景德傳燈錄 3
English (machine translation) 3
- Language
- English
3.1
The five Chinese patriarchs together with collaterally branched venerable elders, totaling twenty-five persons:
The twenty-eighth patriarch, Bodhidharma
Chan Master Daoyu (three persons branching collaterally from Bodhidharma)
Chan Master Daofu
Nun Zongchi (the above three have no encounter dialogues recorded and are not listed)
The twenty-ninth patriarch, Great Master Huike
Chan Master Sengna (seventeen persons in seven generations branching collaterally from Great Master Huike)
Layman Xiang
Chan Master Huiman of Xiangzhou (the above three have records entered)
Chan Master Shending of Xianshan
Chan Master Baoyue
Layman Huaxian
Great Being Huagong
Hegong
Layman Liao
Tansui (descended from Layman Huaxian)
Huijian of Yanling (two persons descended from Tansui)
Huici of Pengcheng
Huigang of Dinglin Temple
Dajue of Liuhe (descended from Huigang)
Tanying of Gaoyou (descended from Dajue)
Minglian of Taishan (descended from Tanying)
Jingtai of Yangzhou (descended from Minglian; the above fourteen persons have no encounter dialogues recorded and are not listed)
The thirtieth patriarch, Great Master Sengcan
The thirty-first patriarch, Great Master Daoxin (seventy-six collaterally branched persons appear in fascicle 4)
The thirty-second patriarch, Great Master Hongren (one hundred and seven collaterally branched persons appear in fascicle 5)
3.2
The five Chinese patriarchs together with collaterally branched venerable elders, totaling twenty-five persons:
The twenty-eighth patriarch, Bodhidharma
Three collaterally branched persons:
1. Chan Master Daoyu
2. Chan Master Daofu
3. Nun Zongchi (the above three have no encounter dialogues recorded and are not listed)
The twenty-ninth patriarch, Great Master Huike (seventeen persons in six generations collaterally branched, three persons have records entered):
Chan Master Sengna
Layman Xiang
Chan Master Huiman of Xiangzhou
Chan Master Shending of Xianshan
Chan Master Baoyue
Layman Huaxian
Great Being Huagong
Hegong
Layman Liao
Layman Huaxian further gave rise to one person: Tansui
Tansui further gave rise to three persons:
1. Huijian of Yanling
2. Huici of Pengcheng
3. Huigang of Dinglin Temple
Huigang further gave rise to one person: Dajue of Liuhe
Dajue further gave rise to one person: Tanying of Gaoyou
Tanying further gave rise to one person: Minglian of Taishan
Minglian further gave rise to one person: Jingtai of Yangzhou
(The above fourteen persons have no encounter dialogues recorded and are not listed)
The thirtieth patriarch, Great Master Sengcan
The thirty-first patriarch, Great Master Daoxin (seventy-six collaterally branched persons appear in fascicle 4)
The thirty-second patriarch, Great Master Hongren (one hundred and seven collaterally branched persons appear in fascicle 4)
3.3
The twenty-eighth patriarch, Bodhidharma, was the third son of King Sugandha of Southern India. His caste was Kṣatriya, and his original name was Bodhitāra. Later, he met the twenty-seventh patriarch, Prajñātāra, who arrived in his native kingdom to receive the king's offerings. Recognizing the Master's hidden capacity, [Prajñātāra] tested him by having him discern the precious jewel offered by his father together with his two elder brothers, and he elucidated the essentials of the mind. Soon after, the Venerable One said to him: 'You have already attained a thorough comprehension of all dharmas. "Dharma" has the meaning of "penetrating greatness." It is fitting to name you Dharma.' Because of this, his name was changed to Bodhidharma. The Master then said to the Venerable One: 'Having attained the Dharma, to which country should I go to perform the Buddha's work? I pray you deign to give me instruction.' The Venerable One said: 'Although you have attained the Dharma, you must not yet travel far. For the present, remain in Southern India; wait until sixty-seven years after my demise, then you should go to Cīnasthāna to administer the great Dharma medicine and directly receive those of superior roots. Be careful not to go quickly, lest you languish under the sun.' The Master said again: 'Are there great beings there worthy of becoming Dharma vessels? Across a thousand years, will there be hindrances?' The Venerable One said: 'In the region you will convert, those who attain bodhi will be beyond counting. More than sixty years after my demise, there will be a crisis in that kingdom. A patterned cloth in the water will naturally subdue it with ease. When you arrive, do not stay in the south; they only delight in conditioned merits and achievements and do not see the Buddha principle. Even if you arrive there, you must not stay long. Listen to my verse:'
3.4
Traveling the path, you cross the water and meet a sheep again; / Alone and melancholy, you secretly cross the river. / Under the sun, how pitiable are the pair of elephant and horse; / Two shoots of young cassia will long flourish.
3.5
He further proclaimed eight verses, all of which foretold the rise and decline of Buddhism (the full account is found in the Baolin zhuan and the Shengzhou ji). The Master reverently received his doctrinal teachings and attended upon him diligently for nearly forty years without ever falling short. When the Venerable One passed away, [the Master] then taught and transformed his native country. At that time there were two teachers: one named Buddhasena and the other named Buddhatara. Originally they had studied Hīnayāna dhyāna contemplation together with the Master under Buddhabhadra. After Buddhasena met the Venerable Prajñātāra, he abandoned the Small [Vehicle] and aspired to the Great [Vehicle], teaching alongside the Master; at the time they were called the "two gates of nectar." Buddhatara, however, branched out into six schools: the first was the School of Form; the second, the School of Formlessness; the third, the School of Samādhi and Wisdom; the fourth, the School of Preceptual Practice; the fifth, the School of Non-Attainment; and the sixth, the School of Quiescence. Each adhered to their own understanding and separately opened a source of teaching; their assemblies were eminent and their followings extremely flourishing. The Great Master sighed deeply and said: "That one teacher has already sunk into a cow's footprint; how much more so when it is fragmented into a bustling six schools! If I do not eradicate them, they will be forever entangled in heterodox views." Having spoken, he displayed a slight manifestation of supernormal power and arrived at the quarters of the first school, the School of Form. He asked: "What is called the true mark among all dharmas?" In that assembly there was an elder named Sarvara, who answered: "Not confusing any marks among all marks is called the true mark." The Master said: "If not confusing any marks among all marks is called the true mark, how is it determined?" He said: "Among all marks there is truly nothing determined; if marks were determined, how could they be called true?" The Master said: "If marks not being determined is simply called the true mark, since you are now undetermined, how can you grasp it?" He said: "When I say undetermined, I am not speaking of all marks; but when speaking of all marks, the meaning is also like this." The Master said: "You say undetermined must be the true mark; yet because the determined is undetermined, it is not the true mark." He said: "Since the determined is undetermined, it is not the true mark; knowing my error, it is neither determined nor changing." The Master said: "If you are now unchanging, how is it called the true mark? Having changed and passed away, its meaning is also like this." He said: "The unchanging must exist; yet because existing is non-existing, the true mark changes so as to determine its meaning." The Master said: "The true mark does not change; if it changes, it is not true. Between existence and non-existence, what is called the true mark?" Sarvara inwardly knew that the holy master possessed transcendent insight and subtle realization. He pointed to the empty sky with his finger and said: "This is worldly form, yet it can also be empty; can my body here be like this?" The Master said: "If you understand the true mark, you will see non-mark; if you realize non-mark, its physical form is also like this. In the midst of form, do not lose the substance of form; in non-mark, because existence is not obstructed, if you can understand in this way, this is called the true mark." When that assembly heard this, their minds became clear and bright, and they paid reverent homage, accepting it with faith. The Master then vanished without a trace in a flash and arrived at the quarters of the second school, the School of Formlessness. He asked: "You speak of formlessness; how do you realize it?" In that assembly there was a wise man named Prātihārya, who answered: "I understand formlessness because the mind does not manifest." The Master said: "If your mind does not manifest, how can you understand it?" He said: "I understand formlessness because the mind neither grasps nor rejects; when understanding, there is also no object to face." The Master said: "Regarding existence and non-existence, the mind neither grasps nor rejects, and there is no object to face, because all understandings do not exist." He said: "Entering the Buddha's samādhi, there is still nothing to be attained; how much less can one wish to know formlessness?" The Master said: "Since marks are not known, who speaks of existence or non-existence? If there is still nothing to be attained, how is it called samādhi?" He said: "I say non-realization; realization realizes nothing to be realized. Because it is non-samādhi, I call it samādhi." The Master said: "If it is non-samādhi, how can it be named? Since you do not realize, what non-realization is realized?" When Prātihārya heard the Master's analytical exposition, he immediately awakened to his original mind; bowing in gratitude to the Master, he repented of his past errors. The Master prophesied to him: "You will attain the fruit and realize it before long. This country has a māra; it will not be long before you subdue him." Having spoken, he suddenly vanished and arrived at the quarters of the third school, the School of Samādhi and Wisdom. He asked: "You study samādhi and wisdom: are they one or two?" In that assembly there was one named Bhālanda, who answered: "My samādhi and wisdom are neither one nor two." The Master said: "Since they are neither one nor two, how are they called samādhi and wisdom?" He said: "Being in samādhi is not samādhi; abiding in wisdom is not wisdom. The one is not one; the two are also not two." The Master said: "When one, they are not one; when two, they are not two. Since they are neither samādhi nor wisdom, by what criteria are they samādhi and wisdom?" He said: "Being neither one nor two, samādhi and wisdom can know; being neither samādhi nor wisdom, it is also like this." The Master said: "Since wisdom is not samādhi, how could it be so and know? Being neither one nor two, who is samādhi and who is wisdom?" When Bhālanda heard this, his doubts melted like ice. He arrived at the quarters of the fourth school, the School of Preceptual Practice. He asked: "What is called precept? What is called practice? Are these precepts and practice one or two?" In that assembly there was a worthy who answered: "One, two, two, one—all are produced by that. Relying on the teaching without defilement is called preceptual practice." The Master said: "Your saying 'relying on the teaching' is precisely defilement. Since one and two are both refuted, why speak of relying on the teaching? These two are contradictory and do not reach practice. If inside and outside are not clear, how is it called precept?" He said: "I have inside and outside; that and self are already known (the Zhejiang edition reads 已 instead of 己, following the Guangdeng lu; the Shaowu edition reads 無, following the Baolin zhuan; the old Hongzhou edition reads 已; the Zhengzong ji reads 以; it is not clear which is correct). Since they are penetrated, that is preceptual practice. If you speak of contradiction, both are right and both are wrong; when