勅修百丈清規 2

The Baizhang Zen Monastic Regulations 2

Language: English

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Chapter III

Discharging Religious Indebtedness

I. Preface to the Chapter

Buddha-nature is the fundamental basis of humanity. It is neither possible to know its origin even if one were to shake heaven and earth, nor to know its fulfillment by exhausting myriads of years. Buddhas and sentient beings are equally endowed with this nature. By acquiring insight into this nature, one reaches the summit of wondrous enlightenment; by straying from it, one is washed away by the waves of life and death. From one kalpa to the next, one goes through different births in the sixfold cycle of rebirth in accordance with one’s karmic retribution, and finds no end to this process. The sacred teaching of the Buddha, upon which we rely, is vast and open to anyone to follow for refuge.

We Zen practitioners have reverently inherited the formality of the (Buddha’s) attire and the lineage of his Dharma transmission. What we advocate as his principle of practice are the codes of discipline and morality (vinaya); what we propagate as his word of truth is the body of teachings (śāsana); and what we transmit as his mind of transcendence is the state of meditation (dhyāna). Moreover, our compliance with the so-called Great Origin is to identify ourselves with the totality of the Buddha’s wondrous faculty, alone through which, for the first time, we are called the Buddha’s disciples and transmit the life of his insight. Is it then [merely] worldly convention to conduct services on the memorial days of the patriarchs?

II. The Buddha’s Birthday Commemoration

1. The Ascent to the Dharma Hall

Prior to the day, the practice hall official collects contributions from the practitioners and entrusts the collection to the head administrative official in order to obtain various offerings. He is also obliged to have the word of tribute composed and approved. (The procedure is identical to that of the imperial birthday rite.) When the appointed day comes, the head administrative official respectfully sets up a small pavilion decorated with flowers in the Buddha hall and places in it a statue of the infant Buddha with a tray of scented water, and provides a pair of small dippers and various offerings in front of the pavilion. When everything is ready, the abbot ascends the main rostrum seat [of the Dharma hall], and after offering incense, says:

On the felicitous morning of the Buddha’s birthday, disciple So-and-

so, abbot of Such-and-such Temple in charge of the Buddha’s teach-

ing, reverently offers fragrant incense to express care and devotion for

the sake of the Original Patriarch, Śākyamuni Tathāgata, the Great Pre-

ceptor (mahopādhyāya; daheshang). In response to his great com-

passion, I earnestly pray: May all the Buddhas manifest themselves in

this world within every successive moment of our consciousness so

as to rescue all beings of this Dharma world (dharmadhātu).

Next, the abbot sits down cross-legged and says:

On this eighth day of the fourth month, we greet the commemorative

morning of the birth of the Original Patriarch Śākyamuni Tathāgata,

the Great Preceptor. By assembling all the disciples of this temple, and

also by offering incense, flowers, candles, sweet water, and tea, as well

as fruit and delicacies, we hereby express our care and devotion for

him. Disciple So-and-so, abbot of this temple, a remote descendant in

charge of the Buddha’s teaching, has ascended this main rostrum seat

to offer the teaching of [the Buddha’s] vehicle of religious salvation.

With the special merit thereby accrued, we wish, in part, to discharge

our indebtedness to the refuge bestowed upon us by his compassion

and, in part, along with all sentient beings of the Dharma world, to

express our celebration for the event of the Buddha’s birth that was

indeed of rare occurrence.

2. The Celebration of the Buddha’s Birth

Next, after preaching, the abbot addresses the assembly once again:

I respectfully announce that after leaving here we shall proceed to the

Buddha hall with proper attire and dignity and commemorate the day

by bathing the [statue of the infant] Buddha and chanting sutras.

The abbot descends the rostrum seat and leads the practitioners toward the Buddha hall. When the practitioners have taken their respective positions, facing the Buddha image, the abbot burns incense and performs three prostrations with half-opened sitting cloth before the altar. Without folding his sitting cloth, he proceeds to the altar and conducts the offering of sweet hot water and food. His guest reception assistant hands him the offerings, while the incense offering assistant places them on the altar. The abbot returns to his position and again performs three full prostrations, and once again proceeds to the altar to offer incense, a monetary gift, and tea. Once again he returns to his position, performs three prostrations, and stands, folding his sitting cloth.

With a bow, the director of practitioners’ affairs signals the dual order officials to step forward for incense offering, in pairs, while the rest of the practitioners perform three prostrations with opened sitting cloth. In the meantime, the abbot kneels to offer incense at a portable incense burner, while the director begins to read the word of tribute, addressing the Buddha:

The single moon, abiding in the sky, magnanimously imprints its

image into the multiple waves of water,

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The single Buddha, coming into this world, has made multiple

Buddhas appear and sit on a lotus flower,

The single light issuing from the Buddha’s forehead illuminates

all three worlds,

The single flow of nectar benefits all sentient beings born through

the four different modes at once.

Completing the word of tribute, he immediately calls for chanting the verse of bathing the [image of the infant] Buddha:

Now I respectfully bathe the Tathāgatas,

The merit body (sambhogakāya) that embellishes their pure insight,

I wish all sentient beings to be freed from the five kinds of defilement,

And equally realize the pure Dharma body (dharmakāya) of the

Tathāgata.

When all the practitioners complete their circuit around [the hall] and bathing of the statue, [using the dippers to pour sweet water from the tray over the figure,] the director calls for the chanting of the Śūraṃgama-dhāraṇīs and concludes with the following invocation of merit transference:

We dedicate the merit accrued from this chanting to the absolute truth

and ultimate reality for the sake of adorning the bodhi that is the fruit

of Buddhahood. We wish thereby to discharge the four kinds of indebt-

edness and help those who abide in the three worlds to equally real-

ize enlightenment and, together with all sentient beings of the Dharma

world, we wish to perfectly realize omniscient knowledge (sarva-

jñāna). Veneration to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three

times, and so on.

