T2582 Shōbōgenzō The True Dharma-Eye Treasury, Volume II

Chapter 24: Bukkyō - The Buddha’s Teaching

Shōbōgenzō Volume II

says,

"You have just expressed that a foreigner's beard is red, but it is also a fact that a red-beard is a foreigner.

" Here Master Dōgen reverses the order to suggest that we need not only the interpretative or deductive viewpoint (of Master Gensha) but also the direct observation (of Master Seppō).

101 "Like this" means limited to the deductive viewpoint (a red-beard is a foreigner). 102 Untraced quotation from a sutra.

103 Lotus Sutra, Ken-hōtō("Seeing the Treasure Stupa"). See LS 2.194. 104 Ibid., LS 2.198.

105 Ibid., LS 2.198.

106 Senpō-sōshū,or "arrow-tips couple.

" This figure of speech is used in Master Sekitō

Kisen's verse, Sandōkai.It alludes to an old Chinese story about two archers, Kishu and his teacher Hitei. In the whole of China there was no one to rival Kishu except for his own teacher. Eventually the two entered into a duel, but their arrows met and fell to the ground. Hence, senpō-sōshūsuggests complete mastery of some practical skill, so that the disciple's experience perfectly matches that of the master. Master Dōgen affirmed that although the intellect cannot grasp the truth, the whole truth can be transmitted in practice or experience.

107 Although Master Seppō transmitted the Dharma to Master Gensha as master to disciple, they established a temple together (see Chapter Thirty, Gyōji), and the many conversations between them recorded in the Shōbōgenzōshow transcendence of usual formalities between master and disciple. 108 Grammatically, the subject is still flame. In context, flame means those, such as Master Seppō and Master Gensha, who are in the sincere and vigorous state. 109 Master Gensha's expression separates the state of flame (which preaches) and buddhas (who listen). In that sense, it is open to criticism. At the same time, Master Dōgen recommended us to consider the nature of the relation between the state of flame and buddhas.

110 White and black refer to Kōhaku (the White Baron) and Kōkoku (the Black Baroness). At the same time, in the context of the previous question, black may be interpreted as representing flame and white as representing buddhas. In Master Gensha's mind there was reciprocation between the two factors, but in Master Seppō's mind there was no discrimination between the two.

111 Nato,

"that" or "distant objects,

" means abstract matters as opposed to what concretely exists here and now. See also notes 20, 23, and 28. 112 "The sacred quarter" and "the sacred time" mean the land and the lifetime of Gautama Buddha.

113 1241.

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[Chapter Twenty-four]

Bukkyō

The Buddha's Teaching

Translator's Note: Butsu means buddha or Buddhist, and kyō means teaching or teachings. Bukkyō is usually translated as Buddhism, but in this chapter Master Dōgen emphasized the importance of the theoretical side of Buddhism. For this reason it is better here to translate bukkyō as "Buddha

'

s teaching

"

in order to distinguish between the peculiar usage of the word in this chapter and the usual usage. Some Buddhist sects, wanting to emphasize the value of practice in Buddhism, insist on the importance of a transmission that is beyond and separate from theoretical teachings. They say we need not rely on any verbal explanation of Buddhism. But Master Dōgen saw that this theory itself was mistaken. Of course, practice is very important in Buddhism, but Master Dōgen considered that both practice and theory are important. If we deny the importance of the theoretical side of Buddhism, we lose the method to transmit Buddhism to others. In this chapter Master Dōgen explained the role of Buddhist theory and insisted that we should not forget the importance of theoretical Buddhist teachings.

[147] The realization of the truth of the buddhas is the Buddha's teaching. Because Buddhist patriarchs perform it for the benefit of Buddhist patriarchs, the teaching authentically transmits it for the benefit of the teaching. This is turning of the wheel of Dharma. Inside the eye of this wheel of Dharma, [the teaching] causes Buddhist patriarchs to be realized and causes Buddhist patriarchs to enter parinirvāṇa.Those Buddhist patriarchs, without fail, possess manifestation in a single atom and possess nirvana in a single atom; they possess manifestation through the whole universe and possess nirvana through the whole universe; they possess manifestation in a single instant and possess manifestation through the ocean of abundant kalpas. Yet their manifestation in one atom at one instant is utterly without incomplete virtue; and their manifestation through the whole universe through the ocean of abundant kalpas 69

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is never an effort to make up a deficiency. For this reason, we never say that buddhas who realize the truth in the morning and then pass into nirvana1 in the evening are lacking in virtue. If we say that one day is of meager virtue, then the human span of eighty years is not long; and when we compare the human span of eighty years with ten kalpas or twenty kalpas, it may be like the relation between one day and eighty years. The virtue of this buddha and of that buddha2 may be indistinguishable: when we take the virtue that belongs to a lifetime of long kalpas and the virtue in eighty years, and try to compare them, we might be unable to arrive at even doubt. For this reason, "the Buddha's

teaching" is just "teaching a buddha.

"3 It is the perfectly realized virtue of a

Buddhist patriarch. It is not true that the buddhas are high and wide while the Dharma teaching is narrow and small. Remember, when "buddha" is big "the teaching" is big, and when "buddha" is small "the teaching" is small. So remember,

"buddha" and "the teaching" are beyond measures of big and small; they are beyond such properties as "good, bad, and indifferent"; and they are not for self-teaching or for the teaching of others. [150] Some fellow has said,

"Old Man Śākyamuni, besides expounding

the teaching and the sutras throughout his life, also authentically transmitted to Mahākāśyapa the Dharma of the one mind which is the supreme vehicle, and this transmission has passed from rightful successor to rightful successor. So the teaching is opportunistic idle discussion, but the mind is the essential true reality. This authentically transmitted one mind is called 'the separate transmission outside the teachings.

'4 It is not to be likened to discussion of

the three vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teaching. Because the one mind is the supreme vehicle, we speak of 'direct pointing into the human heart' and 'seeing the nature and becoming buddha.

'" This expression is

never about the everyday conduct of the Buddha-Dharma: it lacks the vigorous road of getting the body free, and it has no dignified behavior throughout the body. Fellows like this, even hundreds or thousands of years ago, were proclaiming themselves to be leading authorities; but we should know that, if they had such talk as this, they neither clarified nor penetrated the Buddha's Dharma and the Buddha's truth. Why not? Because of not knowing "buddha, "

not knowing "the teaching,

" not knowing "the mind,

" not knowing "inside,

"

and not knowing "outside.

" This not knowing is due to never having heard

the Buddha-Dharma. Now they talk of "the buddhas" without knowing what 70

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their substance and details are and without ever studying even the borders of [the buddhas'] going and coming; that being so, they do not deserve to be called the Buddha's disciples. The reason they say that [buddhas] authentically transmit only the one mind, without authentically transmitting the Buddha's teaching, is that they do not know the Buddha-Dharma. Not knowing the one mind as the Buddha's teaching and not hearing the Buddha's teaching as the one mind, they say that there is the Buddha's teaching outside of the one mind. Their "one mind" never having become the one mind, they say that there is a "one mind" outside of the Buddha's teachings. It may be that their "Buddha's teachings" have never become the Buddha's teaching. Although they have transmitted and received the fallacy of "a separate transmission outside the teachings, " because they have never known "inside" and

"outside,

" the logic of their words is not consistent. How could the Buddhist patriarchs who receive the one-to-one transmission of the Buddha's right-Dharma-eye treasury fail to receive the one-to-one transmission of the Buddha's teaching? Still more, why would Old Man Śākyamuni have instituted teachings and methods that could have no place in the everyday conduct of Buddhists? Old Man Śākyamuni intended, already, to create teachings and methods to be transmitted one-to-one: what Buddhist patriarch would wish to destroy them? Therefore, the meaning of "the one mind that is the supreme vehicle" is just the three vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teaching, and is just the Mahayana treasury and the Hinayana treasury. 5

Remember, because "the Buddha's mind" means the Buddha's eye, a broken wooden dipper, all dharmas, and the triple world, therefore it is the mountains, the oceans, and national lands, the sun, the moon, and the stars. "The Buddha's

teaching" means myriad phenomena and accumulated things. The meaning of "outside" is this concrete place, this concrete place having arrived. 6 The

authentic transmission is authentically transmitted from a self to a self, and so within the authentic transmission there is self. [The authentic transmission] is authentically transmitted from the one mind to the one mind, and so in the authentic transmission there must be the one mind. The one mind that is the supreme vehicle is soil, stones, sand, and pebbles. Because soil, stones, sand, and pebbles are the one mind, soil, stones, sand, and pebbles are soil, stones, sand, and pebbles. If we speak of the authentic transmission of the one mind that is the supreme vehicle, it should be like this. But the fellows who speak 107c

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of "a separate transmission outside the teachings" have never known this meaning. Therefore, do not, through belief in the fallacy of "a separate transmission outside the teachings, " misunderstand the Buddha's teaching. If it

were as those [fellows] say, might it be possible to speak of the teaching as "a separate transmission outside the mind"? If we spoke of "a separate transmission outside the mind, " not a single phrase nor half a verse could be transmitted. If we do not speak of "a separate transmission outside the mind, " we

should never speak of "a separate transmission outside the teachings. "

[155] Mahākāśyapa, as already the rightful successor of Śākyamuni, is owner of the teaching of the Dharma treasury; and, having received the authentic transmission of the right-Dharma-eye treasury, he is the keeper of the Buddha's state of truth. To say, on the contrary, that he need not have received the authentic transmission of the Buddha's teaching, may be onesided and limited learning of the truth. Remember, when one phrase is authentically transmitted, the authentic transmission of the whole Dharma takes place. When one phrase is authentically transmitted, there is the transmission of mountains and the transmission of waters, and "it is impossible to depart from the transmission at this concrete place.

