景德傳燈錄 4.7

4.7

The first generation was Chan Master Farong. He was a native of Yanling in Runzhou, with the surname Wei. At the age of nineteen, his learning encompassed the classics and histories; soon after, he read through the great division of the Prajñā[-pāramitā scriptures] and thoroughly understood true emptiness. One day he suddenly sighed and said: 'The worldly scriptures of Confucianism and Daoism are not the ultimate teaching; the correct contemplation of prajñā is the boat to cross over the world.' Thereupon he secluded himself on Mount Mao, took a teacher, and had his head shaved. Later, he entered a stone chamber on the northern cliff of Youqi Monastery on Mount Niutou. There was the anomaly of hundreds of birds holding flowers in their beaks [to make offerings].

During the Zhenguan era of the Tang dynasty, the Fourth Patriarch observed the atmospheric signs from afar and knew that there was an extraordinary person on that mountain. He then went in person to seek him out. Asking the monks of the monastery, 'Is there a person of the Way here?', they said, 'Among those who have left home, which one is not a person of the Way?' The Patriarch said, 'Which one is a person of the Way?' The monks had no reply. Another monk said, 'Going about ten li into the mountain from here, there is a Lazy Rong. When he sees someone, he does not rise, nor does he join his palms. Could he be a person of the Way?'

The Patriarch then entered the mountain and saw the Master, sitting upright and composed, having never turned to look. The Patriarch asked, 'What are you doing here?' The Master said, 'Contemplating the mind.' The Patriarch said, 'Who is the one who contemplates? What thing is the mind?' The Master had no reply; he immediately stood up and bowed. The Master said, 'Where does the Venerable dwell on high?' The Patriarch said, 'This poor monk does not settle on a fixed dwelling, sometimes east, sometimes west.' The Master said, 'Do you know Chan Master Daoxin?' He said, 'Why do you ask about him?' The Master said, 'I have long looked up to his virtue and hoped to pay homage to him.' [The Patriarch] said, 'Chan Master Daoxin—this poor monk is he.' The Master said, 'For what reason have you descended here?' The Patriarch said, 'I have come especially to visit you. Is there anywhere else to rest?'

The Master pointed behind and said, 'There is another small hut.' He then led the Patriarch to the hut. Surrounding the hut, one saw only the likes of tigers and wolves. The Patriarch raised both hands in a gesture of fear. The Master said, 'Still there is this?' The Patriarch said, 'What did you just see?' The Master had no reply.

A short while later, the Patriarch wrote the character 'Buddha' on the stone where the Master sat in meditation. When the Master saw it, he recoiled in awe. The Patriarch said, 'Still there is this?' The Master did not understand; thereupon he bowed his head and requested him to expound the essential truth.

The Patriarch said:
'The hundreds of thousands of dharma-gates all return to the square inch [of the heart]; marvelous virtues numerous as the sands of the Ganges all abide at the source of the mind. All the gates of precepts, gates of samādhi, gates of wisdom, and supernatural powers and transformations are completely present in oneself, not separate from your mind. All afflictions and karmic obstructions are originally empty and tranquil; all causes and effects are like dreams and illusions. There are no three realms to escape; there is no bodhi to seek. The nature and characteristics of humans and non-humans are equal. The Great Way is vast and spacious, beyond thought and deliberation. Such a dharma you have now attained, with nothing lacking whatsoever; how are you any different from the Buddhas? There is no other dharma besides this. You need only let the mind be free and spontaneous: do not perform contemplation practices, nor clarify the mind; do not arouse greed and anger; do not harbor sorrow and anxiety. Vast and unobstructed, follow your will in every direction; do not perform various goods, do not perform various evils. Walking, standing, sitting, and lying down—whatever meets the eye and encounters conditions—all are the marvelous functioning of the Buddha; joyful and without worry, it is therefore named Buddha.'

The Master said, 'Since the mind is complete, what is Buddha and what is mind?'

The Patriarch said, 'Were it not the mind, one would not ask about the Buddha; asking about the Buddha is not other than the mind.'

The Master said, 'Since one is not permitted to perform contemplation practices, when sense-objects arise, how should the mind remedy them?'

