景德傳燈錄 3.5

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: