曆代法寶記 1.13

English (machine translation) 1.13

Language: English

1.13.1

The Reverend was a native of Mei County in Fengxiang. His secular surname was Li, and his Dharma name was Wuzhu. When he reached fifty years of age—in the Kaiyuan era, he served on his father's behalf in the Shuofang region, at that time being twenty years of age. His physical strength surpassed others, and his martial skills were unparalleled. At that time, Prince Xin'an was serving as military commissioner of the two circuits of Heshuo. Seeing the Reverend, who possessed courage and valor, Prince Xin'an retained him to serve as vanguard patrol officer of the front guard. Every day the Reverend sighed to himself: "In the world, who does not delight in glory and splendor? If a great man has not yet encountered a kalyāṇamitra, his whole life should not be spent in vain!" He then abandoned his official post to search for teachers and seek the Dao. Suddenly he met the white-robed lay practitioner Chen Chuzhang, whose origin was unknown. People at the time called him the transformation body of Vimalakīrti. He expounded the teaching of sudden awakening. When the Reverend encountered him, there was a secret accord of mutual understanding, and he tacitly transmitted the mind-dharma to him. Having attained the Dharma, the Reverend completely severed thinking and cut off deliberations, casting away all external characteristics of phenomena. For three to five years, he practiced as a white-robed layman. During the Tianbao era, he suddenly heard that on Mount Daoci in Fanyang was Reverend Ming, in the Eastern Capital was Reverend Shenhui, and in Taiyuan Prefecture was Reverend Zizai—all of whom were disciples of the Sixth Patriarch and expounded the teaching of sudden awakening. At that time the Reverend had not yet left the household life. He then went to Taiyuan to pay homage to Reverend Zizai. Reverend Zizai said: "In purity, having no characteristic of purity—this is the truly pure Buddha-nature." Having heard this teaching, the Reverend felt joy in his mind and wished to bid farewell to continue on his way. The old Reverend, together with the various masters and bhadantas, bitterly implored him to stay, unwilling to let this pillar of the true Dharma depart; and so they shaved his head and robed him. Having received the full precepts in the eighth year of Tianbao, he took leave of the old Reverend and headed to Qingliang Temple on Mount Wutai. After passing one summer, he heard about Reverend Ming on Mount Daoci; yet grasping the purport of Reverend Shenhui's words, he understood their meaning directly and did not stay there either. At the end of the summer of the ninth year of Tianbao, he left the mountain and came to travel back and forth between Anguo Temple and Chongsheng Temple in the Western Capital. In the tenth year of Tianbao, he returned from the Western Capital to North Lingzhou and lived on Mount Helan for two years. Suddenly, a merchant named Cao Gui came, bowed, and asked: "When the Reverend was in Jiannan, did you know Reverend Jin?" He replied, "I do not know him." Gui said, "The Reverend's countenance looks just like Reverend Jin! There is a mole on the bridge of the nose, and your facial features are similar to the Reverend here; there is no difference at all. You must be his transformation body!" The Reverend asked Cao Gui: "Upāsaka, you have come from Jiannan; what teaching does that Reverend expound?" Cao Gui replied: "He teaches no-recollection, no-thought, and do not be deluded. That day, when I took the vows and was leaving, Reverend Jin asked, 'Where is Gui going?' Gui replied, 'My parents are at home; I take my leave wishing to return and look after them.' Reverend Jin told Gui, 'Neither recollect nor think, let go of everything so it is bright and vast; see whether your parents exist or not!' That day, though I heard it, I did not understand it; now having presented it to the Reverend, upon hearing it I am enlightened!" From afar, he had an encounter with Reverend Jin. He then left Mount Helan and went to Lingzhou to obtain travel documents, intending to go to Jiannan to pay homage to Reverend Jin. But he was detained. Later, Yao Ciwang would not let him go, and Bhadanta Master Shi, Vinaya Master Biancai, Vinaya Master Huizhuang, and other bhadantas would not let him leave. In the tenth month of the second year of Zhide, leaving from North Ling, he went to Dingyuan City and to the regional commander of the Fengning Army, Yang Hanzhang, to obtain travel documents. The regional commander bitterly implored him to stay and asked the Reverend: "Is the Buddha Dharma present only in Jiannan, or is it present here as well? If both are the same, for what reason are you going?" The Reverend replied: "If one recognizes the mind and sees the nature, the Buddha Dharma is pervasive in all places. Yet because Wuzhu is in the stage of learning, and the kalyāṇamitra is in Jiannan, I have therefore traveled far to come to you, Regional Commander." He also asked the Reverend: "Who is the kalyāṇamitra?" The Reverend replied: "He is Reverend Wuxiang, whose secular surname is Jin, and whom the people of today call Reverend Jin." The regional commander prostrated himself and immediately issued the travel documents. Gradually traveling south, the Reverend reached Fengxiang, where he was again bitterly implored to stay by various bhadantas, but he did not remain. He then took the Mount Taibai route to enter and dwell on Mount Taibai. After completing one summer, he took the Xishui route and came out into South Liangzhou; the various monks and disciples bitterly implored him to stay, but he did not remain. In the first month of the second year of Qianyuan, he arrived at Jingquan Temple in Chengdu Prefecture. When he first arrived, he met Master Anqian, who led him to see Reverend Jin. When Reverend [Jin] saw him, he was extraordinarily delighted, and ordered Master Anqian to act as host and accommodate him in the lower cloister beneath the bell tower. That time happened to be the day for receiving the vows. That night, he received the vows along with the assembly. After three days and three nights, every day amidst the great assembly Reverend Jin called out in a loud voice: "Why do you not enter the mountain? What benefit is there in staying long?" The close attendants and disciples were puzzled: "Reverend Jin has never spoken such words; why does he suddenly utter this?" Reverend Wuzhu quietly entered the mountain. Later, Reverend Jin wondered why he did not come. Superior Kong and Superior Zou wished to get to know him, fearing that if they met later, neither would know who the other was. The Reverend said to Ni Chao: "Although I am here, I always see Reverend Jin. If we did not wish to know each other, even face to face we would be a thousand miles apart. I will explain a circumstantial origin to you once more. In the past, when the Buddha was alive, during the three summer months he expounded the Dharma for Lady Māyā in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. At that time, the kings of the sixteen great nations and all sentient beings were all recollecting the Buddha, and so they sent Mahāmaudgalyāyana to Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to invite the Buddha. When the Buddha descended to Jambudvīpa, Subhūti was in a stone chamber. Hearing that the Buddha was descending, he wished to leave the chamber, but thought to himself: 'I have heard the World-Honoured One say that if one is in samādhi, one sees me; if I go, even if I see his form-body, what benefit is there?' Thereupon he re-entered samādhi. At that time, the nun Utpalavarṇā wished to dispel her evil reputation, and so desired to see the Buddha first. The great kings, nāgas, deities, and the eight classes of beings surrounded him tightly, leaving no path to enter. She transformed her body into a great cakravartin king, surrounded by a thousand sons; the nāgas, deities, and kings all made way. The nun Utpalavarṇā returned to her original form, circumnavigated the World-Honoured One, joined her palms, and spoke a verse: 'I am the first to see the Buddha; / I am the first to bow to the Buddha.' Having spoken the verse, she paid homage and stood. At that time, the World-Honoured One told the nun: 'In this assembly...'