"7 Śākyamuni's right-Dharmaeye treasury and supreme state of bodhiwere authentically transmitted only to Mahā kāśyapa; they were not authentically transmitted to other disciples. The authentic transmission is, inevitably, Mahākāśyapa. For this reason, in the past and present, every individual who learns the true reality of the Buddha-Dharma, when deciding upon teaching and learning that have come from the past, inevitably investigates them under the Buddhist patriarchs; we do not seek the decision under anyone else. Unless we have obtained the right decision of the Buddhist patriarchs, [our decision] is not yet the right decision. If we hope to determine whether the teachings we rely upon are right or not, we should determine it under the Buddhist patriarchs. The reason is that the original owners of the whole wheel of Dharma are the Buddhist patriarchs. Only the Buddhist patriarchs, having clarified and authentically transmitted the expression "existence,

" the expression "nonexistence,

" the

expression "emptiness,

" and the expression "matter,

" are past buddha and

present buddha.

8

[157] Haryō,

9 on one occasion, is asked by a monk,

"The Patriarch's

intention and the intention of the teachings: are they the same or are they 72

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different?" The master says,

"Hens when cold perch in trees. Ducks when cold enter the water.

"10

Learning these words in practice, we should meet with the ancestral patriarchs of Buddhism and we should see and hear the teachings and methods of Buddhism. The present asking about the Patriarch's intention and the intention of the teachings, is asking whether the Patriarch's intention and the Patriarch's intention are the same or different. The present assertion that "hens when cold perch in trees; ducks when cold enter the water" expresses sameness and difference, but not the sameness and difference that is at the mercy of the perceptions of people who hold views on sameness and difference. Thus, because [Haryō] is beyond discussion of sameness and difference, he might be saying,

"It is the same difference.

" Therefore, he seems to be saying, "Do

not ask about sameness and difference. "

[158] Gensha,

11 on one occasion, is asked by a monk, "The three vehicles

and the twelve divisions of the teaching being unnecessary, just what is the ancestral master's intention in coming from the west?" The master says, "The

three vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teaching completely being "

unnecessary.

The monk's question here,

"The three vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teaching being unnecessary, just what is the ancestral master's intention in coming from the west?" as commonly understood, says that "the three vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teaching" are individual branches of a forked road, and asks whether "the ancestral master's intention in coming from the west" might exist elsewhere. [The common understanding] does not recognize that "the three vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teaching" are "the ancestral master's intention in coming from the west itself. "12 How

much less could it know that the aggregate of eighty-four thousand Dharma gates is just "the ancestral master's intention in coming from the west"? Let us now investigate why "the three vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teaching" are "unnecessary.

" When, if ever, they are "necessary, " what kind

of criteria do they contain? Where "the three vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teaching" are "unnecessary, " is learning in practice of "the ancestral master's intention in coming from the west" realized? The appearance of this [monk's] question might not be for nothing. Gensha says, "The three vehicles

and the twelve divisions of the teaching completely being unnecessary. " This

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expression is the wheel of Dharma. We should investigate the fact that where this wheel of Dharma turns, the Buddha's teaching exists as the Buddha's teaching. The point is that "the three vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teaching" are the wheel of Dharma of the Buddhist patriarchs. 13 It turns at

times and places in which there are Buddhist patriarchs, 14 and it turns at times

and places in which there are no Buddhist patriarchs. 15 It turns the same

before a patriarch and after a patriarch. Further, it has the virtue of turning a Buddhist patriarch. Just at the moment of "the ancestral master's intention in coming from the west,

"16 this wheel of Dharma is "completely beyond necessity.

"17 That it is "completely unnecessary" means neither that we do not use it nor that it is worn out: it is simply that this wheel of Dharma at this time is turning the wheel of "complete non-necessity. " We do not deny

the existence of "the three vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teaching"; we should glimpse the moment of their "complete non-necessity. " Because

they are "complete non-necessity, " they are "the three vehicles and twelve divisions of the teaching.

" Because they are "the three vehicles and twelve divisions of the teaching,

" they are not "three vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teaching.

" For this reason, we express them as "the three vehicles and twelve divisions of the teaching. " To quote one from among innumerable examples of those "three vehicles and twelve divisions of the teaching, " it

is as follows.

[161] The three vehicles: "First, the vehicle of the śrāvaka, "18 who attains

the way [of bodhi] through the Four Truths. 19 The Four Truths are the truth of suffering, the truth of accumulation, the truth of cessation, and the truth of the Way. Hearing these and practicing these, [śrāvakas] traverse and attain release from birth, aging, sickness, and death; and they realize the ultimate parinirvāṇa. 20

The assertion that "In the practice of these Four Truths, suffering and accumulation are secular while cessation and the Way are paramount"21 is the view and opinion of teachers of commentaries. Providing that [the Four Truths] are practiced in accordance with the Buddha-Dharma, the Four Truths are each of "buddhas alone, together with buddhas, " the Four Truths are each "the Dharma abiding in the place of the Dharma, " the Four Truths are each "real form, " and

the Four Truths are each "the buddha-nature. " For this reason, they are utterly beyond discussion of "being without the nature, " "non-becoming,

" and so

forth—because the Four Truths are each "completely beyond necessity. "

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[163] "Second, the vehicle of the pratyekabuddha, "22 who attains

parinirvāṇathrough twelvefold dependent origination. 23 "Twelvefold dependent origination" means: 1) ignorance, 2) action, 3) consciousness, 4) name and form, 5) the six senses, 6) contact, 7) feeling, 8) love, 9) taking, 10) coming into existence, 11) birth, 12) aging and death. While practicing these twelve causes, causing dependent origination to occur in the past, present, and future, we take causes one by one and—though not discussing a subject who reflects or an object that is reflected—we investigate them in practice, at which time they are the turning of the wheel of "complete non-necessity"24 and they are causes as "complete non-necessity. " Remember, if ignorance is

the one mind, then action, consciousness, and so on are also the one mind. If ignorance is cessation, then action, consciousness, and so on are also cessation. If ignorance is nirvana, then action, consciousness, and so on are also nirvana. Because appearance is also disappearance, we make such assertions as these.

25 Even "ignorance" is a word that speaks. "Consciousness,

" "name

and form,

" and so on are also like this. Remember, ignorance, action, and so on are "I have an axe and would like to live with you on [this] mountain. "26

Ignorance, action, consciousness, and so on are "When I set out, I received the master's permission and now I would like to receive the axe. "27

[165] "Third, the vehicle of the bodhisattva, " who accomplishes anuttara

samyaksaṃbodhithrough the teaching, practice, and experience of the six pāramitās. The meaning of this "accomplishing" is beyond "becoming, "

beyond "non-becoming,

" beyond "initiation,

" beyond "new creation,

" beyond

"age-old creation,

" beyond "original practice,

" and beyond "non-doing": it

is just to accomplish anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi. "The six pāramitās" means

dāna-pāramitā, śīla-pāramitā, kṣānti-pāramitā, vīrya-pāramitā, dhyānapāramitā,and prajñā-pāramitā. 28 Each of these is the supreme state of bodhi, and is beyond discussion of "non-birth" and "non-becoming. " We do not

always see dānaas the first and prajñāas the last. A sutra says, "A keenwitted bodhisattva [can] see prajñāas the first and dānaas the last. A dullwitted bodhisattva [only] sees dānaas the first and prajñāas the last. " At

the same time, kṣāntimight also be first, and dhyānamight also be first. There might be thirty-six realizations of the pāramitās—from [each] trap, a trap being realized.

29 The meaning of "

pāramitā"is the far shore having

arrived. The far shore is beyond the semblance or trace of going or coming, 75

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but its arrival is realized.

30 Arrival is the universe: do not think that practice leads to the far shore. Practice exists on the far shore; therefore, if we are practicing, the far shore has arrived—because this practice invariably is equipped with the power of realization of the entire universe. [168] The twelve divisions of the teaching (the sutras; also called the scriptures):31

1) Sūtra—here32 called "original scriptures";33

2) Geya—here called "praising over again"34 (praising of a sutra in verse); 3) Vyākaraṇa—here called "affirmation";35

4) Gāthā—here called "chants"36 (here [also] called "[verses] other than geya:"37 they are like the poems and poems of praise of this region);38 5) Udāna—here called "spontaneous preaching without being asked"39 ("Sutras that are spontaneous preaching without being asked": Sacred human beings generally wait to be requested to preach the Dharma, but [in this case] they become unsolicited teachers of living beings, and so [the preaching] is spontaneous preaching without being asked. Again, the Buddha-Dharma is so difficult to know that it is called "unaskable.

