景德傳燈錄

PREFACE

Hanlin Academician, Grand Master for Court Audiences, Acting Grand Remonstrance Secretary of the Left, Drafter of Edicts, and
Compiler of the National History; Adjudicator of the Historiography Institute; Pillar of State of Nanyang Commandery; Founding Marquis Shi.

Beneficiary of a fief of one thousand households, Bestowed the Golden Fish-Pouch, Your subject Yang Yi, compiler.

Long ago, the Buddha Dipankara bestowed a prediction upon Shakyamuni, declaring that he would succeed him. During the Auspicious Kalpa, Shakyamuni descended in spirit and taught beings for forty-nine years. He revealed skillful means both provisional and true, sudden and gradual, and bestowed teachings encompassing the half and complete, the partial and perfect, in accordance with beings’ capacities, so that students might awaken to the principle.

Thus arose the distinctions among the Three Vehicles, by which he received beings, benefited living creatures, and delivered boundless multitudes. His compassionate resolve to save beings was vast, and his methods were fully complete. Then he entered extinction at the Twin Sal Trees, entrusting the reception and transmission of the teaching solely to Drink-Luster, Mahakashyapa.

Beginning with Bodhidharma, who established no reliance upon written words but directly pointed to the source of mind, one passed through no successive stages but ascended directly to the ground of Buddhahood. When the Five Houses took form, this School began to flourish; from a single flame a thousand lamps were kindled, their numbers ever increasing. Those who reached the precious abode were

many, and those who turned the Dharma wheel were by no means few. The essential intent entrusted by the Great Hero, the Buddha, was the path by which the True Eye might continue to circulate; its distinct practice, standing apart from the scriptural teachings, is inconceivable.

The emperors of the Song inaugurated a new era and encouraged the numinous depths of humankind. Emperor Taizu, with divinely inspired martial achievement, pacified disorder; he revered the land of the Buddha and opened the gate of transforming affinities. Emperor Taizong, brilliant and discerning, personally discoursed and composed writings on the secret interpretation,⁽¹⁾ ranging freely to the ultimate truth.

His present Majesty, endowed with literary genius, followed the aspirations of his forebears and wrote a preface to the Sacred Teaching, transmitting the essential purport of the School. The Song emperors helped illuminate the forest of letters and meanings, reaching even to the heavens of doctrine;⁽²⁾ the sound of their golden bell resounded through the garden of awakening, while their words tacitly accorded with the Lotus Treasury World.

Thus the lineage of venerable masters from the Western Heaven flourished; talented persons arose and multiplied; transmitters of the definitive meaning appeared one after another; and the perfect and sudden stream of teaching reached every region.

The Venerable Daoyuan was a monk from Eastern Wu. With profound delight in meditation, he sought the hidden principles of the School of Emptiness and traced the successive lineage of the patriarchs. When the words and phrases of the various houses had become intermingled, he selected from their recorded sayings and arranged them according to their respective schools.

From the Seven Buddhas down to the descendants of the Great Fayan School, there were approximately fifty-two generations, comprising 1,701 persons. He compiled these into thirty fascicles, entitled the Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, and presented it at the palace gate, hoping it would be promulgated. His Majesty, an external protector of the Buddhadharma, praised the diligent and painstaking labor of this son of the Shakya clan and wished the book to endure for a long time.

He therefore issued an edict appointing your subject Yang Yi, Hanlin Academician, Grand Remonstrance Secretary of the Left, and Drafter of Edicts; your subject Li Wei, Vice Director of the Ministry of War and Drafter of Edicts; and your subject Wang Shu, Assistant Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, jointly to revise and examine the work and determine its publication.

We, your subjects, are obscure concerning the purport of the Three Trainings⁽³⁾ and benighted regarding the skillful means of the Five Natures.⁽⁴⁾ We lack the translating ability of Linchuan and are confused about the silent essential purport of Vaishali. Reverently obeying the stern command, we dared not shrink from the difficulty. We privately borrowed a quiet place and, at leisure, sought out and carefully examined the meaning and arrangement of the book.

Taking true emptiness as its foundation, it recounts the causes through which the sages of former generations entered the Way and sets forth the words of the ancients that accord with principle. Thus, when occasions and conditions struck against one another, it was like meeting an arrowhead with another arrowhead, or like a horse seeing the shadow of the whip and knowing the road to take. The treasury of wisdom thereby emitted its radiance, in the hope of guiding later students.

It opened up methods for entering the mysterious teaching so that those who came afterward might gather them. Although numerous source citations contain dregs, oil may yet be extracted from them. If a great being teaching the assembly expounds with a single sound, causing sentient beings to hear and making the deaf recoil in astonishment, this alone constitutes verification by the thousand sages.

At the proper occasion, one of such capacity may seize a small portion and accomplish the matter. If we were arbitrarily to polish the language and add literary ornament, we would destroy the path of return to that purport. This would not merely arise from the differences between the languages of China and India; it would be almost like an error in carving that ruins the jade.

Moreover, when facts are recorded from source materials, mistakes inevitably remain. Therefore, this preface has been written to explain matters clearly.

Words and deeds are inherently far removed from one another, yet written words cannot be dispensed with. It was therefore necessary to rely upon the circumstances recorded in the sayings as a clear standard for the various traces. To make the writing consistent, confused passages and crude expressions in the teachings were all abridged or omitted.

When laymen or Confucian officials appear in questions and answers, their offices and names are recorded clearly. Where examination of dates revealed discrepancies, we followed the historical records and discarded the errors. This was done to lend greater credibility to the accounts, not because we ourselves presumed to disclose the mysterious purport, which is as difficult as casting a mustard seed onto the point of a needle.

How could we pursue the swift occasion, flashing like lightning, reveal the wondrously luminous true mind, and accord with the profound principle of suffering and emptiness through the written instructions contained in the Transmission of the Lamp?

It would be a fruitless labor, like gouging the flesh and causing a wound, if we merely narrated the responsive encounters between two parties by citing evidence or merely recounted the events of journeys made in search of instruction. Such material already serves as a standard for monastic history, but what could be grasped from it for understanding Chan? For the time being, we retained the register of successive generations, hoping only to record the natural transmission as preserved in the old text.

At times we discarded what was coarse and retained the essence, gathered the variant materials still extant in full, and searched for clues in Chan literature to supply omissions. In general, additions and selections were made. Consequently, by the time this preface and discussion were written, the book had increased somewhat, and in places the wording is not that of the ancient worthies.

Someone asked: “Do not the supplementary records appended concerning the disciples who continued the lifeblood of the Chan School merely add prolixity—the expression ‘xuanrang’ comes from the collected official writings of Zhang Yan of the Tang dynasty and means lengthy and cumbersome? Should not many persons also be removed for the sake of simplicity?”

Only near the end of that year did we finish reviewing the final section. We, your subjects, are conscious of our own inadequacy and feel ashamed before this difficult and profound content. We are mortified by our shallow learning, our naturally limited capacities, and the poverty of our literary powers. Though the wondrous Way resides in the person, we bared our minds while awaiting mysterious words that transcend convention; we have long lived facing the wall, yet presumptuously employed our private judgment in making selections, without producing an effective elucidation. At last, having unraveled the threads, we respectfully present the completed book. It is truly unworthy of troubling the sovereign to expend his effort in perusing it.

Respectfully presented to His Majesty.

MEMORIAL CONCERNING THE REPRINTING OF THE

JINGDE RECORD OF THE TRANSMISSION OF THE LAMP

Xiwei is a senior monk of the Husheng Wansui Chan Monastery on Daochang Mountain, Huzhou Circuit. He is originally from Changguo Prefecture in Qingyuan Circuit, and his family name is Dong.

While still young, he paid homage to the Venerable Juezhao at Guanyin Chan Monastery in the walled city of his native circuit and took him as his teacher. When he received his Dharma name, he went to pay homage to the Venerable Longyuan at Puguang Chan Monastery in Kaishou, Cixi County, where his head was shaved and he became a monk. He then paid homage to the Venerable Xueya at the Vinaya Monastery on Mount Wutai and received the full precepts.

Having received instructions to journey westward, he traveled throughout the mountains around Lingyin. Later he encountered his late master, the Venerable Longyuan. He returned to dwell on this mountain, following his teacher and requesting instruction. Even now, though all has come to completion, whenever he recalls his teacher’s kindness, he feels unable to repay it.

Reverently examined.

The record of the Buddhas and patriarchs of former times comprises the thirty fascicles of the Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, extending from the Seven Buddhas to the Dharma heirs of the Fayan lineage, totaling fifty-two generations. From the Jingde era ⁽⁵⁾ (Emperor Zhenzong of the Song, 1004–1007) to the bingchen year 1316, during the Yanyou era (Emperor Renzong of the Yuan, 1314–1320), approximately 317 years had passed.

The old edition had disappeared and no longer survived, leaving later students who admired it with no means of obtaining it; therefore, the resolve arose to print it anew. By chance, an old edition was found at Wen'an on Mount Lu. It had been preserved by the lineage of the Venerable Songlu of Tiansheng Monastery and was the finest surviving edition.

This truly delighted the heart and fulfilled the aspiration. On the tenth day of the first month of the bingchen year (1316), the robe and alms bowl were offered for sale, yielding more than twelve thousand strings of cash. On that same day, craftsmen were summoned to print and circulate it throughout the world, thereby propagating the Way of the Patriarchs.

This Record contains altogether 367,917 characters. On the first day of the twelfth month of that year, the craftsmen completed their work, and printing commenced immediately. Three hundred sets were distributed throughout the Liangzhe region and placed at renowned mountains; one set was deposited in each abbot's quarters, library, and monastic residence, as an expedient means for monks and Chan students everywhere to discern the Way and investigate it, accumulating wholesome benefit in requital of the four kindnesses and as provisions for the three realms.

The first day of the twelfth month in the third year of Yanyou of the Great Yuan (1316).

The monk Qijiu Xiweijing respectfully presents this account.

The humble bhikshu Wenya supervised the work.

The Dharma-successor bhikshu and abbot of Mount Shixun initiated the undertaking.

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE COMING FROM THE WEST

Jiwei 479 First year of Jianyuan Third year of Taihe
Gengshen 480 Second year of Jianyuan Fourth year of Taihe
Xinyou 481 Third year of Jianyuan Fifth year of Taihe
Renxu 482 Fourth year of Jianyuan
The emperor passed away.
Emperor Wu, the Founder of the Age,
named Ze, ascended the throne. Sixth year of Taihe
Guihai 483

Jiazi 484

Yichou 485

Bingyin 486

Dingmao 487

Wuchen 488

Jisi 489

Gengwu 490

Xinwei 491 First year of Yongming

Second year of Yongming

Third year of Yongming

Fourth year of Yongming

Fifth year of Yongming

Sixth year of Yongming

Seventh year of Yongming

Eighth year of Yongming

Ninth year of Yongming Seventh year of Taihe

Eighth year of Taihe

Ninth year of Taihe

Tenth year of Taihe

Eleventh year of Taihe

Twelfth year of Taihe

Thirteenth year of Taihe

Fourteenth year of Taihe

Fifteenth year of Taihe

Renshen 492 Tenth year of Yongming

In the seventh month, the emperor passed away.

