景德傳燈錄 4.58

4.58

Chan Master Wuzhu of Baotang Monastery in Yizhou first attained the Dharma under Great Master Wuxiang. He then lived on Mount Baiya in Nanyang, devoting himself exclusively to quietude for many years. Students gradually gathered, continually and earnestly making requests. From then on, he gave instruction: though he broadly expounded verbal teachings, he took 'no-thought' alone as the essential principle. When the Tang Prime Minister Du Hongjian went out to pacify the southwestern region, he heard the Master's fame and desired to pay him reverent homage. In the ninth month of the first year of the Dali era, he dispatched an emissary to the mountain to invite him. At that time, the Regional Commander Cui Ning also ordered the monastic assemblies of various temples to go far out to welcome and escort him. On the first day of the tenth month, he arrived at Konghui Monastery. At that time, Duke Du and the military commander summoned eminent and virtuous monks of the three trainings, who all gathered in the monastery; after paying their respects, the Duke asked: "A while ago I heard that the Master once stayed here. Where did you go afterwards?" The Master said: "Wuzhu's nature is fond of the wild and unrefined, and I often lodged among the mountains. From Helan to Wutai, I traveled through famous sites. Hearing that my late teacher resided at Daci Monastery in Guifeng expounding the supreme vehicle, I then traveled far, lifting my robes, and had the privilege of entering his room. Afterwards, I dwelt in seclusion on Baiya for many years. Now, fortunately being summoned by Your Excellency, how could I dare not comply with your command?" The Duke said: "I have heard that Upādhyāya Jin taught the three-phrase dharma-gate of 'no-recollection, no-thought, and do not be deluded'—is this so?" The Master said: "It is." The Duke said: "Are these three phrases one, or are they three?" The Master said: "No-recollection is called precept. No-thought is called concentration. Do not be deluded is called wisdom. When the single mind does not arise, it is endowed with precepts, concentration, and wisdom; they are neither one nor three." The Duke said: "In the final phrase, is the character wang (妄, deluded) not rather wang (忘, forgetfulness) with the heart radical?" The Master said: "It is the one with the woman radical." The Duke said: "Is there textual evidence?" The Master said: "The Dharmapada says: 'If one gives rise to a mind of vigor, this is delusion, not vigor; if one can keep the mind free from delusion, vigor has no bounds.'" Hearing this, the Duke had his doubts dissolved. He asked again: "Does the Master still instruct people with these three phrases?" The Master said: "For beginner students, we still have them quiet thoughts and settle the waves of consciousness. When the water clears, reflections appear; they awaken to thought having no substance, and quiescent cessation appears before them. Even no-thought is not established." At that time, a crow cawed in a tree in the courtyard. The Duke asked: "Does the Master hear it?" The Master said: "I hear it." After the crow had left, he asked again: "Does the Master hear it?" The Master said: "I hear it." The Duke said: "The crow has gone and there is no sound; how can you say you hear it?" The Master then announced to the whole assembly: "It is difficult to encounter the era of a Buddha, and difficult to hear the true Dharma. Each of you listen attentively! Hearing having no hearing has nothing to do with the hearing-nature. Originally unarisen, when has it ever perished? When there is sound, it is the sound-dust arising of itself. When there is no sound, it is the sound-dust perishing of itself. But this hearing-nature does not arise following sound, nor does it perish following sound. Awakening to this hearing-nature, one avoids being turned by sound-dust. You should know that hearing has no arising or perishing; hearing has no coming or going." The Duke, together with his subordinates and the great assembly, bowed their heads. He asked again: "What is called the ultimate truth? Through what sequence may one enter the ultimate truth?" The Master said: "The ultimate truth has no sequence, nor has it entering or exiting. In worldly truth, all exists; in the ultimate truth, there is nothing. The natureless nature of all dharmas is named the ultimate truth. The Buddha said: 'That dharmas exist is called conventional truth; naturelessness is the ultimate truth.'" The Duke said: "The Master's instruction is truly inconceivable." The Duke further said: "My capacity and understanding are shallow; formerly, in leisure from official duties, I composed a two-fascicle commentary on the Awakening of Faith. May it be called the Buddha Dharma?" The Master said: "Now, composing commentaries always employs the conscious mind, calculating and discriminating, conditioned and contrived. Arousing the mind and stirring thoughts, only then can it be completed. According to the treatise itself: 'You should know that all dharmas from the beginning are free from the marks of speech, free from the marks of names, and free from the marks of mental objects; they are ultimately equal and without variation; there is only the one mind, hence named suchness.' Now Your Excellency is attached to the marks of speech, attached to the marks of names, and attached to the marks of mental objects. Since you are attached to various marks, how can this be the Buddha Dharma?" The Duke arose, made obeisance, and said: "I have also previously asked various court-attendant virtuous monks, and all praised me as inconceivable. One should know they were merely indulging human sentiments. Today the Master explains from the principle, according with the mind-ground Dharma; it is truly inconceivable genuine truth." The Duke asked again: "What is non-arising? What is non-perishing? How does one attain liberation?" The Master said: "When seeing objects the mind does not arise, this is called non-arising. Non-arising is non-perishing. Since there is neither arising nor perishing, one is not bound by external dust, and attains liberation right where one is. Non-arising is called no-thought. No-thought is non-perishing; no-thought is non-binding; no-thought is non-liberation. To state the essential: knowing the mind is departing from thoughts; seeing the nature is liberation. Outside of knowing the mind and seeing the nature, that there should be any other dharma-gate to realize unexcelled bodhi—there is no such possibility." The Duke said: "What is called knowing the mind and seeing the nature?" The Master said: "All practitioners of the Way wander following thoughts simply because they do not know the true mind. As for the true mind, when thought arises, it does not follow arising; when thought perishes, it does not rely on quiescence. It does not come or go, is neither concentrated nor disordered, neither grasps nor rejects, neither sinks nor floats, is unconditioned and markless, lively and sprightly, ordinary and at ease. This mind-essence is ultimately unattainable, with nothing knowable or perceivable. Wherever the eye touches, all is suchness—nothing is not seeing the nature." The Duke and the great assembly made obeisance, praising him with great joy, and departed. Later he resided at Baotang Monastery and passed away there.