[8.1]At the time the Patriarch was living at Baolin in Caoxi, Shenxiu was situated in the Yuquan Temple of Jingnan. As the two schools flourished, people referred to the two schools as Neng of the South and Xiu of the North. Thus there is the distinction of north and south, or sudden and gradual, yet students generally did not understand their purpose.
[8.2]The Patriarch told everyone, “The Dharma is inherently one school, but people can be classified as northerners or southerners. There is one Dharma, but seeing it happens quickly or slowly. Why is it called sudden or gradual? The Dharma cannot be said to be sudden or gradual. It is only because everyone has both foolishness and intelligence within them that there are the labels of sudden and gradual.”
[8.3]However, Xiu’s students often criticized the Patriarch of the Southern School saying, “How can an illiterate be good at anything?” To this Xiu would comment, “He has attained wisdom without a teacher, and has deeply awakened to the supreme vehicle. I cannot compare to him. Also, my teacher, the Fifth Patriarch, personally transferred to him the robe and the Dharma. How can it be for naught? I regret I cannot travel the distance to learn from him; it is I who am undeserving of the nation’s favor. You should not waste your time here. Go to Caoxi, learn and practice.”
[8.4]One day, he instructed his disciple Zhicheng, “You are intelligent and wise. Go in my place to Caoxi and listen to him teach the Dharma. Pay attention to what you hear so you may recount it for me when you return.”
[8.5]As instructed, Zhicheng arrived at Caoxi. He followed the assembly in requesting the Dharma, but did not mention where he was from. The Patriarch told the assembly, “There is someone hiding in this assembly who is here to steal the teachings.” Zhicheng immediately stepped forward, bowed, and explained himself. The Patriarch said, “You are from Yuquan; you must be a spy.” Zhicheng answered, “No.” The Patriarch asked, “Why not?” Zhicheng again replied, “Before I made myself clear, I was one. Now that I have spoken, I am no longer a spy.” The Patriarch asked, “How does your teacher instruct his followers?” Zhicheng replied, “He often teaches us to abide with the mind contemplating stillness and to engage in extended sitting without lying down.” The Patriarch spoke, “Abiding with the mind contemplating stillness is sickness, not Chan. Extended sitting imprisons the body. How does this benefit your search for the Truth? Listen to my gatha:
[8.6]In life, it sits without lying down
In death, it lies down and does not sit,
A pile of smelly bones.
Why work so hard for it?”
[8.7]Zhicheng bowed again and said, “Though I have studied under Shenxiu for nine years, I have yet to awaken to the truth. Now, when I listen to Venerable Master speak, I am in accord with the inherent mind. May the Venerable Master be so kind as to instruct your disciple on the great matter of life and death.”
[8.8]The Patriach said, “I have heard that your teacher instructs his students in the teaching of discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom, yet I do not know how your teacher describes the form of practicing discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom. Please explain it to me.”
[8.9]Cheng answered, “Master Shenxiu says, ‘Not doing what is unwholesome is discipline. Doing all that is wholesome is wisdom. Purifying the mind is meditative concentration.’ This is what he teaches. I do not know what Dharma you, Venerable Master, teach your followers.”
[8.10]The Patriarch answered, “If I say I have any Dharma to teach people it would be misleading. I use skillful means to liberate sentient beings. I label this as samadhi. What your teacher says about discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom is wonderful. My understanding of discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom is different.”
[8.11]Zhicheng said, “There is only one kind of discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom. How can they be different?”
[8.12]The Patriarch continued, “Your Master’s teachings on discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdomare for people of the Great Vehicle. My teachings on discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom are for people of the Supreme Vehicle. The depth of understanding is different; seeing it happens quickly or slowly. Listen to what I have to say and see if it is different from what your master says. The Dharma I have spoken is not apart from intrinsic nature. If one speaks the Dharma apart from this essence, it is called speaking of the form, and one’s intrinsic nature will be constantly deluded. You need to know that all dharmas arise from intrinsic nature for our use and are the true teachings of discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom. Listen to my gatha:
[8.13]When the mind is without wrong, this is the discipline of intrinsic nature.
When the mind is without ignorance, this is the wisdom of intrinsic nature.
When the mind is without distraction, this is the meditative concentration of intrinsic nature.
There do not increase nor decrease. One’s self is a vajra.
The coming and going of this body is inherently samadhi.
[8.14]Upon hearing the gatha, Zhicheng apologized and thanked the Patriarch. He then spoke the following gatha:
[8.15]The five aggregates compose this illusory body.
How can we see through to the end of this illusion?
Even if it is transformed into suchness,
The Dharma still would not be pure.
[8.16]The Patriarch showed his approval and said, “Your master’s teachings on discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom are for those who are only shallowly rooted in wisdom. My teachings on discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom are for those who are deeply rooted in wisdom. If you awaken to intrinsic nature you will not establish bodhi or Nirvana, nor will you establish liberation or knowledge and vision. No Dharma will be obtained. Then you can establish all Dharmas. If you understand this teaching, it can also be called the Buddha body, bodhi, Nirvana, one’s liberation, and knowledge and vision. For those who see intrinsic nature, whether these are established or not does not matter; they come and go freely, unhindered and unobstructed, apply it as needed, respond appropriately, manifest their Nirmanakaya everywhere, and do not stray from intrinsic nature. Thus they gain carefree supernatural powers and playful samadhi. This is called seeing intrinsic nature.”