The Prince of Yulin, named Zhaoye, ascended the throne. Seventeenth year of Taihe
Jiaxu 494 First year of Longchang.
In the seventh month, the emperor was deposed.
The Prince of Hailing, named Zhaowen, ascended the throne
and changed the era name to Yanxing; in the eleventh month,
the emperor was deposed. Emperor Ming, the High Progenitor, named Luan,
ascended the throne in the eleventh month and changed the era name to Jianwu,
its inaugural year. Eighteenth year of Taihe
The capital was moved to Luoyang.
Yihai 495

The emperor was deposed. Emperor He,
named Baorong, ascended the throne

twenty-four years, and then ceded the throne to the Liang clan.

Second year of Shengui

Gengzi 520 First year of Putong.
Bodhidharma arrived in Liang.

Fourth year of Zhengguang

Fifth year of Zhengguang

First year of Xiaochang.
Bingwu 526 Seventh year of Putong. Second year of Xiaochang
Dingwei 527 In the third month, the era name was changed to
Datong, its inaugural year.
The old edition of the Transmission of the Lamp states:
“On the first day of the tenth month, Bodhidharma arrived at
Jinling,” but this is erroneous. Third year of Xiaochang

The Old Transmission of the Lamp records:
“On the twenty-third day of the eleventh month, Bodhidharma
arrived in Luoyang.” This is erroneous.
Wushen 528, the second year of Datong, the first year of Wutai: in the second month the emperor passed away. The child ruler Quan was enthroned and passed away in the fourth month, whereupon Emperor Zhuang was enthroned. The Record of the Five Schools cites Baochang’s Continuation of the Record of the Dharma, stating: “In this year Bodhidharma manifested entry into nirvana.” This account is credible.
Emperor Xiaozhuang of the Jingzong reign, whose personal name was Ziyou, ascended the throne in the fourth month and changed the era name to Jianyi. In the ninth month of the first year of Jianyi, the era name was again changed to Yong’an.
The first year of Yong’an.
Jiyou 529, the first year of Zhong Datong, the second year of Yong’an.
Gengxu 530, the second year of Zhong Datong, the third year of Yong’an.
In the twelfth month the emperor (Xiaozhuang) passed away. According to Baochang’s Continuation of the Dharma Transmission, the envoy of Wei (Emperor Xiaoming) returned to Luoyang and reported having encountered Bodhidharma returning westward. Yet by this year Emperor Ming had already passed away, while Emperor Xiaozhuang was still on the throne.
Xinhai 531, the third year of Zhong Datong. Crown Prince Tong died. The Former Deposed Emperor, whose personal name was Gong, ascended the throne in the second month and changed the era name to Putai.
The first year of Putai.
Renzi 532, the fourth year of Zhong Datong, the second year of Putai. The Former Deposed Emperor was removed from the throne.
The Later Deposed Emperor was named Lang. In the sixth month of the first year of Putai, the general Gao Huan enthroned him at Xindu and changed the era name to the first year of Zhongxing. In the fourth month of the second year of Putai, the emperor was deposed.
The Departing Emperor was named Xiu Guang. He ascended the throne in the fourth month of the second year of Putai and changed the era name to Taichang.
In the twelfth month of the first year of Taichang, it was changed again to the first year of Yongxi.
Guichou 533, the fifth year of Zhong Datong, the second year of Yongxi.
Jiayin 534, the sixth year of Zhong Datong, the third year of Yongxi. In the tenth month, the emperor was compelled by his general Gao Huan to go and reside within the passes. Huan enthroned Shanjian, the crown prince and Prince of Qinghe, establishing the capital at Ye (Henan); this was Eastern Wei. From then on, Wei was divided into Eastern and Western Wei. In the twelfth month, the emperor was poisoned and died.
The Later Wei dynasty had twelve emperors over 149 years and was then divided into Eastern Wei and Western Wei.
Western Wei established its capital at Chang’an, while Eastern Wei established its capital at Ye (Luoyang). Emperor Wen of Western Wei, whose personal name was Baoju, was a son of Yu, Prince of Jingzhao, and was raised to the throne by Yuwen Tai. Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei, whose personal name was Shanjian, was raised to the throne by Gao Huan; in the third year of Yongxi the era name was changed to Tianping.
The first year
of Tianping.
Yimao 535, the first year
of Datong.
(Era name
of Emperor Wu
of Liang) The first year of Datong (era name of Emperor Wen of Western Wei), the second year of Tianping (Eastern Wei).
Bingchen 536, the second year of Datong, the second year of Datong, the third year of Tianping.
The old edition of the Transmission of the Lamp records: “On the fifth day of the tenth month, Bodhidharma passed away; in the twelfth month he was buried at Mount Xiong’er in Luoyang.” At that time Luoyang belonged to Eastern Wei. This is erroneous.

Dingsi 537, the third year
of Datong, the third year of Datong, the fourth year of Tianping.
Wuwu 538, the fourth year
of Datong, the fourth year of Datong, the first year of Yuanxiang.
Jiwei 539, the fifth year
of Datong, the fifth year of Datong, the first year
of Xinghe.
The Old Transmission of the Lamp records: “An envoy, commanded by the emperor to undertake a mission to the Western Regions, returned and reported that Bodhidharma’s grave had been opened, revealing an empty coffin containing a single shoe.” This is erroneous.
Gengshen 540, the sixth year
of Datong, the sixth year of Datong, the second year of Xinghe.

Xinyou 541, the seventh year
of Datong, the seventh year of Datong, the third year of Xinghe.

Renxu 542, the eighth year
of Datong, the eighth year of Datong, the fourth year of Xinghe.

Guihai 543, the ninth year
of Datong, the ninth year of Datong, the first year of Wuding.

Jiazi 544, the tenth year of Datong, the tenth year of Datong, the second year of Wuding.
Yichou 545, the eleventh year
of Datong, the eleventh year of Datong, the third year of Wuding.

Bingyin 546, the first year
of Zhong Datong, the twelfth year of Datong, the fourth year of Wuding.

Wuchen 548, the second year
of Taiqing.
Hou Jing
rebelled against the emperor. The fourteenth year of Datong, the sixth year of Wuding.
Jisi 549, the third year of Taiqing.
In the fifth month Emperor Wu of Liang passed away. Emperor Jianwen, whose personal name was Gang, ascended the throne and changed the era name. The fifteenth year of Datong, the seventh year of Wuding.
Gengwu 550, the first year
of Taibao, the sixteenth year of Datong, the eighth year of Wuding.
In the fifth month, the throne was ceded to Northern Qi. Eastern Wei had one emperor, who reigned for seventeen years. Northern Qi established its capital at Ye. Emperor Wenxuan, whose personal name was Yang and whose surname was Gao, was the third son of Gao Huan. In the fifth month he received the imperial throne and established the era name Tianbao.
The first year
of Tianbao. Xinwei 551, the second year
of Taibao.
Hou Jing deposed the emperor (Emperor Jianwen), then enthroned Lian, Prince of Yuzhang, and shortly afterward killed the emperor. In the eleventh month, Jing again deposed Lian and usurped the imperial title for himself. Emperor Yuan campaigned against Jing and beheaded him.
Emperor Xiaoyuan, whose personal name was Yi, ascended the throne at Jiangling in the eleventh month and changed the era name to the first year of Chengsheng. The seventeenth year of Datong.
The Deposed Emperor, whose personal name was Qin and who was the eldest son of Emperor Wen, ascended the throne without changing the era name. The second year of Tianbao.
The Third Patriarch met the Second Patriarch.
Renshen 552, the first year
of Chengsheng. The first year of Datong, the third year of Tianbao. Guiyou 553, the second year of Chengsheng, the second year of Datong, the fourth year of Tianbao. Jiaxu 554, the third year
of Chengsheng.
In the eleventh month the emperor was captured and then killed by the Wei army. Emperor Jing, whose personal name was Fangzhi—after Emperor Yuan had been captured—independently established the Later Liang dynasty within the territory, with its capital at Jiangling. Wang Sengbian and Chen Baxian served the emperor as ruler of Liang. In the ninth month of the fourth year of Chengsheng, he ascended the throne and changed the era name to the first year of Shaotai.
The third year of Datong.
In the first month, Yuwen Tai deposed the emperor and then enthroned Kuo, Prince of Qi. Emperor Gong, whose personal name was Kuo, was a son of Emperor Wen. Yuwen Tai enthroned him without changing the era name, merely calling it the first year.
The first year; the fifth year of Tianbao. Great Master Si (Huisi) was at Mount Dasu. Yihai 555, the first year
of Shaotai, the second year, the sixth year of Tianbao.
Bingzi 556, the first year
of Daping, the third year.
In the twelfth month, the emperor ceded the throne to the Zhou dynasty. Western Wei had three emperors, who reigned for twenty-three years.
The (Northern) Later Zhou established its capital at Chang’an. Emperor Min, whose personal name was Jue and whose surname was Yuwen, was a son of Emperor Wen Tai. He received the throne from Western Wei, and upon ascending it merely proclaimed “the first year.” The History of the Southern Dynasties takes the following year, 557, as the first year.
The seventh year of Tianbao. Dingchou 557, the second year of Daping.
In the tenth month, Chen Baxian was invested as chancellor and made Prince of Chen. The emperor ceded the throne to Chen. The Liang dynasty had four emperors, who reigned for fifty-six years.
The Chen dynasty established its capital at Jinling.
Emperor Gaozu Wu, whose personal name was Baxian and whose surname was Chen, received the throne from Liang. Upon ascending the throne, he established the era name Yongding.
The first year
of Yongding. The second year.
In the ninth month, Yuwen Hu demoted the emperor to the rank of duke, exiled him to Luoyang, and then killed him.
Emperor Ming, whose personal name was Yu, was the eldest son of Emperor Wen Tai. Yuwen Hu enthroned him, and upon ascending the throne he changed the era name to Wuding. The first year of Wuding. The History of the Southern Dynasties likewise records it merely as “the first year,” without changing the era name. The eighth year of Tianbao. Wuyin 558, the second year
of Yongding.
Master Zhizhe received the complete precepts. The second year, the ninth year of Tianbao.

Jimao 559, the third year of Yongding.
In the sixth month the emperor passed away. Emperor Wen, whose personal name was Jiu and who was the eldest son of the Prince of Shixing, ascended the throne.

The first year of Wucheng. The Chen records give Fangjian as the era name.
The tenth year of Tianbao.
In the tenth month the emperor passed away. The Deposed Emperor, whose personal name was Yin and who was the eldest son of Emperor Wenxuan, ascended the throne. Gengchen 560, the first year of Tianjia.
Master Zhizhe paid audience to Great Master Si at Mount Dasu. The second year
of Wucheng. Emperor Wu, whose personal name was Yong and who was the fourth son of Emperor Wen, ascended the throne in accordance with the late emperor’s edict. The first year
of Qianming.
The empress dowager issued an order deposing the emperor. Emperor Zhao, whose personal name was Yan and who was the sixth son of Huan, ascended the throne in the eighth month.

Emperor Cung, named Hựu, was the grandson of Emperor Dạng and the son of Crown Prince Nguyên Đức, named Chiêu. In the eleventh month, the Duke of Đường (Lý Uyên) entered the capital, Trường An, and installed him as emperor; the era name was changed to Nghĩa Ninh. Nghĩa Ninh first year. Wù Yín, 618; Nghĩa Ninh 2nd year.

In the second month, Emperor Dạng passed away. In the fifth month, Emperor Cung yielded the throne to the Tang dynasty.

The Sui dynasty had three emperors who ruled for thirty-eight years before yielding the throne to Tang.

Regarding Bodhidharma’s arrival in China, the account is here determined according to the Record of the Orthodox Lineage. According to the Record of the Continuation of the Dharma by Bảo Xướng, a monk of the Liang dynasty, before this, Nã Liên Da Xá and Vạn Thiên Ý had translated the work entitled “The Account of the Transmission of the Dharma from the Seven Buddhas to the Twenty-Eight Patriarchs.” During the Liang dynasty, the envoy Lưu Huyền Vận obtained this work while on a diplomatic mission to Northern Qi. Emperor Giản Văn issued an edict ordering Bảo Xướng to supplement the Record of the Continuation of the Dharma with it.

FASCICLE I

THE SEVEN BUDDHAS AND THE PATRIARCHS OF INDIA

THE SEVEN BUDDHAS

1. Buddha Vipaśyin, 2. Buddha Śikhin,

3. Buddha Viśvabhū, 4. Buddha Krakucchanda,

5. Buddha Kanakamuni, 6. Buddha Kāśyapa,

7. Buddha Śākyamuni.

THE FIFTEEN PATRIARCHS OF INDIA

(One collateral patriarch is not counted herein.)

1. Patriarch Mahākāśyapa, 2. Patriarch Ānanda (the collateral successor Madhyāntika, who inherited Ānanda’s Dharma), 3. Patriarch Śāṇakavāsin, 4. Patriarch Upagupta, 5. Patriarch Dhṛtaka, 6. Patriarch Miccaka, 7. Patriarch Vasumitra, 8. Patriarch Buddhanandi, 9. Patriarch Buddhamitra, 10. Venerable Pārśva, 11. Patriarch Puṇyayaśas, 12. Mahāsattva Aśvaghoṣa, 13. Patriarch Kapimala, 14. Mahāsattva Nāgārjuna.

PREFACE TO THE SEVEN BUDDHAS.

Ancient Buddhas appeared in the world throughout immeasurable ages, and their number cannot be fully known. Therefore, in speaking of the recent Worthy Kalpa, there have been approximately one thousand Tathagatas; yet only the seven Buddhas up to Shakyamuni are recorded.

The Dirgha Agama Sutra records: “The power of diligent effort of the seven Buddhas emitted light that dispelled delusion and darkness. Each sat beneath a tree and there attained perfect enlightenment.”

Moreover, Manjushri was the teacher of the seven Buddhas. And when the Great Being Kim Hoa Thien Hue ⁽⁹⁾ ascended the summit of Mount Song to practice the Way, he perceived the seven Buddhas leading before him and Vimalakirti following behind.

In compiling this account, I have therefore decided to begin only with the seven Buddhas and those who came thereafter.

THE SEVEN BUDDHAS

1. Vipashyin Buddha.

(The 998th Buddha of the past Glorious Kalpa)

The verse says:

Than tong vo tuong trung tho sanh,

Do nhu huyen xuat chu hinh tuong.

Huyen nhan tam thuc bon lai vo,

Toi phuoc giai khong vo so tru.

Translation:

From within the signless, a body is born,

Like an illusion manifesting various forms.

The illusory person’s mind and consciousness are originally empty;

Both wrongdoing and merit are empty, with nowhere to abide.

The Dirgha Agama Sutra records: When the human lifespan was eighty thousand years, this Buddha appeared in the world. He was of the kshatriya class and the Kaundinya clan. His father was Bandhu, and his mother was Bandhumati. He dwelt in the city of Bandhumati and sat beneath a patali tree. He taught the Dharma in three assemblies and liberated 348,000 people. He had two chief disciples of spiritual powers: the first was Khanda and the second was Tishya. His attendant was Ashoka, and his disciple ⁽¹⁰⁾ was Phuong Ung.

2. Shikhin Buddha.

(The 999th Buddha of the Glorious Kalpa)

The verse says:

Khoi chu thien phap bon thi huyen,

Tao chu ac nghiep diec thi huyen.

Than nhu tu mat tam nhu phong,

Huyen xuat vo can vo thuc tanh.

Translation:

All wholesome dharmas that arise are originally illusory;

All evil karma that is created is also illusory.

The body is like gathered foam, the mind like wind;

Illusorily manifested, they have neither root nor true nature.

The Dirgha Agama Sutra records: When the human lifespan was seventy thousand years, this Buddha appeared in the world. He was of the kshatriya class and the Kaundinya clan. His father was Minh Tuong, and his mother was Quang Dieu. He dwelt in the city of Quang Tuong and sat beneath a pundarika tree. He taught the Dharma in three assemblies and liberated 250,000 people. He had two chief disciples of spiritual powers: the first was Abhibhu and the second was Bhava. His attendant was Nhan Hanh, and his disciple was Vo Luong.

3. Vishvabhu Buddha.

(The 1,000th Buddha of the Glorious Kalpa)

The verse says:

Gia ta tu dai di vi than,

Tam bon vo sanh nhan canh huu.

Tien canh nhuoc vo tam diec vo,

Toi phuoc nhu huyen khoi diec diet.

Translation:

Provisionally borrowing the four great elements to form the body,

The mind is originally unborn and exists because of objects.

If the objects before it are absent, the mind too is absent;

Wrongdoing and merit arise and cease like illusions.

The Dirgha Agama Sutra records: When the human lifespan was sixty thousand years, this Buddha appeared in the world. He was of the kshatriya class and the Kaundinya clan. His father was Thien Dang, and his mother was Xung Gioi. He dwelt in the city of Vo Du and sat beneath a sala tree. He taught the Dharma in two assemblies and liberated 130,000 people. He had two chief disciples of spiritual powers: the first was Phu Du and the second was Uttama. His attendant was Tich Diet, and his disciple was Dieu Giac.

4. Krakucchanda Buddha.

(The first Buddha of the present Worthy Kalpa)

The verse says:

Kien than vo thuc thi Phat than,

Lieu tam nhu huyen thi Phat huyen.

Lieu dac than tam bon tanh khong,

Tu nhan du Phat ha thu biet?

Translation:

To see that the body is unreal is to see the Buddha-body;

To understand that the mind is illusory is to understand the Buddha as illusion.

When one realizes that body and mind are empty in their original nature,

How does that person differ from the Buddha?

The Dirgha Agama Sutra records: When the human lifespan was forty thousand years, this Buddha appeared in the world. He was of the brahmin class and the Kashyapa clan. His father was Le Dac, and his mother was Thien Chi. He dwelt in the city of An Hoa and sat beneath a shirisha tree. He taught the Dharma in one assembly and liberated 40,000 people. He had two chief disciples of spiritual powers: the first was Sani and the second was Tylau. His attendant was Thien Giac, and his disciple was Thuong Thang.

5. Kanakamuni Buddha.

(The second Buddha of the Worthy Kalpa)

The verse says:

Phat bat kien than tri thi Phat,

Nhuoc thuc huu tri biet vo Phat.

Tri gia nang tri toi tanh khong,

Than nhien bat bo u sanh tu.

Translation:

The Buddha does not perceive a body; knowing ⁽¹¹⁾ is itself Buddha;

If knowing truly exists, there is no other Buddha.

The wise can know that the nature of wrongdoing is empty,

And remain serene, unafraid of birth and death.

The Dirgha Agama Sutra records: When the human lifespan was thirty thousand years, this Buddha appeared in the world. He was of the brahmin class and the Kashyapa clan. His father was Dai Duc, and his mother was Thien Thang. He dwelt in the city of Thanh Tinh and sat beneath an udumbara tree. He taught the Dharma in one assembly and liberated 30,000 people. He had two chief disciples of spiritual powers: the first was Subarna and the second was Uttarau. His attendant was An Hoa, and his disciple was Dao Su.

6. Kashyapa Buddha.

(The third Buddha of the Worthy Kalpa)

The verse says:

Nhat thiet chung sanh tanh thanh tinh,

Tong bon vo sanh vo kha diet.

Tuc thu than tam thi huyen sanh,

Huyen hoa chi trung vo toi phuoc.

Translation:

The nature of all sentient beings is originally pure;

From the beginning, it is unborn and cannot be extinguished.

This very body and mind arise as illusions;

Within illusory transformation, there is neither wrongdoing nor merit.

The Dirgha Agama Sutra records: When the human lifespan was twenty thousand years, this Buddha appeared in the world. He was of the brahmin class and the Kashyapa clan. His father was Brahmadatta, and his mother was Dhanavati. He dwelt in the city of Varanasi and sat beneath a nyagrodha tree. He taught the Dharma in one assembly and liberated 20,000 people. He had two chief disciples of spiritual powers: the first was Tishya and the second was Bharadvaja. His attendant was Thien Huu, and his disciple was Tap Quan.

7. Shakyamuni Buddha.

(The fourth Buddha of the Worthy Kalpa)

He was of the kshatriya clan. His father was King Shuddhodana, and his mother was Mahamaya. Having attained the rank of a bodhisattva in his final existence, he was born in the Tushita Heaven, where he was named the Deva Thang Thien Thien Nhan and was also called the Great Being Prabhapala. While fulfilling his final existence, he taught the Dharma to liberate the assemblies of devas and also manifested bodies throughout the worlds of the ten directions to teach the Dharma.

The Sutra of Universal Radiance records: The Buddha was newly born into a royal family of the kshatriya class. He emitted the great radiant light of wisdom, illuminating the worlds of the ten directions. Toward the east, west, south,

and north, he took seven steps in each direction. Golden lotus blossoms spontaneously sprang from the earth to support his feet. With one hand pointing to heaven and the other pointing to earth, he uttered a sound like a lion’s roar: “Throughout heaven, earth, and the four directions, none is as honored as I.” This occurred in the twenty-fourth year of the reign of King Zhao of Zhou, on the eighth day of the fourth month in the jiayin year ⁽¹²⁾.

Then, in the forty-second year of King Zhao’s reign, on the eighth day of the second month, the Crown Prince, then nineteen years old, wished to renounce the household life. He reflected: “Having seen the four circumstances of human existence—old age, sickness, death, and the renunciant—while traveling through the four city gates, which of these shall I encounter again?” With sorrow and joy mingled in his heart, the Crown Prince thought: “Ultimately, I must transcend this old age, sickness, and death.” Therefore, at midnight, during the hour of the Rat, a deva named Tinh Cu appeared at the window, joined his palms, and addressed the Crown Prince: “The time for renunciation has come.

You should depart.” Hearing this, the Crown Prince gave rise to great joy, immediately crossed beyond the city walls, and went to practice the Way in the Dandaka Mountains. He first went to the teacher Arada Kalama and practiced the samadhi of the sphere of nothingness for three years. Realizing that it was not the Way, he departed.

He later went to the teacher Udraka Ramaputra and practiced the samadhi of neither perception nor non-perception for three years. Realizing that it too was not the Way, he departed.

He then went to Elephant Head Mountain and practiced together with the non-Buddhist ascetics, subsisting daily on sesame seeds and barley for six years. Therefore, the Sutra says: “Without mental intention and without undergoing conditioned practices, he utterly vanquished all the non-Buddhist teachings. At first, he underwent the various erroneous methods taught in different places; they served only to give rise to divergent views, causing the practitioner to proceed directly toward bodhi.” Therefore, the Universal Collection Sutra says: “On the eighth day of the second month, when the morning star arose, the Bodhisattva attained Buddhahood and was called the Teacher of Gods and Humans.” At that time, he was thirty years old;

it was the third year of King Mu of the Zhou dynasty, the year guǐ-wèi (518 BCE).

Afterward, he went to Deer Park and, for Kauṇḍinya and his group of five, turned the Dharma wheel of the Four Noble Truths and expounded the path and its fruits.

He remained in the world teaching the Dharma for forty-nine years. Later, he told his disciple Mahakasyapa: “I entrust to you the pure Dharma eye, the wondrous mind of nirvana, the true mark that is without marks, and the subtle, wondrous, true Dharma. You should preserve them.” He further instructed him to transmit them to Ananda so that he might teach the second generation, allowing no interruption in the transmission.

He then spoke this verse:

The Dharma’s origin is the Dharma of no-dharma;

No-dharma, the Dharma, is also Dharma.

Now, when no-dharma is entrusted,

How could any dharma ever have been Dharma?

Translation:

The Dharma is originally the Dharma of no-dharma;

No-dharma, the Dharma, is also Dharma.

Now I transmit no-dharma;

How could any dharma ever have been Dharma?

When the Blessed One had finished speaking this verse, he further told Kasyapa: “I entrust to you my gold-threaded sanghati robe. Pass it on to the Bodhisattva who is to succeed me. Preserve it from damage until the Buddha Maitreya appears in the world.” Upon hearing the verse, Kasyapa bowed until his head touched the ground and said: “Excellent! Excellent! I shall obey your command and reverently uphold the Buddha’s instruction.”

The Blessed One then went to the city of Kusinagara and told the great assembly: “My back is now in pain, and I wish to enter nirvana.” He then went to the bank of the Hiranyavati River and, beneath the twin sala trees, lay in the auspicious posture, on his right side with his legs folded, and peacefully entered quiescence. From within his coffin he arose and taught the Dharma to his mother; he specially extended both feet from the coffin to teach Vagisa. Having done so, he spoke this verse on impermanence:

All conditioned formations are impermanent;

They are phenomena of arising and ceasing.

When arising and ceasing have ceased,

Quiescent cessation is bliss.

Translation:

All formations ⁽¹³⁾ are impermanent;

They are phenomena of arising and ceasing.

When arising and ceasing have ceased,

Quiescent cessation is bliss.

The disciples then brought fragrant wood for the cremation, but when the flames had died out, the golden coffin remained intact. The great assembly then stood before the Buddha and spoke this verse of praise:

All these fierce mundane flames—

How could they possess sufficient heat?

We beseech the Venerable One’s samadhi-fire

To cremate his golden-hued body.

Translation:

These mundane flames—

How could they be strong enough to burn it?

We beseech the fire of your samadhi

To cremate your golden-hued body.

At that moment, the golden coffin lifted itself from its jeweled bier to a height seven times that of a sala tree, moved back and forth through the sky, and manifested the fire of samadhi, in an instant becoming ashes. Eight hu and four dou of relics were collected (one hu equals ten dou). This occurred in the fifty-second year of King Mu, on the fifteenth day of the second month in the year rén-shēn (469 BCE).

One thousand and seventeen years after the Blessed One entered cessation, the Buddhist scriptures reached China ⁽¹⁴⁾, in the tenth year of the Yongping era of the Later Han dynasty (67 CE), the year wù-chén (68 CE).

THE FIFTEEN PATRIARCHS OF INDIA

1. Patriarch Mahakasyapa.

He was a native of Magadha and descended from a Brahmin lineage. His father was named Yinze, and his mother was Xiangzhi. In a former life, he was a silversmith who soldered metals and thoroughly understood their properties, enabling him to make them pliable.

The Account of the Transmission of the Dharma records: “Long ago, in a distant kalpa, after the Buddha Vipasyin entered nirvana, the fourfold assembly built a stupa in his honor. The golden color on the face of the image within the stupa had become slightly damaged. At that time, a poor young woman brought a golden pearl

to his shop and asked him to restore the Buddha’s face. After the work was completed, the two made a vow together: ‘Let the two of us become husband and wife without carnal affection.’ Through this cause and condition, their bodies were golden-hued for ninety-one kalpas. Later, he was born in the Brahma Heaven.

When his lifespan in that heavenly realm was exhausted, he was born into a Brahmin household in the kingdom of Magadha in central India. His name was Kasyapa, also called the Venerable Superior Drinker of Light, a name given because of his golden complexion. Thus, he aspired to leave the household life and seek deliverance for beings throughout the realms.

When the Buddha said, ‘Welcome*, bhiksu,’ his hair and beard fell away by themselves, and a kasaya clothed his body. Within the Buddha’s assembly, he was always praised as foremost. The Buddha said: ‘I entrust the pure Dharma eye to you.

You should transmit it widely to everyone and allow no interruption.’”

The Nirvana Sutra records: When the Blessed One was about to enter nirvana, Kasyapa was not present in the assembly. The Buddha told the great disciples: “When Kasyapa arrives, invite him to proclaim and elucidate the treasury of the true Dharma eye.” At that time, Kasyapa was in the Pippala Cave on Mount Grdhrakuta. Seeing an exceptionally radiant light, he immediately entered samadhi and, with his pure divine eye, saw that the Blessed One had entered parinirvana on the bank of the Hiranyavati River. He then told his followers: “The Tathagata has entered nirvana—how swiftly it has happened!” He immediately went beneath the twin trees, grieving,

weeping, and lamenting. From within the golden coffin, the Buddha extended both feet.

Kasyapa then told the bhiksus:

– The Buddha has been cremated; the adamantine relics are not our concern. We must compile the treasury of the Dharma eye and allow no interruption in its transmission.

He then spoke this verse:

Disciples of the Tathagata,

Do not hasten to enter nirvana.

Those who have attained supernormal powers

Should attend the compilation.

Translation:

Disciples of the Tathagata,

Do not hasten to enter nirvana.

Whoever has attained supernormal powers

Shall participate in the compilation.

Accordingly, all those who had attained supernormal powers were required to gather in Pippala Cave on Mount Grdhrakuta near Rajagrha. At that time, because Ananda had not yet exhausted the defilements, he was not permitted to enter the assembly. After he attained the fruit of arhatship, he was allowed to enter.

Kasyapa then announced to the assembly:

– This Ananda is a learned bhiksu endowed with complete retention and great wisdom. He formerly attended closely upon the Tathagata in pure conduct and remembers the Dharma taught by the Buddha as water poured from one vessel into another, without the slightest omission. The Buddha praised him as foremost in intelligence and keen discernment. He should therefore be invited to compile the Sutra Pitaka.

The great assembly silently assented. Kasyapa told Ananda:

– You should now proclaim the Dharma eye.

Hearing this, Ananda complied. Having examined the minds of the assembly, he spoke this verse:

The bhiksus and all their companions,

Apart from the Buddha, lack adornment;

They are like the expanse of empty space

Filled with stars but without the moon.

Translation:

The bhiksus and their companions,

Far from the Buddha, lack adornment;

They are like the sky above,

Filled with stars but without the moon.

After speaking this verse, Ananda bowed to the Sangha, ascended the Dharma seat, and spoke as follows:

Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha was staying at a certain place and taught a certain sutra... until all the gods and humans paid homage and reverently practiced in accordance with it.

Kasyapa then asked the bhiksus:

– Were the words just spoken by Ananda in any way inaccurate?

The assembly answered together:

– They do not differ from what the Blessed One taught.

Kasyapa then told Ananda:

– My remaining years will not be many. I now entrust the true Dharma to you. You must carefully preserve it. Listen to my verse:

All dharmas are originally Dharma;

There is neither dharma nor non-Dharma.

How could there be, within the one Dharma,

Both Dharma and what is not Dharma?

Translation:

All dharmas have always been Dharma;

There is neither dharma nor non-Dharma.

How could there be within a single Dharma

Both Dharma and what is not Dharma?

After speaking this verse, Kasyapa took the sanghati robe and entered Kukkutapada Mountain to await the descent and birth of Maitreya. This occurred in the fifth year of King Xiao of the Zhou dynasty, the year bǐng-chén (425 BCE). (The fifth year should properly be the fourth. From this point through the thirteenth patriarch, Kapimala, discrepancies occur in the numbering of the years; these have now all been corrected according to the sexagenary cycle recorded in the historical chronological tables.)

2. Patriarch Ananda.

(Born thirty years after the Buddha)

He was a native of the city of Rajagriha, of the Kshatriya clan. His father was King Dronodana, the Buddha’s maternal uncle.

The Sanskrit name Ananda is translated into Chinese as “Joyful,” and also as “Delight.” He was born on the night the Tathagata attained enlightenment and was therefore given this name. Widely learned and erudite, with unobstructed wisdom, he was regarded by the Blessed One as foremost in perfect retention (he possessed an extraordinary memory and remembered all the sutra teachings of the Buddhas), and was often praised by the Buddha. Furthermore, in past lives he had accumulated the great merit of receiving and preserving the treasury of scriptures without omission, like water poured from one vessel into another; the Buddha therefore appointed him as his attendant.

Later, King Ajatashatru said:

– Venerable Sir! Both my revered teachers, the Tathagata and Kashyapa, have already entered nirvana, yet because I was occupied with many affairs, I was unable to see either teacher. Venerable Sir, when you enter parinirvana, I beseech you, out of compassion, to inform me.

Ananda promised to do so. Later he reflected: “My body is fragile, like a mass of foam; moreover, I am old and feeble—how much longer can I remain?” He then thought: “I made a promise to King Ajatashatru.” Thereupon he went to the royal palace and announced:

– I am about to enter nirvana and have come to bid farewell.

The gatekeeper said:

– The king is asleep, so I cannot convey your message.

Ananda said:

– When the king awakens, please tell him on my behalf.

At that time King Ajatashatru dreamed of a precious canopy adorned with the seven treasures, surrounded and admired by countless hundreds of millions of beings. Suddenly, torrential rain and violent winds arose and broke its shaft, and all its precious jewels and necklaces fell to the ground. The king was deeply bewildered and terrified. When he awoke, the gatekeeper reported the entire preceding event. On hearing it, the king wailed aloud, his grief moving heaven and earth. He immediately went to Vaishali and saw Ananda seated in the full lotus posture in a boat drifting in the middle of the Ganges. The king then bowed and spoke this verse:

Khể thủ tam giới tôn,

Khí ngã nhi chí thử.

Tạm bằng bi nguyện lực,

Thả mạc bát niết bàn.

Translation:

I bow to the Honored One of the three realms,

Who has left me and come here.

For a while, through the power of your compassionate vow,

Please do not hasten into parinirvana.

At that time, the king of Vaishali was also present on the riverbank and spoke this verse:

Tôn giả nhất hà tốc,

Nhi quy tịch diệt trường?

Nguyện trụ tu du gian,

Nhi thọ ư cúng dường.

Translation:

Venerable One, why such haste

To enter the realm of quiescent extinction?

I pray that you remain for a brief while,

So that I may make offerings to you.

At that time, seeing that both kings had come to entreat him, Ananda spoke this verse:

Nhị vương thiện nghiêm trụ,

Vật vị khổ bi luyến.

Niết bàn đương ngã tịnh, (The old edition has “tĩnh”; here, following the Bảo Lâm Truyện Chính Tông Ký, this character has been corrected).

Nhi vô chư hữu cố.

Translation:

May the two kings remain well composed;

Do not suffer through sorrowful attachment.

In nirvana I shall attain purity,

For there will be no further modes of existence (karma).

Ananda further reflected that if he were to go to one kingdom alone and enter parinirvana, the kingdoms would contend over his remains. Such a thing should not occur; he should deliver sentient beings with impartiality. He therefore prepared to enter quiescent extinction in the middle of the Ganges. At that time the mountains, rivers, and great earth shook in six ways. Five hundred seers in the Snow Mountains saw this auspicious sign and therefore flew through

the air to him. Bowing at Ananda’s feet, they knelt and said:

– We have come to you, Elder, to realize the Buddha-Dharma. We pray that, with great compassion, you deliver us.

Ananda silently consented. He immediately transformed the entire Ganges into golden ground and expounded the great Dharma to that assembly of seers. Ananda then thought: “Those disciples whom I previously delivered should come and be present.” In a moment, five hundred arhats descended from the sky and ordained the seers, conferring upon them the full precepts.

Among that assembly of seers were two arhats: the first was Shanavasa, and the second was Madhyantika. Ananda knew that these two were vessels of the Dharma and told them:

– Formerly, the Tathagata entrusted the Great Treasury of the Eye of Dharma to Mahakashyapa. Kashyapa entrusted it to me and then entered samadhi. I am now about to enter extinction, so I transmit it to both of you. Receive my instruction and listen to my verse:

Bổn lai phó hữu pháp,

Phó liễu ngôn vô pháp.

Các các tu tự ngộ,

Ngộ liễu vô vô pháp.

Translation:

Originally, a Dharma was transmitted;

Once transmitted, it was said that there is no Dharma.

Each person must awaken for himself;

Once awakened, there is neither nonexistence nor Dharma.

After Ananda had transmitted the Treasury of the Eye of Dharma, his body soared into the air, where he manifested eighteen miraculous transformations. Entering the wind-like vigorous samadhi, he divided his body into four portions: one portion for the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, one portion for the dragon palace of Sagara, one portion for the king of Vaishali (the old edition reads “the Dragon King of Vaishali”; here, following the Bảo Lâm Truyện Chánh Tông Ký, the word “dragon” has been omitted), and one portion for King Ajatashatru. At each place a jeweled stupa was erected and offerings were made. This occurred in the twelfth year of King Li, in the guisi year (388 BCE) (It was actually the tenth year of King Li, 390 BCE).

3. Patriarch Shanavasa.

(Sanakavasa)

(The Chánh Tông Ký records: The Sanskrit “Sanaka” is translated into Chinese as “naturally clothed,” meaning that his clothing appeared naturally, for when he was first born, his body was already clothed. Hồng Giác’s Phạm Chí Lâm records: The sanghati robe has the same

meaning as “cloudy crag.” The Truyền Đăng also renders it as “naturally clothed,” the name of a beautiful species of grass called vị tường in the region of Cửu Chi in the Western Regions.)

The Patriarch was a native of the kingdom of Mathura and was also called Shanavasa. His clan name was Vaishya; his father was named Forest of Victory, and his mother Kaushaya. He remained in his mother’s womb for six years before he was born. The Sanskrit term “Sanaka” is translated in China as “naturally clothed”; it is the name of a beautiful species of grass in the region of Cửu Chi in the Western Regions. This grass grows on pure and immaculate ground only when an arhat sage is born. When Shanavasa was born, this auspicious grass also appeared.

Long before, when the Tathagata traveled to teach in the kingdom of Mathura, he saw a verdant forest with luxuriant branches and foliage. He said to Ananda:

– This forest land is called Uruda. One hundred years after my passing into extinction, a bhikshu named Shanavasa will turn the wondrous Dharma wheel in this place.

One hundred years later, Shanavasa was indeed born. He left home, realized the Way, and received the Eye of Dharma from Venerable Joyful One (Ananda). He taught and transformed sentient beings and dwelt in this forest. He subdued two fire dragons and brought them into submission to the Buddha’s teaching; the dragons therefore offered their land for the construction of a Brahma sanctuary.

After the Venerable One had long fulfilled his work of teaching, he wished to transmit the true Dharma. He traveled to the kingdom of Tali, where he met Upagupta and chose him as his attendant. Upon meeting him, he asked Upagupta:

– How old are you?

He replied:

– I am seventeen years old.

The Master asked:

– Is your body seventeen, or is your nature seventeen?

Upagupta asked in return:

– Your hair has turned white. Is it your hair that is white, or is your mind white?

The Master replied:

– Only my hair has turned white; my mind has not turned white.

Upagupta said:

– My body is seventeen; my nature is not seventeen.

Shanavasa knew that he was a vessel of the Dharma. Three years later, he had Upagupta’s head shaved and conferred upon him the full precepts. He then announced to the assembly:

– Formerly, the Tathagata entrusted the unsurpassed Treasury of the Eye of Dharma to Kashyapa. It was successively transmitted until it reached me. I now transmit it to you; do not allow it to be severed. Receive my instruction and listen to my verse:

Phi pháp diệc phi tâm, (The old edition reads “Phi pháp diệc phi pháp”; here, following the Bảo Lâm Truyện Chánh Tông Ký, it has been corrected to “phi pháp diệc phi tâm”).

Vô tâm diệc vô pháp.

Thuyết thị tâm pháp thời,

Thị pháp phi tâm pháp.

Translation:

Neither Dharma nor mind,

Neither mind nor Dharma.

When this Dharma of mind is spoken,

This Dharma is not a Dharma of mind.

After speaking this verse, the Venerable One retired into seclusion on White Elephant Mountain in the southern region of the kingdom of Kashmir. Later, while in samadhi, the Venerable One saw that five hundred disciples of Upagupta’s assembly had become indolent and arrogant. He therefore went there, manifested the dragon-like vigorous samadhi to subdue them, and spoke this verse:

Penetrating realization is neither this nor that;

The supreme sage has neither long nor short.

May you cast off all thoughts of contempt,

And swiftly attain arhatship.

Translation:

Penetrating understanding is neither this nor that;

The supreme sage knows neither good nor bad.

May you cast off all contempt,

And swiftly attain arhatship.

After hearing the verse, the five hundred bhikkhus followed the instruction and practiced accordingly, and all attained the undefiled state. The Venerable then manifested the eighteen transformations and entered the samadhi of blazing light, thereby cremating his own body.

Upagupta gathered the relics and interred them on Mount Pham-ca-la. Each of the five hundred bhikkhus carried a banner there, where they erected a stupa and made offerings. This occurred in the twenty-third year of King Xuan, the year at-mui (325 BCE). (It was actually the twenty-second year of King Xuan.)

4. Patriarch Upagupta.

(Upagupta)

He was a native of the kingdom of Tra-li and was also called Upa-quat-da or O-ba-cuc-da. He belonged to the Sudra clan, and his father was named Thien Y.

He entered monastic life at the age of seventeen and attained fruition at twenty. Teaching and transforming beings in accordance with conditions, he journeyed to the kingdom of Mathura, where the people he brought to liberation were so numerous that Mara's palace trembled. Mara Papiyan became frightened and employed all his demonic powers to undermine the

true Dharma. The Venerable immediately entered samadhi and perceived the reason. Taking advantage of the occasion, Papiyan secretly placed a jeweled necklace around his neck. When the Venerable emerged from samadhi, he transformed three corpses—a human, a dog, and a snake—into a floral garland.

He gently consoled Papiyan, saying:

– The jeweled necklace you gave me is truly precious. I have a beautiful garland to offer you in return.

Papiyan was delighted and extended his neck to receive it. The garland immediately turned into three kinds of putrid, decaying corpses crawling with maggots. Filled with disgust and profound distress, Papiyan exhausted all his supernatural powers but could not transform them. He then ascended to the heavens of the six sense realms and appealed to the heavenly kings. Afterward, he went to Brahma and begged for help in freeing himself.

All the heavenly kings said:

– This supernatural transformation was wrought by a disciple of the One Possessing the Ten Powers—the Buddha. How could ordinary, defiled beings like us remove it?

Papiyan asked:

– What, then, am I to do now?

Brahma said:

– You must submit to the Venerable; only then can it be completely removed.

He then spoke a verse to cause Papiyan to turn his mind toward refuge:

If a person falls because of the ground,

He must rely upon the ground to rise.

To seek to rise apart from the ground—

Such a thing can never be.

Translation:

If one falls upon the ground,

One must rely on the ground to rise.

To wish to rise apart from the ground—

Such a principle can never be.

After hearing this instruction, Mara Papiyan immediately left the heavenly palace, bowed before the Venerable, and sincerely disclosed his faults and repented.

Upagupta asked:

– From this day forward, will you cease harming the Tathagata's true Dharma?

Papiyan replied:

– I vow to turn my mind toward the Buddha's path and forever abandon unwholesome deeds.

Upagupta said:

– If so, you should personally proclaim with your own mouth that you take refuge in the Three Jewels.

The Mara king joined his palms and proclaimed it three times. The garland of putrid corpses vanished completely. Papiyan leapt for joy, bowed to the Venerable, and spoke this verse:

I bow before the Venerable Master of samadhi,

The sacred disciple of the One Possessing the Ten Powers.

I now vow to turn my mind toward the path;

May no weakness remain within me.

Translation:

I bow before the Lord of samadhi,

The sacred disciple of the One Possessing the Ten Powers.

I vow to turn and dedicate my mind;

Let me not retain what is feeble and base.

While the Venerable remained in the world teaching and guiding beings, a great many people attained fruition. Whenever one person was brought to liberation, the Venerable placed a bamboo tally inside a stone chamber. The chamber was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits wide, and eventually the tallies filled the entire space.

Finally, a man named Huong Chung, the son of an elder, came to bow before the Venerable and sincerely requested permission to enter monastic life.

The Venerable asked:

– Is it your body that leaves the household life, or your mind that leaves the household life?

He replied:

– I have come to leave the household life; it is neither the body nor the mind.

The Venerable asked:

– If it is neither body nor mind, who, then, leaves the household life?

He replied:

– One who leaves the household life has neither self nor possessions of self. ⁽¹⁵⁾ When there is neither self nor possessions of self, the mind neither arises nor ceases. The mind's neither arising nor ceasing is the eternal Way. The Buddhas, too, are eternal. The mind has no form or appearance, and its essence is likewise so.

The Venerable said:

– You have attained great awakening, and your mind has naturally penetrated the truth. You should take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha so that you may continue and cause the lineage of the sages to flourish.

He then shaved his head and conferred upon him the full precepts. The Venerable further said:

– Before your birth, your father dreamed of a golden sun, and therefore named you Dhitika, meaning “Penetrating the Measure of Suchness.”

He further said:

– The Tathagata transmitted the treasury of the eye of the great Dharma through successive generations until it reached me. I now entrust it to you.

Listen to my verse:

The self-mind is originally the primordial mind;

The primordial mind possesses no dharma.

Where dharmas exist, the primordial mind exists;

It is neither mind nor the primordial Dharma.

Translation:

Mind is originally the mind from time immemorial;

The primordial mind contains no dharma.

Where dharmas exist, the primordial mind exists;

Neither mind nor the primordial Dharma. ⁽¹⁶⁾

After transmitting the Dharma, the Venerable soared into empty space and manifested the eighteen transformations. He then returned to his former seat, sat in the full lotus posture, and entered quiescence. Dhitika used the bamboo tallies from the chamber to cremate his body, gathered the relics, and erected a stupa to make offerings.

This occurred in the thirty-first year of King Ping, the year canh-ty (320 BCE). (It was actually the thirtieth year of King Ping.)

5. Patriarch Dhitika.

(Dhitika)

He was a native of the kingdom of Magadha. When he was born, his father dreamed that a golden sun rose from within the house and illuminated heaven and earth. Before it stood a great mountain adorned with the seven treasures, and from its summit sprang a fountain that overflowed into four streams.

Later, when he met the Venerable Upagupta, the latter explained: “The jeweled mountain is my body, and the springing fountain is the inexhaustible Dharma. The sun rising from within the house is the sign of your entering the path today, while its illumination of heaven and earth is your transcendent wisdom.”

Huong Chung was the Venerable's former name; the Master therefore changed it to his present name. In Sanskrit it is pronounced Dhitika, which in Chinese is translated as “Penetrating the Measure of Suchness.”

After hearing the Master speak, Dhitika rejoiced greatly and spoke this verse:

Lofty is the mountain of seven treasures,

Ever pouring forth the spring of wisdom.

Flowing forth as the flavor of the true Dharma,

It can liberate all those with affinities.

Translation:

The mountain of seven treasures towers aloft,

Ever pouring forth the spring of wisdom.

It transforms into the flavor of the true Dharma,

And can liberate those with affinities.

The Venerable Upagupta also spoke a verse:

The Dharma I transmit to you

Shall manifest great wisdom.

Today the sun emerges from the house,

Illuminating heaven and earth.

Translation:

The Dharma I transmit to you

Is now manifesting great wisdom.

The sun rises from the house,

Illuminating all heaven and earth.

After hearing his Master's wondrous verse, Dhitika bowed and reverently accepted it. Later, Dhitika traveled to a kingdom in central India, where there were eight thousand great seers led by Miccaka. Hearing that the Venerable had arrived, Miccaka

led the assembly to behold and pay homage to him, saying:

– Long ago, Master, you and I were born together in the Brahma Heaven. I encountered the seer Asita, who transmitted the way of the seers to me, while you encountered a disciple of the One Possessing the Ten Powers—the Buddha—and cultivated meditative concentration. Thereafter, our karmic results diverged, and we followed different paths for six kalpas.

The Venerable said:

– Though we have been separated for many kalpas, the karmic results have indeed not proved false. You should now abandon the erroneous and return to the true, thereby entering the Buddha Vehicle.

Miccaka said:

– Long ago, the seer Asita bestowed this prediction upon me: “After six kalpas, you will meet a fellow disciple and attain the undefiled fruition.” Is our meeting today not the fulfillment of that former affinity? I beseech you, Master, to compassionately help me attain liberation.

The Venerable immediately admitted Miccaka into monastic life and instructed him to transmit the sacred precepts of the Buddha to the remaining assembly of seers. At first, these people gave rise to pride and conceit, so the Venerable manifested great supernatural powers. They all consequently awakened bodhicitta and entered monastic life together.

The Master then said to Miccaka:

– Long ago, the Tathagata secretly entrusted the treasury of the eye of the great Dharma to Kasyapa. It was transmitted successively until it reached me. I now entrust it to you; remember and preserve it well. He then spoke this verse:

Penetrate the mind of the original Dharma;

There is neither dharma nor non-dharma.

Awakening is the same as not yet awakening;

There is neither mind nor dharma.

Translation:

Penetrate the mind of the primordial Dharma;

No dharma and no non-dharma.

Having awakened is the same as not yet awakening;

No mind and likewise no dharma.

After uttering the verse, the Venerable One’s body soared into the air, where he performed eighteen transformations. He entered the samadhi of fiery radiance and immolated his own body.

Miccaka and the 8,000 bhiksus gathered the relics together and built a stupa in Mount Banca to make offerings to them. This occurred in the seventh year of King Zhuang, the year jichou (271 BCE). (It was actually the fifth year of King Zhuang.)

6. Patriarch Miccaka.

(Misaka)

He was from Central India. After receiving the Dharma transmission from Dhitika, he traveled to teach in Northern India. Seeing golden auspicious clouds above a low wall of the city, he exclaimed:

– This is the sign of a practitioner of the Way. Surely there is a great being here who will inherit my Dharma.

He entered the city. In the marketplace, there was a man holding a wine vessel upside down, who asked:

– From what direction has the Master come, and where do you intend to go?

The Master replied:

– I have come from the mind itself and intend to go to the place of nothingness.

The man asked:

– Do you know what is in my hand?

The Master said:

– It is a vessel containing that which causes purity to be lost.

The man asked:

– Do you know me, Master?

The Master said:

– I do not know; if there were knowing, it would not be I.

Then he said further:

– State your own name and lineage, and I shall reveal the cause from your previous life.

The man replied in verse:

Ngã tòng vô lượng kiếp,

Chí vu sanh thử quốc.

Bổn tánh Phả-la-đọa,

Danh tự Bà-tu-mật.

Translation:

For immeasurable kalpas,

Until now, I have been born in this land.

My ancestral clan is Bharadvaja,

And my name is Vasumitra.

The Master said:

– My teacher, Dhitika, said: “Long ago, while the Blessed One was traveling and teaching in India, he told Ananda, ‘Three hundred years after I enter nirvana, a holy man will appear in this land. His clan will be Bharadvaja, his name will be Vasumitra, and he will become the seventh patriarch in the lineage of the meditation patriarchs.’” The Blessed One bestowed this prediction upon you; therefore, you should leave the household life.

The man immediately set down his wine gourd and bowed at the Master’s feet. Then he stood to one side and said:

– I recall that in a distant former life, I often served as a dana patron and offered a jeweled seat to a Tathagata. That Buddha bestowed this prediction upon me: “During the Auspicious Kalpa, under the Dharma of Buddha Sakyamuni, you will proclaim the supreme teaching.” This now accords with the Master’s words, and I pray that you will further deliver me to liberation.

The Master then shaved Vasumitra’s head, ordained him into the monastic life, and conferred upon him the complete precepts. He then said, “I now transmit to you the treasury of the true Dharma eye. Do not allow it to be severed.” The Master then uttered this verse:

Vô tâm vô khả đắc,

Thuyết đắc bất danh pháp.

Nhược liễu tâm phi tâm,

Thủy giải tâm tâm pháp.

Translation:

No mind, and nothing can be attained;

What can be spoken is not called Dharma.

If one understands that mind is not mind,

Only then does one comprehend mind and the Dharma of mind. ⁽¹⁷⁾

Only by truly seeing that non-mind (Dharma) and mind are originally nondual can one understand that mind and the Dharma of mind appear illusorily within non-mind.

After uttering the verse, the Master entered the Lion’s Vigorous Advance Samadhi. His body soared into the air to a height seven times that of a sala tree. He then returned to his former seat, manifested fire, and immolated his own body.

Vasumitra gathered the sacred bones, placed them in a casket made of the seven precious substances, built a stupa to enshrine them, and placed the casket on its uppermost tier.

This occurred in the seventeenth year of King Xiang, the year jiashen (216 BCE). (It was actually the fifteenth year of King Xiang.)

7. Patriarch Vasumitra.

(Vasumitra, also called Friend of the World.)

He was from Northern India and belonged to the Bharadvaja clan. He always dressed neatly and wandered about the village gates holding a wine gourd, sometimes chanting verses and sometimes playing a flute; people of the world considered him eccentric. When he met the Venerable Miccaka, who recounted the Tathagata’s ancient prophetic prediction, he awakened to the memory of causes from former lives, cast away the wine gourd, and requested ordination.

After receiving the Dharma, he traveled about teaching. Upon reaching the kingdom of Kamala, he spread the teaching and caused the work of the Buddha to flourish. Before the Dharma seat, a wise man suddenly appeared and introduced himself, saying, “My name is Buddhanandi. Today I propose to debate the doctrine with the Master.”

The Master said:

– Worthy one! If it is debate, it is not the true meaning; if it is the meaning, it is not debate. If you conceive of the meaning in order to debate it, ultimately it is not a debate concerning the meaning.

Nandi recognized the correctness of the Master’s meaning. Reverence immediately arose in his mind, and he said:

– I wish to seek the Way and be permeated with the flavor of amrta.

The Venerable One then ordained him into the monastic life and conferred the complete precepts upon him. He further told him:

– I now transmit to you the Tathagata’s treasury of the true Dharma eye. You must guard and preserve it.

The Venerable One then uttered this verse:

Tâm đồng hư không giới,

Thị đẳng hư không pháp.

Chứng đắc hư không thời,

Vô thị vô phi pháp.

Translation:

Mind is the same as the realm of empty space;

The Dharma taught is equal to empty space.

When empty space is realized,

There is no Dharma that is right or wrong.

The Venerable One immediately entered the samadhi of loving-kindness. At that time, the Brahma kings, Sakra, and the hosts of devas all came to pay homage and spoke this verse:

Hiền kiếp chúng thánh Tổ,

Nhi đương đệ thất vị.

Tôn giả ai niệm ngã,

Thỉnh vị tuyên Phật địa.

Translation:

Among the holy patriarchs of the Auspicious Kalpa,

You occupy the seventh place.

Venerable One, have compassion upon us;

We pray that you expound the stage of Buddhahood.

The Venerable One emerged from samadhi and instructed the assembly:

– The Dharma I have attained is not something that exists. If you wish to know the stage of Buddhahood, you must abandon both existence and nonexistence.

After saying this, the Venerable One entered samadhi and manifested the signs of nirvana. Nandi then had a stupa made of the seven precious substances constructed and interred the Venerable One’s preserved body precisely where he had been seated.

This occurred in the nineteenth year of King Ding, the year xinwei (169 BCE). (It was actually the seventeenth year of King Ding.)

8. Patriarch Buddhanandi.

(Buddhanandi)

He was from the kingdom of Kamala and belonged to the Gautama clan. He had an usnisa upon the crown of his head and possessed unhindered eloquence. He first encountered the Venerable Vasumitra, under whom he left the household life and received instruction. Later, he led his disciples on a teaching journey to the capital of the kingdom of Digha. There he saw a white radiance rising from the roof of the Visala family’s house. He said to his disciples:

– A holy person is presently in this house. Although his mouth has never uttered a word, he is truly a genuine vessel for the Mahayana Dharma. Although he does not go out to sit by the roadside, he knows when he has come into contact with something impure.

When he had finished speaking, an elder came out of the house, paid homage, and asked:

– What does the Venerable One require?

The Venerable One replied:

– I require an attendant.

The elder answered:

– I have a son named Buddhamitra. He is already fifty years old, yet his mouth has never spoken and his feet have never taken a step.

The Venerable One said:

– Just as you have said, he is indeed my disciple.

The Venerable One entered the house. As soon as Buddhamitra saw him, he hurriedly stood up, bowed in homage, and spoke this verse:

Phụ mẫu phi ngã thân,

Thùy thị tối thân giả?

Chư Phật phi ngã đạo,

Thùy vi tối đạo giả?

Translation:

My parents are not closest to me;

What is closest of all?

The Buddhas are not my Way;

What is the ultimate Way?

The Venerable One replied in verse:

Nhữ ngôn dữ tâm thân,

Phụ mẫu phi khả tỉ.

Nhữ hạnh dữ đạo hợp,

Chư Phật tâm tức thị.

Ngoại cầu hữu tướng Phật,

Dữ nhữ bất tương tự.

Dục thức nhữ bổn tâm,

Phi hợp diệc phi ly.

Translation:

Your words are intimate with mind;

Your parents cannot compare with it.

Your conduct accords with the Way;

The mind of all Buddhas is precisely this.

To seek externally for a Buddha with form

Does not accord with you.

If you wish to know your original mind,

It is neither joined nor separate.

Upon hearing the Master’s wondrous verse, Buddhamitra immediately walked seven steps. The Master said:

– In the past, this man encountered a Buddha. Because of his vast compassionate vow and his thought that attachment to parental affection was difficult to relinquish, he neither spoke nor walked.

At that time, the elder relinquished all attachment between father and son and allowed him to leave the household life. Before long, the Venerable One conferred the complete precepts upon him and then said:

– I now entrust the Tathagata’s treasury of the true Dharma eye to you. Do not allow it to be severed.

He then uttered this verse:

Hư không vô nội ngoại,

Tâm pháp diệc như thử.

Nhược liễu hư không cố,

Thị đạt chơn như lý.

Translation:

Empty space has neither inside nor outside;

The Dharma of mind is likewise.

If one fully understands empty space,

One realizes the principle of true suchness.

Buddhamitra obeyed his Master's injunction and praised him in verse:

My Master, among the Patriarchs of Dhyana,

Shall become the eighth.

He will teach and transform countless beings,

All of whom shall attain arhatship.

Translation:

My Master, among the Patriarchs of Dhyana,

Shall be the eighth.

He will teach and transform countless multitudes,

All of whom shall attain arhatship.

At that time, the Venerable Buddhanandi manifested miraculous transformations, then returned to his former seat and solemnly entered quiescence. The assembly built a jeweled stupa in which they interred his preserved body.

This occurred in the twelfth year of King Jing, the bing-yin year (114 BCE). (It was actually the tenth year of King Jing.)

9. The Patriarch Buddhamitra.

(Buddhamitra)

He was a native of the kingdom of Tiga and belonged to the Vaisala clan. Having received the transmission and injunction from the Venerable Buddhanandi, he later traveled to Central India to teach and transform beings.

At that time, an elder named Fragrant Canopy brought his son to pay reverence to the Venerable One. The elder said:

– This child remained in the womb for sixty years; therefore, he was named Difficult Birth. Moreover, we often encountered a hermit who said that this

child was no ordinary person and would become a vessel of the Dharma. Now that he has met the Venerable One, I ask that you permit him to leave the household life.

The Venerable One immediately shaved his head and conferred the precepts upon him. During the ordination ceremony, auspicious light was seen illuminating the entire place where Difficult Birth was seated, and thirty sarira relics (in some accounts, seven) miraculously appeared before him. From then on, Difficult Birth practiced diligently, heedless of fatigue.

Later, the Master said:

– I now entrust to you the Tathagata's treasury of the eye of the great Dharma. Remember to preserve it well. He then spoke this verse:

True principle is originally nameless;

Through names, true principle is revealed.

Having received the true and real Dharma,

It is neither true nor false.

Translation:

True principle originally has no name;

Through names, true principle is revealed.

Having received the true and real Dharma,

It is neither real nor unreal.

After transmitting the Dharma, the Venerable One immediately entered the samadhi of complete cessation and passed into nirvana. The assembly used fragrant oil and

sandalwood to cremate his true body, gathered the sarira relics, and built a stupa at Nalanda Monastery.

This occurred in the thirty-fifth year of King Jing, the jia-yin year (66 BCE). (It was actually the thirty-third year of King Jing.)

10. The Patriarch, the Venerable Parsva.

(Parsva)

He was a native of Central India, and his secular name was Difficult Birth. When he was about to be born, his father dreamed of a white elephant bearing upon its back a jeweled throne on which lay a luminous pearl. It entered the house through the doorway and illuminated the four assemblies. When his father awoke, the Master was born.

Later, he met the Venerable Buddhamitra and attended him diligently, forgoing sleep; it was said that his side never touched the mat. For this reason, he was called the Venerable Parsva.

When he first arrived in the kingdom of Pataliputra, he rested for a time beneath a great tree. Pointing his right hand toward the ground, he told the assembly:

– If this ground turns golden, a holy person will enter my Dharma assembly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the ground turned golden. At that moment, the son of an elder named Punyayasa stood before him with palms joined.

The Venerable One asked:

– From where have you come?

Yasa replied:

– My mind has not come.

The Venerable One asked:

– Where do you abide?

He replied:

– My mind abides nowhere.

The Venerable One asked:

– Are you then indeterminate?

He replied:

– All Buddhas are likewise.

The Venerable One said:

– You are not all Buddhas.

He replied:

– All Buddhas are not the Venerable One either.

The Venerable One spoke this verse:

This ground has turned golden;

I knew beforehand that a holy one would arrive.

He shall sit beneath the bodhi tree;

The flower of awakening has already blossomed.

Translation:

This ground has turned golden;

I know that a holy person has come.

Seated beneath the bodhi tree,

The flower of awakening has already bloomed.

Yasa replied with this verse:

The Master sits upon the golden ground,

Ever expounding the true and real meaning.

Turn the light around and shine it upon me,

Causing me to enter samadhi.

Translation:

The Master sits upon the golden ground,

Ever expounding the true and real meaning.

Turn the light around and shine it upon me,

Causing me to enter right concentration.

The Venerable One understood Yasa's intent and immediately ordained him, conferring upon him the complete precepts. He then told Yasa:

– I now entrust to you the Tathagata's treasury of the eye of the great Dharma. Preserve it well.

The Venerable One spoke this verse:

The true essence is naturally true;

Because of the true, principle is expounded.

When the truly true Dharma is comprehended,

There is neither going nor remaining.

Translation:

The true essence is inherently true;

Because of the true, principle is rightly spoken.

Having realized the truly true Dharma,

There is neither going nor abiding.

After transmitting the Dharma, the Venerable One manifested miraculous transformations and entered nirvana, producing fire to cremate himself. The four assemblies gathered the sarira relics in the hems of their robes and, in their respective regions, built stupas as offerings.

This occurred in the twenty-second year of King Zhen, the ji-hai year (21 BCE). (It was actually the twenty-seventh year of King Zhen.)

11. The Patriarch Punyayasa.

(Punyayasa)

He belonged to the Gautama clan and was a native of Pataliputra. His father was named Jeweled Body. After attaining the Dharma from the Venerable Parsva, he soon traveled to the kingdom of Varanasi. The Great Master Asvaghosa welcomed him and paid reverence to him. On that occasion, Asvaghosa asked:

– I wish to know the Buddha. What is right?

The Master replied:

– If you wish to know the Buddha, not knowing is right.

He asked:

– Since the Buddha is not known, how can one know that this is right?

The Master asked in return:

– Since you do not know the Buddha, how can you know that it is not right?

He replied:

– This is the principle of sawing back and forth.

The Master said:

– That is the principle of wood. He then asked: What is the principle of sawing back and forth?

He replied:

– It is to exchange answers with the Master on equal terms. He then asked: What is the principle of wood?

The Master replied:

– You have been sawn through by me.

Asvaghosa awakened and attained penetrating understanding. He bowed his head in devotion and asked to leave the household life.

The Master instructed the assembly:

– This Great Master was formerly the king of the kingdom of Vaisali. In that kingdom there was a race of people who resembled horses and whose bodies were naked. The king employed his spiritual powers, divided his body, and became silkworms that spun silk, through which they obtained clothing to cover themselves. Later, when the king was reborn in Central India, the horse-like people mourned him and uttered sorrowful cries. Therefore, he was named Asvaghosa, Horse-Cry.

Long ago, the Tathagata gave this prophecy: “About six hundred years after my passing, there shall be a worthy one named Asvaghosa who will defeat the non-Buddhist teachers in the kingdom of Varanasi and liberate countless people.”

This is the person who shall succeed me in the lineage of transmission and teaching; now is precisely the time. The Master then told Asvaghosa: “I now entrust to you the Tathagata's treasury of the eye of the great Dharma.”

He then spoke this verse:

Delusion and awakening are like concealment and manifestation;

Light and darkness are not separate from each other.

I now transmit the Dharma of concealment and manifestation;

It is neither one nor two.

Translation:

Delusion and awakening are like concealment and appearance;

Light and darkness do not leave each other.

I now transmit the Dharma of concealment and appearance;

It is neither one nor two. ⁽¹⁸⁾

After transmitting the Dharma, the Venerable One immediately manifested miraculous transformations and serenely entered perfect quiescence. The assembly built a jeweled stupa in which they enshrined his preserved body.

This occurred in the fourteenth year of King An, the wu-xu year (38 CE). (It was actually the nineteenth year of King An.)

12. The Patriarch, the Great Master Asvaghosa.

(Asvagosa)

He was a native of the kingdom of Varanasi. He was also called Merit Supreme because he had created exceptionally sublime unconditioned merit, and thus received this name.

After receiving the Dharma from the Venerable Yasa, he later turned the wondrous Dharma wheel in the kingdom of Pataliputra. During an assembly listening to the Dharma, they suddenly saw an old man seated in front fall sprawling upon the ground. The Master told the assembly:

– This is no ordinary being; something extraordinary will occur.

As soon as the Master finished speaking, the old man disappeared. A moment later, an entirely golden person sprang forth from beneath the ground, then transformed into a woman who raised her right hand, pointed at the Master, and spoke this verse:

I bow my head to the honored elder,

Who shall receive the Tathagata's prophecy.

Now, here in this land,

He proclaims and elucidates the supreme meaning.

Translation:

I bow before the honored elder,

Who is receiving the Buddha's prophecy.

Now, here in this land,

He expounds and elucidates the supreme meaning.

After speaking the verse, that person vanished in the blink of an eye.

The Master said:

– Mara—the non-Buddhist teachers—will come to contend with me in power.

Suddenly, roaring wind and rain swept in, plunging heaven and earth into darkness. The Master said:

– This is an omen that Mara—the non-Buddhist teachers—is coming; I shall subdue them.

He pointed into the air, manifesting an enormous golden dragon that displayed its awesome spiritual power and shook the mountains and forests. The Master sat solemnly upon his seat, and the demonic disturbances gradually vanished. After seven days, there appeared a tiny worm, about the size of a jiaoming insect, hiding beneath his seat. He grasped the worm in his hand, raised it for the assembly to see, and said:

– This worm was transformed by a demon belonging to an heterodox path. It hid here to eavesdrop on my Dharma.

Having spoken, he threw the worm away and commanded, “Go at once.” But the worm remained motionless.

The Master told it:

– You need only take refuge in the Three Jewels, and you will attain spiritual powers.

Thereupon, the demonic spirit within the worm returned to its original form, bowed, and repented. The Master asked:

– What is your name, and how many followers do you have?

He replied:

– My name is Kapimala, and I have as many as three thousand followers.

The Master asked:

– If you exert all your spiritual power, what can you transform yourself into?

He replied:

– I can easily transform myself into a vast ocean.

The Master asked:

– Can you transform yourself into the ocean of intrinsic nature?

He asked:

– What does the ocean of intrinsic nature mean? I have never known of it.

The Master then explained the ocean of intrinsic nature to him:

– Mountains, rivers, and the great earth are all established in dependence upon it; samadhis and the six superknowledges arise from it. (The old edition reads “six spiritual superknowledges”; following the Record of the Orthodox Lineage, the word “spiritual” has been omitted.)

Hearing this, Kapimala immediately awakened faith and, together with his three thousand disciples, requested ordination. The Master then summoned five hundred arhats to confer the full precepts upon them. He then told Kapimala, “I now entrust to you the Tathagata’s Treasury of the Eye of the Great Dharma.”

Listen to my verse:

Concealment and manifestation are themselves the original Dharma,

Light and darkness have never been two.

I now transmit the Dharma of complete awakening;

It is neither grasped nor abandoned.

Translation:

Concealment and manifestation are themselves the original Dharma,

Light and darkness are fundamentally not two.

I now transmit the Dharma of complete awakening;

It is neither taken up nor cast aside.

After transmitting the Dharma, the Great Being Ashvaghosha immediately entered the Dragon’s Vigorous Advance Samadhi and stood upright in midair, resembling the sun, round like a wheel. He then manifested the signs of entering cessation. The fourfold assembly placed his true body in a dragon reliquary.

This occurred in the thirty-seventh year of King Xian, the jiawu year (94 CE). (It should properly be the forty-second year of King Xian.)

13. Patriarch Kapimala

(Kapimala)

He was a native of the country of Pataliputra. At first, he was a teacher of a heterodox path with three thousand disciples and was thoroughly versed in the treatises of the heterodox schools. Later, he attained the Dharma under the Venerable Ashvaghosha and led his disciples to western India.

The crown prince of that country, named Megha Svatantra, admired the Venerable One’s reputation and invited him into the palace to receive offerings. The Venerable One said:

– The Tathagata taught that a sramana must not associate closely with powerful households such as kings and great ministers.

The crown prince said:

– North of the capital of my country there is now a great mountain, and within it is a stone cave. Could the Master practice meditation there?

The Venerable One replied:

– Yes.

The Venerable One then traveled several miles into that mountain and encountered a great serpent. He calmly continued onward without looking at it, whereupon it coiled itself around his body. Taking this opportunity, he administered the Three Refuges to it. After hearing them, the serpent departed.

As the Venerable One approached the stone cave, an old man dressed in white came forth, joined his palms, and offered greetings.

The Venerable One asked:

– Where do you dwell?

He replied:

– Long ago, I was a bhiksu who greatly delighted in seclusion and stillness. Some newly ordained bhiksus came to seek instruction, but I grew weary of their questions and answers and became irritated. When my life ended, I fell into the body of a great serpent and have dwelt in this stone cave for a thousand years. Just now, upon meeting the Venerable One, I heard the precepts and Dharma, so I have come to express my gratitude.

The Venerable One asked:

– Does anyone else dwell on this mountain?

He replied:

– Ten miles north of here stands an immense tree whose shade shelters five hundred great nagas, noble and worthy beings. Their leader beneath that tree is named

Nagarjuna. He frequently teaches the Dharma to the naga assembly, and I also go there to listen.

The Venerable One then led his disciples there. Nagarjuna came forth to welcome him and asked:

– This deep mountain is desolate, a lair of savage serpents. Why has the most venerable Great Virtuous One deigned to lower himself and come here?

The Master said:

– I am not the most venerable one; I have merely come to visit a worthy man.

Nagarjuna thought to himself, “Has this Master truly realized intrinsic nature, and is his eye of the Way clear? Is he a great sage who has inherited the True Vehicle?”

The Master said:

– Although you have merely thought this in your heart, I already know your intention. You need only leave home and become ordained; why worry whether or not I am a sage?

Upon hearing this, Nagarjuna apologized and repented. The Venerable One immediately ordained him, and all five hundred members of the naga assembly received the full precepts.

The Master told Nagarjuna:

– I now entrust to you the Tathagata’s Treasury of the Eye of the Great Dharma. Listen carefully to my verse:

The Dharma is neither concealed nor manifest;

It is called the ultimate true reality.

Awakening to this Dharma of concealment and manifestation,

One is neither foolish nor wise.

Translation:

The Dharma is neither concealed nor manifest;

It is called the ultimate true reality.

Awakening to this Dharma of concealment and manifestation,

One is neither foolish nor wise. ⁽¹⁹⁾

After transmitting the Dharma, the Venerable One immediately manifested a spiritual transformation, producing fire that consumed his body. Nagarjuna gathered the five-colored relics and built a stupa in which to preserve them.

This occurred in the forty-first year of King Nuan, the renchen year (152 CE). (It should properly be the forty-sixth year of King Nuan.)

14. Patriarch Venerable Nagarjuna

(Nagarjuna)

He was a native of western India and was also called Nagajaya. He first attained the Dharma under the Venerable Kapimala and later traveled to southern India. The people of that region placed great faith in meritorious deeds. When they heard the Venerable One expound the wondrous Dharma, they said among themselves, “Those who possess meritorious deeds rank foremost in the world. What can anyone see from merely speaking about faith in the Buddha?”

The Venerable One said:

– If you wish to see Buddha-nature, you must first cast aside the mind of pride and conceit.

They asked:

– Is Buddha-nature large or small?

The Venerable One replied:

– It is neither large nor small, neither broad nor narrow; it has neither merit nor recompense, neither death nor birth.

Upon hearing this ultimate principle, they all relinquished their former state of mind. From the Dharma seat, the Venerable One then manifested a self-masterful body resembling a full moon. The entire assembly heard only the sound of the Dharma but could not see the Master’s bodily form.

Among the assembly was the son of an elder named Kanadeva (Aryadeva), who said to them:

– Do you understand this sign?

The assembly replied:

– Our eyes have never seen such a thing; how could we recognize it?

Deva said:

– The Venerable One is manifesting the essential sign of Buddha-nature to instruct us. How may this be known? Through the signless samadhi, he manifests a form like the full moon, thereby revealing that the meaning of Buddha-nature is empty yet luminous.

As soon as he had spoken, the disk of the moon vanished, and the Venerable One was again seen seated upon his former seat, reciting this verse:

The body manifests the form of the full moon,

Thereby revealing the essence of all Buddhas.

The Dharma is taught without any form;

Its function makes clear that it is neither sound nor appearance.

Translation:

The body manifests the form of the full moon,

To reveal the essence of all Buddhas.

The Dharma is taught without bodily form,

To make clear that it is neither sound nor appearance.

Upon hearing the verse, the assembly suddenly awakened to the unborn and all vowed to leave home and become ordained in pursuit of liberation. The Venerable One immediately shaved their heads and instructed the holy ones to confer the full precepts upon them.

Previously, that country had more than five thousand followers of heterodox paths who practiced great feats of illusion, and the people all revered and followed them. Through the Venerable One’s teaching and transformation, they all took refuge in the Three Jewels.

The Venerable One composed the Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom, the Treatise on the Middle Way, and the Treatise on the Twelve Gates, leaving them to the world.

Later, the Venerable One told his chief disciple Kanadeva:

– I now transmit to you the Tathagata’s Treasury of the Eye of the Great Dharma.

Listen to my verse:

In order to clarify the Dharma of concealment and manifestation,

The principle of liberation is then taught.

With regard to the Dharma, the mind attains nothing;

There is neither anger nor joy.

Translation:

To clarify the Dharma of concealment and manifestation,

The principle of liberation is taught.

With regard to the Dharma, the mind accepts nothing;

There is neither anger nor joy.

After transmitting the Dharma, the Venerable One entered the Moon-Disk Samadhi and widely manifested miraculous transformations. Returning to his former seat, he entered meditative quiescence (nirvana).

Kanadeva and the four assemblies together built a jeweled stupa in which to enshrine him.

This occurred in the thirty-fifth year of Qin Shi Huang, the cyclical year jichou (209 CE).⁽²⁰⁾

END OF VOLUME I

Notes:

⁽¹⁾ Esoteric exposition: Using the expedient means of language to expound the profound and hidden absolute.

⁽²⁾ Deities of meaning: This refers to bodhisattvas from the Ten Abodes upward. Because they skillfully understand and interpret the meaning of the dharmas and perceive all dharmas as empty, they are called “deities of meaning.”

⁽³⁾ Threefold training: The three disciplines of training—morality, concentration, and wisdom. Morality prevents body, speech, and mind from creating evil karma; concentration gathers the distracted mind and eliminates miscellaneous thoughts; wisdom is the insight capable of discerning the fundamental nature of all dharmas, eliminating afflictions, and seeing Buddha-nature.

⁽⁴⁾ Five natures, or five lineage-natures: According to the undefiled seeds already present in sentient beings, they are divided into five types of lineage-nature (according to the Faxiang School).

1. Those of the determinate shravaka nature: Their undefiled seeds accord with the fruition of a shravaka;

2. Those of the determinate pratyekabuddha nature: Their undefiled seeds accord with the fruition of a pratyekabuddha;

3. Those of the determinate bodhisattva nature: Their undefiled seeds accord with the fruition of a bodhisattva or Buddha;

4. Those of indeterminate nature: Their undefiled seeds comprise all three vehicles above, and their fruition is indeterminate;

5. Those without a nature: They possess none of the undefiled seeds of the three vehicles;

⁽⁵⁾ In 1004, the thirty-volume Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp first appeared during the Jingde era of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song dynasty.

⁽⁶⁾ Taihe: The era name of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei, 477–499.

⁽⁷⁾ Later Liang: The regime established by the Xiao clan at Jiangling (554–587), a vassal state of the Western Wei and Northern Zhou.

⁽⁸⁾ The second persecution of Buddhism occurred under Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou dynasty.

⁽⁹⁾ This is Mahasattva Fu (497–569), a renowned Chan patriarch of the Liang dynasty, which belonged to the Southern Dynasties during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period.

⁽¹⁰⁾ A Dharma-successor disciple, just as Mahakasyapa was the Dharma-successor disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha.

⁽¹¹⁾ Knowing: The knowing nature, or deluded knowing, inherently and constantly present in the sense faculties in general and in the mental faculty in particular (Surangama Sutra).

⁽¹²⁾ Jiayin: 547 BCE. According to modern scholars, the year of the Buddha’s birth was 563 BCE (the cyclical year wuxu).

⁽¹³⁾ Formations: Transformation and change—precisely the meaning of the conditioned. All conditioned dharmas are produced through causes and conditions and therefore are impermanent and subject to change. The term “formations” in the five skandhas has this same meaning.

⁽¹⁴⁾ The original reads, “One thousand and seventeen years.” Why does it not record: 469 + 68 = 537 years?

– “Come, well-come”: Come here.

⁽¹⁵⁾ Pertaining to self: All events and causes related to the self, for example, possessions of the self.

⁽¹⁶⁾ The mind from the beginning is the mind of suchness, originally just so.

This original mind contains no dharma; it is empty and without characteristics.

The original mind and all dharmas (mental and material dharmas) are originally nondual—neither identical nor different, like water and milk.

Calling it the original mind or the original Dharma is merely a provisional designation. Speaking of the absence of inherent nature and presenting provisional characteristics serves to reveal the Middle Way, the true characteristic that is without characteristics, suchness itself.

⁽¹⁷⁾ The Dharma (the treasury of the true Dharma eye) is without mind and unobtainable. Within it there is not the slightest speck of dust, nothing can defile it, and nothing can be said about it.

⁽¹⁸⁾ The true and the deluded are blended like milk and water. Upon awakening, the milk appears; in delusion, the milk is concealed. Both light and darkness are water that never departs from the milk and is nondual with it.

Now the Dharma of the duality of light and darkness is transmitted. Light and darkness displace one another, meaning that their characteristics are not one; yet light and darkness share a single essence (one milk), meaning that their nature is nondual.

⁽¹⁹⁾ The Dharma (the great treasury of the Dharma eye) is neither concealed nor manifest.

It is called true reality because it is the essence of the two characteristics, concealment and manifestation.

To awaken to this Dharma, one must awaken to it directly within concealment and manifestation.

This Dharma is the essence of ignorance and wisdom; therefore, it does not abide in the characteristic of ignorance or the characteristic of wisdom, nor is it the characteristic of ignorance or wisdom.

⁽²⁰⁾ The thirty-fifth year of Qin Shi Huang was 212 BCE, the cyclical year wuzi. The discrepancy is approximately four hundred years! According to the Fo Guang Dictionary of Buddhism, Patriarch Nagarjuna lived approximately during the second to third centuries CE.