T2582 Shōbōgenzō The True Dharma-Eye Treasury, Volume I

Chapter 17: Hokke-ten-hokke - The Flower of Dharma Turns the Flower of Dharma

Shōbōgenzō Volume I

75 76 as a double check. However, in this sentence the word gannen, "first year,

" was abbreviated.

Corresponds to present-day Fukui prefecture. It is likely that Master Dōgen actually wrote his own seal having arrived at Kippōji, after which Master Koun Ejō, when copying Master Dōgen's original text, wrote the words kaji,

"written seal" (see note 33). 262

[Chapter Seventeen] Hokke-ten-hokke

The Flower of Dharma Turns the Flower of Dharma Translator's Note: Hōmeans "Dharma,

" "the law of the universe, "

or the

universe itself. Kemeans "flowers.

" So hokkemeans

"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-hokkemeans "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.

7This 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 263

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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 "pāramitāof knowing"34 the Dharma Flower's turning, which is "good in the beginning, middle, and end. "35 This is why [the Buddha] has

"manifested himself in reality,

" calling "sole reliance"36on 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. "39The 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 thirtythird 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. "44It is manifesting itself at this place. 45That the Buddhist customs of Seigen46have been transmitted to the present, and that Nangaku's47Dharma gate has been opened and preached through the world, are totally [due to] the "Tathāgata's real wisdom. "48Truly, this [real wisdom]is the "perfect realization of buddhas alone, 264

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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 Sutrathree thousand 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 265

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[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 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. '79Why 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 266

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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 kalpato 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. 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.

86This 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" 267

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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.

92What 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 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. 95When 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.

101There 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.

103There is turning which discloses, displays, realizes, and enters the universal gate in each instance of disclosure, display, 268

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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"116as "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

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. "132When 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 269

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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 realizing 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.

"

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[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.

146We 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.

"149Turned 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

"the downward direction" is just "the inside of space. "152This "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 271

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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.

"154This 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.

"157There is turning the Flower

of Dharma as "the immaterial just being matter,

"158 which may be "absence

of life and death.

"159We cannot call it "being in the world";160 and how could it only be in a process of "extinction"?161When [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.

"164There 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 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 272

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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"179is 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]"185are 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 transmitted 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 273

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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 kalpato kalpais the Flower of Dharma, and from noon to night is the Flower of Dharma. Because the Flower of Dharma is from kalpato 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 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 274

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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 shōhōrinji, a śramaṇawho 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

275

Notes

1 Juppō-butsudo-chū.See LS 1.106. 2 Yui-i.See LS 1.106.

3 Hokke,or (more freely translated) "Lotus Universe, " from the title of the Lotus Sutra. See LS 2.156.

4 "All buddhas" is issai-shobutsu. "Ten directions" is juppō. "The three times" (past,

present, and future, i.e., eternity) is sanze.These expressions all derive from the Lotus Sutra.See LS 1.90, 1.128. 5 Anokutara-sanmyaku-sanbodai.These characters, representing the sound of the Sanskrit anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi,appear frequently throughout the Lotus Sutra. See LS 2.156.

6 Tenhokke. Tenis literally "to turn, " "to move,

" or "to change.

" Used here as a transitive verb, tensuggests 1) to turn a scroll on which the Lotus Sutrais written, and 2) to act in, or upon, the universe which is identified with the Lotus Sutra.The content of this chapter suggests that to read the Lotus Sutraand to realize the real universe are the same.

7 Hokketen.Used here as an intransitive verb, tensuggests 1) a scroll of the Lotus Sutra unrolling naturally, and 2) the activity of the universe independent of the subjective self.

8 Hongyō-bosatsudō. Honmeans "original, " and at the same time it suggests the past. Hongyōappears in several places in the Lotus Sutrareferring 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 usually an image of Mañjuśrī. The Lotus Sutradescribes him as springing out from the great ocean. See LS 2.212-214, 2.218. 13 Nyozesō.See LS 1.68.

14 Yuibutsu-yobutsu.See LS 1.68. 277

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15 Shakamuni. The historical Buddha, who was born into the Śākya clan. The Sanskrit Śākyamuni means "Sage of the Śākyas. " See LS 2.186-88.

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 LS1.70. 22 Fugen, the bodhisattva called Samantabhadra in Sanskrit. The last chapter of the Lotus Sutrais Fugen-bosatsu-kanpotsu("Encouragement of Bodhisattva Universal Virtue"). The translation into English of Chinese characters representing the names of bodhisattvas has generally followed the translation in the Lotus Sutra. 23 Fukashigi no kudoku.See LS 3.210, 3.328-30. 24 Enbudai ni rufu se shimuru.See LS 3.328-30. Enbudairepresents the sound of the Sanskrit Jambudvīpa, the southern continent upon which, according to ancient Indian cosmology, human beings live.

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 Jingyō-jōju.The characters jōju,

"accomplish,

" appear often in the Lotus Sutra(see LS 1.66, 3.328-30). Jingyōmeans "total practice" or "all-out action" (see LS 1.66). In this context jingyōsuggests Universal Virtue's work of realizing the reality of the Lotus Sutra;see LS 3.326.

29 Ryōzen no dai-e.Vulture Peak is a natural platform on the southern slope of Mount Chatha, overlooking the Rājagṛha valley. It was so called because the silhouette of the mountain resembles a vulture. The historical Buddha often preached there. See LS 2.216, 3.30.

30 Byakugō-kōsō.The circle of hair, ūrṇāin Sanskrit, is one of the thirty-two distinguishing marks attributed to the Buddha. The Lotus Sutradescribes many occasions when the Buddha sent forth a ray of light from between his eyebrows. See LS 1.18, 2.176.

31 The final chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Fugen-bosatsu-kanpotsu,describes Bodhisattva Universal Virtue coming from the east to Vulture Peak to hear Śākyamuni's preaching of the Lotus Sutra,and promising to go to any place where people read and recite the Lotus Sutrain order to serve and to protect them. 278

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32 Yuijun.See LS 1.38, 1.52.

33 Juki,from the Sanskrit vyākaraṇa. The sixth chapter of the Lotus Sutraand Chapter Thirty-two (Vol. II) of the Shōbōgenzōhave the title Juki.Here jukirefers to Mañjuśrī's affirmation of Maitreya, that is, Mañjuśrī's prediction that Maitreya will become a buddha in the future. See LS 1.62.

34 Chiken-haramitsu.Master Dōgen picked up these characters from the Lotus Sutra (see LS 1.68), where they are used as a noun, and he used them as a transitive verb. Chimeans to know and kenmeans to see. Chikenmeans knowledge or knowing. Master Dōgen sometimes uses the word chikento represent the intellectual and sensory faculties (e.g., in the Fukanzazengi:"How could [dignified behavior] be anything other than criteria that precede knowing and seeing?"), but in this chapter and in the Lotus Sutra, chikensuggests the intuitive wisdom of the mind in action. Haramitsu is from the Sanskrit pāramitā,which means "gone to the opposite shore" or "accomplishment. " Chiken-haramitsumeans prajñā,or real wisdom experienced throughout the body and mind when the nervous system is set right in zazen (see Chapter Two, Maka-hannya-haramitsu).

35 Sho-chū-kō-zen.See LS 1.40.

36 Yui-i.In the Lotus Sutra,these characters have the meaning of "solely by [reason of. . .].

"See LS 1.88-90.

37 Ichijō,short for ichi-butsujō.See LS 1.90.

38 Ichidaiji.See LS 1.88-90.

39 Yuibutsu-yobutsu-nainō-gujin-shohō-jissō;or read in Japanese, yuibutsu-yo-butsu, sunawachi yoku hoho-jisso o gujin su.See LS 1.68.

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 thirty-third patriarch from Master Mahākāśyapa, and the Sixth Patriarch in China. He had several excellent disciples including Master Seigen Gyōshi, Master Nangaku Ejō, and Master Nan'yō Echū.

44 Shutsugen-o-se. This expression appears many times in the Lotus Sutrawith buddhas as the subject (see LS 1.88-90). Here Master Dōgen uses it with the Buddhist method, zazen, as the subject.

45 Shutsugen-o-shi.This is Master Dōgen's variation on the expression in the Lotus Sutra.

46 Master Seigen Gyōshi (660?-740). The lineages of the Sōtō, Unmon, and Hōgen sects sprang from Master Seigen's descendants.

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47 Master Nangaku Ejō (677-744). His history is described in Chapter Sixty-two (Vol. III), Hensan.The lineages of the Rinzai and Igyō sects sprang from the descendants of Master Nangaku and his successor Master Baso Dōitsu. 48 Nyorai[no]nyojitsu-chiken.See LS 3.18. 49 Hokketen su beshi.Here hokketen suis used as a verb phrase— "the Dharma Flower's

turning preaches.

"

50 Myōhōrengekyō,the full title of the Lotus Sutra,from the Sanskrit Saddhar ma puṇḍarīka-sūtra.See LS 1.52. 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 Kokudo.See LS 2.286. In this case, kokudosuggests a unified realm. Because the Buddha's real wisdom is identified with all things and phenomena in this world, concrete 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 LS1.68. 59 Nyorai-juryō,the title of the sixteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra. 60 Shinjin-muryō.See LS 1.66. 61 Shogyō-mujō.This is the first line of the four-line poem in the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra, which a hungry demon tells the child bodhisattva Himālaya: "Actions are without constancy./Concrete existence is the arising and passing of dharmas./After arising and passing have ceased,/The peace and quiet is pleasure itself. "

62 Hokke-zanmai.See LS 3.214. 63 Tenhokke.See note 6.

64 Hokketen.See note 7.

65 Shōbōgenzō-nehan-myōshin.The Buddha said, "I have the right Dharma-eye treasury and the fine mind of nirvana; I transmit them to Mahā kāśyapa. " See for example

Chapter Sixty-eight (Vol. III), Udonge. 66 Genshin-doshō.See LS 3.252. 67 Juki-sabutsu.See for example LS 1.134, 1.322. 68 Master Daikan Enō (638-713). 280

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69 Kōnantōro. This was the name of an administrative area (close to present-day Guangdong province) created in southeast China during the reign of the Song emperor Kinei (1068-1077).

70 Hōtatsu became a monk at the age of seven, and devoted himself to reciting the Lotus Sutrauntil meeting with Master Daikan Enō and receiving the master's affirmation. 71 Hōben,the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra. 72 Innen-shusse.See LS 1.88-90. Inmeans direct or intrinsic causes, and enmeans indirect or external causes, connections, or conditions. At the same time, innenrepresents the Sanskrit hetu-pratyaya,which sometimes means "causes" or "purpose. "

73 Byakugosha.Symbol of the state of Buddhist wisdom. See LS 1.166. The third chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Hiyu("A Parable"), is the parable of a rich father who lures his children out of a burning house by telling them that there are three kinds of carts— goat carts, deer carts, and ox carts—for them to play with outside the gate. When the children escape the burning house, the father gives them a great cart yoked by white oxen, which is more than they had hoped for. In the same way, buddhas use expedient means to make living beings realize the Buddha's wisdom—even as they discriminate and explain the three vehicles by which śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas should transcend the triple world, buddhas know that in reality there is only the One Buddha Vehicle, which is the real wisdom of zazen. 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 The metaphor of father (the Buddha) and children (his followers) occurs in the parable of the burning house and in several other chapters of the 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 "Story" is innen, lit.,

"causes and conditions,

" in this case representing the Sanskrit nidāna,which means a primary cause or a historical account. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms and note 72.

85 Nyoze,used as a noun. See LS 1.68. 281

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86 Hokketen. From here to the end of this long paragraph, Master Dōgen explains hokketen,the Flower of Dharma turning. In the following paragraph (62) he explains tenhokke,our turning of the Flower of Dharma. 87 Nyozesō.See LS 1.68.

88 So far in this paragraph, Master Dōgen has outlined in general terms the meaning of "the Flower of Dharma turns" (hokketen). This short section introduces the concrete or objective phase. The division into sub-paragraphs has been done for ease of reading; there are no divisions in the source text.

89 Sekishinmeans "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 From here Master Dōgen considers the analogy of the burning house on the basis of objective reality, as opposed to idealism. In general, the burning house symbolizes delusion; open ground symbolizes the state of realization; the gate of the house symbolizes the process leading from delusion to realization; the three carts symbolize methods of Buddhist practice; and the white ox cart symbolizes practice in the state of Buddhist wisdom, zazen.

94 Denial of the idealistic idea that delusion exists only in the burning house. 95 Even people who are in the state of Buddhist wisdom can experience realization by recognizing their thoughts as thoughts.

96 Shōkyō.See LS 1.166.

97 Roji.See LS 1.166.

98 Denial of idealistic interpretations of entering and leaving—reality is where we are already, and so there is no area to be entered and no area to be left. 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 Buddhist teaching always affirms the reality of the not-ideal situation, even for those who have real wisdom and are living in the peaceful state. 102 Tōmon no zenmonsuggests the whole Buddhist process as this moment of the Buddhist process.

103 Fumon no ichimonsuggests the Buddhist process of one individual, at one time and place. The characters ichimonappear in the parable of the burning house. See LS 1.162. The characters fumonare contained in the title of the twenty-fifth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Kanzeon-bosatsu-fumon,

"The Universal Gate of Bodhisattva Regarder 282

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of the Sounds of the World.

" Monmeans both "gate" and "aspect,

" and fumeans

"universal" or "every kind of.

" The chapter describes how Bodhisattva Avalo kiteśvara manifests himself or herself in many different guises (fumon), in order to save living beings. See LS 3.252, and the Glossary of Sanskrit Terms under samantamukha. 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 This part considers the analogy of the burning house on the practical basis of everyday life.

109 Fue.Master Daikan Enō said,

"I do not understand the Buddha-Dharma" (gabue buppō). See Shinji-shōbōgenzō,pt. 1, no. 59. 110 Fushiki. Alludes to the words of Master Bodhidharma. See Chapter Thirty (Vol. II), Gyōji,paragraph 188; and Chapter Twenty, Kokyō,paragraph 162. 111 Rinden-sangai.Rindenrepresents the Sanskrit word samsara, lit., "wandering through,

"

or "circuit of mundane existence.

" Sangai,triple world, means the world as it is divided in the minds of ordinary people; the ordinary world. The Lotus Sutrateaches us to see the triple world as it really is, as the triple world. See LS 3.18. 112 Shin-on.See LS 1.68.

113 Anon.Suggests an ideal situation. See LS 1.146. 114 Heitan.Suggests the concrete balanced state realized in practice. These characters have not been traced in the Lotus Sutra.An equivalent, though slightly more abstract expression, heisho,appears many times, often together with anon.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 Bunshinmeans "offshoot,

" suggesting the bodies of individual buddhas as offshoots of the Buddha. See LS 2.176.

121 Zenshinsometimes suggests the universe as the whole body of the Buddha (as in Chapter Seventy-one [Vol. III], Nyorai-zenshin). See LS 2.154. 283

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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 Ishin,lit.,

LS 3.30.

"one mind"; used in the Lotus Sutraas an adverb ("wholeheartedly"). See 128 Tennin-jō-jūman.See LS 3.32. 129 Birushana. Vairocana is the Sun Buddha, not mentioned in the Lotus Sutraitself but mentioned in the Kanfugenbosatsugyōhōkyō (Sutra of Reflection on the Practice of Dharma by Bodhisattva Universal Virtue),which is included as the third part of the ThreefoldLotus Sutra(LSW).

130 Jō-jaku-kō-do.This sentence is related to the teaching of the Tendai sect about the four lands (see following note). The Tendai sect is based on the study of the Lotus Sutra,and Master Dōgen spent his teenage years as a monk of the Tendai sect at a temple on Mount Hiei in Japan. 131 Shidoare four lands symbolizing the four processes of Buddhist life. They are 1) bonshō-dōgo-do,the land where sacred beings and ordinary people live together; 2) hōben-uyo-do,the land of expedient methods where something still remains, that is, the land of those who are led by the Buddha's teachings but who have not yet completely realized the teaching for themselves; 3) jippō-muge-do,the land of real results and no hindrances, that is, the land of bodhisattvas who have realized the teaching perfectly; and 4) jō-jaku-kō-do,the eternally peaceful and bright land, which is the abode of those who have realized the truth. 132 Nyoitsu no butsudo.See LS 3.158. 133 Mijin,derived from the Sanskrit paramāṇu,which means an infinitesimal portion or atom. See LS 3.130.

134 Hokkaimeans 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 "Perfectly exhausted" is another translation of gujin,usually translated as "perfectly realized.

" See LS 1.68.

140 Nyozeriki.See LS 1.68.

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141 Master Chōkei Eryō asks Master Reiun Shigon, "Just what is the Great Intent of the Buddha-Dharma?" Master Reiun says, "Donkey business being unfinished, but horse business coming in.

" See Shinji-shōbōgenzō,pt. 2, no. 56. 142 Shutsugen-o-shi.See note 45. 143 Chi-yū.The title of the fifteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutrais Ju-chi-yūshutsu, ing Out from the Earth.

" See LS 2.286.

"Spring-144 In the "Springing Out from the Earth" chapter, the Buddha is asked to explain why the bodhisattvas who have pursued the truth for a long time in the past have now sprung from the earth and become followers of the Buddha who has only recently realized the truth. See LS 2.318. 145 "Circumstances" is ta.This can be interpreted as "circumstances" (as opposed to self), or as "others,

" or as "him" (the Buddha in the Lotus Sutra;see LS 2.286). 146 Kokū.See LS 2.286. TheThreefold Lotus Sutrasays that the original Sanskrit word in this part of the Lotus Sutrais ākāśa(space, ether), which is often used as a synonym for śūnyatā(void). In the Shōbōgenzōthe Chinese character kūincludes both these meanings, that is, 1) concrete space or the sky, and 2) śūnyatā,i.e., the state in which there is nothing on our mind, emptiness. But kokūusually has a more concrete emphasis (space)—see Chapter Seventy-seven (Vol. IV), Kokū.In this sentence, tenhokke su is used as a transitive verb: "to realize . . . in turning the Flower of Dharma. " Compare

note 49.

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 In general in this paragraph Master Dōgen repeatedly suggests the synthesis of two factors: real and mental, objective and subjective, concrete and abstract, the substantial earth and the empty sky, the individual downward direction and all-inclusive space, factual Vulture Peak and the fabulous stupa, the historical Buddha and the legendary Tathāgata, and so on.

152 The Lotus Sutrasays kahō-kūchū-jū, "Down below, they live in space. " See LS 2.310.

Master Dōgen read the characters kahō and kūchūliterally, as noun phrases: "the downward direction,

" and "the inside of space.

" He emphasized that we should realize that reality includes both the specific (the downward direction) and the inclusive (space).

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.

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156 Shiki-soku-ze-kū.Quoted from the Heart Sutra.See Chapter Two, Maka-hannyaharamitsu. 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 Butsuzen ni hōtō aru.Taken from the opening words of the eleventh chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Ken-hōtō("Seeing the Treasure Stupa"). See LS 2.168. 166 Kō-gohyaku-yujun.See LS 2.168. It is said that one yojanais equivalent to the distance 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. 167 Tōchū ni butsuza.See LS 2.186-88.

168 The Lotus Sutrasays the stupa sprang out from the earth and abides in the sky (see LS 2.168), suggesting phenomenal realization based on the concrete. Master Dōgen considered two further cases: concrete realization which is based on the concrete (and which is therefore unrestricted realization), and concrete realization which is based on mental phenomena (and which is therefore realization restricted by the eyes and by the body).

169 Suggests the oneness of an entity and the space that it occupies. 170 The legendary eternal buddha called Buddha Abundant Treasures (Skt. Prabhū taratna), and Śākyamuni Buddha who existed as a historical person on Vulture Peak, are on the same level; when we venerate them, we are venerating the same state. See LS 2.186-88.

171 Kumetsudo.See LS 2.190.

172 Ze-hō-i.See LS 1.120.

173 Hishiryōdescribes the state in zazen. See for example Chapter Twenty-seven (Vol. II),Zazenshin; Chapter Fifty-eight (Vol. III), Zazengi; and the Fukanzazengi.The characters also appear in the Hōben("Expedient Means") chapter of the Lotus Sutra. See LS 1.88-90.

174 Gen-busshin-ji-i-seppō.See LS 3.252.

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175 Devadatta was a cousin of the Buddha and at one time the Buddha's disciple, but he later turned against the Buddha and caused a schism within the sangha. Hence Devadatta is a symbol of bad behavior. See LS 3.282-84. Nevertheless, in the chapter "Devadatta,

" the twelfth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha gives affirmation that Devadatta will become a buddha in the future. See LS 2.208. 176 Tai-yaku-ke-i.See LS 1.86-88. 177 Gasshō-sengō-tai,from Śāriputra's words in the Lotus Sutra,Hōbenchapter,describing the attitude of the Buddha's disciples waiting for him to preach the Dharma. See LS 1.80. 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 Kuyō, kugyō, sonjū, sandan.This phrase appears many times in the Lotus Sutra.See LS 1.300.

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.

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Chapter 18: Shin-fukatoku - Mind Cannot Be Grasped (The Former)

[Chapter Eighteen]

Shin-fukatoku

Mind Cannot Be Grasped

(The Former)

Translator's Note:Shinmeans

"

mind,

" fuexpresses negation, kaexpresses possibility, and tokumeans

"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 mind cannot 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. "

289

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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

Sometimes he calls himself "Shū, King of the Diamond Sutra. "5He 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 Sutrathat 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 290

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with rice cakes? If the master is able to say something, I will sell the rice 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 their patched robes and wide sleeves,

12 idly laugh at Tokusan's inability to

answer, and praise the old woman's inspired wit, might be very unreliable and stupid. For there is no absence of reasons to doubt the old woman: At the point when Tokusan is unable to say anything, why does the old woman not say to Tokusan,

"Now the master is unable to say something, [so] go ahead and ask [this] old woman. The old woman will say something for the master instead.

" If she spoke like this, and if what she said to Tokusan after receiving his question were right in expression, it would be apparent that the old woman 291

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really was a true person. She has questions, but she is without any assertion. No one since ancient times has ever been called a true person without asserting even a single word. We can see from Tokusan's past [experience] that idle boasting is useless, from beginning to end. We can know from the example of the old woman that someone who has never expressed anything cannot be approved. Let us see if we can say something in Tokusan's place. Just as the old woman is about to question him as she does, Tokusan should tell her at once,

"If you are like this, then do not sell me your rice cakes!" If Tokusan speaks like this, he might be an inspired practitioner. Tokusan might ask the old woman,

"Present mind cannot be grasped, past mind cannot be grasped, and future mind cannot be grasped. Which mind do you now intend to refresh with rice cakes?" If he questions her like this, the old woman should say at once to Tokusan,

"The master knows only that rice cakes cannot refresh the mind. You do not know that mind refreshes rice cakes, and you do not know that mind refreshes mind.

" If she says this, Tokusan will surely hesitate. Just at that time, she should take three rice cakes and hand them over to Tokusan. Just as Tokusan goes to take them, the old woman should say, "Past mind

cannot be grasped! Present mind cannot be grasped! Future mind cannot be grasped!" Or if Tokusan does not extend his hands to take them, she should take one of the rice cakes and strike Tokusan with it, saying, "You spiritless

corpse! Do not be so dumb!" When she speaks like this if Tokusan has something to say [for himself], fine. If he has nothing to say, the old woman should speak again for Tokusan. [But] she only swings her sleeves and leaves. We cannot suppose that there is a bee in her sleeve, either. Tokusan himself does not say,

"I cannot say anything. Please, old woman, speak for me. " So not

only does he fail to say what he should say, he also fails to ask what he should ask. It is pitiful that the old woman and Tokusan, past mind and future mind, questions and assertions, are solely in the state of "future mind cannot be grasped.

" Generally, even after this, Tokusan does not appear to have experienced any great enlightenment, but only the odd moment of violent behavior. 13 If he had studied under Ryūtan for a long time, the horns on his head might have touched something and broken,

14 and he might have met the

moment in which the pearl [under the black dragon's] chin15 is authentically transmitted. We see merely that his paper candle was blown out, 16 which is

not enough for the transmission of the torch.

17This being so, monks who are

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learning in practice must always be diligent in practice. Those who have taken it easy are not right. Those who were diligent in practice are Buddhist patriarchs. In conclusion, "mind cannot be grasped" means cheerfully buying a painted rice cake18 and munching it up in one mouthful. Shōbōgenzō Shin-fukatoku Preached to the assembly at Kannondōrikōshōhōrinji, in the Uji district of Yōshū, 19

during the summer retreat in the second year of Ninji.

20

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Notes

1 The Kongōhannyaharamitsukyōor theDiamond Prajñāpāramitā Sutra, from the Sanskrit Vajracchedikāprajñāpāramitā-sūtra.In Japanese the name of the sutra is usually abbreviated to Kongōkyōor Diamond Sutra.

2 Kutsurō,lit.,

"cave-cage,

" suggests the regulated and concrete conditions of a buddha's daily life. (This usage is also found in Chapter Seventy-nine [Vol. IV], Ango.) The quotation from the Diamond Sutrahas exactly described the life of the buddhas of the past, present, and future.

3 Master Tokusan Senkan (780-865). After traveling to the south of China he met Master Ryūtan Sōshin, a third-generation descendant of Master Seigen Gyōshi. It is said that Master Tokusan received the Dharma from Master Ryūtan, and later also met Master Isan Reiyū. He lived for thirty years in the Reiyō district, then fled to Dokufuzan to escape persecution by the Tang emperor Bu (r. 841-846), who tried to abolish Buddhism. Finally, in the Daichū era (847-860), the governor of Buryō invited Master Tokusan to become the master of Kotokuzenin Temple. Master Tokusan's successors included Master Seppō Gison.

4 The most popular Chinese translation of the Diamond Sutrais a single-volume version by Kumārajīva. The sutra preaches that all dharmas are bare and without self. Many Chinese masters quoted the Diamond Sutrain their preaching. It was especially highly revered after the time of Master Daikan Enō.

5 Shū was Master Tokusan's family name. At the same time, the character shūmeans a complete cycle, and therefore suggests Master Tokusan's complete understanding of the Diamond Sutra.

6 The Seiryū Commentarieswere written by a monk called Dōin at Seiryōji, under the orders of the Tang emperor Gensō (r. 713-755).

7 One tanis a hundred kin.One kinis equal to about 0.6 kilos. 8 Master Ryūtan Sōshin. A successor of Master Tennō Dōgo, who was the successor of Master Sekitō Kisen. It is said that Master Ryūtan's family sold rice cakes for a living, but his life history is not known clearly. He spent his life as a teacher in the Reiyō district.

9 "To refresh my mind" is tenjin,originally used not as a verb but as a noun (lit., I would like to buy a rice cake and use it as a refreshment). Tenmeans to light, as in 295

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to light a candle. Shin, jinmeans mind. Tenjinmeans refreshments—cakes, fruit, or a cup of noodles.

10 A sign of contempt.

11 Sono hito,lit.,

"that person,

" or "the very person,

" or "a person of the fact. "

12 Un-nō-ka-bei,lit.,

"clouds-patches-mist-sleeves. " The words suggest the natural life and the usual clothes of a Buddhist monk, and therefore monks themselves. 13 See, for example, Shinji-shōbōgenzō,pt. 2, no. 45. "Tokusan preaches to an audience, 'If you ask a question, there is something wrong. If you do not ask your question, that is also a violation. ' Then a monk edges forward and prostrates himself. The master strikes him at once. . . . "

14 Horns on the head can be interpreted as symbols of Master Tokusan's high opinion of himself.

15 Ganju,lit.,

"chin pearl,

" means the pearl that a black dragon retains under its chin. The black dragon's pearl symbolizes the truth. 16 One evening Tokusan enters Master Ryūtan's room, and stands waiting there until late at night. Master Ryūtan asks him, "Why don't you retire?" Tokusan takes his leave but then comes back saying, "It is dark outside.

" Master Ryūtan lights a paper candle and gives it to Master Tokusan. As soon as Tokusan touches the candle, Master Ryūtan blows it out. Then Master Tokusan has a sudden great realization and prostrates himself. The story (which suggests that a person cannot find his or her way by relying upon another person's enlightenment) is recorded in the Shinji-shōbōgenzō,pt. 2, no. 4, and (in a simpler version) in the Keitokudentō roku, chapter 15. 17 Dentō,

"transmission of the torch, " as in Dentōroku(Records of Transmission of the Torch), symbolizes the transmission of the Dharma from Buddhist patriarch to Buddhist patriarch.

18 Gabyō;see Chapter Forty (Vol. II), Gabyō. 19 Corresponds to present-day Kyoto prefecture. 20 1241.

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