月岡芳年筆 - 『月百姿』の内達磨を描いた「破窓月」1887年（明治20年）刊

When I was a young monk, I wondered why the Buddha kept practising mindfulness and meditation even after he had already become a Buddha.

Now I find the answer is plain enough to see. Happiness is impermanent, like everything else.

For happiness to be extended and renewed, you have to learn how to feed your happiness.

Nothing can survive without food, including happiness; your happiness can die if you don’t know how to nourish it. If you cut a flower but don’t put it in some water, the flower will wilt in a few hours. Even if happiness is already manifesting, we have to continue to nourish it. This is sometimes called conditioning, and it’s very important. We can condition our bodies and minds to happiness with the five practices of letting go, inviting positive seeds, mindfulness, concentration, and insight.

- Thich Nhat Hanh, in “No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering”.

百丈懷海 6 of 6

Keeping our mind still and pure

Baizhang summarized his technique for sudden illumination in a bold manifesto:

You should know that setting forth the principle of deliverance in its entirety amounts only to this: When things happen, make no response: Keep your minds from dwelling on anything whatsoever. Keep them forever still as the void and utterly pure.

Why would we want to cut off all attachments, rationality, discernment, values, sensations? By releasing ourselves from this enslaving bondage to our ego and its attachments, Baizhang answered, we become the masters of our own being, free to experience the world but no longer at its mercy. And furthermore, we no longer have even to think about being in the state of "no-thought." It is this natural state of wisdom that is our goal.

Concentration (dhyana) involves the stilling of your mind so that you remain wholly unmoved by surrounding phenomena. Wisdom means that your stillness of mind is not disturbed by your giving any thought to that stillness, that your purity is unmarred by your entertaining any thought of purity and that, in the midst of such pairs of opposites as good and evil, you are able to distinguish between them without being stained by them and, in this way, to reach the state of being perfectly at ease and free of all dependence.

To be separate from all sound and form, though not abiding in the separateness . . . this is the true practice . . . . Baizhang

This is the state called enlightenment, a new way of experiencing the reality that relies entirely upon intuition. Then we realize that all this time our rational mind has been leading us along, telling us that appearances are real and yet keeping us from really experiencing things firsthand, since the rational mind believes in names, categories, duality. Consequently, before this sudden moment of intuitive understanding, we saw the world as through a glass darkly, with ourselves as subject and the falsely perceived exterior world as object. After this experience, we see things clearly, but we perceive them for what they really are — creations of mind as devoid of genuine substance as the world we create in our dreams or the ocean's waves that we can see but cannot hold.

Knowing this, we can regard the world dispassionately, no longer caught in the web of ego involvement that enslaves those not yet enlightened. Since this whole world view only can be understood intuitively, it is not surprising that it must one-day "dawn on you" when you least expect, like a sudden inspiration that hits you after logic has failed. Baizhang's instructions are intended to be preparations for this moment, attributes to adopt that will make you ready and receptive when your "sudden" enlightenment hits.

Baizhang defined dhyana as a state of mind, not an action.

Baizhang's concept of sudden enlightenment was quite straightforward, and it apparently was not absolutely necessary that meditation be employed. (In fact, he has defined dhyana as a state of mind, not an action.) Enlightenment is the release from the ego, the primary thing standing in the way of mental peace in a world of getting and spending, of conflict and competition. The ancient Chan masters knew well the griefs and mental distress that haunt the heart of man, and thinkers such as Baizhang explored its cure more fully than we realize today.

"A day without work is a day without food."

百丈懷海 Bǎizhàng Huáihái 21 ―

Question: Nowadays monks all say, "We follow the Buddhist teaching, and study a scripture, a treatise, a meditation, a rule, a knowledge, an understanding - we should receive the offerings of the four necessities of life from patrons." Do you think they can digest the offerings? The master said, Just going by the present shining function, in each sound, form, fragrance and taste, in the midst of all various existent and nonexistent things, in every realm, if one has not the slightest spot of grasping indulgence, and yet does not abide in non-grasping, and does not even have any understanding of non-abiding, this person can eat ten thousand ounces of gold’s worth and still be able to digest it. But right now as you shine on all things existent, nonexistent, etc., even if you cut off accretions in the gates of the senses, if there is the slightest hair of greedy love remaining unconquered, then if you beg even a single grain of rice or a single thread of cloth from a patron, for each you will wear fur and horns, pull ploughs and bear burdens; one by one you must repay him before you can say you don’t depend on Buddha. A Buddha is someone with no attachments, someone with no seeking, someone without resort - now if you longingly search for Buddha here and there, then you have totally turned away from him. Therefore it is said, "Though long having been closely associated with Buddha, they do not know the enlightened nature." For those who only look at the saviour of the world, to say that one sees Buddha only after evolving in the six dispositions1 for a long time is to explain that a Buddha is hard to meet. Manjusri is the ancestral teacher of the seven Buddhas of antiquity. Manjusri is the principal, leading bodhisattva of this world, yet because he pointlessly created the idea of seeing Buddha and the idea of hearing the Dharma, he was overcome by the Buddha’s inconceivable power and cast down between the two iron enclosing mountains. He does not know how to especially act as a standard for students; he is commanding all students of later times not to create such seeing and hearing. Just have no doctrines of existence, nonexistence, etc., no views of existence, nonexistence, etc. - one by one pass through and beyond the three states. This is called the wish-fulfilling jewel; this is called jewel flowers supporting your feet. If you create a view of Buddha or a view of Dharma, or views of anything at all, existent, nonexistent, or whatever, these are called the (illusory) visions of the eye-diseased; because of what is seen, they are also called the enclosure of views, the lid of views, and also the affliction of views.2 Right now, in moment after moment of awareness, if all seeing, hearing, discerning and knowing, and all defiling dust of afflictions and passions are thoroughly cleared away, then even be it one atom, one form, always it is one Buddha; even one moment of thought is always the past, present, and future five clusters of life elements of one Buddha. Thought after thought - who knows how many - this is what is called Buddhas filling empty space; this is called the Buddha dividing his body; this is called the previous shrine appearing. Therefore I always sadly say that, as we see the life we depend on today, it depends on a grain of rice, a blade of vegetable to eat - if we do not get food from time to time we starve, if we do not get water we die of thirst, and if we do not have fire we freeze to death. If we lack for one day we don’t live, yet if we lack for one day we don’t die either - we are in the grip of the gross elements. This is not as good as our predecessors, who entered fire without being burnt, entered water without drowning; yet if they wanted to burn, they burnt, and if they wanted to drown, they drowned. When they wanted to live, they lived, and when they wanted to die they died - they were free to go or stay. Such people have their share of freedom; if the mind is not disturbed, there is no need to seek Buddha, to seek enlightenment or extinction from suffering. If you seek with attachment to Buddha, you are in the province of greed, and greed turns into disease.

Therefore it is said, "The Buddha disease is most difficult to cure; only by slandering the Buddha and reviling the Dharma can you take food." "Food" means your own purely aware essence - the meal of non-indulgence, the food of liberation; these words cure the illness of the Bodhisattvas of the tenth stage.

From the first to the tenth stage of Bodhisattvahood they are still disciples - right now as long as they have any seeking mind at all, they’re all called immoral monks, nominal saints; they’re all called jackals. Hsueh Tou added the comment, "He adds frost to snow.". Clearly, they can’t digest the offerings of others. But right now if one hears sound as an echo, smells odour as wind, detached from all existent, nonexistent, or anything at all, and yet does not dwell in detachment, and has no understanding of not dwelling either, this person cannot be affected by any moral defilement. For one to be called renunciant because of the search for unsurpassed enlightenment and ultimate peace is still a false aspiration - how much the more so is worldly disputation, seeking victory and defeat, saying "I am able, I understand," seeking a following, the liking of a disciple, being fond of a dwelling place, making a pact with a patron (for) a robe, a meal, a name, a gain; and they say, "I have attained total unimpeded freedom." They are only fooling themselves. Right now if you are capable, within your own five clusters of mortal being, of not acting as the owner - though cut to pieces joint by joint by others, yet not having any thought of resentment or regret, and also not suffering, and so on, even when your own disciples are beaten head to foot by others - in each case of events such as these, if you do not have even a single thought giving rise to ideas of others and self, yet abide in the absence of even a single thought and consider that right, this is called defilement by the dust of the Dharma. Even people in the tenth stage of Bodhisattvahood cannot get rid of this completely, and flow into the river of birth and death. This is why I always urge everyone to fear the affliction by the dust of Dharma as you would fear the states of hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals - [there] you will have a share of independence. If one surpassed nirvana, if he did not arouse the slightest notion of marvel or esteem, therefore, this person, step after step, would be a Buddha; he does not need for his feet to tread upon lotus flowers or to divide his body into a hundred million. But right now, if you have the slightest bit of love for anything existent or nonexistent defiling your mind, then even if your feet did tread upon lotus flowers, it would still be the same as da demon's work.3 (1) If one clings to "original purity, fundamental liberation" and considers himself a Buddha, considers his own self to be Ch’an and the Way, then he belongs to the naturalist outsiders. (2) If one clings to causality, the perfection of practice and attainment of realization, then he belongs to the outsiders who believe in causality. (3) If you cling to existence, then you belong to outsiders with the notion of eternity; if you cling to nonexistence, you belong to outsiders with the notion of annihilation. (4) If you cling to both existence and nonexistence, then you belong to outsiders with extreme views. (5) If you cling to neither existence nor nonexistence, then you belong to outsiders with a notion of emptiness. You ignorant, stupid outsiders, right now you just do not create any views of Buddha or views of nirvana; when you have no views at all of existence, nonexistence, or whatever, and yet do not lack vision, this is called true vision. To have no hearing at all, yet not to lack hearing, is called true hearing. This is called smashing down outside ways. No bedevilments of the two vehicles befall - this is the "greatest enlightening charm." None of the bedevilment of bodhisattvas befalls - this is the "unexcelled charm." None of the bedevilment of Buddhas befalls - this is the "peerless charm."4 One transformation, into sentient beings from fawning, deceitful titans; second transformation, into members of the two vehicles from fawning, deceitful titans; third transformation, into bodhisattvas from fawning, deceitful titans. These are the three transformed pure lands. (damn, pwned.) The pure disciples of bodhisattvas are lucid and clear; whatever they say, they do not cling to nonexistence or existence - all their awareness and activity is not contained by either purity or impurity. He who has a disease but does not take medicine is a fool. He who has no disease but takes medicine is someone who is a disciple; one who clings fixedly to the teaching is called a disciple of fixed nature. One wholly devoted too much learning is called a disciple who is conceited. Obviously, these are what are called disciples with something yet to learn. Those sunk in emptiness, lingering in stillness and self-knowledge, are called disciples with nothing more to learn. Greed, anger, folly, and the like, are poisons; the Buddhist teachings are medicine. When the poison is not yet dispersed, the medicine should be removed. **If you take medicine when you have no illness, the medicine turns into such wrong desires as this must first be cut off. Right now, as long as you have grasping attachment and wandering thoughts, all are called wrong desires; all are in the realm of the six heavens of desire, all governed by the Evil One. ___________________________________________________________ BCR 4- When Te Shan arrived at Kuei Shan, he carried his bundle with him into the teaching hall, where he crossed from east to west and from west to east. He looked around and said, "There's nothing, no one." Then he went out. Hsueh Tou (Xuedou) added the comment, "Completely exposed." But when Te Shan got to the monastery gate, he said, "Still, I shouldn't be so coarse." So he reentered (the hall) with a full ceremony to meet (Kuei Shan). As Kuei Shan sat there, Te Shan held up his sitting mat and said, "Teacher!" Kuei Shan reached for his whisk, whereupon Te Shan shouted, shook out his sleeves, and left. Hsueh Tou added the comment, "Completely exposed." Te Shan turned his back on the teaching hall, put on his straw sandals, and departed. That evening Kuei Shan asked the head monk, "Where is that newcomer who just came?" The head monk answered, "At that time he turned his back on the teaching hall, put on his straw sandals, and departed." Kuei Shan said, "Hereafter that lad will go to the summit of a solitary peak, build himself a grass hut, and: go on scolding the Buddhas and reviling the Patriarchs." *Hsueh Tou added the comment, "*He adds frost to snow." ___________________________________________________________

Footnotes:

1. "Dispositions" refers to the paramitas, or virtues to perfect to become an Arhat. (Zen doesn't want you to become an arhat.... it claims to birth buddhas.)
2. "Views" can be seen in the concepts of Vidya or Rigpa (Tibetan). Mahayana negation, post nagarjuna, pre-zen iterations can be seen as avidya or arigpa.
3. I call bullshit. This is just one Dharma for another. Whoever edited this volume after Baizhang's death was a cultist and probably some sort of priestly boy-fucker. Gross.
4. Reference to the negation of the Heart Sutra. Fight me.
5. This is the raft! Why use the wrong tool? If you find yourself with it in your hands, chuckle... then get the right one.