The Ch'an Bums

[adept]

[wudangspirit]

[adept]

Cold Mountain. The Poetry Of Han Shan

[adept]

Entering the Tao of Sudden Enlightenment

[adept]

[thuscomeone]

[thuscomeone]

One day while Pai-chang was still Ma-tsu's student the two were out walking together and saw in the sky a formation of wild ducks. Ma-tsu asked, "What is that?" Pai-chang said, "Wild ducks." Ma-tsu said, "Where have they gone?" Pai-chang replied, "They have flown away." Ma-tsu then twisted Pai-chang's nose, of from which Pai-chang cried out in pain. Ma-tsu said, "When have they ever flown away, they have been here since the beginning."

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Master Gyozan has a dream. He went to Maitreya's place and was given the third seat. A venerable monk there struck the table with a gavel and announced, "Today the talk will be given by the monk of the third seat." Gyozan struck the table with the gavel and said, "The Dharma of Mahayana goes beyond the Four Propositions and transcends the One Hundred Negations. Listen carefully!"

 

- Mumonkan. 25

[tccii]

Charles Luk (Lu Kuan Yu) has some well written and accessible works on Chan Buddhism. His Secrets of Chinese Meditation is a great place to start. He provides a systematic introduction to several of the major Buddhist schools in China, including their primary approaches to meditation. He also provides a translation of a short work on Taoist meditation at the end.

 

Also, if you can find them for a reasonable price, his three volume series Chan and Zen Teaching is excellent. It is a shame it is out of print.

[lifeforce]

I'm liking this thread very much and can I make a request that it be moved to the Buddhist Discussion area ?

I've just managed to get the Charles Luk 'Ch'an and Zen Teaching First Series' book from the local library and have just started it today.

This was also a recommendation of a Venerable from the Ch'an tradition who I'm corresponding with.

He said that in the situation where I don't have a Ch'an teacher nearby, this series of books is the next best thing in developing a foundation in Ch'an practice and study.

[Apech]

I'm liking this thread very much and can I make a request that it be moved to the Buddhist Discussion area ?

I've just managed to get the Charles Luk 'Ch'an and Zen Teaching First Series' book from the local library and have just started it today.

This was also a recommendation of a Venerable from the Ch'an tradition who I'm corresponding with.

He said that in the situation where I don't have a Ch'an teacher nearby, this series of books is the next best thing in developing a foundation in Ch'an practice and study.

 

Ok yep Buddhist sub it is.

[deci belle]

Random manifesting

Is itself absolute reality

What lies at one's feet

Is this complete reality in one foot.

 

One's whole mind and body of creation

Having never once suffered existence:

Is following the heart's desire

Without ever once counting

The singular rhythm.

 

Weeds growing; a flower's fall

Amidst our delusion; there is no other

A shining vacancy

Through and through.

 

ed note: (remove line 7; "Shining all along", add "is" in line 7; replace "Its" with "The" in line 9)

Edited October 31, 2011 by deci belle

[lifeforce]

My Link

 

A short article explaining the meaning of the Chinese character 'Ch'an'

[Harmonious Emptiness]

My Link

 

A short article explaining the meaning of the Chinese character 'Ch'an'

 

Nice. Makes sense now.. so not a mispronunciation of Dhyana as Ch'anna, leaving out final "na".. as believed by some. Ch'an also has meaning as repentance (of delusion, ignorance, arrogance, dishonesty, jealousy, and envy.. in Sutra of Hui Neng. [Hui is also phonetically similar to word meaning resolve after repentance]) but different characters..

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Selections from "365 Zen" edited by Jean Smith:

 

"No matter how many years you sit doing zazen, you will never become anything special."

 

-Zen Master Sawaki, in Zen Master Dogen (1200-1253), Instructions for the Zen Cook

 

 

"Mind is the Buddha, while cessation of conceptual thought is the Way"

 

Zen Master Huang Po (9th Century), The Zen Teachings of Huang Po

 

 

"One moon

shows

in every pool;

 

In every pool

the one

moon."

 

-Soiku Shigematsu, Trans., A Zen Forest

 

 

 

 

edit: capital "D" on Dogen

Edited November 8, 2011 by Harmonious Emptiness

[lifeforce]

Just found this wonderful piece.

Enjoy

 

Zengetsu, a Chinese master of the T'ang dynasty, wrote the following advice for his pupils:

Living in the world yet not forming attachments to the dust of the world is the way of a true Zen student.

When witnessing the good action of another encourage yourself to follow his example. Hearing of the mistaken action of another, advise yourself not to emulate it.

Even though alone in a dark room, be as if you were facing a noble guest. Express your feelings, but become no more expressive than your true nature.

Poverty is your treasure. Never exchange it for an easy life.

A person may appear a fool and yet not be one. He may only be guarding his wisdom carefully.

