萬法歸心錄

CHAPTER VII

THE FIVE CHAN SCHOOLS

A monk asked: Bodhidharma came from India and “directly pointed to the one mind.” Why, from the time of the Sixth Patriarch onward, did it divide into five schools? Why did each house separately establish its own tradition and display strange characteristics differing from one another?

ANSWER: It is like gold fashioned into objects: every object is gold. It is like a flame divided among lamps: every lamp is fire. Although the branches spread and the leaves flourish, their root is originally one and the same. If the wisdom-eye is empty and luminous, one naturally understands that the Dharma is nondual.

1. THE LINJI SCHOOL

QUESTION: What are the principles of the Linji School?

ANSWER:

The house style of Linji:

Its methods are clearly grasped.

Like a mountain collapsing,

Its functioning resembles a flash of lightning.

Empty-handed, it slays a man;

With a single palm, it pursues his life.

Staff and shout are used together;

Illumination and function proceed side by side.

Guest and host are distinctly clear;

Person and environment are freely granted or taken away.

All the differing names and characteristics

Never depart from the single move beyond.

TRANSLATION:

The custom of the Linji house:

Its methods are clearly grasped.

Like a mountain collapsing,

Its functioning resembles a flash of lightning.

Empty-handed, it slays a man;

With a single palm, it seeks his life.

Staff and shout are used together;

Illumination and function both proceed.

Host and guest are clearly distinguished;

Person and environment are both transcended.

All differing names and characteristics

Do not depart from the one upward path.

QUESTION: What are the eight kinds of staff blows?

ANSWER: The rewarding blow, the punishing blow, the releasing blow, the taking-away blow, the foolishness blow, the demon-subduing blow, the trace-sweeping blow, and the merciless blow.

QUESTION: What is the rewarding blow?

ANSWER: When a student asks a question whose words are exceedingly intimate and accord with the Way, the Master immediately strikes him. This is called the rewarding blow.

QUESTION: What is the punishing blow?

ANSWER: When a student engages the teacher in questions and answers, speaking recklessly as he pleases and affronting others, the Master immediately strikes him. This is called the punishing blow.

QUESTION: What is the releasing blow?

ANSWER: A student who has “a little knowledge and half an understanding” utters a phrase that has a slight correspondence. The Master immediately strikes him. This is called the releasing blow.

QUESTION: What is the taking-away blow?

ANSWER: A student whose “mind has been invaded by mixed poisons” speaks a phrase that seems fitting and considers himself to have attained the meaning. The Master immediately strikes him. This is called the taking-away blow.

QUESTION: What is the foolishness blow?

ANSWER: A student cannot distinguish host from guest or clearly discern the deviant from the correct, yet opens his mouth and speaks obstinately. The Master immediately strikes him. This is called the foolishness blow.

QUESTION: What is the demon-subduing blow?

ANSWER: A student mistakes a demonic state for realization and speaks mad, demonic words, believing that he has realized the Way. The Master immediately strikes him hard. This is called the demon-subduing blow.

QUESTION: What is the trace-sweeping blow?

ANSWER: A student does not fall into ordinary sentiments but becomes trapped in a sage’s interpretation and does not leave his den. The Master immediately strikes him. This is called the trace-sweeping blow.

QUESTION: What is the merciless blow?

ANSWER: Speak rightly and you are struck; speak wrongly and you are also struck. Open your mouth and you are struck; do not open your mouth and you are also struck. When nothing whatsoever remains, this is called the merciless blow.

QUESTION: What principle is realized by turning oneself beneath the staff?

ANSWER: At the very first blow, the whole body falls away, consciousness shatters, and true constancy appears alone. Those of keen faculties turn themselves around; those of dull faculties merely receive a mark upon the forehead. The moment one passes through deliberation, it all becomes a succession of demonic deceptions.

QUESTION: What are the four kinds of shouts?

ANSWER: One shout is like the precious sword of the Vajra King. One shout is like a crouching lion. One shout is like a probing pole and the shadow of grass. One shout does not serve as a shout.

QUESTION: What is the precious sword of the Vajra King?

ANSWER: It can sever consciousness; ordinary and holy sentiments are both exhausted, and the principle of true constancy shines alone.

QUESTION: What is the crouching lion?

ANSWER: It confronts the two views of annihilationism and eternalism, together with every defilement of craving. Seated, it gives a single roar, causing tiles to shatter and ice to melt away.

QUESTION: What is the probing pole and the shadow of grass?

ANSWER: It is like a mirror reflecting beautiful and ugly forms: the genuine and the false naturally reveal their true faces.

QUESTION: What is a shout that serves no function as a shout?

ANSWER: As soon as consciousness stirs, one shout makes it shatter. Turn back to seek the shout, and even the shout is of no use.

QUESTION: What essential meaning is realized beneath the shout?

ANSWER: One awe-inspiring shout is neither existent nor nonexistent. Arising is originally non-arising; falling is originally non-falling. To understand in this way is provisionally called perfect awakening.

QUESTION: What are the four kinds of illumination and function?

ANSWER: First, illumination before function. Second, function before illumination. Third, illumination and function simultaneously. Fourth, illumination and function not simultaneously.

QUESTION: What is illumination before function?

ANSWER: Within the aspect of direct self-realization, wisdom responds to things, and discerning insight distinguishes the deviant from the correct. First the Master says, “Speak quickly!” and, once the student begins to deliberate, immediately shouts.

QUESTION: What is function before illumination?

ANSWER: Within the aspect of direct self-realization, discerning insight is applied first, and wisdom is used afterward to cut everything off. First the Master raises one finger, then asks, “Do you understand?”

QUESTION: What are illumination and function simultaneously?

ANSWER: Within the aspect of direct self-realization, wisdom does not depart from discerning insight, and discerning insight does not depart from wisdom. The Master gives a blow with the staff and asks, “Do you know pain?”

QUESTION: What are illumination and function not simultaneous?

ANSWER: Within the aspect of direct self-realization, wisdom is the wisdom that mirrors, while discerning insight is the insight that functions. There is silence for a long moment. When the monk begins to deliberate, the Master returns to the abbot’s quarters.

QUESTION: What are the four kinds of host and guest?

ANSWER: First, the guest within the guest. Second, the host within the guest. Third, the guest within the host. Fourth, the host within the host.

QUESTION: What is the guest within the guest?

ANSWER: Turning toward phenomena and going against principle, one deludes oneself about original truth.

QUESTION: What is the host within the guest?

ANSWER: Phenomena do not depart from principle; functioning naturally, all is truth.

QUESTION: What is the guest within the host?

ANSWER: Principle can bring phenomena into being without falling into one-sided emptiness.

QUESTION: What is the host within the host?

ANSWER: Principle can bring phenomena into being without falling into one-sided emptiness.

QUESTION: What is the host within the host?

ANSWER: Abandoning phenomena and turning toward principle, one aims solely at original truth.

QUESTION: When host and guest meet, how are the correct and the deviant distinguished?

ANSWER: Between the teacher and the student, another layer of golden chains is added. When the student praises what is good, this is called “the guest seeing the guest.” If one acts as a teacher but one’s own eye is not clear and one is understood and slighted by others, this is called “the guest seeing the host.” When the teacher’s eye is clear and bright, so that he can snatch food from a hungry person and uproot that person’s illness, this is called “the host seeing the guest.” When the teacher examines the student, and the student clings to the situation contrived by the host while the guest remains unmoved, this is called “the host seeing the host.”

QUESTION: What are the four selections?

ANSWER: First, take away the person but not the environment. Second, take away the environment but not the person. Third, take away both person and environment. Fourth, take away neither person nor environment.

QUESTION: What is taking away the person but not the environment?

ANSWER: If only one’s own mind is empty, what obstruction can external circumstances pose? When one of the lower grade of inferior faculties comes, take away the Dharma but not the environment.

QUESTION: What is taking away the environment but not the person?

ANSWER: Do not abide in external circumstances; let the mind alone illuminate. When one of the middle grade of inferior faculties comes, take away the environment but not the Dharma.

QUESTION: What is taking away both person and environment?

ANSWER: When mind and environment are both empty, whence could delusion arise? When one of the higher grade of middling faculties comes, environment, Dharma, and person are all taken away.

QUESTION: What is taking away neither person nor environment?

ANSWER: Mind abides in mind by itself; environment abides in environment by itself. When one of the higher grade of superior faculties comes, neither environment nor Dharma is taken away.

QUESTION: What is the first phrase, through which one advances and becomes fit to be a teacher of Buddhas and patriarchs?

ANSWER: Not a single thought arises; the myriad conditions are all empty and still.

QUESTION: What is the second phrase, through which one advances and becomes fit to be a teacher of humans and devas?

ANSWER: One thought arises through conditions, but a second thought does not follow.

QUESTION: What is the third phrase, through which one cannot even save oneself?

ANSWER: As soon as a discriminating thought arises, the perfectly luminous nature becomes obscured of itself.

QUESTION: What is the first mystery?

ANSWER: The original nature is empty and still.

QUESTION: What is the second mystery?

ANSWER: True wisdom is silent yet illuminating.

QUESTION: What is the third mystery?

ANSWER: Wondrous functioning is unobstructed.

QUESTION: What are the mystery within the essence, the mystery within the phrase, and the mystery within the mystery?

ANSWER: The mystery within the essence is that the original nature is empty and still. The mystery within the phrase is speech within which there is no speech. The mystery within the mystery is that which transcends all thought.

QUESTION: What is the first essential?

ANSWER: The true essence utterly severs all traces.

QUESTION: What is the second essential?

ANSWER: Its great functioning is boundless.

QUESTION: What is the third essential?

ANSWER: Neither either side nor the middle is established.

QUESTION: What are the ten wisdoms sharing the same truth?

ANSWER: The Master gave a mighty shout and asked: “Which wisdom is this?”

QUESTION: First, what is sharing the same substance?

ANSWER: All the myriad phenomena are determined by the one Dharma.

QUESTION: Second, what is sharing the great matter?

ANSWER: Within the radiance of quiescent illumination, there is neither deficiency nor excess.

QUESTION: Third, what is universal shared participation?

ANSWER: Sentient and insentient beings alike share the one Dharma-realm.

QUESTION: Fourth, what is sharing true wisdom?

ANSWER: All dharmas are equal; things and self are one suchness.

QUESTION: Fifth, what is sharing universal pervasiveness?

ANSWER: In its greatness, it encompasses the Dharma-realm; in its minuteness, it cannot admit the point of a needle.

QUESTION: Sixth, what is sharing complete endowment?

ANSWER: The hundreds of thousands of Dharma-gates never depart from the square inch of the mind.

QUESTION: Seventh, what is sharing gain and loss?

ANSWER: In the sage it is not gained; in the ordinary being it is not lost.

QUESTION: Eighth, what is sharing creation and destruction?

ANSWER: When dispersed, the myriad things all arise. When gathered in, it blocks the realms and seals the caverns.

QUESTION: Ninth, what is sharing sound and utterance?

ANSWER: Whether speech is skillful or manifests functioning, it all returns to the ultimate meaning.

QUESTION: Tenth, what is sharing attainment and entry?

ANSWER: The myriad dharmas are the one mind, all returning together to nonduality. Thereupon, he spread out both hands and said: “Bring forth this one wisdom together with that tray.”

QUESTION: What is Fenyang’s first resolution?

ANSWER: The essence of nature is originally still.

QUESTION: What is the second resolution?

ANSWER: The functioning of wisdom illumines independently.

QUESTION: What is the third resolution?

ANSWER: Quiescence and illumination are nondual.

QUESTION: What are Fushan’s Nine Encompassments?

ANSWER: “Encompassment” means to bind and bundle together; it signifies inclusion.

QUESTION: What is the “Encompassment of the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye”?

ANSWER: At the Dharma assembly on Vulture Peak, the Buddha did not utter a single word. At last, the Buddha held up a flower, and Mahakasyapa accepted the charge.

QUESTION: What is the “Encompassment of the Treasury of the Buddha-Dharma”?

ANSWER: The teachings of the Tripitaka and the five schools of Chan all issue from the one mind.

QUESTION: What is the “Encompassment of Contemplation of Principle”?

ANSWER: Before the kalpa of emptiness, it is provisionally called the true position.

QUESTION: What is the “Encompassment of Contemplation of Principle”?

ANSWER: Before the kalpa of emptiness, it is provisionally called the true position.

QUESTION: What is the “Encompassment of Contemplation of Phenomena”?

ANSWER: Following the stream of worldly life, one realizes the wondrous principle; responding to the myriad things, one realizes the whole truth.

QUESTION: What is the “Encompassment of the Free Interplay of Principle and Phenomena”?

ANSWER: According with conditions, yet never changing; never changing, yet according with conditions.

QUESTION: What is the “Encompassment of Bending Down and Letting Hang”?

ANSWER: Not abiding in the unconditioned and not abandoning the conditioned. Traveling along what is not the Way, one nevertheless penetrates the Buddha Way.

QUESTION: What is the “Encompassment of Wondrous Union and Simultaneous Inclusion”?

ANSWER: Great functioning is manifest before you, without clinging to minor details; all the myriad affairs and things are wondrous wisdom.

QUESTION: What is the “Encompassment of the Golden Needle and Double Lock”?

ANSWER: Carrying out the Buddha’s work without relying upon fabrication. The hand of faith reaches forth, neither fettered nor bound.

QUESTION: What is the “Encompassment of the Ordinary Mind in Daily Life”?

ANSWER: There is no sagehood that can be sought and no ordinariness that can be cast aside. The one mind, serene and silent, naturally comes to rest. Raising one finger, he said: “With this one Encompassment, let us behold one another face-to-face.”

2—THE CAODONG SCHOOL

QUESTION: What are the guiding principles of the Caodong School?

ANSWER:

The Caodong family style

The pivot of the Way is seamless and close-knit

Responding to capacities and receiving beings

Words avoid complete disclosure

The golden needles lock together

The jade thread sews unseen

The straight and the inclined turn back and interpenetrate

The merit of the Five Ranks

Inner and outer continue in equal succession

The three kinds of seepage

The slightest differentiation

Never departs from the fundamental matter.

TRANSLATION:

The Caodong family custom

The pivot of the Way is tightly joined

Responding to capacities and receiving beings

Words firmly guard complete disclosure

The golden needles lock together

The jade thread sews unseen

The straight and inclined turn back and interpenetrate

The merit of the Five Ranks

Inner and outer continue in succession

The three kinds of seepage

All differentiation

Never departs from the fundamental matter.

QUESTION: What is the inclined within the straight?

ANSWER: Principle can become phenomena.

QUESTION: What is the straight within the inclined?

ANSWER: Phenomena never depart from principle.

QUESTION: What is coming from within the straight?

ANSWER: Principle is originally empty and quiescent.

QUESTION: What is arriving within the inclined?

ANSWER: Phenomena and functioning leave no trace.

QUESTION: What is arrival within both?

ANSWER: Phenomena and principle both vanish.

QUESTION: What is the merit of the Five Ranks?

ANSWER: The Five Ranks of Merit are: Orientation, Service, Merit, Shared Merit, and Merit within Merit.

QUESTION: What is Orientation?

ANSWER: To turn toward this matter without allowing any interruption.

QUESTION: What is Service?

ANSWER: It is like honoring one’s elders, attending upon them and carrying out their instructions without ever ceasing.

QUESTION: What is Merit?

ANSWER: Whether there is functioning or no functioning, all is called merit.

QUESTION: What is Shared Merit?

ANSWER: When functioning, there is no functioning; nonfunctioning itself is functioning.

QUESTION: What is Merit within Merit?

ANSWER: With no meritorious function remaining, one attains great liberation.

QUESTION: What is turning merit to accomplish the rank?

ANSWER: Functioning never departs from essence.

QUESTION: What is turning the rank to accomplish merit?

ANSWER: Essence can give rise to functioning.

QUESTION: What is the simultaneous exercise of merit and rank?

ANSWER: Essence and functioning are both revealed.

QUESTION: What is the concealment of both merit and rank?

ANSWER: Essence and functioning both vanish.

QUESTION: What is the “Naturally Born Prince”?

ANSWER: Fundamental great wisdom is originally complete and manifest of itself.

QUESTION: What is the “Prince Born at Dawn”?

ANSWER: Without relying upon cultivation or realization, how could there be a return to the source?

QUESTION: What is the “Prince Born at the End”?

ANSWER: Though there is cultivation and realization, one does not transgress merit.

QUESTION: What is the “Transformation-Born Prince”?

ANSWER: When great functioning is manifest before you, who dares confront it?

QUESTION: What is the “Inwardly Born Prince”?

ANSWER: Penetrating the root and returning to the source: true suchness, the Dharma-realm.

QUESTION: What are called the three kinds of descent?

ANSWER: First is wearing fur and bearing horns, called descent into another species. Second is not cutting off sounds and forms, called descent in accord. Third is not partaking of food, called noble descent.

QUESTION: What is wearing fur and bearing horns?

ANSWER: Not wearing the original robe, one must travel among other species.

QUESTION: What is not cutting off sounds and forms?

ANSWER: Not wearying of the six sense objects, one returns together with them to perfect awakening.

QUESTION: What is not partaking of food?

ANSWER: If even principle is not retained, what significance could other matters have?

QUESTION: What are called the “three kinds of seepage”?

ANSWER: First is seepage of views; second is seepage of feelings; third is seepage of words.

QUESTION: What is seepage of views?

ANSWER: Without moving from the true position, one falls into a single form.

QUESTION: What is seepage of feelings?

ANSWER: Caught between the two sides, one is swept away by the waves of consciousness.

QUESTION: What is seepage of words?

ANSWER: The wondrous essence is not complete, and obscure words are uttered.

QUESTION: What are the three paths for receiving people?

ANSWER: The bird path, the mysterious road, and the outstretched hand.

QUESTION: What is the bird path?

ANSWER: Empty space, with neither joy nor anger.

QUESTION: What is the mysterious road?

ANSWER: The character “eight” without its two strokes. (No character.)

QUESTION: What is the outstretched hand?

ANSWER: The two ends of the character “one” hang downward. (It becomes the character “work.”)

QUESTION: What is the single form of the true position?

ANSWER: The wondrous essence is formless.

QUESTION: What is the single form of great merit?

ANSWER: Great functioning is boundless.

QUESTION: What is illuminating the rank through merit?

ANSWER: Waves are originally water.

QUESTION: What is illuminating merit by borrowing the rank?

ANSWER: Water can give rise to waves.

QUESTION: What is borrowing without borrowing that which is borrowed?

ANSWER: Waves and water are nondual.

QUESTION: What is wholly transcending without borrowing that which is borrowed?

ANSWER: Waves and water are both clear and still.

3—THE YUNMEN SCHOOL

QUESTION: What are the guiding principles of the Yunmen School?

ANSWER:

The house style of Yunmen

Lofty, solitary, and precipitous

A summons beyond convention

Cutting away emotional views.

The three phrases bar the gate

A single word is the sharp point

The body is concealed in the Northern Dipper

In the golden wind, the essence stands revealed.

The staff leaps up

Buddhas and patriarchs retreat behind.

The cup expounds the Dharma

Demons and outsiders seek its form

All words and speech

Altogether return to what is beyond.

TRANSLATION:

The house style of Yunmen

Lofty, solitary, and precipitous

Presenting what lies beyond appearances

Cutting away emotional views.

The three phrases bar the gate

A single word is the sharp point

The body is concealed in the Northern Dipper

In the golden wind, the essence stands revealed.

Holding the staff, one leaps up

Buddhas and patriarchs retreat behind.

The cup expounds the Dharma

Demons and outsiders conceal their forms

All words and speech

Altogether return to what is beyond.

QUESTION: What is the “phrase that encompasses heaven and earth” (the phrase that covers heaven and earth)?

ANSWER: It encompasses the vast void and extends across the three boundaries.

QUESTION: What is the “phrase that cuts off all streams”?

ANSWER: When not a single thought arises, the myriad dharmas cease of themselves.

QUESTION: What is the “phrase that follows the current and pursues the waves”?

ANSWER: Following the current, one attains the wondrous; responding to things, one remains wholly true.

QUESTION: What is the one-word barrier?

ANSWER: It transcends thought and does not fall into any den or nest.

QUESTION: What is the Deva School?

ANSWER: The white ox is revealed, but it bumps east and strikes west.

QUESTION: What is the hair-blowing sword?

ANSWER: The myriad affairs and myriad things shatter like tiles and melt like ice.

QUESTION: Are the patriarchs’ intent and the sutras’ intent the same or different?

ANSWER: You cannot touch it, yet neither can you turn away from it.

QUESTION: What does it mean to “conceal the body within the Northern Dipper”?

ANSWER: There is no trace.

QUESTION: What is meant by “in the golden wind, the essence stands revealed”?

ANSWER: The whole body appears.

4—THE GUIYANG SCHOOL

QUESTION: What does the Guiyang School uphold?

ANSWER:

The house style of Guiyang

Its dynamic function is perfectly unobstructed

Within the chamber, it tests the person

Its phrases can trap a tiger.

Circular figures differ from one another

Light comes and secretly accords

The mirror reveals the three kinds of arising

Two mouths share one tongue.

Father and son sing in harmony

The Way is transmitted through a thousand ages.

TRANSLATION:

The house style of Guiyang

Its dynamic function is perfectly unobstructed

Within the chamber, it tests the person

Its phrases can trap a tiger.

Circular figures differ from one another

Light comes and secretly accords

The mirror reveals the three kinds of arising

Two mouths share one tongue.

Father and son sing in harmony

The Way is transmitted through a thousand ages.

QUESTION: What are called the three kinds of arising?

ANSWER: The three kinds of arising are the arising of thought, the arising of appearances, and the arising of continuous flow.

QUESTION: What is the arising of thought?

ANSWER: Consciousness within.

QUESTION: What is the arising of appearances?

ANSWER: External sense objects.

QUESTION: What is the arising of continuous flow?

ANSWER: Uninterrupted continuity.

QUESTION: What is called the esoteric meaning of the circular figure?

ANSWER: The esoteric meaning of the circular figure has six kinds: first, the circular figure; second, the hidden dynamic; third, the ocean of meaning; fourth, the ocean of words; fifth, the ocean of intent; and sixth, silent discourse.

QUESTION: What is taken as the essence?

ANSWER: Draw a circle (O); that is the essence.

QUESTION: What is taken as the function?

ANSWER: Draw a circle with a vertical line running through its center from top to bottom; that is the function.

QUESTION: What is taken as wisdom?

ANSWER: Draw a circle with the character “mountain” at its center; that is wisdom.

QUESTION: Within the circular figure, the characters Ox, Buddha, Person, Self, Ten, or Myriad may be written, or a dot, a stroke, a half-moon, a crescent moon, and so forth may be drawn, without any fixed form. What principle does this express?

ANSWER: It extends a hand to receive people, indicating things explicitly or implicitly, never departing from essence and function; principle and phenomena; host and guest; giving life and taking life; releasing and grasping; provisional and real; concealment and manifestation; sameness and difference; general and particular. It secretly seals the original mind. This is called one meaning of the samadhi of concealing the body. Only one who has genuinely awakened can thoroughly understand this dynamic. Followers devoted merely to conceptual interpretation will find it difficult to comprehend at once.

QUESTION: What is meant by “opening the eyes and gazing upward”?

ANSWER: You cannot touch it, yet neither can you turn away from it.

QUESTION: What is one tongue with two mouths?

ANSWER: There must neither be words nor an absence of words.

QUESTION: What is before the Lamp-Lighter Buddha?

ANSWER: The essence is quiescent.

QUESTION: What is the true Lamp-Lighter?

ANSWER: Quiescence that illuminates—silent and yet illuminating.

5—THE FAYAN SCHOOL

QUESTION: What does the Fayan School uphold?

ANSWER:

The house style of Fayan

Administers medicine according to the illness

Its skillful means are swift and keen

Sweeping away emotional interpretations.

The doctrine of the six characteristics

All converges upon the ground of nature

Amid the myriad phenomena

The whole body stands uniquely revealed.

The three realms are mind-only

The myriad dharmas are consciousness-only

Directly transcending divergent views

Perfectly interfused with ultimate reality.

TRANSLATION:

The house style of Fayan

Administers medicine according to the illness

Its skillful means are swift and keen

Sweeping away emotional interpretations.

The doctrine of the six characteristics

All converges upon the ground of nature

Amid the myriad phenomena

The whole body forms a single path.

The three realms are mind-only

The myriad dharmas are consciousness-only

Directly transcending divergent views

Perfectly interfused with ultimate reality.

QUESTION: What is the doctrine of the six characteristics?

ANSWER: The six characteristics are: universality, particularity, sameness, difference, integration, and disintegration.

QUESTION: What is universality?

ANSWER: The true suchness of the one mind encompasses all dharmas.

QUESTION: What is particularity?

ANSWER: Mind gives rise to all dharmas, but the dharmas are not identical.

QUESTION: What is sameness?

ANSWER: Dharmas arise from mind; mind and dharmas are nondual.

QUESTION: What is difference?

ANSWER: Dharmas are phenomenal characteristics, while mind is the underlying principle.

QUESTION: What is integration?

ANSWER: Mind gives rise to all dharmas, and dharmas can accomplish phenomena.

QUESTION: What is disintegration?

ANSWER: When dharmas are gathered back into mind, the mind is empty and the dharmas vanish.

QUESTION: What are National Master Shao’s fourfold distinctions?

ANSWER: National Master Shao’s fourfold distinctions are: hearing hearing, hearing non-hearing, non-hearing hearing, and non-hearing non-hearing.

QUESTION: What is hearing hearing?

ANSWER: Quiescent, yet constantly illuminating.

QUESTION: What is hearing non-hearing?

ANSWER: Illuminating, yet constantly quiescent.

QUESTION: What is non-hearing hearing?

ANSWER: Quiescence and illumination are nondual.

QUESTION: What is non-hearing non-hearing?

ANSWER: Both quiescence and illumination disappear.

The Master further said: “A special transmission outside the teachings, the essential principle directed toward what is beyond”—is it truly so? If it were only like this, it could merely be called an oral transmission; what would be extraordinary about it? Yet if it is not like this, how could it arise? Investigate!

CHAPTER VIII

TEN KINDS OF DEMONS THAT DISRUPT RIGHT SAMADHI

The Master said: Awakening to the Way and cultivating meditation is no small matter. Inner and outer demons disturb and disrupt right samadhi. If one lacks mastery for even an instant, one becomes attached to desirable objects and, agitated by circumstances, falls into the demons’ net. What began as a wholesome cause instead brings about an evil result. Beginners in later generations must therefore be cautious and guard against this.

I shall set forth ten points distinguishing the meaning of demons. Examine and reflect upon heavenly demons and the demons of the mind. Use wisdom and contemplation to illuminate and extinguish demonic karma.

If the defilements of the mind are purified, all obstructions naturally cease; why fear that any heavenly demon would dare disrupt the right? The ten kinds of demons are now clearly described below: first, the demon of past enmities; second, the demon of external delusions; third, the demon of afflictions; fourth, the demon of what is known; fifth, the demon of wrong views; sixth, the demon of deluded thought; seventh, the demon of verbal karma; eighth, the demon of painful illness; ninth, the demon of dullness and drowsiness; and tenth, heavenly demons.

These ten kinds of demonic obstruction can disturb those who genuinely practice. Those who have awakened to the Way should be wary of them.

QUESTION: What is the demon of past enmities?

ANSWER: The demon of karmic enmity is called the obstruction of karma. From beginningless distant kalpas down to this present life, being born as ordinary beings, we have been disloyal and unfilial, inhumane and unrighteous. We have killed living beings, stolen, engaged in sexual misconduct, spoken falsely, and harbored greed, anger, delusion, and craving.

Having formed many bonds of enmity, we encounter these enemies today; when we wish to study the Great Way, they intrude upon and disturb us, leaving us no peace. They often obstruct sacred endeavors and prevent their accomplishment. We must bring forth a mind of utmost sincerity and repent, earnestly imploring the Three Jewels to extend their spiritual power and grant protection.

Then all former karma will naturally dissolve and be extinguished; all enemies and creditors will naturally withdraw or disperse. We shall swiftly attain the unconditioned state, quickly bring universal benefit to sentient beings, swiftly attain the unconditioned state, and quickly realize bodhi. Those who practice Chan must themselves repent in this way.

QUESTION: What is the demon of external delusion?

ANSWER: The demon of external delusion—that which causes delusion from outside—is called the obstruction caused by others. Petty people who lack wholesome roots, whether noble or lowly, may cause affliction and disturbance, preventing the mind in concentration from remaining peaceful and secure. This does not arise from any single cause; it is generally due to a lack of skillful adaptability, deficient propriety, self-exaltation, personal arrogance, blunt speech, coarse conduct, reliance upon power and influence, displays of talent, harsh words, praise of oneself, disparagement of others, a lack of gentleness, a lack of respect, narrow-mindedness, or insufficient patience.

Thus, one incurs distrust, which may disrupt one’s cultivation, stir the mind and arouse thoughts, and obscure the fundamental luminosity. Those who follow the Way must above all humble themselves, withdraw, and nurture virtue; only then can they avoid obstructions caused by others. Students of later generations must be broad-minded and patient.

QUESTION: What is called the demon of afflictions?

ANSWER: The demon of afflictions is the obstruction of phenomena. If phenomenal obstructions are not removed, they may disrupt proper cultivation. What is affliction? What is vexation?

Affliction means pursuing external objects; vexation arises within the mind. Those who cultivate Chan must certainly cut off afflictions. If afflictions are not completely eliminated, the nature of concentration can hardly manifest.

Seeing a woman and giving rise to thoughts is the affliction of lustful thought. Seeing killing and giving rise to thoughts is the affliction of an evil mind. Seeing wealth and profit and giving rise to thoughts is the affliction of a thieving mind.

Seeing an object and giving rise to thoughts is the affliction of greed. Seeing another and becoming contemptuous is the affliction of the mark of self. Seeing one of lowly status and becoming arrogant is the affliction of self-importance.

Encountering adverse circumstances and becoming angry is the affliction of wrath. Encountering favorable circumstances and becoming delighted is the affliction of rejoicing in accord with conditions. Seeing an enemy and giving rise to aversion is the affliction of hatred.

Seeing a loved one and giving rise to affection is the affliction of partial attachment. Whenever one sees something externally and inwardly gives rise to grasping or rejecting, that is affliction; it is impossible to describe all such instances. Those who practice Chan must certainly eliminate phenomenal obstructions.

If phenomenal obstructions are not emptied, they will afflict and disturb right concentration. Students of later generations, why do you not cut them off?

QUESTION: What is called the demon of that which is known?

ANSWER: The demon of that which is known is called the obstruction of principle. If the obstruction of principle is not removed, it may disrupt right concentration. What is “that which is known,” and why is its fault so grave?

Knowing that I have attained awakening; knowing that I comprehend Chan; knowing that I understand the teachings; knowing that I apprehend principle; knowing that I am greatly learned; knowing that I understand much; knowing that I strictly uphold the precepts; knowing that I have attained concentration; knowing that I have developed wisdom; knowing that I have attained spiritual powers; knowing that I have obtained the wondrous principle; knowing that I have realized the Way; knowing that I have become a Buddha—all the myriad forms of knowing, or “that which is known,” are called the obstruction of principle.

If the obstruction of principle is not removed, attachment to the Dharma will not be forgotten. If attachment to the Dharma is not forgotten, the true mind will not manifest. Those who cultivate Chan concentration must certainly eradicate the obstruction of principle.

QUESTION: What is the demon of wrong views?

ANSWER: The demon of wrong views is the obstruction of attachment. If the obstruction of attachment is not removed, one will inevitably fall into wrong concentration. What wrong views disrupt right concentration in this way?

Clinging to the view that the nature is indestructible is called the view of existence. Clinging to the view that the nature is fundamentally empty is called the view of nonexistence. Clinging to the view that it fundamentally never dies is called the view of eternalism.

Clinging to the view that it perishes with the vital energy is called the view of annihilationism. Clinging to the view that existence arises from nonexistence is called the view of spontaneous arising. Clinging to the view that form is transformed from vital energy is called the view of a false cause.

The intrinsic nature is as though neither existent nor nonexistent, yet at once existent and nonexistent. All wrong attachments and wrong views concerning causes and conditions or spontaneous arising never depart from the two extremes of existence and emptiness, annihilationism and eternalism. They obstruct the four principles and cause one to fall onto divergent paths.

Those who practice Chan must understand and awaken to this principle.

QUESTION: What is the demon of deluded thinking?

ANSWER: The demon of deluded thinking is called self-obstruction. If self-obstruction is not emptied, arising and cessation will never cease; confusion, inversion, distraction, and disorder will obscure the fundamental mind. Those who practice Chan must empty this obstruction.

I shall now cite one or two examples to clarify the obstruction of delusion: deluded thoughts of awakening to the Way; deluded thoughts of cultivation and realization; deluded thoughts of attaining concentration; deluded thoughts of developing wisdom; deluded thoughts of possessing extensive understanding; deluded thoughts of being skilled in composition; deluded thoughts of achieving fame; deluded thoughts of receiving abundant offerings; deluded thoughts of becoming a teacher; deluded thoughts of the Sangha turning to oneself for guidance; deluded thoughts of succeeding to the patriarchal seat; deluded thoughts of presiding over a monastery; deluded thoughts of propagating the Way; deluded thoughts of leaving works to be transmitted; deluded thoughts of having Dharma successors;

deluded thoughts of being enshrined in a stupa; deluded thoughts of spiritual powers; deluded thoughts of profound mysteries; deluded thoughts of extraordinary marvels; deluded thoughts of strange wonders; deluded thoughts of longevity; deluded thoughts of returning to youth; deluded thoughts of ascending in flight; deluded thoughts of becoming a Buddha, and so forth.

If these delusions are not emptied, every stirring of thought contravenes the principle of causality. For beginners who admire the Way, putting an end to delusion is fundamental.

QUESTION: What is the demon of verbal karma?

ANSWER: The demon of verbal karma is called the obstruction of wild speech. If one is not cautious in speech but gives free rein to one’s impulses and talks excessively, the mind will become scattered and thoughts disordered, and one will be unable to attain purity of mind. Why are the faults of verbal karma so numerous?

It is because people delight in discussing the profound and speaking of the wondrous, expounding scriptures and discoursing on the Chan school; boasting that they have attained awakening; disparaging others as foolish and deluded; discussing people’s strengths and weaknesses; speaking of their rights and wrongs; reciting poetry and chanting rhapsodies; opening their mouths to sing out recklessly; commenting on events past and present; discussing the rise and decline of nations; declaring who among the ancients was worthy or foolish and who today is evil or good.

Though matters have no connection with oneself, one loudly disputes the gains and losses of others. One criticizes or praises without cause, speaks of sensual objects that cause others to give rise to desire, and speaks of grievances that cause others to become angry. One criticizes people behind their backs and praises them to their faces.

All harmful or advantageous talk causes people to lose right mindfulness. Those who practice Chan must strive to guard against this. Speaking little not only nurtures virtue but also keeps the mind from becoming disordered.

Beginners in cultivation must carefully avoid and guard against this matter.

QUESTION: What is the demon of the suffering of illness?

ANSWER: The demon of illness and suffering is called the obstruction of suffering. The many ailments of the body all arise from karma from previous lives, or from a loss of balance that gives rise to a hundred kinds of illness, preventing one from functioning normally and creating obstacles for those who study the Way. I shall now set forth several matters against which one must guard oneself: regulate the spleen and stomach; exercise moderation and discernment in food and drink; indulge little in rich, strong flavors; and abstain from raw and cold things.

Do not read or recite when hungry, and do not carry heavy loads when full. Do not sleep immediately after eating, and avoid eating to fullness at night. Do not crave rotten food, delight in fried or stir-fried foods, become attached to the five flavors, or consume too many unsuitable things.

Do not practice seated meditation on damp ground, sleep in a drafty place, leap into water while perspiring, crave warmth or covet coolness, bathe while the wind is blowing, or lie unclothed beneath the open sky. Avoid excessive hunger or fullness, excessive joy or anger, excessive cold or heat, heavy rain, and dense mist. Illnesses caused by internal injury and external influences all arise from a loss of balance, producing maladies that leave the body without ease.

Later students must understand this, take precautions, and avoid illness.

QUESTION: What is the demon of torpor?

ANSWER: The demon of torpor is called the obstruction of sleep. If the obstruction of sleep is not trained away and eliminated, torpor becomes exceedingly heavy; the true mind does not shine, the wisdom-nature does not arise, and one falls into the darkness of the black mountain and the demon’s cavern. What are the causes of this affliction of torpor?

This obstruction of torpor arises for the most part from overeating, craving delicious flavors, speaking too much and thereby dispersing one’s vital energy, bodily fatigue and weakness of the spleen, a spirit that is not clear and tranquil, disorder of toxic energies, delusion and frequent anger, laziness and heedlessness. One does not keep birth and death in mind but merely covets comfort and pleasure. When applying themselves to practice, later students should arouse diligence: carry an awl to prick the flesh, let the head strike against a pillar, bow before the Buddha and light lamps, stand in perilous places, practice walking meditation, and discipline and temper the body through hardship.

Only then will the demon of sleep grow weaker. If one does not do so but instead gives free rein to sleep and rest, the true mind will not shine. Practitioners of Chan should courageously subdue the demon of sleep.

QUESTION: What is the great heavenly demon?

ANSWER: The great heavenly demon differs from the other obstructions. When one practices correctly and is about to realize the fruit of the Way, one’s mind becomes refined, pure, and thoroughly clear, tranquil and unmoving. This alarms the heavenly demons; the palaces of ghosts and spirits collapse, the earth trembles, the demon king is terrified, and the uncanny beings dwelling in trees and rocks are also frightened.

All these demonic beings possess the five supernormal powers and come together to cause disturbance, preventing the practitioner from entering the noble stage. They manifest strange phenomena and conjure scenes of sensual desire to disrupt the practitioner’s meditative concentration. If the practitioner’s mind gives rise to grasping or rejection, the demons gain an opportunity, and the practitioner suffers harm.

The practitioner becomes deranged and claims to have attained Buddhahood. While alive, such a person falls afoul of the sovereign’s law; after death, that person descends into the Avici hell. A practitioner of Chan should maintain clear right mindfulness, let wisdom shine brightly, and remain single-minded and unmoving.

Though the demons may freely work their mischief, one should pay no heed to anything seen or heard, but subdue them with right concentration; then the demons will naturally disappear. Students and practitioners of later generations must be cautious and clearly distinguish these demonic phenomena for themselves.

Several kinds of demonic phenomena have been set forth above. If one wishes to understand them clearly and in detail, one should consult the Surangama Sutra, which discusses demonic afflictions both internal and external. Every kind of aberrant view is made clear therein, so that when one begins applying oneself to practice, one will not fall into the demons’ net but will directly realize the fruit of Buddhahood.

CHAPTER IX

CITATIONS FROM THE SUTRAS

The questions and answers concerning the return of the myriad dharmas to the mind have been made clear. Those of superior faculties awaken to the original mind upon merely reading them, whereas those of middling and inferior faculties, being dull-witted, become doubtful, slander them, and refuse to believe. Therefore, the Buddha’s words in the sutras are cited as proof, so that all doubts and uncertainties may be eliminated and one may believe sincerely without error.

Some may attain awakening, faithfully practice according to the teaching, enter directly into the monasteries of the ancient Buddhas, and pass straight through the crucial frontier of the Patriarchs. It may be said that right within the physical eye, the Buddha-eye is brought to perfect penetration, and right within the ordinary mind, the true mind is revealed. I shall now relate words from the Buddhist sutras and from the Patriarchs to confirm the right principle of returning to the mind.

The Prajnaparamita Sutra says: “All Buddhas dwell together in one place, converging in the uncontaminated realm and the purity of the self-nature.”

The Avatamsaka Sutra says: “Those of little wisdom falsely discriminate the words of the Tathagata’s Dharma teachings and thereby give rise to obstructions, failing to understand their own minds. If they do not understand their own minds, how can they know the right path? Through inverted thinking, they increase every kind of evil.”

The Lankavatara Sutra says: “The truth of ultimate meaning is mind alone. The myriad external appearances are all nonexistent. Ordinary people cling to wrong views, deceiving themselves and others, and fail to see clearly the abiding of all dharmas in accordance with reality. Mahamati! All dharmas as they truly are means thoroughly realizing the principle that they are manifestations of mind alone.”

The Sutra in Forty-Two Sections says: “Those who leave the household life and become sramanas must cut off desire, remove craving, know the source of their own minds, penetrate the Buddha’s fundamental principle, and awaken to the unconditioned Dharma. Inwardly, there is nothing attained; outwardly, there is nothing sought. The mind is not confined to the Way, nor does it create karma. There is neither thought nor action, neither cultivation nor realization; one passes through the various stages without exalting oneself, yet reaches the highest in oneself. This is called the Way!”

The Jewel Cloud Sutra says: “Of all dharmas, mind is foremost. If one knows the mind, one can know all dharmas.”

A verse in the Sutra on Cause and Effect says: “The creation of all good and evil arises from thoughts of the mind. Therefore, those who truly leave the household life take illumination of the mind as their foundation.”

The Sutra on the Samadhi of Recollecting the Buddha says: “The mind is like vajra: in those with wholesome roots, it can penetrate all dharmas. The mind is like a Kalindaka robe: in those with wholesome roots, it can be supple. The mind is like the great ocean: in those with wholesome roots, it can encompass the cultivation of all precepts. The mind is like a level stone: in those with wholesome roots, it can firmly sustain every undertaking. The mind is like the king of mountains: in those with wholesome roots, it can bring forth all wholesome dharmas. The mind is like the earth: in those with wholesome roots, it can bear and preserve undertakings for sentient beings.”

The Sutra on Concentrating the Mind says: “In meditative concentration, one clings neither to the inside nor to the outside, nor does one abide in between. This is called one-pointed mind.”

The Jewel Casket Sutra says: “Manjusri said to Sariputra: Even if a great conflagration were to blaze fiercely for kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, it could ultimately never burn empty space. Sariputra! In the same way, even if every sentient being were to commit the five heinous offenses and unwholesome karma for kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, the nature of their minds could ultimately never be defiled.”

A verse in the Sutra of Questions Asked by the Bodhisattva Mahakasagarbha says:

Empty space is free from arising and cessation;

The Dharma-realm neither comes nor goes;

All dharmas abide in dependence upon mind.

Within emptiness, there is neither form nor non-form;

The nature of mind is likewise thus.

Empty space is merely a provisional name;

Mind, mentation, and consciousness are likewise thus.

A verse in the Lankavatara Sutra says:

Dharmas possess no intrinsic substance;

Yet it is said that they are mind alone.

Failing to perceive one’s own mind,

One consequently gives rise to discrimination.

The Sutra of Excellent Expressions says: “If a person’s body is clad in the armor of the precepts, but the mind lacks the sword of wisdom, that person cannot destroy the ringleaders among the fetters. Therefore, know that if one does not contemplate the mind and bring subtle wisdom to fulfillment, one cannot sever fundamental ignorance.”

The Nirvana Sutra says: “The lion’s roar is the definitive declaration that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature. If one knows that one’s own mind is fully endowed with Buddha-nature, could there be any Dharma outside that nature worth seeking?”

The Lotus Samadhi Sutra says: “Not clinging, having no place of reliance, and being unfettered in the quiescent mind, whose original nature is like empty space—this is called the unsurpassed Way.”

VERSES OF THE SEVEN BUDDHAS

The verse of Vipasyin Buddha says:

The body is born from within the signless,

Like an illusion, it brings forth various forms.

The illusionist’s mind-consciousness has always been empty;

Merit and wrongdoing are both empty, abiding nowhere.

A verse by Buddha Śikhin says:

Performing wholesome dharmas is fundamentally illusory;

Creating evil karma is also illusory.

The body is like a bubble, the mind like the wind;

Illusory appearances have no source and no true nature.

A verse by Buddha Viśvabhū says:

Borrowing the four great elements, one mistakes them for a body;

The mind is originally unborn, arising because of objects.

If the objects before it were absent, the mind too would be absent.

The mind arises like an illusion and then ceases.

A verse by Buddha Krakucchanda says:

To see that the body is unreal is the Buddha’s seeing;

To understand that the mind is like an illusion is the Buddha’s understanding.

To understand that the original nature of body and mind is empty—

How could such a person differ from the Buddha?

A verse by Buddha Kanakamuni says:

The Buddha does not see a body, yet knows it to be Buddha.

If there truly were a separate knowing, there would be no Buddha.

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

And remain serene, unafraid of birth and death.

A verse by Buddha Kāśyapa says:

The nature of all sentient beings is pure;

From the beginning, it has neither arisen nor can it cease.

This very body and mind arise as an illusion;

Within illusory transformation there is neither wrongdoing nor merit.

A verse by Buddha Śākyamuni says:

Illusory transformation has no cause and also no arising;

All is naturally seen to be thus.

All dharmas arise through transformation of themselves;

Illusory transformation is unborn, and there is nothing to fear.

WORDS OF THE PATRIARCHS

A verse by the First Patriarch, Bodhidharma, says:

Do not see evil and give rise to aversion;

Do not see goodness and give rise to delight.

Do not abandon wisdom to draw near to ignorance;

Do not cast off delusion in pursuit of sudden awakening.

Attain the Great Way—ah!—beyond all measure;

Penetrate the Buddha-mind—ah!—in its infinitude.

Not standing shoulder to shoulder with ordinary beings or sages,

One who transcends them is called a PATRIARCH.

The Second Patriarch said: “This mind is Buddha; this mind is Dharma. Dharma and Buddha are not two. The Jewel of the Sangha is likewise.”

The Third Patriarch said: “If the eyes do not sleep, all dreams naturally cease. If the mind makes no distinctions, the myriad dharmas are of one suchness. The wondrous essence of one suchness is such that conditions are forgotten; when the myriad dharmas are all seen, one returns to what is natural.”

The Fourth Patriarch said to Niutou Farong: “The hundred thousand wondrous gates all return to what lies within a single inch; merits as numerous as the sands of the Ganges are gathered at the source of mind. All gates of samadhi, wisdom, and practice are complete therein; spiritual powers and wondrous functions are all present within your mind.”

The Fifth Patriarch said: “If you wish to know the essence of the Dharma, mind is the root of the twelve divisions of scripture. There is only the Dharma of the One Vehicle, and the Dharma of the One Vehicle is the one mind. Simply preserve the one mind; this is the gateway of the mind of true suchness. No dharma lies outside one’s own mind; only the mind itself knows that mind has no form or appearance. The Patriarchs merely transmitted mind with mind; when one who has realized it was confirmed, there was no separate Dharma.”

The Sixth Patriarch said: “For all of you, your own mind is Buddha; harbor no doubt. Outside the mind there is not a single dharma that can be established; it is one’s own mind that gives rise to the myriad kinds of dharmas. The sutra says: ‘When the mind arises, the myriad dharmas arise.’ That Dharma is nondual, and that mind is likewise. That Way is pure and devoid of all characteristics. You must not contemplate purity, nor empty that mind. This mind is nondual and cannot be grasped or rejected. Whether walking, standing, lying down, or sitting, always maintain a straightforward mind; this itself is the Pure Land. If you follow my words, you will assuredly attain bodhi.”

TREATISE ON THE CESSATION OF CONTEMPLATION BY GREAT MASTER NIUTOU FARONG

QUESTION: What is mind?

ANSWER: Whatever is observed by the six faculties is mind.

QUESTION: Where is mind?

ANSWER: Mind is precisely at the place of cessation.

QUESTION: What is the essence?

ANSWER: Mind is the essence.

QUESTION: What is the cardinal principle?

ANSWER: Mind is the cardinal principle.

QUESTION: What is the root?

ANSWER: Mind is the root.

QUESTION: What does it mean for samadhi and wisdom to rejoice together?

ANSWER: The serene stillness of mind-nature is samadhi; constantly understanding that serene stillness is wisdom.

QUESTION: What is knowledge?

ANSWER: When an object arises and it is clearly understood, that is knowledge.

QUESTION: What is an object?

ANSWER: The nature of one’s own body and mind is the object.

QUESTION: What is unfolding?

ANSWER: The illuminating function is unfolding.

QUESTION: What is enfolding?

ANSWER: When the mind is serene and still, neither coming nor going, that is enfolding. Unfolded, it pervades the Dharma realm; enfolded, its traces are difficult to find.

QUESTION: What is the Dharma realm?

ANSWER: That whose boundaries cannot be indicated is called the Dharma realm.

Chan Master Chou said: “All external conditions are called characteristics of samadhi. Right and wrong, arising and ceasing—all are due to one’s own mind. If one’s own mind is no-mind, what obstruction could right and wrong present? When both subject and object are empty, all characteristics are quiescent.”

A verse by Layman Pang says:

The myriad dharmas arise from mind;

When mind arises, the myriad dharmas arise.

Arising after arising, one does not understand being;

Coming and going, one cultivates in vain.

I send these words to those who cultivate the Way:

When non-arising is realized, being does not arise.

If one can penetrate this principle,

Without stirring, one escapes the deep pit.

A song by Venerable Tengteng says:

Cultivate the Way—the Way cannot be cultivated;

Inquire into the Dharma—the Dharma cannot be questioned.

The deluded do not awaken to form and emptiness;

Those who have realized are originally beyond opposition and accord.

The eighty-four thousand Dharma gates,

In their ultimate principle, do not exceed a single inch.

Afflictions are themselves bodhi;

Pure lotuses grow from filthy mud…

Do not deceive yourselves by wandering through other prefectures and counties.

Chan Master Wolun said: “Thoroughly penetrate that mind-nature, profoundly still and empty, which from the beginning neither arises nor ceases—why would it need to be gathered in and constrained? Simply recognize when the mind gives rise to delusion; then turn the illumination back toward the source of mind. Finding no root whatsoever is the place of non-arising. Because it is unborn, the mind is quiescent, without characteristics, and unconditioned.”

A verse by Chan Master Zhida says:

When an object is established, mind immediately exists;

When mind is absent, the object does not arise.

If mind is bound to objects,

Both mind and objects become demons.

When objects and mind each come to rest,

The nature of mind and objects is forever clear.

Awakening to objects, mind does not arise;

With a deluded mind, objects accompany it.

If the deluded mind creates objects,

Mind and objects run rampant in confusion.

Awakening to objects, mind is originally pure;

Knowing mind, objects are originally clear.

Know that mind lacks the nature of objects;

Understand that within objects, mind has no form.

Objects are empty and mind is serene;

Mind illuminates while objects remain silent.

Great Master Puyan said: “The Great Way is vast and expansive, yet it is only the one true mind. Think neither good nor evil; when the spirit within and things without appear, what cause for worry remains?”

Venerable Guishan said: “All dharmas, inner and outer, are unreal. They are transformed and produced by mind; all are provisional names. Let the Dharma-nature flow freely everywhere; neither cut it off nor perpetuate it.”

Venerable Huangbo said: “Simply awaken to the one mind, and not even the slightest dharma can be obtained. This is the true Buddha. Buddhas and sentient beings have one mind without difference. Nothing equals recognizing and preserving the fundamental Dharma directly upon hearing these words. This Dharma is mind; outside mind there is no Dharma. This mind is Dharma; outside Dharma there is no mind.”

Venerable Yangshan said: “Suddenly awaken to your own mind as being without characteristics, like empty space. Manifesting through the faculties, the original mind possesses wondrous functions as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. There is no separate place to preserve it and no separate place to establish it. This itself is your native village; this itself is your homeland.”

Venerable Anguo said: “The sutra says: ‘One should give rise to the mind without abiding anywhere.’ ‘Without abiding anywhere’ means not abiding in form, not abiding in sound, not abiding in delusion, not abiding in awakening, not abiding in essence, and not abiding in function. ‘Give rise to the mind’ means revealing the one mind in every place. If one abides in goodness and gives rise to mind, good phenomena appear. If one abides in evil and gives rise to mind, evil phenomena all appear; the original mind is then concealed. If there is no abiding anywhere, the worlds of the ten directions are only one mind. Know with certainty that neither wind nor banner moves; it is the mind that moves.”

Venerable Guizong said: “This very mind is Buddha; penetrating to the very bottom, there is only the nature. The mountains, rivers, and great earth are sealed by the one Dharma seal. It is the great divine mantra, true and not false; it is the original source of all Buddhas, and the root and marrow of bodhi. What, then, is the Buddha?—These very words are it; there is no other person. The sutra says: ‘Just as a single form receives myriad names according to the perceptions of sentient beings, so all dharmas are but one Dharma, receiving names according to their circumstances.’”

A verse in the Ratnagotravibhaga says:

Like space, which pervades all,

Yet space makes no distinctions.

One’s own mind and the stainless mind

Likewise pervade all without distinction.

Dharma Master Fuli said: “Examining the meaning of karma, karma arises from the mind, and the mind is the function of karma. Karma leads the mind to undergo birth, while the mind follows karma in creating its circumstances. Thus, because of karma one receives a body, and the body in turn creates karma. The mind creates circumstances, and circumstances in turn give rise to mind. It is like a shadow following a form, becoming straight or curved accordingly, and like an echo following a sound, becoming loud or soft accordingly.”

CHAPTER X

AN EXHORTATION TO PRINT AND DISTRIBUTE THIS WORK

The merit of expounding the true Dharma surpasses the sands of the Ganges. The blessings and benefits of transmitting the ultimate principle are greater than vast space. The sands of the Ganges are innumerable, and the vastness of space is boundless.

The merit of benefiting beings through the gift of Dharma surpasses both of these analogies. Why is its merit so immeasurable? First, it enables those who have not yet believed to acquire right faith, gathering them into a single thought so that they no longer race about seeking externally.

Second, it helps those who already believe to develop the power of contemplation, making principle and practice firm so that they may swiftly realize bodhi, as though traveling in a vast vehicle. It establishes a Jeweled Repository, a library of the scriptures. It is like traveling in a sturdy vessel and certainly reaching the shore of awakening.

The Surangama Sutra says: “The Buddha told Ananda: ‘Suppose, moreover, that a person filled all the empty space throughout the ten directions with the seven treasures and offered them to Buddhas as numerous as motes of dust, attending upon and making offerings to them without the slightest lapse of mind. What do you think? Would this person, through the causes and conditions of thus giving to the Buddhas, gain great merit?’

“Ananda replied: ‘Space is inexhaustible, and the precious treasures are boundless. In the past, a living being who gave the Buddha seven coins, upon relinquishing his body, was still able to become a wheel-turning king. How much more so now, when space is infinite and Buddha lands fill it everywhere, and precious treasures are offered throughout them all! Even if one were to ponder it for an entire kalpa, one could not exhaust the merit of this person. How, then, could it have any boundary?’

“The Buddha told Ananda: ‘The Buddhas, the Tathagatas, speak no falsehood. Suppose, moreover, that a person personally committed all four grave offenses and the ten parajika offenses. In the space of a blink, that person would pass through the Avici hells in this and other directions, and would even pass through all the uninterrupted hells throughout the ten directions.

Yet if this person merely gave rise to a single thought, saying, “I shall use this Dharma gateway to instruct and reveal the teaching to living beings in the final age,” then that person’s karmic obstructions would immediately be extinguished in accordance with that thought. The suffering of the hells that person had undergone would be transformed into a land of peace and bliss. The merit gained would exceed that of the person who previously gave the seven treasures by a hundredfold, a thousandfold, ten thousand millionfold, and so forth—beyond the reach of calculation, enumeration, or analogy.

The benefits of praising and propagating this sutra are boundless.’”

The Sutra of Golden Light says: “Giving the Dharma to others has five supreme benefits. What are the five? First, the gift of Dharma brings benefit to all, with which material giving cannot compare. Second, the gift of Dharma can enable living beings to escape the three realms, whereas the merit of material giving does not transcend the desire realm. Third, the gift of Dharma can purify the Dharma-body, whereas material giving merely increases physical form. Fourth, the gift of Dharma is inexhaustible, whereas material giving is limited. Fifth, the gift of Dharma can sever ignorance, whereas material giving merely suppresses craving. Therefore, good man, its merit is immeasurable and boundless, and difficult to illustrate by analogy.”

The Diamond Sutra also says: “Giving enough of the seven treasures to fill the trichiliocosm cannot compare with accepting and upholding a four-line verse and explaining it to others; the merit of that person exceeds the giving of those seven treasures.”

If any good man or faithful woman should resolve to carve printing blocks, print, distribute, and propagate this work, enabling all living beings throughout the Dharma-realm suddenly to awaken to the Supreme Vehicle, reach the Buddha land, and realize bodhi together, that person’s merit would be boundless and impossible to describe fully.

The Record of the Myriad Dharmas Returning to the Mind

Speaks directly, concealing nothing;

It can open the pure eye

And skillfully reveal the mind of nirvana.

The three paths are entered from here;

Through a hundred hardships, seek not outside.

One who prints a hundred copies

Surpasses one who gives a boatful of gold.

THE END

POSTSCRIPT

The One Mind is the universal characteristic of the myriad dharmas, while the myriad dharmas are the particular characteristics of the One Mind. The mind has two kinds, true and deluded, which are not the same. By relying upon the true mind, one swiftly realizes bodhi. By pursuing the deluded mind, one drifts through birth and death. The true mind and the deluded mind should be understood in terms of their fundamental nature. The true mind is wondrous knowing: it knows without knowing. The deluded mind is the knowing of consciousness: it knows through knowing. Knowing without knowing is perfectly luminous, quiescent, and illuminating. Knowing through knowing is the arising and ceasing of thought after thought.

The Great Master, moved by compassion, employed the form of questions and answers to elucidate the true mind and clearly reveal the path of cultivation and realization. From beginning to end, every word accords with principle. When this Record is propagated throughout the world, it is like a brilliant lamp capable of dispelling the long night of ten thousand kalpas and leading directly to the Jeweled Abode. It is truly a precious Dharma, certainly a precious Dharma. I could not cease contemplating this Record, and after reading it again, I composed this postscript.

Respectfully written by the lay practitioner The Nhu, Liu Fang.