it comes to purity, that is precept, that is practice." The Master said: "If both are right and both are wrong, why speak of purity? Since penetration is already attained, why speak of inside and outside?" When the worthy heard this, he felt ashamed and yielded. He arrived at the quarters of the fifth school, the School of Non-Attainment. He asked: "You speak of non-attainment; in non-attainment, what is attained? Since there is nothing attained, neither is there attaining attainment." In that assembly there was one named Baojing, who answered: "I say non-attainment does not mean there is no attaining attainment; when speaking of attaining attainment, non-attainment is attainment." The Master said: "Since attainment is non-attainment, attainment is also not attainment. Since you speak of attaining attainment, what does attaining attainment attain?" He said: "Seeing attainment is non-attainment; non-attainment is attainment. If one sees non-attainment, that is called attaining attainment." The Master said: "Since attainment is not attainment, attaining attainment attains nothing. Since there is nothing attained, how can one attain attainment?" When Baojing heard this, he suddenly cleared away the net of doubts. He arrived at the quarters of the sixth school, the School of Quiescence. He asked: "What is called quiescence? In this dharma, who is still and who is quiescent?" There was an elder there who answered: "This mind unmoving is called quiescent; being undefiled regarding dharmas is called still." The Master said: "The original mind is not quiescent, so it relies on quiescence; since it is originally quiescent, what use is quiescence?" He said: "All dharmas are originally empty; because of emptying emptiness, regarding that emptying of emptiness, it is therefore called quiescence." The Master said: "The emptying of emptiness is already empty; all dharmas are also like this. Quiescence has no mark; what is still, and what is quiescent?" When that elder heard the Master's instruction, he had an open awakening. Thereupon the six assemblies all vowed to take refuge. Because of this, his teaching spread through South India, and his fame sped through the five regions of India. Scholars far and near were swayed toward him like grass in the wind. After more than sixty years, he delivered countless multitudes. Later, he encountered King Dṛṣṭivirodha, who disparaged and slandered the Three Jewels, often saying: "My ancestors all had faith in the Buddha's way, and sank into heterodox views; their lifespans were not long, and their dynastic fortunes were also brief. Moreover, my own body is Buddha; why seek outside any further? Retribution for good and evil is merely an empty theory fabricated by those with excessive cleverness." As for the elders in the kingdom who had been revered by the former king, all were deposed and dismissed. When the Master learned of this, he lamented the king's lack of virtue and wondered how to save him. He also thought of two leaders in the School of Formlessness: one was Prātihārya, who had a karmic connection with the king and was about to realize his fruit; the second was Zongsheng, who was not lacking in extensive eloquence but lacked past karmic causes. At that time, the disciples of the six schools also thought to themselves: "The Buddha-dharma faces a calamity; how can the Master remain at ease?" The Master, knowing the assembly's thought from afar, snapped his fingers in response. When the six assemblies heard it, they said: "This is the signal sound of our master Bodhidharma. We should go swiftly to comply with his compassionate command." Having spoken, they went to the Master's dwelling, bowed, and inquired after him. The Master said: "Now a single leaf obscures the sky; who can brush it away?" Zongsheng said: "Though I am shallow and slight, how could I dare shrink from going?" The Master said: "Though you have eloquence and wisdom, your power in the Way is not yet complete." Zongsheng thought to himself: "My master fears that when I see the king and perform great Buddhist works, my renown will spread and eclipse his venerable authority. Even if he possesses the blessing and wisdom of a king, I am a śramaṇa who has received the Buddha's teaching; how could it be difficult to contend with him?" Having spoken, he left secretly and arrived at the king's palace, where he spoke extensively on the essentials of the Dharma, the suffering and joy of the world, and the good and evil of humans and devas. In his back-and-forth questioning and probing with the king, everything reached principle. The king said: "Where does the dharma that you now understand abide?" Zongsheng said: "Just as when the king governs, it must accord with the Way, where does the king's Way abide?" The king said: "My Way will eradicate heterodox teachings; whom will your dharma subdue?" Without rising from his seat, the Master knew from afar that Zongsheng's arguments had failed, and he promptly said to Prātihārya: "Zongsheng did not follow my instruction; secretly trying to transform the king, he was bent in a moment. You must go quickly to save him." Prātihārya reverently received the Master's command and said: "I pray to borrow your supernormal power." When he had spoken, clouds arose under his feet; he arrived before the king and stood silently. At that time, the king was just questioning Zongsheng, when he suddenly saw Prātihārya arriving riding a cloud; astonished, he forgot his questions and answers, and said: "Is the one riding the sky orthodox or heterodox?" He answered: "I am neither heterodox nor orthodox, but come to correct the heterodox. If the king's mind is orthodox, I am neither heterodox nor orthodox." Although the king was amazed, his arrogance was still blazing, so he drove Zongsheng out. Prātihārya said: "Since the king possesses the Way, why expel the śramaṇa? Though I lack understanding, I invite the king to ask questions." The king angrily asked: "What is the Buddha?" He answered: "Seeing the nature is Buddha." The king said: "Does the master see the nature?" He answered: "I see the Buddha-nature." The king said: "Where is the nature?" He answered: "The nature is in function." The king said: "What is this function? I do not see it now." He answered: "It manifests its function right now; the king himself does not see it." The king said: "Does it exist in me?" He answered: "If the king functions, there is nowhere it is not; if the king does not use it, its substance is also difficult to see." The king said: "When it is in function, in how many places does it appear?" He answered: "When it appears, there should be eight." The king said: "Expound its eight appearances for me." Prātihārya then spoke a verse:
3.6
In the womb it is the body; / Living in the world it is called a person. / In the eye it is called seeing; / In the ear it is called hearing. / In the nose it distinguishes fragrance; / In the mouth it discourses and debates. / In the hands it grasps and holds; / In the feet it moves and runs. / Everywhere manifested, it embraces all the sand-worlds; / Gathered and collected, it abides in a single speck of dust. / Those who recognize it know it is the Buddha-nature; / Those who do not recognize it call it the vital spirit.
3.7
When the king heard the verse, his mind was instantly awakened. He apologized for his past errors and inquired about the essentials of the Dharma, tirelessly from morning till night, for as long as ninety days. Meanwhile, having been driven out, Zongsheng retreated to hide in the deep mountains. He thought: "I am now one hundred years old; for eighty years I did wrong, and only in the last twenty years did I take refuge in the Buddha's way. Though my nature is dull, my conduct is free of blemish. Unable to resist this calamity, how can living compare to dying?" Having said this, he threw himself off a cliff. Suddenly a spirit held him up with his hands, placing him on a boulder safe and unharmed. Zongsheng said: "I am unworthily a śramaṇa and ought to be a master of the correct Dharma. Unable to suppress the king's error, I cast away my body in self-reproach. What spirit has assisted me to such an extent? I pray you grant me a word to preserve my remaining years." Thereupon the spirit spoke a verse:
3.8
Master, you have lived to one hundred years, / Yet for eighty you committed errors. / Because you were near to the most venerable, / You practiced and entered the Way. / Though you possess a little wisdom, / You have much self and other; / Toward all the worthies you have seen, / You have never produced cherish and respect. / In twenty years of merit, / Your mind has not been tranquil and calm. / Because of cleverness and arrogance, / You have come to this result. / That you received the king's disrespect / Must bring about a fruition such as this. / From now on, if you are not negligent or idle, / Before long you will achieve extraordinary wisdom. / All sages preserve this in mind; / The Tathāgata is also like this.
3.9
Zongsheng rejoiced upon hearing the verse. Thereupon he sat in peaceful meditation among the crags. At that time, King Yijian asked Prajñātāra again, "Whom does your wisdom and eloquence take as teacher?" He replied, "When I left home, the Tripiṭaka Master Uṣabha of Sāla Monastery was my instructing master. My master of world-transcendence is none other than the Great King's uncle, Bodhidharma." Hearing the master's name, the king was astonished for a long time. He said, "Unworthy as I am, I inherited the royal throne, yet I pursued heterodoxy, turned my back on the correct [teaching], and forgot my revered uncle." He hastily ordered close ministers to make a special point of welcoming and inviting him. The master then arrived with the envoys and repented of past wrongs on behalf of the king. Hearing his admonitions, the king wept and thanked the master. He also issued an edict summoning Zongsheng back to the realm. The great ministers memorialized, "Zongsheng was banished and threw himself off a cliff; he has already died." The king said to the master, "Zongsheng's death was entirely caused by me. By what great compassion can I be freed from this sin?" The master said, "Zongsheng is now resting peacefully among the crags. If you merely dispatch an envoy to summon him, he will arrive at once." The king then dispatched an envoy into the mountains, who indeed saw Zongsheng sitting upright in tranquil dhyāna. Receiving the summons, Zongsheng said, "I am deeply ashamed before the king's intention. This poor monk vows to dwell among the crags and springs. Furthermore, the king's realm has a forest of worthy and virtuous men: Bodhidharma is the king's uncle, the teacher of the six assemblies; Prajñātāra is a dragon and elephant within the Dharma. May the king venerate these two sages to bring fortune upon the imperial foundation." The envoy reported back. Before he had arrived, the master said to the king, "Do you know whether Zongsheng will be brought back?" The king said, "I do not know yet." The master said, "He will not come at the first invitation, but with a second order he will surely come." After a long while, the envoy returned, and it was indeed as the master had spoken. The master then took leave of the king, saying, "You should cultivate virtue well; before long an illness will arise. I am taking my leave for now." After seven days, the king fell ill. The court physicians treated him, but the illness grew worse without improvement. The royal relatives and close ministers recalled the master's prior prediction and hurriedly dispatched an envoy to inform the master, saying, "The king's illness has almost reached its end. We pray that his uncle, with compassion, will come from afar to show concern and save him." The master immediately went to the king's side to console him in his illness. At that time, Zongsheng, having received the king's summons a second time, departed from the crags. Prajñātāra, having long received the king's favor, also came to inquire after his illness. Prajñātāra said, "What should be done to free the king from suffering?" The master immediately had the crown prince pardon crimes, bestow favors, and venerate the Saṃgha jewel on behalf of the king. He also repented on behalf of the king, saying, "May the sins be extinguished." This was done three times, and the king's illness showed remission. The master thought to himself, "The conditions in China have ripened; the time to travel and transform has arrived." He first took leave of his ancestral stūpa, and next bade farewell to his fellow students. Then, going to the king's presence, he consoled and exhorted him, saying, "You must diligently cultivate white deeds and protect and uphold the Three Jewels. I shall depart not for long; after nine years I will return." Hearing the master's words, the king wept with mixed tears and said, "What crime has this realm committed, and what auspiciousness does that land possess? Since you have a karmic bond, uncle, it is not for me to stop you. I only pray that you will not forget the land of your father and mother, and return early when your work is finished." The king then prepared a great ship, filled it with myriad treasures, and personally led his ministers to see him off at the seashore. The master sailed across the great ocean for three cold and warm seasons in all, arriving at the Southern Sea. It was the twenty-first day of the ninth month in the dingwei year, the eighth year of the Putong reign era of the Liang dynasty. Xiao Ang, the governor of Guangzhou, welcomed him with full host's etiquette and submitted a memorial to Emperor Wu. Having read the memorial, the Emperor dispatched an envoy carrying an imperial edict to welcome and invite him. On the first day of the tenth month, he arrived in Jinling. (Chan Master Song, basing himself on the Xu faji by Baoxiang of the Liang, wrote the Zhengtong ji, stating that Bodhidharma