" If it is not preached spontaneously,

the many will not know it. In preaching for others, still again, [sacred ones] may not know what Dharma to preach for others. Therefore, they preach spontaneously without being asked, in order thereby to manifest preaching so profound that is only realized in experience. Thus, by means of spontaneous preaching without being asked, [sacred ones] manifest what is to be disclosed); 6) Nidāna—here called "[accounts of] causes and circumstances"40 ("Sutras of causes and circumstances" aim to clarify the method of the precepts and to show, on the basis of violations, what a transgression is. When the form of a transgression is evident, it is possible properly to establish discipline. This [division] also, through causes and circumstances, clarifies what is to be disclosed); 7) Avadāna—here called "parables"41 (avadāna);42

8) Itivṛttaka—here called "past episodes"43 (here called "accounts as they occurred"44 or called "past episodes");

76

Chapter Twenty-four 9) Jātaka—here called past lives45 (The events in "past lives" describe tales of deeds performed in former lives as a bodhisattva. The events in "past episodes" describe various concurrences in former ages); 10) Vaipulya—here called "the exact and the wide";46 11) Adbhuta-dharma—here called "the unprecedented";47 12) Upadeśa—here called "discussion of doctrine. "48

The Tathāgata just directly preached for others Dharma [both] fictional and factual, such as entry into the world of aggregates. This [division] is called "

sūtra.

"

Sometimes, with verses of four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine words, he praised over again facts such as entry into the world of aggregates. This [division] is called " "

geya.

Sometimes he directly affirmed things that would come to living beings in the future, even affirming, for instance, that pigeons and sparrows would become buddha. This [division] is called " vyākaraṇa.

"

Sometimes with independent verses he affirmed facts such as entry into the world of aggregates. This [division] is called " gāthā.

"

Sometimes, without anyone asking, he spontaneously preached the facts of the world. This [division] is called " udāna.

"

Sometimes he summarized non-virtuous facts of the world, in order to consolidate the precepts. This [division] is called " nidāna.

"

Sometimes he used parables to preach the facts of the world. This [division] is called " avadāna.

"

Sometimes he related the facts of the world in the past. This [division] is called "itivṛttaka. "

Sometimes he related the facts of lives received in the past. This [division] is called "jātaka. "

Sometimes he preached on broad and great facts of the world. This [division] is called " vaipulya.

"

Sometimes he preached on unprecedented facts of the world. This [division] is called " adbhuta-dharma.

"

Sometimes he inquired critically into the facts of the world. This [division] is called " upadeśa.

"

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These [divisions] are the realization49 of the world. For the delight of living beings, [the Tathāgata] established the twelve divisions of the teaching.

[173] The names of the twelve parts of the sutras are heard rarely. When the Buddha-Dharma has spread through a society, they are heard. When the Buddha-Dharma has died out already, they are not heard. When the Buddha-Dharma has yet to spread, again, they are not heard. Those who, having planted good roots50 for long ages, are able to meet the Buddha, hear these [names]. Those who have heard them already will be able, before long, to attain the state of anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi.These twelve are each called sutras. They are called "the twelve divisions of the teaching" and called "the twelve parts of the sutras.

" Because the twelve divisions of the teaching are each equipped with the twelve divisions of the teaching, they are one hundred and forty-four divisions of the teaching. Because the twelve divisions of the teaching are each combined into the twelve divisions of the teaching, they are simply one division of the teaching. At the same time, they are beyond calculation in numbers of below a hundred million or above a hundred million. They are all the eye of the Buddhist patriarchs, the bones and marrow of the Buddhist patriarchs, the everyday conduct of the Buddhist patriarchs, the brightness of the Buddhist patriarchs, the adornments of the Buddhist patriarchs, and the national land of the Buddhist patriarchs. To meet the twelve divisions of the teaching is to meet the Buddhist patriarchs. To speak of the Buddhist patriarchs is to speak of the twelve divisions of the teaching. Thus, Seigen "dangling a leg"51 is just the three vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teaching. Nangaku's "To describe a thing does not hit the target"52 is just the three vehicles and the twelve divisions of the teaching. The meaning of the "complete non-necessity" that Gensha now expresses is like this. When we pick up this point, [the state] is nothing but the Buddhist patriarchs—there being no other half person or single object at all—and is "not a single fact ever having arisen.

" Just at this moment, how

is it? We might say,

"it is completely beyond necessity.

"

[175] Sometimes mention is made of "the nine parts,

"53 which might be

called "the nine divisions of the teaching.

"

The nine parts: 1) Sūtra,2) gāthā,3) past episodes (itivṛttaka), 4) past lives (jātaka), 5) the unprecedented (adbhuta-dharma), 6) [accounts of] causes and circumstances (nidāna), 7) parables (avadāna), 8) geya,9) upadeśa. 54

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Because these nine parts are each equipped with the nine parts, they are eighty-one parts. And because the nine are each equipped with the whole, they are the nine. Without the virtue of belonging to the whole, they could not be the nine. Because they have the virtue of belonging to the whole, the whole belongs to [each] one.

55 For this reason, they are eighty-one parts. They are "a part of this,

"56 They are "a part of me,

"57 they are a part of a whisk, they are a part of a staff, and they are a part of the right-Dharma-eye treasury. [177] Śākyamuni Buddha says:

This my Dharma of nine parts,

Which, obediently following living beings, I preach, Is the basis for [their] entering the Great Vehicle. For which purpose I preach this sutra. 58

Remember, the "I" that is "this"59 is the Tathāgata, his face and eyes and body and mind having been revealed. This "I" as "this" is, already, "the

Dharma of nine parts,

" and "the Dharma of nine parts" might be just "I" as "this.

"60 One phrase or one verse in the present is "the Dharma of nine parts. "

Because "I" is "this,

" it "preaches obediently following living beings. "61

Thus, all living beings living their life relying on this concrete place is just "the preaching of this sutra,

"62 and their dying their death relying on this concrete place is just "the preaching of this sutra. " Even instantaneous movements and demeanors are just "the preaching of this sutra. " "Teaching all

living beings,/Causing all to enter the Buddha's truth, "63 is just "preaching

this sutra.

" These "living beings" are "obedient followers"64 of "this my Dharma of nine parts.

"65 This "obedient following" is to "follow others completely, "66 to follow oneself completely,

67 to follow "the many beings" completely, to follow "living"68 completely, to follow "I" completely, and to follow "this" completely. Because those living beings, in every case, are an "I" that is "this,

" they are individual branches of "the Dharma of nine parts. " "To enter

the Great Vehicle as the basis" means to experience the Great Vehicle, means to practice the Great Vehicle, means to hear the Great Vehicle, and means to preach the Great Vehicle. This being so, we do not say that "living beings" inherently have attained the truth; they are one bit of it. "To enter" is "the

basis,

" and "the basis" is right from head to tail. Buddha preaches Dharma, and Dharma preaches Buddha. Dharma is [naturally] preached by Buddha, 79

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and Buddha is [naturally] preached by Dharma. Flame preaches Buddha and preaches Dharma. Buddha preaches flame, and Dharma preaches flame. 69 In

"this sutra,

" already there is good "cause"70 for "the preaching of purpose, "71

and there is good "cause" for "purposeful preaching. "72 Even if [the Buddha]

intends not to preach "this sutra, " that is impossible. Therefore he says, "Purposefulness preaches this sutra. "73 "Purposeful preaching" covers the cosmos, and the cosmos74 is "purposeful preaching. " Both this buddha and that

buddha,

75 with one voice, proclaim "this sutra. " Both our world and other

worlds purposefully preach "this sutra. " Therefore, [the Buddha] "preaches this sutra,

" and "this sutra" itself is the Buddha's teaching. Remember, the Buddha's teaching as sands of the Ganges76 is a bamboo stick and a fly-whisk. The sands of the Ganges as the Buddha's teaching are a staff and a fist. Remember, in sum, that the three vehicles, the twelve divisions of the teaching, and so on are the eye of the Buddhist patriarchs. How could those who do not open their eyes to these [teachings] be descendants of the Buddhist patriarchs? How could those who do not take up these [teachings] receive the one-to-one transmission of the right eye of the Buddhist patriarchs? Those who do not physically realize the right-Dharma-eye treasury are not the Dharma successors of the Seven Buddhas. ShōbōgenzōBukkyō

Preached to the assembly at Kōshō Temple in Yōshū77 on the fourteenth day of the eleventh lunar month in the second year of Ninji. 78

80

Notes

1 "To pass into nirvana, " in this case, means to die. 2 Shibutsu-hibutsu,

"this buddha and that buddha, " may be interpreted as concrete buddha in the present and eternal buddha. 3 Bukkyō,

one.

