佛祖統紀 6.15

6.15

The Second Patriarch, the Venerable Huiwen of the Northern Qi, had the surname Gao. During the Northern Dynasties, between the Wei and Qi (Emperor Xiaojing of the Eastern Wei and Emperor Wenxuan of the Northern Qi), among those who practiced the Buddha's Path: The first was Master Ming, who mostly used the seven expedient means. (The Fuxing says: "This is probably the Hinayana seven expedient means. Prior to Zhizhe, no one had ever established the seven expedient means of the Perfect School.") The second was Master Zui, who harmonised the nature and characteristics of mind, leaving all dharmas unimpeded. The third was Master Song, who used the three periods of time as originally having no coming or going. The fourth was Master Jiu, who mostly used the quiescent mind. The fifth was Master Zao, who mostly used the understanding mind to contemplate the one suchness. The sixth was Master Hui, who mostly used the unshakeable mind, wherein mind within, without, or in-between is ungraspable. The seventh was Master Wen, who used the awakened mind to repeatedly contemplate samādhi, the samādhi of cessation, and the uninterrupted samādhi, having no conceptual discrimination toward any dharma. The eighth was Master Si, who mostly used the easeful practice of following one's own intention. The ninth was Master Yi, who used the three kinds of calming and contemplation. Although they are said to have succeeded one another, the Dharma methods underwent modification. Since Master Wen based himself upon the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa, one knows that those before him were not what he inherited. (This is based on what is recorded in the Fuxing. According to the Biographies of Eminent Monks, when Nanyue awakened to the Lotus Samādhi, he went to Master Zui for examination and described what he had realised, all of which met with rejoicing. It also says: "Zhizhe received his training from Master Si; Master Si followed Master Daojiu; and Master Jiu received the Dharma from Master Zui." Now, in detailed consideration, Master Si originally inherited [the Dharma] from Master Wen, yet it is now said he followed Master Jiu. From this one knows that many of these masters were contemporaries who mutually consulted and received instruction from each other, and as the Dharma methods were modified, the later ones mostly surpassed the earlier ones; it is no longer a matter of succession that can be discussed. Only from the Northern Qi onward, when contemplation was established on the basis of the treatise, and from this transmission was handed down, identical from beginning to end, can master-disciple lineage truly be discussed.)

The Master was inherently endowed with the Perfect Vehicle and awakened independently through his natural disposition. While reading the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa (the thirtieth scroll), which cites the Large Sūtra: "If one wishes to use the wisdom of paths to fulfill the wisdom of the aspects of the path, one should study prajñā. If one wishes to use the wisdom of the aspects of the path to fulfill all-knowledge, one should study prajñā. If one wishes to use all-knowledge to fulfill sarvākārajñatā, one should study prajñā. If one wishes to use sarvākārajñatā to cut off afflictions and latent habits, one should study prajñā." The treatise asks itself: "Within a single mind one attains all-knowledge, the wisdom of the aspects of the path, and sarvākārajñatā, and cuts off all afflictions and latent habits. Why does it now say that one uses all-knowledge to fulfill sarvākārajñatā, and uses sarvākārajñatā to cut off afflictions and latent habits?" It answers: "In truth, all are attained at one time. Here, in order to make people have faith in the prajñāpāramitā, it speaks of sequential distinctions; wishing to make sentient beings attain a pure mind, it therefore speaks thus. Furthermore, although attained within a single mind, there is also a sequence of beginning, middle, and end. Just as a single mind has three characteristics: arising due to conditions, abiding, and abiding due to conditions, ceasing. Also, just as with mind, mental factors, non-concomitant conditioned phenomena, bodily karma, and vocal karma, using the wisdom of paths to fulfill all-knowledge, using all-knowledge to fulfill sarvākārajñatā, and using sarvākārajñatā to cut off afflictions and latent habits are also like this." The Master relied on this passage to cultivate mind-contemplation. The three wisdoms in the treatise are truly attained within a single mind; and since the fruit is attained in a single mind, how could the cause be gained before and after? Therefore, when this contemplation was accomplished, he realised the three wisdoms in a single mind, both extinguishing and illuminating, and immediately entered the stage of the forbearance of the non-arising [of dharmas] of the first stage of abiding. The Master also, on reading the Madhyamakaśāstra (the chapter on contemplation in the middle in the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa), came to the verse in the "Chapter on the Four Truths":
"Whatever dharma is produced by causes and conditions,
I declare to be identical to emptiness;
It is also a conventional designation,
And is also the meaning of the Middle Way."
He was suddenly enlightened, instantaneously comprehending that all dharmas are none other than produced by causes and conditions; and these causes and conditions are existence, yet not determinately existent; emptiness, yet not determinately empty. Emptiness and existence being non-dual is called the Middle Way. Since the Master relied entirely on the commentary-treatise, we know that he distantly inherited [the Dharma from] Nāgārjuna.

The Master lived in the era of the Gao Qi. (The Fuxing states this refers to Emperor Gaozu of Qi. Considering this carefully now, Gao Huan was prime minister of Eastern Wei and was enfiefed as Prince of Qi. Only with his son Yang was the abdication of Wei accepted, becoming Emperor Wenxuan, and Huan was posthumously titled Gaozu. According to this, it was still called Eastern Wei at that time. Master Wen's teaching and transformation were active after the Northern Qi accepted the abdication, hence it is called Gao Qi. This prefixes the country name with the imperial surname, like Xiao Liang and Yuan Wei.) He gathered hundreds and thousands of disciples and devoted himself exclusively to the Mahāyāna, walking alone between the Yellow and Huai Rivers with none to rival his teaching at the time. The Dharma methods he entered were beyond the world's comprehension. Learners looked up to him as if treading the earth and carrying the heavens, unable to fathom their height and depth. The Master orally transmitted the mind-contemplation to Nanyue. Nanyue vastly propagated it in the south, while the Master's disciples in the north were not heard of. (Scattered across the Zhiguan fuxing, the Zongyuan lu, and the Short Biographies of the Nine Patriarchs.)