1.13.2

‘You are the very last.’ The nun said to the World-Honoured One, ‘In this assembly there are no arhats; why do you say I am the last?’ The World-Honoured One told the nun, ‘Subhūti was in his stone chamber, constantly in samādhi, and therefore he was able to see my dharmakāya. Even though you have come and seen my physical body, you are therefore behind.’ The Buddha gave explicit teaching on this; therefore Wuzhu did not go. Master Daoyi, who lived with him, practiced chanting and worshipful recitation, while the Master [Wuzhu] single-mindedly cut off all thoughts and deliberations and entered the realm of personal realisation. Daoyi and the other junior fellow-disciples said to the Master, ‘We ask to perform the repentance rituals during the six periods of the day; we prostrate and pray you will grant permission.’ The Master said to Daoyi and the others, ‘Here our provisions are entirely cut off, and people cannot transport goods into the deep mountains. If one cultivates practice according to the Dharma, why wish to study mad ways? None of this is correct. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra says: “When the mad mind does not cease, its cessation is bodhi.” The supreme, pure, and luminous mind is originally identical with the dharmadhātu. No-thought is indeed seeing the Buddha; having thought is indeed saṃsāra. If you wish to perform worship and recitation, then leave the mountain; down on the plains there are plenty of spacious and quiet temples. Go as you please. If you wish to live together with me, you must be single-mindedly in no-thought. If you can do so, live here as you will; if you cannot, you must go down the mountain.’ Seeing that his intention could not be fulfilled, Master Daoyi took leave of the Master and left Mount Tiancang, arriving at Jingquan Temple in Yizhou. He first met Prior Kong and others and said, ‘Chan Master Wuzhu in the mountains does not practice repentance, chanting, or recitation, but merely sits in idleness.’ When He Kong and the others heard this, they were extraordinarily astonished and said, ‘How could this be a leader of the Buddha-Dharma?’ Master Daoyi went to see Reverend Jin. Before Daoyi had finished bowing, He Kong and the others consulted Reverend Jin, saying, ‘Chan Master Wuzhu of Mount Tiancang merely sits in Chan idly; he is unwilling to perform worship and recitation, nor does he teach those living with him to do worship and recitation. How could such a matter be the Buddha-Dharma?’ Reverend Jin scolded He Kong, Daoyi, and the others: ‘Step back, you lot! When I was on the stage of learning, I did not even have time to eat; I merely sat in idleness, having no leisure even to relieve myself. You people do not understand. When I was at Mount Tiangu, I also did not do worship or recitation. When my fellow-disciples became angry, I still did not leave the mountain. With no one sending grain, I only refined earth for food and had no spare time. When I left the mountain, I single-mindedly sat in idleness. When Abbot Meng heard the fellow-disciples say that I sat in idleness, he slandered me to Reverend Tang. When Reverend Tang heard this, his joy doubled. While at Mount Tiangu, I did not even know of the slander. When I heard that Reverend Tang’s four elements were in disharmony, I went from Mount Tiangu to Dechun Temple in Zizhou. When Abbot Meng saw me coming, he would not let me into the temple. When Reverend Tang heard of my arrival, he sent someone to call me. When I arrived in front of the hall and had not yet finished bowing, Reverend Tang asked, “What work did you do at Mount Tiangu?” I answered, “I did nothing at all, only kept busy like this.” Reverend Tang said to me, “You were busy there, and I too was busy.” Reverend Tang knew what the assembly did not understand.’ The Master said, ‘Layman, the single branch of Patriarch Bodhidharma’s Buddha-Dharma that flowed to Jiannan is none other than Reverend Jin. If you do not receive the conditions [for teaching], it will be just like returning empty-handed from a mountain of jewels.’ Having heard this, Xuan joined his palms and stood up, saying, ‘Your disciple will go to Chengdu Prefecture at once to receive the conditions.’ The Master on the mountain knew that Reverend Jin in the mountains was distantly recollecting him. Knowing this recollection, he said to Xuan, ‘Here is half a catty of tea buds. Layman, take these tea buds as a token of faith and present them to Reverend Jin, conveying Wuzhu’s words: “I make prostrations to Reverend Jin.” If Reverend Jin asks about Wuzhu, say: “Wuzhu does not yet intend to come out of the mountains.”’ Xuan then took leave of the Master, and bringing the offered tea buds, arrived at Jingquan Temple in Chengdu Prefecture on the thirteenth day of the fourth month. Because the Reverend’s four bodily elements were in disharmony, absolutely no one was permitted to see him. Dong Xuan met Master Bodhi, who led him to see Reverend Jin, and he presented in full the tea buds offered by Chan Master Wuzhu and conveyed his prostrations. When Reverend Jin heard this and saw the tea buds, he was extremely pleased, and said to Dong Xuan, ‘Since Chan Master Wuzhu has sent a token of faith, why has he not come in person?’ Dong Xuan replied, ‘When Chan Master Wuzhu departs [one day, it will be so]; for now he does not yet intend to come out of the mountains.’ Reverend Jin asked Dong Xuan, ‘Who are you?’ Dong Xuan deceived Reverend Jin, answering, ‘I am Chan Master Wuzhu’s personal attendant disciple.’ Reverend Jin said to Dong Xuan, ‘On the day you return to Mount Baiya, I will have a token of faith to send. You must come to see me.’ On the fifteenth day, he saw Reverend Jin. Xuan wished to return to Mount Baiya and seek the Reverend’s instructions. At that time, [the Reverend] dismissed his personal attendants on the left and right, saying, ‘All of you go outside the hall,’ and then summoned Dong Xuan into the hall. The Reverend then took out a kāṣāya robe—the one in the human world—and showed it to Xuan, saying, ‘This was given by Empress Zetian to Reverend Shen, Reverend Shen gave it to Reverend Tang, Reverend Tang gave it to me, and I transmit it to Chan Master Wuzhu. Guard and cherish this robe through the ages; do not let people know of it.’ Having spoken, he choked with grief and tears, saying, ‘This robe has been directly transmitted from master to heir. Exert yourself, exert yourself!’ He then took off the kāṣāya from his body, the shoulder-cover, skirt, tunic, and sitting mat, seventeen items in all. ‘I am getting old. Take these robes and items and secretly deliver them to Chan Master Wuzhu. Convey my words: “Take good care of yourself and exert yourself, exert yourself! Before leaving the mountain, wait another three to five years; naturally an eminent person will welcome you, and then you may come out.”’ He then dispatched Dong Xuan to leave quickly: ‘Do not let anyone see you.’ After Dong Xuan had gone, Reverend Jin said, ‘Though this item sets out late, in the end it will surely arrive.’ Just when Reverend Jin was speaking, there was no one on his left or right. When the disciples outside the hall heard the sound of the Reverend’s voice, they all entered the hall at once and asked the Reverend, ‘Why were you speaking to yourself?’ ‘I was only speaking thus.’ Because Reverend Jin’s four elements were in disharmony, everyone harboured suspicions and asked the Reverend, ‘Where is the robe of verification transmitted from the past? Reverend, to whom has the Buddha-Dharma been entrusted?’ Reverend Jin said, ‘The Dharma has gone to a place without abiding [wuzhu]; the robe is hanging upon a wooden pole. Not a single person has obtained it.’ Reverend Jin said to the assembly, ‘This is not your realm; return, each of you, to your own places.’ On the fifteenth day of the fourth month of the first year, [the era name] was changed to the first year of Baoying, the fifth month, the fifteenth day. The distant entrustment having been completed, it came to the nineteenth day.

