THE TRUE DHARMA-EYE TREASURY SHOBOGENZO VOLUME

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BDK English Tripiṭaka Series

THE TRUE DHARMA-EYE TREASURY SHOBOGENZO Volume I

(Taishō Volume 82, Number 2582)

Translated from the Japanese by

Gudo Wafu NishijimaChodo Crossand

BDK America, Inc.2007

Copyright of the Original Edition © 1994–1999 Gudo Nishijima and Chodo Cross

Gudo Nishijima was born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1919, and graduated from Tokyo^{received until the master’s death in 1965. During this time he combined the daily}University in 1946. In 1940 he first met Master Kōdō Sawaki, whose teaching heShōbōgenzō with a career at the Japanese Ministry practice of zazen and study of the of Finance and at a securities financing company. In 1973 he became a priest under^{Nishijima became a consultant to the Ida Ryogokudo company, and in 1987 estab-}the late Master Renpo Niwa, and in 1977 he received transmission of the Dharmafrom Master Niwa (who subsequently became abbot of Eiheiji). Shortly thereafter give instruction in zazen and lectures, in Japanese and in English, on Master Dōgen’slished the Ida Ryogokudo Zazen Dōjō in Ichikawa City near Tokyo. He continues toworks in Tokyo and Osaka and at the Tokei-in Temple in Shizuoka Prefecture.

train as a teacher of the FM Alexander Technique. He formally received the Dharma1982and received the Buddhist precepts in May 1983. In 1994 he returned to England toin 1998 and in the following year established the Middle Way Re-education Centre, after graduating from Sheffield University, met Nishijima Roshi in June 1982,^{Chodo Cross was born in Birmingham, England, in 1959. He went to Japan in}(www.the-middle-way.org).

Copyright © 2007 by Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai andBDK America, Inc.

Reprinted by permission of Gudo Wafu Nishijima and Chodo Cross

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—in a retrieval system, or transcribed in any form or by any meanswithout the prior written permission of the publisher.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2007938225^{ISBN: 978-1-886439-35-1}Fifth Printing, 2016

Moraga, California 94556BDK America, Inc.1675Published by School Street

Printed in the United States of America

A Message on the Publication of theEnglish Tripiṭaka

The Buddhist canon is said to contain eighty-four thousand different teachings. I believe that this is because the Buddha’s basic approach was to prescribe a different treatment for every spiritual ailment, much as a doctor prescribes a different medicine for every medical ailment. Thus his teachings were always appropriate for the particular suffering individual and for the time at which the teaching was given, and over the ages not one of his prescriptions has failed to relieve the suffering to which it was addressed.

Ever since the Buddha’s Great Demise over twenty-five hundred years ago, his message of wisdom and compassion has spread throughout the world. Yet no one has ever attempted to translate the entire Buddhist canon into English throughout the history of Japan. It is my greatest wish to see this done and to make the translations available to the many English-speaking people who have never had the opportunity to learn about the Buddha’s teachings.

Of course, it would be impossible to translate all of the Buddha’s eightyfour thousand teachings in a few years. I have, therefore, had one hundred thirtynine of the scriptural texts in the prodigious Taishō edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon selected for inclusion in the First Series of this translation project.

It is in the nature of this undertaking that the results are bound to be criticized. Nonetheless, I am convinced that unless someone takes it upon himself or herself to initiate this project, it will never be done. At the same time, I hope that an improved, revised edition will appear in the future.

It is most gratifying that, thanks to the efforts of more than a hundred Buddhist scholars from the East and the West, this monumental project has finally gotten off the ground. May the rays of the Wisdom of the Compassionate One reach each and every person in the world.

                                                                     NUMATA Yehan

                                                                     Founder of the English

August 7, 1991                                                         Tripiṭaka Project

Editorial Foreword

(In January 1982, Dr. Society for the Promotion of Buddhism), decided to begin the monumental MATA Yehan, the founder of Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai task of translating the complete Taishō edition of the Chinese Tripiṭaka (Buddhist canon) into the English language. Under his leadership, a special preparatory committee was organized in April 1982. By July of the same year, the Translation Committee of the English Tripiṭaka was officially convened.

The initial Committee consisted of the following members: (late) HANAYAMA Shōyū (Chairperson), (late) BANDŌ Shōjun, ISHIGAMI Zennō, (late) KAMATA Shigeo, KANAOKA Shūyū, MAYEDA Sengaku, NARA Yasuaki, (late) SAYEKI Shinkō, (late) SHIOIRI Ryōtatsu, TAMARU Nuriyati, (late) TAMURA Kwansei, URYŪZU Ryūshin, and YUYAMA Akira. Assistant members of the Committee were as follows: KANAZAWA Atsushi, WATA NABE Shōgo, Rolf Giebel of New Zealand, and Rudy Smet of Belgium.

After holding planning meetings on a monthly basis, the Committee selected one hundred thirty-nine texts for the First Series of translations, an estimated one hundred printed volumes in all. The texts selected are not necessarily limited to those originally written in India but also include works written or composed in China and Japan. While the publication of the First Series proceeds, the texts for the Second Series will be selected from among the remaining works; this process will continue until all the texts, in Japanese as well as in Chinese, have been published.

Frankly speaking, it will take perhaps one hundred years or more to accomplish the English translation of the complete Chinese and Japanese texts, for they consist of thousands of works. Nevertheless, as Dr. NUMATA wished, it is the sincere hope of the Committee that this project will continue unto completion, even after all its present members have passed away.

ing his son, Mr. NDr. NUMATA passed away on May 5, 1994, at the age of ninety-seven, entrust-UMATA Toshihide, with the continuation and completion of the

Translation Project. The Committee also lost its able and devoted Chairperson,

Editorial Foreword

Professor HANAYAMA Shōyū, on June 16, 1995, at the age of sixty-three. After these severe blows, the Committee elected me, then Vice President of Musashino Women’s College, to be the Chair in October 1995. The Committee has renewed its determination to carry out the noble intention of Dr. NUMATA, under the leadership of Mr. NUMATA Toshihide.

ISHIGAMI The present members of the Committee are MZennō, ICHISHIMA Shōshin, KANAOKA Shūyū, NAYEDA Sengaku (Chairperson),ARA Yasuaki, TAMARU Noriyoshi, Kenneth K. Tanaka, URYŪZU Ryūshin, YUYAMA Akira, WATANABE Shōgo, and assistant member YONEZAWA Yoshiyasu.

The Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research was established in November 1984, in Berkeley, California, U.S.A., to assist in the publication of the BDK English Tripiṭaka First Series. The Publication Committee was organized at the Numata Center in December 1991. Since then the publication of all the volumes has been and will continue to be conducted under the supervision of this Committee in close cooperation with the Editorial Committee in Tokyo.

            M  ChairpersonAYEDA Sengaku

   Editorial Committee of   

                        the BDK English Tripiṭaka

viii

Publisher’s Foreword

On behalf of the Publication Committee, I am happy to present this contribution to the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series. The initial translation and editing of the Buddhist scripture found here were performed under the direction of the Editorial Committee in Tokyo, Japan, chaired by Professor Sengaku Mayeda, Professor Emeritus of Musashi no University. The Publication Committee members then put this volume through a rigorous succession of editorial and bookmaking efforts.

Both the Editorial Committee in Tokyo and the Publication Committee in Berkeley are dedicated to the production of clear, readable English texts of the Buddhist canon. The members of both committees and associated staff work to honor the deep faith, spirit, and concern of the late Reverend Dr. Yehan Numata, who founded the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series in order to disseminate Buddhist teachings throughout the world.

The long-term goal of our project is the translation and publication of the one hundred-volume Taishō edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon, plus a few influential extracanonical Japanese Buddhist texts. The list of texts selected for the First Series of this translation project is given at the end of each volume.

As Chair of the Publication Committee, I am deeply honored to serve in the post formerly held by the late Dr. Philip B. Yampolsky, who was so good to me during his lifetime; the esteemed Dr. Kenneth K. Inada, who has had such a great impact on Buddhist studies in the United States; and the beloved late Dr. Francis H. Cook, a dear friend and colleague.

In conclusion, let me thank the members of the Publication Committee for the efforts they have undertaken in preparing this volume for publication: Senior Editor Marianne Dresser, Dr. Hudaya Kandahjaya, Dr. Eisho Nasu, Reverend Kiyoshi Yamashita, and Reverend Brian Nagata, President of the Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research.

                  Publication Committee                John R. McRae                _Chairperson

Note on the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series Reprint Edition

After due consideration, the Editorial Committee of the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series chose to reprint the translation of Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō by Gudo Wafu Nishijima and  Chodo Cross (originally published under the title Master Dogen’s Shobogenzo, Books 1–4, Windbell Publications, 1994–1999) in order to make more widely available this exemplary translation of this important text. The remaining volumes II, III, and IV of this edition of Shōbōgenzō: The True Dharma-eye Treasury will appear in the forthcoming year.

Aside from the minor stylistic changes and the romanization of all Chinese and Japanese characters in adherence to the publishing guidelines of the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series, this edition reproduces as closely as possible the original translation.

Contents

A Message on the Publication of the English Tripiṭaka

                                                                        NUMATA Yehan                          v Editorial Foreword                                         MAYEDA Sengaku                    vii Publisher’s Foreword                                     John R. McRae                        ix Note on the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series Reprint Edition                            xi

Translators’ Introduction                                Gudo Wafu Nishijima

                                                                        and Chodo Cross                    xv

Shōbōgenzō: The True Dharma-eye Treasury, Volume I

Chapter One. Bendōwa: A Talk about Pursuing the Truth                               3 Chapter Two. Maka-hannya-haramitsu: Mahāprajñāpāramitā                     31 Chapter Three. Genjō-kōan: The Realized Universe                                     41 Chapter Four. Ikka-no-myōju: One Bright Pearl                                            49 Chapter Five. Jū-undō-shiki: Rules for the Hall of Accumulated Cloud       59 Chapter Six. Soku-shin-ze-butsu: Mind Here and Now Is Buddha                65

Chapter Seven. Senjō: Washing                                                                      75 Chapter Eight. Raihai-tokuzui: Prostrating to the Marrow of Attainment     89

Chapter Nine. Keisei-sanshiki: The Voices of the River Valley

    and the Form of the Mountains                                                                109 Chapter Ten. Shoaku-makusa: Not Doing Wrongs                                      127 Chapter Eleven. Uji: Existence-time                                                            143 Chapter Twelve. Kesa-kudoku: The Merit of the Kaṣāya                            157 Chapter Thirteen. Den-e: The Transmission of the Robe                             195 Chapter Fourteen. Sansuigyō: The Sutra of Mountains and Water              217 Chapter Fifteen. Busso: The Buddhist Patriarchs                                         235 Chapter Sixteen. Shisho: The Certificate of Succession                               245

Chapter Seventeen. Hokke-ten-hokke: The Flower of Dharma

    Turns the Flower of Dharma                                                                    263

Contents

Chapter Eighteen. Shin-fukatoku: Mind Cannot Be Grasped (The Former) 289 Chapter Nineteen. Shin-fukatoku: Mind Cannot Be Grasped (The Latter)  297

Chapter Twenty. Kokyō: The Eternal Mirror                                                313 Chapter Twenty-one. Kankin: Reading Sutras                                             341 Appendix I. Chinese Masters                                                                       359

Appendix II. Fukanzazengi: Universal Guide to the Standard Method

    of Zazen (Rufubon—The Popular Edition)                                              363 Appendix III. Busso: The Buddhist Patriarchs                                             371 Appendix IV. The Kaṣāya                                                                            373 Appendix V. Traditional Temple Layout                                                      375 Appendix VI. Lotus Sutra References                                                          381 Glossary of Sanskrit Terms                                                                           413 Bibliography                                                                                                 447 Index                                                                                                             455

A List of the Volumes of the BDK English Tripiṭaka (First Series)             487

Translators’ Introduction

Preface

by Gudo Wafu Nishijima

The Shōbōgenzō was written by Dōgen in the thirteenth century. I think that reading the Shōbōgenzō is the best way to come to an exact understanding of Buddhist theory, for Dōgen was outstanding in his ability to understand and explain Buddhism rationally.

Of course, Dōgen did not depart from traditional Buddhist thought. However at the same time, his thought as expressed in the Shōbōgenzō follows his own unique method of presentation. If we understand this method, the Shōbōgenzō would not be difficult to read. But unless we understand his method of thinking, it would be impossible for us to understand what Dōgen is trying to say in the Shōbōgenzō.

Buddhists revere the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Buddha means Gautama Buddha. Sangha means those people who pursue Gautama Buddha’s truth. Dharma means reality. Dōgen’s unique method of thought was his way of explaining the Dharma.

Basically, he looks at a problem from two sides, and then tries to synthesize the two viewpoints into a middle way. This method has similarities with the dialectic method in Western philosophy, particularly as used by Hegel and Marx. Hegel’s dialectic, however, is based on belief in spirit, and Marx’s dialectic is based on belief in matter. Dōgen, through the Buddhist dialectic, wants to lead us away from thoughts based on belief in spirit and matter.

Dōgen recognized the existence of something that is different from thought; that is, reality in action. Action is completely different from intellectual thought and completely different from the perceptions of our senses. So Dōgen’s method of thinking is based on action and, because of that, it has some unique characteristics.

First, Dōgen recognized that things we usually separate in our minds are, in action, one reality. To express this oneness of subject and object Dōgen says, for example:

If a human being, even for a single moment, manifests the Buddha’s posture in the three forms of conduct, while [that person] sits up straight in samādhi, the entire world of Dharma assumes the Buddha’s posture and the whole of space becomes the state of realization.

This sentence, taken from the Bendōwa chapter (Chapter One), is not illogical

but it reflects a new kind of logic.

Secondly, Dōgen recognized that in action, the only time that really exists is the moment of the present, and the only place that really exists is this place. So the present moment and this place—the here and now—are very important concepts in Dōgen’s philosophy of action.

The philosophy of action is not unique to Dōgen; this idea was also the center of Gautama Buddha’s thought. All the Buddhist patriarchs of ancient India and China relied upon this theory and realized Buddhism itself. They also recognized the oneness of reality, the importance of the present moment, and the importance of this place.

But explanations of reality are only explanations. In the Shōbōgenzō, after he had explained a problem on the basis of action, Dōgen wanted to point the reader into the realm of action itself. To do this, he sometimes used poems, he sometimes used old Buddhist stories that suggest reality, and he sometimes used symbolic expressions.

So the chapters of the Shōbōgenzō usually follow a four-phased pattern. First Dōgen picks up and outlines a Buddhist idea. In the second phase, he examines the idea very objectively or concretely, in order to defeat idealistic or intellectual interpretations of it. In the third phase, Dōgen’s expression becomes even more concrete, practical, and realistic, relying on the philosophy of action. And in the fourth phase, Dōgen tries to suggest reality with words. Ultimately, these trials are only trials. But we can feel something that can be called reality in his sincere trials when we reach the end of each chapter.

I think this four-phased pattern is related with the Four Noble Truths preached by Gautama Buddha in his first lecture. By realizing Dōgen’s method of thinking,

Translators’ Introduction

we can come to realize the true meaning of Gautama Buddha’s Four Noble Truths. This is why we persevere in studying the Shōbōgenzō.

Notes on the Translation by Chode Cross

Source Text

The source text for Chapters One to Twenty-one is contained in the first three volumes of Nishijima Roshi’s twelve-volume Gendaigo-yaku-shōbōgenzō (Shōbōgenzō in Modern Japanese). The Gendaigo-yaku-shōbōgenzō contains Dōgen’s original text, notes on the text, and the text rendered into modern Japanese. Reference numbers enclosed in brackets at the beginning of some paragraphs of this translation refer to corresponding page numbers in the Gendaigo-yakushōbōgenzō, and much of the material reproduced in the notes comes from the Gendaigo-yaku-shōbōgenzō.

The Gendaigo-yaku-shōbōgenzō is based upon the ninety-five–chapter edition of the Shōbōgenzō, which was arranged in chronological order by Master Hangyō Kōzen sometime between 1688 and 1703. The ninety-five–chapter edition is the most comprehensive single edition, including important chapters such as Bendōwa (Chapter One) and Hokke-ten-hokke (Chapter Seventeen) that do not appear in other editions. Furthermore, it was the first edition to be printed with woodblocks, in the Bunka era (1804–1818), and so the content was fixed at that time. The original woodblocks are still preserved at Eiheiji, the temple in Fukui prefecture that Dōgen founded.

Sanskrit Terms

As a rule, Sanskrit words such as samādhi (the balanced state), prajñā (real wisdom), and bhikṣu (monk), which Dōgen reproduces phonetically with Chinese characters, read in Japanese as zanmai, hannya, and biku, have been retained in Sanskrit form.

In addition, some Chinese characters representing the meaning of Sanskrit terms that will already be familiar to readers (or which will become familiar in the course of reading the Shōbōgenzō) have been returned to Sanskrit. Examples are hō (“reality,” “law,” “method,” “things and phenomena”), usually translated as “Dharma” or “dharmas”; nyorai (“Thus-come”), always translated as “Tathāgata”; and shōmon (“voice-hearer”), always translated as “śrāvaka.”

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There are places in the Shōbōgenzō where Dōgen himself, relying on his wide familiarity with Chinese sutras, traces the origin of Chinese characters back to Sanskrit words. A prominent example is dō (“way,” “truth”), which, in the opening paragraph of Chapter Seventy (Vol. III), Hotsu-bodaishin, Dōgen explicitly identifies with the Sanskrit term bodhi.

Even in translating Chinese terms whose Sanskrit derivation Dōgen does not explicitly recognize, knowledge of the Sanskrit can still be very helpful. An early example is the adjective mui used in the opening sentence of Chapter One, Bendōwa, to describe zazen. Japanese dictionaries define mui as “idle” or “inactive,” but Nishijima Roshi originally translated it as “natural.” In Buddhist sutras, mui represents the Sanskrit asaṃskṛta, which is defined in the Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary as “not prepared, not consecrated; unadorned; unpolished, rude (as speech).” The Sanskrit dictionary definition, while by no means an absolute criterion, supports Nishijima Roshi’s interpretation that mui describes zazen as natural, or without intention; something as it is.

Another example: The character ro, “leakage,” appears in the opening sentences of the Lotus Sutra, where it represents the Sanskrit āsrava. The SanskritEnglish Dictionary defines āsrava as “the foam on boiling rice; a door opening into water and allowing the stream to descend through it; (with Jainas) the action of the senses which impels the soul towards external objects; distress, affliction, pain.” Thus, in the second paragraph of Chapter Ten, Shoaku-makusa, the noun muro, “no leakage,” appears to describe the state without emotional distress, that is, the balanced and satisfied state of body-and-mind. This does not mean that muro should be translated as “the state without emotional distress” or as “the balanced and satisfied state of body-and-mind,” but such meaning will hopefully be conveyed by a literal translation such as “[the state] without excess” or “[the state] without the superfluous,” supported by a note and a cross-reference to the Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.

Chinese Proper Nouns

In general Chinese proper nouns have been Romanized according to their Japanese pronunciation—as Dōgen would have pronounced them for a Japanese audience. Thus, we have let the romanization of all names of Chinese masters follow the Japanese pronunciation, while also adding an appendix showing the Chinese romanization of Chinese masters’ names. For other Chinese proper

Translators’ Introduction

names, we have used Chinese romanization only for terms such as the Shaolin Temple (in Japanese romanization Shōrinji), whose Chinese romanization may already be familiar to most readers.

Chinese Text

Dōgen wrote the Shōbōgenzō in Japanese, that is to say, using a combination of Chinese characters (squared ideograms usually consisting of many strokes) and the Japanese phonetic alphabet which is more abbreviated. Chinese of course is written in Chinese characters only. Therefore when Dōgen quotes a passage, or borrows a phrase, from a Chinese text—as he very often does—it is readily apparent to the eye as a string of Chinese ideograms uninterrupted by Japanese squiggles. We attempted to mirror this effect, to some degree, by using italics for such passages and phrases. (Editorial Note: In this BDK English Tripiṭaka Series edition, all such passages appear in quote marks.)

A pattern that occurs frequently in the Shōbōgenzō is a quotation of Chinese characters from a conversation between Zen masters, or from a sutra, followed by Dōgen’s commentary, in which each Chinese character takes on new meaning. An early example is in the second paragraph of Chapter Two, Maka-hannyaharamitsu, where Dōgen quotes the Great Wisdom Sutra (Mahāprajñāpāramitāsūtra). The sutra says setsu sa ze nen, literally, “[the monk] secretly makes this thought.” As a conventional phrase, this just means “[the monk] secretly thinks.” However, individually, the character setsu (secret) suggests something beyond thinking and sense perception, that is, something real; the character sa (make or work) suggests action; the character ze (this) suggests concrete reality; and the character nen (thought, idea, mindfulness) suggests not only thought but the monk’s real state of mind. So Dōgen’s commentary says that the monk’s setsu sa ze nen (“secretly working concrete mind”) is real wisdom itself.

In this way, Dōgen emphasizes that the words of the sutras and masters whom he reveres are not meant to convey only conceptual meaning. Those words are trying to bring us back to the reality that is prior to words. This is particularly true with respect to the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra contains the characters zekyō, “this sutra.” In several chapters of the Shōbōgenzō (specifically Chapter Fifty-two [Vol. III], Bukkyō, but see also Chapter Seventeen, Hokke-ten-hokke) the fact emerges that, in Dōgen’s mind, this sutra and the real universe in which we live are identified. That being so, Dōgen, in his commentaries, seems to treat

xix

the characters of the Lotus Sutra not as a stream of concepts but rather as a series of momentary mirrors, or independent blocks, of real form—to be brought in and rearranged as Dōgen sees fit.

In such instances, readers will want to refer to the Chinese characters in question. Fortunately, due to the generosity of Mr. Tadashi Nakamae (who provided the computer) and the industriousness of Michael and Yoko Latchford (who installed the software and created and input unavailable characters), we were able to reproduce the Chinese characters in the notes and in an appendix of Lotus Sutra references. (Editorial Note: In adherence to the publishing guidelines of the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series, all Chinese characters have been omitted in this reprint edition. Interested readers may consult the original Wind-bell Publications edition, Master Dogen’s Shobogenzo, Books 1–4.)

The Meaning of Shōbogenzō, “True Dharma-eye Treasury”

Shō means “right” or “true.” Hō, “law,” represents the Sanskrit “Dharma.” All of us belong to something that, prior to our naming it or thinking about it, is already there. And it already belongs to us. “Dharma” is one name for what is already there.

Hōgen, “Dharma-eye,” represents the direct experience of what is already there. Because the Dharma is prior to thinking, it must be directly experienced by a faculty that is other than thinking. Gen, “eye,” represents this direct experience that is other than thinking.

Shōbōgen, “true Dharma-eye,” therefore describes the right experience of

what is already there.

Zō, “storehouse” or “treasury,” suggests something that contains and preserves the right experience of what is already there. Thus, Nishijima Roshi has interpreted Shōbōgenzō, “true Dharma-eye treasury,” as an expression of zazen itself.

All who benefit from this translation, myself included, should be profoundly grateful to Nishijima Roshi for his unceasing effort to clarify the real meaning of Shōbōgenzō.

SHŌBŌGENZŌ

THE TRUE DHARMA-EYE TREASURY VOLUME I by

Dōgen

[Chapter One]

Bendōwa

A Talk about Pursuing the Truth

Translator’s Note: Ben means “to make an effort” or “to pursue,” dō means “the truth,” and wa means “a talk” or “story.” Master Dōgen usually used the word bendō to indicate the practice of zazen, so Bendōwa means a talk about pursuing the truth, or a talk about the practice of zazen. This volume was not included in the first edition of the Shōbōgenzō. It was found in Kyoto in the Kanbun era (1661–1673), and added to the Shōbōgenzō when the ninety-five–chapter edition was edited by Master Hangyō Kōzen in the Genroku era (1688–1704).

[11] When the buddha-tathāgatas,1 each having received the one-to-one transmission of the splendid Dharma, experience the supreme state of bodhi,2 they possess a subtle method that is supreme and without intention. The reason this [method] is transmitted only from buddha to buddha, without deviation, is that the samādhi of receiving and using the self3 is its standard. For enjoyment of this samādhi, the practice of [za]zen, in the erect sitting posture, has been established as the authentic gate. This Dharma4 is abundantly present in each human being, but if we do not practice it, it does not manifest itself, and if we do not experience it, it cannot be realized. When we let go, it has already filled the hands; how could it be defined as one or many? When we speak, it fills the mouth; it has no restriction in any direction. When buddhas are constantly dwelling in and maintaining this state, they do not leave recognitions and perceptions in separate aspects [of reality]; and when living beings are eternally functioning in this state, aspects [of reality] do not appear to them in separate recognitions and perceptions.5 The effort in pursuing the truth6 that I am now teaching makes the myriad dharmas7 real in experience; it enacts the oneness of reality on the path of liberation.8 At that moment of clearing barriers and getting free, how could this paragraph be relevant?

[14] After I established the will to pursue the Dharma, I visited [good] counselors9 in every quarter of our land. I met Myōzen10 of Kennin [Temple]. Nine seasons of frosts and of flowers11 swiftly passed while I followed him, learning a little of the customs of the Rinzai lineage. Only Myōzen had received the authentic transmission of the supreme Buddha-Dharma, as the most excellent disciple of the founding master, Master Eisai12—the other students could never compare with him. I then went to the great kingdom of Song, visiting [good] counselors in the east and west of Chekiang13 and hearing of the tradition through the gates of the five lineages.14 At last I visited Zen Master Nyojō15 of Daibyakuhō Mountain,16 and there I was able to complete the great task of a lifetime of practice. After that, at the beginning of the great Song era of Shōjō,17 I came home determined to spread the Dharma and to save living beings—it was as if a heavy burden had been placed on my shoulders. Nevertheless, in order to wait for an upsurge during which I might discharge my sense of mission, I thought I would spend some time wandering like a cloud, calling here and there like a water weed, in the style of the ancient sages. Yet if there were any true practitioners who put the will to the truth first, being naturally unconcerned with fame and profit, they might be fruitlessly misled by false teachers and might needlessly throw a veil over right understanding. They might idly become drunk with self-deception, and sink forever into the state of delusion. How would they be able to promote the right seeds of prajñā,18 or have the opportunity to attain the truth? If I were now absorbed in drifting like a cloud or a water weed, which mountains and rivers ought they to visit?19 Feeling that this would be a pitiful situation, I decided to compile a record of the customs and standards that I experienced firsthand in the Zen monasteries of the great kingdom of Song, together with a record of profound instruction from a [good] counselor which I have received and maintained. I will leave this record to people who learn in practice and are easy in the truth, so that they can know the right Dharma of the Buddha’s lineage. This may be a true mission.

    [17] [The sutras] say: Great Master Śākyamuni at the order on Vulture Peak20 transmitted the Dharma to Mahā kāśya pa.21 [The Dharma] was authentically transmitted from patriarch to patriarch and it reached Venerable Bodhi dharma.22 The Venerable One himself went to China and transmitted the Dharma to Great Master Eka.23 This was the first transmission of the Buddha Dharma in the Eastern Lands.24 Transmitted one-to-one in this manner, [the Dharma] arrived naturally at Zen Master Daikan,25 the Sixth Patriarch. At that time, as the real Buddha-Dharma spread through the Eastern [Land of] China, it became clear that [the Dharma] is beyond literary expression. The Sixth Patriarch had two excellent disciples, Ejō of Nangaku26 and Gyōshi of Seigen.27 Both of them, having received and maintained the posture of Buddha,28 were guiding teachers of human beings and gods alike. [The Dharma] flowed and spread in these two streams, and five lineages were established. These are the so-called Hōgen sect, Igyō sect, Sōtō sect, Unmon sect, and Rinzai sect. In great Song [China] today the Rinzai sect alone holds sway throughout the country. Although there are differences between the five traditions, the posture with the stamp of the Buddha’s mind29 is only one. Even in the great kingdom of Song, although from the Later Han dynasty30 onward philosophical texts had been disseminated through the country, and had left some impression, no one could decide which were inferior and which were superior. After the ancestral master came from the west, he directly cut to the source of the confusion,31 and spread the unadulterated Buddha-Dharma. We should hope that the same thing will happen in our country. [The sutras] say that the many patriarchs and the many buddhas, who dwelled in and maintained the Buddha Dharma, all relied on the practice of sitting erect in the samādhi of receiving and using the self,32 and esteemed [this practice] as the right way to disclose the state of realization. Human beings who attained the truth in the Western Heavens and Eastern Lands followed this style of practice. This [practice] relies on the mystical and authentic transmission of the subtle method from master to disciple, and the [disciple’s] reception and maintenance of the true essence of the teachings.

[20] In the authentic transmission of [our] religion, it is said that this Buddha-Dharma,33 which has been authentically and directly transmitted one-to-one, is supreme among the supreme. After the initial meeting with a [good] counselor we never again need to burn incense, to do prostrations, to recite Buddha’s name, to practice confession, or to read sutras. Just sit and 16a get the state that is free of body and mind. If a human being, even for a single moment, manifests the Buddha’s posture in the three forms of conduct,34 while [that person] sits up straight in samādhi, the entire world of Dharma assumes the Buddha’s posture and the whole of space becomes the state of realization. [The practice] thus increases the Dharma joy that is the original state of the buddha-tathāgatas, and renews the splendor of their realization of the truth. Furthermore, throughout the Dharma worlds in ten directions, ordinary beings of the three states and the six states35 all become clear and pure in body and mind at once; they experience the state of great liberation,36 and their original features appear. Then all dharmas experience and understand right realization and myriad things each put their Buddhist body into practice; in an instant, they totally transcend the limits of experience and understanding; they sit erect as kings of the bodhi tree;37 in one moment, they turn the great Dharma wheel38 which is in the unequaled state of equilibrium;39 and they expound the ultimate, unadorned, and profound state of prajñā. These balanced and right states of realization also work the other way,40 following paths of intimate and mystical cooperation, so that this person who sits in zazen steadfastly gets free of body and mind, cuts away miscellaneous impure views and thoughts [accumulated] from the past, and thus experiences and understands the natural and pure Buddha-Dharma. Throughout each of the infinitesimal, innumerable seats of truth of the buddha-tathāgatas, [the practitioner] promotes the Buddha’s work and spreads its influence far and wide over those who have the ascendant makings of a buddha, thus vividly uplifting the ascendant real state of a buddha. At this time, everything in the universe in ten directions—soil, earth, grass, and trees; fences, walls, tiles, and pebbles—performs the Buddha’s work. The people that receive the benefit thus produced by wind and water are all mystically helped by the fine and unthinkable influence of the Buddha, and they exhibit the immediate state of realization. All beings who receive and utilize this water and fire spread the influence of the Buddha in the original state of experience, so that those who live and talk with them, also, are all reciprocally endowed with the limitless buddha-virtue. Expanding and promoting their activity far and wide, they permeate the inside and the outside of the entire universe with the limitless,

unceasing, unthinkable, and incalculable Buddha-Dharma. [The state] is not dimmed by the views of these individuals themselves, however, because the state in the quietness, without intentional activity, is direct experience. If we divide practice-and-experience into two stages, as in the thoughts of common folk, each part can be perceived and understood separately. [But] if perception and understanding are mixed in, that is not the standard state of experience, because the standard state of experience is beyond deluded emotion. Although, in the quietness, mind and external world enter together into the state of experience and pass together out of the state of realization, [those movements] are the state of receiving and using the self.41 Therefore, [movements of mind and the external world] neither stir a single molecule nor disturb a single form, but they accomplish the vast and great work of Buddha and the profound and fine influence of Buddha. The grass, trees, soil, and earth reached by this guiding influence all radiate great brightness, and their preaching of the deep and fine Dharma is without end. Grass, trees, fences, and walls become able to preach for all souls, [both] common people and saints; and conversely, all souls, [both] common people and saints, preach for grass, trees, fences, and walls. The world of self-consciousness, and [the world] of consciousness of external objects, lack nothing—they are already furnished with the concrete form of real experience. The standard state of real experience, when activated, allows no idle moment. Zazen, even if it is only one human being sitting for one moment, thus enters into mystical cooperation with all dharmas, and completely penetrates all times; and it therefore performs, within the limitless universe, the eternal work of the Buddha’s guiding influence in the past, future, and present. For everyone it is completely the same practice and the same experience. The practice is not confined to the sitting itself; it strikes space and resonates, [like] ringing that continues before and after a bell. How could [the practice] be limited to this place? All concrete things42 possess original practice as their original features; it is beyond comprehension. Remember, even if the countless buddhas in ten directions, as numerous as 16c the sands of the Ganges, tried with all their power and all their buddha wisdom to calculate or comprehend the merit of one person’s zazen, they could not even get close.

[26] Now we have heard how high and great is the merit of this zazen. [But] some stupid person might doubtingly ask, “There are many gates to the Buddha-Dharma. Why do you solely recommend sitting in zazen?”43 I say: Because it is the authentic gate to the Buddha-Dharma.

[26] [Someone] asks, “Why do you see it as the only authentic gate?”

I say: Great Master Śākyamuni exactly transmitted, as the authentic tradition, this subtle method of grasping the state of truth, and the tathāgatas of the three times44 all attained the truth through zazen. Thus the fact that [zazen] is the authentic gate has been transmitted and received. Furthermore, the patriarchs of the Western Heavens and the Eastern Lands all attained the truth through zazen. Therefore I am now preaching [zazen] to human beings and gods as the authentic gate.

[27]  [Someone] asks, “That which relies upon receiving the authentic transmission of the subtle method of the Tathāgata, or upon following the traces of the ancestral masters, is surely beyond the intellect of the common person. Reading sutras and reciting the names of buddhas, however, may naturally become the causes and conditions of enlightenment. But as for just idly sitting without doing anything, how can that be the means of getting enlightenment?”

I say: If you now think that the samādhi of the buddhas, the supreme and great Dharma, is idle sitting without doing anything, you are a person who insults the Great Vehicle.45 [Such] delusion is so deep that it is like being in the ocean and saying there is no water. [In zazen] we are already seated,

stably and thankfully, in the buddhas’ samādhi of receiving and using the self. Is this not the accomplishment of vast and great virtue? It is pitiful that your eyes are not yet open and your mind remains in a drunken stupor. In general, the state of the buddhas is unthinkable: intelligence cannot reach it. How much less could disbelief or inferior wisdom know the state? Only people of great makings and right belief can enter into it. For people of disbelief, even if taught, it is difficult to receive the teaching—even on Vulture Peak there were people [about whom the Buddha said,] “That they withdraw also is fine.”46 As a general rule, when right belief emerges in our mind, we should do training and learn in practice. Otherwise, we should rest for a while. Regret the fact if you will, but from ancient times the Dharma has been dry. Further, do you know for yourself any virtue that is gained from practices such as reading sutras and reciting names of buddhas? It is very unreliable to think that only to wag the tongue and to raise the voice has the virtue of the Buddha’s work. When we compare [such practices] with the Buddha-Dharma, they fade further and further into the distance. Moreover, we open sutras to clarify the criteria that the Buddha taught of instantaneous and gradual practice,47 and those who practice according to the teaching are invariably caused to attain the state of real experience. This is completely different from aspiring to the virtue of attainment of bodhi by vainly exhausting the intellect. Trying

to arrive at the Buddha’s state of truth [only] through action of the mouth, stupidly chanting thousands or tens of thousands of times, is like hoping to reach [the south country of] Etsu by pointing a carriage toward the north. Or it is like trying to put a square peg into a round hole. Reading sentences while remaining ignorant of how to practice [is like] a student of medicine forgetting how to compound medications. What use is that? Those who chant endlessly 17b are like frogs in a spring paddy field, croaking day and night. In the end it is all useless. It is still more difficult for people who are deeply disturbed by fame and gain to abandon these things. The mind that craves gain is very deep, and so it must have been present in the ancient past. How could it not be present in the world today? It is most pitiful. Just remember, when a practitioner directly follows a master who has attained the truth and clarified the mind, and when the practitioner matches that mind and experiences and understands it, and thus receives the authentic transmission of the subtle Dharma of the Seven Buddhas,48 then the exact teaching appears clearly and is received and maintained. This is beyond the comprehension of Dharma teachers who study words.49 So stop this doubting and delusion and, following the teaching of a true master, attain in experience the buddhas’ samādhi of receiving and using the self, by sitting in zazen and pursuing the truth.

[32] [Someone] asks, “The Flower of Dharma50 and the teaching of the Garland [Sutra],51 which have now been transmitted into this country, are both ultimate expressions of the Great Vehicle. Moreover, in the case of the Shingon sect,52 [the transmission] passed directly from Tathāgata Vairocana to Vajrasattva, and so [the transmission from] master to disciple is not at random. Quoting the principles which it discusses, that “Mind here and now is buddha” and “This mind becomes buddha,”53 [the Shingon sect] proclaims that we realize the right realization of the five buddhas54 in one sitting, without undergoing many kalpas55 of training. We can say that this is the ultimate refinement of the Buddha’s Dharma. What is so excellent then about the practice which you now solely recommend, to the exclusion of these other [practices]?”

I say: Remember, among Buddhists we do not argue about superiority and inferiority of philosophies, or choose between shallowness and profundity in the Dharma; we need only know whether the practice is genuine or artificial. Some have entered into the stream of the Buddha’s truth at the invitation of grass, flowers, mountains, and rivers. Some have received and maintained

17c the stamp of Buddha by grasping soil, stones, sand, and pebbles. Furthermore, the vast and great word56 is even more abundant than the myriad phenomena. And the turning of the great Dharma wheel is contained in every molecule. This being so, the words “Mind here and now is buddha” are only the moon in water,57 and the idea “Just to sit is to become buddha” is also a reflection in a mirror. We should not be caught by the skillfulness of the words. Now, in recommending the practice in which bodhi is directly experienced, I hope to demonstrate the subtle truth that the Buddhist patriarchs have transmitted one-to-one, and thus to make you into people of the real state of truth. Moreover, for transmission of the Buddha-Dharma, we must always take as a teacher a person who has experienced the [Buddha’s] state. It is never enough to take as our guiding teacher a scholar who counts words; that would be like the blind leading the blind. In this, the lineage of the authentic transmission of the Buddhist patriarchs, we all revere wise masters who have attained the truth and experienced the state, and we cause them to dwell in and to maintain the Buddha-Dharma. This is why, when Shintōists of [the lineages of] yin and yang58 come to devote themselves, and when arhats who have experienced the fruit59 come to ask for Dharma, we give each of them, without fail, the means of clarifying the mental state. This is something that has never been heard in other lineages. Disciples of the Buddha should just learn the Buddha Dharma. Furthermore, we should remember that from the beginning we have never lacked the supreme state of bodhi, and we will receive it and use it forever. At the same time, because we cannot perceive it directly,60 we are prone to beget random intellectual ideas, and because we chase after these as if they were real things, we vainly pass by the great state of truth. From these intellectual ideas emerge all sorts of flowers in space:61 we think about the twelvefold cycle62 and the twenty-five spheres of existence; and ideas of the three vehicles and the five vehicles63 or of having buddha[-nature] and not having buddha[-nature] are endless. We should not think that the learning of these

    intellectual ideas is the right path of Buddhist practice. When we solely sit in zazen, on the other hand, relying now on exactly the same posture as the Buddha, and letting go of the myriad things, then we go beyond the areas of delusion, realization, emotion, and consideration, and we are not concerned with the ways of the common and the sacred. At once we are roaming outside

the [intellectual] frame, receiving and using the great state of bodhi. How could those caught in the trap of words compare [with this]?

[37] [Someone] asks, “Among the three kinds of training64 there is training in the balanced state, and among the six pāramitās65 there is the dhyāna pāramitā, both of which all bodhisattvas learn from the outset and all bodhisattvas practice, regardless of whether they are clever or stupid. The zazen [that you are discussing] now is surely [only] one of these. Why do you say that the Tathāgata’s right Dharma is concentrated in this [practice of zazen]?”

I say: The question arises because this right Dharma-eye treasury, the supreme and great method, which is the one great matter66 of the Tathāgata, has been called the “Zen sect.” Remember that this title “Zen sect” was established in China and the east; it is not heard in India. When Great Master Bodhi dharma first stayed at Shaolin Temple in the Songshan Mountains,67 and faced the wall for nine years, monks and laymen were still ignorant of the Buddha’s right Dharma, so they called [Master Bodhidharma] a brahman who made a religion of zazen. Thereafter, the patriarchs of successive generations all constantly devoted themselves to zazen. Stupid secular people who saw this, not knowing the reality, talked at random of a zazen sect. Nowadays, dropping the word “za,” they talk of just the Zen sect.68 This interpretation is clear from records of the patriarchs.69 [Zazen] should not be discussed as the balanced state of dhyāna in the six pāramitās and the three kinds of training. That this Buddha-Dharma is the legitimate intention of the one-to-one transmission has never been concealed through the ages. In the order on Vulture Peak in ancient times, when the Tathāgata gave the Dharma to Venerable Mahākāśyapa, transmitting the right Dharma-eye treasury and the fine mind of nirvana, the supreme and great method, only to him, the cer- 18b emony was witnessed directly by beings among the celestial throng which are present in the world above, so it must never be doubted. It is a universal rule that those celestial beings will guard and maintain the Buddha-Dharma eternally; their efforts have never faded. Just remember that this [transmission of zazen] is the whole truth of the Buddha’s Dharma; nothing can be compared with it.

[40]        [Someone] asks, “Why, in discussing entry into the state of experience, do Buddhists recommend us to practice the balanced state of dhyāna solely by sitting, which is [only] one of the four forms of conduct?”70 I say: It is difficult to calculate all the ways that buddhas have successively practiced since ancient times to enter the state of real experience. If we want to find a reason, we should remember that what Buddhists practice is reason in itself. We should not look for [a reason] besides this. But an ancestral master has praised [sitting] by saying, “Sitting in zazen is the peaceful and joyful gate of Dharma.”71 So in conclusion the reason may be that, of the four forms of conduct, [sitting is the most] peaceful and joyful. Furthermore, [sitting] is not the way practiced by one or two buddhas; all the buddhas and all the patriarchs possess this way.

[41]        [Someone] asks, “In regard to this practice of zazen, a person who has not yet experienced and understood the Buddha-Dharma may be able to acquire that experience by pursuing the truth in zazen. [But] what can a person who has already clarified the Buddha’s right Dharma expect to gain from zazen?”

I say: We do not tell our dreams before a fool, and it is difficult to put oars into the hands of a mountaineer; nevertheless I must bestow the teaching. The thought that practice and experience are not one thing is just the idea of non-Buddhists. In the Buddha-Dharma practice and experience are completely the same. [Practice] now is also practice in the state of experience; therefore,a beginner’s pursuit of the truth is just the whole body of the original state of experience. This is why [the Buddhist patriarchs] teach, in the practical cautions they have handed down to us, not to expect any experience outside of practice. And the reason may be that [practice itself] is the directly accessible original state of experience. Because practice is just experience, the experience is endless; and because experience is practice, the practice has no beginning. This is how both Tathāgata Śākyamuni and Venerable Patriarch Mahākāśyapa were received and used by the practice that exists in the state of experience. Great Master Bodhid harma and the Founding Patriarch Daikan72 were similarly pulled and driven by the practice that exists in the state of experience. The examples of all those who dwelled in and maintained the Buddha-Dharma are like this. The practice that is never separate from experience exists already: having fortunately received the one-to-one transmission of a share of the subtle practice, we who are beginners in pursuing the truth directly possess, in the state without intention, a share of original experience. Remember, in order to prevent us from tainting the experience that is never separate from practice, the Buddhist patriarchs have repeatedly taught us not to be lax in practice. When we forget the subtle practice, original experience has filled our hands; when the body leaves original experience behind, the subtle practice is operating throughout the body. Moreover, as I saw with my own eyes in great Song China, the Zen monasteries of many districts had all built zazen halls accommodating five or six hundred, or even one or two thousand monks, who were encouraged to sit in zazen day and night. The leader of one such order73 was a true master who had received the Buddha’s mind-seal. When I asked him the great intent of the Buddha-Dharma, I was able to hear the principle that practice and experience are never two stages. Therefore, in accordance with the teaching of the Buddhist patriarchs, and following the way of a true master, he encouraged [everyone] to pursue the truth in zazen; [he encouraged] not only the practitioners in his order but [all] noble friends who sought the Dharma, [all] people who hoped to find true reality in the Buddha-Dharma, without choosing between beginners and late learners, without distinction between common people and sacred people. Have you not heard the words of the ancestral master74 who said, “It is not that there is no practice-and-experience, but it cannot be tainted.” Another [master] said, “Someone who sees the way practices the way.”75 Remember 19a that even in the state of attainment of the truth, we should practice.

[45]     [Someone] asks, “The masters who spread the teachings through our country in previous ages had all entered Tang China and received the transmission of Dharma. Why, at that time, did they neglect this principle, and transmit only philosophical teaching?”

I say: The reason that past teachers of human beings did not transmit

this method was that the time had not come.

[46]     [Someone] asks, “Did those masters of former ages understand this

method?”

I say: If they had understood it, they would have made it known to all.

[45] [Someone] asks, “It has been said that we should not regret our life and death,76 for there is a very quick way to get free of life and death. That is, to know the truth that the mental essence is eternal. In other words, this physical body, having been born, necessarily moves toward death; but this mental essence never dies at all. Once we have been able to recognize that the mental essence which is unmoved by birth and decay77 exists in our own body, we see this as the original essence. Therefore the body is just a temporary form; it dies here and is born there, never remaining constant. [But] the mind is eternal; it is unchangeable in the past, future, or present. To know this is called ‘to have become free of life and death.’ Those who know this principle stop the past [cycle of] life and death forever and, when this body passes, they enter the spirit world. When they present themselves in the spirit world,78 they gain wondrous virtues like those of the buddha-tathāgatas. Even if we know

[this principle] now, [our body] is still the body that has been shaped by

     deluded behavior in past ages, and so we are not the same as the saints. Those who do not know this principle will forever turn in the cycle of life and death. Therefore we should just hasten to understand the principle that the mental essence is eternal. Even if we passed our whole life in idle sitting, what could we expect to gain? The doctrine I have expressed like this is truly in accord with the truth of the buddhas and the patriarchs, is it not?”

I say: The view expressed now is absolutely not the Buddha’s Dharma; it is the view of the non-Buddhist Senika.79 According to that non-Buddhist view, there is one spiritual intelligence existing within our body. When this intelligence meets conditions, it can discriminate between pleasant and unpleasant and discriminate between right and wrong, and it can know pain and irritation and know suffering and pleasure—all [these] are abilities of the spiritual intelligence. When this body dies, however, the spirit casts off the skin and is reborn on the other side; so even though it seems to die here it lives on there. Therefore we call it immortal and eternal. The view of that non-Buddhist is like this. But if we learn this view as the Buddha’s Dharma, we are even more foolish than the person who grasps a tile or a pebble thinking it to be a golden treasure; the delusion would be too shameful for comparison. National Master Echū80 of great Tang China strongly cautioned against [such thinking]. If we equate the present wrong view that “mind is eternal but forms perish” with the splendid Dharma of the buddhas, thinking that we have escaped life and death when we are promoting the original cause of life and death, are we not being stupid? That would be most pitiful. Knowing that this [wrong view] is just the wrong view of non-Buddhists, we should not touch it with our ears. Nevertheless, I cannot help wanting to save you from

this wrong view and it is only compassionate [for me] now [to try]. So remember, in the Buddha-Dharma, because the body and mind are originally one reality, the saying that essence and form are not two has been understood equally in the Western Heavens and the Eastern Lands, and we should never dare to go against it. Further, in the lineages that discuss eternal existence, the myriad dharmas are all eternal existence: body and mind are not divided.81 And in the lineages that discuss extinction, all dharmas are extinction: essence and form are not divided.82 How could we say, on the contrary, that the body is mortal but the mind is eternal? Does that not violate right reason? Furthermore, we should realize that living-and-dying is just nirvana;83 [Buddhists] have never discussed nirvana outside of living-and-dying. Moreover, even if we wrongly imagine the understanding that “mind becomes eternal by getting free of the body” to be the same as the buddha-wisdom that is free of life and death, the mind that is conscious of this understanding still appears and disappears momentarily, and so it is not eternal at all. Then isn’t [this understanding] unreliable? We should taste and reflect. The principle that body and mind are one reality is being constantly spoken by the Buddha Dharma. So how could it be, on the contrary, that while this body appears and disappears, the mind independently leaves the body and does not appear or disappear? If there is a time when [body and mind] are one reality, and another time when they are not one reality, then it might naturally follow that the Buddha’s preaching has been false. Further, if we think that life and death are something to get rid of, we will commit the sin of hating the Buddha Dharma. How could we not guard against this? Remember, the lineage of the Dharma which [asserts that] “in the Buddha-Dharma the essential state of mind universally includes all forms,” describes the whole great world of Dharma inclusively, without dividing essence and form, and without discussing appearance and disappearance. There is no [state]—not even bodhi or nirvana—that is different from the essential state of mind. All dharmas, myriad phenomena and accumulated things, are totally just the one mind, without exclusion or disunion. All these various lineages of the Dharma assert that 20a [myriad things and phenomena] are the even and balanced undivided mind, other than which there is nothing; and this is just how Buddhists have understood the essence of mind. That being so, how could we divide this one reality into body and mind, or into life-and-death and nirvana? We are already the Buddha’s disciples. Let us not touch with our ears those noises from the tongues of madmen who speak non-Buddhist views.

[51] [Someone] asks, “Must a person who is devoted to this zazen always

adhere spotlessly to the precepts?”

I say: Keeping the precepts, and pure conduct,84 are the standard of the Zen lineages and the usual habit of Buddhist patriarchs. [But] those who have not yet received the precepts, or who have broken the precepts, are not without their share [of the benefit of zazen].

[51] [Someone] asks, “Is there nothing to prevent a person who practices this zazen from also performing mantra and quiet-reflection practices?”85

I say: When I was in China, I heard the true essence of the teachings from a true master; he said that he had never heard that any of the patriarchs who received the authentic transmission of the Buddha-seal ever performed such practices additionally, in the Western Heavens or in the Eastern Lands, in the past or in the present. Certainly, unless we devote ourselves to one thing, we will not attain complete wisdom.

[52] [Someone] asks, “Should this practice also be undertaken by laymen

and laywomen, or is it performed only by people who have left home?”

I say: An ancestral master has been heard to say that, with respect to understanding of the Buddha-Dharma, we must not choose between men and women, high or low.

[52] [Someone] asks, “People who leave home get free of all involvements at once, so they have no hindrances in practicing zazen and pursuing the truth. How can a busy layperson devotedly do training and be at one with the unintentional state of Buddhist truth?”

I say: In general, the Buddhist Patriarch,86 overfilled with pity, left open a wide and great gate of compassion so that all living beings could experience and enter [the state of truth]; what human being or god could not want to enter? Thus, when we study the past and the present, there are many confirmations of such [experience and entry]. For instance, Taisō87 and Junsō88 were, as emperors, very busy with affairs of state [but] they pursued the truth by sitting in zazen and realized the Buddhist Patriarch’s great truth. Both Minister Ri (Ch. Li) and Minister Bō (Ch. Fang), serving as [the emperor’s] lieutenants, were the arms and legs of the whole nation [but] they pursued the truth by sitting in zazen and experienced and entered the Buddhist Patriarch’s truth. This [practice-and-experience] rests only upon whether or not the will is present; it does not relate to whether the body stays at home or leaves home.

Moreover, any person who profoundly discerns the superiority or inferiority of things will naturally have belief. Still more, those who think that worldly affairs hinder the Buddha-Dharma only know that there is no Buddha-Dharma in the world; they do not know that there are no worldly dharmas in the state of Buddha. Recently in great Song [China] there was [a man] called Minister Hyō (Ch. Feng), a high-ranking official who was accomplished in the Patriarch’s truth. In his later years he made a poem in which he expressed himself as follows:

When official business allows, I like to sit in zazen.

I have seldom slept with my side touching a bed.

Though I have now become prime minister,

My fame as a veteran practitioner has spread across the four seas.

This was somebody with no time free from official duties but, because his will to the Buddha’s truth was deep, he was able to attain the truth. We should reflect on ourselves [in comparison] with him, and we should reflect on the present [in comparison] with those days. In the great kingdom of Song, the present generation of kings and ministers, officials and commoners, men and women, all apply their mind to the Patriarch’s truth, without exception. Both the military and literary classes are resolved to practice [za]zen and to learn the truth. Those who resolve it will, in many cases, undoubtedly clarify the mental state. Thus, it can naturally be inferred that worldly affairs do not 20c hinder the Buddha-Dharma. When the real Buddha-Dharma spreads throughout a nation the buddhas and the gods guard [that nation] ceaselessly, so the reign is peaceful. When the imperial reign is peaceful, the Buddha-Dharma comes into its own. Furthermore, when Śākyamuni was in the world, [even] people of heavy sins and wrong views were able to get the truth, and in the orders of the ancestral masters, [even] hunters and old woodcutters entered the state of realization, to say nothing of other people. We need only study the teaching and the state of truth of a true teacher.

[56] [Someone] asks, “Even in the present corrupt world in this latter age,89 is it still possible to realize the state of real experience when we perform this practice?”

I say: Philosophers have occupied themselves with such concepts and forms, but in the real teaching of the Great Vehicle, without discriminating between “right,” “imitative,” and “latter” Dharma, we say that all those who practice attain the state of truth. Furthermore, in this directly  transmitted right Dharma, both in entering the Dharma and getting the body out, we receive and use the treasure of ourselves. Those who are practicing can naturally know whether they have got the state of real experience or not, just as people who are using water can tell by themselves whether it is cold or warm.

[57] [Someone] asks, “It is said that in the Buddha-Dharma once we have clearly understood the principle that mind here and now is buddha, even if our mouth does not recite the sutras and our body does not practice the Buddha Way, we are not lacking in the Buddha-Dharma at all. Just to know that the Buddha-Dharma originally resides in each of us is the whole of the attainment of the truth. There is no need to seek anything else from other people. How much less need we bother about pursuing the truth in zazen?”

I say: These words are extremely unreliable. If it is as you say, how could any intelligent person fail to understand this principle once it had been

21a explained to them? Remember, we learn the Buddha-Dharma just when we give up views of subject and object. If knowing that “we ourselves are just buddha” could be called the attainment of the truth, Śākyamuni would not have bothered to teach the moral way in the past. I would like now to prove this through the subtle criteria of the ancient patriarchs:

Long ago, there was a monk called Prior Sokkō90 in the order of Zen Mas ter Hōgen.91 Zen Master Hōgen asks him, “Prior Sokkō, how long have you been in my order?”

Sokkō says, “I have served in the master’s order for three years already.”

The Zen master says, “You are a recent member of the order. Why do

you never ask me about the Buddha-Dharma?”

Sokkō says, “I must not deceive you, master. Before, when I was in the order of Zen Master Seihō, I realized the state of peace and joy in the Buddha Dharma.”

The Zen master says, “Relying upon what words were you able to enter?”

Sokkō says, “I once asked Seihō: Just what is the student that is I?92 Seihō said: The children of fire93 come looking for fire.”

Hōgen says, “Nice words. But I am afraid that you may not have under-

stood.”

Sokkō says, “The children of fire belong to fire. [So] I understood that their being fire yet looking for fire represented my being myself yet looking for myself.”

The Zen master says, “I have become sure that you did not understand. If the Buddha-Dharma were like that, it could never have been transmitted until today.”

At this Sokkō became embarrassed and distressed, and he stood up [to leave]. [But] on the road he thought, “The Zen master is [respected] throughout the country [as] a good counselor, and he is a great guiding master to five 21b hundred people. There must surely have been some merit in his criticism of my wrongness.”

[Sokkō] goes back to the Zen master to confess and to prostrate himself

in apology. Then he asks, “Just what is the student that is I?”

The Zen master says, “The children of fire come looking for fire.”

Under the influence of these words, Sokkō grandly realized the Buddha Dharma.

Clearly, the Buddha-Dharma is never known with the intellectual understanding that “we ourselves are just buddha.” If the intellectual understanding that “we ourselves are just buddha” were the Buddha-Dharma, the Zen master could not have guided [Sokkō] by using the former words, and he would not have admonished [Sokkō] as he did. Solely and directly, from our first meeting with a good counselor, we should ask the standards of practice, and we should singlemindedly pursue the truth by sitting in zazen, without allowing a single recognition or half an understanding to remain in our minds. Then the subtle method of the Buddha-Dharma will not be [practiced] in vain.

[61]     [Someone] asks, “When we hear of India and China in the past and present, there are those who realized the state of truth on hearing the voice of a bamboo, or who clarified the mind on seeing the colors of the flowers.94 Furthermore, the Great Teacher Śākyamuni experienced the truth when he saw the bright star, Venerable Ānanda95 realized the Dharma when a temple flagpole fell, and not only that: among the five lineages following from the Sixth Patriarch96 many people have clarified the mental state under the influence of a single word or half a line of verse. Had they all, without exception, pursued the truth by sitting in zazen?”

I        say: We should know that these people of the past and present who clarified the mind on seeing forms and who realized the truth on hearing sounds, were all without intellectual doubt in pursuing the truth, and just in the moment of the present there was no second person.

[62]     [Someone] asks, “In India and China, the people are originally unaffected and straight. Being at the center of the civilized world makes them so. As a result, when they are taught the Buddha-Dharma they understand and enter very quickly. In our country, from ancient times the people have had little benevolence and wisdom, and it is difficult for us to accumulate the seeds of rightness. Being the savages and barbarians97 [of the southeast] makes us so. How could we not regret it? Furthermore, people who have left home in this country are inferior even to the laypeople of the great nations; our whole society is stupid, and our minds are narrow and small. We are deeply attached to the results of intentional effort, and we like superficial quality. Can people like this expect to experience the Buddha-Dharma straight away, even if they sit in zazen?”

I        say: As you say, the people of our country are not yet universally benevolent and wise, and some people are indeed crooked. Even if we preach right and straight Dharma to them, they will turn nectar into poison. They easily tend toward fame and gain, and it is hard for them to dissolve their delusions and attachments. On the other hand, to experience and enter the Buddha Dharma, one need not always use the worldly wisdom of human beings and gods as a vessel for transcendence of the world.98 When the Buddha was in [the] world, [an old monk] experienced the fourth effect [when hit] by a ball,99 and [a prostitute] clarified the great state of truth after putting on a kaṣāya;100 both were dull people, stupid and silly creatures. But aided by right belief, they had the means to escape their delusion. Another case was the devout woman preparing a midday meal who disclosed the state of realization when she saw a stupid old bhikṣu101 sitting in quietness. This did not derive from her wisdom, did not derive from writings, did not depend on words, and did not depend on talk; she was aided only by her right belief. Furthermore, Śākyamuni’s teachings have been spreading through the three thousand-world only for around two thousand or so years. Countries are of many kinds; not all are nations of benevolence and wisdom. How could all people, moreover, possess only intelligence and wisdom, keenness [of ear] and clarity [of eye]? But the right Dharma of the Tathāgata is originally furnished with unthinkably great virtue and power, and so when the time comes it will spread through those countries. When people just practice with right belief, the clever and the stupid alike will attain the truth. Just because our country is not a nation of benevolence or wisdom and the people are dull-witted, do not think that it is impossible for us to grasp the Buddha-Dharma. Still more, all human beings have the right seeds of prajñā in abundance. It may simply be that few of us have experienced the state directly, and so we are immature in receiving and using it.

[65]          The above questions and answers have come and gone, and the alternation between audience and speaker has been untidy. How many times have I caused flowers to exist in flowerless space?102 On the other hand, the fundamental principle of pursuing the truth by sitting in zazen has never been transmitted to this country; anyone who hoped to know it would have been disappointed. This is why I intend to gather together the few experiences I had abroad, and to record the secrets of an enlightened teacher,103 so that they may be heard by any practitioner who desires to hear them. In addition, there are standards and conventions for monasteries and temples but there is not enough time to teach them now, and they must not be [taught] in haste.

[66]          In general, it was very fortunate for the people of our country that, even though we are situated east of the Dragon Sea and are far separated by clouds and mist, from around the reigns of Kinmei104 and Yōmei,105 the Buddha Dharma of the west spread to us in the east. However, confusion has multiplied over concepts and forms, and facts and circumstances, disturbing the situation of practice. Now, because we make do with tattered robes and mended bowls, tying thatch so that we can sit and train by the blue cliffs and white rocks, the matter of the ascendant state of buddha becomes apparent at once, and we swiftly master the great matter of a lifetime of practice. This is just the decree of Ryūge [Mountain],106 and the legacy of Kukkuṭapāda [Mountain].107 The forms and standards for sitting in zazen may be practiced following the Fukanzazengi which I compiled in the Karoku era.108

[68] Now, in spreading the Buddha’s teaching throughout a nation, on the one hand, we should wait for the king’s decree, but on the other hand, when we recall the bequest of Vulture Peak, the kings, nobles, ministers, and generals now manifested in hundred myriad koṭis of realms all have gratefully accepted the Buddha’s decree and, not forgetting the original aim of earlier lives to guard and maintain the Buddha’s teaching, they have been born. [Within] the frontiers of the spread of that teaching, what place could not be a buddha land? Therefore, when we want to disseminate the truth of the Buddhist patriarchs, it is not always necessary to select a [particular] place or to wait for [favorable] circumstances. Shall we just consider today to be the starting point? So I have put this together and I will leave it for wise masters who aspire to the Buddha-Dharma and for the true stream of practitioners who wish, like wandering clouds or transient water weeds, to explore the state of truth.

                                    Mid-autumn day, [in the third year of] Kanki.109

                                    Written by the śramaṇa110 Dōgen, who entered                                     Song [China] and received the transmission of                                     the Dharma.

                                    Shōbōgenzō Bendōwa

Notes

1 represents the Sanskrit word Shobutsu nyorai. The expression derives from the tathāgata, which means “one who has arrived in theLotus Sutra (see LS 1.88). Nyorai state of reality.” It is the highest epithet of a buddha. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. ² the Sanskrit phrase Anoku-bodai, short for anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi. Bodhianokutara-sanmyaku-sanbodai,means “perfect wisdom,” “thewhich is a transliteration of truth,” or “the state of truth.” See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.

3     in-zanmai, samādhi explained from many viewpoints in the Jijuyō-zanmai. Ji means “self,” samādhiju means “to receive,” and (see Glossary of Sanskrit Terms). Shōbōgenzō, for example as yōas Dharma-nature; as means “to use.” jishō-zanmai,the SamādhisamādhiZanmaikai-is represents the Sanskrit word

experience when making effort without an intentional aim.that is king of samādhias the state like the sea; and as s. Jijuyō-zanmaihosshō-zanmai, samādhi suggests the state of natural balance that wezanmai-ō-zanmai, samādhi as self-experience; as

4     law, things and phenomena, method, reality, etc. “This Dharma” suggests the methodHōof zazen and at the same time the reality of zazen.has a wide range of meanings: Dharma, dharmas (see Glossary of Sanskrit Terms),

5     In the state of zazen, our consciousness is whole.

6     Dōgen used the words “Effort” is kufu; “pursuing the truth” is kufu-bendō to express zazen itself.bendō, as in the chapter title Bendōwa. Master

7     Banpō,note 4. lit., ten thousand dharmas; in other words, all things and phenomena. See

8     ^{contains the phrase} Shutsuro. Shutsuworries and sensory attachments. that is, the state of vigorous action in which our body gets free from intellectualmeans “to get out” and shusshin no katsuro,ro“the vigorous road of the body getting out,”means “path” or “road.” The Fukanzazengi

9     Sanskrit Terms).Chishiki, short for zenchishiki, from the Sanskrit kalyāṇamitra (see Glossary of

10 ^{set off together in 1223 to investigate Buddhism in China. Master Myōzen died on}Zenkō. Zen stands for Myōzen; kō is an honorific. Master Myōzen and Master Dōgen

May 5, 1225, at the age of forty-one, in the Ryōnenryō Dormitory at Tendōzan.

the Tendai sect on Mount Hiei.becoming the disciple of Master Eisai, Master Myōzen had learned the teachings of

11    The seasons of autumn and spring, respectively.

12    Master Eisai (1141–1215), who went to China and introduced the transmission of the_{Rinzai sect into Japan.} 13 A province in eastern China, bordering the East China Sea.

14    (The so-called Sōtō, Rinzai, Hōgen, Igyō, and Unmon sects. See Chapter Forty-nineVol. III), Butsudō.

15    Jō Zenji, Master Tendō Nyojō (1163–1228), successor of Master Setchō Chikan.Usually referred to in the Shōbōgenzō as Senshi, “my late master.” 16 Daibyakuhō, lit., “Great White Peak,” is another name for Tendōzan, where Master _{Tendō Nyojō led the order from 1224 until his death.}

17    The Shōjō era was from 1228 to 1233.

18    Real wisdom. See Chapter Two, Maka-hannya-haramitsu. 19 In order to find a true teacher.

20    Vulture Peak (Skt. Gṛdhrakūṭa) is so called because the silhouette of the mountain _{resembles a vulture. The Buddha often preached there.}

21    Master Mahākāśyapa, the first patriarch in India.

22    Master Bodhidharma (sixth century), the twenty-eighth patriarch in India and the_{First Patriarch in China.} 23 Master Taiso Eka, the Second Patriarch in China.

24    as Tōchisaiten-tōchi,(Eastern Lands): China. Master Dōgen commonly referred to India and China“the Western Heavens and the Eastern Lands.”

25    Master Daikan Enō (638–713), the Sixth Patriarch in China.

26    Master Nangaku Ejō (677–744).

27    eage.Master Seigen Gyōshi (d. 740), the Seventh Chinese Patriarch in Master Dōgen’s lin-

28    Or it can be interpreted as concrete form, or posture. Butsu-in,lit., “Buddha-seal.” Incan be interpreted as a seal of approval, that is, certification.

29    ō-zanmai,Butsu-shin-in,Master Dōgen says that the Buddha-mind–seal is the full lotus posturelit., “Buddha-mind–seal.” In Chapter Seventy-two (Vol. III), Zanmaiitself.

30    The Later Han dynasty was from 25 to 221 C.E.

31    Literally, “cut the roots of the arrowroot and wisteria.” These two vines symbolize_{something confused or complicated. See Chapter Forty-six (Vol. III),} Kattō.

32    Jijuyō-zanmai; the state of natural balance, see note 3.

33    Buppō, “Buddha-Dharma,” or “Buddhist method,” in this case means zazen itself. 34 mind.Sangō, the three kinds of conduct or behavior; that is, behavior of body, speech, and

35    six human states, are the three miserable worlds plus the worlds of demons (Sanzu,of hungry ghosts (human beings, and gods (lit., “three courses,” or the three miserable states or worlds, are hell, the worldpretas), and the world of animals. devas). See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.Rokudō, lit., “six ways” or theasuras),

36    Dai-gedatsu-chi. Daimeans to get free of all hindrances. means great. GedatsuChi means state.represents the Sanskrit vimukti, which

37    The Sanskrit bodhiFicus religiosameans the state of truth. The Buddha attained the truth sitting). In Buddhist countries this tree is called the bodhi under a pipal tree (tree.

38    Seventy-four (Vol. IV), Tenbōrin, turning of the Dharma wheel, symbolizes Buddhist preaching. See ChapterTenbōrin.

39    Mutōdō, lit., “equality without equal,” from the Sanskrit Heart Sutra3.270). (see Chapter Two, Maka-hannya-haramitsuasamasama. The expression), and in the Lotus Sutraappears in the (LS

40    Toward the practitioner—the practice influences both object and subject.

41    Jijuyō no kyōgai,balance. See note 3.lit., “the area of receiving and using self,” that is, the state of natural

42    Hyakutō, lit., “hundreds of heads,” suggesting miscellaneous concrete things.

43    Questions and answers are not separated in the source text. They have been separated_{here for ease of reading.}

44    Sanze, the past, present, and future; eternity.

45    Daijō, Mahayana Buddhism. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms, Mahayana.

46    Taiyakukei. See LS 1.86–88.

47    ^{Tonzen-shugyō. Tonzen stands for tongo, “instantaneous realization,” and zengo,} based on the two views of time.“gradual realization.” These represent two views of realization—as occurring just inthe moment of practice, and as a process continuing over a long line of moments— 48 muni, Kāśyapa, and Śākyamuni (see Chapter Fifteen, The seven ancient buddhas were Vipaśyin, Śikhin, Viśvabhū, Kraku cchanda, Kanaka-Busso). Belief in the Seven Śākyamuni.Buddhas reflects the belief that the Dharma is eternal, predating the historical Buddha, 49 Hōsshi. In Master Dōgen’s time some priests in the Tendai sect had this title.

50    Hokkeshū. Hokkemeans religion or sect. stands for Hokkekyō,Hokkeshū“Sutra of the Flower of Dharmawas the name formerly used for the,” the Lotus Sutra. ShūTendai sect, which was established in China by Master Tendai Chigi based on theLotus Sutra. It was introduced into Japan by Master Saichō (767–822).

51    ^{also established in China, based on the} SutraKegonkyō,), see note 79. It was introduced into Japan in lit., “Kegon teaching,” means the teaching of the Kegon sect, which wasAvataṃsaka-sūtra 736. (Jp. Kegonkyō; Garland 52 Shingonshū. The Shingon sect is derived from Vajrayana Buddhism. Master Kūkai

Vajrayana Buddhism reveres Vajra sattva, the Diamond Buddha, who is said to havewent to China and brought the teachings of the Shingon sect back to Japan in 806. received the transmission from Vairocana, the Sun Buddha.

53 “Mind here and now is buddha” is _{mind becomes buddha” is ze-shin-sa-butsu.}soku-shin-ze-butsu—the title of Chapter Six. “This 54 That is, the five buddhas in the mandala used in the esoteric Buddhism of the Shingon sect. A mandala is a pictorial representation with Vairocana Buddha in the middlesurrounded by buddhas to his north, south, east, and west.

55    Go, time. A or kō,kalparepresents the sound of the Sanskrit was explained, for example, as the time it would take to wear away akalpa, which means an infinitely long large boulder if a heavenly being brushed it once every three years with its sleeve.

56    the accumulation of material phenomena but also something that has meaning. Kōdai no monji, lit., “the wide and great characters,” suggests Dharma as not only

57    An image of the moon, not the moon itself.

58    ^{yang, Meiyō no shintō. Meiyō means “yin and yang.” Shintō, lit., “Way of the Gods,” is the}yin and the ings with indigenous Japanese beliefs.ethnic spiritual religion of Japan. The idea of two lineages of Shintō, the seems to have originated with attempts of the Shingon sect to reconcile its teach-

59    An arhat is a person who has attained the ultimate state (the fourth effect) of a (learning. The arhat is the subject of Chapter Thirty-four (Vol. II), see Glossary of Sanskrit Terms), that is, the ultimate level of abstract BuddhistArakan.  śrāvaka

60    “Perceive it directly” is and mind, we directly experience the state of buddha. This is to receive a hit.”means to be struck by reality directly in momentary experience. In the last sectionjōtō,Gakudō yōjin shūshort for jōtō, or “receiving a hit,” as follows: “Using this bodyjōju-gattō,(Collection of Concerns in Learning thelit., “receiving a hit.” Generally,

jōtōof his independent work Truth), Master Dōgen explains

61    Kūge, “flowers in space,” symbolizes images. See Chapter Forty-three (Vol. III), Kūge.

62    pratītyasamutpādaJūni-rinden, the twelvefold cycle of cause and effect, from the Sanskrit (see Glossary of Sanskrit Terms). See, for example, LS dvādaśānga2.56.

