景德傳燈錄 28.6

English (machine translation) 28.6

Language: English

28.6.1

Master Dazhu Huihai of Yuezhou ascended the hall and said: "All of you are fortunately fine, people of no-affairs. Why strive desperately to make contrivances, wishing to carry a cangue and drop into hell? Daily until night you rush about, saying, 'I practice Chan, study the Way, and understand the Buddha-Dharma.' In this way, there is all the more no connection [to it]. You merely run after sound and form—when will there ever be a rest? This poor monk heard the Master of Jiangxi say: 'Your own treasury is fully equipped with everything. Use it freely without relying on external seeking.' Since then, I rested all at once; my own wealth is used as it attends my person, which may truly be called delightful. There is not a single dharma to be grasped; there is not a single dharma to be abandoned. I do not see the mark of arising and ceasing of a single dharma; I do not see the mark of coming and going of a single dharma. Throughout the realms of the ten directions, there is not even a speck of dust that is not one's own wealth. Only examine your own mind closely. The Three Jewels of one identical substance are constantly present of themselves, with nothing to doubt or ponder. Do not ruminate; do not seek. The nature of the mind is originally pure. Therefore the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'All dharmas are unarisen; all dharmas are unceasing. If one can understand in this way, the Buddhas will constantly appear before one.' Furthermore, the Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: 'To contemplate the real mark of sound, one contemplates the Buddha likewise.' If you do not stir thoughts following sound and form, and do not generate understanding by chasing appearances, you will naturally be without affairs. Do not stand for long. Take care!" On that day the great assembly gathered widely and did not disperse for a long time. The Master said: "Why are you all still here and not leaving? This poor monk has already presented it face to face. Are you still willing to rest? What matter is there to doubt? Do not misuse your mind and waste your energy in vain. If there is any doubtful matter, I leave it entirely to you all to ask freely at once." At that time, a monk named Fayuan asked: "What is the Buddha? What is the Dharma? What is the Saṅgha? What are the Three Jewels of one identical substance? We pray that the Master will deign to instruct us." The Master said: "The mind is the Buddha; there is no need to use the Buddha to seek the Buddha. The mind is the Dharma; there is no need to use the Dharma to seek the Dharma. Buddha and Dharma are not two; harmonious integration is the Saṅgha. This is the Three Jewels of one identical substance. A sūtra says: 'Mind, Buddha, and sentient beings—these three are without distinction.' When body, speech, and mind are pure, it is called the Buddha appearing in the world. When the three karmas are impure, it is called the Buddha passing into extinction. By analogy, when angry there is no joy, and when joyful there is no anger; there is only one mind, truly without two substances. Fundamental wisdom is naturally non-outflow and present before you. Just as a snake turning into a dragon does not alter its scales, when sentient beings turn their minds around to become Buddhas, they do not alter their faces. Nature is originally pure and does not depend on cultivation for completion. To have realization and cultivation is to be equal to one with exaggerated pride. True emptiness has no obstruction; it responds and exists endlessly, without beginning and without end. For those of sharp faculties who suddenly awaken, its functioning is without equal; this is anuttarā bodhi. The mind without physical form is itself the subtle and wonderful form-body. The absence of marks is itself the real-mark Dharma-body. The emptiness of the substance of nature and marks is itself the boundless body of empty space. Ornamented with the myriad practices, it is itself the Dharma-body of merit. This Dharma-body is indeed the root of the myriad transformations. Names are established according to context: its functioning of wisdom being inexhaustible is called the Inexhaustible Treasury; its ability to give birth to the myriad dharmas is called the Fundamental Dharma Treasury; possessing all wisdom, it is the Wisdom Treasury; the myriad dharmas returning to suchness is called the Tathāgatagarbha. A sūtra says: '"Tathāgata" means the suchness of all dharmas.' It also says: 'Among all arising and ceasing dharmas of the world, there is not a single dharma that does not return to suchness.'" At that time someone asked: "This disciple does not yet know among Vinaya masters, Dharma masters, and Chan masters, which is the most superior. We pray the Upādhyāya will compassionately point it out." The Master said: "As for the Vinaya master, he opens the treasury of the Vinaya Dharma and transmits the bequeathed style of the lifespan [of the teaching]. He clearly understands upholding and violating, and comprehends exceptions and prohibitions. Holding the dignified deportment, he practices the behavioral standards. Repeating the three