The Patriarch said, 'Sense-objects and conditions have neither good nor bad; good and bad arise from the mind. If the mind does not forcefully assign names, from where can deluded feelings arise? When deluded feelings do not arise, the true mind is allowed to know everywhere. You need only follow the mind in spontaneity, without applying remedies anymore; this is called the permanently abiding Dharma-body, free from alteration. I have received Master Can's dharma-gate of the sudden teaching, and now confer it upon you. You should now carefully accept my words and only remain on this mountain. In the future, there will be five accomplished persons who will inherit your profound transformation.'

(Guifeng judged this to be the School of Complete Extinction Without Abode, citing the teachings of the refutation of characteristics to seal it. A monk asked Nanquan, 'Before Niutou saw the Fourth Patriarch, why did birds and beasts hold flowers in their beaks to make offerings?' Nanquan said, 'Only because step by step he trod the stairs of Buddhahood.' Dongshan said, 'Like observing a pearl in the palm of the hand, his attention did not stray for an instant.' The monk said, 'Why did they not come after he saw him?' Nanquan said, 'Even if they do not come, he is still a line away from Old Teacher Wang.' Dongshan said, 'He has cast off his whole body.' Another venerable elder answered both questions saying, 'Thieves do not break into a poor man's house.' A monk asked an old venerable, 'How was it before Niutou saw the Fourth Patriarch?' He said, 'Like leaves strung on a branch.' The monk said, 'How was it after seeing him?' He said, 'Autumn leaves falling in confusion in the night.' Another monk asked Chan Master Qian of Yongming in Wuyue, 'How was it before Niutou saw the Fourth Patriarch?' Qian said, 'Niutou.' The monk said, 'How was it after seeing him?' Qian said, 'Niutou.' The presentations and verses in various places are very numerous and cannot be recorded in full.)

Having finished conferring the Dharma, the Patriarch then returned to Mount Shuangfeng to end his days. From then on, the Master's dharma assembly flourished greatly. During the Yonghui era of the Tang dynasty, the community lacked provisions. The Master went to Danyang to solicit alms. It was eighty li away from the mountain. He personally carried on his back one dan and eight dou of rice, departing in the morning and returning at dusk, supplying three hundred monks without missing the two meals for three years. The county magistrate Xiao Yuanshan invited him to lecture on the Great Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra at Jianchu Monastery. Listeners gathered like clouds. When he reached the 'Chapter on Extinction and Tranquility', the earth shook because of it. When it was finished, he returned to the mountain.

The Prince of Boling asked the Master:
'When sense-objects and conditions arise regarding form,
one does not say that conditions arise from form.
How is it known that there are conditions,
so that one desires to calm their arising?'

The Master replied:
'When the sense-objects of form first arise,
the natures of both form and sense-object are empty.
Originally there is no knower of conditions;
the capacity of the mind is identical with knowing.
Illuminating the root, arising is non-arising;
at that time, what arose calms of itself.
Embracing darkness, the condition of awareness is born;
when there is mind, conditions are not pursued.
As for before it is born,
form and mind are not nurtured.
From emptiness there is originally no thought;
conception and sensation give rise to spoken thought.
Arising dharmas have never arisen;
what need is there for the Buddha's teachings and injunctions?'

[The Prince] asked:
'Closing the eyes, one does not see form,
yet thoughts of sense-objects become more numerous.
Since form does not concern the mind,
from where do sense-objects arise?'

The Master said:
'Closing the eyes, one does not see form,
yet within the mind many agitated thoughts stir.
Illusory consciousness falsely forms functioning;
arising names in the end cannot be exceeded.
Know that form does not concern the mind,
and the mind also does not concern the person.
Following action, there are characteristics revolving;
a bird departing in the sky is the real.'

[The Prince] asked:
'The arising of sense-objects has no fixed place;
conditioned awareness arises through discerning knowledge.
When sense-objects subside, awareness shifts back;
awareness then turns into a sense-object.
If one uses the mind to drag the mind,
it becomes in turn that which is perceived by awareness.
Following along and drifting after it,
one does not depart from the boundary of arising and ceasing.'