63    philosophies; the ^{Twenty-four (Vol. II),}Sanjō, “three vehicles,” or the three kinds of Buddhists, are explained in Chapter pratyekabuddha,Bukkyō. They are the ^{who relies on the theory of dependent origination} sravaka, who relies on the theory of four beings and gods.(the twelvefold cycle of cause and effect); and the bodhisattva, who relies on the sixs (the six accomplishments). The five vehicles are these three, plus human

64    Sangaku,(dhyāna, usually translated as “meditation”), and wisdom (from the Sanskrit tisraḥ śikṣāḥ, are the precepts (prajñāśīla), the balanced state). See Glossary of

Sanskrit Terms.

65    ^{accomplishment.} (as real wisdom (The Sanskrit word śīlachan), patience or zenprajñā. (kṣāntiRokudō,pāramitā), diligence the six means that which has arrived at the opposite shore, anpāramitā(vīryadhyāna), the practice of meditation s, are giving (was rendered into Chinese and Japanesedāna), keeping the precepts(dhyāna), and). The Sanskrit

66    Ichidaijiten-hokke.appears in the Lotus Sutra. See LS 1.88–90 and Chapter Seventeen, Hokke-

67    on Shōshitsu Peak.The Songshan Mountains consist of two main peaks, Taishitsu to the east, and Shōshitsuto the west. These mountains contained many Buddhist temples; Shaolin Temple was

68    lit., “The zazen sect is dhyāna sect,” or Zen sect.zazenshū, lit., “sitting dhyāna sect.” Dropping the za gives zenshū, 69 Kōroku, “broad records,” and goroku, “record of the words.” See Bibliography. 70 Shigi, walking, standing, sitting, and lying down.

71    Joyful Practice”).Zazen wa sunawachi anraku no homon nari.Chōro Sōsaku, who was the editor of the ). Master Dōgen quotes the same words in the anraku, “peaceful and joyful” or “stable and comfortable,” is contained inZenenshingi Lotus Sutra, “Anrakugyō”These words may originate with MasterFukanzazengi(Pure Criteria for Zen Monas-(see Appendix II(“Peaceful and). series The word

the title of the fourteenth chapter of the

72    Master Daikan Enō. See note 25. 73 Master Tendō Nyojō.

74    Chapter Twenty-nine (Vol. II), Master Nangaku Ejō. The conversation between Master Daikan Enō and Master Nan-Shinji-shōbōgenzō,Inmo; and Chapter Sixty-two (Vol. III), pt. 2, no. 1. See also Chapter Seven, Hensan.Senjō; gaku Ejō is recorded in

75    Keitokudentōroku, chapter 5, in the section on Master Honjō.

76    (Shōji,Vol. IVlit., “life and death” or “living-and-dying,” is the title of Chapter Ninety-two).

77    graph Shōmetsu. Shōshōmetsumeans not only “life” but also “birth” and “appearance.” In this para-has also been translated as “appearance and disappearance.”

78    Shōkai, lit., “essence-ocean.”

79    to the Buddha by a brahman called Senika. See Chapter Six, The Avataṃsaka-sūtra (Jp. Kegonkyō; Garland Sutra) records many questions putSoku-shin-ze-butsu.

80    Master Nan’yō Echū (675?–775), successor of Master Daikan Enō. “National Master” teen, and Forty-four (Vol. III).was his title as teacher of the emperor. See for example Chapters Six, Eighteen, Nine-

81    preaches the existence of all things,” held that For example, the Sarvāstivāda school, rendered as dharmasetsu-issai-u-bu,s have a real existence in the or “the school that widely studied in China and Japan. Past, present, and future. This school flourished in India for many centuries and was

82    discuss extinction” roughly correspond to the Śūnyatā school, or existence. School that stressed the teachings of nirvana, but which here is opposed to “Extinction” is jakumetsu, which was sometimes used as a translation of the Sanskritśūnyatā,jōjū, “eternal existence.” Thus, “lineages that which deny that there can be any statickūmon, i.e., the

83    Sanskrit Terms, nirvana. The Sanskrit word nirvāṇa literally means the extinction of a flame. See Glossary of 84 Jikai-bongyō. BongyōTerms). Gyōji, lit., “conduct and keeping” or “practice and continuance,” is the title represents the Sanskrit brahmacarya (see Glossary of Sanskrit of Chapter Twenty-nine (Vol. II).

85    ⁽is characteristic of the esoteric Buddhism of the Shingon sect. Shingon-shikan no gyo. Shingon, lit., “truth-word,” means mantra. The use of maraschino, lit., the same as the practice of zazen explained by Master Dōgen, but in the Tendai sect^{and reflecting,” representing the Sanskrit words} insight, reflection), is a practice of the Tendai sect: the method of practice is almost ^{śamatha (quietness) and} the practice is not regarded as sufficient in itself.

86    the Buddhist patriarchs in general; when capitalized, as “the Buddhist Patriarch,” it Busso is the title of Chapter Fifteen. Translated as “Buddhist patriarchs,” it refers to usually refers to the Buddha or to Master Bodhi dharma.

87    Taisō, a Tang emperor who reigned from 763 to 779, and a student of Master Nan’yōEchū.

88    Junsō, another Tang emperor, who reigned from 805 to 806.

89    thousand years during which the Dharma begins to pale; and the next ten thousand years during which the Dharma degenerates. See Glossary of during which the Dharma would flourish; were divided into three periods: Matsudai. Ma stands for saddharma.mappō, “latter Dharma.” The years after the Buddha’s deathshōbō, “right Dharma,” the first five hundred yearszōbō, “imitative Dharma,” the next onemappō, “latter Dharma,”

Sanskrit Terms, under

90    Sokkō-kan-in. Sokkō is the monk’s name; san in modern Japanese. kō is an honorific used for both priests andKanin or kansu is one laymen, approximately equivalent to of the six main officers of a large temple.

91    of the Hōgen sect.Master Hōgen Bun’eki (885–958), successor of Master Rakan Keichin and founder

92    means “self.” So Sokkō’s question was “What am I?”Gakunin no jiko. Gakunin, student, was used by a student to refer to himself. Jiko

93    real effort of a practitioner to pursue what is already there.Dōji^fire.” Byōjō-dōji. Byōmeans child. The words “The children of fire come looking for fire” suggest theJō or tei is the fourth calendar sign, read as or hei is the third calendar sign, read as hinoto, or “younger brother of fire.”hinoe, or “older brother of

94    These examples of Buddhist masters realizing the truth are recorded in detail in Chapter Nine, Keisei-sanshiki. 95 Master Ānanda was the second patriarch in India, the successor of Master Mahā- _kāśyapa.

96    Master Daikan Enō.

97    Ban-I. Of barbarians surrounding them. These included the and the people living to the south and east of China, including the Japanese. AS the center of civilization, the Chinese supposed the existence of four groupstō-i, the barbarians of the east. So the words “savages and barbarians” suggestnan-ban, the savages of the south

98    oneself in the world.” In the latter usage, the words usually mean to become the master Shusse can be interpreted either as “to transcend the secular world” or as “to manifest of a large temple.

99    ^{order. So he led the old monk into a dark room and hit him with a ball, saying, “You}A young monk wanted to play a joke on a stupid old monk who lived in the Buddha’s him one last time and said, “You have got the fourth effect.” Strangely, when the old the fourth effect, refers to the state of an arhat, that is, the ultimate state of Hinayana monk came out of the dark room he had actually experienced the fourth effect. Then he hit him a third time and said, “You have got the third effect.” Finally he hit have got the first effect.” He hit him again and said, “You have got the second effect. “Shika,

Buddhism.

100  in Chapter Twelve, The story of the prostitute who put on a Kesa-kudoku.       kaṣāya (Buddhist robe) as a joke is recorded 101 A Buddhist monk (see Glossary of Sanskrit Terms).

102  Chapter Forty-two [Vol. III], Here kūge, “flowers in space,” represents abstract images as opposed to reality. (InKūge, flowers in space and real flowers are identified.)

103  Master Tendō Nyojō.

104  539–571.

105  585–587.

106  Master Ryūge Kodon (835–923), successor of Master Tōzan Ryōkai, lived on Ryūge_{Mountain and made many poems praising the beautiful scenery of nature.} 107 Master Mahākāśyapa, successor of the Buddha, is said to have died on Kukkuṭapāda _{Mountain in Magadha.}

108  pitsubon,at the ^{the Standard Method of Zazen}summer of 1227 and wrote his first draft of the The Karoku era was from 1225 to 1227. Master Dōgen returned to Japan in the lateRufubon,“ Original Edition.” After revising this edition, Master Dōgen finally arrived“Popular Edition.” See Appendix II.^{) shortly thereafter. The initial version is called} _{Fukanzazengi (Universal Guide toShin-}

109  The fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, 1231.

110  Monk (see Glossary of Sanskrit Terms).

[Chapter Two]

Maka-hannya-haramitsu Mahāprajñāpāramitā

Translator’s Note: Maka is a phonetic rendering of the Sanskrit word mahā, which means “great.” Hannya is a phonetic rendering of the Sanskrit word prajñā, which can be translated as “real wisdom” or “intuitive reflection.” Haramitsu is a phonetic rendering of the Sanskrit word pāramitā, which literally means “to have arrived at the opposite shore,” that is, to have accomplished the truth. So maka-hannya-haramitsu means the accomplishment that is great real wisdom. In this chapter, Master Dōgen wrote his interpretation of the Mahāprajñāpāramitāhṛdaya-sūtra. Hṛdaya means heart. This short sutra, usually called the Heart Sutra, represents the heart of the six hundred volumes of the Mahā prajñā pāramitā-sūtra. Even though it is very short, the Heart Sutra contains the most fundamental principle of Buddhism. What is the most fundamental principle? Prajñā. What is prajñā? Prajñā, or real wisdom, is a kind of intuitive ability that occurs in our body and mind, when our body and mind are in the state of balance and harmony. We normally think that wisdom is something based on the intellect, but Buddhists believe that wisdom, on which our decisions are based, is not intellectual but intuitive. The right decision comes from the right state of body and mind, and the right state of body and mind comes when our body and mind are balanced and harmonized. So mahāprajñāpāramitā is wisdom that we have when our body and mind are balanced and harmonized. And zazen is the practice by which our body and mind enter the state of balance and harmony. Mahā prajñā pāramitā, then, is the essence of zazen.

[71] “When Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara1 practices the profound prajñā pāramitā, the whole body2 reflects that the five aggregates3 are totally empty.”4 The five aggregates are form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness. They are five instances of prajñā. Reflection is prajñā itself. When this principle is preached and realized, it is said that “matter is just the immaterial”5 and the immaterial is just matter. Matter is matter, the immaterial is the immaterial.6 22c

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They are hundreds of things,7 and myriad phenomena. Twelve instances of prajñā pāramitā are the twelve entrances [of sense perception].8 There are also eighteen instances of prajñā.9 They are eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind;10 sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, and properties;11 plus the consciousnesses of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. There are a further four instances of prajñā. They are suffering, accumulation, cessation, and the Way.12 There are a further six instances of prajñā. They are giving, pure [observance of] precepts, patience, diligence, meditation, and prajñā [itself].13 One further instance of prajñāpāramitā is realized as the present moment. It is the state of anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi.14 There are three further instances of prajñāpāramitā. They are past, present, and future.15 There are six further instances of prajñā. They are earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness.16 And there are a further four instances of prajñā that are constantly practiced in everyday life: they are walking, standing, sitting, and lying down.17

[74] In the order of Śākyamuni Tathāgata there is a bhikṣu18 who secretly thinks, “I shall bow in veneration of the profound prajñāpāramitā.Although in this state there is no appearance and disappearance of real dharmas,19 there are still understandable explanations of all precepts, all balanced states, all kinds of wisdom, all kinds of liberation, and all views. There are also understandable explanations of the fruit of one who has entered the stream, the fruit of [being subject to] one return, the fruit of [not being subject to] returning, and the fruit of the arhat.20 There are also understandable explanations of [people of] independent awakening,21 and [people of] bodhi.22 There are also understandable explanations of the supreme right and balanced state of bodhi. There are also understandable explanations of the treasures of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. There are also understandable explanations of turning the wonderful Dharma wheel23 to save sentient beings.” The Buddha, knowing the bhikṣu’s mind, tells him, “This is how it is. This is how it is. The profound prajñāpāra mitā is too subtle and fine to fathom.”24

The bhikṣu’s “secretly working concrete mind”25 at this moment is, in the state of bowing in veneration of real dharmas, prajñā itself—whether or not [real dharmas] are without appearance and disappearance—and this is a “venerative bow” itself. Just at this moment of bowing in veneration, prajñā is realized as explanations that can be understood: [explanations] from “precepts,

Chapter Two

balance, and wisdom,”26 to “saving sentient beings,” and so on. This state is described as being without.27 Explanations of the state of “being without” can thus be understood. Such is the profound, subtle, unfathomable prajñā pāramitā. [76] The god Indra28 asks the venerable monk Subhūti,29 “Virtuous One! When bodhisattva mahāsattvas30 want to study31 the profound prajñā pāramitā, how should they study it?”

             Subhūti replies, “Kauśika!32 When bodhisattva mahāsattvas want to           

study the profound prajñāpāramitā, they should study it as space.”33 So studying prajñā is space itself. Space is the study of prajñā.

[77] The god Indra subsequently addresses the Buddha, “World-honored One! When good sons and daughters receive and retain, read and recite, think reasonably about, and expound to others this profound prajñāpāramitā that you have preached, how should I guard it? My only desire, World-honored

One, is that you will show me compassion and teach me.”

Then the venerable monk Subhūti says to the god Indra, “Kauśika! Do

you see something that you must guard, or not?”

The god Indra says, “No, Virtuous One, I do not see anything here that I must guard.”

Subhūti says, “Kauśika! When good sons and daughters abide in the profound prajñāpāramitā as thus preached, they are just guarding it. When good sons and daughters abide in the profound prajñāpāramitā as thus preached, they never stray. Remember, even if all human and nonhuman beings were looking for an opportunity to harm them, in the end it would be impossible. Kauśika! If you want to guard the bodhisattvas who abide in the profound prajñāpāramitā as thus preached, it is no different from wanting to guard space.”34

Remember, to receive and retain, to read and recite, and to think reasonably about [prajñā] are just to guard prajñā. And to want to guard it is to receive and retain it, to read and recite it, and so on. [78] My late master, the eternal buddha, says:

Whole body like a mouth, hanging in space; Not asking if the wind is east, west, south, or north, For all others equally, it speaks prajñā.

Chin ten ton ryan chin ten ton.35

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This is the speech of prajñā [transmitted] by Buddhist patriarchs from rightful successor to rightful successor. It is prajñā as the whole body, it is prajñā as the whole of others,36 it is prajñā as the whole self, and it is prajñā as the whole east, west, south, and north.

[79] Śākyamuni Buddha says, “Śāriputra!37 These many sentient beings should abide in this prajñāpāramitā as buddhas. When they serve offerings

23b to, bow in veneration of, and consider the prajñāpāramitā, they should be as if serving offerings to and bowing in veneration of the buddha-bhagavats.38 Why? [Because] the prajñāpāramitā is no different from the buddha-bhagavats, and the buddha-bhagavats are no different from the prajñā pāramitā. The prajñāpāramitā is just the buddha-bhagavats themselves, and the buddhabhagavats are just the prajñāpāramitā itself. Wherefore? Because, Śāriputra, the apt, right, and balanced state of truth, which all the tathāgatas have, is always realized by virtue of the prajñāpāramitā. Because, Śāriputra, all bodhisattva mahāsattvas, the independently awakened, arhats, those beyond returning, those who will return once, those received into the stream, and so on, always attain realization by virtue of prajñāpāramitā. And because, Śāri putra, all of the ten virtuous paths of action39 in the world, the four states of meditation,40 the four immaterial balanced states,41 and the five mystical powers42 are always realized by virtue of the prajñāpāramitā.”

[80] So buddha-bhagavats are the prajñāpāramitā, and the prajñā pāramitā is “these real dharmas.” These “real dharmas” are “bare manifestations”: they are “neither appearing nor disappearing, neither dirty nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing.” The realization of this prajñāpāramitā is the realization of buddha-bhagavats. We should inquire into it, and we should experience it. To serve offerings to it and to bow in veneration is just to serve and to attend buddha-bhagavats, and it is buddha-bhagavats in service and attendance.

                                    Shōbōgenzō Maka-hannya-haramitsu                                     Preached to the assembly at Kannondōri-in                                     Temple on a day of the summer retreat in the                                     first year of Tenpuku.43

                                    Copied in the attendant monks’ quarters at                                      Kippō Temple in Etsu44 on the twenty-first day                                      of the third lunar month in spring of the second                                      year of Kangen.45

Chapter Two

The Heart Sutra of Mahāprajñāpāramitā

Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, when practicing the profound prajñāpāramitā, reflects that the five aggregates are totally empty, and overcomes all pain and wrongdoing. Śāriputra, matter is no different from the immaterial, and the immaterial is no different from matter. Matter is just the immaterial, and the immaterial is just matter. Feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness are also like this. Śāriputra, these real dharmas are bare manifestations. They are neither appearing nor disappearing, neither tainted nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing. Therefore, in the state of emptiness, there is no form, no feeling, no perception, no volition, no consciousness. There are no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, properties. There is no realm of eyes, nor any other [elementary realm]: there is no realm of mind-consciousness. There is no ignorance, and no ending of ignorance, nor any other [causal process]: there is no old age and death, and no ending of old age and death. There is no suffering, accumulation, cessation, or path. There is no wisdom, and no attaining—because [the state] is nonattainment. Bodhisattvas rely upon prajñāpāramitā, and therefore their minds have no hindrance. They have no hindrance, and therefore they are without fear. They leave all confused dream-images far behind, and realize the ultimate state of nirvana. Buddhas of the three times rely upon prajñāpāramitā, and therefore they attain anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi. So remember: prajñāpāramitā is a great and mystical mantra; it is a great and luminous mantra; it is the supreme mantra; it is a mantra in the unequaled state of equilibrium. It can clear away all suffering. It is real, not empty. Therefore we invoke the mantra of prajñāpāramitā. We invoke the mantra as follows:

Gate, gate, pāragate, pārasamgate. Bodhi, svāhā.

The Heart Sutra of Prajñā

Notes

1     Lotus Sutra,Kanjizai Bosatsu, lit., “Bodhisattva of Free Reflection,” is one of the Chinese renderingsof Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (see Chapter Thirty-three [Vol. II], chapter 25, Heart Sutra.Kanzeon-bosatsu-fumon). This paragraph begins with theKannon, and the same words as the

2     Master Dōgen added to the first line of the body,” as the subject of shoken, “to reflect.”Heart Sutra the word konshin, “whole 3 Go-un, from the Sanskrit pañca-skandha. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms, skandha.

4     “Empty,” As an adjective, kū, which represents the Sanskrit kū means bare, bald, naked, empty, as it is.śūnyatā (see Glossary of Sanskrit Terms).

5     “The immaterial” is also kū, this time used as a noun. In this case, kū means the immamental face of reality as opposed to matter. In other cases, the noun empty state, that is, the state in which reality is as it is. See Chapter Twenty-two (Vol.II), terial, that which is empty, or devoid of physical substance; that is, the spiritual orBusshō. kū means the

6     and The sutra says shiki-soku-ze-kū, “matter is just the immaterial,” and shiki-ze-shiki,kū-soku-ze-shiki,matter is matter,

“the immaterial is just matter.” Master Dōgen added kū-ze-kū, the immaterial is the immaterial.

7     Hyakusō, lit., “hundreds of weeds.”

8     Jūni-ju, “twelve entrances,” from the Sanskrit dvādaśāyatanāni, are the six sense organs and their objects.

9     senses, their objects, and the six corresponding kinds of consciousness. See GlossaryJuhachi-kai,of Sanskrit Terms under lit., “eighteen realms,” from the Sanskrit dhātu-loka.    aśṭādaśa dhāta vaḥ, are the

10    which is placed on the same level as the senses, below ^touch. Shin, “body,” from the Sanskrit I, “mind,” from the Sanskrit kāya,manas,means the body, or the skin, as the organ ofmeans the mind as the center of thought,prajñā.

11    Shoku, hō,the objects of body and mind as sense organs.“sensations and properties” from the Sanskrit sparśa and dharma, represent

12    words derive from the Sanskrit Shitai, the four philosophies, or the Four [Noble] Truths, are duḥkha-satya (truth of suffering), ku, shu, metsu, dō.samudaya-satyaThese

37

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of the right way).(truth of accumulation), nirodha-satya (truth of dissolution), and mārga-satya (truth

13    in detail in Chapter Forty-five (Vol. III), Rokudō, the six pāramitās. In Sanskrit they are as follows: Giving is Bodaisatta-shishōbō.vīrya. Meditation is by the Chinese charactersPure [observance of]dhyāna.dāna, explained(Dhyāna pāramitā,zen-na,is sometimes represented phonetically in the but in this case real wisdom, is śīla. Patience is dhyānaprajñākṣānti.is expressed as .Diligence is Shōbōgenzōjō-ryo, lit., “quiet thought.”) The sixth precepts is

14    The Sanskrit “the supreme balanced and right state of truth.”^{Chinese in the second paragraph of this chapter as} anuttara samyaksaṃbodhibodhi.” Alternative renderings into Chinese are (see Chapter One, note 2) is rendered into^{mujō-shōtō-bodai,}mujō-tōshō-gaku,^{“the supreme}mujōright and balanced state of shōtō-gaku, “the supreme right and balanced state of truth,” and

15    Sanze, the three times.

16    Rokudai,dhātu.the six elements. In Sanskrit, saḍ dhātavaḥ. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms under

17    Shigi, the four forms of conduct.

18    The Sanskrit word bhikṣu (originally “mendicant”) means a Buddhist monk.

19    Mu-shohō-shōmetsu, kūsō . . . Fushō-fumetsu: or shohō no shōmetsu nashi. “These real dharmas are bare manifestations. They neitherThe Heart Sutra says ze-shohōappear nor disappear.”

20    The panna,śrāvakathe second is (“auditor”) passes through these four stages. In Sanskrit, the first is sakṛdāgāmin, the third is anāgāmin, and the fourth is arhat.srotā-

21    Twenty-four (Vol. II), buddhas, which the Buddha explains in the ^{Buddhist. The distinction between} Doku-kaku, lit., “independently awakened,” means Bukkyō.      śrāvakas, Lotus Sutra,pratyekabuddhapratyekabuddhais described in Chapters, bodhisattvas, and, a naturalistic

22    bodhisattva.Bodai, in this case, seems to suggest a person who has the state of bodhi, that is, a

23    Tenmyōhōrin, See Chapter Seventy-four (Vol. IV), “turning the wonderful Dharma wheel,” means Buddhist preaching. Tenbōrin. 24 This passage is quoted from the tachment to Form.” Daihannyakyō, chapter 291, “Attachment and Nonat-

²⁵       state of mind, which is “concrete”; and ^{Setsu-sa-ze-nen.}thought.” But sa,nen,“make,” also means “to act,” or “to function”; ^{In the sutra, these characters literally mean “secretly made this} “thought,” or “image in the mind,” also means “mindfulness,”nen not as a thought but as the monk ‘Sze, “this,” also means or “state of mind.” Master Dōgen interpreted prajñā itself, which is the state of action itself.

Chapter Two

²⁶       of Sanskrit Terms under Precepts, balance, and wisdom are tisraḥ śikṣāḥ.sangaku, the three kinds of training. See Glossary

²⁷       character Mu, nashi, is no appearance and disappearance” (see note 19), and “without appearance and dis-expresses absence. In this paragraph, mu means “the state of being without,” i.e., the state that ismu-shometsu is translated as “there Busshō. The free. This usage is explained in detail in Chapter Twenty-two (Vol. II), appearance.” As a noun, mu appears over twenty times in the Heart Sutra.

²⁸       Tentai-shaku. Tentai is literally “god-emperor” and shaku stands for Śakra-devānāmindra, which is the Sanskrit name of the god Indra. This figure was incorporated into Buddhism as a guardian of Buddhist teachings. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.

²⁹       Guju-zengen. Guju, term of reverence. Zengen, lit., “Good Manifestation,” is the Chinese rendering of “venerable monk,” is derived from the Sanskrit āyuṣmat, a

Subhūti, one of the Buddha’s disciples.

³⁰       Mahāsattvaa Buddhist practitioner. Literally means “great being.” Both bodhisattva and mahā sattva describe 31 Gaku includes both the meaning of “learn” and of “practice.” Study of prajñā as space suggests the concrete practice of zazen.

32    Kauśika is another name of Indra. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.

33    enty-seven (Vol. IV), Kokū, “empty space,” or “space,” from the Sanskrit Kokū.      ākāśa, is the title of Chapter Sev-

34    This story is also from the Daihannyakyō, chapter 291.

35    represents onomatopoeically the sound of the wind-bell. The original Chinese characters This poem about a wind-bell is from the Master [Tendō] Nyojō). The last line of the poem, Nyojōoshōgoroku“chin ten ton ryan chin ten ton,”teki chō tō ryō teki chō tō. (Record of the Words of The

original Chinese pronunciation is not known. Can be read in several ways in Japanese; for example,

36    “Others” is world.” In Master Dōgen’s commentary it suggests the latter meaning. A, which sometimes means “others” and sometimes means “the external 37 sūtraŚāriputra was one of the Buddha’s ten great disciples, and said to be foremost in wis-dom. He died while the Buddha was still alive. Much of the is addressed to Śāriputra.       Mahāprajñāpāramitā-

38    Bhagavat is a Sanskrit term of veneration. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.

39    lies, two-faced speech, abusive slander, useless gossip, greed, anger, and devotion to Jū-zengōdō, the ten kinds of bad conduct, namely: killing, stealing, committing adultery, telling wrong views. or the ten paths of good action, are followed by refraining from doing

40    Shi-jōryo, or the “four dhyānas.” See Chapter Ninety (Vol. IV), Shizen-biku.

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41    as follows: 1) Shi-mushiki-jō,kū-muhen-sho-jō,or “the four balanced states that transcend the world of matter,” are “balance in infinite space”; 2) mu-shō-u-sho-jō, “balance in not having any-shiki-muhen-sho-jō, thinking.” Such enumeration of concepts is characteristic of Theravada Buddhism. Thing”; and 4) “balance in infinite consciousness”; 3) hisō-hihisō-sho-jō, “balance in transcendence of thinking and not42 Go-jinzū.Jinzū. The five mystical powers are discussed in Chapter Twenty-five (Vol. II), 43 1233.

44 Corresponds to present-day Fukui prefecture. 45 1244.

40

[Chapter Three] Genjō-kōan

The Realized Universe

Translator’s Note: Genjō means “realized,” and kōan is an abbreviation of kofu-no-antoku, which was a notice board on which a new law was announced to the public in ancient China. So kōan expresses a law, or a universal principle. In the Shōbōgenzō, genjō-kōan means the realized law of the universe, that is, Dharma or the real universe itself. The fundamental basis of Buddhism is belief in this real universe, and in Genjō-kōan Master Dōgen preaches to us the realized Dharma, or the real universe itself. When the seventy-five– chapter edition of the Shōbōgenzō was compiled, this chapter was placed first, and from this fact we can recognize its importance.

[83]  When all dharmas are [seen as] the Buddha-Dharma, then there is delusion and realization, there is practice, there is life and there is death, there are buddhas and there are ordinary beings. When the myriad dharmas are 23c each not of the self, there is no delusion and no realization, no buddhas and no ordinary beings, no life and no death. The Buddha’s truth is originally transcendent over abundance and scarcity, and so there is life and death, there is delusion and realization, there are beings and buddhas. And though it is like this, it is only that flowers, while loved, fall; and weeds while hated, flourish.

[84]  Driving ourselves to practice and experience the myriad dharmas is delusion. When the myriad dharmas actively practice and experience ourselves, that is the state of realization. Those who greatly realize1 delusion are buddhas. Those who are greatly deluded about realization are ordinary beings. There are people who further attain realization on the basis of realization. There are people who increase their delusion in the midst of delusion. When buddhas are really buddhas, they do not need to recognize themselves as buddhas. Nevertheless, they are buddhas in the state of experience, and they go on experiencing the state of buddha.

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[85]  When we use the whole body and mind to look at forms, and when we use the whole body and mind to listen to sounds, even though we are sensing them directly, it is not like a mirror’s reflection2 of an image, and not like water and the moon. While we are experiencing one side, we are blind to the other side.

[86]  To learn the Buddha’s truth is to learn ourselves. To learn ourselves is to forget ourselves. To forget ourselves is to be experienced by the myriad dharmas. To be experienced by the myriad dharmas is to let our own body and mind, and the body and mind of the external world, fall away. There is a state in which the traces of realization are forgotten; and it manifests the traces of forgotten realization for a long, long time.

[87]  When people first seek the Dharma, we are far removed from the borders of Dharma. [But] as soon as the Dharma is authentically transmitted to us, we are a human being in [our] original element. When a man is sailing

along in a boat and he moves his eyes to the shore, he misapprehends that the shore is moving. If he keeps his eyes fixed on the boat, he knows that it is the boat that is moving forward. Similarly, when we try to understand the myriad dharmas on the basis of confused assumptions about body and mind, we misapprehend that our own mind or our own essence may be permanent. If we become familiar with action and come back to this concrete place, the truth is evident that the myriad dharmas are not self. Firewood becomes ash; it can never go back to being firewood. Nevertheless, we should not take the view that ash is its future and firewood is its past. Remember, firewood abides in the place of firewood in the Dharma. It has a past and it has a future. Although it has a past and a future, the past and the future are cut off. Ash exists in the place of ash in the Dharma. It has a past and it has a future. The firewood, after becoming ash, does not again become firewood. Similarly, human beings, after death, do not live again. At the same time, it is an established custom in the Buddha-Dharma not to say that life turns into death. This is why we speak of “no appearance.” And it is the Buddha’s preaching established in [the turning of] the Dharma wheel that death does not turn into life. This is why we speak of “no disappearance.”3 Life is an instantaneous situation, and death is also an instantaneous situation. It is the same, for example, with winter and spring. We do not think that winter becomes spring, and we do not say that spring becomes summer.

Chapter Three

[89]    A person getting realization is like the moon being reflected4 in water: the moon does not get wet, and the water is not broken. Though the light [of the moon] is wide and great, it is reflected in a foot or an inch of water. The whole moon and the whole sky are reflected in a dewdrop on a blade of grass and are reflected in a single drop of water. Realization does not break the individual, just as the moon does not pierce the water. The individual does not hinder the state of realization, just as a dewdrop does not 24b hinder the sky and moon. The depth [of realization] may be as the concrete height [of the moon]. The length of its moment should be investigated in large [bodies of] water and small [bodies of] water, and observed in the breadth of the sky and the moon.5

[90]    When the Dharma has not yet satisfied the body and mind we feel already replete with Dharma. When the Dharma fills the body and mind we feel one side to be lacking. For example, sailing out beyond the mountains and into the ocean, when we look around in the four directions, [the ocean] appears only to be round; it does not appear to have any other form at all. Nevertheless, this great ocean is not round, and it is not square. Other qualities of the ocean are inexhaustibly many: [to fishes] it is like a palace and [to gods] it is like a string of pearls.6 But as far as our eyes can see, it just seems to be round. As it is for [the ocean], so it is for the myriad dharmas. In dust and out of the frame,7 [the myriad dharmas] encompass numerous situations, but we see and understand only as far as our eyes of learning in practice are able to reach. If we wish to hear how the myriad dharmas naturally are,8 we should remember that besides their appearance of squareness or roundness, the qualities of the oceans and qualities of the mountains are numerous and endless; and that there are worlds in the four directions. Not only the periphery is like this: remember, the immediate present, and a single drop [of water] are also like this.

[91]    When fish move through water, however they move, there is no end to the water. When birds fly through the sky, however they fly, there is no end to the sky. At the same time, fish and birds have never, since antiquity, left the water or the sky. Simply, when activity is great, usage is great, and when necessity is small, usage is small. Acting in this state, none fails to ^24c realize its limitations at every moment, and none fails to somersault freely at every place; but if a bird leaves the sky it will die at once, and if a fish

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leaves the water it will die at once. So we can understand that water is life and can understand that sky is life. Birds are life, and fish are life. It may be that life is birds and that life is fish. And beyond this, there may still be further progress. The existence of [their] practice-and-experience, and the existence of their lifetime and their life, are like this. This being so, a bird or fish that aimed to move through the water or the sky [only] after getting to the bottom of water or utterly penetrating the sky, could never find its way or find its place in the water or in the sky. When we find this place, this action is inevitably realized as the universe. When we find this way, this action is inevitably the realized universe [itself].9 This way and this place are neither great nor small; they are neither subjective nor objective; neither have they existed since the past nor do they appear in the present; and so they are present like this. When a human being is practicing and experiencing the Buddha’s truth in this state, to get one dharma is to penetrate one dharma, and to meet one act is to perform one act. In this state the place exists and the way is mastered, and therefore the area to be known is not conspicuous. The reason it is so is that this knowing and the perfect realization of the Buddha-Dharma appear together and are experienced together. Do not assume that what is attained will inevitably become self-conscious and be recognized by the intellect. The experience of the ultimate state is realized at once. At the same time, its mysterious existence is not necessarily a manifest realization.10 Realization is the state of ambiguity itself.11

 [94] Zen Master Hōtetsu12 of Mayokuzan is using a fan. A monk comes by and asks, “The nature of air is to be ever -present, and there is no place that [air] cannot reach. Why then does the master use a fan?”

The master says, “You have only understood that the nature of air is to be ever-present, but you do not yet know the truth13 that there is no place [air] cannot reach.”

The monk says, “What is the truth of there being no place [air] cannot

reach?”

At this, the master just [carries on] using the fan. The monk does prostrations.14 The real experience of the Buddha-Dharma, the vigorous road of the authentic transmission, is like this. Someone who says that because [the air] is ever-present we need not use a fan, or that even when we do not use [a fan] we can still feel the air, does not know ever-presence, and does not

Chapter Three

know the nature of air. Because the nature of air is to be ever-present, the behavior15 of Buddhists has made the earth manifest itself as gold and has ripened the Long River into curds and whey.16

                                    Shōbōgenzō Genjō-kōan

                                    This was written in mid-autumn17 in the first                                     year of Tenpuku,18 and was presented to the lay

                                    disciple Yō Kōshu of Chinzei.19                                     Edited in [the fourth] year of Kenchō.20

Notes

1     as a verb, Daigo, “great realization,” is the title of Chapter Twenty-six (Vol. II). Here it is useddaigo suru, “greatly realize.”

2     Yadosu literally means “to accommodate.”

3     “No appearance” is which appear for example in the haramitsu—express the instantaneousness of the universe.fushō. “No disappearance” is Heart Sutra, quoted in Chapter Two, fumetsu. The words fushō-fumetsu—Maka-hannya4 Throughout this paragraph, “to be reflected in” is originally yadoru, lit., “to dwell in.” 5 We should investigate realization as concrete facts.

6     This sentence alludes to a traditional Buddhist teaching that different subjects see the same ocean in different ways: to fish it is a palace, to gods it is a string of pearls, to ^{the Sanskrit} humans it is water, and to demons it is blood or pus. nobility in ancient India. Mukta hāra, a name for a string of pearls or jewels worn by royalty and Yōraku, “string of pearls,” represents

7     Jinchū-kakuge, world experienced in the Buddhist state. “inside dust, outside the frame,” means the secular world and the

8     Banpo no kafu, lit., “the family customs of the myriad Fu means wind, air, style, behavior, custom.dharmas.” Ka means house, home, or family.

9     Genjō-kōan is used first as a verb, genjō-kōan su, and second as a noun, genjō-kōan.

10    “Manifest realization” and “realization” (in the next sentence) are originally the same characters: genjō. ¹¹ “The state of ambiguity” is kahitsu. A Chinese sentence beginning with these characters would ask the question, “Why should it necessarily be that. . . ?” or “How can it con-clusively be decided that. . . ?”

12    A successor of Master Baso Dōitsu.

13    Dōribut the master recommended him to notice concrete facts. Means truth, principle, or fact. The monk was interested in philosophical theory,

14    Shinji-shōbōgenzō, pt. 2, no. 23. According to the story in the Shinji-shōbōgenzō, a thousand students, what gain would there be? “after the monk’s prostration, the master says, “Useless master of monks! If you got

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15    Fū. The story. The second is “customs,” “manners,” or “behavior,” as in this usage. See Two meanings of fū are relevant in this section. The first is “wind” or “air,” as in also note 8.

16    Master Goso Hōen said in his formal preaching, “To change the Earth into gold, and ^{Soraku, or “curds and whey,” was some}

Chinese name for the galaxy we call the Milky Way. kind of edible dairy product, like yogurt or cheese. Chōga, lit., “Long River,” is the ^{to churn the Long River into a milky whey.”}

17    day of the eighth lunar month. autumn sky is usually very clear, this is a good time to view the moon. Several chapters In the lunar calendar, autumn is the seventh, eighth, and ninth lunar months. As the Shōbōgenzō were written around the time of the autumn equinox on the fifteenth of the

18    1233.

19    Corresponds to present-day Kyushu. 20 1252.

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[Chapter Four] One Bright Pearl

Ikka-no-myōju

Translator’s Note: Ikka means “one,” myō means “bright” or “clear,” and ju means “pearl.” So ikka-no-myōju means one bright pearl. This chapter is a commentary on Master Gensha Shibi’s words that the whole universe in all directions is as splendid as a bright pearl. Master Dōgen loved these words, so he wrote about them in this chapter.

[97] In [this] sahā world,1 in the great kingdom of Song, in Fuzhou province, at Genshazan, [there lived] Great Master Shūitsu, whose Dharma name [as a monk] was Shibi and whose secular surname was Sha.2 While still a layman he loved fishing, and he would float down the Nantai River on his boat, following the other fishermen. It may have been that he was not waiting even for the fish with golden scales that lands itself without being fished.3 At the beginning of the Kantsū4 era of the Tang dynasty, suddenly he desires to leave secular society; he leaves his boat and enters the mountains. He is 25b already thirty years old, [but] he has realized the precariousness of the floating world and has recognized the nobility of the Buddha’s Way. At last he climbs Seppōzan, enters the order of Great Master Shinkaku,5 and pursues the truth6 day and night. One day, in order to explore widely the surrounding districts, he leaves the mountain, carrying a [traveling] bag. But as he does so, he stubs his toe on a stone. Bleeding and in great pain, [Master Gensha] all at once seriously reflects as follows: “[They say] this body is not real existence. Where does the pain come from?” He thereupon returns to Seppō. Seppō asks him, “What is it, Bi of the dhūta?”7 Gensha says, “In the end I just cannot be deceived by others.”8 Seppō, loving these words very much, says, “Is there anyone who does not have these words [inside them]? [But] is there anyone who can speak these words?” Seppō asks further, “Bi of the dhūta, why do you not go exploring?”9 Master [Gensha] says, “Bodhidharma did not come to the Eastern Lands; the Second Patriarch did not go to the Western

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Heavens.”10 Seppō praised this very much. In his usual life as a fisherman [Master Gensha] had never seen sutras and texts even in a dream. Nevertheless, profundity of will being foremost, his outstanding resolve made itself apparent. Seppō himself considered [Gensha] to be outstanding among the sangha; he praised [Gensha] as the preeminent member of the order. [Gensha] used vegetable cloth for his one robe, which he never replaced, but patched hundreds of times. Next to his skin he wore clothes of paper, or wore moxa.11 Apart from serving in Seppō’s order, he never visited another [good] counselor. Nevertheless, he definitely realized the power to succeed to the master’s Dharma. After he had attained the truth at last, he taught people with the words that the whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl. One day

a monk asks him, “I have heard the master’s words that the whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl. How should the student understand [this]?” The master says, “The whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl. What use is understanding?” On a later day the master asks the question back to the monk, “The whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl. How do you understand [this]?” The monk says, “The whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl. What use is understanding?” The master says, “I see that you are struggling to get inside a demon’s cave in a black mountain.”12

[101] The present expression “the whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl” originates with Gensha. The point is that the whole universe in ten directions is not vast and great, not meager and small, not square or round, not centered or straight, not in a state of vigorous activity, and not disclosed in perfect clarity. Because it is utterly beyond living-and-dying, going-and-coming,13 it is living-and-dying, going-and-coming. And because it is like this, the past has gone from this place, and the present comes from this place. When we are pursuing the ultimate, who can see it utterly as separate moments? And who can hold it up for examination as a state of total stillness? “The whole of the ten directions” describes the ceaseless [process] of pursuing things to make them into self, and of pursuing self to make it into something. The arising of emotion and the distinctions of the intellect, which we describe as separation, are themselves [as real as] turning the head and changing the face, or developing things and throwing [oneself] into the moment. Because we pursue self to make it into something, the whole of the

Chapter Four

ten directions is in the ceaseless state. And because [the whole of the ten directions] is a fact before the moment, it sometimes overflows beyond [our] regulating ability which is the pivot of the moment.14 “The one pearl” is not yet famous, but it is an expression of the truth. It will be famously recognized. “The one pearl” goes directly through ten thousand years: the eternal past has not ended, but the eternal present has arrived. The body exists now, and the mind exists now. Even so, [the whole universe] is a bright pearl. It is not grass and trees there and here, it is not mountains and rivers at all points of the compass; it is a bright pearl. “How should the student understand it?” Even though it seems that the monk is playing with his conditioned intellect15 in speaking these words, they are the clear manifestation of the great activity, which is 26a just the great standard itself. Progressing further, we should make it strikingly obvious that a foot of water is a one-foot wave: in other words, a yard of the pearl is a yard of brightness. To voice this expression of the truth, Gensha says, “The whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl. What use is understanding?” This expression is the expression of truth to which buddha succeeds buddha, patriarch succeeds patriarch, and Gensha succeeds Gensha. If he wants to avoid this succession—while it is not true that no opportunity for avoidance exists—just when he is ardently trying to avoid it, [the moment] in which he speaks and lives is the total moment, conspicuously manifest before him. Gensha, on a subsequent day asks the monk, “The whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl. How do you understand [this]?” This says that yesterday [Master Gensha] was preaching the established rule, but his exhalations today rely upon the second phase: today he is preaching an exception to the established rule. Having pushed yesterday aside, he is nodding and laughing. The monk says, “The whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl. What use is understanding?” We might tell him: “You are riding your adversary’s horse to chase your adversary. When the eternal buddha preaches for you, he is going among different kinds of beings.”16 We should turn [back] light and reflect17 for a while: How many cases and examples of “What use is understanding?” are there? We can tentatively say that while teaching and practice are seven dairy cakes and five vegetable cakes, they are also “south of the Shō [River]” and “north of the Tan [River].”18

[105] Gensha says, “I see that you are struggling to get inside a demon’s cave in a black mountain.” Remember, the face of the sun and the face of

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the moon have never changed places since the eternal past. The sun’s face appears together with the sun’s face, and the moon’s face appears together with the moon’s face. For this reason, [Master Yakusan Ingen said,] “Even if I say that the sixth moon19 is a very nice time of year, I should not say that my surname is Hot.”20 Thus, this bright pearl’s possession of reality and lack of beginning are limitless, and the whole universe in ten directions is one bright pearl. Without being discussed as two pearls or three pearls, the whole body21 is one right Dharma-eye, the whole body is real substance, the whole body is one phrase, the whole body is brightness, and the whole body is the whole body itself. When it is the whole body it is free of the hindrance of the whole body; it is perfect roundness,22 and roundly it rolls along.23 Because the virtue of the bright pearl exists in realization like this, there are Avalo- kiteśvaras24 and Maitreyas25 in the present, seeing sights and hearing sounds; and there are old buddhas and new buddhas manifesting their bodies and preaching the Dharma.26 Just at the moment of the present, whether suspended in space or hanging inside a garment,27 whether kept under a [dragon’s] chin28 or kept in a topknot,29 [the one bright pearl,] in all cases, is one bright pearl throughout the whole universe in ten directions. To hang inside a garment is its situation, so do not say that it will be dangling on the surface. To hang inside a topknot or under a chin is its situation, so do not expect to play with it on the surface of the topknot or on the surface of the chin. When we are intoxicated, there are close friends30 who give us a pearl; and we should always give a pearl to a close friend. When the pearl is hung upon us we are always intoxicated. That which “already is like this”31 is the one bright pearl which is the universe in ten directions. So even though it seems to be continually changing the outward appearance of its turning and not turning, it is just the bright pearl. The very recognition that the pearl has been existing like this is just the bright pearl itself. The bright pearl has sounds and forms that can be heard like this. Already “having got the state like this,”32 those who surmise that “I cannot be the bright pearl,” should not doubt that they are the pearl. Artificial and non artificial states of surmising and doubting, attaching and rejecting, are just the small view. They are nothing more than trying to make [the bright pearl] match the narrow intellect. How could we not love the bright pearl? Its colors and light, as they are, are endless. Each color and every ray of light at each moment and in every situation is the

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virtue of the whole universe in ten directions; who would want to plunder ^26c it?33 No one would throw a tile into a street market. Do not worry about falling or not falling34 into the six states of cause and effect.35 They are the original state of being right from head to tail, which is never unclear, and the bright pearl is its features and the bright pearl is its eyes. Still, neither I nor you know what the bright pearl is or what the bright pearl is not. Hundreds of thoughts and hundreds of negations of thought have combined to form a very clear idea.36 At the same time, by virtue of Gensha’s words of Dharma, we have heard, recognized, and clarified the situation of a body and mind which has already become the bright pearl. Thereafter, the mind is not personal; why should we be worried by attachment to whether it is a bright pearl or is not a bright pearl, as if what arises and passes were some person?37 Even surmising and worry is not different from the bright pearl. No action nor any thought has ever been caused by anything other than the bright pearl. Therefore, forward steps and backward steps in a demon’s black-mountain cave are just the one bright pearl itself.

                                    Shōbōgenzō Ikka-no-myōju

Notes

1     of human beings. Shaba-sekai. Shaba represents the Sanskrit sahālokadhātu, which means the world

2     to be avoided.” See also Chapter Sixteen, Shūitsu” is Master Gensha’s posthumous title. Shibi is his Master Gensha Shibi (835–907), successor of Master Seppō Gison. When monks died they were not referred to by the name used in their lifetime. “Great MasterShisho, note 32.hōki, or “Dharma [name]

3     about the results of his efforts. Even as a layman Master Gensha led a relaxed and peaceful life, without worrying

4     860 to 873.

5     Master Seppō Gison (822–907), successor of Master Tokusan Senkan. Great Master_{Shinkaku is his posthumous title.}

6     Bendō expresses the practice of zazen.

7     See also LS 2.310.^{means ascetic practice. Master Gensha was known for his hard practice, so he got} Bizuda. the nickname of Bizuda. The twelve Bi is from the name Shibi. dhūtaZudaare listed in Chapter Thirty (Vol. II), is from the Sanskrit word dhūta, which Gyōji.

8     on hand knowledge but only by experiencing things for himself. The expression is ironic. Master Gensha makes it sound as if he would like to be able to learn from others, but in the end it is impossible: he can be satisfied not with sec-

9     A hensan,it is used as a verb, or “thorough exploration,” is the title of Chapter Sixty-two (Vol. III). Herea hensan suru.

10    Master Bodhidharma actually did come to the Eastern Lands (China), but “Master go to the Western Heavens,” suggests similarly that it was natural for him not to go. ^{Eka, did not go to the Western Heavens (India), and “The Second Patriarch did not} naturally, rather than out of personal intention. The Second Patriarch, Master Tais Bodhidharma did not come to the Eastern Lands” suggests that he came to China

11    Coarse vegetable fiber.

12    Shinji-shōbōgenzō, pt. 1, no. 15.

13     Shōji-korai, or “living-and-dying, going-and-coming,” is an expression of everydayShōbōgenzō. life that appears 55

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14    Kiyō no kantoku. Kiyōsuggests the moment of the present. means the central part of a mechanism; at the same time, Kantoku means “being able to control.”   ki

15    (Gosshiki,_{Vol. II), Busshō.} or “karmic consciousness.” The term is discussed in Chapter Twenty-two

16    refence between the real understanding of Master Gensha and the intellectual under-^{is a common expression in the} Irui-chū-gyō, “going among different kinds of beings” (in the five or six destinies),Shōbōgenzō. In this case it suggests the absolute standing of the monk.

17    E-kō-hen-shō(Appendix II).describes the state in zazen. The expression appears in the Fukanzazengi

18    The Shō River flows north of the Tan River, and the Tan River flows south of the ShōIn Buddhist teaching and practice, recognition of concrete facts and theoretical under-^{River. In China the area between the two rivers was used as a symbol of one thing} that can be expressed in two ways. In this sentence, cakes symbolize concrete things, standing are both important. and “south of the Shō River” and “north of the Tan River” represent subjective views.

19    Rokugatsu, or “the sixth lunar month,” was an uncomfortably hot time in the south of China.

20    “It is a nice time of year. “Buddhist monks would customarily avoid giving their family name, and reply instead, 21 Zenshin,See Chapter Seventy-one (Vol. III), “whole body,” sometimes suggests the universe as the Buddha’s whole body. Nyorai-zenshin.

²²       “Perfect roundness” is Da,en-da-da-chi,repeated for emphasis, means diagonal; at the same time, itlit., “circle diagonal-diagonal state.” Chi means “state.” En means suggests the absence of corners, i.e., roundness. circular or perfect.

²³       Ten-roku-roku. Tenround object rolling. means “to turn” or “to roll.” Roku-roku is onomatopoeic for a

²⁴       See also the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara is the subject of Chapter Thirty-three (Vol. II), Lotus Sutra, chapter 25, Kanzeon-bosatsu-fumon.        Kannon.

²⁵       million years in the future, to save all living beings who were left unsaved by the Bodhisattva Maitreya is expected to be born five thousand six hundred and seventy and Maitreya symbolize Buddhist practitioners today. Buddha. See, for example, LS 1.62. In this sentence the bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara

²⁶       Alludes to the description of Avalokiteśvara (“Hearer of the Sounds of the World”)Lotus Sutra. See LS 3.252. in the

²⁷       See LS 2.114.

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²⁸       of the truth. Black dragons keep a pearl under their chins. The black dragon’s pearl is a symbol

²⁹       See LS 2.276. 30 See LS 2.114.

31 Dōyō discusses Kize-inmo. At the beginning of Chapter Twenty-nine (Vol. II), kize-inmo-nin, or “a person in the state of already being like this.”Inmo, Master Ungo 32 Toku-inmo. These characters also appear in Chapter Twenty-nine (Vol. II), Inmo. 33 Master Gensha said, “It is forbidden for anyone to plunder a street market.” SeeShinji-shōbōgenzō, pt. 1, no. 38.

34    cause and effect. See, for example, Chapter Seventy-six (Vol. IV), Furaku, “not falling,” and fumai, “not being unclear,” represent opposing views of_Dai-shugyō.

35    cause and effect: the state of beings in hell, the state of hungry ghosts, the state ofRokudō no ingaanimals, the state of angry demons, the state of human beings, and the state of gods. Are the six states through which we pass according to the law of

36    of weeds” (see Chapter Twenty-two [Vol. II], Mei-mei no sōryō. Sōryōsō, “weeds” (symbolizing concrete things), for means “idea” or “thinking.” In this sentence, Master Dōgenmei-mei-taru hyaku-sō-tō,Busshō). “clear-clear are hundredssō, “idea,” in order to allude to the traditional saying substituted

37    The original word for “some person” is tare, which means “who?” 38 Corresponds to present-day Kyoto prefecture.

39    1238.

40    Corresponds to present-day Fukui prefecture. 41 1243.

[Chapter Five]

                                                Jū-undō-shiki                                      

Rules for the Hall of Accumulated Cloud

Translator’s Note: Jū-undō or “hall of accumulated cloud” was the name of the zazen hall of Kannondōrikōshōhōrinji. Shiki means rules. So Jū-undōshiki means “Rules for the Hall of Accumulated Cloud.” Kannon dōri kōshō- hōrinji was the first temple established by Master Dōgen. He built it in Kyoto prefecture in 1233, several years after coming back from China. Jū-undō was the first zazen hall to be built in Japan. Master Dōgen made these rules for the hall, and titled them. The chapter was not included in the Shōbōgenzō when the seventy-five–chapter edition was compiled, but was added when the ninety-five–chapter edition was compiled at the end of the seventeenth century. The inclusion of this chapter is very useful in understanding the Shōbōgenzō, because what is written here represents in a concrete way Master Dōgen’s sincere attitude in pursuing the truth.

[111]   People who have the will to the truth and who discard fame and gain may enter. We should not randomly admit those who might be insincere. If someone is admitted by mistake, we should, after consideration, make them leave. Remember, when the will to the truth has secretly arisen, fame and gain evaporate at once. Generally, in [all] the great-thousandfold world,1 there are very few examples of the right and traditional transmission. In our country, this will be seen as the original source. Feeling compassion for future ages, we should value the present.

[112]   The members of the hall should harmonize like milk and water, and should wholeheartedly promote each other’s practice of the truth. Now we are for the present [as] guests and hosts,2 but in future we will forever be Buddhist patriarchs. So now that each of us is meeting what is hard to meet, and is practicing what is hard to practice, we must not lose our sincerity. This [sincerity] is called “the body and mind of the Buddhist patriarchs”; it inevitably becomes buddha and becomes a patriarch. We have already left

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our families and left our hometowns; we rely on clouds and rely on waters.3 The benevolence of [the members of] this sangha, in promoting [each other’s] health and in promoting [each other’s] practice, surpasses even that of a father and mother. A father and mother are only parents for the short span between life and death, but [the members of] this sangha will be friends in the Buddha’s truth forever.

[113]   We should not be fond of going out. If absolutely necessary, once in one month is permissible. People of old lived in distant mountains or practiced in remote forests. They not only had few human dealings but also totally

discarded myriad involvements. We should learn their state of mind in shrouding their light and covering their tracks. Now is just the time to [practice as if to] put out a fire on our head. How could we not regret idly devoting this time to worldly involvements? How could we not regret this? It is hard to rely on what has no constancy, and we never know where, on the grass by the path, our dewdrop life will fall. [To waste this time] would be truly pitiful.

[114]   While we are in the hall we should not read the words of even Zentexts. In the hall we should realize the principles and pursue the state of truth. When we are before a bright window,4 we can enlighten the mind with the teachings of the ancients. Do not waste a moment of time. Single-mindedly make effort.5

[115]   We should make it a general rule to inform the leader of the hall6 where we are going, whether it is night or day. Do not ramble around at will. That might infringe the discipline of the sangha. We never know when this life will finish. If life were to end during an idle excursion, that would certainly be something to regret afterward.

[115]         We should not strike other people for their mistakes. We should not look on people’s mistakes with hatred. In the words of an ancient,7 “When we do not see others’ wrongness or our own rightness, we are naturally respected by seniors and admired by juniors.” At the same time, we should not imitate the wrongs of others. We should practice our own virtue. The Buddha prevented wrongdoing, but not out of hatred.

[116]         Any task, big or small, we should do only after informing the leader of the hall. People who do things without informing the leader of the hall should be expelled from the hall. When formalities between members and leaders are disrupted, it is hard to tell right from wrong.

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[116]   In and around the hall, we should not raise the voice or gather

heads to converse. The leader of the hall should stop this.

[117]   In the hall we should not practice ceremonial walking.8

[117]  In the hall we should not hold counting beads.9 And we should

not come and go with the hands hanging down.10

[118]  In the hall we should not chant, or read sutras. If a donor11 requests

the reading of sutras by the whole order, then it is permissible.

[118]  In the hall we should not loudly blow the nose, or loudly hack and spit. We should regret the fact that our moral behavior is still [so] imperfect. And we should begrudge the fact that time is stealing away, robbing us of life with which to practice the truth. It might be natural for us to have minds like fish in a dwindling stream.

[119]  Members of the hall should not wear brocade. We should wear[clothes of] paper, cotton, and so forth. Since ancient times, all the people who clarified the truth have been like this.

[119]  Do not come into the hall drunk. If someone forgetfully [enters] by mistake, they should do prostrations and confess. Also, alcohol should not be brought into [the hall]. Do not enter the hall flushed and inebriated.12

[120]  If two people quarrel, both should be sent back to their quarters,because they not only hinder their own practice of the truth but also hinder others. Those who see the quarrel coming but do not prevent it are equally at fault.

[120]        Anyone who is indifferent toward the instructions for [life] in thehall should be expelled by the common consent of all members. Anyone whose mind is in sympathy with the transgression is [also] at fault.

[121]        Do not disturb the other members by inviting guests, whether monks  28a

or laypeople, into the hall. When talking with guests in the vicinity [of the hall], do not raise the voice. Do not deliberately boast about your own training, greedily hoping for offerings. [A guest] who has long had the will to participate in practice, and who is determined to tour the hall and do prostrations,13 may enter. In this case also, the leader of the hall must be informed.

[121]  Zazen should be practiced as in the monks’ halls [of China].14 Never be even slightly lazy in attending and requesting [formal and informal teaching], morning and evening.

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[122]  During the midday meal and morning gruel, a person who dropsthe accessories for the pātra15 on the ground should be penalized16 according to the monastery rules.

[122]  In general, we should staunchly guard the prohibitions and preceptsof the Buddhist patriarchs. The pure criteria of monasteries should be engraved on our bones, and should be engraved on our minds.

[123]  We should pray that our whole life will be peaceful, and that our

pursuit of the truth will abide in the state without intent.

[123] These few rules [listed] above are the body and mind of eternal

buddhas. We should revere them and follow them.

                                    The twenty-fifth day of the fourth lunar month                                     in the second year of Rekinin.17 Set forth by the                                     founder of Kannondōri kōshō gokokuji, śramaṇa                                     Dōgen.

Notes

1     See for example, LS 2.218–220.world.” This expression, which derives from the ancient Indian belief that the world comprises many groups of thousands of worlds, occurs frequently in the Daisenkai is short for sanzen-daisen-sekai, or “the three-thousand-great-thousand fold Lotus Sutra.

2     Hinju, translated in paragraph 116 as “members and leaders.”

3     In China and Japan monks are commonly referred to as unsui, which means “clouds and water.”

4     Suggests a place, other than the zazen hall, suitable for reading.

5     Sen-itsu ni kufu su. These words also appear in the Fukanzazengi.

6     Dōshu, “leader of the hall,” would have been the head monk (not Master Dōgen himself).

7     Master Hakuyō Hōjun. See Zokudentōroku, chapter 29.

8     so that the buddha image remains to the practitioner’s right. Gyōdō, which the practitioner circles the buddha image three times, walking around clockwise ceremonial walking, is a way of serving offerings to the buddha image, in

9     sūtra. the recitations of Buddha’s name, and so on. The Sanskrit term for a rosary is Some people use a kind of rosary, usually with one hundred and eight beads, to count See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. 

10    In other words, we should hold the hands in front of the chest in right hand covering the left fist. shashu, with the ¹¹ “Donor” is originally dānapati, the Sanskrit word for a person who supports a Buddhist order. dāna (giving), the first of the six pāramitās. In this case dāna one, The reading of sutras at a donor’s request is explained in detail in Chapter Twenty-stands for Kankin.

12    means leeks, the Japanese phonetic alphabet, this allows alternative interpretations. The interpretation used here is that “Flushed and inebriated” is originally emboldened, or inebriated. The traditional interpretation in Japan has been that gi means onions, and niragu means to temper steel, or to redden; and no ka shi teniragi nokashi te.means smelling, so the sentence wouldBeing written in nokashi te hiragana,meansnira mean “Do not enter the hall smelling of leeks and onions.”

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13    Junrei method is explained in Chapter Twenty-one, stands for jundō-raihai, or “to go round the hall and do prostrations.” TheKankin. 14 the monks would live in the hall, not only sitting but also eating and sleeping there.In large temples in China the zazen hall was called the sōdō, or “monks’ hall,” because

15    Pātra(Vol. IV), is the Sanskrit word for the Buddhist food bowl. See Chapter Seventy-eightHatsu-u.

16    was scarce, so it is likely that monks were penalized by paying oil from their ration.“Penalized” is batsu-yu, lit., “penalty of oil.” In the temples of China oil for lamps

17    1239.

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[Chapter Six] Mind Here and Now Is Buddha

Soku-shin-ze-butsu

Translator’s Note: Soku means “here and now.” Shin means “mind.” Ze means “is.” Butsu means “buddha.” The principle of soku-shin-ze-butsu, or “mind here and now is buddha” is very famous in Buddhism, but many people have interpreted the principle to support the beliefs of naturalism. They say if our mind here and now is just buddha, our conduct must always be right, and, in that case, we need not make any effort to understand or to realize Buddhism. However, this interpretation is a serious mistake. The principle soku-shin-ze-butsu, “mind here and now is buddha,” must be understood not from the standpoint of the intellect but from the standpoint of practice. In other words, the principle does not mean belief in something spiritual called “mind” but it affirms the time “now” and the place “here” as reality itself. This time and place must always be absolute and right, and so we can call them the truth or “buddha.” In this chapter, Master Dōgen explained this meaning of soku-shin-ze-butsu, “mind here and now is buddha.”

[125] What every buddha and every patriarch has maintained and relied upon, without exception, is just “mind here and now is buddha.” Many students, however, misunderstand that “mind here and now is buddha” did not exist in India but was first heard in China. As a result, they do not recognize their mistake as a mistake. Because they do not recognize the mistake as a mistake, many fall down into non-Buddhism. When stupid people hear talk of “mind here and now is buddha,” they interpret that ordinary beings’ intellect and sense perception, which have never established the bodhi-mind, are just buddha. This derives from never having met a true teacher. The reason I say that they become non-Buddhists is that there was a non-Buddhist in India, called Senika, whose viewpoint is expressed as follows:

The great truth exists in our own body now, so we can easily recognize its situation. In other words, [a spiritual intelligence] distinguishes

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between pain and pleasure, naturally senses cold and warmth, and recognizes discomfort and irritation. [The spiritual intelligence] is neither restricted by myriad things nor connected with circumstances: things come and go and circumstances arise and pass, but the spiritual intelligence always remains, unchanging. This spiritual intelligence is all around, pervading all souls—common and sacred—without distinction. In its midst, illusory flowers in space exist for the time being, but when momentary insight has appeared, and things have vanished and circumstances have disappeared, then the spiritual intelligence, the original essence, alone is clearly recognizable, peaceful, and eternal. Though the physical form may be broken, the spiritual intelligence departs unbroken; just as, when a house burns down in a fire, the master of the house leaves. This perfectly clear and truly spiritual presence is called

28b         “the essence of perception and intelligence.” It is also described as “buddha,” and called “enlightenment.” It includes both the subject and the object, and it permeates both delusion and enlightenment. [So] let the myriad dharmas and all circumstances be as they are. The spiritual intelligence does not coexist with circumstances and it is not the same as things. It abides constantly through passing kalpas. We might also call the circumstances that exist in the present “real,” insofar as they derive from the existence of the spiritual intelligence: because they are conditions arising from the original essence, they are real things. Even so, they are not eternal as the spiritual intelligence is, for they exist and then vanish. [The spiritual intelligence] is unrelated to brightness and darkness, because it knows spiritually. We call this “the spiritual intelligence,” we also call it “the true self,” we call it “the basis of awakening,” we call it “original essence,” and we call it “original substance.” Someone who realizes this original essence is said to have returned to eternity and is called a great man who has come back to the truth. After this, he no longer wanders through the cycle of life and death; he experiences and enters the essential ocean1 where there is neither appearance nor disappearance. There is no reality other than this, but as long as this essence has not emerged, the three worlds2 and the six states3 are said to arise in competition.

Chapter Six

This then is the view of the non-Buddhist Senika.

[129] Master Echū, National Master Daishō,4 of the great kingdom of

Tang, asks a monk, “From which direction have you come?”

The monk says, “I have come from the south.”

The master says, “What [good] counselors are there in the south?”

The monk says, “[Good] counselors are very numerous.” The master says, “How do they teach people?”

The monk says, “The [good] counselors of that quarter teach students directly that mind here and now is buddha. Buddha means consciousness itself. You now are fully endowed with the essence of seeing, hearing, awareness, and recognition. This essence is able to raise the eyebrows and to wink, to come and go, and to move and act. It pervades the body, so that when [something] touches the head, the head knows it, and when something touches the foot, the foot knows it. Therefore it is called ‘the true all-pervading intelligence.’ Apart from this there is no buddha at all. This body must appear and disappear, but the mental essence has never appeared or disappeared since the limitless past. The appearance and disappearance of the body is like a dragon changing its bones, a snake shedding its skin, or a person moving out of an old house. This body is inconstant; the essence is constant. What 29a they teach in the south is, for the most part, like this.”

The master says, “If it is so, they are no different from the non-Buddhist Senika. He said, ‘In our body there is a single spiritual essence. This essence can recognize pain and irritation. When the body decays the spirit departs; just as when a house is burning the master of the house departs. The house is inconstant; the master of the house is constant.’ When I examine people like this, they do not know the false from the true. How can they decide what is right? When I was on my travels, I often saw this kind. Recently they are very popular. They gather assemblies of three or five hundred people and, eyes gazing toward the heavens, they say ‘This is the fundamental teaching of the south.’5 They take the Platform Sutra6 and change it, mixing in folk stories, and erasing its sacred meaning. They delude and disturb recent students. How could [theirs] be called the oral teaching?7 How painful it is, that our religion is being lost. If seeing, hearing, awareness, and recognition could be equated with the buddha-nature, Vimalakīrti8 would not have said, ‘The 67

Dharma is transcendent over seeing, hearing, awareness, and recognition. When we use seeing, hearing, awareness, and recognition, it is only seeing, hearing, awareness, and recognition; it is not pursuit of the Dharma.’”

[131] National Master Daishō is an excellent disciple of the eternal buddha of Sōkei.9 He is a great good counselor in heaven above and in the human world. We should clarify the fundamental teaching set forth by the National Master, and regard it as a criterion10 for learning in practice. Do not follow what you know to be the viewpoint of the non-Buddhist Senika. Among those of recent generations who subsist as masters of mountains in the great kingdom of Song, there may be no one like the National Master. From the ancient past, no counselors to equal the National Master have ever manifested themselves in the world. Nevertheless, people of the world mistakenly think that even Rinzai11 and Tokusan12 might equal the National Master. Only people [who think] like this are great in number. It is a pity that there are no teachers with clear eyes. This “mind here and now is buddha” that the Buddhist patriarchs maintain and rely upon is not seen by non-Buddhists and [people of] the two vehicles, even in their dreams. Buddhist patriarchs alone, together with Buddhist patriarchs,13 possess hearing, action, and experience that have enacted and that have perfectly realized “mind here and now is buddha.” Buddhas14 have continued to pick up and to throw away

hundreds of weeds, but they have never represented themselves as a sixteen foot golden body.15 “The immediate”16 universe17 exists; it is not awaiting realization,18 and it is not avoiding destruction. “This concrete”19 triple world20 exists; it is neither receding nor appearing, and it is not just mind.21 “Mind”22 exists as fences and walls; it never gets muddy or wet, and it is never artificially constructed. We realize in practice that “mind here and now is buddha,”23 we realize in practice that “the mind which is buddha is this,”24 we realize in practice that “buddha actually is just the mind,”25 we realize in practice that “mind-and-buddha here and now is right,”26 and we realize in practice that “this buddha-mind is here and now.”27

[134] Realization in practice like this is just “mind here and now is buddha” picking itself up and authentically transmitting itself to “mind here and now is buddha.” Authentically transmitted like this, it has arrived at the present day. “The mind that has been authentically transmitted” means one mind as all dharmas, and all dharmas as one mind. For this reason, a man

Chapter Six

of old28 said, “When a person becomes conscious of the mind, there is not an inch of soil on the earth.” Remember, when we become conscious of the mind, the whole of heaven falls down and the whole ground is torn apart. Or in other words, when we become conscious of the mind, the earth grows three inches thicker. An ancient patriarch said,29 “What is fine, pure, and bright mind? It is mountains, rivers, and the earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars.” Clearly, “mind” is mountains, rivers, and the earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars. But what these words say is, when we are moving forward, not enough, and when we are drawing back, too much. Mind as mountains, rivers, and the earth is nothing other than mountains, rivers, and the earth. There are no additional waves or surf, no wind or smoke. Mind as the sun, the moon, and the stars is nothing other than the sun, the moon, and the stars. There is no additional fog or mist. Mind as living-and-dying, coming and-going, is nothing other than living-and-dying, coming-and-going. There is no additional delusion or realization. Mind as fences, walls, tiles, and pebbles is nothing other than fences, walls, tiles, and pebbles. There is no additional mud or water. Mind as the four elements and five aggregates is nothing other than the four elements and five aggregates. There is no additional horse or monkey.30 Mind as a chair or a whisk31 is nothing other than a chair or a whisk. There is no additional bamboo or wood. Because the state is like 29c this, “mind here and now is buddha” is untainted “mind here and now is buddha.” All buddhas are untainted buddhas. This being so, “mind here and now is buddha” is the buddhas [themselves] who establish the will, undergo training, [realize] bodhi, and [experience] nirvana. If we have never established the will, undergone training, [realized] bodhi, and [experienced] nirvana, then [the state] is not “mind here and now is buddha.” If we establish the mind and do practice-and-experience even in a single kṣaṇa,32 this is “mind here and now is buddha.” If we establish the will and do practice-and-experience in a single molecule, this is “mind here and now is buddha.” If we establish the will and do practice-and-experience in countless kalpas, this is “mind here and now is buddha.” If we establish the will and do practice-and experience in one instant of consciousness, this is “mind here and now is buddha.” If we establish the will and do practice-and-experience inside half a fist, this is mind here and now is buddha. To say, on the contrary, that undergoing training to become buddha for long kalpas is not “mind here and now

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is buddha” is never to have seen, never to have known, and never to have learned “mind here and now is buddha.” It is never to have met a true teacher who proclaims “mind here and now is buddha.” The term “buddhas” means Śākyamuni Buddha. Śākyamuni Buddha is just “mind here and now is buddha.” When all the buddhas of the past, present, and future become buddha, they inevitably become Śākyamuni Buddha, that is, “mind here and now is buddha.”

                                    Shōbōgenzō Soku-shin-ze-butsu

                                    Preached to the assembly at Kannondōri kōshō-                                     hōrinji in the Uji district of Yōshū,33 on the                                     twenty-fifth day of the fifth lunar month in the                                     first year of Enō.34

Notes

1     Shōkai. See Chapter One, Bendōwa.

2     immaterial. See Chapter Forty-seven (Vol. III), Sangai, “three worlds” or “triple world,” are the worlds of volition, matter, and theSangai-yuishin.