1.13.3

[Reverend Jin] ordered his disciples: "Bring me fresh, clean robes. I will bathe now." At the midnight hour, he solemnly underwent sitting transformation. When Minister Du, Vice Field Marshal and Palace Attendant, first arrived at Chengdu Prefecture, he had heard that Reverend Jin was inconceivable. Since the upādhyāya had passed away, there should have been a disciple to succeed him. He then went to Jingquan Temple and Hengshan Ningguo Temple to view the traces left by Reverend Jin during his lifetime. The minister inquired of the younger disciples: "Should there not be a disciple monk who succeeded him and received the robe and bowl?" The younger disciples replied: "No one succeeded him either. While the upādhyāya was alive, he had two kāṣāyas: one is at Hengshan Ningguo Temple, and one was left at Jingquan Temple for offerings." The minister did not believe them. He further questioned the vinaya masters: "I, Hongjian, have long heard that Reverend Jin was a kalyāṇamitra, and that from the predecessors downward, the robe and bowl were transmitted and entrusted from master to master. Now that Reverend Jin has passed away, where is the succeeding disciple?" The vinaya masters replied to the minister: "Chan Master Jin was a foreigner, a barbarian, and had no Buddhadharma. While alive, he did not speak much dharma, and his speech was imprecise. Though offerings and alms were abundant during his lifetime, he had only empty merit and virtue; his disciples also do not understand the Buddhadharma." With his discerning insight, the minister immediately knew these were all jealous words. He then returned to his residence and asked his trusted attendant clerical officers Ma Liang, Kang Ran, and others: "Do you know if there is a monk of lofty conduct, a bhadanta, in Jiannan?" Ma Liang replied: "In the courtyard, I often hear the regional military commanders say that in Mount Baiya, west of Can'ya Pass, there is Chan Master Wuzhu. He obtained Reverend Jin's robe and bowl and is the succeeding disciple. This Chan Master has deep and profound attainment in the practice, and has never left the mountain." Hearing this, the minister said to Ma Liang and the others: "I, Hongjian, have long heard that Reverend Jin was a great kalyāṇamitra. Yesterday I personally went to Hengshan Ningguo Temple and Jingquan Temple to ask Reverend Jin's personal disciples; they all said there was no succeeding disciple who obtained the robe and bowl. I also questioned the vinaya masters, and all of them spoke slander. Judging from these circumstances, Chan Master Wuzhu of Mount Baiya must indeed be a man of the Dao." Then, on the day of the grand court assembly, he asked the military commanders: "Do you know of any famous monks or bhadantas within this jurisdiction?" Deputy Military Commissioners Niu Wangxian, Li Lingying, Prince Guicheng, Dong Jiahui, Zhang Wen, Yin Qia, Zhang Yuguang, Zhang Zhen, Wei Luan, Qin Ti, and others advised the minister: "In Mount Baiya there is Chan Master Wuzhu. Reverend Jin's robe and bowl are in that Chan Master's possession; he is inconceivable." The minister asked Niu Wangxian and the others: "How do you know this?" They replied: "Wangxian was dispatched by Grand Master Gao to serve as Commissioner of the Shibei Camp. Because the bodhimanda was not far away, I frequently went to pay homage and thus know he is inconceivable." The minister asked again: "You just said the robe and bowl are there; who has verified the truth of this?" Qin Ti and Zhang Huang advised: "Ti and the others served as inspectors of the Left and Right Patrols. When Reverend Jin first entered extinction, the personal disciples of the two temples clamored and urged the Palace Attendant to speak to Grand Master Gao, saying: 'The exact truth of Reverend Jin's robe of verification is unknown, and they refuse to cremate it.' Grand Master Gao issued an order directing the Left and Right Patrol inspectors to investigate, establish the truth, and take custody of it. At that time, we only obtained two kāṣāyas, one for each of the two temples. We did not know where to search for the robe of verification. At that time, we did not know that in Mount Baiya, west of Can'ya Pass, there was Chan Master Wuzhu. Later, we were dispatched as company commanders leading cavalry to march into the western mountains to attack Danggo Castle. Before advancing the army, we camped at Shibei Camp, quartered near the bodhimanda. Ti and the military commanders brought offerings there. We saw that this Chan Master had the very same appearance as Reverend Jin. When Ti and the others first saw him, we thought he was Reverend Jin's transformation body. We made inquiries and tarried there, learning that Reverend Jin's robe and bowl had previously been sent by a messenger, but were concealed for two years and not delivered, and instead sold to a monk. On the night the monk obtained them, a spirit told him to return them to the original owner: 'If you do not return them, your life will surely be harmed.' The buyers told one another of this, and later, unable to sell them, they returned them to that Chan Master's place. When Ti and the others first investigated, we did not know where the kāṣāya was; now that it is here, we asked to pay homage to it, and he made no difficulty, immediately lifting the kāṣāya and bringing it out to display to the military commanders and brave officers. That is how we know it is there." Hearing this, the minister said: "Marvelous! Marvelous! Monks conceal the Buddhadharma worse than laypeople!" Deputy Military Commissioners Li Lingying, Zhang Wen, Niu Wangxian, Prince Guicheng, Xun Jiahui, Wei Luan, Qin Ti, and others then jointly signed a petition to invite the upādhyāya. The minister said to the military commanders: "Knowing of Chan Master Wuzhu, I myself intend to invite him." The minister dispatched Murong Ding of the Guanglu Office as a special envoy, immediately ordering official credentials to be issued. Along the route, prefectures and counties were to strictly prepare banners, flowers, monks, Daoists, elders, and music, and a county official with a hundred attendants was dispatched to go to the mountain to join in the invitation. Before the credentials were sent out, Little Master Jin and Great Master Zhang of the two temples, Jingquan and Ningguo, heard of the invitation to Reverend Wuzhu. Panicked and at a loss for measures, they conspired with the vinaya masters, plotting to commit demonic deeds. Previously, during Minister Yan's time, disciple Vinaya Master Xiao and others had entrusted the Grand Mistress to seize Reverend Jin's Chan cloister to make it a vinaya cloister, and Reverend Jin's Chan hall to make it a vinaya hall. Little Master Jin compromised to secure his safety, and Vinaya Master Xiao and others colluded together to make it a vinaya cloister, erecting a stele with text composed by Du Ang. Vinaya Master Zhang Zhiyu, Wang Yingyao, Little Master Jin, and Great Master Zhang urged Vice Director Du Ang; Vinaya Master Wang Yingyao and Attendant Wang Jian shared the same surname and recognized each other as brothers; they made requests through Grand Councillor Cui's wife, Lady Ren. After hosting a vegetarian feast, Little Master Jin lifted the kāṣāya donated by Grand Councillor Pei and presented it to the Grand Councillor and his lady. Little Master Jin wept and said: "This is the robe of verification handed down from above." The Grand Councillor said: "I have never known about this matter. The invitation to Chan Master Wuzhu is the minister's earnest wish; it has nothing to do with me." Du Ang and Wang Jian, out of factional prejudice, feared losing the vinaya cloister; turning back, they asked the vinaya masters: "What religious practice or attainment does this mountain monk Chan Master Wuzhu possess?" Vinaya Master Yingyao and others replied: "If you invite this Chan Master Wuzhu, he has no understanding whatsoever. Inviting this monk would be deeply disadvantageous." The monastics asked the Minister: "Why would it be disadvantageous?" The monastics replied: "There was a man who carved meritorious images in Wenzhou, and [made] a Pingde kāṣāya valued at twenty thousand cash. That Chan Master seized it and did not return the artisan's clothing!"

