Hui Neng

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下

二○ ○五年二月十四日

事業○都不知過○聽吾偈曰

得其經意不以為勝○則與吾偕行○汝今負此

曰念法華經已及三千部○祖曰汝若念至萬部

何如不禮○汝心中必有一物○藴習何事耶○

來禮祖師○頭不至地○祖訶曰○禮不投地○

僧法達○洪州人○七歲出家○常誦法華經○

不悟而自屈○我知定慧因○雙修離諸物

法海言下大悟○以偈讚曰○卽心元是佛

悟此法門○由汝習性○用本無生○雙修是正

卽心名慧○卽佛乃定○定慧等持○意中淸淨

○吾若具說○窮劫不盡○聽吾偈曰

念不滅卽佛○成一切相卽心○離一切相卽佛

心卽佛○願垂指諭○師曰前念不生卽心○後

僧法海○韶州曲江人也○初參祖師問曰○卽

囑○遂行隱於二邑焉

布之紋○因名避難石○師憶五祖懐會止藏之

隱身挨入石中得免○石今有師趺坐膝痕及衣

尋逐○師乃遁於前山○被其縱火焚草木○師

居之○俄成寶坊○師住九月餘日○又為惡黨

自隋末兵火已廢○遂於故基重建梵宇○延師

侯玄孫曹叔良及居民競來聸禮○時寶林古寺

耆德云○此是有道之士○宜請供養○有魏武

諸佛妙理○非關文字○尼驚異之○遍吿里中

義卽請問○尼曰字尙不識○焉能會義○師曰

遂為解說○尼乃執巻問字○師曰字卽不識

名無盡藏○常誦大涅槃經○師暫聽卽知妙義

時有儒士劉志畧○禮遇甚厚○志畧有姑為尼

師自黃梅得法○回至韶州曹侯村○人無知者

機緣品第七

六祖大師法寶壇經

○世人心邪○愚迷造罪○口善心惡○貪嗔嫉妒

佛知見○吾亦勸一切人於自心中常開佛之知見

口○勸令寢息○莫向外求○與佛無二○故云開

擾○甘受驅馳○便勞他世尊從三昩起○種種苦

蓋為一切衆生○自蔽光明○貪愛塵境○外緣內

開○汝今當信佛知見者○只汝自心○更無別佛

是謗經毀佛也○彼旣是佛○已具知見○何用更

入○自是佛之知見○我輩無分○若作此解○乃

性而得出現○汝愼勿錯解經意○見他道開示悟

見○若聞開示○便能悟入○卽覺知見○本來眞

門○開覺知見○示覺知見○悟覺知見○入覺知

一念心開○是為開佛知見○佛猶覺也○分為四

離相○於空離空○卽是內外不迷○若悟此法○

知見也○世人外迷著相○內迷著空○若能於相

唯以一大事因緣故出現於世○一大事者○佛之

譬喻○亦無越於此○何者因緣○經云諸佛世尊

師曰止○此經元來以因緣出世為宗○縱說多種

吾當為汝解說○法達卽高聲念經○至譬喻品

豈知宗趣○師曰吾不識文字○汝試取經誦一徧

為宗○達曰學人根性暗鈍○從來但依文誦念○

不達○經本無疑○汝心自疑○汝念此經○以何

願畧說經中義理○師曰法達○法卽甚達○汝心

誦法華經未解經義○心常有疑○和尙智慧廣大

達聞偈悔謝曰○而今而後○當謙恭一切○弟子

但信佛無言○蓮花從口發

明心號菩薩○汝今有緣故○吾今為汝說

汝今名法達○勤誦未休歇○空誦但循聲

曾達法○復說偈曰

師又曰汝名什麽○曰法達○師曰汝名法達○何

亡功福無比

禮本折慢幢○頭奚不至地○有我罪卽生

寧歇累生狂○羊鹿牛權設○初中後善揚

讚曰○經誦三千部○曹溪一句亡○未明出世旨

至夜無不念時也○達蒙啓發○踴躍歡喜○以偈

想○是名持法華經○從劫至劫手不釋巻○從晝

由汝受用○更不作父想○亦不作子想○亦無用

歸實之後○實亦無名○應知所有珍財盡屬於汝

時故○一乘是實○為今時故○只敎汝去假歸實

法皆為一佛乘故○汝何不省○三車是假○為昔

三○乃至無數方便○種種因緣○譬喻言詞○是

經文明向汝道○唯一乘佛○無有餘乘○若二若

席○殊不知坐却白牛車○更於門外覓三車○况

為凡夫說○不為佛說○此理若不肯信者從他退

患在度量也○饒伊盡思共推○轉加懸遠○佛本

經意分明○汝自迷背諸三乘人不能測佛智者○

白牛之車○如何區別○願和尙再垂開示○師曰

自非上根未免疑謗○又經說三車○羊鹿牛車與

不能測佛智○今令凡夫但悟自心便名佛之知見

曰○經云諸大聲聞乃至菩薩○皆盡思共度量○

從昔已來○實未曾轉法華○乃被法華轉○再啓

達聞偈不覺悲泣○言下大悟○而吿師曰○法達

有念念成邪○有無俱不計○長御白牛車

誦經久不明○與義作讎家○無念念卽正

聽吾偈曰○心迷法華轉○心悟轉法華

誦心行○卽是轉經○口誦心不行○卽是被經轉

過○豈障汝念○只為迷悟在人○損益由己○口

曰若然者○但得解義不勞誦經耶○師曰經有何

若但勞勞執念以為功課者○何異犛牛愛尾○達

開佛知見卽是出世○開衆生知見卽是世間○汝

佛之知見○汝須念念開佛知見○勿開衆生知見

心○常生智慧○觀照自心○止惡行善○是自開

謟侒我慢○侵人害物○自開衆生知見○若能正

眞知○無有靑黃長短○但見本源淸淨○覺體圓

了無一物可見○是名正見○無一物可知○是名

空無形○有何相貎○彼曰汝之本性猶如虛空○

否○對曰見○彼曰汝見虛空有相貎否○對曰虛

問如何是某甲本心本性○大通乃曰○汝見虛空

三月未蒙示誨○為法切故○一夕獨入丈室○請

師曰彼有何言句○汝試舉看○曰智常到彼凡經

義○未决狐疑○遠來投禮○伏望和尙慈悲指示

近往洪州白峯山禮大通和尙○蒙示見性成佛之

日參禮○師問曰汝從何來○欲求何事○曰學人

僧智常○信貴谿人○髫年出家○志求見性○一

妙旨因師曉○終亡染汚名

應物任隨形○起修皆妄動○守住匪眞精

三身元我體○四智本心明○身智融無礙

那伽定○通頓悟性智○遂呈偈曰

但用名言無實性○若於轉處不留情○繁興永處

見非功○成所作智同圓鏡○五八六七果因轉

大圓鏡智性淸淨○平等性智心無病○妙觀察智

名有智無身○卽此有智○還成無智○復說偈曰

便明四智○何更問耶○若離三身別談四智○此

通再啓曰○四智之義可得聞乎○師曰旣會三身

諦信永無迷○莫學馳求者○終日說菩提

不離見聞緣○超然登佛地○吾今為汝說

聽吾偈曰○自性具三身○發明成四智

身無智○若悟三身無有自性○卽名四智菩提

億化身汝之行也○若離本性別說三身○卽名有

淸淨法身汝之性也○圓滿報身汝之智也○千百

而不會三身四智○禮師求解其義○師曰三身者

僧智通○壽州安豐人○初看楞伽經○約千餘遍

念經僧也○達從此領玄旨○亦不輟誦經

誰知火宅內○元是法中王○師曰汝今後方可名

不滅○若不聽更生○則永歸寂滅○同於無情之

滅則攝用歸體○若聽更生○卽有情之類○不斷

滅之用○一體五用○生滅是常○生則從體起用

石○誰當受樂○又法性是生滅之體○五藴是生

是苦○苦不可言樂○若法身寂滅○卽同草木瓦

受樂○若色身者○色身滅時○四大分散○全然

云生滅滅已寂滅為樂者○不審何身寂滅○何身

身無常○有生有滅○法身有常○無知無覺○經

疑○曰一切衆生皆有二身○謂色身法身也○色

滅滅已○寂滅為樂○於此疑惑○師曰汝作麽生

師曰汝何處未明○曰諸行無常○是生滅法○生

覽湼槃經○十載有餘○未明大意○願和尙垂誨

僧志道○廣州南海人也○請益曰○學人自出家

常禮謝執侍○終師之世

汝須自修○莫問吾也○一切時中○自性自如○

一無所得○名最上乘○乘是行義○不在口爭○

萬法盡通○萬法具備○一切不染○離諸法相○

是小乘○悟法解義是中乘○依法修行是大乘○

外法相○法無四乘○人心自有等差○見聞轉誦

弟子未解○願為敎授○師曰汝觀自本心○莫著

智常一日問師曰○佛說三乘法○又言最上乘○

不入祖師室○茫然趣兩頭

寧越昔時迷○自性覺源體○隨照枉遷流

無端起知見○著相求菩提○情存一念悟

常顯現○常聞偈已○心意豁然○乃述偈曰

錯認何曾解方便○汝當一念自知非○自己靈光

守空知○還如太虛生閃電○此之知見瞥然興

不見一法存無見○大似浮雲遮日面○不知一法

猶存見知○故令汝未了○吾今示汝一偈

此說○猶未决了○乞和尙開示○師曰彼師所說

明○卽名見性成佛○亦名如來知見○學人雖聞

斷絕○思旣得法○遂回吉州靑原山○弘法紹化

令思首衆○一日師謂曰○汝當分化一方○無令

級○曰聖諦尙不為○何階級之有○師深器之○

曰汝曾作什麽來○曰聖諦亦不為○師曰落何階

徑來參禮○遂問曰○當何所務卽不落階級○師

行思禪師○生吉州安城劉氏○聞曹溪法席盛化

志道聞偈大悟○踴躍作禮而退

令汝捨邪見○汝勿隨言解○許汝知少分

眞常寂滅樂○湼槃相如是○吾今強言說

不起分別想○劫火燒海底○風豉山相擊

常應諸根用○而不起用想○分別一劫法

不起凡聖見○不作湼槃解○二邊三際斷

外現衆色像○一一音聲相○平等如夢幻

通達無取捨○以知五藴法○及以藴中我

妄立虛假名○何為眞實義○唯有過量人

目以為無作○盡屬情所計○六十二見本

凡愚謂之死○外道執為斷○諸求二乘人

聽吾偈曰○無上大湼槃○圓明常寂照

况更言湼槃禁伏諸法令永不生○斯乃謗佛毀法

有受者○亦無不受者○豈有一體五用之名○何

當現前時亦無現前之量○乃謂常樂○此樂無

那無有滅相○更無生滅可滅○是則寂滅現前○

佛愍此故○乃示湼槃眞樂○剎那無有生相○剎

枉受輪迴○以常樂湼槃翻為苦相○終日馳求○

塵相○好生惡死○念念遷流○不知夢幻虛假○

迷人○認五藴和合為自體相○分別一切法為外

斯乃執吝生死○耽著世樂○汝今當知佛為一切

生滅求於寂滅○又推湼槃常樂○言有身受用○

最上乘法○據汝所說○卽色身外別有法身○離

生○師曰汝是釋子○何習外道斷常邪見○而議

物○如是則一切諸法被湼槃之所禁伏○尙不得

坐積二十年○師弟子玄策遊方至河朔○聞隍之

禪者智隍○初參五祖○自謂已得正受○庵居長

謚曰無相大師○時稱為眞覺焉

留一宿○時謂一宿覺○後著證道歌○盛行於世

無意誰當分別○曰分別亦非意○師曰善哉○少

師曰汝甚得無生之意○曰無生豈有意耶○師曰

豈有速耶○師曰誰知非動○曰仁者自生分別○

禮拜○須臾吿辭○師曰返太速乎○曰本自非動

生○了本無速○師曰如是如是○玄覺方具威儀

速○師曰何不體取無生○了無速乎○曰體卽無

何方而來○生大我慢○覺曰生死事大○無常迅

師曰夫沙門者具三千威儀○八萬細行○大德自

與偕行○覺遂同策來參○繞師三匝○振錫而立

有六祖大師○四方雲集○並是受法者○若去則

外道○曰願仁者為我證據○策云我言輕○曹溪

已前卽得○威音王已後○無師自悟○盡是天然

於維摩經悟佛心宗○未有證明者○策云威音王

者得法師誰○曰我聽方等經論○各有師承○後

玄策相訪○與其劇談○出言暗合諸祖○策云仁

台止觀法門○因看維摩經發明心地○偶師弟子

永嘉玄覺禪師○温州戴氏子○少習經論○精天

後往南嶽大闡禪宗○敕謚大慧禪師

豁然契會○遂執侍左右一十五載○日臻玄奧○

馬駒○踏殺天下人○應在汝心○不須速說○讓

如是○吾亦如是○西天般若多羅讖汝足下出一

不得○師曰只此不汚染○諸佛之所護念○汝旣

中○師曰還可修證否○曰修證卽不無○汚染卽

嵩山○師曰什麽物○恁麽來○曰說似一物卽不

安發之曹溪參叩○讓至禮拜○師曰甚處來○曰

懷讓禪師○金州杜氏子也○初謁嵩山安國師○

謚弘濟禪師

上

下

二○ ○五年三月六日

菩提作麽長

惠能沒伎倆○不斷百思想○對鏡心數起

縛○因示一偈曰

師聞之曰○此偈未明地○若依而行之○是加繫

菩提日日長

臥輪有伎倆○能斷百思想○對鏡心不起

有僧舉臥輪禪師偈云

吾出世○住持於此○重建殿宇

自留○一用椶裹瘞地中○誓曰○後得此衣○乃

師仍以衣酬之○辯取衣分為三○一披塑像○一

解佛性○師舒手摩方辯頂曰○永為人天福田○

可高七寸○曲盡其妙○師笑曰汝只解塑性○不

曰○汝試塑看○辯罔措○過數日○塑就眞相○

乃示出○次問上人攻何事業○曰善塑○師正色

汝去瞻禮○方辯遠來○願見我師傳來衣鉢○師

正法眼藏及僧伽梨○見傳六代○於韶州曹溪○

國見達摩大師○囑方辯速往唐土○吾傳大迦葉

一僧來禮拜○云方辯○是西蜀人○昨於南天竺

應手而出○積以為池○乃跪膝浣衣石上○忽有

許○見山林鬱茂○瑞氣盤旋○師振錫卓地○泉

師一日欲濯所授之衣而無美泉○因至寺後五里

人得○僧云和尙還得否○師云我不會佛法○

一僧問師云黃梅意旨○甚麽人得○師云會佛法

中有聲云○隍禪師今日得道後歸河北開化四衆

二十年所得心○都無影響○其夜河北士庶聞空

倶泯○性相如如○無不定時也○隍於是大悟○

空見○應用無礙○動靜無心○凡聖情忘○能所

述前緣○師云誠如所言○汝但心如虛空○不著

隍聞是說○徑來謁師○師問云仁者何來○隍具

性無生○離生禪想○心如虛空○亦無虛空之量

出不入○不定不亂○禪性無住○離住禪寂○禪

淇圓寂○體用如如○五陰本空○六塵非有○不

祖○隍云六祖以何為禪定○策云我師所說○妙

無對○良久問曰○師嗣誰耶○策云我師曹溪六

卽是常定○何有出入○若有出入卽非大定○隍

時○不見有有無之心○策云不見有有無之心○

者○一切有情含識之流亦應得定○隍曰我正入

入者○一切無情草木瓦右應合得定○若有心入

云○汝云入定○為有心入耶無心入耶○若無心

名○造庵問云○汝在此作什麽○隍曰入定○策

The Sutra Of HUI NENG

Chapter 7 - Temperament and Circumstances

Upon the Patriarch's return to the village of Tso Hau in Shiu Chow from Wong Mui, where the Dharma had been transmitted to him, he was still an unknown figure, and it was a Confucian scholar named Liu Chi Luk who gave him a warm welcome and entertainment. Chi Luk happened to have an aunt named Wu Chung Chong who was a Bhikkhuni (a female member of the Order), and used to recite the Maha-Parinirvana Sutra. After hearing the recitation for only a short while the Patriarch grasped its profound meaning and began to explain it to her. Whereupon, she picked up the book and asked him the meaning of certain words.

"I am illiterate," he replied, "but if you wish to know the purport of this work, please ask." "How can you grasp the meaning of the text," she rejoined, "when you do not even know the words?" To this he replied, "The profundity of the teachings of the various Buddha has nothing to do with the written language."

This answer surprised her very much, and realising that he was no ordinary Bhikkhu, she made it widely known to the pious elders of the village. "This is a holy man," she said, "We should ask him to stay, and get his permission to supply him food and lodging."

Whereupon, a descendant of Marquis Wu of the Ai Dynasty, named Tso Shuk Leung, came one afternoon with other villages to tender homage to the Patriarch. The historical Po Lam Monastery, devastated by war at the end of the Chu Dynasty, was then reduced to a heap of ruins, but on the old site they rebuilt it and asked the Patriarch to stay there. Before long, it became a very famous temple.

After being there for nine months and odd days his wicked enemies traced him and persecuted him again. Thereupon he took refuge in a nearby hill. The villains then set fire to the wood (where he was hiding), but he escaped by making his way to a rock. This rock, which has since been known as the 'Rock of Refuge,' has thereon the knee-prints of the Patriarch in the squatting position, and also the impressions of the texture of his gown. (Even after 16 years in seclusion, Hui Neng still cannot protect himself. It was later that he was able to receive a blow to his neck and nothing happened. Therefore, spirituality is a slow process and you will be aware of it yourself. Once you have crossed over to the other shore, no one can harm your body, when alive. After death, there is no use for the body; so it is better to cremate. It seems the preservation of body started after Hui Neng died. Others copied, like the lamas, Vietnamese Buddhists, Thailand Buddhists, etc to name a few. If you attain to the stage of rising from the dead like Bodhidharma, then you have to let your descendants or followers know about the funeral procedure before you pass off.)

Recollecting the instruction of his master, the Fifth Patriarch, that he should stop at Wei and seclude himself at Wui, he made these two districts (i.e., Wei Chap and Sze Wui) his places of retreat as well as his circuit.

Bhikkhu Fat Hoi, a native of Hook Kong of Shiu Chow, in his first interview with the Patriarch, asked the meaning of the well known saying, 'What mind is, Buddha is.' The Patriarch replied, " To let not a passing thought rise up again is 'mind.' To let not the coming thought be annihilated is Buddha. To manifest all kinds of phenomena is 'mind.' To be free from all forms (ie to realise the unreality of phenomena) is Buddha. If I were to give you a full explanation, the topic could not be exhausted even if I took up the whole of one Kalpa. So listen to my stanza:-
     Prajna is 'Waht mind is,'             
     Samadhi is 'What Buddha is.'
     In practising Prajna and Samadhi, let each keep pace with the other;        
     Then our thoughts will be pure.
     This teaching can be understood
     Only through the 'habit of practice.'
     Samadhi functions, but inherently it does not become.
     The orthodox teaching is to practise Prajna as well as Samadhi.
After hearing what the Patriarch has said, Fat Hoi was at once enlightened. He praised the Patriarch with the following stanza:-
     'What mind is, Buddha is' is true, indeed!
     But I humiliate myself by not understanding it.
     Now I know the principal cause of Prajna and Samadhi,
     Both of which I shall practise to set me free from all forms.
Bhikkhu Fat Tat, a native of Hung Chow, who joined the Order at the early age of seven, used to recite the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra (Lotus of the Good Law Sutra). When he came to pay homage to the Patriarch, he failed to lower his head to the ground. For his abbreviated courtesy the Patriarch reproved him saying, "If you object to lower your head to the ground, would it not be better to do away with salutation entirely? There must be something in your mind that makes you so puffed up. Tell me what you do in your daily exercise."

"Recite the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra," replied Fat Tat. "I have read the whole text three thousand times."

"Had you grasped the meaning of the Sutra," remarked the Patriarch, "you would not have assumed such a lofty bearing, even if you had read it ten thousand times. Had you grasped it, you would be treading the same Path as mine. What you have accomplished has already made you conceited, and moreover, you do not seem to realise that this is wrong. Listen to my stanza:-
     Since the object of ceremony is to curb arrogance
     Why did you fail to lower your head to the ground?
     'To belief in a self' is the source of sin,
     But 'to treat all attainment as void' attains merit incomparable!
The Patriarch then asked for his name, and upon being told that his name was Fat Tat (meaning Understanding the Law), he remarked, "Your name is Fat Tat, but you have not yet understood the Law." He concluded by uttering another stanza:-
     Your name is Fat Tat.
     Diligently and steadily you recite the Sutra.
     Lip repetition of the text goes by the pronunciation only,
     But he whose mind is enlightened by grasping the meaning is a Bodhisattva indeed!
     On account of Pratyaya (conditions producing phenomena) which may be traced to our past lives,
     I will explain this to you.
     If you only believe that Buddha speaks no words,
     Then the Lotus will blossom in your mouth.
Having heard this stanza, Fat Tat became remorseful and apologised to the Patriarch. He added, "Hereafter, I will be humble and polite on all occasions. As I do not quite understand the meaning of the Sutra I recite, I am doubtful as to its proper interpretation. With your profound knowledge and high wisdom, will you kindly give me a short explanations?"

The Patriarch replied, "Fat Tat, the Law is quite clear; it is only your mind that is not clear. The Sutra is free from doubtful passages; it is only your mind that makes them doubtful. In reciting the Sutra, do you know its principal object?"

"How can I know, Sir," replied Fat Tat, "since I am so dull and stupid? All I know is how to recite it word by word."

The Patriarch then said, "Will you please recite the Sutra, as I cannot read it myself. I will then explain its meaning to you."

Fat Tat recited the Sutra, but when he came to the chapter entitled "Parables' the Patriarch stopped him, saying, "The key note of this Sutra is to set forth the aim and object of a Buddha's incarnation in this world. Though parables and illustrations are numerous in this book, none of them goes beyond this pivotal point. Now, what is the object? What is that aim? The Sutra says, 'It is for a sole object, a sole aim, verily a lofty object and a lofty aim that the Buddha appears in this world.' Now that sole object, that sole aim, that lofty object, that lofty aim referred to is the 'sight' of Buddha-Knowledge.

"Common people attach themselves to objects without; and within, they fall into the wrong idea of 'Vacuity.' When they are able to free themselves from attachment to objects when in contact with objects, and to free themselves from the fallacious view of annihilation on the doctrine of 'Void' they will be free from delusions within and from illusions without. He who understands this and whose mind is thus enlightened in an instant is said to have opened his eyes for the sight of Buddha-Knowledge.

"The world 'Buddha' is equivalent to 'Enlightenment,' which may be dealt with (as in the Sutra) under four heads:-
     To open the eyes for the sight of Enlightenment-knowledge.
     To show the sight of Enlightenment-knowledge.
     To awake to the sight of Enlightenment-knowledge.
     To be firmly established in the Enlightenment-knowledge.
"Should we be able, upon being taught, to grasp and understand thoroughly the teaching of Enlightenment-knowledge, then our inherent quality or true nature, ie the Enlightenment-knowledge would have an opportunity to manifest itself. You should not misinterpret the text, and come to the conclusion that Buddha-knowledge is something special to Buddha and not common to us all because you happen to find in the Sutra this passage, 'To open the eyes for the sight of Buddha-knowledge, to show the sight of Buddha-knowledge, etc.' Such a misinterpretation would amount to slandering Buddha and blaspheming the Sutra. Since he is a Buddha, he is already in possession of this Enlightenment-knowledge and there is no occasion for himself to open his eyes for it. You should therefore accept the interpretation that Buddha-knowledge is the Buddha-knowledge of your own mind and not that of any other Buddha.

"Being infatuated by sense-objects, and thereby shutting themselves from their own light, all sentient beings, tormented by outer circumstances and inner vexations, act voluntarily as slaves to their own desires. Seeing this, our Lord Buddha has to rise from his Samadhi in order to exhort them with earnest preaching of various kinds to suppress their desires and to refrain from seeking happiness from without, so that they might become the equals of Buddha. For this reason the Sutra says, 'To open the eyes for the sight of Buddha-knowledge, etc.'

"I advice people constantly to open their eyes for the Buddha-knowledge within their mind. But in their perversity they commit sins under delusion and ignorance; they are kind in words, but wicked in mind; they are greedy, malignant, jealous, crooked, flattering, egotistic, offensive to men and destructive to inanimate objects. Thus, they open their eyes for the 'Common-people-knowledge.' Should they rectify their hearts, so that wisdom arises perpetually, the mind would be under introspection, and evil doing be replaced by the practice of good; then they would initiate themselves into the Buddha-knowledge.

"You should therefore from Ksana to Ksana open your eyes, not for 'Common-people-knowledge' but for 'Buddha-knowledge,' which is super-mundane, while the former is worldly. On the other hand, if you stick to the arbitrary concept that mere recitation (of the Sutra) as a daily exercise is good enough, then you are infatuated like the yak by its own tail." (Yaks are known to have a very high opinion of their own tails.)

Fat Tat then said, "If that is so, we have only to know the meaning of the Sutra and there would be no necessity for us to recite it. Is that right, Sir?"

"There is nothing wrong in the Sutra," replied the Patriarch, "so that you should refrain from reciting it. Whether Sutra-reciting will enlighten you or not, or benefit you or not, all depends on yourself. He who recites the Sutra with the tongue and puts its teaching into actual practice with his mind 'turns round' the Sutra. He who recites it without putting it into practice is 'turned round' by the Sutra. Listen to my stanza:-
     "When our mind is under delusion, the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra 'turns us round.'
     With an enlightened mind we 'turn round' the Sutra instead.
     To recite the Sutra for a considerable time without knowing its principal object
     Indicates that you are a stranger to its meaning.     
     The correct way to recite the Sutra is without holding any arbitrary belief;
     Otherwise, it is wrong.
     He who is above 'Affirmative' and 'Negative'
     Rides permanently in the White Bullock Cart (the Vehicle of Buddha)."
Having heard this stanza, Fat Tat was enlightened and moved to tears. "It is quite true," he exclaimed, "that heretofore I was unable to 'turn round' the Sutra. It was rather the Sutra that 'turned' me round."

He then raised another point. "The Sutra says, 'From Sravakas (disciples) up to Bodhisattvas, even if they were to speculate with combined efforts they would be unable to comprehend the Buddha-knowledge.' But you, Sir, give me to understand that if an ordinary man realises his own mind, he is said to have attained the Buddha-knowledge. I am afraid, Sir, that with the exception of those gifted with superior mental dispositions, others may doubt your remark. Furthermore, three kinds of Carts are mentioned in the Sutra, namely, Cart yoked with goats (ie the vehicle of Sravakas), Cart yoked with deers (the vehicle of Pratyeka Buddha), and Cart yoked with bullocks (the vehicle of Bodhisattvas). How are these to be distinguished from the White Bullock Cart?"

The Patriarch replied, "The Sutra is quite plain on this point; it is you who misunderstand it. The reason why Sravakas, Pratyeka Buddha and Bodhisattvas cannot comprehend the Buddha-knowledge is because they speculate on it. They may combine their efforts to speculate, but the more they speculate, the farther they are from the truth. It was to ordinary men, not to other Buddha, that Buddha Gautama preached this Sutra. As for those who could not accept the doctrine he expounded, he let them leave the assembly. You do not seem to know that since we are already riding in the White Bullock Cart (the vehicle of Buddha), there is no necessity for us to go out to look for the other three vehicles. Moreover, the Sutra tells you plainly that there is only the Buddha vehicle; and that there are no other vehicles, such as the second or the third. It is for the sake of this sole vehicle that Buddha had to preach to us with innumerable skilful devices, using various reasons and arguments, parables and illustrations, etc. Why can you not understand that the other three vehicles are makeshifts, for he past only; while the sole vehicle, the Buddha Vehicle, is the ultimate, meant for the present?

"The Sutra teaches you to dispense with the makeshifts and to resort to the ultimate. Having resorted to the ultimate, you will find that even the name 'Ultimate' disappears. You should appreciate that you are the sole owner of these valuables and that they are entirely subject to your disposal. When you are free from the arbitrary conception that they are the father's, or the son's, or that they are so and so's disposal, you may be said to have learnt the right way to recite the Sutra. In that case from Kalpa to Kalpa the Sutra will be in your hand, and from morning to night you will be reciting the Sutra all the time."

Being thus awakened, Fat Tat praised the Patriarch, in a transport of great joy, with the following stanza:-
     The delusion that I have attained great merits by reciting the Sutra three thousand times over
     Is all dispelled by an utterance of the Master of Tso Kai (ie the Patriarch).
     He who has not understood the object of a Buddha's incarnation in this world
     Is unable to suppress the wild passions accumulated in many lives
     The three vehicles yoked by goat, deer and bullock respectively, are makeshifts only,
     While the three stages, Preliminary, Intermediate, and Final, in which the orthodox Dharma is expounded, are well set out, indeed!
     How few appreciate that within the burning house itself (ie mundane existence)
     The King of Dharma is to be found!
The Patriarch then told him that henceforth he might call himself a 'Sutra-reciting Bhikkhu.' After that interview, Fat Tat was able to grasp the profound meaning of Buddhism; yet he continued to recite the Sutra as before.

Bhikkhu Chi Tong, a native of Shau Chow of An Fung, had read the Lankavatara Sutra nearly a thousand times, but he could not understand the meaning of Trikaya and the four Prajnas. Thereupon, he called on the Patriarch for an interpretation.

"As to the Three Bodies," explained the Patriarch, "the Pure Dharmakaya is your (essential) nature; the Perfect Sambhogakaya is your wisdom; and the Myriad Nirmanakaya are your actions. If you deal with these Three Bodies apart from the Essence of Mind, there would be 'bodies without wisdom.' If you realise that these Three Bodies have no positive essence of their own (because they are only the properties of the Essence of Mind) you attain the Bodhi of the four Prajnas. Listen to my stanza:-
     "The Three Bodies are inherent in our Essence of Mind,
     By development of which the four Prajnas are manifested.
     Thus, without shutting your eyes and your ears to keep away from the external world
     You may reach Buddhahood directly.
     Now that I have made this plain to you,
     Believe it firmly, and you will be free from delusions for ever.
     Follow not those who seek 'Enlightenment' from without;
     These people talk about Bodhi all the time (but they never find it)."
"May I know something about the four Prajnas?" asked Chi Tong. "If you understand the Three Bodies," replied the Patriarch, "you should understand the four Prajnas as well; so your question is quite unnecessary. If you deal with the four Prajnas apart from the Three Bodies, there would be Prajnas without bodies, in which case they would not be Prajnas."

The Patriarch then uttered another stanza:-
     The Mirror-like Wisdom is pure by nature.
     The Equality Wisdom frees the mind from all impediments.
     The All-Discerning Wisdom sees things intuitively without going through the process of reasoning.
     The All-Performing Wisdom has the same characteristics as the Mirror-like Wisdom.
The first five vijnanas (consciousness dependent respectively upon the five sense organs) and the Alaya vijnana (Storage or Universal consciousness) are 'transmuted' to Prajna in the Buddha Stage; while the Klista-Mano vijnana (soiled-mind consciousness or self-consciousness) and the Mano vijnana (thinking consciousness), are transmuted in the Bodhisattva Stage.

These so called 'transmutations of vijnana' are only changes of appelations and not a change of substance.

When you are able to free yourself entirely from attachment to sense-objects at the time these so-called 'transmutations' take place, you will forever abide in the repeatedly-arising Naga (Dragon) Samdhi.

(Upon hearing this), Chi Tong realised suddenly the Prajna of his Essence of Mind and submitted the following stanza to the Patriarch:-
     Intrinsically, the three Bodies are within our Essence of Mind.
     When our mind is enlightened, the four Prajnas will appear therein.
     When Bodies and Prajnas absolutely identify with each other,
     We shall be able to respond (in accordance with their temperaments and dispositions) to the 
          appeals of all beings, no matter what forms they may assume.
     To start by seeking for the Trikaya and the four Prajnas is to take an entirely wrong course 
          (for being inherent in us they are to be realised and not to be sought).
     To try to 'grasp' or 'confine' them is to go against their intrinsic nature.
     Through you, Sir, I am now able to grasp the profundity of their meaning,
     And henceforth I may discard for ever their false and arbitrary names. 
          (Note: Having grasped the spirit of a doctrine, one may dispense with the names used 
          therein, since all names are makeshifts only.)
Bhikkhu Chi Sheung, a native of Kwai Kai of Shun Chow, joined the Order in his childhood, and was very zealous in his efforts to realise the Essence of Mind. One day, he came to pay homage to the Patriarch, and was asked by the latter whence and why he came.

"I have recently been to the White Cliff Mountain in Hung Chow," replied he, "to interview the Master Ta Tung, who was good enough to teach me how to realise the Essence of Mind and thereby attain Buddhahood. But as I still have some doubts, I have travelled far to pay you respect. Will you kindly clear them up for me, Sir."

"What instruction did he give you?" asked the Patriarch.

"After staying there for three months without being given any instruction, and being zealous for the Dharma, I went alone to his chamber one night and asked him what was my Essence of Mind. 'Do you see the illimitable void' he asked. 'Yes, I do,' I replied. Then he asked me whether the void is formless and therefore cannot have any particular form, he said, 'Your Essence of Mind is exactly like the void. To realise that nothing can be seen is 'Right View.' To realise that nothing is knowable is 'True Knowledge.' To realise that it is neither green nor yellow, neither long nor short, that it is pure by nature, that its quintessence is perfect and clear, is 'to realise the Essence of Mind and thereby attain Buddhahood,' which is also called the Buddha-knowledge. As I do not quite understand his teaching, will you please enlighten me, Sir."

"His teaching indicates," said the Patriarch, "that he still retains the arbitrary concept of 'Views' and 'Knowledge,' and this explains why he fails to make it clear to you. Listen to my stanza:-
     "To realise that nothing can be seen but to retain the concept of 'Invisibility'
     Is like the surface of the sun obscured by passing clouds.
     To realise that nothing is knowable but to retain the concept of 'Unknowability'
     May be likened to a clear sky disfigured by a lightning flash.
     To let these arbitrary concepts rise spontaneously in your mind
     Indicates that you have misidentified the Essence of Mind, and that you have not yet found the skilful means to realise it.
     If you realise for one moment that these arbitrary concepts are wrong,
     Your own spiritual light will shine forth permanently."
Having heard this, Chi Sheung at once felt that his mind was enlightened. Thereupon, he submitted the following stanza to the Patriarch:-
     To allow the concepts of 'Invisibility' and 'Unknowability' to rise spontaneously in the mind
     Is to seek Bodhi without freeing oneself from the arbitrary concepts of phenomena.
     He who is puffed up by the slightest impression, 'I am now enlightened,'
     Is no better than he was when under delusion.
     Had I not put myself at the feet of the Patriarch,
     I should have been bewildered without knowing the right way to go.
One day, Chi Sheung asked the Patriarch, "Buddha preached the doctrine of 'Three Vehicles' and also that of a 'Supreme Vehicle.' As I do not understand this, will you please explain."

The Patriarch replied, "(In trying to understand these), you should introspect your own mind and act independently of outward Dharmalaksana (things and phenomena). The distinction of these four vehicles does not exist in Dharma itself, but in the differentiation of people's minds. To see, to hear, and to recite the Sutra is the Small Vehicle. To know the Dharma and to understand its meaning is the Middle Vehicle. To put the Dharma into actual practice is the Great Vehicle. To understand thoroughly all Dharmas, to have absorbed them completely, to be free from all attachments, to be above Dharmalaksana, and to be in possession of nothing, is the Supreme Vehicle. (The 3 Vehicles can be compared to the Bhagavad Gita's 3 'Gunas')

"Since the word 'Yana' (Vehicle) implies 'motion' (ie putting into practice), argument on this point is quite unnecessary. All depends on self-practice, so you need not ask me any more. (But I may remind you that) at all times the Essence of Mind is in a state of 'Thusness.'"

Chi Sheung made obeisance and thanked the Patriarch. Henceforth, he acted as his attendant until the death of the Master.

Bhikkhu Chi Tao, a native of Nam Hoi of Kwong Tung, came to the Patriarch for instruction, saying, "Since I joined the Order I have read the Maha Parinirvana Sutra for more than ten years, but I have not yet grasped its main idea. Will you please teach me."

"Which part of it do you not understand?" asked the Patriarch.

"It is about this part, Sir, that I am doubtful: 'All things are impermanent, and so they belong to the Dharma of Becoming and Cessation (ie Samskrita Dharma). When both Becoming and Cessation ceases to operate, the bliss of Perfect Rest and Cessation of Changes (ie Nirvana) arises.'"

"What makes you doubt?" asked the Patriarch.

"All beings have two bodies--the physical body and the Dharmakaya," replied Chi Tao. "The former is impermanent; it exists and dies. The latter is permanent; it knows not and feels not. Now the Sutra says, 'When both Becoming and Cessation cease to operate, the bliss of Perfect Rest and Cessation of Changes arises.' I do not know which body ceases to exist and which body enjoys the bliss. It cannot be the physical body that enjoys, because when it dies the four Mahabhutas (material elements, ie, earth, water, fire and air) will disintegrate, and disintegration is pure suffering, the very opposite of bliss. If it is the Dharmakaya that ceases to exist, it would be in the same state as 'inanimate' objects, such as grass, trees, stones, etc; who will then be the enjoyer?

"Moreover, Dharma-nature is the quintessence of 'Becoming and Cessation,' which manifests as the five Skandhas (Rup, Vedana, Samjna, Samskara, and Vijnana). That is to say, with one quintessence there are five functions. The process of 'Becoming and Cessation' is everlasting. When function or operation 'arises' from the quintessence it becomes; when the operation or function is 'absorbed' back into the quintessence, it ceases to exist. If reincarnation id admitted, there would be no 'Cessation of Changes,' as in the case of sentient beings. If reincarnation is out of the question, then things will remain forever in a state of lifeless quintessence, like inanimate objects. If this is so, then under the limitations and restrictions of Nirvana even existence will be impossible to all beings; what enjoyment could there be?"

"You are a son of Gina (ie a son of Buddha, or a Bhikkhu)," said the Patriarch, "so why do you adopt the fallacious views of Eternalism and Annihilationism held by the heretics, and venture to criticise the teaching of the Supreme Vehicle?

"Your argument implies that apart from the physical body, there is a Law body (Dharmakaya); and that 'Perfect Rest' and 'Cessation of Changes' may be sought apart from 'Becoming and Cessation.' Further, from the statement, 'Nirvana is everlasting joy,' you infer that there must be somebody to play the part of the enjoyer.

"Now it is exactly these fallacious views that make people crave for sensate existence and indulge in worldly pleasure. It is for these people, the victims of ignorance, who identify the union of five skandhas as the 'self,' and regard all other things as 'not self' (literally, outer sense objects); who crave for individual existence and have an aversion to death; who drift about in the whirlpool of life and death without realising the hollowness of mundane existence, which is only a dream or an illusion; who commit themselves to unnecessary suffering by binding themselves to the wheel of re-birth; who mistake the state of everlasting joy of Nirvana for a mode of suffering, and who are always after sensual pleasure; it is for these people that the compassionate Buddha preached the real bliss of Nirvana.

"At any one moment, Nirvana has neither the phenomenon of Becoming, nor that of Cessation, nor even the ceasing of operation of Becoming and Cessation. It is the manifestation of 'Perfect Rest and Cessation of Changes'; but at the time of manifestation there is not even a concept of manifestation; so it is called the 'Everlasting Joy' which has neither enjoyer nor non-enjoyer.

"There is no such thing as 'one quintessence and five functions' (as you allege), and you are slandering Buddha and blaspheming the Law when you go so far as to state that under such limitation and restriction of Nirvana existence is impossible to all beings. Listen to my stanza:-
      The Supreme Maha Parinirvana   
      Is perfect, permanent, calm, and illuminating.  
      Common people and ignorant ones miscall it death,  
      While heretics hold arbitrarily that it is annihilation.  
      Those who belong to the Sravaka Vehicle or the Pratyeka Buddha Vehicle  
      Regard it as 'Non-action.'  
      All these are mere intellectual speculations,  
      And form the basis of the sixty-two fallacious views. 
      Since they are mere fictitious names invented for the occasion 
      They have nothing to do with the Absolute Truth. 
      Only those of super-eminent mind  
      Can understand thoroughly what Nirvana is, and take up the attitude of neither attachment not indifference towards it. 
      They know that five Skandhas 
      And the so-called 'ego' arising from the union of these Skandhas, 
      Together with all external objects and forms 
      And the various phenomena of sound and voice 
      Are equally unreal, like a dream, or an illusion. 
      They make no discrimination between a sage and an ordinary man, 
      Nor do they have any arbitrary concept of Nirvana. 
      They are above 'Affirmation' and 'Negation' and they break the barrier of the past, the present and the future. 
      They use their sense organs, when occasion requires, 
      But the concept of 'Using' does not arise. 
      They may particularize on all sorts of things,
      But the concept of 'Particularization' does not arise. 
      Even during the cataclysmic fire at the end of a Kalpa, when ocean-beds are burnt dry, 
      Or during the blowing of the catastrophic wind when one mountain topples on another, 
      The real and everlasting bliss of 'Perfect Rest' and 'Cessation of Changes' 
      Of Nirvana remains in the same state and changes not. 
      Here, I am trying to describe to you something which is ineffable 
      So that you may get rid of your fallacious views. 
      But if you do not interpret my words literally
      You may perhaps learn a wee bit of the meaning of Nirvana!"
Having heard this stanza, Chi Tao was highly enlightened. In a rapturous mood he made obeisance and departed.

Bhikkhu Hang Shi, a Dhyana Master, was born at An Sheng of Kat Chow of a Liu family. Upon hearing that the preaching of the Patriarch had enlightened a great number of people, he at once came to Tso Kai to tender him homage, and asked him this question:

"What should a learner direct his mind to, so that his attainment cannot be rated by the (usual) 'Stage of Progress'?"

"What work have you been doing?" asked the Patriarch.

"Even the Noble Truths taught by various Buddhas I shall not have anything to do with," replied Hang Shi.

"What 'Stage of Progress' are you in?" asked the Patriarch.

"What 'Stage of Progress' can there be, when I refuse to have anything to do even with the Noble Truths taught by Buddhas?" he retorted.

His repartee commanded the great respect of the Patriarch who made him the leader of the assembly.

One day the Patriarch told him that he should propagate the Law in his own district, so that the teaching might not come to an end. Thereupon, he returned to Ching Un Mountain in his native district. The Dharma having been transmitted to him, he spread it widely and thus perpetuated the teaching of his Master. Upon his death, the posthumous title 'Dhyana Master Hung Tsai' was conferred on him.

Bhikkhu Wei Yang, a Dhyana Master, was born of a Tao family in Kim Chow. Upon his first visit to 'National Teacher' Wei On of Sung Shan Mountain, he was directed by the latter to go to Tso Kai to interview the Patriarch.

Upon his arrival, and after the usual salutation, he was asked by the Patriarch whence he came.

"From Sung Shan," replied he.

"What thing is it (that comes)? How did it come?" asked the Patriarch.

"To say that it is similar to a certain thing is wrong," he retorted.

"Is it attainable by training?" asked the Patriarch.

"It is not impossible to attain it by training; but it is quite impossible to pollute it," he replied.

Thereupon, the Patriarch exclaimed, "It is exactly this unpolluted thing that all Buddhas take good care of. It is so for you, and it is so for me as well. Patriarch Prajnatara of India foretold that under your feet a colt would rush forth and trample on the people of the whole world. I need not interpret this oracle too soon, as the answer should be found within your mind."

Being thereby enlightened, Wei Yang realised intuitively what the Patriarch had said. Henceforth, he became his attendant for a period of fifteen years; and day by day, his knowledge of Buddhism got deeper and deeper. Afterwards, he made his home in Heng Shan where he spread widely the teaching of the Patriarch. Upon his death, the posthumous title 'Dhyana Master Tai Wai' was conferred on him by imperial edict.

Dhyana Master Yuen Kwok of Wing Ka was born of a Tai family in Wenchow. As a youth, he studied Sutras and Shastras and was well versed in the teaching of Samatha (inhibition or quietude) and Vipassana (contemplation or discernment) of the Tendai School. Through the reading of the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra he realised intuitively the mystery of his own mind.

A disciple of the Patriarch by the name of Un Chak happened to pay him a visit. During the course of a long discussion, Un Chak noticed that the utterance of his friend agreed virtually with the sayings of the various Patriarchs. Thereupon he asked, "May I know the name of your teacher who transmitted the Dharma to you?"

"I had teachers to instruct me," replied Yuen Kwok, "when I studied the Sutras and the Shastras of the Vaipulya section. But afterwards it was through the reading of the Virmalakirti Nirdesa Sutra that I realised the significance of the Buddhacitta (the Dhyana) School; and in this respect I have not yet had any teacher to verify and confirm my knowledge." (without the Sealing on the Mark, he will only achieve immortality, whereby he has to come back one more time at the end to receive it. With the Seal, he does not have to come back, but he can do so to salvage humankind if he wishes.)

"Before the time of Bhismagarjitasvara Raja (the first) Buddha," Un Chak remarked, "it was possible (to dispense with the service of a teacher); but since that time, he who attains enlightenment without the aid and the confirmation of a teacher is a natural heretic."

"Will you, Sir, kindly act as my testifier," asked Yuen Kwok.

"My words carry no weight," replied his friend. "In Tso Kai there is the Sixth Patriarch, to whom visitors in great numbers come from all directions with the common object of having the Dharma transmitted to them. Should you wish to go there, I shall be pleased to accompany you."

In due course they arrived at Tso Kai and interviewed the Patriarch. Having circumambulated the Patriarch thrice, Yuen Kwok stood still (ie without making obeisance to the Master) with the Khakkharam (the Buddhist staff) in his hand.

(For his discourtesy), the Patriarch made the following remark: "As a Sramana (Buddhist monk) is the embodiment of three thousand moral precepts and eighty thousand minor disciplinary rules, I wonder where you come from and what makes you so conceited."

"The question of incessant re-births is a momentous one," replied he, "and as death may come at any moment (I have no time to waste on ceremony)."

"Why do you not realise the principle of 'Birthlessness,' and thus solve the problem of the transiency of life?" the Patriarch retorted.

Thereupon Yuen Kwok remarked, "To realise the Essence of Mind is to be free from re-births; and once this problem is solved, the question of transiency exists no longer."

"That is so, that is so," the Patriarch agreed.

At this stage, Yuen Kwok gave in and made obeisance in full ceremony. After a short while he bid the Patriarch adieu.

"You are going away too quickly, aren't you?" asked the Patriarch.

"How can there be 'quickness when motion intrinsically exists not?" he retorted.

"Who knows that motion exists not?" asked the Patriarch.

"I hope you, Sir, will not particularize." he observed.

The Patriarch commended him for his thorough grasp of the motion of 'Birthlessness'; but Yuen Kwok remarked, "Is there a 'notion' in 'Birthlessness'?"

"Without a notion, who can particularize?" asked the Patriarch in turn.

"That which particularize is not a notion," replied Yuen Kwok.

"Well said!" exclaimed the Patriarch. He then asked Yuen Kwok to delay his departure and spend a night there. Henceforth Yuen Kwok was known to his contemporaries as the 'enlightened one who had spent a night with the Patriarch.'

Afterwards, he wrote the famous work, 'A Song of Spiritual Attainment,' which circulates widely. His posthumous title is 'Grand Master Wu Seng' (He who is above form or phenomena), and he was also called by his contemporaries 'Dhyana Master Chun Kwok' (He who is really enlightened). (If you are fully enlightened, you tend not to bow to others. Maybe Yuen Kwok was on par with the Patriarch, therefore he did not sense the spirituality of the Patriarch. The Patriarch retained him a night to transmit the Dharma or Seal.)

Bhikkhu Chi Wang, a follower of the Dhyana School, after his consultation with the Fifth Patriarch (as to the process of his work), considered himself as having attained Samadhi. For twenty years he confined himself in a small temple and kept up the squatting position all the time.

Un Chak, a disciple of the Sixth Patriarch in his excursion to the northern bank of Hoanf Ho, heard about him and called at his temple.

"What are you doing here?" asked Un Chak.

"I am abiding in Samadhi," replied his friend, Chi Wang.

"Abiding in Samadhi, did you say?" observed Un Chak. "I wish to know whether you are doing it consciously or unconsciously. For if you are doing it unconsciously, it would mean that it is possible for all inanimate objects such as earthenware, stones, trees, and weeds, to attain Samadhi. On the other hand, if you are doing it consciously, then all animate objects or sentient beings would be in Samadhi also."

"When I am in Samadhi," observed Chi Wang, "I know neither consciousness nor unconsciousness."

"If that is the case," said Un Chak, "it is perpetual quietude; in which state there is neither abiding nor leaving. That state which you can abide in or leave off is not Grand Samadhi."

Chi Wang was dumbfounded. After a long while, he asked, "May I know who is your teacher?"

"My teacher is the Sixth Patriarch of Tso Kai," replied Un Chak.

"How does he define Dhyana and Samadhi?" Chi Wang asked.

"According to his teaching," replied Un Chak, "the Dharmakaya is perfect and serene: its quintessence and its function are in a state of Thusness. The five Skandhas (aggregates) are intrinsically void and the six sense objects are non-existent. There is neither abiding nor leaving in Samadhi. There is neither quietude nor perturbation. The nature of Dhyana is non-abiding, so we should get above the state of 'abiding in the calmness of Dhyana.' The nature of Dhyana is uncreative, so we should get above the notion of 'creating a state of Dhyana.' The state of the mind may be likened unto space, but (it is infinite) and so it is without the limitation of the latter."

Having heard this, Chi Wang went immediately to Tso Kai to interview the Patriarch. Upon being asked whence he came, he told the Patriarch in details the conversation he had had with Un Chak.

"What Un Chak said is quite right," said the Patriarch. "Let your mind be in a state such as that of the illimitable void, but do not attach it to the idea of 'vacuity.' Let it function freely. Whether you are in activity or at rest, let your mind abide nowhere. Forget the discrimination between a sage and an ordinary man. Ignore the distinction of subject and object. Let the Essence of Mind and all phenomenal objects be in a state of Thusness. Then you will be in Samadhi all the time."

Chi Wang was thereby fully enlightened. What he had considered for the past twenty years as an attainment now vanished. On that night inhabitants of Ho Pei (the northern bank of the Yellow River) heard a voice in the air to the effect that Dhyana Master Chi Wang had on that day gained enlightenment. (The spirituality of Chi Wang was very high then, therefore the loud voice heard in Ho Pei when he got enlightened. He was able to protect himself and could achieve resurrection. Anyone who has his record please tell me whether he achieved that? Even without enlightenment, with long meditation, whether correct or wrong, the merit is accumulated. Hui Neng was enlightened earlier and after 16 years seclusion he was still unable to protect himself because spirituality accumulated according to the number of hours you put in meditation. If you can meditate 24 hours non stop, you achieve faster spirituality.)

Some time after Chi Wang bid the Patriarch adieu and returned to Ho Pei, where he taught a great number of men and women, monks as well as laity.

A Bhikkhu once asked the Patriarch what sort of man could obtain the keynote of the teaching of Wong Mui (the Fifth Patriarch). "He who understands the Buddhist Dharma can get it," replied the Patriarch. "Have you, Sir, got it then?" asked the Bhikkhu. "I do not know the Buddhist Dharma," was his reply.

One day the Patriarch wanted to wash the robe which he had inherited, but could find no good stream for the purpose. Thereupon he walked to a place about five miles from the rear of the monastery, where he noticed that plants and trees grew profusely and the environment gave an air of good omen. He took his staff (which makes a tinkling noise, as rings are attached to the top of it) and struck it in the ground. Immediately water spurted out and before long a pool was formed.

While he was kneeling down on a rock to wash the robe, a Bhikkhu suddenly appeared before him and tendered him homage.

"My name if Fong Pin," said he, "and I am a native of Szechuen. When I was in South India, I met Patriarch Bodhiharma, who instructed me to return to China. 'The Womb of the Orthodox Dharma' said he, 'together with the robe which I inherited from Mahakasyapa have now been transmitted to the Sixth Patriarch, who is now in Tso Kai of Shiu Chow. Go there to have a look at them and to pay your respect to the Patriarch.' After a long voyage, I have arrived. May I see the robe and the begging bowl you inherited?" (Like Jesus, Bodhidharma appeared to him in India. Bodhidharma passed off [resurrected] many years ago and he can still appear before some chosen ones to pass the preaching of the Truth.)

Having shown him the two relics, the Patriarch asked him what line of work he was taking up. "I am pretty good at sculptural work," replied he. "Let me see some of your work then," demanded the Patriarch.

Fong Pin was confounded at the time, but after a few days he was able to complete a life-like statue of the Patriarch, about seven inches high, a master piece of sculpture.

(Upon seeing the statue), the Patriarch laughed and said to Fong Pin, "You do know something about the nature of sculptural work, but you do not seem to know the nature of Buddha." He then stretched forth his hand to rub the crown of Fong Pin (the Buddhist way of blessing) and declared, "You shall for ever be a 'field of merit' for human and celestial beings."

In addition, the Patriarch rewarded his service with a robe, which Fong Pin divided into three parts, one for dressing the statue, one for himself, and one for burying in the ground after covering it up with palm leaves. (When the burial took place) he took a vow to the effect that by the time the robe was exhumed he would be reincarnated as the abbot of the monastery and also that he would undertake to renovate the shrine and the building.

A Bhikkhu quoted the following Gatha (stanza) composed by Dhyana Master Au Lun:-
       Au Lun has ways and means 
      To insulate the mind from all thoughts. 
      When circumstances do not react on the mind, 
      The Bodhi tree (symbol of wisdom) will grow steadily.
Hearing this, the Patriarch said, "This stanza indicates that the composer of it has not yet fully realised the Essence of Mind. To put its teaching into practice (would gain no liberation), but bind oneself more tightly." Thereupon, he showed the Bhikkhu the following stanza of his own:-
      Wei Lang has no ways and means 
      To insulate the mind from all thoughts. 
      Circumstances often react on my mind; 
      And I wonder how can the Bodhi tree grow?
End of Chapter

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Edited on 7th June 2008

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