karmavācanās, he generates the initial cause for the four fruits. Were he not an elder of long standing and eminent virtue, how would he dare act casually? As for the Dharma master, he sits upon the lion throne and pours forth an eloquence like a suspended river. Facing the crowded and vast assembly, he unbars the profound gate. He opens the wondrous gate of prajñā, giving freely with the three wheels equally empty. Were he not a dragon-elephant treading forth, how could he dare undertake this? As for the Chan master, he grasps the crucial pivot and directly clarifies the mind-source. Appearing and disappearing, rolling up and unfurling, he responds freely to phenomena. Harmonizing principle and phenomena, he suddenly sees the Tathāgata. Pulling out the deep root of birth and death, he attains the samādhi manifested before him. If one does not calm the mind in Chan and tranquilize thought, upon arriving here one will inevitably be thoroughly bewildered. Giving the Dharma according to faculties, the three trainings are indeed different; but when one grasps the meaning and forgets words, what difference is there in the One Vehicle? Thus a sūtra says: 'In the Buddha-lands of the ten directions, there is only the Dharma of the One Vehicle—neither two nor three—except for the Buddha's provisional explanations, merely using provisional names and words to guide sentient beings.'" [The questioner] said: "The Upādhyāya deeply realizes the Buddha's intent and has attained unobstructed eloquence." He also asked: "How are the three teachings of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism identical or different?" The Master said: "When those of great capacity use them, they are identical. When those of small faculties cling to them, they are different. They all arise in function from the one nature; difference in faculties and views makes them three. Delusion and awakening depend on the person, not on identity or difference in the teachings." Daoguang, a lecture master of the Yogācāra school, asked: "With what mind does the Chan master cultivate the Way?" The Master said: "This old monk has no mind to use and no Way to cultivate." [Daoguang] said: "Since you have no mind to use and no Way to cultivate, why do you gather the assembly every day and urge people to study Chan and cultivate the Way?" The Master said: "This old monk does not even have ground enough to plant an awl; in what place would I gather an assembly? This old monk has no tongue; when have I ever urged people?" [Daoguang] said: "The Chan master lies face-to-face!" The Master said: "This old monk does not even have a tongue to urge people; how could I know how to lie?" [Daoguang] said: "I really do not understand the Chan master's discussion." The Master said: "This old monk does not understand either." Zhi, a lecture master of the Avataṃsaka school, asked: "Why does the Chan master not accept that 'the lush green bamboo is entirely the Dharma-body, and the exuberant yellow blossoms are nothing other than prajñā'?" The Master said: "The Dharma-body has no physical form; it takes form in response to the green bamboo. Prajñā has no cognition; it manifests appearances facing the yellow blossoms. It is not that yellow blossoms and green bamboo possess prajñā and the Dharma-body. Thus a sūtra says: 'The Buddha's true Dharma-body is just like empty space; responding to things, it manifests forms, like the moon in the water.' If the yellow blossoms were prajñā, prajñā would be identical to the insentient. If the green bamboo were the Dharma-body, could the green bamboo still respond and function? Does the lecture master understand?" [Zhi] said: "I do not understand this meaning." The Master said: "If one is a person who has seen the nature, to say it is so is acceptable, and to say it is not so is also acceptable. One speaks according to function, without stagnating in right and wrong. If one is a person who has not seen the nature, when speaking of green bamboo one clings to green bamboo; when speaking of yellow blossoms one clings to yellow blossoms; when speaking of the Dharma-body one stagnates in the Dharma-body; when speaking of prajñā one does not recognize prajñā. Therefore, all turns into dispute." Zhi bowed, gave thanks, and left. Someone asked: "Cultivating with the mind, after how long will one attain liberation?" The Master said:

28.6.2

To use the mind to cultivate practice is like using slippery mud to wash away dirt. The profound mystery of prajñā is originally unborn; when its great function appears before you, it is without regard to time." [A monk] asked, "Can an ordinary person also attain it like this?" The master said, "One who sees the nature is no ordinary person. Sudden awakening to the supreme vehicle transcends both the ordinary and the sacred. Deluded people discourse on the ordinary and the sacred; awakened people transcend saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. Deluded people speak of phenomena and principle; the great function of awakened people is boundless. Deluded people seek attainment and seek realization; awakened people are without attainment and without seeking. Deluded people anticipate distant kalpas; awakened people