3. The Word of Tribute

The Great Ocean is profoundly quiescent, and we hear nothing but the

rumbling vibration of its current. The Great Void is totally transparent,

and we see nothing but the latitudinal movement of its respective weft

and warp. Due to the greatness of the Dharma body, it manifests itself

within phenomenal traces by having sentient beings respond to an

appointed time, helping them all to realize perfect enlightenment. In the

time of moral and social degeneration, it manifests itself as Śākyamuni’s

birth. [The Śākya prince] abandoned his luxurious garments and took

up filthy clothes in order to wander [in pursuit of enlightenment]. He

abandoned the illusory treasure city and ascended the summit of the

treasure mountain. Yet he returned [to this world] to lead others, hand

in hand. Though his initial birthday has been honored repeatedly ever

since, we can never fully repay our indebtedness. We earnestly wish and

implore: May the winds of truth be fanned into this latter-day world, and

the shining sun of insight be raised in the center of the sky. Though there

is neither Buddha nor [Māra], may each of all dharmas proclaim the

precious verses of bathing the Buddha. Though there is neither filth nor

purity, may particle after particle of dust cleanse the golden body.

III. The Buddha’s Enlightenment

and Nirvana

1. The Buddha’s Enlightenment Day

Prior to the day marking the Buddha’s enlightenment, the practice hall official collects contributions from the practitioners and entrusts the collection to the head administrative official in order to obtain various offerings. He is also obliged to have the word of tribute composed and approved. (This process is identical to that of the Buddha’s birthday commemoration.) [On the day commemorating the Buddha’s enlightenment,] the abbot ascends the rostrum seat of the Dharma hall and celebrates the day by offering incense and addressing [the assembly] as follows:

On the day of the Buddha’s enlightenment, So-and-so Bhikṣu, abbot

of Such-and-such Temple, remote descendant of the Buddha’s teach-

ing, respectfully offers precious incense for the Great Teacher and

Original Patriarch Śākyamuni Tathāgata, to express our care and devo-

tion on behalf of all the sentient beings of the Dharma world. We wish,

in part, to discharge our indebtedness to the compassion bestowed

upon us and, in part, to wish that all sentient beings of the Dharma

world will equally realize perfect enlightenment.

Next, the abbot sits cross-legged on the rostrum seat and says:

On the eighth day of the twelfth month, we reverently greet the com-

memorative day on which the Original Patriarch Śākyamuni Tathā-

gata, the Great Teacher, realized enlightenment. Assembling all the

practitioners of this temple and offering incense, flowers, candles, and

tea, as well as fruit and delicacies, we have expressed our care and

devotion to the original master of our religion. From now, I, So-and-

so Bhikṣu, abbot of Such-and-such Temple, remote descendant of the

Buddha’s teaching, shall preach the vehicle of his religious salvation

from this rostrum seat. With the special merit thereby accrued, we wish

in part to discharge our indebtedness to the compassion bestowed upon

us and, in part, along with all sentient beings of the Dharma world,

wish for them to discover their own insight and turn the great wheel

of the Dharma by entering into each infinitesimal particle.

Next, the abbot preaches and afterward addresses the assembly again, as follows:

I respectfully announce that we shall leave this hall and, with proper

dignity and decorum, proceed to the hall of the great Buddha to chant

sutras.

The abbot then descends the rostrum seat and leads the assembly. Entering the Buddha hall, he offers incense, performs three prostrations with opened sitting cloth, and conducts the rite of offerings. When he kneels to burn incense on a portable incense burner, the director of practitioners’ affairs begins to read the word of tribute for the Buddha:

Perceiving the morning star over Mount Perfect Enlightenment

(Zhengjueshan), the Buddha realized the path. Lifting the sun of insight

in the great universe composed of a thousand universes, he thereby let

its illumination flow forth [from generation to generation].

When the word of tribute is completed, the director immediately calls for chanting the sutras and concludes with the same invocation of merit transference as before.

2. The Buddha’s Nirvana Day

On the day of commemoration for the Buddha’s nirvana, initially the abbot offers incense at the Buddha hall to conduct the mid-month prayer chanting for imperial well-being, and following that he ascends the rostrum seat at the Dharma hall for preaching as usual. At the moment of incense offering, he addresses the assembly:

On this day of the Buddha’s nirvana, So-and-so Bhikṣu, abbot of

Such-and-such Temple, remote descendant of the Buddha’s teaching,

respectfully offers precious incense to express our care and devotion

for the Great Teacher and Original Patriarch Śākyamuni Tathāgata. We

wish, in part, to discharge our indebtedness for his compassion in bestow-

ing refuge on us and, in part, to express, along with all sentient beings

of the Dharma world, our dear remembrance of him. May his Dharma

body be ever present, may his Dharma wheel turn once again, and may

all sentient beings attain insight into the nature of true existence as nei-

ther origination nor cessation (anutpattikadharmakṣānti; wushengren).

Next, the abbot sits cross-legged on the rostrum seat and says:

On the fifteenth day of the second month, we reverently honor the com-

memorative day of parinirvāṇa on which the Original Patriarch, Great

Teacher Śākyamuni Tathāgata, entered total cessation. Assembling the

practitioners and reverently offering incense, flowers, candles, tea,

fruit, and delicacies, we express our care and devotion to the master.

