黃檗山斷際禪師傳心法要

PREFACE TO THE ESSENTIALS OF THE TRANSMISSION OF MIND

There was a great Chan Master named Xiyun who dwelt beneath Vulture Peak on Mount Huangbo, in Gao’an County, Hongzhou. He was a direct descendant of the Sixth Patriarch of Caoxi and a Dharma heir in the lineage of Baizhang and Xitang. He alone bore the seal of the Supreme Vehicle.

Apart from written words, he taught only the transmission of the One Mind, for there is no other Dharma. The essence of mind itself is empty, and the myriad conditions are all quiescent. It is like the sun rising in empty space, shining luminously without a speck of dust.

For those who realize it, there is neither old nor new, neither deep nor shallow. Those who expound it establish no conceptual interpretations, set up no doctrine, and open no gates or approaches. Directly, just this is it; the moment a thought stirs, one goes astray.

Only then is it the original Buddha. Thus, his words are exceedingly concise, his principle points directly, his Way is lofty, and his practice is unique.

Students from the four directions looked toward this mountain and vied with one another to come. Upon seeing the Master’s countenance, they awakened. The oceanic assembly coming and going often numbered more than a thousand.

In the second year of Huichang (842 CE), when I was serving as governor of Zhongling in Hongzhou, I personally ascended the mountain and invited the Master to our prefecture, where he stayed at Longxing Monastery. Morning and evening, I questioned him about the Way. In the second year of Dazhong (848 CE), when I was transferred to Wanling in Xuanzhou, I again went to pay homage and invited the Master to come to my jurisdiction and reside at Kaiyuan Monastery.

Morning and evening, I went to receive the Dharma from him. After returning, I recorded what I had heard, preserving only one or two tenths of it. I carried it with me as the seal of mind and did not dare make it public.

Now, fearing that later generations might not hear this subtle meaning that penetrates the spirit, I have entrusted it to the disciple monks Dazhou and Fajian, asking them to return to the Master’s former mountain residence at Guangtang Monastery and inquire of the elder members of the Dharma assembly who had formerly attended him closely and heard his teaching, to determine how their recollections agree or differ.

Hedong

Pei Xiu

ESSENTIAL DHARMA OF THE TRANSMISSION OF MIND BY CHAN MASTER DUANJI OF MOUNT HUANGBO

The Master said to Xiu:

All Buddhas and all sentient beings are nothing but the One Mind, apart from which there is no other Dharma. From beginningless time, this mind has never arisen and never ceased. It is neither blue nor yellow, has neither form nor appearance, belongs neither to existence nor nonexistence, and is not reckoned as old or new.

It is neither long nor short, neither large nor small. It transcends all limits, measures, names, words, traces, and oppositions. Directly, just this is it; the moment a thought stirs, one goes astray.

It is like empty space, which has no bounds and cannot be measured. This One Mind alone is the Buddha. There is no distinction between Buddhas and sentient beings.

Yet sentient beings cling to appearances and seek outwardly; the more they seek, the more they lose. They cause the Buddha to seek the Buddha and use mind to grasp mind. Though they exhaust their entire lives and continue for kalpa after kalpa, they will never attain it.

They do not know that when thoughts cease and discrimination is forgotten, the Buddha spontaneously appears before them. This mind is the Buddha, and the Buddha is sentient beings. When appearing as sentient beings, this mind is not diminished; when appearing as Buddhas, this mind is not increased.

Even the merits and virtues of the six paramitas and the myriad practices, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, are inherently complete within it. They are not increased through cultivation. When conditions are encountered, it functions; when conditions cease, it becomes quiescent.

If people do not resolutely believe that this mind is the Buddha, but cling to appearances and practice in pursuit of attainment and efficacy, all of this is deluded thought and contrary to the Way. This mind is the Buddha. There is no other Buddha, nor is there any other mind.

This mind is luminous and pure, like empty space, without the slightest mark or appearance. To give rise to mind and set thoughts in motion is immediately to turn away from the Dharma essence; it is to cling to appearances. From beginningless time, there has never been a Buddha who clung to appearances.

To practice the six paramitas and myriad practices with the desire to attain Buddhahood is to proceed by stages. From beginningless time, there has never been a Buddha attained by stages. Simply awaken to the One Mind, and not the slightest Dharma can be attained.

This is the true Buddha. Buddha and sentient beings share the same mind without distinction. It is like empty space, which is neither mixed nor destroyed.

It is also like the disk of the sun illuminating the four quarters of the world. When the sun rises and its light shines throughout the world, empty space has never become bright. When the sun sets and darkness covers the world, empty space has never become dark.

The conditions of darkness and light alternate with and displace one another, yet the nature of empty space remains vacant, quiescent, and unchanged. The minds of Buddhas and sentient beings are likewise. If one regards the Buddha as possessing the marks of liberation, purity, and luminosity, and regards sentient beings as possessing the marks of defilement and darkness, one who holds such views will never attain bodhi, even after kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, because of clinging to appearances.

There is only this One Mind; not even a Dharma the size of a tiny mote of dust can be attained. This very mind is the Buddha. Students of the Way today do not awaken to this essence of mind.

Instead, they give rise to another mind upon mind, seek the Buddha outwardly, and practice while clinging to appearances. All these are evil dharmas and are not the Way of bodhi. Making offerings to all the Buddhas of the ten directions is not equal to making offerings to a single practitioner who is free of mind.

Why? Because one who is free of mind is free of every kind of mind. His essence is suchness: inwardly, he is like wood or stone, unmoving and unshaken; outwardly, he is like empty space, unobstructed and unhindered.

There is neither subject nor object, neither place nor location, neither form nor appearance, neither gain nor loss. Those who incline toward it do not dare enter this Dharma. They fear falling into emptiness, with nowhere to abide or rely upon; thus, when they glimpse its edge, they retreat.

Most people seek extensive knowledge and views through comparisons. Therefore, those who possess knowledge and views are as numerous as hairs, while those who awaken to the Way are as rare as horns. Manjushri represents principle, and Samantabhadra represents practice.

Principle is the principle of true emptiness without obstruction. Practice is the inexhaustible practice free from appearances. Avalokiteshvara represents great loving-kindness, and Mahasthamaprapta represents great compassion.

Vimalakirti means Pure Name. Purity is nature, and name is appearance. Because nature and appearance are not different, he is called Pure Name.

What the great bodhisattvas represent is inherently present within everyone and does not depart from the One Mind. Awaken to it, and that is all. Students of the Way today do not awaken within their own minds, but instead cling to appearances outside the mind and follow external objects; all of this is contrary to the Way.

The sands of the Ganges—the Buddha spoke of them simply as sands. When Buddhas, bodhisattvas, Shakra, Brahma, and the devas tread upon them, the sands do not rejoice. When oxen, sheep, insects, and ants trample upon them, the sands do not become angry.

The sands do not crave precious jewels and fragrances, nor do they loathe filthy, foul-smelling excrement. This mind is mind that is no-mind, free from all appearances. There is no difference between sentient beings and Buddhas.

If only one can be free of mind, that is the ultimate. If students of the Way cannot become free of mind directly, then even after practicing for many kalpas, they will never accomplish the Way. Bound by the meritorious practices of the Three Vehicles, they cannot attain liberation.

Yet the realization of this mind may be swift or slow. Some, upon hearing the Dharma, become free of mind in a single thought. Others reach the Ten Faiths, the Ten Abodes, the Ten Practices, and the Ten Dedications of Merit before becoming free of mind. Whether the time is long or short, only upon becoming free of mind does one truly abide. There is then nothing to cultivate and nothing to realize. In truth, there is nothing attained; this is genuine and not false. One who attains it in a single thought and one who attains it only upon reaching the Tenth Bhumi have equal realization, with neither depth nor shallowness. The latter has merely endured toil and suffering in vain for many kalpas.

Doing evil and doing good are both forms of clinging to appearances. To cling to appearances while doing evil is to undergo samsara in vain; to cling to appearances while doing good is to endure toil in vain. None of this equals recognizing the original Dharma for oneself upon hearing a single phrase.

This Dharma is mind; outside mind there is no Dharma. This mind is the Dharma; outside the Dharma there is no mind. Mind is itself no-mind, yet there is not even any no-mind.

If mind is used to seek no-mind, mind again becomes existent. Simply accord with it silently, and nothing more. Put an end to all conceptual thought.

Thus it is said: the path of words is cut off, and the place where the mind operates is extinguished. This mind is the pure source. Buddhas and humans alike possess it.

Creatures that fly, crawl, and wriggle, together with all Buddhas and bodhisattvas, are of one essence without distinction. It is only because of deluded thought and discrimination that they create the various kinds of karma. In the fruit of Buddhahood, all is inherently present, yet in truth there is not a single thing.

It is empty, penetrating, quiescent, luminous, wondrous, and peaceful. You must profoundly awaken to it and enter it for yourself. Directly, just this is it—perfectly complete and inherently sufficient, without the slightest deficiency.

Suppose a person diligently practices for three incalculable kalpas, passing through all the stages, while another realizes it in a single thought: what both realize is merely that which has always been present. In truth, not a single thing has been added to one’s own Buddha. Looking back, all the efforts of many kalpas are entirely deeds performed in a dream.

Therefore, the Tathagata said: “With regard to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi (Unsurpassed Perfect Enlightenment), I truly attained nothing. Had I attained anything, Dipankara Buddha would not have given me the prediction of Buddhahood.” He also said: “This Dharma is equal, without high or low; this is called bodhi.” This original, pure mind itself—sentient beings, all Buddhas, mountains, rivers, worlds, the formed and the formless, throughout all worlds in the ten directions—everything is equal, without the characteristics of self and other.

This original, pure mind is always inherently complete and luminous, illuminating everywhere; yet people of the world do not awaken to it. They regard seeing, hearing, perception, and knowing as the mind and, being obscured by seeing, hearing, perception, and knowing, are therefore unable to see its essential, luminous nature.

One need only be directly without mind, and the essential nature will reveal itself. It is like the orb of the sun rising in empty space, illuminating the ten directions without obstruction. Students of the Way recognize only seeing, hearing, perception, knowing, movements, and activities.

If seeing, hearing, perception, and knowing are not set aside, the path of mind is cut off and there is no way to enter. Simply recognize the original mind within seeing, hearing, perception, and knowing. Yet the original mind does not belong to seeing, hearing, perception, and knowing, nor is it apart from seeing, hearing, perception, and knowing.

The essential point is not to give rise to discrimination upon seeing, hearing, perception, and knowing; not to stir thoughts upon seeing, hearing, perception, and knowing; not to seek the mind apart from seeing, hearing, perception, and knowing; and not to abandon seeing, hearing, perception, and knowing in order to apprehend the Dharma. Neither identical with nor separate from them, neither abiding nor attached—free and unhindered in every direction: all is the place of awakening.

When people of the world hear it said that “all Buddhas transmit the Dharma of mind,” they suppose that apart from the mind there is some Dharma that can be realized and grasped; they then use the mind to seek the Dharma. They do not know that mind itself is Dharma and Dharma itself is mind. One cannot use the mind to seek the mind; even after thousands upon thousands of kalpas, there will still be no day of attainment.

How could this compare with being directly without mind, which is itself the fundamental Dharma? It is like a strong man who forgets the jewel on his forehead and searches for it outside himself. Though he runs throughout the ten directions, he can never find it.

When a wise person points it out, he immediately sees that his original jewel is just as it always was. Students of the Way are deluded about their own original mind and do not recognize it as Buddha. They therefore seek outwardly, undertake practices, and rely upon sequential stages of realization.

Though they seek diligently for many kalpas, they never accomplish the Way. It is better to be directly without mind and decisively know that all dharmas are originally nonexistent, that there is nothing to attain, nothing upon which to rely or abide, neither subject nor object. Without stirring deluded thoughts, one immediately realizes bodhi.

When the Way is realized, it is only the original mind that is realized. The efforts expended through many kalpas are all vain cultivation, just as when the strong man finds the jewel, he finds only the jewel that was already on his forehead; it has nothing to do with the exertion of running outside in search of it. Therefore, the Buddha said: “With regard to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, I truly attained nothing.” Fearing that people might not believe this, he cited what is seen by the five eyes and what is expressed in the five kinds of speech: true and not false, this is the truth of the ultimate meaning.

Students of the Way should not mistake the four great elements for the body. The four great elements have no self—nothing permanent or sovereign—and the self likewise has no sovereign; therefore, know that this body has neither self nor sovereign. Do not mistake the five skandhas for the mind. The five skandhas have neither self nor sovereign; therefore, this mind has neither self nor sovereign. The conjunction, arising, and ceasing of the six sense faculties, six sense objects, and six consciousnesses are likewise so. Since the eighteen dhatus are empty, everything is empty; there is only the original mind, vast and pure.

There is eating with consciousness, and there is eating with wisdom. The body of the four great elements is an affliction of hunger. To nourish it according to its needs without giving rise to craving and attachment is called eating with wisdom. To indulge the mind, cling to flavors, deludedly give rise to discrimination, and seek only delicious food without ever becoming satisfied is called eating with consciousness.

Sravakas awaken through hearing the teaching and are therefore called Sravakas, “hearers.” Because they do not understand their own minds, they give rise to conceptual understanding based on the teachings. Whether through supernormal powers, auspicious marks, words and actions, or hearing that bodhi and nirvana are attained only after practicing for three incalculable kalpas and thereby accomplishing Buddhahood—all of this belongs to the Sravaka path, and such people are called Sravakas.

The Buddha’s path consists solely in directly and immediately understanding that one’s own mind has always been Buddha, that not a single Dharma can be attained, and that not a single practice can be cultivated. This is the unsurpassed Way; this is the Buddha of true suchness. Students of the Way need fear only the presence of a single thought, for then they are separated from the Way.

When thought after thought is without characteristics and thought after thought is unconditioned, that is Buddha. If students of the Way wish to become Buddhas, they need not study any of the Buddha-Dharma at all; they need only learn neither to seek nor to become attached. Not seeking means that the mind does not arise; not becoming attached means that the mind does not cease.

Neither arising nor ceasing is Buddha. The eighty-four thousand Dharma gates that counteract the eighty-four thousand afflictions are merely means of teaching and guiding beings. Originally, there are no dharmas whatsoever; relinquishment itself is the Dharma, and one who knows relinquishment is Buddha.

Merely relinquish all afflictions, and there is no Dharma to be attained.

Students of the Way who wish to know the essential key should not place a single thing upon the mind and call it Buddha. The true Dharma-body is like empty space. This is an analogy showing that the Dharma-body is empty space and empty space is the Dharma-body.

People commonly say that the Dharma-body pervades empty space and that empty space contains the Dharma-body. They do not know that the Dharma-body is empty space and empty space is the Dharma-body. If one definitively asserts that empty space exists, then empty space is not the Dharma-body.

If one definitively asserts that the Dharma-body exists, then the Dharma-body is not empty space. Do not give rise to a conceptual understanding of empty space, and empty space is itself the Dharma-body. Do not give rise to a conceptual understanding of the Dharma-body, and the Dharma-body is itself empty space.

Empty space and the Dharma-body have no distinct characteristics. Buddha and sentient beings have no distinct characteristics. Samsara and nirvana have no distinct characteristics.

Afflictions and bodhi have no distinct characteristics. To be free from all characteristics is Buddha.

Ordinary beings cling to objects; followers of the Way cling to mind. Only when both mind and objects are forgotten is there the true Dharma. To forget objects is still easy; to forget mind is very difficult.

People dare not forget mind, fearing that they will fall into an emptiness where there is nothing to grasp. They do not know that emptiness is fundamentally not empty; it is solely the one true Dharma-realm. From beginningless time, this nature of numinous awareness has been as old as empty space.

It has never arisen and never ceased, never existed and never not existed, never been defiled and never been pure, never been turbulent and never been still, never been young and never been old. It has no location, no inside or outside, no quantity, no form or appearance, no shape or color, and no sound. It cannot be found or sought; it cannot be known through wisdom, recognized through language, comprehended through objects, or reached through exertion.

All Buddhas and bodhisattvas, together with every sentient being, even those that crawl and wriggle, share this same nature of great nirvana. This nature is mind; mind is Buddha; Buddha is Dharma. Any single thought that departs from the truth is entirely deluded thinking.

One cannot use mind to seek mind, use Buddha to seek Buddha, or use Dharma to seek Dharma. A student of the Way must be directly without mind and simply accord with it in silent understanding. To think about mind is already an error; transmitting mind by means of mind—this is right view.

Take great care not to turn outward, chase after objects, and mistake objects for mind, for that is to take a thief for one’s own child. Because greed, anger, and delusion exist, morality, concentration, and wisdom are established. If there were originally no afflictions, where could bodhi be?

Therefore, the Patriarch said: “The Buddha taught all Dharmas in order to remove all minds. Since I have none of those minds, what use have I for all those Dharmas?” Upon the originally pure source, not even a single thing is added by the Buddha. It is like empty space: even if adorned with immeasurable precious jewels, nothing can ultimately be attained.

Buddha-nature is like empty space: even if adorned with immeasurable merit and wisdom, nothing can ultimately be attained. It is only because people are deluded about their original nature that they do not see it.

The expression “Dharma-gate of the mind-ground” means that the myriad dharmas are all established in dependence upon this mind. When objects are encountered, they appear; without objects, they do not. One must not give rise, upon the pure nature, to knowledge of objects.

To speak of concentration and wisdom as the functioning of contemplation means being clearly quiescent and lucid; seeing, hearing, understanding, and knowing are all as they should be. Giving rise to understanding in relation to objects may provisionally be taught to people of middling and lesser faculties. But if one wishes to realize it personally, one must not give rise to such views and understandings at all.

They are entirely objective dharmas. Wherever there is a place into which they subside, that subsiding necessarily has a location. Simply do not give rise, regarding any dharma, to views of existence or nonexistence; this is seeing the Dharma.

From the time the Great Master Bodhidharma came to China, he spoke only of the one mind and transmitted only the one Dharma. He used Buddha to transmit Buddha and did not speak of any other Buddha; he used Dharma to transmit Dharma and did not speak of any other Dharma. The Dharma is precisely the inexpressible Dharma; the Buddha is precisely the Buddha who cannot be grasped.

This alone is the originally pure mind. Only this one matter is real; if there were a second thing apart from it, it would not be true. Prajnaparamita is wisdom, and this wisdom is precisely the formless original mind.

Ordinary beings do not reach the Way; they merely indulge the six sense faculties and thus wander within the six realms. If a student of the Way clings for a single thought to birth and death, that student immediately falls into the path of Mara. If, for a single thought, one gives rise to various views—various kinds of seeing and knowing—one immediately falls into the paths of non-Buddhists.

Seeing that there is birth and proceeding toward cessation, one immediately falls into the path of the sravakas. Seeing no birth but only cessation, one immediately falls into the path of the pratyekabuddhas. Give rise to no view of duality; neither loathe nor desire anything; know that all dharmas are only the one mind—only then is this the Buddha Vehicle.

Ordinary beings all give rise to mind by following objects, and thus the mind develops likes and dislikes. If one wishes for objects to be absent, one must forget that mind. When mind is forgotten, objects are absent; when objects are absent, mind ceases.

If one does not forget mind but merely tries to eliminate objects, objects cannot be eliminated, and agitation only increases. Therefore, the myriad dharmas are only mind; yet mind itself cannot be obtained, so what is there left to seek? Students of prajnaparamita see no dharma that can be attained.

They put an end to all intention regarding the Three Vehicles; there is only the one truth, which cannot be realized as an attainment. Those who say, “I can realize; I can attain,” are all persons of overweening pride. Those who shook out their robes and departed from the Lotus Dharma assembly were all people of this kind.

The Buddha said: “Regarding bodhi, I have truly attained nothing.” One simply accords with it in silent understanding.

When a person is approaching the end of life, one should simply contemplate that the five skandhas are all empty, the four great elements are without self, and the true mind has no characteristics. It neither goes nor comes. At birth, this nature does not come; at death, this nature does not go.

It is serene, complete, and beyond all distinctions; mind and objects are of one suchness. If one can contemplate in this way, one will immediately attain sudden and complete awakening. Unbound by the three times, one is then a person who has transcended the world.

Even if one has not gained the slightest inclination toward this, should auspicious signs appear, with Buddhas coming to welcome one and various other manifestations arising before one, do not give rise to a mind that follows them. Should ominous signs and various manifestations arise before one, do not give rise to fear. Simply forget one’s own mind and become one with the Dharma-realm; then one immediately attains freedom.

This is the essential point.

The “Conjured City” refers to the Two Vehicles, the Ten Grounds, Equal Awakening, and Wondrous Awakening—all are provisional teachings established as expedient means to guide beings, and all are the Conjured City. The “Place of Treasure” is the treasure of the true mind, the original Buddha, one’s own nature. This treasure does not belong to conceptual measurement and cannot be established.

There is no Buddha and no sentient being, no subject and no object—where could there be a city? If one asks, “Since this is the Conjured City, where is the Place of Treasure?” the Place of Treasure cannot be pointed out. If it could be pointed out, it would have a location and would not be the true Place of Treasure.

Therefore, it is merely said to be “nearby.” Its location cannot be measured or determined; one need only accord with it right here and now.

The term icchantika refers to one whose faith is insufficient. All sentient beings within the six realms, even those of the Two Vehicles, who do not believe in the existence of the fruit of Buddhahood are called icchantikas who have severed the roots of goodness. A bodhisattva who has profound faith in the Buddha-Dharma, sees neither Mahayana nor Hinayana, and knows that Buddhas and sentient beings share the same Dharma-nature is called an icchantika possessing roots of goodness.

Generally speaking, one who awakens through hearing the teachings is called a sravaka; one who awakens through contemplating causes and conditions is called a pratyekabuddha. If one does not awaken within one’s own mind, then even if one reaches Buddhahood, one is still called a sravaka Buddha. Most students of the Way awaken in relation to the doctrinal teachings, not in relation to the Dharma of mind.

Though they may cultivate for many kalpas, they will ultimately not be the original Buddha. If one does not awaken in the mind but awakens only in relation to the teachings, one thereby belittles mind and esteems doctrine. One then follows external forms and forgets the original mind.

Therefore, simply accord with and understand the original mind; there is no need to seek the Dharma, for mind itself is Dharma.

Ordinary people are mostly obstructed in mind by objects and obstructed in principle by phenomena. They constantly wish to flee objects in order to calm the mind and cast aside phenomena in order to preserve principle, not knowing that it is precisely mind that obstructs objects and principle that obstructs phenomena. Simply make the mind empty, and objects will naturally be empty; simply make principle quiescent, and phenomena will naturally be quiescent. Do not employ the mind in an inverted manner. Ordinary people are mostly unwilling to be without mind because they fear falling into emptiness; they do not know that their own mind is originally empty. The foolish eliminate phenomena but do not eliminate mind; the wise eliminate mind but do not eliminate phenomena.

The bodhisattva’s mind is like empty space: everything is relinquished, and although all meritorious deeds are performed, there is no attachment to them. Yet relinquishment has three degrees. To relinquish everything—internally and externally, body and mind—being like empty space with nothing grasped or attached to, and thereafter to benefit sentient beings through whatever expedient means are appropriate, while forgetting both subject and object: this is great relinquishment.

To practice the Way and spread virtue on the one hand, while on the other relinquishing all things without a mind that seeks anything: this is middling relinquishment. To extensively cultivate wholesome deeds with something sought in return, but upon hearing the Dharma and understanding emptiness, thereafter to become unattached: this is lesser relinquishment.

Great relinquishment is like a bright torch held before one, so that there is no longer either delusion or awakening. Medium relinquishment is like a bright torch held to one side, where there is sometimes light and sometimes darkness. Small relinquishment is like a bright torch held behind one, so that one does not see the pits and chasms. Therefore, the bodhisattva’s mind is like empty space, relinquishing everything: the mind of the past cannot be obtained—this is relinquishment of the past; the mind of the present cannot be obtained—this is relinquishment of the present; the mind of the future cannot be obtained—this is relinquishment of the future. Thus it is said: “All three times are relinquished.”

From the time the Tathagata transmitted the Dharma to Patriarch Kasyapa until now, mind has been sealed with mind, and mind after mind has not differed. If a seal is stamped upon empty space, the impression leaves no mark. If a seal is stamped upon an object, the impression does not constitute the Dharma. Therefore, when mind is sealed with mind, mind after mind does not differ. Both that which seals and that which is sealed are difficult to accord with and comprehend; hence, few attain it. Yet mind is precisely no-mind, and attainment is precisely non-attainment.

The Buddha has three bodies: the Dharmakaya teaches the Dharma of the empty and unobstructed self-nature; the Sambhogakaya teaches

the Dharma of the complete purity of all things; the Nirmanakaya teaches the Dharma of the six paramitas and the myriad practices. The Dharma taught by the Dharmakaya

cannot be sought through language, sound, form, appearance, or written words. There is no teaching

and no realization; there is only the empty and unobstructed self-nature. Therefore it is said: “There is no Dharma

that can be spoken; this is called speaking the Dharma.” The Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya both manifest in response to the capacities of beings; their teaching of

the Dharma likewise accords with circumstances and capacities in order to gather and transform beings, but none of it is the true Dharma. Therefore

it is said: “The Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya are not the true Buddha, nor do they teach the Dharma.” (Both passages

cited above are from the Diamond Sutra.)

It is said: “The same single luminous essence is divided into six harmonies.” (Surangama Sutra.) The single luminous essence is the one mind. The six harmonies are the six sense faculties. Each of these six faculties joins with its corresponding object.

The eye joins with forms, the ear with sounds, the nose with odors, the tongue with flavors, the body with tangible objects, and the mind with dharmas. Between them arise the six consciousnesses, making the eighteen dhatus. If one understands that the eighteen dhatus have no real existence, one binds the six harmonies into the single luminous essence.

The single luminous essence is mind. Those who study the Way all know this. Yet they cannot free themselves from their understanding of “the single luminous essence and the six harmonies”; thus they are bound by the Dharma and cannot accord with and realize the original mind.

When the Tathagata appeared in the world, he wished to teach the true Dharma of the One Vehicle, but beings would certainly have disbelieved and slandered it, thereby sinking into the sea of suffering. Yet had he said nothing at all, he would have incurred the fault of stinginess by failing to reveal the wondrous Way to beings. Therefore, as an expedient means, he established the teaching of three vehicles.

The vehicles include Great and Small, and their attainments are shallow or profound, but none is the fundamental Dharma. Therefore it is said: “There is only the Way of the One Vehicle; the existence of two is not true.” (Lotus Sutra.) Nevertheless, the Dharma of the one mind still could not be revealed, so he summoned Kasyapa to share his Dharma seat and separately transmitted to him the Dharma of the one mind, apart from words.

He caused this branch of the Dharma to be practiced separately. Whoever can accord with it and awaken immediately reaches the stage of Buddhahood.

Question: What is the Way? How should it be practiced?

Answer: What sort of thing is the Way that you wish to practice it?

Question: What is meant by the Chan masters everywhere transmitting to one another the practice of investigating Chan and studying the Way?

Answer: These are words used to guide those of dull faculties; they cannot be relied upon.

Question: If these are words used to guide those of dull faculties, I do not yet know what Dharma is taught

to guide those of superior faculties.

Answer: If one is a person of superior faculties, why go seeking from someone else? Even oneself cannot be obtained, much less could there be some separate Dharma that accords with one’s inclinations. Have you not seen it said in the sutra:

“What form or appearance does each and every dharma possess?”

Question: If so, is there no need whatsoever to seek?

Answer: If you grind away at it together, the power of the mind becomes alert and awakened.

Question: Then would this not amount to annihilation? Can it be nothingness?

Answer: Who told you that it is nothing? What is that which you imagine yourself to be seeking?

Question: Since you do not permit seeking, why do you also say, “Do not annihilate it”?

Answer: If you do not seek, simply stop. Who told you to annihilate it? You see empty space

before your eyes; how could you annihilate it?

Question: Can this Dharma be regarded as the same as empty space?

Answer: From morning till evening, empty space is right before you. Tell me, is it the same as me or different from me? I have merely

spoken provisionally in this way, yet you immediately seize upon it and give rise to an understanding.

Question: Surely one should give rise to understanding together with others?

Answer: I have never obstructed you. The essential point is that understanding belongs to discriminative thought; when discriminative thought arises,

wisdom is shut out.

Question: Then should one refrain from giving rise to discriminative thought here?

Answer: If no discriminative thought arises, who says that one should?

Question: The moment I address what the Venerable Master has said, why do I again fall into words?

Answer: You yourself are one who does not understand words. What is there to fall into?

Question: Everything said from the beginning until now consists of words of refutation; you have never

actually revealed the true Dharma to anyone.

Answer: The true Dharma is not inverted. Your present question itself gives rise to inversion; where would you seek the true Dharma?

Question: If my question itself gives rise to inversion, then what of the Venerable Master’s answer?

Answer: Take a mirror and look at your own face; do not concern yourself with others. You are just like a foolish dog that barks whenever it hears a sound, without distinguishing whether the wind is blowing or the grass and trees are moving.

As for this Chan school of mine, transmitted from the ancient masters down to the present, it has never taught people to seek understanding or knowledge. The phrase “studying the Way” is spoken only as a means of guidance. Yet the Way cannot be studied. To continue thinking in terms of study and understanding is to become deluded about the Way. The Way has no location; it is called the Mahayana mind. This mind is neither within, nor without, nor in between; truly, it has no location. It is best not to give rise to understanding and knowledge.

I have merely told you about your present discriminative conceptions. If discriminative conceptions are exhausted, the mind has no location. This naturally genuine Way originally has no name.

Because people of the world do not understand and are deluded within discriminative thought, the Buddhas appear in the world and speak in order to break through this. Fearing that you might not understand, they provisionally established the name “Way.” You must not seize upon the name and give rise to understanding; hence it is said: “Having caught the fish, forget the trap.” When body and mind naturally realize the Way, knowing the mind and reaching the source, one is called a sramana.

The fruit of a sramana is attained by bringing conditioned thought to an end; it is not obtained through study. You now use mind to seek mind, lingering around another person’s house and merely planning to learn something from him; when will you ever attain it? The ancients had keen minds: upon hearing a single phrase, they immediately put an end to study.

Therefore they were called “idle people of the Way, beyond learning and free from contrivance.” People today merely wish to acquire much knowledge and broad understanding. They extensively seek literary meanings and call this practice, not knowing that much knowledge and broad understanding become an obstruction. They are merely like children who eat cream and milk, never knowing whether they can digest them or not.

Those who study the Way through the Three Vehicles are all like this; collectively, they are said to suffer from indigestion. Therefore it is said: “Knowledge and understanding that cannot be digested are all poison.” All of this is acquired within arising and ceasing; in true suchness there is absolutely no such thing. Therefore it is said: “In my royal treasury there is no such teaching.” All the knowledge and understanding accumulated in the past must be swept clean.

When there is nothing, yet one does not discriminate this nothingness, that is the Empty Tathagatagarbha. Within the Tathagatagarbha, not even a speck of dust can exist. This is the position of the Dharma King who destroys existence and appears in the world.

It is also said: “At the place of Dipankara Buddha, I did not obtain even the slightest Dharma.” These words simply mean emptiness. Your discriminative conceptions and knowledge must be dissolved and put to use; when discriminative thought is exhausted within and without, and there is utterly no reliance or attachment, one is a person with nothing to do. The doctrinal essentials of the Three Vehicles are merely medicines suited to particular capacities, taught according to circumstances and provisionally established.

Each differs from the others. The foremost thing is simply to understand them clearly and not be deluded by them. Do not cling to the words of a single expedient teaching and take your interpretation to be understanding.

Why is this so? In truth, there is no fixed Dharma that the Tathagata can teach. This school of mine does not discuss such matters.

Simply know to put an end to mind, and that is all; there is no need to ponder what came before or calculate what will follow.

Question: From the beginning until now, it has always been said, “This very mind is Buddha.” Yet I do not know which mind is Buddha.

Answer: How many kinds of mind do you have?

Question: Is the ordinary mind itself Buddha, or is the sage’s mind itself Buddha?

Answer: Where do you have a mind of ordinary beings and sages?

Question: The Three Vehicles presently teach that there are ordinary beings and sages. How can the Venerable Master say there are none?

Answer: In the Three Vehicles, it is clearly explained to you that “the minds of ordinary beings and sages are delusions.” Yet now, failing to understand, you turn around and cling to them as existent, taking what is unreal to be real. How could this not be delusion? Because of delusion, you are bewildered about mind.

You need only cast off the emotional attachments to ordinary states and sacred states; apart from mind, there is no other Buddha. The Patriarch came from India solely to point directly to the fact that every person, in their entirety, is Buddha. Now, because you do not understand, you cling to the ordinary and cling to the sacred, running about seeking outside yourself and becoming further bewildered about your own mind.

Therefore, it is said to you, “This very mind is Buddha.” The moment a single thought of emotional discrimination arises, you fall into another realm. From beginningless time until now, it has never been different from this very day. There is no other Dharma; therefore, this is called the attainment of Complete, Perfect Enlightenment.

Question: When the Venerable Master says “this very,” what principle does it express?

Answer: What principle are you seeking? As soon as there is a principle, this very mind becomes something else.

Question: Above, you said, “From beginningless time until now, it has never been different from this very day.” What does this principle mean?

Answer: It is only because you seek that you make yourself different from it. If you did not seek, where would there be

any difference?

Question: Since there is no difference, why must one still say “this very”?

Answer: If you did not recognize ordinary beings and sages, who would come and say “this very” to you? “This very” is no

“this very,” and mind is also no mind. When both mind and “this very” are forgotten within this, who is there to conceive a thought, and where would one seek?

Question: Delusion can obstruct one’s own mind. I do not yet know what should now be used to eliminate delusion.

Answer: To arouse delusion and to eliminate delusion both become delusion. Delusion fundamentally has no root; it exists only because of discrimination. You need only exhaust your emotional attachments to the two states of ordinary and sacred, and naturally there will be no delusion. If you seek to eliminate it, there must ultimately not remain even the slightest dependence or attachment. This is called, “When I cast away both arms, I shall assuredly attain Buddhahood.”

Question: Since there is no dependence or attachment, how is it transmitted and conferred?

Answer: Mind is transmitted by mind.

Question: If mind is transmitted from one to another, why is it said that mind also does not exist?

Answer: Not obtaining a single Dharma is called transmitting mind. If you understand this mind, there is neither

mind nor Dharma.

Question: What is transmission?

Answer: When you hear of the transmission of mind, you suppose there is something that can be attained. Therefore, the Patriarch said: “When you realize the mind-nature, it may be called inconceivable. Clearly, there is nothing attained; at the moment of attainment, one cannot speak of knowing.” If this matter were presented to you, how could you bear to comprehend it?

Question: Empty space is before our eyes and is truly not an object. Why not point to an object so that the mind may be seen?

Answer: What mind would I teach you to see upon an object? Even if you managed to see it, it would merely be the mind illuminating an object. It is like a person using a mirror to look at their face: the brows and eyes will certainly be seen clearly, but originally they are only reflections. What connection do they have with your true matter?

Question: If one does not rely upon illumination, when can one ever see?

Answer: If it depends upon a cause, it must always rely upon an object. When could one ever attain complete awakening? Have you not heard someone say to you: “Release your hands like one who possesses not a single thing; you labor in vain, falsely speaking thousands of words”?

Question: For one who has understood, is there no object even when illuminating?

Answer: If there is no object, what need is there to illuminate? If you open your eyes, then speak only after you have completely awakened from sleep.

The Master ascended the Dharma hall and said:

To know hundreds of things is not as good as seeking nothing; this is the very pinnacle. A person of the Way is one who has nothing to do. There truly are none of those many kinds of mind, nor is there any matter or principle that can be spoken. Having nothing to do, disperse and go.

Question: What is conventional truth?

Answer: What use is there in speaking of those branching details? From the beginning, it has always been pure; how could it depend upon speech, questions, and answers? Simply be without every kind of mind, and this is called undefiled wisdom.

In all your daily activities—walking, standing, sitting, and lying down—and in all your speech, do not become attached to conditioned dharmas. Whatever you say and every blink of the eye are alike undefiled. Now, in this age of the decline of the Dharma, most people who study Chan and the Way become attached to every sound and form.

Why do you not let each mind become identical with empty space, like dead wood or stone, like cold ashes and an extinguished fire? Only then will there be a small measure of accord. Otherwise, one day King Yama will lead you away.

You need only completely abandon all dharmas of existence and nonexistence. Let the mind be like the orb of the sun in empty space, whose light naturally illuminates without illuminating. This is not something accomplished through the power of introspection.

When you arrive here, there is nowhere upon which to rely. This is to practice the conduct of all Buddhas, and it is precisely “giving rise to that mind which abides nowhere.” This is your pure Dharma-body, called Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi (Unsurpassed Complete, Perfect Enlightenment). If you cannot comprehend this meaning, then even if you acquire extensive learning and knowledge, diligently and laboriously cultivate, wear clothing of grass, and eat roots, yet do not know your own mind, all of this is called wrong practice.

You will certainly become a retainer of the heavenly demons. What benefit could there be in practicing in this way? Master Zhigong said: “Buddha is fundamentally created by one’s own mind; how could one seek it within written words?” Even if you master the Three Worthy Stages, the Four Fruitions, and the fulfillment of mind at the tenth bhumi, you are still merely sitting among ordinary beings and sages and have not seen the Way.

All conditioned activities are impermanent dharmas of arising and cessation. When their power is exhausted, you will fall down again, attracting the fruits of a future life that are not as you wish. How could this compare with the unconditioned gate of true reality, through which, in a single leap, one proceeds directly to the station of the Tathagata?

Because you cannot be like such a person, you must resort to the teaching methods of the ancients and acquire broad learning and understanding.

Master Zhigong said: “Without encountering an enlightened teacher who has appeared in the world, one drinks the Dharma medicine of the Mahayana in vain.” At all times now, while walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, you need only learn no-mind. In time, you will truly attain it. Because your strength is weak and you cannot transcend suddenly, you may need three years, five years, or ten years to find an entrance; then you will naturally understand.

If you cannot practice in this way and instead earnestly bring forth a mind that studies Chan and the Way, what connection does that have with the Buddha-Dharma? Therefore, it is said: “Everything spoken by the Tathagata is for the sake of teaching and transforming people. It is like holding yellow leaves and calling them gold to soothe crying children; it is certainly not real.” If there were truly something attained, you would not be a guest within my school.

Moreover, what connection would that have with your fundamental essence? Therefore, the sutra says: “There is truly not the slightest Dharma that can be attained called Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”

If you understand this meaning, you will then know that both the Buddha-way and the demon-way are mistaken. That which has always been pure and luminous has no characteristics of square or round, great or small, long or short, and so forth. It is undefiled and unconditioned, neither deluded nor awakened.

Clearly seeing that there is not a single thing, there are neither people nor Buddhas: “The great chiliocosm, with worlds numerous as the sands, is but a bubble in the sea; all sages and worthies are like flashes of lightning.” Nothing compares with the true mind, the Dharma-body. From ancient times until now, it has been of the same kind as the Buddhas and Patriarchs. Where could it be deficient by even a hair’s breadth?

Having understood this meaning, you must exert yourself throughout this one life. Once the breath is exhaled, there is no assurance it will be inhaled again!

Question: The Sixth Patriarch did not understand the sutras and scriptures, so how could he receive the robe and become a Patriarch? Senior Monk Xiu was the foremost of five hundred people, served as an instructor, and could expound thirty-two scriptures and treatises. Why did he not receive the robe?

Answer: Because he, Xiu, had a mind of conditioned dharmas, and regarded cultivation and attainment as correct. The Fifth Patriarch entrusted the teaching to the Sixth Patriarch because, at that time, the Sixth Patriarch simply achieved direct accord and secretly received the Tathagata’s exceedingly profound meaning. Therefore, the robe was transmitted to him. Have you not heard it said:

The Dharma’s original Dharma is no Dharma;

The Dharma of no Dharma is also Dharma.

Now, when the Dharma of no Dharma is entrusted,

When has any Dharma ever been Dharma?

Translation:

The Dharma’s original Dharma is no Dharma;

The Dharma of no Dharma is also Dharma.

Now I entrust this no-Dharma;

When has each Dharma ever been Dharma?

If one can comprehend this meaning, only then is one truly a renunciant, only then is one practicing well. If you do not believe this, why did Senior Monk Ming hasten to the summit of Dayu in search of the Sixth Patriarch? The Sixth Patriarch asked, “What have you come seeking—for the robe or for the Dharma?” Senior Monk Ming replied, “I have not come for the robe; I have come only for the Dharma.” The Sixth Patriarch said, “For the moment, gather in your thoughts; think of neither good nor evil.” Senior Monk Ming accepted these words.

The Sixth Patriarch said, “Without thinking of good and without thinking of evil, at that very moment, reveal the original face of Senior Monk Ming before your parents were born.” Upon hearing these words, Senior Monk Ming suddenly attained a silent accord. He bowed and said, “Like one who drinks water and knows for himself whether it is cold or warm, I spent thirty years in the Fifth Patriarch’s assembly applying effort in vain; only today have I recognized my former error.”

The Sixth Patriarch said, “Only upon arriving here does one understand that the Patriarch came from India solely to point directly to the human mind, see one’s nature, and become a Buddha—not to engage in verbal discussion.” Have you not seen how Patriarch Ananda asked Patriarch Kasyapa, “Besides transmitting the golden brocade robe, what other Dharma did the Blessed One privately transmit?” Kasyapa called, “Ananda!” Ananda replied, “Yes!” Kasyapa said, “Topple the flagstaff before the monastery.” This is where the Patriarch’s meaning was revealed.

Venerable Ananda served as the Buddha’s attendant for thirty years, yet because he relied on his wisdom and extensive learning, the Buddha rebuked him: “A thousand days spent studying wisdom are not equal to one day spent studying the Way. If you do not study the Way, you will not even digest a single drop of water.”

Question: How can one avoid falling into ranks and stages?

Answer: Simply eat rice every day without ever chewing a single grain of white rice; walk all day without ever treading upon a single measure of earth. At that very time, there must be no mark of a person, no mark of a self, and so forth. Not departing from any activity throughout the entire day, yet not being deluded by any circumstance—only this is called being a person of freedom.

Furthermore, at all times, in every thought, see no mark whatsoever. Do not apprehend the three times as before and after: the past does not depart, the present does not abide, and the future does not arrive. Sit upright, peaceful and secure, freely at ease and without attachment—only this is called a liberated person.

Strive! Strive! Within this gate, among thousands and tens of thousands of people, only three or five attain it.

If you do not undertake this matter, the day will surely come when you suffer calamity. Therefore it is said: “Strive to bring it to completion in this very life; why endure calamities through so many more kalpas?”