Virtues are the fruit of self-discipline and do not drop from heaven of themselves as does rain or snow.

Modesty is the foundation of all virtues. Let your neighbors discover you before you make yourself known to them.

A noble heart never forces itself forward. Its words are as rare gems, seldom displayed and of great value.

To a sincere student, every day is a fortunate day. Time passes but he never lags behind. Neither glory nor shame can move him.

Censure yourself, never another. Do not discuss right and wrong.

Some things, though right, were considered wrong for generations. Since the value of righteousness may be recognized after centuries, there is no need to crave immediate appreciation.

Live with cause and leave results to the great law of the universe. Pass each day in peaceful contemplation.

Edited August 11, 2012 by bankei

[konchog uma]

beautiful bankei, thanks

Edited August 11, 2012 by anamatva

[Simple_Jack]

From Zen's Chinese Heritage by Andy Ferguson, pgs. 24-32:

 

Fundamentally, karmic conditions have given rise to the ground

That allows the seeds of flowers to grow.

Fundamentally, nothing has been planted,

And flowers have not grown. ~ Huike

 

If something is fundamental, it doesn't exist.

if something is annihilated, it doesn't cease.

Nirvana and karmic retribution

Are of one inseparable nature. ~ Changsha

 

The flowers are planted when the ground is ready.

From this planting the flower blooms.

If no one plants the seed,

The flowers and ground are both extinguished. ~ Sengcan

 

The planted flower's have life's nature,

In fertile earth they bloom and live,

Due to the Great Function and Affinity,

They flourish and live, unborn. ~ Daoxin

[Simple_Jack]

Xue Feng said, “To comprehend this matter, it is similar to the ancient mirror – Hu comes, Hu appears; Han comes, Han appears.” Xuan Sha heard this and said, “Suddenly the mirror is broken, then how?” “Hu and Han both disappear.” Xuan Sha said, “Old monk’s heels have not touched ground yet.” Jian says instead, “Hu and Han are ready-made.”

 

 

Xuan Sha said, “When the blind, the deaf and the mute come, how to receive them? Raising the duster is not seen, conversation is not heard, in addition, the mouth is dumb; how do you consult for them? If they cannot be received, then the Buddha Dharma would be ineffectual.” A monk said, “These three kinds of people still allow consultation or not?” Xuan said, “How do you consult for them?” The monk bade farewell and exited. Xuan said, “Not so! Not so!” Gui Chen retorted, “How to receive those with eyes, ears and mouth?” Zhong Ta said, “The three kinds of disabled people, where are they right now?” Another monk said, “Not only denouncing others, but also denouncing oneself.”

...

 

A monk asked Monk Jiao, “How to apply efforts?” Jiao said, “When Spring comes, grasses naturally turn green; when the moon rises, the sky is already bright.” Again asked, “How not to apply efforts?” Jiao said, “Stones fall in a landslide; fire spreads on a plain.”

...

 

Cha'n Master Mingjiao

 

Mingjiao was a Zen Master during the Song Dynasty in China (10th-13th century).

 

Mingjiao said:
The study of saints and sages is certainly not fulfilled in one day. When there is not enough time during the day, continue into the night; accumulate it over the months and years, and it will naturally develop. Therefore it is said, "Accumulate learning by study, understand what you learn by questioning." This means that study cannot bring discovery without discernment and questioning. Nowadays where students go there is hardly anyone who asks a question to discern people. I do not know what they will use to help their spiritual stage and achieve the benefit of daily renewal. - Jiufeng Annals

[doc benway]

The Ch'an masters left us wonderful "pith" views, if you will...

Words that capture the experience of the non-dual.

I enjoy reading them very much.

I wonder how many people are led to an experience of the Nature of Mind simply through reading these poems and stories?

 

 

Huang Po -

 

"This pure mind, which is the source of all things, shines forever with the radiance of its own perfection. But most people are not aware of it, and think that mind is just the faculty that sees, hears, feels, and knows. Blinded by their own sight, hearing, feeling, and knowing, they don't perceive the radiance of the source. If they could eliminate all conceptual thinking, this source would appear, like the sun rising through the empty sky and illuminating the whole universe. Therefore, you students of the Tao who seek to understand through seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing, when your perceptions are cut off, your way to mind will be cut off and you will find nowhere to enter. Just realize that although mind is manifested in these perceptions, it is neither part of them nor separate from them. You shouldn't try to analyze these perceptions, or think about them at all; but you shouldn't seek the one mind apart from them. Don't hold on to them or leave them behind or dwell in them or reject them. Above, below, and all around you, all things spontaneously exist, because there is nowhere outside the Buddha mind."

[Simple_Jack]

Excerpts from Dazhu Huihai's Treatise on Entering the Tao of Sudden Enlightenment

 

http://www.ymba.org/books/entering-tao-sudden-enlightenment/introduction

 

Q: You said earlier that wisdom is the function of the Way of Sudden Enlightenment, but what is wisdom?
A: If you understand that the nature of non-duality is voidness, then you are liberated. However, if you understand that the nature of duality is not void, then you are not liberated. Thus, wisdom is understanding what is right and what is wrong. It is also recognizing universal substance and its functions. The understanding of the voidness of duality is the substance of wisdom, while liberation, which is never allowing any thought whatsoever of existence or non-existence, good of evil, love or hate, etc., to arise, is known as understanding the function of the voidness of duality.

Q: Where can one enter the doorway to this understanding?
A: Through the perfection of charity (dana-paramita).

Q: Buddha has said that the six paramitas are the action of the Bodhisattva path, so how can we enter the doorway to this understanding by practicing, as you have said, only the dana-paramita?
A: People who are confused or deluded do not understand that the other five paramitas all evolve from the dana-paramita. Therefore, in practicing the dana-paramita, one also fulfills the practice of the other five paramitas.

Q: For what reason is it called the dana-paramita?
A: "Dana" means the perfection of charity.

Q: What things can be given up in the name of charity?
A: Clinging to thoughts of duality can be given up.

Q: Just what does this mean?
A: It means to give up clinging, in the name of charity, to thoughts of good and evil, existence and non-existence, love and hate, emptiness and fullness, concentration and non-concentration, pure and impure, etc. In the name of charity, give up all of them. Then, and only then, can you attain the stage of the voidness of duality, while, at the same time, letting neither a thought about the voidness of opposites nor about charity arise. This is the genuine practice of the dana-paramita, which is also known as absolute detachment from all phenomena. This is only the voidness of all dharma-nature, which means that always and everywhere is just no-mind. If one can attain the stage of no-mind everywhere, no form will be perceived, because our self-nature is void, containing no form. This, then, is true Reality, which is also called the wonderful form or body of the Tathagata. The Diamond Sutra says: "Those who have abandoned all forms are called Buddhas."

Q: But the Buddha spoke about six paramitas, so how can you reasonably say that one paramita (the dana-paramita) can include the other five?
A: The Sutra of the Benefits of Thinking says: "The Jalavidyadeva spoke to Brahmadeva as follows:

• 'Bodhisattvas who abandon all defilements are said to have completed the dana-paramita. This is the perfection of charity.
• If there is the non-arising of a single thought, they are said to have completed the sila-paramita. This the perfection of discipline.
• If there is no injury to or harm by any dharma, they are said to have completed the ksanti-paramita. This is the perfection of patience.
• If there is non-attachment to all dharmas, they are said to have completed the virya-paramita. This is the perfection of zeal.
• If there is non-dwelling on any dharma whatsoever, they are said to have completed the dhyana-paramita. This is the perfection of serenity.
• If there is no use of sophistry in speaking of any dharma, they are said to have completed the prajna-paramita. This is the perfection of wisdom.

These are also known as the six Dharmas without any difference. The first one involves giving; the second one, non-arising of sensation; the third one, the non-arising of thought; the fourth one, being detached from form; the fifth one, non-dwelling in any dharma; and the sixth one, speaking without sophistry.

These six paramitas are given different names expediently to meet different needs, but the wonderful principle underlying them all is not different. Thus, if one thing is abandoned, then everything is abandoned; and if one thing does not arise, then nothing whatsoever arises.

Deluded people cannot understand this, and even insist that these six paramitas, or methods, are different. Thus, these foolish people, clinging to the variety of methods, revolve endlessly on the Wheel-of-Life-and-Death. Therefore, I urge all you students just to practice the one method of the dana-paramita, which, since it includes completely all dharmas, must, logically, include the other five paramitas.

[Simple_Jack]

By Master Zongmi (tr. by Ven. Huifeng):

"If one suddenly realizes that the essence of one's own mind is originally pure, solitary and without defilements, itself originally endowed with the nature of undefiled wisdom, that this very mind is buddha, absolutely no difference, and thus cultivates based on that, this is the supreme unsurpassed Chan, also named the pure Chan of the Tathagatas, also named the Single Act Samadhi, also named the Suchness Samadhi. This is the fundament of all samadhis."
(CBETA, T48, no. 2015, p. 399, b16-20)

"Direct (sudden) realization of the essential purity of ones own mind, originally without defilements, itself endowed with the influx-free (non-afflicted) gnosis - this mind is Buddha, ultimate with nothing else beyond - cultivating in this manner, is the Supreme Vehicle Dhyana. It is also known as the Pure Dhyana of the Tathagatas."
(CBETA, X64, no. 1276, p. 808, c9-15 // Z 2:18, p. 494, c7-13 // R113, p. 988, a7-13)

[Simple_Jack]

Master Yunmen: From the Record of the Chan Teacher "Gate of the Clouds", trans. by Urs App, pgs. 103-194:


Having entered the Dharma Hall, Master Yunmen said: "If, in bringing up a case I cause you to accept it instantly, I am already spreading shit on top of your heads. Even if you could understand the whole world when I hold up a single hair, I'd still be operating on healthy flesh. At any rate, you must first truly attain this level of realization. If you're not yet there, you must not pretend that you are. Rather, you ought to take step back, seek under your very feet, and see what there is to what I am saying!
In reality, there is not the slightest thing that could be the source of understanding or doubt for you. Rather, you have the one thing that matters, each and every one of you! Its great function manifests without the slightest effort on your part; you are no different from the patriarch-buddhas! [but since] the root of your faith has always been shallow and the influence of your evil actions massive, you find yourselves all of a sudden wearing many horns. You're carrying your bowl bags far and wide through thousands of villages and myriads of hamlets: what's the point of victimizing yourselves? Is there something you all are lacking? Which one of you full-fledged fellows hasn't got his share?
Though you may accept what I am saying for yourself, you're still in bad shape. You must neither fall for the tricks of others nor simply accept their directives. The instant you see an old monk open his mouth, you tend to stuff those big rocks right into yours, and when you cluster in little groups to discuss [his words], you're exactly like those green flies on shit that struggle back to back to gobble it up! What a shame, brothers!
The old masters could not help using up their whole lifetime for the sake of you all. So they dropped a word here and half a phrase there to give you a hint. You may have understood these things; put them aside and make some effort for yourselves, and you will certainly become a bit familiar with it. Hurry up! Hurry up! Time does not wait for any man, and breathing out does is no guarantee for breathing in again! Or do you have spare body and mind to fritter away! You absolutely must pay close attention! Take care!"

The Master once said: "Do you want to know the founding masters?" Pointing with his staff, he said: "They are jumping around on your heads! Do you want to know their eyeball? It's right under your feet!" He added: "This [kind of guidance] is offering tea and food to ghosts and spirits. Nevertheless, these ghosts and spirits are not satisfied."
...

The Master one day held up his staff and mentioned a teaching that goes:

The ordinary person in all sincerity says that this [staff] exists, [representatives of] the two vehicles of Buddhist teaching explain that it doesn't exist, the pratyeka buddhas say it exists as an illusion, and the bodhisattvas empty it as it is.

Then Master Yunmen said: "When a patch-robed monk sees this staff, he just calls it a staff; when he walks, he just walks; and when he sits, he just sits. In all of this he cannot be stirred."
...

Once, when the Master had finished drinking tea, he held up the cup and said: "All the buddhas of the three periods have finished listening to the teaching; they have pierced the bottom of this cup and are going away. Do you see? Do you see? If you don't understand, look it up in an encyclopedia!"
...

Master Yunmen cited Panshan's words:

When the light [of the knowing subject] is not one that confronts objects and the objects are not existent things either: when both subject and object are forgotten, what further thing is there?

Master Yunmen said: "If the whole world is the light [of the subject]: what are you calling your 'self'? But even if you had managed to know that light, the objects would still be out of your reach. What shitty light and objects are there? And if neither subject nor object can be grasped: what else is there?" He added: "These are collected and condensed anecdotes uttered out of compassion by the men of old. Realize [what they are about] right here with the utmost clarity! It won't do if you let go. Yet if you don't let go...!!" Then the Master raised his hands and said: "Su-lu! Su-lu!"
...

Master Yunmen quoted the words of Fu Dashi:

The river of meditation follows the currents yet is calm; the waters of samadhi go along with the waves yet are limpid.

The Master seized his staff, pointed at the lantern, saying: "Well, do you see it? If you say that you see it, you're an ordinary Joe. If you say that you don't see it: you've got a pair of eyes, don't you? How do you understand this?" After a long pause he again took his staff and said: "The whole world is not a wave!"
...

Master Yunmen once seized his staff, banged it on the seat and said: "All sounds are the Buddha's voice, and all forms are the Buddha's shape. Yet when you hold your bowl and eat your food, you hold a 'bowl-view'; when you walk, you hold a 'walk-view'; and when you sit you have a 'sit-view.' The whole bunch of you behaves this way!" The Master took his staff and drove them all away at once.
...

Master Yunmen cited the words of the Overnight Enlightened One:

The spiritual action of the six senses is empty without being empty; the perfect shine of the singular [mani jewel] is formless form.

The Master help up his fly-whisk and said, "This is the perfect light, it is formless form. What do you call form? Come on, try taking it up with me!"
...

Citing the Wisdom Sutra, Yunmen said:

[Oh purity of all-encompassing wisdom,] non-dual, undivided, without difference, not separate...

He pointed to a pillar and said, "How much has this to do with the Wisdom Sutra?"
...

The Master cited a scripture that says,

The sutras and magic spells, indeed all letters and words, are not at all in conflict with the true form.

Yunmen held up his staff and asked, "What is this? If you say it is a staff, you go to hell. If it isn't a staff, what is it?"
...

At a donated meal, the Master took one bite of a sesame bun and said: "I bit Indra's nose. Indra is in agony!" Then he pointed with his staff [to the monks' feet] and said: "he is right under your feet, transformed into old Shakyamuni! Do you see? Do you see? The King of Hell, Yama, hears my talk and is laughing out loud saying: 'Ha ha, monk, you're quite up to it, I can't do a thing with you! But if someone's not up to it, he's completely in my hands!'"
...

Master Yunmen related the following conversation:

A monk asked Xuansha, "What is my self?"
Xuansha answered, "Just your self!"

Master Yunmen remarked, "immeasurably great men have gotten caught up in the stream of words." A monk asked Yunmen, "What is my self?" The Master said, "[The one who,] when a man in the street invites you monks to a donated meal, is joining the queue to get some food!"
...

Master Yunmen cited the following story:

Xuefeng said, "A man next to a rice basket is starving to death, and a fellow by a river is dying of thirst."
Xuansha commented, "A man sitting in a rice basket is starving to death, and a fellow up to his head in water is dying of thirst."

Master Yunmen said, "His whole body is rice, his whole body is water!"
...

Master Yunmen cited an ancient [poem]:

In perfect tranquility the form of emptiness is reflected.

The Master extended his hands and said, "Where can one attain the mountains, the rivers, the earth?" He added,

All-embracing wisdom pervades and knows no hindrance.

Master Yunmen said, "The staff goes to India and comes back to Korea." Then he hit the platform and said, "This is your nose!"
...

A monk asked, "What is my self?" Master Yunmen said, "I, this old monk, enter mud and water." The monk exclaimed, "So I will crush my bones and tear my body to pieces!" The Master shouted and said, "The water of the whole great ocean is on your head. Quickly, speak! Quickly, speak!" The monk was left without words. In his place, the Master said: "I know that you, Master, fear that I'm not quite genuine."
...

One day the Master said: "Picking up the mallet and raising the whisk, snapping one's fingers and raising one's eyebrows, questioning and answering -- all this does not match the teaching tradition of 'going beyond.'" A monk asked, "How about the teaching tradition of 'going beyond'" The Master replied, " [Even] the families of Jambu could all answer this. But when you're for example sitting in an animated town district: do the pieces of pork that are displayed on the tables in the morning, and the vermin in the privy, hold conversations about transcending the Buddha and going beyond the founders?" The monk said, "I wouldn't say that they do." The Master exclaimed, "You wouldn't say that they do! if they do hold such discussions, simply saying 'they do' will not do; and if they don't hold discussions, saying 'they don't' will not do either. Such words and even what you have yourself experienced, I say this straight out, have not made it: your view is biased."
...

Once the Master said, "I used to say that all sounds are the Buddha's voice, all shapes are the Buddha's form, and that the whole world is the Dharma body. Then I quite pointlessly produced views that fit into the category of 'Buddhist teaching.' Right now, when I see a staff, I just call it 'staff,' and when I see a house, I just call it 'house.'
...

The Master brought up the saying:

All worthies without exception go by the law of wuwei -- yet they do have differentiation.

The Master added, "This staff is not the teaching of wuwei, nothing whatsoever is the teaching of wuwei."
...

Master Yunmen mentioned the following ancient saying:

The moment a word is brought up, the world is completely contained in it.

The Master said, "Well, tell me, what word is it?" He answered himself, "When the birds sing in springtime, they do so on the western mountain range." Then the Master told a monk to ask him. The monk asked, " What is that word?" The Master said, "Hic!"
...

Master Yunmen said, "The long is by nature long, the short by nature short." Again, the Master said: "A thing occupies its position, and its mundane aspect always remains." Then he held up his staff and said, "This staff is not a thing that always remains, is it?"
...

Master Yunmen mentioned an old saying: "Even a single thought contains perfect wisdom." The Master held up his staff and said, "The whole universe is on top of this staff. If you can penetrate it, there isn't any staff in sight either. Even so, you'd still be in bad shape."

Edited March 16, 2014 by Simple_Jack

[Simple_Jack]

From Sun Face Buddha: The Teachings of Ma-tsu and the Hung-chou School of Ch'an by Cheng Chien Bhikshu, pgs. 62-78:

 

The Patriarch said to the assembly, "All of you should believe that your mind is Buddha, that this mind is identical with Buddha. The Great Master Bodhidharma came from India to China, and transmitted the One Mind teaching of Mahayana so that it can lead you all to awakening. Fearing that you will be too confused and will not believe that this One Mind is inherent in all of you, he used the Lankavatara Sutra to seal the sentient beings' mind-ground. Therefore, in the Lankavatara Sutra, mind is the essence of all the Buddha's teachings, no gate is the Dharma-gate.

Those who seek the Dharma should not seek for anything. Outside of mind there is no other Buddha, outside of Buddha there is no other mind. Not attaching to good and not rejecting evil, without reliance on either purity or defilement, one realizes that the nature of offence is empty: it cannot be found in each thought because it is without self-nature. Therefore, the three realms are mind-only and 'all phenomena in the universe are marked by a single Dharma. Whenever we see form, it is just seeing mind. The mind does not exist by itself; its existence is due to form. Whatever you are saying, it is just a phenomenon which is identical with the principle. They are all without obstruction and the fruit of the way to 'bodhi' is also like that. Whatever arises in the mind is called form; when one knows all forms to be empty, then birth is identical with no-birth. If one realizes this mind, then one can always wear one's robes and eat one's food. Nourishing the womb of sagehood, one spontaneously passes one's time: what else is there to do? Having received my teaching, listen to my verse:

 

The mind-ground is always spoken of,

Bodhi is also just peace.

When phenomena and the principle are all without

obstruction,

The very birth is identical with no-birth.

...

 

"...The Buddha is merciful and has wisdom. Knowing well the nature and characters of all beings, he is able to break through the net of beings doubts. He has left the bondages of existence and nothingness; with all feelings of worldliness and holiness extinguished, [he perceives that] both self and dharmas are empty. He turns the incomparable [Dharma] wheel. Going beyond numbers and measures, his activity is unobstructed and he penetrates both the principle and phenomena.

Like a cloud in the sky that suddenly appears and then is gone without leaving any traces; also like writing on water, neither born nor perishable: that is the Great Nirvana. In Bondage it is tathagatagarbha; when liberated it is called the pure dharmakaya. Dharmakaya is boundless, its essence neither increasing nor decreasing. In order to respond to beings, it can manifest as big or small, square or round. It is like a reflection of the moon in water. It functions smoothly without establishing roots.

Not obliterating the conditioned; not dwelling in the unconditioned. The conditioned is the function of the unconditioned; the unconditioned is the essence of the conditioned. Because of not dwelling on support, it has been said, 'Like space which rests on nothing.'

...

 

One day as Ch'an Master Pao-ch'e of Ma-ku was accompanying the Patriarch for a walk, he asked, "What is the Great Nirvana?" "Quickly!" exclaimed the Patriarch. "What quickly?" asked Pao-ch'e. "Look at the water." said the Patriarch.

...

 

When Ch'an Master Fa-ch'ang of Ta-mei Mountain went to see the Patriarch for the first time, he asked, "What is Buddha?" The Patriarch replied, "Mind is Buddha." [On hearing this] Fa-ch'ang had great awakening. Later he went to live on Ta-mei Mountain. When the Patriarch heard that he was residing on the mountain, he sent one of his monks to go there and askFa-ch'ang, "What did the Venerable obtain when he saw Ma-tsu, so that he has come to live on this mountain?"

Fa-ch'ang said, "Ma-tsu told me that mind is Buddha; so I came to live here." The monk said, "Ma-tsu's teaching has changed recently." Pa-ch'ang asked, "What is the difference?" The monk said, "Nowadays he also says, 'Neither mind nor Buddha." Fa-ch'ang said, "That old man still hasn't stopped confusing people. You can have 'neither mind nor Buddha,' i only care for 'mind is Buddha.' The monk returned to the Patriarch and reported what has happened. "The plum is ripe," said the Patriarch.

...

 

When Venerable Shui-lao of Hung-chou came to see the Patriarch for the first time, he asked, "What is the meaning of [bodhidharma's] coming from the West?" The Patriarch said, "Bow down!" As soon as Shui-lao went down to bow, the Patriarch kicked him. Shui-lao hasd great awakening. He rose up clapping his hands and laughing heartily, and said, "Wonderful! Wonderful! The source of myriad samadhis and limitless subtle meanings can all be realized on the tip of a single hair." He then paid his respects to the Patriarch and withdrew. Later he told the assembly, "Since the day I was kicked by Master Ma, I have not stopped laughing."

...

 

Layman P'ang also asked, "Water has no bones and sinews, and yet it can support a boat of ten-thousand hu. What is the meaning of this?" The Patriarch said, "There is neither water nor boat here; what bones and sinews are you talking about?"

...

 

A monk asked, "Why does the Venerable say that mind is Buddha?" The Patriarch said, "To stop small children's crying." The monk asked, "What do you say when they have stopped crying?" The Patriarch said, "It is neither mind nor Buddha." The monk asked, "And when you have someone who does not belong to either of these two, how do you instruct him?" The Patriarch said, "I tell him that it is not a thing." The monk asked, "And how about when you suddenly meet someone who is there?" The Patriarch said, "I teach him to directly realize the Great Way."

Edited March 6, 2014 by Simple_Jack

[Simple_Jack]

From Swampland Flowers: The Letters And Lectures Of Zen Master Ta Hui, trans. by J.C. Cleary

 

To Chang Yang-shu: Power

 

...Thus it is said that the abode of bodhisattvas is inconceivable, but therein thought is inexhaustible. When you've entered this inconceivability, thought and no-thought are both quiescent and extinct. Yet you should not abide in quiescent extinction, for if you do, you are are being absorbed by the experience of the Dharma realm. In the Teachings this is called affliction by the dust of the Dharma. Only when you have annihilated the experiences of the Dharma realm and all sorts of wonders are cleared away at once, should you look at such sayings as "What is the meaning of the coming from the West? -- The cypress tree in the garden." "What is Buddha? -- Three pounds of hemp -- A dry piece of shit." "A dog has no Buddha-nature." "Who does not keep company with the myriad things? -- Swallow all the water in the West River in one gulp, and I'll tell you." Where do all the buddhas appear? -- East Mountain walks on the water." "When suddenly you can penetrate at a single phrase, only then is it called turning to the Dharma realm without experience. When you see it as it really is, practice according to reality and act according to reality, then you can manifest the Jewel King's realm on the tip of a hair and turn the Wheel of the Great Dharma while sitting within an atom of dust. Then creating all things or destroying all things is entirely up to oneself. Like a strong man flexing his arm, you don't depend on the strength of others; like a lion strolling along, you won't seek companions. When all sorts of states of surpassing wonder appear before you, you won;t marvel at them; when all sorts of states of evil deeds appear before you, you won't fear them. In the conduct of your daily activities, you will be abandoned and expansive, free and independent wherever you go.

Only if you arrive at this stage can you say there is no heaven or hell, and such things. Yung Chia said, "There are neither humans nor buddhas: the universe is like a bubble in the ocean, all the sages are like flashes of lightning." If he hadn't gotten to this stage, how could Yung Chia have said this? But with these words, those who misunderstand are many. Without penetrating to the source, you'll only produce verbal understanding and say that everything is nonexistent, denying cause and effect, considering the teaching expounded by all the buddhas and ancestral teachers as false and empty, saying they deceive and confuse people. If this disease is not removed, then you're "confused and reckless, inviting calamity." Buddha said, "False and fickle minds multiply their various clever views. If they don't apply existence, then they apply nonexistence. If they don't apply these two, then they try to figure it out somewhere between existence and nonexistence."

Thus the former sages took pains to admonish us, to have us detach from the four phrases and cut off their hundred negations, to make a clean break directly, think no more of before and after, and cut off the heads of the thousand sages. The four phrases are "it exists," "it doesn't exist," "it neither exists nor doesn't exist," and "if both exists and doesn't exist." Having penetrated these four phrases, when I see someone saying that all things really exist, I go along with it and talk existence, but without being obstructed by this "it really exists"; when I see someone saying that all things are really nonexistent, I go along with it and talk nonexistence, but not the nonexistence of the world is totally empty; when I see someone say that all things both exist and don't exist, I go along with it and talk both existence and nonexistence, but this is no sophistry; when I see someone say that all things neither exist nor don't exist, I go along with it and talk neither existence and nonexistence, but this is no contradiction. It's this that Vimalakirti said: "Where the six outsiders fall, you fall along with them."

...

 

To Hsieh K'uo-jan: Thought After Enlightenment

 

When studying worldly things, one relies totally on verbal meanings and mental thoughts. But if you use verbal meanings and thoughts to study the world-transcending Dharma, you are way off. Didn't Buddha say so? -- "This Dharma is not something that thought and discrimination can understand." And Yung Chia said, " The loss of the wealth of the Dharma and the demise of virtue all stems from mind's discriminating consciousness." This is because the mind's discriminating consciousness is the home of thought and discrimination.

If you're determined to take up this great affair, I ask you to boldly apply your spirit, and make a clean break with this, the root of birth and death and delusion, which comes as the vanguard and leaves as the rearguard: this is the time to appear. At just such a time, you can finally use verbal meanings and mental thoughts to effect. Why? Because once the Storehouse Consciousness has been cleared away, then birth and death and delusion have no place to stay. When birth and deathand delusion have no home, then thinking and discrimination themselves are nothing but transcendent wisdom (prajna) and subtle knowledge: There's not the slightest thing further to obstruct you. Thus it is said:

 

Observing the sequence of phenomena,

Using wisdom to discriminate,

Judging right and wrong --

This doesn't go against the Seal of Truth.

 

When you've reached this stage, then even if you act smart and expound principles, it's all the great perfect peace of nirvana, the great ultimate, the realm of great liberation -- there isn't anything else. So P'an Shan's saying, "A complete mind is buddha; a complete buddha is human" -- means this. If you're not yet like this, don't let your mind's discriminating consciousness have its way when you're walking, standing, sitting, and lying down. Over a long long time it will become completely purified; naturally, you shouldn't apply to push it away.

...

 

To Fu Li-shen: Knowledge as a Barrier and as a Companion; pg. 81-82

 

You tell me you've had faith in this Path since your early years, but in later years you've been obstructed by your knowledge and understanding, and have never had an enlightened entry. You want to know an expedient method for fully comprehending the Path day and night -- since we're being perfectly conscientious, I wouldn't presume to judge the case from outside, but a few creeping vines may be permitted:

This very one seeking enlightenment and entry has been the knowledge and understanding that obstructs the Path. What other knowledge is there to obstruct you? Ultimately, what is being called knowledge? Where does the knowledge come from? And who is being obstructed? In this one statement of yours, there are three mistakes: saying you are obstructed by knowledge is one, saying you are not yet enlightened, and willingly being deluded is another, and going on within delusion to use mind to wait for enlightenment is another. These three mistakes are the root of birth and death. You must stop producing them for a moment, so the mind of these errors is cut off; only then do you realize that there is no delusion to be smashed, no enlightenment to be expected, and no knowledge that can cause obstruction. You'll be like a man drinking water, who knows for himself whether it is cold or warm. After a long time, naturally you won't entertain this view.

Just go to the mind that can know knowledge to see if it too can cause obstruction, to see if in the mind that can know knowledge there are so many kinds or not. Since ancient times, people with great wisdom have all taken knowledge as expedient means, practiced the compassion of equanimity in knowledge, and done all the business of buddhas in knowledge, like dragons reaching the water, like tigers taking to the mountain -- they never considered this knowledge an affliction, because they thoroughly understood the origin of knowledge. Once you recognize the origin of knowledge, then this very knowledge is a field of liberation, the place to get out of birth and death. Since it's the site of liberation, the place to escape birth and death, the knower is quiescent and extinct in his own essential nature. Since the knower is quiescent and extinct, the one who can know knowledge cannot but be quiescent and extinct. What else is there that can cause obstruction? Where else will you seek enlightenment and entry?

...

 

To Li Hsien-ch'ien: One Suchness

 

To take up This Great Affair, you must have a determined will. If you're half believing and half in doubt, there'll be no connection. An ancient worthy said, "Studying the Path is like drilling for fire. You still can't stop when you get smoke: Only when sparks appear is the return home complete." Want to know where it's complete? It's the worlds of self and and the worlds of others as One Suchness.

...

 

To Nieh, an official: Cut It Off Directly

 

Master Chao Chou said, "For twenty years, except for the two mealtimes of gruel and rice which were mixed application of mind, I've had no other points of mixed use of mind. This is how I really act." Don't understand it as the Buddha Dharma or the Ch'an Path. Impermanence is swift, the matter of birth and death important. In the world of sentient beings things which go along with birth and death are (numerous) as hemp or millet -- every time you've disposed of them properly, they come back again. If you don't stick the words "birth and death" on the tip of your nose as a countermeasure, then when the last day of your life arrives, your limbs will be in panic and confusion, like a crab dropped in boiling water -- then you'll finally know repentance, but too late. If you want to be direct, then cut it off immediately starting right now.

...

 

To Teng Tzu-li: Faith

 

If you want to study this Path, you must have settled faith, so your mind does not waver whether favorable or adverse environments are encountered -- only then do you have some directions in the Path. Buddha said, "Faith can forever destroy the root of afflictions; faith can focus you on the virtues of buddhahood. Faith has no attachments to objects; far removed from all difficulties, you get so there is no difficulty." He also said, "Faith can transcend the numerous roads of delusion, and display the Path of unexcelled liberation."

In the teachings there are clear passages like the above: how could Buddha deceive people? If you're half light and half dark, half believing and half not believing, then whenever you meet with situations and encounter circumstances, your mind produces doubts about this Path, to destroy the root of affliction and get away from all difficulty, is entirely due to lack of settled faith, to being confused by the delusions of one's own personal existence. If you can be birthless for a moment amidst causal origination, then without going beyond this moment you instantly transcend the roads of delusion. What are being called "roads of delusion" are nothing else but dimming this mind: outside this mind you falsely produce all differentiated views, so this mind immediately flows along after the false differentiating thoughts, thus forming objects of delusion. If you can believe directly that this mind has definitely attained enlightenment from the beginning, and abruptly forget all your views, then these roads of delusion themselves are the route of enlightenment by which the person escapes from birth and death.