arrived in this land in the gengzi year, the first year of Putong of Emperor Wu of the Liang, which was the first year of Zhengguang of Emperor Ming of the Later Wei. If this is so, it agrees with the subsequent years of his entry into nirvāṇa and the opening of the tomb. If we follow this claim that he arrived at the Southern Sea on the twenty-first day of the ninth month in the dingwei year, the eighth year of Putong, and arrived in Jinling on the first day of the tenth month, it is an egregious error. For in the third month of the eighth year of Putong, the era had already changed to the first year of Datong, so in the ninth month it should not still be called the eighth year of Putong. The Southern Sea is modern Guangzhou, several thousand li from Jinling. If the governor memorialized the court and Emperor Wu issued an edict to invite him, how could he have reached Jinling in just ten days? Furthermore, consulting Xiao Ang's biography in the Nan shi, it does not state that Ang was the governor of Guangzhou, but only mentions Xiao Ang as the chief administrator of Guangzhou at the end of Wang Mao's biography; yet it is not known in what year he held the post. Now one can only say: "...arrived at the Southern Sea; it was the first year of the Putong era of the Liang. The governor of Guangzhou welcomed him with full host's etiquette and submitted a memorial to Emperor Wu. Having read the memorial, the Emperor dispatched an envoy carrying an imperial edict to welcome and invite him. On the first day of the tenth month, he arrived in Jinling.") The Emperor asked, saying, "Since ascending the throne, I have built temples, transcribed scriptures, and ordained monks beyond count. What merit and virtue do I possess?" The master said, "None whatsoever." The Emperor said, "Why is there no merit and virtue?" The master said, "These are merely the lesser fruits of humans and devas, causes bound to outflows. Like a shadow following a form, though they exist, they are not real." The Emperor said, "What is true merit and virtue?" He answered, "Pure wisdom is wondrous and complete; its essence is intrinsically empty and tranquil. Such merit and virtue cannot be sought by worldly means." The Emperor asked again, "What is the highest truth of the sacred truths?" The master said, "Vast emptiness, nothing sacred." The Emperor said, "Who is facing Us?" The master said, "I do not know." The Emperor did not grasp it. The master knew that the spiritual capacity did not tally; on the nineteenth day of that month, he secretly crossed to the north of the river. On the twenty-third day of the eleventh month, he arrived at Luoyang; this was the tenth year of the Taihe era of Emperor Xiaoming of the Later Wei (it should say the first year of Zhengguang of Emperor Xiaoming of the Later Wei; the tenth year of Taihe was during the reign of Emperor Wendi of the Later Wei, which was the bingyin year, the fourth year of the Yongming era of Emperor Wu of the Southern Qi). He lodged at Shaolin Monastery on Mount Song, where he sat facing the wall in silence throughout the day. People could not fathom him and called him the 'Wall-Contemplating Brahmin.' At that time, there was a monk named Shenguang, a man of broad and open mind. Having long resided in the Yi and Luo region, he had read widely among the many books and was skilled in discoursing on the profound principle. He often sighed, saying, "The teachings of Confucius and Laozi are the models of ritual and conduct; the texts of Zhuangzi and the Book of Changes do not exhaust the wondrous principle. Recently I heard that the Great Being Bodhidharma dwells at Shaolin. The ultimate person is not far; I should attain that profound realm." He then went there to attend upon him morning and evening. The master constantly sat upright facing the wall, and Shenguang heard no instruction or encouragement. Guang thought to himself, "In ancient times, those who sought the Way broke their bones to extract marrow, pierced their blood to relieve the hungry, spread their hair to cover the mud, or threw themselves off cliffs to feed tigers. If even the ancients were like this, what kind of person am I?" On the night of the ninth day of the twelfth month of that year, it snowed heavily. Guang stood firm without moving; by dawn, the accumulated snow had reached past his knees. Pitying him, the master asked, "Standing so long in the snow, what do you seek?" Guang said with tears of sorrow, "I only pray that the upādhyāya, out of compassion, will open the gate of sweet dew and broadly deliver all living beings." The master said, "The unexcelled, wondrous Way of all Buddhas requires diligent perseverance through vast kalpas, practicing what is difficult to practice and enduring what cannot be endured. How could one, with small virtue and small wisdom, with a light and haughty mind, expect to hope for the True Vehicle in vain toil and bitter effort?" Hearing the master's reprimand and encouragement, Guang secretly took a sharp knife, cut off his own left arm, and placed it before the master. Knowing he was a vessel of the Dharma, the master said, "When all Buddhas first sought the Way, they forgot their bodies for the Dharma. Now you have cut off your arm before me; your seeking may indeed be accepted." Thereupon, the master changed his name to Huike. Guang said, "May I hear the Dharma-seal of all Buddhas?" The master said, "The Dharma-seal of all Buddhas is not obtained from another person." Guang said, "My mind is not yet at peace; I beg the master to pacify it." The master said, "Bring your mind here, and I will pacify it for you." Guang said, "I have searched for the mind, but it is completely unobtainable." The master said, "I have finished pacifying your mind for you." Later, Emperor Xiaoming heard of the master's extraordinary traces and sent envoys bearing an edict to summon him three times in all, but the master did not come down from Shaolin. The Emperor revered and admired him all the more, and accordingly bestowed upon him two robes of monk's wool (māna) kaṣāyas, a golden bowl, a silver water pitcher, silken fabrics, and the like. The master firmly declined three times, but the Emperor's intention was all the firmer, so the master accepted them. From then on, both monastics and laity had double faith and devotion toward him. After nine years had elapsed, wishing to return west to India, he instructed his disciples, saying, "The time is about to arrive. Why do you not each state what you have attained?" At that time, the disciple Daofu answered, "As I see it, neither clinging to words nor parting from words serves as the function of the Way." The master