[8.17]Zhicheng again approached the Patriarch and asked, “What is the meaning of ‘not established?’”
[8.18]The Patriarch answered, “Intrinsic nature is without wrong, ignorance, or distraction. With every thought, contemplate with prajna. Constantly turn away from the form of Dharma, as it is free and at ease, pervading all space. What is there to establish? Awaken to your own intrinsic nature, suddenly awaken and suddenly practice. In addition, there is no gradual order. Therefore, all dharmas are not established, and all dharmas are tranquil. How can they have any order?”
[8.19]Zhicheng bowed and asked to become his attendant, and diligently served him day and night.
[8.20]The monk Zhiche was from JiangxiProvince. He was from the Zhang family and given the name of Xingchang. As a young man, he was a wandering hero. After the split into the Northern and Southern Schools, there was rivalry between the disciples even though the teachers of the two schools made no such distinction At that time, because the students of the northern school had separately acknowledged Shenxiu as the “Sixth Patriarch,” they were concerned that the news of the passing of the robe would become public, so they instructed Xinchang to go and assassinate the Sixth Patriarch. The Patriarch foresaw their plot and put ten taels of gold in his bag. When night fell, Xingchang sneaked into the Patriarch’s room and was about to assassinate him. The Patriarch stretched out his neck and Xingchang tried to cut him three times, yet no harm was done.
[8.21]The Patriarch said, “A straight sword is not crooked; a crooked sword is not straight. I only owe you this money, I do not owe you my life.”
[8.22]Xingchang was shocked and fainted. It was a long time before he awoke. Filled with remorse, he asked for forgiveness and indicated his wish to ordain. The Patriarch then gave him the gold pieces and said, “Go! I am afraid my students will do you harm. Come back in the future in a different guise, and I’ll receive you.” As instructed, Xingchang escaped during the night. He later was ordained and diligently upheld the precepts.
[8.23]One day, he recalled the Patriarch’s words and made the long journey to pay homage to him. The Patriarch said, “I have been thinking of you for a long time. Why are you so late?”
[8.24]Xingchang answered, “That day I was fortunate to have Venerable Master forgive me. Though I have been ordained and practiced ascetically, it is not enough to repay your kindness. My only hope is that I can spread the teachings to liberate sentient beings. I have often read the Parinirvana Sutra and have yet to understand the meaning of permanence and impermanence. Please be so kind as to explain it to me.”
[8.25]The Patriarch answered, “Impermanence is Buddha nature. Permanence is the differentiating mind of all wholesome and unwholesome dharmas.”
[8.26]Xingchang said, “The Venerable Master’s words greatly contradict the sutra.”
[8.27]The Patriarch said, “I transmit the Buddha Mind Seal. How dare I contradict the sutras?”
[8.28]Xingchang replied, “The sutra says that Buddha nature is permanent, yet Venerable Master says it is impermanent. Wholesome and unwholesome dharmas, even the bodhi mind, are impermanent, yet Venerable Master says they are permanent. This is the contradiction. This creates more doubts for me.”
[8.29]The Patriarch replied, “I once heard the nun Wujinzang recite the sutra, and I explained it to her. There is not one word or interpretation that is inconsistent with the sutra. Even what I have told you now is not any different.”
[8.30]Xingchang said, “My learning is shallow. I hope Venerable Master will bear with me and teach me.”
[8.31]The Patriarch said, “Don’t you know? If Buddha nature is permanent, why bother talking about wholesome and unwholesome dharmas? No one, even in endless kalpas, will initiate the bodhi mind. When I say impermanence, it is exactly the truth of real permanence spoken by the Buddha. If all phenomena are impermanent, then everything has intrinsic nature and is subject to birth and death. But real permanent nature is not all pervasive. What I say is permanence is what the Buddha meant by real impermanence. The Buddha recognizes that ordinary people and outsiders are attached to false permanence and that those who follow the two vehicles see what is permanent and think it is impermanent. In total there are eight such inversions. Thus, the Buddha expounds the teachings of the Parinirvana Sutra to destroy these biased views, revealing real permanence, real bliss, and real purity. What you are doing now is following the word but contradicting the meaning. You believe in nihilism and impermanence, and assume deadly permanence. You misunderstand the complete, wondrous, and profound final teachings of the Buddha. Though you may read the sutra a thousand times, of what benefit is it to you?”
[8.32]Xingchang suddenly had a great awakening and spoke this gatha:
[8.33]I hold onto this impermanent mind.
The Buddha said it has a permanent nature;
Though I, not knowing it was skillful means
Am like a spring pond gathering pebbles –
[8.34]I do not put in any effort,
Yet Buddha nature appears.
With no Master to teach me,
I still have not attained it.
[8.35]The Patriarch said, “Now you have understood thoroughly, your name should be Zhiche[1].” Che bowed in appreciation and left.
[8.36]There was a novice named Shenhui from the Gao family of Xiangyang. When he was thirteen, he traveled from Yuquan to pay homage to the Patriarch. The Patriarch said, “This Dharma Friend has endured a lot to make the long journey here. Have you also brought that which discovers the inherent? If you have what is inherent, then you should know its host. Try to speak of it.”
[8.37]Hui said, “Non-abiding is what is inherent. Seeing is the host.”
[8.38]The Patriarch replied, “What this novice said is so careless!”
[8.39]Hui asked in return, “When the Venerable Master sits in meditation, do you see it or not?”
[8.40]The Patriarch took his staff and hit Hui three times, asking, “When I hit you, do you feel the pain or not?”