see it suddenly." A lecturer on the Vimalakīrti[-nirdeśa-sūtra] asked, "The sūtra says: 'Those six teachers of non-Buddhist paths are your teachers. Since you left home under them, where those teachers fall, you also will fall. Those who give alms to you do not find a field of merit; those who make offerings to you will fall into the three evil destinies. Slandering the Buddha, reviling the Dharma, and not entering the assembly of the Saṅgha, you will never attain extinction. If you are like this, only then may you take food.' Now I ask the Chan master to explain this clearly." The master said, "Those who are deluded and follow the six sense faculties are called the 'six teachers.' Seeking the Buddha outside the mind is called a 'non-Buddhist path.' When there is a thing to be given, it is not called a 'field of merit.' Giving rise to a mind that receives offerings causes one to fall into the three evil destinies. If you can slander the Buddha, that is not clinging to seeking the Buddha; reviling the Dharma is not clinging to seeking the Dharma; not entering the assembly of the Saṅgha is not clinging to seeking the Saṅgha; never attaining extinction means the functioning of wisdom is manifested before you. If one has such an understanding, one immediately attains the food of Dharma-delight and Chan joy." A practitioner asked, "Someone who, when asked about the Buddha, answers 'Buddha,' and when asked about the Dharma, answers 'Dharma'—this is called the 'one-word Dharma-gate.' I wonder whether that is correct?" The master said, "It is like a parrot learning human speech; it cannot speak for itself because it has no wisdom. It is like using water to wash water, or using fire to burn fire; there is no meaning or purpose in it at all." Someone asked, "Are 'speech' and 'phrase' the same or different?" The master said, "A single character is called 'speech'; when it forms a clause, it is called a 'phrase.' Now, take an eloquent speaker whose words flow on and on, like water flowing in a great river, or whose swift faculties are stacked upon one another, like pearls rolling from a round vessel. Thus, Guo Xiang was called a hanging river, and the spring oriole was called an ocean of meaning. This is 'phrasing.' 'Speech' means a single character expressing the mind: internally revealing the profound and subtle, externally manifesting wonderful forms. When ten thousand triggers agitate, it is not disturbed; when the clear and turbid are mixed together, it is always distinguished. When the King of Qi came to this point, he still felt ashamed before the minister's words; when Mañjuśrī came to this point, he still sighed in admiration at Vimalakīrti's statement. How can ordinary people nowadays understand this?" Vinaya Master Yuan asked, "The Chan master constantly speaks of 'the mind itself is the Buddha,' but this cannot be so. Even a bodhisattva of the first ground can manifest bodies in a hundred Buddha worlds, and on the second ground it increases tenfold. Let the Chan master try to display supernatural powers, and we shall see!" The master said, "Is the ācārya himself an ordinary person or a sage?" He said, "An ordinary person." The master said, "Since you are an ordinary monk, how can you ask about such a realm? A sūtra says: 'Good sir, because your mind has high and low, it does not rely on Buddha-wisdom.' This refers to just such a case." He asked again, "The Chan master always says that if one awakens to the Way in this present body, one is liberated immediately. This cannot be so." The master said, "If a person does good all his life, and suddenly steals something into his hands, is he a thief in that very body?" He said, "Certainly he is." The master said, "If right now one clearly sees the nature, why should one not attain liberation?" He said, "Right now it is certainly impossible; one must pass through three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas before one can attain it." The master said, "Are there still counts to an asaṃkhyeya kalpa?" Yuan raised his voice and said, "Can the principle of comparing a thief to liberation hold up?" The master said, "The ācārya himself does not understand the Way, yet you must not hinder everyone else from understanding it. Your own eyes do not open, yet you are angry that everyone else sees things." Yuan's face changed color and he left, saying, "Though he is old, he is completely without the Way." The master said, "That which just walked away is your Way." Lecturer Hui, who taught cessation and contemplation (zhiguan), asked, "Can the Chan master distinguish Māra?" The master said, "When a mind arises, that is the heavenly Māra; when no mind arises, that is the skandha Māra; whether arising or not arising, that is the kleśa Māra. In my true Dharma, there is no such thing." He asked, "What about the meaning of the three contemplations in one mind?" The master said, "The past mind has already passed; the future mind has not yet arrived; the present mind does not abide. In between these, with what mind will you give rise to contemplation?" He said, "The Chan master does not understand cessation and contemplation." The master said, "Does the lecturer understand it?" He said, "I