緇門警訓 4
English (machine translation) 4
- Language
- English
4.1
The Meaning of the Teachings on the Water Strainer
4.2
The Chao states: 'Although the object is small and light, what it accomplishes is extremely great. The renunciant's compassionate rescue finds its purpose here! Nowadays, even those of the highest rank and noble practice still drink water with insects, so what can be said of the unworthy? Therefore, out of deep regard for the lives of insects, the Vinaya specifically instituted the two precepts concerning drinking and using water, because these situations constantly arise and there are many instances of their use.' The Commentary states: 'For those who have gone forth, cultivating compassion is the foundation. Compassion means granting joy, with non-killing coming first. Although the classes of creatures are tiny, they cherish life no differently. This is an implement for practicing compassion and a condition for saving living beings. Great practice arises from this, and the ultimate Path is attained through this. Companions endowed with understanding, do not take it lightly!'
4.3
Citing the Great Teaching on Declaring Purity to Reprove Presumption and Abuse
4.4
The Zichi cites the Bodhisattvabhūmi-śāstra: 'A bodhisattva first, regarding all the requisites and implements possessed, because they are not pure, with a pure mind relinquishes them to all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions, just as a bhikṣu takes his present robes and goods and relinquishes them to his upādhyāya, ācārya, and others.' The Nirvāṇa Sūtra states: 'Although permitted to receive and keep them, one must perform the declaration of purity toward devout donors.' Nowadays, those who study and lecture devote themselves exclusively to profit and fame, feeling no shame over the five wrongful livelihoods and keeping many of the eight impure things. Merely following floating customs, how could they bear in mind the holy words? From descending the ordination platform through many summer retreats, as for the practice of purity, not a drop has touched their persons! How could they know that the requisites of their daily use are nothing but defiled objects, and that what accumulates in their chests and bags is all transgressive wealth? Despising the Dharma and deceiving their own minds, they bring sorrow upon themselves. Those who study the Vinaya knowingly transgress, while those of other traditions are scarcely worth mentioning. Who knows that retribution follows the mind's making? Who believes that the fruit is tied to the seed? In the present life one sees the kāṣāya separate from the body; in the future, iron sheets will wrap around the body. If born as a human, one will be born into poverty with soiled, filthy clothes; if born as an animal, one will fall into impurity with foul-smelling feathers and fur. Moreover, both the Great and Lesser Vehicles alike speak of the method of declaring purity. If one harbors deep faith, how could one dread practicing it? Therefore, Chan Master Jingxi states in the Fuxing ji: 'Someone said: "Regarding all possessions, if one considers them not to be one's own things and simply uses them where there is benefit, what need is there to perform the declaration of purity?" Now I ask: since you regard them as not your own property, why not leave them open to the four seas? Since you use them wherever there is benefit, why not hand them directly over to the two fields (the field of compassion and the field of reverence), rather than locking them in inner rooms and sealing them in bags and chests? If you truly harbor the thought that they belong to another, using them will certainly incur an offense (the offense of theft). If you suddenly consider them your own property, you still violate the declaration of purity. If you perform the declaration of purity and then bestow them, what hindrance is there to principle? Leaving matters to one's own clinging mind, later generations will imitate it. Therefore, know that those who do not perform the declaration of purity deeply run contrary to the Buddha's intent. They are not encompassed by either of the two vehicles, nor gathered in by the three faculties. If one goes forth from household life like this, is it not an utter waste? Alas!'
4.5
The Eight Kinds of Impure Wealth Increase Greed and Ruin the Path
4.6
The Chao states: 'First, fields, residences, gardens, and groves. Second, planting and living seeds. Third, storing grain and cloth. Fourth, keeping and raising male and female servants. Fifth, keeping and binding birds and beasts. Sixth, money, jewels, and precious goods. Seventh, felt rugs, cauldrons, and kettles. Eighth, beds ornamented with ivory and gold, and various heavy objects. The names of these eight are extensively listed and counted throughout the sūtras, treatises, and vinayas, revealing their faults and that they are improper. Moreover, the vinaya sūtras state: "If anyone keeps them, they are not my disciple." The Wufen lü also states: "They definitely do not believe in my Dharma and Vinaya." Because these eight kinds all increase greed, ruin the Path, defile pure conduct, and bring forth filthy karmic fruits, they are called impure.' It further states: 'In the Vinaya, which addresses practical matters, because those of inferior capacity have narrow intentions, keeping them is often permitted. Furthermore, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra states: "If my disciples have no one to provide their necessities, during times of famine when food and drink are difficult to obtain, for the sake of protecting, upholding, and establishing the true Dharma, I permit my disciples to receive and keep gold, silver, vehicles, fields, houses, grain, and rice to trade for what is needed. Although permitted to receive and keep them, such items must be purified through declaration of purity before devout donors."' The Commentary states: 'The above clarifies that in the Mahāyāna, both the faculties and the teachings are strict; the below clarifies that in the Hīnayāna, both the faculties and the teachings are relaxed. That the Vinaya addresses practical matters means that violating a practical matter is minor, thus illuminating the tenor of the sūtras. In principle, violating principle is grave. Because those of inferior capacity have narrow intentions and cannot bear it, allowances are made for them. Conversely, the Mahāyāna is capable of bearing it, and so it is grave. People of the world mistakenly say that the Hīnayāna requires strict precepts while the Great Teaching is accommodating—what a grave error!'