"buddha-teaching,

" is just kyōbutsu,

"teaching-buddha.

" The eternal teaching

of the Buddha, and the concrete fact of a Buddhist being taught in the present, are 4 Kyōge-betsudenis the first line of a four-line poem attributed to Master Bodhi dharma. The other three lines are: furyū-monji,nondependence on writings; jikishi ninshin, direct pointing to the human heart; and kenshō-jōbutsu,seeing one's nature and becoming buddha. 5 Daizō-shōzō,lit.,

"great treasury and small treasury, " means the three storehouses (Tripi ṭaka) of Sutra, Vinaya, and Abhidharma retained in the Great Vehicle (Mahayana Buddhism) and in the Small Vehicle (Hinayana Buddhism). 6 Ge,

"outside,

" as a description of concrete reality, describes what is already present outside of the intellectual sphere. 7 These words are in the form of a quotation from a Chinese text, but the source has not been traced.

8 Kobutsu-konbutsu,

time; eternal buddhas.

"past buddha and present buddha, " means buddhas throughout 9 Master Haryō Kōkan, a successor of Master Unmon Bun'en. 10 Keitokudentōroku,chapter 22. 11 Master Gensha Shibi (835-907), successor of Master Seppō Gison. 12 Soshi-sairai[no] iis the title of Chapter Sixty-seven (Vol. III). In that chapter, Master Dōgen asserts that the ancestral master's intention in coming from the west is just reality itself.

13 The three vehicles and twelve divisions of the teaching are the Buddhist teaching itself, which is reality itself. 14 For example, at a lecture in a Buddhist temple. 81

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15 For example, at a solitary place in the mountains. 16 Just at the moment of reality. 17 Sō-fuyōmeans "completely unnecessary, " or "to be completely beyond necessity, "

or "complete non-necessity. " Master Dōgen interpreted Master Gensha's words as an expression of reality itself, in which there is nothing to worry about. 18 Shōmon,literally,

"voice-hearer.

" See Vol. I, Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. 19 Shitai,

"Four Truths,

" are ku, shu, metsu, dō.These words derive from the Sanskrit duhkha-satya(truth of suffering), samudaya-satya(truth of accumulation), nirodhasatya(truth of dissolution), and mārga-satya(truth of the right way). 20 Parinirvāṇa,lit.,

completely peaceful state.

"complete extinction of the flame, " here suggests attainment of a 21 Daiichi-gi,lit.,

"of number one significance, " stands for dai-ichi-gi-tai,lit., "truth of

number one significance" or "the paramount truth. " This refers to the doctrine of shinzoku-nitai,

"two truths, genuine and secular. " In the Sanron sect (said to be the first Buddhist sect to reach Japan from China) philosophy of affirmation is called the secular truth while philosophy of negation is called the paramount truth. 22 Engaku,literally,

"perceiver of circumstances. "

23 Jūni-innen,

"twelve causes,

" from the Sanskrit dvādaśāṅgaḥ-pratītya-samutpāda. See, for example, LS 2.56. They are: 1) avidyā(Jp. mumyo), 2) saṃskāra(Jp. gyo), 3) vijñāna(Jp. shiki), 4) nāma-rūpa(Jp. myoshiki), 5) śaḍ-āyatana(Jp. rokuju), 6) sparśa(Jp. shoku), 7) vedanā(Jp. ju), 8) tṛṣṇā(Jp. ai), 9) upādāna(Jp. shu), 10) bhava(Jp. u), 11) jāti(Jp. sho), 12) jarāmaraṇa(Jp. rōshi). 24 Sōfuyō-rin,

hōrin,

"wheel of complete non-necessity, " used in place of the usual compound "wheel of Dharma,

" suggests that the words "complete non-necessity" and "Dharma" are interchangeable—both represent reality itself. 25 The links in the chain of causation not only extend over time but also all arise and vanish at each moment. See, for example, the explanation of the doctrine of "the instantaneous appearance and disappearance of all things" in Chapter Seventy (Vol. III), Hotsu-bodaishin.

26 Master Seigen Gyōshi spoke these words to Master Sekitō Kisen when Sekitō decided to leave Master Seigen's order at Jogo Temple and practice instead in the order of Master Nangaku Ejō. In this context, Master Seigen's words may be interpreted as representing the sincere state of reality—Master Seigen wished to give to his disciple the concrete means to eradicate hindrances. The episode is recorded in the Keitokudentōroku,chapter 5: Master [Seigen] ordered [Kisen] to take a letter to Master Nangaku, and he said, "After you have delivered the letter, come back soon. I have a pickax [and hope] to live with you on [this] mountain. " [Kisen], on arriving there, before he had presented the letter, asked at once,

"What is it like when we do not idolize the saints and do not attach importance to our own spirit?" [Ejō] said, "The disciple asks of life on a tremendously 82

Chapter Twenty-four

high level. Why do you not aim your question lower?" [Kisen] said, "How could I

accept forever being sunk? I shall pursue liberation without following sacred ones. "

[Ejō] then desisted. [Kisen] went back to Jogo. Master [Seigen] said, "It is not long

since the disciple left. Have you delivered the letter or not?" [Kisen] said, "No information

was communicated nor any letter delivered. " The master said,

"What happened?"

[Kisen] related the above story, and then said, "When I set out, I received the master's permission and now I would like to receive that pickax. " The master let a leg hang

down. [Kisen] did prostrations to it. Then he departed for Nangaku. 27 Sekitō's words to Master Seigen also suggest the sincere state of living in reality. Sekitō could not accept the manifestation of the balanced state by the two masters; to him they seemed to be too relaxed. Nevertheless, he continued pursuing the truth, going back and forth, until he was able at last to succeed to the Dharma of Master Seigen.

28 In English the six pāramitās, or accomplishments, are giving (dāna), discipline (śīla), patience (kṣānti), fortitude (vīrya), concentration (dhyāna), and wisdom (prajñā). See Vol. I, Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. 29 Rarō,

"trap,

" originally a net or a cage for catching and keeping small birds, in this case suggests a pāramitāas a device for catching and keeping the truth. 30 Tō,

"to arrive,

" "to have arrived,

" "to be already present,

" describes the state just

now. See Chapter Eleven (Vol. I), Uji,paragraph 44. 31 Senkyō,literally,

"line-sutras.

" "Lines" represents the original meaning of the Sanskrit sūtra:"a thread, line, cord; that which like a thread runs through or holds together everything.

" See Vol. I, Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. 32 China—this is a quotation from the Daichidoron,the Chinese translation of the Mahā prajñāpāramitā-śāstra. 33 Kaikyō. Kaimeans "to accord with. " Kaikyōmeans the Buddha's discourses as they were delivered by the Buddha. 34 Jūju. Jūmeans to add another layer or to go over again, and jumeans praise or eulogy. Geyacome at the end of a sutra, and summarize in verse the teachings contained in the sutra.

35 Juki,affirmations by the Buddha of a Buddhist practitioner. See Chapter Thirty-two, Juki.

36 Fuju,independent verses such as the verse in praise of the kaṣāya.See Chap ter Twelve (Vol. I), Kesa-kudoku.

37 Fujūju,literally,

"not praising over again.

"

38 China, or China and Japan. The comments in parenthesis may have been added to the main text in China or in Japan. Like the main text, they are written in Chinese characters only.

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39 Mumon-jisetsu.

40 Innen,

"causes and circumstances,

" means the concrete causes and circumstances pertinent to a violation of the precepts. 41 Hiyu.See, for example, chapters 3, 5, and 7 of the Lotus Sutra. 42 The main text renders the Sanskrit avadānaas ha-da-na.The transliteration in the comment is a-ba-da-na,a closer approximation to the Sanskrit. 43 Honji,stories of previous lives of bodhisattvas. 44 Nyozego,literally,

"like this words.

" Most sutras begin with the words nyoze-ga-mon, "Thus have I heard.

" See, for example, LS 1.8.

45 Honshō,the Buddha's past lives as a bodhisattva. 46 47 Hōkō,extensions or applications of Buddhist philosophy. "Exact and wide" represents

the original meaning of the Sanskrit vaipulya. See Vol. I, Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. Mizō-u,marvels. See, for example, the story of the god Śakra and the wild fox from the Mizoukyō,quoted in Chapter Eighty-eight (Vol. IV), Kie-sanbō. 48 Rongi, commentaries, for example, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra. 49 Shitsudantransliterates the Sanskrit siddhaṃ,which means accomplishment, fulfillment, or realization. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. The Daichidoronexplains four kinds of siddhaṃ,the first of which is realization of the world. 50 Zenkonrepresents the meaning of the Sanskrit kuśala-mūla.See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.

51 Sui-issokucomes from a story in the Keitokudentōroku,chapter 5 (see also note 26). By letting a leg hang down from the master's zazen chair, Seigen manifested the relaxed situation of samādhi.