[8.41]Hui answered, “I both feel the pain and do not feel the pain.”
[8.42]The Patriarch said, “I both see and do not see.”
[8.43]Hui asked, “What does it mean to both see and not see?”
[8.44]The Patriarch replied, “What I see is as such: I constantly see the wrongdoing of my own mind. I do not see others’ right and wrong or wholesome and unwholesome. This is seeing and not seeing. What do you mean when you claim both pain and no pain? If you do not feel pain, then you are the same as a piece of wood or stone. If you feel pain, then you are no different from an ordinary person who responds to it with anger and hatred. Your earlier reference to seeing and not seeing is dualistic; feeling or not feeling pain is arising and ceasing. Your intrinsic nature is yet to be seen, yet you play tricks on others.” Shenhui bowed and asked for forgiveness.
[8.45]The Patriach continued, “If your mind is deluded and does not see, ask good Dharma friends for guidance. If your mind is awakened, then you see your intrinsic nature and practice in accordance with the Dharma. Though you are deluded and do not see your intrinsinc mind, you come here and ask me if I see it or not. I know what I see; how can it replace your delusion? If you see it; it also cannot replace my delusion. Why not know and see for yourself? Why ask if I see it or not?” Shenhui again expressed his gratitude, bowed over a hundred times, and asked for forgiveness. From then on, he served the Patriarch, never leaving his side.
[8.46]One day, the Patriarch told the assembly, “I have a thing, without head or tail, without name or title, without front or back. Do any of you know what it is?”
[8.47]Shenhui stood forward and said, “It is the origin of all Buddhas, Shenhui’s Buddha nature.”
[8.48]The Patriarch answered, “I already told you it is without name or title, but you call it the origin, the Buddha nature. In the future, with thatch over your head, you will be a disciple who only knows and understands the teacher.”
[8.49]After the Patriarch passed away, Hui traveled to the capital and to Luoyang to spread the Sudden teachings of Caoxi. He wrote the Jounal on the Essentials of Chan, a popular text of the time.
[8.50]The Patriarch saw that, in the various schools, there were those who could criticize other schools with ill intentions. He gathered his followers and addressed them compassionately, “Those who practice the Way should put an end to all wholesome and unwholesome thoughts. Intrinsic nature cannot be called by any name. The name of intrinsic nature is non-dualistic; it is called true nature. To establish all teachings in true nature, when one speaks one should see oneself.” After all those present heard these words, they paid homage to the Patriarch and expressed their wish to respect him as their teacher.
[1] Zhichi is made up of two Chinese characters: zhi and chi. Zhi means heart’s vocation, and chi means thorough and complete.
[7.1]After the Patriarch realized the truth at Huangmei, he returned, without anyone’s knowledge, to the village of Caohou in Shaozhou. There was a Confucian scholar by the name of Liu Zhilue. He was most gracious and had an aunt, a nun named Wujin Zang, who often recited the Mahanirvana Sutra. Upon listening to the sutra, the Patriarch was immediately aware of its wondrous meaning and proceeded to elucidate it to her. She held out the sutra in front of the Patriarch to ask him about a certain word. The Patriarch replied, “I cannot read the words, but I can help you with the meaning.”
[7.2]The nun asked, “If you cannot read the words, how can you understand the meaning?”
[7.3]The Patriarch replied, “The wondrous teachings of the Buddhas are not within words.”
[7.4]The nun was astonished and went to the village elder and said, “Here is one who has realized the truth and is worthy of our support.” The distant grandson of the great general Cao Cao , Cao Shuliang, and many other villagers came to pay homage and to be in his presence.
[7.5]At that time,the ancient Baolin Temple had been ravaged by war during the downfall of the Sui dynasty and had fallen into disrepair. A new temple was then built on the same foundation and the Patriarch was invited to stay. It quickly became a significant religious center. The Patriarch had lived there for more than nine months when he was again pursued by vicious men. As the Patriarch hid in the hills facing the temple, these men tried to force him out by burning the trees and underbrush. The Patriarch squeezed between the rocks to protect himself. Even today, the rock bears an impression of the Patriarch’s knees where he sat as well as an imprint of his robe. That is why it is called the “Rock of Refuge.” Then, recalling the Fifth Patriarch’s instructions about stopping at Huai and taking cover at Hui, he traveled to these provinces and lived in hiding.
[7.6]When Fahai, a monk from Qujiang of Shaozhou, first visited the Patriarch, he asked, “Can you please explain the meaning of ‘The mind is the Buddha?’ Please instruct me.”
[7.7]The Patriarch answered, “Previous thought without arising is the mind. Future thought without cessation is the Buddha. Creating all forms is the mind. Turning away from all forms is the Buddha. To explain all the details, endless kalpas would not be enough. Listen to this gatha:
[7.8]The mind is prajna wisdom.
The Buddha is meditative concentration.
Uphold meditative concentration and wisdom equally,
And the mind is purified.
[7.9]Awakening to this teaching
Depends on your habitual tendencies.
Its application is inherently non-arising;
Practicing both is the correct way.
[7.10]Upon these words, Fahai had a great awakening and uttered the following gatha in praise:
[7.11]The mind is inherently the Buddha
Not awakening to this is to hinder oneself.
My intelligence comes from meditative concentration and prajna wisdom.
Practice both, and one turns away from all things.
