The Chung-Ling Record
All Buddhas and
all sentient beings are no different from the One Mind. In this One Mind there
is neither arising nor ceasing, no name or form, no long or short, no large or
small, and neither existence nor non-existence. It transcends all limitations
of name, word and relativity, and it is as boundless as the great void. Giving
rise to thought is erroneous, and any speculation about it with our ordinary faculties
is inapplicable, irrelevant and inaccurate. Only Mind is Buddha, and Buddhas and
sentient beings are not different. All sentient beings grasp form and search outside
themselves. Using Buddha to seek Buddha, they thus use mind to seek Mind. Practicing
in this manner even until the end of the kalpa, they cannot attain the fruit.
However, when thinking and discrimination suddenly halt, the Buddhas appear.
The
Mind is Buddha, and the Buddha is no different from sentient beings. The Mind
of sentient beings does not decrease; the Buddha¹s Mind does not increase.
Moreover, the six paramitas and all sila, as countless as the grains of sand of
the Ganges, belong to one's own mind. Thus there is no need to search outside
oneself to create them. When causes and conditions unite, they will appear; as
causes and conditions separate, they disappear. So if one does not have the understanding
that on'es very own Mind itself is Buddha, he will then grasp the form of the
practice merely and create even more delusion. This approach is exactly the opposite
of the Buddha¹s practice path. Just this Mind alone is Buddha! Nothing else
is!
The Mind is transparent, having no shape or form. Giving rise to thought
and discrimination is grasping and runs counter to the natural Dharma. Since time
without beginning, there never has been a grasping Buddha. The practice of the
six paramitas and various other disciplines is known as the gradual method of
becoming a Buddha. This gradual method, however, is a secondary idea, and it does
not represent the complete path to Perfect Awakening. If one does not understand
that one¹s mind is Buddha, no Dharma can ever be attained.
The Buddhas
and sentient beings possess the same fundamental Mind, neither mixing nor separating
the quality of true voidness. When the sun shines over the four directions, the
world becomes light, but true voidness is never light. When the sun sets, the
world becomes dark, but voidness is never dark. The regions of dark and light
destroy each other, but the nature of voidness is clear and undisturbed. The True
Mind of both Buddhas and sentient beings enjoys this same nature.
If one thinks
that the Buddha is clean, bright and liberated and that sentient beings are dirty,
dark and entangled in samsara, and, further, if one also uses this view to practice,
then even though one perseveres through kalpas as numerous as the sand grains
of the Ganges, one will not arrive at Bodhi. What exists for both Buddhas and
for sentient beings, however, is the unconditioned Mind (Asamskrta citta) with
nothing to attain. Many Ch¹an students, not understanding the nature of this
Mind, use the Mind to create Mind, thus grasping form and searching outside themselves.
However, this is only to follow the path of evil and really is not the practice
path to Bodhi.
Making offerings to one "without mind" surpasses
in merit offerings made to countless others. Why is this? Because without mind
we have unconditioned Buddha, who has neither movement nor obstruction. This alone
is true emptiness, neither active nor passive, without form or place, without
gain or loss.
Manjusri Bodhisattva symbolizes great substance (principle)
and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva symbolizes the great function (action). Substance
means emptiness, being without obstacles; functions means no form, being inexhaustible.
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva symbolizes great compassion (mahakaruna), and Mahasthama
Bodhisattva symbolizes great wisdom (mahaprajna). Vimalakirti means "pure
name". Purity is nature and name is form. Name and form are not different,
and, therefore, Vimalakirti is called "pure name". These great Bodhisattvas
symbolize those wholesome qualities or perfections that all of us intrinsically
possess. There is no Mind to search for outside ourselves. Understanding "thus
it is", people awaken immediately. Many contemporary Dharma students do not
investigate their own minds, but instead search outside and grasp the region of
form. Fearing failure, they cannot enter the region of dhyana and, therefore,
experience powerlessness and frustration and return to seeking intellectual understanding
and knowledge. Hence, many students strive for doctrinal or intellectual understanding,
but very few attain to the state of True Awakening. They just proceed, in their
error, in the direction the very opposite to Bodhi.
One should emulate the
great earth. All Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, devas and human beings tread upon the
earth, but the earth does not rejoice because of this. When the sheep, oxen, ants,
etc., tread upon it, the earth does not become angry. Adorned with jewelry or
rare fragrances, the earth does not give rise to greed. Bearing excrement and
foul smells, the earth does not exhibit hatred or disgust. The unconditioned Mind
is without mind, beyond form. All sentient beings and Buddhas are not different;
the Perfectly Awakened Mind is thus. If Dharma students are unable to let go of
conditioned mind suddenly, and instead practice in other ways, many kalpas may
pass but they still will not have reached Bodhi. Because they are tied down by
their thinking of the merits of the Three Vehicles, they do not attain genuine
liberation.
Some students attain the state of liberated Mind quickly, some
slowly. After listening to a Dharma talk, some reach "no mind" directly.
In contrast, some must first pass gradually through the ten grades of Bodhisattva
faith, the Dasabhumi of Bodhisattva development, and the ten stages before attaining
the Perfectly Awakened Mind. Whether one takes a long or a short time, however,
once attained, "no mind" can never be lost. With nothing further to
cultivate and nothing more to attain, one realizes that this "no mind"
is true, not false, Mind. Whether reaching this stage quickly or after passing
through the various stages of Bodhisattva development gradually, the attainment
of "no mind" cannot be characterized in terms of shallow or deep. Those
students who cannot win this state of understanding and liberation go on to create
the wholesome and unwholesome mental states by grasping form, thus creating further
suffering in samsara.
In short, nothing is better than suddenly to recognize
the Original Dharma. This Dharma is Mind, and outside of Mind there is no Dharma.
This Mind is Dharma, and outside of this Dharma there is no mind. Self mind is
"no mind" and no "no mind". Awaken the mind to "no mind"
and win silent and sudden understanding. Just this!!
A Ch¹an master said:
"Break off the way of speech and destroy the place of thinking!" This
Mind itself is the ultimately pure Source of Buddha; and all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas
and sentient beings possess this same Mind. However, some people, because of delusion
and discrimination, create much karma fruit. Original Buddha contains nothing.
Awaken suddenly, profoundly and completely to the emptiness, peace, brilliance,
wonder and bliss of this Original Buddha!!
The attainment of one who has practiced
the myriad Dharma doors throughout three kalpas, having passed through the many
Bodhisattva stages, and the attainment of one who has suddenly awakened to the
One Mind are equal. Both of them have just attained their own Original Buddha.
The former type of disciple, the gradual attainer, upon arriving at his Original
Buddha, looks back on his three kalpas of past practice as if he were looking
at himself acting totally without principle in a dream.
Therefore, the Tathagata
said: "There was really no Dharma by means of which the Tathagata attained
Supreme Awakening. If there had been, Dipamkara Buddha would not have predicted
my future attainment of Buddhahood." In addition the Tathagata said: "This
Dharma is universal and impartial; therefore, it is called Supreme Awakening."
This ultimate pure source of Mind encompasses all Buddhas, sentient beings
and the world of mountains, rivers, forms and formlessness. Throughout the ten
directions, all and everything reflects the equality of pure Mind, which is always
universally penetrating and illuminating. However, those with merely worldly understanding
cannot recognize this truth and so identify seeing, hearing, touching and thinking
as the mind. Covered by seeing, hearing, touching and thinking, one cannot see
the brightness of Original Mind. If suddenly one is without mind, Original Mind
will appear like the great sun in the sky, illuminating everywhere without obstruction.
Most Dharma students only know seeing, hearing, touching and thinking as movement
and function and are, therefore, unable to recognize Original Mind at the moment
of seeing, hearing, touching and thinking. However, Original Mind does not belong
to seeing, hearing, touching and thinking but also is not distinct or separate
from these activities. The view that one is seeing, hearing, touching and thinking
does not arise; and yet one is not separate from these activities. This movement
does not dim the Mind, for it is neither itself a thing nor something apart from
things. Neither staying nor grasping, capable of freely moving in any direction
whatsoever, everywhere, this Mind becomes the Bodhimandala.
When people hear
that all Buddhas transmit the Mind Dharma, they fantasize that there is a special
Dharma they might attain. They then try to use the Mind to find Dharma, not realizing
that this very Mind is the Dharma and that the Dharma is this very Mind. Using
the mind to search out Mind, one can pass through thousands and thousands of kalpas
of cultivation and still not acquire it. However, if a person can be suddenly
without mind, then he and Original Dharma are one. A prodigal son forgot that
a pearl was hidden in the cuff of his own clothes and searched outside, here and
there, running everywhere in bewilderment and wonder. Then a wise friend pointed
out the pearl to him, so thus he found it where it had always been.
Most Dharma
students are confused about Original Mind, not knowing that Original Dharma is
non-existing, neither dependent nor staying. Neither active nor passive and without
stirring thought, they can suddenly attain the stage of Perfect Awakening and
see that they have reached the condition of Original Mind that alone is Buddha.
Looking back on their prior cultivation throughout many kalpas, they see it now
only as labor expended in vain. Thus the prodigal son found his original pearl,
and he realized then that the time and energy spent looking for it, heretofore,
outside himself were all completely unnecessary. Therefore, Sakyamuni Buddha stated:
" There was really no Dharma by means of which the Tathagata attained Supreme
Awakening." Because most people find this Dharma profound and difficult to
believe, one is forced to make use of analogies to express the Supreme Reality.
Dharma students should harbor no doubts concerning the body, and they should
realize that, comprised, as it is, of four elements, there is within it no self
or master to be found. The skandhas are mind, but no self or master can be found
there either. The six sense-organs, six sense-objects and six sense-consciousnesses
form the eighteen sense-realms, which are, likewise, void. Birth, death and all
things everywhere are empty. Only Original Mind is vast and clear. If one maintains
the four elements of this body and allays the ulcer of hunger in a manner free
from grasping, one nourishes oneself with wisdom food. On the other hand, if one
pursues taste, having no regard for rules of moderation, and uses discrimination
to seek things to please the palate and sate his desire-nature, one is gorging
on consciousness food.
The disciple depends on the sound of the Dharma Teaching
to attain the state of Perfect Awakening, but he still does not know the reality
of unconditioned Mind. This is because he erroneously gives rise to thoughts concerning
the Teaching, sounds, yogic power, auspicious signs, speaking and activity. If
such a person were to hear about Bodhi or Nirvana and then set about to practice
in order to achieve Liberation ? even for the duration of three great Asankhyeya
kalpas ? his practice would never, indeed, attain the Supreme Buddha Fruit. This
cultivation belongs to the Sravaka stage and is called Sravaka Buddha. Suddenly
awakening to one¹s own Mind, one finds real Buddha. Nothing to practice,
nothing to attain ? this alone is the Supreme Tao, the genuine Dharma. Without
seeking the Mind, there is no birth; without grasping the Mind, there is no death.
That which is neither birth nor death is Buddha. The 84,000 Dharmas are useful
for curing the ills of sentient beings, but they are merely expedients used to
teach and convert and receive all sentient beings. However, only Original Emptiness,
without defilement, is Bodhi.
If Dharma students wish to know the key to successful
cultivation, they should know that it is the mind that dwells on nothing. Emptiness
is the Buddha¹s Dharmakaya, just as the Dharmakaya is emptiness. People¹s
usual understanding is that the Dharmakaya pervades emptiness, and that it is
contained in emptiness. However, this is erroneous, for we should understand that
the Dharmakaya is emptiness and that emptiness is the Dharmakaya.
If one thinks
that emptiness is an entity and that this emptiness is separate from the Dharmakaya
or that there is a Dharmakaya outside of emptiness, one is holding a wrong view.
In the complete absence of views about emptiness, the true Dharmakaya appears.
Emptiness and Dharmakaya are not different. Sentient beings and Buddhas are not
different. Birth and death and Nirvana are not different. Klesa and Bodhi are
not different. That alone which is beyond all form is Buddha.
Worldly people
grasp worldliness; Dharma students grasp Mind. If they let go of both worldliness
and Mind, they can encounter real Dharma. Dwelling without worldliness is easy;
dwelling without mind is difficult. People fear dwelling without mind and fear
failure in their attempts to do so because they think that they would have nothing
to hold onto. However, Original Emptiness is not emptiness but genuine Dharmadhatu.
Since time without beginning, the nature of Awakened Mind and Emptiness has
consisted of the same, absolute non-duality of no birth or death, no existence
or non-existence, no purity or impurity, no movement or stillness, no young or
old, no inside or outside, no shape and form, no sound and color. Neither striving
nor searching, one should not use intellect to understand nor words to express
Awakened Mind. One should not think that it is a place or things, name or form.
One should not think that it is a place or things, name or form. Only then is
it realized that all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and sentient beings possess the same
natural state of great Nirvana.
True Nature is Mind; the Mind is Buddha; the
Buddha is Dharma. One should not use the Mind to seek Mind, the Buddha to seek
Buddha, nor the Dharma to seek Dharma. Therefore, Dharma students should suddenly
realize no-mind and suddenly attain stillness and silence. Stirring thoughts is
wrong, but using the Mind to transmit Mind is right. Be careful not to search
outside yourself. If you consider the Mind to be outside yourself, it is the same
as mistaking a thief for your own son.
Because of our craving, aversion and
delusion, we must utilize sila,samadhi and prajna to purify our minds of grasping
and delusion. If there originally is no defilement, then what is Bodhi? Relative
to this, a Ch¹an Master said: "All Dharma taught by Lord Buddha is taught
solely to wipe out all mind, Without any mind at all, what use is Dharma?"
So, there is nothing at all to hold onto at the original and ultimate source of
pure Buddha. Even if emptiness were to be adorned with countless jewels and other
treasures, these things could not remain. Similarly, even if the Buddha Nature
is adorned with immeasurable wisdom and virtue, that adornment has no place to
stay. Most people are deluded about their own nature and thus cannot or will not
awaken to their own Minds.
In short, all things are dependent on the Mind.
When causes and conditions meet, things appear. When causes and conditions separate,
they disappear. Dharma students should not sully their pure nature by giving rise
to thoughts. The mirror of sila and prajna is bright and tranquil and allows one
to reflect on seeing, hearing, touching and thinking. This view of the Mind¹s
sphere is only an expedient used to teach those of average or inferior capabilities
and is not a vision of Supreme Bodhi. One who aspires to Supreme Bodhi should
not hold such a view. The existent and non-existent are both within the grasping
mind¹s sphere. Without existence and non-existence, there is no-mind and
everything is Dharma.
A Ch¹an Master has said: "From the time of
his arrival in China, Patriarch Bodhidharma taught only the view of unconditioned
Mind and spread only the view of unconditioned Dharma." Using Dharma to transmit
Dharma, there is no other Dharma. Using Buddha to transmit Buddha, there is no
other Buddha. This Dharma is "without-words" Dharma; this Buddha is
"without-words" Buddha. Hence, they are the ultimate source of Pure
Mind. This is the true Ch¹an teaching. All others are false!
Prajna is
Original Mind without form. Worldly people do not have a natural inclination towards
the Tao, but prefer instead to indulge in the six emotions that arise due to the
six conditions of sentient existence -- i.e., the emotional effects, like desire
or aversion, that arise when sense-objects contact the internal sense-bases or,
afterwards, in recollection of this contact. Dharma students who allow a thought
of birth and death to arise fall into the realm of Mara. If one allows a thought
to arise while seeing, one falls into heresy. When one desires to exterminate
birth and death, one falls into the Sravaka realm. One who sees neither birth
nor death and is aware only of cessation falls into the Pratyekabuddha realm.
However, one might ask: Originally the dharmas know no arising, so how can they
be subject to cessation? The answer one might receive is : With this non-dualistic
outlook -- that is, having neither desire nor aversion ? everything is Mind. This
alone is the Buddha of Supreme Awakening!
Worldly people allow thoughts to
arise concerning the mind¹s sphere and thus harbor like and dislike. If one
does not want this entanglement, one must forget the mind. Without mind, the sphere
is empty. If one does not want "without mind", but only wants to end
entanglement in the various realms of the mind, then one is simply creating more
disturbance. Therefore, one must realize that all phenomena are dependent on Mind
and that Mind itself is unattainable, if one is to attain the Buddha of Supreme
Awakening.
Prajna students, even if you seek the one Dharma and give no thought
to the Three Vehicles, this one Dharma is also unobtainable, If someone says he
can obtain it, he is indeed an arrogant person and indeed is one with those who
left the Lotus Assembly, refusing to listen to the Lotus Teaching Thus the Tathagata
said: "There was really no Dharma by means of which the Tathagata attained
Supreme Awakening." However, there is the unspoken, silent understanding.
There is just this!
Those who are near death just then realize that the five
skandhas are empty, the real Mind is without form, and that the four elements
are devoid of self. Neither coming nor going, the Buddhas nature does not depart.
If one suddenly understands the unconditioned Mind and realizes that the mind-sphere
is non-differentiated, he is not restricted by the three periods. This is the
true Arya, who is free of defiling tendencies. Encountering pleasing sense objects
and even being greeted by all Buddhas, he does not pursue them. Terrible or loathsome
sense objects cause no fear to such a one. Dwelling without mind, like the Dharmadhatu,
the Mind is free of all delusions.
A Ch¹an Master said: "The expedient
teachings of Sravaka, Bodhisattva, Dasabhumi and Samyak Sambodhi all belong to
the path of gradual awakening." What is perfect Nirvana? Perfect Nirvana
is the sudden understanding that one¹s own nature is original Buddha and
True Mind. It is the sudden realization that there is neither Buddha nor sentient
beings, neither subject nor object. If this present place is illusion city, where
then is perfect Nirvana? Perfect Nirvana cannot be pointed out because we are
only able to point out a place. Whatever is thought of as a place cannot be the
condition of true, perfect Nirvana. One can give indications as to which direction
it lies in, but one cannot give a definite location. However, one may come to
a correct and silent understanding of it.
An Icchantika is a person abandoned
as unteachable because of the complete absence of faith in his heart. If any sentient
beings and Sravakas do not believe that being "without mind" is the
Buddha and Supreme Awakening, they can certainly be termed Icchantika.
All
Bodhisattvas have confidence in the Buddhadharma, whether it is the teaching of
the Sravaka or the Bodhisattva Vehicles. All sentient beings have the same Dharma
nature as the Buddhas and, therefore, may be termed Icchantika with good roots.
In short, those who depend on hearing the Teaching to attain Awakening are termed
Sravakas. Those who contemplate the twelve nidanas of dependent origination and
thus win Awakening are termed Pratyekabuddhas. Most Dharma students are awakened
by Dharma teaching but not awakened directly to Mind. Practicing for many kalpas,
they still do not attain Original Buddha. Just as a dog is distracted by a clod
of earth thrown at him, so we forget Original Mind. However, if one can attain
silent and unspoken understanding, one knows that because the mind is Dharma it
is, therefore, not necessary to seek Dharma.
Most people¹s minds are
hindered by the mind-realms and only perceive the Buddha principle polluted by
and mixed with phenomena. Thus, they are always trying to escape the mind-realms
and calm the mind. To attain Pure Mind, they attempt to eradicate phenomena and
keep the principle, not realizing that the mind-realms are hindered by Mind and
that phenomena are hindered by the principle. Without mind, the realms are empty;
when the principle is tranquil, so are phenomena. One should not turn the Mind
upside down for some personal use. People do not really want to realize the state
of being "Without mind", fearing that if they fail at their attempts
at cultivation a one-sided emptiness would result. Foolish people only try to
wipe out phenomena but do not wipe out mind. The wise man wipes out the mind and
does not bother with phenomena. The mind of the Bodhisattva is void, having abandoned
all and grasping neither bliss nor merit.
There are three degrees of renunciation
in this practice. The highest degree is the renunciation of body and mind through
the perception of everything, inside and out, as void, there being nothing to
obtain and nothing to grasp. Depending on the limits of his strength of belief
and committment to practice, one makes the great renunciation of negative and
positive, existence and non-existence. Following this realization of truth with
practice and non-expectation of reward or personal benefit is the middle degree
of renunciation. The superior degree of renunciation is compared to holding a
torch in front of oneself, being neither deluded nor awakened. The middle renunciation
is compared to holding the torch at one¹s side; it is sometimes light and
sometimes dark. The lowest renunciation is similar to holding the torch at one¹s
back, thus being unable to see a pit or trap in front of one. The mind of the
Bodhisattva is void, having abandoned all things. Past-mind not grasping is past
renunciation; present-mind not grasping is present renunciation; future-mind not
grasping is future renunciation.
Since that time when the Tathagata bequeathed
his Teaching to Venerable Mahakasyapa, the Mind has been used to transmit Mind,
nothing apart from this being necessary. As a seal makes no impression on the
sky, one leaves no written mark. As a seal makes an impression on paper, one leaves
no Dharma. Therefore, using the Mind to imprint Mind, one still has only Mind.
Without both the negative and positive imprint, the unspoken understanding is
difficult to attain. For this reason, many Dharma students study, but few accomplish
the path. However, no-mind is Mind and no-attainment is Attainment.
The Tathagata
has a threefold body. The Dharmakaya propagates the void-nature Dharma. The Dharmakaya
preaches the Dharma beyond words and form. With really no Dharma to expound, it
teaches the Dharma of emptiness as self-nature. The Nirmanakaya propagates the
six paramitas and the myriad Dharma practices. The Sambhogakaya expounds Dharma
according to the various conditions and capacities of all sentient beings.
The
one essence is Mind. The six sense-organs with their six sense-objects and resultant
six sense-consciousnesses are, altogether, called the eighteen realms. If one
perceives these eighteen realms as empty and reduces them to one essence, that
essence is Mind. All Dharma students know this theoretically, but cannot divest
themselves of views based on the duality and analysis of this essence and the
grasping of the six senses. Being bound by these dharmas, they cannot silently
understand Original Mind.
The Tathagata appeared in the world to teach the
Supreme Vehicle. However, because sentient beings were unable to believe in, and
even slandered, the Teaching, they remained immersed and drowning in a sea of
suffering. Therefore, the Tathagata utilized the expedient Teaching of the Three
Vehicles to help them. Some disciples attained deep realization, some shallow;
but since few or none had awakened to Buddha¹s Original Dharma, one sutra
states: "They still do not manifest the Dharma of One Mind." This special
teaching of Mind is a Dharma without words. The Ch¹an School relies not on
texts but, instead, on the special transmission received by the Venerable Mahakasyapa
? i.e., silent understanding and sudden attainment of the Great Awakening with
arrival at the Ultimate Tao.
Once a bhiksu asked his master: "What is
Tao and how is it practiced?" The master responded: "What is this Tao
and what do you want to practice?" The bhiksu asked: "Is Tao receptive
of the students who come for instruction in cultivation?" "That is for
people of dull capacity; the Tao cannot be practiced," said the master. "If
this is for people of dull capacity, what is the Dharma for people of superior
ability?" asked the bhiksu. The master answered: "If one is of genuine
superior ability, there is none for him to follow. Even seeking himself is impossible,
so how can he grasp Dharma?" The bhiksu exclaimed, "If that is so, there
is nothing to seek!" The master retorted, "Then save your mental energy."
"But this would be tantamount to the annihilation view, and one could say
nothing." said the bhiksu. "Who is it that says nothing? Who is he?
