
“There is a seed and there is the ground of citta;
Through causes and conditions it can sprout.
Conditions do not obstruct each other;
When born, what is born is unborn.”
97.28
The Dharma-transmission verse of the nineteenth patriarch, the venerable Kumāralāta, says:
“In nature there is fundamentally no birth;
It is spoken for the sake of those who seek.
Since regarding dharmas there is nothing attained,
Why cherish certainty or uncertainty?”
97.29
The Dharma-transmission verse of the twentieth patriarch, the venerable Jayata, says:
“Upon these words, one accords with the unborn,
Identical to the nature of the dharmadhātu.
If one can understand like this,
One will completely penetrate phenomena and principle.”
97.30
The Dharma-transmission verse of the twenty-first patriarch, the venerable Vasubandhu, says:
“Bubbles and illusions alike are without obstruction;
How could one not understand?
Penetrating dharmas lies within them;
It is neither present nor past.”
97.31
After giving the Dharma-transmission verse to the venerable Haklenayaśas, the twenty-second patriarch, Manorhita, rose from his seat, leaped into empty space, performed the eighteen transformations, and then returned to his original seat. Pointing to the ground with his finger, he transformed it into a spring, and spoke a verse:
“The pure spring of the ground of citta,
The dragon moistens all.
Surging forth from the earth,
It pervasively fills and rescues the ten directions.”
Furthermore, the Dharma-transmission verse says:
“Citta turns following the ten thousand objects;
Where it turns is truly profound.
Following the flow, one recognizes the nature:
There is neither joy nor sorrow.”
97.32
The twenty-third patriarch, the venerable Haklenayaśas, having finished entrusting the Dharma, rose from his seat, leaped into empty space, performed the eighteen transformations, returned to his original seat, and quietly entered extinction. At that time the great assembly wished to divide the relics and each erect a stūpa. When the cremation was finished and they were about to divide the relics, the venerable one manifested his body and spoke a verse:
“One dharma is all dharmas;
All are subsumed in one dharma.
My body is neither existent nor non-existent;
Why divide it into all those stūpas?”
Furthermore, the Dharma-transmission verse says:
“When one recognizes the nature of citta,
It can be called inconceivable.
Clearly there is nothing to be attained;
When attained, one does not speak of knowing.”
97.33
The Dharma-transmission verse of the twenty-fourth patriarch, the venerable Siṃha, says:
“At the very time knowledge and vision are spoken of,
Knowledge and vision are both citta.
Right at citta is knowledge and vision;
Knowledge and vision are precisely now.”
97.34
The Dharma-transmission verse of the twenty-fifth patriarch, the venerable Vāśasita, says:
“The sage speaks of knowledge and vision;
Facing objects, there is nothing that is not it.
Now I have awakened to the true nature:
There is neither Path nor principle.”
97.35
The verse of transmission of the Dharma by the twenty-sixth patriarch, the Venerable Puṇyamitra, says: / "The storehouse of the mind-ground of the true nature / Has neither head nor tail. / Responding to conditions, it transforms beings; / By expedient means, it is called wisdom."
