北山錄 3.4.1

3.4.1

The Great Sage respects himself, all spirits assist him, beneficent manifestation is his mind, and saving and correcting are his merits. Those who illuminate and dwell in the world are transformations (Heavenly dragons attend him; Śakra and Brahmā venerate him as Master; presiding over the three realms, he dwells in honor; gathering the four types of living beings, he transforms them alike). Sometimes he acts as an officer, sometimes as a king of men (Manifesting transformations as ministers, petty kings, and so forth, as appropriate). Down to the artisans: an incense-selling elder (In the land of Guāṅdà [Vipula] there was an incense-selling elder named Utpala, who was skilled at discerning and knowing all incenses. He also knew how to blend all incense methods—burning, anointing, powdering, and so forth—and also knew their places of origin. There is an incense named "elephant treasury," born from dragons fighting. If one pellet is burned, a great incense cloud arises and covers the royal capital, raining down a fine rain of incense for seven days. Smeared on bodies, pavilions, and clothes, all become golden in color. On Mount Malaya there is sandalwood called "ox-head incense"; if smeared on the body, even if one enters a fire pit, the fire cannot burn it. On the Snowy Mountains [Himālaya] there is an incense named aruṇa; sentient beings who smell it are freed from all defiled desires); a sea-ferrying shipmaster (In a southern city, within a pavilion there was a shipmaster named Po-shī-luó [Vāśira?], who, out on the sea, with hundreds of thousands of merchants, expediently expounded the qualities and teachings of the Buddha, delivering sentient beings); an ascetic non-Buddhist (At Mount Bhadrika in the city of Tosala, there was a non-Buddhist named Sarvagāmin, who expounded all worldly arts, crafts, and skills for people, and was also able to subdue ninety-six kinds of non-Buddhists, causing them to abandon all views); or a sand-playing child (The boy Īśvara of the south, amid the river islets of the land of Famous Renown, gathered sand in play with ten thousand boys; this boy thoroughly knew the names of all sentient beings, the names of all karmas, and the names of all truths)—whatever benefits the common people, there is nothing he does not do. Sometimes, being muddled, he shows them simplicity (Muddled means the appearance of being foolish and simple); sometimes, being discerning, he shows them wisdom (Discerning means the appearance of being clear and penetrating); sometimes, being resolute, he shows them courage (Resolute means the appearance of being unbending and strong); sometimes, being genial, he shows them harmony (Genial means the appearance of being harmonious and cheerful). Yet one cannot seek him in a single uniform way, nor can one discard one to seek another. Thus he now contracts, now expands; now is manifest, now hidden; now low, now high (Contracting means gathering together; expanding means opening. Manifest means bright; hidden means dark. Low means low and deep; high means high and prominent). Just as one is about to grasp him, one loses him again; just as one is about to rely on him, one runs counter to him again. Are his virtues deep, or do his traces alter? Does his outward form awaken, or is his shadow deceptive? Does his voice resound, or is its echo blocked? Truly, none can probe his subtleties. Therefore, how could the ultimate Way be used to cultivate the person? How could the expedient Way be used to govern transformations? (The ultimate Way is the complete teaching; it does not solely benefit oneself. The expedient Way is the partial teaching; it cannot universally ferry across and govern). The ultimate Way cannot be abandoned even for an instant, and thus it mixes without being defiled (In the fruit it does not increase; abiding in the cause it does not decrease; following ordinary currents it does not drown; dwelling among the multitude it is not different). The expedient Way cannot be established for long, and thus it is cast aside to unite with the Way (Devising expedients for temporary use, it cannot be established for long; one must return to the constant Way). And the ultimate Way culminates in the ultimate (The first "culminates" means perfection; the second "ultimate" means the fruit of three asaṃkhyeya kalpas, which is the final destination; the ultimate Way of the six pāramitās and myriad practices can bring to perfection the fruit of three asaṃkhyeya kalpas). The expedient Way begins the beginning (The first "begins" means the initial arising; the second "beginning" means the practices of the five precepts, ten virtues, and lesser sages; the Buddha opened this expedient teaching as the beginning of the initial aspiration and entry). Like Devadatta, who committed the three deadly sins and yet finally received the prediction [to buddhahood]; the three deadly sins also had their retribution (In Sanskrit: Devadatta; here translated as "God-given." He was the Buddha's cousin, son of King Droṇodana, obtained by praying to a deva. Thus he constantly acted as the Buddha's foe. He struck and injured the Buddha's foot with a rock, shedding the Buddha's blood; caused a schism in the Saṅgha; and murdered a bhikṣuṇī. These are three deadly sins. Although he entered hell, at the assembly on Vulture Peak he also received a prediction. How could the retribution for the three deadly sins be in vain?). The holy prediction manifests a return to the origin. Sadāparibhūta bowed to the fourfold assembly; in truth, this violated decorum, but in an age of defilement that is hard to transform, the sage skillfully made use of the time, lodging his traces by paying homage (Bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta in the Lotus Sūtra constantly bowed to the fourfold assembly and attained buddhahood. Responding with expedients to follow the times: because in that era many were arrogant, he extensively practiced veneration to transform them). In the Western Regions, King Udayana had been on close and friendly terms with Piṇḍola since youth (Piṇḍola, whose clan name was Bhāradvāja, dwelt on Mount Malaya and did not enter nirvāṇa). Whenever the king arrived, Piṇḍola would not rise for him. The attendants urged the king to apply the law of punishment. The king said, "The matter is already done (Already done means the previous failure to rise is already finished); wait until I go next time." On another day, when the king arrived, Piṇḍola thought of not rising, fearing the king would harm him and fall into hell; he thought of rising for him, worrying it would diminish the king's merit and cost him his throne. Soon he judged again: the gravity of losing the kingdom is not worse than the evil realms; rising is better than not rising, so he should follow the better course. Thereupon he stepped forward to meet the king by seven paces. The king was startled by his inconsistency. Piṇḍola said, "Previously, I worried that Your Majesty would lose your throne. Now, because you were about to harm me, I could not adhere to that worry." The king said, "How long will I lose my kingdom?" He replied, "After seven days, you will lose your kingdom for seven years." In the Northern Qi, when the monk Sengchou met Emperor Wenxuan, he did not see him off or welcome him (Wenxuan, Gao Yang, had his capital in Hedong; he died after ten years on the throne). The emperor secretly listened to slanderous fabrications, compounded by a prophetic taboo regarding black robes (At the time, someone slandered him to Wenxuan, saying: "Seeing the king and not rising shows a mind that slights the ruler and disdains the lord." There was also a prophecy saying: "One in black robes shall be king." Chou wore black monastic robes, so he was suspected of fulfilling it). Hoping to find an excuse on a later visit to execute him for gross disrespect, when the imperial carriage arrived at the mountain, Chou had walked twenty li out of the mountain and stood alone by the roadside. The emperor said, "On other days you did not treat me like this; why so today?" Chou said, "I only feared that my defiled blood would pollute the monk's quarters." The emperor was inwardly terrified and requested to carry Chou back to his dwelling on his own back. Chou firmly refused to accept this command (He would not accept the command to be carried back). The Yijing says: "The Way of the gentleman: sometimes he comes forth, sometimes he remains secluded; sometimes he keeps silent, sometimes he speaks." This means adapting and responding to the time (As it is said: "When the state has the Way, he is wise; when the state lacks the Way, he is foolish. Employed, he acts; set aside, he conceals himself"). Indeed, those who possess the wealth of the realm and hold the nobility over the people look upon skills and arts as nothing more than chickens, dogs, oxen, and horses.