I, So-and-so Bhikṣu, abbot of this temple, remote descendant of the

Buddha’s teaching, have ascended this rostrum seat in the Dharma hall

and now preach the wondrous mind of nirvana. With the special merit

accrued thereby, we wish, in part, to discharge our indebtedness to the

compassion bestowed on us, and in part, along with all sentient beings

of the Dharma world, to perfectly realize omniscient knowledge.

Next, the abbot preaches, and afterward addresses the assembly again:

I respectfully speak to you. Upon descending from our seats, we shall

leave this hall and proceed to the Buddha hall with dignity and deco-

rum and chant sutras for this Nirvana Day.

The abbot descends the rostrum seat and leads the practitioners. Entering the Buddha hall, he offers incense, performs three prostrations with opened sitting cloth, and kneels to burn incense on a portable incense burner. Meanwhile the director of practitioners’ affairs begins to read the word of tribute for the Buddha:

The pure Dharma body essentially has neither phenomenal appearance

nor disappearance but, through the power of the vow of great compas-

sion, it shows [its traces] as phenomenal appearance or nonappearance.

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When the word of tribute is completed, he immediately calls for chant-

ing the sutras and concludes with the same invocation of merit transference

as before.

3. The Word of Tribute for Enlightenment Day

Since enlightenment has originally been accomplished in the imme-

morial past, how should one rely on one’s experience and practice for

becoming a Buddha? People use it in daily life, they are not aware of

it, only attributing it to the enlightened [beings] of the past. It is only

when one realizes insight oneself, and helps others realize the same

insight, that the ultimate path of enlightenment is accomplished. The

Buddha is called the World-honored One because he knows both the

world of convention and its transcendence. He initiated the path of

conversion through his entire career by following the standard tradi-

tion of the past Buddhas. When he sat under the bodhi tree, the Evil

One’s (Māra’s) palace darkened the entire world, but the Buddha made

the lotus flower (utpala) bloom and the wheel of the Dharma forever

turn brightly. Thus, enlightenment is compared to the initial moment

of brilliant illumination and only later, upon reflection, did he demon-

strate the authentic transmission of that enlightenment to his disciples

by [silently] lifting a flower by its stalk. At the moment when one fully

realizes what is truly eternal, both existence and nonexistence disap-

pear, enlightened and unenlightened become equally a dream or illu-

sion. While myriad phenomena continue to change, past and present

become one moment in which heaven and earth are lost in a dazzling

ray of light. Indeed, what do any of the remote descendants really

know? They only chant the words that have been left by the Original

Teacher and are anxious about [their lack of real insight]. It is earnestly

wished: May form and non-form, light and darkness, all equally express

the miraculous sound of the Dharma, and may squirming worms and

living creatures equally realize ultimate insight and meritorious virtue.

4. The Word of Tribute for Nirvana Day

When the Buddha preached his teachings to people, he did so in

accordance with their respective individual capacities. The Lotus Sutra

informs us that he entrusted to his disciples the future task of religious

propagation and granted them the certificate of authentication of their

future realization. To encourage and restrain his disciples, the Buddha

instructed in his last teaching the strict observance of Vinaya rules and

disciplines and spoke of what is permanent. How much more authen-

tic could a transmission be when the realization of Buddhahood was

directly transmitted to [the second patriarch, Kāśyapa,] who under-

stood the meaning that Śākyamuni imparted by [silently] lifting a flower

by its stalk. Thus, at the moment when the fallen leaves (i.e., the sen-

sory faculties) returned to their source, he was gratified with the com-

pletion of the tasks he was given.

Whoever is trapped in the world of illusion is bound to reach its

end according to the universal fact of impermanence. Abiding in mul-

tiple illusions, one is obliged to return to what they really are; this is

called “ultimate quiescence.” Yet, the mysterious gem (i.e., the mind)

always illuminates turbidity and filth without discrimination, and the

precious moon does not avoid casting its reflection onto polluted water.

Great concentration has no limit in space and always abides through

myriads of kalpas as many as the sands of the Ganges River. The one

who is perfectly endowed is able to respond anywhere and at any time,

manifesting myriads and myriads of forms of his body. Nevertheless,

we cannot forget the historical aspect of the Buddha and we feel that

his memory is ever more dear to us on this memorial day. We earnestly

wish: May the Buddha rectify wrong views entertained by those of us

who are remote descendants of his teaching, reverse the trend of this

degenerate period to that of Right Dharma in which both [supreme]

concentration and insight are equally practiced, and convert the Evil

One (Māra) and his entire clan to be leading protectors of the religion.

5. A Brief Biography of the Buddha

The Buddha was born on the continent of India. His family belonged to the noble class (kṣatriya), and his family name was Gautama. This Sanskrit name is translated as “Sweet Beet” in Chinese. The first ancestor, a royal sage, was shot with a hunter’s arrow. At his death, his blood flowed into the ground,

from which two sugarcane stalks sprouted. One grew into a male child called

King Gautama, and the other a female child called Queen Sumatī. Together

they bore a child who then became a universal ruler (cakravartin), turning the

wheel of governance over his realm. Because the king came from a descen-

dant of the sun, his race was also called “the sun’s race.” From that time, after

seven hundred generations, the lineage reached the time of King Śuddhodana.

Because [during his previous lifetimes] the Buddha had fulfilled meritorious

deeds for myriads of kalpas, he entered the womb of Queen Māyā by descend-

ing from the Tuṣita Heaven. He was born on the eighth day of the fourth month

in the twenty-sixth regnal year, Jia and Yin of King Shao (r. 1052–1001 B.C.E.)

of the Zhou dynasty. He was named Sarvasiddhārtha (“One Whose Every Goal

Has Been Accomplished”). On the seventh day after his birth, his mother died

and he was raised by his mother’s younger sister, Mahāprajāpatī.