97.36
The verse of transmission of the Dharma by the twenty-seventh patriarch, the Venerable Prajñātāra, says: / "The mind-ground gives rise to all seeds; / Due to phenomena, it is also due to principle. / When the fruit is complete, bodhi is perfected; / When the flower blooms, the world arises." / The Venerable Prajñābodhi of Western India converted the King of Heterodox Views by manifesting supernatural powers and riding a cloud to the front of the king's palace. At that time, the great king asked the one riding the cloud, saying: "Are you heterodox, or are you orthodox?" The Venerable Prajñābodhi replied, saying: "I am neither heterodox nor orthodox, but have come to rectify the heterodox. Great king, if you are orthodox, then for me there is neither heterodox nor orthodox." The king asked again, saying: "What is the Buddha?" Prajñābodhi said: "Seeing the nature is the Buddha." The king said: "Does the master see the nature or not?" Prajñābodhi said: "I see the buddha-nature." The king said: "Where is the nature?" Prajñābodhi said: "The nature is in functioning." The king said: "What functioning is this? I do not see it now." Prajñābodhi said: "It functions right now, but the king himself does not recognize it." The king said: "Since what the master sees is said to have functioning, does it exist within me or not?" Prajñābodhi said: "If the king functions, what is present is entirely it; if the king does not function, its substance is also difficult to see." The king said: "If it is functioning, in how many places does it appear?" The master said: "When it comes forth in functioning, it has eight [aspects]." Standing tall on the cloud-crest, he told him in verse: / "In the womb, it is called the body; / In the world, it is called a person; / In the eye, it is called seeing; / In the ear, it is called hearing; / In the nose, it distinguishes scents; / In the mouth, it engages in discourse; / In the hands, it grasps and holds; / In the feet, it runs and travels. / Manifesting everywhere, it completely encompasses the dharmadhātu; / Withdrawn, it does not exceed a minute dust mote. / Those who understand know it is the buddha-nature; / Those who do not understand call it the soul."
97.37
The first patriarch of this land, Bodhidharmatrāta, was the third son of the king of a Southern Indian kingdom. He was always fond of discussing principle and bore sentient beings in mind, yet he did not know the Buddha. He also sighed to himself, saying: "The world has conditioned phenomena of form, and these are easy to comprehend; only the Buddha's mind-dharma is such that few understand it." At that time, the Venerable Prajñātāra arrived in his kingdom. The king bestowed a precious pearl whose radiance was dazzling and extraordinarily wondrous. Having seen it, the Venerable tested [him] with the pearl, saying: "This precious pearl has great brilliance and can illuminate objects. Is there yet any fine pearl that can surpass this?" Bodhidharmatrāta said: "This is a worldly treasure and cannot be considered supreme. Among all lights, the light of wisdom is supreme. This is worldly brightness and cannot be considered supreme; among all brightnesses, the brightness of the mind is foremost. As for this pearl, all the radiance it possesses cannot illuminate itself; it must rely on the light of wisdom for wisdom to discern it. Once it has been discerned, one knows it is a pearl; once one knows it is a pearl, one understands its preciousness. If one understands its preciousness, the treasure is not a treasure of itself; if one discerns the pearl, the pearl is not a pearl of itself. That the pearl is not a pearl of itself means that one must rely on the pearl of wisdom to discern the worldly pearl. That the treasure is not a treasure of itself means that one must rely on the Dharma-treasure to understand the conventional treasure. However, the master possesses its Way, and this treasure is already apparent; sentient beings possess the Way, and the mind-treasure is also thus." The Venerable marveled at him. Thereupon, he left the household life, awakened to the Way, and subsequently traveled to this land to convert beings. Baozhi recognized that he was the sage Avalokiteśvara who transmitted the Buddha's mind-seal. The Master set forth the teaching of pacifying the mind, saying: "When confused, the person pursues dharmas; when awakened, dharmas pursue the person. When awakened, consciousness subsumes form; when confused, form subsumes consciousness. Whenever there is a mental conceptualization that calculates the direct perception of one's own mind, it is all a dream. If the conscious mind is quenched and there is not a single point of moving thought, this is called right awakening."
97.38
Question: How does one's own mind manifest?
97.39
Answer: Seeing that all dharmas exist—existence of itself does not exist; one's own mind calculates it as existing. Seeing that all dharmas do not exist—non-existence of itself is not non-existent; one's own mind calculates it as non-existent. And so forth, all dharmas are also like this: they are all calculated by one's own mind as existing or calculated by one's own mind as non-existent. Furthermore, if a person commits all offenses, yet sees for himself his own Dharma King, he attains liberation immediately. If one attains understanding through phenomena, one's vigor is robust; if one sees the Dharma within phenomena, then at all times and in all places one does not lose mindfulness. If one understands through written words, one's vigor is weak. Being identical with phenomena is being identical with the Dharma—even through your manifold movements, leaping, stumbling, and falling, you never exit the dharmadhātu, nor do you enter the dharmadhātu. If one takes a realm to enter a realm, that is a foolish person. Whatever one does, it never ultimately exits the mind of the dharmadhātu. Why? Because the substance of the mind is the dharmadhātu."