said, "You have obtained my skin." The nun Zongchi said, "What I now understand is like Qingxi seeing the realm of Akṣobhya Buddha: once seen, it is never seen again." The master said, "You have obtained my flesh." Daoyu said, "The four great elements are fundamentally empty, and the five aggregates are non-existent; where my vision reaches, not a single dharma can be obtained." The master said, "You have obtained my bones." Finally, Huike bowed, then stood back in his place. The master said, "You have obtained my marrow." Then, looking at Huike, he addressed him, saying, "Formerly, the Tathāgata entrusted the correct Dharma eye to the Great Being Kāśyapa, and it was transmitted and entrusted successively until it reached me. I now entrust it to you; you should protect and uphold it. I also bestow upon you the kaṣāya as the token of faith in the Dharma. Each signifies something; you should understand this." Ke said, "Please point it out and explain, Master." The master said, "Internally, the Dharma-seal is transmitted to tally with and verify the mind; externally, the kaṣāya is bestowed to determine the tradition of the school. In future generations of decline and superficiality, doubts and suspicions will arise in competition, saying, 'I am a man of the Western Heavens, and you are a child of this land. On what basis did you attain the Dharma? By what do you verify it?' If you now receive this robe and Dharma, when difficulties arise later, simply display this robe and my Dharma verse to make it clear, and your teaching will be without hindrance. Two hundred years after my passing, the robe will cease to be transmitted, but the Dharma will pervade the realms as numerous as the sands. Those who understand the Way will be many, while those who practice the Way will be few; those who speak of the principle will be many, while those who penetrate the principle will be few. Those who secretly tally and covertly verify will be more than tens of millions. You should elucidate and propagate it; do not disdain those who have not yet awakened. A single thought turning the pivot is immediately the same as original attainment. Listen to my verse:"
3.10
"I originally came to this land,
To transmit the Dharma and save deluded beings.
A single flower opens with five petals,
And the fruit naturally forms."
3.11
The Master also said: "I have the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra in four fascicles, which I also entrust to you." (This is probably based on the account in the Baolin zhuan. According to Vinaya Master Xuan's Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks, in the biography of Great Master Ke, it says: "At first Bodhidharma handed the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra to Ke, saying: 'I observe that in the land of Han there is only this sūtra. If the benevolent one practices in accordance with it, he will naturally achieve deliverance.'" If it is as stated in that biography, then it was before the Second Patriarch had attained the Dharma that Bodhidharma handed him the Laṅkāvatāra to have him examine it. Now, the Transmission of the Lamp says, after the entrustment of the Dharma and the transmission of the robe: "The Master also said: 'I have the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra in four fascicles, which I also entrust to you'"—this is feared to be an error. Furthermore, saying "I have" makes it seem as though it did not yet exist in the world. One should simply rely on what Mazu said: "He also cited the text of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra to seal the mind-ground of sentient beings." Then there is no harm to the principle.) "This is the essential gate of the Tathāgata's mind-ground, causing all sentient beings to open, reveal, awaken to, and enter it. Since coming here, I have been poisoned five times. I often spat it out myself to test it; when placed on a rock, the rock cracked. Because I originally left South India to come to this eastern land, seeing that the Divine Realm of the Red Provinces had the atmosphere of the Great Vehicle, I crossed oceans and traversed deserts to seek a person for the sake of the Dharma. When the encounter was not yet harmonious, I seemed foolish and slow of speech. Now that I have found you to transmit and bestow it upon, my purpose is complete." (Another record states: "When the Master first resided at Shaolin Monastery for nine years, expounding the Dharma for the Second Patriarch, he taught him only: 'Externally cease all conditions; internally let the mind have no panting. When the mind is like a wall, one can enter the Way.' Huike variously explained the principle of mind-nature, but his realization did not tally. The Master merely checked his errors, not expounding for him the thoughtless mind-substance. Huike said: 'I have already ceased all conditions.' The Master said: 'Does it not turn into total annihilation?' Ke said: 'It does not turn into total annihilation.' The Master said: 'How do you verify that it is not totally annihilated?' Ke said: 'Because it is clearly and constantly knowing, words cannot reach it.' The Master said: 'This is the mind-substance transmitted by all Buddhas; doubt it no further.'") Having finished speaking, he went with his disciples to Qiansheng Monastery at Yumen and stayed for three days. Yang Xuanzhi, governor of Qicheng, had long admired the Buddha Vehicle. He asked the Master: "In the Five Indies of the Western Heavens, masters transmit the lineage to become patriarchs. What is their Way like?" The Master said: "To understand the Buddha-mind school, with practice and understanding in mutual accord—this is named a patriarch." He also asked: "Beyond this, what is it like?" The Master said: "One must comprehend the minds of others and know their present and past, not loathing being or non-being and grasping at nothing among phenomena, neither wise nor foolish, without delusion and without awakening. If one can understand like this, one is called a patriarch." [Yang Xuanzhi] also said: "I, your disciple, have turned my heart to the Three Jewels for years now, yet my wisdom is dim and obscure, and I am still deluded about the true principle. Just now, hearing the Master's words, I do not know how to take them in and apply them. May the Master compassionately reveal and show the ancestral principle." The Master, knowing his earnestness, thereupon spoke a gāthā, saying:
3.12
Neither looking upon evil to produce aversion,
Nor observing good to diligently apply oneself;
Neither abandoning wisdom to draw near to folly,
Nor casting aside delusion to approach awakening;
Penetrating the Great Way—surpassing measurement!