52 Setsuji-ichimotsu-sokufuchū.This is a direct quotation of Master Nangaku Ejō's words to Master Daikan Enō, also contained in the Keitokudentōroku,chapter 5. See also, for example, Chapter Sixty-two (Vol. III), Hensan. 53 Bumeans a concrete part. Master Dōgen's commentary emphasizes a part as something with a distinct concrete form, as opposed to a vague abstraction. 54 The reciprocation between transliterations of the sound, and translations of the meaning, of the original Sanskrit, exactly mirrors that in the Lotus Sutra.See LS 1.102. 55 Ichibu ichibu[ni] ki[suru], literally, "one part belongs to one part.

" The first ichibu

means "the whole,

" and the second ichibumeans "each one. "

56 Shibu. Shi,

"this,

" means what concretely exists here and now. The character is drawn from the quotation of the Buddha's words in the next paragraph. Bu, "part,

" suggests

the particular and the concrete as opposed to the general and the abstract. 84

Chapter Twenty-four 57 Gabu. Ga,

"I,

" "me,

" or "my,

" means the Buddha or the state of buddha that is each person's own natural state. The character is again drawn from the quotation of the Buddha's words in the next paragraph. 58 Lotus Sutra, Hōben. See LS 1.104. 59 Gashi,

"I-this,

" in the Lotus Sutrais "This my. . . . " Here gashi,

"I which is this,

"

means the state of the Buddha, or the self in action, which concretely exists. 60 Gashi,

existence.

"I as this,

" suggests the reality that is the combination of self and concrete 61 Because the Buddha's state is concrete, he tailors his preaching to the needs of his audience.

62 Setsu-zekyō. Setsu, "preaching,

" means not only verbal preaching but real manifestation; zekyō,

"this sutra,

" means the universe itself as the Buddha's teaching. 63 Lotus Sutra,Hōben:"Know, Śāriputra!/I in the past made a vow,/Wishing to cause all creatures/To be equal with me and without differences./In accordance with the vow I made in the past,/Now already I am satisfied./Teaching all living beings,/I cause them all to enter the Buddha's truth. " LS 1.108.

64 Zuijunin the Lotus Sutraworks as an adverb: "I preach as befits living beings. " In

his commentary, Master Dōgen uses the two characters as a noun phrase ("obedient followers" and "obedient following"). 65 Living beings, even those which have free will, are totally governed by the Dharma. 66 Zuitako,

"to follow others completely, " is a traditional expression of the state that is completely harmonized with circumstances. The phrase may originate with Master Daizui Hōshin; see Chapter Thirty-seven, Shinjin-gakudō. 67 Zuijiko,

"to follow self completely, " is Master Dōgen's variation, as are the following elements of this sentence. 68 Shū,

"the many,

" an expression of plurality, is the first half of the compound shūjō, "living beings.

" Shōor jō,

"living" or "living being, " is the second half of the compound shūjō.

69 Kaen,

"flame,

" means the vivid state. The preceding four lines allude to the conversation between Master Seppō Gison and Master Gensha Shibi, and the comment of Master Engo Kokugon, quoted in Chapter Twenty-three, Gyōbutsu-yuigi. 70 Mot[te] in the last line of the quotation is an adverb: "for which purpose. . . . " Here,

however, iis used as a noun, and it means the cause or the concrete reason for doing something.

71 Setsukomeans to preach the Buddhist purpose (which, as the Buddha has already stated earlier in Lotus Sutra,Hōben, is to cause living beings to disclose, display, 85

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realize, and enter the state of the Buddha's wisdom; see LS 1.88-90). Setsukoemphasizes the theoretical, motivational, or mental side (the purpose). 72 Kosetsu,

"purposeful preaching,

" means preaching that is done purposefully, that is, with determined effort. At the same time, kosetsu, "preaching that is the purpose, "

suggests preaching that is done as an end in itself. Kosetsuemphasizes the practical or physical side (the action of preaching). 73 I-jō-ko-setsu-zekyō, "by purposefulness this sutra is preached. " These five characters form the last line of the Lotus Sutraquotation. In this context, they suggest that the Buddha's natural state is purposefulness, and, regardless of the Buddha's intention, his purposefulness preaches reality. 74 Gōten,

"covers the cosmos" or "the cosmos, " again alludes to the words of Master Engo Kokugon quoted in Chapter Twenty-three, Gyōbutsu-yuigi. 75 Shibutsu-hibutsu,

and buddha in eternity. "this buddha and that buddha, " means buddha in the concrete present 76 Gōsha,

"sands of the Ganges,

" represents that which is beyond calculation; all things and phenomena.

77 Corresponds to present-day Kyoto prefecture. 78 1241.

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[Chapter Twenty-five]

Jinzū

Mystical Power

Translator's Note: Jin means mystical and zu, which is a corruption of tsu, means ability or power, so jinzū means mystical power. It is said in Buddhism that a person who has attained the truth may have certain kinds of mystical power, but many Buddhists invented fantastic exaggerations of these powers. Master Dōgen did not affirm such exaggerations. He affirmed the existence of Buddhist mystical powers, which we can get when we become buddhas, but he thought that in the case of Buddhist mystical powers, mystical means not supernatural but real. Master Dōgen thought that Buddhist mystical powers are the abilities we use in our usual life. When asked what Buddhist mystical powers are, an old Chinese Buddhist replied,

"Fetching water and carrying firewood.

"

[183] Mystical power,

1 as it is, is the tea and meals of Buddhists; and the buddhas, to the present, have not tired of it. In it, there are six mystical powers2 and there is the one mystical power; there is the state of being without mystical power3 and there is supremely ascendant mystical power. 4 Its embodiment

is three thousand acts in the morning and eight hundred acts in the evening. It arises together with buddha but is not recognized by buddha; it vanishes together with buddha but does not break buddha. In ascending to the heavens, [buddha and mystical power] are the same state; in descending from the heavens, they are the same state; in doing training and getting experience, they are always the same state. They are one with the Snow Mountains. 5 They are

as trees and rocks. The buddhas of the past are the disciples of Śākyamuni Buddha, to whom they come holding aloft the kaṣāyaand come holding aloft stupas. At such times, Śākyamuni Buddha says,

"The mystical powers of the

buddhas are unthinkable.

"6 Thus, clearly, [the buddhas] of the present and future too are "also like this.

"

[186] Zen Master Daii7 is the thirty-seventh patriarch in the line of direct descent from Śākyamuni Tathāgata and is the Dharma successor of Hyakujō 87

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Daichi.

8 The many Buddhist patriarchs of today who have flourished in the ten directions, [even those] who are not the distant descendants of Daii, are just the distant descendants of Daii. Once while Daii is lying down, Kyōzan comes to see him. Daii just then turns so that he is lying facing the wall. Kyōzan says,

"Ejaku is the master's disciple. Do not show him your backside!" Daii gets set to rise. Kyōzan by then is leaving, but Daii calls him, "Disciple Jaku!"

Kyōzan comes back. Daii says,

"Let this old monk tell you his dream. " Kyōzan

lowers his head, ready to listen. Daii says, "See if you can divine the dream

for me.

" Kyōzan fetches a bowl of water and a towel. Daii, by and by, washes his face. After washing his face, he sits for a short while, and then Kyōgen comes along. Daii says,

"I and disciple Jaku have just practiced a mystical power that is one step ascendant. 9 It is not the same as the small ones of the Small [Vehicle].

" Kyōgen says,

"Chikan was in the wings. I was able to witness everything clearly.

" Daii says,

"[Then,] disciple, you must try to say something!" Kyōgen immediately goes to make and bring a cup of tea. Daii praises them, saying,

"The mystical powers and the wisdom of you two disciples are far superior to those of Śāriputra and Maudgal yāyana"10 [187] If we want to know the mystical power of Buddhists, we should learn in practice the words of Daii. Because "it is not the same as the small of the small,

" "to perform this learning is called Buddhist learning, and learning other than this is not called Buddhist learning. "11 It is the mystical power

and the wisdom transmitted from rightful successor to rightful successor. Never learn the mystical powers of non-Buddhists and the two vehicles in India, or those studied by commentary teachers and the like. Now, when we study the mystical power of Daii, it is supreme; at the same time, there is a way of observing it that is "one step ascendant":12 that is to say, from "the time of lying down"13 there is a "turning to lie facing the wall, " there is a

"rising posture,

" there is a "calling out of 'Disciple Jaku!' ,

" there is "telling

of a dream,

" and there is "after washing the face, a short while of sitting. "

In the case of Kyōzan, similarly, there is "lowering of the head to listen" and there is "fetching a bowl of water" and "fetching a towel. " And yet Daii says,

"I and Disciple Jaku have just practiced a mystical power that is one step ascendant.

" We should learn this mystical power. Ancestral masters of the authentic transmission of the Buddha-Dharma speak like this. Do not fail to discuss "the telling of the dream" and "the washing of the face": decide that 88

Chapter Twenty-five

they are the mystical power that is one step ascendant. He has said already "It is not the same as the small of the small": it cannot be the same as the small thoughts and small views of the Small Vehicle, and it must not be equated with the likes of [bodhisattvas in] the ten sacred and three clever stages. These all learn the small mystical powers and attain only the capacities of the small body; they do not arrive at the great mystical power of the Buddhist patriarchs. This is the mystical power of buddha, and mystical power in the ascendant state of buddha.