At the age of twenty-five, Prince Siddhārtha left the palace and went

to the forest of the sage Bhārgava. He cut off his hair and became a men-

dicant. He exchanged his luxurious garments for a hunter’s clothing, crossed

the Ganges River to the south, and reached the hills of Gayā, where he prac-

ticed meditation and austerities. For six years, Siddhārtha toiled hard, main-

taining his endurance with only a single grain of hemp and rice [a day]. He

thought to himself that if he continued the ascetic way, heretics would claim

that self-abnegation is the way to reach nirvana. So, instead he bathed in the

Nairañjaṇā River and accepted a meal of milk-rice gruel from the cowherd

maiden Sujātā. The god Indra made a seat out of kuśa grass and bade him

sit on it cross-legged. [Māra,] the king of the evil ones, mobilized his army

to try to disrupt Siddhārtha’s meditation, but none of Māra’s attempts could

prevail in disrupting his determination. Thus, [Māra] departed after saluting

the Buddha with apologies and repentance. On the morning of the eighth

day of the second month, when he saw the morning star, Siddhārtha sud-

denly attained a great intuitive understanding and realized the highest path,

highest, perfect enlightenment (anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi). (Some tradi-

tions hold that this occurred on the eighth day of the twelfth month, the first

year of Zhengjian of Zhou; there are different interpretations in other tradi-

tions.) He was then thirty years old.

Immediately, the Buddha is said to have preached the Flower Ornament

Sutra at the seat of enlightenment (bodhimaṇḍa) in the forest of Magadha.

The listeners, [whose understanding] had not yet ripened, were unable to comprehend the teaching as if they were deaf and dumb. For three weeks, the Buddha meditated under various trees and thought of entering nirvana. Meanwhile Brahmā and Indra respectfully requested the Buddha three times to remain and teach what he had realized. Thus, the Buddha traveled to the Deer Park where he conducted the First Turning of the Great Wheel and taught the three vehicles (i.e., the śrāvakayāna, the pratyekabuddhayāna, and the bodhisattvayāna) initially to his five disciples, including Kauṇḍinya. Here he taught the Four Noble Truths, the twelve links of the chain of causation (pratītyasamutpāda), the six principles (pāramitās) of practice, and so forth.

Twelve years later, at the age of forty-two, the Buddha introduced a more advanced teaching, recorded in the general Mahayana texts (the Vaipulya sutras), and thereby was able to educate more disciples and consolidate a firm basis of his sangha. It was during this period that he criticized the shortcomings of the Hinayana and praised the perfect teaching of the Mahayana. From this time on, for thirty years, the Buddha taught the general Mahayana teachings in such texts as the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra, the Śūraṃgama-dhāraṇīs, the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, and so forth. By then, having reached his seventy-second year, he began to teach the Lotus Sutra and thereby entrusted his [evangelical] task to his disciples and assured their future realization of Buddhahood. Yet, in the following eight years, he continued to detail his original intent.

In the fifty-third regnal year of King Mu, year of Ren and Shen, at the age of seventy-nine, the Buddha for the first time visited the Tuṣita Heaven to preach for his mother. In his absence, King Udayana, who yearned for his master, ordered a golden image to be cast, and when the Buddha descended from heaven the golden statue is said to have welcomed his return. The Buddha’s aunt Mahāprajāpatī and her five hundred female followers, as well as such saintly disciples as Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, seventy thousand arhats, and so forth, felt unable to bear the passing of their master and hence passed away at the same time. The bodhisattvas, the four groups of followers (i.e., monks [bhikṣus], nuns [bhikṣuṇīs], laymen [upāsakas], and laywomen [upāsīkās]), the eight groups of demigods, and the kings of the birds and animals all assembled, while the Buddha allowed Cunda, a smith, to make the last food offering. For the sake of his disciples, the Buddha preached

the principles of impermanence (anitya), suffering (duḥkha), and emptiness

(śūnyatā).

The Buddha also announced that the supreme Right Dharma had already

been entrusted to his primary disciple Mahākāśyapa, and that Mahākāśyapa

would become a great refuge for the rest of the disciples in the same way as

the Tathāgata himself had been. He also knew that Ānanda had been way-

laid by the Evil One (Māra) outside the śāla forest, and he summoned Mañjuśrī

to call him back, saying that Ānanda was his brother who had served him

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well for over twenty years, that he learned the Dharma as seamlessly as water

poured into a vessel of any form [takes the shape of that vessel], and hence

he wanted Ānanda to record his last teaching in the Nirvana Sutra. Mañjuśrī

conveyed the Buddha’s wish to Ānanda and brought him back to the place.

Furthermore, the Buddha told Ānanda that the brahman Subhadra, who

was one hundred and twenty years old and who had not yet discarded his

attachment to self, must be brought to listen to the Tathāgata’s last teaching

by being informed that the Buddha would enter nirvana that night. At once,

Subhadra came to listen to the Buddha’s teaching and immediately attained

the state of arhatship. Thus, the Buddha announced: “Immediately after I

realized the path, I converted Kauṇḍinya, and now I have converted Subhadra

at last. I have thus completed my task. What ought to be done has been done.”

At midnight of the fifteenth day of the second month, he once again addressed

his disciples: “O disciples, after my death, you must pay respect to the prā-

timokṣa rules and disciplines. [The prātimokṣa] is your master regardless of

whether I am or am not in this world. There is no lessening of its impor-

tance.” He lay his right side on a cloth decorated with seven kinds of pre-

cious gems. There was not a single voice heard anywhere, and the Buddha

passed away.