Comprehending the Buddha-mind—transcending limits!
Not walking the same path as ordinary or holy,
Transcendent—he is named a patriarch.
3.13
Xuanzhi, hearing the gāthā, was overcome with both sorrow and joy. He said: "May the Master long dwell in the world to transform and guide all beings." The Master said: "I am about to pass away and cannot remain long. Capacities and natures are ten thousandfold disparate, and many troubles are encountered." Xuanzhi said: "I do not know who it is. Your disciple can eliminate them for the Master." The Master said: "I transmit the Buddha's secret to benefit those on deluded paths. To harm them for my own peace—there is certainly no such principle." Xuanzhi said: "If the Master does not speak, how can you manifest the power of penetrating transformation and contemplative illumination?" The Master, having no choice, then gave a prophecy, saying: "A river raft divides jade waves; / A tube torch unlocks a golden padlock. / Five mouths travel together; / For ninety, there is neither other nor self." Hearing these words, Xuanzhi could not fathom their meaning; he silently memorized them in his heart, bowed in farewell, and departed. What the Master prophesied, though unfathomable at the time, was verified in all respects later. At that time, the Wei dynasty venerated Buddhism, and Chan talents were like a forest. Vinaya Master Guangtong and Tripiṭaka Master Bodhiruci were phoenixes among the saṅgha. Seeing the Master expound the Way, refuting appearances and pointing to the mind, whenever they debated with the Master, disputes arose like spearpoints. The Master distantly shook the profound tradition and universally bestowed the Dharma rain, but their narrow capacities could not endure it. Competing to give rise to malicious intent, they repeatedly administered poison. By the sixth time, because the conditions for transforming others had ended and the transmission of the Dharma had found its recipient, he no longer counteracted it, but sat upright and passed away. This was on the fifth day of the tenth month in the nineteenth year of Taihe, a bingchen year, under Emperor Xiaoming of the Later Wei. (According to the Continued Record of the Dharma, the fifth day of the tenth month was the first year of Yong'an under Emperor Xiaozhuang, which corresponds to the second year of Datong, a wushen year, under the Liang. That year was the first year of Wutai under Emperor Ming. In the second month, Emperor Ming died; in the fourth month, Emperor Zhuang ascended the throne and changed the era name to Jianyi; in the ninth month, it was changed again to Yong'an. Later it says: "Your lord has already grown weary of the world," referring to the passing of Emperor Ming in that year. According to the Transmission of the Lamp, the bingchen year corresponds to the second year of Datong under Emperor Wen of the Western Wei, the third year of Tianping under Emperor Jing of the Eastern Wei, and the second year of Datong under the Liang, which completely contradicts the statement about "growing weary of the world." Furthermore, the nineteenth year of Taihe fell under Emperor Wen of the Later Wei, which corresponds to the second year of Jianwu, an yihai year, under Emperor Ming of the Southern Qi, which is far apart.) On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth month of that year, he was buried at Mount Xiong'er, and a stūpa was erected at Dinglin Monastery. Three years later, Song Yun of the Wei, returning from his mission to the Western Regions, encountered the Master at the Pamir Mountains (Congling) and saw him carrying a single shoe in his hand, striding away alone. Yun asked: "Where is the Master going?" The Master said: "Going to the Western Heavens." He also said to Yun: "Your lord has already grown weary of the world." Hearing this, Yun was bewildered; he took leave of the Master and journeyed east. When he returned to report his mission, Emperor Ming had already passed away, and Xiaozhuang had ascended the throne. Yun memorialized the affair in detail. The Emperor ordered the grave to be opened; there was only an empty coffin, with a single leather shoe remaining inside. (If according to the Continued Record of the Dharma, then three years later was the third year of Yong'an under Emperor Zhuang, a gengxu year, corresponding to the second year of Zhongdatong under Emperor Wu of the Liang. In the twelfth month of that year Emperor Zhuang only then died; when the envoy returned, the emperor was still alive. If according to the Transmission of the Lamp, then three years later was a jiwei year, which is the fifth year of Datong under Emperor Wen of the Western Wei, the first year of Xinghe under Emperor Jing of the Eastern Wei, corresponding to the fifth year of Datong under Emperor Wu of the Liang. If so, how could there still be an Emperor Xiaozhuang? Moreover, stating that Song Yun met the Master at the Pamir Mountains is an even greater error. When Song Yun returned from his mission to the Western Regions, it was already during the Zhengguang reign of Emperor Ming of the Wei. Thus, the one who met the Master at the Pamir Mountains must have been a different envoy sent to the Western Regions at the end of the Wei who returned. [...] It should simply say: Three years later, an envoy of the Wei returning from the Western Regions encountered the Master at the Pamir Mountains, seeing him carrying a single shoe in his hand, striding away alone. He asked where the Master was going, and the Master said: "Going to the Western Heavens." He also said to the envoy: "Your lord has already grown weary of the world." The envoy, hearing this, was bewildered; he took leave of the Master and journeyed east. When he reported his mission, Emperor Ming