14 Students of this mystical power

should not be moved by demons and non-Buddhists. Sutra teachers and commentary teachers have never heard of [this mystical power], and even if they heard, it would be hard for them to believe. The two vehicles, non-Buddhists, sutra teachers, commentary teachers, and the like learn the small mystical powers; they do not learn the great mystical power. Buddhas abide in and retain the great mystical power, and they transmit and receive the great mystical power. This is the mystical power of buddha. Without the mystical power of buddha, [Kyōzan] could not "fetch a bowl of water" and "fetch a towel, "

there could be no "turning to lie facing the wall,

" and there could be,

"after

washing the face,

" no "short while of sitting.

" Through the influence of this

great mystical power, small mystical powers also exist. The great mystical power entertains small mystical powers, [but] small mystical powers do not know the great mystical power.

"Small mystical powers" are "a hair swallowing the vast ocean, " and "a poppy seed containing Sumeru.

"15 Again,

they are "the upper body emitting water, the lower body emitting fire, "16 and

suchlike. The five powers17 and the six powers also are all small mystical powers. Their devotees have never seen the mystical power of buddha even in a dream. The reason the five powers and the six powers are called small mystical powers is that the five powers and the six powers are tainted by practice and experience, 18 and they are confined to and cut off by time and place. They exist in life [but] are not realized after the body. They belong to the self [but] are beyond other people. They are realized in this land but are not realized in other lands. They are realized in unreality but they are unable to be realized in real time. This great mystical power is not so: the teachings, practice, and experience of the buddhas are realized as one in [this] mystical power. They are realized not only in the vicinity of "buddhas"; they are realized also in the ascendant state of buddha. The teaching and forms of mystically powerful 89

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buddha are truly unthinkable. They are realized prior to the existent body; the realization is not connected with the three times. Without the mystical power of buddha, the establishment of the mind, training, bodhi,and nirvana of all the buddhas could never be. That the present limitless ocean of Dharma worlds is constant and unchanging is entirely the mystical power of Buddha. It is not only that "a hair swallows the vast ocean": a hair is maintaining and retaining the vast ocean, a hair is manifesting the vast ocean, a hair is vomiting the vast ocean, and a hair is using the vast ocean. When in a single hair there is swallowing and vomiting of the whole world of Dharma, do not study that—if the whole of the world of Dharma is like that—then it is impossible for the whole world of Dharma to exist.

"A poppy seed containing Sumeru"

and suchlike are also like this. A poppy seed is vomiting Sumeru; and a poppy seed is manifesting the world of Dharma, the ocean of limitless storage. When a hair vomits the vast ocean and a poppy seed vomits the vast ocean, they spew up in a single moment of mind and they spew up for ten thousand kalpas. Given that ten thousand kalpas and a single moment of mind similarly are spewed from hair and poppy seed, then from what are hair and poppy seed begotten? They are begotten just from the mystical power. And this begetting is itself the mystical power, so it is just that the mystical power gives birth to the mystical power: we should study that the three times have no occurrence or disappearance at all. Buddhas play19 in this mystical power alone.

[194] Layman Hōun20 is a great person in the orders of patriarchs. He has not only learned in practice in the orders of both Kōzei21 and Seki tō;22 he has met with and encountered many genuine masters who possess the truth. On one occasion he says:

The mystical power and wondrous function,

Carrying water and lugging firewood.

23

[195] We must investigate this truth thoroughly.

"Carrying water" means

loading water and fetching it. There being our own work and self-motivation, and there being the work of others and the motivation of others, water is caused to be carried. This is just the state of mystically powerful buddha. We can say that knowing is existence-time, but the mystical power is just the mystical power.

24 Even in a person's not knowing, that state of Dharma25 90

Chapter Twenty-five

does not fade and that state of Dharma does not die. Although the person does not know it, [that] state of Dharma is the Dharma itself. Although [the person] does not know that carrying water is the mystical power, the state of carrying water as mystical power does not regress. "Lugging firewood"

means carrying wood for fuel—as for example the Sixth Patriarch did in former days. 26 Although we neither recognize that three thousand acts in the morning are the mystical power, or sense that eight hundred acts in the evening are the mystical power, in them the mystical power is realized. Truly, those who see and hear the mystical power and the wondrous function of the buddha-tathāgatas are able without fail to attain the truth. Therefore, the attainment of the truth of all the buddhas has been accomplished, in every case, through the force of this mystical power. So we should study that whereas the present "emitting water" of the Small Vehicle is a small mystical power,

"carrying water" is the great mystical power.

"Carrying water and

lugging firewood" have never yet been abandoned, and people have not neglected them. Therefore they have arrived from the ancient past at the present; and what has been transmitted from here to others, without even an instant of regression or deviation, is the mystical power and the wondrous function. This is the great mystical power. It can never be the same as the small ones of the small.

[197] Great Master Tōzan Gohon27 in former days served as an attendant of Ungan,

28 at which time Ungan asks,

"What is the mystical power and the

wondrous function of disciple Kai?"29 Then Tōzan folds his hands, 30 steps

forward, and stands there. Again Ungan asks,

"How might we describe the

mystical power and the wondrous function?" Tōzan then conveys best wishes31 and leaves.

[198] In this episode, truly the mystical power is present as "understanding the fundamental principle on hearing words, " and the mystical power is

present as "things existing in the state where box and lid fit. "32 Remember,

the mystical power and the wondrous function will surely have children and grandchildren; they are not subject to regression. And they must properly have their founding patriarchs; they are not subject to evolution. Do not idly suppose that they may be the same as those of non-Buddhists and the two vehicles. In the Buddha's truth there are mystical transformations and mystical powers of the upper body and the lower body: the whole universe in the ten 91

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directions now is a real body of a śramaṇa.

33 All things, from the nine mountains and eight seas, to the ocean of [buddha-]nature and the waters of the ocean of sarvajñā,

34 are "emitting water"35 from the upper body, the lower body, and the middle body, and are "emitting water" from upper non-body, lower non-body, and middle non-body.

36 This also extends to "emitting fire.

"

It is not only a matter of water, fire, wind, and so on: the upper body emits buddha, the lower body emits buddha, the upper body emits patriarchs, the lower body emits patriarchs, the upper body emits countless asaṃkheyas of kalpas, the lower body emits countless asaṃkheyas of kalpas, the upper body gets out of the ocean of Dharma worlds, and the upper body enters into the ocean of Dharma worlds.

37 Moreover, the "vomiting of seven or eight"38 and the "swallowing of two or three" of the lands of the world is also like this. The present four elements, five elements, six elements, 39 all elements, countless

elements, are all the mystical power that is to appear and that is to vanish, and they are the mystical power that is to swallow and that is to vomit. They are the act of spewing and the act of gulping as momentary aspects of the present earth and space. To be spun by a poppy seed is real ability, and to be suspended by a hair is real ability. [This real ability] is born from and with that which is beyond consciousness, it abides in and retains that which is beyond consciousness, and it relies on as its real refuge that which is beyond consciousness. Truly, the changing forms of the mystical power of buddha are unconnected with short and long; how could it be [sufficient] to approach them only with one-sided intellectual thinking?

[201] In ancient times, a wizard of the five powers served under the Buddha, at which time the wizard asks,

"The Buddha has six powers and I

have five powers. What is that other one power?" The Buddha then calls to the wizard,

"Wizard of the Five Powers!" The wizard responds. The Buddha says,

"That is the one power you should ask me about.

"40

[202] We must investigate this episode thoroughly. How could the wizard know that "the Buddha has six powers"? "The Buddha has incalculable mystical powers and wisdom": he is beyond only six powers. Even though [the wizard] sees only six powers, he cannot realize even six powers. How much less could he see other mystical powers, even in a dream. Now let us ask: Even though the wizard is looking at Old Man Śākya, is he meeting Buddha or not? Even if he is "meeting Buddha,

" is he looking at Old Man Śākya or

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not? Even if he is able to look at Old Man Śākya, even if he is meeting Buddha, he should ask whether or not he has met the Wizard of the Five Powers. In this question, he should learn the use of entanglement41 and should learn entanglement being cut away. How then could "the Buddha has six powers" reach [even] the level of counting one's neighbor's treasures? What is the meaning of the words now spoken by Old Man Śākya, "That is the one

power you should ask me about"? He neither says that the wizard has "that one power,

" nor says that the wizard lacks it.

