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Text

1.1

Compiled by the Śramaṇa and Subject Monk Qisong of Dongshan, Tanjiu, Song dynasty.

Now, Bodhidharma was truly the twenty-eighth patriarch of the Buddha's unique teaching. Together with Mahākāśyapa, they are the direct successors descending from Śākyamuni Tathāgata. When it was transmitted to China, the passage of years and generations accumulated into great distance, and genealogical records fell into error. Students, having meager knowledge, could not trace and scrutinize its origins. The truth was consequently not believed, and divergent opinions arose in abundance, which has been quite the case from antiquity to the present. Throughout his life, Qisong considered this a great distress. He happened to examine the right and wrong and rectify the lineage of patriarchs. Just as his book was about to be completed, it coincided with the promulgation throughout the empire of the imperial chart depicting the patriarchs transmitting the Dharma and conferring the robe. Although those who study Buddhism all took pride in this, they still listened indistinctly without comprehending the sovereign's intent. Qisong rejoiced at this, and privately said to those of understanding: "Our Buddha took the essentials of the true Dharma as the principle of the one great teaching, and took the secret transmission and reception as the patriarchs of the one great teaching. This principle is indeed the source of the Way of the sages and worthies, and the wondrous origin of Heaven, Earth, and living beings. These patriarchs are indeed the great model for ten thousand generations of those who cultivate precepts, samādhi, and wisdom, and the true verification of the teachings of the twelve divisions of scripture. Ever since books and transmissions fell into disorderly obscurity and corruption, the world has doubted this for nearly hundreds and thousands of years. Today, the supreme Great Sage has specially promulgated the chart to rectify its patriarchal lineage. However, regarding the sage's teaching of the Way, it is certainly only a sage who can rectify it. How could this be only the great good fortune of the Buddha's followers for ten thousand generations? It is also the great good fortune of Heaven, Earth, and living beings!" Qisong therefore, without avoiding the punishment for his presumption and foolish arrogance, dared to risk death in citing the old matters, elaborating upon the supreme sage's intention, and reverently composing this commentary to the Patriarch Chart, which also refers to the chart of the patriarchs transmitting the Dharma and conferring the robe previously promulgated. Yet, among those things that first threw our patriarchal lineage into disorder and bewildered the empire's scholars, none surpasses the Fufazang zhuan. Among those things that rectify its patriarchal lineage and cut off ten thousand generations of dispute, none surpasses the Chan scripture. The Chan scripture precedes the Fufazang zhuan; sixty-two years earlier, its beginning and end were already complete, and the twenty-eight patriarchs had already appeared during the Jin dynasty. The Fufazang zhuan appeared only after Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei (Emperor Zhenjun) abolished the teaching, defectively claiming only twenty-four generations, and only then appeared during the Wei dynasty. When tested against the Chan scripture, the Fufazang zhuan is indeed shown to be erroneous. As for the Tathāgata's secretly transmitting the treasury of the true Dharma eye exclusively to Mahākāśyapa, this is manifested in the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, the Da zhidu lun, the Chan scripture, and its preface. If one seeks it with inner comprehension, the Buddha's subtle purport is present therein. His Majesty's sagacious nature is lofty and wondrous, uniquely apprehending what lies beyond words. This is truly a natural endowment and a prophecy of the Buddha. Therefore, his elucidation of the Chan patriarchs conforms elegantly with the scriptures, and it is fitting that it be handed down for ten thousand generations as an eternal, definitive judgment on the three trainings. The Buddha's disciples follow and revere it, and the world no longer doubts. Those listed in the chart, from Śākyamuni Buddha and Mahākāśyapa down to the Sixth Patriarch, Chan Master Dajian of Caoxi, total thirty-four figures. In addition, there are ten worthies of Confucianism and Buddhism whose words regarding our patriarchal lineage have traditionally had evidential backing, who are arranged to the left of the various patriarchs. Respectfully following the Chuanfa zhengzong ji, I proceed to the imperial palace to submit this, troubling the sovereign's attention, unable to bear the utmost fear and trepidation. Respectfully prefaced.

1.3

The Initial Patriarch, Śākyamuni Buddha, manifested his birth in Central India as the son of the Holy King Śuddhodana. He soon relinquished the station of a Cakravartin King, left home, attained the unsurpassed Way, and turned the great wheel of the Dharma. Afterwards, at the age of seventy-nine, about to enter parinirvāṇa, he transmitted his great Dharma seal to his senior disciple, Mahākāśyapa, and also instructed Ānanda to assist in transmitting and transforming. Furthermore, with his gold-threaded saṅghāṭī robe, he ordered Mahākāśyapa to transmit it onward to the future Buddha of succession, Maitreya Buddha. He spoke a verse, saying:

1.4

The fundamental Dharma of phenomena is without phenomena; / The Dharma of no-phenomena is also phenomena. / Now when the no-phenomena Dharma is transmitted, / What phenomenon has ever been phenomena?

1.5

The First Patriarch, Mahākāśyapa, was originally a man of Magadha, born of the Brahmin caste. His body was golden in color. He first renounced his family and entered the mountains, cultivating himself through the dhūta practices. When he met the Buddha who had appeared in the world, he thereupon took refuge in him as his master. After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, he ordered the assembly of arhats to join together to compile (saṅgīti) the Dharma treasury. Afterwards, holding the Buddha's robe, he was about to enter samādhi on Mount Kukkuṭapāda to await Maitreya's descent to birth; he then transmitted his Dharma seal to Ānanda, speaking a verse, saying:

1.6

Phenomena upon phenomena are originally phenomena; / There is neither no-phenomena nor non-phenomena. / How within a single phenomenon / Could there be phenomena and non-phenomena?