3     ghosts, the state of animals, the state of angry demons, the state of human beings,and the state of gods. Rokudō, the six [miserable] states, are the state of beings in hell, the state of hungry

4     Master Nan’yō Echū (675?–775), successor of Master Daikan Enō. “National Master

Nan’yō Echū simply as the National Master.Daishō” was his title as a teacher of the emperor. Master Dōgen often refers to Master

5     strong in the north. However, the Buddhism of southern China was thought to be Master Nan’yō Echū lived in the north of China which was the center of Chinese civilization at the time of the Tang dynasty (619–858), so Buddhist philosophy was very practical. The government moved south in the Song dynasty (960–1279) inresponse to invasion from the north. ⁶ure The ) is a collection of the teachings of Master Daikan Enō, the Sixth Patriarch in Rokusodaishihōbōdangyō (Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch’s Dharma Treas-

China and the master of Master Nan’yō Echū.

7     ^{not recorded in writing until the first century} Gonkyō, on palm leaves in the monasteries of Sri Lanka. “oral teaching,” suggests the original teaching of the Buddha, which was _{B.C.E., when the Pāli canon was written}

8     between Vimalakīrti and the Buddha are recorded in the Jōmyō, lit., “Pure Name,” is a Chinese rendering of Vimalakīrti, a layman of theBuddha’s time who was excellent in Buddhist philosophy. Many questions and answersVimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra). Vimalakīrti Sutra (Skt.

9     Master Daikan Enō.

10    ^{times heat a turtle shell and divine an appropriate course of action by looking at the}“Criterion” is kikan, lit., “turtle mirror.” In ancient China, fortune-tellers would somecrack. Thus, a turtle shell was used like a mirror, as a criterion for making decisions.

11    Kiun. See Chapter Forty-nine (Vol. III), Master Rinzai Gigen (d. 867), founder of the Rinzai sect, successor of Master Ōbaku_Butsudō.

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12    Master Tokusan Senkan (780–865), successor of Master Ryūtan Sōshin. See Chapter_{Eighteen, Shin-fukatoku.}

13    Yui-busso-yo-bussowith buddhas.” The perfectly realize that all is a variation of Lotus Sutradharmas are real form.” See LS 1.68.says, “Buddhas alone, together with buddhas, canyui-butsu-yo-butsu, “buddhas alone, together

14    Butsusoku, “here and now”; means “buddha.” The following four sentences begin with ze, “is”; and shin, “mind,” respectively. butsu, “buddha”;

15    The sixteen-foot golden body is the idealized image of the Buddha.

¹⁶ Soku ^{function as a copula, i.e., a linking verb, to express the oneness of two factors (A} can function as an adjective (“here and now,” “immediate,” “actual”); it can ^soku

B = “A, that is, B”); it can function as an adverb (“here and now,” “just,” “immediately,”“directly,” “actually”); and it can also function as a conjunction expressing temporalcontingency (A soku B = “A, immediately followed by B”).

17 used as an adjective.Soku-kōan, “the immediate universe” or “the here-and-now universe.” Here soku is 18 kōanGenjō. Genjō . and kōan are often associated, as in the title of Chapter Three, Genjō-

19 rect”); it can function as a copula in the same way as Ze can function as an adjective (“this,” “concrete,” “this concrete”; or “right,” “cor-soku (“is,” “are,” “is just the as a pronoun (“this”).same as”); it can function as an adverb (“here and now,” “actually”); and it can function 20 adjective. Zesangai, “this triple world” or “this concrete triple world.” Here ze is used as an 21 seven (Vol. III), Yuishin. Sangai yuishin,Sangai-yuishin.“the triple world is just mind,” is the title of Chapter Forty-

22    Shin means mind.

23    an adjective and notes.Soku-shin ze butsu,ze as in the title of this chapter. In this case, (is) is a copula. The four expressions following this expressionsoku-shin-ze-butsu.soku (here and now) isSee following represent further combinations of the four characters

24    Shin-soku-butsu ze. In this case, soku (which is) is a copula and ze (this) is a pronoun. 25 Butsu soku ze shin. In this case, soku (actually) is an adverb and ze (is just) is a copula.

26    Soku-shin-butsu ze. In this case, soku (here and now) and ze (right) are both adjectives.

27    tives.Ze-butsu-shin soku. In this case also, ze (this) and soku (here and now) are both adjec-

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28    in which an inch of soil cannot be separated from the whole earth. Master Chōrei Shutaku. His words mean that to know the mind is just to know reality,

29    shōbōgenzō,Master Isan Reiyū asked the question to his disciple Master Kyōzan Ejaku. See pt. 2, no. 68.  Shinji-

30    The horse represents the restless will and the monkey represents the mischievousintellect. Horse and monkey allude to the phrase i-ba shen-en, or “horse-will, monkey-mind.”

31    held by a master during a Buddhist lecture.Hossu is a ceremonial fly whisk—a wooden stick with a long plume of animal hair— 32 in the clicking of the fingers. Setsuna represents the Sanskrit kṣāṇa, “moment.” Sixty-five kṣāṇas are said to pass

33 Corresponds to present-day Kyoto prefecture. 34

[Chapter Seven] Washing

                                                          Senjō                                            

Translator’s Note: Sen means “to wash,” and jō means “to purify.” So senjō means “washing.” Buddhism is neither idealism nor materialism but belief in reality, which has both a spiritual side and a material side. So Buddhism insists that to clean our physical body is to purify our mind. Therefore, in Buddhism, cutting our fingernails, shaving our head, and washing our body are all very important religious practices. In this chapter Master Dōgen expounds the religious meaning of such daily behavior, and preaches the importance in Buddhism of cleansing our physical body.

[139] There is practice-and-experience that Buddhist patriarchs have guided and maintained; it is called “not being tainted.”

[140] The Sixth Patriarch1 asks Zen Master Daie2 of Kannon-in Temple

on Nangakuzan, “Do you rely on practice and experience or not?”

Daie says, “It is not that there is no practice and experience, but the state

can never be tainted.”

The Sixth Patriarch says, “Just this untainted state is that which buddhas guard and desire. You are also like this. I am also like this. And the ancestral masters of India3 were also like this. . . .”4

[140]         The Sutra of Three Thousand Dignified Forms for Or dained Monks5 says, “Purifying the body means washing the anus and the urethra,6 and cutting the nails of the ten fingers.” So even though the body and mind is not tainted, there are Dharma practices of purifying the body and there are Dharma practices of purifying the mind. Not only do we clean body and mind; we also clean the nation and clean beneath trees.7 To clean the nation, even though it has never become dirty, is “that which buddhas guard and desire”; and even when they have arrived at the Buddhist fruit, they still do not draw back or cease. It is hard to fathom this point. To enact the Dharma is the point. To attain the state of truth is to enact the Dharma.

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[141]         The “Pure Conduct” chapter of the Garland Sutra8 says, “When we relieve ourselves, we should pray that living beings will get rid of impurity and will be free of greed, anger, and delusion. Then, having arrived at the water, we should pray that living beings will progress toward the supreme state of truth and attain the Dharma that transcends the secular world. While we are washing away impurity with the water, we should pray that living beings will have pure endurance, and will ultimately be free of dirt.”

[142]         Water is not always originally pure or originally impure. The bodyis not always originally pure or originally impure. All dharmas are also like this. Water is never sentient or nonsentient, the body is never sentient or nonsentient, and all dharmas are also like this. The preaching of the Buddha,

30b the World-honored One, is like this. At the same time, [to wash] is not to use water to clean the body; [rather,] when we are maintaining and relying upon the Buddha-Dharma in accordance with the Buddha-Dharma, we have this form of behavior, and we call it “washing.” It is to receive the authentic transmission of a body and mind of the Buddhist Patriarch immediately; it is to see and to hear a phrase of the Buddhist Patriarch intimately; and it is to abide in and to retain a state of brightness of the Buddhist Patriarch clearly. In sum, it is to realize countless and limitless virtues. At just the moment when we dignify body and mind with training, eternal original practice is completely and roundly realized. Thus the body and mind of training manifests itself in the original state.

[144]     We should cut the nails of [all] ten fingers. Of [“all] ten fingers”means the fingernails of both left and right hands. We should also cut the toenails. A sutra says, “If the nails grow to the length of a grain of wheat, we acquire demerit.” So we should not let the nails grow long. Long nails are naturally a precursor of non-Buddhism. We should make a point of cutting the nails. Nevertheless, among the priests of the great kingdom of Song today, many who are not equipped with eyes of learning in practice grow their nails long. Some have [nails] one or two inches long, and even three or four inches long. This goes against the Dharma. It is not the body and mind of the Buddha Dharma. People are like this because they are without reverence for the old traditions9 of Buddhists; venerable patriarchs who possess the state of truth are never like this. There are others who grow their hair long. This also goes against the Dharma. Do not mistakenly suppose that because these are the habits of priests in a great nation, they might be right Dharma.

[145]     My late master, the eternal buddha, spoke stern words of warning to priests throughout the country who had long hair or long nails. He said, “Those who do not understand [the importance of] shaving the head10 are 30c not secular people and are not monks; they are just animals. Since ancient times, was there any Buddhist patriarch who did not shave the head? Those today who do not understand [the importance of] shaving the head are truly animals.” When he preached to the assembly like this, many people who had not shaved their heads for years shaved their heads. In formal preaching in the Dharma hall or in his informal preaching, [the master] would click his fingers loudly as he scolded them.11 “Not knowing what the truth is, they randomly grow long hair and long nails; it is pitiful that they devote a body and mind in the south [continent] of Jambudvīpa12 to wrong ways. For the last two or three hundred years, because the truth of the Founding Patriarch has died out, there have been many people like these. People like these become the leaders of temples and, signing their names with the title of ‘master,’ they create the appearance of acting for the sake of the many, [but] they are without benefit to human beings and gods. Nowadays, on all the mountains throughout the country, there is no one at all who has the will to the truth. The ones who attained the truth are long extinct. Only groups of the corrupt and the degenerate [remain].” When he spoke like this in his informal preaching, people from many districts who had arbitrarily assumed the title of “veteran master” bore no grudge against him and had nothing to say for themselves. Remember, growing the hair long is something that Buddhist patriarchs remonstrate against, and growing the nails long is something that non-Buddhists do. As the children and grandchildren of Buddhist patriarchs, we should not be fond of such violations of the Dharma. We should clean the body and mind, and we should cut the nails and shave the head.

[147] “Wash the anus and the urethra”: Do not neglect this. There was an episode in which, through this practice, Śāriputra13 caused a non-Buddhist to submit himself. This was neither the original expectation of the no Buddhist nor the premeditated hope of Śāriputra, but when the dignified behavior of the Buddhist patriarchs is realized, false teaching naturally succumbs. When [monks] practice beneath a tree or on open ground,14 they have no constructed toilets; they rely on conveniently located river valleys, streams, and so on, and they clean themselves with pieces of soil. This is

[when] there is no ash. They just use two lots of seven balls of soil. The

method of using the two lots of seven balls of soil is as follows: First they take off the Dharma robe and fold it, then they pick up some soil—not black but yellowish soil—and divide it into balls, each about the size of a large soy bean. They arrange these into rows of seven balls, on a stone or some other convenient place, making two rows of seven balls each. After that they prepare a stone to be used as a rub stone. And after that they defecate. After defecating they use a stick, or sometimes they use paper. Then they go to the waterside to clean themselves, first carrying three balls of soil to clean with. They take each individual ball of soil in the palm of the hand and add just a little water so that, when mixed with the water, [the soil] dissolves to a consistency thinner than mud—about the consistency of thin rice gruel. They wash the urethra first. Next, they use one ball of soil, in the same way as before, to wash the anus. And next, they use one ball of soil, in the same way as before, briefly to wash the impure hand.15

[149] Ever since [monks] started living in temples, they have built toilet buildings. These are called tōsu (east office), or sometimes sei (toilet), and sometimes shi (side building).16 They are buildings that should be present wherever monks are living. The rule in going to the toilet is always to take the long towel.17 The method is to fold the towel in two, and then place it over the left elbow so that it hangs down from above the sleeve of your jacket. Having arrived at the toilet, hang the towel over the clothes pole.18 The way to hang it is as it has been hanging from your arm. If you have come wearing a kaṣāya of nine stripes, seven stripes, and so on, hang [the kaṣāya] alongside the towel. Arrange [the kaṣāya] evenly so that it will not fall down. Do not throw it over [the pole] hastily. Be careful to remember the mark [on the pole]. “Remembering the mark” refers to the characters written along the clothes pole; these are written inside moon-shaped circles on sheets of white paper, which are then attached in a line along the pole. So remembering the mark means not forgetting by which character you have put your own gown,19 and not getting [the places] mixed up. When many monks are present do not confuse your own place on the pole with that of others. During this time, when [other] monks have arrived and are standing in lines, bow to them with the hands folded.20 In bowing, it is not necessary to face each other directly and bend the body; it is just a token bow of salutation with the folded hands placed in front of the chest. At the toilet, even if you are not wearing a gown, still bow to and salute [other] monks. If neither hand has become impure, and neither hand is holding anything, fold both hands and bow. If one hand is already soiled, or when one hand is holding something, make the bow with the other hand. To make the bow with one hand, turn the hand palm upward, curl the fingertips slightly as if preparing to scoop up water, and bow as if just lowering the head slightly. If someone else [bows] like this, you should do likewise. And if you [bow] like this, others should do likewise. When you take off the jacket21 and the gown, hang them next to the towel. The way to hang them is as follows: Remove the gown and bring the sleeves together at the back, then bring together the armpits and lift them up so that the sleeves are one over the other. Then, take the inside of the back of the collar of the gown with the left hand, pull up the shoulders with the right hand, and fold the sleeves and the left and right lapels over each other. Having folded the sleeves and lapels over each other, make another fold, down the middle from 31c top to bottom, and then throw the collar of the gown over the top of the pole. The hem of the gown and the ends of the sleeves will be hanging on the near side of the pole. For example, the gown will be hanging from the pole by the join at the waist. Next, cross over the ends of the towel which are hanging down on the near and far sides of the pole, and pull them across to the other side of the gown. [There,] on the side of the gown where the towel is not hanging, cross over [the ends] again and make a knot. Go round two or three times, crossing over [the ends] and making a knot, to ensure that the gown does not fall from the pole to the ground. Facing the gown, join the palms of your hands.22 Next, take the cord and use it to tuck in the sleeves.23 Next, go to the washstand and fill a bucket with water and then, holding [the bucket] in the right hand, walk up to the toilet. The way to put water into the bucket is not to fill it completely, but to make ninety percent the standard. In front of the toilet entrance, change slippers. Changing slippers means taking off your own slippers in front of the toilet entrance and putting on the straw [toilet] slippers.24

[153]          The Zenenshingi25 says, “When we want to go to the toilet, we should go there ahead of time. Do not get into a state of anxiety and haste by arriving just in time. At this time, fold the kaṣāya, and place it on the desk in your quarters, or over the clothes pole.”

[154]          Having entered the toilet, close the door with the left hand. Next, pour just a little water from the bucket into the bowl of the toilet. Then put the bucket in its place directly in front of the hole. Then, while standing facing the toilet bowl, click the fingers three times. When clicking the fingers, make a fist with the left hand and hold it against the left hip. Then put the hem of your skirt and the edges of your clothes in order, face the entrance, position the feet either side of the rim of the toilet bowl, squat down, and defecate. Do not get either side of the bowl dirty, and do not soil the front or back of the bowl. During this time, keep quiet. Do not chat or joke with the person on the other side of the wall, and do not sing songs or recite verses in a loud voice. Do not make a mess by weeping and dribbling, and do not be angry or hasty. Do not write characters on the walls, and do not draw lines in the earth with the shit-stick. The stick is to be used after you have relieved yourself. Another way is to use paper; old paper should not be used, and paper with characters written on it should not be used. Distinguish between clean sticks and dirty sticks. The sticks are eight sun26 long, of triangular section, and the thickness of a thumb. Some are lacquered and some are not lacquered. Dirty [sticks] are thrown into the stick box. Clean [sticks] originally belong in the stick rack. The stick rack is placed near the board [that screens] the front of the toilet bowl. After using the stick or using paper, the method of washing is as follows: Holding the bucket in the right hand, dip the left hand well [into the water] and then, making the left hand into a dipper, scoop up the water; first rinsing the urethra three times and then washing the anus. Make yourself pure and clean by washing according to the method. During this time, do not tip the bucket so suddenly that water spills out of the hand or splashes down, causing the water to be used up quickly. After you have finished washing put the bucket in its place, and then, taking [another] stick, wipe yourself dry. Or you can use paper. Both places, the urethra and the anus, should be thoroughly wiped dry. Next, with the right hand, rearrange the hem of your skirt and the corners of your clothes, and holding the bucket in the right hand, leave the toilet, taking off the straw [toilet] slippers and putting on your own slippers as you pass through the entrance. Next, returning 32b to the washstand, put the bucket back in its original place. Then wash the hands. Taking the spoon for ash in the right hand, first scoop [some ash] onto a tile or a stone, sprinkle a few drops of water onto it with the right hand, and cleanse the soiled hand. Scrub the [fingers] on the tile or the stone, as if sharpening a rusty sword on a whetstone. Wash like this, using ash, three times. Then wash another three times, putting soil [on the stone] and sprinkling it with water. Next, take a honey locust27 in the right hand, dip it in a small tub of water, and scrub it between the hands. Wash [the hands] thoroughly, going up to the forearms as well. Wash with care and effort, dwelling in the mind of sincerity. Three lots of ash, three lots of soil, and one honey locust, makes seven rounds altogether; that is the standard. Next, wash [the hands] in the large tub. This time skin cleansers,28 soil, ash, and so on, are not used. Just wash with water, either cold or hot. After washing once, pour the [used] water into a small bucket, then pour some fresh water [into the tub], and wash the hands again.

[157]  The Garland Sutra says, “When we wash the hands with water, we should pray that living beings will get excellent and fine hands, with which to receive and to retain the Buddha-Dharma.”29

[158]  To pick up the water ladle, always use your right hand. While doing this, do not noisily clatter the ladle and bucket. Do not splash water about, scatter honey locusts around, get the washstand area wet, or be generally hasty and messy. Next, wipe the hands on the common towel, or wipe them on your own towel. After wiping the hands, go under the clothes pole, in 32c front of your gown, and take off the cord and hang it on the pole. Next, after joining hands, untie the towel, take down the gown, and put it on. Then, with the towel hanging over the left arm, apply fragrance. In the common area there is a fragrance applicator. It is fragrant wood fashioned into the shape of a treasure pot,30 as thick as a thumb and as long as the width of four fingers. It is hung from the clothes pole with a piece of string a foot or more long, which is threaded through a hole bored in each end of the fragrant [wood]. When this is rubbed between the palms, it naturally spreads its scent to the hands. When you hang your cord on the pole, do not hang it on top of another so that cord and cord become confused and entangled. Actions like these all “purify the Buddha’s land, and adorn the Buddha’s kingdom,” so do them carefully, and do not be hasty. Do not be in a hurry to finish, thinking that you would like to get back. Privately, you might like to consider the principle that “we do not explain the Buddha-Dharma while in the toilet.”31 Do not keep looking into the faces of other monks who have come there. Cold water is considered better for washing when in the toilet itself; it is said that hot water gives rise to intestinal diseases. [But] there is no restriction against using warm water to wash the hands. The reason that a cauldron is provided is so that we can boil water for washing the hands. The Shingi says, “Late in the evening, boil water and supply oil.32 Always ensure [a] continuous [supply of] hot and cold water, so that the minds of the monks are not disturbed.” So we see that we [can] use both hot and cold water. If the inside of the toilet has become dirty, close the door, and hang up the “dirty” sign.

If a bucket has been dropped [into the toilet bowl] by mistake, close the door,

33a and hang up the “fallen bucket” sign. Do not enter33 a closet on which one of these signs is hung. If, when you are already in the toilet, [you hear] someone outside clicking the fingers, you should leave presently. The Shingi says, “Without washing, we must neither sit on the monks’ platform, nor bow to the Three Treasures. Neither must we receive people’s prostrations.” The Sutra of Three Thousand Dignified Forms says, “If we fail to wash the anus and the urethra, we commit a duṣkṛta,34 and we must not sit on a monk’s pure sitting cloth35 or bow to the Three Treasures. Even if we do bow, there is no happiness or virtue.”

[162]     Thus, at a place of the truth where we strive in pursuit of the truth,36 we should consider this behavior to be foremost. How could we not bow to the Three Treasures? How could we not receive people’s prostrations? And how could we not bow to others? In the place of truth of a Buddhist patriarch, this dignified behavior is always done, and people in the place of truth of a Buddhist patriarch are always equipped with this dignified behavior. It is not our own intentional effort; it is the natural expression of dignified behavior itself. It is the usual behavior of the buddhas and the everyday life of the patriarchs. It is [buddha-behavior] not only of buddhas in this world: it is buddha-behavior throughout the ten directions; it is buddha-behavior in the Pure Land and in impure lands. People of scant knowledge do not think that buddhas have dignified behavior in the toilet, and they do not think that the dignified behavior of buddhas in the sahā world37 is like that of buddhas in the Pure Land. This is not learning of the Buddha’s truth. Remember, purity and impurity is [exemplified by] blood dripping from a human being. At one time it is warm, at another time it is disgusting. The buddhas have toilets, and this we should remember.

[163]     Fascicle Fourteen of the Precepts in Ten Parts38 says, “Śrāmaṇera Rāhula39 spent the night in the Buddha’s toilet. When the Buddha woke up, the Buddha patted Rāhula on the head with his right hand, and preached the following verse:

You were never stricken by poverty,

Nor have you lost wealth and nobility.40

Only in order to pursue the truth, you have left home.

You will be able to endure the hardship.”

[164]     Thus, there are toilet buildings in the Buddha’s places of practicing the truth. And the dignified behavior done in the Buddha’s toilet building is washing. That the Buddha’s behavior, having been transmitted from patriarch 33b to patriarch, still survives is a delight to those who venerate the ancients. We have been able to meet what is difficult to meet. Furthermore, the Tathāgata graciously preached the Dharma for Rāhula inside the toilet building. The toilet building was one [place of] assembly for the Buddha’s turning of the Dharma wheel. The advancing and stillness41 of that place of truth has been authentically transmitted by the Buddhist patriarchs.

[165]     Fascicle Thirty-four of the Mahāsaṃghika Precepts42 says, “The toilet building should not be located to the east or to the north. It should be located to the south or to the west. The same applies to the urinal.”

[166]     We should follow this [designation of] the favorable directions. This was the layout of all the monasteries43 in India in the Western Heavens, and the [method of] construction in the Tathāgata’s lifetime. Remember, this is not only the buddha-form followed by one buddha; it describes the places of truth, the monasteries, of the Seven Buddhas. It was never initiated; it is the dignified form of the buddhas. Before we have clarified these [dignified forms], if we hope to establish a temple and to practice the Buddha-Dharma, we will make many mistakes, we will not be equipped with the Buddha’s dignified forms, and the Buddha’s state of bodhi will not yet manifest itself before us. If we hope to build a place of practicing the truth, or to establish a temple, we should follow the Dharma-form that the Buddhist patriarchs have authentically transmitted. We should just follow the Dharma-form that has been authentically transmitted as the right tradition. Because it is the traditional authentic transmission, its virtue has accumulated again and again. Those who are not legitimate successors to the authentic transmission of the Buddhist patriarchs do not know the body and mind of the Buddha-Dharma. Without knowing the body and mind of the Buddha-Dharma, they never clarify the buddha-actions of the Buddha’s lineage. That the Buddha-Dharma of Great Master Śākyamuni Buddha has now spread widely through the ten directions is the realization of the Buddha’s body and mind. The realization of the Buddha’s body and mind, just in the moment, is like this.

                                    Shōbōgenzō Senjō

                                    Preached to the assembly at Kannondōrikōshō-                                     hōrinji in the Uji district of Yōshū,44 on the   twenty-third day of the tenth lunar month in the  winter of the first year of Enō.45

Notes

1     Master Daikan Enō (638–713), successor of Master Daiman Kōnin.

2     was his posthumous title. Master Nangaku Ejō (677–744), successor of Master Daikan Enō. Zen Master Daie

3     Saiten, “Western Heavens,” means India.

4     Shinji-shōbōgenzō,Chapter Sixty-two (Vol. III), pt. 2, no. 1. See also Chapter Twenty-nine (Vol. II), Hensan.   Inmo, and

5     The Daibikusanzenyuigikyō.

6     the urethra. Although it is not common practice nowadays to wash around the urethraDaishōben. the words suggest the parts of the body where feces and urine emerge: the anus and after urinating, it seems that Master Dōgen recommended us to do so. In modern Japanese daishōben means “feces and urine,” but in this chapter

7     truth while sitting under a It is a Buddhist tradition to sit under a tree. The Buddha is said to have realized the bodhi tree.

8     and the whole universe is myriad things and phenomena. The The sutra compares the whole universe to the realization of Vairocana Buddha. Its basic teaching is that myriad things and phenomena are the oneness of the universe, Garland Sutra is the Kegonkyō in Japanese, and the Avataṃsaka-sūtra in Sanskrit.

9     lation of the ancients.” In modern Japanese “Reverence for the old traditions” is keiko,keikolit., “consideration of the past,” or “emu-is the term generally used for training by sumo wrestlers, martial artists, etc.

10    the head,” and hair.” In Master Dōgen’s commentary, the expressions used areIn Master Tendō Nyojō’s quotation, “shaving the head” is jōhatsu, teitō,lit., “purifying thelit., “shaving teihatsu, lit., “shaving the hair.”

11    totally clear where Master Dōgen’s own words end and the second quotation begins. The first quotation in this paragraph is clearly defined in the original text. But it is not

12    Indian cosmology, human beings live. Jambudvīpa is the continent south of Mount Sumeru on which, according to ancient

13    to Buddhism on witnessing Śāri Putra’s method of defecating. ^{Of the} Śāriputra was one of the Buddha’s ten great disciples. There is a story in chapter 35Makasōgiritsu (Mahāsaṃghika Precepts) that a non-Buddhist was converted

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14    and the monks of his time. However, the tense of the Japanese is the present. Juge-roji, “beneath trees and on open ground,” suggests the practice of the Buddha

15    It is not clear what was done with the remaining eleven balls of soil.

16    In certain ages, however, the main toilet building was located to the west. See Appendix A standard temple in China and Japan faces south. As you approach the temple from Five, Temple Layout.⁽the south, the Buddha hall is directly in front of you, and the zazen hall is to the left west). A toilet building located to the east would be on the far right (furthest east).

17    meters) in length, which is used as a towel, and also as a sash to keep up the sleeves. It is one of the eighteen articles a monk is supposed to have. The method of using the Shukin.shukin The is explained in detail in Chapter Fifty-six (Vol. III), shukin is a piece of cloth, measuring one jo plus two Senmen.shaku (total: 3.64

18    Jōkan,height.lit., “pure pole,” is a bamboo or wooden pole set up horizontally at about head

19    The standard form of the it was customary for the jacket and skirt to be sewn together, hence the name sanworn the following clothes: a white loincloth, white underclothes, a black jacket (or “directly sewn.” The worn by priests in Japan today. A monk of Master Dōgen’s time would usually haveblack cotton jacket, or Jikitotsu,) and black skirt lit., “directly sewn.” Traditionally a monk in China wore a kind of long(kunzuhensan,jiki totsukaṣāya,), and/or a black gown and a black skirt, or is the long black gown with wide sleeves commonlyor Buddhist robe, is universal (see Chapter Twelve, Den-e), but the other clothes worn by monks(jikitotsukunzu. By Master Dōgen’s time,), and finally the jikitotsu,kaṣāya.hen-

Kesa-kudoku; have changed according to the climates and customs of different countries and different ages.  and Chapter Thirteen,

20    Shashu.in front of the chest with the palm of the hand facing downward. The open right hand The left hand is curled into a fist, the fingers covering the thumb, and placed rests, palm down, on the top of the left hand.

21    Hensan. See note 19.

22    Gasshō. In gasshō the palms are brought together in front of the chest, with the tips of the fingers in line with the nostrils.

23    Literally, “take the banzu and wear it on both arms.” Banzu, lit., “binding thing,” is a can be tucked in, leaving the arms bare. Long cord tied round the shoulders and armpits (of the undergarment) so that the sleeves 24 Ho-ai, used for weaving. Lit., “cattail slippers.” Ho, “cattail,” is a marsh plant with long flat leaves, often

²⁵       The by Master Chōro Sōsaku in 1103. It was based on Master Hyakujō’s Pure Criteria for Zen Monasteries.).  The editing of the Zenenshingi was completedKoshingi (Old

Pure Criteria

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²⁶       One sun is approximately equal to 1.2 inches.

²⁷       Honey locusts are produced by a tall leguminous tree of the same name (japonica). They are long twisted pods containing a sweet edible pulp and seeds that Gleditsia resemble beans.

²⁸       Menyaku, lit., “face medicines.”

²⁹       bhadra in sixty fascicles between 418 and 420. A second translation was done by This quotation is from the old translation of the Garland Sutra done by Buddha from 759 to 762.Śikṣānanda in eighty fascicles between 695 and 699. This is known as the new trans-lation, but there was also a third partial translation done by Prajña in forty fascicles

^{30       piece of fragrant wood would have been oval with tapered ends.) In certain Buddhist} This kind of pot has an oval body, a long neck, and a lid, often with jewels. (So the

ceremonies, such pots were used to hold water for sprinkling on practitioners’ heads. 31 has not been traced. The characters are in the style of a quotation from a Chinese text, though the source

32    Oil for lamps.

33    “Enter” is originally “ascend.” The toilets were raised a little above the ground.

34    include, for example, failure to observe the seven methods of stopping a quarrel. ^{according to their relative importance, as} Violations of some of the two hundred and fifty precepts for monks were classed, duṣkṛta. Wrongdoings in this category

35    tractions on, or to sit on. Zagu represents the Sanskrit niṣīdana. The zagu is a cloth or a mat used to do pros-

36    to express zazen itself. “A place of the truth” is ^{Master Dōgen often used the expression} “A place of the truth where we strive in pursuit of the truth” is bendō kufu,dōjō, lit., “truth-place,” which represents “effort in pursuit of the truth,”bendō kufu no dōjō. the Sanskrit bodhimaṇḍa, “seat of truth.” See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. 37 The sahā world means the human world. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.

38    It enumerates the two hundred and fifty precepts of a monk in Hinayana Buddhism, The Jūjuritsu, a sixty-one–fascicle translation of the Vinaya of the Sarvāstivāda school. and was translated into Chinese by Puṇyatara (Hannyatara) and Kumārajīva.

39    which means “monk.” Rāhula was the Buddha’s son from his marriage with Yaśo- The Sanskrit word śrāmaṇera, which means “novice,” is a variation of śramaṇa, of the precepts. he was foremost among the ten great disciples of the Buddha in meticulous observation ^{dharā. It is said that he became a fully ordained monk when he was twenty, and that}

40    Rāhula was born into the nobility. Before becoming a monk, the Buddha was the heir to his father’s throne, so his son

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41    real behavior in daily life. Shinshi, “progressing and stopping,” suggests active and passive behavior, that is, 42 of Hinayana Buddhism. It was translated into Chinese by Buddhabhadra during theThe Makasōgiritsu, a forty-fascicle version of the Vinaya of the Mahā saṃghika school

Eastern Jin dynasty (317–420).

43 Shōja is the translation into Chinese characters of the Sanskrit vihāra. 44 Corresponds to present-day Kyoto prefecture. 45 1239.

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[Chapter Eight]

                                           Raihai-tokuzui                                     

Prostrating to the Marrow of Attainment

Translator’s Note: Raihai means “to prostrate oneself to,” toku means “to get,” or “to attain,” and zui means “marrow.” So raihai-tokuzui means prostrating oneself to attainment of the marrow, in other words, revering what has got the truth. In this chapter Master Dōgen preached to us that the value of a being must be decided according to whether or not it has got the truth. So, he said, even if it is a child, a woman, a devil, or an animal like a wild fox, if it has got the truth, we must revere it wholeheartedly. In this attitude, we can find Master Dōgen’s sincere reverence of the truth, and his view of men, women, and animals.

[169]           In practicing the state of anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi the most difficult thing is to find a guiding teacher. Though beyond appearances such as those of a man or a woman, the guiding teacher should be a big stout fellow,1 and should be someone ineffable.2 He is not a person of the past and present, but may be a good counselor with the spirit of a wild fox.3 These are the features of [someone who] has got the marrow;4 he may be a guide and a benefactor; he is never unclear about cause and effect; he may be you, me, him, or her.5

[170]           Having met with a guiding teacher, we should throw away myriad involvements and, without wasting a moment of time,6 we should strive in pursuit of the truth. We should train with consciousness, we should train without consciousness, and we should train with semiconsciousness. Thus, we should learn walking on tiptoes7 to put out a fire on our head.8 When we behave like this, we are unharmed by abusive demons. The patriarch who cuts off an arm and gets the marrow9 is never another, and the master who gets free of body and mind10 is ourself already. Getting the marrow, and receiving the Dharma, invariably come from sincerity and from belief. There is no example of sincerity coming from outside, and there is no way for sincerity to emerge from within. [Sincerity] just means attaching weight to the

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Dharma and thinking light of [one’s own] body. It is to get free from the secular world and to make one’s home the state of truth. If we attach even slightly more weight to self-regard for the body than to the Dharma, the Dharma is not transmitted to us, and we do not attain the truth. Those resolute spirits who attach [greater] weight to the Dharma are not unique, and they do not depend upon the exhortation of others, but let us take up, for the present, one or two instances. It is said that those who attach weight to the Dharma will make the body into a seat on the floor,11 and will serve for countless kalpas [whatever] is maintaining and relying upon the great Dharma, [whatever] has “got my marrow,”12 whether it is an outdoor pillar, whether it is a stone

lantern, whether it is the buddhas, whether it is a wild dog, a demon or a god, a man or a woman. Bodies and minds are easily received: they are [as common] in the world as rice, flax, bamboo, and reeds. The Dharma is rarely met. Śākyamuni Buddha says, “When you meet teachers who expound the supreme state of bodhi, have no regard for their race or caste,13 do not notice their looks, do not dislike their faults, and do not examine their deeds. Only because you revere their prajñā, let them eat hundreds and thousands of pounds of gold every day, serve them by presenting heavenly food, serve them by scattering heavenly flowers, do prostrations and venerate them three times every day, and never let anxiety or annoyance arise in your mind. When we behave like this, there is always a way to the state of bodhi. Since I established the mind, I have been practicing like this, and so today I have been able to attain anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi.” This being so, we should hope that even trees and stones might preach to us,14 and we should request that even fields and villages might preach to us.15 We should question outdoor pillars, and we should investigate even fences and walls. There is the ancient [example of the] god Indra16 prostrating himself to a wild dog as his master, and asking it about the Dharma; his fame as a great bodhisattva has been transmitted. [Fitness to be asked] does not rest upon the relative nobility of one’s station. Nevertheless, stupid people who do not listen to the Buddha’s Dharma think, “I am a senior bhikṣu. I cannot prostrate myself to a junior who has got the Dharma.” “I have endured long training. I cannot prostrate myself to a recent student who has got the Dharma.” “I sign my name with the title of master. I cannot prostrate myself to someone who does not have the title of master.” “I am an Administrator of Dharma Affairs.17 I cannot prostrate myself to lesser monks who have got the Dharma.” “I am the Chief 34b Administrator of Monks.18 I cannot prostrate myself to laymen and laywomen who have got the Dharma.” “I am [a bodhisattva] of the three clever stages and ten sacred stages. I cannot prostrate myself to bhikṣuṇīs and other [women], even if they have got the Dharma.” “I am of royal pedigree. I cannot prostrate myself to the family of a retainer or to the lineage of a minister, even if they have got the Dharma.” Stupid people like these have heedlessly fled their father’s kingdom and are wandering on the roads of foreign lands;19 therefore, they neither see nor hear the Buddha’s truth.

[176] Long ago, in the Tang dynasty, Great Master Shinsai of Jōshū20 established the mind and set off as a wayfarer.21 In the story he says, “I shall question anyone who is superior to me, even a child of seven. And I shall teach anyone who is inferior to me, even a man of a hundred.” The old man22 is willing to prostrate himself on asking a seven-year-old about the Dharma— this is a rare example of a resolute spirit, and the working of the mind of an eternal buddha. When a bhikṣuṇī who has got the truth and got the Dharma manifests herself in the world,23 bhikṣus24 who seek the Dharma and learn in practice will devote themselves to her order, prostrating themselves and asking about the Dharma—this is an excellent example of learning in practice. For instance, it is like the thirsty finding drink.

[178] The Chinese Zen Master Shikan25 is a venerable patriarch in Rinzai’s lineage. Once upon a time, Rinzai sees the master coming [to visit] and holds onto him. The master says, “It is understood.”26 Rinzai lets go and says, “I will allow you to stop for a while.”27 From this point on, he has already become Rinzai’s disciple. He leaves Rinzai and goes to Massan,28 at which time Massan asks him, “Where have you come from?” The master says, “The entrance of the road.” Massan says, “Why have you come here without anything on?”29 The master has no words. He just prostrates himself, bowing as disciple to teacher. The master asks a question back to Massan: “Just what is Massan?” Massan says, “[Massan] never shows a peak.”30 The master says, “Just who is the person within the mountain?” Massan says, “It is beyond appearances 34c such as those of a man or a woman.” The master says, “Then why do you not change [your form]?” Massan says, “I am not the ghost of a wild fox. What might I change?” The master prostrates himself. Eventually he decides to work as the head of the vegetable garden and works there altogether for three years.

Later, when he has manifested himself in the world,31 he preaches to the assembly, “I got half a dipper at Old Papa Rinzai’s place, and I got half a dipper at Old Mama Massan’s place.32 Making a dipper with both [halves], I have finished drinking, and, having arrived directly at the present, I am completely satisfied.” Hearing these words now, I look back on the traces of those days with veneration for the past. Massan is an excellent disciple33 of Kōan Daigu. She has power in her lifeblood, and so she has become Shikan’s “Ma.” Rinzai is an authentic successor of Ōbaku [Ki]un.34 He has power in his efforts, and so he has become Shikan’s “Pa.” “Pa” means father, and “Ma” means mother.35 Zen Master Shikan’s prostration to and pursuit of the Dharma under the nun Massan Ryōnen are an excellent example of a resolute spirit, and integrity that students of later ages should emulate. We can say that he broke all barriers, large and small.

[180] Nun Myōshin is a disciple of Kyōzan.36 Kyōzan, on one occasion, is choosing the Chief of the Business Office.37 He asks around the retired officers and others on Kyōzan, “Who is the right person?” They discuss it back and forth, and eventually Kyōzan says, “Disciple [Myō]shin from the Wai River, though a woman, has the spirit of a big stout fellow.38 She is certainly qualified to be Chief of the Business Office.” All the monks agree. [So] at length Myōshin is assigned as Chief of the Business Office. The dragons and elephants in Kyōzan’s order do not resent this. Though the position is in fact not so grand, the one selected for it might need to love herself.

While she is posted at the business office, seventeen monks from the Shoku

district39 form a group to visit teachers and seek the truth, and, intending to climb Kyōzan, they lodge at dusk at the business office. In a nighttime talk, while resting, they discuss the story of the Founding Patriarch Sōkei,40 and the wind and the flag.41 The words of each of the seventeen men are totally inadequate. Meanwhile, listening from the other side of the wall, the Chief of the Business Office says, “Those seventeen blind donkeys! How many straw sandals have they worn out in vain? They have never seen the Buddha Dharma even in a dream.” A temple servant present at the time overhears the Chief of the Business Office criticizing the monks and informs the seventeen monks themselves, but none of the seventeen monks resents the criticism of the Chief of the Business Office. Ashamed of their own inability to express the truth, they at once prepare themselves in the dignified form,42

burn incense, do prostrations, and request [her teaching]. The Chief of the Business Office (Myōshin) says, “Come up here!” The seventeen monks approach her, and while they are still walking, the Chief of the Business Office says, “This is not wind moving, this is not a flag moving, and this is not mind moving.” When she teaches them like this, the seventeen monks all experience reflection. They bow to thank her and have the ceremony to become her disciples. Then they go straight back home to western Shoku. In the end, they do not climb Kyōzan. Truly the state [demonstrated] here is beyond [bodhisattvas at] the three clever and ten sacred stages;43 it is action in the truth as transmitted by Buddhist patriarchs from authentic successor to authentic successor. Therefore, even today, when a post as master or assistant master44 is vacated, a bhikṣuṇī who has got the Dharma may be requested [to fill it]. Even if a bhikṣu is senior in years and experience, if he has not got the Dharma, what importance does he have? A leader of monks must always rely upon clear eyes. Yet many [leaders] are drowning in the body and mind of a village bumpkin; they are so dense that they are prone to be derided even in the secular world. How much less do they deserve to be mentioned in the Buddha-Dharma? Moreover, there may be [men] who would refuse to prostrate themselves to women monks who are teachers that have received the Dharma, and who are [the men’s] elder sisters, aunts, and so on.45 Because they do not know and 35b will not learn, they are close to animals, and far from the Buddhist patriarchs. When the sole devotion of body and mind to the Buddha-Dharma is retained deep in [a person’s] consciousness, the Buddha-Dharma always has compassion for the person. Even human beings and gods, in their stupidity, have the sympathy to respond to sincerity, so how could the buddhas, in their rightness, lack the compassion to reciprocate sincerity? The sublime spirit that responds to sincerity exists even in soil, stones, sand, and pebbles. In the temples of the great kingdom of Song today, if a resident bhikṣuṇī is reputed to have got the Dharma, the government issues an imperial edict for her to be appointed master of a nuns’ temple, and she gives formal preaching in the Dharma hall of her present temple. All the monks, from the master down, attend [the formal preaching]. They listen to the Dharma, standing on the ground, and questions are also [put by] the bhikṣus, the male monks. This is a traditional standard. A person who has got the Dharma is one individual true eternal buddha here and now, and as such should not be met as someone

from the past. When that person looks at us, we meet each other in a new and singular state. When we look at that person, the mutual relation may be “today having to enter today.” For example, when arhats, pratyekabuddhas, and [bodhisattvas at]46 the three clever and ten sacred stages come to a bhikṣuṇī who is retaining the transmission of the right Dharma-eye treasury, to prostrate themselves and to ask her about Dharma, she must receive these prostrations. Why should men be higher? Space is space, the four elements are the four elements,47 the five aggregates are the five aggregates,48 and women are also like this. As regards attainment of the truth, both [men and women] attain the truth, and we should just profoundly revere every single person who has attained the Dharma. Do not discuss man and woman. This is one of Buddhism’s finest Dharma standards.

[187]          In Song dynasty [China], the term “householder”49 refers to gentle men who have not left their families.50 Some of them live in houses with

35c their wives, while others are single and pure, but anyway we can say that they are immensely busy in a dense forest of dusty toil.51 Nevertheless, if one of them has clarified something, patch-robed monks52 gather to do prostrations and to ask for the benefit [of his teaching], as to a master who had left home. We also should be like that, even toward a woman, even toward an animal. When [a person] has never seen the truths of the Buddha-Dharma even in a dream, even if he is an old bhikṣu of a hundred years, he cannot arrive at the level of a man or woman who has got the Dharma, so we should not venerate [such a person] but need only bow to him as junior to senior. When [a person] practices the Buddha-Dharma and speaks the Buddha Dharma, even if a girl of seven, she is just the guiding teacher of the four groups53 and the benevolent father of all living beings. We should serve and venerate her as we do the buddha-tathāgatas, and as it was, for example, when the dragon’s daughter became a buddha.54 This is just the time-honored form in Buddhism. Those who do not know about it, and who have not received its one-to-one transmission, are pitiful.

[188]          Another case: Since the ancient past in Japan and China, there have been women emperors. The whole country is the possession of such an empress, and all the people become her subjects. This is not out of reverence for her person but out of reverence for her position. Likewise, a bhikṣuṇī has never been revered for her person but is revered solely for her attainment of the Dharma. Furthermore, the virtues that accompany the four effects all belong to a bhikṣuṇī who has become an arhat.55 Even [these] virtues accompany her; what human being or god could hope to surpass these virtues of the fourth effect? Gods of the triple world are all inferior to her. While being forsaken [by human beings] she is venerated by all the gods. How much less should anyone fail to venerate those who have received the transmission of the Tathāgata’s right Dharma, and who have established the great will of a bodhisattva?56 If we fail to venerate such a person it is our own wrongness. 36a And if we fail to revere our own supreme state of bodhi, we are stupid people who insult the Dharma. Again, there are in our country daughters of emperors, or ministers’ daughters who become queens’ consorts,57 or queens who are titled with the names of temples.58 Some of them have shaved their head, and some of them do not shave their head. In any case, priests who [only] look like bhikṣus, and who crave fame and love gain, never fail to run to the house of such [a woman] and strike their head at her clogs. They are far inferior to serfs following a lord. Moreover, many of them actually become her servants for a period of years. How pitiful they are. Having been born in a minor nation in a remote land, they do not even know a bad custom like this for what it is. There was never [such ignorance] in India and China but only in our country. It is lamentable. Forcedly to shave the head and then to violate the Tathāgata’s right Dharma must be called deep and heavy sin. Solely because they forget that worldly ways are dreams and illusions, flowers in space, they are bonded in slavery to women. It is lamentable. Even for the sake of a trifling secular livelihood, they act like this. Why, for the sake of the supreme bodhi, do they fail to venerate the venerable ones who have got the Dharma? It is because their awe for the Dharma is shallow and their will to pursue the Dharma is not pervasive. When [people] are already coveting a treasure they do not think about refusing it just because it is the treasure of a woman. When we want to get the Dharma, we must surpass such resolve. If it is so, even grass, trees, fences, and walls will bestow the right Dharma, and the heavens and the earth, myriad things and phenomena, will also impart the right Dharma. This is a truth that we must always remember. Before we 36b seek the Dharma with this determination, even if we meet true good counselors, we will not be soaked by the benevolent water of Dharma. We should pay careful attention [to this].

[192] Furthermore, nowadays extremely stupid people look at women without having corrected the prejudice that women are objects of sexual greed. Disciples of the Buddha must not be like this. If whatever may become the object of sexual greed is to be hated, do not all men deserve to be hated too? As regards the causes and conditions of becoming tainted, a man can be the object, a woman can be the object, what is neither man nor woman can be the object, and dreams and fantasies, flowers in space, can also be the object. There have been impure acts done with a reflection on water as an object, and there have been impure acts done with the sun in the sky as an object.59 A god can be the object, and a demon can be the object. It is impossible to count all the possible objects; they say that there are eighty-four thousand objects. Should we discard all of them? Should we not look at them? The precepts60 say, “[Abuse of] the two male organs,61 or the three female organs,62 are both pārājika, and [the offender] may not remain in the community.”63 This being so, if we hate whatever might become the object of sexual greed, all men and women will hate each other, and we will never have any chance to attain salvation. We should examine this truth in detail. There are non-Buddhists who have no wife: even though they have no wife, they have not entered the Buddha-Dharma, and so they are [only] non-Buddhists with wrong views. There are disciples of the Buddha who, as the two classes of laypeople,64 have a husband or a wife: even though they have a husband or a wife, they are disciples of the Buddha, and so there are no other beings equal to them in the human world or in heaven above.

[194] Even in China, there was a stupid monk who made the following

vow: “Through every life, in every age, I shall never look at a woman.” Upon what morality is this vow based? Is it based on secular morality? Is it based on the Buddha-Dharma? Is it based on the morality of non-Buddhists? Or is it based on the morality of heavenly demons?65 What wrong is there in a woman? What virtue is there in a man? Among bad people there are men who are bad people. Among good people there are women who are good people. Wanting to hear the Dharma, and wanting to get liberation, never depend upon whether we are a man or a woman. When they have yet to cut delusion, men and women alike have yet to cut delusion. When they cut delusion and experience the principle, there is nothing at all to choose between a man and a woman. Moreover, if [a man] has vowed never to look at a woman, must he discard women even when vowing to save limitlessly many living beings?66 If he discards them, he is not a bodhisattva. How much less [does he have] the Buddha’s compassion. This [vow] is just a drunken utterance caused by deep intoxication on the wine of the śrāvaka. Neither human beings nor gods should believe this [vow] to be true. Furthermore, if we hate [others] for the wrongs they have committed in the past, we must even hate all bodhisattvas. If we hate like this, we will discard everyone, so how will we be able to realize the Buddha-Dharma? Words like those [of the monk’s vow] are the deranged speech of a stupid man who does not know the Buddha Dharma. We should feel sorry for him. If that monk’s67 vow is true, did Śākyamuni and the bodhisattvas of his time all commit wrongs?68 And was their bodhi-mind less profound than the will of that monk? We should reflect [on this] quietly. We should learn in practice whether the ancestral masters who transmitted the treasury of Dharma, and the bodhisattvas of the Buddha’s lifetime, had things to learn in the Buddha-Dharma without this vow. If the 37a vow of that monk were true, not only would we fail to save women but also, when a woman who had got the Dharma manifested herself in the world and preached the Dharma for human beings and gods, we would be forbidden to come and listen to her, would we not? Anyone who did not come and listen would be not a bodhisattva, but just a non-Buddhist. When we look now at the great kingdom of Song, there are monks who seem to have been in training for a long time, [but] who have only been vainly counting the sands of the ocean69 and rolling like surf over the ocean of life and death.70 There are also those who, although women, have visited [good] counselors, made effort in pursuit of the truth, and thus become the guiding teachers of human beings and gods. There are [women] such as the old woman who wouldn’t sell her rice cakes [to Tokusan] and threw her rice cakes away.71 It was pitiful that although [Tokusan] was a male monk, a bhikṣu, he had been vainly counting the sands of the ocean of philosophy, and had never seen the Buddha-Dharma, even in a dream. In general, we should learn to understand clearly whatever circumstances we meet. If we learn only to fear and to flee [from circumstances], that is the theory and practice of a śrāvaka of the Small Vehicle. When we abandon the east and try to hide away in the west, the west is also not without its circumstances. Even if we think that we have escaped circumstances, unless we understand them clearly, though they may be distant they

are still circumstances, we are still not in the state of liberation, and the distant circumstances will [disturb us] more and more deeply.

[198] Again in Japan, there is one particularly laughable institution. This is either called a “sanctuary,”72 or called a “place for practicing the truth of the Great Vehicle,” where bhikṣuṇīs and other women are not allowed to enter. The wrong custom has long been handed down, and so people cannot recognize it for what it is. People who emulate the ancients do not rectify it, and men of wide knowledge give no thought to it. Calling it the enactment of people of authority, or terming it the legacy of men of tradition, they never

37b discuss it at all. If one laughed, a person’s guts might split. Just who are the so-called people of authority? Are they sages or are they saints? Are they gods or are they devils? Are they [bodhisattvas at] the ten sacred stages or are they [bodhisattvas at] the three clever stages? Are they [bodhisattvas in] the balanced state of truth or are they [bodhisattvas in] the fine state of truth? Moreover, if old [ways] should never be reformed, should we refrain from abandoning incessant wandering through life and death? Still more, Great Master Śākyamuni is just the supreme right and balanced state of truth itself,73 and he clarified everything that needs to be clarified, he practiced everything that needs to be practiced, and he liberated74 all that needs to be liberated. Who today could even approach his level? Yet the Buddha’s order when he was in the world included all four groups: bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās, it included the eight kinds of beings,75 the thirty-seven kinds of beings, and the eighty-four thousand kinds of beings. The formation of the Buddhist order is clearly the Buddhist order itself. So what kind of order has no bhikṣuṇīs, has no women, and has no eight kinds of beings? We should never hope to have so-called sanctuaries which surpass in their purity the Buddhist order of the Tathāgata’s lifetime, because they are the sphere of heavenly demons.76 There are no differences in the Dharma-form of the Buddhist order, not in this world or in other directions, and not among a thousand buddhas of the three times.77 We should know that [an order] with a different code is not a Buddhist order. “The fourth effect”78 is the ultimate rank. Whether in the Mahayana or the Hinayana, the virtues of the ultimate rank are not differentiated. Yet many bhikṣuṇīs have experienced the fourth effect. [So] to what kind of place—whether it is within the triple world or in the buddha lands of the ten directions—can [a bhikṣuṇī] not go? Who could

stand in her path? At the same time, the fine state of truth79 is also the supreme rank. When a woman has [thus] already become buddha, is there anything in all directions that she cannot perfectly realize? Who could aim to bar her from passing? She already has virtue that “widely illuminates the ten directions”; what meaning can a boundary have? Moreover, would goddesses be ^37c barred from passing? Would nymphs be barred from passing? Even goddesses and nymphs are beings that have not yet cut delusion; they are just aimlessly wandering ordinary beings. When they have wrong, they have; when they are without [wrong], they are without. Human women and bestial women, also, when they have wrong, they have; when they are without wrong, they are without. [But] who would stand in the way of gods or in the way of deities? [Bhikṣuṇīs] have attended the Buddha’s order of the three times; they have learned in practice at the place of the Buddha. If [places] differ from the Buddha’s place and from the Buddha’s order, who can believe in them as the Buddha’s Dharma? [Those who exclude women] are just very stupid fools who deceive and delude secular people. They are more stupid than a wild dog worrying that its burrow might be stolen by a human being. The Buddha’s disciples, whether bodhisattvas or śrāvakas, have the following ranks: first, bhikṣu; second, bhikṣuṇī; third, upāsaka; and fourth, upāsikā. These ranks are recognized both in the heavens above and in the human world, and they have long been heard. This being so, those who rank second among the Buddha’s disciples are superior to sacred wheel-turning kings,80 and superior to Śakra-devānām-indra.81 There should never be a place where they cannot go. Still less should [bhikṣuṇīs] be ranked alongside kings and ministers of a minor nation in a remote land. [But] when we look at present “places of the truth” that a bhikṣuṇī may not enter, any rustic, boor, farmer, or old lumberjack can enter at random. Still less would any king, lord, officer, or minister be refused entry. Comparing country bumpkins and bhikṣuṇīs, in terms of learning of the truth or in terms of attainment of rank, who is superior and who is inferior, in conclusion? Whether discussing this according to secular rules or according to the Buddha-Dharma, [one would think that] rustics and boors should not be allowed to go where a bhikṣuṇī might go. [The situation in Japan] is utterly deranged; [our] inferior nation is the first to leave this stain [on its history]. How pitiful it is. When the eldest daughters 38a of the compassionate father of the triple world came to a small country, they

found places where they were barred from going. On the other hand, fellows who live in those places called “sanctuaries” have no fear of [committing] the ten wrongs,82 and they violate the ten important precepts83 one after another. Is it simply that, in their world of wrongdoing, they hate people who do not do wrong? Still more, a deadly sin84 is a serious matter indeed; those who live in sanctuaries may have committed even the deadly sins. We should just do away with such worlds of demons. We should learn the Buddha’s moral teaching and should enter the Buddha’s world. This naturally may be [the way] to repay the Buddha’s benevolence. Have these traditionalists understood the meaning of a sanctuary, or have they85 not? From whom have they received their transmission? Who has covered them with the seal of approval? Whatever comes into “this great world sanctified by the buddhas”—whether it is the buddhas, living beings, the earth, or space—will get free of fetters and attachments, and will return to the original state which is the wonderful Dharma of the buddhas. This being so, when living beings step once [inside] this world, they are completely covered by the Buddha’s virtue. They have the virtue of refraining from immorality, and they have the virtue of becoming pure and clean. When one direction is sanctified, the whole world of Dharma is sanctified at once, and when one level is sanctified, the whole world of Dharma is sanctified. Sometimes places are sanctified using water, sometimes places are sanctified using mind, and sometimes places are sanctified using space. For every case there are traditions which have been transmitted and received, and which we should know.86 Furthermore, when we are sanctifying an area, after sprinkling nectar87 and finishing devotional prostrations88—in other words, after making the place pure— we recite the following verse:

This world and the whole world of Dharma, Naturally are sanctified, pure and clean.

Have the traditionalists and veterans who nowadays usually proclaim sanctuaries understood this meaning, or have they not? I guess they cannot know that the whole world of Dharma is sanctified within [the act of] sanctification itself. Clearly, drunk on the wine of the śrāvaka, they consider a small area to be a great world. Let us hope that they will snap out of their habitual drunken delusion, and that they will not violate the wholeness of

the great world of the buddhas. We should prostrate ourselves in veneration of the virtue by which [the buddhas], through acts of salvation and acceptance, cover all living beings with their influence. Who could deny that this [prostration] is the attainment of the marrow of the truth?

                                    Shōbōgenzō Raihai-tokuzui

                                    Written at Kannondōrikōshōhōrinji on the day                                     of purity and brightness89 in [the second year of]                                     Enō.90

Notes

¹         as an adjective meaning “all right.”Daijōbu,a man of Confucian virtue. The word was used later in Chinese Buddhism, meaningor “great stout fellow,” was originally a concept in Confucianism, suggestingdaijōbu is commonly used someone who has trained perfectly. In modern Japanese,

²         Inmonin.“If you want to attain the matter of the ineffable, you must have become someoneMaster Ungo Dōyō, quoted in Chapter Twenty-nine (Vol. II), Inmo, says, ineffable.”

³         Yako-zei,mystical, not practical enough. But in this case, it suggests the presence of somethingnatural and mystical.or “ghost of a wild fox,” often suggests criticism that a person’s state is too

⁴         “Got the marrow” is tokuzui. Master Taiso Eka made three prostrations to Master Bodhidharma, and returned to his seat. Master Bodhidharma said, “You have got mymarrow.” The story is recorded in Chapter Forty-six (Vol. III), Kattō. 5 “Him or her” is kare, which usually means “he” or “him,” but which in this context is clearly neutral.

6     Sun-in, lit., “an inch of shadow.”

7     Gyōsoku, tiptoes. To learn walking on tiptoes means to learn how to behave like the Buddha.lit., “holding up the feet.” Legend says the Buddha naturally walked on

8     A symbol of sincere behavior.

9     affirmed Master Taiso Eka’s state with the words “You have got my marrow.” Master Taiso Eka cut off part of his arm to show his sincerity to Master Bodhidharma(see Chapter Thirty [Vol. II], Gyōji), and several years later Master Bodhidharma

10    used by Master Tendō Nyojō, Master Dōgen’s master. Shinjin-datsuraku, “getting free of body and mind,” was an expression commonly

11    A figurative expression suggesting a humble attitude.

12    Gozui o nyotoku seru araba,Master Bodhidharma’s marrow. lit., “If it has ‘you-got’ ‘my-marrow.’” Gozui means

13    In the Buddha’s time, Indian society had four castes: the ruling nobility), vaiśya (workers), and śūdra (servants). At the lowest end of the brahmana (priests), kṣatriya social scale were people without any caste.

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14    a child bodhisattva the first two lines of a four-line poem: “All actions are in the state demon said it was too hungry to tell the child the last two lines, so the child offered without constancy/Concrete existence is the arising and passing of Nyaku-ju nyaku-seki alludes to a story in the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra.dharma A demon tolds.” The ^{demon recited the last two lines: “After arising and passing have ceased,/The peace} his own body as a meal for the demon if it would recite the last two lines. So the

on some nearby trees and rocks in his own blood, before being eaten by the demon. and quiet is pleasure itself.” The child preserved the verse for posterity by writing it

15    Nyaku-den nyaku-ri. These words originate in the Lotus Sutra. See LS 3.72–74. 16 Tentai-shaku. See Chapter Two, Maka-hannya-haramitsu, note 28.

17    Hōmushi.an official in the government.Shi means “government official.” A monk holding this position would also have beenThe title is no longer in use, and the exact nature of the position is unclear.

18    Sōjōshi. This title has also gone out of use.

19    Sutra.Alludes to a parable in the See LS 1.236.   Shinge (“Belief and Understanding”) chapter of the Lotus

20    ^{Masters Ōbaku, Hōju, Enkan, and Kassan. Died in 897, at the age of one hundred}Master Jōshū Jūshin. A successor of Master Nansen Fugan. He also studied under and twenty. Great Master Shinsai is his posthumous title. See Chapter Thirty-five(Vol. II), Hakujushi. 21 Angya,masters, or on a pilgrimage to sacred places.lit., “to go on foot,” means to travel from place to place, visiting Buddhist

22 It is said that Master Jōshū Jūshin was already sixty before he became a Buddhist monk. 23 a big temple.Shusse, lit., “manifest oneself in the world,” usually means to become the master of

24    Dharma, and Sangha.the Sanskrit word “sangha,” as in the case of the Three Treasures, Biku-sō. Bikuusually translated as “monk,” is originally neutral in gender. It sometimes representsrepresents the Sanskrit word bhikṣu, which means a male monk. buppōsō: Buddha,Sō,

25    Master Kankei Shikan (d. 895), successor of Master Rinzai. Throughout this paragraph_{he is referred to as “the master.”} 26 Master Rinzai wanted Master Kankei to stay in his order. Master Kankei understood _{Master Rinzai’s intention, and agreed.}

27    while.” When Master Kankei becomes the master of his own temple, he preaches toShinji-shōbōgenzō,Rinzai. When Master Rinzai sees him, he holds onto him. Master Kankei says,“Understood.” Master Rinzai lets go of him and says, “I will allow you to stop for apt. 3, no. 17: Master Kankei Shikan is coming to visit Master Chapter Eight

at the moment of the present, I am completely satisfied.”the assembly, “When I met Master Rinzai, there was no discussion. Arriving directly

28    Nun-Master Massan Ryōnen, successor of Master Kōan Daigu.

29    Literally, “Why haven’t you come here covering yourself?” This suggests that it is_{sometimes better to be polite than to give a terse “Zen” answer.}

30    The proper name Massan is literally “Last Mountain” or “End Mountain.” 31 Shusse, i.e., when he became the master of a big temple. See note 23. 32 “Papa” is ya-ya. “Mama” is jō-jō.

33    explains the term Jinsoku, lit., “mystical foot,” is a traditional term for an excellent member of an order.Daichidoron (based on the Mahāprajñā pāra mitopadeśa)

The Chinese commentary

we call them mystical; they support many living beings, so we call them feet.”jinsoku as follows: “Their fine abilities are difficult to fathom, so

34    Master Hyakujō Ekai.Master Ōbaku Kiun (exact dates unknown, d. between 855 and 859), successor of

35    Japanese phonetic alphabet.Master Dōgen explained the meaning of the Chinese characters ya and jo using the

36    Master Kyōzan Ejaku (807–883), successor of Master Isan Reiyū.

37    Kai-in.chants, and donors. The building was usually located lower down the mountain thanThis office was for dealing with laypeople such as government officials, merthe main temple buildings.

38    Daijōbu. See note 1. Suggests that she was healthy and vigorous, and had self-control.

39    In present-day Sichuan province.

40    Master Daikan Enō (638–713), successor of Master Daiman Kōnin.

41    Two monks are having a discussion. One monk says, “The flag is moving.” The otheralso Chapter Twenty-nine [Vol. II], and the flag is not moving. You are moving mind.” (monk says, “The wind is moving.” Master Daikan Enō says, “The wind is not movingInmo.)    Keitokudentōroku, chapter 5. See

42    Igi o gu su,the zagu (prostration clothlit., “to prepare the dignified form,” means to wear the ).    kaṣāya and to take

43    first group of ten stages is the ten stages of belief. The next three groups of ten stagesA bodhisattva is said to pass through fifty-two stages on the road to buddhahood. The fifty-first stage is “marvelous enlightenment.”are the three clever stages. The fifth group of ten stages is the ten sacred stages. Thetōkaku, “equal enlightenment,” and the fifty-second stage is myōkaku,

44    Master Mahākāśyapa.Hanza, lit., “half-seat”—a reference to the story that the Buddha shared his seat with

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45    Elder sister means a senior female member of one’s master’s order. Aunt means a_{senior female member of one’s master’s order.}

46    In the tor”), pratyekabuddhaLotus Sutra the Buddha explains four classes of Buddhists: (lit., “individually enlightened one”), bodhisattva (lit., “enlightśrāvaka (lit., “audi-four (Vol. II), the fourth and final state of a enment being”), and buddha. These classes were further subdivided. An arhat is atBukkyō. śrāvaka. For further explanation, see Chapter Twenty-

47    The four elements are earth, water, fire, and wind; representing the material world.

48    resenting the phenomenal world. The five aggregates are form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness; rep-

49    Koji,a man who did not work for the imperial government, but studied Confucianism asof a household.” At the same time, the concept of “householder,” represents the Sanskrit word koji. kojigṛhapati, also comes from Confucianism: which means “the master a civilian, was called

50    ^{Shukke. Shutsu means “to get out of” or “to transcend.” Ke means a house, a home,} inevitably connected with family life. As a verb, monk; as a noun, it means a monk. or a family; at the same time it suggests the web of social and economic relationships shukke means to become a Buddhist

51    Jinrō, “dusty toil,” in this context means secular work.

52    Un-nō-ka-bei, lit., “clouds-patches-mist-sleeves.” Clouds and mist suggest the free and the gowns with wide sleeves usually worn by monks in China and Japan.natural life of a Buddhist monk. Patches and sleeves suggest the Buddhist robe, and 53 Shishu, upāsakathe four groups of Buddhist followers: s (laymen), and upāsikās (laywomen). bhikṣus (monks), bhikṣuṇīs (nuns),

54    See LS 2.224.

55    identifies arhat and buddha needs to learn nothing more. In Chapter Thirty-four (Vol. II), ^{is the fourth effect). An arhat is a} gamin The four stages of a (once-returner), śrāvakaanāgāminare as follows: śrāvaka(non-returner), and arhat (the ultimate state, whichwho has overcome all hindrances and whosrotāpanna (stream-enterer), Arakan, Master Dōgensakṛ dā -

56    ^III), Ninety-three (Vol. IV), The will to save others before we ourselves are saved. See Chapter Sixty-nine (Vol.Hotsu-mujōshin; Chapter Seventy (Vol. III), Doshin. Hotsu-bodaishin; and Chapter 57 The emperor would have several wives, or queens consort. Ministers would be eager _{to have a daughter made a queen consort.}

58    liked to have a titular position in a Buddhist temple. In those days Buddhism was revered highly in Japanese society. So aristocratic women Chapter Eight

59    References to old Chinese and Japanese stories. The a book of ancient Japanese legends, tells the story of a woman who was sexuallyKojiki (Record of Ancient Matters), stimulated by the rays of the sun.

60    Fascicle 1 of the Shibunritsu (Vinaya in Four Divisions).

61    The male organ and anus.

62    The urethra, female organ, and anus.

63    The Sanskrit word which may warrant expulsion from the monastic order. pārājika expresses one of the most serious violations of the precepts,

64    Upāsaka (layman) and upāsikā (laywoman).

65    Tenma are demons in heaven who govern the world of volition and hinder Buddhism.

Chapter Seventy (Vol. III), They symbolize idealistic people. The various classes of demons are discussed in Hotsu-bodaishin.

66    The original words are ^{to save them.” This is the first of} beings are countless; I vow to save them./Delusions are endless; I vow to end them./The teachings of Dharma are boundless; I vow to learn them./The Buddha’s truth is Supreme; I vow to realize it.”shujo-muhen-seigan-do,^{shi-gu-seigan ,}or “living beings are limitless; I vow ^{the Four Universal Vows: “Living}

67    “That monk” is nanji, or “you.” Master Dōgen often uses nanji for the third person, when criticizing someone’s wrongness. 68 That is, by looking at women.

69    is the line “Entering the ocean and counting sands, they hinder themselves in vain.” In Master Yōka Gengaku’s poem Shōdōka (“Song of Experiencing the Truth”) there only by reading books. Counting the sands of the ocean symbolizes the difficulty of realizing the Dharma

70    Symbolizes the life of people who do not have any meaningful goal.

71    See Chapters Eighteen and Nineteen, Shin-fukatoku.

72    Kekkai, lit., “bounded area,” represents the Sanskrit sīmā-bandha, “a depository of rules of morality.”

73    ^{or “awareness”; it suggests the state experienced throughout the body and mind in} Mujō-shōtō-gaku.samyaksaṃbodhizazen. sometimes represented phonetically as Bodhi is usually represented by the character . The Sanskrit word These characters represent the meaning of the Sanskrit bodhibodai.is represented by dō, lit., “Way,” and it is also kaku, lit., “awakening,”anuttara

74    Gedatsu su. Ge means “to solve,” and datsu means “to get rid of.” Here gedatsu su

is used as a verb.

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75    (The eight kinds of beings: celestial musicians who feed on fragrances), kiṃnaradevas (half horses, half men), and s (gods), nāgas (dragons), asuras (angry titans), yakṣamahoragas (demons), s (serpents). Thesegaruḍagandharvas (birdss that hunt dragons),

sutras to suggest the diversity of the Buddha’s audiences. See Glossary of SanskritTerms and, for example, LS 2.140.fantastic beings existed in ancient Indian legends, so they were utilized in Buddhist

76    Tenma. See note 65.

77    Sanze, past, present, and future; eternity.

78    Shika, athwartship, the ultimate state in Hinayana Buddhism. See note 55.

79    The ultimate state of a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism. See note 43.

80    four such kings who rule over the four continents surrounding Mount Sumeru. They Tenrinjō-ō,each have a precious wheel or from the Sanskrit cakravarti-rāja.cakra.  In ancient Indian mythology there are

81    The god Indra. See note 16 and Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.

82    wrongs are as follows: killing, stealing, adultery, telling lies, duplicitous speech,There are several interpretations of the ten wrongs. One interpretation is that the ten abusive slander, idle chatter, greed, anger, and holding wrong views.

83    The ten important precepts, or prohibitions, are as follows: not to take life, not toother Buddhists, not to praise oneself, not to begrudge the Dharma or one’s possessions, steal, not to lust, not to lie, not to sell or consume liquor, not to discuss the faults of

IV), not to get angry, and not to insult the Three Treasures. See Chapter Ninety-four (Vol.Jukai.

84    The five deadly sins are to kill one’s father, to kill one’s mother, to kill an arhat, to _{spill the Buddha’s blood, and to disrupt the Buddhist order.}

85    “They” is originally nanji (“you”); see note 67.

86    For example, it is traditional to sprinkle water over the area where a precepts ceremony _{is to be held.}

87    In this case, “nectar” means water. Kanrō, lit., “sweet dew,” from the Sanskrit amṛta, which means nectar from heaven. 88 prostration, the practitioner drops five parts of the body to the ground: left knee, rightKimyō no rai, a prostration made as a symbol of devoting one’s life. In a devotional knee, left elbow, right elbow, and forehead.

89    Sei-mei no hi. This was the name given to the fifteenth day after the spring equinox.

90    1240.

[Chapter Nine]

Keisei-sanshiki

and the Form of the Mountains The Voices of the River Valley

Translator’s Note: Kei means “river valley,” sei means “sound” or “voice,” san means “mountain,” and shiki means “form” or “color.” So keisei-sanshiki means the voices of river valleys and the forms of mountains—that is, nature. In Buddhism, this world is the truth itself, so nature is a face of the truth. Nature is the material side of the real world, so it is always speaking the truth, and manifesting the law of the universe every day. This is why it has been said since ancient time that sounds of rivers are the preaching of Gautama Buddha and forms of mountains are the body of Gautama Buddha. In this chapter, Master Dōgen preached to us the meaning of nature in Buddhism.

[209] In the supreme state of bodhi, Buddhist patriarchs who transmitted the truth and received the behavior have been many, and examples of past ancestors who reduced their bones to powder1 cannot be denied. Learn from the ancestral patriarch who cut off his arm,2 and do not differ by a hair’s breadth [from the bodhisattva who] covered the mud.3 When we each get rid of our husk, we are not restricted by former views and understanding, and things which have for vast kalpas been unclear suddenly appear before us. In the here and now of such a moment, the self does not recognize it, no one else is conscious of it, you do not expect it, and even the eyes of Buddha do not glimpse it. How could the human intellect fathom it?

was Soshoku, and who was also called Shisen.[210] In the great kingdom of Song there lived Layman T4 He seems to have been a real ^{ōba, whose name} dragon in the literary world,5 and he studied the dragons and elephants of the Buddhist world.6 He swam happily into deep depths, and floated up and down through layers of cloud.7 Once he visited Lushan.8 In the story he hears the sounds of a mountain stream flowing through the night, and realizes the truth. 38c

He makes the following verse, and presents it to Zen Master Jōsō:9

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The voices of the river valley are the [Buddha’s] wide and long     tongue,10

The form of the mountains is nothing other than his pure body.

Through the night, eighty-four thousand verses. On another day, how can I tell them to others?

When he presents this verse to Zen Master [Jō]sō, Zen Master [Jō]sō affirms it. [Jō]sō means Zen Master Shōkaku Jōsō, a Dharma successor of Zen Master Ōryū Enan.11 [E]nan is a Dharma successor of Zen Master Jimyō Soen.12 Once, when Layman [Tōba] met Zen Master Butsuin Ryōgen,13 Butsu- in gave him a Dharma robe, the Buddhist precepts, and so on, and the layman always wore the Dharma robe to practice the truth. The layman presented Butsuin with a priceless jeweled belt. People of the time said, “Their behavior is beyond common folk.” So the story of realizing the truth on hearing the river valley may also be of benefit to those who are later in the stream. It is a pity that, so many times, the concrete form of the teaching, preaching of Dharma by manifestation of the body,14 seems to have leaked away. What has made [Layman Tōba] see afresh the form of the mountains and hear the voices of the river valley? A single phrase? Half a phrase? Or eighty-four thousand verses? It is a shame that sounds and forms have been hiding in the mountains and waters. But we should be glad that there are moments in which, and causes and conditions whereby, [real sounds and forms] show up in the mountains and waters. The tongue’s manifestation never flags. How could the body’s form exist and vanish? At the same time, should we learn that they are close when they are apparent, or should we learn that they are close when they are hidden? Should we see them as a unity, or should we see them as a half?15 In previous springs and autumns, [Layman Tōba] has not seen or heard the mountains and waters but in moments “through the night,” he is able, barely, to see and to hear the mountains and waters. Bodhisattvas who are learning the truth now should also open the gate to learning

[by starting] from mountains flowing and water not flowing.16 On the day before the night during which this layman has realized the truth, he has visited Zen Master [Jō]sō and asked about stories of “the nonemotionally preaching Dharma.”17 Under the words of the Zen master, the form of his somersaulting is still immature,18 but when the voices of the river valley are heard, waves

break back upon themselves and surf crashes high into the sky. This being so, now that the voices of the river valley have surprised the layman, should we put it down to the voices of the river valley, or should we put it down to the influence of Shōkaku? I suspect that Shōkaku’s words on “the nonemotionally preaching Dharma” have not stopped echoing but are secretly mingling with the sounds of the mountain stream in the night. Who could empirically affirm this situation as a single gallon?19 And who could pay homage20 to it as the whole ocean? In conclusion, is the layman realizing the truth, or are the mountains and waters realizing the truth? How could anyone who has clear eyes not put on their eyes at once [and look] at the manifestation of the long tongue and the pure body?

[215] Another case: Zen Master Kyōgen Chikan21 was learning the truth in the order of Zen Master Daii Daien.22 On one occasion, Daii says, “You are sharp and bright, and you have wide understanding. Without quoting from any text or commentary, speak a phrase for me in the state you had before your parents were born.”23 Kyōgen searches several times for something to say, but he is not able. He deeply regrets the state of his body and mind, and looks through books that he has kept for years, but he is still dumbfounded. In the end, he burns all the writings he has collected over the years, and says, “A rice cake that is painted in a picture24 cannot stave off hunger. Upon my oath, I shall not desire to understand the Buddha-Dharma in this life. I only want to be the monk who serves the morning gruel and midday meal.” So saying, he spends years and months as a server of meals. “The monk who serves the morning gruel and midday meal” means one who waits upon the other monks at breakfast and the midday meal;25 he would be like a “liveried waiter”26 in this country. While he is thus occupied, he says to 39b Daii, “Chikan is dull in body and mind and cannot express the truth. Would the master say something for me?” Daii says, “I would not mind saying something for you, [but if I did so,] perhaps you would bear a grudge against me later.” After spending years and months in such a state, [Chikan] enters Butōzan, following the tracks of National Master Daishō,27 and makes a thatched hut on the remains of the National Master’s hermitage. He has planted bamboo and made it his friend. One day, while he is sweeping the path, a piece of tile flies up and strikes a bamboo with a crack. Hearing this sound, he suddenly realizes the great state of realization. He bathes and purifies himself,

and, facing Daiizan, he burns incense and does prostrations. Then, directing himself to [Master] Daii, he says, “Great Master Daii! If you had explained it to me before, how would this thing have been possible? The depth of your kindness surpasses that of a parent.” Finally, he makes the following verse:

At a single stroke I lost recognition.

No longer need I practice self-discipline.

[I am] manifesting behavior in the way of the ancients, Never falling into despondency.

There is no trace anywhere:

[The state] is dignified action beyond sound and form. People everywhere who have realized the truth, All will praise [these] supreme makings.

He presents the verse to Daii. Daii says, “This disciple is complete.”28

[218] Another case: Zen Master Reiun Shigon29 is a seeker of the truth for thirty years. One day, while on a ramble in the mountains, he stops for a rest at the foot of a hill and views the villages in the distance. It is spring, and the peach blossoms are in full bloom. Seeing them, he suddenly realizes the truth. He makes the following verse and presents it to Daii:

For thirty years, a traveler in search of a sword.30 How many times have leaves fallen and buds sprouted? After one look at the peach blossoms,

I have arrived directly at the present and have no further doubts.

Daii says, “One who has entered by relying on external phenomena will never regress or falter.”31 This is his affirmation. What person who has entered

could not rely on external phenomena? What person who has entered could regress or falter? [Isan’s words] are not about [Shi]gon alone. Finally, [Shigon] succeeds to the Dharma of Daii. If the form of the mountains were not the pure body, how would things like this be possible?

[220] A monk asks Zen Master Chōsha [Kei]shin,32 “How can we make mountains, rivers, and the earth belong to ourselves?” The master says, “How can we make ourselves belong to mountains, rivers, and the earth?”33 This says that ourselves are naturally ourselves, and even though ourselves are mountains, rivers, and the earth, we should never be restricted by belonging. [221] Master Ekaku of Rōya, [titled] Great Master Kōshō,34 is a distant descendant of Nangaku.35 One day [Chōsui] Shisen,36 a lecturer of a philosophical sect, asks him, “How does pure essentiality suddenly give rise to mountains, rivers, and the earth?” Questioned thus, the master preaches, “How does pure essentiality suddenly give rise to mountains, rivers, and the earth?”37 Here we are told not to confuse mountains, rivers, and the earth which are just pure essentiality, with “mountains, rivers and the earth.” However, because the teacher of sutras has never heard this, even in a dream, he does not know mountains, rivers, and the earth as mountains, rivers, and the earth.

[222] Remember, if it were not for the form of the mountains and the voices of the river valley, picking up a flower could not proclaim anything,38 and the one who attained the marrow could not stand at his own place.39 Relying on the virtue of the sounds of the river valley and the form of the mountains, “the earth and all sentient beings realize the truth simultaneously,”40 and there are many buddhas who realize the truth on seeing the bright star. Bags of skin in this state are the wise masters of the past, whose will to pursue the Dharma was very deep. People of the present should study their traces without fail. Now also, real practitioners who have no concern for fame and gain should establish similar resolve. In [this] remote corner in recent times, people who honestly pursue the Buddha-Dharma are very rare. They are not absent, but they are difficult to meet. There are many who drift into the monk- ^40a hood, and who seem to have left the secular world, but who only use Buddhism as a bridge to fame and gain. It is pitiful and lamentable that they do not regret the passing of this life41 but vainly go about their dark and dismal business. When can they expect to become free and to attain the truth? Even if they met a true master, they might not love the real dragon.42 My late [master, the eternal] buddha, calls such fellows “pitiful people.”43 They are like this because of the bad they have done in past ages. Though they have received a life, they have no will to pursue the Dharma for the Dharma’s sake, and so, when they meet the real Dharma  they doubt the real dragon, and when they meet the right Dharma they are disliked by the right Dharma. Their body, mind, bones, and flesh have never lived following the Dharma, and so they are not in mutual accord with the Dharma; they do not receive and use [in harmony] with the Dharma. Founders of sects, teachers, and disciples have continued a transmission like this for a long time. They explain

the bodhi-mind as if relating an old dream. How pitiful it is that, having been born on the treasure mountain, they do not know what treasure is and they do not see treasure. How much less could they [actually] get the treasure of Dharma? After they establish the bodhi-mind, even though they will pass through the cycle of the six states44 or the four modes of birth,45 the causes and conditions of that cyclical course will all become the actions and vows of the state of bodhi. Therefore, though they have wasted precious time in the past, as long as their present life continues they should, without delay, make the following vow: “I hope that I, together with all living beings, may hear the right Dharma through this life and through every life hereafter. If I am able to hear it, I will never doubt the right Dharma, and I will never be disbelieving. When I meet the right Dharma, I will discard secular rules and

receive and retain the Buddha-Dharma so that the earth and sentient beings may finally realize the truth together.” If we make a vow like this, it will naturally become the cause of, and conditions for, the authentic establishment of the mind. Do not neglect, or grow weary of, this attitude of mind. In this country of Japan, a remote corner beyond the oceans, people’s minds are extremely stupid. Since ancient times, no saint has ever been born [here], nor anyone wise by nature: it is needless to say, then, that real men of learning the truth are very rare. When [a person] tells people who do not know the will to the truth about the will to the truth, the good advice offends their ears, and so they do not reflect upon themselves but [only] bear resentment toward the other person. As a general rule concerning actions and vows which are the bodhi-mind, we should not intend to let worldly people know whether or not we have established the bodhi-mind, or whether or not we are practicing the truth; we should endeavor to be unknown. How much less could we boast about ourselves? Because people today rarely seek what is real, when the praises of others are available, they seem to want someone to say that their practice and understanding have become harmonized, even though there is no practice in their body and no realization in their mind. “In delusion adding to delusion”46 describes exactly this. We should throw away this wrongmindedness immediately. When learning the truth, what is difficult to see and to hear is the attitude of mind [based in] right Dharma. This attitude of mind is what has been transmitted and received by the buddhas, buddha to buddha. It has been transmitted and received as the Buddha’s brightness, and as the Buddha’s mind. From the time when the Tathāgata was in the world until today, many people have seemed to consider that our concern in learning the truth47 is to get fame and gain. If, however, on meeting the teachings of a true master, they turn around and pursue the right Dharma, they will naturally attain the truth. We should be aware that the sickness described above might be present in the learning of the truth today. For example, among beginners 40c and novices, and among veterans of long training, some have got the makings to receive the transmission of the truth and to pass on the behavior, and some have not got the makings. There may be some who have it in their nature to learn, in veneration of the ancients. There may also be insulting demons who will not learn. We should neither love nor resent either group. [Yet] how can we have no regret? How can we bear no resentment? Perhaps no one bears resentment because almost no one has recognized the three poisons as the three poisons.48 Moreover, we should not forget the determination we had when we began the joyful pursuit of the Buddha’s truth. That is to say, when we first establish the will, we are not seeking the Dharma out of concern for others, and, having discarded fame and gain [already], we are not seeking fame and gain: we are just single-mindedly aiming to get the truth. We are never expecting the veneration and offerings of kings and ministers. Nevertheless, such causes of and conditions for [the will to fame and gain] are present today. [Fame and gain] are not an original aim, and they are not [true] objects of pursuit. To become caught in the fetters that bind human beings and gods is [just] what we do not hope for. Foolish people, however, even those who have the will to the truth, soon forget their original resolve and mistakenly expect the offerings of human beings and gods, feeling glad that the merit of the Buddha-Dharma has come to them. If the devotions of kings and ministers are frequent, [foolish people] think, “It is the realization of my own moral way.” This is one of the demons [that hinder] learning of the truth. Though we should not forget the mind of compassion, we should not rejoice [to receive devotion]. Do you remember the golden words of the Buddha, “Even while the Tathāgata is alive, there are many who have hate and envy.”49 Such is the principle that the stupid do not recognize the wise, and small animals make enemies of great saints.

            [230] Further, many of the ancestral masters of the Western Heavens  ^41a

have been destroyed by non-Buddhists, by the two vehicles,50 by kings, and

so on;51 but this is never due to superiority on the part of the non-Buddhists, or lack of farsightedness on the part of the ancestral masters. After the First Patriarch52 came from the west, he hung up his traveling stick in the Suzan Mountains,53 but neither Bu (Ch. Wu) of the Liang dynasty nor the ruler of the Wei dynasty knew who he was.54 At the time, there was a pair of dogs known as Bodhiruci Sanzō55 and Precepts Teacher Kōzu. Fearing that their empty fame and false gain might be thwarted by a right person, they behaved as if looking up at the sun in the sky and trying to blot it out.56 They are even more terrible than Devadatta,57 who [lived when the Buddha] was in the world. How pitiful they are. The fame and profit that they58 love so deeply is more disgusting than filth to the ancestral master. That such facts occur is not due to any imperfection in the power of the Buddha-Dharma. We should remember that there are dogs who bark at good people. Do not worry about barking dogs. Bear them no grudge. Vow to lead them and to guide them. Explain to them, “Though you are animals, you should establish the bodhimind.” A wise master of the past has said, “These are just animals with human faces.” But there may also be a certain kind of demon which devotes itself and serves offerings to them. A former buddha has said, “Do not get close to kings, princes, ministers, rulers, brahmans, or secular people.”59 This is truly the form of behavior that people who want to learn the Buddha’s truth should not forget. [When] bodhisattvas are at the start of learning, their virtue, in accordance with their progress, will pile up.

[232]     Moreover, there have been examples since ancient times of thegod Indra coming to test a practitioner’s resolve, or of Māra-pāpīyas60 coming to hinder a practitioner’s training. These things always happened when [the practitioner] had not got rid of the will to fame and gain. When the [spirit of] great benevolence and great compassion is profound, and when the vow

41b to widely save living beings is mature, these hindrances do not occur. There are cases when the power of practice naturally takes possession of a nation. There are cases when [a practitioner] seems to have achieved worldly fortune. At such times, reexamine the case carefully. Do not slumber on without regard to the particular case. Foolish people delight in [worldly fortune] like stupid dogs licking a dry bone. The wise and the sacred detest it as worldly people hate filth and excrement.

[233]     In general, a beginner’s sentimental thinking cannot imagine the Buddha’s truth—[the beginner] fathoms but does not hit the target. Even though we do not fathom [the truth] as beginners, we should not deny that there is perfect realization in the ultimate state. [Still,] the inner depths61 of the perfect state are beyond the beginner’s shallow consciousness. [The beginner] must just endeavor, through concrete conduct, to tread the path of the ancient saints. At this time, in visiting teachers and seeking the truth, there are mountains to climb and oceans to cross. While we are seeking a guiding teacher, or hoping to find a [good] counselor, one comes down from the heavens or springs out from the earth.62 At the place where we meet him, he makes sentient beings speak the truth and makes non sentient beings63 speak the truth, and we listen with body and listen with mind. “Listening with the ears” is everyday tea and meals, but “hearing the sound through the eyes”64 is just the ambiguous,65 or the undecided,66 itself. In meeting Buddha, we meet ourselves as buddha and others as buddha, and we meet great buddhas and small buddhas. Do not be surprised by or afraid of a great buddha. Do not doubt or worry about a small buddha. The great buddhas and small buddhas referred to here are recognized, presently, as the form of the mountains and the voices of the river valley. In this the wide and long tongue exists, and eighty-four thousand verses exist; the manifestation is “far transcendent,” and the insight is “unique and exceptional.”67 For this reason, secular [teachings] say “It gets higher and higher, and harder and harder.”68 And a past buddha says, “It pervades69 the sky and pervades the meridians.” Spring pines possess constant freshness, and an autumn chrysanthemum possesses sublime beauty, but they are nothing other than the direct and concrete.70 When good counselors arrive in this field of earth,71 they may be great masters to human beings and gods. Someone who randomly affects the forms of teaching others, without arriving in this field of earth, is a great nuisance to 41c human beings and gods. How could [people] who do not know the spring pines, and who do not see the autumn chrysanthemum, be worth the price of their straw sandals? How could they cut out the roots?

[236] Furthermore, if the mind or the flesh grow lazy or disbelieving, we should wholeheartedly confess before the Buddha. When we do this, the power of the virtue of confessing before the Buddha saves us and makes us pure. This virtue can promote unhindered pure belief and fortitude. Once pure belief reveals itself, both self and the external world are moved [into action], and the benefit universally covers sentient and non sentient beings. The general intention [of the confession] is as follows:

I pray that although my many bad actions in the past have accumulated one after another, and there are causes and conditions which are obstructing the truth, the buddhas and the patriarchs who attained the truth by following the Buddha’s Way will show compassion for me, that they will cause karmic accumulations to dissolve, and that they will remove obstacles to learning the truth. May their virtue, and their gates of Dharma, vastly fill and pervade the limitless Dharma world. Let me share in their compassion. In the past, Buddhist patriarchs were [the same as] us, and in the future we may become Buddhist patriarchs. When we look up at Buddhist patriarchs, they are one Buddhist patriarch, and when we reflect upon the establishment of the mind, it is one establishment of the mind. When [the Buddhist patriarchs] radiate their compassion in all directions,72 we can grasp favorable opportunities and we fall upon favorable opportunities. Therefore, in the words of Ryūge, “If we did not attain perfection in past lives, we should attain perfection in the present. With this life we can deliver the body that is the accumulation of past lives. The eternal buddhas, before they realized the truth, were the same as people today. After realizing the truth, people today will be eternal buddhas.”

Quietly, we should master this reasoning. This is direct experience of realizing the state of buddha. When we confess like this, the mystical help

of the Buddhist patriarchs is invariably present. Disclosing the thoughts in our mind and the form of our body, we should confess to the Buddha. The power of confession causes the roots of wrongdoing to dissolve. This is right training of one color;74 it is right belief in the mind and right belief in the body. At the time of right training, the voices of the river valley and the form of the river valley, the form of the mountains and the voices of the mountains, all do not begrudge their eighty-four thousand verses. When the self does not begrudge fame and gain and body and mind, the river valley and the mountains, similarly, begrudge nothing. Even though the voices of the river

valley and the form of the mountains continue throughout the night to produce, and not to produce, eighty-four thousand verses, if you have not yet understood with all your effort that river valleys and mountains are demonstrating themselves as river valleys and mountains, who could see and hear you as the voices of the river valley and the form of the mountains?

                                        Shōbōgenzō Keisei-sanshiki

 Preached to the assembly at Kannondōrikō shōhōrinji five days after the start of the  retreat in the second year of Enō.75

Notes

1            Symbolizing dogged perseverance in pursuing the truth. 2              Master Taiso Eka. See Chapter Thirty (Vol. II), Gyōji.

3     that his master, Dīpaṃkara Buddha, could walk over it.In a past life as a bodhisattva, the Buddha spread his hair over a muddy puddle so

4     The Chinese poet So Tōba (1036–1101). Tōba was the poet’s pen name. in China often had many different names. Used for a lay Buddhist (see Chapter Eight, his formal name. He also used the name Shisen. Like Buddhist monks, men of literatureRaihai-tokuzui, note 49). Soshoku wasKoji is a title

5     Hitsukai, lit., “the ocean of the brush.”

6     He read the writings of excellent Buddhist masters.

7     Master Dōgen praised his ability as a poet.

8     A region of China famed for its beautiful scenery.

9     Master Shōkaku Jōsō (1025–1091), successor of Master Ōryū Enan.

10    The wide and long tongue is one of the thirty-two distinguishing marks of the Buddha.

11    Master Fukaku.Master Ōryū Enan (1002–1069), successor of Master Sekisō Soen. He lived on MountŌryū and was regarded as the founder of the Ōryū sect. His posthumous title is Zen

12    Master Jimyō (Sekisō) Soen (986–1039), successor of Master Fun’yō Zenshō.

13    Master Butsuin Ryōgen (1032–1098). Zen Master Butsuin is his posthumous title.

14    kiteśvara, who appears in different bodies in order to preach the Dharma to different ^{from chapter 25 (}beings. See LS 3.252.Genshin-seppō, “manifesting body and preaching Dharma.” The expression derives Kanzeon-bosatsu-fumon) of the Lotus Sutra, on Bodhisattva Avalo -

15    (Should we see them (idealistically) as an inclusive whole, or should we see them _{materialistically) as a concrete half?}

16    In other words, the study of nature is a gate of entry into Buddhism. lit., “mountains flow, waters do not flow,” expresses the relativity of nature. Sanryū-sui-furyū,

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17    Mujō-seppō, about the preaching of Dharma by the none motional (i.e., nature).is the title of Chapter Fifty-three (Vol. III), which contains several stories

18    His body did not somersault into the state of action under the master’s words. 19 Isshō is a measure of capacity, approximately equal to 1.8 liters.

20    ^{China of making government decisions before the emperor in the morning. In this} Chōshū, lit., “morning homage.” The expression derives from the ancient custom in and idealism: only seeing things as isolated and concrete, and only revering general and the preceding sentence, Master Dōgen denies the two extreme views of materialism abstractions.

21    the precepts under Master Isan’s master, Hyakujō Ekai, and later became a student Master Kyōgen Chikan (d. 898), successor of Master Isan Reiyū. He originally tookof Master Isan himself. He wrote more than two hundred poems.

22    Master Isan Reiyū (771–853), successor of Master Hyakujō Ekai. Daii (or Isan) is the founder of the Igyō sect. became a student of Master Hyakujō when he was twenty-three. He is known as the posthumous title Zen Master Daien. He became a monk when he was fifteen, and name of the mountain where he lived (Daiizan). The Tang emperor Sensō gave him

23    In other words, on the basis of the reality that transcends past, present, and future. 24 See Chapter Forty (Vol. II), Gabyō.

25 Monks only ate light snacks after the midday meal, so gruel for breakfast and the _{midday meal were the only two meals.} 26 Baisenekisō. The job of the baisenekisō was to wait on someone of high rank. 27 Master Nan’yō Echū (d. 775), successor of the Sixth Patriarch, Master Daikan Enō.

National Master Daishō was his title as the emperor’s teacher. After he retired, he built a hut on Mount Butō and lived there alone. 28 Chinese characters, is slightly different from the version in this chapter.Shinji-shōbōgenzō, pt. 1, no. 17. The version recorded in the Shinji-shōbōgenzō, in 29 Master Reiun Shigon (dates unknown), also a successor of Master Isan Reiyū.

30    Symbolizing something very sharp and definite, or extreme.

31    Shinji-shōbōgenzō, pt. 2, no. 55.

32    Master Chōsha Keishin (d. 868), successor of Master Nansen Fugan. At first he taught Buddhism by moving from place to place, without a temple of his own. After that heTiger,” because his teachings were so sharp and fast. Quoted several times in Chapterlived on Chōshazan. People at that time called him Shin Daichu or “Keishin theJuppō.

Sixty (Vol. III),

33    Shinji-shōbōgenzō, pt. 1, no. 16.

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34    posthumous title. Rōya is the name of a mountain and of a district.Master Rōya Ekaku, successor of Master Fun’yō Zenshō. Great Master Kōshō is his 35 eration after Master Nangaku Ejō, who was a successor of the Sixth Patriarch, MasterDaikan Enō.Master Nangaku Ejō (677–744). Master Rōya Ekaku belonged to the eleventh gen36 ^{study of the} Chōsui Shisen (984–1038). He belonged to the Kegon sect, which is based on thehad studied the Avataṃsaka-sūtraŚūraṃgama-sūtra.(Garland Sutra). Before joining the Kegon sect, he

37    genzō,rhetorical question suggested that the two factors are not different. See Chōsui Shisen’s question and Master Rōya’s question are exactly the same. Shisenasked about the relation between abstract essence and concrete reality. The master’spt. 1, no. 6.    Shinji-shōbō-

38    Mahākāśyapa. See Chapter Sixty-eight (Vol. IV), Refers to the story of the transmission between Gautama Buddha and Master_Udonge.

39    Chapter Forty-six (Vol. III), Refers to the story of the transmission between Master Bodhidharma and MasterTaiso Eka, who prostrated himself three times and then stood at his own place. SeeKattō.

40    The Buddha’s description of his realization of the truth, as quoted in several sutras, forShugyōhongikyō. example, the second volume of the

41    Kōin, lit., “light and shade,” means passing time.

42    ^{of dragons, a real dragon decided to pay him a visit. But when Shoko saw the real} Shoko was a man who loved images of dragons. Seeing that Shoko’s house was full in the Chinese book dragon, he was struck with horror. The story of Shoko and the real dragon is containedSōji.

43    The words are originally from the gama-sūtra). They were frequently used by Master Tendō Nyojō.Ryogonkyō (the Chinese translation of the Śūraṃ ^{44 Rokushu, the six miserable states through which we pass according to the law of} cause and effect: hell (symbolizing the state of suffering), hungry ghosts (symbolizingthe state of greed), animals, asuras or angry demons, human beings, and gods. 45 Shishō, metamorphosis. In Sanskrit, they are: the four modes of birth: from the womb, from eggs, from moisture, and from jarāyuja, aṇḍaja, saṃsvedaja, and upapāduka. 46 Mei-chū-yū-mei.Chapter Three, Genjō-kōan. Master Dōgen used the same expression in the second paragraph of

47    Gakudō no yōjin, as in Master Dōgen’s text Gakudōyōjinshū.

48    Sandoku, the three poisons: anger, greed, and delusion.

49    The Lotus Sutra, Hōsshi (“A Teacher of the Dharma”) chapter. See LS 2.152.

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50    dhists), Nijō, the first two of the four vehicles, which are namely: pratyekabuddhas (sensory Buddhists), bodhisattvas (practical Buddhists),śrāvakas (intellectual Budand buddhas.

51    The Western Heavens means India. It is said that Master Kāṇadeva, the fifteenth patri-hikṣu, the twenty-fourth patriarch, was executed by the king of Kaśmira (present-dayarch, was killed by non-Buddhists; Buddhamitra, the teacher of the twenty-first patriarchVasubandhu, was defeated by non-Buddhists in a philosophical discussion; and Siṃhab-

Kashmir).

52    Master Bodhidharma. The twenty-eighth patriarch in India, and the First Patriarch _{in China.}

53    ^{In Chinese, Songshan. The Suzan Mountains have two main peaks. The eastern peak} is called Taishitsu, and the western peak is called Shōshitsu. There were many Buddhist temples in these mountains. Shaolin (Jp. Shōrin) Temple, where Master Bodhidharma faced the wall in zazen, was on Shōshitsu Peak.

54    Related stories are in Chapter Thirty (Vol. II), Gyōji.

55    A north Indian who arrived in Luoyang in 508 and translated many Sanskrit texts _{into Chinese. “Sanzō” was a title given to those versed in the Tripiṭaka.}

56    They reportedly tried to poison Master Bodhidharma.

57    Devadatta was a cousin of the Buddha who became a monk in the Buddha’s order, but later turned against him and tried to destroy the Buddhist order in cooperationwith King Ajātaśatru (Jp. Ajase). 58 Nanji is literally “you”—an impolite form of address that Master Dōgen uses for the third person when criticizing.

59    In the princes, ministers, and administrators.” See LS 2.244.Buddha says to Mañjuśrī: “A bodhisattva Anrakugyō (“Peaceful and Joyful Practice”) chapter of the mahāsattva should not get close to kings,Lotus Sutra, the

60    III), A deadly demon or devil. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms and Chapter Seventy (Vol._{Hotsu-bodaishin.}

61    Dō-ō, lit., “inner sanctum.”

62    Jū-chi-yūshutsu,Lotus Sutra.“Springing Out from the Earth,” is the title of the fifteenth chapter of the

63    In general, beings. Mujō,ujō,“nonsentient beings,” or “the nonemotionally,” means, for example,“ sentient beings” means, for example, birds, animals, and humanMujō-seppō. grass, trees, and stones. See Chapter Fifty-three (Vol. III),

64    References to Master Tōzan’s poem, quoted in Chapter Fifty-three (Vol. III), “How very wonderful! How very wonderful! The nonemotionally preachingMujōseppō:

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Dharma is a mystery. If we listen with the ears, it is ultimately too difficult to under-stand. If we hear the sound through the eyes, we are able to know it.”

65    Kahitsu, or “why should it necessarily be?” See Chapter Three, Genjō-kōan, note 11. 66 Fuhitsu, or “not necessarily.”

67    are taken from Master Ungo Dōyō’s preaching in the The words “far transcendent” (keidatsu) and “unique and exceptional” Rentōeyō, chapter 22: “When(dokubatsu)

something. So ^{not necessary. And many are not useful.”} a single word is far transcendent, and unique and exceptional, then many words are keidatsu, or “far transcendent,” suggests the state in which things are Datsu, “transcendent,” means to get rid of as they are, being far removed from the superfluous.

68    praises Confucius (or his teaching) as follows: “When I look up at him, he gets higher From the Rongo, the fundamental text of Confucianism. Ganen, a student of Confucius, and higher, and when I bore into him, he gets harder and harder.”

69    “More and more” and “pervades” are originally the same character, in the first quotation as an adverb (iyo-iyo) and in the second quotation as a verb mi, iyo-iyo,(usedmi).

70    “The direct and concrete” is _{Soku-shin-ze-butsu.}sokuze. These two characters are explained in detail in _{Chapter Six,}

71    Denchi, or “paddy field,” a symbol of the concrete state.

72    Shichitsu-hattatsu su, lit., “make into seven paths and eight destinations.” 73 Master Ryūge Kodon (835–923). A successor of Master Tōzan Ryōkai. 74 “Of one color” means pure or unadulterated. 75 1240.

[Chapter Ten] Not Doing Wrongs

Shoaku-makusa

Translator’s Note: Sho means “many” or “miscellaneous,” aku means “wrong” or “bad,” maku means “not” or “don’t,” and sa means “to do.” So shoaku makusa means “not doing wrong.”1 These words are quoted from a short poem called “The Seven Buddhas’ Universal Precept”:2 “Don’t do wrong; do right; then our minds become pure naturally; this is the teaching of the many buddhas.” This poem tells us how closely the teaching of Buddhism is related to morals. In this chapter Master Dōgen teaches us the Buddhist theory of morality. Morality or ethics is, by its nature, a very practical problem. But most people are prone to forget the practical character of morality, and usually only discuss it with words or as an abstract theory. However, talking about morality is not the same as being moral. Morality is just doing right or not doing wrong. Here Master Dōgen explains real morality, quoting an interesting story about Master Chōka Dōrin and a famous Chinese poet called Haku Kyoi. [3] The eternal buddha says, Not to commit wrongs,3

To practice the many kinds of right,4 Naturally purifies the mind;5

This is the teaching of the buddhas.6

This [teaching], as the universal precept of the ancestral patriarchs, the Seven Buddhas, has been authentically transmitted from former buddhas to later buddhas, and later buddhas have received its transmission from former buddhas. It is not only of the Seven Buddhas: “It is the teaching of all the buddhas.” We should consider this principle and master it in practice. These words of Dharma of the Seven Buddhas always sound like words of Dharma of the

Seven Buddhas. What has been transmitted and been received one-to-one is

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just clarification of the real situation7 at this concrete place. This already “is the teaching of the buddhas”; it is the teaching, practice, and experience of hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of buddhas.

[5]    In regard to the “wrongs”8 that we are discussing now, among “rightness,” “wrongness,” and “indifference,” there is “wrongness.” Its essence9 is just nonappearance.10 The essence of rightness, the essence of indifference, 42b and so on are also nonappearance, are [the state] without excess,11 and are real form. At the same time,12 at each concrete place these three properties13 include innumerable kinds of dharmas. In “wrongs,” there are similarities and differences between wrong in this world and wrong in other worlds. There are similarities and differences between former times and latter times. There are similarities and differences between wrong in the heavens above and wrong in the human world. How much greater is the difference between moral wrong, moral right, and moral indifference in Buddhism and in the secular world. Right and wrong are time; time is not right or wrong. Right and wrong are the Dharma; the Dharma is not right or wrong. [When] the Dharma is in balance, wrong is in balance.14 [When] the Dharma is in balance, right is in balance. This being so, when we learn [the supreme state of] anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi, when we hear the teachings, do training, and experience the fruit, it is profound, it is distant, and it is fine.

[6]    We hear of this supreme state of bodhi “sometimes following [good] counselors and sometimes following sutras.”15 At the beginning, the sound of it is “Do not commit wrongs.” If it does not sound like “Do not commit wrongs,” it is not the Buddha’s right Dharma; it may be the teaching of demons. Remember, [teaching] that sounds like “Do not commit wrongs” is the Buddha’s right Dharma. This [teaching] “Do not commit wrongs” was not intentionally initiated, and then intentionally maintained in its present form, by the common person: when we hear teaching that has [naturally] become the preaching of bodhi, it sounds like this. What sounds like this is speech which is the supreme state of bodhi in words. It is bodhi-speech already, and so it speaks bodhi.16 When it becomes the preaching of the supreme state of bodhi, and when we are changed by hearing it, we hope “not to commit wrongs,” we continue enacting “not to commit wrongs,” and wrongs go on not being committed; in this situation the power of practice is instantly realized. This realization is realized on the scale of the whole earth, the whole world, the whole of time, and the whole of Dharma. And the scale of this [realization] is the scale of “not committing.” For people of just this 42c reality, at the moment of just this reality17—even if they live at a place and come and go at a place where they could commit wrongs, even if they face circumstances in which they could commit wrongs, and even if they seem to mix with friends who do commit wrongs—wrongs can never be committed at all. The power of not committing is realized, and so wrongs cannot voice themselves as wrongs, and wrongs lack an established set of tools.18 There is the Buddhist truth of taking up at one moment, and letting go at one moment.19 At just this moment, the truth is known that wrong does not violate a person, and the truth is clarified that a person does not destroy wrong.20 When we devote our whole mind to practice, and when we devote the whole body to practice, there is eighty or ninety percent realization21 [of not committing wrongs] just before the moment, and there is the fact of not having committed just behind the brain.22 When you practice by garnering your own body and mind, and when you practice by garnering the body and mind of “anyone,”23 the power of practicing with the four elements and the five aggregates is realized at once;24 but the four elements and five aggregates do not taint25 the self. [All things,] even the four elements and five aggregates of today, carry on being practiced; and the power which the four elements and five aggregates have as practice in the present moment makes the four elements and five aggregates, as described above, into practice.26 When we cause even the mountains, rivers, and the earth, and the sun, moon, and stars, to do practice, the mountains, rivers, and the earth, the sun, moon, and stars, in their turn, make us practice.27 [This is] not a onetime eye; it is vigorous eyes at many times.28 Because [those times] are moments in which the eye is present as vigorous eyes, they make the buddhas and the patriarchs practice, make them listen to the teachings, and make them experience the fruit. The buddhas and the patriarchs have never made the teachings, practice, and experience tainted, and so the teachings, practice, and experience have never hindered the buddhas and the patriarchs.29 For this reason, when [teachings, practice, and experience] compel the Buddhist patriarchs to practice, there are no buddhas or patriarchs who flee, before the moment or after the moment,

in the past, present, or future.   43a [10] In walking, standing, sitting, and lying down through the twelve hours,30 we should carefully consider the fact that when living beings are becoming buddhas and becoming patriarchs, we are becoming Buddhist patriarchs, even though this [becoming] does not hinder the [state of a] Buddhist patriarch that has always belonged to us. In becoming a Buddhist patriarch, we do not destroy the living being, do not detract from it, and do not lose it; nevertheless, we have got rid of it. We cause right-and-wrong, cause-and-effect, to practice; but this does not mean disturbing, or intentionally producing, cause-and-effect. Cause-and-effect itself, at times, makes us practice. The state in which the original features of this cause-and-effect have already become conspicuous is “not committing,” it is [“the state] without appearance,” it is [“the state] without constancy,” it is “not being unclear,” and it is “not falling down”—because it is the state in which [body and mind] have fallen away.31

[11] When we investigate them like this, wrongs are realized as having become completely the same as “not committing.” Aided by this realization, we can penetrate32 the “not committing” of wrongs, and we can realize it decisively by sitting.33 Just at this moment—when reality is realized as the “not committing” of wrongs at the beginning, middle, and end—wrongs do not arise from causes and conditions; they are nothing other than just “not committing.”34 Wrongs do not vanish due to causes and conditions; they are nothing other than just “not committing.” If wrongs are in balance, all dharmas are in balance. Those who recognize that wrongs arise from causes and conditions, but do not see that these causes and conditions and they themselves are [the reality of] “not committing,” are pitiful people. “The seeds of Buddhahood arise from conditions” and, this being so, “conditions arise from the seeds of buddhahood.” It is not that wrongs do not exist; they are nothing other than “not committing.” It is not that wrongs exist; they are nothing other than not committing. Wrongs are not immaterial; they are “not committing.” Wrongs are not material; they are “not committing.” Wrongs are not “not committing;” they are nothing other than “not committing.”35 [Similarly,] for

43b example, spring pines are neither nonexistence nor existence; they are “not committing.”36 An autumn chrysanthemum is neither existence nor nonexistence; it is “not committing.” The buddhas are neither existence nor nonexistence; they are “not committing.” Such things as an outdoor pillar, a stone lantern, a whisk, and a staff are neither existence nor nonexistence; they are “not committing.” The self is neither existence nor nonexistence; it is “not committing.” Learning in practice like this is the realized universe and it is universal realization—we consider it from the standpoint of the subject and we consider it from the standpoint of the object. When the state has become like this already, even the regret that “I have committed what was not to be committed” is also nothing other than energy arising from the effort “not to commit.” But to purport, in that case, that if “not committing” is so we might deliberately commit [wrongs], is like walking north and expecting to arrive at [the southern country of] Etsu. [The relation between] “wrongs” and “not committing” is not only “a well looking at a donkey”;37 it is the well looking at the well, the donkey looking at the donkey, a human being looking at a human being, and a mountain looking at a mountain. Because there is “preaching of this principle of mutual accordance,” “wrongs” are “not committing.”

The Buddha’s true Dharma body38 Is just like space.

It manifests its form according to things, Like the moon [reflected] in water.39

Because “not committing” is “accordance with things,” “not committing” has “manifest form.” “It is just like space”: it is the clapping of hands to the left and the clapping of hands to the right.40 “It is like the moon [reflected] in water”: and the water restricted by the moon.41 Such instances of “not committing” are the realization of reality which should never be doubted at all.

[14] “Practice the many kinds of right.”42 These many kinds of right are [classed] within the three properties43 as “rightness.” Even though the many kinds of right are included in “rightness,” there has never been any kind of right that is realized beforehand and that then waits for someone to do it.44 There is none among the many kinds of right that fails to appear at the very moment of doing right. The myriad kinds of right have no set shape but they converge on the place of doing right faster than iron to a magnet,45 and with 43c a force stronger than the vairambhaka winds.46 It is utterly impossible for the earth, mountains and rivers, the world, a nation, or even the force of accumulated karma, to hinder [this] coming together of right.47 At the same time, the principle that recognitions differ from world to world,48 in regard to right,

is the same [as in regard to wrong]. What can be recognized [as right] is called right, and so it is “like the manner in which the buddhas of the three times preach the Dharma.” The similarity is that their preaching of Dharma when they are in the world is just temporal. Because their lifetime and body size also have continued to rely totally upon the moment, they “preach the Dharma that is without distinction.”49 So it is like the situation that right as a characteristic of devotional practice50 and right as a characteristic of Dharma practice,51 which are far removed from each other, are not different things. Or, for example, it is like the keeping of the precepts by a śrāvaka being the violation of the precepts by a bodhisattva. The many kinds of right do not arise from causes and conditions and they do not vanish due to causes and conditions. The many kinds of right are real dharmas, but real dharmas are not many kinds of right. Causes and conditions, arising and vanishing, and the many kinds of right are similar in that if they are correct at the beginning, they are correct at the end. The many kinds of right are “good doing”52 but they are neither of the doer nor known by the doer, and they are neither of the other nor known by the other. As regards the knowing and the seeing of the self and of the other, in knowing there is the self and there is the other, and in seeing there is the self and there is the other, and thus individual vigorous eyes exist in the sun and in the moon. This state is “good doing” itself. At just this moment of “good doing” the realized universe exists but it is not “the creation of the universe,” and it is not “the eternal existence of the universe.” How much less could we call it “original practice”?53 Doing right is “good doing,” but it is not something that can be fathomed intellectually. “Good doing” in the present is a vigorous eye, but it is beyond intellectual consideration. [Vigorous eyes] are not realized for the purpose of considering the Dharma intellectually. Consideration by vigorous eyes is never the same

as consideration by other things. The many kinds of right are beyond existence and nonexistence, matter and the immaterial, and so on; they are just nothing other than “good doing.” Wherever they are realized and whenever they are realized, they are, without exception, “good doing.” This “good doing” inevitably includes the realization of the many kinds of right. The realization of “good doing” is the universe itself, but it is beyond arising and vanishing, and it is beyond causes and conditions. Entering, staying, leaving, and other [concrete examples of] “good doing” are also like this. At the place where

we are already performing, as “good doing,” a single right among the many kinds of right, the entire Dharma, the whole body,54 the real land, and so on are all enacted as “good doing.” The cause-and-effect of this right, similarly, is the universe as the realization of “good doing.” It is not that causes are before and effects are after. Rather, causes perfectly satisfy themselves and effects perfectly satisfy themselves; when causes are in balance the Dharma is in balance and when effects are in balance the Dharma is in balance. Awaited by causes, effects are felt, but it is not a matter of before and after; for the truth is present that the [moment] before and the [moment] after are balanced [as they are].

[19]    The meaning of “Naturally purifies the mind” is as follows: What is “natural” is “not to commit,” and what “purifies” is “not to commit.” “The [concrete state”]55 is “natural,” and the “mind”56 is “natural.” “The [concrete state”] is “not committing,” the “mind” is “not committing.” The “mind” is “good doing,” what “purifies” is “good doing,” “the [concrete state”] is “good doing,” and what is “natural” is “good doing.” Therefore it is said that “This is the teaching of the buddhas.” Those who are called “buddhas” are, in some cases, like Śiva,57 [but] there are similarities and differences even among Śivas, and at the same time not all Śivas are buddhas. [Buddhas] are, in some cases, like wheel-turning kings,58 but not all sacred wheel-turning kings are buddhas. We should consider facts like these and learn them in practice. If we do not learn how buddhas should be, even if we seem to be fruitlessly enduring hardship, we are only ordinary beings accepting suffering; we are not practicing the Buddha’s truth. “Not committing” and “good doing” are 44b

“donkey business not having gone away and horse business coming in.”59

[20]    Haku Kyoi60 of Tang China is a lay disciple of Zen Master Bukkō Nyoman,61 and a second-generation disciple of Zen Master Kōzei Daijaku.62

When he was the governor of Hangzhou63 district he practiced in the order of Zen Master Chōka Dōrin.64 In the story, Kyoi asks, “What is the great intention of the Buddha-Dharma?”

Dōrin says, “Not to commit wrongs. To practice the many kinds of right.”65

Kyoi says, “If it is so, even a child of three can express it!”

Dōrin says, “A child of three can speak the truth, but an old man of

eighty cannot practice it.”

Thus informed, Kyoi makes at once a prostration of thanks, and then

leaves.

[21]    Kyoi, though descended from Haku Shōgun,66 is truly a wizard of the verse who is rare through the ages. People call him one of the twenty four [great] men of letters. He bears the name of Mañjuśrī, or bears the name of Maitreya. Nowhere do his poetical sentiments go unheard and no one could fail to pay homage to his authority in the literary world. Nevertheless, in Buddhism he is a beginner and a late learner. Moreover, it seems that he has never seen the point of this “Not to commit wrongs. To practice the many kinds of right,” even in a dream. Kyoi thinks that Dōrin is only telling him “Do not commit wrongs! Practice the many kinds of right!” through recognition of the conscious aim. Thus, he neither knows nor hears the truth that the time-honored67 [teaching] of the “not committing” of wrongs, the “good doing” of rights, has been in Buddhism from the eternal past to the eternal present. He has not set foot in the area of the Buddha-Dharma. He does not have the power of the Buddha-Dharma. Therefore he speaks like this. Even though we caution against the intentional commitment of wrongs, and even though we encourage the deliberate practice of rights, this should be in the reality of “not committing.” In general, the Buddha-Dharma is [always] the

44c same, whether it is being heard for the first time under a [good] counselor, or whether it is being experienced in the state which is the ultimate effect. This is called “correct in the beginning, correct at the end,” called “the wonderful cause and the wonderful effect,” and called “the Buddhist cause and the Buddhist effect.” Cause-and-effect in Buddhism is beyond discussion of [theories] such as “different maturation” or “equal streams”;68 this being so, without Buddhist causes, we cannot experience the Buddhist effect. Because Dōrin speaks this truth, he possesses the Buddha-Dharma. Even if wrong upon wrong pervade the whole universe, and even if wrongs have swallowed the whole Dharma again and again, there is still salvation and liberation in “not committing.” Because the many kinds of right are “right at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end,”69 “good doing” has realized “nature, form, body, energy,” and so on “as they are.”70 Kyoi has never trodden in these tracks at all, and so he says “Even a child of three could express it!” He speaks like this without actually being able to express an expression of the truth. How pitiful, Kyoi, you are. Just what are you saying? You have never

heard the customs of the Buddha, so do you or do you not know a three-year old child? Do you or do you not know the facts of a newborn baby? Someone who knows a three-year-old child must also know the buddhas of the three times. How could someone who has never known the buddhas of the three times know a three-year-old child? Do not think that to have met face to face is to have known. Do not think that without meeting face-to-face one does not know. Someone who has come to know a single particle knows the whole universe, and someone who has penetrated one real dharma has penetrated the myriad dharmas. Someone who has not penetrated the myriad dharmas has not penetrated one real dharma. When students of penetration penetrate to the end, they see the myriad dharmas and they see single real dharmas; therefore, people who are learning of a single particle are inevitably learning of the whole universe. To think that a three-year-old child cannot speak the Buddha-Dharma, and to think that what a three-year-old child says 45a must be easy, is very stupid. That is because the clarification of life,71 and the clarification of death, are “the one great purpose”72 of Buddhists. A master of the past73 says, “Just at the time of your birth you had your share of the lion’s roar.”74 “A share of the lion’s roar” means the virtue of the Tathāgata to turn the Dharma wheel, or the turning of the Dharma wheel itself. Another master of the past75 says, “Living-and-dying, coming-and-going, are the real human body.” So to clarify the real body and to have the virtue of the lion’s roar may truly be the one great matter, which can never be easy. For this reason, the clarification of the motives and actions of a three-year-old child are also the great purpose. Now there are differences between the actions and motives of the buddhas of the three times [and those of children]; this is why Kyoi, in his stupidity, has never been able to hear a three-year-old child speaking the truth, and why, not even suspecting that [a child’s speaking of the truth] might exist, he talks as he does. He does not hear Dōrin’s voice, which is more vivid than thunder, and so he says, “Even a child of three could express it!” as if to say that [Master Dōrin himself] has not expressed the truth in his words. Thus [Kyoi] does not hear the lion’s roar of an infant, and he passes vainly by the Zen master’s turning of the Dharma wheel. The Zen master, unable to contain his compassion, went on to say, “A child of three can speak the truth, but an old man of eighty cannot practice it.” What he was saying is this:

A child of three has words which express the truth, and you should investigate this thoroughly. Old men of eighty say, “I cannot practice it,” and you should consider this carefully. I leave you to decide whether an infant speaks the truth, but I do not leave the infant to decide. I leave 45b you to decide whether an old man can practice, but I do not leave the old man to decide.76

It is the fundamental principle to pursue, to preach, and to honor the Buddha-Dharma like this.

                                        Shōbōgenzō Shoaku-makusa

                                        Preached to the assembly at Kōshōhōrinji                                         on the evening of the moon77 in the [second]                                         year of Enō.78

Notes

1 sometimes be interpreted as the imperative “Don’t do wrong” or the ideal “not to doThe meaning of shoaku-makusa changes in this chapter according to context. It can wrong.” But sometimes it represents Master Dōgen’s idea that morality is only aproblem of action—the not-committing of wrong. 2 buddhas who preceded him. See Chapter Fifteen, Shichibutsu-tsūkai. Shichibutsu ^{refers to Śākyamuni Buddha and the six legendary} Busso.

3     Shoaku-makusa, lit., “Do not commit wrongs.” Sho_Akumeans various, miscellaneous,means evil, bad, wrongdoing, _{or all, and sometimes it simply expresses plurality.} or wrong. Makusa, “wrongs,” suggests individual instances of wrongdoing as concrete Maku, _{or naka}[re], means “must not” _{or “don’t!”} facts, rather than wrong as an abstract problem. a suggestion of intention. It is useful to distinguish the characters ^{both mean to do, but} _Sa, or _tsuku^sa[ru^{has more of a feeling of doing intentionally. This chapter}], means to make, to produce, or to commit—it includes_sa and gyō; they contains the idea that, naturally, wrongdoing does not occur; i.e., without our intentional commitment, there is no wrong.

4     “good doing,” has a feeling of doing what is natural, as opposed to intentional com-^or Shūzen-bugyō,right. the many kinds of right.” ^{Shūzen, or “the many kinds of right,” suggests concrete instances of right as}lit., “devoutly practice the many kinds of good,” or “good doing of_Shū means many or many kinds of. _{Bu is a prefix denoting reverence or devotion.} Zen means good, orBugyō,Gyō,or opposed to right as an abstraction. okona[u], means to do, to perform, to enact, or to keep moving along. mitten.

5     Jijō-go-I The interpretation here is that the verse is not a recommendation to be moral but a According to context, ji can be interpreted either as by oneself or as naturally. but here the meaning is more practical: it suggests the state of the mind (and body)so^{mind. Accordingly,} proclamation of the Buddha’s teaching that moral conduct is just purification of the[no], means “that,” suggesting something concrete and specific. ji has been translated as “naturally.” Jō means to purify. I means intention Go, or in action.

6     In Pāli, the poem is: Ze-shobutsu-kyō. ShobutsuSabba-pāpass akaraṇam,/kuselassūpasampada,/sacitta-pariy-can be interpreted as “the buddhas” or as “all the buddhas.” odapanaṃ,/etam buddhana sasanaṃ.

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7     opening up, running through (or universality, as in “Clarification of the real situation” is tsūshōsoku. Tsutsukai,suggests penetration, clarification, universal precept). Shōsoku from someone, news, actual circumstances, the real situation. Originally means exhalation and inhalation, and by extension something that is heard

8     Shoaku, as in the original poem.

9     Shō.is essence.” akushō, In the previous sentence, “rightness” is lit., “bad-essence”; and “indifference” is zenshō, lit., “good-essence”; “wrongness”muki sho, lit., “not-described-

10    state at the moment of the present.by introducing the idea of instantaneousness. Nonappearance (In this sentence Master Dōgen begins his conceptual explanation of right and wrongmushō) describes the

11    āsravaMurō, lit., “without leakage,” from the Sanskrit (see Glossary of Sanskrit Terms under), suggests the state in which things are as they are.

12    Master Dōgen is explaining right and wrong as reality. In the previous sentences he crete phase. Here he explains them as concrete, individual, and relative facts, at the second or con-^{began by explaining them as inclusive concepts, in the first or conceptual phase. From}

13    Rightness, wrongness, and indifference.

14    state in which a bad fact is seen as it is. Hōtō-akutō, or “Dharma in equilibrium, bad in equilibrium,” suggests the balanced

15    Waku-jū-chishiki genzō.  and waku-jū-kyōgan. These phrases appear frequently in the Shōbō-

16    “Dōgen affirms “Do not do wrong” as words of the truth. From the next sentence, heBodhi-speech” is bodai-go; “speaking bodhi” is go-bodai. Up to this sentence Master looks at the concrete reality of practice.

17    ^place. Shōtō-inmo-ji no shōtō-inmo-nin. Shōtō,ShōbōgenzōShoto-inmo-ji,.      or “at just this moment” is a very common expression in theor “exact,” suggests exactly this time and

18    Master Dōgen emphasizes that if we do not do wrong, there can never be any wrong. 19 Ichinen-ippō,positive action. lit., “one pinch, one release.” Hō, to release, symbolizes passive action.Nen, to twist, pinch, or grasp, symbolizes 20 Master Dōgen denies the idea that something exists that can be called wrong, bad,_{or evil outside of our own conduct.}

21    Hakkujō. See Chapter Thirty-three (Vol. II), Kannon.

22    ^kisen-kigo, Nōgo.brain,” suggests the area in which action has taken place already. The usual expression, which appears in the last sentence of this paragraph, is “before the moment, after the moment.” The variation nōgo, “behind the Chapter Ten

23    described. Tare, lit., “who,” suggests someone ineffable, or a person whose state cannot be 24 The four elements and five aggregates symbolize all physical things and mental phe-_nomena.

25 physical things but they do not make us impure. Enna sezu, “not tainted,” expresses something as is. When we act we have to use 26 Buddhist practice.In this sentence, Master Dōgen suggests the oneness of concrete circumstances and

27 nature—in a more poetic style.This sentence also suggests the mutual relation between a Buddhist practitioner and 28 many times.The Buddhist view is not a once-and-for-all realization, but it appears vigorously at

29    practice, and experience exist as they are. Buddhas and patriarchs live freely and “Unhindered” and “untainted” both express something as it is. Buddhist teachings, independently, as they are.

30    day was divided into twelve periods. See Chapter Eleven, Juni-ji, lit., “twelve hours,” means the twenty-four hours of a day—at that time, the Uji. ³¹ and “the state without constancy” (“Not committing” is makusa, as in the poem. “The state without appearance” (^{mujō) suggest concrete reality at the moment of} mushō) ^{the present from two sides—denial of momentary appearance and denial of continuous} of body and mind.” quoted Master Tendo Nyojō’s words that zazen is nine [Vol. IV], ^{cause-and-effect (see Chapter Seventy-six [Vol. IV],} into [cause and effect]” (existence. “Not being unclear [about cause and effect]” (Shinjin-ingafuraku). “Falling away” is ) represent opposing viewpoints about the reality ofdatsuraku.shinjin-datsuraku,Dai-shugyō;fumaiMaster Dōgen frequently) and “not falling down“the falling awayChapter Eighty-

32    Kentokutetsu, or “can see thoroughly.”

33    ^{Zatokudan, or “can sit decisively.” Master Dōgen often uses the word zadan, “sit}cut” or “sit away,” to mean transcending a problem by practicing zazen (see for exam-danple, Chapter Seventy-three [Vol. IV], is an adverb; “decisively.” Sanjushichi-bon-bodai-bunpō). But in this case,

34    of our momentary action. ^{Master Dōgen denies the idea that something called wrongness manifests itself from}real circumstances, as if the wrongness and the reality might be two different things.In this paragraph he emphasizes that there is no wrongness separate from the reality

35    Master Dōgen emphasized that wrong is only the problem of not doing wrong. 36 In other words, pine trees in spring exist as they are, without any intentional activity.

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37    the Buddha’s true Dharma body is just like space, and it manifests its form according^{says, ‘Your words are extremely nice words, but they only express eighty or ninety}See to things, like the moon [reflected] in water. How do you preach this principle ofmutual accordance?’ Toku says, ‘It is like a donkey looking into a well.’ The masterShinji-shōbōgenzō, pt. 2, no. 25. “Master Sōsan asks Ācārya Toku, ‘It is said that well looking at the donkey.’” The story expresses the mutual relation between subject and object. percent.’ Toku says, ‘What would the master say?’ Master Sōsan says, ‘It is like the

38    Hōsshin, the spiritual or abstract face of reality, and space represents the physical or objective from the Sanskrit dharmakāya. In this case, the Dharma body represents face of reality. The poem suggests the oneness of the two faces.

39    Toku, is also quoted in Chapter Forty-two (Vol. III), This verse from the Konkōmyōkyō, quoted in the story of Master Sōzan and ĀcāryaTsuki.

40    In this sentence, space means the place where action is done.

41    ^{The image of the moon can be compared to the individual subject, and the water} which surrounds the image can be compared to objective circumstances. Water reflect water suggests the fact from the other side, with subject and object reversed. Ing the moon symbolizes the oneness of subject and object. The moon restricting

42    Shūzen-bugyō, lit., “devoutly practice the many [kinds of] good,” as in the original poem.

43    The three properties are rightness, wrongness, and indifference, as explained in the _{second paragraph.}

44    action in the moment of the present. Even though we can consider rightness abstractly, right itself can only be realized by 45 Even though abstract rightness cannot manifest any form, in action right can manifest _{itself at once.} 46 Very strong winds mentioned in ancient Indian legends.

47    right when realized by action. From the next sentence he explains right as something IN these opening sentences of the paragraph, Master Dōgen affirms the existence of relative.

48    human beings see as water, and demons see as blood or pus.The usual example is water which fish see as a palace, gods see as a string of pearls,

Lotus Sutra.

49    Dharma,/So now do I also/Preach the Dharma which is without distinction.” (LSMufunbetsu      [“In the same manner that the buddhas of the three times/Preach theno] hō [o] toku, from the Hōben (“Expedient Means”) chapter of the

1.128)

50    Shingyō, of the Pure Land sects. or “practice based on belief” suggests, for example, the devotional practice Chapter Ten

51    Hogyō,practice of the so-called Zen sects. or “practice based on the teaching of Dharma,” suggests, for example, the

52    Bugyō, or “devout practicing” as in the original poem.

53    of action. done in the past, or sometimes practice done in past lives. See Chapter Seventeen,Hokke-ten-hokke.Hongyō, “original practice,” suggests practice done as our original situation, or practiceIn this case, hongyō is one example of an abstract understanding

54    Zenshin. See Chapter Seventy-one (Vol. III), Nyorai-zenshin.

55    “The” is go, sono, which means “that,” suggesting the concrete, real state. See note 5.

56    “Mind” is way, but the message of this chapter is that the mind of morality is natural. i, lit., “intention.” In general, human intention is opposed to the natural 57 Jizaiten represents the god called Śiva in Sanskrit, the god of destruction and regen^{eration in the Hindu triad of Brahmā (creator), Śiva, and Viṣṇu (preserver). See}Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.

58    to a realistic understanding of what buddhas are.Ten-rin-jō-ō, from the Sanskrit cakravarti-rāja. Master Dōgen is urging us to come

59    Master Chōkei Eryō asks Master Reiun Shigon, “What is the Great Intention of the business coming in.” See Buddha-Dharma?” Master Reiun says, “Donkey business being unfinished, but horse_{Shinji-shōbōgenzō, pt. 2, no. 56.}

60    Haku Kyoi, died in in 846 at the age of seventy-six. Haku was his family name. Kyoihis district and practicing zazen.Rakuten. It is said that he attained the truth under Master Bukkō Nyoman, after which(he became the governor of several districts, visiting masters whose temples were inlit., Sitting Easy) was one of his pen names as a poet. He was also called Haku

61    Successor of Master Baso Dōitsu. Dates unknown.

62    in Chinese pronunciation) was the name of the district where Master Baso lived. ZenMaster Baso Dōitsu (704–788), successor of Master Nangaku Ejō. Kōzei (or JiangxiMaster Daijaku is his posthumous title. 63 The capital of Chekiang, located at the head of Hangzhou Bay (an inlet of the East _{China Sea).}

64 from Master Kinzan Kokuitsu, who belonged to a side lineage (going back to the^{Fourth Patriarch Daii Dōshin, but not going through Master Daikan Enō).} Master Chōka Dōrin, died in 824 at the age of eighty-four. He received the Dharma ^Chōka house. means bird’s nest; it is said that Master Chōka practiced zazen in, and lived in, a tree65 Shoaku-makusa, shūzen-bugyō, as in the original poem.

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66    Hakki, a general of the founder of the Jin dynasty (who reigned from 255 to 250B.C.E.military ability and ability as a poet are opposed.). The general was famed for his excellence in military strategy. In this sentence,

67    Senko-banko, lit., “thousand-ages old, ten-thousand ages old.”

68    expresses the scientific view of cause and effect; that is, the view that is not concerned with subjective evaluation of cause and effect. ^{The opposing theory is represented by the word} The theory that moral and immoral behavior produce different results is represented ijuku, lit., “different maturation.” This expresses the moral viewpoint. toru, lit., “equal streams.” This by the word

69    that they should preach is good in the beginning, middle, and end.” (LS 1.40; seeShochūgo-zen, also Chapter Seventeen, from the Introductory chapter (Hokke-ten-hokke.) Jo) of the Lotus Sutra: “The Dharma 70 Alludes to the Hōben (“Expedient Means”) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. See LS 1.68.

71    Sho means both birth and life.

72    Ichidaiji no innen. See Chapter Seventeen, Hokke-ten-hokke.

73    The quotation is paraphrased from prajñāpāramitā-śāstra. This treatise was largely compiled by Master Nāgārjuna.Daichidoron, the Chinese translation of the Mahā-

74    The Buddha’s preaching was said to be like the roar of a lion.

75    Master Engo Kokugon. This quotation also appears in Chapter Fifty (Vol. III), jissō.    Shohō-

76    A child’s expression of the truth and an old man’s ability to practice are just reality— _{they do not rely upon interpretation by the subject.}

77    day.The fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, often the day of the year on which theShōbōgenzō were preached on this moon is most conspicuous. Many chapters of the 78 1240.

[Chapter Eleven] Uji Existence-time

Translator’s Note: U means “existence” and ji means “time,” so uji means “existent time,” or “existence-time.” In this chapter Master Dōgen teaches us the meaning of time in Buddhism. As Master Dōgen explains in other chapters, Buddhism is realism. Therefore, the view of time in Buddhism is always very realistic. Specifically, time is always related with existence and existence is always related with momentary time. So in reality, the past and the future are not existent time; the present moment is the only existent time— the point at which existence and time come together. Also, time is always related with action here and now. Action can only be realized in time, and time can only be realized in action. Thus, the view of time in Buddhism reminds us of existentialism in modern philosophy. It is very important to understand the Buddhist view of time in order to grasp the true meaning of Buddhism.

[29]    An eternal buddha1 says,

Sometimes2 standing on top of the highest peak,

Sometimes moving along the bottom of the deepest ocean. Sometimes three heads and eight arms,3

Sometimes the sixteen-foot or eight-foot [golden body].4

Sometimes a staff or a whisk,5

Sometimes an outdoor pillar or a stone lantern.6 Sometimes the third son of Chang or the fourth son of Li, Sometimes the earth and space.

[30]    In this word “sometimes,” time is already just existence, and all existence is time. The sixteen-foot golden body is time itself. Because it is time, it has the resplendent brightness of time. We should learn it as the twelve hours7 of today. The three heads and eight arms are time itself. Because they are time, they are completely the same as the twelve hours of today. We can

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never measure how long and distant or how short and pressing twelve hours is; at the same time, we call it “twelve hours.”8 The leaving and coming of the directions and traces [of time] are clear, and so people do not doubt it. They do not doubt it, but that does not mean they know it. The doubts which living beings, by our nature, have about every thing and every fact that we do not know, are not consistent; therefore our past history of doubt does not always exactly match our doubt now. We can say for the present, however, that doubt is nothing other than time. We put our self in order, and see [the resulting state] as the whole universe. Each individual and each object in this whole universe should be glimpsed as individual moments of time.9

Object does not hinder object in the same way that moment of time does not

hinder moment of time. For this reason, there are minds which are made up in the same moment of time, and there are moments of time in which the same mind is made up. Practice, and realization of the truth, are also like this.10 Putting the self in order, we see what it is. The truth that self is time is like this. We should learn in practice that, because of this truth, the whole earth includes myriad phenomena and hundreds of things, and each phenomenon and each thing exists in the whole earth. Such toing-and-froing is a first step [on the way] of practice. When we arrive in the field of the ineffable,11 there is just one [concrete] thing and one [concrete] phenomenon, here and now, [beyond] understanding of phenomena and non-understanding of phenomena, and [beyond] understanding of things and non-understanding of things. Because [real existence] is only this exact moment, all moments of existence-time are the whole of time, and all existent things and all existent phenomena are time. The whole of existence, the whole universe, exists in individual moments of time.12 Let us pause to reflect whether or not any of the whole of existence or any of the whole universe has leaked away from the present moment of time. Yet in the time of the common person who does not learn the Buddha-Dharma there are views and opinions: when he hears the words “existence-time” he thinks, “Sometimes I became [an angry demon with] three heads and eight arms, and sometimes I became the sixteen-foot or eight-foot [golden body of Buddha]. For example, it was like crossing a river or crossing a mountain. The mountain and the river may still exist, but now that I have crossed them and am living in a jeweled palace with crimson towers, the mountain and the river are [as distant] from me as heaven is from

the earth.” But true reasoning is not limited to this one line [of thought]. That is to say, when I was climbing a mountain or crossing a river, I was there in that time. There must have been time in me. And I actually exist now, [so] time could not have departed. If time does not have the form of leaving and coming, the time of climbing a mountain is the present as existence-time.13 If time does retain the form of leaving and coming, I have this present moment of existence-time, which is just existence-time itself.14 How could that time of climbing the mountain and crossing the river fail to swallow, and fail to 46a vomit, this time [now] in the jeweled palace with crimson towers?15 The three heads and eight arms were time yesterday; the sixteen-foot or eight foot [golden body] is time today. Even so, this Buddhist principle of yesterday and today is just about moments in which we go directly into the mountains and look out across a thousand or ten thousand peaks; it is not about what has passed. The three heads and eight arms pass instantly as my existence time; though they seem to be in the distance, they are [moments of] the present. The sixteen-foot or eight-foot [golden body] also passes instantly as my existence-time; though it seems to be yonder, it is [moments of] the present. This being so, pine trees are time, and bamboos are time. We should not understand only that time flies. We should not learn that “flying” is the only ability of time. If we just left time to fly away, some gaps in it might appear. Those who fail to experience and to hear the truth of existence-time do so because they understand [time] only as having passed. To grasp the pivot and express it: all that exists throughout the whole universe is lined up in a series and at the same time is individual moments of time.16 Because [time] is existence-time, it is my existence-time.17 Existence-time has the virtue of passing in a series of moments.18 That is to say, from today it passes through a series of moments to tomorrow; from today it passes through a series of moments to yesterday; from yesterday it passes through a series of moments to today; from today it passes through a series of moments to today; and from tomorrow it passes through a series of moments to tomorrow. Because passage through separate moments is a virtue of time, moments of the past and present are neither piled up one on top of another nor lined up in a row; and, for the same reason, Seigen19 is time, Ōbaku20 is time, and Kōzei21 and Sekitō22 are time.23 Because subject-and-object already is time, practice-and-experience is moments of time. Going into the mud and going

into the water,24 similarly, are time. The view of the common person today,

46b and the causes and conditions of [that] view, are what the common person experiences but are not the common person’s reality.25 It is just that reality, for the present, has made a common person into its causes and conditions. Because he understands this time and this existence to be other than reality itself, he deems that “the sixteen-foot golden body is beyond me.” Attempts to evade [the issue] by [thinking] “I am never the sixteen-foot golden body” are also flashes of existence-time; they are glimpses of it by a person who has yet to realize it in experience and to rely upon it. The [existence-time] that also causes the horse and the sheep26 to be as they are arranged in the world today, is a rising and falling which is something ineffable abiding in its place in the Dharma. The rat is time, and the tiger is time; living beings are time, and buddhas are time. This time experiences the whole universe using three heads and eight arms, and experiences the whole universe using the sixteen-foot golden body. To universally realize the whole universe by using the whole universe is called “to perfectly realize.”27 Enactment of the sixteen-foot golden body28 by using the sixteen-foot golden body is realized as the establishment of the mind, as training, as the state of bodhi, and as nirvana; that is, as existence itself, and as time itself. It is nothing other than the perfect realization of the whole of time as the whole of existence; there is nothing surplus at all. Because something surplus is just something surplus, even a moment of half-perfectly realized existence-time is the perfect realization of half-existence-time.29 Even those phases in which we seem to be blundering heedlessly are also existence. If we leave it utterly up to existence,30 even though [the moments] before and after manifest heedless blundering, they abide in their place as existence-time. Abiding in our place in the Dharma in the state of vigorous activity is just existence-time. We should not disturb it [by interpreting it] as “being without,”31 and we should not enforce ably call it “existence.” In regard to time, we strive to comprehend only how relentlessly it is passing; we do not understand it intellectually as what is yet to come. Even though intellectual understanding is time, no circumstances are ever influenced by it. [Human] skin bags recognize [time] as leaving and coming; none has penetrated it as existence-time abiding in its place: how much less could any experience time having passed through the gate?32 Even [among those who] are conscious of abiding in their place, 46c who can express the state of having already attained the ineffable? Even [among those who] have been asserting for a long time that they are like this, there is none who is not still groping for the manifestation before them of the real features. If we leave [even bodhi and nirvana] as they are in the existence-time of the common person, even bodhi and nirvana are—[though] merely a form which leaves and comes—existence-time.33

[38] In short, without any cessation of restrictions and hindrances,34 existence-time is realized. Celestial kings and celestial throngs, now appearing to the right and appearing to the left, are the existence-time in which we are now exerting ourselves. Elsewhere, beings of existence-time of land and sea are [also] realized through our own exertion now. The many kinds of being and the many individual beings which [live] as existence-time in darkness and in brightness, are all the realization of our own effort, and the momentary continuance of our effort. We should learn in practice that without the momentary continuance of our own effort in the present, not a single dharma nor a single thing could ever be realized or could ever continue from one moment to the next.35 We should never learn that passage from one moment to the next is like the movement east and west of the wind and rain. The whole universe is neither beyond moving and changing nor beyond progressing and regressing; it is passage from one moment to the next. An example of the momentary passing of time is spring. Spring has innumerable different aspects, which we call “a passage of time.”36 We should learn in practice that the momentary passing of time continues without there being any external thing. The momentary passing of spring, for example, inevitably passes, moment by moment, through spring itself.37 It is not that “the momentary passing of time” is spring; rather, because spring is the momentary passing of time, passing time has already realized the truth in the here and now of springtime.38 We should study [this] in detail, returning to it and leaving it again and again. If we think, in discussing the momentary passing of time, that circumstances are [only] individual things on the outside, while something which can pass from moment to moment moves east through hundreds of thousands of worlds and through hundreds of thousands of kalpas, then we are not devoting ourselves solely to Buddhist learning in practice.39

[40] Great Master Yakusan Kōdō,40 the story goes, at the suggestion of Great Master Musai,41 visits Zen Master Kōzei Daijaku.42 He asks, “I have more or less clarified the import of the three vehicles and the twelve divisions 47a of the teaching.43 But just what is the ancestral master’s intention in coming from the west?”44

Thus questioned, Zen Master Daijaku says, “Sometimes45 I make him46 lift an eyebrow or wink an eye, and sometimes I do not make him lift an eyebrow or wink an eye; sometimes to make him lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is right, and sometimes to make him lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is not right.”

Hearing this, Yakusan realizes a great realization and says to Daijaku,

“In Sekitō’s order I have been like a mosquito that climbed onto an iron ox.”

[42] What Daijaku says is not the same as [what] others [can say]. [His] “eyebrows” and “eyes” may be the mountains and the seas, because the mountains and the seas are [his] “eyebrows” and “eyes.” In his “making himself lift [an eyebrow],” he may be looking at the mountains; and in his “making himself wink,” he may be presiding over the seas. “Being right” has become familiar to “him,” and “he” has been led by “the teaching.”47 Neither is “not being right” the same as “not making himself [act],” nor is “not making himself [act]“ the same as “not being right.”48 All these [situations] are “existence time.” The mountains are time, and the seas are time. Without time, the mountains and the seas could not exist: we should not deny that time exists in the mountains and the seas here and now. If time decays, the mountains and the seas decay. If time is not subject to decay, the mountains and the seas are not subject to decay. In accordance with this truth the bright star appears, the Tathāgata appears, the eye appears, and picking up a flower appears,49 and this is just time. Without time, it would not be like this.

[44] Zen Master Kishō50 of the Shōken region is a Dharma descendant of Rinzai, and the rightful successor of Shuzan.51 On one occasion he preaches to the assembly:

Sometimes52 the will is present but the words are absent,

Sometimes the words are present but the will is absent, Sometimes the will and the words are both present,

Sometimes the will and the words are both absent.53

[44] The will and the words are both existence-time. Presence and absence are both existence-time. The moment of presence has not finished, but the moment of absence has come—the will is the donkey and the words are the horse;54 horses have been made into words and donkeys have been made into will.55 Presence is not related to having come, and absence is not related to not 47b having come.56 Existence-time is like this. Presence is restricted by presence itself; it is not restricted by absence.57 Absence is restricted by absence itself; it is not restricted by presence. The will hinders the will and meets the will.58 Words hinder words and meet words. Restriction hinders restriction and meets restriction. Restriction restricts restriction. This is time. Restriction is utilized by objective dharmas, but restriction that restricts objective dharmas has never occurred.59 I meet with a human being, a human being meets with a human being, I meet with myself, and manifestation meets with manifestation. Without time, these [facts] could not be like this. Furthermore, “the will” is the time of the realized universe,60 “the words” are the time of the pivot that is the ascendant state,61 “presence” is the time of laying bare the substance,62 and “absence” is the time of “sticking to this and parting from this.”63 We should draw distinctions, and should enact existence-time,64 like this. Though venerable patriarchs hitherto have each spoken as they have, how could there be nothing further to say? I would like to say:

The half-presence of will and words is existence-time, The half-absence of will and words is existence-time.

There should be study in experience like this.

Making oneself65 lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is half existence-time,

Making oneself lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is mixed-up     existence-time,

Not making oneself lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is half     existence-time,

Not making oneself lift an eyebrow or wink an eye is mixed-up     existence-time.

When we experience coming and experience leaving, and when we experience presence and experience absence, like this, that time is existence-time.

                                        Shōbōgenzō Uji

                                        Written at Kōshōhōrinji on the first day of                                         winter in the first year of Ninji.66

                                        Copied during the summer retreat in the                                         [first] year of Kangen67—Ejō.

Notes

1     Master Yakusan Igen. Keitokudentōroku, chapter 18.

2     and meaning “sometimes.” In the chapter title, Uji, or aru toki, as in the chapter title. In this case, ujiujiis a compound word, “existence-is an adverb, read as a[ru]toki, time.”

3     This phrase refers to the wrathful images of Buddhist guardian deities, such as Aizen-^{myōō, the King of Love (Skt. Rāgarāja), whose figure generally has three angry faces}and six arms.

4     Jōroku-hasshaku.Jōroku Buddha. Buddha. suggests the sixteen-foot golden body, the idealized image of the standingHasshaku One can be interpreted as representing the balanced image of the sittingjō equals ten shaku, and one shaku is slightly less than a foot.

5     These are concrete things that have religious meaning. ^ceremonies. Shujō is a staff used by Buddhist monks on their travels, and also used in BuddhistHossu was originally a fly whisk, but its function has become ceremonial. 6 common objects. In China and Japan, temple roofs have long eaves supported by pillars that stand outside of the temple building itself; temple pillars and stone lanterns are thus very

7     periods. Master Dōgen suggests that magnificent real time in the balanced state isJūni-ji,not different from the ordinary time of concrete daily life. Lit., “twelve times.” In Master Dōgen’s age, a day was divided into twelve

8     When we are waiting, twenty-four hours is long, and when we are pressed for time, twenty-four hours is short. So the length of a day is relative but we measure it as” twenty-four hours.”

9     thing.” “Individual moments of time” is “Each individual” is zu-zu, lit., “head-head.” “Each object” is ji-ji, lit., “time-time.”butsu-butsu, lit., “thing-

10    and real time.Like the will to the truth, Buddhist practice and realization are both real existence

11    state.Inmo no denchi. Inmo). Den means field and means something ineffable (see Chapter Twenty-nine [Vol. II],chi means earth. Denchi suggests a concrete area, or real

Inmo

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12    “Individual moments of time” is ji-ji no ji.

13    process—like crossing a mountain—is moments of the present.“Time that does not have the form of leaving and coming” means instantaneous time,as opposed to time as a linear progression. If we see time in this way, even a continuous

14    in this way, even though the moment of the present has arrived and it will depart, it“Time that retains the form of leaving and coming” means linear time. If we see time point and the view of time as a line, as well as the view of time as reality itself. Exists now. Master Dōgen’s view of real time embraces both the view of time as a 15 Past time swallowing present time suggests the inclusive character of time. Past time _{vomiting present time suggests the independence of the past and the present.}

16    “Individual moments of time” is ji-ji. See notes 9 and 12.

17    Go-uji, “my existence-time,” emphasizes that existence-time is not only a concept but our own real life itself.

18    Kyōryakuyomitime: it represents the linear aspect of time. ^{separate, successive stages; it represents the momentary aspect of time.}     A note on pronunciation: In Japanese, a Chinese character is read either in its form (the native Japanese reading) or in its or keireki. Kyō or kei means passing through, experience, the passage of_Ryakuon-yomior rekiform (imitating the Chinese suggests a process throughout-

images the pronunciation used in the Wu dynasty (222–258 ^{from age to age, so different readings of the} Japan are usually read according to the pronunciation used in the Wu dynasty. Pronunciation). However, the pronunciation of Chinese characters in China variedon-yomi are possible. _C.E.). Keireki ). Buddhist sutras inKyōryakuapproximatesapproxthe pronunciation used in the Han dynasty (206 _B.C.E.–25 _C.E.

19    Master Seigen Gyōshi, died 740.

20    Master Baso. Master Ōbaku Kiun, died between 855 and 859. A second-generation descendant of 21 Master Baso Dōitsu (704–788). See note 42.

22    Master Sekitō Kisen (700–790). A successor of Master Seigen Gyōshi. See note 41.

23    The lives of all Buddhist masters are just moments of the present.

24    Symbols of daily struggles. 25 Hō, or Dharma.

26    midnight), ox (2:00 The twelve hours of the Chinese day were represented by twelve animals: rat (12:00snake (10:00  ^A.M.), horse (12:00 noon), sheep (2:00 A.M.), tiger (4:00 A.M.), rabbit (6:00 P.M.), monkey (4:00 A.M.), dragon (8:00 P.M.), chicken A.M.), represent directions, the rat indicating north, the horse south, etc.(6:00 P.M.), dog (8:00 P.M.), and boar (10:00 P.M.).

27    The original sentence is constructed with combinations of only three Chinese char-kai, jin, kai, gu.“world,” works as a noun. “Universally realize” is “The whole universe” is jin su, “realize,” works as a verb. “Perfectly realize” is jinkai; jin, jin,(1:68):s are real form.”“realize,” works as a verb.  “Buddhas alone, together with“whole,” works as an adjective,kai-jin su; kai, “universally,”Gujingujin appears in the key sentence of the buddhas, can perfectly realize that all su; gu,works as an adverb and“perfectly,” works as an adverb, and Lotus Sutradharma

28    it were a verb.Jōroku-konjin suru, lit., “to sixteen-foot golden body”—a noun phrase is used as if

29    or real, as opposed to an ideal (as in the verse in the final paragraph of this chapter).Han-uji. Master Dōgen sometimes uses half to suggest something concrete, individual, 30 “Him” refers to existence in the previous sentence.Literally, “If we leave it utterly up to him,” i.e., if we let go of subjective worries. 31 See for example, Chapter Twenty-four (Vol. II), Mu, “nonexistence.” U and mu, “existence and nonexistence,” are usually opposed.Busshō. 32 The gate suggests the dualism of illusions and their negation, or idealism and mate_rialism.

33 The fact that all things—even _{however the fact is interpreted.}bodhi and nirvana—are existence-time does not change, 34 Rarō, lit., “nets and cages.” In China, silk nets (ra) and bamboo cages (ro) are used to catch and to keep small birds.

35    “Momentary continuance” and “continue from one moment to the next” are translationsof kyōryaku. See note 18.

36    birds are singing, etc. At the same time, we see it as an inclusive continuing process. “The momentary passing of time” and “a passage of time” are also translations of Spring has separate momentary aspects: the air is warm, flowers are open, kyōryaku.

37    When we think about “passing” we usually imagine a subject passing through anexternal object, but this does not apply to the passing of time, because the momentary passing of time is complete in itself.

38    In the first clause, passing time and spring are separated; “the momentary passing of

Master Dōgen suggested the real springtime as the oneness of the conceptual and the vidual situations of spring—flowers blooming, birds singing, etc. In the second clause, time” means the concept of the season spring, and “spring” means the concrete Indi concrete.

39    Time is not a factor within the universe, it is the universe itself.

40    Master Yakusan Igen (745–828). He became a monk at the age of seventeen and eventually succeeded Master Sekitō Kisen. Great Master Kōdō is his posthumous title.

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41    ^{eventually succeeded Master Seigen Gyōshi. He wrote the poem} riencing the StateMaster Sekitō Kisen (700–790). He had his head shaved by Master Daikan Enō and), which is often recited in Sōtō sect temples. Great Master Musai_{Sandōkai (On Expe}is his posthumous title.

42    of Buddhism in China in the eighth century sprang from the efforts of Master Seki -Master Baso Dōitsu (704–788); successor of Master Nangaku Ejō. Kōzei was the name of the district where he lived, and Daijaku is his posthumous name. The spread tō and Master Baso.

43    content of sutras; 3) The three vehicles are the vehicles of the as outlined by the Buddha in the sūtra,vyākaraṇa, independent verses; 5) original texts, sutras; 2) the Buddha’s affirmation that a practitioner is becoming Lotus Sutra.śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha,udāna, The twelve divisions of the teachings geya,spontaneous preaching (usually verses summarizing the prose and bodhisattva, Nidana, are as follows: 1)

historical accounts of causes and conditions; 7) stories of past occurrences (especially stories of past lives of the Buddha’s disciples);the Buddha’s preaching was prompted by questions from his followers); 6) a buddha; 4)  jātaka, stories of the Buddha’s past lives; 10) gāthā, avadāna, parables; 8) itivṛttaka, theoretical discourses. See also Glossary of Sanskrit Terms, and Chapter Twenty-philosophy; 11) ⁹⁾four (Vol. II), Bukkyō.ad bhuta-dharma, records of miraculous occurrences; and 12) vaipulya, extensions of Buddhists,

44    The ancestral master means Master Bodhidharma, who introduced real Buddhism to China from India. See Chapter Sixty-seven (Vol. III), Soshi-sairai-no-i.

45    Arutoki, see note 2.

46    Objectively .Kare literally means “him” or “that one.” Master Baso thought about his own behavior

47    verb (pronounced “The teaching” is kyō.seshimuruIn Master Baso’s words, ). Master Dōgen affirmed that Master Baso’s behaviorkyō is used as an auxiliary causative ^{three characters} the oneness of Master Baso’s words and his state. Was moral and that he followed the teachings. At the same time, by combining theze, i, and kyō, (right, him, and make/teaching), Master Dōgen suggested

48    is not always immoral—to do nothing is sometimes morally right. Immorality is not only inaction—positive action can also be immoral. And inaction

49    that he realized the truth on seeing the morning star, and that he transmitted the truth(The elements of the sentence suggest real situations in the Buddha’s life—it is said to Master Mahākāśyapa by picking up an Vol. III), Udonge. uḍum bara flower. See Chapter Sixty-eight 50 ^{Shōken was the fourth master in the succession from Master Rinzai, and the ninth} master in the succession from Master Nangaku Ejō. It is said that he realized the truth Master Shōken Kishō, dates unknown; a successor of Master Shuzan Shōnen. Master

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Shōken is in modern-day Hunan province in east central China.in the order of Master Shuzan when discussing a story about a shippei (bamboo stick). 51 Fuketsu Enshō.Master Shuzan Shōnen, died in 993 at the age of sixty-eight. A successor of Master 52 Arutoki. See note 2.

53    “Present” is “Absent” is futō, itatō, ita[rite[ra]]zu,, which means to arrive, or to have arrived, to be present. which means not to arrive, or not to have arrived, to be absent.

54    Buddha-Dharma?” Master Reiun says, “Donkey business being unfinished, but horsebusiness coming in.” See Master Chōkei Eryō asks Master Reiun Shigon, “What is the Great Intention of theShinji-shōbōgenzō, pt. 2, no. 56.

55    Dōgen interprets that the poem is also about concrete reality. The poem seems to be abstract in content, discussing only words and will, but Master

56    Presence, or “to have arrived,” and absence, or “not to have arrived,” are states at the moment of the present; they do not need to be seen as the results of past processes.

57    Presence restricted by itself means real presence as it is, i.e., presence that is not _{restricted by worrying about absence.} 58 the real will as it is.Both expressions, “the will hinders the will” and “the will meets the will,” suggest 59 not something separate which can hinder real things. “Restriction” means being as it is. It is the state which real things already have, it is

60    Genjō-kōan. See Chapter Three, Genjō-kōan.

61    and feeling. See Chapter Twenty-eight (Vol. II), Kōjō-kanrei. Kōjō, “ascendant,” describes the state which is more real than thinkingButsu-kōjō-no-ji.

62    concrete reality.Dattai. Datsu means to get free of, or to shed. Tai means the body, the substance, the ⁶³ Soku-shi-ri-shi suggests real behavior in Buddhist life. This and the three preceding

reality, the concrete state which is more real than a generalization, the clear estab-lishment of concrete facts in reality, and real action in daily life.expressions can be interpreted according to four phases: a general expression of

64    “Enact existence-time” is uji su—uji is used as a verb.

65    Kare, as in Master Baso’s words. See note 46. 66 The first day of the tenth lunar month, 1240. 67 1243.

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[Chapter Twelve]

                                             Kesa-kudoku                                       

The Merit of the Kaṣāya

Translator’s Note: Kesa represents the Sanskrit word kaṣāya, or Buddhist robe, and kudoku means “virtue” or “merit.” So kesa-kudoku means the merit of the kaṣāya. Being a realistic religion, Buddhism reveres our real life. In other words, Buddhism esteems our real conduct in daily life; wearing clothes and eating meals are very important parts of Buddhist life. In particular, the kaṣāya and pātra, or Buddhist bowl, are the main symbols of Buddhist life. In this chapter Master Dōgen explains and praises the merit of the kaṣāya.

[49] The authentic transmission into China of the robe and the Dharma, which are authentically transmitted from buddha to buddha and from patriarch to patriarch, was done only by the Founding Patriarch of Sūgaku Peak.1 The Founding Patriarch was the twenty-eighth patriarch after Śākyamuni Buddha, the transmission having passed twenty-eight times in India from rightful successor to rightful successor. The twenty-eighth patriarch went to China in person and became the First Patriarch [there]. The transmission then passed through five Chinese [masters] and reached Sōkei,2 the thirty-third patriarch, whom we call “the Sixth Patriarch.” Zen Master Daikan, the thirty-third patriarch, received the authentic transmission of this robe and Dharma on Ōbaizan3 in the middle of the night, after which he guarded and retained [the robe] throughout his life. It is still deposited at Hōrinji on Sōkeizan. Many successive generations of emperors devoutly asked for [the robe] to be brought to the imperial court, where they served offerings and made prostrations to it, guarding it as a sacred object. The Tang dynasty4 emperors Chūsō (Ch. Zhongzong), Shukusō (Ch. Suzong), and Taisō5 (Ch. Daizong) frequently had [the robe] brought to the court and served offerings to it. When they requested it and when they sent it back, they would conscientiously dispatch an imperial emissary and issue an edict. Emperor Taisō once returned the buddha robe to

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Sōkeizan with the following edict: “I now dispatch the great General Ryū Shūkei,6 Pacifier of the Nation, to receive with courtesy7 and to deliver [the robe]. I consider it to be a national treasure. Venerable priests,8 deposit it according to the Dharma in its original temple. Let it be solemnly guarded only by monks who have intimately received the fundamental teaching. Never let it fall into neglect.” Truly, better than ruling a three-thousand-great-thousandfold realm of worlds as countless as the sands of the Ganges,9 to see and to hear and to serve offerings to the Buddha’s robe as the king of a small country where the Buddha’s robe is present, may be the best life among [all] good lives [lived] in life-and-death. Where, in a three-thousandfold world which has been reached by the Buddha’s influence, could the kaṣāya not exist? At the same time, the one who passed on the authentic transmission

of the Buddha’s kaṣāya, having received the face-to-face transmission from rightful successor to rightful successor, is only the ancestral patriarch of Sūgaku Peak. The Buddha’s kaṣāya was not handed down through side lineages.10 The transmission to Bodhisattva Bhadrapāla, a collateral descendant of the twenty-seventh patriarch,11 duly arrived at Dharma teacher Jō,12 but there was no authentic transmission of the Buddha’s kaṣāya. Again, Great Master [Dōshin], the Fourth Patriarch in China,13 delivered Zen Master Hōyū14 of Gozusan but did not pass on the authentic transmission of the Buddha’s kaṣāya. So even without the transmission from rightful successors, the Tathāgata’s right Dharma—whose merit is never empty—confers its wide and great benefit all through thousands of ages and myriads of ages. [At the same time] those who have received the transmission from rightful successors are not to be compared with those who lack the transmission. Therefore, when human beings and gods receive and retain the kaṣāya, they should receive the authentic transmission transmitted between Buddhist patriarchs. In India and in China, in the ages of the right Dharma and the imitative Dharma,15 even laypeople received and retained the kaṣāya. In this distant and remote land in the present degenerate age, those who shave their beard and hair and call themselves the Buddha’s disciples do not receive and retain the kaṣāya. They have never believed, known, or clarified that they should receive and retain [the kaṣāya]; it is lamentable. How much less do they know of the [kaṣāya’s] material, color, and measurements. How much less do they know how to wear it.

[54] The kaṣāya has been called, since ancient time, “the clothing of liberation.” It can liberate16 us from all hindrances such as karmic hindrances, hindrances of affliction, and hindrances of retribution. If a dragon gets a single strand [of the kaṣāya], it escapes the three kinds of heat.17 If a bull touches [a kaṣāya] with one of its horns, its sins will naturally be extinguished. When buddhas realize the truth they are always wearing the kaṣāya. Remember, [to wear the kaṣāya] is the noblest and highest virtue. Truly, we have been born in a remote land in [the age of] the latter Dharma, and we must regret this. But at the same time, how should we measure the joy of meeting the robe and the Dharma that have been transmitted from buddha to buddha, from rightful successor to rightful successor? Which [other] lineage has authentically transmitted both the robe and the Dharma of Śākyamuni in the 48b manner of our authentic transmission? Having met them, who could fail to venerate them and to serve offerings to them? Even if, each day, we [have to] discard bodies and lives as countless as the sands of the Ganges, we should serve offerings to them. Indeed we should vow to meet them, humbly to receive them upon the head,18 to serve offerings to them, and to venerate them in every life in every age. Between us and the country of the Buddha’s birth, there are more than a hundred thousand miles of mountains and oceans, and it is too far for us to travel; nevertheless, promoted by past good conduct, we have not been shut out by the mountains and oceans, and we have not been spurned as the dullards of a remote [land]. Having met this right Dharma, we should persistently practice it day and night. Having received and retained this kaṣāya, we should perpetually receive it upon the head in humility and preserve it. How could this only be to have practiced merit under one buddha or two buddhas? It may be to have practiced all kinds of merit under buddhas equal to the sands of the Ganges. Even if [the people who receive and retain the kaṣāya] are ourselves, we should venerate them, and we should rejoice. We should heartily repay the profound benevolence of the ancestral master in transmitting the Dharma. Even animals repay kindness; so how could human beings fail to recognize kindness? If we failed to recognize kindness, we might be more stupid than animals. The merits of this buddha robe and this Buddha-Dharma were never clarified or known by anyone other than the ancestral master who transmitted the Buddha’s right Dharma. If we want to follow gladly the traces of the buddhas, we should just be glad about this [transmission]. Even after hundred thousand myriads of generations, we should esteem this authentic transmission as the authentic transmission. This [transmission] may be the Buddha-Dharma itself; the proof in due course will become evident. We should not liken [the transmission] to the dilution of milk with water. It is like a crown prince succeeding to the throne. When we want to use milk, if there is no milk other than this diluted milk [described

48c above], although it is diluted milk we should use it. Even when we do not dilute it with water, we must not use oil, we must not use lacquer, and we must not use wine. This authentic transmission may also be like that. Even a mediocre follower of an ordinary master, providing the authentic transmission is present, may be in a good situation to use milk. [But] more to the point, the authentic transmission from buddha to buddha and from patriarch to patriarch is like the succession of a crown prince. Even secular [teaching] says, “One does not wear clothing different from the official uniform of the previous reign.”19 How could disciples of the Buddha wear [robes] different from the Buddha’s robe?

[58] Since the tenth year of the Eihei era,20 during the reign of Emperor Kōmei (Ch. Mingdi) of the Later Han dynasty,21 monks and laymen going back and forth between the Western Heavens and the Eastern Lands have followed on each other’s heels without cease, but none has claimed to have met in the Western Heavens an ancestral master of the authentic transmission from buddha to buddha and from patriarch to patriarch; none has a record of the lineage of the face-to-face transmission from the Tathāgata. They have only followed teachers of sutras and commentaries, and brought back Sanskrit books of sutras and philosophy. None speaks of having met an ancestral master who is a rightful successor to the Buddha’s Dharma, and none mentions that there are ancestral masters who have received the transmission of the Buddha’s kaṣāya. Clearly, they have not entered beyond the threshold of the Buddha’s Dharma. People like this have not clarified the principle of the authentic transmission by Buddhist patriarchs. When Śākyamuni Tathāgata22 passed to Mahākāśyapa the right Dharma-eye treasury and the supreme state of bodhi, he transmitted them together with a kaṣāya received in the authentic transmission from Kāśyapa Buddha.23 Received by rightful successor from rightful successor, [the kaṣāya] reached Zen Master Daikan of Sōkeizan, the thirty-third generation. The material, color, and measurements [of the kaṣāya] had been transmitted intimately. Since then, the Dharma descendants of Seigen and Nangaku24 have intimately transmitted the Dharma, wearing the Dharma of the ancestral patriarchs and keeping the Dharma of the ancestral patriarchs in order. The method of washing [the kaṣāya] and the method of receiving and retaining [the kaṣāya] cannot be known without learning in practice in the inner sanctum of the legitimate face-to-face transmission of 49a those methods.

[60] The kaṣāya is said to include three robes. They are the five-stripe robe, the seven-stripe robe, and the large robe of nine or more stripes. Excellent practitioners receive only these three robes, and do not keep other robes. To use just the three robes serves the body well enough. When we are attending to business or doing chores, and when we are going to and from the toilet, we wear the five-stripe robe. For doing good practices among the sangha, we wear the seven-stripe robe. To teach human beings and gods, and to make them devout, we should wear the large robe of nine or more stripes. Or, when we are in a private place we wear the five-stripe robe, when we go among the sangha we wear the seven-stripe robe, and when we go into a royal palace or into towns and villages we should wear the large robe. Or, when it is nice and warm we wear the five-stripe robe, when it is cold we put on the seven-stripe robe as well, and when the cold is severe we also put on the large robe. Once, in ancient times, the weather on a midwinter night was cold enough to split bamboo. As that night fell, the Tathāgata put on the five-stripe robe. As the night passed and it got colder, he put on the seven-stripe robe as well. Later on in the night, when the coldness reached a peak, he also put on the large robe. At this time, the Buddha thought, “In future ages, when the cold is beyond endurance, good sons should be able to clothe their bodies adequately with these three robes.”25

[62] The method of wearing the kaṣāya: “To bare only the right shoulder”26 is the usual method. There is a method of wearing [the kaṣāya] so that it goes over both shoulders, a form [followed by] the Tathāgata and veterans who are senior in years and experience: both shoulders are covered, while the chest may be either exposed or covered. [The method of] covering both shoulders is for a large kaṣāya of sixty or more stripes. [Usually,] when we wear the kaṣāya, we wear both sides over the left arm and shoulder. The front edge goes over the left side [of the kaṣāya] and hangs over the [left upper] arm.27 In the case of the large kaṣāya, [this] front edge passes over the left shoulder and hangs down behind the back. There are various methods of wearing the kaṣāya besides these; we should take time to study them and should inquire into them.

[64] For hundreds of years, through one dynasty after another—Liang,

49b Zhen, Sui, Tang, and Song28—many scholars of both the Great and the Small Vehicles have abandoned the work of lecturing on sutras, recognizing that it is not the ultimate, and progressed to learn the authentically transmitted Dharma of the Buddhist patriarchs; when they do so, they inevitably shed their former shabby robes and receive and retain the authentically transmitted kaṣāya of the Buddhist patriarchs. This is indeed the abandonment of the false and the return to the true. [In discussing] the right Dharma of the Tathāgata, [we see] the Western Heavens as the very root of the Dharma. Many teachers of human beings, past and present, have established small views based on the sentimental and parochial thinking of the common person. Because the world of buddha and the world of living beings are beyond being limited and being unlimited, the teachings, practice, and human truths of the Mahayana and the Hinayana can never fit inside the narrow thoughts of common people today. Nevertheless, [common people] in China, acting at random, have failed to see the Western Heavens as the root, and have considered their newly devised, limited, small views to be the Buddha-Dharma. Such facts should never occur. Therefore if people today who have established the mind want to receive and to retain the kaṣāya, they must receive and retain the kaṣāya of the authentic transmission. They must not receive and retain a kaṣāya newly created according to the idea of the moment. The kaṣāya of the authentic transmission means the one that has been authentically transmitted from Shaolin [Temple] and Sōkei [Mountain],29 the one that has been received by the Tathāgata’s rightful successors without missing a single generation. The kaṣāya worn by their Dharma children and Dharma grandchildren is the traditional kaṣāya. What has been newly created in China is not traditional. Now, the kaṣāya worn by the monks who have come from the Western Heavens, in the past and present, are all worn as the kaṣāya authentically transmitted by the Buddhist patriarchs. Not one of these monks [has worn a kaṣāya] like the new kaṣāya being produced in China today by precepts scholars. Dull people believe in the kaṣāya of precepts scholars; those who are clear throw [such robes] away. In general, the merit of the kaṣāya transmitted from buddha to buddha and from patriarch to patriarch is evident and easy to believe in. Its authentic transmission has been received exactly, its original 49c form has been handed down personally, and it exists really in the present. [The Buddhist patriarchs] have received and retained it, and succeeded to each other’s Dharma, until today. The ancestral masters who have received and retained [the kaṣāya] are all masters and disciples who experienced the state30 and received the transmission of Dharma. This being so, we should make [the kaṣāya] properly, according to the method for making the kaṣāya that has been authentically transmitted by the Buddhist patriarchs. This alone is the authentic tradition, and so it has long been experienced and recognized by all common and sacred beings, human beings and gods, and dragons and spirits. Having been born to meet the spread of this Dharma, if we cover our body with the kaṣāya only once, receiving it and retaining it for just a kṣāṇa or a muhūrta,31 that [experience] will surely serve as a talisman to protect us32 in the realization of the supreme state of bodhi. When we dye the body and mind with a single phrase or a single verse, it becomes a seed of everlasting brightness which finally leads us to the supreme state of bodhi. When we dye the body and mind with one real dharma or one good deed, it may be also like this. Mental images arise and vanish instantaneously; they are without an abode. The physical body also arises and vanishes instantaneously; it too is without an abode. Nevertheless, the merit that we practice always has its time of ripening and shedding. The kaṣāya, similarly, is beyond elaboration and beyond non-elaboration, it is beyond having an abode and beyond having no abode: it is that which “buddhas alone, together with buddhas, perfectly realize.”33 Nevertheless, practitioners who receive and retain [the kaṣāya] always accomplish the merit that is thus to be gained, and they always arrive at the ultimate. Those without past good conduct—even if they pass through one life, two lives, or countless lives—can never meet the kaṣāya, can never wear the kaṣāya, can never believe in the kaṣāya, and can never clearly know the kaṣāya. In China and Japan today, we see that there are those who have had the opportunity to clothe their body once in the kaṣāya, and there are

those who have not. [The difference] depends neither upon high or low status nor upon stupidity or wisdom: clearly it was determined by past good conduct.

This being so, if we have received and retained the kaṣāya, we should feel glad about our past good conduct, and should not doubt the accumulation of merit and the piling up of virtue. If we have not got [the kaṣāya] yet, we should hope to get it. We should strive, without delay, to sow the first seeds [of receiving and retaining the kaṣāya] in this life. Those who are prevented by some hindrance from receiving and retaining [the kaṣāya] should repent and confess before the buddha-tathāgatas and the Three Treasures of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. How living beings in other countries must wish, “If only the robe and the Dharma of the Tathāgata had been authentically transmitted and were intimately present in our country, as they are in China!” Their shame must be deep, and their sadness tinged with resentment, that the authentic tradition has not passed into their own country. Why are we so fortunate as to have met the Dharma in which the robe and the Dharma of the Tathāgata, the World honored One, have been authentically transmitted? It is the influence of the great merit of praj ñā nurtured in the past. In the present corrupt age of the latter Dharma, [some] are not ashamed that they themselves have no authentic transmission, and they envy others who possess the authentic transmission. I think they may be a band of demons. Their present possessions and abodes which are influenced by their former conduct, are not true and real. Just to devote themselves34 to and to venerate the authentically transmitted Buddha Dharma: this may be their real refuge in learning [the state of] buddha. In sum, remember that the kaṣāya is the object of the buddhas’ veneration and devotion. It is the body of the Buddha and the mind of the Buddha. We call it “the clothing of liberation,”35 “the robe of a field of happiness,”36 “the robe without form,”37 “the supreme robe,” “the robe of endurance,”38 “the robe of the Tathā gata,” “the robe of great benevolence and great compassion,” “the robe that is a banner of excellence,” and “the robe of anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi.” We should receive and retain it like this, humbly receiving it upon the head. Because it is like this, we should never change it according to [our own] mind.

[71] As material for the robe, we use silk or cotton, according to suitability. It is not always the case that cotton is pure and silk is impure. There is no viewpoint from which to hate cotton and to prefer silk; that would be laughable. The usual method39 of the buddhas, in every case, is to see rags40 as the best material. There are ten sorts and four sorts of rags; namely, burned, chewed by an ox, gnawed by rats, from clothes of dead people, and so forth.41 “The people of the five areas of India42 discarded rags like these in streets and fields, as if they were filth, and so they called them ‘filthy rags.’43 Practitioners picked them up, washed them and sewed them, and used them to cover the body.”44 Among those [rags] there are various kinds of silk and various kinds of cotton. We should throw away the view [that discriminates between] silk and cotton, and study rags in practice. When, in ancient times45 [the Buddha] was washing a robe of rags in Lake Anavatapta,46 the Dragon King praised him with a rain of flowers, and made prostrations of reverence. Some teachers of the Small Vehicle have a theory about transformed thread,47 which also may be without foundation. People of the Great Vehicle might laugh at it. What kind [of thread] is not transformed thread? When those teachers hear of “transformation” they believe their ears, but when they see the transformation itself they doubt their eyes. Remember, in picking up rags, there may be cotton that looks like silk and there may be silk that looks like cotton. There being myriad differences in local customs it is hard to fathom [nature’s] creation—eyes of flesh cannot know it. Having obtained such material, we should not discuss whether it is silk or cotton but should call it rags. Even if there are human beings or gods in heaven who have survived as rags, they are never sentient beings, they are just rags. Even if there are pine trees or chrysanthemums that have survived as rags, they are never insentient beings, they are just rags. When we believe the principle that rags are not silk or cotton, and not gold, silver, pearl, or jewel, rags are realized. Before we have got rid of views and opinions about silk and cotton, we have never seen rags even in a dream. On one occasion a monk asks the eternal 50c buddha,48 “Should we see the robe you received on Ōbai [Mountain] in the middle of the night as cotton, or should we see it as silk? In short, as what material should we see it?” The eternal buddha says, “It is not cotton and it is not silk.” Remember, it is a profound teaching49 of the Buddha’s truth that the kaṣāya is beyond silk and cotton.

[74] The Venerable Śāṇavāsa50 is third in the transmission of the Dharma treasury. He has been endowed with a robe since birth. While he is a layman this robe is a secular garment, but when he leaves home51 it turns into a kaṣāya. In another case, the bhikṣuṇī Śukra,52 after establishing the will and being clothed in a cotton robe, has been born with a robe in every life and middle existence. On the day that she meets Śākyamuni Buddha and leaves home, the secular robe that she has had since birth changes instantly into a kaṣāya, as in the case of Venerable Śāṇavāsa. Clearly, the kaṣāya is beyond silk, cotton, and so forth. Moreover, the fact that the virtue of the Buddha Dharma can transform body and mind and all dharmas is as in those examples. The truth is evident that when we leave home and receive the precepts, body and mind, object-and-subject, change at once; it is only because we are stupid that we do not know. It is not true that the usual rule53 of the buddhas applies only to Śāṇavāsa and to Śukra but not to us; we should not doubt that benefit [accrues] in accordance with individual standing. We should consider such truths in detail and learn them in practice. The kaṣāya that covers the body of [the monks whom the Buddha] welcomes54 to take the precepts is not necessarily cotton or silk: the Buddha’s influence is difficult to consider. The precious pearl within the robe55 is beyond those who count grains of sand.56 We should clarify and should learn in practice that which has quantity and that which is without quantity, that which has form and that which is without form, in the material, color, and measurements of the kaṣāya of the buddhas. This is what all the ancestral masters of the Western Heavens and the Eastern Lands, past and present, learned in practice and transmitted as the authentic tradition. If someone is able to see and to hear [a master] in whom there is nothing to doubt—the authentic transmission from patriarch to patriarch

being evident—but fails, without reason, to receive the authentic transmission from this ancestral master, such smugness would be hard to condone. The extent of [this] stupidity might be due to unbelief. It would be to abandon the real and to pursue the false, to discard the root and to seek after branches. It would be to slight the Tathāgata. People who wish to establish the bodhi mind should always receive the authentic transmission of an ancestral master. Not only have we met the Buddha-Dharma which is so difficult to meet: also, as Dharma descendants in the authentic transmission of the Buddha’s kaṣāya, we have been able to see and to hear, to learn and to practice, and to receive and to retain [the authentic transmission of the Buddha’s kaṣāya]. This is just to see the Tathāgata himself, it is to hear the Buddha’s preaching of Dharma, it is to be illuminated by the Buddha’s brightness, it is to receive

and to use what the Buddha received and used, it is to receive the one-toone transmission of the Buddha’s mind, it is to have got the Buddha’s marrow, it is to be covered directly by Śākyamuni Buddha’s kaṣāya, and it is Śākyamuni Buddha himself directly bestowing the kaṣāya upon us. Because we follow the Buddha, we have devoutly57 received this kaṣāya.

[78] The method of washing the kaṣāya: Put the kaṣāya, unfolded, into a clean tub, then immerse the kaṣāya in fragrant, fully boiled hot water, and leave it to soak for about two hours.58 Another method is to soak the kaṣāya in pure, fully boiled ash-water59 and to wait for the water to cool. Nowadays we usually use [the] hot ash-water [method]. Hot ash-water is what we call aku-no-yu here [in Japan].60 When the ash-water has cooled, rinse [the kaṣāya] again and again in clean and clear hot water. During the rinsing do not put in both hands to scrub [the kaṣāya] and do not tread on it. Continue until any dirt or grease has been removed. After that, mix aloes, sandalwood,61 or other 51b incense into some cold water and rinse [the kaṣāya]. Then hang it on a washing pole62 to dry. After it is thoroughly dry, fold it and put it in a high place, burn incense and scatter petals, walk round it several times [with the kaṣāya] to the right,63 and perform prostrations. After making three prostrations, six prostrations, or nine prostrations, kneel up and join the hands,64 then hold the kaṣāya up with both hands, and in the mouth recite the verse [in praise of the kaṣāya].65 After that stand up and put on [the kaṣāya] according to the method. [80] 66The World-honored One addresses the great assembly: “In the ancient past when I was in the order of Buddha Jewel Treasury,67 I was Bodhisattva Great Compassion.68 At that time, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Great Compassion made the following vow before Buddha Jewel Treasury:

‘World-honored One! If, after I became a buddha, there were living beings who had entered my Dharma and left home and who wore the kaṣāya—even if they were bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās69 who had accumulated heavy sins by violating the grave prohibitions, by enacting false views, or by contemptuously disbelieving the Three Treasures—and in a single moment of consciousness the reverence arose in their mind to honor the saṃghāṭi robe70 and the reverence arose in their mind to honor the World-honored One (the Buddha) or the Dharma and the Sangha but, World-honored One, even one among those living beings could not, in [one of] the three vehicles,71 receive affirmation,72 and as a result regressed or went astray, it would mean that I had deceived the buddhas who are present now in the worlds of the ten directions and in countless, infinite asaṃkheya kalpas, and I surely should not realize anuttara samyak saṃbodhi.

‘World-honored One! After I have become a buddha, if gods, dragons, and demons, and human and nonhuman beings are able to wear this kaṣāya, to venerate, to serve offerings to, to honor, and to praise it, as long as those people are able to see a small part of this kaṣāya, they will be able not to regress while within the three vehicles.

‘When living beings are afflicted by hunger or thirst—whether they are wretched demons, miserable people, or living beings in the state of hungry ghosts—if they are able to obtain a piece of the kaṣāya even as small as four inches,73 they will at once be able to eat and drink their fill and to accomplish quickly whatever they wish.

‘When living beings offend each other, causing ill will to arise and a fight to develop—or when gods, dragons, demons, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, kum bhāṇḍas, piśācas, and human and nonhuman beings are fighting each other—if they remember this kaṣāya, in due course, by virtue of the power of the kaṣāya, they will beget the mind of compassion, soft and flexible mind, mind free of enmity, serene mind, the regulated mind of virtue, and they will get back the state of purity.

‘When people are in an armed conflict, a civil lawsuit, or a criminal action, if they retain a small piece of this kaṣāya as they go among these combatants, and if in order to protect themselves they serve offerings to, venerate, and honor it, these [other] people will be unable to injure, to disturb, or to make fools of them; they will always be able to beat their opponents and to come through all such difficulties.

‘World-honored One! If my kaṣāya were unable to accomplish these five sacred merits,75 it would mean that I had deceived the buddhas who are present now in the worlds of the ten directions and in countless, infinite asaṃkheya kalpas, and in future I ought not to accomplish anuttara samyak saṃbodhi or to do Buddhist works. Having lost the virtuous Dharma, I would surely be unable to destroy non-Buddhism.’ Good sons!76 At that time Tathāgata Jewel Treasury extended his golden right arm and patted the head of Bodhisattva Great Compassion, praising him with these words:

“Very good! Very good! Stout fellow! What you have said is a great and rare treasure, and is great wisdom and virtue. When you have realized anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi, this robe, the kaṣāya, will be able to accomplish these five sacred merits and to produce great benefit.”

Good sons! At that time, the bodhisattva mahāsattva Great Compassion, after hearing the praise of that buddha, jumped endlessly for joy. Then the Buddha [again] extended his golden arm, with its hand of long, webbed fingers77 as soft as the robe of a goddess. When he patted the [bodhisattva’s] head, the [bodhisattva’s] body changed at once into the youthful figure of a man of twenty. Good sons! In that order the great assembly of gods, dragons, deities, gandharvas, and human and nonhuman beings, with folded hands78 venerated Bodhisattva Great Compassion; they served him offerings of all kinds of flowers; they even made music and offered that; and they also praised him in all kinds of ways, after which they abode in silence.79

[86]From the age when the Tathāgata was in the world until today, whenever the merits of the kaṣāya are quoted from the Sutra and the Vinaya80 of bodhisattvas and śrāvakas, these five sacred merits are always considered 52a fundamental. Truly, kaṣāyas are the buddha robes of the buddhas of the three times. Their merits are measureless. At the same time, to get the kaṣāya in the Dharma of Śākyamuni Buddha may be even better than to get the kaṣāya in the Dharma of other buddhas. The reason, if asked, is that in the ancient past, when Śākyamuni Buddha was in the causal state81 as the bodhisattva mahāsattva Great Compassion, when he offered his five hundred great vows before Buddha Jewel Treasury, he pointedly made the above vows in terms of the merits of this kaṣāya. Its merits may be utterly measureless and unthinkable. This being so, the authentic transmission to the present of the skin, flesh, bones, and marrow of the World-honored One, is the kaṣāya robe. The ancestral masters who have authentically transmitted the right Dharma-eye treasury have, without exception, authentically transmitted the kaṣāya. The living beings who have received and retained this robe and humbly received it upon their heads have, without exception, attained the truth within two or

three lives. Even when people have put [the kaṣāya] on their body for a joke or for gain, it has inevitably become the causes and conditions for their attaining the truth.

[87]The ancestral master Nāgārjuna82 says, “Further, in the Buddha Dharma, people who have left family life,83 even if they break the precepts and fall into sin, after they have expiated their sins, they can attain liberation, as the bhikṣuṇī Utpalavarṇā explains in the Jātakasūtra:84 When the Buddha is in the world, this bhikṣuṇī attains the six mystical powers85 and the state of an arhat.86 She goes into the houses of nobles and constantly praises the method of leaving family life, saying to all the aristocratic ladies, ‘Sisters! You should leave family life.’

The noblewomen say, ‘We are young and our figures are full of life and beauty. It would be difficult for us to keep the precepts. Sometimes we might break the precepts.’

The bhikṣuṇī says, ‘If you break the precepts, you break them. Just leave family life!’

They ask, ‘If we break the precepts we will fall into hell. Why

should we want to break them?’

She answers, ‘If you fall into hell, you fall.’

The noblewomen all laugh at this, saying, ‘In hell we would have to receive retribution for our sins. Why should we want to fall [into hell]?’

The bhikṣuṇī says, ‘I remember in my own past life, once I became

a prostitute, wore all sorts of clothes, and spoke in old-fashioned language.87 One day I put on a bhikṣuṇī robe as a joke, and due to this as a direct and indirect cause, at the time of Kāśyapa Buddha88 I became a bhikṣuṇī. I was still proud then of my noble pedigree and fine features: vanity and arrogance arose in my mind, and I broke the precepts. Because of the wrongness of breaking the precepts I fell into hell and suffered for my various sins, but after I had suffered retribution I finally met Śākyamuni Buddha, transcended family life, and attained the six mystical powers and the truth of an arhat. Thus, I know that when we leave family life and receive the precepts, even if we break the precepts, due to the precepts as direct and indirect causes we can attain the truth

of an arhat. If I had only done bad, without the precepts as direct and indirect causes, I could not have attained the truth. In the past I fell into hell in age after age. When I got out of hell I became a bad person, and when the bad person died, I went back into hell, and there was no gain at all. Now therefore I know from experience that when we leave family life and receive the precepts, even if we break the precepts, with this as a direct and indirect cause we can attain the bodhi-effect.’”89 [90] The primary cause of this bhikṣuṇī Utpalavarṇā90 attaining the truth as an arhat is just the merit of her putting the kaṣāya on her body for a joke; because of this merit, and no other merit, she has now attained the truth. In her second life she meets the Dharma of Kāśyapa Buddha and becomes a bhikṣuṇī. In her third life she meets Śākyamuni Buddha and becomes a great arhat, equipped with the three kinds of knowledge and the six powers. The three kinds of knowledge are supernatural insight, [knowing] past lives, and ending the superfluous. The six powers are the power of mystical transmutation, the power to know others’ minds, the power of supernatural sight, the power of supernatural hearing, the power to know past lives, and the power to end the superfluous.91 Truly, when she was only a wrongdoer she died and entered hell to no avail, coming out of hell and becoming a wrongdoer again. [But] when she has the precepts as direct and indirect causes, although she has broken the precepts and fallen into hell, they are the direct and indirect causes of her attaining the truth at last. Now, even someone who has worn the kaṣāya for a joke can attain the truth in her third life. How, then, could someone who has established pure belief, and who wears the kaṣāya for the 52c sake of the supreme state of bodhi, fail to accomplish that merit? Still further, if we receive and retain [the kaṣāya] throughout our life, humbly receiving it upon the head, the merit might be universal and great beyond measure. Any human being who would like to establish the bodhi-mind should receive and retain the kaṣāya, and humbly receive it upon the head, without delay. To have met this favorable age but not to have sown a Buddhist seed  would be deplorable. Having received a human body on the southern continent,92 having met the Dharma of Śākyamuni Buddha, and having been born to meet an ancestral master who is a perfectly legitimate successor to the Buddha Dharma, if we idly passed up the chance to receive the kaṣāya which has

been transmitted one-to-one and which is directly accessible, that would be deplorable. Now, in regard to the authentic transmission of the kaṣāya, the one authentic transmission from the ancestral master is right and traditional; other masters cannot stand shoulder to shoulder with him. Even to receive and to retain the kaṣāya following a master who has not received the transmission is still of very profound merit. But much more than that, if we receive and retain [the kaṣāya] from a true master who has quite legitimately received the face-to-face transmission, we may really be the Dharma children and the Dharma grandchildren of the Tathāgata himself, and we may actually have received the authentic transmission of the Tathāgata’s skin, flesh, bones, and marrow. The kaṣāya, in conclusion, has been authentically transmitted by the buddhas of the three times and the ten directions, without interruption; it is what the buddhas, bodhisattvas, śrāvakas, and pratyekabuddhas of the three times and the ten directions have, in like manner, guarded and retained. [93] Coarse cotton cloth is the standard [material] for making the kaṣāya. When there is no coarse cotton cloth, we use fine cotton cloth. When there is neither coarse nor fine cotton cloth, we use plain silk. When there is neither [plain] silk nor cotton cloth, materials such as patterned cloth93 or sheer silk may be used; [these are all] approved by the Tathāgata. For countries where there is no plain silk, cotton, patterned cloth, sheer silk, or anything of the kind, the Tathāgata also permits the leather kaṣāya. Generally, we should dye the kaṣāya blue, yellow, red, black, or purple. Whichever color it is, we 53a should make it a secondary color.94 The Tathāgata always wore a flesh-colored kaṣāya; this was the color of the kaṣāya. The Buddha’s kaṣāya transmitted by the First Patriarch was blue-black, and made of the cotton crepe of the Western Heavens. It is now on Sōkeizan. It was transmitted twenty-eight times in the Western Heavens and transmitted five times in China. Now the surviving disciples of the eternal buddha of Sōkei,95 who have all received and retained the ancient customs of the Buddha’s robe, are beyond other monks. Broadly, there are three kinds of robe: 1) “the robe of rags,” 2) “the robe of fur,” and 3) “the patched robe.” “Rags” are as explained previously. In “the robe of fur,” the fine [down and] hair of birds and beasts is called “fur.” “When practitioners cannot obtain rags, they pick up this [fur] and make it into the robe. ‘The patched robe’ describes our sewing and patching,

and wearing, [cloth] that has become ragged and worn with age; we do not wear the fine clothes of the secular world.”96

[95] 97The venerable monk98 Upāli99 asks the World-honored One, “World-honored Bhadanta!100 How many stripes does the saṃghāṭi robe have?”

The Buddha says, “There are nine kinds. What are the nine kinds? They are [the saṃghāṭi robe] of nine stripes, eleven stripes, thirteen stripes, fifteen stripes, seventeen stripes, nineteen stripes, twenty-one stripes, twenty-three stripes, and twenty-five stripes. The first three of those kinds of saṃghāṭi robe have two long segments and one short segment [in each stripe], and we should keep [the standard] like this. The next three kinds have three long [segments] and one short, and the last three kinds have four long and one short. Anything with more

[segments per] stripe than this becomes an unorthodox robe.”101

Upāli again addresses the World-honored One, “World-honored Bhadanta! How many kinds of saṃghāṭi robe are there?”

The Buddha says, “There are three kinds: larger, medium, and smaller.102 The larger is three cubits long by five cubits wide.103 The smaller is two and a half cubits long by four and a half cubits wide. Anything between these two is called medium.”

Upāli again addresses the World-honored One: “World-honored

Bhadanta! How many stripes does the uttarasaṃghāṭi104 robe have?”

The Buddha says, “It has only seven stripes, each with two long

segments and one short segment.”

Upāli again addresses the World-honored One, “World-honored

Bhadanta! How many kinds of seven-striped [robe] are there?”

The Buddha says, “There are three kinds: larger, medium, and smaller. The larger is three cubits by five, the smaller is a half cubit shorter on each side, and anything between these two is called medium.”

Upāli again addresses the World-honored One: “World-honored

              Bhadanta! How many stripes does the antarvāsa105 robe have?”               

The Buddha says, “It has five stripes, each with one long segment

and one short segment.”

Upāli again addresses the World-honored One, “How many kinds

of antarvāsa robes are there?”

The Buddha says, “There are three kinds: larger, medium, and smaller. The larger is three cubits by five. The medium and the smaller are as before.”106 The Buddha says, “There are two further kinds of antarvāsa robes. What are those two? The first is two cubits long by five cubits wide, and the second is two cubits long by four cubits wide.”

The saṃghāṭi is translated as “the double-layered robe,” the uttarasaṃghāṭi is translated as “the upper robe,” and the antarvāsa is translated as “the under robe” or as “the inner robe.” At the same time, the saṃghāṭi robe is called “the large robe,” and also called “the robe for entering royal palaces” or “the robe for preaching the Dharma.” The uttarasaṃghāṭi is called “the seven-striped robe,” or called “the middle robe” or “the robe for going among the sangha.” The antarvāsa is called “the five-striped robe,” or called “the small robe” or “the robe for practicing the truth and for doing work.”

[98] We should guard and retain these three robes without fail. Among saṃghāṭi robes is the kaṣāya of sixty stripes, which also deserves to be received and retained without fail. In general, the length of a [buddha’s] body depends on the span of its lifetime, which is between eighty thousand years107 and one hundred years.108 Some say that there are differences between eighty thousand years and one hundred years, while others say that they may be equal. We esteem the insistence that they may be equal as the authentic tradition.109 The body measurements of buddhas and of human beings are very different: the human body can be measured, but the buddha body ultimately cannot be measured.110 Therefore, in the present moment in which Śākyamuni Buddha puts on the kaṣāya of Kāśyapa Buddha,111 [the kaṣāya] is not long and not wide. And in the present moment in which Maitreya Tathāgata puts on the kaṣāya of Śākyamuni Buddha, it is not short and not narrow. We should reflect upon clearly, decide conclusively, understand completely, and observe carefully that the buddha body is not long or short. King Brahmā,112 though high in the world of matter, does not see the crown of the Buddha’s head. 53c Maudgal yāyana,113 having gone far into the World of the Bright Banner, does not discern the Buddha’s voice: it is truly a mystery that [the Buddha’s form and voice] are the same whether seen and heard from far or near. All the merits of the Tathāgata are like this,114 and we should keep these merits in mind.

[100] As regards [methods of] cutting out and sewing the kaṣāya, there is the robe of separate stripes,115 the robe of added stripes,116 the robe of pleated stripes,117 and the single-sheet robe,118 each of which is a proper method. We should receive and retain [the kind of robe] that accords with the [material] obtained. The Buddha says, “The kaṣāya of the buddhas of the three times is invariably backstitched.” In obtaining the material, again, we consider pure material to be good, and we consider so-called filthy rags to be the purest of all. The buddhas of the three times all consider [rags] to be pure. In addition, cloth offered by devout donors is also pure. There again, [cloth] bought at a market with pure money is also pure. There are limits on the [number of] days within which the robe should be made,119 but in the present degenerate age of the latter Dharma, in a remote country, it may be better for us to receive and to retain [the robe] by doing the cutting and sewing whenever we are promoted by belief. It is an ultimate secret of the Great Vehicle that laypeople, whether human beings or gods, receive and retain the kaṣāya. King Brahmā and King Śakra120 have now both received and retained the kaṣāya, and these are excellent precedents in [the worlds of] volition and matter. Excellent [precedents] in the human world are beyond calculation. All lay bodhisattvas have received and retained [the kaṣāya]. In China, Emperor Bu121 of the Liang dynasty and Emperor Yang122 of the Sui dynasty123 both received and retained the kaṣāya. Emperors Taisō and Shukusō both wore the kaṣāya, learned in practice from monks, and received and retained the bodhisattva precepts. Other people such as householders and their wives who received the kaṣāya and received the Buddhist precepts are excellent examples in the past and present. In Japan, when Prince Shōtoku124 received and retained the kaṣāya, and lectured on such sutras as the Lotus Sutra and the Śrīmālā Sutra,125 he experienced the miraculous omen of precious flowers raining from the heavens. From that time the Buddha-Dharma spread throughout our country. Though [Prince Shōtoku] was the regent of the whole country, 54a he was just a guiding teacher to human beings and gods. As the Buddha’s emissary, he was father and mother to many living beings. In our country today, although the materials, colors, and measurements of the kaṣāya have all been misunderstood, that we can see and hear the word kaṣāya is due solely to the power of Prince Shōtoku. We would be in a sorry state today if, at that time, he had not destroyed the false and established the true. Later, Emperor Shōmu126 also received and retained the kaṣāya and received the bodhisattva precepts. Therefore, whether we are emperors or subjects, we should receive and retain the kaṣāya and we should receive the bodhisattva precepts without delay. There can be no greater happiness for a human body.

[104]         It has been said that “the kaṣāyas received and retained by laypeople are either called ‘single-stitched’ or called ‘secular robes.’ That is, they are not sewn with backstitches.” It is also said that “when laypeople go to a place of [practicing] the truth, they should be equipped with the three Dharma robes, a willow twig,127 rinsing water,128 mealware, and a sitting cloth;129 they should practice the same pure practices as bhikṣus.”130

[105]         Such were the traditions of a master of the past.131 However, [the tradition] that has now been received one-to-one from the Buddhist patriarchs is that the kaṣāyas transmitted to kings, ministers, householders,132 and common folk, are all backstitched. An excellent precedent is that [Master Daikan Enō] had already received the authentic transmission of the Buddha’s kaṣāya as the temple servant Ro (Ch. Lu).133 In general, the kaṣāya is the banner of a disciple of the Buddha. If we have already received and retained the kaṣāya, we should humbly receive it upon the head every day. Placing it on the crown of the head, we join the hands and recite the following verse: Daisai-gedatsu-fuku (How great is the clothing of liberation,) Musō-fukuden-e (Formless, field of happiness, robe!)

Hibu-nyorai-kyō (Devoutly wearing the Tathāgata’s teaching,) Kōdo-shoshujō (Widely I will save living beings.)

After that we put it on. In the kaṣāya, we should feel like [our] master and should feel like a tower.134 We also recite this verse when we humbly receive [the kaṣāya] on the head after washing it.

[107] The Buddha says,

When we shave the head and wear the kaṣāya, We are protected by the buddhas.

                    Each person who transcends family life Is served by gods and humans.

Clearly, once we have shaved the head and put on the kaṣāya, we are protected by all the buddhas. Relying on this protection of the buddhas, [a person] can roundly realize the virtues of the supreme state of bodhi. Celestial throngs and human multitudes serve offerings to such a person.

135The World-honored One says to the bhikṣu Wisdom-Brightness,136 “The Dharma robe has ten excellent merits: 1) It is able to cover the body, to keep away shame, to fill us with humility and to [make us] practice good ways.137 2) It keeps away cold and heat, as well as mosquitoes, harmful creatures, and poisonous insects, [so that we can] practice the truth in tranquility. 3) It manifests the form of a śramaṇa138 who has left family life, giving delight to those who behold it and keeping away wrong states of mind. 4) The kaṣāya is just the manifestation to human beings and gods of a precious flag; those who honor and venerate it are able to be born in a Brahmā heaven.139 5) When we wear the kaṣāya, we feel that it is a precious flag; it is able to extinguish sins and to produce all kinds of happiness and virtue. 6) A fundamental rule in making the kaṣāya is to dye it a secondary color,140 so that it keeps us free from thoughts of the five desires,141 and does not give rise to lust. 7) The kaṣāya is the pure robe of the Buddha; for it eradicates afflictions142 forever and makes them into a fertile field. 8) When the kaṣāya covers the body, it extinguishes the karma of sins and promotes at every moment the practice of the ten kinds of good.143 9) The kaṣāya is like a fertile field; for it is well able to nurture the bodhisattva way. 10) The kaṣāya is also like a suit of armor; for it makes the poisoned arrows of affliction unable to do harm. Wisdom-Brightness! Remember, through these causes, when the buddhas of the three times, and pratyekabuddhas and śrāvakas, and pure monks and nuns, cover the body in the kaṣāya, [these] three groups of sacred beings sit as one on the precious platform of liberation, take up the sword of wisdom to destroy the demons of affliction, and enter together into the many spheres of nirvana which have one taste.” Then the World-honored One speaks again in verse:

Bhikṣu Wisdom-Brightness, listen well!

The traditional Buddhist robe has ten excellent merits: Secular clothes increase tainted Ness from desire, The Tathāgata’s Dharma attire is not like that;

Dharma attire fends off social shame,

But fills us with the humility that produces a field of happiness.

It keeps away cold and heat, and poisonous insects;

Firming our will to the truth, it enables us to arrive at the     ultimate.

It manifests [the form] of a monk and keeps away greed;

It eradicates the five views144 and [promotes] right practice.

                           To look at and bow to the kaṣāya’s form of a precious banner, And to venerate it, produces the happiness of King Brahmā.

When a disciple of the Buddha wears the robe and feels like     a tower,

This produces happiness, extinguishes sins, and impresses     human beings and gods.

True śramaṇas, of modest appearance, showing respect, Are not tainted in their actions by secular defilements. The buddhas praise [the kaṣāya] as a fertile field,

They call it supreme in giving benefit and joy to living beings. The mystical power of the kaṣāya is unthinkable,

It can cause us to practice deeds that plant the seeds of bodhi,145 It makes the sprouts of the truth grow like spring seedlings, The wonderful effect of bodhi being like autumn fruit. [The kaṣāya] is a true suit of armor, as hard as a diamond; The poisoned arrows of affliction can do no harm.

I have now briefly praised the ten excellent merits,

If I had successive kalpas to expound them widely, there would     be no end.

If a dragon wears a single strand [of the kaṣāya],

It will escape [the fate of] becoming food for a garuḍa.146

If people retain this robe when crossing the ocean, They need not fear trouble from dragonfish or demons. When thunder roars, lightning strikes, and the sky is angry, Someone who wears the kaṣāya is fearless.

If one clothed in white147 is able personally to hold and retain     [the kaṣāya],

All bad demons are unable to approach.

If [that person] is able to establish the will and seeks to leave     home,

Shunning the world and practicing the Buddha’s truth,

All the demon palaces of the ten directions will quake and     tremble,

And that person will quickly experience the body of the     Dharma King.148

[113]  These ten excellent merits broadly include all the merits of theBuddha’s truth. We should explicitly learn in practice the merits present in [these] long lines and [short] verses of praise, not just glancing over them and quickly putting them aside, but studying them phrase by phrase over a long period. These excellent merits are just the merits of the kaṣāya itself: they are not the effect of a practitioner’s fierce [pursuit of] merit through perpetual training. The Buddha says, “The mystical power of the kaṣāya is unthinkable”; it cannot be supposed at random by the common person or sages and saints. In general, when we “quickly experience the body of the Dharma King,” we are always wearing the kaṣāya. There has never been anyone, since ancient times, who experienced the body of the Dharma King without wearing the kaṣāya.

[114]  The best and purest material for the robe is rags, whose merits areuniversally evident in the sutras, precepts, and commentaries149 of the Great Vehicle and Small Vehicle. We should inquire into [these merits] under those who have studied them widely. At the same time, we should also be clear ^55a about other materials for the robe. [These things] have been clarified and authentically transmitted by the buddhas and the patriarchs. They are beyond lesser beings.

[115]  The Middle Āgama Sutra150 says:

Furthermore, wise friends!151 Suppose there is a man whose bodily behavior is pure but whose behavior of mouth and mind is impure. If wise people see [the impurity] and feel anger they must dispel it. Wise friends! Suppose there is a man whose bodily behavior is impure but whose behavior of mouth and mind is pure. If wise people see [the impurity] and feel anger they must dispel it. How can they dispel it? Wise friends! They should be like a forest bhikṣu152 with rags, looking among the rags for worn cloth to be thrown away, and for [cloth] soiled by feces or urine, or by tears and spit, or stained by other impurities. After inspecting [a rag, the bhikṣu] picks it up with the left hand and stretches it out with the right hand.153 If there are any parts that are not soiled by feces, urine, tears, spit, or other impurities, and which are not in holes, [the bhikṣu] tears them off and takes them. In the same way, wise friends, if a man’s bodily behavior is impure but the behavior of mouth and mind is pure, do not think about his body’s impure behavior. Only be aware of his pure behavior of mouth and mind. If wise people feel anger at what they see, they must dispel it like this.

[117] This is the method by which a forest bhikṣu collects rags. There are four sorts of rags and ten sorts of rags. When gathering those rags, we first pick out the parts that have no holes. We should then also reject [the parts] that cannot be washed clean, being too deeply soiled with long-accumulated stains of feces and urine. We should select [those parts] that can be washed clean.

[117] The ten sorts of rags: 1) Rags chewed by an ox, 2) rags gnawed by rats, 3) rags scorched by fire, 4) rags [soiled by] menstruation, 5) rags [soiled by] childbirth, 6) rags [offered at] a shrine, 7) rags [left at] a graveyard, 8) rags [offered in] petition prayer, 9) rags [discarded by] a king’s officers,154 10) rags brought back from a funeral.155 These ten sorts people throw away; they are not used in human society. We pick them up and make them into

55b the pure material of the kaṣāya. Rags have been praised and have been used by the buddhas of the three times. Therefore these rags are valued and defended by human beings, gods, dragons, and so on. We should pick them up to make the kaṣāya; they are the purest material and the ultimate purity. Nowadays in Japan there are no such rags. Even if we search, we cannot find any. It is regrettable that [this] is a minor nation in a remote land. However, we can use pure material offered by a donor, and we can use pure material donated by human beings and gods. Alternatively, we can make the kaṣāya from [cloth] bought at a market with earnings from a pure live-lihood. Such rags and [cloth] obtained from a pure livelihood are not silk, not cotton, and not gold, silver, pearls, patterned cloth, sheer silk, brocade, embroidery, and so on; they are just rags. These rags are neither for a humble robe nor for a beautiful garment; they are just for the Buddha-Dharma. To wear them is just to have received the authentic transmission of the skin, flesh, bones, and marrow of the buddhas of the three times, and to have received the authentic transmission of the right Dharma-eye treasury. We should never ask human beings and gods about the merit of this [transmission]. We should learn it in practice from Buddhist patriarchs.

                                        Shōbōgenzō Kesa-kudoku

[120] During my stay in Song China, when I was making effort on the long platform, I saw that my neighbor at the end of every sitting156 would lift up his kaṣāya and place it on his head; then holding the hands together in veneration, he would quietly recite a verse. The verse was:

Daisai-gedatsu-fuku (How great is the clothing of liberation,) Musō-fukuden-e (Formless, field of happiness, robe!)

Hibu-nyorai-kyō (Devoutly wearing the Tathāgata’s teaching,)

          Kōdo-shoshujō (Widely I will save living beings.)                                    55c

At that time, there arose in me a feeling I had never before experienced. [My] body was overwhelmed with joy. The tears of gratitude secretly fell and soaked my lapels. The reason was that when I had read the Āgama sutras previously, I had noticed sentences about humbly receiving the kaṣāya on the head, but I had not clarified the standards for this behavior. Seeing it done now, before my very eyes, I was overjoyed. I thought to myself, “It is a pity that when I was in my homeland there was no master to teach this, and no good friend to recommend it. How could I not regret, how could I not deplore, passing so much time in vain? Now that I am seeing and hearing it, I can rejoice in past good conduct. If I had vainly stayed in my home country, how could I have sat next to this treasure of a monk,157 who has received the transmission of, and who wears, the Buddha’s robe itself?” The sadness and joy was not one-sided. A thousand myriad tears of gratitude ran down. Then I secretly vowed: “One way or another, unworthy though I am, I will become a rightful successor to the Buddha-Dharma. I will receive the authentic transmission of the right Dharma and, out of compassion for living beings in my homeland, I will cause them to see and to hear the robe and the Dharma that have been authentically transmitted by the Buddhist patriarchs.” The vow I made then has not been in vain now; many bodhisattvas, in families and out of families,158 have received and retained the kaṣāya. This is something to rejoice in. People who have received and retained the kaṣāya should humbly receive it upon the head every day and night. The merit [of this] may be especially excellent and supremely excellent. The seeing and hearing of a phrase or a verse may be as in the story of “on trees and on rocks,”159 and the seeing and hearing may not be limited to the length and breadth of the nine states.160 The merit of the authentic transmission of the kaṣāya is hardly encountered through the ten directions. To [encounter this merit] even if only for one day or for one night may be the most excellent and highest thing.

[123] In the tenth lunar month in the winter of the seventeenth year of Kajō161 in great Song [China], two Korean162 monks came to the city of Kei -

genfu.163 One was called Chigen and one was called Keiun. This pair were always discussing the meaning of Buddhist sutras; at the same time they were also men of letters. But they had no kaṣāya and no pātra, like secular people. It was pitiful that though they had the external form of bhikṣus they did not have the Dharma of bhikṣus.164 This may have been because they were from a minor nation in a remote land. When Japanese who have the external form of bhikṣus travel abroad, they are likely to be the same as Chigen and such. Śākyamuni Buddha received [the kaṣāya] upon his head for twelve years, never setting it aside.165 We are already his distant descendants, and we should emulate this. To turn the forehead away from prostrations idly done for fame and gain to gods, to spirits, to kings, and to retainers, and to turn instead toward the humble reception upon the head of the Buddha’s robe, is joyful.

Notes

1     China, who introduced the practice of zazen from India. He lived at Shaolin Temple, in the northwest of China.one of the many Buddhist monasteries that already existed in the Songshan MountainsMaster Bodhidharma, the twenty-eighth patriarch in India and the First Patriarch in

2     Master Daikan Enō (638–713), successor of Master Daiman Kōnin. Sōkei is the name_{of the mountain where he lived.}

3     Ōbai Mountain was where Master Daiman Kōnin had his Buddhist order. 4        Tang dynasty (618–907).

5     ^{of the Tang dynasty. Emperors Shukusō (r. 756–763) and Taisō (r. 763–780) were}Chūsō (reigned, with an interruption of several years, 684–710) was the fourth emperor students of Master Nan’yō Echū (d.775). See for example, Chapter Eighty (Vol. IV),Tashintsū.

6     title given to generals. Chingoku Dai Shōgun Ryū Shūkei. Dai shogun means great general.Chingoku, lit., “Pacifier of the Nation,” was a

7     literally means humbly to receive something upon the head, as a sign of respect. Chōdai. Chō means the top of the head, and dai means humbly to receive, so chōdai

8     Kei, “you,” is a term of address for lords, officials of high rank, etc.

9     Muryō-gōga-sha.Sutra. See, for example, LS 2.166 and 3.214.Variations of this expression appear in many places in the Lotus

10    Bōshutsu. Bō,means to depart or to sprout. So lit., “side,” describes a bystander, or something of secondary importance.bōshitsu means collateral descendants or

Shutsucollateral lineages. Master Dōgen revered the one line that he considered to be importance. Master Dōgen’s line is through Master Daikan Enō’s successor, Masterauthentic, and so to some degree, he considered all other lineages of secondary

Nansen Fugan, Jōshū Jūshin, Hyakujō Ekai, Ōbaku Kiun, Rinzai Gigen, Isan Reiyū,Seigen Gyōshi. At the same time, Master Dōgen revered Master Daikan Enō’s other successors, Master Nan’yō Echū and Master Nangaku Ejō. Masters Baso Dōitsu,

Kyōgen Chikan, Kyōzan Ejaku, and Reiun Shigon were some of the descendants of Master Nangaku Ejō. 11 Master Prajñātara, successor of Master Puṇyamitra and master of Master Bodhid harma.

183

kept as a guardian of the temple bathhouse. An image of a bodhisattva called Bhadrapāla (lit., “Good Guardian”) is sometimes

12    used for Buddhist priest-scholars and teachers of theory. As a layman, Jō worked asJō Hōsshi, died in 414 at the age of thirty-one. Hōsshi, “Dharma teacher” was a title

^{Vimalakīrti Sutra}a scribe and studied the thoughts of Laozi and Zhuangzi, but after reading the translation of Buddhist sutras. He came to believe in Buddhism and assisted Kumārajīva in the

13    Master Daii Dōshin, died in 651. See Chapter Fifteen, Busso.

14    Master Gozu Hōyū, died in 657 at the age of sixty-four. He was a collateral successorof Master Daii Dōshin (whose direct successor was Master Daiman Kōnin). It is saidthat after living on Gozu Mountain and devoting himself to zazen, Master Hōyū wasvisited by Master Daii Dōshin and thereupon attained the truth.

15    Buddhist scholars divided time following the Buddha’s death into three periods: 1)“right Dharma,” the first five hundred years during which time Buddhismzōbō, “imitative Dharma,” an intermediate period of one thousand“latter Dharma,” the next ten thousand years during whichsaddharma. shōbō, flourished; 2) years; and 3) Buddhism degenerates. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms under mappō,

16    Gedatsu,vimukti (setting at liberty, release, deliverance, final emancipation used here first as a noun and then as a verb, represents the Sanskrit word).

17    Sannetsu, follows: 1) the pain of hot wind and sand being blown against the skin; 2) the pain the three heats, or the three kinds of burning pain. One explanation is as pain of being eaten by a of a violent wind that takes away jeweled clothes and jeweled ornaments; and 3) thegaruḍa, a dragon-eating bird.

18    Chōdai. See note 7.

19    This quotation appears in the Kōkyō (Book of Filial Piety), a text of Confucianism. It is quoted as an example of reverence of tradition in secular society.

20    67 C.E.

21    The Later (or Eastern) Han dynasty, 25–220 first translated into Chinese and transmitted into China in 67 C.E. It is said that Buddhist sutras wereC.E. ²² Shakamuni-nyorai. ShakamuniSanskrit Śākyamuni—sage of the Śākya clan. the Sanskrit Tathāgata.     is the phonetic rendering in Chinese characters of theNyorai, lit., “thus-come,” represents

23    Kāśyapa Buddha is the sixth of the seven ancient buddhas, Śākyamuni Buddha being_{the seventh.}

24    Master Seigen Gyōshi and Master Nangaku Ejō. See note 10.

25    This paragraph is quoted from the Daijōgishō.

26    for example, the opening paragraph of the Hentan-uken. These four characters appear in several places in the Shinge (“Belief and Understanding”Lotus Sutra. See,) chapter (LS 1.222).

the front). The two corners of the top of the hand takes the top left-hand corner of the right-hand corner of the kaṣāya. The kaṣāya

27    round to the front, and then hangs it over the left shoulder and left upper arm. Soedge” refers to the upper border of the part of the with the top of the “both sides” means the left and right sides of the top of the The folded kaṣāya (^kaṣāyafolded lengthwise into eight) is first hung over the left shoulder,^{over the front of the body (so that the single string faces}kaṣāyakaṣāyais then opened behind the back, and thekaṣāyaare flush with each other. The leftand the right hand takes the topkaṣāyathat is held in the right hand. under the right arm andkaṣāya, and “the front

right hand brings the top right-hand corner of the

28    618)The Liang dynasty (502–556); the Zhen dynasty (557–589); the Sui dynasty (589–, the Tang dynasty (618–907); and the Song dynasty (960–1279). 29 Master Bodhidharma lived at Shaolin Temple; Master Daikan Enō lived on Sōkei _Mountain.

30    fit. “Experienced the state” is Shokai means to experience the same state as the Buddha.shōkai. Shō means to experience; kai means to agree or to

31    Measurements of time in India. According to one explanation, sixty-four in the clicking of the fingers, and thirty Sanskrit Terms.       muhūrtas pass in a day. See Glossary ofkṣāṇas pass

32    mamoriGoshin-fushi,in Japanese, are often sold as talismans at shrines and temples.lit., “a card to guard the body.” Cards bearing lucky words, called o-

33    The that all Lotus Sutradharmas are real form. Master Dōgen is emphasizing that the says that buddhas alone, together with buddhas, can perfectly realizekaṣāya is instantaneous and real, therefore beyond understanding.

34    Onore also means “our” or “ourselves.” These two sentences also apply to us.

35    Gedatsu-fuku. 36 Fukuden-e.

37 of cloth. These first three phrases all come from the verse which is recited in venerationof the Musō-e.kaṣāya.The kaṣāyaSee paragraph 105 in this chapter.is without form in the sense that it is a simple rectangular sheet 38 Ninniku-e, lit., “enduring-humiliation robe.” Ninniku represents the Sanskrit kṣānti, endurance or patience.

39 common. “Usual method” is Hō means method, or Dharma.jōhō. Jō means constant or eternal, and at the same time usual or 40 ^{by Buddhist monks for their robes.} “Rags” is as “a robe of rags,” according to the context.or “to be swept.” funzō-e. Fun which means a dust heap or a collection of rags out of a dust heap usedE means robe, clothes, or clothing. means excrement, and Funzō-e has been translated either as “rags” orsō (pronounced Funzō represents the Sanskritzō) means to sweep pāṃsu-kūla,

41    The ten sorts of rags are given in paragraph 117 in this chapter. The first four of these_{are also known as the four sorts of rags.}

42    Literally, “people of the five Indias.” Ancient India is said to have been divided into _{five regions: east, west, central, south, and north.} 43 Funzō-e, see note 40.

44    a quotation from a Chinese text.The section beginning with “The people of the five Indias” to here is in the style of

45    Many legends like the one referred to in this sentence appear in stories of the Buddha’s_{past lives as a bodhisattva.}

46    Lake Anavatapta was thought to be located north of the Himalayas as the source of was called the lake where there is no suffering from heat.the four great rivers of India. It was said to be the home of the king of dragons, and

47    while the silkworm is still alive. Some people worried that the production of silk vio-Keshi, “processed thread.” The process of producing silk entails boiling the cocoon as a material for the lated the precept of not taking life in vain, and thought that silk should not be usedkaṣāya. 48 The eternal buddha refers to Master Daikan Enō, who received the kaṣāya from

Master Daiman Kōnin in the middle of the night on Ōbai Mountain. See ChapterThirty (Vol. II), Gyōji. 49 Genkun, lit., “black instruction.”

50    became the third Indian patriarch, succeeding Master Ānanda. The Sanskrit wordBorn about a hundred years after the death of the Buddha, Master Śāṇa vāsa eventuallyliterally means flaxen clothes. śāṇavāsa

51    Shukke,Shukke.lit., “leave home,” means to become a monk. See Chapter Eighty-three (Vol. IV),

52    Senbyaku-bikuni. Senbyaku,bhikṣuṇībright, clear, pure, white, or spotless. Volume 8 of the (Buddhist nun) Śukra was born wearing a pure white robe that never needed“fresh-white” represents the Sanskrit Senjūhyakuenkyōśukrakaṣāya.which meanssays that the washing, and that when she became a nun, the robe changed into a

53    Jōhō. See note 39.

54    “Welcomed” is zenrai, representing the Sanskrit svāgata, “Welcome!” The Pāli scriptures bhikkhu”say that the Buddha accepted his followers into the monkhood simply by saying (“Welcome, monk”).      “Ehi

55    Hundred Disciples”) chapter of the The pearl within the robe alludes to the ^{Lotus Sutra,}Gohyaku-deshi-juki ^{which tells the story of a drunken}(“Affirmation of Five content with inferior wisdom instead of obtaining the buddha-wisdom (LS 2.114).man whose friend plants a valuable pearl in his clothes. Five hundred arhats compare themselves to the man who unknowingly carries the pearl, because they have been

56    “Those who count grains of sand” means scholars. The original characters “count sand,” come from the poem Shōdōka by Master Yōka Genkaku. He said,sansa, they vainly exhaust themselves by counting grains of sand.”“They know no respite from analyzing concepts and forms; having entered the ocean,

57    The Japanese suffix translated as “devoutly” is the honorificably used by Master Dōgen to express reverence for the Buddha but usually ignoredin this translation due to the lack of a suitable equivalent in English.tate matsuru form, invari-

58    The day was divided into twelve periods. The original characters one such period, that is, two hours.     hito-toki indicate

59    for water, ^word Aku. The ash must have been used to make the water more alkaline. In this case the aku is written with the Chinese character for ash (sui, but the word aku is originally Japanese, not Chinese. kai) and the Chinese character

60    hot water. the character for hot water (“Hot ash-water” is kaitō, a Chinese word formed by the character for ash (tōAku). Aku-no-yumeans ash-water (see previous note) and are Japanese words written in yukana,kaimeans) andthe phonetic Japanese alphabet.

61    Sendanthe same time, is given in sendanKenkyusha’s New Japanese-English Dictionary originally represents the Sanskrit candana,as margosa. Atsandalwood.

62    head height. See Chapter Seven, Jōkan, ^{lit., “pure pole,” a bamboo or wooden pole suspended horizontally at about}Senjō.

63    An ancient Indian custom to show reverence for people or sacred objects.

64    holding the palms together, fingers pointing upward, fingertips in front of the nostrils.^{Chinese noticed that foreigners sometimes kneeled. Joining the hands (}Koki-gasshō. Ko means foreign and ki means to kneel with the hips extended, as thegasshō) means 65 ^{Loosely translated: “How great is the clothing of liberation./ Though without form}beings everywhere.” See paragraph 105.The verse is: it is the robe of real happiness./Wearing the Buddha’s teaching,/I will save livingDaisai-gedatsu-fuku/musō-fukuden-e/hibu-nyorai-kyō/kōdo-shoshujō.

66  The following long quotation from the ) is originally one paragraph. It has been divided in this translation for ease ofHigekyō (in Sanskrit, Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka⁶⁷ Hōzō,who appears in the (a symbol of eternal life) to establish the will to the truth.from the Sanskrit Higekyō.ratnagarbha.He encouraged Śākyamuni Buddha and Amitābha BuddhaRatnagarbha Buddha is a legendary past buddha

⁶⁸       Daihi,of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. See Chapter Thirty-three (Vol. II), lit., “great compassion,” from the Sanskrit mahākaruṇā. This is another nameKannon.

⁶⁹       The four groups of Buddhists: monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen.

⁷⁰       means the large robe.a robe composed of miscellaneous rags. The The Sanskrit root saṃghāṭ means to join or fasten together, suggesting the saṃghāṭi robe (in Japanese, sōgyari-ekaṣāya as)

⁷¹       That is, as either a or bodhisattva (practical Buddhist).śrāvaka (intellectual Buddhist), pratyekabuddha (sensory Buddhist),

⁷²       “Affirmation” is the first of the five sacred merits mentioned later in the paragraph. The first merit isaffirmation that a practitioner will become a buddha in the future. This sentence includeskibetsu,kaṣāyafrom the Sanskrit and the Three Treasures can receive affirmation.vyākaraṇa. Vyākaraṇa is the Buddha’s that all who revere the

⁷³       Originally, four sun. One sun is slightly over an inch.

⁷⁴       jars,” are demons that feed on human energy, and ^{horses, half-men,} are demons that oppose gods, Ancient Indian storytellers invented these colorful beings that later found their wayGandharvagaruḍas are fragrance-devouring celestial beings, s are dragon-eating birds, kumbhāṇḍapiśācas, lit., “having testicles likes are demons that eat flesh.kiṃnaras are half-asuras into Buddhist sutras.

mahoragas are serpents,

⁷⁵       satisfy hunger and thirst, and other wishes, 4) will be able to remain peaceful in hostilesituations, and 5) will be protected in times of conflict.The five sacred merits are that those who wear, venerate, or retain a piece of the1) will be able to receive affirmation, 2) will not regress, 3) will be able to kaṣāya

⁷⁶       addressed his Buddhist audiences.Zen-nanshi represents the Sanskrit word kulaputra, with which the Buddha commonly 77 Webbed fingers and toes are the fifth of the thirty-two distinguishing marks of a_buddha.

^{78 Shashu.}hand is placed against the chest, the left forearm being held horizontal. The right hand^{In shashu the fingers of the left hand are curled round the thumb, and the left} horizontal.is placed, palm down, on the back of the left hand, the right forearm also being held 79 in past lives).The Higekyō, chapter 8 (the chapter on how the bodhisattvas received their affirmation

80    Sutra and Vinaya are two of the three “baskets” (ings. Vinaya means guidance, discipline, instruction, or teaching; that is, the preceptspiṭakas), or kinds of Buddhist teachand Abhidharma (commentaries).and related writings. The Tripiṭaka (three baskets) consists of Sutra, Vinaya (precepts),

81    Inchi, “causal state,” means the state that caused the Buddha to become a buddha.

82    Master Nāgārjuna was the fourteenth patriarch in India, the successor of Master Kapi-

mala and the teacher of Master Kāṇadeva. He lived sometime around the period 150–250which is thought to have been written and compiled mainly by Master Nāgārjunahimself. C.E. This passage is a Chinese translation of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra,

83    Shukken in, or “people who have left home”; monks and nuns.

84    a bodhisattva.Honshōkyō, lit., “Past Lives Sutra.” Legendary stories of the Buddha’s past lives as 85 See explanation in the following paragraph.

86    The ultimate state of a state of buddha. See Chapter Thirty-four (Vol. II), śrāvaka, or intellectual Buddhist, which is identified with theArakan.

87    It was the custom in Asian pleasure houses for prostitutes to use old-fashioned language._{The custom remained in Japan until the end of the Edo era (1868).}

88    See note 23.

89    Eighty-six (Vol. IV), Daichidoron, chapter 30. This section is also quoted near the beginning of ChapterShukke-kudoku.

90    ^{is a phonetic rendering of} In the Chinese translation of the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, the Sanskrit nameUbara

Renge-shiki, “Lotus Flower Color.”Utpalavarṇā, which means “color of the blue lotus,” is represented as Ubara-ke. utpala (blue lotus) and ke means flower. Here the name is

91    See Chapter Twenty-five (Vol. II), abhijñā.        Jinzu, and the Glossary of Sanskrit Terms under

92    with celestial beings in the north and human beings in the south. So the southern con-Ancient Indians imagined a universe of four continents surrounding a big mountain, tinent means the human world.

93    Ryō, aya. Aya has a pattern woven into a diagonal weave.

94    E-jiki, lit., “broken color,” that is, not a bright, attractive primary color. The kaṣāya is not dyed a primary color.

95    Master Daikan Enō, the Sixth Patriarch in China.

96    characters only, indicating that it was quoted directly from a Chinese text.The section beginning “When practitioners cannot obtain rags” to here is in Chinese

97    From here to paragraph 98 is a passage from the Konponissaiubu hyaku ichi katsuma of Sanskrit Terms and Chapter Eighty-seven (Vol. IV), things exist.” Master Dōgen esteemed their teaching especially highly. See Glossaryacters, the Sarvāstivāda school is (One Hundred and One Customs of the Mūla sarvāsti vādin Schoolsetsu-issai-u-bu, “the school that preaches that allKuyō-shubutsu.). In Chinese char-

98    “Venerable monk” is āyuṣmat,guju,a term of reverence used for the Buddha’s disciples. Thelit., “possessing longevity,” which represents the meaning

of the Sanskrit word āyuṣmat literally means a vital or vigorous person, a person of long life.

99    Upāli was one of the Buddha’s ten great disciples, said to be foremost in maintaining_{the Vinaya. Before becoming a monk he was a barber at the royal palace.}

100  Daitoku-seson,bhadanta, lit., “World-honored Great Virtuous One.” an epithet of the Buddha. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.Daitoku represents the

Sanskrit

101  Hanō, lit., “broken patched-[robe].” Nō, “patches,” suggests the Buddhist robe itself. 102 Jō, chū, ge, lit., “upper, middle, and lower.”

103  Cubit is chū, lit., “elbow,” representing the Sanskrit nobechū in Japanese, is the basic unit of measurement in makinghasta, which means forearm or elbow to the tip of the fist, or the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middlefinger, of the person who will wear the a cubit. The cubit, or kaṣāya. It is not a fixed distance; it is obtained by measuring the distance from thekaṣāya.

104  The Sanskrit for doing prostrations, listening to formal lectures, and the meeting for confession.uttarasaṃghāṭi means an upper- or outergarment. This robe would be worn

105  The Sanskrit antarvāsa means an inner- or undergarment.

106  As in the case of the uttarasaṃghāṭi robe, the smaller is a half cubit shorter on each side, and anything between these two is called medium.

107  thousand years old.It is said that Maitreya Buddha will manifest himself in this world when he is eighty 108 one hundred years.The Fuyōkyō, from the Sanskrit Lalitavistara-sūtra, says that the Buddha lived for

109 time he suggested that, in the phase of action, relative differences are not important.Master Dōgen did not deny the existence of differences in length, but at the same 110 The buddha body is a real state at the moment of the present, not only physical matter.

111  See note 23.

112  The creator deity in Hindu mythology.

113  Śāriputra, the sons of brahmans from neighboring villages, were good friends. Maudgal- Maudgalyāyana was one of the Buddha’s ten great disciples. It is said that he andyāyana was said to be foremost in mystical abilities. The World of the Bright Banner is an imaginary western realm where buddhas are living. The the Sanskrit lyāyana goes into the World of the Bright Banner.Mahāratnakūṭa-sūtra), chapter 10, contains a story in which MaudgaDaihōshakkyō (from-

114  That is, the merits of the Buddha are beyond relative considerations.

115  for this robe the individual segments of each stripe are sewn together, then the stripes^{characters. “The robe of separate stripes” is} These names are explanatory rather than accurate translations of the original Chinesekatsu-setsu-e, lit., “divided-and-cut robe”;

are sewn together, and finally the borders are sewn and fastening tapes added.

116  uncut cloth onto which long thin strips are sewn to create the stripes and borders. Zetchō-e, lit., “[unknown character]-leaf robe”; this is basically one large sheet of

117  it is pleated to create the stripes.Shō-yō-e, lit., “gathered-leaf robe”; this is again one large sheet of uncut cloth, but

118  cloth with only the fastening tapes added, and sewn only around the borders.Man-e—the meaning of the former character is not known; this is a single sheet of 119 robe, and two days for the five-striped robe.The time limits were five days for the saṃghāṭi robe, four days for the seven-striped

120 (Indian legends say that King Brahmā is king of the world of volition, and King Śakra_{i.e., Śakra-devānām-indra) is king of the world of matter.} 121 Emperor Bu, or Wu, (464–549), reigned from 502 to 549. His conversation with

(Master Bodhidharma when the latter arrived in China is recorded in Chapter ThirtyVol. II), Gyōji. 122 Emperor Yang (569–617), reigned from 605 to 617.

123  Taisō and Shukusō were emperors of the Tang dynasty (618–906), who lived at the_{time of Master Nan’yō Echū. See note 5.}

124  promoted Buddhism as the state religion.Prince Shōtoku (573–620) was the primary organizer of the early Japanese state. He 125 The full name of the sutra is the Terms. Śrīmālādevīsiṃhanāda-sūtra. See Glossary of Sanskrit 126 Emperor Shōmu, reigned in Japan from 724 to 749.

127  III), The use of the willow twig to clean the teeth is explained in Chapter Fifty-six (Vol._Senmen.

128  Potable water would be kept in a small corked bottle, for drinking or for rinsing the _mouth.

129  The sitting cloth, or zagu, is spread on the floor for formal prostrations.

130  Both quotations are from the Makashikanhogyōdenguketsu, a Chinese commentary on the founder of the Tendai sect.Makashikan, which is a record of lectures by the Chinese Master Tendai Chigi, 131 “Master of the past” is past.” These words appear frequently in the ko-toku, lit., “ancient merit” or “meritorious person of theMakashikan.

132  “Householder” is koji. See Chapter Eight, Raihai-tokuzui.

133  worked as a temple servant in the order of Master Daiman Kōnin is related in Chapter Thirty (Vol. II), Ro was Master Daikan Enō’s name before he became a monk. The story of how heGyōji.

134  with wearing the monk. These represent the first two of the eight venerate images, or feelings, associated ^{feeling like the Buddha (“our master”), 3) feeling solitude and peace, 4) feeling com-}passion, 5) feeling veneration, 6) feeling humility, 7) feeling repentance, and 8) feelingas if one has dispelled greed, anger, and stupidity and obtained all the teachings of akaṣāya: 1) feeling like a tower (because of sitting up straight), 2)

135  The following passage is from Vol. 5 of Daijōhonshōshinchikankyō. 136 Chikō. The Sanskrit name of this monk is not known.

137  the universe, is the second of the three universal bodhisattva precepts (see Chapter “Good ways” is zenhō,Jukailit., “good law.” Observance of ). zenhō, or the moral rule of

Ninety-four [Vol. IV],

138  The Sanskrit śramaṇa means a striver, a mendicant, or a Buddhist monk.

139  ^{heavens: Brahma-pāriṣadya, Brahma-purohit, and Mahā-brahman. Beings in these} The first of the four dhyāna heavens in the world of matter is said to consist of three heavens, having left the world of volition, are not troubled by sexual desire.

140  E-jiki. See note 94.

141  The five desires are desires associated with sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. 142 Bonnō, representing the Sanskrit kleśa.

143  greed, 9) anger, and 10) devotion to wrong views. The ten kinds of good are abstention from the ten kinds of wrong: 1) killing, 2)stealing, 3) adultery, 4) lying, 5) two-faced speech, 6) abusive slander, 7) gossip, 8)

144  Goken, Terms. “five views,” represents the Sanskrit pañca dṛṣṭayaḥ. See Glossary of Sanskrit

145  The Chinese characters bodai, “bodhi,” and the character dō, “truth,” in the next line are used interchangeably.

146  Literally, “a golden-winged king of birds,” that is, a Terms.  garuḍa. See Glossary of Sanskrit 147 Byaku-e, lit., “a white robe,” represents the Sanskrit avadāta-vāsana.

148  Hō-ō, “Dharma King,” is an epithet of the Buddha.

149  Sanskrit Terms.The Tripiṭaka (three baskets) of Buddhist teachings. See note 80 and the Glossary of

150  concrete information about the behavior and speech of the Buddha and his disciplesChūagongyō (Skt. Madhyamāgama; Pāli: Majjhima-nikāya). The Āgama sutras relate in their daily life.

151  addressing an assembly.Shoken, “wise ones” or “(ladies and) gentlemen,” is a term of respect used when

152  ^bhikṣu(Arannya-biku. ArannyaVol. IV), suggests a monk who lives a solitary life in the forest. See also Chapter NinetyShizen-biku. represents the Sanskrit araṇya which means forest. A forest

153  Traditionally, the right hand is kept pure.

154  Suggests uniforms discarded by promoted officers.

155  and then brought back after the ceremony. Ōkan-e, lit., “robes of going and returning,” that is, cloth used as a funeral shroud

156  the ringing of the bell is called ^{wooden board at the end of zazen is called} “End of sitting” is kaijō, lit., “release of stillness.” Traditionally, the clapping of adai-kaijō, “great release of stillness.”shō-kaijō, “small release of stillness,” and

157  Sōbō, or “sangha treasure.”

158  Zaike-shukke, laypeople and monks.

159  recorded in the Nyakuju-nyakuseki,Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra.“trees and rocks,” alludes to the story of the Buddha’s past lifeWhen he was the “Child of the Himalayas” ^{lines, so the child offered his own body as a meal for the demon if it would recite the}passing of pursuing the truth in the mountains, a demon told him the first two lines of a four-line poem: “Actions are without constancy;/ Concrete existence is the arising and dharmas.” The demon said it was too hungry to tell the child the last two ceased,/The stillness is pleasure itself.” The child preserved the verse for posteritylast two lines. So the demon recited the last two lines: “After arising and passing haveby writing it on some nearby trees and rocks in his own blood, before being eaten bythe demon.

160  The nine states means China.

161  horary sign—identify the year as 1223. 1223from two separate lists are combined. These two characters—sentence also identifies the year under the Chinese dating system in which characters. The seventeenth year of the Kajō era was, in fact, 1224. However, the original, mizunoto, the sheep, or the eighth the younger brother of water, or the tenth calendar sign; and mi, hitsuji,

162  states. The state called Kōrai existed from 918 to 1353.“Korean” is Kōrai or Kōma. At that time, the Korean peninsula was divided into three

163  Present-day Ningbo, in eastern China.

164  They did not have the kaṣāya and pātra.

165  Den-e, Alludes to a story originally contained in the Āgama sutras. See Chapter Thirteen, _{paragraph 143.}

166  The first day of winter means the first day of the tenth lunar month.

167  1240.

[Chapter Thirteen] Den-e

The Transmission of the Robe

Translator’s Note: Den means “transmission” and e means “robe,” so den-e means “transmission of the robe.” The content of this chapter is very similar to that of the previous chapter, Kesa-kudoku. Furthermore, the date recorded at the end of each chapter is the same. But whereas the note at the end of Kesa-kudoku says “preached to the assembly at Kannon dōri kō shō hō rinji,” the note to this chapter says “written at Kannondōrikōshōhōrinji. . . .” It thus seems likely that Den-e is the draft of the lecture Master Dōgen was to give on October first, and Kesa-kudoku is the transcript of the lecture he gave on that day.

[125] The authentic transmission into China of the robe and the Dharma, which are authentically transmitted from buddha to buddha,1 was done only by the Founding Patriarch of Shaolin [Temple]. The Founding Patriarch was the twenty-eighth ancestral master after Śākyamuni Buddha. [The robe] had passed from rightful successor to rightful successor through twenty-eight generations in India, and it was personally and authentically transmitted through six generations in China; altogether it was [transmitted through] thirty-three generations in the Western Heavens and the Eastern Lands. The thirty-third patriarch, Zen Master Daikan, received the authentic transmission of this robe and Dharma on Ōbaizan in the middle of the night, and he guarded and retained [the robe] until his death.2 It is now still deposited at Hōrinji on Sōkeizan. Many generations of emperors in succession requested that it be 56b brought into the palace, where they served offerings to it; they guarded [the robe] as a sacred object. The Tang dynasty emperors Chūsō, Shukusō, and Taisō frequently had [the robe] brought to court and served offerings to it. Both when they requested it and when they sent it back, they would dispatch an imperial emissary and issue an edict; this is the manner in which they honored [the robe]. Emperor Taisō once returned the Buddha’s robe to

195

Sōkeizan with the following edict: “I now dispatch the great General Ryū Shūkei, Pacifier of the Nation, to receive with courtesy and to deliver [the robe]. I consider it to be a national treasure. Venerable priests, deposit it in its original temple. Let it be solemnly guarded by monks who have intimately received the fundamental teaching. Never let it fall into neglect.”

[127] Thus, the emperors of several generations each esteemed [the robe] as an important national treasure. Truly, to retain this Buddha’s robe in one’s country is a superlative great treasure, which surpasses even dominion over the [worlds] as countless as the sands of the Ganges in a three-thousand great-thousandfold world. We should never compare it with Benka’s gem.3 [A gem] may become the national seal of state, but how can it become the rare jewel which transmits the Buddha’s state? From the Tang dynasty4 onward, the monks and laymen5 who admired and bowed to [the kaṣāya] were all, without exception, people of great makings who believed in the Dharma. If not aided by good conduct in the past, how else would we be able to prostrate this body in admiration to the Buddha’s robe which has been directly and authentically transmitted from buddha to buddha? Skin, flesh, bones, and marrow that believe in and receive [the robe] should rejoice; those that cannot believe in and receive [the robe] should feel regret—even though the situation is of their own doing—that they are not the embryos of buddhas. Even secular [teaching] says that to look at a person’s behavior is just to look at that person. To have admired and to have bowed now to the Buddha’s robe is just to be looking at the Buddha. We should erect hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of stupas and serve offerings to this buddha robe. In the heavens above and in the ocean’s depths, whatever has mind should value

[the robe]. In the human world too, sacred wheel-turning kings6 and others who know what is true and know what is superior should value [the robe]. It is pitiful that the people who became, in generation after generation, the rulers of the land never knew what an important treasure existed in their own country. Deluded by the teachings of Daoist’s, many of them abolished the Buddha-Dharma. At such times, instead of wearing the kaṣāya, they covered their round heads with [Daoist] caps.7 The lectures [they listened to] were on how to extend one’s lifespan and to prolong one’s years. There were [emperors like this] both during the Tang dynasty and during the Song dynasty. These fellows were rulers of the nation, but they must have been more vulgar

than the common people. They should have quietly reflected that the Buddha’s robe had remained and was actually present in their own country. They might even have considered that [their country] was the buddha land of the robe. [The kaṣāya] may surpass even [sacred] bones8 and so on. Wheel-turning kings have bones, as do lions, human beings, pratyekabuddhas, and the like. But wheel-turning kings do not have the kaṣāya, lions do not have the kaṣāya, human beings do not have the kaṣāya. Only buddhas have the kaṣāya. We should believe this profoundly. Stupid people today often revere bones but fail to know the kaṣāya. Few know that they should guard and retain [their own kaṣāya]. This situation has arisen because few people have ever heard of the importance of the kaṣāya, and [even these few] have never heard of the authentic transmission of the Buddha-Dharma. When we attentively think back to the time when Śākyamuni was in the world, it is little more than two thousand years; many national treasures and sacred objects have been transmitted to the present for longer than this. This Buddha-Dharma and buddha robe are recent and new. The benefit of their propagation through the “fields and villages,” even if there have been “fifty propagations,” is wonderful.9 The qualities of those things10 are obvious [but] this buddha robe can never 57a be the same as those things. Those things are not received in the authentic transmission from rightful successors, but this [robe] has been received in the authentic transmission from rightful successors. Remember, we attain the truth when listening to a four-line verse, and we attain the state of truth when listening to a single phrase. Why is it that a four-line verse and a single phrase can have such mystical effect? Because they are the Buddha-Dharma. Now, each robe and [all] nine kinds of robes11 have been received in the authentic transmission from the Buddha-Dharma itself; [the robe] could never be inferior to a four-line verse, and could never be less effective than a single phrase of Dharma. This is why, for more than two thousand years, all followers of the Buddha—those with the makings of devotional practice and of Dharma practice—have guarded and retained the kaṣāya and regarded it as their body and mind. Those who are ignorant of the right Dharma of the buddhas do not worship the kaṣāya.

[132]     Now, such beings as Śakra-devānām-indra and the Dragon KingAnavatapta, though they are the celestial ruler of laymen and the king of dragons, have guarded and retained the kaṣāya. Yet people who shave the head, people who call themselves disciples of the Buddha, do not know that they should receive and retain the kaṣāya. How much less could they know its material, color, and measurements; how much less could they know the method of wearing it; and how much less could they have seen the dignified conventions for it, even in a dream?

[133]     The kaṣāya has been called since olden times “the clothing that wards off suffering from heat” and “the clothing of liberation.” In conclusion, its merit is beyond measure. Through the merit of the kaṣāya, a dragon’s scales can be freed from the three kinds of burning pain. When the buddhas realize the truth, they are always wearing this robe. Truly, although we were born in a remote land in [the age of] the latter Dharma, if we have the oppor-

57b tunity to choose between what has been transmitted and what has not been transmitted, we should believe in, receive, guard, and retain [the robe] whose transmission is authentic and traditional. In what lineage have both the robe and the Dharma of Śākyamuni himself been authentically transmitted, as in our authentic tradition? They exist only in Buddhism. On meeting this robe and Dharma, who could be lax in venerating them and serving offerings to them? Even if, each day, we [have to] discard bodies and lives as countless as the sands of the Ganges, we should serve offerings to them. Further, we should vow to meet [the robe] and humbly to receive it upon the head in every life in every age. We are the stupid people of a remote quarter, born with a hundred thousand or so miles of mountains and oceans separating us from the land of the Buddha’s birth. Even so, if we hear this right Dharma, if we receive and retain this kaṣāya even for a single day or a single night, and if we master even a single phrase or a single verse, that will not only be the good fortune to have served offerings to one buddha or to two buddhas: it will be the good fortune to have served offerings and paid homage to countless hundred thousand koṭis of buddhas. Even if [the servants] are ourselves, we should respect them, we should love them, and we should value them.

[135]     We should heartily repay the great benevolence of the ancestral master in transmitting the Dharma.12 Even animals repay kindness; how could human beings fail to recognize kindness? If we failed to recognize kindness, we would be inferior to animals, more stupid than animals. People other than the ancestral masters who transmit the Buddha’s right Dharma have never known the merit of this buddha robe, even in a dream. How much less could they clarify its material, color, and measurements? If we long to follow the traces of the buddhas, we should just long for this [transmission]. Even after a hundred thousand myriads of generations, the authentic reception of this authentic transmission will [still] be just the Buddha-Dharma itself. The evidence for this is clear. Even secular [teaching] says, “One does not wear clothing different from the clothing of the past king, and one does not follow laws different from those of the past king.” Buddhism is also like that. We should ^57c not wear what is different from the Dharma clothing of past buddhas. If [our clothes] were different from the Dharma clothing of past buddhas, what could we wear to practice Buddhism and to serve buddhas? Without wearing this clothing, it might be difficult to enter the Buddha’s order.

[136]     Since the years of the Eihei period,13 during the reign of Emperor Kōmei of the Later Han dynasty, monks arriving in the Eastern Lands from the Western Heavens have followed on each other’s heels without cease. We often hear of monks going from China to India, but it is not said that they ever met anyone who gave them the face-to-face transmission of the Buddha Dharma. They [have] only names and forms, learned in vain from teachers of commentaries and scholars of the Tripiṭaka.14 They have not heard the authentic tradition of the Buddha-Dharma. This is why they cannot even report that we should receive the authentic transmission of the Buddha’s robe, why they never claim to have met a person who has received the authentic transmission of the Buddha’s robe, and why they never mention seeing or hearing a person who has received the transmission of the robe. Clearly, they have never entered beyond the threshold of the house of Buddha. That these fellows recognize [the robe] solely as a garment, not knowing that it is in the Buddha-Dharma [an object of] honor and worship, is truly pitiful. Rightful successors to the transmission of the Buddha’s Dharma treasury also transmit and receive the Buddha’s robe. The principle that the ancestral masters who receive the authentic transmission of the Dharma treasury have never gone without seeing and hearing15 the Buddha’s robe is widely known among human beings and in the heavens above. This being so, the material, color, and measurements of the Buddha’s kaṣāya have been authentically transmitted and authentically seen and heard; the great merits of the Buddha’s kaṣāya have been authentically transmitted; and the body, mind, bones, and marrow of the Buddha’s kaṣāya have been authentically transmitted, only in the customs of the traditional lineage. [This authentic transmission] is not

known in the various schools which follow the teaching of the Āgamas.16 The [robes] that individuals have established independently, according to the idea of the moment, are not traditional and not legitimate. When our Great Master Śākyamuni Tathāgata passed on the right Dharma-eye treasury and the supreme state of bodhi to Mahā kāśyapa, he transmitted them together with the buddha robe. Between then and Zen Master Daikan of Sōkeizan, there were thirty-three generations, the transmission passing from rightful successor to rightful successor. The intimate experience and intimate transmission of [the robe’s] material, color, and measurements have long been handed down by the lineages, and their reception and retention are evident in the present. That is to say, that which was received and retained by each of the founding patriarchs of the five sects17 is the authentic tradition. Similarly evident are the wearing [of the robe], according to the methods of former buddhas, and the making [of the robe], according to the methods of former buddhas, which “buddhas alone, together with buddhas,” through generations have transmitted and have experienced as the same state—in some cases for over fifty generations and in some cases for over forty generations—without confusion between any master and disciple. The Buddha’s instruction, as authentically transmitted from rightful successor to rightful successor, is as follows:

Robe of nine stripes                                three long [segments], one                                                                 short [segment];18 or four                                                                 long, one short

Robe of eleven stripes                             three long, one short; or four                                                                 long, one short

Robe of thirteen stripes                           three long, one short; or four                                                                 long, one short

Robe of fifteen stripes                             three long, one short Robe of seventeen stripes                       three long, one short Robe of nineteen stripes                          three long, one short Robe of twenty-one stripes                     four long, one short

Robe of twenty-three stripes                   four long, one short

Robe of twenty-five stripes                     four long, one short Robe of two hundred and fifty stripes     four long, one short

Robe of eighty-four thousand stripes19   eight long, one short

[140] This is an abbreviated list. There are many other kinds of kaṣāya besides these, all of which may be the saṃghāṭi robe. Some receive and retain [the kaṣāya] as laypeople, and some receive and retain [the kaṣāya] 58b as monks and nuns. To receive and to retain [the kaṣāya] means to wear it, not to keep it idly folded. Even if people shave off hair and beard, if they do not receive and retain the kaṣāya, if they hate the kaṣāya or fear the kaṣāya, they are celestial demons20 and non-Buddhists. Zen Master Hyakujō Daichi21 says, “Those who have not accumulated good seeds in the past detest the kaṣāya and hate the kaṣāya; they fear and hate the right Dharma.” [142] The Buddha says, “If any living being, having entered my Dharma, commits the grave sins or falls into wrong views, but in a single moment of consciousness [this person] with reverent mind honors the saṃghāṭi robe, the buddhas and I will give affirmation, without fail, that this person will be able to become buddha in the three vehicles. Gods or dragons or human beings or demons, if able to revere the merit of even a small part of this person’s kaṣāya, will at once attain the three vehicles and will neither regress nor stray. If ghosts and living beings can obtain even four inches of the kaṣāya, they will eat and drink their fill. When living beings offend each other and are about to fall into wrong views, if they remember the power of the kaṣāya, through the power of the kaṣāya they will duly feel compassion, and they will be able to return to the state of purity. If people on a battlefield keep a small part of this kaṣāya, venerating it and honoring it, they will obtain salvation.”22

[143] Thus we have seen that the merits of the kaṣāya are supreme and unthinkable. When we believe in, receive, guard, and retain it, we will surely get the state of affirmation, and get the state of not regressing. Not only Śākyamuni Buddha but all the buddhas also have preached like this. Remember, the substance and form of the buddhas themselves is just the kaṣāya. This is why the Buddha says, “Those who are going to fall into wrong ways hate the saṃghāṭi [robe].” This being so, if hateful thoughts arise when we see and hear of the kaṣāya, we should feel sorry that our own body is going to

58c fall into wrong ways, and we should repent and confess. Furthermore, when Śākyamuni Buddha first left the royal palace and was going to enter the mountains, a tree god, the story goes, holds up a saṃghāṭi robe and says to Śākyamuni Buddha, “If you receive this robe upon your head, you will escape the disturbances of demons.” Then Śākyamuni Buddha accepts this robe, humbly receiving it upon his head, and for twelve years he does not set it aside even for a moment. This is the teaching of the Āgama sutras. Elsewhere it is said that the kaṣāya is a garment of good fortune, and that those who wear it always reach exalted rank. In general, there has never been a moment when this saṃghāṭi robe was not manifesting itself before us in the world. The manifestation before us of one moment is an eternal matter,23 and eternal matters come at one moment. To obtain the kaṣāya is to obtain the Buddha’s banner. For this reason, none of the buddha-tathāgatas has ever failed to receive and to retain the kaṣāya. And no person who has received and retained the kaṣāya has failed to become buddha.

[145] The method of wearing the kaṣāya: “To bare only the right shoulder” is the usual method. There is also a method of wearing [the kaṣāya] so that it covers both shoulders. When we wear both sides over the left arm and shoulder, we wear the front edge on the outside and the back edge on the inside.24 This is one instance of Buddhist dignified behavior. This behavior is neither seen and heard nor transmitted and received by the various groups of śrāvakas: their scriptures on the teaching of the Āgamas do not mention it at all. In general, the dignified behavior of wearing the kaṣāya in Buddhism has been unfailingly received and retained by the ancestral masters who received the transmission of the right Dharma and who are present before us here and now. When receiving and retaining [the kaṣāya], we should unfailingly receive and retain it under such an ancestral master. The traditional kaṣāya of the Buddhist patriarchs has been authentically transmitted from buddha to buddha without irregularity; it is the kaṣāya of former buddhas and of later buddhas, the kaṣāya

of ancient buddhas and of recent buddhas. When they transform25 the state of truth, when they transform the state of buddha, when they transform the past, when they transform the present, and when they transform the future, they transmit the authentic tradition from the past to the present, they transmit the authentic tradition from the present to the future, they transmit the authentic tradition from the present to the past, they transmit the authentic tradition from the past to the past, they transmit the authentic tradition from the present to the present, they transmit the authentic tradition from the future to the future, they transmit the authentic tradition from the future to the present, and they transmit the authentic tradition from the future to the past; and this is the authentic transmission of “buddhas alone, together with buddhas.” For this reason, for several hundred years after the ancestral master came from the west, from the great Tang to the great Song [dynasties], many of those accomplished at lecturing on sutras were able to see through their own behavior; and when people of philosophical schools, of precepts, and so on entered the Buddha-Dharma, they threw away the shabby old robes that had formerly been their kaṣāya, and they authentically received the traditional kaṣāya of Buddhism. Their stories appear one after another in Records of the Torch such as Den[tōroku], Kō[tōroku], Zoku[tōroku], Futōroku, and so on.26 When they were liberated from the small view which is limited thinking about philosophy and precepts and they revered the great truth authentically transmitted by the Buddhist patriarchs, they all became Buddhist patriarchs. People today also should learn from the ancestral masters of the past. If we would like to receive and to retain the kaṣāya, we should receive the authentic transmission of, and should believe in, the traditional kaṣāya. We should not receive and retain a fake kaṣāya. The traditional kaṣāya means the kaṣāya now authentically transmitted from Shaolin [Temple] and Sōkei [Mountain];27 its reception from the Tathāgata in the transmission from rightful successor to rightful successor has never been interrupted for even a single generation. For this reason we have exactly received the practice of the truth, and we have intimately obtained, in our own hands, the Buddha’s robe; and this is the reason [we should receive the authentic transmission]. The Buddha’s [state of] truth is authentically transmitted in the Buddha’s [state of] truth; it is not left for lazy people to receive at leisure. A secular proverb says, “Hearing a thousand times is not as good as seeing once, and seeing a thousand times is not as good as experiencing once.” Reflecting on this, [we can say that] even if we see [the kaṣāya] a thousand times and hear of it ten thousand times, that is not as good as getting it once, and never as good as to have received the authentic transmission of the Buddha’s robe. If we can doubt those who have authentic traditions, 59b we should doubt all the more those who have never seen the authentic traditions even in a dream. To receive the authentic transmission of the Buddha’s robe may be closer [in experience] than to receive and to hear Buddhist sutras. Even a thousand experiences and ten thousand attainments are not as good as one realization in experience. A Buddhist patriarch is the realization of the same state of experience; we should never rank [a Buddhist patriarch] with common followers of philosophy and precepts. In conclusion, with regard to the merits of the kaṣāya of the Patriarch’s lineage, [we can say that] its authentic transmission has been received exactly; [that] its original configuration has been conveyed personally; and [that] it has been received and retained, together with the succession of the Dharma, without interruption until today. The authentic recipients are all ancestral masters who have experienced the same state and received the transmission of Dharma. They are superior even to [bodhisattvas at] the ten sacred stages and the three clever stages; we should serve and venerate them and should bow down to them and humbly receive them upon our heads. If this principle of the authentic transmission of the Buddha’s robe is believed just once by this body and mind, that is a sign of meeting buddha, and it is the way to learn the state of buddha. [A life] in which we could not accept this Dharma would be a sad life. We should profoundly affirm that if we cover the physical body, just once, with this kaṣāya, it will be a talisman that protects the body and ensures realization of the state of bodhi. It is said that when we dye the believing mind with a single phrase or a single verse we never lack the brightness of long kalpas. When we dye the body and mind with one real dharma, [the state] may be “also like this.” Those mental images28 are without an abode and are irrelevant to what I possess; even so, their merits are indeed as described above. The physical body is without an abode; even so, it is as described above. The kaṣāya, too, is without an origin and also without a destination, it is neither our own possession nor the possession of anyone else; even so, it actually abides at the place where it is retained, and it covers the person who receives and retains it. The merits acquired [by virtue of the kaṣāya] may also be like this. When we make the kaṣāya, the making is not the elaboration29 of the common, the sacred, and the like. The import of this is not perfectly realized by [bodhisattvas at] the ten sacred or the three clever [stages]. Those who have not accumulated 59c seeds of the truth in the past do not see the kaṣāya, do not hear of the kaṣāya, and do not know the kaṣāya, not in one life, not in two lives, not even if they pass countless lives. How much less could they receive and retain [the kaṣāya]? There are those who attain, and those who do not attain, the merit to touch [the kaṣāya] once with the body. Those who have attained [this merit] should rejoice. Those who have not attained it should hope to do so. Those who can never attain it should lament. All human beings and gods have seen, heard, and universally recognized that the Buddha’s robe is transmitted—both inside and outside the great-thousandfold-world—only in the lineage of the Buddhist patriarchs. Clarification of the configuration of the Buddha’s robe also is present only in the lineage of the patriarchs, it is not known in other lineages. Those who do not know it and [yet] do not blame themselves are stupid people. Even if they know eighty-four thousand samādhi-dhāraṇīs,30 without receiving the authentic transmission of the Buddhist patriarchs’ robe and Dharma, without clarifying the authentic transmission of the kaṣāya, they can never be the rightful successors of the buddhas. How the living beings of other regions must long to receive exactly the authentic transmission of the Buddha’s robe, as it has been authentically received in China. They must be ashamed, their sorrow in their hearts must be deep, that they have not received the authentic transmission in their own country. Truly, to meet the Dharma in which the robe and the Dharma of the World-honored Tathāgata have been authentically transmitted is the result of seeds of great merit from past-nurtured prajñā. Now, in this corrupt age of the latter Dharma, there are many bands of demons who are not ashamed that they themselves lack the authentic transmission, and who envy the authentic transmission [of others]. Our own possessions and abodes are not our real selves. Just authentically to receive the authentic transmission; this is the direct way to learn the state of buddha.

[153] In sum, remember that the kaṣāya is the body of the Buddha and

the mind of the Buddha. Further, it is called “the clothing of liberation,” called 60a “the robe of a field of happiness,” called “the robe of endurance,” called “the robe without form,” called “the robe of compassion,” called “the robe of the Tathāgata,” and called “the robe of anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi.” We must receive and retain it as such. In the great kingdom of Song today, people who call themselves students of the precepts, because they are drunk on the wine of the śrāvaka, are neither ashamed, regretful, nor aware that they have received the transmission of a lineage which is alien to their own clan. Having changed

the kaṣāya that has been transmitted from the Western Heavens and handed down through the ages from Han to Tang China, they follow small thoughts. It is due to the small view that they are like that, and they should be ashamed of [their] small view. Given that they now wear a robe [based on] their own small thinking, they probably lack many [other] of the Buddhist dignified forms. Such things happen because their learning of, and reception of the transmission of, the Buddhist forms, are incomplete. The fact is evident that the body and mind of the Tathāgata has been authentically transmitted only in the lineage of the patriarchs, and it has not spread into the customs of those other lineages. If they knew only one Buddhist form in ten thousand they would never destroy the Buddha’s robe. Not having clarified even [the meaning of] sentences, they have never been able to hear the fundamental.

[155] There again, to decide that coarse cotton is the only material for the robe runs deeply counter to the Buddha-Dharma; above all it ruins the buddha robe. Disciples of the Buddha should not wear [a robe made according to this rule]. Why? [Because] to uphold a view about cloth ruins the kaṣāya. It is pitiful that the views of the śrāvaka of the Small Vehicle are so tortuous. After their views about cloth have been demolished, the Buddha’s robe will be realized. What I am saying about the use of silk and cotton is not the teaching of one buddha or two buddhas; it is the great Dharma of all the buddhas to see rags as the best and purest material for the robe. When, for the

present, we list the ten sorts of rags among those [rags], they include silk, cotton, and other kinds of cloth too.31 Must we not take rags of silk? If we are like that, we go against the Buddha’s truth. If we hated silk, we would also have to hate cotton. Where is the reason to hate silk or cotton? To hate silk thread because it is produced by killing is very laughable. Is cotton not the habitat of living things? Sentiment about sentience and insentience is not liberated from the sentiment of the common and sentimental: how could it know the Buddha’s kaṣāya? There is further speaking of nonsense by those who bring forth arguments about transformed thread.32 This also is laughable. Which [material] is not a transformation? Those people believe the ears that hear of “transformation,” but they doubt the eyes that see transformation itself. They seem to have no ears in their eyes, and no eyes in their ears. Where are their ears and eyes at the moment of the present?33 Now remember, while we are collecting rags, there may be cotton that looks like silk and there may be

silk that looks like cotton. When we use it, we should not call it silk and we should not call it cotton; we should just call it rags. Because it is rags it is, as rags, beyond silk and beyond cotton. Even if there are human beings or gods who have survived as rags, we should not call them sentient, [but] they may be rags. Even if there are pine trees or chrysanthemums which have become rags, we should not call them insentient, [but] they may be rags. When we recognize the truth that rags are neither silk nor cotton, and that they are beyond pearls and jewels, rags are realized and we meet rags for the first time. Before views about silk and cotton have withered and fallen, we have never seen rags even in a dream. If we retain views about the cloth— even if we have spent a lifetime receiving and retaining coarse cotton cloth as a kaṣāya—that is not the authentic transmission of the Buddha’s robe. At 60c the same time, the various kinds of kaṣāya include cotton kaṣāya, silk kaṣāya, and leather kaṣāya: all of these have been worn by buddhas. They have the Buddhist merits of the Buddha’s robe, and they possess the fundamental principle that has been authentically transmitted without interruption. But people who are not liberated from common sentiment make light of the Buddha Dharma; not believing the Buddha’s words, they aim blindly to follow the sentiment of the common person. They must be called non-Buddhists who have attached themselves to the Buddha-Dharma; they are people who destroy the right Dharma. Some claim to have changed the buddha robe in accordance with the teaching of celestial beings. In that case, they must aspire to celestial Buddhahood. Or have they become the descendants of gods? The Buddha’s disciples expound the Buddha-Dharma for celestial beings; they should not ask celestial beings about the truth. It is pitiful that those who lack the authentic transmission of the Buddha-Dharma are like this. The view of the celestial multitudes and the view of the Buddha’s disciples are very different in greatness, but gods come down to seek instruction in the Dharma from the Buddha’s disciples. The reason is that the Buddhist view and the celestial view are very different. Discard, and do not learn, the small views of śrāvakas of precepts sects. Remember that they are the Small Vehicle. The Buddha says, “One can repent for killing one’s father or killing one’s mother, but one cannot repent for insulting the Dharma.”

[160] In general, the way of small views and foxlike suspicion is not the original intention of the Buddha. The great truth of the Buddha-Dharma is beyond the Small Vehicle. No one outside of the Patriarch’s state of truth, which is transmitted with the Dharma treasury, has known of the authentic transmission of the great precepts of the buddhas. Long ago, [the story goes,] in the middle of the night on Ōbaizan, the Buddha’s robe and Dharma are transmitted authentically onto the head of the Sixth Patriarch.34 This is truly the authentic tradition for transmission of the Dharma and transmission of the robe. It is [possible] because the Fifth Patriarch knows a person.35 Fellows

61a of the fourth effect and the three clever stages, as well as the likes of [bodhisattvas in] the ten sacred stages36 and the likes of commentary teachers and sutra teachers of philosophical schools, would give the [robe and Dharma] to Jinshū;37 they would not transmit them authentically to the Sixth Patriarch. Nevertheless, when Buddhist patriarchs select Buddhist patriarchs, they transcend the path of common sentiment, and so the Sixth Patriarch has already become the Sixth Patriarch. Remember, the truth of knowing a person and of knowing oneself, which the Buddhist patriarchs transmit from rightful successor to rightful successor, is not easily supposed. Later, a monk asks the Sixth Patriarch, “Should we see the robe you received in the middle of the night on Ōbai[zan] as cotton, or should we see it as silk, or should we see it as raw silk?38 In short, as what material should we see it?” The Sixth Patriarch says, “It is not cotton, it is not silk, and it is not raw silk.” The words of the Founding Patriarch of Sōkei are like this. Remember, the buddha robe is not silk, not cotton, and not cotton crepe. Those who, on the contrary, heedlessly recognize [the robe] as silk, as cotton, or as cotton crepe are the sort who insult the Buddha-Dharma. How could they know the Buddha’s kaṣāya? Furthermore, there are episodes of the precepts being taken with [the Buddha’s] “Welcome!” That the kaṣāya gained by these [monks] is utterly beyond discussion of silk and cotton is the Buddha’s instruction in the Buddhist truth. In another case, the robe of Śāṇavāsa when he is a layman is a secular garment, but when he leaves family life it becomes a kaṣāya. We should quietly consider this fact. We should not brush it aside as if we did not see or hear it. Moreover, there is a fundamental principle which has been authentically transmitted from buddha to buddha, and from patriarch to patriarch, and which the sort who count words in sentences cannot sense and cannot fathom. Truly, how could the thousand changes and the myriad transformations of the Buddha’s truth belong in the limited area of ordinary folk? The [real state of] samādhi exists,

and [real practices of] dhāraṇī 39 exist, [but] those who count grains of sand can never find [these] valuable pearls inside their clothes. We should esteem, 61b as the right standard of the kaṣāya of all the buddhas, the material, color, and measurements of the present kaṣāya that has been received in the authentic transmission from Buddhist patriarchs. The precedents for it, in the Western Heavens and the Eastern Lands, going back to ancient times and arriving at the present, are of long standing; and people who have distinguished the right [precedents] from the wrong have already transcended the state of enlightenment. Even though outside of the Buddhism of the patriarchs there are those who claim [to have] the kaṣāya, no original patriarch has ever affirmed [their robes] as the twigs and leaves [of the original kaṣāya]; how could [their robes] germinate the seeds of good roots?40 How much less could they bear real fruit? We now not only are seeing and hearing Buddha-Dharma that we have not met in vast kalpas; we [also] have been able to see and to hear the Buddha’s robe, to learn about the Buddha’s robe, and to receive and to retain the Buddha’s robe. This just exactly means that we are meeting the Buddha, we are hearing the voice of the Buddha, we are radiating the brightness of the Buddha, we are receiving and using the state received and used by the Buddha, we are receiving the one-to-one transmission of the mind of the Buddha, and we are getting the Buddha’s marrow.

[165] For material to make the kaṣāya we invariably use that which is pure. Pure describes material offered by a donor of pure faith, or bought at a market, or sent by celestial beings, or donated by dragons, or donated by demons, or donated by kings and ministers, or [even] pure leather. We may use all such material. At the same time, we esteem the ten sorts of rags as pure. The ten sorts of rags are namely:

1) Rags chewed by an ox, 2) rags gnawed by rats, 3) rags scorched by fire, 4) rags [soiled by] menstruation, 5) rags [soiled by] childbirth, 6) rags [offered at] a shrine, 7) rags [left at] a graveyard, 8) rags [offered in] petitional prayer, 9) rags [discarded by] a king’s officers, 10) rags brought back [from a funeral].

       [166] We esteem these ten sorts as especially pure material. In secular          

society they throw them away, [but] in Buddhism we use them. From these customs we can know the difference between the secular world and Buddhism. So when we want pure [material] we should look for these ten sorts. Finding them, we can know what is pure and we can intuit and affirm what is not pure. We can know mind and we can intuit and affirm body. When we obtain these ten sorts, whether they are silk or whether they are cotton, we should consider their purity and impurity. If we understand that the reason we use these rags is to idly make ourselves shabby with shabby robes, that might be extremely stupid. Rags have [always] been used in Buddhism for their splendor and beauty. In Buddhism, what makes our attire shabby is clothes which have come from impurity—[clothes of] brocade, embroidered silk, silk twill, and sheer silk, [clothes of] gold, silver, precious gems, and so on. This is the meaning of shabbiness. In general, whether in the Buddhism of this land or of other worlds, when we use pure and beautiful [cloth], it should be of these ten sorts. Not only has it transcended the limitations of purity and impurity, it also is beyond the limited sphere of the superfluous and the absence of the superfluous.41 Do not discuss it as matter or mind. It is not connected with gain and loss. [The fact] is only that those who receive and retain the authentic transmission are Buddhist patriarchs; for when we are in the state of a Buddhist patriarch we receive the authentic transmission. To receive and to retain this [transmission] as a Buddhist patriarch does not depend on manifestation or no manifestation of the body, and does not depend on upholding or non-upholding of the mind, [but] the authentic transmission goes on being received. Absolutely, we should regret that in this country, Japan, monks and nuns of recent ages have, for a long time, gone without wearing the kaṣāya; and we should be glad that we can receive and retain [the kaṣāya] now. Even laymen and laywomen who receive and keep the

Buddhist precepts should wear the five-stripe, seven-stripe, and nine-stripe

kaṣāya. How then could people who have left family life fail to wear [the kaṣāya]? It is said that [everyone] from King Brahmā and the gods of the six heavens,42 down to secular men, secular women, and male and female slaves, should receive the Buddhist precepts and wear the kaṣāya; how could bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs fail to wear it? It is said that even animals should receive the Buddhist precepts and wear the kaṣāya; how could disciples of the Buddha fail to wear the Buddha’s robe? So those who want to become disciples of the Buddha, regardless of whether they are gods above, human beings, kings of nations, or government officials, and irrespective of whether they are laypeople, monks, slaves, or animals, should receive and keep the Buddhist precepts and should receive the authentic transmission of the kaṣāya. This is just the direct way to enter authentically into the state of buddha. [170] “When washing the kaṣāya, you should mix miscellaneous powdered incense into the water. After drying [the kaṣāya] in the sun, fold it and put it in a high place, serve offerings to it of incense and flowers, and make three prostrations. Then, kneeling up, humbly receive it upon the head and, with the hands joined, render devotion by reciting the following verse:

How great is the clothing of liberation, Formless, field of happiness, robe! Devoutly wearing the Tathāgata’s teaching, Widely I will save living beings.

After reciting [this verse] three times, stand up on the ground and wear [the kaṣāya] devoutly.”43

[170] During my stay in Song China, making effort on the long platform, I saw that my neighbor every morning, at the time of releasing the stillness, would lift up his kaṣāya and place it on his head; then, holding his hands together in veneration, he would silently recite the verse. At that time, there arose in me a feeling I had never before experienced. [My] body was overfilled with joy, and tears of gratitude secretly fell and moistened the lapels of my gown. The reason was that when I had read the Āgama sutras previously, I had noticed sentences about humbly receiving the kaṣāya upon the head, but I had not clarified the standards for this behavior and had not understood it clearly. Seeing it done now, before my very eyes, I was overjoyed. I thought to myself, “It is a pity that when I was in my homeland there was no master to teach [me] this, and no good friend to tell [me] of it. How could I not regret, how could I not deplore, passing so much time in vain? Seeing it and hearing 62b it now, I can rejoice in past good conduct. If I had been idly rubbing shoulders in the temples of my home country, how could I have sat shoulder-to-shoulder with this treasure of a monk who is actually wearing the Buddha’s robe?” Sadness and joy were not one-sided. Tears of gratitude fell in thousands and tens of thousands. Then I secretly vowed, “One way or another, unworthy though I am, I will receive the authentic transmission of the right traditions

of the Buddha-Dharma and, out of compassion for living beings in my homeland, I will cause them to see and to hear the robe and the Dharma that have been authentically transmitted from buddha to buddha.” The vow made at that time has not now been in vain; the bodhisattvas, in families and out of families, who have received and retained the kaṣāya are many. This is a matter in which to rejoice. People who have received and retained the kaṣāya should humbly receive it upon their head every day and night. The merit [of this] may be especially excellent and supremely excellent. The seeing and hearing of a phrase or a verse may be as in the story of “on trees and on rocks,” [but] the merit of the authentic transmission of the kaṣāya is hardly encountered through the ten directions. In the tenth lunar month, in the winter of the seventeenth year of Kajō in great Song [China], two Korean44 monks came to the city of Keigenfu. One was called Chigen, the other Keiun. Both of them were always discussing the meaning of Buddhist sutras, and they were also men of letters. But they had no kaṣāya and no pātra; they were like secular people. It was pitiful that though they had the external form of bhikṣus they did not have the Dharma of bhikṣus. This may have been because they were from a minor nation in a remote land. When people from our country who have the external form of bhikṣus travel abroad, they are likely to be the same as those two monks. Śākyamuni Buddha himself received [the kaṣāya] upon his head for twelve years, never setting it aside. As already his distant descendants, we should emulate this. To turn the forehead away from prostrations

62c idly done for fame and gain to gods, to spirits, to kings, and to retainers, and to turn it now toward the humble reception upon the head of the Buddha’s robe, is a joyful and great happy event.

                                        Shōbōgenzō Den-e

                                        The first day of winter, in the first year of                                         Ninji.45

                                        Written at Kannondōrikōshōhōrinji                                         —a śramaṇa who entered Song [China] and                                         received the transmission of Dharma, Dōgen.

Notes

1     Chapter Twelve, and from patriarch to patriarch.” The difference presumably arose from Master Dōgen’sKesa-kudoku, begins butsu-butsu so-so, “from buddha to buddha, feeling on the day.

2     lit., “throughout his life.” Again, the difference is incidental.“Until his death” is shōzen, lit., “life-before.” In Kesa-kudoku the expression is isshō,

3     offered it to three kings, but none of them valued the gem at all. In this context,Benka was a man in ancient China who found a huge gem, one foot in diameter. He not on the same level as the Benka’s gem is simply used as an example of something that is very valuable, butkaṣāya.

4     619–858.

5     “Monks and laymen” is originally “black and white,” symbolizing the clothes of _{monks and laymen respectively.}

6     “Sacred wheel-turning kings” is ten-rin-jō-ō, from the Sanskrit cakravarti-rājya. These legendary kings were said to govern the four continents east, west, north, and south with the silver wheel rules all continents but the north, the king with the copper wheel of Mount Sumeru. The king with the gold wheel rules all four continents, the king tinent. rules the east and south, and the king with the iron wheel rules only the southern con7 Yōkin, lit., “leaf-cloth.”

8 Shari suggests the Buddha’s relics. Represents the Sanskrit śarīra, which literally means bones but which often 9 Nyakuden-nyakuri,to a passage in the eighteenth chapter of the 74. “fields and villages,” and Lotus Sutragojū-tenden,, Zuiki-kudoku.“fifty propagations,” alludeSee LS 3.72-

10    National treasures and sacred relics.

11    The nine kinds of robe are the robes of nine stripes, eleven stripes, thirteen stripes, stripes, and twenty-five stripes.fifteen stripes, seventeen stripes, nineteen stripes, twenty-one stripes, twenty-three

12    Refers to Master Bodhidharma’s transmission of the Dharma into China.

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13    58 to 76 C.E.

14    namely: precepts (Vinaya), Sutra, and commentaries (Abhi dharma).Sanzō, lit., “three storehouses,” represents the Sanskrit Tripiṭaka, or three baskets, 15 principles. “Seeing” means knowing the concrete form, and “hearing” means understanding the 16 Many Hinayana Buddhist traditions are based on the teachings of the Āgama sutras. 17 Chapter Forty-nine, Master Tōzan, Master Rinzai, Master Hōgen, Master Isan, and Master Unmon. See _Butsudō. 18 That is, three long segments and one short segment in each stripe.

19    In Buddhist sutras, eighty-four thousand signifies a very large number.

20    Tenma, celestial demons, symbolize idealistic people who disturb Buddhism.

21    Master Hyakujō Ekai (749–814), a successor of Master Baso Dōitsu. Zen Master _{Daichi is his posthumous title.}

22    This is a summarized list of the five sacred merits of the Higekyō (Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka-sūtra). A longer enumeration of the five sacred merits,Kesa-kudoku, kaṣāya, from chapter 8 of paragraph 80. from the same sutra, appears in Chapter Twelve, the

23    Chōgō no ji, lit., “a matter in long kalpas.”

24    ^{When the kaṣāya has been opened behind the back and the strings tied, and the left} kaṣāya, the border running vertically the “front edge” around the front of the body and over the left shoulder. down from the right hand is down from the left hand is and right hand are holding the top corners of the koto,zento,“the back edge.” The right hand brings the top of“the front edge,” and the border running vertically

25    transform,” that is, to teach, to educate, or to instruct.“Transform” is ke. The character often appears in the compound kyoke, lit., “teach-

26    ^Kōtōroku of the Keitoku era. It contains the histories of one thousand seven hundred and oneBuddhists, from the seven ancient buddhas to Master Hōgen Bun’eki (855–958). 2)piled by the layman Ri Junkyoku during the Tenshō era (1023–1031). 3) Transmission of the Torch(960–1297)Refers to the or, namely: 1) Tenshōkō tōrokuGotōroku (Five Records of the TorchDentōroku), completed by a monk called Dōgen in 1004, the first year(Tenshō Era Record of the Widely Extending Torchor Keitokudentō roku), compiled during the Song period(Keitoku Era Record of theZokutōroku), com-

or in 1101, during the Kenchū-seikoku era. 4) _{Continuation of the Torch}(Supplementary Record of the TorchKataifutōroku (Katai Era Record of the Universal Torch), completed in 1183 and published in 1189. 5) ), completed by Master Ihaku of Bukkōku Temple Rentōeyō (Collection of Essentials for), compiled by Master Futōroku

Shōju of Raian Temple during the Katai era (1201–1204).

27    That is, from Master Bodhidharma and Master Daikan Enō.

Chapter Thirteen

28    Of the believing mind described above.

29    “without elaboration” or “un adorned,” that is, natural. Sa, describes elaboration or artificiality. to produce, to make, or to do, sometimes represents the Sanskrit Shoaku-makusa.Sa thus includes the connotation of international Master Dōgen describes zazen as saṃskṛta, which Musa, effort. See Chapter Ten,

30    Samādhidhāraṇītitioner into the balanced states are mystical formulae, the incantation of which is supposed to lead the prac-means the balanced state, and dhāraṇī means a mystical formula. So samādhi31 The ten sorts of rags are given at the end of paragraph 165 in this chapter. The point ^{of the classification is to determine how rags were discarded, not their original mate-}rial. 32 not natural. Some people thought that silk is the result of an artificial process, and is therefore

33    To hear with the eyes and to see with the ears suggests inclusive intuition, as opposed _{to discriminating intellectual recognition and sensory perception.}

34    ^{is contained in Chapter Thirty (Vol. II),} the behavior of placing the story of the transmission between Master Daiman Kōnin and Master Daikan Enōkaṣāya on the head in veneration.Gyōji. Chōjō ni, “on top of the head,” suggests

35    a laborer at the temple. ^III), The ability to know a true person is discussed at the end of Chapter Fifty-two (Vol.Bukkyō. At the time of the transmission, Master Daikan Enō was employed as

36    ^{sakṛdāgāmin} A belief, thirty states classified as the three clever stages, ten sacred stages, the balance dis not subject to returning), and 4) arhat (the fourth effect, which is the ultimate state of the state of truth (śrāvakaśrāvakapasses through four stages: 1) (tōkaku)the state of being subject to one return), 3) . A bodhisattva passes through fifty-two stages or states: ten stages of), and finally the fine state of truth srotāpanna((myōkakuanāgāminentry into the stream), ). (the state which2)

37    Ācārya Jinshū was the most intelligent monk in Master Daiman Kōnin’s order, accom-plished at poetry and revered by emperors. See Chapter Twenty-two (Vol. II), Kokyō.

38    “Raw silk” means silk that has not been dyed.

39    Chapter Fifty-five (Vol. III), Master Dōgen interpreted dhāraṇīDarani.s as concrete practices that have real power. See

40    Zenkon means good conduct as the root of happiness.

41    Rō and murō, which represent the Sanskrit āsrava and anāsrava, suggest the presence and absence of emotional distress.

42    case) the gods therein.Rokuten or roku-yoku-ten, are the six heavens of the world of volition, or (as in this

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43    chapter, ^{the same as the second half of paragraph 78 on washing the} is written in Chinese characters only.This paragraph is in the form of a quotation from a sutra in Chinese. The content isKesa-kudoku. But that paragraph is written in Japanese, whereas this paragraph_{kaṣāya in the previous}

44    the name of one of the three states comprising the Korean peninsula at that time.“ Korean” is sankan, “three Koreas.” In Kesa-kudoku the word is Kōrai, which was

45    The first day of the tenth lunar month, 1240.

[Chapter Fourteen] Sansuigyō

The Sutra of Mountains and Water

Translator’s Note: San means “mountains,” sui means “water”—rivers, lakes, and so on. Sansui suggests natural scenery, or nature itself. Kyō or gyō means Buddhist sutras. So Sansuigyō means mountains and water, or nature, as Buddhist sutras. Buddhism is basically a religion of belief in the universe, and nature is the universe showing its real form. So to look at nature is to look at the Buddhist truth itself. For this reason Master Dōgen believed that nature is just Buddhist sutras. In this chapter he explains the real form of nature, giving particular emphasis to relativity in nature.

[175]           The mountains and water of the present are the realization of the wordsof eternal buddhas. Both [mountains and water] abide in place in the Dharma, having realized ultimate virtue. Because they are in the state before the kalpa of emptiness, they are vigorous activity in the present. Because they are the self before the sprouting of creation, they are real liberation. The virtues of the mountains are so high and wide that we always realize moral virtue which can ride the clouds by relying on the mountains, and we unfailingly liberate the subtle effectiveness which follows the wind by relying on the mountains.

[176]           Master Kai1 of Taiyōzan preaches to the assembly, “The Blue Mountains are constantly walking. The Stone Woman bears children by night.” Mountains lack none of the virtues with which mountains should be equipped. For this reason, they are constantly abiding in stillness and constantly walking. We must painstakingly learn in practice the virtue of this walking. The walking of mountains must be like the walking of human beings; there- 63a fore, even though it does not look like human walking,2 do not doubt the walking of the mountains. The words preached now by the Buddhist Patriarch are already pointing to “walking,” and this is his attainment of the fundamental. We should pursue to the ultimate his preaching to the assembly about “constant walking”: it is because [the mountains] are walking that they are “constant.”3

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The walking of the Blue Mountains is swifter than the wind, but human beings in the mountains do not sense it or know it. Being “in the mountains”4 describes the “opening of flowers” in the “[real] world.”5 People out of the mountains never sense it and never know it—people who have no eyes to see the mountains do not sense, do not know, do not see, and do not hear this concrete fact. If we doubt the walking of the mountains, we also do not yet know our own walking. It is not that we do not have our own walking, but we do not yet know and have not yet clarified our own walking. When we know our own walking, then we will surely also know the walking of the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains are already beyond the sentient and beyond the insentient. The self is already beyond the sentient and beyond the insentient. We cannot doubt the present walking of the Blue Mountains. [Though] we do not know how many Dharma worlds we should use as a scale when taking in the Blue Mountains, we should investigate in detail the walking of the Blue Mountains as well as our own walking. There should be investigation both of backward steps6 and of stepping backward.7 We should investigate the fact that just at the moment before the sprouting of creation, and since before the King of Emptiness,8 walking—in forward steps and backward steps—has never stopped even for an instant. If the walking ceased, the Buddhist patriarchs could not manifest themselves in reality. If there were an end to the walking, the Buddha-Dharma could not reach the present day. Forward walking never ceases, and backward walking never ceases. The moment of forward walking does not oppose backward walking, and the moment of backward walking does not oppose forward walking.9

63b We call this virtue “the mountains flowing,” and we call it “the flowing mountains.” The Blue Mountains master in practice the act of walking and the East Mountain learns in practice the act of moving on water; therefore, this learning in practice is the mountains’ learning in practice. The mountains, without changing their body and mind, with the face and eyes of mountains, have been traveling around learning in practice. Never insult them by saying that the Blue Mountains cannot walk or that the East Mountain cannot move on water. It is because of the grossness of the viewpoint of the vulgar that they doubt the phrase “the Blue Mountains are walking.” It is due to the poorness of their scant experience that they are astonished at the words “flowing mountains.” Now, not even fully understanding10 the words “flowing water,” they are drowned in prejudice and ignorance. This being so, they esteem as defining concepts, and esteem as lifeblood, their enumeration of the accumulated virtues [of mountains].11 The act of walking exists, the act of flowing exists, and moments in which mountains give birth to mountain children exist. By virtue of the fact that mountains become Buddhist patriarchs, Buddhist patriarchs have manifested themselves in reality like this.12 Though there may be eyes in which grass, trees, soil, stones, fences, and walls are realized, that moment is beyond doubt and beyond disturbance; it is not “total realization.” Though moments are realized in which [the mountains] are seen to be adorned with the seven treasures, [those moments] are not “the real refuge.” Though visions are realized [of the mountains] as the area in which buddhas practice the truth, [those visions] are not necessarily something to be loved. Though some have got the brains to realize a vision [of the mountains] as the unthinkable merit of the buddhas, reality is not merely this.13 Every “realization” is an instance of object and subject. We do not esteem such [“realizations”] as the Buddhist patriarchs’ action in the state of truth: they are one-sided and narrow views.14 The moving of circumstances and the moving of mind are criticized by the Great Saint.15 Explanations of mind and explanations of the nature16 are not affirmed by the Buddhist patriarchs. Seeing the mind and seeing the nature17 is the animated activity of non-Buddhists. Staying in words and staying in phrases is not the speech of liberation. There is [a state] that has got free from states like these: it is expressed “the

Blue Mountains are constantly walking” and “the East Mountain moves on      63c water.” We should master it in detail.

[182]          [In the words] “The Stone Woman bears children by night” time,in which the Stone Woman bears children, is called night. In general, there are male stones and female stones, and there are neither male nor female stones, whose practical function supports the heavens and supports the earth. There are heavenly stones and there are earthly stones—as the secular say, but few people know.18 We should know the facts of childbirth: At the time of childbirth, are parent and child both transformed? How could we learn in practice only that childbirth is realized as [the parent] becoming the parent of a child? We should learn in practice, and should penetrate to the end, that the time of [the child] becoming the child of the parent is the practice-andexperience of the reality of childbirth.

[183]          Great Master Unmon Kyōshin19 says, “The East Mountain moves on water.” The point realized in these words is that all mountains are an East Mountain, and every East Mountain moves on water.20 Thus [mountains] such as the nine mountains of Mount Sumeru have been realized, and they have practiced and experienced.21 This state is called “the East Mountain.” Nevertheless, how could Unmon be liberated in the skin, flesh, bones, and marrow, the practice-and-experience, and the vigorous activity of the East Mountain.22

[184]          At the present time in the great kingdom of Song, there is a groupof unreliable23 fellows who have now formed such a crowd that they cannot be beaten by a few real [people]. They say that the present talk of the East Mountain moving on water, and stories such as Nansen’s sickle,24 are stories beyond rational understanding. Their idea is as follows: “A story which involves images and thoughts is not a Zen story of the Buddhist patriarchs. Stories beyond rational understanding are the stories of the Buddhist patriarchs. This is why we esteem Ōbaku’s use of the stick and Rinzai’s shout,25 which are beyond rational understanding and which do not involve images and thoughts, as the great realization before the sprouting of creation. The reason that the expedient means of many past masters employ tangle-cutting26 phrases is that [those phrases] are beyond rational understanding.” Those fellows

64a who speak like this have never met a true teacher and they have no eyes of learning in practice; they are small dogs who do not deserve to be discussed. For the last two or three hundred years in the land of Song there have been many such demons and shavelings [like those] in the band of six.27 It is pitiful that the great truth of the Buddhist Patriarch is going to ruin. The understanding of these [shavelings] is inferior even to that of śrāvakas of the Small Vehicle; they are more stupid than non-Buddhists. They are not laypeople, they are not monks, they are not human beings, and they are not gods; they are more stupid than animals learning the Buddha’s truth. What the shavelings call “stories beyond rational understanding” are beyond rational understanding only to them;28 the Buddhist patriarchs are not like that. Even though [rational ways] are not rationally understood by those [shavelings], we should not fail to learn in practice the Buddhist patriarchs’ ways of rational understanding. If ultimately there is no rational understanding, the reasoning which those [shavelings] have now set forth also cannot hit the target. There are many of

this sort in all directions of Song China, and I have seen and heard them before my own eyes. They are pitiful. They do not know that images and thoughts are words and phrases, and they do not know that words and phrases transcend images and thoughts. When I was in China I laughed at them, but they had nothing to say for themselves and were just wordless. Their present negation of rational understanding is nothing but a false notion. Who has taught it to them? Though they lack a natural teacher, they have the non Buddhist view of naturalism. Remember, this “The East Mountain moves on water” is the bones and marrow of the Buddhist patriarchs. Waters are realized at the foot of the East Mountain;29 thereupon mountains ride the clouds and walk through the sky. The crowns of the waters are mountains, whose walking, upward or downward, is always “on water.”30 Because the mountains’ toes can walk over all kinds of water, making the waters dance, the walking is free in all directions31 and “practice-and-experience is not nonexistent.”32 Water is neither strong nor weak, neither wet nor dry, neither 64b moving nor still, neither cold nor warm, neither existent nor nonexistent, neither delusion nor realization. When it is solid it is harder than a diamond; who could break it? Melted, it is softer than diluted milk; who could break it? This being so, it is impossible to doubt the real virtues that [water] possesses. For the present, we should learn in practice the moments in which it is possible to put on the eyes and look in the ten directions at the water of the ten directions. This is not learning in practice only of the time when human beings and gods see water; there is learning in practice of water seeing water.33 Because water practices and experiences water, there is the investigation in practice of water speaking water. We should manifest in reality the path on which self encounters self. We should advance and retreat along the vigorous path on which the external world exhausts in practice the external world, and we should spring free.

[189] In general, ways of seeing mountains and water differ according to the type of being [that sees them]: There are beings which see what we call water as a string of pearls,34 but this does not mean that they see a string of pearls as water. They probably see as their water a form that we see as something else. We see their strings of pearls as water. There are [beings] which see water as wonderful flowers; but this does not mean that they use flowers as water. Demons see water as raging flames, and see it as pus and blood. Dragons and fish see it as a palace, and see it as a tower. Some see [water] as the seven treasures and the maṇi gem;35 some see it as trees and forests and fences and walls; some see it as the pure and liberated Dharma nature; some see it as the real human body;36 and some see it as [the oneness of] physical form and mental nature. Human beings see it as water, the causes and conditions of death and life. Thus, what is seen does indeed differ according to the kind of being [that sees]. Now let us be wary of this. Is it that there

64c are various ways of seeing one object? Or is it that we have mistakenly assumed the various images to be one object? At the crown of effort, we should make still further effort. If the above is so, then practice-and-experience and pursuit of the truth also may not be [only] of one kind or of two kinds; and the ultimate state also may be of thousands of kinds and myriad varieties. When we keep this point in mind, although there are many kinds of water, it seems that there is no original water, and no water of many kinds. At the same time, the various waters which accord with the kinds of beings [that see water] do not depend on mind, do not depend on body, do not arise from karma, are not self-reliant, and are not reliant upon others; they have the liberated state of reliance on water itself. This being so, water is beyond earth, water, fire, wind, space, consciousness, and so on. Water is beyond blue, yellow, red, white, or black and beyond sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, or properties; at the same time, as earth, water, fire, wind, space, and so on, water is naturally realized. Because the nations and palaces of the present are like this, it may be difficult to state by what and into what they are created. To assert that they hang on the circle of space and the circle of wind37 is not true to ourselves and not true to others; it is to speculate on the basis of the suppositions of the small view. People make this assertion because they think that, without somewhere to hang, [dharmas] would not be able to abide.38

[193] The Buddha says, “All dharmas are ultimately liberated; they are without an abode.”39 Remember, although they are in the state of liberation, without any bonds, all dharmas are abiding in place.40 Even so, when human beings look at water, the only way we see it is as flowing ceaselessly. This flowing takes many forms, each of which is an example of the human view: [Water] flows over the earth, flows through the sky, flows upward, and flows downward. It flows in a single winding brook, and it flows in the nine [great] 65a depths.41 It rises up to form clouds, and it comes down to form pools. The Bunshi42 says, “The way of water is to ascend to the sky, forming rain and dew, and to descend to the earth, forming rivers and streams.” Now even the words of a secular person are like this. It would be most shameful for people who call themselves the descendants of the Buddhist Patriarch to be more ignorant than secular people. We can say that the way of water is beyond the recognition of water, but water is able actually to flow. Water is [also] beyond non-recognition, but water is able actually to flow.

[195] “It ascends to the sky and forms rain and dew.” Remember, water rises up immeasurably high into the sky above to form rain and dew. Rain and dew are of various kinds corresponding to [the various kinds of] worlds. To say that there are places not reached by water is the teaching of śrāvakas of the Small Vehicle, or the wrong teaching of non-Buddhists. Water reaches into flames, it reaches into the mind and its images, into wit, and into discrimination, and it reaches into realization of the buddha-nature.43

[195] “It descends to the earth to form rivers and streams.” Remember, when water descends to the earth, it forms rivers and streams. The vitality of rivers and streams can become sages. Common and stupid folk today assume that water is always in rivers, streams, and oceans. This is not so. Rivers and oceans are realized in water.44 Thus, water also exists in places which are not rivers and oceans; it is just that when water descends to the earth, it takes effect as rivers and oceans. Further, we must not understand that social worlds cannot exist or that buddha lands cannot exist at a place where water has formed rivers and oceans.45 Even inside a single drop, countless buddha lands are realized. This does not mean that there is water within buddha lands, and does not mean that there are buddha lands inside water. The place where water exists is already beyond the three times and beyond the world of Dharma. ^65b Even so, it is the universe in which water has been realized. Wherever Buddhist patriarchs go water goes, and wherever water goes Buddhist patriarchs are realized. This is why Buddhist patriarchs without exception, when taking up water, have treated it as [their] body and mind and have treated it as [their] thinking. This being so, that water rises up is not denied in any text, within [Buddhism] or without. The way of water pervades upward and downward, vertically and horizontally. At the same time, in the Buddhist sutras, “fire and wind rise upward, earth and water settle downward.” There is something to be learned in practice in this “upward” and “downward.” That is, we [must]

learn in practice the Buddha’s teaching of “upward” and “downward,” as follows: The place where earth and water go, we think of as “downward.”46 We do not think of downward as a place where earth and water go.47 The place where fire and wind go is “upward.” The “world of Dharma” should not always be related to measurements upward, downward, and in the four diagonals;48 at the same time, the four elements, the five elements, the six elements, and so on, relying on the concrete place to which they go, just momentarily establish the four-cornered Dharma world.49 It is not to be assumed that the Heaven of Thoughtlessness50 is above and that the Avīci51 Hell is below. Avīci is the whole world of Dharma, and Thoughtlessness is the whole world of Dharma. Still, when dragons and fish see water as a palace, they are probably like people looking at a palace, utterly unable to recognize that it is flowing away. If an onlooker were to explain to them, “Your palace is flowing water,” the dragons and fish would likely be as startled as we were now to hear the assertion that mountains are flowing. Further, it may also be possible to maintain and to rely upon [the assertion] that there is such preaching in [every] railing, stair,

65c and outdoor pillar of a palace or a mansion. Quietly, we should have been considering this reasoning and we should go on considering it.

[199]          If we are not learning the state of liberation at the face of thisplace, we have not become free from the body and mind of the common person, we have not perfectly realized the land of Buddhist patriarchs, and we have not perfectly realized the palaces of the common person. Although human beings now are profoundly confident that the inner content of the seas and the inner content of the rivers is water, we still do not know what dragons, fish, and other beings view as water and use as water. Do not stupidly assume that every kind of being uses as water what we view as water. When people today who are learning Buddhism want to learn about water, we should not stick blindly in only the human sphere; we should move forward and learn water in the Buddha’s state of truth. We should learn in practice how we see the water that Buddhist patriarchs use. Further, we should learn in practice whether there is water or whether there is no water in the houses of Buddhist patriarchs.

[200]          Mountains have been the dwelling places of great saints since beyond the past and present. All the sages and all the saints have made the mountains into their inner sanctum and made the mountains into their body and mind; and by virtue of the sages and the saints the mountains have been realized. We tend to suppose, with respect to mountains in general, that countless great saints and great sages might be gathered there; but after we have entered the mountains there is not a single person to meet. There is only the realization of the vigorous activity of mountains. Not even the traces of our having entered remain. When we are in the secular world gazing at the mountains, and when we are in the mountains meeting the mountains, their heads and eyes are very different. Our notion that [the mountains] are not flowing and our view that [the mountains] are not flowing may not be the same as the view of dragons and fish.52 While human beings and gods, in our own world, are in our element, other beings doubt this [notion and view of ours], or they may not even doubt it. This being so, we should study the phrase “mountains flow” under Buddhist patriarchs; we should not leave it open to doubt.53 Acting once54 is just “flowing”; acting once [more] is just “not flowing.” One time round is “flowing”; one time round is “not flowing.” Without this investigation in practice, it is not the right Dharma wheel of the Tathāgata. An eternal buddha55 says, “If you want to be able not to invite the karma of incessant [hell],56 do not insult the right Dharma wheel of the Tathāgata.” We should engrave these words on skin, flesh, bones, and marrow, we should engrave them on body and mind, on object-and-subject, we should engrave them on the immaterial, and we should engrave them on matter; they are [already] engraved “on trees and on rocks”57 and they are [already] engraved “in fields and in villages.”58 We generally say that mountains belong to a country, but [mountains] belong to people who love mountains. Mountains always love their occupiers, whereupon saints and sages, people of high virtue, enter the mountains. When saints and sages live in the mountains, because the mountains belong to these [sages and saints], trees and rocks abound and flourish, and birds and animals are mysteriously excellent. This is because the sages and saint have covered them with virtue. We should remember the fact that mountains like sages and the fact that [mountains] like saints. That many emperors have gone to the mountains to bow before sages and to question great saints is an excellent example in the past and the present. At such times, [the emperors] honor [the sages and saints] with the formalities due to a teacher, never conforming to secular norms. Imperial authority exerts no control whatever over the mountain sages. Clearly, the mountains are beyond the human world. On Kōdō59 [Mountain] in the bygone

days of Kahō,60 the Yellow Emperor61 visited Kōsei, crawling on his knees and kowtowing to beg [instruction]. Śākyamuni Buddha left the palace of his father, the king, to enter the mountains, but his father, the king, did not resent the mountains. The royal father did not distrust those in the mountains who would teach the prince, whose twelve years of training in the truth were mostly spent in the mountains. The revelation of [the prince’s] destiny as the Dharma King also took place in the mountains. Truly, not even the wheel[turning] kings hold sway over the mountains. Remember, the mountains are beyond the boundaries of the human world and beyond the boundaries of the heavens above; we can never know the mountains with the human intellect. If [their flowing] is not to be compared with flowing in the human world, who can doubt the flowing, the non-flowing, and the other activities of the mountains?

[205] Again, since the ancient past, there have been from time to time sages and saints who lived by the water. When they live by the water, there are those who fish fishes, those who fish human beings, and those who fish the state of truth. Each of these is in the traditional stream of those who are “in the water.” Going further, there may be those who fish themselves, those who fish fishing, those who are fished by fishing, and those who are fished by the state of truth.62 In days of old, when Master Tokujō63 suddenly left Yakusan Mountain to live amidst the river’s mind, he got the sage64 of the Katei River. Was this not fishing fishes? Was it not fishing human beings? Was it not fishing water? Was it not fishing himself? A person who is able to meet Tokujō is Tokujō;65 and Tokujō’s “teaching people”66 is [a human being] meeting a human being. It is not only that there is water in the world; there are worlds in the world of water. And it is not only in water that such [worlds] exist. There are worlds of sentient beings in clouds, there are worlds of sentient beings in wind, there are worlds of sentient beings in fire, there

are worlds of sentient beings in earth, there are worlds of sentient beings in the world of Dharma, there are worlds of sentient beings in a stalk of grass, and there are worlds of sentient beings in a staff. Wherever there are worlds of sentient beings, the world of Buddhist patriarchs inevitably exists at that place. We should carefully learn in practice the truth which is like this. In conclusion then, water is the palace of real dragons; it is beyond flowing

and falling. If we recognize it as only flowing, the word “flowing” insults water, because, for example, [the word] forces [water] to be what is other than flowing itself. Water is nothing but water’s “real form as it is.” Water is just the virtues of water itself; it is beyond “flowing.” When we master the flow and master the non-flow of a single body of water, the perfect realization of the myriad dharmas is realized at once. With mountains too, there are mountains contained in treasure, there are mountains contained in marshes, there are mountains contained in space, there are mountains contained in mountains,67 and there is learning in practice in which mountains are contained in containment.68 An eternal buddha69 says, “Mountains are mountains. Water is water.” These words do not say that “mountains” are “mountains”; they say that mountains are mountains. This being so, we should master the mountains in practice. When we are mastering the mountains in practice, that is effort “in the mountains.” Mountains and water like this naturally produce sages and produce saints.

                                        Shōbōgenzō Sansuigyō70

                                        Preached to the assembly at Kannondōri kō                                         shōhōrinji on the eighteenth day of the tenth                                         lunar month in the first year of Ninji.71

Notes

1     Master Fuyō Dōkai (1043–1118), a Buddhist patriarch in Master Dōgen’s lineage, ^{title and a purple robe from the emperor and was banished. When he was eventually} the forty-fifth patriarch from the Buddha. Having succeeded Master Tōsu Gisei, Master Fuyō preached Buddhism on Mount Taiyō and elsewhere until he refused a ancient patriarchs. pardoned, he built a thatched hut on Mount Fuyō and lived there in the style of the

2     Gyōho, mentary the expression is or “going steps.” In the quotation, and elsewhere in Master Dōgen’s com-unpo, or “transporting steps.” Both expressions mean walking.

3     things balanced (for example, pedaling a bicycle) and action gives things eternalJō means both constant and eternal. Both meanings are relevant here: action makes meaning.

4     character to mean “in the state of reality.” So the reality of the mountains. Sanchū. Chū means “in” or “in the state of,” and Master Dōgen sometimes uses thesanchu means in the mountains or in

5     II), Sekairi no kekai.opening of flowers is the occurrence of the world,” suggesting that the real worlditself is just the appearance of phenomena. See for example Chapter Forty-three (Vol.Kūge.    This alludes to the words of Master Prajñātara, kekai-sekai-ki, “the

6     Taiho.(to our original state). In the FukanzazengiTaihoMaster Dōgen describes zazen as means concrete backward steps. taiho, a backward step

7     Hotai means stepping backward as a principle. We should not only investigate concrete drawing inferences from trial and error in daily life, etc.). having a bath, etc.) but also investigate the meaning of stepping backward (for example, by reading the backward steps (for example, by sitting in zazen, lifting weights, doing prostrations, Shōbōgenzō, studying the function of the autonomic nervous system,

8     gyō-bosatsu ^{buddha to appear in the} Kū-ō is identified with Bhīṣmagarjitasvararāja, or King of Majestic Voice, the first(“Bodhisattva Never Despise”kalpa of emptiness. See the ).    Lotus Sutra, chapter 20, Jōfu-

9     Each action is done at an independent moment of the present.

10    “Fully understand” is at eight destinations,” suggesting thorough understanding from many viewpoints. shichitsu-hattatsu, lit., “pass through seven directions and arrive

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11    Vulgar people do not value the unthinkable reality of mountains, but they esteem the_{characteristics of mountains which they are able to enumerate.}

12    gotokuKakunogotoku, in Chinese characters is “like this,” indicates what is already present here and now. nyoze, which Master Dōgen uses as an expression ofHokke-ten-hokke. Kakunoreality as it is. See Chapter Seventeen,

13    By denying the four views Master Dōgen emphasized the fact that reality cannot be _{grasped by intellectual thinking.}

14    Ichigu no kanken, lit., “one-corner pipe-views.”

15    of the story and the words here are slightly different, the point is the same: that sep-“Great Saint” means the Buddha. Moving circumstances (like a pot) and moving ^{Godai Impō (see Chapter Eighty-one [Vol. IV],} mind (like water) is the theme of a story about Master Nansen Fugan and MasterŌ-saku-sendaba). Though the words a ration between subject and object can be transcended by action in the moment ofthe present.

16    Chapter Forty-eight (Vol. III), Sesshin-sesshō, or “expounding the mind and expounding the nature,” is the title of_{Sesshin-sesshō.}

17    Kenshin-kenshō.Buddhist stories) often call the enlightenment they pursue People in Japan who pursue enlightenment by thinking about kenshō, “seeing the nature.”kōans

(

18    is beyond subjective and objective views. A Buddhist knowing of stones is more real than the romantic descriptions found, for example, in secular Chinese literature. Subjectively or romantically, we assign gender or other human characteristics tothings in nature. Objectively or scientifically, we do not. Master Dōgen’s viewpoint

19    ^{Master Unmon Bun’en (864–949), a successor of Master Seppō Gison, who was a}sixth-generation descendant of Master Seigen Gyōshi. It is said that there were neverless than a thousand students in Master Unmon’s order, and that in his thirty years of spreading Buddhism he produced more than ninety successors. Great MasterKyōshin is his posthumous title as founder of the Unmon sect.

20    An East Mountain means a real mountain.

21    Master Dōgen illustrated the principle in the previous sentence with the concrete_{example of Mount Sumeru and the eight mountains that surround it.}

22    Master Dōgen criticizes Master Unmon in, for example, Chapter Fifty-two (Vol. III),_Bukkyō. 23 “Unreliable” is zusan, lit., “edited by Zu [or To].” It is said that poems edited by To the time used the words “edited by Zu (or To)” to represent unreliability.Moku of the Song dynasty were very irregular and unreliable. Therefore people of 24 doing chores on the mountain. A monk comes by and asks the master, “Where doesMaster Gan of Mount Nansen in Chishu district (Master Nansen Fugan, 748–834) is Chapter Fourteen

what Master Nansen considered to be the aim of his life, but he asked his question as ^{it, it is really handy.” (}sickle. Where does Nansen’s road lead?” The master says, “And now that I can use thirty pennies.” The monk says, “I didn’t ask about you paying thirty pennies for the ^{Nansen’s road lead?” The master holds up his sickle and says, “I got this sickle for} Shinji-shōbōgenzō, pt. 2, no. 54). The monk wanted to know only of the idealistic aim but also to recognize concrete facts. The monk insisted that if asking for directions. Master Nansen recommended the monk not to be conscious that he was acting in reality. he also wanted to know what the real aim of our life is. Master Nansen’s answer was

25    to achieve the same result by yelling Master Ōbaku Kiun (d. c. 855) was known for striking his disciples, including Master ^{and feeling (see for example} Rinzai Gigen (c. 815–867), to impress on them that reality is different from thinking Shinji-shōbōgenzō,katsu! (ibid.).pt. 1, no. 27). Master Rinzai used

26    Kattō, “arrowroot and wisteria,” “entanglement,” or “the complicated,” is the titleKattō. of Chapter Forty-six (Vol. III),

27    Rokugon-tokushi.one who becomes a monk in form but who has no will to the truth.Upananda, Kālodāyin, Chanda, Aśvaka, and Punarvasu. It is said that their misconduct caused the formulation of precepts. The band of six shavelings in the Buddha’s order were Nanda,Tokushi, shaveling (lit., “bald child”) means some-

28    The original word, directing criticism at someone to whom he does not need to be polite. nanji, means “you.” Master Dōgen usually uses this form when 29 Rivers, streams, lakes, etc. are not only an abstraction but are realized at the foot of _{a real mountain.}

30    In other words, on the basis of reality.

31    Shichijū-hachi-ō, lit., “seven horizontals and eight verticals.”

32    Sixty-two (Vol. III), ^{zazen. See Chapter Seven,} Shushō-soku-fu-mu. Master Nangaku Ejō’s expression of practice and experience inHensan.Senjō; Chapter Twenty-nine (Vol. II), Inmo; and Chapter

33    Master Dōgen uses the formula A sees A, A meets A, A restricts A, A succeeds A, _{etc., to suggest the real existence of A.} ³⁴ Alludes to the metaphor of issui-shiken, “one water, four views.” The goddesses who

Human beings see water as water. See also Chapter Three, ^{are sometimes depicted floating in the sky in old Buddhist pictures see water as a} string of pearls. Fish see water as a palace or as beautiful flowers. Demons hate water as pus and blood, because it puts out their fires and washes away their impurities. Genjō-kōan.

³⁵       The Sanskrit maṇi, which means gem, in this case suggests the cintā maṇi, a fabled gem capable of fulfilling every wish, said to be obtained from the Dragon King ofthe sea.

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³⁶       II), Shinjitsu-nintai,Shinjin-gakudō;Shohō-jissō; Yui-butsu-yo-butsu.the words of Master Chōsha Keishin. See Chapter Thirty-seven (Vol.Chapter Forty-seven (Vol. III), Chapter Sixty-two (Vol. III), Sangai-yuishin;Hensan; and Chapter Ninety-Chapter Fifty

one (Vol. IV), (Vol. III),

³⁷       wind, and space. (Interpreting the concepts more broadly: solids, liquids, combustion,In ancient Indian cosmology, the physical world is constructed of five elements, calledfive wheels or five circles (pañca-maṇḍalaka in Sanskrit): circles of earth, water, fire, gases, and space.)

³⁸       See also discussion of a steelyard in Chapter Thirty-eight (Vol. II), Muchū-setsumu. 39 The Daihōshakkyō, fascicle 87.

40    appears in the second sentence of this chapter. Jū-i, “abide in place,” is short for jūhō-i, “abide in place in the Dharma,” which

41    Kyū-en refers to nine famous deep river pools in China.

42    Bunshithe Sui dynasty (581–618) but some scholars suspect that it was written later andfalsely dated earlier.is a Daoist book in ten volumes. The book is said to have been written during

43    Examples such as the humidity of a flame, the dryness of wit, and realization in the ^{sounds of the valley streams, negate the common-sense conception of the scope of} water. 44 Rivers and water, or entity and substance, are one.

45 Reality (rivers and oceans) includes both the material (water), and the meaningful(human worlds, Buddhist lands). 46 Concepts like “downward” originate with concrete facts like the location of earth andwater (see Chapter Forty-two [Vol. III], Tsuki).

47    We remember that “downward” is only a concept, not an actual place.

48    Shi-i, or “four corners”—northwest, southwest, southeast, and northeast.

49    to “the world of Dharma” as a religious concept. ^GūHōgū-hokkai. Hōsuggests shigū, suggests the four corners. shihō, the four directions—north, south, east, and west. Hōgū-hokkai suggests concrete reality, as opposed

50    the world of matter. Musōten, from the Sanskrit asaṃjñi-sattvāḥ, is explained as a group of heavens in

51    Avīci is the Sanskrit name for the worst kind of hell.

52    In the view of dragons and fish, mountains may be flowing.

53    upon Buddhist patriarchs’ teaching. Given that even things which we take for granted are open to doubt, we should rely Chapter Fourteen

54    action. Nen-itsu,Itsulit., “to pick up one.” means one. Nen means to pinch, or to pick up; it suggests an

55    Master Yōka Genkaku, in his poem Shōdōka.

56    Mugen-jigoku, _Avīci.      “incessant hell,” or “hell without respite,” represents the Sanskrit

57    Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra.Nyakuju-nyakuseki. Alludes to the story of the Buddha’s past life recorded in theSee note 159 in Chapter Twelve, Kesa-kudoku.

58    Nyakuden-nyakuri.teen, Den-e. Alludes to the Lotus Sutra (3.72–74). See note 9 in Chapter Thir-

59    The name of a mountain in modern Kansu province in China. The Daoist sage Kōsei _{lived in a cave on Kōdō Mountain.}

60    Kahō, lit., “Flower Fiefdom,” was a legendary utopian realm.

61    ^{of Chinese history (dates estimated as 2852–2205} Kōtei, the Yellow Emperor, was the third of the five rulers in the legendary periodthe secret of immortality. The story is recorded in volume four of the Daoist textattributed to Zhuangzi.  _{B.C.E.). He visited Kōsei to ask}

Sōshi,

62    uses fishing to suggest the principle of the mutual relation between subject and objectThe action of fishing connects subject (fisherman) and object (fish), so Master Dōgenin action.

63    ^{the river’s waves (that is, if we do the impossible), we can meet the fish with the} and hoping to find among his passengers a human being with the will to the truth. ^{Master Tokujō’s brother disciple Master Dōgo Enchi (769–835) recommended Master}golden scales (realize our ideal) for the first time. Master Kassan covered his ears, Kassan Zenne (805–881) to go and visit Master Tokujō by the river. They had a lively Master Sensu Tokujō (dates unknown), a successor of Master Yakusan Igen (745–conversation, at the conclusion of which Master Tokujō said that if we fish out all and thus received Master Tokujō’s affirmation. Finally, Master Tokujō told Master828)Kassan to go deep into the mountains and just teach the Dharma to one student or half a student. Master Dōgen quoted at length this story about Master Tokujō and Master Kassan in the . After receiving the Dharma from Master Yakusan he went to live on a river in Shinji-shōbōgenzō, pt. 1, no. 90. sensu means boatman), the Katei Valley of the Shushu district, working as a boatman (

64    Master Kassan Zenne.

65    state of buddha is meeting buddha. In this sentence, he substitutes Tokujō for buddha. In Chapter Sixty-one (Vol. III), Kenbutsu, Master Dōgen teaches that a person in the

66    kōsen shō setsu jin,Hito o sessuru, lit., “to receive people.” The story in the “he received people on a boat on the Katei River.” Shinji-shōbōgenzō says zaike

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67    Treasure (value), marshes (nature), space (the stage of action), and mountains (reality)correspond to the four faces of reality outlined in the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths.

68    In zazen, mountains exist as they are.

69    the sky. The earth is the earth. Mountains are mountains. Water is water. Monks areMaster Unmon Bun’en says, “Venerable monks! Do not have delusions. The sky isUnmonkōroku, Vol. 1). monks. Laymen are laymen” (

70    Acknowledgment is due to Professor Carl Bielefeldt of Stanford University for his _{exemplary translation of this chapter.}

71    1240.

[Chapter Fifteen]

                                                     Busso                                             

The Buddhist Patriarchs

Translator’s Note: Butsu means “buddha” or “Buddhist,” so means “patriarch,” and therefore busso means Buddhist patriarchs. Master Dōgen revered buddhas of the past; he also esteemed the Buddhist transmission from buddha to buddha. Furthermore he believed in the continuity of the Buddhist order; the successive leaders of the Buddhist order held an important place in his thought. Here Master Dōgen enumerates the names of the patriarchs of the Buddhist order, and in doing so, he confirms the Buddhist tradition they maintained.

[209]  The realization of the Buddhist patriarchs1 is [our] taking up the Buddhist patriarchs and paying homage to them. This is not of only the past, the present, and the future; and it may be ascendant even to the ascendant [reality] of buddha.2 It is just to enumerate those who have maintained and relied upon the real features3 of Buddhist patriarchs, to do prostrations to them, and to meet them. Making the virtue of the Buddhist patriarchs manifest and uphold itself, we have dwelled in and maintained it, and have bowed to and experienced it.

[210]  (1) Great Master4 Vipaśyin Buddha

—here5 called Kōsetsu [Universal Preaching]6

(2)    Great Master Śikhin Buddha

—here called Ka [Fire]

(3)    Great Master Viśvabhū Buddha

—here called Issaiji [All Benevolent]

(4)    Great Master Krakucchanda Buddha

—here called Kinsennin [Gold Wizard]

(5)    Great Master Kanakamuni Buddha

—here called Konjikisen [Golden Wizard]

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(6)    Great Master Kāśyapa Buddha

—here called Onkō [Drinking Brightness]

(7)    Great Master Śākyamuni Buddha

—here called Nōninjakumoku [Benevolence and Serenity]

[1] Great Master Mahākāśyapa7 [2] Great Master Ānanda8

[3]  Great Master Śāṇavāsa9

[4]  Great Master Upagupta10 [5] Great Master Dhītika11

[6]  Great Master Micchaka12

[7]  Great Master Vasumitra13

[8]  Great Master Buddhanandhi[9] Great Master Baddhamitra

[10]  Great Master Pārśva14

[11]  Great Master Puṇyayaśas15 [12] Great Master Aśvaghoṣa16

[13] Great Master Kapimala17

                    [14] Great Master Nāgārjuna18

—also [called] Ryūju [Dragon Tree] or Ryūshō [Dragon Excellence] or Ryūmō [Dragon Might]

[15]  Great Master Kāṇadeva19

[16]  Great Master Rāhulabhadra20 [17] Great Master Saṃghanandi21 [18] Great Master Geyāśata

[19]  Great Master Kumāralabdha22

Chapter Fifteen

[20]  Great Master Gayata23

[21]  Great Master Vasubandhu24 [22] Great Master Manura25

[23] Great Master Hakulenayasas26 [24] Great Master Siṃha27

[25]  Great Master Vaśasuta28

[26]  Great Master Puṇyamitra29 [27] Great Master Prajñātara30

[28]  [1] Great Master Bodhidharma31

[29]  [2] Great Master Eka32

[30]  [3] Great Master Sōsan33

[31]  [4] Great Master Dōshin34 [32] [5] Great Master Kōnin35 [33] [6] Great Master Enō36

[34] [7] Great Master Gyōshi37 [35] [8] Great Master Kisen38 [36] [9] Great Master Igen39

[37]  [10] Great Master Donjō40

[38]  [11] Great Master Ryōkai41 [39] [12] Great Master Dōyō42 [40] [13] Great Master Dōhi43

[41]  [14] Great Master Kanshi44

[42]  [15] Great Master Enkan45       67c

[43]  [16] Great Master Kyōgen46

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[44]  [17] Great Master Gisei47

[45]  [18] Great Master Dōkai48

[46]  [19] Great Master Shijun49 [47] [20] Great Master Seiryō50

[48] [21] Great Master Sōkaku51 [49] [22] Great Master Chikan52

[50] [23] Great Master Nyojō53

[222] Dōgen, during the summer retreat of the first year of the Hōgyō era54 of the great kingdom of Song, met and served my late master, the eternal buddha of Tendō, the Great Master. I perfectly realized the act of prostrating to, and humbly receiving upon my head, this Buddhist Patriarch; it was [the

realization of] buddhas alone, together with buddhas.55

                                        Shōbōgenzō Busso

                                        Written at Kannondōrikōshōhōrinji in the Uji

                                           district of Yōshū,56 Japan, and preached to the                                            assembly there on the third day of the first                                            lunar month in the second year of Ninji.57

Notes

1     Busso. So,Dōgen often uses the term past. Therefore, for want of a more neutral alternative, the translation “patriarch” has “patriarch” or “ancestor,” is originally neuter in gender. However, Master so for people of the present as well as for people of the been preferred throughout the present volume.

2     Butsu-kōjō. See Chapter Twenty-eight (Vol. II), Butsu-kōjō-no-ji. 3      Menmoku, or “face and eyes.”

4     form of the recitation practiced in Japan .^{master directly. The corresponding term in Sanskrit is} abbot, teacher). In the recitation of the names of the Buddhist patriarchs in Japan, the “Great Master” is daioshō give a natural rhythm to the reciting. Appendix III shows the standard daioshō. The honorific term oshō was used in China to address aupādhyāya (lit., preceptor, word

5     China and Japan.

6     yaku-shōbōgenzōfor Sanskrit names and words are the Williams’s patriarchs. These names were rendered into Sanskrit in Nishijima Roshi’s The names of the seven ancient buddhas and the first twenty-eight patriarchs (with the exception of the twelfth, Master Aśvaghoṣa) are represented by Chinese characters that transliterate the pronunciation of the original Sanskrit name. In general, sources Lents for the names of the twentieth, twenty-second, twenty-third, and twenty-fifthSanskrit-English Dictionary.(Shōbōgenzō in Modern Japanese These two sources do not give Sanskrit equiv-Zengaku-daijiten) relying on a variety of other and Sir Monier Monier-Gendaigo-

both in Chinese characters representing the Sanskrit pronunciation and in Chinese sources. The names of the seven ancient buddhas and Master Nāgārjuna are given characters that have meaning.

7     ^{consisting of Vinaya (precepts) and Sutra (the Buddha’s discourses)—was codified} One of the Buddha’s ten great disciples, said to be foremost among the ten great ^{born into a brahman family on the outskirts of Rājagṛha, and became the Buddha’s} disciples in nonattachment, and foremost at the First Council at Rājagṛha. At the First Council, in 483 entered the state of an arhat after only eight days. After the Buddha’s death, Master disciple in the third year after the Buddha’s realization of the truth. It is said that he Mahā kāśyapa succeeded the Buddha as leader of the Buddhist order, and organized dhūta, the practice of austerity. He was B.C.E., the Pāli canon so as to be passed on through recitation to future generations. One hundred years

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later, in 383 Here the existing Vinaya and Sutra were supplemented by commentaries which laterHere two traditions emerged: the School of the Elders (Theravādins), and the members of the Great Community (Mahāsaṃghika, later to develop into the Mahayana). A third Council was held at Patna in 253 B.C.E., a Second Council was held to discuss revision of the Vinaya.B.C.E. under the patronage of King Aśoka.

and Abhi dharma were later written on palm leaves in the monasteries of Sri Lanka become known as the Abhidharma. The Tripiṭaka (three baskets) of Vinaya, Sutra, retired to Kukkuṭapāda Mountain and passed away while sitting in zazen. See florin the first century example Chapter Thirty (Vol. II), B.C.E. Master Mahākāśyapa, having chosen Ānanda as his successor, Yoji.

8     Also one of the Buddha’s ten great disciples, foremost at remembering the Buddha’s preaching. The Buddha’s half brother, and only a few days younger than the Buddha himself, he served the Buddha as an attendant monk. Though a monk for forty-four have become an arhat shortly before the First Council at Rājagṛha, where he was to years, he had not realized the truth when the Buddha died. However, he is said to recall the Buddha’s discourses for posterity.

9     See for example Chapter Twelve, Kesa-kudoku.

10    See for example Chapter Eighty-six (Vol. IV), Vol. IV), Shizen-biku. Shukke-kudoku; and Chapter Ninety (

11    (A native of the ancient Indian state of Magadha. See for example Chapter Eighty-sixVol. IV), Shukke-kudoku.

12    A native of central India. His name is written either as Micchaka or as Miccaka. 13 Seventy-seven (Vol. IV), ^{where he compiled the} A native of the northern Indian state of Gandhāra, born at the end of the first century C.E. He is said to have organized, in the kingdom of Kaniṣka, the Fourth Council, _{Abhidharmamahāvibhāṣa-śāstra.Kokū. See for example Chapter}

14    A native of central India. He is also said to have presided over the Fourth Council. He was called the Side Saint, because he made a vow never to sleep like a corpse, on his back. See for example Chapter Thirty (Vol. II), Gyōji.

15    A native of the ancient Indian state of Kośala.

16    The Sanskrit ^{name is represented not phonetically but by the Chinese characters} aśvaghoṣa literally means “horse whinny” and in the source text the ^{memyō, “horse} form. Buddhist writings include the whinny.” A native of Śrāvastī, he was distinguished in music and in literature. HisBuddhacarita, a biography of the Buddha in metric

17    A native of the central Indian state of Magadha. It is said that at first he led a non-Buddhist group of three thousand disciples, but later he met Master Aśvaghoṣa, realized the truth, and spread the Dharma through the west of India.

Chapter Fifteen

18    Ryūju, the Chinese character for tree, ^{each case,} The three Chinese names for Master Nāgārjuna are Ryūju, Ryūshō, and Ryūmō. Inryū, “dragon,” represents the meaning of the Sanskrit ju, may represent either the sound or the meaningnāga. In the case of _{of the Sanskrit}      Master Nāgārjuna lived in the second or third century _arjuna, which is the name of a tree. ^C.E. He was born into a

five (Vol. IV), ^{and compiled many fundamental Mahayana texts, including the the Mahayana from a venerable old} The ^{brahman family in southern India. When he became a monk he first studied the} Hinayana canon, but later journeyed to the Himalayas and learned the teachings ofMahā prajñāpāramitopadeśaKesa-kudoku;Shime; Chapter Eighty-nine (Vol. IV), Chapter Seventy (Vol. II), is also attributed to him. See for example, Chapterbhikṣu. Eventually he succeeded Master KapimalaHotsu-bodaishin; Shinjin-inga;Madhyamaka-kārikā.and Chapter NinetyChapter Eighty-

Twelve,

(Vol. IV), Shizen-biku.

19    Also called Āryadeva. He lived in southern India in the third century and is said to Called Kāṇadeva because of his loss of an eye (the Sanskrit kāṇa means one-eyed).

Busshō. have been killed by a non-Buddhist. See for example Chapter Twenty-two (Vol. II),

20    A native of Kapilavastu, in present-day Nepal.

21    A native of the city of Śrāvastī, the capital of the ancient state of Kośala.

22    nine (Vol. IV), See for example Chapter Eighty-four (Vol. IV), Shinjin-inga. Sanji-no-gō; and Chapter Eighty-

23    gō; A native of northern India. See for example Chapter Eighty-four (Vol. IV), and Chapter Eighty-nine (Vol. IV), Shinjin-inga.  Sanji-no-

24    Born in the fifth century in Puru Sapura (close to present-day Peshawar), the capital of ^{brothers Asaṅga and Buddhasiṃla were also prominent Buddhist philosophers of the} Gandhara. His many works include the Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya. Master Vasubandhu’s

Mahayana Buddhism in India. Time. Their teaching formed the basis of the Yogācāra school. The Yogācāra school and the Madhyamika school of Master Nāgārjuna are seen as the two major streams of

25    age of thirty. The son of the king of Nadai (Sanskrit equivalent unknown). Became a monk at the 26 Born into a brahman family. He spread the Dharma in central India.

27    Born into a brahman family in central India. He spread the Dharma in the northern of Kaśmīra. See Chapter Eighty-four (Vol. IV), state of Kaśmīra (present-day Kashmir). It is said that he was executed by the kingSanji-no-gō.

28    A native of western India.

29    A native of southern India.

241

30    (Born into a brahman family in eastern India. See for example Chapter Twenty-oneVol. II), Kankin; and Chapter Forty-two (Vol. III), Kūge.

31    III), The third son of a southern Indian king. Having succeeded Master Prajñā tara, he ^{sailed to China during the reign of Emperor Bu (r. 502–549) of the Liang dynasty} and became the First Buddhist Patriarch in China. He went to the Songshan Mountains in central northern China to practice zazen, and transmitted the Dharma to MasterTaiso Eka. See for example Chapter Thirty (Vol. II), Kattō;Zanmai-ō-zanmai. Chapter Forty-nine (Vol. III), Butsudō; and Gyōji; Chapter Seventy-two (Vol. Chapter Forty-six (Vol.

IV),

32    Master Taiso Eka (Ch. Dazu Huike). See for example Chapter Thirty (Vol. II), Chapter Forty-six (Vol. III), Kattō; and Chapter Forty-eight (Vol. III), Sesshin-sesshō.Gyōji;

33    Master Kanchi Sōsan (Ch. Jianzhi Sengcan). It is said that he was already in his fortiesShinjinmei (Inscription when he became a disciple of Master Taiso Eka. He wrote the

Zhou dynasty, he secluded himself in the mountains for ten years. on Believing Mind). To escape persecution by Emperor Bu (r. 561–578) of the Northern

34    at the age of fourteen, and succeeded him after nine years. Died in 651.Master Daii Dōshin (Ch. Dayi Daoxin). Became a disciple of Master Kanchi Sōsan

35    Master Daiman Kōnin (Ch. Daman Hongren) (688–761). See for example ChapterTwenty-two (Vol. II), Busshō.

36    Master Daikan Enō (Ch. Dajian Huineng) (638–713). Spent eight months working as a temple servant at Master Daiman Kōnin’s temple, in which time he received the ^{he lived on Sōkeizan and spread Buddhism from there for forty years. Master Dōgen} master’s affirmation and the authentic transmission of the Buddhist robe. After that revered Master Daikan Enō very highly as “the Founding Patriarch” and “the eternal Twenty-two (Vol. II), buddha.” See for example Chapter One, Busshō; Chapter Thirty (Vol. II), Bendōwa; Chapter Seven, Butsudō.Gyōji; Chapter Forty-four Senjō; Chapter

(Vol. III), Kobusshin; and Chapter Forty-nine (Vol. III),

37    Forty-nine (Vol. III), Master Seigen Gyōshi (Ch. Qingyuan Xingsi). Died in 740. See for example Chapter_Butsudō.

38    Thatched HutMaster Sekitō Kisen (Ch. Shitou Xiqian) (700–790). Had his head shaved by the agedafter succeeding Master Seigen, he built a hut on a rock, earning himself the nicknameMaster Daikan Enō, who advised him to follow Master Seigen Gyōshi. It is said that Sekitōsōan-no-uta). See for example Chapter(Songs from Seki tō’s

Sekitō (On Top of the Rock). He wrote the

Forty-nine (Vol. III), ) and the Butsudō.Sandōkai (Experiencing the State

39    the age of seventeen, he learned the sutras and commentaries, kept the precepts, andMaster Yakusan Igen (Ch. Yueshan Weiyan) (745–828). Having become a monk at seven (Vol. II), met Master Sekitō Kisen, at whose suggestion he also visited Master Baso Dōitsu.Eventually he became Master Sekitō’s successor. See for example Chapter Twenty-Zazenshin.

Chapter Fifteen

40    Sixty-three (Vol. III), ^{under Master Hyakujō Ekai, after whose death he became the disciple of Master} Ungan Donjō (Ch. Yunyan Tansheng) (782–841). Practiced for twenty yearsMujō-seppō; and Chapter

Yakusan. See for example Chapter Fifty-three (Vol. III), Ganzei.

41 ^{age of twenty-one and traveled around visiting Buddhist masters including Master}Master Tōzan Ryōkai (Ch. Dongshan Liangjie) (807–869). Became a monk at the

Ganzei;sesshō; State of a Jewel-Mirror ^{and later the successor of Master Ungan. He wrote the} Nansen Fugan and Master Isan Reiyū. At the latter’s suggestion he became the disciple Chapter Fifty-three (Vol. III), and Chapter Sixty-six (Vol. III), ). See for example Chapter Forty-eight (Vol. III), Mujō-seppō;Shunjū. Hōkyōzanmai (Samādhi, theSesshin-

Chapter Sixty-three (Vol. III),

42 Master Ungo Dōyō (Ch. Yunju Daoying) (835?–902). Having succeeded Master Tozan, he spread the Dharma from Ungozan for thirty years. It is said that his disciples always numbered at least fifteen hundred. 43 Master Dōan Dōhi (Ch. Tongan Daopi). He lived on Hōseizan in the Kōshū district, _{but his life history is not known.}

44    Master Dōan Kanshi (Ch. Tongan Guanzhi). His life history is unclear.

45    Master Ryōzan Enkan (Ch. Liangshan Yuanguan). His life history is also unclear.

46    ^{Master Taiyō was about to die, he entrusted his robe,} Hōen to give to Master Fuzan’s disciple Tōsu Gisei, thus making Master Tōsu his certain Master Chitsu, then traveled around learning Buddhism under various mastersbefore becoming the disciple and eventually the successor of Master Ryōzan. When successor. See Master Taiyō Kyōgen (Ch. Dayang Jingxuan) (942–1027). Became a monk under aShinji-shōbōgenzō, pt. 3, no. 43.       pātra, etc. to Master Fuzan

47    Master Tōsu Gisei (Ch. Touzi Yiqing) (1032–1083). Became a monk at the age of two volumes. See for example Chapter Fifty-three (Vol. III), entrusted by Master Taiyō to Master Fuzan, Master Tōsu succeeded Master Taiyō as the tenth-generation descendant in the lineage of Master Seigen Gyōshi. Master Rinzai’s lineage). Receiving the portrait, shoes and other personal effectsseven. Later spent about six years in the order of Master Fuzan Hōen (a member ofMujō-seppō; and ChapterGoroku in

Sixty-four (Vol. III), Kajō.

48    ^{Master Fuyō Dōkai (Ch. Furong Daokai) (1043–1118). Having realized the Dharma} under Master Tōsu, he preached on Taiyōzan and at other temples. The Song emperor^{but Master Fuyō refused to accept them and was consequently banished. Later he}Kisō (r. 1101–1126) bestowed on him a purple robe and the title Zen Master Jōshō, ancient style. See for example Chapter Fourteen, (was pardoned and built himself a thatched hut on Fuyōzan, where he lived in theVol. III), Kajō. Sansuigyō; and Chapter Sixty-four

49    Fuyō, he lived on Tankazan, with such disciples as Master Wanshi Shōgaku andMaster Tanka Shijun (Ch. Danxia Zichun) (1064–1117). Having succeeded Master

243

Master Shinketsu Seiryō.

hall”) was probably one of Master Tanka’s names.Collection) is also a record of the words of Master Tanka Shijun. Kidō (lit., “emptyGoroku in two volumes. The six-volume Kidōshū (Kidō

50    umes. Master Shinketsu Seiryō (Ch. Zhenxie Qingliao) (1089–1151). Goroku in two vol-

51    Master Tendō Sōkaku (Ch. Tiantong Zongjue). Though he was the grandfather in_{Buddhism of Master Tendō Nyojō, his life history is not known clearly.}

52    Master Setchō Chikan (Ch. Xuedou Zhijian) (1105–1192). See for example ChapterMitsugo. Fifty-one (Vol. III),

53    Master Tendō Nyojō (Ch. Tiantong Rujing) (1163–1228). After realizing the Dharma ^{in Master Chikan’s order, he traveled around and taught at temples in many districts} for forty years. While living at Jyōji ji, in 1224 he received an imperial edict to become Chapter Seventy-two (Vol. III), ^{for example Chapter Thirty (Vol. II),} the master of Keitokuzenji on Tendōzan, where he was to teach Master Dōgen. SeeZanmai-ō-zanmai.Gyōji; Chapter Fifty-nine (Vol. III), Baike; and

54    1225.

55    are real form.” (LS 1.684)quoted: “Buddhas alone, together with buddhas, can perfectly realize that all ^butsu.“Perfectly realize” is These words are from a sentence in the gujin. “Buddhas alone, together with buddhas” is Lotus Sutra which Master Dōgen oftenyui-butsu-yo-dharmas

56 ^{the time, looking up to China, borrowed the Chinese name, probably for the district} Yōshū was the Japanese pronunciation of the name of a district in China. People of

then called Yamashiro-no-kuni. The area corresponds to present-day Kyoto prefecture.

57 1241.

[Chapter Sixteen] Shisho

The Certificate of Succession

Translator’s Note: Shi means “succession” or “transmission.” Sho means “certificate.” So shisho means “the certificate of succession.” Buddhism is not only theory but also practice or experience. Therefore it is impossible for a Buddhist disciple to attain the Buddhist truth only by reading Buddhist sutras or listening to a master’s lectures. The disciple must live with a master and study the master’s behavior in everyday life. After a disciple has learned the master’s life and has realized the Buddhist truth in his or her own life, the master gives a certificate to the disciple, certifying the transmission of the truth from master to disciple. This certificate is called shisho. From a materialistic viewpoint, the certificate is only cloth and ink, and so it cannot hold religious meaning or be revered as something with religious value. But Buddhism is a realistic religion, and Buddhists find religious value in many concrete traditions. The certificate is one such traditional object that is revered by Buddhists. Therefore Master Dōgen found much value in this certificate. In this chapter he explains why the certificate is revered by Buddhists, and records his own experiences of seeing such certificates in China.

[3] Buddhas, without exception, receive the Dharma from buddhas, buddhato-buddha, and patriarchs, without exception, receive the Dharma from patriarchs, patriarch-to-patriarch; this is experience of the [Buddha’s] state,1 this is the one-to-one transmission, and for this reason it is “the supreme state of bodhi.” It is impossible to certify a buddha without being a buddha, and no one becomes a buddha without receiving the certification of a buddha. Who but a buddha can esteem this state as the most honored and approve it as the supreme? When we receive the certification of a buddha, we realize the state independently, without a master,2 and we realize the state independently, without our self.3 For this reason, we speak of buddhas really experiencing the succession, and of patriarchs really experiencing the same state. The

245

import of this truth cannot be clarified by anyone other than buddhas. How could it be the thought of [bodhisattvas in] the ten states or the state of balanced awareness?4 How much less could it be supposed by teachers of sutras, teachers of commentaries, and the like? Even if we explain it to them, they will not be able to hear it, because it is transmitted between buddhas, buddha-to-buddha.

[5]    Remember, the Buddha’s state of truth is the perfect realization only of buddhas, and without buddhas it has no time. The state is like, for example, stones succeeding each other as stones, jewels succeeding each other as jewels, chrysanthemums succeeding each other, and pine trees certifying each other, at which time the former chrysanthemum and the latter chrysanthemum are each real as they are, and the former pine and the latter pine are each real as they are. People who do not clarify the state like this, even if they encounter the truth authentically transmitted from buddha to buddha, cannot even suspect what kind of truth is being expressed; they do not possess the understanding that buddhas succeed each other and that patriarchs experience the same state. It is pitiful that though they appear to be the Buddha’s progeny, they are not the Buddha’s children, and they are not child-buddhas.

[6]    Sōkei,5 on one occasion, preaches to the assembly, “From the Seven Buddhas to Enō there are forty buddhas, and from Enō to the Seven Buddhas there are forty patriarchs.”6 This truth is clearly the fundamental teaching to which the Buddhist patriarchs have authentically succeeded. Among these “Seven Buddhas,” some have appeared during the past kalpa of resplendence7 and some have appeared in the present kalpa of the wise.8 At the same time, to connect in a line the face-to-face transmissions of the forty patriarchs is the truth of Buddha, and is the succession of Buddha. This being so, going up from the Sixth Patriarch to the Seven Buddhas, there are forty patriarchs who are the buddha successors, and going down from the Seven Buddhas to

the  Sixth Patriarch, the forty buddhas must be the buddha successors. The truth of buddhas, and the truth of patriarchs, is like this. Without experience of the state, without being a Buddhist patriarch, we do not have the wisdom of a buddha and do not have the perfect realization of a patriarch. Without a buddha’s wisdom, we lack belief in the state of buddha. Without a patriarch’s perfect realization, we do not experience the same state as a patriarch. To speak of forty patriarchs, for the present, is just to cite those who are close.

Thus, the succession from buddha to buddha is profound and eternal; it is without regression or deviation and without interruption or cessation. The fundamental point is this: although Śākyamuni Buddha realizes the truth before the Seven Buddhas, it has taken him a long time to succeed to the Dharma of Kāśyapa Buddha.9 Although he realizes the truth on the eighth day of the twelfth month, thirty years after his descent and birth, [this] is realization of the truth before the Seven Buddhas; it is the same realization of the truth shoulder-to-shoulder with, and in time with, the many buddhas; it is realization of the truth before the many buddhas; and it is realization of the truth after all the many buddhas. There is also the principle to be mastered in practice that Kāśyapa Buddha succeeds to the Dharma of Śākyamuni Buddha. Those who do not know this principle do not clarify the Buddha’s state of truth. Without clarifying the Buddha’s state of truth, they are not the Buddha’s successors. The Buddha’s successors means the Buddha’s children. Śākyamuni Buddha, on one occasion, causes Ānanda to ask,10 “Whose disciples are the buddhas of the past?” Śākyamuni Buddha says, “The buddhas of the past are the disciples of Śākyamuni Buddha.” The Buddhist doctrine of all the buddhas is like this.

[9] To serve these buddhas and to accomplish the succession of Buddha is just the Buddha’s truth [practiced by] every buddha. This Buddha’s truth is always transmitted in the succession of the Dharma, at which time there is inevitably a certificate of succession. Without the succession of Dharma, we would be non-Buddhists of naturalism. If the Buddha’s truth did not dictate the succession of Dharma, how could it have reached the present day? Therefore, in [the transmission] that is [from] buddha [to] buddha, a certificate 68c of succession, of buddha succeeding buddha, is inevitably present, and a certificate of succession, of buddha succeeding buddha, is received. As regards the concrete situation of the certificate of succession, some succeed to the Dharma on clarifying the sun, the moon, and the stars, and some succeed to the Dharma on being made to get the skin, flesh, bones, and marrow;11 some receive a kaṣāya; some receive a staff; some receive a sprig of pine; some receive a whisk;12 some receive an uḍumbara flower; and some receive a robe of golden brocade.13 There have been successions with straw sandals14 and successions with a bamboo stick.15 When such successions of the Dharma are received, some write a certificate of succession with blood from a finger,

some write a certificate of succession with blood from a tongue, and some perform the succession of Dharma by writing [a certificate] with oil and milk; these are all certificates of succession. The one who has performed the succession and the one who has received it are both the Buddha’s successors. Truly, whenever [Buddhist patriarchs] are realized as Buddhist patriarchs, the succession of the Dharma is inevitably realized. When [the succession] is realized, many Buddhist patriarchs [find that] though they did not expect it, it has come, and though they did not seek it, they have succeeded to the Dharma. Those who have the succession of Dharma are, without exception, the buddhas and the patriarchs.

[12]  Since the twenty-eighth patriarch16 came from the west, the fundamental principle has been rightly heard in the Eastern Lands that there is in Buddhism the succession of the Dharma. Before that time, we never heard it at all. [Even] in the Western Heavens, it is neither attained nor known by teachers of commentaries, Dharma teachers, and the like. It is also beyond [bodhisattvas of] the ten sacred and the three clever states. Teachers of mantric techniques who intellectually study the Tripiṭaka17 are not able even to suspect that it exists. Deplorably, though they have received the human body which is a vessel for the state of truth, they have become uselessly entangled in the net of theory, and so they do not know the method of liberation and they do not hope for the opportunity to spring free. Therefore, we should learn the

69a     state of truth in detail, and we should concentrate our resolve to realize the state in practice.

[13]  Dōgen, when in Song [China], had the opportunity to bow before certificates of succession, and there were many kinds of certificate. One among them was that of the veteran master Iichi Seidō18 who had hung his traveling staff at Tendō [Temple]. He was a man from the Etsu district, and was the former abbot of Kōfukuji. He was a native of the same area as my late master. My late master always used to say, “For familiarity with the state, ask Iichi Seidō!” One day Seidō said, “Admirable old [calligraphic] traces are prized possessions of the human world. How many of them have you seen?” Dōgen said, “I have seen few.” Then Seidō said, “I have a scroll of old calligraphy in my room. It is a roster. I will let you see it, venerable brother.” So saying, he fetched it, and I saw that it was a certificate of succession. It was a certificate of the succession of Hōgen’s19 lineage, and had been obtained from among the robes and pātra20 of an old veteran monk: it was not that of the venerable Iichi himself. The way it was written is as follows: “The first patriarch Mahākāśyapa realized the truth under Śākyamuni Buddha; Śākyamuni Buddha realized the truth under Kāśyapa Buddha. . . .” It was written like this. Seeing it, Dōgen decisively believed in the succession of the Dharma from rightful successor to rightful successor. [The certificate] was Dharma that I had never before seen. It was a moment in which the Buddhist patriarchs mystically respond to and protect their descendants. The feeling of gratitude was beyond endurance.

[15] The veteran monk Shūgetsu, while he was assigned to the post of head monk21 on Tendō, showed Dōgen a certificate of succession of Unmon’s lineage. The master directly above the person now receiving the certificate, and the Buddhist patriarchs of the Western Heavens and the Eastern Lands, were arranged in columns, and under those was the name of the person receiving the certificate. All the Buddhist patriarchs were directly aligned with the name of this new ancestral master. Thus, the more than forty generations from the Tathāgata all converged on the name of the new successor. For example, it was as if each of them had handed down [the Dharma] to the 69b new patriarch. Mahākāśyapa, Ānanda, and so on, were aligned as if [they belonged to] separate lineages.22 At that time, Dōgen asked Head Monk Shūgetsu, “Master, nowadays there are slight differences among the five sects23 in their alignment [of names]. What is the reason? If the succession from the Western Heavens has passed from rightful successor to rightful successor, how could there be differences?” Shūgetsu said, “Even if the difference were great, we should just study that the buddhas of Unmonzan are like this. Why is Old Master Śākyamuni honored by others? He is an honored one because he realized the truth. Why is Great Master Unmon honored by others? He is an honored one because he realized the truth.” Dōgen, hearing these words, had a little [clearer] understanding. Nowadays many leaders of the great temples24 in Kōsoshō and Setsukōshō25 are successors to the Dharma of Rinzai, Unmon, Tōzan, and so on. However, among fellows claiming to be distant descendants of Rinzai a certain wrongness is sometimes contrived; namely, they attend the order of a good counselor, and cordially request a hanging portrait and a scroll of Dharma words,26 which they stash away as standards of their succession to the Dharma. At the same time, there is a

group of dogs who, [prowling] in the vicinity of a venerable patriarch, cordially request Dharma words, portraits, and so on, which they hoard away to excess; then, when they become senior in years, they pay money to government officials and they seek to get a temple, [but] when they are assigned as abbots they do not receive the Dharma from the master [who gave them] the Dharma words and the portrait. They receive the Dharma from fellows of fame and repute of the present generation, or from old veterans who are intimate with kings and ministers, and when they do so they have no interest in getting the Dharma but are only greedy for fame and reputation. It is deplorable that there are wrong customs like this in the corrupt age of the latter Dharma.

Among people like these, not one person has ever seen or heard the truth of

the Buddhist patriarchs, even in a dream. In general, with respect to the granting of Dharma words, portraits, and so forth, they may be given to lecturers of doctrine and laymen and laywomen, and they may be granted to temple servants, tradesmen, and the like. This principle is clear from the records of many masters. Sometimes, when some undeserving person, out of a rash desire for evidence of succession to the Dharma, wants to get a certificate, [a master] will reluctantly take up the writing brush, though those who possess the truth hate to do so. In such a case the certificate does not follow the traditional form; [the master] just writes some brief note saying “succeeded me.” The method of recent times is simply to succeed to the Dharma as soon as one attains proficiency in the order of a particular master, with that master as one’s master. [That is to say, there are] people who, although they have not received certification from their former master, are occupying the long platform [of another temple] that they have visited only for entry into [the master’s] room and formal preaching in the Dharma hall; [but] when they break open the great matter while staying at [this other] temple, they do not have the time to uphold the transmission of their [original] master; instead they very often take this [new] master as their master. Another matter: there was a certain Library Chief27 Den, a distant descendant of Zen Master Butsugen, that is, Master Seion of Ryūmon.28 This Library Chief Den also had a certificate of succession in his possession. In the early years of the Kajō era,29 when this Library Chief Den had fallen ill, Venerable Elder30 Ryūzen, though a Japanese, had nursed Library Chief Den with care; so [Library Chief

Den] had taken out the certificate of succession and let [Ryūzen] bow before it to thank him for his nursing work, because his labors had been unremitting. [At that time Library Chief Den] had said, “This is something hardly seen. I will let you bow before it.” Eight years later, in the autumn of the sixteenth year of Kajō,31 when Dōgen first stopped on Tendōzan, Venerable Elder Ryūzen kindly asked Library Chief Den to let Dōgen see the certificate of succession. The form of the certificate was as follows: the forty-five patriarchs ^70a from the Seven Buddhas to Rinzai were written in columns, while the masters following Rinzai formed a circle in which were transcribed the masters’ original Dharma names32 and their written seals.33 The [name of the] new successor was written at the end, under the date. We should know that the venerable patriarchs of Rinzai’s lineage have this kind of difference.

[21] My late master, the abbot of Tendō, profoundly cautioned people against bragging about succeeding to the Dharma. Truly, the order of my late master was the order of an eternal buddha, it was the revival of the monastery.34 He himself did not wear a patterned kaṣāya. He had a patched Dharma robe transmitted from Zen Master Dōkai of Fuyōzan,35 but he did not wear it [even] to ascend the seat of formal preaching in the Dharma hall. In short, he never wore a patterned Dharma robe throughout his life as an abbot. Those who had the mind and those who did not know things all praised him and honored him as a true good counselor. My late master, the eternal buddha, in formal preaching in the Dharma hall would constantly admonish monks in all directions, saying, “Recently many people who have borrowed the name of the Patriarch’s truth randomly wear the Dharma robe and like [to have] long hair, and they sign their name with the title of master as a vessel of promotion. They are pitiful. Who will save them? It is lamentable that the old veterans of all directions have no will to the truth and so they do not learn the state of truth. There are few who have even seen and heard of the causes and conditions of the certificate of succession and the succession of the Dharma. Among a hundred thousand people there is not even one! This is [due to] the decline of the Patriarch’s truth.” He was always admonishing the old veterans of the whole country like this, but they did not resent him. In conclusion, wherever [people] are sincerely pursuing the truth they are able to see and to hear that the certificate of succession exists. “To have seen and 70b heard” may be “learning the state of truth” itself. On the Rinzai certificate of succession, first the [master] writes the name [of the successor], then writes “Disciple So-and-So served under me,” or writes “has attended my order,” or writes “entered my inner sanctum,” or writes “succeeded me,” and then lists the former patriarchs in order. [So] it also shows a trace of traditional36 instruction about the Dharma, the point being for the successor simply to meet a true good counselor, regardless of whether the meeting is in the end or in the beginning: this is the unassailable fundamental principle.37 Among [certificates of] the Rinzai [lineage], there are some written as described above—I saw them with my own eyes, and so I have written about them. [24] “Library Chief Ryōha38 is a person of the Ibu39 district, and now he is my disciple. [I,] Tokkō,40 served Kō41 of Kinzan. Kinzan succeeded Gon42 of Kassan. Gon succeeded En43 of Yōgi. En succeeded Tan44 of Kaie. Tan succeeded E45 of Yōgi. E succeeded En46 of Jimyō. En succeeded Shō47 of Fun’yō. Shō succeeded Nen48 of Shuzan. Nen succeeded Shō49 of Fuketsu. Shō succeeded Gyō of Nan’in.50 Gyō succeeded Shō51 of Kōke. Shō was the excellent rightful successor of the founding patriarch Rinzai.”52

[27] Zen Master Busshō Tokkō of Aikuōzan53 wrote this and presented it to Musai [Ryō]ha. When [Musai Ryōha] was the abbot of Tendō, my brother monk54 Chiyu secretly brought it to the Dormitory of Quiescence55 to show to Dōgen. That was the first time I saw it, the twenty-first day of the first lunar month of the seventeenth year of the great Song era of Kajō [1224]. How overjoyed I felt! This was just the mystical response of the Buddhist patriarchs. I burned incense and did prostrations, then opened and read it. My asking for this certificate of succession to be brought out [happened as follows]: Around the seventh lunar month of the previous year [1223], in the Hall of Serene Light, Chief Officer56 Shikō had told Dōgen about it in secret. Dōgen had asked the chief in passing, “Nowadays, what person would have one in their possession?” The chief said, “It seems that the venerable abbot has one in his room. In future, if you cordially request him to bring it out,

70c   he will surely show it [to you].” Dōgen, after hearing these words, never stopped hoping, day or night. So in that year (1224), I cordially put my humble request to brother monk Chiyu. I did so with all my heart, and the request was granted. The base on which [the certificate] was written was a

lining of white silk, and the cover was red brocade. The rod was precious stone, about nine inches57 long. [The scroll’s] extent was more than seven feet.58 It was never shown to an idle person. Dōgen thanked Chiyu at once, and then went straightway to visit the abbot, to burn incense and to bow in thanks to Master Musai. At that time Musai said, “This sort of thing is rarely able to be seen or known. Now, venerable brother, you have been able to know of it. This is just the real refuge in learning the truth.” At this Dōgen’s joy was uncontainable. Later, in the Hōgyō era,59 while traveling as a cloud between Tendaizan,60 Ganzan, and so on, Dōgen arrived at Mannenji61 in the Heiden district. The master of the temple at that time was Master Genshi from Fukushū province. Master [Gen]shi had been assigned following the retirement of the veteran patriarch Sokan and he had completely revitalized the temple. While I was making personal salutations, we had a conversation about the traditional customs of the Buddhist patriarchs, and while quoting the story of the succession from Daii62 to Kyōzan,63 the veteran master said, “Have you ever seen the certificate of succession [that I have] in my room?” Dōgen said, “How might I have the chance to see it?” The veteran master himself immediately rose and, holding aloft the certificate of succession,64 he said, “I have not shown this even to intimates, or even to those who have spent years serving as attendant monks. That is the Buddhist patriarchs’ Dharma instruction. However, while staying in the city on my usual visit to the city in order to meet the governor of the district, Genshi had the following dream: An eminent monk, whom I supposed to be Zen Master Hōjō of Daibai zan,65 appeared holding up a branch of plum blossoms and said, ‘If there is a real person who has crossed the side of a ship, do not begrudge [these] blossoms.’ Thus saying, he gave the plum blossoms to me. Unconsciously, 71a Genshi dreamed of chanting, ‘Even before he has stepped over the side of the ship, I would like to give him thirty strokes!’ In any event, five days have not passed and I meet you, venerable brother. What is more, you have crossed over the side of a ship. And this certificate of succession is written on cloth patterned with plum blossoms. You must be what Daibai was telling me about. You match the image in the dream exactly and so I have brought out [the certificate]. Venerable brother, would you like to receive the Dharma from me? If you desire it, I will not begrudge it.” Dōgen could not contain

his belief and excitement. Though he had said that I might request the certificate of succession, I only venerated and served him, burning incense and performing prostrations. Present at that time was a [monk] called Hōnei, an assistant for the burning of incense; he said that it was the first time he had seen the certificate of succession. Dōgen thought inwardly, “It would be very difficult indeed to see and to hear this sort of thing without the mystical help of the Buddhist patriarchs. Why should a stupid fellow from a remote land be so fortunate as to see it several times?” My sleeves became damp with the tears of gratitude. At that time the Vimalakīrti Room, the Great Hall,66 and the other rooms were quiet and empty; there was no one about. This certificate of succession was written on white silk patterned with plum blossoms fallen on the ground. It was more than nine inches across, and it extended to a length of more than a fathom. The rod was of a yellow precious stone and the cover was brocade. On the way back from Tendaizan to Tendō, Dōgen lodged at the overnight quarters of Goshōji on Daibaizan. [Here] I dreamed a mystical dream in which the ancestral master Daibai came and gave me a branch of plum flowers in bloom. A patriarch’s mirror is the most reliable thing there is. The blossoms on that branch were more than a foot in diameter. How could the plum blossoms not have been the flowers of the uḍumbara?67 It may be that the state in a dream and the state in waking consciousness are equally real. Dōgen, while in Song [China] and since returning to this country, 71b has not before related [the above] to any person.

[33]        Today in our lineage from Tōzan [the way] the certificate of succession is written is different from [the way] it is written in the Rinzai and other [lineages]. The founding patriarch Seigen,68 in front of Sōkei’s desk, personally drew pure blood from his finger to copy [the certificate] that the Buddhist patriarch had kept inside his robe, and [thus] he received the authentic transmission. Legend says that [the certificate] was written and transmitted using a mixture of this finger blood and blood from the finger of Sōkei. Legend says that in the case of the First Patriarch and the Second Patriarch also, a rite of mixing blood was performed.69 We do not write such words as “My disciple” or “Served me.” This is the form of the certificate of succession written and transmitted by the many buddhas and by the Seven Buddhas. So remember that Sōkei graciously mixed his own blood with the pure blood of Seigen, and Seigen mixed his own pure blood with Sōkei’s own blood, and that the founding patriarch, Master Seigen, was thus the only one to receive the direct certification—it was beyond other patriarchs. People who know this fact assert that the Buddha-Dharma was authentically transmitted only to Seigen.

[34]        My late master, the eternal buddha, the great master and abbot of Tendō, preached the following: “The buddhas, without exception, have experienced the succession of the Dharma. That is to say, Śākyamuni Buddha received the Dharma from Kāśyapa Buddha, Kāśyapa Buddha received the Dharma from Kanakamuni Buddha, and Kanakamuni Buddha received the Dharma from Krakucchanda Buddha.70 We should believe that the succession has passed like this from buddha to buddha until the present. This is the way of learning Buddhism.” Then Dōgen said, “It was after Kāśyapa Buddha had entered nirvana that Śākyamuni Buddha first appeared in the world and realized the truth. Furthermore, how could the buddhas of the kalpa of wisdom receive the Dharma from the buddhas of the kalpa of resplendence?71 What 71c [do you think] of this principle?” My late master said, “What you have just expressed is understanding [based on] listening to theories. It is the way of [bodhisattvas at] the ten sacred stages or the three clever stages. It is not the way [transmitted by] the Buddhist patriarchs from rightful successor to rightful successor. Our way, transmitted from buddha to buddha, is not like that. We have learned that Śākyamuni Buddha definitely received the Dharma from Kāśyapa Buddha. We learn in practice that Kāśyapa Buddha entered nirvana after Śākyamuni Buddha succeeded to the Dharma. If Śākyamuni Buddha did not receive the Dharma from Kāśyapa Buddha, he might be the same as a naturalistic non-Buddhist. Who then could believe in Śākyamuni Buddha? Because the succession has passed like this from buddha to buddha, and has arrived at the present, the individual buddhas are all authentic successors, and they are neither arranged in a line nor gathered in a group. We just learn that the succession passes from buddha to buddha like this. It need not be related to the measurements of kalpas and the measurements of lifetimes mentioned in the teaching of the Āgamas. If we say that [the succession] was established solely by Śākyamuni Buddha, it has existed for little over two thousand years, [so] it is not old; and the successions [number] little more than forty, [so] they might be called recent. This Buddhist succession is not to be studied like that. We learn that Śākyamuni Buddha succeeded to the Dharma

of Kāśyapa Buddha, and we learn that Kāśyapa Buddha succeeded to the Dharma of Śākyamuni Buddha. When we learn it like this, it is truly the succession of the Dharma of the buddhas and the patriarchs.” Then Dōgen not only accepted, for the first time, the existence of Buddhist patriarchs’ succession of the Dharma, but also got rid of an old nest.72

                                        Shōbōgenzō Shisho

                                        Written at Kannondōrikōshōhōrinji on the                                         seventh day of the third lunar month in the                                         second year of Japan’s Ninji era,73 by [a                                         monk] who entered Song [China] and                                         received the transmission of the Dharma, 72a                                            śramaṇa Dōgen.

                                        The twenty-fourth day of the ninth lunar                                         month in [the first year of] Kangen.74 Hung                                         our traveling staffs at old Kippōji, a                                         thatched cottage in Yoshida district of

                                        Echizen.75 (written seal)76

Notes

1     Shōkai. Shōment and, by extension, the state which is exactly the same as the state of Gautama means experience. Kai means pledge, promise, accord, or binding agree-

Buddha.

2     Mushi-dokugo. This expression appears repeatedly in the Shōbōgenzō. 3  Muji-dokugo. This is Master Dōgen’s variation.

4     or “subtle awareness. ”fifty-first stage is ^{Buddhahood. The forty-first to the fiftieth stages are} Jūchi-tōgaku. It is said that bodhisattvas pass through fifty-two stages on the way totōkaku, or “balanced awareness,” and the ultimate stage is jūchi, the ten sacred stages. Themyōkaku,

5     Master Daikan Enō (638–713), successor of Master Daiman Kōnin.

6     buddhas.dharma as the First Patriarch in China. He was the thirty-third patriarch, countingfrom the Buddha’s successor, Master Mahākāśyapa as the first patriarch. And he wasthe fortieth patriarch counting from Vipaśyin Buddha, the first of the seven ancient Master Daikan Enō was the Sixth Patriarch in China, counting from Master Bodhi -

7     third of the Seven Buddhas), in which one thousand buddhas appeared. Shōgonkō. The past age extending from the eternal past to Viśvabhū Buddha (the

8     Kengō, from the Sanskrit bhadra-kalpa, the age in which we are living now.

9     Kāśyapa Buddha is the sixth of the Seven Buddhas.

10    Master Ānanda is the second patriarch in India. See Chapter Fifteen, Busso.

11    Chapter Forty-six (Vol. III), Refers to the transmission between Master Bodhidharma and Master Taiso Eka. See Kattō. 12 by a Buddhist master during a lecture or ceremony, originally used in India to clear Hossu (Skt. vyajana), a whisk usually with a long plume of white animal hair, held insects from one’s path.

13    Sixty-eight (Vol. III), Refers to the transmission between the Buddha and Master Mahākāśyapa. See Chapter _Udonge.

14    For example, the succession between Master Taiyō Kyōgen and Master Tōsu Giseisee notes to Chapter Fifteen, Busso). (

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15    It is used, for example, in the ceremony to inaugurate a head monk. Shippei .A stick about three feet long, made of split bamboo, with a ceremonial handle.

16    Master Bodhidharma, the First Patriarch in China.

17    Sanzō, _{Vinaya (precepts), and Abhidharma (commentaries).}lit., “three storehouses,” from the Sanskrit Tripiṭaka (three baskets): Sutra,

18    his own temple and is now living as a guest in the west hall of another temple. Seidō, lit., “west hall,” is a title of respect for a veteran master who has retired from

19    Master Hōgen Bun’eki (885–958), the successor of Master Rakan Keichin, who was _{a successor of Master Gensha Shibi.}

20    A pātra is a Buddhist food bowl. Robes and pātra symbolize the possessions of a monk.

21    above them were the six Suboctuple. He was the highest ranking of the six lit., “head seat.” The chiji,shusoor main officers. Was the leader of the main body of monks in achōshu, or assistant officers. Ranking

22    line but side by side at the top of their respective columns of historical patriarchs. That is, the names of the first and second patriarchs were arranged not in a vertical

23    The Rinzai, Igyō, Sōtō, Unmon, and Hōgen sects. See Chapter Forty-nine (Vol. III),_{Bu tsu dō.}

24    interpreted that a flagpole symbolized a place of Buddhist preaching, and hence atemple. flagpole. In ancient India a flag announced Buddhist preaching and so Chinese scholars ^{Chinese scholars to interpret that} Daisetsu. Setsu Glossary of Sanskrit Terms). At the same time, the character appears in Buddhists from the Sanskrit sekkan, or “setsukṣetra,kṣetramight be a transliteration of which means a sacred spot or district (see pole,” that is, a temple flagpole. This ledyaṣṭi, which means sutras in the compound

25    respectively. Provinces in eastern China bordering on the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, 26 Hōgo, calligraphy containing a word or a phrase of Buddhist preaching.

27    Zōsu, the monk in charge of storing sutras. The zōsu was one of the six chōshu, or assistant officers.

28    the title Zen Master Butsugen, together with a purple robe, from the emperor. TheMaster Ryūmon Butsugen (d. 1120), a successor of Master Goso Hōen. He receivedGoroku, a record of his words, is in eight volumes.

29    1208–1224.

30    Jōza, School of the Elders. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.from the Sanskrit honorific sthavira, or in Pāli, thera, as in Thera vāda, the

31    1223.

Chapter Sixteen

32    used in a monk’s lifetime or it may be a posthumous name. Chinese characters. One name is the ^hōmyō, “Original Dharma name” is ^{name to be avoided.” After a monk had died, it was customary to avoid using the name} he had used in his lifetime, and to use a posthumous title instead. While living, monks in China and Japan usually have at least two personal names, each written with two ^{“Dharma name.” A hōmyō}hōki. Hō^{is always a} hōgō,means Dharma or Buddhist and “Dharma title,” and another name is thehōki, whereas a hōgō may be a name ki means “the

33    Kaji. This seal was not stamped but written with a brush.

34    Sōrin, of monks, or a monastery. lit., “clump of forest,” from the Sanskrit piṇḍavana, meaning a large assembly

35    ^{of Master Tōsu Gisei. See for example Chapter Fourteen,} nine (Vol. II), Master Fuyō Dōkai (1043–1118), the Eighteenth Patriarch in China and a successor Gyōji; and Chapter Sixty-four (Vol. III), Kajō.Sansuigyō; Chapter Twenty-

36    “Traditional” is ii kitare ru, lit., “having been spoken.”

37    In other words, the most important matter in the transmission is the relation between master and student. This is reflected in the form of the certificate in the Rinzai sect.

38    the master of the temple.  Musai Ryōha. He was the master of Keitokuji on Tendōzan when MasterDōgen arrived in China. When Master Ryōha’s death was approaching, he sent a letter to Master Dōgen’s future master, Master Tendō Nyojō, asking him to become

39    Present-day Fukien, a province of southeast China bordering on the Formosa Strait. 40 an EmperorMaster Busshō Tokkō (1121–1203). Author of the ), one volume. Sōtairoku (Record of Answers to

41    Chapter Seventy-five (Vol. IV), Master Daie Sōkō (b. 1089, d. 1163, thirty-seven years before Master Dōgen’s birth).He is thought to be the founder of the so-called kōan Zen of the Rinzai sect, and asShōbōgenzō. See for example such was criticized by Master Dōgen several times in the Jishō-zanmai.

42    four (Vol. IV), Master Engo is quoted in Chapter Sixty-six (Vol. III),Master Engo Kokugon (1063–1135). Edited the HekiganrokuShunjū, and Chapter Seventy-(Blue Cliff Record).

Tembōrin.

43    Master Goso Hōen (1024–1104). The Goroku, a record of his words, is in four volumes.

Master Hōen is quoted in Chapter Seventy-four (Vol. IV), He was the third patriarch of the temple on Yōgizan founded by Master Yōgi Hōe.Tembōrin. 44 Master Kaie Shutan (1025–1072). Also called Master Hakkun Shutan. (Kaie andHakkun are both hōgō (Dharma titles)—see note 32).

45    Master Yōgi Hōe (992–1049). Lived on and spread the Dharma from Yōgizan. Theand Kōroku, records of his words, are in one volume each.

Goroku

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46    Master Jimyō Soen (986–1039). Became a monk at the age of twenty-two. 47 Master Fun’yō Zenshō (947–1024). The _volumes. Goroku, a record of his words, is in three

48    Master Shuzan Shōnen (926–993). The Goroku, a record of his words, is in one volume.

49    Master Fuketsu Enshō (896?–973).

50    Master Nan’in Egyō (d. 930?).

51    Master Kōke Sonshō (830–888).

52    Hōe, Nyojō of Tendōzan is Master Tendō Nyojō, Dōgen of Eiheiji is Master EiheiDōgen, etc. See note 32.^{temple or mountain often precedes the} nine (Vol. III), a record of his words, is in one volume. His disciples included Master Kōke Sonshō,Master Rinzai Gigen (815?–867). A successor of Master Ōbaku Kiun. The Master Sanshō Enen, and Master Kankei Shikan. See, for example, Chapter Forty-Rinzai is a hōmyō     ^{In this certificate, the names Ryōha and Tokkō are} is written. When a master’s name is written in full, the name of the master’shōgōButsudō.(Dharma title). For the other names only the first character of thehōmyō. Thus E of Yōgizan is Master Yōgihōmyō (Dharma names) while Goroku,

53    this mountain, and guessed that it might be one of eighty-four thousand stupas saidAikuō means King Aśoka. In 282 a priest called Ryūsaku discovered an old stupa on King Aśoka. It later became one of the five mountains: Mount Kin, Mount Hoku,to have been built by King Aśoka of ancient India. So the mountain was named after five mountains as the most important in China. promoting Buddhism as part of its political strategy, designated the temples on these ^{Mount Taihaku, Mount Nan, and Mount Aikuō. The government of the Song dynasty,}

54    since receiving the precepts. Shō-shi-sō. The term was used for a monk who had not passed ten summer retreats

55    were proper names of these particular buildings on Mount Tendō. The Dormitory of Quiescence (ryōnen-ryō) and the Hall of Serene Light (jakkō-dō)

56    4)6)^{officer, head of the temple office, comptroller; 2)} Tsūsu,  dōsuthe highest of the six temple officers. The six main officers are 1) or inō, supervisor of monks in the zazen hall, rector; 5) kansu, prior; 3) tenzo,fūsu,head cook; andassistant prior;tsūsu, chief shisui, caretaker.

57    Literally, “About nine sun.” One sun is 1.193 inches.

58    Literally, “more than seven shaku.” One shaku is ten sun. 59 1225–27.

60 Abbreviated in the original text to Daizan. The Tendai sect takes its name fromthis mountain in Chekiang province in eastern China, where Master Tendai Chigi Chapter Sixteen

(538–597)still a teenager. lived. Master Dōgen became a monk in the Tendai sect in Japan while 61 Master Fugan was a successor of Master Hyakujō Ekai. A temple established on Mount Tendai, at the site where Master Tendai Fugan died.

62    Master Isan Reiyū (771–853), a successor of Master Hyakujō Ekai. He had many excellent disciples such as Master Kyōzan Ejaku, Master Kyōgen Chikan, and MasterReiun Shigon. The Goroku, a record of his words, is in one volume.

63    Master Kyōzan Ejaku (807–883). The Goroku, a record of his words, is in one volume. Gotōegen, chapter 8. The story of Master Kyōzan’s succession is contained in the

64    It is usual to place venerated things on the palms of the hands and to hold them up_high.

65    Master Daibai Hōjō (752–839), a successor of Master Baso Dōitsu. He lived in seclu-Gyōji. sion on Daibaizan; see Chapter Thirty (Vol. II), 66 Proper names of these particular rooms.

67    transmission of Dharma. See Chapter Sixty-eight (Vol. III), ^{do not appear to be any} The uḍumbara is a species of fig tree whose flowers form a kind of peel, so that there uḍumbara flowers. The uḍumbara flower is a symbol of theUdonge.

68    lineage of Master Seigen Gyōshi. Master Rinzai belongs to the lineage of another ofMaster Daikan Enō’s successors, Master Nangaku Ejō. Master Seigen Gyōshi (660–740) was one of several successors of Master DaikanEnō of Sōkei Mountain, the Sixth Patriarch in China. Master Tōzan belongs to the

69    Master Bodhidharma and Master Taiso Eka.

70    Krakucchanda Buddha, Kanakamuni Buddha, Kāśyapa Buddha, and ŚākyamuniBuddha were the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh of the seven ancient buddhas.

71    eternal past. See note 7.The kalpa of wisdom means the present age. The kalpa of resplendence means the

72    topical present to describe his own experiences, and in the description of his late ^{The tense of the original Japanese sentence is the historical present. When Master} Dōgen uses the historical present for a story, we generally try to use the present in translation. But in the many places in this chapter where Master Dōgen uses the his master, the past tense has been used in translation.

73    1241.

74    sign (the rabbit). The year at the end of the chapter is usually expressed in two ways,^Ki1243is the tenth calendar sign (the younger brother of water) and . The year is identified, using the Chinese dating system, by the characters bō is the fourth horarykibō. using the Japanese dating system and the Chinese dating system (ignored in translation)

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viated.as a double check. However, in this sentence the word gannen, “first year,” was able-

75    Corresponds to present-day Fukui prefecture.

76    after which Master Koun Ejō, when copying Master Dōgen’s original text, wrote the It is likely that Master Dōgen actually wrote his own seal having arrived at Kippōji,kaji, “written seal” (see note 33). words

[Chapter Seventeen] Hokke-ten-hokke Turns the Flower of Dharma ^{The Flower of Dharma}

Translator’s Note: Hō means “Dharma,” “the law of the universe,” or the universe itself. Ke means “flowers.” So hokke means “the universe that is like flowers.” The full title of the Lotus Sutra, Myōhō rengekyō (Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma), is usually abbreviated to Hokkekyō. So hokke also suggests the wonderful universe as manifested in the Lotus Sutra. Ten means “to turn,” or “to move.” So hokke-ten-hokke means “the wonderful universe that is like flowers is moving the wonderful universe that is like flowers itself.” This is the Buddhist view of the universe, and Master Dōgen’s view. In this chapter, Master Dōgen explains this view of the universe, quoting many words from the Lotus Sutra. The message of the Lotus Sutra is “How wonderful is the universe in which we are now living!” So here Master Dōgen unfolds his view of the universe, following the theory of the Lotus Sutra.

[39] “The content of the buddha lands of the ten directions”1 is the “sole existence”2 of the “Flower of Dharma.”3 Herein, “all the buddhas of the ten directions and the three times,”4 and beings of anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi,5 have [times of] turning the Flower of Dharma,6 and have [times of] the Flower of Dharma turning.7 This is just the state in which “original practice of the bodhisattva way”8 neither regresses nor deviates. It is the “wisdom of the buddhas, profound and unfathomable.”9 It is the “calm and clear state of samādhi,”10 which is “difficult to understand and difficult to enter.”11 As Buddha Mañjuśrī,12 it has the “form as it is”13 of “buddhas alone, together with buddhas,”14 which is “the great ocean” or “the buddha land.” Or as Buddha Śākyamuni,15 it is “appearance in the world”16 in the state of “Only I know concrete form, and the buddhas of the ten directions are also like that.”17 It is the “one time”18 in which he “desires to cause living beings”19 to “disclose, to display, to

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realize, and to enter,”20 [saying] “I and buddhas of the ten directions are directly able to know these things.”21 Or it is Universal Virtue,22 “accomplishing” the Dharma Flower’s turning whose “virtue is unthinkable,”23 and “spreading throughout Jambud vīpa”24 the “profound and eternal”25 [truth of] anuttara samyak saṃbodhi, at which time the earth is able to produce the three kinds of plants, the two kinds of shrubs, and “large and small trees,”26 and the rain is able to moisten them. In the state in which “an object cannot be recognized,”27 he is solely “accomplishing the total practice”28 of the Flower of Dharma turning. While Universal Virtue’s spreading [of the truth] is still unfinished, the “great order on Vulture Peak”29 comes together. Śākyamuni experiences, as the “manifestation of light from his [circle of] white hair,”30 the coming and going of Universal Virtue.31 The Flower of Dharma turns when, before Śākyamuni’s “Buddhist assembly is halfway through,” the “consideration”32 of Mañjuśrī “swiftly” gives “affirmation”33 to Maitreya. Universal Virtue, the many buddhas, Mañ juśrī, and the great assembly, may all be the “pāramitā of knowing”34 the Dharma Flower’s turning, which is

72b “good in the beginning, middle, and end.”35 This is why [the Buddha] has “manifested himself in reality,” calling “sole reliance”36 on the “One Vehicle”37 “the one great matter.”38 Because this manifestation in reality is itself “the one great matter,” there are [the words] “buddhas alone, together with buddhas, just can perfectly realize that all dharmas are real form.”39 The method40 for that is inevitably “the One Buddha Vehicle,” and “buddhas alone” necessarily teach its “perfect realization” to “buddhas alone.” “The many buddhas” and “the Seven Buddhas”41 teach its “perfect realization” to each individual buddha, buddha-to-buddha, and they cause Śākyamuni Buddha to “accomplish” it.42 [Every place from] India in the west to China in the east is “in the buddha lands of the ten directions.” [For every patriarch] until the thirty-third patriarch, Zen Master Daikan,43 [this method] is the method which is “the One Vehicle of buddhas alone,” and which is just “perfect realization” itself. It is “the One Buddha Vehicle” in which “sole reliance” is decisively “the one great matter.” Now it is “manifesting itself in the world.”44 It is manifesting itself at this place.45 That the Buddhist customs of Seigen46 have been transmitted to the present, and that Nangaku’s47 Dharma gate has been opened and preached through the world, are totally [due to] the “Tathāgata’s real wisdom.”48 Truly, this [real wisdom] is the “perfect realization of buddhas alone, together with buddhas.” The Dharma Flower’s turning may be preaching it49 as the “disclosure, display, realization, and entering” of buddhas who are rightful successors, and of rightful successors of buddhas. This [real wisdom] is also called the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma,50 and it is “the method of teaching bodhisattvas.”51 Because this [real wisdom] has been called “all dharmas,” “Vulture Peak” exists, “space”52 exists, the “great ocean”53 exists, and the “great earth”54 exists, with the Flower of Dharma as their “national land.”55 This is just “real form”; it is “reality as it is”;56 “it is the wisdom of the Buddha”; it is “the constancy of the manifestation of the world”;57 it is “the real”;58 it is “the Tathāgata’s lifetime”;59 it is “the profound and unfathomable”;60 it is “the inconstancy of all actions”;61 it is “samādhi as [the state of] the Flower of Dharma”;62 it is “Śākyamuni Buddha”; it is “to turn the Flower of Dharma”;63 it is “the Flower of Dharma turning”;64 it is “the right Dharma-eye treasury and the fine mind of nirvana”;65 and it is “manifestation of the body to save living beings.”66 As “affirmation and becoming buddha,”67 it is maintained and relied upon, and dwelled in and retained.

[47] To the order of Zen Master Daikan68 at Hōrinji on Sōkeizan, in the Shōshū district of Guangdong,69 in the great kingdom of Tang, there came a monk called Hōtatsu.70 He boasts, “I have recited the Lotus Sutra three thou-        ^72c sand times already.”

The patriarch says, “Even if [you recite it] ten thousand times, if you do not understand the sutra, you will not be able even to recognize [your] errors.”

Hōtatsu says, “The student is foolish. Until now, I have only been reading [the sutra] aloud following the characters. How could I have hoped to clarify the meaning?”

The patriarch says, “Try reciting a round [of the sutra] and I will interpret

it for you.”

Hōtatsu recites the sutra at once. When he reaches the “Expedient Means”71 chapter the patriarch says, “Stop! The fundamental point of this sutra is the purpose of [the buddhas’] appearance in the world.72 Although it expounds many metaphors, [the sutra] does not go beyond this. What is that purpose? Only the one great matter. The one great matter is just the Buddha’s wisdom itself; it is to disclose, to display, to realize, and to enter [the Buddha’s wisdom]. [The one great matter] is naturally the wisdom of the Buddha and someone who is equipped with the wisdom is already a buddha. You must now believe that the Buddha’s wisdom is simply your own natural state of mind.” He preaches again in the following verse:

When the mind is in delusion, the Flower of Dharma turns.

When the mind is in realization, we turn the Flower of Dharma.

Unless we are clear about ourselves, however long we recite [the     sutra],

It will become an enemy because of its meanings.

Without intention the mind is right.

With intention the mind becomes wrong.

When we transcend both with and without, We ride eternally in the white ox cart.73

Hōtatsu, on hearing this poem, addresses the patriarch again: “The sutra says that even if all in the great [order], from śrāvakas to bodhisattvas, exhausted their intellect to suppose it,74 they could not fathom the Buddha’s wisdom. If you are now saying that the effort to make the common person realize his own mind is just the Buddha’s wisdom, unless we are of excellent makings we can hardly help doubting and denying it. Furthermore, the sutra explains the three kinds of carts, but what kind of distinction is there between the great ox cart and the white ox cart? Please, master, bestow your preaching

73a     again.”

The patriarch says, “The intention of the sutra is clear. You are straying off on your own and going against it. When people of the three vehicles cannot fathom the Buddha’s wisdom, the trouble is in their supposition itself. Even if together they exhaust their intellects to consider it,75 they will only get further and further away.76 The Buddha originally preaches only for the benefit of the common person; he does not preach for the benefit of buddhas. Some are not fit to believe this principle and withdraw from their seats;77 they do not know that they are sitting in the white ox cart yet still searching outside the gate78 for the three kinds of carts. The words of the sutra are clearly telling you: ‘There is neither a second nor a third.’79 Why do you not realize it? The three carts are fictitious, for they belong to the past. The One Vehicle is real, for it exists in the present. I only [wish to] make you get rid of the fiction and get back to the reality. When we get back to reality, reality is not a concept. Remember, your possessions are all treasures,80 and they totally belong to you. How you receive and use them is up to you. [The reality of the sutra] is neither the ideas of the father nor the ideas of the children,81 indeed it does not rely upon ideas at all; rather, it is called the Sutra of the Flower of Dharma. From kalpa to kalpa, from noon to night, [our] hands do not put down the sutra, and there is no time when we are not reading it.” Hōtatsu, enlightened already and jumping for joy,82 presents the following verse of praise:

Three thousand recitations of the sutra With one phrase from Sōkei, forgotten.

Before clarifying the import of [the buddhas’] appearance in the     world,

How can we stop recurring lives of madness?

[The sutra] explains goat, deer, and ox as an expedient,

[But] proclaims that beginning, middle, and end are good. Who knows that [even] within the burning house, Originally we are kings in the Dharma.

When he presents this verse, the patriarch says, “From now on, you may

be called the Sutra-reading Monk.”83

[54] The story84 of how Zen Master Hōtatsu visited Sōkei is like this. ^73b Hereafter the Flower of Dharma began to be expounded as the Flower of Dharma turning and turning of the Dharma Flower. [Those terms] were not heard previously. Truly, the clarification of the Buddha’s wisdom should always take place under a Buddhist patriarch who may be the right Dharmaeye treasury itself. [The Buddha’s wisdom] cannot be known by literary scholars who vainly count sand and pebbles, as we can see again here in Hōtatsu’s experience. To clarify the true meaning of the Flower of Dharma, “perfectly realize,” as “only the one great purpose,” that which the ancestral master “disclosed and displayed.” Do not intend to study other vehicles. The present is the reality85 as it is of the real form, the real nature, the real body, the real energy, the real causes, and the real effects of the Flower of Dharma turning.86 This was never heard in China, and it was never present [in China], before the time of the ancestral master. “The Flower of Dharma is turning”

means “the mind is in delusion”; the mind being deluded is just the Flower of Dharma turning. Therefore, when the mind is in delusion, we are being turned by the Flower of Dharma. This means that even when mental delusion is in myriad phenomena, “form as it is”87 is still being turned by the Flower of Dharma. This being turned is not to be rejoiced at, and it is not to be hoped for; it is not gained, and it does not come. Even so, when the Flower of Dharma is turning “there is neither a second nor a third.” Because [the Flower of Dharma turning] is the “sole existence of the One Buddha Vehicle,” and because it is the Flower of Dharma with “form as it is,” whether it is the turner or the turned, it is “the One Buddha Vehicle,” and “the one great matter.”

88It is just moment by moment of red mind,89 upon which we rely solely. So do not worry about the mind being deluded. Your actions are the bodhisattva way itself;90 they are to serve the buddhas,91 which is original practice of the bodhisattva way.92 What you disclose, display, realize, and enter is, in every case, an instance of the Flower of Dharma turning.

93There is mental delusion in the burning house, there is mental delusion just at the gate itself, there is mental delusion outside the gate, there is mental delusion just in front of the gate, and there is mental delusion within the

73c gate.94 Mental delusion has created “within the gate” and “outside the gate” and even “the gate itself,” “the burning house,” and so on; therefore, disclosure, display, realization, and entering may take place even on the white oxcarriage.95 When we think of entry as “adornment”96 on this carriage, should we hope for “open ground”97 as the place to enter, or should we recognize “the burning house” as the place to leave?98 Should we reach the conclusion99 that the gate itself is merely a place of momentary passing?100 Remember, inside the carriage, there is turning [of the Flower of Dharma] which causes us to disclose, to display, to realize, and to enter the burning house; and on the open ground there is turning which causes us to disclose, to display, to realize, and to enter the burning house.101 There are cases in which the turning activates disclosure, display, realization, and entering through the whole gate as the gate here and now;102 and there are cases in which the turning activates disclosure, display, realization, and entering through a single gate which is [an instance of] the universal gate.103 There is turning which discloses, displays, realizes, and enters the universal gate in each instance of disclosure, display, realization, and entering.104 There are cases in which the turning activates disclosure, display, realization, and entering within the gate,105 and there are cases in which the turning activates disclosure, display, realization, and entering outside the gate.106 There are cases of disclosing, displaying, realizing, and entering open ground in the burning house.107

108Therefore the burning house is “beyond understanding”109 and the open ground is “beyond knowing.”110 Who could make the turning of the wheel of the triple world111 into a carriage and ride it as “the One Vehicle”? Who could leave and enter disclosure, display, realization, and entering as if they were a gate? If we seek the carriage from the burning house, how many times the wheel must turn! When we look upon the burning house from the open ground, how “deep in the distance”112 it is! Should we reach the conclusion that Vulture Peak existed “in tranquility”113 on open ground? Or should we study in action that the open ground is “balanced and even”114 on Vulture Peak? “The place where living beings enjoy themselves”115 has been made into “eternal presence”116 as “my Pure Land which is immortal,”117 and this also we must meticulously perform as “original practice.”118

Do we realize in practice that “wholeheartedly wanting to meet Buddha”119 is about ourselves, or do we realize in practice that it is about others? There are times when the truth is realized as an “individual body,”120 and there are times when the truth is realized as the “whole body.”121

“Appearance together on Vulture Peak”122 comes from “not begrudging one’s own body and life.”123 There is disclosure, display, realization, and entering in “constantly abiding here preaching the Dharma,”124 and there is 74a disclosure, display, realization, and entering in, “as an expedient method, manifesting nirvana.”125 In the state of “being close yet still failing to see,”126 who could not believe in understanding of non-understanding by “wholeheartedness”?127

The place that is “always filled with gods and human beings”128 is just the land of Śākyamuni Buddha and of Vairocana,129 “the eternally peaceful and bright land”130 itself. We who naturally belong in the “four lands”131 are just living in “the Buddha’s land” which is “real oneness.”132 When we look at “atoms”133 that does not mean we fail to see “the world of Dharma.” When we are experiencing the world of Dharma,134 that does not mean we fail to experience atoms. When the buddhas experience the world of Dharma, they do not exclude us from the experience, which is “good at the beginning, middle, and end.”

This being so, the present is the “form as it is” of the state of experience, and even “alarm, doubt, and fear”135 are nothing other than reality as it is. With the Buddha’s wisdom, this [fear] is only the difference between looking at atoms and sitting in atoms. When we are seated in the world of Dharma it is not wide, and when we are sitting in atoms, they are not confining; therefore, without maintaining and relying upon [reality as it is], we cannot sit, but when we are maintaining and relying upon [reality as it is], there is no alarm or doubt about width and confinement. This is because we have “perfectly realized” the “body” and the “energy” of the Flower of Dharma. So should we think that our own “form” and “nature” now are “originally practicing” in this world of Dharma, or should we think that they are “originally practicing” in atoms? They are without alarm and doubt, and without fear; they are simply the profound and eternal state which is original practice as the Flower of Dharma turning. This seeing atoms and seeing the world of Dharma is beyond conscious action and conscious consideration. Conscious consideration, and conscious action too, should learn Flower of Dharma consideration, and should learn Flower of Dharma action. When we hear of “disclosure, display, realization, and entering,” we should understand them in terms of [the Buddha’s] “desire to cause living beings.”136 In other words, that which, as the Flower of Dharma turning, discloses the Buddha’s wisdom, we should learn by displaying the Buddha’s wisdom. That which, as the Flower of Dharma turning, realizes the Buddha’s wisdom, we should learn by entering the Buddha’s wisdom. That which, as the Flower of Dharma turning, displays the Buddha’s wisdom, we should learn by real-

74b izing the Buddha’s wisdom. For each such instance of the Flower of Dharma turning, as disclosure, display, realizing, and entering, we can have ways of perfect realization. In sum, this wisdom-pāramitā137 of the buddha-tathāgatas is the Dharma Flower’s turning, which is wide, great, profound, and eternal. “Affirmation”138 is just our own disclosure of the Buddha’s wisdom; it is the Flower of Dharma’s turning which is never imparted by others. This, then, is [the reality of] “When the mind is in the state of delusion, the Flower of Dharma turns.”

[62] “When the mind is in the state of realization, we turn the Flower of Dharma” describes turning the Flower of Dharma. That is to say, when the Flower of Dharma has “perfectly exhausted”139 the energy with which it turns us, the “energy as it is”140 with which we turn ourselves will, in turn, be realized. This realization is to turn the Flower of Dharma. Though the former turning is, even now, without cease, we, reversely, are naturally turning the Flower of Dharma. Though we have not finished donkey business, horse business will still come in.141 [Here] there exists “sole reliance on the one great purpose” as “real appearance at this place.”142 The multitudes of the thousandfold world that “spring out of the earth”143 have long been great honored saints of the Flower of Dharma144 but they spring out of the earth being turned by themselves and they spring out of the earth being turned by circumstances.145 In turning the Flower of Dharma we should not only realize springing out of the earth; in turning the Flower of Dharma we should also realize springing out of space.146 We should know with the Buddha’s wisdom not only earth and space but also springing out of the Flower of Dharma itself. In general, in the time of the Flower of Dharma, inevitably, “the father is young and the son old.”147 It is neither that the son is not the son, nor that the father is not the father; we should just learn that the son is old and the father young. Do not imitate “the disbelief of the world”148 and be surprised. [Even] the disbelief of the world is the time of the Flower of Dharma. This being so, in turning the Flower of Dharma we should realize the “one time” in which “the Buddha is living.”149 Turned by disclosure, display, realization, and entering, we spring out of the earth; and turned by the Buddha’s wisdom, we spring out of the earth. At the time of this turning the Flower of Dharma, “mental realization”150 exists as the Flower of Dharma, and the Flower of

Dharma exists as mental realization.151 For another example, the meaning of 74c “the downward direction” is just “the inside of space.”152 This “downward,” and this “space,” are just the turning of the Flower of Dharma, and are just the lifetime of the Buddha. We should realize, in turning the Flower of Dharma, that the Buddha’s lifetime, the Flower of Dharma, the world of Dharma, and the wholehearted state, are realized as “downward,” and realized also as “space.” Thus, “downward space” describes just the realization of turning the Flower of Dharma. In sum, at this moment, by turning the Flower

of Dharma we can cause the three kinds of grass to exist, and by turning the Flower of Dharma we can cause the two kinds of trees to exist. We should not expect [this] to be a state of awareness, and we should not wonder whether it is a state without awareness. When we turn ourselves and “initiate bodhi,”153 that is just “the southern quarter.”154 This realization of the truth is originally present on Vulture Peak, which convenes as an order in the southern quarter. Vulture Peak is always present in our turning the Flower of Dharma. There are buddha lands of the ten directions that convene as an order in space, and this is an individual body155 turning the Flower of Dharma. When we realize it, in turning the Flower of Dharma, as already the buddha lands of the ten directions, there is no place into which an atom could enter. There is turning the Flower of Dharma as “matter just being the immaterial,”156 which is beyond “either disappearance or appearance.”157 There is turning the Flower of Dharma as “the immaterial just being matter,”158 which may be “absence of life and death.”159 We cannot call it “being in the world”;160 and how could it only be in a process of “extinction”?161 When [a person] is a “close friend”162 to us, we are also a “close friend” to that person. We must not forget to bow to and to work for a “close friend”; therefore, we must take care to perfectly realize moments of giving “the pearl in the topknot”163 and of giving “the pearl in the clothes.”164 There is turning the Flower of Dharma in the presence “before the Buddha” of a “treasure stupa,”165 whose “height is five hundred yojanas.”166 There is turning the Flower of Dharma in the “Buddha sitting inside the stupa,”167 whose extent is “two hundred and fifty yojanas.” There is turning the Flower of Dharma in springing out from the earth and abiding in the earth, [in which state] mind is without restriction and matter is without restriction. There is turning the Flower of Dharma in springing out from the sky and abiding in the earth, which is restricted by the eyes and restricted by the body.168 Vulture Peak exists inside the stupa, and the treasure stupa

75a   exists on Vulture Peak. The treasure stupa is a treasure stupa in space, and space makes space for the treasure stupa.169 The eternal buddha inside the stupa takes his seat alongside the buddha of Vulture Peak, and the buddha of Vulture Peak experiences the state of experience as the buddha inside the stupa.170 When the buddha of Vulture Peak enters the state of experience inside the stupa, while object and subject on Vulture Peak [remain] just as they are, he enters into the turning of the Flower of Dharma. When the buddha

inside the stupa springs out on Vulture Peak, while still of the land of eternal buddhas, while still “long extinct,”171 he springs out. “Springing out,” and “entering into the turning,” are not to be learned under common people and the two vehicles, [but] should follow turning of the Flower of Dharma. “Eternal extinction” is an ornament of real experience that adorns the state of buddha. “Inside the stupa,” “before the Buddha,” “the treasure stupa,” and “space” are not of Vulture Peak; they are not of the world of Dharma; they are not a halfway stage; and they are not of the whole world. Nor are they concerned with only a “concrete place in the Dharma.”172 They are simply “different from thinking.”173 There is turning the Flower of Dharma either in “manifesting the body of Buddha and preaching the Dharma for others”174 or in manifesting this body and preaching the Dharma for others. Or turning the Flower of Dharma is the manifestation of Devadatta.175 Or there is turning the Flower of Dharma in the manifestation of “to retreat also is fine.”176 Do not always measure “the waiting, with palms held together and [faces] looking up,”177 as “sixty minor kalpas.”178 Even if the length of “wholehearted waiting”179 is condensed into just a few countless kalpas, still it will be impossible to fathom the “buddha-wisdom.”180 As how much buddha-wisdom should we see a wholehearted mind that is waiting? Do not see this turning the Flower of Dharma only as “the bodhisattva way practiced in the past.”181 Wherever the Flower of Dharma is a total order the virtue is that of turning the Flower of Dharma, [and it is expressed] as, “The Tathāgata preaches the Great Vehicle today.”182 [When] the Flower of Dharma just now is the Flower of Dharma, it is “neither sensed nor recognized,”183 and at the same time it is “beyond knowing” and “beyond understanding.”184 This being so, “five hundred [ink]drop [kalpas]”185 are a brief thousandth [of an instant] of turning the Flower of Dharma; they are the Buddha’s lifetime being proclaimed by each moment of red mind.

           [70] In conclusion, in the hundreds of years since this sutra was trans- ^75b

mitted into China, to be turned as the Flower of Dharma, very many people, here and there, have produced their commentaries and interpretations. Some, moreover, have attained the Dharma state of an eminent person by relying on this sutra. But no one has grasped the point of “the Flower of Dharma turning,” or mastered the point of “turning the Flower of Dharma,” in the manner of our Founding Patriarch, the eternal buddha of Sōkei. Now that we have heard these [points] and now that we have met it, we have experienced the meeting of eternal buddha with eternal buddha; how could [this] not be the land of eternal buddhas? How joyful it is! From kalpa to kalpa is the Flower of Dharma, and from noon to night is the Flower of Dharma. Because the Flower of Dharma is from kalpa to kalpa, and because the Flower of Dharma is from noon to night, even though our own body and mind grows strong and grows weak, it is just the Flower of Dharma itself. The reality that exists “as it is” is “a treasure,”186 is “brightness,”187 is “a seat of truth,”188 is “wide, great, profound, and eternal,”189 is “profound, great, and everlasting,”190 is “mind in delusion, the Flower of Dharma turning,” and is “mind in realization, turning the Flower of Dharma,” which is really just the Flower of Dharma turning the Flower of Dharma.

[72] When the mind is in the state of delusion, the Flower of Dharma     turns.

When the mind is in the state of realization, we turn the Flower of     Dharma.

If perfect realization can be like this,

The Flower of Dharma turns the Flower of Dharma.

When we “serve offerings to it, venerate, honor, and praise it”191 like

this, the Flower of Dharma is the Flower of Dharma.

                                        Shōbōgenzō Hokke-ten-hokke

On a day of the summer retreat in the second year of Ninji192 I have written this and presented it to Zen person Etatsu. I am profoundly glad that he is going to leave home to practice the truth. Just to shave the head is a lovely fact in itself. To shave the head and to shave the head again: this is to be a true child of transcending family life.193 Leaving home today is the “effects and results as they are” of the “energy as it is,” which has turned the Flower of Dharma hitherto. The Flower of Dharma today will inevitably bear the

Flower of Dharma’s Flower of Dharma fruits. It is not Śākyamuni’s Flower

75c of Dharma and it is not the buddhas’ Flower of Dharma; it is the Flower of Dharma of the Flower of Dharma. Though “form” is “as it is,” our habitual turning of the Flower of Dharma has been suspended in the state of “neither sensing nor recognizing.” But the Flower of Dharma now is manifesting itself afresh in the state “beyond knowing and beyond understanding.” The past was exhalation and inhalation, and the present is exhalation and inhalation. This we should maintain and rely upon, as the Flower of Dharma that is “too fine to think about.”194

                                        Written by the founder of Kannondōrikō shō-                                         hōrinji, a śramaṇa who entered Song [China]                                         and received the transmission of Dharma,                                         Dōgen (his written seal).

                                        The copying was completed at Hōgyōji at                                         the beginning of spring195 in the third year                                         of Kagen.196

Notes

1     Juppō-butsudo-chū. See LS 1.106.

2     Yui-i. See LS 1.106.

3     See LS 2.156.Hokke, or (more freely translated) “Lotus Universe,” from the title of the Lotus Sutra.

4     present, and future, i.e.,  eternity) is Lotus Sutra.“All buddhas” is See LS 1.90, 1.128.issai-shobutsu. “Ten directions” is sanze. These expressions all derive from thejuppō. “The three times” (past,

5     Anokutara-sanmyaku-sanbodai.Sanskrit anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi, These characters, representing the sound of the appear frequently throughout the Lotus Sutra.

See LS 2.156.

6     Tenhokke. Tenten suggests 1) to turn a scroll on which the is literally “to turn,” “to move,” or “to change.” Used here as a transitive Lotus SutraLotus Sutra.is written, and 2) to The content of the same. this chapter suggests that to read the act in, or upon, the universe which is identified with the verb, Lotus Sutra and to realize the real universe are

7     unrolling naturally, and 2) the activity of the universe independent of the subjective Hokketen. Used here as an intransitive verb, ten suggests 1) a scroll of the Lotus Sutra self.

8     HongyōHongyō-bosatsudō. Honappears in several places in the means “original,” and at the same time it suggests the past. Lotus Sutra referring to the practices of bodhisattvas in the eternal past. See LS 2.172, 3.20.

9     Shobutsu-chie-shinjin-muryō. See LS 1.66.

10    Anshō-zanmai. See LS 1.66.

11    Nange-nannyū. See LS 1.66.

12    Monjushiri. A symbol of Buddhist wisdom. In Japan the statue in the zazen hall is the great ocean. See LS 2.212–214, 2.218.usually an image of Mañjuśrī. The Lotus Sutra describes him as springing out from

13    Nyozesō. See LS 1.68.

14    Yuibutsu-yobutsu. See LS 1.68.

277

15    Śākyamuni means “Sage of the Śākyas.” See LS 2.186–88.Shakamuni. The historical Buddha, who was born into the Śākya clan. The Sanskrit

16    Shutsugen-o-se. See LS 1.88–90.

17    Yui-ga-chi-ze-shō, juppō-butsu-yaku-nen. See LS 1.74.

18    Ichiji. See LS 1.8, and note 146.

19    Yoku-rei-shūjō. See LS 1.88–90.

20    Kai-ji-go-nyu. See LS 1.88–90.

21    Ga-gyū-juppō-butsu, nai-nō-chi-ze-ji. See LS 1.70.

22    Virtue”). The translation into English of Chinese characters representing the names ^{Lotus Sutra} Fugen, the bodhisattva called Samantabhadra in Sanskrit. The last chapter of theis Fugen-bosatsu-kanpotsu (“Encouragement of Bodhisattva Universal Lotus Sutra. of bodhisattvas has generally followed the translation in the 23 Fukashigi no kudoku. See LS 3.210, 3.328–30.

24    Sanskrit Jambudvīpa, the southern continent upon which, according to ancient IndianEnbudai ni rufu se shimuru.cosmology, human beings live.See LS 3.328–30. Enbudai represents the sound of the

25    Shindai-ku-on. See LS 3.18, 3.328–30.

26    Daishō-shoju. See LS 1.274. 27 Sho-fu-nō-chi. See LS 1.66.

28    Lotus Sutra;LS 1.66, 3.328–30). Jingyō-jōju. The characters Jingyōsuggests Universal Virtue’s work of realizing the reality of the means “total practice” or “all-out action” (see LS 1.66).jōju, “accomplish,” appear often in the Lotus Sutra (see

In this context see LS 3.326.jingyō

29    Chatha, overlooking the Rājagṛha valley. It was so called because the silhouette ofRyōzen no dai-e.the mountain resembles a vulture. The historical Buddha often preached there. See Vulture Peak is a natural platform on the southern slope of Mount

LS 2.216, 3.30.

30    Byakugō-kōsō.guishing marks attributed to the Buddha. The when the Buddha sent forth a ray of light from between his eyebrows. See LS 1.18,The circle of hair, ūrṇā in Sanskrit, is one of the thirty-two distin-Lotus Sutra describes many occasions

2.176.

31    The final chapter of the Universal Virtue coming from the east to Vulture Peak to hear Śākyamuni’s preaching of the Lotus SutraLotus Sutra,in order to serve and to protect them. and promising to go to any place where people read and recite the Lotus Sutra, Fugen-bosatsu-kanpotsu, describes Bodhisattva 32 Yuijun. See LS 1.38, 1.52.

33    Thirty-two (Vol. II) of the Juki, from the Sanskrit vyākaraṇa. ShōbōgenzōThe sixth chapter of the have the title Juki. Here Lotus Sutrajuki refers to Mañjuśrī’s and Chapter affirmation of Maitreya, that is, Mañjuśrī’s prediction that Maitreya will become Buddha in the future. See LS 1.62.

34    Chiken-haramitsu.see LS 1.68), where they are used as a noun, and he used them as a transitive verb. _{means to know and} Master Dōgen picked up these characters from the ken means to see. chikenChikento represent the intellectual and sensory means knowledge or knowing. Lotus Sutra

Chi_{Master Dōgen sometimes uses the word} (^{faculties (e.g., in the} other than criteria that precede knowing and seeing?”), but in this chapter and in the, chiken ^{Fukanzazengi: “How could [dignified behavior] be anything}

Maka-hannya-haramitsuthe body and mind when the nervous system is set right in zazen (see Chapter Two, is from the Sanskrit ^{Lotus Sutra} Chicken   haramitsupāramitā,suggests the intuitive wisdom of the mind in action. ).      which means “gone to the opposite shore” or “Accom-means prajñā, or real wisdom experienced through out Haramitsu plishment.”

35    Sho-chū-kō-zen. See LS 1.40.

36    Yui-i.of. . .].” See LS 1.88–90.In the Lotus Sutra, these characters have the meaning of “solely by [reason

37    Ichijō, short for ichi-butsujō. See LS 1.90. 38 Ichidaiji. See LS 1.88–90.

39    sunawachi yoku hoho-jisso o gujin su.Yuibutsu-yobutsu-nainō-gujin-shohō-jissō;See LS 1.68.or read in Japanese, yuibutsu-yo-butsu,

40    The natural method of zazen.

41    Shichibutsu. See LS 2.96. See also Chapter Fifteen, Busso.

42    Jōju su. See note 28.

^{43 Master Daikan Enō (638–713), a successor of Master Daiman Kōnin. He was the}

He had several excellent disciples including Master Seigen Gyōshi, Master NangakuEjō, and Master Nan’yō Echū.thirty-third patriarch from Master Mahākāśyapa, and the Sixth Patriarch in China.

44    as the subject (see LS 1.88–90). Here Master Dōgen uses it with the Buddhist method, Shutsugen-o-se. This expression appears many times in the Lotus Sutra with buddhas zazen, as the subject.

45    Sutra.Shutsugen-o-shi. This is Master Dōgen’s variation on the expression in the Lotus

46    sects sprang from Master Seigen’s  descendants. Master Seigen Gyōshi (660?–740). The lineages of the Sōtō, Unmon, and Hōgen 47 of Master Nangaku and his successor Master Baso Dōitsu.^III), Master Nangaku Ejō (677–744). His history is described in Chapter Sixty-two (Vol.Hensan. _{The lineages of the Rinzai and Igyō sects sprang from the descendants}

48    Nyorai [no] nyojitsu-chiken. See LS 3.18.

49    Hokketen su beshi. Here hokketen su is used as a verb phrase—“the Dharma Flower’s turning preaches.”

50    Myōhōrengekyō,puṇḍarīka-sūtra. See LS 1.52.the full title of the Lotus Sutra, from the Sanskrit Saddhar ma-

51    Kyō-bosatsu-hō. See LS 1.52.

52    Kokū. See LS 2.286. See also Chapter Seventy-seven (Vol. IV), Kokū.

53    Daikai. See LS 2.212–214. 54 Daichi. See LS 2.196–98.

55    ^{Buddha’s real wisdom is identified with all things and phenomena in this world,} Kokudo. See LS 2.286. In this case, kokudo suggests a unified realm. Because the things like Vulture Peak, space, oceans, and the earth form a meaningful whole.

56    Nyoze, used here as a noun. See LS 1.68.

57    Sesō-jōjū. See LS 1.120.

58    Nyojitsu, as in nyojitsu-chiken; see LS 1.68.

59    Nyorai-juryō, the title of the sixteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra. 60 Shinjin-muryō. See LS 1.66.

61    arising and passing have ceased,/The peace and quiet is pleasure itself.”sūtra, Shogyō-mujō.which a hungry demon tells the child bodhisattva Himālaya: “Actions areThis is the first line of the four-line poem in the Mahāparinirvāṇa-dharmas./After without constancy./Concrete existence is the arising and passing of

62    Hokke-zanmai. See LS 3.214.

63    Tenhokke. See note 6.

64    Hokketen. See note 7.

65    and the fine mind of nirvana; I transmit them to Mahā kāśyapa.” See for exampleShōbōgenzō-nehan-myōshin. The Buddha said, “I have the right Dharma-eye treasuryUdonge.

Chapter Sixty-eight (Vol. III),

66    Genshin-doshō. See LS 3.252.

67    Juki-sabutsu. See for example LS 1.134, 1.322.

68    Master Daikan Enō (638–713).

69    dong province) created in southeast China during the reign of the Song emperor KineiKōnantōro. This was the name of an administrative area (close to present-day Guang-

(1068–1077).

70    Hōtatsu became a monk at the age of seven, and devoted himself to reciting the Sutra until meeting with Master Daikan Enō and receiving the master’s affirmation. Lotus

71    Hōben, the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra.

72    Innen-shusse.rect or external causes, connections, or conditions. At the same time, the Sanskrit hetu-pratyaya, See LS 1.88–90. which sometimes means “causes” or “purpose.” In means direct or intrinsic causes, and innenen means indi-represents

73    ^{children out of a burning house by telling them that there are three kinds of carts—}Byakugosha.Lotus Sutra Symbol of the state of Buddhist wisdom. See LS 1.166. The third chapter, Hiyu (“A Parable”), is the parable of a rich father who lures his of the

oxen, which is more than they had hoped for. In the same way, buddhas use expedient children escape the burning house, the father gives them a great cart yoked by white goat carts, deer carts, and ox carts—for them to play with outside the gate. When the should transcend the triple world, buddhas know that in reality there is only the One ^{and explain the three vehicles by which} Buddha Vehicle, which is the real wisdom of zazen. means to make living beings realize the Buddha’s wisdom—even as they discriminate śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas

74    Jinji-doryō. See LS 1.72.

75    Jinshi-gusui. See LS 1.72.

76    Ken-on. See LS 1.128.

77    See LS 1.86.

78    Monge. See LS 1.164.

79    Muni-yaku-musan. See LS 1.106. 80 Chinpō. See LS 1.224.

81    of the burning house and in several other chapters of the metaphor of father (the Buddha) and children (his followers) occurs in the parable _{Lotus Sutra.}

82    Yūyaku-kanki. This expression occurs repeatedly in the Lotus Sutra. See LS 1.134,

1.166.

83    This is Master Daikan Enō’s affirmation.

84    ^nidāna, Terms and note 72.“Story” is which means a primary cause or a historical account. See Glossary of Sanskritinnen, lit., “causes and conditions,” in this case representing the Sanskrit

85    Nyoze, used as a noun. See LS 1.68.

86    hokketen,Hokketen. the Flower of Dharma turning. In the following paragraph (62) he explains our turning of the Flower of Dharma. From here to the end of this long paragraph, Master Dōgen explains tenhokke,

87    Nyozesō. See LS 1.68.

88    So far in this paragraph, Master Dōgen has outlined in general terms the meaning of^{hokketen). This short section introduces the concrete} there are no divisions in the source text.or objective phase. The division into sub-paragraphs has been done for ease of reading; ^{“the Flower of Dharma turns” (}

89    Sekishin means “naked mind,” “sincere mind,” or “mind as it is.” 90 Nanjira-shogyō, ze-bosatsudō. See LS 1.286.

91 Shobutsu [ni] bugon [suru], or to pay homage to the buddhas. See LS 1.300. 92 Hongyō-bosatsudō. See LS 2.172, 3.20.

93    ^{objective reality, as opposed to idealism. In general, the burning house symbolizesbolizes the process leading from delusion to realization; the three carts symbolize}delusion; open ground symbolizes the state of realization; the gate of the house sym-From here Master Dōgen considers the analogy of the burning house on the basis ofof Buddhist wisdom, zazen.methods of Buddhist practice; and the white ox cart symbolizes practice in the state

94    Denial of the idealistic idea that delusion exists only in the burning house.

95    recognizing their thoughts as thoughts.Even people who are in the state of Buddhist wisdom can experience realization by

96    Shōkyō. See LS 1.166. 97 Roji. See LS 1.166.

98    already, and so there is no area to be entered and no area to be left.Denial of idealistic interpretations of entering and leaving—reality is where we are

99    Gujin, elsewhere translated as “perfectly realize.” See LS 1.68.

100  Denial of the idealistic view that the Buddhist process is only a means to an end.

101  who have real wisdom and are living in the peaceful state.Buddhist teaching always affirms the reality of the not-ideal situation, even for those

102  process.Tōmon no zenmon suggests the whole Buddhist process as this moment of the Buddhist

103  the 1.162 Fumon no ichimon. The characters suggests the Buddhist process of one individual, at one time andfumonichimonare contained in the title of the twenty-fifth chapter ofappear in the parable of the burning house. See LS“The Universal Gate of Bodhisattva Regarder

Lotus Sutra, Kanzeon-bosatsu-fumon,

“universal” or “every kind of.” The chapter describes how Bodhisattva Avalo kiteśvarabeings. See LS 3.252, and the Glossary of Sanskrit Terms under of the Sounds of the World.” manifests himself or herself in many different guises (Mon means both “gate” and “aspect,” and fumon), in order to save livingsamantamukha.fu means

104  We usually think that various processes lead us to realization. This suggests, conversely, _{that realization leads us to realize the Buddhist process.}

105  Buddhist wisdom can occur instantaneously, even before the Buddhist process is_completed. 106 Buddhist wisdom can still be realized even after the process is complete.

107  We can sometimes realize the peaceful state in painful or emotional circumstances.

108  life.This part considers the analogy of the burning house on the practical basis of everyday 109 buppōFue. Master Daikan Enō said, “I do not understand the Buddha-Dharma” (). See Shinji-shōbōgenzō, pt. 1, no. 59. gabue 110 Gyōji,Fushiki. paragraph 188; and Chapter Twenty, Alludes to the words of Master Bodhidharma. See Chapter Thirty (Vol. II),Kokyō, paragraph 162.

^{111    divided in the minds of ordinary people; the ordinary world. The} us to see the triple world as it really is, as the triple world. See LS 3.18.Rinden-sangai. Rindenor “circuit of mundane existence.” represents the Sanskrit word samsara, lit., “wandering through,”Sangai, triple world, means the world as it isLotus Sutra teaches

¹¹²    Shin-on. See LS 1.68.

¹¹³    Anon. Suggests an ideal situation. See LS 1.146.

¹¹⁴    Heitan.have not been traced in the expression, Suggests the concrete balanced state realized in practice. These charactersheisho, appears many times, often together with Lotus Sutra.An equivalent, though slightly more abstractanon. See LS 1.146.

¹¹⁵    Shujō-sho-yuraku. See LS 3.32.

¹¹⁶    Jōzai. See LS 3.32.

¹¹⁷    Waga-jōdo-fuki. See LS 3.32.

¹¹⁸    Hongyō, used here as a verb. See note 8, and LS 2.172, 3.20.

¹¹⁹    Isshin-yoku-kenbutsu. See LS 3.30. See also Chapter Sixty-one (Vol. III), Kenbutsu. 120 Bunshinof the Buddha. See LS 2.176.means “offshoot,” suggesting the bodies of individual buddhas as offshoots 121 Chapter Seventy-one [Vol. III], Zenshin sometimes suggests the universe as the whole body of the Buddha (as inNyorai-zenshin). See LS 2.154. 122 Gushutsu-ryōjusen. See LS 3.30.

123  Shinmyō o jishaku se zaru. See LS 3.30.

124  Jōjū-shi-seppō. See LS 3.30. See also Chapter Sixty-one (Vol. III), Kenbutsu.

125  Hōben-gen-nehan. See LS 3.30.

126  Shi-fuken no sui-gon. See LS 3.30.

127  LS 3.30.Ishin, lit., “one mind”; used in the Lotus Sutra as an adverb (“wholeheartedly”). See 128 Tennin-jō-jūman. See LS 3.32.

129  Threefold Lotus Sutramentioned in the Birushana. Vairocana is the Sun Buddha, not mentioned in the Kanfugenbosatsugyōhōkyō ), which is included as the third part of the(Sutra of Reflection on the Practice of Lotus Sutra itself but

Dharma by Bodhisattva Universal Virtue(LSW).

130  Sutra, ^{four lands (see following note). The Tendai sect is based on the study of the} Jō-jaku-kō-do.and Master Dōgen spent his teenage years as a monk of the Tendai sect at a This sentence is related to the teaching of the Tendai sect about the Lotus temple on Mount Hiei in Japan.

131  hōben-uyo-do,bonshō-dōgo-do,Shido are four lands symbolizing the four processes of Buddhist life. They are 1)the land of expedient methods where something still remains, that is, the land where sacred beings and ordinary people live together; 2) and no hindrances, that is, the land of bodhisattvas who have realized the teaching plentily realized the teaching for themselves; 3) the land of those who are led by the Buddha’s teachings but who have not yet com-jō-jaku-kō-do, the eternally peaceful and bright land, which is thejippō-muge-do, the land of real results abode of those who have realized the truth. perfectly; and 4)

132  Nyoitsu no butsudo. See LS 3.158.

133  Mijin,atom. See LS 3.130.derived from the Sanskrit paramāṇu, which means an infinitesimal portion or

134  Hokkai means inclusive reality.

135  Kyōgi-fu-i. See LS 2.156–58.

136  Yoku-rei-shujō. See LS 1.88–90.

137  Chiken-haramitsu. See note 34.

138  Juki. See note 33.

139  realized.” See LS 1.68.“Perfectly exhausted” is another translation of gujin, usually translated as “perfectly

140  Nyozeriki. See LS 1.68.

141  Buddha-Dharma?” Master Reiun says, “Donkey business being unfinished, but horse Master Chōkei Eryō asks Master Reiun Shigon, “Just what is the Great Intent of the business coming in.” See Shinji-shōbōgenzō, pt. 2, no. 56.

142  Shutsugen-o-shi. See note 45.

143  ing Out from the Earth.” See LS 2.286.Chi-yū. The title of the fifteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra is Ju-chi-yūshutsu, “Spring144 the bodhisattvas who have pursued the truth for a long time in the past have now In the “Springing Out from the Earth” chapter, the Buddha is asked to explain why sprung from the earth and become followers of the Buddha who has only recently realized the truth. See LS 2.318.

145  self), or as “others,” or as “him” (the Buddha in the “Circumstances” is ta. This can be interpreted as “circumstances” (as opposed to Lotus Sutra; see LS 2.286).

146  meanings, that is, 1) concrete space or the sky, and 2) ^for in this part of the Kokū.^śūnyatāSee LS 2.286. The Lotus Sutra Three fold Lotus SutraShōbōgenzōis ākāśa (space, ether), which is often used as a synonymthe Chinese character says that the original Sanskrit wordśūnyatā,kūi.e., the state in which includes both these

(void). In the

there is nothing on our mind, emptiness. But (note 49.is used as a transitive verb: “to realize . . . in turning the Flower of Dharma.” Compare space)—see Chapter Seventy-seven (Vol. IV), kokū usually has a more concrete emphasis Kokū. In this sentence, tenhokke su

147  Fushō-ji-shirō. See LS 2.318.

148  Yo no fushin. See LS 2.318.

149  Ichiji-butsu-jū, taken from the opening words of the Lotus Sutra. See LS 1.8. 150 Shingo, as in Master Daikan Enō’s poem.

151  factors: real and mental, objective and subjective, concrete and abstract, the substantial In general in this paragraph Master Dōgen repeatedly suggests the synthesis of two factual Vulture Peak and the fabulous stupa, the historical Buddha and the legendary earth and the empty sky, the individual downward direction and all-inclusive space, Tathagata, and so on.

152  ^{Master Dōgen read the characters} The that reality includes both the specific (the downward direction) and the inclusive downward direction,” and “the inside of space.” He emphasized that we should realizespaceLotus Sutra).    says kahō-kūchū-jū,kahō “Down below, they live in space.” See LS 2.310.and kūchū literally, as noun phrases: “the

(

153  Hotsu-bodai, short for hotsu-bodaishin, “to establish the bodhi-mind.” See LS 2.218.

154  Nanpō, a world free of impurity. See LS 2.224.

155  Bunshin. See note 120.

156  Shiki-soku-ze-kū.haramitsu.     Quoted from the Heart Sutra. See Chapter Two, Maka-hannya-

157  Nyaku-tai-nyaku-shutsu. See LS 3.18.

158  Kū-soku-ze-shiki. Also quoted from the Heart Sutra.

159  Mu-u-shōji. See LS 3.18.

160  Zaise. See LS 3.18.

161  Metsudo. See LS 3.18.

162  Shin-yū. See LS 2.118.

163  Keiju. See LS 2.276. 164 Eju. See LS 2.118.

165  Lotus Sutra, Ken-hōtōButsuzen ni hōtō aru. Taken from the opening words of the eleventh chapter of the(“Seeing the Treasure Stupa”). See LS 2.168.

166  an ox can pull a cart in one day—about nine miles (see Glossary of Sanskrit Terms).Master Dōgen emphasized that even a fabulous stupa has its concrete height.Kō-gohyaku-yujun. See LS 2.168. It is said that one yojana is equivalent to the distance

167  Tōchū ni butsuza. See LS 2.186–88.

168  The Lotus Sutra says the stupa sprang out from the earth and abides in the sky (see on mental phenomena (and which is therefore realization restricted by the eyes andconsidered two further cases: concrete realization which is based on the concrete (andwhich is therefore unrestricted realization), and concrete realization which is basedLS 2.168), suggesting phenomenal realization based on the concrete. Master Dōgen by the body).

169  Suggests the oneness of an entity and the space that it occupies.

170  2.186–88.The legendary eternal buddha called Buddha Abundant Treasures (Skt. Prabhūt and Śākyamuni Buddha who existed as a historical person on Vulture Peak, are onthe same level; when we venerate them, we are venerating the same state. See LSaratna),

171  Kumetsudo. See LS 2.190. 172 Ze-hō-i. See LS 1.120.

173  II),HishiryōZazenshin; describes the state in zazen. See for example Chapter Twenty-seven (Vol.Chapter Fifty-eight (Vol. III), Hōben (“Expedient Means”) chapter of the Zazengi; and the Fukanzazengi.Lotus Sutra.The

See LS 1.88–90.characters also appear in the

174  Gen-busshin-ji-i-seppō. See LS 3.252.

175  later turned against the Buddha and caused a schism within the sangha. Hence Deva-Devadatta was a cousin of the Buddha and at one time the Buddha’s disciple, but hedatta is a symbol of bad behavior. See LS 3.282–84. Nevertheless, in the chapter“Devadatta,” the twelfth chapter of the that Devadatta will become a buddha in the future. See LS 2.208.Lotus Sutra, the Buddha gives affirmation

176  Tai-yaku-ke-i. See LS 1.86–88.

177  Gasshō-sengō-tai, from Śāriputra’s words in the Lotus Sutra, Hōben chapter, describing

1.80the attitude of the Buddha’s disciples waiting for him to preach the Dharma. See LS. In these sentences Master Dōgen praises the attitude of patient waiting.

178  Rokujū-shōkō. See LS 1.46.

179  Isshin-tai. See LS 1.64.

180  Fu-nō-soku-bucchi. See LS 1.72.

181  Hongyō-bosatsudō. See note 8, and LS 2.172, 3.20.

182  Konnichi-nyorai-setsu-daijō. See LS 1.52.

183  Fukaku-fuchi. See LS 1.160.

184  Fushiki, fue. See notes 109 and 110.

185  Jinten, short for jintenkō. See LS 2.12–214.

186  Chinpō. See LS 1.224.

187  Kōmyō. See LS 2.286. See also Chapter Thirty-six (Vol. II), Kōmyō.

188  Dōjō. See LS 1.120.

189  Kōdai-shinnon. See LS 1.68.

190  Shindai-ku-on. See LS 3.18–20, 3.328–30.

191  LS 1.300.Kuyō, kugyō, sonjū, sandan. This phrase appears many times in the Lotus Sutra. See

192  1241.

193  Shin [no] shukke-ji, a true monk.

194  Myōnashi. See LS 1.82.

195  The first month of the lunar calendar.

196  1305.

[Chapter Eighteen] Shin-fukatoku Mind Cannot Be Grasped(The Former)

Translator’s Note: Shin means “mind,” fu expresses negation, ka expresses possibility, and toku means “to grasp.” Shin-fukatoku, or “mind cannot be grasped,” is a quotation from the Diamond Sutra. On the basis of our common sense, we usually think that our mind can be grasped by our intellect, and we are prone to think that our mind must exist somewhere substantially. This belief also extends into the sphere of philosophy; René Descartes, for example, started his philosophical thinking with the premise “Cogito ergo sum” or “I think therefore I am.” The German idealists, for example, Kant, Fichte, von Schelling, and Hegel, also based their philosophies on the existence of mind. But in Buddhism we do not have confidence in the existence of mind. Buddhism is a philosophy of action, or a philosophy of the here and now; in that philosophy, mind cannot exist independently of the external world. In other words, Buddhism says that all existence is the instantaneous contact between mind and the external world. Therefore it is difficult for us to grasp our mind independently of the external world. In short, Buddhist theory cannot support belief in the independent existence of mind. In this chapter, Master Dōgen preached that mind cannot be grasped, explaining a famous Buddhist story about a conversation between Master Tokusan Senkan and an old woman selling rice cakes.

[75]       Śākyamuni Buddha says, “Past mind cannot be grasped, present mindcannot be grasped, and future mind cannot be grasped.”1

This is what the Buddhist Patriarch has mastered in practice. Inside cannot be grasped, it has scooped out and brought here the caves2 of the past, present, and future. At the same time it has utilized the cave of [the Buddhist Patriarch] himself, and the meaning of “self” here is “mind cannot be grasped.” The present thinking and discrimination is “mind cannot be grasped.” The whole body utilizing the twelve hours is just “mind cannot be grasped.”

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[76]       After entering the room of a Buddhist patriarch, we understand “mind cannot be grasped.” Before entering the room of a Buddhist patriarch, we are without questions about, we are without assertions about, and we do not see and hear “mind cannot be grasped.” Teachers of sutras and teachers of commentaries, śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, have never seen it even in a dream. Evidence of this is close at hand: Zen Master Tokusan Senkan,3 in former days, boasts that he has elucidated the Diamond Prajñā Sutra.4

76a Sometimes he calls himself “Shū, King of the Diamond Sutra.”5 He is reputed to be especially well versed in the Seiryū Commentaries,6 besides which he [himself] has edited texts weighing twelve tan.7 It appears that there is no other lecturer to match him. [In fact,] however, he is the last in a line of literary Dharma teachers. Once, he hears that there is a supreme Buddha Dharma, received by rightful successor from rightful successor, and angered beyond endurance he crosses mountains and rivers, carrying his sutras and commentaries with him, until he comes upon the order of Zen Master Shin of Ryūtan.8 On the way to that order, which he intends to join, he stops for a rest. Then an old woman comes along, and she [also] stops for a rest by the side of the road.

Then Lecturer [Sen]kan asks, “What kind of person are you?”

The old woman says, “I am an old woman who sells rice cakes.” Tokusan says, “Will you sell some rice cakes to me?”

The old woman says, “Why does the master wish to buy rice cakes?”

Tokusan says, “I would like to buy rice cakes to refresh my mind.”9 The old woman says, “What is that great load the master is carrying?”

Tokusan says, “Have you not heard? I am Shū, King of the Diamond Sutra. I have mastered the Diamond Sutra. There is no part of it that I do not understand. This [load] I am now carrying is commentaries on the Diamond Sutra.”

Hearing this insistence, the old woman says, “The old woman has a

question. Will the master permit me [to ask] it, or not?”

Tokusan says, “I give you permission at once. You may ask whatever

you like.”

The old woman says, “I have heard it said in the Diamond Sutra that past mind cannot be grasped, present mind cannot be grasped, and future mind cannot be grasped. Which mind do you now intend somehow to refresh

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with rice cakes? If the master is able to say something, I will sell the rice 76b cakes. If the master is unable to say anything, I will not sell the rice cakes.”

Tokusan is dumbfounded at this: he does not know how he might politely reply. The old woman just swings her sleeves10 and leaves. In the end, she does not sell her rice cakes to Tokusan. How regrettable it is for a commentator on hundreds of scrolls [of text], a lecturer for tens of years, on merely receiving one question from a humble old woman, to be defeated at once and not even to manage a polite reply. Such things are due to the great difference between [someone] who has met a true teacher and succeeded a true teacher and heard the right Dharma, and [someone] who has never heard the right Dharma or met a true teacher. This is when Tokusan first says, “A rice cake painted in a picture cannot kill hunger.” Now, so they say, he has received the Dharma from Ryūtan.

[81]    When we carefully consider this story of the meeting between the old woman and Tokusan, Tokusan’s lack of clarity in the past is audible [even] now. Even after meeting Ryūtan he might still be frightened of the old woman. He is just a late learner, not an eternal buddha who has transcended enlightenment. The old woman on this occasion shuts Tokusan’s mouth, but it is still difficult to decide that she is really a true person.11 The reason is that when she hears the words “mind cannot be grasped,” she thinks only that mind cannot be got, or that mind cannot exist, and so she asks as she does. If Tokusan were a stout fellow, he might have the power to examine and defeat the old woman. If he had examined and defeated her already, it would also be apparent whether the old woman is in fact a true person. Tokusan has not yet become Tokusan, and so whether the old woman is a true person also is not yet apparent.

[82]    That the mountain monks of the great kingdom of Song today, with        76c