97.40
Question: Wordly people have various kinds of learning; why do they not attain the Way?
97.41
Answer: It is because of seeing a self that they do not attain the Way. The self is the 'I'. The consummate person, encountering suffering, does not grieve; encountering pleasure, does not rejoice. This is because of not seeing a self. The reason they do not perceive suffering and pleasure is that they have forgotten the self, thereby arriving at vacuity. When the self itself is already obliterated, what else is there that is not obliterated?
97.42
Question: Since all dharmas are empty, who is it that cultivates the Way?
97.43
Answer: If there is a 'who', that one must cultivate the Way; if there is no 'who', then one does not need to cultivate the Way. The 'who' is also the 'I'. If there is no 'I', then upon encountering objects, right and wrong do not arise. 'Right' is what I myself deem right, yet the object is not inherently right; 'wrong' is what I myself deem wrong, yet the object is not inherently wrong. Being identical with the mind without mind—this is penetrating the Buddha's Way. Being identical with objects without giving rise to views—this is called penetrating the Way. When encountering objects, directly penetrating and knowing their original source, this person's eye of wisdom opens. The wise person accords with objects and does not accord with the self, so there is no grasping or rejecting, opposition or compliance. The foolish person accords with the self and does not accord with objects, so there is grasping and rejecting, opposition or compliance. Not seeing a single object is called seeing the Way; not practicing a single object is called practicing the Way. In all places there is no place—no place is the place of the Dharma. At the place of action there is no place of action—the dharma of non-action is seeing the Buddha. If one sees characteristics, then in all places one sees ghosts; because of grasping at characteristics, one falls into hell; because of contemplating dharmas, one attains liberation. If one sees recollective conceptualization, one experiences cauldrons of boiling water, burning braziers, and the like, presently seeing the characteristics of birth and death. If one sees the nature of the dharmadhātu, it is the nature of nirvāṇa; the absence of recollective conceptualization is the nature of the dharmadhātu. Since mind is not form, it is not existent; since it functions without cessation, it is not non-existent. Furthermore, since it functions while constantly empty, it is not existent; since it is empty while constantly functioning, it is not non-existent. His verse of transmission of the Dharma says: / "I originally came to this land / To transmit the Dharma and rescue confused sentient beings. / A single flower opens with five petals, / And the bearing of fruit naturally completes."
97.44
The second patriarch, Great Master [Huike], said: "Ordinary beings say the ancient is different from the present, and the present is different from the ancient, and that apart from the four great elements there is another dharmakāya. At the moment of understanding, this present mind of the five aggregates is itself the perfectly pure nirvāṇa. This mind is fully endowed with the myriad practices; it is truly called the Great Source." His verse of transmission of the Dharma says: / "Originally, because of the ground, / Seeds are sown due to the ground and flowers grow. / If originally there were no seed, / Flowers also could not grow."
97.45
The verse of transmission of the Dharma by the third patriarch, Great Master [Seng]can, says: / "Although flower seeds depend on the ground, / From the ground, flowers grow from seeds. / If there were no person to sow the seeds, / The seeds of flowers would not grow at all."
97.46
The fourth patriarch, Great Master Daoxin, said: "One who wishes to know mind-samādhi: when sitting upright, know that sitting is the mind; know that the arising of delusion is the mind; know that the absence of delusion's arising is the mind; know that the absence of inside and outside is the mind. Principle completely returns to the mind. Since the mind is already pure, purity is the original nature. Inside and outside are only the one mind; this is the characteristic of wisdom. The clearly understanding, unmoving mind is called the samādhi of self-nature." Furthermore, he instructed Great Master [Fa]rong, saying: "Hundreds of thousands of wondrous gateways all return to the square inch [of the heart]; merits like the sands of the Ganges are entirely in the source of the mind. All gates of samādhi, all gates of wisdom, all gates of practice are completely endowed; supernatural wondrous functions are all within your mind." His verse of transmission of the Dharma says: / "Flower seeds have the nature of growth; / Dependent on the ground, flowers grow and proliferate. / When the great condition merges with the nature, / What is about to grow grows unborn."