1.7

The Second Patriarch, Ānanda, was of the Kṣatriya caste, a son of King Droṇodana, and a younger paternal cousin of Śākyamuni Tathāgata. Longing for the Buddha, he left home to become the Buddha's attendant. He was foremost in total retention (dhāraṇī). Transmitting the Dharma spoken by the Buddha was like pouring water from vessel to vessel, without ever forgetting or losing a drop. When he was about to approach extinction, he transmitted the Dharma to his disciple Śāṇakavāsa, and also entrusted it to Madhyāntika, speaking a verse, saying:

1.8

Originally, what was transmitted had phenomena; / Having transmitted, it is said there are no phenomena. / Each and every one must awaken for themselves; / Having awakened, there is no absence of phenomena.

1.9

The Third Patriarch, Śāṇakavāsa, also called Śāṇavāsa, was a man of Mathurā, of the Vaiśya caste. He remained in his mother's womb for six years before being born. He possessed a natural garment that grew along with his body. He left home to become a disciple of Ānanda. Having received the Buddha's prophecy beforehand, he resided at the Urumuṇḍa Monastery. He first subdued the two fire dragons of that land, and only afterwards led the assembly to dwell there. When he was about to enter nirvāṇa, he transmitted the Dharma to his disciple Upagupta, speaking a verse, saying:

1.10

It is neither phenomena nor mind; / There is neither mind nor phenomena. / When speaking of this mind-phenomenon, / This phenomenon is not the mind-phenomenon.

1.11

The Fourth Patriarch, Upagupta, was a man of the country of Pāṭali, of the Śūdra caste. He took Śāṇakavāsa as his master, left home, and attained the Way. Possessing extraordinary traces, he was called the "Buddha Without Marks." He delivered the greatest number of people; the tallies recording those people overflowed a stone chamber. About to enter extinction, he then transmitted the Dharma to his disciple Dhītika, speaking a verse, saying:

1.12

The mind is naturally the original mind; / The original mind is not an existing phenomenon. / Where there are phenomena, there is an original mind; / It is not the mind, nor the original phenomenon.

1.13

The Fifth Patriarch, Dhītika, was a man of the country of Magadha; his surname is not known. He initially left home under the Venerable Upagupta. While traveling and transforming, he reached Central India, where he met the great rishi Miccaka, who related his own past karmic connections and sought to become his disciple. When Dhītika was about to enter extinction, he transmitted the Dharma to Miccaka, speaking a verse, saying:

1.14

Thoroughly penetrating the original mind-phenomenon, / There is neither no-phenomena nor non-phenomena. / Having awakened is identical to not having awakened; / There is no mind, nor are there phenomena.

1.15

The Sixth Patriarch, Miccaka, was a man of Central India; his surname is not known. Initially disgusted with hermit arts, he sought Dhītika as his master to leave home and study Buddhism. Soon thereafter he realized the fruit. Traveling and transforming, he reached Northern India, where he met an extraordinary person, Vasumitra. Explaining to him that the Buddha had formerly prophesied that he would inherit the patriarchal seat, he received him as a disciple. When he was about to enter parinirvāṇa, he transmitted the Dharma to Vasumitra, speaking a verse, saying:

1.16

No-mind has nothing to be attained; / To speak of attainment is not called the Dharma. / If one realizes that mind is no-mind, / Only then does one realize the mind-to-mind Dharma.

1.17

The Seventh Patriarch, Vasumitra, was a man of Northern India, of the Bhāradvāja clan. At first, he always wore clean robes and carried a wine vessel; his demeanor was calm and composed, and no one could fathom him. Upon meeting Miccaka, who revealed his past causes, he cast away the vessel and followed him to leave home, realizing the Way and receiving the precepts. Traveling and transforming, he reached the country of Kamāra, where he subdued Buddhanandi through doctrinal debate, making him his disciple. When he was about to enter nirvāṇa, he transmitted the Dharma to him, speaking a verse, saying:

1.18

The mind is identical to the realm of empty space, / Manifesting phenomena equal to empty space. / When one realizes empty space, / There is neither rightness nor non-phenomena.

1.19

The Eighth Patriarch, Buddhanandi, was a man of the country of Kamāra, of the Gautama clan. From birth, he had a fleshy uṣṇīṣa upon his crown. His nature was exceptionally brilliant, able to memorize everything at a single glance. His age was already forty when he met Vasumitra arriving in his native country; longing for his exposition of the Dharma, he followed him to leave home, attained the Way, and received the precepts. He likewise devoted himself to traveling and transforming. Arriving in the country of Toba, he met the remarkable man Buddhamitra and made him his disciple. When approaching parinirvāṇa, he transmitted the Dharma to him, speaking a verse, saying:

1.20

Empty space has neither inside nor outside; / The mind and phenomena are also like this. / If one understands empty space in this way, / One penetrates the principle of tathatā.