4.7
Encouraging the Broad Opening of the Mind, Whereby Benefits Naturally Accord with the Path
4.8
The chapter on the Saṅgha Organization states: 'Those who genuinely go forth fear the manifold sufferings of the four adversaries, loathe the impermanence of the three realms, take leave of the deepest affection of the six relations, and abandon deep attachments to the five desires. This is truly because the false and illusory world should be renounced, and the true and real Path should be turned to. It is fitting to broaden one's distant vision and cleanse narrow and base thoughts, not begrudging body and wealth in order to protect and uphold the true Dharma. How much more so with the Saṅgha's food, which is shared universally by the ten directions: when others take their share, one should in principle rejoice along with them! Yet human feelings are jealous and narrow, and minds are not impartial. There are even those who close their doors and shut out guest monks—is that not foolish? Could the original intention behind striking the bell ever have been like that? Having renounced household life and abandoned attachments, one especially should not act thus. Only because of a fragile, perishable body can one not firmly protect the true Dharma; and on account of a fleeting, false life, one is unwilling to communicate broadly. Hoarding Saṅgha food violates the teachings of all Buddhas, reduces the merit of donors, hurts the feelings of the assembly at the time, and blocks the path of monks from the ten directions. The harm caused by misleading future generations is far-reaching indeed! Is it not excellent to correct past delusion and return to the Path? (Miserliness with food and eating alone are the karma of hungry ghosts; this is called great delusion.) Someone asked: "The affairs of the Saṅgha are limited, while external guests are limitless. If one feeds a limitless Saṅgha with limited food, the matter will surely fail." The answer is: This is merely the shallow calculation of the vulgar and the short-sighted thought of petty men; how could it be the deep discernment of pure wisdom or the lofty vision of an enlightened person? Indeed, the offerings of the four classes of disciples and the field of merit of the Three Jewels are like the growth of heaven and earth or the sustenance of mountains and oceans—how could they ever be exhausted? Therefore, the Fozang jing states: "You should single-mindedly practice the Path and follow the practice of Dharma, not worrying about the requirements of food and clothing. A single portion from the Tathāgata's white curl between the brows could sustain all renunciant disciples without being exhausted." Judging from this, diligently cultivate the precepts and conduct, and protect the Dharma with supreme sincerity; through the Path one obtains benefits, and with the Path they are universally used.' It further states: 'Even secular teachings say, "Worry about the Path, do not worry about poverty." How much more so for persons who have renounced household life, soaring high above the secular realm—not worrying about protecting the Dharma, but worrying about food and drink! Their error is exceedingly great!'
4.9
Distinguishing the Contradiction Between the Great and Lesser Vehicles Regarding Burning the Body and Fingers
4.10
The Zichi [ji] states: "The Record of the Inner Law Sent Home by the Tripiṭaka Master Yijing extensively rebukes worldly people for burning their bodies and igniting their fingers, considering these the practices of great bodhisattvas and not suitable for ordained bhikṣus. Since antiquity, commentaries have handed down and cited this admonition, and ill-informed lecturers have used it as a pretext. This stems from not understanding that spiritual capacities have depths and shallows, and that teachings are divided into transformative and disciplinary. The Vinaya explains that attempting suicide incurs a sthūlātyaya; burning fingers and igniting incense violates the regulation and incurs a duṣkṛta. But what the Brahmajāla prescribes is: 'If one does not burn one's body, arm, or finger, one is not an ordained bodhisattva,' incurring a minor defilement infraction. This is because those of lesser capacity are urgent about their own practice, aspiring to end their current retribution to transcend rebirth; while great beings are exclusively devoted to benefiting others, broadly delivering them across kalpas as numerous as dust motes. For this reason, the lesser Vinaya condemns it as a great fault, while the Great Teaching praises its profound merit. Moreover, both the Great and Lesser Teachings are the words of the sage: how could one be denigrated and the other extolled so as to introduce contradiction? Furthermore, the sūtra explicitly speaks of 'ordained bodhisattvas'—how can one say they are not permitted to bhikṣus? (He says that abandoning the body is not the deed of a śramaṇa, and so forth.) The biographies record austerities and giving up the body—can this be said to cater exclusively to worldly customs? (He says that what is explained in the sūtra caters to worldly customs.) As Jingxi said: 'Relying on the Lesser Vehicle and not burning is easy; relying on the Great Vehicle and burning is difficult.' Cherishing life and craving existence is the emotional nature of all beings. Now, resolving this by meaning, there are tentatively three cases. First, if one is originally a white-robed layperson, this is beyond the limitation of the discussion; or if one has not taken the precepts at all, according to this sūtra, offering a toe surpasses donating kingdoms and cities. If, according to the Brahmajāla, one directly receives the great precepts and upholds them in accordance with their essence, burning it is even better. Second, if one solely receives the lesser precepts and is strictly situated as a bhikṣu, not burning complies with the fundamental rules and constitutes upholding them; burning it incurs an infraction according to the chapters. Third, if one concurrently receives the great precepts, one is called an ordained bodhisattva: burning constitutes upholding them, and not burning constitutes an infraction. If one first takes the lesser and then the great, or first the great and then the lesser, in both cases one is judged according to the great, and does not violate the Vinaya rules. If one clarifies the matter in this way, roughly distinguishing between proceeding and refraining, how could one lump them together uniformly and condemn it all at once as wrong? However, there are violent and rash men whose minds harbor fraudulence and deception to solicit human gain and support, scheming for worldly reputation and thus ruining the Dharma doors. They are the great thieves of the Buddhist teaching, self-mutilating their physical bodies, truly the renegades of the Confucian tradition. These are simply evil causes that ultimately bear no good retribution. In current times, this is quite prevalent, deafening the vulgar world; how could they understand? Thus Yijing's admonition does indeed have its value."