97.47
The fifth patriarch, Great Master Hongren, said: "If you wish to know the essentials of the Dharma, the mind is the root of the twelve divisions of scripture. There is only the ekayāna Dharma. The single conveyance is the one mind. Merely guarding the one mind is the gate of mind-tathatā. All practices of dharmas do not depart from one's own mind; only the mind knows itself. The mind has no physical form or color. The patriarchs only transmitted mind with mind; the realized ones seal and certify it, and there is no other dharma." He also said: "Everything depends on the mind; heterodoxy and orthodoxy lie in oneself. Not thinking of a single thing is the original mind. Only wisdom can know it; there is no other practice." His verse of transmission of the Dharma says: / "Sentient beings come to sow the seeds; / Dependent on the ground, the fruit grows again. / What is insentient has no seed, / And has no nature and no arising."
97.48
The sixth patriarch, Great Master Huineng, said: "All of you, your own minds are the Buddha; do not have any further doubts. Outside of the mind, there is not a single dharma that can be established; all are the myriad dharmas generated by one's own mind. A sūtra says: 'When the mind arises, all dharmas arise.' Its dharmas are not two, and its mind is also thus. Its Way is pure and has no characteristics. Do not contemplate purity or empty your mind. In this mind, there is not a single thing to be grasped or rejected. In walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, always have a straight mind—that is the Pure Land. Those who rely on my words are certain to attain bodhi." His verse of transmission of the Dharma says: / "The mind-ground contains all seeds; / Under the universal rain, all of them grow. / Having頓awakened to the sentiment of the flower, / The fruit of bodhi completes of itself." / Master [Huai]rang said: "All the myriad dharmas are born from the mind. If you penetrate the mind-ground, what you do will be unobstructed. This present mind of yours is itself the Buddha. When Bodhidharma came from the West, he only transmitted the dharma of the one mind. The three realms are mind-only; the vast array of myriad phenomena is sealed by the one Dharma. All forms that are seen are one's own mind. The mind is not mind of itself; it is mind because of form. You may at all times identify phenomena with principle, completely without obstruction. The fruit of the path to bodhi is also like this. What is produced from the mind is called form; knowing that form is empty, arising is non-arising." / Master Ma[zu] asked, saying: "How should one apply the mind to accord with the formless samādhi of dhyāna?" The Master said: "If you study the mind-ground Dharma-gate, it is like sowing seeds; my explaining the essentials of the Dharma is like heavenly moisture. When your conditions harmonize, you will see the Way." Master Ma asked again, saying: "The Venerable says one 'sees the Way'. Since the Way is not form, how can it be viewed?" The Master said: "The Dharma-eye of the mind-ground can see the Way; the formless samādhi is also like this." Master Ma said: "Is there creation and destruction or not?" The Master said: "If one tallies with this Way, it has no beginning and no end; it is not created and not destroyed, not gathered and not dispersed, not long and not short, not quiet and not chaotic, not hurried and not delayed. If understood like this, it should be called the Way. Receive my instruction and listen to my verse: / 'The mind-ground contains all seeds; / Meeting moisture, all of them sprout. / The flower of samādhi is formless; / What is destroyed, and what is created?'"
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Ven. Si of Jizhou said: "Right now your speech is precisely your citta. This citta is the Buddha; it is the Buddha of the dharmakāya of true reality. A sūtra says: 'There are hundreds of thousands of names through three asaṃkhyeya [kalpas], established according to where he responds in the worlds.' It is like a wish-fulfilling jewel conforming to colors: when it touches blue it is blue, and when it touches yellow it is yellow; the jewel has no intrinsic color. Just as a finger cannot touch itself, a knife cannot cut itself, and a mirror cannot illuminate itself, according to the places where images appear, each is distinct, and the superior or inferior designations obtained are distinct. This citta shares the lifespan of empty space. If one enters the gate of samādhi, there is nothing that is not samādhi. If one enters the gate of signlessness, everything is signless. Wherever it is established, one completely attains the lineage gate. Speech, crying, laughing, bending, extending, looking down, and looking up all issue from the ocean of nature; hence they attain the name of the source. The Buddha with major marks and minor signs is the Buddha of cause and effect, which is the functional application belonging to the Buddha of true reality. A sūtra says: 'The thirty-two marks and eighty minor signs are all produced from thoughts of the citta.' It is also called the radiant blaze belonging to the dharma-nature; it is also called the meritorious achievement of the dharma-nature. 'In accordance with the purity of one's citta, the Buddha-land is pure.' If thoughts arise, fruits are obtained in accordance with those thoughts. Appearing in response to things is called the 'Tathāgata.' Going away in accordance with the response, there is therefore nothing sought; at all times, there is not a single dharma that can be attained. Naturally this is attaining the Dharma; one does not attain again by means of attaining. Therefore, dharma does not know dharma; dharma does not hear dharma. Equality is the Buddha; the Buddha is equality. One does not further practice equality by means of equality; hence it is said to be 'solitary and without companion.' When deluded, one is deluded about awakening; when awakened, one is awakened about delusion. Delusion simply remains self-deluded; awakening simply remains self-awakened. There is not a single dharma that is not produced from the citta; there is not a single dharma that does not perish from the citta. Therefore delusion and awakening are completely within the one mind. Hence it is said: 'A single dust mote contains the dharmadhātu.' 'Neither citta nor Buddha' truly means that the fundamental nature surpasses all quantities; without sagely eloquence, it cannot be expressed by eloquence. There is no Buddha to become, and no path to cultivate. A sūtra says: 'If one knows that the Tathāgata constantly speaks no dharma, this is called being fully endowed with much learning.' That is, seeing one's own citta is being fully endowed with much learning. Therefore, that grasses and trees possess Buddha-nature is all because of the one mind, and because eating food performs Buddha-work, and wearing clothes performs Buddha-work."
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Ven. An of Mount Song: In the past, Ven. Rang and Chan Master Tanran were at Yuquan in Jingzhou listening to the vinaya. The two said to one another, 'We have heard that the Chan lineage is the supreme Buddha-vehicle. Why should we restrict ourselves to this minor vehicle and miss the great principle?' Thereupon they wandered like clouds, broadly inquiring of those with foreknowledge. Reaching the place of Ven. [An] of Songshan, they asked, 'What is the ancestral master's meaning in coming from the west?' The Master said, 'Why not ask about the meaning of your own house? What are you doing asking about the meaning of other people?' [One] asked, 'What is Tanran's meaning?' The Master said, 'You must use it in secret.' [He] asked, 'What is the secret functioning? We humbly request your instruction.' The Master raised [his hand] and looked at them. The two were both greatly awakened on the spot.
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Tripiṭaka Master Jueduo: The master was once traveling to Licun in Dingxiang County, Taiyuan, where he saw a disciple of Master Xiu who had tied grass to make a hut, sat alone, and was contemplating the mind. The master asked, 'What are you doing?' He replied, 'I am watching quietude.' The master said, 'Who is the one watching? What thing is quietude?' The monk had no reply. He asked, 'What is this principle? I beg the Master to instruct me.' The master said, 'Why not watch yourself? Why not quiet yourself?' Seeing that the man's faculties were hesitant and sluggish, the master then said, 'Who is your teacher?' He replied, 'Ven. Xiu.' The master said, 'Did your teacher only teach this method, or did he have another intended meaning?' [The monk] said, 'He only taught me to watch quietude.' The master said, 'This is a practice cultivated by inferior non-Buddhists in the Western Lands. In this land it is taken to be the Chan lineage! It greatly misleads people.' The monk asked the Tripiṭaka Master, 'Who is your teacher?' The master said, 'The Sixth Ancestor.' He also said, 'The true Dharma is difficult to hear; why do you not go there?' Having heard the master's instruction, the monk went straight to Caoxi, bowed to see the Sixth Ancestor, and recounted the matter in detail. The Ancestor said, 'It is truly as Jueduo said. Why not watch yourself? Why not quiet yourself? Whom are you having quiet you?' At these words, he was greatly awakened.
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Ven. Zhice was traveling in the northern lands when he met Chan Master Zhihuang, a disciple under the Fifth Ancestor, who had been cultivating concentration for twenty years. The Master asked, 'What are you doing here?' Huang said, 'Entering concentration.' The Master said, 'When entering concentration, do you enter with citta, or do you enter without citta? If you enter with citta, then all sentient beings have citta, and so they too should attain concentration. If you say you enter without citta, then all insentient things should also attain concentration.' Huang said, 'When I am right in the midst of entering concentration, I do not see a citta that has or does not have [existence].' The Master said, 'If you do not see a citta of being or nonbeing, then that is constant concentration; there should no longer be exiting or entering.' Huang had no reply. He asked in turn, 'Who is your teacher?' [Zhice] said, 'The Sixth Ancestor.' [Huang] asked, 'What method does your teacher consider to be Chan concentration?' The Master said, 'Wondrously serene and perfectly tranquil, substance and function are thusness. The five aggregates are fundamentally empty, and the six sense objects do not exist. Neither exiting nor entering, neither concentrated nor distracted. The nature of Chan is without abiding, free from abiding in the quiescence of Chan. The nature of Chan is unborn, free from generating the thought of Chan. Citta is like empty space, yet has not even the measure of empty space.' Hearing this explanation, Huang's doubts were not yet quelled. Thereupon he shook his staff and went south, going straight to Caoxi to pay homage to the Sixth Ancestor. The Ancestor also spoke as above. At these words, Huang was greatly awakened.
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Great Ven. Si of Nanyue said: "If we speak of practitioners, they must first penetrate the citta. If the citta attains penetration, all dharmas are simultaneously and completely penetrated. Hearing purity spoken of, not producing thoughts of purity—this is fundamentally self-pure. Hearing emptiness spoken of, not grasping emptiness. It is like a bird flying in the sky: if it were to abide in the sky, it would surely suffer the calamity of falling. Non-abiding is the fundamentally innate quiescence of the substance; 'and yet producing that mind' is the radiant function. That very quiescence is the concentration of the self-nature; that very radiance is the wisdom of the self-nature. Concentration itself is the substance of wisdom; wisdom itself is the function of concentration. Apart from concentration there is no distinct wisdom; apart from wisdom there is no distinct concentration. At the very moment of concentration, it is precisely wisdom; at the very moment of wisdom, it is precisely concentration. At the very moment of concentration, there is no concentration; at the very moment of wisdom, there is no wisdom. Why is this? Because the nature is naturally thus. It is like a lamp and its light: although they have two names, their substance is not different. The lamp is the light; the light is the lamp. Apart from the lamp there is no distinct light; apart from the light there is no distinct lamp. The lamp is the substance of the light; the light is the function of the lamp. This is the dual cultivation of concentration and wisdom, not departing from one another."
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Master Rong of Niutou's Treatise on the Cessation of Contemplation asks: "What is citta?" Answer: "What is observed by the six sense faculties are all entirely citta." Question: "How is the citta?" Answer: "The citta is quiescent and extinguished." Question: "What is the substance?" Answer: "Citta is the substance." Question: "What is the source?" Answer: "Citta is the source." Question: "What is the root?" Answer: "Citta is the root." Question: "How is it that concentration and wisdom travel together?" Answer: "The quiescence and extinction of the citta-nature is concentration; constantly understanding quiescence and extinction is wisdom." Question: "What is cognition?" Answer: "Understanding arising [in relation to] objects is cognition." "What is an object?" Answer: "One's own citta-nature is the object." Question: "What is unfolding?" Answer: "Illuminating function is unfolding." "What is folding up?" Answer: "The citta being quiescent and extinguished, without coming or going, is folding up. When unfolded, it universally roams the dharmadhātu; when folded up, the traces of concentration are difficult to find." Question: "What is the dharmadhātu?" Answer: "That whose borders and surfaces cannot be found is named the dharmadhātu."
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Chan Master Fazhao said: "A sūtra says: 'Hundreds of thousands of names through three asaṃkhyeya [kalpas] are all different names for the Tathāgata'—that is, alternative designations for the true citta. Another sūtra says: 'The ten thousand dharmas do not go beyond the one mind.' This is the meaning. Bondage binds from the citta, and liberation liberates from the citta. Bondage and liberation come from the citta and have nothing to do with other matters. The technique for the essentials of escape lies only in contemplating the citta. Furthermore, if one raises the gate of the one mind, everything is only the one mind. If a single dharma were not citta, then it would exist outside the citta. Who could establish a separate track outside the citta?"
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Chan Master Fan said: "If one knows that all dharmas are just dharmas, one attains liberation. The eye is a dharma; forms are dharmas. A sūtra says: 'Not seeing dharmas again makes bondage with dharmas; neither seeing dharmas again makes liberation with dharmas.'"
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Chan Master Zang said: "One who attains nothing with regard to all dharmas—that citta is the Way. The eye does not attain any forms; the ear does not attain any sounds."
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Chan Master Yuan said: "For example, there is a large stone in the house, on which one usually sits or lies. If someone makes it into a Buddha statue, the citta forms an understanding of Buddha and, fearing sin, dares not sit on it. These are all drawn by the brush-tip of the manovijñāna; one busies oneself and frightens oneself. Within the stone, there is truly neither sin nor blessing."
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Chan Master An said: "The straight mind is the Way. Why? Direct mindfulness and direct functioning, no longer contemplating emptiness, nor seeking expedient means. A sūtra says: 'Looking straight, one does not see; thinking straight, one does not deliberate; receiving straight, one does not act; speaking straight, one is not vexed.'"
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Chan Master Jue said: "If one awakens to the citta having no affiliation, one attains the traces of the Way. The eye sees all forms, yet the eye does not belong to all forms; this is the liberation of self-nature. A sūtra says: 'Because all dharmas do not belong to one another, the citta and all dharmas each do not know one another.'"
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The Nun Yuanji said: "All dharmas are only citta and have no counterpart; this is the liberation of self-nature. A sūtra says: 'All dharmas do not form a counterpart with the eye. Why? Because dharma does not see dharma, and dharma does not know dharma.'"
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Chan Master Yao said: "Comprehending the citta and recognizing the nature, its own substance is eternally true. The places where one's cognitive conditions and thoughts dwell are none other than the Buddhadharma."
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Chan Master Lang said: "Whatever is seen is entirely manifested by one's own citta. What does the Way resemble, that one would desire to cultivate it? What do kleśas resemble, that one would desire to sever them?"
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Chan Master Chou said: "All external conditions are named without fixed characteristics. Right and wrong, arising and ceasing, all depend entirely on one's own citta. If one's own citta does not act as citta, who dislikes right and wrong? When both subject and object are absent, all characteristics are eternally quiescent."
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Chan Master Huici said: "The dharma-nature is the Great Way. Dharma is the dharmakāya; nature is the awakened nature—that is, the natural nature of sentient beings. Therefore, the diamond prajñā is like a great mass of fire; the blazing flame of samādhi admits no encumbrances. Hence it is proclaimed: 'Above the heavens and below the heavens, I alone am honored.'"
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Chan Master Huiman said: "The Buddhas spoke of the citta to make it known that the characteristics of the citta are illusory dharmas. Now people redundantly add characteristics of the citta, deeply contravening the Buddha's intent; they also multiply debates and treatises, utterly opposing the Great Principle. He constantly carried the four-fascicle Laṅkāvatārasūtra, considering it the essential of the citta, practicing in accordance with what he spoke."
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Record of the Mirror of the Source, Fascicle Ninety-Seven
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Blocks carved in the wushen year by the Directorate of the Canon of the Branch Office.
Linked texts (1)
- 宗鏡錄 — Classical Chinese