1.21

The Ninth Patriarch, Buddhamitra, was a man of the country of Toba, of the Viśāla clan. He had already reached fifty years of age, yet his mouth had never spoken and his feet had never walked. When Buddhanandi arrived at his house, his parents were about to take him to see him. Upon seeing Buddhanandi, he suddenly spoke of his own accord and walked swiftly before him, expressing the wish to take him as master and leave home. Soon he also achieved the Way. Having received the precepts, he traveled and transforming reached Central India, where he met the son of the Elder Gandhahastin, who was none other than the Venerable Pārśva, and took him as a disciple. About to pass into extinction, he then transmitted the Dharma to him, speaking a verse, saying:

1.22

True principle is originally without name; / Depending on names, true principle is revealed. / When one receives the true and real Dharma, / It is neither true nor false.

1.23

The Tenth Patriarch, the Venerable Pārśva, was a man of Central India. He remained in the womb for a full sixteen years before being born, and was therefore named "Difficult Birth" (Duṣprasaha). He had many extraordinary traces. When Buddhanandi arrived in his country, his father Gandhahastin took him to visit, seeking for him to be received. When he became a monk, his cultivation was pure, energetic, and austere; day and night his ribs never touched the mat, hence he was called the Venerable Pārśva (Ribs). Traveling and transforming, he reached the country of Pāṭaliputra, where he first manifested auspicious omens, and subsequently obtained Puṇyayaśas, who left home to become his disciple. When he was about to pass away, he transmitted the Dharma to him, speaking a verse, saying:

1.24

The true substance is naturally true; / Depending on the true, it is said that there is principle. / Having apprehended the true, true Dharma, / There is neither moving nor stopping.

1.25

The Eleventh Patriarch, Puṇyayaśas, was a man of the country of Pāṭaliputra, of the Gautama clan. Born with a virtuous nature, he knew of himself that he would meet a holy master. When the Venerable Pārśva arrived in his country, he went to his Dharma assembly. Their conversation and discussion were in harmony, and he immediately followed him to leave home. Attaining the Way, he traveled and transforming reached the country of Vārāṇasī, where he met Aśvaghoṣa and took him as a disciple, which precisely coincided with the Buddha's prophecy. Approaching his entry into extinction, he transmitted the Dharma to him, speaking a verse, saying:

1.26

Delusion and awakening are like hidden and manifest; / Brightness and darkness are not separated from each other. / Now I transmit the hidden-and-manifest Dharma, / Which is neither one nor two.

1.27

The Twelfth Patriarch, Aśvaghoṣa, was a man of the country of Vārāṇasī; his clan and surname are not known. He initially followed Puṇyayaśas, left home, and received the precepts. His master explained to him his past karmic connections, saying: "In the past, you once transformed the people of a certain country who were naked like horses, and those people neighed sorrowfully, yearning for your virtue; because of this, you are called Aśvaghoṣa (Horse Neigh)." Traveling and transforming, he reached the country of Pāṭaliputra, where he subdued the great demon Kapimala, subjugating him and taking him as a disciple. When about to enter parinirvāṇa, he transmitted the Dharma to him, speaking a verse, saying:

1.28

Hidden and manifest are the fundamental Dharma; / Brightness and darkness are originally not two. / Now I transmit the fully awakened Dharma, / Which is neither grasped nor cast aside.

1.29

The Thirteenth Patriarch, Kapimala, was a man of the country of Pāṭaliputra; his clan and surname are not known. He was initially a non-Buddhist who possessed great illusory arts. Visiting Aśvaghoṣa, he could not match his Dharma in comparison, and thereupon became his disciple. Having attained the Way and received the precepts, he also traveled and transforming reached Western India, where he subdued a great fire dragon. By means of this, he found Nāgārjuna and took him as a disciple. About to pass away, he transmitted his Dharma to him, speaking a verse, saying:

1.30

The Dharma neither hidden nor manifest / Is spoken of as the limit of reality. / Awakening to this hidden-and-manifest Dharma, / One is neither foolish nor wise.

1.31

The Fourteenth Patriarch, Nāgārjuna, was a man of Western India; his clan and surname are not known. He was of great intelligence and wisdom, thoroughly versed in all worldly learning. In his country, there was a mountain named Longsheng (Dragon Victory). In that mountain, there had originally been a divine dragon; where it resided, there was an enormous tree capable of shading the multitude of dragons. When Nāgārjuna had an awakening and wished to leave home, he entered that mountain and cultivated the Way relying on the tree, and was already able to proclaim the Buddha's Dharma for the assembly of dragons. Kapimala, learning of his renown, came to meet him. Nāgārjuna thereupon paid homage to him as his master and received the precepts. Traveling and transforming, he reached Southern India, where he obtained Kāṇadeva. When about to pass into extinction, he transmitted his Dharma to him, speaking a verse, saying:

1.32

"To make clear the dharma of concealment and manifestation, / One only then speaks of the principle of liberation. / Toward the dharma the mind realizes nothing; / There is neither wrath nor joy."

1.33

The fifteenth patriarch, Kāṇadeva, was a man of Southern India whose surname was Vaiśāla. It happened that Nāgārjuna arrived at his home; when he reached the gate, Nāgārjuna first sent someone to place a bowl full of water before him. [Kāṇa]deva immediately dropped a needle into the water. Thereupon he took Nāgārjuna as his master and renounced the householder's life, becoming his foremost disciple. Later, traveling to propagate the teachings, he reached the kingdom of Kapila and gained Rāhulata as his disciple. As he was about to enter extinction, he transmitted the Dharma to him and spoke a verse:

1.34

"Originally, to the person who receives the Dharma, / One speaks of the principle of liberation. / Toward the dharma there is truly nothing to realize; / There is neither end nor beginning."