understand it." The master said, "Like the Great Master Zhiyi, when speaking of cessation, he refuted cessation; when speaking of contemplation, he refuted contemplation. Abiding in cessation, one sinks into saṃsāra; abiding in contemplation, the mental spirit is confused. Now then, should you use the mind to stop the mind, or give rise to the mind to contemplate? If contemplation has a mind, it is the view of eternalism; if contemplation has no mind, it is the view of annihilationism. Being both existent and non-existent becomes the view of dualism. Would the lecturer please explain in detail so we can see?" He said, "If asked like this, neither can be spoken of." The master said, "When was there ever cessation and contemplation?" Someone asked, "Is prajñā large?" The master said, "Large." He asked, "How large?" The master said, "Boundless." He asked, "Is prajñā small?" The master said, "Small." He asked, "How small?" The master said, "Invisible." He asked, "Where is it?" The master said, "Where is it not?" A lecturer on the Vimalakīrti[-nirdeśa-sūtra] asked, "The sūtra says: 'Each of the bodhisattvas entered the Dharma-gate of non-duality; Vimalakīrti was silent.' Is this ultimate?" The master said, "It is not yet ultimate. If the intention of the sage were exhausted, what would the third fascicle speak of?" The lecturer was silent for a long time, then said, "Please, Chan master, explain for me the meaning of its not yet being ultimate." The master said, "In the first fascicle of the sūtra, it leads the assembly and scolds the ten great disciples for fixating their minds. In the second, each of the bodhisattvas speaks of entering the Dharma-gate of non-duality, using words to reveal wordlessness. Mañjuśrī uses wordlessness to reveal wordlessness. Vimalakīrti uses neither words nor wordlessness, and therefore is silent, in order to gather in the preceding speech. The third fascicle arises to speak from silence, further revealing the functioning of supernatural powers. Does the lecturer understand?" He said, "How wonderful it is like this!" The master said, "It is not like this either." He asked, "Why is it not like this?" The master said, "I only spoke like this to break people's attachments. According to the meaning of the sūtra, it only speaks of the emptiness and quiescence of form and mind, to let one see the original nature, teaching one to abandon false practices and enter true practice. Do not seek to measure its meaning upon words and ink on paper. Just understand the two characters 'Jingming' (Vimalakīrti) and that will suffice. 'Jing' (pure) is the original essence; 'ming' (name) is the trace and function. From the original essence arise the trace and function; from the trace and function one returns to the original essence. Essence and function are not two; original and trace are not distinct. Therefore the ancients said: 'Although the original and trace are different, they are an inconceivable unity.' Yet unity is also not unity. If you recognize the two characters 'Jingming' as a provisional designation..."

28.6.3

Why speak further of ultimate and non-ultimate? There is no before and no after, neither root nor branch, neither pure nor named. It merely reveals that sentient beings' original nature is inconceivable liberation. If a person does not see their nature, to the end of their days they will not perceive this principle." A monk asked, "All dharmas are entirely empty, and the nature of consciousness is also like this. For example, once a water bubble bursts, it never recombines. When the body dies, it is never reborn; that is, it becomes empty and nonexistent. Where could there still be a nature of consciousness?" The Master said, "A bubble exists due to water. When a bubble bursts, could it be that there is no water? The body arises due to nature. When the body dies, how can one say the nature is annihilated?" [The monk] said, "Since you say there is a nature, bring it out and let me see it!" The Master said, "Do you believe there is a tomorrow?" [The monk] said, "I believe it." The Master said, "Try bringing tomorrow out for me to see!" [The monk] said, "Tomorrow truly exists, but right now it cannot be obtained." The Master said, "That tomorrow cannot be obtained does not mean there is no tomorrow. You yourself do not see your nature, but that does not mean there is no nature. Right now, wearing clothes, eating meals, walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, you do not recognize what is right before your face; this can indeed be called foolish delusion! You wish to see tomorrow, yet it is no different from today. Seeking the nature with the nature, for myriad kalpas you will never see it—just as a blind man does not see the sun, which does not mean there is no sun." A lecturer presiding over the Qinglong Commentary asked, "The sūtra says: 'There being no Dharma that can be spoken is called speaking the Dharma.' How does the Chan master understand this?" The Master said, "Because the essence of prajñā is ultimately pure and not a single thing can be attained, this is called 'no Dharma'. Yet within the empty and tranquil essence of prajñā, it is endowed with functions numerous as the sands of the Ganges, so that there is nothing it does not know; this is called 'speaking the Dharma'. Therefore it is said: 'There being no Dharma that can be spoken is called speaking the Dharma.'" A lecturer on the Huayan asked, "Does the Chan master believe that insentient things are Buddha?" The Master said, "I do not believe it. If insentient things were Buddha, a living person should be inferior to a dead person, and a dead donkey or dead dog should also surpass a living person. A sūtra says: 'The Buddha-body is the Dharma-body. It is born from precepts, samādhi, and wisdom; it is born from the three clarities and six supernatural knowledges; it is born from all good dharmas.' If one says that insentient things are Buddha, then you, Venerable, should just die right now and go be a Buddha!" A Dharma master asked, "Upholding the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra produces the most merit. Does the Master believe this?" The Master said, "I do not believe it." [The lecturer] said, "If so, then the ten or more scrolls of the Tales of Efficacy are all not to be believed?" The Master said, "When a living person practices filial piety, there is naturally a sympathetic resonance; it is not that dry bones can have a sympathetic resonance. The sūtra is text, paper, and ink, whose nature is empty—where could there be efficacy? What is efficacious lies in the mental focus of the person upholding the sūtra; thus supernatural responsiveness affects things. Try placing a scroll of the sūtra on a desk: if no person receives and upholds it, could it have efficacy on its own?" A monk asked, "I wonder, regarding all names and characteristics, dharma-characteristics, speech and silence: how may they be comprehensively harmonized so that there is no before and after?" The Master said, "When a single thought arises, it is originally without characteristics and without name. How could one speak of before and after? Not understanding that names and characteristics are originally pure, one falsely posits before and after. Indeed, names and characteristics are a lock; without the key of wisdom, it cannot be unlocked. Those of the Middle Way have the disease of the Middle Way; those of the two extremes have the disease of the two extremes. They do not know that current functioning is the peerless Dharma-body. Delusion and awakening, gain and loss, are the dharmas of ordinary people. By generating arising and ceasing themselves, they bury correct wisdom; either cutting off defilements or seeking bodhi, they turn their backs on the prajñāpāramitā." Someone asked, "Why do Vinaya masters not believe in Chan?" The Master said, "The principle is profound and difficult to manifest; names and characteristics are easy to maintain. Those who do not see their nature therefore do not believe. If one sees the nature, one is termed a Buddha. Only a person who recognizes the Buddha can have faith and enter. The Buddha is not far from people, but people are far from the Buddha. The Buddha is created by the mind. Deluded people seek within words; awakened people awaken toward the mind. Deluded people cultivate causes waiting for results; awakened people realize that the mind is without characteristics. Deluded people cling to things and guard a self as their own; awakened people manifest the application of prajñā right before them. Foolish people cling to emptiness or cling to existence, generating hindrances; wise people see their nature and realize characteristics, possessing spiritual penetration. Those of dry-wisdom debate tire their mouths; those of great wisdom realize the essence and their minds are at peace. Bodhisattvas illuminate things as they encounter them; śrāvakas fear circumstances and dim their minds. The daily functioning of the awakened is without arising; what appears before the deluded is separated from the Buddha." Someone asked, "How does one obtain supernatural powers?" The Master said, "The divine nature is spiritually penetrating, pervading the sand-like realms. Mountain rivers and stone walls—coming and going without obstruction. Ten thousand li in an instant, departing and returning without a trace. Fire cannot burn it, water cannot drown it. Foolish people themselves lack the mind's wisdom and desire to make the four great elements fly through the air. A sūtra says: 'For ordinary people who grasp at characteristics, one speaks according to their capacity.' The mind is without shape or characteristic; this is itself the subtle and wondrous form-body. Being without characteristics is itself the true mark. The empty essence of the true mark is called the boundless body of space. Because it is adorned with myriad practices, it is called the merit Dharma-body. This Dharma-body is the root of the myriad practices; names are established according to its functions. Speaking in truth, it is simply the pure Dharma-body." Someone asked, "If with single-mindedness one cultivates the Way, can past karmic obstacles be extinguished?" The Master said, "For a person who does not see their nature, they cannot yet be extinguished. If one is a person who sees their nature, it is like the sun shining on frost and snow. Moreover, a person who sees their nature