1.13.4

‘[The robe] was given to me by the Upādhyāya. He does not engage in formal practices of veneration and recitation. Judging from these traces, it is [alleged to be] unprofitable.’ The Grand Councillor of the monastics addressed the vinaya master, saying, ‘When Gan was previously Commissioner of Elite Troops in the Western Mountains, I already knew his state of mind. Why do you vinaya masters resort to false accusations against one another?’ Having spoken, he left his seat. The demon faction lost colour, left without recourse; the demonic affairs then ceased. On the twenty-third day of the ninth month of the second year of Yongtai, Murong Ding sent a special envoy along with county officials, monks, and Daoists to Mount Baiya to invite the Upādhyāya. Delivering the message from the Minister, the Grand Councillor, and the Army Supervisor, they requested, prostrating, ‘We pray that the Upādhyāya will not abandon his compassion, but will act as a great bridge for the people of the Three Shu regions,’ earnestly and urgently pleading. The Upādhyāya knew that the Minister was deeply versed in the Buddha Dharma and longed for the Great Vehicle, knew that the Grand Councillor was benevolent, kind, and magnanimous, and knew that the Army Supervisor revered the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. Ascertaining that they shared the same karmic conditions and gathering, he did not refuse what they requested. Thereupon, with banners, flowers, and jewelled canopies, the bhadantas of the various prefectures—fearing that the Upādhyāya might not leave Mount Baiya—also came to the mountain gate to join the invitation. They brought a jewelled palanquin to welcome the Upādhyāya, bidding him sit inside. The Upādhyāya would not accept it, but walked forward step by step at a leisurely pace. On the day he prepared to leave the mountain, the territory of Maozhou shook in six ways; the mountains and rivers roared, and the insects and birds cried out. The common people asked one another, ‘What auspicious omen is this?’ Seeing the envoys coming to escort the Upādhyāya, the local monks, nuns, Daoists, and laity repeatedly begged him to stay. The special envoy addressed the monks and laity, saying, ‘This is the earnest wish of the Minister and the Grand Councillor on behalf of the people of the Three Shu regions. How could you, on account of this single locality, restrict him and not allow him to leave?’ Before the Upādhyāya had left the mountain, bandits and rebels had arisen in rivalry, the harvests of the various prefectures had failed, the price of grain and rice had soared, and the common people were panicked and fearful. When the Minister and Grand Councillor welcomed the Upādhyāya out of the mountain, in every prefecture and county he reached, grain and rice became twice as cheap, the people were at peace and happy, the whole land yielded abundant harvests, bandits and rebels were completely eliminated, and all was peaceful and free of trouble. When the Upādhyāya arrived at the prefecture, the prefectural officials bowed to welcome him; when he reached the county, the county magistrate led the way. Every household hung banners, and every family burned incense. All declared, ‘The common people are blessed!’ Monks and laity filled the roads, crying aloud, ‘Reverend Wuxiang has gone; Reverend Wuzhu has come! This is the buddhas transmitting hand to hand, transformation continuing without end, lamp passing to lamp, the Dharma eye shining bright once more, the Dharma banner erected, and the Buddha Dharma practiced extensively!’ The Minister ordered Chief Administrator Qin Hua to welcome the Upādhyāya from afar. Chief Administrator Qin delivered the Minister’s words, saying, ‘Hongjian has suddenly taken ill with wind; I could not come far to welcome you, but on that day I shall pay prostrations.’ Duke Cui, Military Commissioner of Jiannan Xichuan, Vice Director of the Left, Grand Master of the Secretariat, and Mayor of Chengdu, ordered Chief Military Judge Wang Xiu, Chu Yan, Director of the Directorate of Palace Buildings Li Junzhao, and Front-Court Judge Du Zhang to deliver the Grand Councillor’s message: ‘I prostrate to the Upādhyāya. As the host of this land, disciple should have come far to welcome you. But because the Minister suffers from wind disease, disciple and the Army Supervisor did not dare come ahead of him. We pray that the Upādhyāya will examine this with understanding.’ Having delivered the message, they at once guided the Upādhyāya to Konghui Temple to settle him. This was the twenty-ninth day of the ninth month. On the first day of the tenth month, Minister Du, Army Supervisor Wu, various gentlemen of the ministries, Court Attendants, Administrative Assistant of Dongchuan Du Ji, Campaign Judge Du Zang, Tribute Commissioner of the South and Vice Censor-in-Chief Xianyu Qiming, Gentlemen Yang Yan, Du Ya, Dou Ang, Ma Xiong, and Cen Shen, Surveillance Judge and Supernumerary Li Bu, Supernumerary Liu Zihua, Green Sprouts Commissioner Wu Yu, Rent and Corvée Commissioner Wei Xiayou, Court Attendants Di Boji, Cui Kang, Cui Ti, Wang Jian, Su Chang, and Sima Lian, the two Vice Mayors Cheng Ben and Bai Zifang, and the two County Magistrates Ban Xun and others came first to inform the Upādhyāya, saying, ‘The Minister has come to pay a visit.’ The Upādhyāya replied, ‘If he comes, let him come.’ The Chief Administrators and others said to the Upādhyāya, ‘The Minister of State is eminent and honored; you ought to go out to welcome him.’ The Upādhyāya replied, ‘It is not proper to welcome him. To welcome him is human sentiment; not to welcome him is the Buddha Dharma.’ As the Chief Administrator was about to speak again, the Minister entered the courtyard and saw the Upādhyāya, whose demeanor was unmoved, solemn and serene. The Minister threw himself down before the steps, prostrating with palms joined, and inquired after his health. The various gentlemen and Court Attendants had never seen such a thing; seeing at first glance that the Upādhyāya did not welcome him, they looked at each other in pairs and asked, ‘For what reason does he neither welcome him nor rise?’ The Gentlemen Yang Yan and Du Ya, who had served the Minister for a long time, said, ‘[The Minister] deeply understands the meaning and is also versed in the words of the Buddha Dharma. Gentlemen, observe this Chan master: he must surely possess the Way. The Minister discerns it for himself; what need is there to find it strange?’ That day, outside the gate, when the Deputy Military Commissioner and the Chief Military Judge first heard that the Upādhyāya did not rise upon seeing the Minister, they shook with fear and lost colour, sweating profusely. They sent someone to listen secretly, awaiting further orders. But they saw that the Minister sat at ease, talking and laughing, while the Upādhyāya preached the Dharma; the Minister joined his palms and touched his forehead to the ground, and all the officials were delighted. When the people outside the gate heard this, they were no longer anxious. When the Minister first sat down, he asked the Upādhyāya, ‘For what reason did you come here?’ The Upādhyāya said, ‘I came from afar to take refuge with Reverend Jin.’ The Minister asked again, ‘Where were you before? Now you have come from afar to take refuge with Reverend Jin; what teaching did the Reverend preach?’ Wuzhu replied, ‘I was at Zengtai Mountain, Baofu Temple, Fenzhou, and Helan Mountain; sitting there, I heard that Reverend Jin was preaching the sudden teaching. Therefore, I came from afar to take refuge.’ The Minister asked, ‘Reverend Jin taught “no-recollection, no-thought, do not be deluded”—is this so?’ The Upādhyāya answered, ‘It is.’ The Minister asked again, ‘Are these three phrases one, or are they three?’ The Upādhyāya answered, ‘They are one, not three. No-recollection is the precepts; no-thought is concentration; do not be deluded is wisdom.’ He also said, ‘When thought does not arise, that is the gate of precepts; when thought does not arise, that is the gate of concentration; when thought does not arise, that is the gate of wisdom. No-thought is the complete fulfillment of precepts, concentration, and wisdom.’ The Minister asked again, ‘As for this character wang (delusion/falsehood), is it written with "female" under "perish", or with "mind" under "perish"?’ The Upādhyāya answered, ‘With "female" under "perish".’ ‘Is there any scriptural proof for this?’ The Upādhyāya further quoted the Dharmapada Sūtra, saying, ‘"When all teachings on vigor are taught, they are taught for those of excessive conceit. If there is no excessive conceit, there is neither good nor vigor. If one gives rise to a mind of vigor, that is delusion (wang), not vigor. If one can keep the mind free from delusion, vigor will have no boundary."’ When the Minister heard this, he said to the Upādhyāya, ‘Do you see the tree before the courtyard?’ The Upādhyāya answered, ‘I see it.’ The Minister asked again, ‘Beyond the rear wall there is a tree; do you see it?’ The Upādhyāya answered, ‘I see it. Not to speak merely of front and back, in the worlds of the ten directions, all is seen and all is heard.’ A crow called out from the tree before the courtyard. The Minister asked the Upādhyāya again, ‘Do you hear it?’ The Upādhyāya answered, ‘This is seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing.’