1.35

The sixteenth patriarch, Rāhulata, was a man of the kingdom of Kapila whose surname was Brahmā. Having met [Kāṇa]deva and had the conditions of the fungus on his family's tree clarified, he immediately took him as master and renounced the householder's life, awakening to the Dharma with extraordinary traces. Afterwards, leading his disciples, he traveled and taught until he reached the city of Śrāvastī. In accordance with the Buddha's prophecy, he sought out Saṅghanandi, and soon had him renounce the householder's life to become his disciple. As he was about to enter parinirvāṇa, he transmitted the Dharma to him and spoke a verse:

1.36

"Toward the dharma there is truly nothing to realize; / One neither grasps nor separates. / The dharma is devoid of the marks of existence and non-existence; / How could internal and external arise?"

1.37

The seventeenth patriarch, Saṅghanandi, was a man of the kingdom of Śrāvastī whose surname was Kṣatriya. He was the son of the king of that country, said to be a manifestation of the ancient King Vāra Buddha, manifesting birth in a royal family. He then shaved his head and received the precepts in the royal palace. Soon he went out to a stone chamber in a famous mountain of that kingdom to cultivate dhyāna. It happened that Rāhulata came to his place of meditation. Thereupon [Saṅghanandi] submitted respectfully and sought the essentials of the Dharma all the more. Rāhulata then transmitted the Dharma to him. Later, he went to the kingdom of Madhyadeśa to seek the one whom Rāhulata had prophesied would succeed to the Dharma, and found Gayāśata. Entering extinction, he transmitted the Dharma to him and spoke a verse:

1.38

"The mind-ground is originally unborn; / From the ground it arises through conditions. / Conditions and seeds do not obstruct each other; / Flowers and fruits are also like this."

1.39

The eighteenth patriarch, Gayāśata, was a man of the kingdom of Madhyadeśa whose surname was Udraka. Throughout his life he had especially many miraculous traces. It happened that Saṅghanandi came to his house seeking him. Taking him as master, he renounced the householder's life, received the precepts, and was immediately transmitted the Dharma. Traveling to teach, he reached the kingdom of the Yuezhi and met Kumāralāta, for whom he explained the miraculous conditions of his family and the origin of his auspicious dream. Kumāralāta immediately took him as master and renounced the householder's life. As he was about to enter nirvāṇa, he transmitted the Dharma to him and spoke a verse:

1.40

"When there is a seed and there is a mind-ground, / Due to causes and conditions it can sprout. / With conditions there is no mutual obstruction; / Constantly arising, the arisen is unborn."

1.41

The nineteenth patriarch, Kumāralāta, was a man of the kingdom of the Yuezhi whose surname was Brāhmaṇa. From long past hailed as an unfathomable person, through conditions he manifested birth here. Soon he took Gayāśata as his master, renounced the householder's life, and was transmitted the Dharma. Traveling to teach, he reached Central India and gained Jayata as his disciple. As he was about to enter extinction, he transmitted the Dharma to him and spoke a verse:

1.42

"In its nature there is originally no arising; / It is spoken for the seeker. / Since in the Dharma nothing is attained, / Why harbor certainty or uncertainty?"

1.43

The twentieth patriarch, Jayata, was a man of Northern India; his surname is not clearly known. It happened that Kumāralāta arrived in his native kingdom; hearing his teaching that karma permeates the three times, he was moved, awakened, followed him, renounced the householder's life, and attained the Dharma. He then traveled and taught in various countries until he reached the city of Rājagṛha, where he gained the monk Vasubandhu as his disciple. As he was about to enter extinction, he transmitted the Dharma to him and spoke a verse:

1.44

"At the spoken words one accords with the unborn, / Identical with the nature of the dharmadhātu. / If one can understand in this way, / One has completely penetrated phenomena and principle."

1.45

The twenty-first patriarch, Vasubandhu, was a man of the kingdom of Rājagṛha whose surname was Vaiśākha. While he was in the womb, a holy monk once informed his parents of his past conditions; upon birth, he showed great anomalies. When slightly older, he renounced the householder's life under the arhat Guangdu, admiring Drinker of Light (Kāśyapa) and cultivating dhūta practices. Soon he met Jayata and was transmitted the Great Dharma. Traveling to teach, he reached the kingdom of Nadī and gained Manorhita as his disciple. As he was about to enter extinction, he transmitted the Dharma to him and spoke a verse:

1.46

"Bubbles and phantoms alike are unobstructed; / How could one fail to understand? / The penetrating Dharma is therein; / It is neither present nor past."

1.47

The twenty-second patriarch, Manorhita, was a man of the kingdom of Nadī whose surname was Kṣatriya. He was the son of the king of that country and possessed great supernatural power. His royal father commanded him to take Vasubandhu as master and renounce the householder's life. Having received the precepts, he was transmitted the Dharma. Traveling to teach from Western India, he levitated himself by supernatural powers to the kingdom of the Yuezhi, where he gained the monk Haklenayaśas and immediately transmitted the Dharma to him. Soon he entered parinirvāṇa. His verse of Dharma transmission said:

1.48

"The mind turns following the myriad conditions; / Where it turns is truly profound. / Following the flow, recognize the nature; / There is neither joy nor grief."

1.49

The twenty-third patriarch, Haklenayaśas, was a man of the kingdom of the Yuezhi whose surname was Brāhmaṇa. While in the womb and upon birth, he had quite a few miraculous traces. Soon he renounced the householder's life and received the precepts under an arhat monk. He constantly dwelled in forests reciting sutras; because of past conditions, flocks of cranes gathered around him, hence he received this name. Late in life, through Manorhita, he attained the Dharma. Traveling to teach, he reached Central India and gained the monk Siṃha as his disciple. As he was about to enter extinction, he transmitted the Dharma to him and further admonished him, saying: 'You will go to another country, where there will be a disaster that will fall upon your person. Be prudent and transmit [the Dharma] early; do not let it be broken off.' His verse said:

1.50

"When one recognizes the mind-nature, / One may speak of the inconceivable. / Clearly, nothing can be attained; / When attained, one does not speak of knowing."

1.51

The twenty-fourth patriarch, the monk Siṃha, was a man of Central India whose surname was Brāhmaṇa. In his youth he had already renounced the householder's life and practiced meditation; late in life, he also took Haklenayaśas as master and was transmitted the Great Dharma. He went to convert [the people] in the kingdom of Kashmir. First he converted many who adhered to other lineages, such as Dharmadatta and others, who were exceedingly numerous. Later, he gained the elder's son Sita, resolving the karmic condition of his holding a pearl in his fist, and thereupon accepted him to renounce the householder's life. On account of his past conditions, he specially gave him the name Bāśasita. When Sita had received the precepts, Siṃha then told him: 'Just now I observed that this country is about to inflict a disaster upon me. How could I seek improperly to escape it? The treasury of the Great Dharma Eye of the Tathāgata that has been transmitted to me, I now transmit to you. You should uphold it; depart at once and attend to your own teaching and conversion. If there are those who doubt, use my saṅghāṭī robe as proof.' He spoke a verse:

1.52

"Right when one speaks of knowing and seeing, / Knowing and seeing are both mind. / Corresponding to mind is knowing and seeing; / Knowing and seeing is right now."

1.53

The twenty-fifth patriarch, Bāśasita, was a man of Kashmir whose surname was Brāhmaṇa (due to regional dialects differing from the original biographies, his name appears in three different forms). At birth he had miraculous traces. Having met Siṃha, who discerned his past conditions, he became his disciple. Siṃha, knowing that he himself would face a disaster, thereupon transmitted the Dharma to him in advance. Sita then departed and passed through Central India and the lands of Southern India; where he converted, there were many miraculous events. He subsequently gained the prince of a kingdom in Southern India, Puṇyamitra, as his disciple, and returned with him to the lands he had previously converted. As he was about to enter extinction, he transmitted the Dharma to him and spoke a verse:

1.54

"The sages speak of knowing and seeing; / Encountering objects, there is no right or wrong. / I have now awakened to the true nature; / There is no path and no principle."

1.55

The twenty-sixth patriarch, Puṇyamitra, was a man of Southern India whose surname was Kṣatriya. He also had many miraculous traces. As crown prince, he renounced the householder's life under Bāśasita and attained the fruit [of the path]. Soon he left the palace with Sita and was transmitted the Dharma. Traveling to teach, he reached Eastern India and gained the holy youth Keyūra, who renounced the householder's life to become his disciple and whose name was changed to Prajñātāra, said to be a trace manifested by the Bodhisattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta. As he was about to enter extinction, he transmitted the Dharma to him and spoke a verse:

1.56

"The true nature is the treasury of the mind-ground; / It has neither head nor tail. / Responding to conditions to transform living beings, / By expedient means it is called wisdom."

1.57

The twenty-seventh patriarch, Prajñātāra, was a man of Eastern India whose surname was Brāhmaṇa. At first, as a youth, he met Puṇyamitra; when his holy traces had manifested, he thereupon renounced the householder's life under him, received the precepts, and was transmitted the Dharma seal. Traveling to teach in the kingdom of Southern India, he gained the prince of that kingdom, Bodhitāra, as his disciple, changing his Dharma name to Bodhidharma. More than forty years after this, as he was about to enter extinction, he transmitted the Dharma to him and spoke a verse:

1.58

"The mind-ground gives rise to all seeds; / Due to phenomena, principle also arises. / When the fruit is complete, bodhi is perfected; / When the flower blooms, the world arises."

1.59

The twenty-eighth patriarch, Bodhidharma (his name was called differently, such as Dharmatrāta, in three or four accounts), was a man of Southern India whose surname was Kṣatriya, being a prince of that country. He renounced the householder's life under Prajñātāra and received his transmission of the Dharma, said to be a trace manifested by the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. Sixty-seven years later, he came east to China with the Dharma. What he transmitted directly pointed to the human mind: seeing into one's nature and attaining Buddhahood, not relying on words and letters. At first he reached Liang, but because the karmic circumstances were not aligned, he went to Northern Wei, staying at Mount Song and Shaolin for nine years before he gained Huike, who sought the Way from him. Later, he did indeed transmit the Great Dharma to Huike, along with the robe and bowl as proof, thus becoming the first patriarch of the transmission of the Dharma in this land. Afterwards, he left Shaolin and manifested extinction. His verse of Dharma transmission said:

1.60

"I originally came to this land / To transmit the Dharma and save deluded beings. / A single flower opens into five petals; / The fruit bears naturally."