Aniruddha immediately went to the Tuṣita Heaven to tell Queen Māyā

that the Buddha had entered parinirvāṇa. As she came down from heaven,

the Buddha once again raised himself to preach, in order to console his

mother, and then said to Ānanda, “You must know that because I fear there

might appear some unfilial people in the future, I have exemplified filial piety

by coming out of the golden coffin to greet my mother.” At that moment,

Mahākāśyapa, leading the group of five hundred disciples, arrived running

from the hills of Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa (Vulture Peak) and greeted him with

lamentation. Once again the Buddha miraculously revealed the mark of the

sacred symbol of the “Wheel of One Thousand Spokes” on the soles of his feet. Heavenly beings brought aromatic woods to the cremation site, and the cremation fire continued to burn by itself for seven days.

Lay followers deposited the Buddha’s relics in eight golden vases. King Ajātaśatru as well as the kings of eight countries, the god Indra, and other gods as well as the nāga kings, all vied for acquisition of the relics. Minister Upakitta remonstrated with them to stop fighting [over the relics] and advised them to divide and distribute them among themselves. Thus, they divided the relics into three portions, one for the heavenly gods, a second for the nāga kings, and the third was further divided among the eight kings. King Ajātaśatru obtained eighty-four thousand pieces, placed each within a purple and gold case, and enshrined them in stupas he had built in the regions of the five major rivers that flow into the Ganges River.

IV. Nirvana Day of the Emperor’s

Religious Counselor

1. The Memorial Rite for the Master

When the memorial day comes, the tablet of the master’s name must be respectfully placed on the altar and properly enshrined. Offerings of incense, flowers, candles, tea, fruit, and delicacies should be carefully prepared. The director of practitioners’ affairs is obliged to have the word of tribute composed and approved. (The procedure is identical to that of the Buddha’s Memorial Day.) In the evening before the day [of the memorial], the attendants of the practice hall official are instructed to inform the practitioners of the following day’s event and post the signboard indicating the sutra chanting. On the appointed day, the bell is tolled to assemble the practitioners, and they line up facing the rostrum seat. Notified of their readiness, the abbot comes out to offer incense, sweet hot water, food, a monetary gift, and tea, and then performs three prostrations with opened sitting cloth. When he picks up incense and utters the word of insight, the director of practitioners’ affairs with a bow signals the dual order officials to step forward, in pairs, to offer incense, while the practitioners perform prostrations with opened sitting cloth in unison. The abbot kneels to offer incense at a portable incense burner, while at the same

time the director [of practitioners’ affairs] reads the word of tribute. He then

subsequently calls for the chanting of the prayer verses and concludes with

the following invocation of merit transference:

The merit accrued from the foregoing deed of chanting shall be dedi-

cated to the one [designated] “Above the Emperor” under the imperial

heaven (i.e., the emperor), the great sage who assisted imperial gover-

nance by introducing religion and propagating letters, the spiritual ruler

who, endowed with supreme virtue, universal enlightenment, and true

illumination, unfailingly assisted the throne in ruling the nation, the

Buddhist disciple from the Western Heaven (i.e., Tibet) and the impe-

rial counsel of the great Yuan. We wish to discharge our indebtedness

to him for the compassionate refuge bestowed upon us. Veneration to

the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three times, and so on.

2. The Word of Tribute

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Heaven inaugurated the nation of Yuan and magnanimously created the

great sage as its counselor. The path he followed was honorable and

supreme, and he indeed became a spiritual ruler by creating the Mon-

gol script. He quietly helped the foundation of cultural conversion and

privately assisted the imperial rule. When he spoke, his speech became

a religious text. When he lifted his foot, his act became rule. His rank

was among a thousand Buddhas, the generosity he extended matched

that of earth, and his supreme intelligence matched that of heaven. The

highest honor was shown him by the posthumous title, “Above the

Emperor.” Honoring his memorial day today, we look upon his gra-

cious illumination more admiringly than ever. We earnestly pray that

his holiness may once again ride on the carriage of vows and help the

governance and transformation of the populace with the universal lan-

guage of all seas, and, taking pity in the present age of spiritual decline,

rekindle the principle of religion unchanged for a thousand years.

3. A Brief Biography of the Religious Counselor

The imperial counselor of religion, Baheshiba (’Phags-pa), whose ordained

name was Huichuangxianjixiang, was a man of Tibet. He was born on the

thirteenth day of the fourth month in the year of the “sixth stem and boar.” His father was called Suonangancang. During the beginning of Tibet, there was a national master of Buddhism, Śāntarakṣita (Chanhengluojida) by name. He realized the supreme insight and acquired the supernatural powers, and his descendants equally excelled in spiritual matters and religious practice through successive transmission. The rulers of that country honored them as their religious counselors. The man of the seventeenth generation, Sasijiawa (Sakya-pa) by name, was the paternal uncle of the master. As he was by birth well endowed [in intelligence], he studied under his uncle and was able to chant from memory a thousand or two of the sacred gāthās and secret verses just by silently reading through them. At the age of seven, he gave his first lecture and demonstrated his speech, showing himself to be well versed and totally commanding.