[7.12]Fada, a monk originally from Hongzhou, was ordained when he was seven. He often recited the Lotus Sutra. When he came to pay homage to the Patriarch, he bowed but his forehead did not touch the ground. The Patriarch admonished him, saying, “If you are going to pay homage without touching your forehead to the ground, you may as well not pay homage at all! Your mind still harbors something. What is it?”
[7.13]He replied, “I have recited the Lotus Sutra three thousand times.”
[7.14]The Patriarch said, “When you have recited the sutra ten thousand times and have comprehended its meaning without any sense of superiority, then you are at my level. Presently, you do not understand the meaning, and you do not see your own error. Listen to my gatha:
[7.15]Originally, one pays homage to tame the storehouse of pride,
Why should the forehead not touch the ground?
When there is a self, wrongdoing immediately arises -
Nothing eliminates our virtue more than this.
[7.16]The Patriarch spoke again, “What is your name?”
[7.17]He replied, “My name is Fada.”
[7.18]The Patriarch said, “Since your name is Fada[1], do you comprehend the Dharma?” He continued with this gatha:
[7.19]You, the one called ‘Fada,’
Who diligently recites without rest:
There are sounds of recitation, but no understanding.
One who understands the mind is called a bodhisattva.
[7.20]Because you now have the right conditions,
I can explain to you:
Believe in the Buddha’s wordless speech
And lotus blossoms will pour forth from your mouth.
[7.21]Fada listened to the gatha and, with remorse and gratitude, said, “From this day forward, I will respect all things. I recite the Lotus Sutra without understanding its meaning, and my mind is often filled with questions. May Venerable Master, with your expansive prajna wisdom, tell me a little bit about the meaning of the sutra.”
[7.22]The Patriarch said, “Fada, the Dharma is completely comprehensible. It is your mind that cannot comprehend it. The sutra itself is without doubt; it is your mind that has doubt. What is the main point of the sutra that you recite?”
[7.23]Fada replied, “Your student’s abilities are lacking. I just faithfully recite the words of the sutra. How can I possibly know what it means?”
[7.24]The Patriarch said, “I cannot read. Why don’t you read the sutra, and I will explain it to you.”
[7.25]Fada read the sutra aloud, until he reached the Parable Chapter. The Patriarch said, “Stop. The main point of this sutra is the causes and conditions for the Buddha to come into this world. Though it speaks with many metaphors, it never strays from this point. What are the causes and conditions? The sutra says, ‘All Buddhas appear in this world because of one great matter.’ This ‘one great matter’ refers to the Buddha’s knowledge and vision. Ordinary people have an external delusion that attaches to form and an internal delusion that attaches to emptiness. If one can detach from form from within form and detach from emptiness from within emptiness, then both the interior and the exterior are not deluded. If one can awaken to this teaching in a single thought, the mind will open. This is awakening to the Buddha’s knowledge and vision. [7.26]“The Buddha is the awakened one. Awakening can be divided into four parts: opening awakened knowledge and vision, demonstrating awakened knowledge and vision, understanding awakened knowledge and vision, and entering awakened knowledge and vision. It one listens to it opened and demonstrated, then one can understand and enter awakened knowledge and vision and one’s inherent true nature can then appear. You must be careful not to misinterpret the meaning of the sutras. The Buddha says, “Open, demonstrate, understand, and enter,” and we think that the Buddha’s knowledge and vision has nothing to do with us. If you interpret it this way, you slander the sutras and the Buddha. Since he is a Buddha with complete knowledge and vision, what does he need to open? You should believe this: What is the Buddha’s knowledge and vision is only your own mind. There is no other Buddha. All sentient beings cover their own brightness by having desire for sense objects. These external conditions cause internal disturbance, and thus we willingly accept our frantic state. The World Honored One arises from within samadhi and uses many different skillful teachings to convince us to let go of our frantic state and not seek the Dharma externally so that the Buddha and ourselves are not different. That is why it is said, ‘Open the Buddha’s knowledge and vision.’ I, too, wish to convince you to constantly open the Buddha’s knowledge and vision from your own mind. Ordinary people’s minds are wrong. The deluded commit wrongdoing. Though they speak of good their minds are filled with the bad. With desire, hatred, envy, jealousy, flattery, and pride, they violate others and harm things. This is sentient beings opening their own knowledge and vision. If one can correct the mind, constantly give rise to wisdom, contemplate one’s own mind, end the unwholesome and practice what is wholesome, this is opening the Buddha’s knowledge and vision. With all thoughts one should open the Buddha’s knowledge and vision and not sentient beings knowledge and vision. Opening the Buddha’s knowledge and vision is the supramundane world, opening sentient beings’ knowledge and vision is the mundane world. If you laboriously attach to thoughts and regard this as practice, what is the difference between you and a yak that loves its own tail?”
[7.27]Fada said, “If this is the case, then as long as I understand the meaning, I do not have to recite the sutra?”
[7.28]The Patriarch replied, “There is nothing wrong with the sutra; how can it interfere with your recitation of the sutra? Whether it will benefit you or not depends on whether or not you are deluded or awakened. If you recite and practice it within your mind, you will have mastery over the sutra. If you recite it without practicing it within you own mind, the sutra will have mastery over you.
[7.29]The deluded mind is mastered by the Lotus.
The awakened mind masters the Lotus.
If one has recited the sutra without understanding it,
One is an enemy of its meaning.
[7.30]With no thought, each thought it upright.
With thought, each thought is wrong.
Having no concern for with or without,
One can drive the white ox drawn cart forever.