is like an accumulation of grass equal to Mount Sumeru that requires only a single spark of fire: karmic obstacles are like the grass, wisdom is like the fire." [The person] said, "How can one know that karmic obstacles are exhausted?" The Master said, "The mind right before you penetrates the events of past and future lives as if seeing them face-to-face. The prior Buddhas and later Buddhas, the ten thousand dharmas, are simultaneous. A sūtra says: 'In a single thought to know all dharmas is the bodhimaṇḍa, because it accomplishes all-knowledge.'" A practitioner asked, "How does one abide in the correct Dharma?" The Master said, "Seeking to abide in the correct Dharma is wrong. Why? Because the Dharma has neither wrong nor correct." [The practitioner] said, "How does one become a Buddha?" The Master said, "You need not abandon the mind of sentient beings; merely do not defile your own nature. A sūtra says: 'Mind, Buddha, and sentient beings—these three are without difference.'" [The practitioner] said, "If one understands like this, does one attain liberation?" The Master said, "Originally there is no binding; you need not seek liberation. The Dharma surpasses speech and writing; do not seek it within phrases and sentences. The Dharma is not past, present, or future; it cannot be tallied within cause and effect. The Dharma surpasses all things and cannot be compared. The Dharma-body is without form, manifesting shapes in response to things. It is not apart from the world that one seeks liberation." A monk asked, "What is prajñā?" The Master said, "Try telling me what you suspect is not it." He also asked, "How does one see the nature?" The Master said, "Seeing is itself the nature; without the nature, one cannot see." He also asked, "What is cultivation?" The Master said:

28.6.4

"Merely do not defile your own nature—that is practice. Do not deceive yourself—that is practice. When the great functioning manifests before you, that is the unexcelled Dharmakāya." Again it was asked: "Is there evil within the nature?" The Master said: "Herein even good is not established." [The questioner] said: "When neither good nor evil is established, where is the mind applied?" The Master said: "Applying the mind with the mind is great inversion." [The questioner] asked: "What is it that is correct?" The Master said: "There is no 'what,' nor is there anything that is correct." Someone asked: "If someone rides a boat and the bottom of the boat pierces and kills snails and clams, does the person incur sin, or does the boat bear the blame?" The Master said: "Both the person and the boat are without mind; the sin rests entirely with you. For instance, when a gale breaks a tree and takes life, there is neither an agent nor a recipient. Throughout the world, there is nowhere that sentient beings do not experience suffering." A monk asked: "Regarding gestures relying on emotion, gestures pointing to objects, gestures of speech and silence, up to gestures such as raising eyebrows and moving eyes—how can they all be penetrated and integrated in a single thought?" The Master said: "There are no affairs outside the nature. For one whose functioning is wondrous, movement and stillness are both wondrous. For one whose mind is true, speech and silence are entirely true. For one who comprehends the Way, walking, standing, sitting, and lying down are all the Way. It is because of delusion regarding one's own nature that myriad confusions arise here." Again it was asked: "How is it that dharmas have a guiding principle?" The Master said: "According to whatever is established, there are diverse meanings. Mañjuśrī established all dharmas upon the root of non-abiding." [The questioner] said: "Is it not identical to empty space?" The Master said: "Are you afraid of being identical to empty space?" He said: "I am afraid." The Master said: "That which understands fear is not identical to empty space." Again it was asked: "How can one understand that which words cannot reach?" The Master said: "Right now as you are speaking, where do you doubt it cannot reach?" Over ten senior monks together asked: "A sutra says that the Buddhadharma can be destroyed. We do not know whether the Buddhadharma can be destroyed or not?" The Master said: "Ordinary persons and non-Buddhists say that the Buddhadharma can be destroyed; followers of the two vehicles say that it cannot be destroyed. Within my true Dharma, there are neither of these two views. If one speaks of the true Dharma, not only ordinary persons and non-Buddhists, but even followers of the two vehicles who have not reached the Buddha-stage are evil persons." Again it was asked: "Do real dharmas, illusory dharmas, empty dharmas, and non-empty dharmas each have their own lineage-nature?" The Master said: "Although dharmas have no lineage-nature, they manifest according to things. When the mind is illusory, all are illusory; if there were a single dharma that is not illusory, illusion would have a fixed nature. When the mind is empty, all are empty; if there were a single dharma that is not empty, the meaning of emptiness could not be established. When deluded, people chase after dharmas; when enlightened, dharmas stem from