北山錄 6.4.3

6.4.3

This is the principle of inherent purity, perfect and luminous.) He transmitted the Dharma to Ke (the first patriarch, Huike). Ke encountered bandits who severed his arm, yet using the Dharma to govern his mind, he felt no pain or distress from the start. He often sighed over the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, saying: 'After four generations this sūtra will turn into names and characteristics; how deeply lamentable!' (Sengcan, Daoxin, Hongren, and Huineng are the four generations. After this, they mostly transmitted the mind through names and characteristics.) From Ke down to the Sixth Patriarch, it divided into North and South, each extolling its own strengths and discrediting the other's weaknesses, vying for spiritual merits. Yet if one wishes to discern their decline and flourishing, one should precisely examine their words and deeds. (From Hongren, Shenxiu became the Northern School and Huineng became the Southern School.) Common stones without jade have no luster; a deep abyss without a dragon lacks majesty. Those who possess the Way have minds that are open, broad, and far-reaching. Thus with the sounds of bells and drums: striking them in anger produces a martial sound; striking them in sorrow produces a sad sound; striking them in joy produces a joyful sound. As the mind's intent changes, the sound follows along. There has never been a worthy person who has attained the Way whose intent was wise yet whose speech was foolish. Formerly, I observed the Chan tradition of Jingzhong: lofty without arrogance, broad without sycophancy, never acting eccentrically to startle the common folk—truly one could call them gentlemen of vast and composed wisdom. (Preceptor Jin of Jingzhong Monastery in Shu was titled Chan Master Wuxiang. He was originally the third prince of the King of Silla. He was ordained at South Monastery in Wolsaeng County of his native country. In the sixteenth year of Kaiyuan, he arrived at the capital. Later he entered Shu, reaching Zizhong, where he called on Master Shen to study dhyāna. Entering Shu, he resided at Jingzhong. He transmitted the Dharma to his disciple Shenhui. There were also Nanyin Huiguang, and Monks An and Liang, all of whom took the Chan method as their school.) Thereupon I bowed at his feet to take him as master and requested to serve these teachings. But how could a learner, having not yet seen Ban or Chui, allow pillars and roof beams to buckle, (Ban and Chui were skilled craftsmen. Ying are pillars; meng are ridgepoles.) or, having not encountered He or Huan, give free rein to afflictions of the lungs and bowels? (He and Huan were both famous ancient physicians of Qin.) One need only engage in precise inner searching. If one merely takes external matters as the ford leading to self-entanglement, it is like turning one's carriage poles north to travel to Chu. (Yuan is the part of the carriage tied to the yoke. Chu is in the south. Learners of today cannot search with precision and illuminate thoroughly; merely seeking words and phrases, it turns out to become self-entanglement, like heading north when wishing to enter the south. In the end, one can never arrive.) The deviant teaching says: 'In Chan, none surpasses our master. His Chan is called Śūraṅgama (samādhi). From the Buddha it was transmitted to Mahākāśyapa, down to Bodhidharma, reaching our master, mind and mind transmitting to one another. Other lineages are no match for us.' (Tripiṭaka Master Pāramiti brought ten fascicles of the Foding jing, translating it together with Fang Rong in Guangzhou and presenting it to the Heavenly Empress. This was praised as the principle of the complete and sudden, all being masters of the Chan lineage.) The critic says: 'An auspicious man is sparing of words; boasting of merit is not rewarded. How much more so if it is not even merit, and one falsely boasts—how could such a person be auspicious? The transmission records only contain twenty-four persons. The four persons after Simha, such as Śāṇavāsa, are all crooked claims of other schools. (Recorded in the Baolin zhuan.) Moreover, the twenty-ninth was named Dharmatrāta, not Bodhidharma. Among those who transmitted the Dharma, sages and worthies were interspersed with śrāvakas. Figures such as Kāśyapa, though they turned their minds, still possessed only lesser wisdom. (Kāśyapa and Ānanda, though receiving predictions of buddhahood at Gṛdhrakūṭa, were still merely lesser sages.) How could they transmit the Buddha's mind-seal? Formerly, Śāṇavāsa told Upagupta: "The samādhis of the Buddha are unknown to pratyekabuddhas; the samādhis of pratyekabuddhas are unknown to śrāvakas; the samādhis of the great śrāvakas are unknown to the rest of the śrāvaka multitude; the samādhis of Ānanda are now unknown to me; and my present samādhis are also unknown to you. Such samādhis will all disappear with my nirvāṇa. Furthermore, there are seventy-seven thousand Jātakas, ten thousand Abhidharmas, and eighty thousand pure Vinayas, which will also disappear with my nirvāṇa." Therefore, transmitters of the Dharma merely transmit its words; recipients of the Dharma, embodying the words, perceive the mind, and that is to attain the Dharma. (Although called contemplative wisdom, they only transmitted words and phrases.) It is like the craft of wheelwrighting: transmitting the craft, but unable to transmit its marvel. (Duke Huan of Qi was reading a book in the hall. Wheelwright Pian was chiseling a wheel below the hall. Putting aside his mallet and chisel, he went up and asked Duke Huan: "May I ask what words my lord is reading?" The Duke said: "The words of the sages." The wheelwright said: "Are the sages alive?" The Duke said: "They are already dead." The wheelwright said: "Then what my lord is reading is merely the dregs of the ancients!" Duke Huan said: "When I read a book, how can a wheelwright discuss it? If you have an explanation, fine; if you have no explanation, you die." Wheelwright Pian said: "Speaking from my craft, looking at chiseling a wheel: if one is too slow, it slips and is not secure; if one is too swift, it catches and does not enter. Being neither too slow nor too swift, one gets it in the hand and responds to it in the mind, but the mouth cannot express it in words. There is a knack in it. In this matter, I cannot explain it to my son, nor can my son receive it from me. For this reason, walking on to the age of seventy, I am an old man chiseling wheels. The ancients and what they could not transmit are dead! Then what my lord is reading is indeed the dregs of the ancients.") Or like Master Xiang's zither: receiving the zither, but not getting its technique. (When Zhongni was in Wei, he studied the zither with Master Xiangzi. For ten days he did not advance. Master Xiangzi said: "You may advance." Confucius said: "I have mastered its melody, but not yet attained its technique." After a while, Xiangzi said: "You have mastered its technique, you may advance." Confucius said: "I have not yet attained its intent." After a while, Xiangzi said: "You have mastered its intent, you may advance." Confucius said: "I have not yet grasped the kind of person who composed it." After a while, having practiced solemnly and thoughtfully, suddenly he gazed high with delight and far-reaching intent, saying: "I have grasped his person: dark and silent, tall and prominent, his eyes gazing far as if ruling over the four quarters—who else could this be but King Wen?" Master Xiangzi left his mat and bowed, saying: "My master indeed said this is the Air of King Wen.") Therefore, some practice for a long time without success, while others realize upon giving rise to the mind. Some of low status attain it alone, while those of brilliant talent fail to awaken. What is prized lies in unspoken accord, not necessarily in face-to-face transmission. Now, since all the gates are Chan, how do we know that the Buddha's Chan belongs solely to one school?' (Just as what former virtuous elders transmitted each had their own lineage masters.) The deviant teaching says: 'When Bodhidharma was about to transmit the Dharma, he sent two disciples to the Han land. They were driven out by the Qin people to Mount Lu (referring to Bhadra). Consequently, together with Master Yuan, they produced the Chan yao jing. When Bodhidharma heard of this, he sighed with deep indignation.'