At the age of fifteen, in the year of the “tenth stem and ox,” he came to know that the heavenly mandate would fall to Emperor Shizu, Longdeyuanqian (Kublai Khan). He traveled swiftly on horseback to reach the capital in order to officiate for him at the ordination ceremony of the Buddhist laity for Xianzong, his queen Zhongwei, and the Crown Prince (i.e., Shizu), imparting special meaning to the event of their conversion. After six years had passed, in the year of the “seventh stem and monkey,” Shizu ascended the throne and established the Yuan dynasty in the Zhongtong era. Thereupon, the master was appointed “national master” and granted the imperial seal to administer Buddhist religious affairs throughout the country, separating, for the first time, religious matters from secular affairs. Four years later, bidding farewell to the emperor, he returned west. However, he was called back before a year had passed. In the seventh year of Zhiyuan, the “seventh stem and horse,” he was entrusted with the task of creating a new set of scripts as standard for the great Yuan empire. Singlehandedly he carried out the task, and before even a day had passed he successfully formulated patterns and strokes into a system of letters. Since his accomplishment was profoundly satisfactory to imperial expectation, a decree was immediately issued for the prompt enactment of its usage throughout the respective divisions of capitals, provinces, prefectures, and districts. The system of the new scripts became the greatest law of the age. The master was appointed religious counselor to the throne, the spiritual ruler embodying the great treasure of the Buddha-Dharma, and was granted the imperial seal.

Once again the master returned to the west. Eleven years later, the

emperor sent a special envoy to officially invite him back to the capital. Dur-

ing his visit to the capital, he refused the emperor’s request to stay there and

returned to his temple [in Tibet]. Despite imperial efforts, he could not be

persuaded to remain in the capital. On the twenty-second day of the eleventh

month in the seventeenth year of Jiyuan, the master passed away. Upon learn-

ing of his death, the emperor could hardly bear his dear memory and ordered

a great stupa built in the capital in order to enshrine the ashes of the master.

The circular structure of this stupa was beautifully decorated in gold and

dark blue, and indeed the building had no equal, past or present. (The fore-

going biography is found in the epigraphy composed by Hanlin scholars such

2.18

as Wangpan and others, under imperial edict.) In later years, the master was

given the following posthumous title:

The one [designated] “Above the Emperor” under the imperial heaven,

the great sage who assisted imperial governance by introducing reli-

gion and propagating letters, the spiritual ruler who, endowed with

supreme virtue, universal enlightenment, and true illumination, unfail-

ingly assisted the throne in ruling the nation, the Buddhist disciple

from the Western Heaven (Tibet) and the imperial counselor of the

great Yuan.

End of Chapter III: Discharging Religious Indebtedness

Honoring the Patriarchs

of the Zen Tradition

I. Preface to the Chapter

The reason that each person should enshrine his ancestors is to regard the beginning of his form and life as important. Form and life begin with love, and yet forms change in time, and so does love exhaust itself in time. Yet the spiritual aspect of the essential nature (i.e., Buddha-nature) is never obscured, because it neither depends on life nor does it disappear when life ends. Therefore, the Buddha taught that humans must acquire clear insight into this nature. And yet, misguided by words and statements, scholars of later periods cannot grasp the true meaning, as if a doctor were to adhere to the medical textbook too well and forsake actual treatment with medicine and acupuncture. What value is there in this? Only when the patriarch of our school, Bodhidharma (Puti Damo), came to China and taught the path of direct experience for the first time were people awakened clearly to neither search for the miraculous nature of the self through the use of words nor through its total rejection but to see why [the essential nature] must be realized beyond sounds of the voice and forms of expression. Thus, any one of us who succeeds in the lineage and hands it on to another must accomplish this just as fire naturally burns fuel or water takes the form of the vessel [into which it is poured].

There is no difference, not even as slight as a single hair, between past and present. Doesn’t this tradition emphasize the meaning of original form and life? In later days, Zen Master Baizhang Dazhi instituted the Zen monastic regulations so that the practitioners of our tradition could abide by their own standards, and this was, indeed, the origin of the Zen monastic community. The Venerable Shouduan of Haihuiyuan Temple advised that it is our duty to enshrine [a figure of] Bodhidharma in the center, Baizhang to his

right, and the founder of each temple to his left. Look for this information in the introductory chapter of the Regulatory Rules of the Patriarchal Hall (Zutanggangji).

II. The Memorial Day of Bodhidharma

1. The Memorial Rite for the

Patriarch Bodhidharma

Prior to the appointed day, the practice hall official is obliged to organize the memorial service by collecting contributions and see that word of tribute is composed and approved. (The procedure is identical to that of the Buddha’s nirvana day.) In the evening before the day [of the rite], the ceremonial place should be prepared in due manner in the Dharma hall, by enshrining solemnly the patriarch’s portrait on the rostrum seat, and arranging an incense burner, flower vases, and an incense table in front of it. At the right-hand side of the rear of the hall a meditation couch, a brush duster, and a clothes rack with robes hung upon it (it is not correct to set up a bed couch and fan) should be set up, and at the left-hand side of the rear of the hall a chair, desk, incense burner, vases, incense, and candles should be set up and some scriptures placed on the desk. The practice hall novice attendants notify the practitioners of the coming event and post the signboard indicating sutra chanting, and also announce to them:

There will be the memorial service with sutra chanting this evening,

and also another for fulfillment chanting tomorrow mid-morning. Please

be reminded of proper attire.

Before the evening Zen session, the practice hall bell is tolled to assemble the practitioners at the Dharma hall. Meanwhile, notified of the assembly, the abbot arrives at the hall. Drumming signals the special rite of offering sweet hot water. The abbot burns incense and performs three prostrations [with opened sitting cloth]. Without folding his sitting cloth, he proceeds to the altar to offer hot water, and, returning to his place, performs another three prostrations. Once again he proceeds toward the altar and salutes it with a gesture of offering the hot water. Then he returns to his seat, performs two

prostrations, and folds up his sitting cloth. A signal of three drumbeats is given, and immediately after the hand bell is struck by the novice attendant, the director of practitioners’ affairs steps forward from his east-order column and leads the prayer service, saying:

Ernestly reflecting upon the tradition, our religion transmits Zen expe-

rience in the manner of direct finger-pointing [by the patriarch Bodhi-

dharma] and gratefully depends on the reverberation of the subsequent

waves of descendants who transmit it. The ultimate Way is vast and dif-

ficult to name; we hesitate to enjoin this brilliant luster of the Way to

any of those remote future generations. May the practitioners pray for

the gracious assistance of the Buddhas by intoning their ten sacred names:

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the Luminous Pure Dharma Body Vairocana Buddha, and so on.

The prayer concludes with the director intoning the following invocation of merit transference:

We respectfully dedicate the merit accrued from the foregoing prayer

to the First Patriarch Bodhidharma, perfectly enlightened Great Mas-

ter. We wish to discharge our indebtedness to the compassion bestowed

upon us as our refuge. Veneration to the Buddhas of the ten directions

and the three times, and so on.

After the practice hall bell tolls three times, the practitioners leave the hall, or they may be invited to take their seats for an evening meal.

While the evening bell tolls, the practice hall bell signals the practitioners to assemble and proceed toward the Dharma hall once again. The abbot offers incense, and the director of practitioners’ affairs leads the chanting of the Śūraṃgama-dhāraṇīs and concludes by intoning the following invocation of merit transference:

The pure Dharma body has essentially neither phenomenal appearance

nor disappearance, but because of the great compassion and power of

its vow, it shows, as it were, phenomenal appearance as well as dis-

appearance. We implore: May compassion shine its bright mirror reflec-

tion upon us. On the fifth day of this month, the memorial day has

arrived on which the First Patriarch Bodhidharma, the perfectly enlight-

ened Great Master and Great Priest, entered absolute quiescence.

Assembling all the disciples and offering incense and provisions, we

thereby express our care and devotion for the master. We humbly ded-

icate the merit accrued from chanting the [dhāraṇīs of the] Śūraṃgama-

sūtra for the sake of discharging our indebtedness to the compassion

which has bestowed refuge upon us. We humbly pray: May unerring

practitioners endeavor to promulgate the tradition of Bodhidharma and

thereby realize the wondrous insight that is limitless, and become a

worthy receptacle of Mahayana Buddhism. Veneration to the Buddhas

of the ten directions and the three times, and so on.

Next, the ceremonial leader leads the novice attendants to line up before the [image of the] patriarch, and in unison they say, “We are here, sir,” perform prostrations, and chant the sutras. Lastly, lay devotees line up to worship the patriarch.

Early the next morning, the abbot burns incense, performs prostrations, offers sweet hot water and rice gruel, and participates in the rice gruel breakfast, sitting to the side of the [image of the] patriarch. After breakfast, he once again burns incense and offers tea, while the director of practitioners’ affairs leads the chanting of the Mahākāruṇikacitta-dhāraṇīs, concluding with the following invocation of merit transference:

The merit accrued by the foregoing chanting shall be respectfully ded-

icated for the sake of the First Patriarch Bodhidharma, perfectly enlight-

ened Great Master and Great Priest. May this help us discharge our

indebtedness to the compassionate refuge he bestowed on us. Venera-

tion to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three times, and so on.

Between breakfast and the noon meal, the practice hall bell is rung to assemble the practitioners at the Dharma hall, where they line up facing the altar. The abbot offers incense, performs three prostrations with opened sitting cloth, and proceeds toward the incense burner, leaving his sitting cloth open, to offer sweet hot water and food. He is aided by the guest reception assistant, who hands the offerings [one by one] from the abbot to the incense offering assistant, who respectfully sets them on the table beside the patriarch’s tablet. When this is completed, the abbot returns to his position and performs three prostrations as before, then once again immediately goes forward to burn incense and offer a monetary gift. Upon returning [to his position, the abbot]

peforms another three prostrations, then stands, folding his sitting cloth. Thereupon, drumbeats signal the special serving of tea. (This procedure is identical to that of the special serving of sweet hot water.)

After the special serving of tea, the abbot offers incense with prayer and utters a word of tribute. When his address is over, the attendants play cymbals to create musical sounds; simultaneously, the director of practitioners’ affairs steps forward from the east- order column and, bowing with palms together, invites the abbot to offer incense. The latter’s assistant, carrying a portable incense case, hands him incense before the burner. Next, the director invites the ranking practitioners of the east and west halls, followed by the dual order officials, to proceed in pairs to offer incense at the incense burner. When this is over, the entire assembly performs in unison three prostrations with opened sitting cloth, and facing the altar the director says:

The pure Dharma body has in essence neither phenomenal appearance

nor disappearance. Only because of great compassion and the power

of its vow, it manifests, as it were, phenomenal appearance as well as

nonappearance.

The director continues to read the word of tribute as the abbot kneels to burn incense at a portable incense burner. Next, the director calls for the chanting of the Śūraṃgama-dhāraṇīs and concludes with the following invocation of merit transference:

The merit accrued by the foregoing chanting shall be respectfully ded-

icated for the sake of the First Patriarch Bodhidharma, perfectly enlight-

ened Great Master and Great Priest. May this help us discharge our

indebtedness to the compassionate refuge he bestowed upon us. Vener-

ation to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three times, and so on.

Next follows sutra chanting by the novice attendants.

2. The Word of Tribute

How great was the authentic transmission of the Dharma to China by

the distinguished descendant of the enlightened spiritual ruler. His

insight, “vast, limitless openness and nothing especially holy,” indeed

broke the vital point of the pedantic scholasticism then prevalent. When

hundreds of rivers reach the vast ocean they all lose their singularity.

When the bright sun shines in mid-sky there is no shadow to follow

anything on the ground. Pointing to the mind of humans, he enabled us

to see that “to become a Buddha” means to become mind itself. Expe-

riencing the wondrous path, one forgets words; while, having lost words,

one [directly] sees the path. As this is a greatly beneficial teaching in

the world, it should widely flourish in terms of its tradition. Making a

rare appearance in this turbid world by becoming the First Patriarch,

he found a Mahayana receptacle [in Huike, the Second Patriarch] in

the country of China and totally immersed him in the grain.

Today, we honor the day when he left the single sandal behind

(i.e., the memorial day) and we have prepared in our best manner an

exquisite vegetarian dish. The robe of faith symbolizes the weighti-

ness of the Buddhas and patriarchs and the strength capable of bear-

ing a thousand weights. May a single flower once again bloom in the

spring of heaven and earth, so that its fragrance may be transmitted

through tens of thousands of generations.

3. A Brief Biography of Bodhidharma

The patriarch was born the third son of the king of Xiangshi in South India.

2.25

His family belonged to the noble class, and his own name was originally

Bodhitāra. Later, along with his two brothers he happened to meet the twenty-

seventh patriarch Prajñātāra. Because the master saw the innate capacity of

the patriarch, he tested him and his brothers in debate on the meaning of his

gift of a gem to them. [After years of study and practice under Prajñātāra,]

the patriarch had already discovered and cultivated the essential nature of

the mind. Prajñātāra told him, “You have acquired the whole inclusive prin-

ciple and since ‘Dharma’ conveys the entire inclusive meaning of the

Mahayana, your name should be changed to ‘Dharma.’” Thus, the patriarch’s

name became Bodhidharma.

The patriarch asked his master, “As I have accomplished the essentials

of the religion, in which country should I propagate Buddhism? Please, give

me a suggestion, sir.”

Prajñātāra replied, “Although you have obtained the essential of my reli-

gion, you shall not go anywhere far distant. Just stay in South India and wait for an opportunity sixty-seven years after my death. Then you should go to China where you can set up a great Dharma session to teach the best qualified, but do not leave India immediately lest you become quickly exhausted by the troublesome environment of China’s capital city.”

On the twenty-first day of the ninth month in the eighth year of Putong of Liang, in the year of the “fourth stem and sheep,” Bodhidharma arrived in Southern China. Suang, the prefect of Guangzhou, sent an official report to Emperor Wu of Liang (r. 464–549). The emperor dispatched his envoy with a decree inviting the patriarch to his imperial court. Bodhidharma arrived in Jinling on the first day of the tenth month and spoke with the ruler, but they did not reach an accord in their meeting. Thereupon Bodhidharma crossed the Yangtze River to the north on the nineteenth day and reached Luoyang on the twenty-third day of the eleventh month, which was the tenth year of Taihe under the reign of Emperor Xiaoming of the Wei dynasty. He stayed in Shaolinsi, the temple of Mount Songshan, and spent years facing the wall in silent meditation. No one was able to fathom his purpose; he was called the “wall-facing brahman.” On the fifth day of the tenth month in the nineteenth year of Taihe (“fourth stem and dragon”), he passed away while sitting upright in meditation. He was buried on Mount Xiongershan on the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth month of the year, and a memorial stupa was erected within Dinglinsi. During the Tang dynasty, Bodhidharma was honored by the title Yuangue Dashi (“Fully Enlightened”), and the stupa is called Kongguan (“Contemplation of Emptiness”).

III. The Memorial Day for Baizhang

1. The Memorial Rite for Baizhang

Prior to the appointed day, the practice hall official collects contributions to obtain various offerings. On the evening before the day, the ceremonial place should be set up properly in the Dharma hall. The portrait of the master is placed on the rostrum seat and various vessels for the rite of offerings are solemnly set up on the central altar as well as on tables on the right and left sides at the rear of the hall. There will be a memorial service with sutra chanting in the evening,

and also another for the fulfillment of the memorial service on the following day, including a special serving of tea, the word of insight and prayer with incense offering, and the word of tribute, as well as incense offering by the dual order officials and three prostrations with opened sitting cloth performed by all the practitioners in unison (so far, the proceedings are identical with those of the memorial rite for Bodhidharma), but excluding the prayer chanting. The invocation of merit transference for the evening rite is as follows:

The pure Dharma body has essentially neither phenomenal appearance

nor disappearance, but because of great compassion and the power of

its vow, it shows, as it were, phenomenal appearance as well as non-

appearance. We implore: May compassion shine its bright mirror reflec-

tion upon us. On the seventeenth day of the first month, we have respect-

fully honored the memorial day on which Baizhang Dazhi, Jiaming

Huangcong Miaoxiang Changshi, entered absolute quiescence. Assem-

bling all the disciples and offering incense and provisions, we thereby

express our care and devotion for the master. We humbly dedicate the

merit accrued from chanting the [dhāraṇīs] of the Śūraṃgama-sūtra

for the sake of discharging our indebtedness for the compassion which

has bestowed refuge upon us. We humbly pray: May the rare flower

of the uḍumbara tree once again appear to herald springtime in the

garden of enlightenment, and the insight of the sun extend daylight to

forever illuminate the night of dark delusion. Veneration to the Buddhas

of the ten directions and the three times, and so on.

2. The Word of Tribute

He spoke, it became the law of the land. It exactly marks the norm and

establishes the standard. Through tens of thousands of generations, the

Way he established has been known as worthy of reverence. It contains

principles and precedences, on the basis of which the harmonious life

of the Zen monastic institution has flourished, creating many notable

personalities. The Chinese expressions in the Book of Regulations (Qing-

guai) exactly correspond to those of the Sanskrit Vinaya. The richness

of the content is comparable with that of the literary works of Shiqu and

First 8 of 20 passages. Read on

Translations (1)

English (machine translation) — English, machine translation

Linked texts (1)

勅修百丈清規 — Classical Chinese