1.13.5

"…are worldly seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing. The Vimalakīrti Sūtra states: 'If one practices seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing, that is just seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing.' No-thought is no-seeing; no-thought is no-knowing. It is because sentient beings have thought that 'no-thought' is provisionally spoken of. At the very moment of no-thought, no-thought does not [exist of] itself. It also cites the Diamond Sūtra, saying: 'The Venerable One, the Great Awakened Honoured One, / Spoke the Dharma of producing no-thought. / With no-thought there is no arising mind; / The mind constantly arises without ceasing.' It also cites the Vimalakīrti Sūtra, saying: 'Non-practice is bodhi, because there is no recollecting or thinking. Constantly seek no-thought, the wisdom of the true mark.' The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra states: 'What the noble ones internally realize / Constantly abides in no-thought.' The Śūraṅgama Sūtra states: 'Ānanda, when you stir your mind, defilements first arise.' It also states: 'Seeing is still apart from seeing; seeing cannot reach it.' The Viśeṣacinti-brahma-paripṛcchā Sūtra states: 'How are all dharmas correct? How are all dharmas wrongful? If one discriminates with the mind, all dharmas are wrongful. If one does not discriminate with the mind, all dharmas are correct. In dharmas without mind, to give rise to mind and discriminate—all of these are wrongful.' The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra states: 'Seeing the Buddha and hearing the Dharma are all discrimination of one's own mind. Not giving rise to views is called seeing the Buddha.'"

The minister, having heard this, bowed down to the upādhyāya and addressed him, saying, "Hongjian has heard that before the upādhyāya came down from the mountain, Hongjian went to Jingquan Temple and Ningguo Temple to view Reverend Jin's traces; he was a great kalyāṇamitra. I thus knew that Jiannan must still have a kalyāṇamitra. Hongjian questioned all the monk-teachers far and wide about Reverend Jin's three phrases and the character 'delusion' (wang). All said, 'With

1.13.6

[...and] die and fall into hell." When Dharma Master Wuying heard this, he turned sideways and sat askew. The upādhyāya asked the Dharma master, "How many kinds of the indeterminate (avyākṛta) are there?" The Dharma master replied, "Maturation indeterminate, transformation indeterminate, technical indeterminate, and comportment indeterminate." The upādhyāya asked again, "Which one is the determinate?" The Dharma master replied, "The sixth, the mental consciousness, is determinate." The upādhyāya said, "The sixth consciousness is an inverted consciousness. That all sentient beings do not transcend the three realms is entirely due to the mental consciousness. When thought does not arise, one immediately transcends the three realms. All who shave their heads and hair are disciples of the Buddha; there is no need to study the determinate, nor should one study the indeterminate. Dharma masters nowadays entirely study the indeterminate and do not abide in the Great Vehicle. What is the Great Vehicle? Inner self-realisation and immobility—this is the unsurpassed Great Vehicle. My unsurpassed Great Vehicle transcends names and words; its meaning is extremely clear, yet foolish people cannot awaken to it. Awakening to all mental consciousnesses as empty, tranquil, and unproduced is what is named 'awakening'." Dharma Master Wuying was silenced and had no words to offer. The upādhyāya said, "There are two kinds of the indeterminate: first, the obstructed indeterminate; second, the unobstructed indeterminate. From the sixth consciousness to the five consciousnesses of the eye and so forth, all belong to the obstructed indeterminate. From below the sixth consciousness down to the eighth consciousness, all belong to the unobstructed indeterminate. These are all forced designations. Adding a ninth consciousness as the pure consciousness is also a false establishment." The upādhyāya cited the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra: "The various eight and nine consciousnesses / Are like the multitude of waves upon the ocean. / Karmic impressions ever increase; / Deep-rooted, firm, they are relied upon. / Mind flows along with the cognitive objects, / Just as iron [is drawn] to a lodestone. / When the rushing torrent of water is exhausted, / The waves then do not arise. / In this way, when the mental consciousness is extinguished, / The various consciousnesses do not arise. / The various mind-made bodies / I declare to be mere mind. / Attaining the dharma without signs of thought, / They are sons of the Buddha, not śrāvakas." When Dharma Master Wuying heard this, he could only praise it as inconceivable. The upādhyāya asked again, "The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra says, 'Extracting a wedge with a wedge.' What does this mean?" Dharma Master Wuying replied, "It is like splitting wood: one first drives in a large wedge, and then drives in a small wedge to make the large wedge come out." The upādhyāya told the Dharma master, "If the small wedge extracts the large wedge, once the large wedge is out, the small wedge is still left inside. How can this be extracting a wedge with a wedge?" The Dharma master had no further words to dare respond. The upādhyāya then explained: "The [first] wedge is a metaphor for the afflictions of sentient beings; the [second] wedge is provisionally applied to the spoken teachings of the Buddhas and Tathāgatas. When the wedge of afflictions is gone, the Dharma does not exist on its own. It is like when there is an illness, a prescription is given; if the illness is cured, the prescription and medicine are both discarded. Now Dharma masters cling to the verbal teachings, like a sick person who clings to the prescription and cannot take the medicine, unable to abandon words—just like a wedge remaining in the wood. The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra says: 'Just as when pointing at an object with a finger, a small child looks at the finger and does not look at the object; following the words that point, one generates attachment, and even unto the end of life, is ultimately unable to abandon the finger of words.'" The upādhyāya again asked the Dharma master about the meaning of the Three Jewels and the Four Noble Truths, and asked about the meaning of the three bodies (trikāya). The Dharma master dared not reply further, only praising it as inconceivable. When the vice director heard the Dharma preached, his joy doubled: "That day, this disciple was afraid that the upādhyāya, having long resided in the mountain gates, would fear audience and not be able to answer the minister, which caused deep anxiety. This was purely because among the masters and monks of the Three Rivers, there was not a single person who could respond to the minister's satisfaction. As soon as the minister saw the upādhyāya, he told this disciple, 'A true person of the Way is natural, extraordinary, and profoundly distinct from the other monks!' and praised him as inconceivable. When this disciple heard what the minister said, my joy knew no bounds. This disciple was blessed, and my worries instantly vanished. The military generals were all comforted and joyful beyond words!" He then prostrated. At that time, there was Master Tiwu of the Eastern Capital, an outstanding figure among monks, who sought out masters everywhere. In the monastic rules, deportment, and various ritual matters, he was intelligent and versatile, and was also called a Chan master. He was a disciple of Chan Master Hongzheng of Shengshan Temple. Together with Dou Chengfang and Li Qutai of Jinyuan, and Administrative Assistant Zhou Qia of Qingcheng and others, he sought out and questioned the upādhyāya, going straight to the Chan hall. Seeing them arrive, the upādhyāya gave an acknowledging nod, and each took a seat. Tiwu asked the upādhyāya, "Whose disciple are you? Whose lineage-doctrine is yours?" The upādhyāya answered, "It is the Buddha's lineage-doctrine; I am a disciple of the Buddha." The upādhyāya told him, "Ācārya, shaving your hair and wearing the robes makes you a disciple of the Buddha; what need is there to ask? The master's lineage-doctrine relies on the sutras of definitive meaning, not on the sutras of non-definitive meaning. If you have doubts, feel free to ask." Tiwu, knowing that the upādhyāya was a disciple of Reverend Jin, made disparaging remarks: "Rarely seen in Jiannan! If people do not give rise to thoughts, when a Chan master strikes someone, he says he does not strike; when he is angry at someone, he says he is not angry; when an alms offering comes and he accepts it, he says he does not accept it. Tiwu profoundly fails to understand this matter." The upādhyāya answered, "When practising prajñāpāramitā, one sees neither one who requites kindness nor one who performs kindness. There is already nothing received; not yet complete, the Buddha-dharma also does not extinguish reception. From my first generation of the aspiration [for awakening] until now, Wuzhu has never accepted an alms offering as small as a single hair." When Tiwu heard this, he looked at the officials and said, "The Chan master's words are very bold." The upādhyāya asked Tiwu, "Ācārya, you yourself profess to be a Chan master. Why do you give rise to thoughts to strike people, give rise to thoughts to be angry at people, and give rise to thoughts to accept offerings?" Tiwu, knowing himself that he had lost the principle, was startled and paled, remaining silent for a long time. He then asked the upādhyāya, "Do you understand the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra or not?" The upādhyāya answered, "To understand is not to understand." The officials, taking Tiwu's side, said to the upādhyāya, "Chan master, just explain it; what need is there to interrogate each other?" The upādhyāya informed the officials, "If I speak, I fear people will not believe it." The officials replied, saying, "We believe the upādhyāya; please speak." [The upādhyāya said,] "If I explain it fully, perhaps someone hearing it will have their mind crazed and disordered, harbor doubts and not believe." He then cited the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra: "The foolish delight in false explanations / And do not hear true wisdom. / Verbal explanations are the cause of the three sufferings; / The truth is the cause of the cessation of suffering. / Verbal explanations are subject to change; / The truth is free from words. / Toward the mind and objects of false signs, / The foolish produce two kinds of views. / Not recognising the mind and conditions, / They immediately give rise to two false signs. / Fully understanding the mind and cognitive objects, / False signs then do not arise." Tiwu, trying to salvage his position, cited the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra on there being three vehicles. The upādhyāya cited the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra: "Those foolish people..."

1.13.7

[They] teach that there are three vehicles, not teaching mind-only. Without objects, the mind has no sensation or awareness; when stirring thought is generated, that is the snare of Māra." He also cited the Viśeṣacintā-[brahma-paripṛcchā]-sūtra: "Why are all dharmas correct? Why are all dharmas wrong? If one discriminates with the mind, then all dharmas are wrong. If one does not discriminate with the mind, all dharmas are correct. In dharmas without mind, generating mind and discriminating—all of this is wrong." There was Chan Master Huiyi, whom people of the time called the Mountain Monk Li. He asked the Upādhyāya, "How do Chan masters in the north practice and engage?" The Upādhyāya answered the Chan master, "Neither south nor north; neither entering practice nor exiting practice. No gain, no loss; no flowing, no pouring; no sinking, no floating—completely alive and kicking." Having heard this, Huiyi joined his palms, knocked his head on the ground, and sat down. There were Masters Yijing, Chumo, and Tangyun, all disciples of Chan Master Huiming, who came wishing to discuss the Buddha-Dharma with the Upādhyāya. Seeing them, the Upādhyāya asked, "Which sūtras and treatises do you ācāryas understand?" Master Tangyun answered, "I understand the Hundred Dharmas, and have lectured on them for monks." The Upādhyāya requested [an explanation]. Tangyun replied, "Internally there are five asamskṛta [dharmas], and externally there are five saṃskṛta [groups of dharmas], which encompass all dharmas." The Upādhyāya cited the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra: "As for the conditioned and the unconditioned, / if one is a practitioner, / one should not give rise to discrimination. / Sūtra after sūtra speaks of false characteristics, / yet in the end they do not transcend names. / If one is free from speech, / there is also nothing to be spoken." Tangyun said to Master Yijing, "Please, ācārya, ask further." Yijing then asked the Upādhyāya, "Chan Master, in what way do you sit in meditation?" The Upādhyāya answered, "Chan without arising, just like that." Yijing did not understand on his own, and asked Chumo, "What is the meaning of this?" Chumo also did not understand, and bade Master Yijing ask something else. The Upādhyāya, knowing they did not understand, then asked Yijing, "Which sūtras and treatises do you, ācārya, understand?" He answered, "I understand the Bodhisattva Precepts, and have lectured on them for monks." The Upādhyāya asked, "What do the precepts take as their essence? What do they take as their meaning?" Yijing had no words to reply, and immediately blurted out foul language: "It is not that I do not understand; I was merely testing you! As for such strange Chan, I despise it and will not practice it." Chumo chimed in, "I despise your dullness and will not do it! I despise its suffocation and will not practice it! I am lazy and despise doing it! I am indolent and despise entering it!" The Upādhyāya told the monks, "The principle of suchness is endowed with all-knowledge; the supreme great vehicle transcends names and words. Its meaning is very clear, but foolish people do not perceive or know it. Wuzhu will tell you ācāryas a parable. There was a village where, in the early morning, a small child was crying aloud. A neighbor heard the sound and went to look, seeing the mother angrily beating him. The neighbor asked, 'Why are you beating him?' The mother replied, 'Because he wet the bed.' The neighbor scolded the mother, 'This child is young; why beat him?' Then another sound of weeping was heard. The neighbor heard it and went to inquire, seeing a grown man, thirty years of age, whose mother was flogging him with a cane. The neighbor asked, 'For what reason are you whipping him?' The mother answered, 'He wet the bed.' When the neighbor heard this, he said, 'This old fellow most likely did it on purpose; he truly deserves to be beaten!' Monks of this sort are like elephants and horses that are intractable and untamed; they must be subjected to painful beatings, even cutting to the bone." The Upādhyāya spoke for them again: "If you wish to seek the joy of quiescent cessation, / you should learn the śramaṇa's dharma. / No-mind, free from the conscious mind— / this is precisely the śramaṇa's dharma. You ācāryas shave your heads and don the robes, saying of yourselves, 'I am a disciple of the Buddha,' yet you are unwilling to learn the śramaṇa's dharma, only saying you are indolent to do it, lazy to do it, despise its dullness and will not enter it. These are not śramaṇas or sons of the Śākya clan; they are of the jackal's kind. The Buddha gave clear text: 'In future ages there will be those who wear the kāṣāya, falsely speaking of existence, destroying my true Dharma. Just as pointing at an object with a finger: the foolish ordinary person looks at the finger and does not look at the object. Following the spoken finger, they give rise to attachment, even until their life ends, never able to relinquish the finger of written words. Following words they seize meanings and establish various dharmas. Because of their establishment, at death they fall into hell.'" When the monks heard this spoken, they were flustered, lost their color, and departed. The monk Master Jingzang of Shengguang Temple in the Western Capital heard that the Upādhyāya was inconceivable, and came from afar to seek refuge with the Upādhyāya. The Upādhyāya asked, "How do you know [I am] inconceivable?" Master Jingzang answered, "I know that Reverend Jin's robe and bowl were transmitted to the Upādhyāya." The Upādhyāya asked, "How do you know?" Jingzang answered, "Monks and laity all say that the Upādhyāya directly received Reverend Jin's Dharma in lineage. I, this petty master, am most fortunate and blessed to have met the Upādhyāya." Having spoken, he made prostrations. The Upādhyāya asked, "What sūtras and treatises did you study before?" He answered, "I, this petty master, have read commentaries on the Vimalakīrti[-nirdeśa-sūtra], and have also practiced sitting in meditation, following the tenets of Taibai." The Upādhyāya immediately taught the Dharma for him: "No-recollection is the Way; not contemplating is Chan. A master neither grasps nor rejects, and when sense-objects come, does not condition them. If you read commentaries, that is just the clamor and agitation of thinking about marks. If you study the tenets of Taibai, sitting in meditation according to tenets is just mental marks grasping conditions. If you wish to stay here, everything you have learned throughout your life must not remain in your mind." He asked Jingzang, "Can you do this?" He answered, "I can. May the Upādhyāya compassionately instruct me, and I will conform entirely to the Upādhyāya's model." The Upādhyāya, observing that Jingzang was capable of being a vessel of the Dharma, taught the Dharma for him again: "If a single thing is in the mind, you will not transcend the three realms. Existence of dharmas is conventional truth; having no nature is the ultimate truth. Being free from all marks is called the Buddhas. No-thought is marklessness; having thought is empty falsehood. No-thought transcends the three realms; having thought remains in the three realms. No-thought has no right; no-thought has no wrong. No-thought has no self; no-thought has no other. When both self and other are transcended, one accomplishes the bodhi of the Buddhas. At the time of correct thought, no-thought does not arise of itself." Hearing this spoken, Jingzang was overjoyed, and immediately requested the Upādhyāya to change his dharma name to Chaozang, and he stayed by his side attending him without leaving. Master Zhiyi, a disciple of Chan Master Jue of Kaiyuan Temple in Longzhou, whom people of the time called the Straightforward Monk, came to seek refuge with the Upādhyāya. The Upādhyāya asked, "Where do you come from?" Master Zhiyi answered, "I come from Longzhou." The Upādhyāya asked, "Whose disciple are you?" Master Zhiyi answered, "The disciple of Upādhyāya Jue."

First 7 of 14 passages. Read on

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曆代法寶記 — Classical Chinese