4.11
The Vinaya Prohibits Miscellaneous Studies Lest They Impede the Primary Task
4.12
The text of the Commentary states: "The Mahīśāsaka Vinaya says: 'For the sake of knowing affairs and assemblies (knowing administrative tasks, appointing monks, assemblies for Dharma meals, etc.), one may study writing, but one must not, out of fondness for it, neglect one's vocation. One is not permitted to practice divination or physiognomy, nor to ask others about good or bad fortune.' The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya allows studying the recitation of literary documents, as well as studying worldly treatises in order to subdue non-Buddhists. In the miscellaneous rules, newly ordained bhikṣus are permitted to learn arithmetic. The Sarvāstivāda Vinaya says: 'To delight in composing verses and ornate phrases is frightful; one must not do it.' In the Vinayamātṛkā, the Buddha said: 'If I teach you a single phrase or verse, even down to future ages, whatever should be practiced, practice it; whatever should not be practiced, do not practice it. What is spoken by future bhikṣus is also like this.' The Record says: 'Writing, arithmetic, divination, secular classics, and literary compositions are all worldly dharmas, not the vocation of an ordained person. For specific causes and conditions, they are occasionally permitted.' Today's disciples of Śākya have lost both the name and reality: those who can write calligraphy call themselves 'Saints of Cursive Script'; those versed in secular classics style themselves 'Men of Letters'; those who select sites call it 'Geomancy'; those who practice divination call it 'The Three Fates.' How could they think that abandoning home to serve the Buddha means following the designations of the worldly current? Originally seeking to turn away from the world and transcend rebirth, they instead accumulate the karma of saṃsāra! Thus the Mahāprajñāpāramitōpadeśa says: 'Studying non-Buddhist texts is like cutting mud with a knife: the mud is not fashioned into anything, yet the knife is blunted. It is also like gazing at the sunlight, which causes a person's eyes to go blind.' Yet among eminent monks of the past, many were also versed in diverse studies: some were skilled in cursive and clerical scripts, some excelled in prose and verse, some were famous for medicine, and some enjoyed renown in yin-yang. All of these meant that, having fully investigated the essentials, they touched on other traditions as a secondary matter, their aspirations being solely to protect, support, and help propagate Buddhist transformation. Thus the Bodhisattvabhūmi says: 'If it is for the sake of debate to destroy false views, then if two parts are sūtras and one part non-Buddhist texts, it is not an infraction.' The Dharmaguptaka Vinaya permits recitation; this is its meaning. Now, some buy fame and solicit gain, attaching themselves to influence and boasting of their abilities, their bodies mingled among the square robes while their minds are tainted by superficial vulgarity, squandering their entire lives in vain. How truly lamentable!"
4.13
Understanding and Practice Are Lacking in Reality, Yet They In Turn Disparage the Precepts and Vinaya
4.14
The Zichi [ji] states: "In the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya, the monastic rule requires that before a bhikṣu reaches five summer retreats, he should specialize exclusively in the Vinaya section. Only if he understands upholding and infraction and manages the affairs of a bhikṣu may he afterward study the sūtras and treatises. Nowadays, they study out of sequence, and since practice has lost its proper order, there is no way to enter the Way. The Great Sage's reprimand was never in vain! Furthermore, that Vinaya states: 'When the Buddha saw that the bhikṣus were not studying the Vinaya, he praised the Vinaya and openly praised Upāli as foremost in upholding the Vinaya. Later, the senior sthavira bhikṣus all learned the Vinaya from Upāli.' Nowadays, as soon as they have barely received the precept rank, they immediately listen to doctrines and engage in Chan inquiry, completely ignorant of the deportment and rules of a monk. What is more, they slight the precept standards and slander the Vinaya, disparaging the study of the Vinaya as Hīnayāna and disregarding the upholding of precepts as clinging to marks. Thereupon, they run wild in the dust of the world, indulging in unrestrained arrogance and cruelty, addiction to wine and meat, declaring themselves to be free of attachments. Committing lust and speaking with wrath, they claim to have attained the Way. Failing to fathom the Sage's intent, they misunderstand the True Vehicle. Moreover, if the precepts must be despised, why did you mount the platform to receive them? If the Vinaya must be reviled, why did you shave your hair and dye your robes? Thus, despising the precepts is entirely despising yourself; reviling the Vinaya turns out to be reviling yourself. Delusive feelings are easily habitualized, but the Supreme Way is difficult to hear. Those who surpass the worldly and transcend the crowd are not one in ten thousand. I ask you to examine the Sage's instructions closely: can you fail to comply with them?"
4.15
The Reason for Raising Reverence and Homage to the Triratna
4.16
The Rites for Taking Refuge and Paying Reverence states: "However, when habitual conditioning has persisted for a long time, there is no basis for realization. It is necessary to establish reverence and set up rituals to open the method for the foremost faith, relying on emotions and restricting forms to manifest the merit of transformative cultivation. Afterward, one sheds liver and gall on the ground, wearing out and bowing one's bodily frame; knowing the ultimate supremacy of the universe, one's reverence exceeds that for natural kin (natural kin means parents); understanding the far-reaching greatness of the teachings and their meaning, one's path surpasses ordinary delusions (that is, the Seven Summaries, classics, histories, etc.). It goes on to say: 'A Hīnayāna treatise says: "Reverence takes shame (hrī) as its essence. Because my virtue is slight and the object before me is lofty and venerable, I practice reverence." Nowadays, people conversely lack shame and feel no disgrace, which is truly laughable! A Mahāyāna treatise says: "Due to faith and wisdom, one reveres them. Due to faith, one is not heterodox; due to wisdom, one raises reverence." Citing the sincere teaching, faith, wisdom, and shame are the root of reverence.' It also cites a treatise saying: 'Taking refuge is an expression of turning around. Formerly turning one's back on the correct and following the heterodox, drifting across the realms of birth, now that the Buddha has appeared in the world and pronounced the ultimate supremacy, one immediately turns around that heterodox mind and turns toward the correct path.' Thereupon, the five grades of difference in taking refuge are established, beginning with the initial turning away from the secular and ending with the culmination of entering the Way; all take refuge in the Triratna to serve as the traces of the mind's master. That which is taken as master is ultimate indeed! That which is done is great indeed! Therefore, the Ekottarika Āgama says: 'Those who have no mind of reverence toward the Buddha will be born among dragons and snakes; because in the past they came from among them, even now they have no reverence, having much sleep, delusion, and the like; this serves as good proof.' The Mahākaruṇā Sūtra says: 'In the past, when the Buddha practiced the bodhisattva path, whenever he saw the Triratna, relics, stūpas, and images, masters, monks, parents, elders, virtuous friends, non-Buddhists, rṣis, śramaṇas, and brāhmaṇas, there was none toward whom he did not bend down, humble himself, and yield with reverence. As a retribution for this, since attaining Buddhahood, the mountains, forests, humans, and animals have all bent down to revere the Buddha.' Furthermore, secular rites state: 'Let there be nothing without reverence; be grave as if in thought; be calm and steady in words. Pride must not be allowed to grow; desires must not be indulged; ambitions must not be gratified.' This is what is meant."
4.17
The Merits and Benefits of Seeking Refuge in the Triratna
4.18
The Rites of Reverence states: "Thus we know that beginners and later entrants must rely on masters and virtuous friends. Now, in taking refuge in the Triratna, one always delights in drawing close to them. Therefore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitōpadeśa says: 'If a bodhisattva has not entered the stage of the Dharma, distancing himself from the Buddhas will destroy his roots of goodness; sinking in afflictions, he cannot save himself, so how could he save others? For this reason, he should not distance himself from the Buddhas. Just as an infant does not leave its mother, a traveler on the road does not leave provisions, one in the heat does not leave cool breezes, one in the cold does not wish to leave fire, one crossing water does not leave a good boat, and one suffering from illness does not leave an excellent physician, so a bodhisattva constantly does not leave the Buddha. Why? Parents, relatives, friends, humans, and deva kings cannot benefit me to cross the ocean of suffering; only the Buddha, the Bhagavat, causes me to escape suffering. For this reason, one constantly mindful does not leave the Buddhas.' Furthermore, the Sujāta Sūtra says: 'If a person receives the three self-refuges, the fruit and retribution obtained cannot be exhausted. Like four great treasure houses, which all the people of a country cannot empty out in seven years, the merit of one who receives the three refuges exceeds that and cannot be calculated.' Furthermore, the Sūtra on Weighing and Comparing Merit says: 'Even if the four continents were filled with fruits of the Two Vehicles, and someone were to provide offerings for their entire life, or even erect stūpas, it would not equal a man or woman speaking these words: "I, so-and-so, take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha." The merit obtained is inconceivable, because among all blessings, the Triratna is supreme.'"
4.19
Listing and Explaining the Names and Characteristics of the Triratna
4.20
The Rites for Taking Refuge and Paying Reverence states: "Now, the Triratna is the most venerable to be revered and visited; therefore, explaining their aspects, the practitioner says: 'I take refuge in the eternally abiding Dharmakāya, namely the Tathāgata who has accomplished the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the five eyes, the six supernormal knowledges, the eighteen unshared dharmas, great kindness, great compassion, the three foundations of mindfulness, and so forth; the omniscient, the unsurpassed tamer, whose merit and wisdom are subtle, wondrous, and pure, vast as the dharmadhātu, ultimate as empty space, comforting the world and universally covering all, unobstructed and without differentiation, impossible to be known by intellect, impossible to be cognized by consciousness; yet he is able to manifest the thirty-two marks and the eighty minor characteristics, constantly raising his right hand to receive and comfort sentient beings, emitting great radiance to dispel the darkness of ignorance, adorned with a hundred blessings, perfected in ten thousand virtues, raining the rain of amṛta and turning the wheel of the True Dharma, delivering and benefiting sentient beings to emerge from the ocean of saṃsāra. Therefore, he is titled the Buddha, the most venerable among all sages, the unsurpassed Dharmarāja.'"