42 Although the [wizard] discusses

penetration43 and nonpenetration of "that one power, " how could the wizard

penetrate "that one power"?44 For, even if the wizard has five powers, they are not five powers from among "six powers the Buddha has. " The wizard's

powers are seen through by the Buddha's power of penetration, but how could the wizard's powers penetrate the Buddha's power? If the wizard were able to penetrate even one of the Buddha's powers, relying on this power he would be able to penetrate Buddha. When we look at wizards, they have something that resembles the powers of Buddha, and when we look at a buddha's forms of behavior, they have something that resembles the powers of a wizard; but we should know that even if [what a wizard shows] is the forms of behavior of a buddha, that is not the mystical power of Buddha. 45

Without penetration, the five powers are all different from Buddha. [The Buddha's words mean:] "What is the use of you abruptly asking about 'that other one power'?" The idea of Old Man Śākya is: "You should ask about any one of the powers"; "You should ask about that one power, and [then] ask about that one power"; and "There is no way for a wizard to attain even one of the powers.

" Thus, comparing the mystical power of the Buddha and the powers of others, the words "mystical power" are the same, but the words "mystical power" are very different.

[206] Hence. . .

Great Master Eshō of Rinzai-in Temple46 says, A man of old said:

The Tathāgata's manifestations of his whole body Were for the purpose [of teaching] accordance with the situations of the world.

[But] fearing that people might beget the nihilistic view, 47

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He provisionally established void concepts

And expediently spoke of the thirty-two [signs].

48

The eighty [signs] also are empty sounds.

The existent body is not the body of the Truth.

The state without form is just the True Configuration. You say that the Buddha has six powers, which are unthinkable. [But] all the gods, wizards, asuras,

49 and mighty demons also have mystical

powers—can they be buddhas or not? Followers of the Way, make no mistake! When Asura fought with god-king Indra and, on losing the battle, led eighty-four thousand followers into hiding inside the holes of lotus roots, this was not sacred, was it? In the example I50 have just quoted, all was due to karmic powers51 and dependent powers. 52 Now,

the six powers of Buddha are not like that. When [Buddha] enters the world of sights, it is not beguiled by sights. When it enters the world of sounds, it is not beguiled by sounds. When it enters the world of smells, it is not beguiled by smells. When it enters the world of tastes, it is not beguiled by tastes. When it enters the world of sensations, it is not beguiled by sensations. When it enters the world of dharmas, it is not beguiled by dharmas. Thus, when [a person] realizes that the six categories—sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, and dharmas53 —

all are bare manifestations, then nothing can bind this nonreliant person of the truth. Though this state is substance discharged from the five aggregates, it is just mystical power walking over the ground. Followers of the Way! True Buddha has no set shape and true Dharma has no fixed form. You are only fashioning images and inventing situations on the basis of fantastic transformation. Though you may find what you seek, those things are all the ghosts of wild foxes—never the true state of Buddha, but only the views and opinions of non-Buddhists. 54

[209] So the six mystical powers of the buddhas can neither be attained nor be supposed by all gods and demons or by the two vehicles and the like. The six powers of the Buddha's state of truth are transmitted one-to-one solely to disciples of the Buddha who are in the Buddha's state of truth; they are not transmitted to anyone else. The six powers of Buddha are transmitted one-toone in the Buddha's state of truth. Those who have not received the one-to-one 94

Chapter Twenty-five

transmission cannot know the six powers of Buddha. And we should learn in experience that those who have not received the one-to-one transmission of the six powers of Buddha cannot be people of the Buddha's truth. [210] Zen Master Hyakujō Daichi55 says, "Eyes, ears, nose, tongue: each

is not tainted by greed for all existent and nonexistent dharmas. 56 This state

is called 'to be receiving and retaining a four-line verse, ' and also called 'the

fourth effect.

'57 The six senses being without any trace also is called 'the six mystical powers.

' When, for instance, just in the present, the state is not hindered by all existent and nonexistent dharmas, and it is beyond nonreliance on knowing and understanding, this is called 'mystical power. ' Not to hold

onto this mystical power is called 'being without mystical power. ' Bodhisattvas

without mystical power, as thus described, are of untraceable tracks, are human beings in the ascendant state of buddha, are human beings who are utterly unthinkable, and are just gods of themselves. "58

[211] The mystical power transmitted to the present from buddha to buddha and from patriarch to patriarch is like this. The mystical power of buddhas is "a human being in the ascendant state of buddha, " is "a human

being who is utterly unthinkable,

" is "a god of just the self,

" is "a bodhisattva

being without mystical power,

" is "knowledge and understanding of nonreliance, " is "mystical power not holding onto this, " and is "all dharmas not

being hindered.

" The six mystical powers are present now in the Buddha's state of truth, and the buddhas have received their transmission and retained them for long ages. Not a single buddha has failed to receive and retain them; those who do not receive and retain them are not buddhas. Those six mystical powers make the six senses clear, in the state of being without any trace. As regards the meaning of "being without traces, " a man of old said:

The six kinds of mystical function are emptiness and are beyond emptiness.

A ball of brightness transcends inside and outside. 59

"To transcend inside and outside" may be "to be without traces. " When

we do training, learn in practice, and realize and enter, in the state without traces, we do not disturb the six senses. As regards the meaning of "not to disturb,

" one who disturbs deserves thirty [strikes] of the staff. 60 So we

should master the six mystical powers in the state described above. Other 95

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than rightful successors in the Buddha's house, who can hear even that this principle exists? [Others] have merely mistaken a vain outward chase for the conduct of coming home.

61 Again,

"the fourth effect" is a tool of the

Buddha's truth, but no scholar of the Tripiṭaka62 has received its authentic transmission. How could those who count grains of sand63 or those who wander astray64 attain this real effect? The sort who on "attaining the small are satisfied"65 have never arrived at mastery of the state; only buddhas have received it from each other.

"The fourth effect" is, namely, the state of "receiving and retaining a four-line verse. " "Receiving and retaining a four-line

verse" means the state in which, facing all "existent and nonexistent dharmas, "

the "eyes, ears, nose, and tongue" are each "untainted by greed. " "Not to be

tainted by greed is untaintedness.

"66 "Untaintedness" is "the everyday mind,

"67

and is [the state of] "I am always sharp at this concrete place. "68 The authentic

transmission in Buddhism of the six powers and the fourth effect has been like this. If there is any [teaching] that goes against this, we should know that it is not the Buddha-Dharma. In sum, the Buddha's truth is mastered, in every case, through mystical power. In such mastery, a bead of water swallows and spews the vast ocean, and a particle of dust holds up and lets go of the highest mountain—who could doubt it? This is just the mystical power itself. Shōbōgenzō Jinzū

Preached to the assembly at Kannon dōrikōshōhōrinji on the sixteenth day of the eleventh lunar month in the second year of Ninji.

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Notes

1 Jinzū(mystical power) represents the Sanskrit abhijña.See Vol. I, Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.

2 Rokujinzū(six mystical powers) are traditionally interpreted as 1) the power of mystical transmutation, 2) the power to know others' minds (see Chapter Eighty [Vol. IV], Tashintsū), 3) the power of supernatural vision, 4) the power of supernatural hearing, 5) the power to know past lives, 6) the power to end excess. (But see also paragraph 206 onward.)

3 Mu-jinzū.See paragraph 210.

4 Mujō-jinzū.See note 12.

5 Setsuzan,

"Snow Mountains,

" usually means the Himalayas. See also Chapter Sixtynine (Vol. III), Hotsu-mujōshin. 6 Lotus Sutra, Nyorai-jinriki("The Mystical Power of the Tathāgata"). See LS 3.158. 7 Master Isan Reiyū (771-853), successor of Master Hyakujō Ekai. Daii, short for Daii zan, "Great Isan Mountain,

" is the name of the mountain where the master lived. His two disciples mentioned in the story are Master Kyōzan Ejaku (807-883) and Master Kyōgen Chikan (?-898).

8 Master Hyakujō Ekai (749-814), successor to Master Baso Dōitsu. Zen Master Daichi is his posthumous title, and Hyakujōzan is the name of the mountain where he lived. 9 Ichiō-jinzū,literally,

"one above mystical power.

" The meaning of jo,

"above" or

"ascendant,

" can be understood as in the phrase butsu-kōjō-no-ji.See Chapter Twentyeight, Butsu-kōjō-no-ji,and notes 12 and 14. 10 Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana were two of the Buddha's ten great disciples. They are described in ancient Indian texts as having supernatural powers. Shinji-shōbōgenzō, pt. 1, no. 61. See also Keitokudentōroku,chapter 9. 11 Untraced quotation from a Chinese text. 12 Mujo,lit.,

"with nothing above" or "supreme" (ideal), is opposed to ichijo,lit., "oneabove" or "one-step ascendant" (i.e., real). Jo, "to ascend,

" represents progression

from the area of consideration (in which there is supremacy or perfection) into the area of reality (in which there are concrete actions). 97

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13 Gaji,literally,

"lying down and then. . .

" or "while he is lying down.

" In the previous

paragraph Master Dōgen related the story mainly in Japanese, but these two characters are drawn directly from the Chinese story in the Shinji-shōbōgenzō. By using here direct quotations of Chinese characters, Master Dōgen increases the objectivity of the description.