The Master said:
'Form and mind, before, after, and in between—
there are truly no sense-objects of conditioned origination.
A single thought settles and is forgotten of itself;
who can calculate movement and stillness?
This knowing is of itself without knowing;
knowing knowing, conditions are not gathered.
One should examine one's original form of oneself;
why need one seek outside the realm?
The preceding object does not alter or subside;
the succeeding thought does not arrive at the present.
Seeking the moon, one grasps the dark shadow;
tracing tracks, one pursues flying birds.
If you wish to know the original nature of the mind,
it is just like looking inside a dream.
Compare it to ice in the sixth month—
everywhere it is similar.
Fleeing emptiness, in the end one does not escape it;
seeking emptiness, again it is not accomplished.
May I ask about the image in the mirror:
from where is the mind produced?'

[The Prince] asked:
'Just at the very moment one applies the mind,
how is it best to make it secure and tranquil?'

The Master said:
'Just at the very moment one applies the mind,
precisely then there is no mind to apply.
Crooked talk of names and characteristics is wearisome;
speaking directly has no burdensome complexity.
Having no mind, it is applied precisely then;
constantly functioning, precisely then it is absent.
Now speaking of where there is no mind,
it is not different from having a mind.'

[The Prince] asked:
'A wise person adduces marvelous words
that correspond to and tally with the mind.
Words and the path of the mind are distinct;
if matched, they diverge ten-thousand-fold.'

The Master said:
'Using skillful means to speak marvelous words
is the Great Vehicle way to break illness.
It does not concern talking of the original nature;
rather, it is created from the transformations of emptiness.
No-thought is the true and constant;
in the end, the path of the mind must be cut off.
Apart from thought, the nature does not move;
arising and ceasing are without error or divergence.
A valley echo already has sound;
a mirror image can look back.'

[The Prince] asked:
'A practitioner understands sense-objects as existing;
through awareness, he knows sense-objects are annihilated.
The prior awareness and the subsequent awareness,
together with the sense-object, make three minds.'

The Master said:
'The function of sense-objects is not the awareness of the substance;
once aware, one should not think.
Because of awareness, one knows sense-objects are annihilated;
at the time of awareness, sense-objects do not arise.
The prior awareness and the subsequent awareness,
together with the sense-object, are three delays.'

[The Prince] asked:
'Abiding in samādhi, both do not shift;
one regards this as correct samādhi.
Various karmas cannot pull one;
one does not know that subtle ignorance
slowly follows behind.'

The Master said:
'Again I hear that there are other people
who vainly grasp at raising mind-measures.
Among the three, the matter is not accomplished;
not shifting is still empty delusion.
The mind is bound by correct reception,
and considers this the purification of karmic obstructions.
A ten-thousandth part of mind-dust:
not understanding it, they speak of ignorance.
Subtly, habitual causes arise;
slowly, names and characteristics are born.
When wind comes, waves churn;
wishing to be quiet, water returns to levelness.
I would speak of what lies further ahead,
but I fear subsequent minds will be startled.
No-thought is the roar of the great beast;
the emptiness of nature brings down frost and hail.
Stars scatter and foul weeds are destroyed;
flying birds fall in every direction.
The five destinies are truly confused and tumultuous;
the four māras neither advance nor retreat.
It is like a raging fire burning,
and also like a sharp sword cutting.'

[The Prince] asked:
'Relying on awareness, one knows the ten thousand dharmas;
the ten thousand dharmas are originally so.
If one borrows illumination to apply the mind,
one only obtains the applied mind of illumination;
it would not correspond to the matters within the mind.'

The Master said:
'Relying on awareness, one knows the ten thousand dharmas;
the ten thousand dharmas in the end have nothing to rely on.
If one borrows illumination to apply the mind,
it should not be outside the mind.'

[The Prince] asked:
'Following along without selection,
the luminous mind does not manifest before one.
Again fearing that the mind is dark and obscure,
one exerts effort and practice in the mind;
the cognitive obstruction is again difficult to eliminate.'

The Master said:
'Having this, it cannot be had;
seeking this, it cannot be sought.
Non-selection is true selection;
obtaining darkness, the luminous mind emerges.
One who worries is of a dark and obscure mind;
retaining the mind, one relies on effort and practice.
Why discuss the difficulty of cognitive obstructions?
Only reaching Buddhahood does it become an illness.'

[The Prince] asked:
'In striking the mean and comprehending,
it is truly difficult to find peace.
Unless one is a person of active practice,
this difficulty will in the end be hard to see.'