[7.31]After listening to the gatha, Fada was moved to tears as he attained a great awakening under these words. He told the Patriarch, “Before this, I had not really mastered the sutra, but the sutra had mastered me.” He continued, “The sutras say, ‘If all great sravakas and bodhisattvas worked together to measure and assess, they could not fathom the Buddha’s wisdom.’ Inspiring ordinary people to awaken to the intrinsic mind is what is called the Buddha’s knowledge and vision. Since I do not have deep roots, I am bound to have questions and doubts. The sutra speaks of three vehicles: goat drawn, deer drawn, and ox drawn vehicles, in addition to the white ox drawn vehicle. What are the differences? I hope Venerable Master can again elucidate.”
[7.32]The Patriarch spoke, “The meaning of the sutra is very clear; it is you who are deluded and have turned your back on it. People of the three vehicles cannot fathom the Buddha’s wisdom. The problem lies in their magnanimity. Even if they all exhaust their thinking together to understand it it will only lead them further away. The Buddha spoke to ordinary people, he did not speak to Buddhas. Let those who do not believe in the truth now leave the Dharma assembly. You do not know that you are riding the white ox vehicle and look outside for the three vehicles, in spite of the fact that the sutras say, ‘There is only one Buddha Vehicle, and no other vehicles. From the two vehicles to the three vehicles, all the way up to the countless skillful means, including the many causes and conditions, parables, and sayings – all of these are the one Buddha Vehicle.’ Why do you not understand this? The three vehicles are illusive and for the old days. The one vehicle is true and for the present time. I am teaching you to let go of the illusive and return to the truth. Once you return to the truth, the truth is also nameless. You should know that all treasures belong to you entirely and are available for your use. Do not think of yourself as the father, nor as the son, nor of this use. This is called upholding the Lotus Sutra. From kalpa to kalpa, the sutra is always in your hands; from morning till night, there is not one moment that you do not uphold it.”
[7.33]Inspired, Fada rejoiced and uttered the following gatha in praise:
[7.34]Three thousand recitations of the sutra
Vanish with one phrase from Caoxi.
Without understanding the significance of transcending the world,
How can the many lifetimes of delusion cease?
[7.35]The goat, deer, and ox are skillful means,
Teaching the Dharma in the beginning, middle, and end.
Who could have known that, inside the flaming house,
The Dharma King resided all along?
[7.36]The Patriarch spoke, “From now on you can truly be called a sutra-reciting monk.” Henceforth, Fada received the wondrous meaning of the sutra. He also did not stop reciting the sutra.
[7.37]The monk Zhitong had grown up in Anfeng, located in Shouzhou. Having read the Lankavatara Sutra over a thousand times, he still could not come to an understanding of the three bodies and the four wisdoms. He came to pay homage to the Patriarch and to ask for its meaning. The Patriarch answered, “These are the three bodies: the pure Dharmakaya is your intrinsic nature; the perfect Sambhogakaya is your wisdom; the infinite manifestations of the Nirmanakaya is your practice. Talking about the three bodies outside of inherent nature is to have a body without wisdom. If one awakens to the three bodies having no intrinsic nature, this is called the bodhi of the four wisdoms. Listen to my gatha:
[7.38]Intrinsic nature has three bodies,
Innovation becomes the four wisdoms –
They do not turn away from hearing and seeing.
Transcend and enter the Buddha land.
[7.39]I now say to you:
Deeply believe and forever be free from delusion.
Do not learn from hasty people,
Who, all day, only say, “bodhi.”
[7.40]Zhitong asked again, “May I ask, what are the four wisdoms?”
[7.41]The Patriarch answered, “Now that you know the three bodies, you will naturally understand the four wisdoms. What do you need to ask? If you are without the three bodies and do not speak of wisdom, this is called having wisdom with no body. Even if you have wisdom, it is not wisdom.” He continued with this gatha:
[7.42]Perfect mirror-like wisdom is pure nature.
The wisdom of universal equality is the mind without illness.
The discriminating wisdom of profound insight is seeing effortlessly.
The wisdom of perfect conduct is just like the perfect mirror.
[7.43]Transformation of the first five and the eighth are effects, with the sixth and seventh as the causes.
But using these labels has no true nature.
If one is at a turning point, do not be hesitant.
Amid proliferation, remain forever in meditation.
[7.44]Zhitong suddenly awakened to the nature of wisdom and immediately presented this gatha:
[7.45]The three bodies are originally my body.
The four wisdoms are originally my mind’s radiance.
Body and wisdom combine without obstruction.
They respond to anything and take any form.
[7.46]Beginning to practice is an illusive action,
Remaining bound is not the best way.
The wondrous meaning is understood due to my teacher.
All defilements are completely ended.”
[7.47]The monk Zhichang was a native of Guixi in Xinzhou. He had ordained when he was young, with the aspiration of finding intrinsic nature. One day, he came to pay homage to the Patriarch, who asked him, “Where are you from? What is it that you want?”
[7.48]Zhichang replied, “This student had recently traveled to Mt.Baifeng of Hongzhou to pay my respects to Venerable Master Datong and to ask the meaning of seeing intrinsic nature and attaining Buddhahood. There are still doubts. The journey to pay homage to Venerable Master has been long, hopefully you will be kind and offer instructions.”
[7.49]The Patriarch said, “Tell me what he said.”
[7.50]Zhichang said, “After I had remained there for three months, I had yet to receive any instruction. For the purpose of learning the truth, I went by myself to his room one evening and asked, ‘What is one’s inherent mind, one’s inherent nature?’ Datong thus replied, ‘Do you see the vastness of space?’ I replied, ‘I see.’ He said, ‘Does the vastness of space you see have any physical features?’ I answered, ‘Space is without form, how can it have physical features?’ He said, ‘Your inherent nature is like the vastness of space, there is nothing to be seen. This is called right understanding. Having nothing to know is called truly knowing. It is not green or yellow, long or short. Simply see that the original source is pure and that the essence of awakening is complete and radiant. This is called seeing intrinsic nature and attaining Buddhahood. It is also known as the Tathagata’s knowledge and vision. Though I heard what he said, I still did not resolve my doubt. Please instruct me.”
[7.51]The Patriarch replied, “There is still the notion of seeing and knowing within what the teacher said, which is why you have not understood. I will use a gatha to explain to you:
[7.52]Not seeing anything, one still has the concept of not seeing,
Like the floating clouds that cover the sun.
Without knowing any dharma, one still has the knowledge of nothingness,
Like a flash of lightning in the vastness of space.
[7.53]This knowing and seeing suddenly arises
This is a misunderstanding – how can it be understood as skillful means?
One should, in a single thought, understand this is wrong,
Then the light within your intrinsic nature will constantly shine.
[7.54]After Zhichang heard the gatha, his mind opened and he uttered this gatha:
[7.55]Without any source, knowing and seeing arise,
Seeking awakening while attached to forms.
If one maintains even one thought attached to awakening
How can one go beyond delusion?
[7.56]Intrinsic nature is the source of awakening.
Following after seeing and knowing, one is adrift at sea.
Had I not entered the Master’s room,
I would be headed towards two extremes.
[7.57]One day, Zhichang asked the Patriarch, “The Buddha spoke of the teachings of the three vehicles, and he also mentioned the supreme vehicle. I still do not understand and sincerely hope that you will instruct me.”
[7.58]The Patriarch answered, “You should contemplate the inherent mind that is within you, making sure that you are not attached to external dharmas. Dharma does not have four vehicles; it is people’s minds that are different. Seeing, hearing, and reciting the sutra is the Small Vehicle. Awakening to the Dharma and understanding its meaning is the Middle Vehicle. Cultivating according to the Dharma is the Great Vehicle. Completely understanding and encompassing all dharmas without attachment, and turning away from all external dharmas without attaining anything at all is the Supreme Vehicle. “Vehicle” means practice, and it is not a matter for verbal debate. You have to cultivate for yourself; do not ask me. At all times intrinsic nature is intrinsic suchness.”
[7.59]Zhichang thanked the Patriarch and bowed. He remained the attendant of the Patriarch until the Patriarch passed away.
[7.60]The monk Zhidao was a native of Nanhai, Guangzhou. He asked the Patriarch, “Since I was ordained, I have been reading the Parinirvana Sutra for over ten years and have yet to understand its meaning. May the Venerable Master instruct me?”
[7.61]The Patriarch said, “Which part do you not understand?”
[7.62]Zhidao answered, “‘All phenomena are impermanent, subject to the law of birth and death. When birth and death cease, that is the bliss of Nirvana.’ Is what I have questions about.”
[7.63]The Patriarch asked, “What do you not understand?”
[7.64]Zhidao answered, “All sentient beings have two bodies: the physical body and the Dharma body. The physical body is impermanent, and there is birth and death. The Dharma body is permanent, but without knowing and feeling. When the sutra says, ‘When birth and death cease, that is the bliss of Nirvana,’ it is not clear which body experiences cessation and which body experiences bliss. If it is the physical body, when the body ceases, the four great elements separate. There is only suffering – this cannot be called bliss. If the Dharma body ceases, it is like grass, wood, tile, or rock, who is it that experiences bliss? Dharma nature is the essence of birth and death, and the five aggregates are the application of birth and death, this one essence has five applications. Birth and death are permanent. Birth is when the application arises from the essence and death is when the application returns to the essence. If there is rebirth, then sentient beings do not cease. If there is no rebirth, then sentient beings forever return to tranquility, this is not unlike insentience. If this is true, all dharmas are imprisoned by Nirvana. There is no life – how can there be bliss?”
[7.65]The Patriarch said, “You, who are a disciple of Sakaymuni, why do you hold the false views of eternalism and nihilism that contradict the Way when you speak of the Supreme Vehicle? You say that outside of this physical body you have another Dharma body, and you seek tranquility outside of birth and death. You also say that Nirvana is permanent and blissful and that you have a body to experience it. This is attaching to birth, death, and wordly desire. You should know the Buddha taught this because all deluded people regard the five aggregates as their own bodies and they differentiate the six sense objects. They like birth and they dislike death. All their thoughts shift and move. They are unaware that their thoughts are false, like a dream or an illusion, and thus they are unnecessarily reborn. They take Nirvana, which is permanent and blissful, and regard it as suffering, and thus spend their days rushing about and searching. The Buddha, out of compassion, showed the true bliss of Nirvana. Without the characteristics of momentary arising, without the characteristics of momentary cessation, and without the cessation of arising and ceasing – this is the tranquility of Nirvana. Once it appears, it cannot be fathomed. Though it is called permanent bliss, this bliss is without a person who experiences it, yet it is not without those who experience it. How can you say there is this thing called one essence and five functionings? Furthermore, when you say that nirvana wipes out all dharmas, causing them never to be enlivened, you are slandering the Buddha and distorting his teachings. Listen to my gatha:
[7.66]Great, unexcelled Nirvana,
Complete, bright, forever tranquil and luminous.
Ordinary, foolish people call it death;
While outsiders attach to it as annihilation.
[7.67]Those who are seeking the two vehicles
See it as inaction.
All such attachments arise from emotions –
Where the sixty-two views find their basis.
[7.68]Illusively established with the illusion of a name,
How can it be regarded as the truth?
Only those with magnanimity
Completely understand it, without clinging to or abandoning it.
[7.69]If one knows the teachings of the five aggregates
And the self within the five aggregates,
That outwardly present all their physical forms
Each with their own voice.
[7.70]Each is just as much a dream,
Without holding an ordinary or sagely view,
Without attempting to understand it as Nirvana,
The two extremes and the three time periods are cut off.
[7.71]It can be constantly applied to all sense organs,
Without the thought of its application.
It can distinguish all dharmas,
Without the thought of distinguishing.
[7.72]The kalpa-ending flames burn to the bottom of the ocean,
Winds crash mountains into each other,
Even so, there is real, permanent, and tranquil bliss.
Nirvana is such as this.
[7.73]I have no tried to explain it in words
So that you may abandon evil views.
Do not try to understand simply from my words,
And you may come to know a small part of it.
[7.74]Upon listening to the gatha, Zhidao experienced a great awakening. Elated, he bowed and left.
[7.75]The Chan master Xingsi was born to the Liu family of Ancheng, Jizhou. When he heard that the teachings at Caoxi had flourished, he traveled there to pay homage to the Patriarch. Afterwards, he asked, “What should I do so that I do not fall into classifying?”
[7.76]The Patriarch asked, “What have you done?”
[7.77]Xingsi replied, “I do not even practice the noble truths.”
[7.78]The Patriarch said, “What kind of classifying could you then fall into?”
[7.79]Xingsi said, “Without practicing the noble truths, what classification can there be?”
[7.80]The Patriarch thought highly of him and instructed him to be the head of the assembly.
One day, the Patriarch said to him, “You should go to a different place to teach. Do not allow the teachings to come to an end.” Since Xingsi had received the teachings, he returned to MountQingyuan in Jizhou to spread the Dharma and teach sentient beings.
[7.81]The Chan master Huairang was from the Du family of Jinzhou. He first went to MountSong to visit National Master An, who told him to go to Caoxi to pay homage to the Patriarch. When Huairang arrived, he paid his respects to the Patriarch, who asked him, “Where are you from?”
[7.82]Huairang answered, “MountSong.”
[7.83]The Patriarch said, “What is it that has come?”
[7.84]Huairang replied, “To say that it is similar to anything would be incorrect.”
[7.85]The Patriarch asked, “Can it be cultivated and realized?”
[7.86]Huairang said, “Cultivation and realization are not absent. They cannot be defiled.”
[7.87]The Patriarch said, “It is only the undefiled that is protected by all Buddhas. You are already thus, and I am, too. Prajnatara of India once predicted that a thoroughbred will emerge among your students, able to overcome all people in the world. Keep this in mind. There is no need to speak of this too soon.”
[7.88]Huairang clearly understood and served as an attendant of the the Patriarch for fifteen years. He steadily understood the depths of the teachings. Later, he went to Nanyu to spread the teachings of the Chan School.
[7.89]The Chan master Yongjia Xuanjue was from the Dai family in Wenzhou. Since he was a young child, he studied the sutras and mastered in the TiantaiSchool’s practice of “stopping and seeing.” After studying the Vimalakirti Sutra, he began to understand the mind. It just so happened that Xuance, a disciple of the Patriarch, was visiting. Xuance spoke with Xuanjue intensely, and it became clear that Xuanjue’s words agreed with those of all Chan patriarchs. Xuance asked, “From which teacher did you receive the teachings?”
[7.90]Xuanjue answered, “I heard about the vaipulya sutras and sastras from various teachers. Later when I studied the Vimalakirti Sutra, I awakened to the principle of the Buddha Mind, but I have yet to be confirmed by someone.”
[7.91]Xuance said, “Before the era of Bhīṣmagarjitasvara Rāja Buddha, this was acceptable. After the era of Bhīṣmagarjitasvara Rāja Buddha, being able to awaken on one’s own is considered deviant.”
[7.92]Xuanjue asked, “Can you please confirm my attainment?”
[7.93]Xuance answered, “My words do not carry much weight. People from across the four directions have gathered at Caoxi, where the Sixth Patriarch currently lives. He has been confirmed in the lineage. If you want to go, I will accompany you.”
[7.94]Thereafter, Xuanjue and Xuance arrived at Caoxi to pay homage. Xuanjue circumambulated the Patriarch three times, then shook his staff and stood before him.
[7.95]The Patriarch said, “You are a monk and thus should know the three thousand rules of proper manners and the eighty thousand fine practices. Worthy one, where do you come from? Why are you so arrogant?”
[7.96]Xuanjue answered, “The matter of life and death is very important. Impermanence comes quickly.”
[7.97]The Patriarch said, “Why do you not realize that there is no birth and understand that there is no quickness?”
[7.98]Xuanjue replied, “The essence is not born. Understanding inherently is not quick.”
[7.99]The Patriarch said, “It is so, it is so.”
[7.100]Thereafter, Xuanjue bowed in a most dignified manner and asked to take leave a moment later. The Patriarch said, “…Leaving so quickly?”
[7.101]Xuanjue said, “Inherently, there is no movement. How can there be quickness?”
[7.102]The Patriarch said, “Who knows that it does not move?”
[7.103]Xuanjue said, “It is you yourself that gives rise to differentiation.”
[7.104]The Patriarch said, “You have profoundly realized the meaning of no birth.”
[7.105]Xuanjue said, “How can no birth have a meaning?”
[7.106]The Patriarch said, “Since there is no meaning, who is it that differentiates?”
[7.107]Xuanjue said, “Differentiation also has no meaning.”
[7.108]The Patriarch said, “Wonderful! Stay over for a night.” At that time, people called Xuanjue the “Overnight Enlightened One.” He later wrote the Song of Enlightenment, which became widely circulated.
[7.109]Chan master Zhihuang first studied with the Fifth Patriarch. He himself proclaimed that he had attained the Right Dharma and had once sat in meditation in a hermitage for twenty years. When Xuance, a disciple of the Sixth Patriarch, passed through Heshuo, he learned of Zhihaung’s reputation and went to see him at the hermitage. He asked Zhihuang, “What are you doing here?”
[7.111]Xuance said, “When you said that you enter meditative concentration, do you have a mind that enters it or is there no mind that enters it? If there is no mind that enters it, then all non-sentient beings, such as the grass, trees, bricks, and stones, should attain it. If one has a mind that enters it, then all sentient, conscious beings would be capable of attaining it.”
[7.112]Zhihuang said, “As I enter meditative concentration, I do not see with or without a mind.”
[7.113]Xuance replied, “Not seeing with or without a mind is meditative concentration. How can there be entering or exiting? If there is entry or exit, it is not meditative concentration.”
[7.114]Zhihuang had no reply. After a long while, he asked, “What lineage of teachers do you follow?”
[7.115]Xuance answered, “My teacher is the Sixth Patriarch of Caoxi.”
[7.116]Zhihuang asked, “What would the Sixth Patriarch consider meditative concentration?”
[7.117]Xuance replied, “My teacher has said, ‘It is wondrous, profound, perfect, and tranquil. Its essence and function is suchness. The five aggregates are originally empty and the six sense organs are without existence. There is no exiting and no entering, no meditative concentration and no distraction. The nature of Chan is without abiding; it turns away from abiding in tranquility. The nature of Chan is without arising; it turns away from the arising of thought. The mind is like the vastness of space – it is beyond measure.”
[7.118]After Zhihuang heard Xuance’s explanation, he went directly to the Patriarch to pay homage to him. The Patriarch asked him, “Where are you from?”
[7.119]Zhihuang recalled his earlier encounter with Xuance. The Patriarch told him, “It is as you have been told. Allow your mind to be like the vastness of space, without attaching to any view of emptiness. When it is unobstructed, whether it is in motion or still, there is no mind. Thus go beyond distinction between the ordinary and sagely, subject and object. Its nature and form are suchness, and at no time will you leave meditative concentration.”
[7.120]Thereupon, Zhihuang had a great awakening and realized that his experiences over the last twenty years had not mattered. That night in Hebei, scholars and villagers alike heard a voice in the air saying, “Chan Master Zhihuang attained the Way today!” Later, Zhihuang thanked the Patriarch as he bid him farewell. He returned to Hebei and spread the teachings to both laypeople and monastics.
[7.121]Once, a monk asked the Patriarch, “Who receives the teachings of Huangmei?”
[7.122]The Patriarch replied, “Those who understand the Dharma receive them.”
[7.123]The monk asked, “Venerable Master, have you received them?”
[7.124]The Patriarch answered, “I do not understand the Dharma.”
[7.125]One day, the Patriarch wanted to wash the robe that had been handed down to him, but he could not find a clear spring to do so. He went behind the temple and, after walking five miles or so, came upon a lush, wooded area in the hills. The air was vibrant and rich with energy. He then raised his tin staff and struck the ground. As he did, spring water poured out of the ground and accumulated into a pond. The Patriarch then knelt down and washed the robe on a rock. Suddenly, a monk walked up to him and bowed, saying, “My name is Fangbian, and I am from Xishu. I have traveled a great distance to come here so that I may see the robe and bowl that my teacher[2] handed down.”
[7.126]After the Patriarch showed him the robe and bowl, he asked Fangbian, “What kind of work do you do?”
[7.128]Sincerely, the Patriarch said, “Why don’t you sculpt something and show me.”
[7.129]Initially, Fangbian was at a loss. After a few days, he sculpted an exquisitely detailed seven inch tall statue in the likeness of the Patriarch. The Patriarch smiled at him and said, “You have mastered the art of sculpting, but you do not understand Buddha Nature.” He then reached out his hand and touched Fangbian’s head, saying, “May you be a field of merit for both humans and heavenly beings.”
[7.130]Once a monk quoted from a gatha by Chan Master Wolun which says:
[7.131]Wolun is skillful,
Able to cut off hundreds of thoughts.
Faced with any circumstances, his mind does not arise.
His bodhi grows day by day.
[7.132]When the Patriarch heard it, he commented, “This gatha shows no understanding of the mind. To practice according to this gatha is to shackle oneself even further.” He then uttered the following gatha:
[7.133]Huineng is not skillful,
He does not cut off hundreds of thoughts.
Faced with any circumstance, many minds arise.
How can bodhi grow?
[1] Fada is made up of two Chinese words which mean the Dharma and arrival respectively.