4.21
"The twelvefold division of the scriptures (in Sanskrit: 1. sūtra, 2. geya, 3. vyākaraṇa, 4. gāthā, 5. udāna, 6. nidāna, 7. avadāna, 8. itivṛttaka, 9. jātaka, 10. vaipulya, 11. adbhutadharma, 12. upadeśa; in Tang speech: 1.契經 [scriptures], 2. 重頌 [metrical repetitions], 3. 授記 [prophecies], 4. 孤起 [isolated verses], 5. 無問 [unsolicited discourses], 6. 因緣 [causes and conditions], 7. 譬喻 [parables], 8. 本事 [past narratives], 9. 本生 [birth stories], 10. 方廣 [expanded discourses], 11. 未曾有 [unprecedented dharmas], 12. 論議 [treatises and discussions]) are good in the beginning, middle, and end, pure in meaning and flavor, naturally complete, revealing the brahmacarya, supreme and foremost, crossing over to the other shore, the profound real mark, equal great wisdom, pure in own-nature, where the pathways of the mind's operations cease and the path of speech is cut off. Yet the realm of this True Dharma is unobstructed, expounded for sentient beings without violating the real meaning; by this unsurpassed transcendent medicine, their beginningless afflictions are eradicated."
4.22
"The pure Saṅgha of the Three Vehicles possesses the three wisdoms (hearing, contemplating, and cultivating), which are the bodhisattva path. Donning the armor of great vows, spurring the horse of vigor, holding the bow of forbearance, releasing the arrows of wisdom, they slay the thieves of afflictions. With a straight mind and a profound mind, they determinately proceed toward the unsurpassed, foremost, equal, and correct path without deviation, mindful of the Buddha, mindful of the Dharma, and mindful of the Saṅgha, receiving and practicing all the spoken teachings of the Buddhas, constantly employing the six pāramitās to deliver sentient beings, and constantly employing the four means of embracing to embrace all sentient beings. Acting as the venerable, as the guide, as the reliance, and as the rescuer, they establish sentient beings upon the Buddha's bodhi path. Therefore, they are titled the Saṅgha, friends of the Dharma and virtuous friends, constantly benefiting the world through skillful means; they are an excellent field of merit and true recipients of offerings."
4.23
The Preservation of the Triratna Rests Entirely on the Precepts and Vinaya
4.24
The Zichi says: "Regarding the four kinds of triratna, the single essence and the principle essence are discussed in terms of the principle. The single manifestation aspect is confined strictly to the Buddha's era. The manifest maintenance status encompasses all three periods of time. Its efficacy depends entirely on the power of śīla to convey and carry it forward without interruption; hence it is like a boat. Why is this so? Because both the buddharatna and the dharmaratna rely on the saṅgha to propagate them, and the saṅgharatna's existence cannot be established without śīla. Just as stated in the Biaozong: compliance leads to the maintenance of the triratna, whereas violation leads to the extinction of the saddharma. It is also as the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'Completely receiving and maintaining the deportment and the teaching of the Dharma enables the triratna to remain uninterrupted,' and so forth."
4.25
Clarifying that the Merit of the Triratna of Principle is Exalted and That Taking Refuge in It Yields Vast Benefit
4.26
The Gui Jing Yi says: "Because this triratna abides permanently in the world and is not slighted or violated by worldly phenomena, it is called a 'jewel.' Just as precious worldly gems are valued by the world, now this triratna is that toward which all sentient beings, the three vehicles, and the seven assemblies take refuge and look up; therefore it is called the true refuge. If one lacks dedicated faith and serves heterodox spirits alongside it, even if one receives the precepts of refuge, one will not attain the noble Dharma. Thus the sūtra states: 'One who takes refuge in the Buddha is truly called an upasaka; he will never falsely take refuge in any other devas or spirits.' Why is this? Because the nature and characteristics of the true triratna abide permanently and are fit to be a reliance for living beings. As for the rest, the heavenly lords themselves suffer affliction of body and mind; conditioned and defiled, they lack power and ability. Having no leisure to save themselves, how could they save others? Only the supramundane jewel possesses the power to sustain. As for 'taking refuge': just as relying on a king's authority prevents infringement, now relying on the true jewel brings boundless prestige and fortune. Thus it causes divine dragons to escape the slaughter of the garuḍas, and devout laymen to transcend the perils of the yakṣas. The five kinds of threefold refuge all take refuge in this jewel, which is also called the triratna of identical characteristics. Because its principle extends through the three times and its meaning exhausts the ten directions, this permanently abiding triratna is the utmost ultimate. A sūtra states: 'If someone gets to hear the two words "permanently abiding," that person will not fall into evil destinies birth after birth.' Why is this? Because knowing that the inherent nature of the Dharmakāya-buddha is permanent, once heard and understood, it perfumes the fundamental consciousness. When the karmic seed is formed, pure faith is never lost. How much more so if one can form a vow to take refuge and honor it as one's exemplar! Truly, across cumulative kalpas one will remain pure and preeminent, with no danger of falling. As recorded in a sūtra, someone received the threefold refuge and at Maitreya's first assembly attained liberation from birth and death. This is truly the bridge to cross the ocean of suffering, the ladder to enter the Buddha's Dharma."
4.27
The Manifest Maintenance Triratna
4.28
As for the manifest maintenance triratna: human beings can propagate the Way, transmitting benevolence across ten thousand years. The Way relies on humans to be propagated, and the three dharmas have their roles established thereby. Consequently, generation after generation it has been raised up, and place after place it has been transmitted and propagated. Without the saṅgha to promote it, the Buddha's Dharma would remain submerged. For instance, Emperor Wu of the Han was in his prime when he first heard the name of the Buddha, but since the saṅgha had not yet transmitted it, the inception of its lineage was exhausted right there. When Emperor Xianzong opened the Dharma by seeking it afar in India, it brought about the arrival of Kāśyapa Mātaṅga and Dharmaratna to proclaim and spread the vocal teachings, developing living beings, bringing undertakings to fruition, and inspiring faith and refuge in their hearts. This truly relied on the labor of exposition and indeed depended on the power of external forms; this is called the saṅgharatna. The words and phrases spoken have expressing the principle as their priority; if not for written words, the principle provides no means to attain awakening. Thus we have names and teachings, the conditions of speaking and hearing; this is called the dharmaratna. This principle is profound and abstruse, imperceptible to anyone other than a sage. Although the sage has departed, his images are erected; this is called the buddharatna. It is only because the merits of living beings are shallow that they could not meet the fountainhead of transformation; yet having a slight reserve of merit, they still encounter the bequeathed Dharma. The substance of this triratna is conditioned, fully endowed with defilements, and insufficient to be presented with respect; nevertheless, it is that upon which the jewel of principle relies and abides. If there are those who can venerate it, following its form they will transcend conditioned existence. Just as when a worldly king's envoy patrols the provinces, one does not make distinctions based on his physical form, and so the respect paid is uniform. A sūtra states: 'Just as in the world gold is the supreme treasure when silver exists, but when there is no silver, brass is also called priceless,' so the respect paid to the latter-day triratna is equal to that paid to the true one. If one does not pay respect now, there will be no other way to show veneration. Where would one cast one's heart, and upon what would one base one's refuge? Therefore, one should physically revere the sacred forms while maintaining the true principle in one's mind; the meaning of guiding conditions and establishing transformations reaches its peak here. A sūtra states: 'Making an image even the size of a barley grain yields immeasurable merit,' because it is a vessel of the Dharmakāya. A treatise says: 'Metal, wood, earth, and stone are by nature insentient; yet because an image is made, those who revere or defame it naturally reap sin or merit.' All of these manifest the Dharmakāya, causing its function to be boundless. Therefore, they cause aspiring practitioners who face these sacred forms to stream with tears without exception and unconsciously redouble their respect. It is only because the true form has already passed away that one merely sees the bequeathed traces; just as when visiting an ancestral temple, solemn sorrow naturally arises. Raising one's eyes, one is struck with emotion, as if the Buddha were present without doubt. Today I am also like this: the Compassionate Honored One has long departed, leaving behind only the images. To guide my haughty banner of arrogance, I must bow down, embrace his feet, and perform homage as if facing his true form, listening to him preach the Dharma. That I do not see or hear him now is because my mind lacks faith. How is this known? Merely through what the mind intends, the traidhātuka is still constructed; how could this single hall remain inert and unmoved? The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra states: 'The buddhas constantly emit light and preach the Dharma, yet because of sentient beings' sins, they do not see them face to face.' This being so for one image, the rest of the images follow this example. Trees, stones, mountains, and forests are established in accordance with forms, guiding my mind's path not to stray beyond the sacred deportment."
4.29
The Manifestation Triratna
4.30
As for the manifestation triratna: it refers to Śākyamuni Tathāgata as the buddharatna, the truth of cessation spoken by him as the dharmaratna, and the elimination of suffering through prior wisdom as the saṅgharatna. This manifestation triratna is also called the distinct aspect; its substance is impermanent, undergoing transition and extinction through the four marks. Over a thousand years have passed; one can only gaze back into the distant past, thereby increasing reverent awe. Since the three buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa had already passed, without our fourth, upon whom would living beings rely? Perpetually sunk in the ocean of suffering, there was no road to liberation. Therefore, the Capable and Benevolent One appeared in the world in response to the opportune time; over three asaṃkhyeya kalpas of cultivation, his myriad practices achieved perfection. When the slightest flaw was removed, his Dharma nature congealed in purity; when every fraction of goodness was fulfilled, his recompense and transformation forms became subtle and wondrous. Thereafter, he was born above in Tuṣita, descended into the royal palace, sat beneath the Bodhi tree at the age of thirty to achieve Buddhahood, and lived in the world for forty-nine years teaching and transforming, preaching the Dharma three hundred and fifty times and proclaiming eighty-four thousand gates. Kings and ministers provided external protection across the four seas and the nine provinces; masters and monks transmitted it internally among humans and devas. Its benefits are vast and the transmission of the Dharma is inconceivable. Therefore, a gāthā says:
4.31
"Even if one carried him on one's crown for kalpas numerous as dust particles, / Or used one's body as a couch extending across the three thousand worlds, / If one does not transmit the Dharma to liberate living beings, / In the end, one can never repay his kindness."
4.32
There are five ways to transmit the Dharma:
4.33
1. Receiving and maintaining; 2. Reading and studying; 3. Reciting and chanting; 4. Explaining; 5. Copying.
4.34
Through external and internal protection and dissemination, the jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha remain uninterrupted.
4.35
Eulogy on the Triratna by Emperor Renzong
4.36
Praise of the Buddha
4.37
Above the heavens and below, the Golden Immortal, the World-Honoured One, / With one mind, the ten epithets, four wisdoms, and three bodies. / He delivers from the five skandhas and transcends the six dusts; / All living beings take refuge and pay homage to the so-called Capable and Benevolent One.
4.38
Praise of the Dharma
4.39
The ten thousand dharmas are mind-only; the mind must reach utmost serenity. / From that one mind, the myriad practices can arise. / Turning one's back on awakening is delusion; awakening to the true is sagehood. / I bow my head to the Dharma gate; the Buddha nature is luminously clear.
4.40
Praise of the Saṅgha
4.41
Unflagging in the six perfections, their debt to the four kindnesses is no ordinary thing; / Serving as the eyes for human beings, assisting the Buddha as a ferry bridge. / Their substance is moistened by the single rain, their minds perfumed by the manifold fragrances; / The Way is present everywhere, in this land and other realms.
4.42
Pariṇāmanā Text for Sūtra Reading by Chan Master Dahui
4.43
I, [name], through karmic hindrances and demonic interference, have a confused and disordered spirit. In what I encounter, my faculties are dull, and delusive thoughts naturally arise: omissions and confusions, inversions and duplications; facing the text, I indulge my own views, with mistaken characters and incorrect phrases, violating the correct sounds of clear and voiced tones, clinging to heterodox views in my interpretations; or worldly affairs seize my resolve so that my mind is not on the sūtra; answering queries or everyday manners cause interruptions and breaks; reciting for long periods brings indolence, with anger and resentment aroused over incidents; strict purity becomes tainted by grime; solemn respect turns into irreverence and slight; the body, mouth, or items used are impure; dress and manners are discourteous; offerings do not accord with ritual, and the place is improper; rolling and unrolling are rough and tangled, leading to drops, stains, and damage—all kinds of lack of concentration and sincerity, bringing great shame and great fear. I respectfully pray that all buddhas and bodhisattvas, all noble assemblies throughout the dharmadhātu and space, and the dharma-protecting benevolent deities, devas, dragons, and others, will with compassion and pity cleanse and wash away my sins and faults, and make the merits of sūtra recitation fully complete and accomplished. As for what I turn toward in my heart's aspiration, I also worry about errors in translation and polish, mistakes in annotations, deviations in oral transmission, errors in pronunciation and gloss, faults in collation and alteration, and mistakes in copying and engraving. For their masters and those persons, I repent on behalf of all. Relying on the Buddha's spiritual power, may these offenses be eliminated; may the wheel of Dharma constantly turn to deliver and succor sentient beings.
4.44
Words of Upādhyāya Shu of Lan'an
4.45
A verse of the Buddha's admonition to Rāhula says: 'Sentient beings in the worlds of the ten directions have thought after thought already realized the fruit of the Sugata. Since he is a great person and I am also one, how could I belittle myself and draw back in discouragement?' The six types of ordinary beings and the four classes of noble ones share this single nature. Since he is like that, why shouldn't I be as well? One must directly rely on internal and external perfuming to achieve it in this single lifetime. If one continues to pass the days idly, whose fault will it be? An ancient worthy said: 'If this body is not delivered in this lifetime, in what lifetime will one deliver this body?'
4.46
Great Master Tiantai Zhiyi said: 'Why not cut off speech and put aside written words, crush a single mote of dust and bring forth the sūtra scroll of the great chiliocosm?' The single mote of dust is the delusive thought of sentient beings; the sūtra scroll of the great chiliocosm is the Buddha nature of sentient beings. The Buddha nature of sentient beings is covered by delusive thoughts; if delusive thoughts are shattered, the Buddha nature manifests before them. This old master gave voice to this lament for the sake of those who obstinately cling to written words and speech. This also has the meaning of the golden probe scraping away the film; only when one's eyes open on a future day will one know its efficacy.
4.47
The Śūraṅgama Sūtra states: 'Why do thieves put on my robes and traffic in the Tathāgata, creating all kinds of karma?' If one does not rein in the mind with śīla, even if one's understanding is equal to that of the buddhas and patriarchs, one cannot avoid trafficking in the Tathāgata and creating all kinds of karma, not to mention ordinary people! National Preceptor Qingliang regulated his body through ten vows; truly, there was good reason for this. Precepts take vigilance as their meaning. It is also said: 'Cleansing the mind is called fasting; guarding against peril is called precepts.'
4.48
The Four-Line Gāthā
4.49
The four-line gāthā in the sūtra refers to the notion of a self, the notion of a person, the notion of a sentient being, and the notion of a soul. If one has the notion of a self, the notion of a person, the notion of a sentient being, or the notion of a soul, one cannot receive and maintain the four-line gāthā. If one is free from the notion of a self, the notion of a person, the notion of a sentient being, and the notion of a soul, then one can receive and maintain the four-line gāthā. As this rustic sees it, everyone is capable of receiving and maintaining it, yet those who know it are one in ten thousand. Why is this so? Merely because this sūtra is obscured by the sense objects before them, and they are unconscious of it.
4.50
Instructing Bhikṣus to Assess Their Own Virtuous Conduct Before Receiving Food
4.51
Regarding 'assessing whether one's own virtuous conduct is complete or deficient before accepting offerings': if one's virtuous conduct is complete, one may accept offerings; if one's virtuous conduct is deficient, one may not accept offerings. Nowadays bhikṣus are either thirty or forty years old, or fifty or sixty years old, and have never passed a single day without accepting offerings. Is their virtuous conduct complete? Is their virtuous conduct deficient? Therefore it is said: 'If one studies the Way without understanding the principle, one will put on a hide to repay the donor's alms.' The elder was eighty-one, yet the tree did not grow wood ears; when his years advanced, the mushrooms did not grow in the garden. The teachings contain explicit passages; one cannot fail to believe them. If only one can reflect the light back for a single thought-moment, one will digest ten thousand ounces of yellow gold each day.
4.52
Instructing Bhikṣus to Beware of Negligence
4.53
The Ekottarika Āgama states: 'The eye takes forms as food; the ear takes sounds as food; the nose takes fragrances as food; the tongue takes flavors as food; the body takes touch as food; the mind takes dharmas as food; and nirvāṇa takes non-negligence as food.' Nowadays, during the three-eight chantings in the monasteries, the bell is rung to assemble the community, and the karmadāna proclaims: 'All of you should be diligent and energetic, as if rescuing your burning heads; merely be mindful of impermanence, and beware of negligence!' These words are quite identical to the Ekottarika Āgama. Yet those who hear them often treat them as routine formalities, like wind passing through trees, giving them hardly any regard. The intention of the buddhas and patriarchs has thus been rendered in vain!
4.54
The Three Things of Which a Bodhisattva Never Tires
4.55
The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra states: 'The bodhisattva never tires of only three things: first, never tiring of making offerings to the Buddha; second, never tiring of listening to the Dharma; third, never tiring of providing for the saṅgha.' Although contemporary students have not yet reached the stage of a bodhisattva, there are some who reject cause and effect; moreover, they do not investigate the subtle words of the former sages. Little do they know that principle is phenomenon and phenomenon is principle, that phenomenon and principle are completely interfused, naturally as it is. Therefore, Yongming said: 'Do you intend to make a leech despise the volume of the ocean, or make honey eclipse the sunlight?'
4.56
Śīla, Samādhi, and Prajñā
4.57
The three trainings of śīla, samādhi, and prajñā are things inherently possessed within the own-nature of sentient beings; they are not obtained through cultivation and realization. Not only are all buddhas and bodhisattvas fully endowed with them, but all ordinary beings are also completely endowed with them. Own-nature has neither good nor evil, neither upholding nor transgressing: this is the śīla of own-nature. Own-nature has neither stillness nor disturbance, neither grasping nor abandoning: this is the samādhi of own-nature. Own-nature originally has no knowing, yet there is nothing it does not know: this is the prajñā of own-nature. Because buddhas and bodhisattvas know they have them, they obtain their enjoyment and use. Because all ordinary beings do not know they have them, they do not obtain their enjoyment and use. Knowing one has them and not knowing one has them may seem slightly different, yet śīla, samādhi, and prajñā have never differed in the least.
4.58
Admonition to Contemplate the Method Whereby the Four Requisites of Dānapatis Arise and Originate from Painful Conditions
4.59
Composed by Vinaya Master Xuan of Zhongnan Mountain for his disciple Ciren
4.60
Harming and destroying life is called painful karma; exhausting sinews and bones is called painful conditions. A sūtra says: 'Food comes from plowing, sowing, hoeing, reaping, harvesting, winnowing, sifting, cellaring, storing, carting, carrying, pounding, grinding, stoking, boiling, and steaming, in order briefly to provide, supply, present, and offer it. Furthermore, planting vegetables, building walls, irrigating fields and gardens, and making bean paste and vinegar—reckon that for a single bowl of food, a single bowl of sweat is shed. The sweat in the skin and flesh is indeed their blood. The effort and labor for a single meal comes from a bowlful of the maker's blood. How much more so over an entire lifetime—how many meals does one ordinarily receive? From the initial plowing and sowing down to entering the mouth, countless varied small insects are injured and killed.' Therefore, the Buddha's precept is to receive one meal a day to sustain life, passing through a lifetime as a temporary guest. As for clothing: raising silkworms kills cocoons; taking the soft thread, weaving, knotting, dyeing, washing, cutting, and sewing require myriad conditions and management with immeasurable toil and hardship. Reckon how many silkworms in total are killed and how much energy and strength are expended for upper and lower garments and provisions; how much pain and suffering do the silkworms and cocoons endure when put into boiling water? Therefore, the Buddha taught wearing rag-robes to cover one's ugly and shabby form, in hopes of cultivating the Way. As for dwellings: from erecting walls, digging pits, and excavating the ground, earthen worms are injured and killed; felling timber harms the insects of the forests and trees; when making bricks and tiles, water-and-mud insects are killed; lighting fires to fire the kilns kills the insects of the firewood and grass. The laborers toil and the donors expend their wealth; the various conditions of food and drink bring immense exhaustion and depletion before a single room is completed. Therefore, practitioners rely on graveyards, trees, and grass mats to keep themselves at peace. Reflecting that food is suffering, they discipline their bodies when eating. Reflecting that clothing kills life, they wear rag-robes. Reflecting that dwellings and bedding arise from painful conditions, their aspirations delight in dhūta practices, moving once every three months. Reflecting that the four requisites are difficult to digest, they have few desires and are content. A sūtra says: 'Receiving food from a dānapati is like thinking of eating the flesh of one's own child in a time of famine. Receiving clothing from a donor is like wrapping oneself in red-hot iron. Entering a dwelling is like entering an iron cauldron. Receiving a bed and seat is like a red-hot iron bed. Better to crush this body like fine dust than to receive the provisions of others with a precept-broken body.' The painful retributions in the three paths are all due to craving clothing, coveting food, and delighting in fine dwellings. If due to causes and conditions of breaking precepts one must repay the donors, one will either become a slave beaten and driven by whips, or take the form of an animal wearing fur and bearing horns, repaying with sinews and bones in life and returning skin and flesh at death, bearing heavy loads until strength is spent, rising and collapsing repeatedly. The vain reception of offerings from donors yields pleasure not worth mentioning, while the suffering of repaying the donors exceeds it ten-thousandfold. Therefore, I instruct you to feel shame and conscience, be prudent in guarding your future lifetimes, and do not break precepts while receiving offerings. This is called the purified mind.
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- 緇門警訓 — Classical Chinese