The Master said:
'Desiring to strike the mean and comprehend:
comprehending is neither difficult nor easy.
First contemplate the mind where the mind is;
next examine wisdom within wisdom.
Third, illuminate the one who examines;
fourth, penetrate the indeterminate.
Fifth, liberate names;
sixth, equalize truth and falsity.
Seventh, know the root of dharmas;
eighth, compassionate non-action.
Ninth, pervade the empty skandhas;
tenth, clouds and rain sheltering.
At the very end of that, there is no awareness;
ignorance gives birth to original wisdom.
Mirror images manifest the three karmas;
an illusory person transforms the crossroads.
Do not abide at the extreme of emptiness to the end;
one should illuminate non-existence within existence.
Not going beyond the interior of emptiness and existence,
yet not bringing emptiness and existence together:
this is called striking the mean;
striking the mean is not words.
Being peaceful has no place to be placed;
how can active practice decide it?'

[The Prince] asked:
'There is another kind of person
who well understands emptiness and signlessness;
orally they say that samādhi and disturbance are one,
and further say that there is non-existence within existence.
Equally verifying that functioning is constantly tranquil,
knowing and awareness, tranquil, are constantly functioning.
Using the mind, they tally with the true principle;
later they say functioning is non-functioning.
Wisdom and skillful means are plentiful;
their words accord with the principle.
Suchness: the principle is naturally such;
it is not understood through the discriminating mind.
Since they know that the mind's understanding is wrong,
mind upon mind is again obliterated.
Such a dharma difficult to know
cannot be known in eternal kalpas.
A person who applies the mind like this
cannot be transformed by the Dharma.'

The Master said:
'There are others who verify emptiness,
just as discussed in the previous verse:
practicing emptiness and maintaining tranquility and extinction,
discernment and views are temporarily overturned.
Tallying with the true is a measure of the mind;
in the end know they have not understood the source.
Again, they speak of resting the mind's functioning;
much wisdom is suspected to be similar.
It is simply because the nature is not clear;
seeking emptiness merely wearies oneself.
Dwelling in hidden consciousness for eternal kalpas,
embracing characteristics, they do not know at all.
Emitting light, it immediately shakes the earth;
what do you wish to do about that?'

[The Prince] asked:
'For the aforementioned mind-watchers,
there is again the difficulty of the thin silk veil.'

The Master said:
'Watching the mind has a thin silk veil;
why wait to watch an illusory mind?
How much more so for one without an illusory mind:
it is hard to calmly open one's mouth.'

[The Prince] asked:
'Long possessing the great foundation,
in the divergence of the mind's pathways,
if one attains awareness of subtle obstructions,
then one arrives at the true limit.
Unless one is a skillful teacher,
none can resolve this principle.
Looking up with reverence, may our Great Master
open the essential gate for us,
guiding those who apply their minds
so they are not led to lose the correct path.'

The Master said:
'The Dharma-nature is the original foundation;
dream states make divergences.
The subtle body of the True Mark:
form and mind are constantly unawakened.
Suddenly meeting a person of primal simplicity,
sorrowful and lamenting, pitying the multitude of beings,
relying on doubts, he broadly raises questions;
embracing principle, within he is constantly luminous.
The dark path of birth and death is penetrated;
with blame or praise, his mind is unstartled.
An old man of the wilds reveals partial replies;
the Dharma marks feel ashamed before your arrival.
Receiving the medicine that brings forth the multitude of beings,
it is just like what the nature of form does.'

In the first year of the Xianqing era, the county magistrate Xiao Yuanshan invited him to leave the mountain and reside at Jianchu [Monastery]. The Master declined but could not escape it. Thereupon he ordered the head disciple of his chamber, Zhiyan, and entrusted to him the Dharma seal, directing him to transmit it in succession. When about to descend the mountain, he said to the assembly: 'I shall never set foot on this mountain again.' At that time, the birds and beasts wailed and howled, not stopping for over a month. In front of the hut were four large paulownia trees; in the mid-summer month, they suddenly withered and dropped their leaves of themselves. The following year, the dingsi year, on the twenty-third day of the leap first month, he passed away at Jianchu. His age was sixty-four, his monastic age forty-one. On the twenty-seventh day, he was buried at Mount Jilong. More than ten thousand people gathered to send him off. His former residence on Mount Niutou, the Golden Source, Tiger Roar Spring, Staff Spring, and Golden Tortoise Pool, and the stone chamber where he sat in meditation, all still exist today.