Try to search for him, " said the master. "If this is the case, why
seek who it is that says nothing¹?" asked the bhiksu. The master
answered: "If you do not seek, that is alright. Who asked you about annihilation?
You see the void in front of you, so why do you think you have destroyed it?"
"Could this Dharma be voidness?" asked the bhiksu. "Does this voidness
tell you the difference between morning and night? I¹m just speaking expediently
to you because you are giving rise to thoughts and holding views about what I
say," said the master. The bhiksu then asked: "One should not hold views?"
The master answered: "I¹m not obstructing you, but you should understand
your view as emotion. When emotion arises, wisdom is concealed." The bhiksu
asked: I¹m just talking to you, so why call it superfluous?" The master
said: " you do not understand what others say, so where is the superfluity?"
The bhiksu said: Now you have talked for quite some time, all of which seemed
to be for the sake of resisting the enemy of words, while giving no instruction
at all in the Dharma." The master replied: "Just realize the Dharma
without inverted view. Your questions are inverted! What true¹ Dharma
do you want?" The bhiksu then observed: "So, my questions are inverted?
How about the master¹s answers?" The master replied:" You should
take something to illumine your face; do not meddle with others." The bhiksu
exclaimed: "Just like a foolish dog! When he sees something move, he barks
at shadows and sounds." The master said: "The Dhyana School, mutually
receiving all sentient beings from the distant past until now, never taught people
to hold views, but only stated, Learn Tao¹." These words are designed
to convert and receive the average person, but the Tao cannot be learned. If one
hold some view of learning, then one is , indeed, deluded by the Tao. The Tao
is nothing but this Mahayana mind. This mind is nowhere, neither inside, outside,
nor somewhere in between. So primarily, one should not hold any view. The cessation
of the dualistic view of like¹ is Tao. If like¹ is cut off,
the mind is nowhere. The Original Tao is without name, but because worldly people
do not comprehend, they are deluded by perverted views. All Buddhas appear in
the world to explain and teach this Dharma. Since people are unable to understand
it directly, the Buddhas utilize expedient methods to teach the Tao. One should
not cling to names and create views. For example, when fishing, if one catches
a fish, one should forget about the bamboo fish-trap. When one attains the other
shore, one should then give up the raft."
At the very moment when one
understands the Tao and recognizes the Mind, one is then free of body and mind.
One who reaches the ultimate source is called a Sramana. The fruit of a Sramana
is the cessation of false thinking. This fruit cannot be attained through worldly
learning. Using the mind to seek Mind and depending on others for insight, how
can one reach or acquire the Tao? The ancient cultivators were possessed of wisdom.
Just by hearing a few words of Dharma, they suddenly attained the state beyond
study and thinking. Today, people only want to seek worldly learning, mistakenly
believing that more knowledge leads to better practice. They do not know that
more and more learning leads only to obstacles in their cultivation. Giving a
baby more and more cream to eat, who knows if he digests it or not? Likewise,
the Teaching of the Three Vehicles is comparable to eating a lot without proper
digestion. All study without proper digestion is poison. These things exist in
the realm of production and annihilation, while in the Bhutatathata ? the state
of absolute Thusness or Suchness, i.e., things as they are in reality, devoid
of the usual distortion by klesa ? there is nothing whatsoever. Attaining the
Bhutatathata and the Unconditioned means wiping out all previous views and remaining
empty without false discrimination.
What is the Tathagata Store? It is Emptiness,
the kingly Dharma, appearing in the world to refute all relative things. Therefore,
the sutra states: "There really was no Dharma by means of which the Tathagata
attained Supreme Awakening." These words are only to be expediently used
for wiping out one¹s perverted views. Without the inside-and-outside concept
of perverted views, there is nothing whatsoever to depend on or to grasp. This
is truly the reality of the unhindered one. All the teaching of the Three Vehicles
is merely medicine for weak patients; all the various teachings are merely expedients
to suit the temporary needs of sentient beings. However, one should not become
confused by this Teaching. If one does not give rise to views or grasp words,
there is no Dharma. Why? Because there is no fixed Dharma for the Tathagata to
expound. My Dhyana school never talks about this matter. The Teaching¹s purpose
is to stop false thinking; it is not meant to serve the ends of thinking, pondering
and intellectual analysis.
A bhiksu once declared to his master: "You
have said that, above all, the mind is Buddha, but I don¹t know which mind
is the Buddha." " How many minds do you have?" questioned the master.
"Is the worldly mind or the holy mind the Buddha?" asked the Bhiksu.
The master then asked: " Exactly where do you find the worldly and the holy
minds?" The bhiksu observed: " The Three Vehicles constantly speak of
worldly and holy, so how can you say they don¹t exist?" The master replied:
"Worldly and holy are very clearly explained in the Three Vehicles. You do
not understand and grasp them as objects. Wouldn¹t it be incorrect to think
of emptiness as really existing? Merely wipe out the worldly-and-holy view. There
is no Buddha outside of the Mind. The Patriarch came from the West solely to point
out that people¹s minds are Buddha. You do not recognize this and actively
pursue the Buddha. You do not recognize this and actively pursue the Buddha outside,
thus deluding your own mind. For this reason, I talk about the Mind as Buddha.
Actually, giving rise to a single thought, one falls into heterodox paths. Since
time without beginning, there is no differentiation or discrimination, Voidness
is the Unconditioned Awakening."
The bhiksu queried: "In what theory
do you say is¹?" The master replied: "What theory do you
seek? If you have some theory, that is a differentiating mind." The bhiksu
asked further: "You said earlier that since time without beginning there
is no differentiation. What theory is this?" The master answered: "Because
of your seeking, you realize a difference. Without seeking, where is the difference?"
The bhiksu asked: "If non-different, why do you say it is¹?"
The master replied: "If you do not have the worldly-and-holy view, who can
tell you it is¹? If it is¹ is not, it truly is¹!
When mind is not mind¹, then the mind and it is¹ all disappear.
Where do you want to seek?" The bhiksu queried: "If the false can be
an obstacle to the Mind, how does one drive away the false?" The master answered:
"The false arising and ceasing -- that is the false. Originally, the false
has no root but arises from discrimination, If one has no perverted view of worldly
versus holy, then automatically there is no false. With nothing to grasp and nothing
to drive out, abandoning everything -- just there and then is the Buddha."
The bhiksu then asked: "If there is already no grasping, then what is transmitted?"
The master answered: "The Mind is used to transmit Mind." The bhiksu
asked: "If the mind can be mutually transmitted, how can one then be said
to be without mind?" The master responded: "Just nothing-to-obtain is
the real transmission of Mind. If one really understands, then the mind is no-mind
and no-Dharma." The bhiksu asked: "If there is no-mind and no-Dharma,
where is the transmission?" The master replied: When you hear the phrase
transmission of Mind¹ do you think there is something to obtain? The
Patriarch has said, When you see the mind nature, that is the state beyond
discrimination.¹ The complete Mind is just nothing attained. Where is there
attainment¹? Knowing is not present. What do you think about that?"
The bhiksu asked: "Only voidness in front of me without the mind¹s sphere!
Without the mind¹s sphere, wouldn¹t one then see the Mind? The master
responded: "What mind do you want to see in this sphere? If you see something,
it is only a reflection from the mind¹s sphere? Like a person looking at
his face in a mirror thinking he clearly sees his face and eye-brows but, in reality,
seeing only an image or a reflection, even so is any reflection from the mind¹s
sphere. But what has all this got to do with you?" The bhiksu asked: "If
not by reflection, how can one see the Mind?" The master replied: "If
one wants to point out the cause, one must continually refer to that which the
cause is dependent upon. This is a never-ending process, for there is no end to
the dependent origination of things. Relax your hold, for there is nothing to
obtain. Talking continuously of thousands and thousands of things is just labor
expended in vain."
"If one understands this, then even with reflection
is there still nothing to obtain?" asked the bhiksu. "If there is nothing
to obtain, then reflection is not necessary," said the master. "Don¹t
depend on talk from a dream to open your eyes. Nothing-to-seek¹ is
the primary Dharma. This is better than studying and learning a hundred different
things. With nothing to obtain, one has finished the task," continued the
master. The bhiksu queried: "What is ordinary truth?" The master replied:
"Why do you persist in creating clinging vines? Originally, truth is clear
and bright. It is not necessary to have questions and answers."
In summary,
then, it is to be noted that this without-mind state is wisdom and detachment.
Walking, standing, sitting, reclining, talking and all of one¹s other everyday
actions are done without attachment and are thus transformed into non-action.
In this Dharma-ending age, many Dharma students grasp form and sound in their
cultivation. If only they were able to make their minds as void as a withered,
dead tree or like a stone or cold ashes, they might realize a bit of this Dharma.
Otherwise, they might as well try to force information from the King of Hell.
Being without the dualistic conception of existence and non-existence, like the
sun shining in the sky, wouldn¹t they save energy?
Therefore, being with
no place to dwell is the way of all Buddha activity. The Mind that does not abide
anywhere is the Perfect Awakening, Without understanding the Unconditioned Truth,
even with much learning and diligent practice, one still does not recognize one¹s
own Mind. Therefore, all one¹s actions are nonsense, and one is a member
of the Deva Mara¹s family. The Ch¹an master Chi-Kung observed: "Buddha
is one¹s own Mind! Why do you search in words and letters?" "If
you do not meet a teacher with this transcendental understanding, then you must
take the Dharma medicine of Mahayana. Walking, standing, sitting and lying over
a long period of time, one may realize the without-mind state if the right combination
of causes fosters it. Because one lacks the capacity for sudden Awakening, one
must study the Tao of Dhyana for 3, 5, or 10 years. There is no special arrangement
or negotiation for achieving Buddhadharma. However, this Teaching of the Tathagata
exists as an expedient for the purpose of transforming all beings. For example,
one shows a yellow leaf to a crying baby and pretends that it is gold. This is
not really true, but it stops the crying of the baby. If a teaching says that
there is truly something to obtain, then it is not the Teaching of my sect, nor
would I be a member of such an heretical sect. The sutra states: "There really
was no Dharma by means of which the Tathagata attained Supreme Awakening."