people. Just as the myriad phenomena reach their limit in emptiness, the hundred rivers and myriad streams reach their limit in the sea, and all worthy ones and sages reach their limit in the Buddha, so the twelve divisions of scriptures, the five divisions of Vinaya, and the treatises of the five Vedas reach their limit in the mind. The mind is the wondrous root of dhāraṇī, the vast source of all dharmas; it is also named the treasury of great wisdom and non-abiding nirvāṇa. The hundreds, thousands, and ten thousands of names are all merely different appellations for the mind." Again it was asked: "What is illusion?" The Master said: "Illusion has no fixed mark, like a whirling circle of fire, like a Gandharva city, like a mechanical wooden marionette, like a mirage, like flowers in the sky—none of them are real dharmas." Again it was asked: "What is called the great illusionist?" The Master said: "The mind is called the great illusionist. The body is the great illusion city. Names and marks are the great illusion clothing and food. Throughout worlds numerous as the sands of the Ganges, there are no affairs outside illusion. Ordinary persons do not recognize illusion, and in every place are deluded by illusory karma. Śrāvakas fear illusory realms, obscure their minds, and enter quiescence. Bodhisattvas recognize illusory dharmas, understand the essential nature of illusion, and are not bound by any names and marks. The Buddha is the great illusionist: he turns the great illusory Dharma wheel, attains the great illusory nirvāṇa, transforms illusory arising and ceasing into non-arising and non-ceasing, and transforms defiled lands as numerous as the sands of the Ganges into the pure Dharma realm." A monk asked: "Why do you not allow reciting the sutras, calling it 'guest talk'?" The Master said: "It is like a parrot that only imitates human speech but does not understand human intent. The sutras transmit the Buddha's intent; not grasping the Buddha's intent while merely chanting is being an imitator of words. Therefore, it is not permitted." [The monk] asked: "Can there be another intent apart from written words and speech?" The Master said: "Your speaking like this is also imitating words." [The monk] asked: "Since both are words, why specifically disallow it?" The Master said: "Listen attentively now; the sutra has a clear text: 'What I speak is speech of meaning, not written words; what sentient beings speak is speech of written words, not meaning.' One who grasps the meaning transcends superficial words; one who realizes the principle goes beyond written words. The Dharma surpasses words and letters; why seek it within a few sentences? Therefore, one who brings forth the resolve for bodhi grasps the meaning and forgets the words, realizes the principle and leaves behind the teaching—just as catching the fish, one forgets the trap; catching the hare, one forgets the snare." A Dharma master asked: "Is mindfulness of the Buddha the Mahāyāna with marks? What is the Chan master's view?" The Master said: "Even marklessness is not yet the Mahāyāna, how much less having marks? A sutra says: 'For ordinary persons who grasp at marks, one speaks according to what is appropriate.'" Again it was asked: "I vow to be born in the Pure Land; is there really a Pure Land or not?" The Master said: "A sutra says: 'If one wishes to attain a pure land, one should purify one's mind; as one's mind is purified, the Buddha land is purified.' If the mind is pure, wherever one is, it is all the Pure Land. For example, one born into a royal family is certain to inherit the royal domain; giving rise to the mind directed toward the Buddha Way is being born into a pure Buddha land. If the mind is not pure, wherever one is born is a defiled land. Purity and defilement depend on the mind, not on the land." Again it was asked: "I often hear speaking of the Way; who can see it?" The Master said: "One who possesses the wisdom eye can see it." [The questioner] said: "I delight greatly in the Mahāyāna; how can I learn it?" The Master said: "Awaken, and you will attain it; do not awaken, and you will not attain it." [The questioner] asked: "How can one attain awakening?" The Master said: "Just observe clearly." [The questioner] said: "What is it like?" The Master said: "There is nothing it resembles." [The questioner] said: "It must be ultimate emptiness." The Master said: "Emptiness has no ultimacy." [The questioner] said: "It must be existence." The Master said: "It exists, yet without marks." [The questioner] said: "What if one does not awaken?" The Master said: "You do not awaken on your own, Great Virtuous; no one else obstructs you." Someone asked: "Is the Buddhadharma within the three periods of time?" The Master said: "Presently it is formless, not outside them; its practical function is inexhaustible, not within them. In between there is no place to abide; the three periods of time cannot be apprehended." [The questioner] said: "These words are very confusing." The Master said: "Right at the moment you speak the word 'confusing', is it inside or outside?" [The questioner] said: "This disciple searches inside and outside, and there is no trace." The Master said: "If there is no trace, you clearly know the previous words were not confusing." [The questioner] asked: "How can one become a Buddha?" The Master said: "This mind is Buddha; this mind creates Buddha." [The questioner] asked: "When sentient beings enter hell, does the Buddha-nature enter as well?" The Master said: "Right now when doing evil, is there still good?" [The questioner] said: "No." The Master said:

28.6.5

"When sentient beings enter hell, the Buddha-nature is also like this." [The questioner] said: "How is it that all sentient beings have the Buddha-nature?" The Master said: "Functioning as a Buddha, it is the Buddha-nature; functioning as a thief, it is the thief-nature; functioning as a sentient being, it is the sentient-being-nature. The nature has no shape or form; names are established according to its function. A sutra says: 'All worthy ones and sages are distinguished by unconditioned dharmas.'" A monk asked: "What is the Buddha?" The Master said: "Apart from the mind, there is no Buddha." [The monk] asked: "What is the Dharmakāya?" The Master said: "The mind is the Dharmakāya. Because it can give rise to the myriad dharmas, it is called the body of the Dharma realm. The Awakening of Faith says: 'What is called "dharma" refers to the mind of sentient beings; relying on this mind, the meaning of Mahāyāna is revealed.'" Again it was asked: "What is meant by 'there is a great scroll of scripture contained within a single speck of dust'?" The Master said: "Wisdom is the scroll of scripture. A sutra says: 'There is a great scroll of scripture equal in measure to the great trichiliocosm, contained within a single speck of dust.' The single speck of dust is the dust of a single thought-moment of the mind. Therefore it is said: 'Within the dust of a single thought-moment, verses as numerous as the sands of the Ganges are proclaimed, but people of the time do not know it themselves.'" Again it was asked: "What is called the city of great meaning? What is called the king of great meaning?" The Master said: "The body is the city of great meaning; the mind is the king of great meaning. A sutra says: 'One who has heard much is skillful in meaning, not skillful in spoken words.' Spoken words are the meaning of arising and ceasing; the meaning of non-arising and non-ceasing has no shape or mark and is outside spoken words. The mind is the great scroll of scripture; the mind is the king of great meaning. If one does not clearly recognize the mind, one is not called skillful in meaning, but merely an imitator of words." Again it was asked: "The Prajñāpāramitā Sutra says: 'I cause the nine classes of sentient beings to all enter nirvāṇa without remainder.' It also says: 'In reality, no sentient being attains extinction.' How can these two passages of scripture be reconciled? People before and after have all said: 'One truly liberates sentient beings without grasping at the marks of sentient beings.' I have always doubted this without resolution. Please, Master, explain it for me." The Master said: "The nine classes of sentient beings are fully present in a single body, arising according to what is created. Therefore, ignorance is egg-born; being wrapped in afflictions is womb-born; being soaked by the water of craving is moisture-born; sudden arising of afflictions is apparitionally born. Awakening is the Buddha; delusion is called sentient beings. Bodhisattvas regard the mind from thought to thought as sentient beings. If one understands that the substance of the mind from thought to thought is empty, this is called liberating sentient beings. A wise person, at the root boundary of oneself, liberates them before they have taken form. Since what has not taken form is already empty, one knows that in reality no sentient being attains extinction." A monk asked: "Are words the mind?" The Master said: "Words are conditions, not the mind." [The monk] asked: "Apart from conditions, what is the mind?" The Master said: "Apart from words, there is no mind." [The monk] asked: "Since apart from words there is no mind, how is it the mind?" The Master said: "The mind has no shape or mark; it is neither apart from words nor not apart from words. The mind is constantly clear and serene, responding and functioning with autonomy. The ancestral master said: 'Only when one understands that the mind is not mind does one begin to understand the dharma of the mind's mind.'" A monk asked: "What is the equal cultivation of concentration and wisdom?" The Master said: "Concentration is the substance; wisdom is the function. From concentration arises wisdom, and from wisdom one returns to concentration. Like water and waves, they are of one substance with no before or after; this is called the equal cultivation of concentration and wisdom. You who have left home, do not chase words and follow phrases. Walking, standing, sitting, and lying down are all the function of your nature. Where does it not accord with the Way? Just rest for a while. If you do not follow the wind of external objects, the water of the mind-nature will always be clear and serene. There is nothing more; take care."

Linked texts (1)

景德傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese