“How does he define Dhyana and Samadhi?” enquired Chiwang.
“According to his teaching,” replied Un-chak, “the Dharmakaya is perfect and serene and unchanging; its quintessence and its function are in a state of ‘Suchness.’ The five aggregates are intrinsically void and the six sense-objects are nonexistent. There is neither abiding nor leaving in Samadhi; there is neither quietude nor perturbation. The nature of Dhyana is non-abiding, so we should seek to transcend the state of ‘abiding in the calmness of Dhyana.’ The nature of Dhyana is uncreative, so we should transcend the notion of ‘creating a state of Dhyana.’ Essence of Mind is like space without the limitations of space.”
After this interview, Chi-wang went to Tso-kai to interview the Sixth Patriarch. Upon being asked whence he came, Chiwang told the Patriarch the details of his conversation with Ufi-chak.
The Patriarch said, “What Un-chak said is quite right. Let your mind be in a state like the illimitable void, but do not think of it as ‘vacuity.’ Let the mind function freely, but whether it is in activity or at rest, let it abide nowhere. Forget all discriminations: see no distinction between a sage and an ordinary man; ignore the distinction between subject and object; let Essence of Mind and all phenomena and objects be alike in a state of ‘Suchness.’ Then you will truly 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 all va n ished. He remained with the Patriarch for a time and then returned to Ho-Pei where he taught many people, monks as well as laymen.
# * # The monk, 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 teaching. Will you please teach me.”
“What part of it do you not understand?” enquired the Patriarch.
“It is this part, Sir: ‘All things are impermanent and so they belong to the Dharma of Becoming and Cessation. When both Becoming and Cessation cease to operate. Cessation of Change with its bliss of Perfect Rest (Nirvana) arises.’ ” “Whiat obscurity is there in that?” enquired the Patriarch.
Chi-tao replied, “All beings have two bodies: the physical body and an essence body. The former is impermanent — it exists and it deceases. The latter is permanent, but 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 Change arises.’ I can not understand which body ceases to exist, and which body enjoys the bliss. It cannot be the physical body that enjoys, because when it dies, the material elements disintegrate and disintegration is suffering, the very opposite of bliss. If it is the essence body that ceases to exist, it would be in the same ‘unfeeling’ state as inanimate objects, such as the grass, trees and stones. Who, then, will be the enjoyer?
“Moreover, essence-nature is the quintessence of ‘Becoming and Cessation’ whose manifestation is the union of the five ‘aggregates’ (body, sensation, perception, consciousness and intellection). That is to say, from one essence, five functions arise. This process of Becoming and Cessation is everlasting. When function and operation ‘arise’ from the quintessence, it becomes; when operation and function are ‘absorbed’ back into the quintessence, it ceases to exist. If reincarnation is admitted, there will 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 the case of inanimate objects. When this is the case, under the limitations and restrictions of Nirvana, even existence would be impossible to all things, much less enjoyment.”
“You are a Bhikkhu,” said the Patriarch, “how can you adopt the fallacious views of Etemalism and Annihilationism that are held by heretics, and venture to criticise the teaching of the Supreme Vehicle? Your argument implies that apart from the physical body, there is an essence body; and that Perfect Rest and Cessation of Change may be sought apart from ‘Becoming and Cessation.’ Further, from the statement, ‘Nirvana is everlasting rest,’ you infer that there must be somebody to play the part of enjoyer.
“It is exactly these fallacious views that makes people crave for sentiate existence and worldly pleasure. These people are the victims of ignorance; they identify the union of the five aggregates as the ‘self’ and regard all other things as ‘not-self; they crave for individual existence and have an aversion to death; they are drifting about from one momentary sensation to another in the whirlpool of life and death without realising the emptiness of mundane existence which is only a dream and an illusion; they commit themselves to unnecessary suffering by binding themselves to rebirth; they mistake the state of everlasting joy of Nirvana to be a mode of suffering; they are always seeking after sensual pleasures. It was for these people, victims of ignorance, that the compassionate Buddha preached the real bliss of Nirvana.
“Never for a moment was Nirvana either the phenomena of Becoming and. Cessation, or the ceasing of Becoming and Cessation. It is the perfect manifestation of Rest and Cessation of Change, and at the ‘time’ of manifestation, there is no such thing as manifestation. It is called ‘everlasting’ Joy because it has neither enjoyer nor non-enjoyer.
“There is no such thing as ‘one quintessence and five manifestations.’ You are slandering Buddha and blaspheming the Dharma, when you go so far as to state that under the limitation and restriction of Nirvana, living is impossible to all beings. Listen to this stanza: — “The Supreme Maha Parinirvana Is perfect, permanent, calm, radiantly illuminative.
Common and ignorant people miscall it death, While heretics arbitrarily declare it to be annihilation. Those who belong to the Small Vehicle and to the Middle Vehicle Regard Nirvana as ‘non-action.’
All these are merely intellectual speculations.
And they form the basis of the sixty-two fallacious views. Since they are merely names, invented for the occasion, They have nothing to do with Absolute Truth.
Only those of super-eminent mind Can understand thoroughly what Nirvana is, And take an attitude toward it of neither attachment nor indifference.
They know that the five aggregates.
And the so-called ‘self arising from the aggregates. Together with all external forms and objects.
And the various phenomena of words and voice.
Are all 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’; They break the barriers between 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 particularise on all sorts of things.
But the concept of ‘particularisation’ arises not.
Even during the cataclysmic fire at tire end of a kalpa. When ocean beds are burnt dry; Or during the blowing of catastrophic winds, when mountains topple; The everlasting bliss of Perfect Rest and Cessation of Change that is Nirvana Remains the same and changes not.”
The Patriarch then said to Chi-tao, “I am trying to describe to you something that intrinsically is ineffable, in order to help you to get rid of fallacious views. If you do not interpret my words too literally you may perhaps know a wee bit of Nirvana.”
Chi-tao became highly enlightened and, in a rapturous mood he made obeisance and departed.
Chapter VII Sudden Enlightenment and Gradual Attainment 1 Contemporaneous with the Patriarch when he was living at Po-lam Monastery was Grand Master Shin-shau who was preaching in Yuk-chuen Monastery of King-nam. At that time the two schools of Hui-neng in the South and of Shin-shau in the North were both flourishing. As the tvyo schools were dis- 1 Note by Editor. When Hui-neng, who afterward became the Sixth Patriarch, came to Wong-mui to interview the Fifth Patriarch, he was a comparatively uneducated country boy and not yet a member of the order of monks. He did not remain there very long but before he left his insight into the Dharma had been recognised by the Patriarch and he was initiated into the Patriarchate and given the insignia of the robe and begging bowl. While he remained at Monastery he served as a lay-helper in the granary, hulling nee. At the same time he was- there, the Master (or Dean as we would call him) of the Monastery was Shin-shau, a notably learned monk of the Dhyana School. After Hui-neng left Ung-mui he lived in retirement for a number of years, Shin-shau, in disappointment at not receiving the appointment of Sixth Patriarch, returned to his home in the North and founded his own School which later, under Imperial patronage, came into great prominence. But after the death of Shin-shau, the School steadily lost prestige and later dropped out of importance.
But the different principles of the two schools, “Sudden Enlightenment” of the Sixth Patriarch's Southern School and “Gradual Attainment” of Shin-shau ’s Northern School, have continued to divide Buddhism and do so to-day. The principle in dispute is as to whether enlightenment comes as a “gradual attainment” through study of the scriptures and the practice of dhyana, or whether it comes suddenly in some ecstatic samadhi, or, as the Japanese say, in some sudden and convincing and life-enhancing “satori.” It is not a question of quickness or slowness in arriving at it: “gradual attainment” may arrive sooner man “sudden enlightenment,” It is the question whether enlightenment comes as the culmination of a gradual process of mental growth, or whether it is a sudden “turning” at the seat of consciousness from an habitual reliance on the thinking faculty (a looking outward), to a new use of a higher intuitive faculty (a looking inward).
tinguished from each other by the names, Sudden, and Gradual, some Buddhist scholars were troubled as to which school to follow.
One day the Patriarch addressed his assembly as follows: — “So far as the Dharma is concerned, there can be only one school. If a distinction is made, it exists in the fact that the founder of one school was a Northern man, and the founder of the other was a Southern man. While there is only one system of Dharma, some disciples realise it quicker than others but the reason why the names, ‘Sudden’ and 'Gradual,’ are given is because some disciples are superior to others in their mental dispositions. So far as the Dharma is concerned, the distinction of Sudden and Gradual does not exist.”
(Between the two leaders there was mutual respect but) the followers of Shin-shau often criticised the Patriarch. They discredited him by saying that he was illiterate and could not distinguish himself in any respect. Shin-shau, on the other hand, admitted that he was inferior to the Patriarch in one respect, namely, that Hui-neng thoroughly understood the teachings of the Mahayana, even if he had attained that wisdom without the aid of a teacher. “Moreover,” he added, “my Master, the Fifth Patriarch, would not have personally transmitted the robe and bowl to him without good cause. I regret that, owing to the patronage of the Court, which I by no means deserve, I am unable to travel far to receive instruction from him personally. You should go to Tso-kai to consult him. Do not tarry.”
One day, Shin-shau said to his disciple, Chi-shing, “You are clever and witty; I wish you would go to Tso-kai and attend the lectures there. Try your best to keep in mind what you hear, so that on your return you may repeat it to me.”
Acting on his teacher’s instruction, Chi-shing arrived at Tsokai. Without saying anything about where he came from, he joined the company attending the Patriarch’s lectures. When the Patriarch came to address the assembly, he said, “Some one has come here secretly to learn my teaching and later to plagiarise it.” Chi-shing at once came forward, made obeisance, and told the Patriarch what his mission was.
“You come from Yuk-chuen Monastery, do you?” said the Patriarch. “Then you must be a spy.”
Patriarch. “If I had not told you, I would have been a spy,” said Chi-shing. “Since I have told you who I am, I am no spy.”
“Tell me, how does your teacher instruct his disciples?” asked the Patriarch.
“He often tells them to concentrate their minds in a meditation on ‘purity’; to keep up the dhyana position constantly, and not to lie down.”
Said the Patriarch, “To concentrate the mind on a meditation on ‘purity’ is an infirmity and is not Dhyana. To restrict oneself to the crosslegged position all the time is logically unprofitable. Listen to this stanza: — “A living man sits and does not lie down; But a dead man lies down and does not sit.
On this physical body of ours, why should we impose the task of sitting crosslegged?”
Making obeisance a second time, Chi-shing remarked, “Though I have studied Buddhism for nine years under Grand Master Shin-shau, my mind was not awakened for enlightenment, but as soon as you speak to me, my mind is enlightened. As the question of continuous re-birth is an important one, I wish you would take pity on me and give me instruction as to that question.”
The Patriarch said, “I understand that your Master gives his disciples instruction as to ‘disciplinary rules’ (sila), meditation (dhyana), and Wisdom (Prajna). Will you please tell me how he defines these terms?”
“According to his teaching,” replied Chi-shing, “to refrain from all evil action, is Sila; to practise whatever is good, is Prajna; and to purify one’s mind, is Dhyana. This is the way he teaches us. May I ask what your system is?”
The Patriarch replied, “If I should tell you that I had a system of Dhyana to transmit to others, I would be deceiving you. What I try to do to my disciples, is to liberate them from their own bondage, by such device as each case requires. To use a name, which after all is nothing but a makeshift, it may be called ‘Samadhi.’ The way your Master teaches Sila, Dhyana, Prajna, is wonderful; but my way is different.”
“How can it be different, Sir, when there is only one form of Sila, Dhyana and Prajna?”
“The teaching of your Master,” replied the Patriarch, “is for the guidance of the general followers of the Mahayana; my teaching is for the more advanced followers. It is because some realise the Dharma quicker and deeper than others, that there is a difference of interpretation. Listen while I explain and see if you think my instruction is the same as his. In expounding the Dharma, I do not deviate from the authority of my intuitive mind. To do otherwise would indicate that the expositor’s Mind-essence was obscured, and that he was competent to teach only the phenomenal side of the Dharma (but not its essence). The true teaching of Sila, Dhyana and Prajna, should be based on the principle that the function of all things derives its virtue from its essence. Listen to this stanza: — “To free the mind from all improprieties is the Sila- of Mind-essence; To free the mind from all perturbations is the Dhyana of Mind-essence.
That which neither increases nor decreases is the ‘diamond’ of Mind-essence.
‘Going’ and ‘coming’ are only phases of Samadhi.”
Having heard this instruction, Chi-shing felt humiliated and thanked the Patriarch for the instruction.
The Patriarch continued: “The teaching of your Master on Sila, Dhyana and Prajna, is fitted for minds of wise men, it is true, but my teaching is intended for minds of a more advanced type. He who has realised Mind-essence, himself, may dispense with such doctrines as Bodhi, Nirvana, and Knowledge of Emancipation. It is only those who do not possess a single system of Dhyana, who can formulate all systems of Dhyana; these who understand what this means, may rightly use such terms as Buddhakaya, Bodhi, Nirvana, Knowledge of Emancipation. To those who have realised Mind-essence, it makes no difference whether they formulate all systems of Dhyana, or dispense with all of them. (Because of this non-attachment) they are at liberty to come or to go; they are free from all obstacles and impediments. As circumstances arise, they take appropriate action; they give suitable answers according to the varying temperament of their questioner. They see with a comprehensive glance that all ‘Bodies of T ransformation’ are inseparable from Essence of Mind. They attain liberation, psychic powers, and Samadhi, which enables them to perform the arduous task of universal salvation as easily as if they were only playing. Such are the men who have realised Mind-essence.”
“By what principle are we guided in dispensing with all systems of Dhyana?” was Chi-shing’s next question.
The Patriarch replied: — “When our Mind-essence is free from improprieties, infatuations and perturbations; when we look inward from each momentary sensation to another, with Prajna; and when we no longer cherish attachment to objects, or to words, or to ideas; then are we forever emancipated. Why should we formulate any system of Dhyana when our goal may be reached no matter whether we turn to the right or to the left? Since it is by our own effort that we realise Mind-essence, and since the realisation and practise of Dhyana are both spontaneous and instantaneous, the formulation of any system of Dhyana is unnecessary. All Dharmas are intrinsically Nirvanic, how can there be gradation in them?”
Chi-shing made obeisance and volunteered to be an attendent of the Patriarch, in which capacity he served faithfully.
* * * Since the two Dhyana Schools, that of Hui-neng in the South and Shin-shau in the North, were flourishing at the same time, in spite of the tolerant spirit shown by both Masters who hardly knew what egotism was, there naturally developed a strong sectarian feeling among the disciples. Calling their own Master, Shin-shau, the Sixth Patriarch on no better authority than their own wishes, the followers of the Northern School were jealous of the rightful owner of that title whose claim was supported by the possession of the insignia, the robe etc., and was generally acknowledged. (In order to get rid of the rightful Patriarch) they sent a lay member of the order whose secular name was Chang Hang-chong, a native of Kiang-si, and who as a young man had been fond of adventure, to get rid of him.
With his psychic power of mind-reading, the Patriarch was able to know of the plot. One evening Chang entered the Patriarch’s room intending to carry out his instructions. The Patriarch, after placing ten taels near his side, bent his neck forward and waited the blow. Chang made three attempts, but strange to say no wound was made. Then the Patriarch spoke to him, saying, “A straight sword is not crooked; A crooked sword is not straight.
I owe you money only, but life I do not owe you.”
Chang was taken by surprise and, remorseful and penitent, he asked for mercy and volunteered to join the order at once, but the Patriarch handed him the money and said: “If my followers should learn of it, they would harm you; you must not remain here. Some other time come to see me in disguise and I will take good care of you.” As directed, Chang ran away that.night and subsequently joined the order under another Master. Upon being fully ordained, he proved himself to be a very diligent monk.
One day recollecting what the Patriarch had said, he made the long journey to see him and to pay him homage. “Why have you waited so long?” said the Patriarch, “I have been expecting you all the time.”
Said Chang, “Since that night you so graciously pardoned my crime, I have become a monk and have studied Buddhism diligently. I can only show my gratitude adequately by spreading the Dharma for the deliverance of all sentient beings.” Then he asked a question as to the meaning of “eternal and non-eternal,” which the Patriarch answered and then said, “You have now thoroughly realised Mind-essence; hereafter you may call yourself, Chi-chai.”
Chi-chai made obeisance and departed.
Chapter VIII Royal Patronage An edict dated the 15th day of the First Moon of the 1st year of Shin Lung, issued by the Empress Dowager Chek Tin and the Emperor Chung Chung, read as follows: — “Since we have invited Grand Masters Wei-on and Shinshau to stay in the Palace and receive our offerings, we have continued to study under them as far as we could find time after attending to our imperial duties. Out of sheer modesty.
these two Masters recommended that we should seek the advice of Dhyana Master Hui-neng of the South, who had inherited the secret Dharma and the robe of the Fifth Patriarch as well as the ‘Heart Seal’ of the Lord Buddha.
“We hereby send Eunuch, Sit Kan, as the courier of this Edict to invite His Eminence to come, and we trust His Eminence will graciously favor us with an early visit, etc., etc.”
On the ground of illness, the Patriarch sent a reply declining the royal invitation and craved permission to be allowed to spend his remaining years in the “forest.”
(In due time Sit Kan, the imperial envoy, arrived at Tsokai and interviewed the Patriarch as follows): “In the capitol, Dhyana experts unanimously advise people to meditate in the ‘crosslegged’ position to attain Samadhi; they say that this is the only way to realise the ‘Norm’ and that it is impossible for any one to obtain liberation without going through this meditation exercise. May I know your way of teaching. Sir?”
“The Norm is to be realized by the mind,” replied the Patriarch, “it does not depend upon the crosslegged position. The Vajracchedika Sutra says that it is wrong ‘for any one to assert that Tathagata comes or goes, sits or reclines.’ Why? Because Tathagata’s Dhyana of Purity implies neither coming from anywhere nor going to anywhere, neither becoming nor annihilation. All Dharmas are calm and void, such is Tathagata’s Seat of Purity. Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as ‘attainment’; why should we bother ourselves about the crosslegged position?”
“Upon my return,” said Sit Kan, “Their Majesties will ask me to make a report. Sir, will you kindly give me some hints as to your essential teachings, so that I may make them known, not only to Their Majesties, but also to all Buddhist scholars at the Capital. As the flame of one lamp may kindle hundreds of thousands of others, the ignorant will be enlightened and light will produce light without end.”
“The Norm implies neither light nor darkness,” replied the Patriarch. “Light and darkness signify the idea of alternation.
(It is not correct to say) ‘light will produce light without end’; since light and darkness are a pair of opposites, there must be an end as well as a beginning. The Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra says, ‘The Norm has no analogy; it is not a relative term.’ ” “Light signifies wisdom, and darkness signifies defilement. If a pilgrim of the Path does not get rid of defilement by wisdom, how is he going to free himself from the ‘wheel of birth and death,’ which is beginningless?”
The Patriarch continued, “Defilement (klesa) is wisdom ( bodhi ); The two are the same and are not different from each other. To break up klasa by Bodhi is only a teaching of the followers of the ‘Small’ and ‘Middle’ vehicles. To those of keen intellect and superior mental attainment, such teaching is disapproved.”
“What, then, is the teaching of the Mahayana?”
“From the point of ordinary men,” replied the Patriarch, “enlightenment and ignorance are two separate things. Wise men who thoroughly realise Mind-essence, know that they are of the same nature. This sameness of nature, that is, this nonduality of nature, is what is called ‘true nature’; it neither decreases in the case of an ordinary man and ignorant person, nor increases in the case of an enlightened sage; it is undisturbed in an annoying situation, and is calm in Samadhi. It is neither eternal, nor not-eternal; it neither goes, nor comes; it is to be found neither in the interior, nor in exterior, nor in the space intervening between. It is beyond existence and nonexistence; its nature and its phenomena are always in a state of ‘tathata;’ it is both permanent and immutable, Such is the Norm.”
Sit Ran asked, “You speak of it as beyond existence and non-existence. How do you differentiate it from the teaching of the heretics, who teach the same thing?”
The Patriarch replied: “In the teaching of the heretics, nonexistence means the ‘end’ of existence, while existence is used in contrast with non-existence. What they mean by ‘non-existence’ is not actual annihilation, and what they mean by ‘existence’ really does not exist. What I mean by ‘beyond existence and non-existence’ is this: intrinsically it exists not, and at the present moment it is not annihilated. Such is the difference between my teaching and the teaching of the heretics. If you wish to know the essentials of my teaching, you should free yourself from all thought — good ones as well as bad ones — then your mind will be in a state of purity, ever calm and serene, the usefulness of which will be as apparent as the sands of the Ganges.”
This preaching of the Patriarch, awoke Sit Kan to full enlightenment. He made obeisance to the Patriarch and bade him, adieu. Upon his return to the Palace, he reported to Their Majesties, what the Patriarch had said.
In that same year on the 3d day of the 9th Moon, an Edict was issued commending the Patriarch in the following terms:— “On the ground of old age and poor health, the Patriarch declined our invitation to the Capital. Devoting his life, as he does, to the practice of Buddhism for the benefit of us all, he is, indeed, ‘a field of merit’ for the nation. Following the example of Vimalakirti who recuperated in Vaisali, he widely spreads,the Mahayana-teaching, transmitting the doctrines of the Dhyana School, expounding especially the ‘non-dual’ Dharma. Through the medium of Sit Kan to whom the Patriarch imparted the ‘Buddha-knowledge,’ we are fortunate enough to have an opportunity to understand clearly his teachings of Higher Buddhism. This must be due to the accumulated merit and our ‘root of goodness’ planted in past lives, otherwise we would not be contemporaries of His Eminence.
“In appreciation of the graciousness of the Patriarch, we find ourselves hardly able to express our gratitude. (As a token of our great regard for him) we present him herewith a Korean Mo-la robe and a crystal bowl. The Prefect of Shiuchow is hereby ordered to renovate his monastery, and to convert his old residence into a temple which is to be named, Kwok-yen. By royal favor, etc., etc.”
Chapter IX Final Words and Death of the Patriarch On the 1st day of the 7th Moon, the Patriarch assembled his disciples and addressed them as follows: — “I am going to leave this world by the 8th Moon. Should any of you have doubts about the teaching, please ask me soon, so that I may clear them away before I go. You may not find any one to teach you after I am gone.” (The sad news moved many of them to tears. The Patriarch spoke to them at some length) and then added: — “Under all circumstances you should free yourselves from attachment to objects; toward them your attitude should be neutral and indifferent. Let neither success nor failure, neither profit nor loss, worry you. Be ever calm and serene, modest and helpful, simple and dispassionate. The Dharma is nondual as is the mind also. The Path is pure and above all ‘form.’ You are especially warned not to let the exercise for concentration of mind, fall into mere quiet thinking or into an effort to keep the mind in a blank state. The mind is by nature pure, there is nothing for us to crave or give up.”
Realising that the Patriarch would pass away in the near future. Elder Fat-hoi after prostrating himself twice asked, “Sir, upon your entering into Parinirvana, who will be the inheritor of the robe and the (secret) Dharma?”
“ (As for the Dharma) all my sermons from the time I preached in the Tai-fan Monastery up to now, may be copied out for circulation. You should take good care of it and hand it down from generation to generation for the salvation of all sentient beings. He who preaches in accordance with its teaching preaches the Orthodox Dharma. I have already made known to you, all the Dharma I know.
“As to the transmission of the robe, this practice is to be discontinued. Why? Because you all have implicit faith in my teaching, you are all free from doubts, therefore, you are all able to carry out the lofty object of our school. It is in accordance with the meaning of the stanza, handed down by Bodhidharma, the First Patriarch, that the robe be no longer handed down to posterity. The verse says: — “ ‘The object of my coming to China, Was to transmit the Dharma of deliverance to all under delusion.
In five petals, the flower will be complete; Thereafter, fruit will come to maturity naturally.’
“Do your best each of you; go wherever circumstances lead you. Listen to this stanza: — “With those who are sympathetic You may have discussion about Buddhism.
As to those whose point of view differs from ours.
Treat them politely and try to make them happy. Disputes are alien to our school.
They are incompatible with its spirit.
To be bigoted and to argue with others in disregard of this rule Is to subject one’s Mind-essence to the bitterness of this mundane existence.”
* * « On the 8th day of the 7th Moon, the Patriarch suddenly gave an order to his disciples to get a boat ready for his return to Sun-chow, (his native place). They entreated him earnestly to remain where he was, but in vain.
“It is only natural,” said the Patriarch, “death is the inevitable outcome of birth. Even the Buddhas as they appear in this world must manifest an earthly death before they enter Parinirvana. There will be no exception with me; my physical body must be laid down somewhere. Fallen leaves go back to the place where the root is.”
# # # On the 3rd day of the 8th Moon of the Year Kwai Tsau, the 2nd year of the Sin Tan Era, after eating with his disciples at the Kwok-yen Monastery (Sun-chow), the Patriarch spoke as follows: — “Please sit down in order of seniority; I am going to say good bye to you. After my passing away, do not follow the worldly custom of crying and lamenting. Neither should messages of condolence be accepted, nor should mourning be worn. These things are contrary to orthodox teaching; he who does them is not my disciple. What you should do is to know your own mind and realise your own Buddha-nature, which neither rests nor moves, neither becomes nor ceases to be, neither comes nor goes, neither affirms nor denies, neither remains nor departs. I repeat this to you that you may surely realise your Mindessence. If you carry out my instructions after my death and practise them, then my going away will make no difference with you. On the other hand, if you go against my teachings, even if I remained with you, no benefit would be yours.” Then he uttered this stanza: — “Undisturbed and serene, the wise man practises no virtue; Self possessed and dispassionate, he commits no sin; Calm and silent, he gives up seeing and hearing; Even and upright his mind abides nowhere.”
Having uttered the stanza, he sat reverently until the third watch of the night, then he said abruptly, “I am going now,” and in a moment passed away. At that time, a peculiar fragrance pervaded the room and a lunar rainbow appeared to link the earth and heaven; the trees in the grove turned pale and the birds and animals cried mournfully.
« * « In the nth Moon of that year, the question of the Patriarch’s resting place gave rise to a dispute among the government officials of Kwong-chow, Shiu-chow and Sun-chow, each party being anxious to have the remains of the Patriarch removed to his own district. The Patriarch’s disciples together with other Bhikkhus and laymen, took part in the controversy. Being unable to come to any agreement, they burnt incense and prayed to the Patriarch to indicate by the drift of the smoke the place he himself would like to rest. As the smoke turned directly to Tso-kai, the sacred shrine together with the inherited robe and bowl were accordingly removed back there on the 13th day of the 11th Moon.
Next year on the 25th day of the 7th Moon, the body was taken from the shrine and re-embalmed and placed in the stupa, and by imperial order, tablets were erected to record the life of the Patriarch.
The Patriarch inherited the robe when he was 24; he was ordained at 39; and died at the age of 76. For thirty-seven years he preached to the benefit of all sentient beings. Fortythree of his disciples inherited the Dharma; while those who attained (a measure of) enlightenment and thereby got out of the rut of the ordinary life were too many to be numbered. The robe transmitted by the First Patriarch, Bodhidharma, as the insignia of the Patriarchship, the Mo La robe and the crystal bowl presented by the Emperor Chung Chung, the Patriarch’s image carved by Fong-pin, and other sacred things, were given into the care oF the keeper of the stupa. They were to be kept permanently at Po-lam Monastery to guard the welfare of the temple. The Sutra spoken by the Patriarch was published and circulated to make known the principles of the Dhyana School. All these steps were taken for the prosperity of the “Three Jewels,” Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, as well as for the general welfare of all sentient beings.
SELECTIONS FROM TIBETAN SOURCES Metier is it to live the solitary life of a monk Than to return again and again to the dreary round of life's distractions.
The true disciple of the Buddha, having freed himself from the fetters of sense, Seeks in solitude that serenity of mind