This is the truth of the non-heretical sect, with which I identify.
If one
realizes the originally clear and bright Mind, then both Buddha and Mara, as dualistic
conceptions, are wrong. In this Mind there is no square or round, no big or small,
no short or long. It is passionless and non-active. Neither deluded nor awakened,
it is clarity and emptiness. Human beings and Buddha in worlds as numerous as
the sands of the Ganges appear as bubbles in the ocean. Nothing is better than
"without-mind". Since time without beginning, all Buddhas and the Dharmakaya
are not different, neither increasing nor decreasing. For this reason, if one
really comprehends the importance of such an insight, one should cultivate diligently
until the end of one¹s life. Since the outbreath does not guarantee the inbreath,
everybody should wake up!!
A bhiksu asked the master: "Since the Sixth
Patriarch did not study the sutras, how could he possibly receive the transmission
of the yellow robe and become Patriarch? Venerable Shen-Hsiu was the leader of
five hundred monks and a Dharma teacher able to expound on thirty-two sutras and
sastras. Why wasn¹t the Patriarch¹s robe transmitted to hem?" The
master said:" The Venerable Shen-Hsiu still had a discriminating mind. His
Dharma was action-oriented because he practiced and attained that which has form.
The Sixth Patriarch, in contrast, was suddenly awakened and tacitly understood.
Therefore, the Fifth Patriarch secretly transmitted to him the profound truth
of the Tathagata¹s Teaching."
The Dharma Transmission Gatha of Sakyamuni
Buddha states: "Original Dharma is no-Dharma; without Dharma is true Dharma.
In transmitting the Dharma that is no-Dharma, has there ever been a Dharma?"
If one accepts this right view, then one can practice with ease; such a one can
truly be called one who has left home. When the Venerable Wai-Ming chased the
Sixth Patriarch to Ta Yu Mountain, the Patriarch asked him: "What do you
want by coming here? Do you seek the robe or the Dharma?" "I come for
the Dharma, not for the robe," answered the Venerable Wai-Ming. The Sixth
Patriarch then asked him: "Without thinking of good or evil, what is the
original face of the Venerable Wai-Ming?" Venerable Wai-Ming was suddenly
awakened and prostrated himself at the feet of the Patriarch, declaring: "Only
a person who drinks the water knows whether it is cool or warm. My following the
Fifth Patriarch for thirty years was just labor expended in vain." The Sixth
Patriarch responded: "Yes! Now you know that the intention of the Patriarch¹s
coming from the West was just to point to the Mind directly. Beholding the Buddha
Nature within oneself is the Perfect Awakening, for it never depends on words."
Once the Venerable Ananda asked the Venerable Mahakasyapa: "Besides handing
down the robe, what else does the World Honored One transmit?" Venerable
Mahakasyapa shouted, "Ananda!" "Yes!" answered Venerable Ananda.
"Turn the flag-pole in front of the door upside down," commanded Venerable
Mahakasyapa. This is an excellent example of the upholding and maintaining of
the Patriarch¹s purpose. The foremost listener among the Buddha¹s disciples
was Venerable Ananda, the Buddha¹s attendant for thirty years. However, his
only reasons for listening to the Dharma had been to acquire vast erudition. Therefore,
the Buddha scolded him thus: "Learning the Tao for one day is far superior
to acquiring knowledge for a thousand." If Dharma students do not learn the
Tao, even the digestion of one drop of water is difficult.
A bhiksu asked
the master: "How does one practice without grade or degree?" The master
replied: "Taking one¹s meal every day, one never chews a grain of rice.
Walking every day, one never steps upon the ground." Without the discrimination
between self and others, one lives in the world, not deluded by anything at all.
This is a genuinely free person whose thinking is beyond name and form. Transcending
the three periods of thought, he understands that the previous period has not
passed, the present period does not stay, and that the future period will not
come. Sitting properly and peacefully, not bound by the world ? this alone is
called liberation! Everybody should strive diligently. Out of thousands and thousands
of Dharma students in the Dhyana School, only three or five attain the fruit.
If we do not care about our practice, misfortune could easily arise in the future.
All of us should practice diligently and finish the task of liberation in this
life. Who can or wants to bear misfortune for endless kalpas?