14 Butsu-kōjō-jinzū. Butsu-kōjō,

Chapter Twenty-eight, Butsu-kōjō-no-ji. "the ascendant [reality] of buddha, " is explained in

15 A hair swallowing the vast ocean and a poppy seed containing Mount Sumeru are examples, taken from the Vimalakīrti Sutra,of happenings that appear to be impossible. Later Master Dōgen uses the same examples to represent the oneness of reality. 16 Lotus Sutra, Myō-shōgon-ō-honji("The Story of King Resplendent"): "Thereupon the two sons, out of consideration for their father, sprang up into space, to a height of seven tālatrees, and manifested many kinds of mystical transformation, walking, standing, sitting, and lying in space; the upper body emitting water, the lower body emitting fire. . . .

" See LS 3.292-94.

17 Gotsū,short for go-jinzū,the five mystical powers. These are the six mystical powers minus the sixth, the power to end excess. 18 Tainted practice and experience means practice-and-experience separated into means (practice) and end (experience).

19 Yuge surumeans to play or to enjoy. The characters appear in the phrase yuge-zanmai, "playing in samādhi" or "samādhias enjoyment. " See the opening paragraph of

Chapter One (Vol. I), Bendōwa.

20 Layman Hōun is mentioned several times in the Shōbōgenzō,for example, in Chapter Seventy-three (Vol. IV), Sanjūshichi-bon-bodai-bunpō.More than three hundred of his poems survive.

21 Master Baso Dōitsu (709-788), successor of Master Nangaku Ejō. Kōzei is the name of the district where he lived.

22 Master Sekitō Kisen (700-790). He was a successor of Master Seigen Gyōshi, but like Master Baso he had also studied under Master Nangaku Ejō. 23 Keitokudentōroku,chapter 8.

24 In this part Master Dōgen deemphasized the importance of subjective consciousness and emphasized the importance of just acting. 25 Sono hō,

"that Dharma,

" means that real state of action in which mystical power is mystical power.

26 Master Daikan Enō was a woodcutter before joining the order of Master Daiman Kōnin. See, for example, Chapter Thirty, Gyōji. 98

Chapter Twenty-five

27 Master Tōzan Ryōkai (807-869), a successor of Master Ungan Donjō. Great Master Gohon is his posthumous title.

28 Master Ungan Donjō (782-841), a successor of Master Yakusan Igen. 29 "Kai" means [Ryō]kai, the monk's name of Master Tōzan. 30 Shashu.Hands held against the chest, forearms horizontal, left hand curled around the thumb into a fist, right hand palm down over left hand. 31 Chinchō,or "Please take good care of yourself, " was an expression used between

monks when taking leave of each other, or at the end of a talk. In this case, Master Tōzan may have said "Chinchō,

"or he may have conveyed the meaning of "Chinchō" by bowing.

32 Both quotations come from Master Sekitō Kisen's poem, Sandōkai. 33 Shamon-isseki no shinjittaialludes to Master Chōsha Keishin's words shamon-issekigen.Master Chōsha said, "The whole universe in the ten directions is a śramaṇa's eye" (see Chapter Sixty [Vol. III], Juppō). Master Dōgen's variation suggests that the eye, or state of experience, of a śramaṇa(a striver) is his or her real body. 34 The Sanskrit sarvajñāmeans all-knowing or omniscient. The nine mountains and eight seas (which are said to surround Mount Sumeru) represent the physical world. The oceans of buddha-nature and omniscience represent the mental world. 35 Shussui,

"emitting water,

" alludes to the previous quotation from the Lotus Sutra (LS 3.292-94). Master Dōgen uses the words to suggest the real manifestation of concrete phenomena, which is mystical and miraculous in itself. 36 Hishin,

"non-body,

" means mind or spirit—reality is manifested not only by physical phenomena but also by mental phenomena.

"Upper and lower non-body" can be interpreted as high and low spirits, and "middle non-body" can be interpreted as balanced mind.

37 The upper body getting out of and entering into the ocean of Dharma worlds suggests, from two sides, the upper body losing its separate identity—as in zazen, or in entering and leaving a bath.

38 Tokyaku-shichi-hachi-koalludes to Master Tōsu Daidō's description of the moon quoted in Chapter Forty-two (Vol. III), Tsuki.In that chapter, vomiting represents the function of concrete manifestation, as opposed to swallowing which represents inclusion within abstract generalization. At the same time, Master Dōgen interprets both vomiting and swallowing as actions.

39 The four elements (from the Sanskrit catvāri mahābhūtāni) are earth, water, fire, and wind. The five elements (from the Sanskrit pañca mahābhūtāni) are earth, water, fire, wind, and space. The six elements (from the Sanskrit ṣaḍ dhātavaḥ) are earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness.

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40 Gotōegen,chapter 1.

41 Kattō,literally,

"arrowroot and wisteria.

" See Chapter Forty-six (Vol. III), Kattō. 42 A reflection of Master Dōgen's view of the buddha-nature. See Chapter Twenty-two, Busshō.

43 Tsū,as a verb, means to pass through, to penetrate, or to master. As a noun it suggests the power or ability to do something thoroughly. 44 Na-itsu-tsū,

"that one power,

" in the wizard's usage means an extra-special mystical power, but in the Buddha's usage means the practical everyday state. 45 A phony can imitate a buddha's forms but cannot imitate the state of buddha. 46 Master Rinzai Gigen (815?-867), a successor of Master Ōbaku Kiun. 47 Danken,lit.,

"cutting-off view,

" or nihilism, or materialism, represents the Sanskrit uccheda-dṛṣṭi,one of the two extreme views (antagrāha-dṛṣṭi). The other extreme view is jōken,

"eternity view,

" or idealism, from the Sanskrit śāśvata-dṛṣṭi.See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.

48 Thirty-two auspicious features that were said to distinguish the Buddha. The eighty are a refinement of the thirty-two. 49 Asuras are evil spirits or demons who oppose the gods. In this paragraph the word is used first collectively and then as a proper name, Asura. The story about Asura being defeated by the god Indra and hiding in lotus roots is recorded in the Kanbutsu zanmaikyō (Sutra of Reflection on the Buddha '

s Samādhi).

50 Sansō,

"mountain monk,

" a humble term used by Master Rinzai to refer to himself. 51 Gōtsūmeans powers acquired as a result of past practice (for example, those of an excellent martial artist), as distinct from intuitive power which emerges instantaneously from the balanced state.

52 Etsūmeans powers obtained through medicines, tantric formulae, and so on, as opposed to power that emerges naturally. 53 Shiki, shō, kō, mi, shoku, hōare the objects of the six sense organs. See Chapter Two (Vol. I), Maka-hannya-haramitsu. 54 Quoted from the Rinzaizenjigoroku (Record of the Words of Zen Master Rinzai Gigen). 55 Master Hyakujō Ekai (749-814), a successor of Master Baso Dōitsu. Daichi is his posthumous title.

56 Issai-umu-shohōmeans all material and immaterial things—for example, material possessions and Buddhist teaching. 57 Shikameans the state of an arhat. See Chapter Thirty-four, Arakan. 100

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58 Tenshōkōtōroku,chapter 9. 59 Quoted from the Shōdōkaby Master Yōka Genkaku. 60 Alludes to the line of a verse in fascicle 6 of the Hekiganroku (Blue Cliff Record). 61 Kike,

"returning home,

" means returning to our self in zazen. In the Fukanzazengi, Master Dōgen describes zazen as taiho, "a backward step [to our original state]. "

62 Sanzō,lit.,

"three storehouses,

" representing the Sanskrit Tripiṭaka (three baskets), was used in China as a title for a scholar accomplished in studying the Tripiṭaka. 63 Sansa,

"counting sand,

" alludes to another line in the Shōdōka:"They know no respite from analyzing concepts and forms; having entered the ocean, they vainly exhaust themselves by counting grains of sand. "

64 Reihei,to wander astray or to stumble, is thought to allude to the story in the Lotus Sutraabout the rich man's son who wanders in poverty in foreign lands. The characters reiheiwith the same meaning and the same pronunciation appear in the Lotus Sutra, Shinge("Belief and Understanding") chapter. See LS 1.236. 65 "The small" suggests the Small Vehicle, Hinayana Buddhism, as opposed to Mahayana Buddhism. The source of the quotation from Chinese has not been traced. 66 Fuzenna.Master Daikan Enō asks Master Nangaku Ejō, "Do you rely on practice

and experience or not?" Nangaku says, "Practice-and-experience is not nonexistent, but for it to be tainted is impossible. " The Sixth Patriarch says,

"Just this untaintedness

is that which buddhas guard and desire. You are also like this. I am also like this. And the ancestral masters of India were also like this. " (Shinji-shōbōgenzō,pt. 2, no. 1.) See also Chapter Seven (Vol. I), Senjō;Chapter Sixty-two (Vol. III), Hensan,etc. 67 Byōjōshin.Master Jōshū asks Master Nansen, "What is the truth?" Nansen says, everyday mind is the truth.

" See Shinji-shōbōgenzō,pt. 1, no. 19. "The

68 The words of Master Tōzan Ryōkai. See Shinji-shōbōgenzō,pt. 1, no. 55. 69 1241.

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