1.61

The twenty-ninth patriarch, Huike, was a man of Wulao whose surname was Ji. At thirty, he cast aside worldly books, renounced the householder's life, and soon received the precepts. At thirty-two, because of an unusual dream, he took leave of his original master and concealed his traces in the capital of Luoyang. Meeting Great Master Bodhidharma, he stood in the snow and severed his arm, earnestly seeking the Dharma seal, and indeed received his transmission. [Bodhidharma] therefore changed his name, and he subsequently became someone to whom the assembly turned. Soon he gained the third patriarch, Sengcan, as his disciple and transmitted the Dharma to him. He then returned to the capital of Ye to repay his past debts. His verse of Dharma transmission said:

1.62

"Originally, through conditions there is ground; / Due to the ground the seed of the flower grows. / Originally there is no seed; / The flower too has never grown."

1.63

The thirtieth patriarch, Sengcan, was of unknown origin. At first, as a retired scholar, he met the Venerable Huike without stating his name and surname. Through asking about the Dharma, he became enlightened, and thereupon took him as master and renounced the householder's life. He was then given his present Dharma name and received the precepts. Patriarch [Hui]ke thereupon transmitted the Dharma to him. He went into seclusion at Mount Wangong in Shuzhou for thirty years before the assembly came to rely on him. Soon he gained Daoxin, who took him as master as a novice monk. When Daoxin had received the precepts, he immediately transmitted the Dharma to him. Afterwards, he went solitary and traveled south to Mount Luofu. His verse of Dharma transmission said:

1.64

"Though the flower seed depends on the ground, / From the ground the seed of the flower grows. / If no person plants the seed, / Flower and ground are entirely without arising."

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The thirty-first patriarch, Daoxin, was a man of Qiyang whose surname was Sima. Through his exceptional discernment he attained the Dharma from the third patriarch. In the early Tang dynasty, he resided at Mount Shuangfeng in Qi. On the road, he found an extraordinary boy, ordained him as a disciple, and named him Hongren. Soon he transmitted the Dharma along with the former patriarchs' robe of proof to him, and later entered extinction. His verse of Dharma transmission said:

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"The flower seed has a generative nature; / Due to the ground the flower grows and grows. / When the great condition accords with faith, / That which should arise, in its arising, does not arise."

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The thirty-second patriarch, Hongren, was a man of Huangmei in Qiyang whose surname was Zhou. At birth he possessed extraordinary physical marks. A worthy person saw him and said: 'This person is endowed with the marks of a great person, falling short of the Tathāgata by only seven marks.' Taking the fourth patriarch Daoxin as his master, he renounced the householder's life and received the precepts, and soon received his transmission of the Dharma. Succeeding him in residing at Mount Potou (which is Mount Shuangfeng), his teachings flourished greatly. During the Xianheng era, there was a guest, Layman Lu, who called himself Huineng, who came from Lingnan to attend his Dharma assembly. Patriarch [Hong]ren recognized his capacity, and on account of the Dharma verse he presented, he transmitted the Dharma to him as a layman, along with the robe and bowl. He spoke a verse:

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"Sentient beings come to plant the seed; / Due to the ground the fruit in turn grows. / Inanimate things having no seed, / Neither do they have nature, nor do they arise."

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The thirty-third patriarch was Huineng. He was a native of Xinxing in Xinzhou, with the family name of Lu. At first he served his mother with utmost filial piety; because his family was poor, he supported her by selling firewood. Hearing a travelling merchant recite a sūtra, he learned that the fifth patriarch, Hongren, was transmitting the Buddha's mind-seal. He thereupon provided funds for his mother, took his leave, and went to Huangmei to seek his Dharma. When he met the fifth patriarch, their minds harmonized; secretly, as a layman, he received the Dharma. Returning south to Guangzhou, he shaved his head at Faxing Monastery. Having received full ordination, he subsequently lived by the Cao Creek in Shaoyang, where the fourfold assembly took immense refuge in him. Only then did he universally transmit his Dharma; the robe and bowl transmitted by the previous patriarch he deposited at the monastery where he resided. Later, he taught a verse to show his disciples and make clear his Dharma. The verse said:

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The mind-ground contains all seeds;
With universal rain, all sprout and grow.
Once flower and sentiment are suddenly awakened,
The fruit of bodhi comes to maturity of itself.

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Zhu Dali was a disciple of the twenty-third patriarch, Haklenayaśas. During the reign of Emperor Xian of the Han, he arrived in the city of Luoyang; later he went to Wu, where he met Kang Senghui. Senghui once asked Dali, "Benevolent one, who is your master?" Dali said, "My master is Haklenayaśas." Senghui asked, "Among the disciples of Haklena, how many are like you, benevolent one? And is there anyone who surpasses you?" Dali said, "There are three thousand like me. As for the preeminent one, there is only a single superior person, named Siṃha Bhikṣu. That man secretly received the true Dharma and succeeds to the lineage of my master; he is currently spreading the transformation in the realm of Northern India."

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Buddhabhadra was a man from India, originally belonging to the Śākya clan, a descendant of King Amṛtodana. He first met the Qin monk Zhiyan in Kashmir, who earnestly invited Bhadra to come along with him to China to transmit the Chan method. He first arrived in Chang'an, and later went to Mount Lu, where he brought forth his Chan scripture and translated it together with the Venerable [Hui]yuan. When the translation was completed, the Venerable Yuan wrote a preface for it. [Buddhabhadra] once said to the Venerable Yuan: "As for the patriarchs who transmitted the Dharma in the Western Lands, descending in direct succession from Mahākāśyapa, there were twenty-seven persons in all. The twenty-sixth patriarch, who passed into extinction in recent times, was named Puṇyamitra; the successor disciple whom he produced is named Prajñātāra, who is currently carrying out his teaching and transforming in the realm of Southern India (Bodhidharma had not yet succeeded to the lineage as patriarch, and hence he was not yet mentioned)." Therefore his Chan scripture says: "After the Buddha passed into extinction, the Venerable Mahākāśyapa, the Venerable Ānanda (and so forth), down to Puṇyamitra—all these holders of the Dharma successively transmitted this lamp of wisdom. Now, according to what they made clear, I explain this meaning." The one from whom this was heard was Dharmatrāta. He later became the twenty-eighth patriarch. Hence the Venerable Yuan's preface says: "Dharmatrāta was the paragon of the Western Regions, the chief of Chan instruction." As for what the Baolin zhuan mentions concerning Bhadra once speaking to the Venerable Yuan about the number of generations of the various patriarchs who transmitted the Dharma, it is indeed verified by the Chan scripture. When I examine the time when this Chan scripture was translated, it was sixty-two years earlier than the Fufazang zhuan. That there were twenty-eight patriarchs in the transmitted lineage was already recorded, yet the Fufazang zhuan rashly appeared after the Northern Wei's suppression of the teaching and merely listed twenty-four generations, falsely asserting that the persons who successively received the transmission of the Dharma were completely cut off at this point. Since it contradicts the Chan scripture, how could it not have intended to deceive? In my Zhengzong lun I have already pointed out that this account was not detailed. Indeed, that erroneous book may well be burned!

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Dharmakāla was a native of Central India. In the third year of the Huangchu era of the Wei, the renyi year, he arrived in Xuchang. The Xuchang monk Guangcan once asked: "What eminent masters are there in the Western Realm, and by what Dharma do they sustain the teaching?" Dharmakāla said: "In the Western Lands there are two great beings: one is named Manorhita (the twenty-second patriarch), and the other is named Haklenayaśas (the twenty-third patriarch). Both transmit the true Dharma and sustain the teaching by means of the Dharma. The one converts the Western Indian land, and the other converts the realm of Central India."

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Sengyou was originally a man of the Southern Qi who entered the Liang and was renowned for upholding the vinaya. He once composed the Chu sanzang ji [ji]. His catalogue of the Sarvāstivāda lineage of transmission says: "Śāratara (the twenty-fifth patriarch), Puṇyamitra (the twenty-sixth patriarch), Prajñātāra (the twenty-seventh patriarch), and Dharmatrāta (the twenty-eighth patriarch)." Sengyou died soon after, during the Liang.

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Zhi Jianglianglou was a native of Central India. During the reign of the Prince of Chenliu of the former Wei, he arrived in Luoyang, where he translated scriptures together with Dharmasatya, Saṅghavarman, and others. He then said to the monks: "Formerly, when I was in the Western Regions, I once travelled to Kashmir, reached the source of Congtu, and entered Mount Xiangbai. There I saw Dharmatā, whose years were very advanced. He said that his teacher from whom he received the Dharma, the Venerable Siṃha, had once suffered disastrous and perverse harm brought about by King Mirkul. Before the disaster, [Siṃha] had already transmitted in advance the sublime Dharma of the Buddha's mind-seal handed down in succession from Mahākāśyapa to his fellow disciple (Dharmatā's fellow disciple) named Bāśasita (the twenty-fifth patriarch), also bestowing the robe as proof. At that time he immediately sent him to go and transform in the realm of Southern India." Zhi Jiang claimed that he himself also knew Bāśasita. Thus, the accounts of the various patriarchs, from the Seven Buddhas down to the twenty-fifth patriarch, Bāśasita, were translated by this Zhi Jiang.

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Narendrayaśas was a native of Kashmir. During the reign of Emperor Xiaojing of the Eastern Wei, he arrived in the capital city of Ye. At first, together with the retired scholar Wan Tianyi, he translated the Uṣṇīṣa-vijaya Dhāraṇī. Later, he said to Tianyi: "The twenty-seven great beings of the various patriarchs of the Western Realm also received and held this scripture. The twenty-seventh patriarch, named Prajñātāra, had a successor disciple whom he brought forth, named Dharmatrāta, who formerly, in the first year of the Zhengguang era during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Wei, arrived in Luoyang; that man also delighted in this scripture." Wan Tianyi said: "Indeed, concerning this great being, I too have heard that he occupied the patriarchal seat and transmitted the Buddha's true Dharma. I do not know in detail whether there was anyone who succeeded him afterwards." Yaśas then answered him with a verse; his words were all hidden allegories. The transmission from the Seven Buddhas down to the twenty-seventh patriarch and the twenty-eighth patriarch, Bodhidharma, was translated by this Yaśas.

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Poluofenduo was a native of Central India. In the second year of the Jiaping era of the Prince of Qi, the deposed emperor of the former Wei, he came to Luoyang. Down to the third year of the Taishi era of the Jin, his disciple Magadha came as well. Fenduo thereupon asked: "When you were in the West, did you ever travel to Northern India? Some say that the Venerable Siṃha was innocently murdered by his king; is this so or not? Is there now someone transmitting the Dharma who has succeeded him?" Magadha said, "Indeed. Since Siṃha was murdered and died, it has been twenty-three fortnights. There is a śramaṇa named Bāśasita, originally a native of Kashmir. Before the disaster, he received the transmission of the Dharma and the bestowal of the robe, and departed that very day. He is currently carrying out great Buddhist activities in Central India." Fenduo said to his disciple: "I too have heard this. Your words are verified." At that time, interested persons recorded this and left it at Baima Monastery. Later, Dharma Master Xuanlang obtained it at that monastery and transmitted it to the world.

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Regarding Jianna, it is unknown from which country in the Western Regions he came; nor is it clear when he reached China. During the Tianbao era of the Tang, he met with Li Chang, the governor of Henan. Chang asked: "How many patriarchs of the Chan lineage are there in India?" Jianna said: "From Mahākāśyapa directly down to Prajñātāra, there are twenty-seven patriarchs in all (not speaking of Bodhidharma because he was the first patriarch of this land; if spoken of in terms of the Western Lands as a whole, then there are twenty-eight patriarchs). If one recounts the collateral branch of the Venerable Siṃha—the four generations and twenty-two people of Dharmatā—there are forty-nine patriarchs in all. If one goes from the Seven Buddhas down to the Great Master [Seng]can of this land (at that time they were holding a vegetarian feast celebrating the relics of the third patriarch, Master Can), not including the collateral branches, there are thirty-one generations in all." Chang also asked other monks: "I have seen patriarchal charts that cite more than fifty patriarchs, arriving at differing branch schools and indeterminate lineages, or merely having empty names. Why is this so?" At that time, a disciple of the sixth patriarch, Chan Master Zhiben, replied: "This was because during the Later Wei the Buddhist Dharma was destroyed and abolished. At that time, there was a monk named Tanyao who, in the haste of the moment, simply recorded the names of the various patriarchs, having no leisure to write them out fully. Keeping it in his bosom, he fled into the mountain valleys. More than thirty years later, during the reign of his sovereign Emperor Xiaowen, Tanyao brought it out and stitched it together with various pieces of silk, making the Fufazang zhuan. The errors and loss of historical facts were brought about by Tanyao." However, when I have examined the Fufazang zhuan made by Tanyao and his cohort, its text truly resembles a simple listing; from Miccaka down to the arhat Siṃha, seven patriarchs in all are most deficient, entirely lacking beginning and end. This is precisely what Li Chang referred to when he spoke of patriarchal charts that merely have empty names.

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Pei Xiu had the courtesy name Gongmei. Beginning in the Huichang era of the Tang, as Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Censor-in-Chief, and Joint Manager of Affairs with the Secretariat-Chancellery, he was known as a famous minister of state. In composing the stele inscription for the transmission of the Dharma of Master [Zong]mi of Guifeng, he wrote: "Śākyamuni Tathāgata at the very end transmitted the Dharma eye to Mahākāśyapa, causing it to be transmitted from patriarch to patriarch and to circulate separately in the world—not out of partiality toward Kāśyapa while excluding humans, devas, śrāvakas, and bodhisattvas. From Mahākāśyapa down to Bodhidharma, there were twenty-eight generations in all. Bodhidharma transmitted it to [Hui]ke; Ke transmitted it to [Seng]can; Can transmitted it to [Dao]xin; Xin transmitted it to [Hong]ren; Ren transmitted it to [Hui]neng, who was the sixth patriarch."

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Liu Xu had the courtesy name Yaoyuan, and was a native of Guiyi in Zhuozhou. During the Tianyou era, he first entered official service as an administrative assistant to the military commander. By the beginning of the Kaiyun era, he was appointed Minister of Works and Joint Manager of Affairs with the Secretariat-Chancellery, and also supervised the compilation of the national history. Therefore, in composing the biography of Shenxiu in the Tangshu, he wrote: "Formerly, in the late Later Wei, there was a monk named Bodhidharma, originally a prince of an Indian kingdom, who left household life to protect the realm, entered the Southern Sea, and attained the sublime Dharma of the Chan school. Transmitted from Śākyamuni, there were the robe and bowl as a sign of authenticity, passed down and bestowed generation after generation. When he first arrived, he went to Liang and visited Emperor Wu. The emperor asked him about conditioned deeds, and Bodhidharma was not pleased; he thereupon went to Wei, secluded himself at Shaolin Monastery on Mount Song, and passed away. In that year, the Wei envoy Song Yun met him on his return at the Congling mountains. When his disciples opened his grave, they saw only a robe and a shoe. Bodhidharma transmitted to Huike; Huike transmitted to Sengcan; Sengcan transmitted to Daoxin; Daoxin transmitted to Hongren; Hongren transmitted to Huineng and Shenxiu." Liu Xu died in the office of Grand Protector under the Song.

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Chart of the Established Patriarchs of the Orthodox Lineage of the Dharma Transmission, Fascicle One.

English (machine translation)

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