had already passed away, and Xiaozhuang had ascended the throne. The envoy memorialized the matter in detail; the Emperor ordered the grave opened, and there was only an empty coffin with a single leather shoe remaining inside.) The whole court was amazed and astonished, and by imperial decree the left-behind shoe was retrieved and venerated at Shaolin Monastery. By the fifteenth year of Kaiyuan of the Tang, a dingmao year, it was stolen by a believer of the Way and taken to Huayan Monastery on Mount Wutai; its whereabouts are now unknown. Formerly, when Emperor Wu of Liang met the Master, the conditions were not in accord. Later, hearing that his teaching was flourishing in the state of Wei, he wished to compose an inscription for the Master himself, but had no leisure. Later, upon hearing of the Song Yun affair, he finally completed it. Emperor Daizong bestowed the posthumous title "Great Master of Perfect Awakening" (Yuanjue), and his stūpa was named "Contemplation of Emptiness" (Kongguan). From the Master's passing in the bingchen year of the Wei until the first year of Jingde of the August Song, a jiachen year, there were four hundred and sixty-seven years. (It should be said: from his passing in the gengzi year during the Wei until the first year of Jingde of the August Song, a jiachen year, there were four hundred and seventy-five years. All such discrepancies in chronology are due to errors in the Baolin zhuan, which Duke Yang Wen did not further investigate.)
3.14
The Twenty-ninth Patriarch, Great Master Huike, was a native of Wulao, surnamed Ji. Before his father, Ji, had a son, he often thought to himself: "My family esteems good deeds; how could we lack a fine son?" Having prayed for a long time, one night he was moved by an unusual light that illuminated the room, whereupon his mother conceived. When he grew up, following the auspicious omen of the room being illuminated, they named him Guang. From childhood his aspirations and spirit were extraordinary; he read widely in the poetry and histories, and was especially proficient in profound principles, yet paid no heed to family property and loved to roam among mountains and rivers. Later, examining Buddhist texts, he was transcendent and self-content. He then proceeded to Xiangshan at Longmen in Luoyang, where he went forth and received full ordination under Chan Master Baojing. Roaming through lecture halls at Yongmu Monastery, he extensively studied the doctrines of the Great and Lesser Vehicles. At the age of thirty-two, he returned to Xiangshan, where he sat in meditation all day long for another eight years. Amidst the quiet silence, he suddenly saw a divine person who said to him: "When you are about to attain the fruit, why linger here? The Great Way is not far; you should go south." Guang, recognizing divine assistance, changed his name to Shenguang. The next day, his head felt a stabbing pain. His master wished to treat it, but a voice from the sky said: "This is the changing of bones, not an ordinary pain." Guang then reported the matter of seeing the spirit to his master. His master looked at his parietal bone and found it jutting out like five peaks. He then said: "Your features are auspicious; you will certainly attain realization. The spirit told you to go south—this means that the Great Being Bodhidharma of Shaolin must be your master." Shenguang received this instruction and went to Shaoshi. The circumstances of his obtaining the Dharma and the transmission of the robe are fully related in Bodhidharma's chapter. After [Bodhidharma] entered transformation at Shaolin and returned to the west, the Great Master continued to propagate the profound tradition and widely sought a Dharma heir. In the second year of Tianping of the Northern Qi (which should read the second year of Tianbao, a xinwei year; Tianping was an Eastern Wei reign era, whose second year was yimao), an upāsaka over forty years of age, who did not give his name, respectfully came forward, made prostrations, and asked the Master: "Your disciple's body is afflicted with wind disease. I request the upādhyāya to repent my transgressions for me." The Master said: "Bring your transgressions here, and I will repent them for you." The upāsaka remained silent for a long time and then said: "Seeking transgressions, they cannot be found." The Master said: "I have finished repenting the transgressions for you. You should abide relying on the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha." [The upāsaka] said: "Now seeing the upādhyāya, I already know you are the Saṅgha, but I do not yet understand what is called the Buddha and Dharma." The Master said: "This mind is the Buddha; this mind is the Dharma. The Dharma and the Buddha are not two; the Saṅgha jewel is also thus." [The upāsaka] said: "Today for the first time I know that the nature of transgressions is not inside, not outside, and not in between; just as with this mind, the Buddha and the Dharma are not two." The Great Master deeply valued his capacity and shaved his head for him, saying: "This is my jewel (can); he should be named Sengcan." On the eighteenth day of the third month of that year, he received full ordination at Guangfu Monastery. From this time on, his illness gradually abated. Having attended upon the Master for two years, the Great Master informed him, saying: "Bodhidharma (the old text says Bodhidharma) came from afar from India and secretly entrusted the treasury of the correct Dharma eye to me. I now bestow it upon you, along with Bodhidharma's robe of faith. You should protect and guard it, and not let it be cut off. Listen to my gāthā:"
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- 景德傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese