萬善同歸集

All wholesome deeds return to the True Mark, just as empty space accommodates everything and the earth brings forth and nourishes the myriad things. Therefore, one need only accord with the One Suchness, and all merits and virtues are naturally encompassed.

Nevertheless, without stirring from the fundamental essence, the myriad practices constantly arise; without destroying dependent arising, the Dharma-realm perpetually manifests. Stillness does not obstruct dynamic functioning; the conventional does not contradict the true. Examining existence and emptiness, they are identical, equal in the one ultimate reach.

Therefore, since the myriad dharmas are Mind-Only, one must extensively practice the six paramitas and should not sit idly, clinging to ignorance and thereby obstructing genuine cultivation.

If one wishes to practice the myriad conducts, one must ultimately rely upon principle and phenomena. When principle and phenomena are unobstructed, the Way lies precisely therein. In this way, both oneself and others benefit; one thereby perfects the compassion of shared essence and, encompassing beginning and end, accomplishes inexhaustible conduct.

As for the relationship between principle and phenomena, its profound purport is difficult to fathom completely. Upon careful examination, they are neither “one” nor “different.”

Thus, the principle of true nature and the phenomena of illusory marks act upon each other through their powers and functions, opening and closing simultaneously. The essence pervades everywhere without differentiation, yet the traces of subject and object appear distinct.

Phenomena are established through principle, yet principle is not concealed when phenomena are accomplished. Principle is revealed through phenomena, yet phenomena are not destroyed when principle is disclosed. By supporting one another, both are established; by subsuming one another, both return to emptiness. The concealment and manifestation of principle and phenomena cause each to bring the other to completion, while their mutual non-obstruction causes both to manifest simultaneously. By mutually rejecting and dispossessing one another, they are neither existent nor empty; by mutually encompassing and completing one another, they are neither eternal nor annihilated.

If one abandons phenomena to contemplate principle, one falls into the ignorance of the shravakas. If one abandons principle to practice phenomena, one is no different from the attachment to views of ordinary beings.

One should know that apart from principle there are no phenomena, because the water in its entirety is waves; apart from phenomena there is no principle, because the waves in their entirety are water. Yet principle is not itself phenomena, because movement and the nature of wetness are not the same. Nor are phenomena themselves principle, because subject and object are distinct.

If principle and phenomena are both denied, then both the ultimate truth and the conventional truth are absent; if principle and phenomena are both affirmed, then the two truths are perpetually established. When both are illuminated, each is illusory, yet illusory appearances remain clearly present; when both are broken down, they are precisely emptiness—dissolved and quiescent. Since it is neither emptiness nor provisional existence, the Middle Way is ever radiant.

Without disturbing causes and conditions, how could the essence of principle be impaired?

Therefore, bodhisattvas take non-attainment as their skillful means. Though abiding within existence, they do not contradict emptiness; relying upon the ultimate reality, they initiate the gateway of liberating beings; practicing the true, they do not obstruct the conventional.

Bodhisattvas constantly kindle the torch of wisdom, never dimming the radiance of their own minds; clouds of compassion spread across the sky, and the ocean of myriad practices surges with mighty waves. Therefore, amid the dust and toil of the world, they freely interpenetrate without obstruction and respond to conditions with sovereign ease; everything they do is the work of the Buddha. Thus, a Prajnaparamita Sutra says: “The one mind fully contains the myriad practices.”

The Avatamsaka Sutra says:

“Elder Liberation said to the youth Sudhana:

Whenever I wish to see Amitabha Buddha in the Land of Bliss, I see him according to my wish. Not only can I see Amitabha Buddha, but I can also see all the Buddhas of the ten directions from within my own mind.

Good man! You should know that bodhisattvas cultivate all the dharmas of the Buddhas, purify Buddha-lands, accumulate sublime practices, tame sentient beings, and make great vows; all these things arise from their own minds.

Therefore, good man, you should use wholesome dharmas to assist your mind; you should use the water of Dharma to moisten your mind; you should use objects of contemplation to refine and purify your mind; you should use diligent practice to strengthen your mind; you should use wisdom to illuminate your mind; you should use the Buddha’s sovereign mastery to open and develop your mind; and you should use the Buddha’s ten powers to examine your mind.”

A virtuous master of old explained:

“The one mind encompasses the myriad dharmas. Not only does a single thought contemplating the Buddha arise from one’s own mind, but even the myriad practices of bodhisattvas and the essence and function of the Buddha-fruit never depart from the mind. At the same time, it is also through this very mind that the errors of deluded attachment are eliminated.”

Someone may object:

Since the myriad dharmas all arise from the mind, then even giving oneself free rein is Buddhahood; would not the practice of the myriad conducts be fruitless toil?

—It is now explained that although the mind is itself Buddha, because it has long been obscured by the dust and toil of the world, it must rely upon the myriad practices to assist its cultivation, thereby becoming luminous and penetrating. Here it is only said that the myriad practices all arise from the mind; it is certainly not said that cultivation is unnecessary. Moreover, since the myriad dharmas are themselves mind, how could any practice obstruct one’s own mind?

Question:

The Patriarch Bodhidharma said: “Do not deliberate upon good or evil, and you will naturally enter the essence of mind.”

The Nirvana Sutra says: “All conditioned phenomena are impermanent; they are dharmas of arising and ceasing.”

Why, then, do you encourage cultivation, deliberately contradicting the Patriarch’s teaching?

Answer:

The Patriarch’s intention was based upon the essential tenet of the Chan school, whereas the teachings in the sutras are intended to eliminate attachments.

From the perspective of the Sudden Teaching of the Chan school, all marks are swept away, all conditions are relinquished, both existence and emptiness are absent, and essence and function are quiescent. From the perspective of the Avatamsaka’s purport of perfect interpenetration, all merits and virtues are simultaneously complete, principle and practice are both revealed, and compassion and wisdom mutually support each other.

Therefore, Bodhisattva Manjushri uses principle to seal and verify practice, so the meaning of differentiation remains unimpaired. Bodhisattva Samantabhadra uses practice to adorn principle, so the fundamental gateway is not abandoned.

Root and branches are of one ultimate reach; ordinary beings and sages share the same source. The conventional is not destroyed in order to reveal the true, nor is the true abandoned in order to establish the conventional.

Endowed with the eye of wisdom, bodhisattvas do not drown in samsara; employing the mind of compassion, they do not stagnate in nirvana. They take the illusory existence of the three realms as the functioning of bodhi; within the ocean of afflictions, they penetrate to the shore of nirvana.

The myriad wholesome deeds are the provisions by which bodhisattvas enter the noble stages; all wholesome practices are the steps that assist the Buddhas in attaining the path of bodhi.

If one has bright eyes but no feet, how can one reach the cool, clear pool? If one attains the true but neglects skillful adaptations, how can one ascend to the realm of sovereign freedom?

Therefore, skillful means and prajna always work in concert; true emptiness and wondrous existence mutually bring each other to completion. The Lotus Sutra gathers the three vehicles and returns them to the One Buddha Vehicle; the myriad wholesome deeds all tend toward bodhi. The Prajnaparamita teaching holds that all things are nondual and that all practices return to the Wisdom of All Modes. Therefore, the Avatamsaka Sutra says:

“A bodhisattva on the Seventh Ground, the Far-Traveling Ground, must cultivate ten kinds of supreme wisdom and skillful means:

1. Although skillfully cultivating the samadhis of emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, through compassion one does not abandon sentient beings.

2. Although one has attained the impartial Dharma of the Buddhas, one always delights in making offerings to the Buddhas.

3. Although one has entered the gateway of wisdom that contemplates emptiness, one still diligently accumulates merit and virtue.

4. Although one has transcended the three realms, one still adorns the three realms.

5. Although one has completely extinguished the flames of affliction, for the sake of all sentient beings one nevertheless causes the three flames of greed, hatred, and delusion to arise and cease.”

6. Although they clearly know that all dharmas are like illusions, dreams, echoes, mirages, magical transformations, the moon reflected in water, and images in a mirror, and that their self-nature is nondual, they nevertheless accord with the thoughts of sentient beings and bring forth immeasurable distinctions.

7. Although they know that all lands are like empty space, they are still able to adorn Buddha lands with wondrous, pure practices.

8. Although they know that the original nature of the Dharma bodies of all Buddhas is bodiless, they nevertheless adorn their bodies with the excellent marks and characteristics.

9. Although they know that the original nature of the voices of all Buddhas is empty, quiescent, and beyond speech, they are nevertheless able to accord with all sentient beings and utter countless wondrous sounds.

10. Although, following the teachings of the Buddhas, they clearly know that the three times are but a single thought, they nevertheless accord with the discriminating understanding of sentient beings and cultivate all practices through every form, every period of time, and every number of kalpas.

The Vimalakirti Sutra says:

“Although practicing emptiness, they still plant roots of virtue; this is the practice of a bodhisattva.

Although practicing signlessness, they still liberate sentient beings; this is the practice of a bodhisattva.

Although practicing nonaction, they still manifest the assumption of bodies; this is the practice of a bodhisattva.

Although practicing nonarising, they give rise to all wholesome practices; this is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

A virtuous master of old asked: “All the myriad practices ultimately return to no-thought. Yet now one sees good and evil, vows to abandon some things and accomplish others, and wearies body and mind. How can this be regarded as the Way?”

The answer was: “To seek no-thought by departing from thought is still not to attain true no-thought. How much more obstructed would one be if one entertained thoughts about no-thought?

Moreover, no-thought is only one practice among all practices. How could one know that a single thought can immediately and perfectly encompass them all?”

As the citations above show, the Buddha’s intent is perfectly clear. How could one remain empty within yet proud at heart, taking a little attainment to be sufficient, like a frog at the bottom of a well scorning the vast ocean, or the flickering light of a firefly wishing to obscure the sun?

Question:

To sever all dependencies, so that both objects and wisdom are empty—this is the ultimate purport of the Buddhas and Patriarchs and the essential path of sages and worthies.

If one speaks of conditioned activity, mind and its objects become clearly established. On the basis of which scriptures, then, do you extensively expound the myriad wholesome deeds?

Answer:

From ancient times to the present, the teachings proclaimed by the Buddha throughout his lifetime have been divided into many schools. Yet, viewed broadly, they do not go beyond the following three schools:

1. The School of Characteristics.

2. The School of Emptiness.

3. The School of Nature.

Among these, the School of Characteristics generally expounds the Buddha Dharma from the affirmative standpoint. The School of Emptiness expounds the Buddha Dharma from the negative standpoint. The School of Nature speaks only through direct pointing, identical to the Sixth Patriarch’s method of “seeing one’s nature and becoming a Buddha.”

Nowadays, without discussing the seeing of one’s nature or understanding the orthodox teaching, people mostly cling either to affirmation or negation and engage in endless disputes. This is entirely because they do not understand the profound, hidden intent of the Buddhas and Patriarchs and merely chase after words.

Within the teachings, affirmative statements explain characteristics on the basis of nature, while negative statements eliminate characteristics in order to reveal nature. The School of Nature alone reveals through direct pointing, neither affirming nor negating.

At present, most people esteem such refutational expressions as “neither Mind nor Buddha, neither Principle nor phenomena,” regarding them as the locus of profundity. They do not realize that these are merely words of refutation, used as medicine to cure the illness of attachment. They take such expedient means as the goal and no longer trust the affirmative teachings of direct pointing. Consequently, they lose what is genuine and become deluded concerning the True Mind. They are like a fool from the state of Chu who sees a chicken and takes it for a phoenix, or children playing by a lake who take tiles and bricks for precious jewels.

They merely follow shallow views and do not investigate the profound intent. If they become confused by teachings of expedient means, how could they know the true destination?

Question:

The Dharma of the three vehicles expounded by the Buddha Tathagatas is solely the Dharma gate of liberation of a single taste. Why, then, extensively discuss the dependent arising, birth, and cessation of the world? The instant one thinks and deliberates, one loses it and no longer accords with True Suchness; the instant a thought arises, one contravenes the essence of Dharma.

Answer:

To speak of a single characteristic and a single taste belongs to the expedient teachings of the three vehicles. From the standpoint of Principle, all causes and conditions are faults. The present compilation, however, reveals only the perfectly interfused tenet: each and every instance of dependent arising is a true virtue of the Dharma realm.

In this meaning, nothing is established and nothing is destroyed; there is neither annihilation nor permanence. Even supernatural powers and transformations are dharmas that are originally thus, not things temporarily made so through supernatural power. Therefore, it is said that whenever a single dependently arisen dharma appears, it is a virtue arising from the self-nature.

The Avatamsaka Sutra says:

“In this Ocean of Worlds of the Flower Treasury, whether mountains or rivers, forests, trees, grains of sand, or motes of dust, every place corresponds to the Dharma realm of True Suchness and is complete with boundless virtues.”

Question:

The Sutra says: “Ordinary beings greedily cling to things.” It also says: “For ordinary beings who cling to characteristics, the Dharma should be taught according to what is appropriate for them.”

If one comprehends the fundamental Principle, the myriad practices are all perfected. Why, then, is there any need to initiate activities involving phenomenal characteristics?

Answer:

These words refute craving, attachment, and grasping; they do not concern phenomenal characteristics arising from causes and conditions.

The Vimalakirti Sutra says:

“Only remove the illness; do not discard the dharmas.”

The Vajrasamadhi Sutra says:

“There are two entrances: the first is entrance by way of Principle; the second is entrance by way of Practice. Use Principle to guide Practice, and use Practice to perfect Principle.”

Furthermore, bodhi is to enter nonpractice through practice. This is because practice consists in cultivating all wholesome dharmas, while nonpractice consists in seeing that all wholesome dharmas lack true existence. How could one remain obstructed in Principle and neglect Practice, or cling one-sidedly to Practice and thereby contradict Principle?

In the Treatise on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana, Bodhisattva Asvaghosha says that the perfection of faith gives rise to three kinds of mind:

1. The Straight Mind: because it rightly contemplates True Suchness.

2. The Profound Mind: because it delights in accumulating all wholesome practices.

3. The Mind of Great Compassion: because it wishes to remove the suffering of all sentient beings.

The Treatise asks: “It was stated above that the Dharma realm has a single characteristic and that the essence of Buddhahood is nondual. Why, then, does one not exclusively contemplate True Suchness, but instead rely upon learning and practicing wholesome dharmas?”

The Treatise answers: “It is like a great mani jewel whose essential nature is bright and pure, yet which is stained by impurities. If a person merely thinks about its precious nature but does not employ various means to cleanse and polish it, its bright nature will ultimately be unable to manifest. In the same way, the Dharma of True Suchness within sentient beings is empty, quiescent, and pure in its essential nature, yet is stained by immeasurable afflictions. If a person merely contemplates True Suchness but does not employ various expedient means to cultivate and permeate the mind, its bright nature will likewise be unable to manifest.

Because the defilements of the afflictions are immeasurable, one must universally cultivate all wholesome practices as antidotes. If a person cultivates all wholesome practices, that person will naturally return to the Dharma of True Suchness.”

In brief, there are four kinds of expedient means:

1. The fundamental expedient practice:

This means contemplating that the self-nature of all dharmas is unborn, thereby departing from erroneous views and not abiding in samsara. One also contemplates that all dharmas arise through the conjunction of causes and conditions, yet the results of karma are never lost.

Therefore, one gives rise to the mind of great compassion, cultivates every merit and virtue, embraces and guides sentient beings, and does not abide in nirvana, in accordance with the non-abiding nature of the Dharma.

2. The expedient means of cessation:

This means feeling shame and remorse for one’s faults and bringing all evil dharmas to an end so that they do not increase. In accordance with the nature of the Dharma, one abandons all errors.

3. The expedient means of giving rise to and increasing wholesome roots:

This means diligently practicing offerings, paying homage to the Three Jewels, praising, rejoicing in, and entreating the Buddhas. Because one’s sincere and generous mind reveres and cherishes the Three Jewels, one’s faith increases, and only then can one resolutely aspire to the unsurpassed Way.

Furthermore, through the empowering aid of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, one can eliminate karmic hindrances, and one’s wholesome roots will not regress. In accordance with the nature of the Dharma, one is freed from the hindrance of ignorance.

4. The expedient means of the great and impartial vow:

This means vowing, until the end of the future, to teach and transform all sentient beings without leaving out a single one, enabling them all to reach ultimate nirvana without remainder. In accordance with the nature of the Dharma, one never ceases or abandons the work of teaching and transformation. Because the nature of the Dharma is vast, impartial, nondual, and universally pervades all sentient beings, one entertains no thought of self and other and is ultimately quiescent.

Dharma Master Farong of Mount Niutou asked:

“All dharmas are ultimately empty; if so, are there bodhisattvas who practice the Six Paramitas and the myriad practices?”

Answer: “That is the dualistic view of followers of the Three Vehicles. If one contemplates that the mind is originally quiescent, this itself is true wisdom; that is, seeing the true Dharma-body. The Dharma-body does not abide in this emptiness but functions through awareness and knowing; this itself is expedient wisdom. Expedient wisdom likewise cannot be apprehended; this itself is true wisdom. These two kinds of wisdom are never separate from each other.

Both the preceding thought and the succeeding thought arise through these two kinds of wisdom. Therefore, it is said that the Perfection of Wisdom is the mother of bodhisattvas, and skillful means is their father. The Guides of all sentient beings are born from these.”

An eminent virtuous master of old asked:

“The mind itself is Buddha; why is cultivation necessary?”

Answer: It is precisely because of this that cultivation is necessary. Just as iron contains no gold, no matter how much it is refined, it can never become gold.

National Preceptor Xianshou said:

“The Buddha’s three bodies, the Ten Paramitas, and all the bodhisattvas’ practices of benefiting others are developed entirely on the basis of one’s own mind. This means that the minds of sentient beings inherently possess the vast essence of suchness; therefore, present cultivation leads to the Dharma-body.

Because the minds of sentient beings possess the vast characteristics of suchness, present cultivation leads to the Reward-body.

Because the minds of sentient beings possess the vast function of suchness, present cultivation leads to the Transformation-body.

Because the minds of sentient beings inherently and fully possess the suchness of the Dharma-nature, which is intrinsically free from greed and stinginess, present cultivation accords with the Dharma-nature’s freedom from stinginess and leads to the Perfection of Giving….”

One should therefore understand that cultivation throughout three asamkhyeya kalpas has never accomplished a single dharma or practice outside the mind.

Why is this so?

Because one’s own mind brings forth pure practice, and cultivation arises from the original nature.

When a precious mani jewel lies submerged in filthy mud, it cannot rain down pearls and gems; when an ancient mirror is covered with dust and dirt, how can it reflect a person’s face? Although the nature of mind has always been perfectly luminous and complete, if one does not use wholesome deeds to reveal it, employ the myriad practices to wipe and polish it, and apply skillful means to enable it to manifest its wondrous functions, the nature of mind will forever remain obscured by adventitious defilements. Submerged in the ocean of consciousness, it gives rise to the delusion of birth and death and obstructs the purity of bodhi.

Thus, the Patriarchs’ teachings are clear: principle and phenomena mutually encompass one another. One should not incline toward one side and drown in the river of fixed views.

Question:

Although good is superior to evil, the moment a thought of it arises, it is contrary to the True Nature. From the standpoint of the Way, neither is liberation. Why, then, extensively exhort people to do good, thereby impeding true cultivation? Involvement in causes and conditions truly obstructs the Way.

Answer:

Both worldly and supramundane teachings take supreme goodness as their foundation. At first, one enters by relying upon goodness; later, one relies upon goodness to aid in bringing cultivation to completion. Goodness is truly the boat that carries one across the ocean of birth and death and the road that leads to the city of nirvana. It is the foundation of humans and devas and the fortress of Buddhas and Patriarchs. Whether one still dwells in the realm of dust or has transcended it, one cannot abandon goodness even temporarily.

What fault is there in the ten wholesome deeds? Their propagation depends entirely upon the person. If one clings to them, their recompense will be rebirth in a deva realm still subject to outflows; if one remains unattached, one will ascend the unconditioned Way. Employing a narrow mind, one falls into the stages of the Two Vehicles; arousing a vast resolve, one advances through the stages of the bodhisattva. Even the ultimate perfection of cultivation and the final attainment of Buddhahood are all founded upon the ten wholesome deeds.

Therefore, one should understand that supreme goodness cannot become a cause that obstructs cultivation. Error or correctness, gain or loss, lies entirely with the practitioner.

Thus, the Avatamsaka Sutra states:

“The ten unwholesome deeds are causes for rebirth among hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals; the ten wholesome deeds are causes for rebirth among humans and devas, up to the Heaven of the Summit of Existence.

Furthermore, those who practice the superior grade of the ten wholesome deeds cultivate by means of wisdom, but because their minds are narrow and inferior, they fear the three realms and lack great compassion. Because they gain understanding upon hearing the voice of another, they enter the Sravaka Vehicle.

Those who practice the superior grade of the ten wholesome deeds cultivate purity and awaken by themselves without instruction from others, but they lack a fully developed mind of great compassion and skillful means. Because they awaken to the profound Dharma of causes and conditions, they enter the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle.

Those who practice the superior grade of the ten wholesome deeds cultivate purity, possess vast and immeasurable minds replete with loving-kindness and compassion, and, embraced by skillful means, give rise to great vows and do not abandon sentient beings. Because they seek the vast wisdom of the Buddhas, they purify the bodhisattva stages, cultivate all the paramitas, and accomplish the bodhisattvas’ vast practices.

Those who practice the highest superior grade of the ten wholesome deeds bring everything to purity, until they attain the Ten Powers and the Four Fearlessnesses and accomplish all the Buddha-Dharmas.

Therefore, as I now practice the ten wholesome deeds impartially, I must cause them all to become perfectly pure. Thus do bodhisattvas accumulate and gather wholesome roots, accomplish wholesome roots, increase wholesome roots, contemplate wholesome roots, recollect wholesome roots, discern wholesome roots, delight in wholesome roots, cultivate and gather wholesome roots, and abide in wholesome roots.

After great bodhisattvas have accumulated and gathered wholesome roots in this manner, they take the direct and circumstantial rewards obtained through practicing these wholesome roots and cultivate the bodhisattva practices. In every thought, they behold immeasurable Buddhas and attend upon and make offerings to them in accordance with the Dharma.”

It further states: “Although doing nothing, one constantly abides in wholesome roots.”

It also states: “Although knowing that dharmas have no basis upon which they depend, one nevertheless teaches that liberation is attained by relying upon wholesome dharmas.”

The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom states:

“The Buddha said: In the past, I too was once an evil person and an insect, but by accumulating goodness, I eventually attained Buddhahood.”

Furthermore, among the Eighteen Distinctive Qualities is the quality called “unwaning aspiration.” The Buddha understands the benefit of wholesome dharmas and therefore always wishes to gather wholesome dharmas; thus, his delight in the Dharma does not diminish. He cultivates and gathers the Dharma without ever feeling satisfied or weary; therefore, his delight in wholesome dharmas does not diminish. Once, an elder bhikshu whose eyesight had grown dim was sewing the hem of his sanghati robe where the thread had come loose. The elder bhikshu said to everyone:

– Whoever delights in creating merit, please thread a needle for me!

At that moment, the Buddha appeared before him and said:

– I am one who delights in merit, never growing weary or feeling satisfied. Give me the needle!

The bhikshu saw the Buddha’s radiance and also recognized the Buddha’s voice. He then said:

– The Buddha has reached the utmost shore of the boundless ocean of merit. Why, then, do you still not know weariness or satisfaction?

The Buddha told the bhikshu:

The fruition of merit is extremely profound, and no one understands the benefit of merit as I do. Although I have reached the utmost shore of merit, it was originally through an aspiration for merit that knew neither weariness nor satisfaction that I attained Buddhahood; therefore, even now I never cease accumulating it. Although in truth there is no merit to be attained, my aspiration does not cease.

At that moment, devas and people of the world were astonished and awakened to this realization: Even the Buddha never grows weary or satisfied with merit—how much less should anyone else!

The Buddha then taught the Dharma for that bhikshu. At that time, the elder bhikshu’s physical eyes immediately became clear, and he attained the wisdom-eye.

It is also said:

“The Buddha declared: If one does not bring sentient beings to accomplishment and does not purify Buddha lands, one cannot attain the unsurpassed path.

Why is this so?

Because when causes and conditions are incomplete, one cannot attain unsurpassed, complete, perfect enlightenment. ‘Causes and conditions’ means all wholesome dharmas.

From the initial arousal of the aspiration and the practice of the paramita of generosity through to the attainment of the Eighteen Distinctive Qualities, within all these practiced dharmas there is no conceptual thought or discrimination.”

Question:

The Tathagata’s Dharma-body is quiescent and pure, but because all sentient beings are obscured by the adventitious defilements, it cannot manifest.

Now one need only cease grasping at conditions, and the waters of concentration will become still and clear. Why must one perform external wholesome deeds, bustling about in a manner contrary to true cultivation and merely creating toil?

Answer:

When the mind is free of contrivance, it manifests in stillness; this is the “revealing cause.” Yet the adornment of merit must arise from conditions. Only when both causes are complete can the essential nature of Buddhahood be accomplished. The Mahayana scriptures record this matter fully.

The Vimalakirti Sutra says:

“The Buddha’s body is the Dharma-body. It is born from immeasurable merit and wisdom; born from loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity; born from generosity, observance of precepts, patience, gentleness, diligent vigor, meditation, liberation, samadhi, extensive learning, wisdom, and the paramitas. Ultimately, the Tathagata’s body is born from eliminating all unwholesome dharmas and gathering all wholesome dharmas.”

This sutra also says:

“Because merit is complete, one does not abide in the unconditioned; because wisdom is complete, one does not exhaust the conditioned. Because of great loving-kindness and compassion, one does not abide in the unconditioned; because one fulfills one’s original vows, one does not exhaust the conditioned.”

What you said above contradicts the perfect teaching and does not accord with the Buddha’s instruction. You are determined to grasp the bonds of nirvana and wish to sink into the deep pit of liberation. Planting lotus flowers upon a high plateau and planting sugarcane in empty space, while hoping to obtain the flowers and fruits of bodhi—how could this be accomplished?

Therefore it is said: “If one enters the unconditioned fixed position, one cannot give rise to the Buddha-Dharma.” It is also likened to this: unless one descends into the great ocean, one cannot obtain the priceless jewel. Likewise, unless one enters the great ocean of afflictions, one cannot obtain the treasure of omniscience.

Question:

Entrance into the Dharma takes non-attainment as its gate, and arrival at the path is guided by the unconditioned. If one performs every wholesome deed and gives rise to a mind of attainment, then, first, does this not contradict the true tenet and, second, impair genuine practice?

Answer:

Because there is non-attainment, there is nothing that is not attained. Because there is the unconditioned, there is nothing that is not done. How could the unconditioned exist apart from all activities? How could non-attainment transcend what is attained?

Attainment and non-attainment are not entirely different; the conditioned and the unconditioned are also not identical. Neither different nor identical—who could call them one or two? Both identical and different, they do not obstruct the myriad distinctions.

If one does not understand the two approaches of identity and difference, one falls into the two views of annihilationism and eternalism. Therefore, the “Transcending the World” chapter of the Avatamsaka Sutra says:

Know that all dharmas’ signlessness is their characteristic, and their characteristics are signless; non-discrimination is discrimination, and discrimination is non-discrimination; what is not existent is existent, and what is existent is not existent; non-doing is doing, and doing is non-doing; not speaking is speaking, and speaking is not speaking—this is inconceivable.

Know that mind is equal to bodhi. Know that bodhi is equal to mind. Mind, bodhi, and sentient beings are equal; yet one does not give rise to inverted mind, inverted perception, or the conditions that produce inversion—this is inconceivable.

In every thought-moment, one enters the concentration of cessation and exhausts all outflows, yet does not realize and enter the true limit, nor does one exhaust the wholesome roots accompanied by outflows. Although all dharmas are without outflows, one knows the exhaustion of outflows and also knows the cessation of outflows.

Although one knows that the Buddha-Dharma is worldly dharma and worldly dharma is the Buddha-Dharma, one does not discriminate worldly dharma within the Buddha-Dharma, nor does one discriminate the Buddha-Dharma within worldly dharma.

Because all dharmas enter the Dharma-realm, there is nowhere for them to enter. Know that all dharmas are nondual and unchanging—this is inconceivable.

Question:

All sentient beings fail to attain liberation because they grasp at provisional names, pursue delusion, and consequently undergo samsara. The Shurangama Sutra instructs sentient beings to still the deluded mind of arising and cessation, return to the nature of awareness, and attain the enlightened, luminous nature that neither arises nor ceases. Taking this mind as the cause of cultivation, they may afterward bring the fruit of realization to complete fulfillment.

Why, then, do you here persistently follow provisional names and discuss wholesome deeds cultivated by a distracted mind? This only increases delusion; how could it benefit those who have newly aroused the aspiration?

Answer:

Names and the emptiness of intrinsic nature are all the true characteristic. They arise solely through conditions and fall into neither existence nor nonexistence.

In the Dharmapada Sutra, the Buddha told the bodhisattva Ratnaprabha:

“You should contemplate the Buddha’s name. If it existed, then merely speaking the name of food to people should make them full. If names were nonexistent, the Tathagata Dipankara could not have conferred a prediction upon me, nor could there be even your own name.

If no prediction had been conferred, I could not have attained Buddhahood. Therefore, know that names have long been suchness; because I am suchness, all dharmas are fully revealed. The nature of names is empty and abides in neither existence nor nonexistence.”

The Avatamsaka Sutra says:

“Just as all dharmas do not discriminate their own nature or discriminate sounds, yet their intrinsic nature is not lost and their names do not perish, so too is the bodhisattva: without abandoning activity, the bodhisattva accords with all the activities of the world, yet has no attachment to either of these two.”

Therefore, without moving from the limit of reality, one establishes every Dharma-gate of cultivation; without destroying provisional names, one perfectly comprehends intrinsic nature.

Question:

Why not simply let oneself be free and at ease, with a mind free of contrivance that accords with the path? Why concern oneself with practicing the myriad practices and stirring up the mind?

Answer:

The eminent virtuous masters of old taught that there are three paths to attaining the fruit of Buddhahood:

1. Transcending language and putting an end to activity, one solely reveals the fruit of the unconditioned Dharma-body.

2. Beginning with practices cultivated gradually, one perfects the fruition-stage over three asaṃkhyeya kalpas.

3. Beginning with the initial realization of principle and wisdom, one reaches the fruit of perfect interfusion and sovereign freedom.

Such is the complete cultivation and realization of those of superior capacity. Although everything is swiftly perfected within a single thought, this does not hinder the practice of the myriad practices. Although one practices the myriad practices, one never departs from a single thought.

If we speak of the point where conceptual feelings are forgotten and one tacitly accords with the truth, all are likewise a single path to Buddhahood. Whether progress is swift or slow depends upon one’s capacity; the Dharma itself has neither before nor after.

Question:

Whatever meets the eye is bodhi, and every step is the Way. Why is there any need to establish some other phenomenal Dharma assembly? It merely wearies body and mind; how could this accord with the wondrous purport?

Answer:

There are two kinds of Dharma assembly:

1. The Dharma assembly of Principle.

2. The Dharma assembly of Phenomena.

The Dharma assembly of Principle pervades innumerable lands. The Dharma assembly of Phenomena refers to a purified and adorned place.

Nevertheless, Principle is revealed through Phenomena, and Phenomena are accomplished through Principle. Although Phenomena are provisional, they embody Principle; there are no Phenomena devoid of Principle. Although Principle is true, it responds according to conditions; thus, there is no Principle that obstructs Phenomena. Therefore, if one wishes to reveal Principle precisely through Phenomena, adornments are necessary. To enter the truth with ease, one relies solely upon establishing phenomenal forms. This is the foundation of reverence and becomes a gateway that encourages diligent cultivation. Upon seeing such forms, the mind is adorned, and both oneself and others benefit.

The Great Calming and Contemplation states:

“Those who have newly aroused the aspiration to cultivate according to the Perfect Teaching may be steadfast in Principle and Contemplation, but they have not yet attained Dharma-patience. [3] They should therefore establish an adorned Dharma assembly in a purified place and, during the six periods of day and night, practice the five methods of repentance in order to repent of the transgressions of the six faculties.

Upon entering the stage of contemplative practice, they simultaneously give importance to wisdom and moral discipline. When Phenomena and Principle are without blemish, they receive the support of the awe-inspiring spiritual power of the Buddhas; true wisdom swiftly manifests, and within a single lifetime they may advance directly to the First Abode.”

The Ritual Procedures of the Upper Capital states:

“Those who take refuge in the Three Jewels must designate the direction, establish the form, and keep the mind fixed upon its object. They need not understand signlessness and freedom from thought.”

Knowing the capacities of ordinary beings beforehand, the Buddha taught them to bind their thoughts to an object, yet even this they cannot accomplish—how much less could they transcend forms? This is like people without magical arts or spiritual powers wishing to construct a palace in empty space; how could they possibly accomplish it?

By relying upon an image of the Buddha as the object and practicing the three contemplations, one will certainly succeed without doubt.”

The Buddha once said:

“After my nirvana, those who are able to contemplate my image are in no way different from being in the presence of my own body.”

The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom states:

“A bodhisattva never grows weary of three things:

1. Never growing weary of making offerings to the Buddhas.

2. Never growing weary of hearing the Dharma.

3. Never growing weary of making offerings to the Sangha.”

Great Master Zhizhe of Tiantai asked:

“In the world, there are practitioners of the teaching of emptiness who cling to a foolish emptiness that does not accord with the scriptures. Upon hearing of this practice of contemplating the mind, they raise the objection:

If the contemplated mind is the universally equal Dharma-body, then all things are equal. Why, then, are scriptures and images treated with reverence, while paper and wood are regarded lightly?

Since reverence and disregard are not equality, and since they are not equality, the meaning of the Dharma-body cannot be established.”

He answered: “Because we occupy the state of ordinary beings, we contemplate through forms in this manner.

In order to reveal that True Mark, we revere scriptures and images of the Buddha, thereby ensuring that wisdom is not fettered; we cause innumerable people to esteem goodness and abandon evil, thereby ensuring that skillful means are not fettered.”

How could this possibly be the same as your erroneous view?

Furthermore, numerous Dharma assemblies are convened; ritual Dharma assemblies are established; mudras are formed and mantras upheld; and all manner of excellent adornments are arranged. Thereupon, signs of realization appear within the Dharma assembly, and the awe-inspiring spiritual power of the Buddhas lends its support. All these practices are essential principles and procedures revealed by the compassionate World-Honored One.

– Some, upon seeing incense, flowers, and beautiful forms, find their virtue of moral discipline increasingly purified.

– Some, upon beholding the bodily form of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra, find the very roots of all their transgressions completely purified.

Because these Dharma practices are complete and fully provided, the Buddha’s Way has continued to flourish throughout the ages. Through the mutual responsiveness manifested in these practices, all those who return and take refuge have a basis upon which to rely.

Therefore, one must follow the instructions of the ancient sages and worthies and practice according to the scriptures. One must not rely upon one’s own erroneous conjectures, destroy merit and wholesome deeds, and consequently fall into a deviant path. By repudiating existence, one becomes entangled in emptiness and needlessly casts oneself into the net of wrong views.

Question:

The Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra states:

“If one sees me through form or seeks me through sound, that person practices a deviant path and cannot see the Tathagata.”

Why, then, is establishing and displaying forms called a Buddha-work?

Answer:

To cease all conditioned activities is the tenet of demolishing attachment to characteristics. To discuss the matter directly and reveal the essence of Principle is the Initial Teaching of the Mahayana. This teaching has not yet perfectly interfused existence and emptiness, nor has it penetrated both Essence and Function.

From the gateway of perfect interfusion without obstruction, however, nature and characteristics interpenetrate; raising a single mote of dust encompasses the entire dharma-dhatu.

The Avataṃsaka Sūtra states:

“Pure gateways of compassion, as numerous as the motes of dust in all lands, together produce one wondrous mark of the Tathagata; all the other marks are likewise. Therefore, those who behold the Buddha never grow weary.”

The Lotus Sūtra states:

“You shall attain such Buddha-dharmas as omniscience and the Ten Powers, be fully endowed with the thirty-two marks, and ultimately attain true nirvana.”

The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra states:

“Non-form is the liberation of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. Form itself is the liberation of the Buddhas, the Tathagatas.”

How could this be the same as ordinary beings clinging to objects and regarding form as real, or the practitioners of the Two Vehicles one-sidedly realizing cessation and regarding it as true?

Therefore, great bodhisattvas behold the Tathagata in all six sense objects, regard the myriad things with equality, and perfectly illuminate the entire dharma-dhatu. Why must forms and reflections first be extinguished before the profound can be realized?

Question:

The mind itself is the Buddha; why seek outside? If one apprehends those external sense objects, does not the Dharma within oneself immediately become concealed?

Answer:

The Dharma-gateways of the Buddhas are not rigidly uniform; they all involve self-power and other-power, individual characteristics and common characteristics.

They are embraced by the Ten Profound Gateways [4] and perfectly interfused through the doctrine of the Six Characteristics. [5] From the perspective of accordance with conditions, they appear to be divided; from the perspective of their principle and nature, they are always united. Objects manifest from the mind, and objects are themselves mind. When the perceived is gathered back into the perceiver, that is precisely this.

An eminent virtuous master of old said:

“If one clings to mind and objects as two, this attachment is refuted by declaring them ‘not two,’ because no sense objects exist apart from the mind. If one clings to mind and objects as one, this attachment is refuted by declaring them ‘not one,’ because causes and conditions are not nonexistent.”

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra states:

“This is established through the awe-inspiring spiritual power of the Buddhas.”

Great Master Zhizhe said:

“Those who contemplate only non-arising believe solely in the benefits brought by the mind and do not believe in the benefits brought by the external support of the Buddha.”

The scripture states: “It is neither within nor without, yet it is both within and without.”

Therefore, inwardly, the liberation of all Buddhas must be sought within the mind-nature and actions of sentient beings; outwardly, all Buddhas bestow their protective mindfulness. Why, then, should one not believe in benefit received from without?

As for the principle of causes and conditions, every gateway of progressive cultivation is accomplished through various conditions; not a single dharma stands alone.

If one’s own power is sufficient, there is no need to rely upon external conditions; if one’s own strength is inadequate, one must depend upon the power of others. For example, when people in the world encounter difficulties in official affairs, if they themselves lack the ability to escape, they must rely upon an influential person to rescue them. Again, when pulling a heavy load, if their own strength is insufficient, they must rely upon the strength of animals before it can be moved. One should simply assess the genuine virtue within oneself; one must certainly not allow attachment to oneself to obstruct others.

Furthermore, if one clings to the assertion that inner power is self-nature; that outer power is other-nature; that the mutual communion of response and stimulus is shared nature; or that what is neither cause nor condition is causeless nature—then all such views are entanglements of attachment, and one has not yet entered the state of perfect interpenetration without obstruction. If one penetrates the true mind, one abides in attachment nowhere at all.

Question:

The sutra says that one should contemplate the true mark of the body in the same way that one contemplates the Buddha. When not a single thought arises, the true mind shines clearly.

Why, then, recite the names of other Buddhas and read and chant the scriptures, with high and low sounds revolving in succession, arising and ceasing one after another? Would this not obstruct meditative concentration and merely pursue sounds? Just as a precious pearl cannot be seen clearly when the water is disturbed, how could one then accord with the truth in silent communion?

Answer:

Sound is the abode of all meanings, and language in its entirety is a gateway leading to liberation. All things converge upon sound. Sound is the Dharma Realm.

The sutra says: “Within each single dharma are contained all dharmas.” Therefore, one should know that a single utterance encompasses everything without exception; the ten Dharma Realms are complete within it, and the principle of the Three Truths is perfectly fulfilled. Why disparage this and esteem that, abandoning forms to seek reality? Because one has not investigated the source of movement and stillness to its utmost, one falls into error regarding speech and silence.

The sutra says that when a single thought first arises, it has no initial characteristic; this is true protective mindfulness. It is unnecessary to extinguish thoughts and eliminate sounds before according with the True Mark. Thus, within the gateway of adorning the myriad practices, nothing is lacking; within the ocean of True Suchness, not even the slightest particle is discarded.

Furthermore, the prescribed periods for recollecting the Buddha are clearly explained in the teachings. By uttering the Buddha’s name once, offenses as numerous as dust and sand are extinguished; by completing ten recollections, one is reborn in the Pure Land, rescued from danger and distress, and freed from karmic obstacles, grievances, and enmities. One not only temporarily escapes suffering but, by relying upon this cause and condition, ultimately enters the ocean of awakening.

Therefore, the Lotus Sutra says:

“If persons with distracted minds

Enter a stupa or temple

And once proclaim, ‘Namo Buddha,’

They have all accomplished the Buddha Way.”

The sutra also says that those who uphold the Buddha’s name receive the shared protective mindfulness of all Buddhas.

The Ratnakuta Sutra says: “When one recites the Buddha’s name aloud, the armies of Mara retreat and disperse.”

The Manjusri Prajnaparamita Sutra says:

“Deluded sentient beings are unable to understand the method of contemplation. Simply instruct them to recollect the Buddha continuously, and they will naturally attain rebirth in a Buddha-land.”

The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom says:

“Suppose a person, from the moment of birth, could travel a thousand miles in a single day and continued in this way for one thousand years, filling every place through which that person passed with the seven kinds of precious treasures.

If that person offered all those seven kinds of treasures to the Buddha, the merit would still not equal that of someone in the later evil age of defilement who recites the word ‘Buddha’ once. The merit of the latter surpasses that of the former.”

The Ekottarika Agama Sutra says:

“A person who offers clothing, food and drink, medicines, blankets, and bedding to all sentient beings throughout Jambudvipa acquires immeasurable merit.

Yet if a sentient being, with wholesome thoughts continuing without interruption, recites the Buddha’s name for the length of time required to milk a cow once, that person’s inconceivable and immeasurable merit surpasses that of the person described above.”

The Avatamsaka Sutra says:

“Abiding in the gateway of recollecting the Buddha with a mind of mastery, one knows that desires and aspirations follow one’s mind, and all Buddhas manifest.”

In the Treatise on the Jewel-King Samadhi, in the section concerning the loud recitation of the Buddha’s name, Venerable Feixi says:

“One who bathes in the great ocean has already used the waters of the hundred rivers; one who recollects the Buddha’s name will certainly accomplish samadhi. Just as a purifying pearl cast into turbid water cannot fail to make that water clear, when the Buddha’s name is cast into a confused mind, that confused mind becomes the Buddha-mind. After communion has been attained, both mind and Buddha are forgotten. Their mutual forgetting is concentration, while their mutual illumination is wisdom. Once concentration and wisdom are balanced, what mind is not Buddha, and what Buddha is not mind? Since mind and Buddha are thus, the myriad objects and myriad conditions are all samadhi. Who, then, would still worry about arousing the mind, stirring thoughts, and loudly reciting the Buddha’s name!”

Therefore, the Sutra on the Differences in Karmic Retribution says:

Loudly reciting the Buddha’s name and chanting sutras produces ten kinds of merit:

1. It can dispel drowsiness and sleep.

2. The heavenly Maras become frightened.

3. The sound resounds throughout the ten directions.

4. Suffering in the three evil paths ceases.

5. External sounds cannot intrude.

6. It keeps the mind from becoming distracted.

7. One becomes courageous and diligent.

8. All Buddhas rejoice.

9. Samadhi manifests before one.

10. One is reborn in the Pure Land.

The Treatise on Resolving Doubts Concerning the Pure Land asks:

“Names and words are empty by nature and cannot explain the various dharmas. Is instructing people to recite the Buddha’s name single-mindedly not like talking about food in the hope of satisfying hunger?”

Answer:

If names and words were useless and could not explain the nature of the various dharmas, then when one called for fire, water ought to come. One should therefore understand that only by relying upon the fish-trap and the snare can one thereby obtain fish and rabbits.

Thus, Brahma King entreated the Buddha to turn the wheel of the true Dharma, and the Buddha, responding to beings’ capacities, explained the wondrous and profound purport. Humans and devas, ordinary beings and sages, all received the true teaching; the four kinds of birth within the six paths alike followed the instructions he left behind. Listening, reading, and chanting bring vast and profound benefit, while reciting and recollecting the Buddha’s name lead to rebirth in the Pure Land. Therefore, one should not deem language, names, and words false and consequently refuse to expound the teaching.

The Treatise asks:

“How can the power of the phrase used to recollect the Buddha eradicate all karmic obstacles?

Answer: It is like a single piece of sandalwood transforming the fragrance of an entire eranda forest extending forty yojanas. It is also like a person using a lion’s sinew as a lute string: as soon as that string is played, all the other strings snap.

If a person practices the Buddha-Recollection Samadhi with the bodhi-mind, all afflictions and all karmic obstacles will be completely eradicated.”

The Mahasamnipata Sutra says:

“For either one day and one night, or seven days and seven nights, do nothing else but recollect the Buddha with the utmost sincerity. If one’s recollection is slight, one sees a small Buddha; if one’s recollection is great, one sees a great Buddha.”

The Prajnaparamita Sutra also says:

“Manjusri asked the Buddha: ‘How can one swiftly attain the path of Perfect Awakening?’

The Buddha replied: ‘There is a gateway called the Samadhi of One Practice that enables one swiftly to attain the path of Perfect Awakening. Those who wish to enter the Samadhi of One Practice must dwell in a secluded place, abandon every distracting thought, refrain from grasping at appearances, fasten their mindfulness upon a single Buddha, and exclusively recite that Buddha’s name. Facing the direction in which that Buddha dwells, they should sit upright.’

One may, in the presence of a single Buddha, maintain continuous mindfulness from thought to thought; thus, within the mind of mindfulness, one can behold the Buddhas of the past, future, and present, who constantly teach the Dharma day and night, their wisdom and eloquence never ceasing.”

Therefore, one should know that the Buddha’s power is inconceivable, wondrous and profound beyond examination, like a magnet attracting iron or water flowing toward a river.

Because of the power of wholesome roots, one beholds such things. For those who sincerely take refuge and turn toward them, the numinous response is evident.

Question:

Whatever has form and appearance is false. If one clings to extraordinary states, they immediately become demonic. Why, then, should one become attached to appearances and arouse a mind that seeks hidden responses?

Answer:

Only when the power of cultivation reaches maturity do sacred states become manifest; when wholesome conditions arise, the Dharma is naturally thus. Therefore, when one is about to realize the Ten Grounds, the excellent marks all appear before one. Thus, through utmost sincerity, one secretly receives empowering protection; yet when the Way is lofty, demons necessarily flourish.

One may enter meditative concentration so deeply that unusual appearances manifest. Or, through earnest worship and recitation, one may temporarily behold auspicious signs. If one clearly understands that they are Mind-Only, then one sees while seeing nothing whatsoever.

If one clings to them, one posits objects outside the mind, and they immediately become demonic affairs; but if one discards them, one repudiates the efficacy of wholesome practices and has no path by which to advance in cultivation.

The Mahayana Treatise says:

“Whether real or false, they are merely the directly perceived objects of one’s own deluded mind. Because they possess no reality, one should not cling to them. Moreover, whether real or false, they are all the one True Suchness and the one Dharma-body. Because there is no distinction, one should not eliminate them.”

The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom says:

“Do not abandon them, because within all dharmas there is power that assists the Way. Do not grasp them, because the true characteristic of all dharmas is ultimately empty, and thus nothing whatsoever can be attained.”

The teachings of the Tiantai School say:

“A doubter may say: ‘The Mahayana is equality; what characteristics are there to discuss?’

What is being said here is not so. Precisely because of equality, when the mirror is clear, the images of all karma appear within it. One should employ the Dharma of Calm-Abiding and Contemplation to settle the mind; as the mind gradually becomes clear and bright, it illuminates all wholesome and unwholesome matters. Just as when a mirror is polished, all images naturally appear.

Therefore, one should know that nonexistence is existence because, lacking intrinsic nature, things arise through conditions; and existence is nonexistence because, arising through conditions, things lack intrinsic nature. When one constantly accords in secret with the realm of truth, the Middle Way is quiescent, joy and sorrow do not arise, the discriminating mind is extinguished, and the mind is open and still, with all thought at rest—how could there be any delusion concerning gain and loss?

Moreover, if one chants the scriptures and receives and upholds the Mahayana, the merit is profound and the resulting recompense wondrous, as the Buddha himself compared in the sutra:

Suppose there were a person whose eloquence was as mighty as that of Manjusri, and who taught all the people throughout the four continents, enabling every one of them to reach the stage of a once-returner destined to succeed to Buddhahood. Yet, when their merits are assessed, that person would not equal one who makes offerings of incense and flowers to the Vaipulya scriptures and thereby obtains a treasure of the inferior grade. Ananda doubted this, whereupon seven Buddhas manifested in person to attest that it was indeed so.

Furthermore, one who practices according to the teachings obtains a treasure of the superior grade; one who receives, upholds, reads, and recites them obtains a treasure of the middle grade; and one who offers incense and flowers obtains a treasure of the inferior grade.

The Lotus Sutra says:

“Suppose one were to make offerings to all sentient beings throughout four million kotis of asamkhyeyas of worlds, even leading them all to attain the path of arhatship, exhaust all outflows, gain mastery in profound meditative concentration, and fully possess the eight liberations; this would still not equal the merit of the fiftieth person who rejoices upon hearing the sutra.”

The sutra also says:

“Wherever a person reads and recites the sutra, that ground is entirely made of vajra. It is only because sentient beings see with ordinary eyes that they cannot perceive it.”

The Record of Southern Mount Gantong states:

“Within the golden stupa of the seven Buddhas is a silver seal. If a person who recites Mahayana sutras has that silver seal stamped upon their mouth, they will never forget or omit anything.”

The Sutra of Contemplation of Samantabhadra says:

“If disciples among the seven assemblies have violated the precepts and wish, in the time of a finger snap, to eliminate offenses that would bring birth and death for hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of asamkhyeyas of kalpas, or even wish to have great bodhisattvas such as Manjusri and Medicine King bring incense and flowers through the sky and present them as offerings, they should cultivate this Lotus Sutra, read and recite the Mahayana, and recollect the practices of the Mahayana, causing that wisdom of emptiness to correspond with the mind.”

The Prajnaparamita Sutra says:

“Dwelling in secluded caves where there are no vicious beasts, one is instructed to listen to the Dharma throughout the six periods of day and night, diligently reading and reciting without raising or lowering the voice, the mind not engaging with external objects, but concentrating solely upon mindful recollection and preservation.”

The Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish says:

“Practitioners who wish to accomplish the Buddha Way must delight in the scriptures and teachings, reading, reciting, expounding, and explaining them. Even when a layperson teaches the Dharma, devas, nagas, and spirits all come to listen; how much more so when a monastic does so.

Even when monastics engage in walking meditation, recite sutras, or proclaim verses, devas always follow them and listen. Therefore, one should diligently recite the sutras and teach the Dharma.”

All the words above are sincere and certain teachings from the Buddha’s golden mouth; they are not false thoughts or empty words.

Therefore, those who read and recite with utmost sincerity will unfailingly experience verification. They constantly receive the secret mindfulness and protection of the Tathagatas of the ten directions and of Sakyamuni Buddha, who praise them, saying, “Excellent!” They extend their hands to stroke their heads, dwell together with them, drape robes over their bodies, accept and entrust them, rejoice in and empower them. Furthermore, spirit kings guard them, celestial immortals attend them, vajra spirits follow and protect them, and Sakra and Brahma scatter flowers in offering. Thus they perfect causes of merit equal to empty space and the Dharma realm.

If their merit were compared, it would surpass even the giving of seven kinds of precious treasures as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.

Such a person may even attain numinous powers while still in an ordinary body; their physical body will not decay, their tongue will turn the color of a red lotus, and their mouth will constantly emit the fragrance of sandalwood.

Upon hearing a single sentence, one will ultimately advance toward bodhi; by reciting half a verse, one gains merit equal to that of the Greatly Awakened One. By copying the scripture, one receives the recompense of rebirth in the heavens of the Desire Realm; by making offerings to one who receives and upholds it, one gains blessings greater than those gained by making offerings to the Buddhas. Truly, the awesome power of the Buddha-Dharma may be called inconceivable! Myriad auspicious signs and a thousand numinous responses are all evoked through it; the Three Stages of the Worthy and the ten sacred stages arise from it. It runs throughout past and present, leading from the state of an ordinary being to that of a sage.

The offerings of the three karmas and the ten modes of receiving and upholding * are all transmitted and preserved without interruption through this true teaching. Why, then, should anyone now give rise to slander and stop the turning of the Dharma wheel?

Question:

The sutras praise only practicing in accordance with the teachings, deeply understanding their meaning, and diligently seeking the supreme capacity for perfect and sudden awakening. When those of great capacity have matured and are free from all hindrances and obstructions, they swiftly awaken and practice the perfect and sudden teaching. If deluded thoughts do not arise, why is it necessary to practice the various methods that assist the Way?

Answer:

As for subtle thoughts, they are exhausted only upon reaching the stage of Buddhahood. Therefore, the preface to the Anban Shouyi Sutra says:

“In the time of a finger snap, the mind changes nine hundred and sixty times. In a single day and night, there are three billion thoughts, each thought having a body, yet the mind itself remains unaware of this, like a farmer sowing seeds.”

Therefore, one should know that the karmic hindrances and defilements of sentient beings are deep and heavy, and it is exceedingly difficult to purify them swiftly. Without the support of myriad wholesome deeds, relying solely on one’s own strength may result in stagnation. Moreover, regarding merit and its rewards, within the universal gateway of cultivation, the myriad practices that adorn the path do not exclude a single Dharma, for all of them can support the Way, reveal great bodhi, and bring to fulfillment the ten kinds of upholding, without any obstruction.

Therefore, the Lotus Sutra says:

“At that time, great bodhisattvas as numerous as the particles of dust in a thousand worlds sprang forth from the earth. Before the Buddha, they all single-mindedly joined their palms, gazed reverently upon the countenance of the World-Honored One, and addressed him, saying:

– World-Honored One! After your parinirvana, in those lands where the emanation bodies of the World-Honored One have passed into extinction, we shall extensively expound this sutra.

Why is this? Because we also wish to attain this great, true, and pure Dharma. We shall receive and uphold, read and recite, explain, transcribe, and make offerings to the Lotus Sutra.”

From this, it may be known that bodhisattvas who have entered the bhumis not only expound and explain the sutras for others but also personally vow to uphold and recite them. How much more, then, should those who have newly aroused the aspiration receive and uphold them!

One should first seek faith, understanding, awakening, and entry, and thereafter cultivate in accordance with the teachings. Expounding with the mouth and reflecting with the mind assist in opening and revealing right wisdom.

If one has not yet thoroughly penetrated the essential purport, one should follow the words of the text. Although one may not yet understand them clearly, one still nurtures wholesome roots, while the power of prajna secretly aids one from beginning to end. Within the true Dharma, even the arising of a single subtle thought becomes an initial cause and will ultimately never be lost.

Question:

To uphold a sutra truly, one should contemplate the True Aspect. Once subject and object have been forgotten, who is the person reciting?

If it is said that the mind and mouth perform the act, then when they are sought, they are utterly unobtainable. When this principle is examined to its ultimate point, from where does the recitation arise?

Answer:

Although one contemplates that both the reciter and the sutra being recited are empty, this emptiness is not annihilative emptiness; therefore, it does not obstruct the existence of the reciter and the sutra being recited. They exist, yet they have no true existence. Being neither “empty” nor “existent,” the principle of the Middle Way is clearly revealed. Clinging to “emptiness” causes one to fall into false emptiness, while grasping at “existence” inclines one toward deceptive dharmas.

Therefore, one mind contains the three contemplations, and the three contemplations abide within one mind. Within the one mind, the three aspects are distinct; within the three aspects, the single essence does not differ. They are neither joined nor separated, neither horizontal nor vertical. They are not bound by existence or nonexistence, nor can right and wrong confine them. They constantly accord in secret with the Three Truths and together return to the One Vehicle. All the gateways of transformation among the myriad practices ultimately return to the True Aspect.

As for the objection that chanting and recitation obstruct meditative concentration: because dhyana gathers the thoughts for a brief period, it is called a supreme wholesome practice. Yet one must understand that when dullness or restlessness arises, the practice should be changed accordingly.

The sutra says:

“If one becomes dull and drowsy while sitting in meditation, one should rise and practice walking meditation and mindfulness of the Buddha; or one should sincerely repent to eliminate karmic hindrances and diligently spur on body and mind. One should not cling rigidly to a single gateway and regard it as ultimate.”

Therefore, Tripitaka Master Cimin said:

“The true meditative concentration taught by the Buddha consists in keeping the mind in one place, thought after thought in unbroken continuity, free from dullness and distraction, and maintaining the mind in equanimity.

If overcome by the hindrance of sleep, one must diligently urge oneself onward, devotedly practice mindfulness of the Buddha, recite sutras, bow in reverence, practice the Way, lecture on sutras, expound the Dharma, and teach and transform sentient beings, without abandoning the myriad practices. All cultivation should be dedicated toward rebirth in the Western Pure Land.

If a person can cultivate meditative concentration in this manner, this is the Buddha’s meditative concentration and accords with the teachings of the sages. This person is the clear-seeing eye of sentient beings; this person receives the seal of approval from all Buddhas.

All Buddhadharmas are equal and without distinction; all rely upon the One Suchness to accomplish unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment.

The scriptures all say that mindfulness of the Buddha is a cause of bodhi. Why, then, would one deludedly give rise to wrong views?”

Therefore, the teachings of the Tiantai School prescribe the practice of the four kinds of samadhi, while the Lesser Vehicle possesses the five contemplations as antidotes. There are also such forms of samadhi as “constantly walking” and “partly walking and partly sitting.” They are by no means invariably restricted to seated meditation.

The Vajrasamadhi Sutra says:

“Neither moving nor abiding in meditative concentration, one departs from the conception of dhyana.”

The Dharmapada Sutra says:

“If one learns the various gateways of samadhi, this is movement, not dhyana. When the mind arises in dependence upon objects, how can it be called concentration?”

The Treatise on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana says:

“If a person cultivates only the practice of calming, the mind may sink into stillness, or indolence may arise, causing one to take no delight in wholesome deeds and to become estranged from the mind of great compassion. Thus, at all times and in all places, one should perform every wholesome deed according to one’s ability, without abandoning cultivation and without allowing the mind to become indolent.

Only while sitting in meditation should one concentrate exclusively upon calming. At all other times, one should contemplate what ought and ought not to be done. Whether walking, standing, lying down, or sitting, one should cultivate calming and contemplation together.”

Therefore, if one can penetrate this principle, one can enter the Way whether the mind is concentrated or scattered. If obstructions arise, both walking and sitting become errors.

Master Huisi of Nanyue said in the Lotus Samadhi Repentance:

“By cultivating the various gateways of meditative concentration, one attains the samadhi of all Buddhas and the purity of the six sense faculties.

A bodhisattva who studies the Lotus Sutra possesses two practices:

– The first is the practice with characteristics.

– The second is the practice without characteristics.

The peaceful and joyful practice without characteristics is profound and wondrous meditative concentration that contemplates the six sense faculties. The peaceful and joyful practice with characteristics follows the Universal Worthy’s Encouragement Chapter: with a scattered mind, one recites the Lotus Sutra without entering dhyana-samadhi. Whether sitting or standing, one single-mindedly recites and recollects the words of the Lotus Sutra. If a practitioner perfects this practice, that person will immediately behold the body of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra.”

Therefore, Great Master Zhizhe practiced the Lotus Samadhi Repentance. While reciting the passage in the Bodhisattva Medicine King’s Self-Immolation Chapter that says, “This is true vigor. This is called the true Dharma offering to the Tathagata,” he suddenly awakened and saw himself as though participating in the Dharma assembly on Vulture Peak.

Furthermore, the secret upholding of mantras brings manifest spiritual responses: protecting the true Dharma, preventing perversity, subduing the armies of Mara, overcoming non-Buddhist teachings, restraining dark karmic hindrances, and curing grave illnesses accumulated over many kalpas. It manifests inconceivable spiritual powers and reveals responses beyond conception. It supports great undertakings and eradicates all calamities. Through the power of the teachings, one can enter the Way in peace.

Therefore, some realize samadhi through mindfulness of the Buddha; some give rise to wisdom through seated meditation; some behold the Dharma body by devoting themselves to sutra recitation; and some enter the realm of the sages solely through practicing the Way.

The sole aim is to attain the Way; one should never cling rigidly to a fixed Dharma gateway. One should rely only upon sincere, single-minded resolve and should not believe false and unreal doctrines.

Question:

Practicing the Way and making prostrations are not sufficient to be called true cultivation. Therefore, the Patriarch pointed out the fault in merely remaining silent and taught that one should cultivate solely in accordance with the principle. The Buddha censured those whose bodies practice the Way while their minds do not, comparing them to an ox turning a millstone.

Therefore, the Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom says: “When Venerable Subhuti awakened to the Dharma of emptiness in his stone chamber, he was called the first person to pay homage to the Buddha.”

The Sutra in Forty-Two Chapters says: “If the mind of the Way is put into practice, what need is there to practice the Way?”

The meaning is clear; why, then, does this seem contradictory?

Answer:

If, while practicing the Way and making prostrations, one does not give rise to a mind of reverence, possesses neither the wisdom of contemplative illumination nor single-minded diligence, and although physically present in the place of practice allows the mind to pursue other objects, clings to conditioned appearances, remains deluded regarding the nature of emptiness, gives rise to a contriving mind, entertains thoughts of self-conceit, and fails to understand the equality of self and others and the empty quiescence of subject and object—if one falls into such faults, one should reproach oneself.

Chan Master Nanquan said:

“The pure and wondrous Dharma-body is complete with the thirty-two excellent marks. It simply does not admit of the discriminations of the measuring mind. If there is no such discriminating mind, then in all one’s actions, even snapping one’s fingers or joining one’s palms, everything is a true cause. Only when all wholesome deeds are alike free of outflows does one attain freedom.”

Venerable Baizhang said: “Practicing the Way, making prostrations, loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity are the proper duties of a śramaṇa.”

Clearly, one should follow the Buddha’s teachings; only attachment is disallowed.

The Lotus Sutra Repentance Ritual says:

“There are two kinds of cultivation:

First is cultivation through phenomena: When making prostrations, reciting, and practicing the Way, one remains single-minded and does not allow the mind and attention to become scattered.

Second is cultivation through principle: The mind that practices and the nature of mind are not two. One contemplates and sees that everything is mind, while the characteristics of mind are not real.”

The Sutra on the Contemplation of Samantabhadra says:

“If anyone, throughout the six periods of day and night, pays homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions, reads and recites the Mahayana scriptures, and reflects upon the profound Dharma of emptiness, the ultimate meaning, then in the time it takes to snap one’s fingers, that person will eradicate the offenses leading to birth and death accumulated throughout hundreds of thousands of millions of nayutas of Ganges-sands of kalpas. One who practices this Dharma is truly a child of the Buddha, born from the Buddhas. The Buddhas of the ten directions and all bodhisattvas are that person’s preceptors.

Such a person is called one fully endowed with the bodhisattva precepts. Without requiring a karman ceremony, these precepts are naturally accomplished. That person should receive the offerings of all humans and devas.”

Furthermore, the single practice of walking meditation is highly esteemed in India: one walks hundreds or thousands of circuits before making a single prostration. The sutras say that those who, for one day and one night, practice the Way with utmost sincerity to repay the four kindnesses will swiftly enter the Way.

The Sutra on the Merit of Circumambulating a Stupa says:

“Through courageous, diligent, firm, and unremitting effort, all undertakings are swiftly accomplished. By circumambulating a stupa, one attains the wondrous golden excellent marks that adorn the body. Becoming at present a teacher of devas and humans is due to the merit of circumambulating stupas.”

The Avatamsaka Repentance Ritual says:

“With every step of walking meditation, one passes through immeasurable worlds; in each and every place of enlightenment, one sees one’s own body.”

Nanshan’s Ritual for Practicing the Way says that one should practice the Way until karmic obstructions are exhausted, without setting a fixed time limit. If one speaks of the complete exhaustion of karmic obstructions, this does not occur until the stage of Buddhahood. Therefore, the practitioner’s mind should be fervent like a blazing fire, while the body should be cautious as though walking upon sharp swords.

This ritual text also says:

“If one has never before cultivated the work of the Way, there is no means by which the excellent marks can become manifest.”

A sutra says:

“Sentient beings are like a blind child in the house of a person of immense wealth: although all kinds of treasures are present, the child cannot see them.”

Now, by exerting oneself in practicing the Way, defilements are removed and the mind becomes pure. It is like diseased eyes being healed; like water settling and becoming clear, or a mirror becoming bright, so that every reflection appears; and like sunlight shining upon a fire-jewel, whereupon the jewel immediately produces fire.

Question:

The true characteristic of all dharmas has no characteristics of good or evil. Why, then, are there manifestations?

Answer:

Although there is no self, no agent, and no recipient, wholesome and unwholesome karma are nevertheless never lost.

The empty characteristics of all dharmas can manifest things possessing form and appearance. One who practices the Way neither thinks in terms of characteristics nor thinks in terms of the absence of characteristics. One need only bring the practice to completion in every thought, and the excellent marks will naturally become manifest. This is like a basin of water placed in a sealed room: although it has no discriminating mind, every reflection naturally appears within it.

Question:

When signs manifest, how can one know whether they are genuine or false? How can one distinguish whether to accept or discard them?

Answer:

To accept them is like accepting empty space.

To discard them is like discarding empty space.

Question:

Why do some people practice for a long time without attaining realization?

Answer:

A sutra says:

“The minds of sentient beings are like mirrors;

When the mirror is soiled, reflections do not appear.”

Question:

A treatise speaks of “recollecting the Buddha while walking and recollecting the Buddha while seated.” What are their respective merits?

Answer:

It is like hoisting a sail against the current: this may still be called making progress. But if one hoists the sail while going with the current, one swiftly reaches the destination. The difference can thus be understood.

Even recollecting the Buddha once while seated can eradicate offenses accumulated throughout eight billion kalpas. How, then, could the merit of both walking and recollecting the Buddha be fully reckoned? Therefore, a verse says:

“Walk in meditation for five hundred circuits,

Reciting the Buddha’s name a thousand times.

By constantly practicing in this way,

One will attain Buddhahood in the Western Land.”

Reverently paying homage to the Buddha subdues ignorance and leads one deeply into the ground of awakening. When reverence reaches its utmost degree, it possesses immeasurable power, like trees breaking and falling or mountains collapsing.

The Sutra on the Differences in Karmic Retribution says:

“If a person kneels and makes a single prostration to the Buddha, then for every particle of dust between that person’s knees and the vajra layer beneath the earth, that person will attain one reign as a Wheel-Turning Sage King and will acquire ten kinds of merit:

1. A wondrous physical form.

2. Speech trusted by others.

3. Fearlessness amid a great assembly.

4. The protection and mindfulness of the Buddhas.

5. Full possession of majestic deportment.

6. The closeness and reliance of all people.

7. The respect and affection of the devas.

8. Full possession of great meritorious rewards.

9. Rebirth in the Pure Land at the end of life.

10. Swift attainment of nirvana.”

Tripitaka Master Ratnamati said:

“One who makes prostrations by bringing forth pure wisdom reaches the realm of the Buddhas; therefore, wisdom manifests clearly and penetrates the Dharma-realm, which is fundamentally unobstructed. Since beginningless time, we have followed worldly conventions, regarding dharmas that do not truly exist as existent and regarding what is unobstructed as obstructed. Now, having thoroughly realized that one’s own mind is open, empty, and unobstructed, one pays homage to the Buddha in accordance with the direct perception of the mind. To bow to one Buddha is to bow to all Buddhas; to bow to all Buddhas is to bow to one Buddha.

This is because the essence and function of the Buddha’s Dharma-body interpenetrate without obstruction. Therefore, a single prostration immediately pervades the entire Dharma-realm. The same applies when offering various kinds of incense and flowers to the Buddha. Regard all sentient beings of the four modes of birth within the six paths as Buddhas.”

Bodhisattva Manjusri said:

“Because the nature of mind neither arises nor ceases, one does not engage in contemplative thought while paying homage. Inwardly, one practices equality; outwardly, one accords with the cultivation of reverential homage. When inward and outward correspond, this is called the homage of equality.”

The Lotus Sutra Repentance Ritual says:

“At the very moment of prostration, although neither the mind that bows nor the Buddha who is bowed to can be apprehended, their reflected forms manifest throughout the Dharma-realm. Therefore, before each and every Buddha, one sees one’s own body making prostrations.”

The teachings of the patriarchs cited briefly above clearly elucidate both phenomena and principle. One must not undermine the Buddha’s intent, slander the scriptures, or rely solely upon one’s own partial views and thereby damage the Buddha’s perfectly integrated teaching.

Question:

Bodhisattva Manjusri said:

“Because the essence of mind is like empty space, one does not engage in contemplative thought when paying homage.”

Why, with regard to the profound scriptures, does one neither listen to nor receive and uphold them, yet instead cling to appearances by reciting names, bowing to the Buddha, and following written words in urging the recitation of sutras, thereby going against the teachings of the Great Beings and losing the profound intent of the Buddhas?

Answer:

Although that teaching is presented from the standpoint of the essential principle, without phenomena the principle cannot be revealed; practice must proceed through phenomena. Moreover, there is no essential principle that is not perfect and complete. Only when phenomena and principle bring each other to fulfillment can this intent be revealed.

When it is said that the mind is like empty space and that, while paying reverence, one neither contemplates nor reflects, this is intended to eliminate the view that grasps at subject and object.

Why is this so?

Since the mind is like empty space, one sees neither a person who pays reverence—the revering subject—nor a Buddha to be contemplated or reflected upon—the revered object. Thus, there is no Buddha who is being revered. Therefore, while paying reverence, it is not merely before one Buddha or two Buddhas; rather, the mind is like empty space and the body pervades the Dharma-realm.

The phrase “neither listening nor receiving and upholding” means:

When there is no listening, there is no meaning of the Dharma to be contemplated. When there is no receiving and upholding, written characters cannot record it. Upholding the sutras in this manner is then uninterrupted.

This is also the meaning of the speaker of the Dharma presenting nothing and the listener obtaining nothing. Nevertheless, from the standpoint of the essential principle, the principle is not apart from phenomena; since it is not separate from phenomena, phenomena themselves abide within the principle.

This means that in the very act of bowing, no bowing is seen, and in the very act of upholding a sutra, no upholding of a sutra is seen. One must not adhere merely to words without relying upon their meaning and thereby give rise to a one-sided view of annihilation.

Question:

Although the Dharma-gate of the Six Recollections and the ten kinds of contemplative signs are said to assist the Way, they involve thoughts conditioned by sense objects, and the moment they arise, they depart from reality. How can these compare with pure mindfulness?

Answer:

The Dharma-gate of no-thought is the destination of all cultivation, but only the Buddha has completely purified even the subtlest thoughts.

Therefore, a sutra says:

“The three ranks of Worthies and the ten stages of Sages still dwell in lands of karmic recompense; only the Buddha dwells in the Pure Land.”

How much more is this true of those who remain at the stage of ordinary beings, particularly those who have only recently aroused the aspiration! Without Dharma-gates that assist the Way, one cannot reveal the true Way by relying on it alone.

Furthermore, the Dharma-gate of the Six Recollections can dispel the delusions of demons, increase merit, and provide assistance and encouragement for the arising of wholesome roots. The Dharma-gate of the Ten Contemplations skillfully leads one away from craving and attachment, gradually purifies turbid thoughts, and brings one into silent accord with the source of truth.

All these are essential teachings for entering the Way and wondrous standards for the cultivation of meditation. They are like a staff that supports one through dangerous places and like a boat that carries one to the other shore. When the work is fully accomplished, both boat and staff are relinquished.

Question:

The Shurangama Sutra says:

“Keeping the precepts and violating the precepts bind only the body; if there is no body, there is nothing to bind.”

The Dharmapada says:

“The nature of the precepts is like empty space; those who uphold the precepts are deluded and inverted.”

Why, then, endure hardship by clinging rigidly to phenomenal practices that constrain body and mind, instead of proceeding freely, unhindered, and at ease toward the Buddha Way?

Answer:

Those words were spoken to eliminate attachment; they were certainly not intended to tell people to cast aside the virtue of the precepts.

If one sees oneself as observing the precepts and others as violating them, and consequently gives rise to a disparaging mind, then although the precepts were originally established to prevent transgressions, one instead uses them to increase one's faults. A person like this is truly deluded and inverted.

The Vimalakirti Sutra says:

“Neither the practice of purity nor the practice of defilement—this is the practice of a bodhisattva.”

Therefore, one should not cling to either of the two extremes of observance and violation. This alone is the true keeping of the precepts.

The Great Prajnaparamita Sutra says:

“A bhikshu who keeps the precepts does not ascend to heaven. A bhikshu who violates the precepts does not fall into hell.

Why? Because within the Dharma-realm there is neither observance nor violation.”

This teaching also eliminates attachment so that one may realize the emptiness of the nature of all dharmas. When the precepts are upheld in both phenomena and principle, body and mind are both purified.

As for acting freely and unhindered, only the Buddha maintains perfectly pure conduct in the precepts; all others are called violators of the precepts.

Those who still possess habitual tendencies are drawn along by external objects. Once their afflictions become active, how can they escape the bonds of external things?

The three karmic activities of body, speech, and mind are difficult to guard, for one has long been accustomed to heedlessness. They are like a drunken elephant that cannot be subdued without an iron hook, like a foolish ape in a tree leaping wildly from branch to branch, or like a bird confined in a cage fluttering and darting about. Without the water of meditative concentration, the fragrance of the precepts, and the torch of wisdom, there is no way to render the mind tranquil and luminous.

Therefore, bodhisattvas honor the precepts as their teacher and faithfully follow the Buddha's teachings. Even when they commit a minor fault, they feel great fear. They act with care, purify themselves, and violate neither the major nor the minor precepts. In this way, they put an end to the world's criticism and discontent and avoid giving rise to doubt and slander toward the Buddhadharma.

The precepts are the very root of the myriad wholesome deeds. Without the precepts, no wholesome merit can arise.

The Shurangama Sutra says:

“The precepts can bring forth the bodhi-mind, and cultivation and study nurture merit. Those who constantly uphold the precepts and cultivate and study will be praised by all Tathagatas.”

The Sutra of Satyaka Nirgrantha says:

“If one does not uphold the precepts, one will not obtain even the scab-ridden body of a jackal, much less the meritorious Dharma-body!”

The Samadhi of the Moon Lamp Sutra says:

“Though one be of noble birth, widely learned, and broadly knowledgeable, without the precepts and wisdom one is no different from a beast. Though one be of lowly station, with little learning and shallow knowledge, if one preserves pure conduct in the precepts, one is worthy of being called an eminent person.”

The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom says:

“If a person casts aside the precepts, then even if that person dwells deep in the mountains practicing austerities, eating fruit, and wearing leaves and grass, that person is no different from a beast. If another person lives in a lofty and spacious house, eating fine food and wearing beautiful clothing, yet is able to practice the precepts, that person will in the future be reborn in a wholesome destination and will likewise attain realization of the Way.”

Moreover, for grave illnesses, the precepts are excellent medicine. Amid dread and terror, the precepts are a strong refuge. In places of darkness, the precepts are a bright lamp. Within the three evil destinies, the precepts are a bridge for crossing the river. In the ocean of birth and death, the precepts are a great ship of deliverance.

Now, in the age of the decline of the Dharma, many within the Chan school and among practitioners of the Mahayana belittle the precepts, claiming that strict observance merely constitutes attachment to petty practices. Consequently, they easily become negligent regarding the precepts.

Therefore, in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, when the Buddha was about to enter nirvana, he urged practitioners to diligently protect and uphold the precepts. Those who expound the doctrine of Buddha-nature place equal importance on the cultivation of the precepts, wisdom, and liberation. For this reason, people call the Mahaparinirvana Sutra the precious treasure that sustains the life of Buddhism.

Why is this so?

Without this sutra, liberation would exist only on people's lips. If no one actually practices, both wisdom and the precepts will be lost.

Therefore, the sutra says: “If the precepts are not pure, right concentration will not manifest.”

From meditative concentration arises wisdom; through phenomena, principle is revealed. If right concentration is lacking, how can wisdom be attained? Thus it is fully known that through observing the precepts one attains concentration, and through concentration one attains wisdom.

Therefore, it is said that the Mahaparinirvana Sutra is the treasure that sustains the life of Buddhism.

Why, then, do people now diminish the lifespan of Buddhism, destroy the true rules and discipline of the precepts, willingly become corpses in the ocean of harmony, and turn into poisonous trees in the garden of the Elder Sudatta?

By acting thus, they are only reproached by the sages and rebuked by the devas. Not only do benevolent spirits refuse to draw near them, but evil demons also obliterate their footprints. Such people, while dwelling in the king's domain, are thieves and bandits in life, and after death fall into hell.

Those endowed with wisdom should carefully consider this!

Question:

The intrinsic nature of transgression is empty, and karma is originally suchness. Clinging to phenomenal forms only adds further blemishes; what need, then, is there for repentance?

Answer:

With regard to afflictions, they may be overcome through awakening to the principle of intrinsic nature; but with regard to suffering and karma, one must practice repentance through phenomenal forms, sincerely turning toward and bowing before the Three Jewels.

Thereby, through the responsive blessing of the Buddha's power, wholesome roots are swiftly brought forth. It is like a lotus in a pond blooming when illumined by sunlight, or a tarnished mirror becoming bright through polishing. The three obstacles are removed, the twelve links of dependent origination are extinguished, all transgressions dissolve, and the five-skandha body returns to emptiness and quiescence.

The Sutra of the Most Victorious King says:

“Those who wish to attain All-Knowing Wisdom, Pure Wisdom, Inconceivable Wisdom, Unmoving Wisdom, and the unsurpassed Wisdom of the Buddha must also practice repentance in order to eradicate karmic obstacles.

Why? Because all dharmas arise through the conjunction of causes and conditions.”

The sutra also says:

“The preceding thought gives rise to transgressions, like clouds and mist covering empty space; the succeeding thought eradicates transgressions, like torchlight dispelling darkness.” One should know that once the torch is extinguished, darkness immediately closes in again. Therefore, one must continually keep this torch of repentance alight.

The Sutra of Maitreya's Questions Concerning His Original Vow says:

“Bodhisattva Maitreya practiced skillful means, cultivated the practice of peace and bliss, and attained the unsurpassed Buddha Way. During the six periods of day and night, the Bodhisattva adorned body and mind, arranged his robes properly, knelt with his knees touching the ground, faced the ten directions, and recited this verse:

“Today I repent of all transgressions,

And exhort and assist everyone to practice virtue;

To take refuge in the Buddha and Dharma and reverently worship all Buddhas,

So that they may attain unsurpassed wisdom.”

The Mahasamnipata Sutra says:

“A garment soiled for hundreds of thousands of years can be washed clean in a single day. Likewise, unwholesome karma accumulated over a hundred kalpas can, through the power of the Buddha's Dharma and by skillfully directing one's contemplation accordingly, be entirely dissolved in a single day, even in a single moment.”

The sutra also says:

“Among all kinds of merit, repentance is supreme, because it can destroy great obstacles and bring about great good.”

A treatise says:

“When bodhisattvas practice repentance, even they are moved by compassion to tears. How much more so should ordinary beings repent? If they did not rely upon the method of repentance established by the Great Sage, they would surely cling fast to their transgressions until death and suffer calamities for many kalpas.”

The Mahavibhasa Treatise says:

“If, at a single time before the Buddhas of the ten directions, a person practices the five methods of repentance on behalf of all sentient beings, then, if that person's merit possessed form and measure, even the entire three-thousand-great-thousand world system could not contain it.”

The Biographies of Eminent Monks records that Master Tan Ce practiced the method of repentance in a Dharma sanctuary and personally beheld the seven Buddhas of the past, who told him: “Your transgressions have been extinguished. During the Bhadrakalpa, you will attain Buddhahood with the name Universal Radiance.”

While practicing the Vaipulya repentance method, Chan Master Huisi once dreamed that forty-nine eminent Indian monks instructed him to receive the precepts anew. Thereafter he practiced austerely and with still greater diligence, and ultimately clearly perceived his own three lifetimes.

While practicing the Lotus Sutra repentance at Mount Dasu, Great Master Zhikai attained Unhindered Eloquence (Revolving Dharani Eloquence).

While the sramana Daochao was practicing the method of repentance in a Dharma sanctuary, he laughed to himself and said: “Today I have obtained the priceless precious jewel.”

Dharma Master Ying of the Eastern Capital lectured on the Avatamsaka Sutra. When he came to the Shandao Dharma sanctuary, he immediately entered right concentration and wept sorrowfully, lamenting: “I regret that for so many years I have wasted my time and needlessly wearied body and mind.”

The eminent monk Huicheng studied and investigated the entire Tripitaka, but Chan Master Nanyue Huisi rebuked him:

“You have spent your whole life in learning, yet even if you warmed your hands at my fire, they might not become warm; moreover, you have neglected the work of cultivation.”

The Chan master instructed him to enter the Avalokitesvara Dharma sanctuary and practice. Before long, he realized the Samadhi of Understanding the Languages of All Sentient Beings.

The sutra says:

“If someone filled the whole of Jambudvipa with the seven kinds of precious substances and offered them to the Buddha, while another person practiced the noble method of repentance during the six periods of day and night, the merit of the latter would far surpass that of the former.”

The sutra also says:

“Sentient beings must not give rise to the thought that it is difficult to encounter the Buddha.”

Born in this present age of the Dharma's decline, we see only the remaining images of the Buddha. By principle, we should be solemn and reverent, shedding tears and lamenting sorrowfully, as though entering an ancestral shrine but not seeing one's venerable father. Thus Chan Master Nanyue Huisi practiced the Vaipulya repentance method and clearly perceived three lifetimes; the eminent monk Tan Ce entered the Dharma sanctuary and personally received a prediction of Buddhahood. Master Zhizhe attained Unhindered Eloquence, and the sramana Daochao obtained the priceless precious jewel.

All of them, through utterly sincere repentance and acting in accordance with the Buddha's words, brought about wondrous responses and swiftly ascended to the fruit of sagehood.

This Dharma gate of repentance must be practiced even by those at the stage of Equal Enlightenment, for it is said that one remaining portion of ignorance is like a wisp of fine smoke and must be completely cleansed away. Even Dharma-body bodhisattvas diligently practice repentance; how much more so must ordinary beings, whose bodies are bound by karmic power, be defiled?

Among the Eighteen Distinctive Qualities, only the Buddha possesses the complete purity of the three kinds of karma.

Great Master Nanyue said:

“To cultivate the repentance of the six sense faculties is called the conditioned practice of peace and bliss; to directly contemplate the emptiness of dharmas is called the formless practice of peace and bliss. When realization is attained, both practices are relinquished.”

Question:

The bondage of karmic power is the source of liberation, while evil and defilement do not abide in the three periods of before, after, and between. Why not penetrate non-arising and extinguish them immediately, instead of following phenomenal activities and undertaking troublesome practices?

Answer:

The intrinsic nature of transgression has no real substance; all wholesome and unwholesome karma arises through engagement with external conditions. Although sentient beings are undefiled, they become defiled, for defiled habitual tendencies are not nonexistent; although they are attached, they are unattached, for they have always been originally pure.

Such is the intrinsic nature of karma: it is difficult both to eliminate and to grasp. The karma of all sentient beings extends throughout the three times of past, present, and future.

True wisdom cannot manifest because it is bound by the afflictive hindrances and the cognitive hindrances. Profound meditative concentration cannot be attained because it is obscured by the Five Hindrances. The perfect teaching of the Buddha Vehicle requires everyone, in a pure place, to solemnly establish a Dharma site and, with earnestness and utmost sincerity, diligently cultivate the practice of repentance on behalf of all sentient beings.

Inwardly relying upon one’s own strength and outwardly depending upon the power of the Buddha, one will certainly be able to extinguish the afflictions and cause wisdom to manifest, like the moon shining brightly when the clouds disperse.

Therefore, it is neither within nor without, because both the practitioner of repentance and the objects of repentance are empty; yet it is both within and without, because transgressions by nature and transgressions by prohibition are clearly distinguished.

Thus, bodhisattvas all follow the Buddha’s teaching concerning repentance for past offenses, yet they do not assert that the past truly exists. Moreover, even after attaining the stages of a bodhisattva, one must still cleanse away defilements; how much more so must an ordinary person whose thoughts are scattered do so? How could such a person merely speak empty words and sit with folded arms, refusing to practice?

Question:

The Vimalakirti Sutra says:

“By its original nature, wrongdoing is neither within, nor without, nor in between.”

Could these possibly be empty words intended to deceive us? Why cling stubbornly to disbelief, slander the true Dharma, and maintain that karmic action is the root of wrongdoing?

Doing so merely compounds one’s errors!

Answer:

The Buddha’s teachings are true, and principle and phenomena are clearly revealed; they can dispel doubts and skillfully resolve delusion. If people possess profound faith, then upon hearing one teaching they awaken to a thousand; practicing in accordance with the teaching, they can eliminate their former faults and refrain from committing further errors thereafter.

With every step they contemplate and illuminate; with every thought they remain free from error. This shows that their former habitual tendencies are slight and their roots of goodness are deep. They cultivate both wisdom and discipline, while principle and practice mutually support each other. In this way, they deeply comprehend the Dharma and firmly uphold the Buddha’s teachings. Without needing to perform repentance through phenomenal forms, faults naturally cease to arise.

But if their defilements are heavy, their karmic hindrances deep, and their wisdom and virtue shallow, while they merely entertain the empty thought, “By their original nature, all offenses are neither within, nor without, nor in between,” then, when examined in actual practice, their three kinds of karma remain completely immersed in the sense faculties and their objects. It is like speaking of delicious food while one’s stomach ultimately remains hungry, or merely reading a prescription and expecting an illness to be cured.

If offenses could be eliminated merely by seeking after words, all those bound by karma should easily attain liberation. Why, then, are they carried through birth and death for countless kalpas like a whirling wheel of fire?

Therefore, one should know that the sea of karma is boundless and difficult to cross without the vessel of prajnaparamita; the mountain of hindrances towers aloft—how could it be shattered without vajra wisdom? Only thereafter can body and mind become one, principle and phenomena proceed together, the seeds of suffering be burned away, and the cords of karmic bondage be severed.

Therefore, the patriarch said:

“Make the mind like empty space and accord with principle as empty space, without even retaining a conception of empty space. Only thus can one transcend the consequences of mutual debts and repayments.”

The teachings also say, “The mind is pure like empty space.” This has two meanings:

– First, it is free from false attachments, like clear and pure empty space unobscured by clouds.

– Second, when encountering objects, it does not become entangled, like clear and pure empty space in which no obstruction arises.

Once mind and objects are open and empty, from where could wrongdoing and defilement arise?

Only one who attains this can be called a person who practices in accordance with the Dharma. Such a person does not even perceive the absence of wrongdoing, much less the presence of faults.

Furthermore, that the original nature of wrongdoing is intrinsically pure refers to purity in essential nature; to accord with the principle and not follow sensory objects is purity through expedient means.

Purity through expedient means reveals purity in essential nature. Purity in essential nature brings purity through expedient means to fulfillment. Purity through expedient means is achieved through diligent practice, cultivation, and correction. Purity in essential nature comes from the complete illumination of lucid awareness.

Root and branches accord with one another, and inner and outer mutually support each other. Therefore, phenomena and principle must assist each other to perfect these two kinds of purity.

Practice both the primary and auxiliary aspects of repentance in order to realize the One Mind. If one merely recites empty words, one truly contradicts the teaching and becomes a slanderer who lacks faith.

The Nanshan Commentary on the Four-Part Vinaya records:

Question: Some say, “Neither wrongdoing nor the absence of wrongdoing can be apprehended; this is called moral discipline.” What does this mean?

The commentary answers, “The absence of wrongdoing is not taught to people of wrong views and coarse minds.”

If people penetrate deeply into the characteristics of all dharmas and cultivate the right concentration of emptiness, then, because they observe with the eye of wisdom, it is said that “wrongdoing cannot be apprehended.” But if they see only with the physical eye, they are no different from cattle and sheep.

Those who merely repeat the words of the Mahayana scriptures are hardly worthy of our reliance.

Therefore, in terms of principle, one contemplates the Truth of Suffering; in terms of phenomena, one undertakes auxiliary practices. It is like the wind driving a boat swiftly to its destination, or oil making a flame shine even more brightly. How could this be the same as those who merely utter empty words without any actual realization, deceiving others and drowning themselves, ultimately falling into Avici Hell? When they relinquish one life and assume another body, their consciousness falls into the net of karma.

Question:

The Pure Land of Mind Only pervades the ten directions; why, then, entrust one’s substance to a lotus pedestal and commit one’s body to the Land of Peace and Bliss? If thoughts of taking and rejecting arise, how can one enter the gate of non-arising? Once feelings of attraction and aversion arise, how can equality be realized?

Answer:

When it is said that the minds of sentient beings are themselves the Buddha-land, this Buddha-land appears only after one has thoroughly realized one’s own mind. The Sutra of the Inconceivable Realm of the Tathagata says:

“All Buddhas of the three periods do not truly exist; they are established only in dependence upon one’s own mind. If a bodhisattva can thoroughly realize that all Buddhas and all dharmas are only manifestations of mind, that bodhisattva attains the Patience of Conformity, or enters the First Ground, swiftly relinquishes the present body, and is born in the world of Wondrous Joy, or is born in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.”

Therefore, one should know that only by realizing one’s own mind can one be born in the Pure Land of Mind Only. If one is attached to things, one merely falls among the things to which one clings. Only after clearly understanding that cause and effect never err does one know that no dharma exists outside the mind.

Moreover, regarding the gate of equality and the purport of non-arising, although everyone may rely upon the doctrinal teaching to give rise to faith, ultimately their strength is insufficient, their contemplation shallow, their thoughts agitated, sensory objects powerful, and habitual tendencies heavy. Therefore, they must be born in a Buddha-land, where, relying upon superior conditions, they can easily perfect the power of patience and swiftly cultivate the bodhisattva path.

The Treatise on the Awakening of Faith says:

“Sentient beings who have only begun to study this Dharma wish to seek true faith, yet their minds are weak and fearful. Because they dwell in the Saha world, they fear that they may not always encounter the Buddhas and make offerings to them, and fear that their faith will be difficult to perfect, so they intend to retreat. They should know that the Tathagata possesses an excellent expedient means for safeguarding faith. That is, through the cause and condition of single-mindedly recollecting the Buddha, they may, in accordance with their vows, attain rebirth in a Buddha-land of another direction, constantly behold the Buddha, and forever depart from the evil destinies.”

As stated in the sutra, if a person single-mindedly recollects Amitabha Buddha in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss and dedicates all roots of goodness cultivated to the aspiration for birth in that land, that person will attain rebirth there. By constantly seeing the Buddha, that person will ultimately attain non-retrogression.

If a person contemplates the true suchness of Amitabha Buddha’s Dharma-body and constantly practices with diligence, that person will certainly attain rebirth there in the end and abide in right concentration.”

The Treatise on Rebirth says:

“Those who journey into the hells do so because, having been born in that land and attained patience with the non-arising of dharmas, they then return to the world of birth and death to teach and transform beings in the hells and deliver suffering beings. For this reason, one seeks rebirth in the Pure Land.”

The Treatise on Ten Doubts says:

“Wise people vigorously seek birth in the Pure Land because they thoroughly understand that the essential nature of birth is unreal, which is true non-arising. This means that because the mind is pure, the Buddha-land is pure. Foolish people are bound by birth: when they hear of birth, they regard it as real birth; when they hear of non-arising, they regard it as real non-arising. They do not understand that birth itself is non-arising and non-arising itself is birth. Because they fail to penetrate this principle, they engage in mutual disputes over right and wrong. Such are people of wrong views who slander the true Dharma.”

The Treatise Resolving a Multitude of Doubts asks:

“The lands of all Buddhas are empty, and beings are contemplated as illusory transformations. Why, then, cling to conditioned appearances, abandon this place, and seek birth in another?”

Answer:

When the Buddhas teach the Dharma, they never depart from the Two Truths. When the conventional truth is embraced within the ultimate truth, all conventional truths are the ultimate truth; when the ultimate truth is approached through the conventional truth, the myriad dharmas are distinctly apparent.

The sutra says: “Accomplish all dharmas while transcending the characteristics of all dharmas.” To accomplish all dharmas refers to the dharmas of the conventional truth. To transcend all dharmas refers to the absence of characteristics in the truth of the ultimate meaning.

The sutra also says:

“Although one knows that the lands of all Buddhas and all beings are empty, one constantly cultivates the practices of the Pure Land and teaches and transforms all beings.”

You have heard only the teaching of the perfected nature of the absence of characteristics and the ultimate principle of emptiness, which refutes the imagined nature of attachment, but you do not believe the teaching of causality and the other-dependent nature. Thus, you are one who does not believe in cause and effect and speaks only of the annihilation of all dharmas.

The Mahayana Treatise says:

“Bodhisattvas do not wish to be separated from the Buddhas. They all say: ‘When cultivating on the causal ground, I encountered evil teachers and companions. Consequently, I disparaged prajnaparamita and fell into the evil destinies, passing through immeasurable kalpas without attaining release.

In a later life, I gained the opportunity to rely upon a virtuous spiritual friend, who taught me the Samadhi of Recollecting the Buddha. At that time, I was immediately able to eradicate all karmic obstructions and attain liberation. Because there is such immense benefit, we do not wish to be separated from the Buddha.’”

Therefore, a verse in the Avatamsaka Sutra says:

“I would rather pass through immeasurable kalpas,

Enduring every kind of suffering,

Than ever be separated from the Tathagata

And fail to encounter the Self-Mastered One.”

Question:

A person commits evil throughout an entire lifetime because of ignorance, accumulating deeply rooted unwholesome causes. How can merely uttering the Buddha’s name for ten recollections at the time of death swiftly overcome all afflictions and evil karma?

Answer:

The Sutra of the Bhiksu Nagasena says:

“The king asked Nagasena:

‘A person in the world may commit evil until reaching one hundred years of age, yet if that person merely recollects the Buddha when approaching death, it is said that after death the person can be born in a Buddha-land. I do not believe this.’

Nagasena replied:

‘Suppose one were to place one hundred large stones in a boat. Because the boat has buoyancy, they would not sink. Although a person formerly committed evil, once that person recollects the Buddha, that person will not fall into hell.

Conversely, even a small stone will sink. This resembles a person who creates evil karma but does not know to recollect the Buddha and therefore falls into the sufferings of hell immediately after death.’”

The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom asks:

“When I am about to die, I bring forth the resolve to recollect the Buddha for only a very brief time. How can this surpass all the karmic power created throughout an entire lifetime?”

Answer:

Although the mind that brings forth recollection of the Buddha lasts only an instant, at times its power is intense, like a spark of fire or poison: though small in quantity, it can produce a tremendous effect.

This mind of recollecting the Buddha at the time of death is courageous, resolute, and powerful, and therefore surpasses all the deeds performed throughout one’s lifetime. (A person who has committed evil throughout life, upon being instructed by a virtuous spiritual friend at the time of death, awakens, regrets and repents of the offenses committed, and wholeheartedly recollects the Buddha, thereby receiving the Buddha’s deliverance—the translator’s note.) This mind is called the vast mind.

Because the faculties are under urgent pressure, like a person charging into battle without regard for body or life, it is called powerful. Therefore, good and evil are not fixed, and the nature of causes and conditions is empty. Yet, speaking from the standpoint of their traces, there are ascent and descent; viewed from the standpoint of phenomenal characteristics, there are superiority and inferiority.

One measure of pure gold surpasses a hundred catties of flower foil; a single small spark can burn away a pile of grass ten thousand fathoms high.”

Question:

Within the mind of a person there are no dharmas, and the Buddha neither comes nor goes. How, then, can beings see the Buddha coming to welcome and escort them?

Answer:

Recollect the Buddha as mind-only. Because contemplation is performed through mind-only, it pervades the myriad dharmas. Once one penetrates that perceived objects are only mind and clearly understands that mind itself is Buddha, then whatever one recollects in the mind is entirely Buddha.

The Pratyutpanna Samadhi Sutra says:

“It is like a person who dreams of seeing the seven kinds of precious treasures and whose relatives rejoice, but upon awakening and recalling the dream, does not know where those treasures are. Recollecting the Buddha is likewise.”

This illustrates that everything is created solely by the mind. Because emptiness is present precisely within existence, it is said that there is neither coming nor going.

Furthermore, viewed from the perspective of illusoriness and unreality, both mind and Buddha are empty. Yet viewed from the perspective of manifest provisional appearances, mind and Buddha are distinctly apparent. Because emptiness and existence are unobstructed, there is neither coming nor going. Nor does this hinder one from seeing all Buddhas everywhere. Seeing is itself non-seeing, and thus one constantly accords with the Middle Way.

Therefore, in truth the Buddha does not come at all, nor does the mind go anywhere. The responsive communion between Buddha and beings can be understood only by one’s own mind. For example, when beings create evil karma, they experience in response the appearances of hell.

The Treatise on Consciousness-Only says:

“All perceive the same hell and together see the wardens of hell…because they are capable of inflicting torment. All four meanings are established. In the hells, there are likewise four meanings: a fixed time, a fixed place, an unfixed body, and an unfixed function. All are consciousness-only. They are manifested by the minds and evil karma of offenders; there are absolutely no real bronze dogs or iron serpents outside the mind. All phenomena in the world are likewise.”

Nevertheless, the Buddha-land of Vairocana is not confined to East or West. If one clearly and correctly realizes it in its entirety, all habitual tendencies of the afflictions will be completely exhausted. Principle and valid cognition will both be fulfilled, and one will personally realize non-arising. Having ascended to the noble stages, one enters the ranks of non-retrogression and, without growing weary of the suffering of birth and death, enters the six destinies to teach and transform all kinds of beings.

If one has only just acquired sufficient faith and the power of patience is not yet perfected, yet one wishes to rescue those who are drowning in samsara, this will truly be difficult to accomplish. It is like trying to rescue drowning people without a boat, wishing to fly high with feeble wings, seeking to leave a skilled physician while gravely ill, or an infant wishing to depart from its loving mother. One will certainly fall into pits and ravines, and death will be beyond doubt. One should first be anxious and fearful lest one fall into pits and ravines oneself, and for the time being refrain from thinking of benefiting everyone else.

Therefore, the Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom says:

“It is like an infant: if it does not remain close to its parents, it may fall into pits and ditches, suffer calamities from water or fire, or die for lack of milk. Therefore, it must always remain close to its parents and be nurtured until it grows to maturity; only then can it inherit the family estate.

Bodhisattvas who have newly aroused the aspiration for enlightenment mostly vow to be reborn in a Pure Land, draw near to the Buddhas, and develop the Dharma-body. Only then can they inherit the Buddha’s estate and deliver sentient beings throughout the ten directions. Because there are such benefits, most bodhisattvas vow to attain rebirth there.”

Furthermore, according to what is taught in the sutras, those reborn in the Land of Peace and Bliss possess powerful wholesome conditions, a supremely favorable environment, abundant merit, and long life, and are born by transformation from lotus flowers. Welcomed by the Buddha, they immediately ascend to the bodhisattva stage, swiftly enter the family of the Tathagata, forever abide at the stage of non-retrogression, and all receive predictions of attaining bodhi.

Their bodies are replete with excellent marks and radiance. They wander among jeweled trees and fragrant terraces, make offerings to the Buddhas of the ten directions, serenely abide in right concentration, and constantly hear the Mahayana Dharma. They stand shoulder to shoulder with those destined for only one more birth.

Thought after thought is empty and quiescent; mind after mind is still and tranquil. The flames of affliction are utterly extinguished, and the stream of craving runs dry. Even the names of the evil destinies no longer exist—how then could there be any further transmigration through birth and death?

The An Guo Commentary says that it is called the Land of Ultimate Bliss because it possesses twenty-four joys:

1. Balustrades encircle it.

2. Jeweled nets are spread across the sky.

3. Shade shelters the pathways.

4. Bathing pools are made of the seven treasures.

5. The water possessing eight virtues is clear and still.

6. Golden sand can be seen all the way to the bottom.

7. The steps shimmer with light.

8. Pavilions stand suspended in the air.

9. Four kinds of lotus flowers diffuse exquisite fragrance.

10. The ground is made of pure gold.

11. Eight kinds of sounds are constantly played.

12. Flowers rain down by day and night.

13. At dawn, one is reminded to cultivate the Way.

14. One gathers beautiful flowers.

15. One makes offerings to the Buddhas of every direction.

16. One practices walking meditation throughout one’s own land.

17. The various birds sing together in harmonious accord.

18. One hears the Dharma during the six periods of the day and night.

19. One constantly recollects the Three Jewels.

20. The three evil destinies do not exist.

21. There are transformation Buddhas.

22. The trees sway and stir the jeweled nets.

23. A thousand lands praise it with one voice.

24. The shravakas arouse the Mahayana aspiration.

The Treatise on the Many Doubts Concerning the Pure Land says that the Western Pure Land possesses thirty benefits:

1. Enjoying the purity of a Buddha-land.

2. Attaining the vast joy of the Buddha-Dharma.

3. Having a lifespan nearly equal to that of the Buddha.

4. Traveling throughout the ten directions to make offerings to the Buddhas.

5. Receiving predictions from the Buddhas.

6. Swiftly perfecting the provisions of merit and wisdom.

7. Quickly realizing unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment.

8. Joining the bodhisattva assembly in the Dharma gathering.

9. Never retrogressing.

10. Advancing in immeasurable practices and vows with every thought.

11. Parrots and shari birds proclaiming the sounds of Dharma.

12. Cool breezes stirring the branches like the playing of many kinds of music.

13. Streams encircled by mani jewels expounding such teachings as suffering and emptiness.

14. Various musical instruments producing wondrous sounds.

15. Through the Buddha’s forty-eight vows, the three evil destinies are forever eliminated.

16. Attaining a golden-hued body.

17. Possessing a beautiful appearance.

18. Possessing the five kinds of supernormal powers.

19. Constantly abiding among those established in right concentration.

20. Being free from all unwholesome qualities.

21. Having a long lifespan.

22. Clothing and food appearing naturally by transformation.

23. Experiencing only joys.

24. Possessing all thirty-two excellent marks.

25. There are no actual women.

26. There is no Lesser Vehicle.

27. Being free from the eight difficulties.

28. Attaining the three kinds of patient acceptance.

29. The body constantly radiating light.

30. Attaining a firm and indestructible Narayana body.

From the brief account above, it can be seen that the benefits of the Buddha-Dharma are immeasurable and boundless, that the Buddha-realm is certainly not empty or unreal, and that the Buddha’s teachings are assuredly free from error. Why, then, do people wish to remain submerged in the river of craving without concern? Why do they dwell in a blazing house consumed by fire without fear? The net of delusion is densely woven, and the frail blade of wisdom cannot cut through it; the roots of doubt are planted deep, and feeble faith cannot eradicate them.

Thus, people willingly delight in calamity, declaring that no pure land exists while clinging to this dreadful defiled world. They are like silkworms spinning cocoons, binding themselves ever more tightly; like moths flying into a lamp and burning themselves; or like fish in a basin and birds in a cage, yet believing themselves happy.

One should understand that the Buddha’s power cannot prevail over the power of karma when beings refuse its aid, and that those following wrong causes find it difficult to approach right causes. Moreover, as long as one has not escaped the body born of karmic retribution, one will ultimately remain bound by the three obstructions. Since one does not delight in being born by transformation from a lotus flower, one must receive a body within a womb. Once one assumes a body of flesh, the entire body is suffering; and having sunk into the three realms, how can one escape transmigration?

Of the eight kinds of suffering, we shall now briefly set forth the two sufferings of birth and death:

1. The suffering experienced at birth:

Taking seminal and menstrual fluids as its physical substance, the being dwells between the organs of undigested and digested food and undergoes forty-two transformations before this illusory body is formed. From above come repulsive, defiled foods; from below rise foul odors. When the mother drinks cold water, it is as though the being were immersed in an icy river; when the mother eats hot food, it is as though the being were inside a furnace of burning coals. The confusion and distress experienced in this continual turning cannot be fully described.

When birth arrives, the being undergoes immeasurable suffering. Emerging from the womb is like a cow being flayed; the constriction and hardship are like a tortoise having its shell torn off, causing resentment and a desire to harm the mother’s body. As soon as the newborn encounters the warm air, it swiftly forgets all its suffering. In the ignorance of childhood, it may die prematurely through calamities of water or fire; even if it reaches adulthood, it must still labor to bring honor and eminence to its family.

The grain in the field of karma has ripened; the waters of craving continually moisten it, and ignorance sends forth sprouts from which suffering grows. Clinging firmly to the seven consciousnesses and bound within the nine realms, beings revolve without cease like a spinning wheel of fire.

2. The suffering experienced at death:

The blades of wind cut the body apart, and the fire element burns the physical form. Cries of pain arise, the spirit is terrified, and every kind of extreme suffering occurs. Evil karma suddenly manifests; a thousand sorrows gather in the heart, and myriad matters press in all at once. At life’s end, one departs alone and desolate.

The path is dark and dismal, and the road through the netherworld is dim and obscure. Those toward whom one formerly bore enmity now plainly confront one face to face. One beats the earth and cries out to heaven, pleading for escape, but none can be found. According to the depth or lightness of one’s karma, one passes through the various destinies. One may fall into hell or assume the body of a hungry ghost, crying out in hunger and thirst for many kalpas, enduring punishment and suffering until the whole body is consumed by fire. As long as one has not escaped the twenty-five realms of existence, wholesome and unwholesome karma is never lost; the corresponding retribution follows the body without the slightest error.

The ocean of birth and death is vast, and the road of karmic obstruction is endless. Even shravakas remain confused when emerging from the womb, and bodhisattvas may still be obscured when passing from one existence to another. How much more, then, are ordinary beings bound by birth and death! How could they fail to be entangled by the sufferings of birth and death and fettered by the demon of death?

Therefore, the Sutra of Questions Asked by Maudgalyayana says:

“The Buddha told Maudgalyayana:

It is like the myriad rivers that flow on without cease. Grass and wood float upon them; what is in front does not turn back toward what is behind, and what is behind pays no heed to what is in front, yet in the end all enter the great ocean. Worldly affairs are likewise. Though some people are born into wealthy and noble families and obtain whatever they desire, they still cannot escape birth, aging, sickness, and death.”

Because they do not believe in the Buddha’s scriptures, in future lives they will again be born as human beings in increasingly wretched circumstances and will be unable to be born in the lands of the thousand Buddhas.

Therefore, I say that rebirth in the land of the Buddha Amitayus is easy to attain and easy to seek, yet people are unable to practice in order to seek rebirth there. Instead, they revere the ninety-six kinds of heterodox paths as their teachers. I call such people those without eyes and without ears.”

The Great Collection Sutra, Moon Treasury Section, states:

“During the age of the decline of the Dharma, although countless sentient beings give rise to spiritual practice, not one will attain the Way.”

At present, it is precisely the age of the decline of the Dharma, the era of the five defilements. Only this single Pure Land teaching is a common path by which everyone may attain liberation.

One should understand that practice through one’s own power is difficult to perfect, whereas relying upon other-power makes accomplishment easy. It is like an ordinary person who, relying on the might of a Wheel-Turning King, is able to travel throughout the four continents; or a common mortal who, aided by the wondrous efficacy of an elixir, is able to fly to the three islands of Penglai.

This Dharma method of mindfulness of the Buddha is truly an easy practice through which one quickly attains accord.

These repeated exhortations arise from the Buddha’s compassion; we must engrave them upon our hearts and minds.

Question:

Layman Pang Yun said:

“On the phenomenal level, the Buddha-land is said

To lie a hundred thousand lands away.

The vast ocean is boundless;

When stirred, the black wind blows.

Though tens of thousands attempt the crossing,

Few indeed arrive.

Should one suddenly encounter the original person,

He does not abide within causes and conditions.”

How should this passage be understood so that one may realize rebirth there?

Answer:

If one upholds the essential principle of the Chan School and examines the original source, one does not even speak of a Buddha or a land; how then could one speak of arriving or not arriving? This is because the nature of innate suchness is originally complete in itself, has nothing to do with causes and conditions, and, without moving by so much as a hair’s breadth, is always in silent accord with true reality.

If discussed from the phenomenal perspective, however, the cases are not the same. Those reborn in all nine grades, from the highest to the lowest, attain that land. Some wander within a magically transformed land and behold the Buddha’s response-body; some are born in the Land of True Reward and Adornment and behold the Buddha’s true essence; some ascend to the First Bhumi in a single night, while others pass through an entire kalpa before realizing the Lesser Vehicle. Some have sharp faculties and others dull faculties; some possess a concentrated mind and others a distracted mind; some awaken slowly and others swiftly. Because their capacities differ, the lotuses in which they are born open sooner or later, at different times.

From ancient times to the present, the records have been complete. Both ordinary beings and sages have attained rebirth there. The circumstances are clear, and the evidence is certain and can be verified with one’s own eyes.

Therefore, the World-Honored Shakyamuni personally bestowed a prediction upon Bodhisattva Manjushri that he would be born in the land of Buddha Amitabha and enter the First Bhumi. The Infinite Life Sutra states:

“Bodhisattva Maitreya asked the Buddha:

‘It is not yet known how many non-retrogressing bodhisattvas in this world will be born in that land.’

The Buddha replied:

‘In this Saha world, six billion seven hundred million non-retrogressing bodhisattvas will all attain rebirth there.’”

Throughout his life, Great Master Zhizhe cultivated the pure karma of the Western Land. He dedicated all his practices of merit, wisdom, and adornment to the Pure Land. As he approached death, he asked his disciples to recite the names of the Sixteen Contemplations. Joining his palms, he praised them, saying:

“The forty-eight vows adorn the Pure Land. Its fragrant terraces and jeweled trees are easy to reach, yet no one goes there. When the image of the fiery cart of hell appears, even one thought of repentance can still bring about rebirth there. How much more will the power of cultivating the Way and perfuming oneself with morality, concentration, and wisdom assuredly never be lost! The Buddha’s Brahma voice never deceives anyone.”

The Sutra in Praise of the Pure Land states:

“Buddhas in the ten directions, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River, extend their broad and long tongues to cover the entire great trichiliocosm, thereby attesting to rebirth in that land.”

How then could this be a fabricated matter?

Question:

The Vimalakirti Sutra states:

“One who accomplishes eight dharmas in this world, practicing without causing harm, will be born in the Pure Land.

The eight dharmas are:

1. Benefiting sentient beings without seeking recompense.

2. Enduring all suffering and affliction in place of sentient beings and dedicating to them all the merit one has cultivated.

3. Maintaining toward sentient beings a mind that is impartial, humble, and unobstructed.

4. Regarding all bodhisattvas as Buddhas.

5. Hearing previously unheard sutras without giving rise to doubt.

6. Not opposing the shravakas.

7. Not envying others or exalting one’s own gains, but thereby subduing one’s own mind.

8. Constantly examining one’s own faults, not disputing the errors of others, and always seeking all virtues with single-mindedness.”

How, then, can one attain rebirth through inferior practices and minor good deeds?

Answer:

In principle, complete fulfillment is required. This pertains to those of great faculties, who lack none of the eight dharmas and thereby attain the highest grade.

Those of middling or lesser faculties, however, need only fulfill one dharma and maintain an unwavering resolve; they can thereby attain the lowest grade.

Question:

The Contemplation Sutra of Amitayus sets forth sixteen methods of contemplation, all intended to gather the mind and cultivate concentration. Only by contemplating the Buddha’s excellent marks and comprehending them fully can one attain the pure land.

Why, then, is it said that even one with a distracted mind can attain rebirth?

Answer:

The nine grades described in the Contemplation Sutra of Amitayus are arranged from high to low and encompass both the highest and lowest grades, yet they do not go beyond two kinds of mind:

1. A concentrated mind: By cultivating concentration and practicing contemplation, one attains rebirth in the highest grade.

2. A single-minded resolve: One need only recite the Buddha’s name, practice all good deeds, dedicate the merit, and make vows; one can thereby attain the lowest grade.

Nevertheless, throughout one’s life one must take refuge in and turn toward the Pure Land, diligently cultivating to the end of one’s days. Whether sitting or lying down, one should always face west. Whenever practicing the Way, paying homage, reciting the Buddha’s name, or making vows, one must be utterly sincere and earnest, without any other thought.

One should be like a prisoner being led to the execution ground, or a convict confined in prison; again, one should be like someone pressed hard by hostile bandits and surrounded by the perils of flood and fire. One should single-mindedly seek deliverance, aspiring to escape the suffering of samsara, swiftly realize the unborn, universally liberate the myriad beings, perpetuate and cause the Three Jewels to flourish, and resolutely repay the four kinds of kindness.

If one possesses such a sincere resolve, one will certainly fulfill one’s aspiration.

But if one’s words and actions are entirely at variance, one’s faith is feeble, one has no earnest resolve toward the Buddha-Dharma, and one’s practice is frequently interrupted, then to rely upon such indolence while hoping to attain rebirth at the time of death is to risk being obstructed by karmic hindrances, being unable to encounter a good spiritual friend, and, when wind and fire press upon the body, being unable to establish right mindfulness.

Why is this so? Because the present is the cause, and the time of death is the result. Only when the cause is genuine will the result not be false. When a sound is harmonious, its echo accords with it; when a form is straight, its shadow must be upright.

If one wishes to accomplish the ten recitations at the time of death, one must prepare beforehand, accumulate all merits, and dedicate them toward that moment. If no thought is deficient, there will be nothing to fear.

The two kinds of transmigration, wholesome and unwholesome, and the two kinds of karmic result, suffering and happiness, are all created by the three karmic activities, arise through the four conditions, are formed by the six causes, and are encompassed by the five fruits.*

– To give rise to a single thought of anger or sexual misconduct is to create karma for falling into hell.

– To give rise to a single thought of greed and stinginess and refuse to give is to create the karma of a hungry ghost.

– To give rise to a single thought of deluded ignorance is to create the karma of an animal.

– To give rise to a single thought of pride and arrogance is to create the karma of an asura.

– Firmly upholding the five precepts creates the karma of a human being.

– Single-mindedly cultivating the ten wholesome deeds creates the karma of the devas.

– Realization of “the emptiness of self” is the karma of the shravakas.

– Thorough understanding of the principle of dependent arising is the karma of the pratyekabuddhas. The comprehensive practice of the Six Paramitas is the karma of bodhisattvas. A genuine, impartial mind of compassion is precisely the karma of a Buddha.

– If the mind is pure, one is born through transformation in a pure realm, amid jeweled trees and fragrant lotus terraces.

– If the mind is defiled, one receives bodily form in an impure realm, amid pits, ravines, mounds, and hillocks.

These are corresponding effects capable of producing contributory conditions. Therefore, apart from one’s own mind, there is no other underlying principle.

The Vimalakirti Sutra says:

“If one wishes to attain a Pure Land, one need only purify one’s own mind. In accordance with the purity of one’s mind, the Buddha-land is pure.”

This sutra also says:

“Because the mind is defiled, sentient beings are defiled. Because the mind is pure, sentient beings are pure.”

The Avatamsaka Sutra says:

“Just like the precious sovereign mind,

According to the mind, all forms are seen.

Because the minds of sentient beings are pure,

They are able to behold pure Buddha-lands.”

The Mahasamnipata Sutra says:

“If one wishes the external realm to be pure, one must first purify one’s own mind.”

Thus one should know that everything returns to the mind, and the myriad dharmas arise from oneself. If one wishes to obtain a pure effect, one must cultivate a pure cause. Just as water naturally flows downward and fire blazes upward, such is their inevitable tendency—what room is there for doubt?