T2582 Shōbōgenzō The True Dharma-Eye Treasury, Volume III

Chapter 70: Hotsu-bodaishin - Establishment of the Bodhi-mind

[Chapter Seventy]

Hotsu-bodaishin

Establishment of the Bodhi-mind

Translator's Note:It is supposed that this chapter and the previous chapter originally had the same title, i.e., Hotsu-bodaishin, "Establishment of the

Bodhi-mind,

" but that the title of the previous chapter was changed to Hotsumujōshin, "Establishment of the Will to the Supreme, " for the purpose of

distinction. Dr. Fumio Masutani believes that the former chapter was a sermon for laypeople and this chapter was a sermon given on the same day to monks and nuns. Whatever Master Dōgen '

s intention was, one point is

that this chapter includes a presentation of the "The Theory of the Momentary

Appearance and Disappearance of the Universe. " In Buddhist theory, action

is esteemed highly; when we consider the meaning of life, we can consider that our life is just a series of moments of action. Why do we say that our life is momentary? Because once we have done an act we can never return to the past to undo it. At the same time, we can never perform an act until its time comes to the present. So an act is always done just at the moment of the present. Furthermore, the moment of the present is cut off from the moment immediately before it and the moment immediately after it, because we can never act in the past and we can never act in the future. According to Buddhist theory, then, our life is momentary, and the whole universe appears and disappears at every moment. This theory, also known as "The Theory of Instantaneousness, " is important in resolving the conflict between human freedom and the law of cause and effect; that is, free will versus determinism. In this chapter, Master Dōgen clearly explains the theory. [196] In general there are three kinds of mind. "The first, citta,

1 is here2 called

thinking mind.

3 The second, hṛdaya,

4 is here called the mind of grass and trees.

5 The third, vṛddha,

6 is here called experienced and concentrated mind. "7

Among these, the bodhi-mind is inevitably established relying upon thinking 349

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mind. Bodhi is the sound of an Indian word; here it is called "the truth. "8

Cittais the sound of an Indian word; here it is called "thinking mind. " Without

this thinking mind it is impossible to establish the bodhi-mind. That is not to say that this thinking mind is the bodhi-mind itself, but we establish the bodhi-mind with this thinking mind. To establish the bodhi-mind means to vow that, and to endeavor so that,

"Before I myself cross over,

9 I will take

across all living beings.

" Even if their form is humble, those who establish

this mind are already the guiding teachers of all living beings. This mind is not innate and it does not now suddenly arise; it is neither one nor many; it is not natural and it is not formed; it does not abide in our body, and our body does not abide in the mind. This mind does not pervade the Dharma world; it is neither of the past nor of the future; it is neither present nor absent; it is not of a subjective nature, it is not of an objective nature, it is not of a combined nature, and it is not of a causeless nature. Nevertheless, at a place where there is mystical communication of the truth,

10 establishment of the bodhimind occurs. It is not conferred upon us by the buddhas and bodhisattvas, and it is beyond our own ability. Establishment of the mind occurs during mystical communication of the truth, and so it is not inherent. This establishment of the bodhi-mind is most often able to occur in a human body, on the southern continent of Jambudvīpa. Rarely, it also occurs in the eight troubled worlds, 11 but not often. After establishing the bodhi-mind, we do training for three asaṃkhyakalpas, or for a hundred great kalpas. In some cases we practice for countless kalpas and become a buddha. In other cases we practice for countless kalpas to make living beings cross over before us, finally not becoming a buddha ourself but only taking across living beings and benefiting living beings—this accords with the attitude of delight in bodhi.In general, the bodhi-mind ceaselessly operates through the three forms of behavior12 so that all living beings may somehow be caused to establish the bodhi-mind and be led to the Buddha's truth. Vainly to confer worldly pleasures is not to benefit living beings. This establishment of the mind and this practice and experience have far transcended the facade of delusion and enlightenment, have risen above the triple world, and have surpassed all things. They are quite beyond śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.

[200] Bodhisattva Mahākāśyapa praises Śākyamuni Buddha in verse, saying:

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Establishing the mind and the ultimate state: the two are without separation.

Of these two states of mind the former mind is harder [to realize]: It is to deliver others before attaining one's own deliverance. For this reason, I bow to [your] first establishment of the mind. With the first establishment, already the teacher of gods and humans,

You rose above śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas.

Such establishment of the mind surpasses the triple world, Therefore we are able to call it the Supreme.

13

"Establishing the mind" means establishing, for the first time, the will "to deliver others before attaining one's own deliverance"; this is described as "the first establishment of the mind.

" After establishing this mind, we then

meet innumerable buddhas and serve offerings to them, during which time we meet Buddha and hear Dharma, and further establish the bodhi-mind— covering snow with frost. What has been called "the ultimate state" is buddhahood, the state of bodhi.If we compare the state of anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi and the first establishment of the bodhi-mind, they may be like the holocaust at the end of a kalpaand the fire of a firefly. At the same time, if we establish the will to deliver others before we ourselves attain deliverance, "the two

are without separation.

"

[201] Constantly making this my thought:

How can I make living beings

Able to enter the supreme truth

And swiftly realize a buddha's body?14

This is the Tathāgata's lifetime itself. Buddhas' establishment of the mind, training, and experience of the effect, are all like this. Benefiting living beings means causing living beings to establish the will to deliver others before they attain their own deliverance. We should not expect to become buddha by virtue of having established the will to deliver others before we ourselves attain deliverance. Even if virtue which might make us buddha has matured and is about to be consummated, we turn it toward living beings' realization of buddha and attainment of the truth. This mind is not in the self, is not in others, and it does not appear, but after this establishment of the 351

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mind when we embrace the earth it turns completely to gold and when we stir the ocean it at once becomes sweet dew. Henceforth, to take hold of soil, stones, sand, and pebbles is just to grasp the bodhi-mind; and to go exploring the spray of water, foam, and flame is to be carrying the bodhi-mind intimately. So to give away a nation, a city, a wife, a child, the seven treasures, a man, a woman, or one's head, eyes, marrow, brain, body, flesh, hands, and feet, is, in every case, the clamoring of the bodhi-mind and the vigorous activity of the bodhi-mind. Citta,the thinking mind of the present, is neither close nor distant and neither of the self nor of others; even so, if we turn this mind to the principle of delivering others before we attain deliverance ourselves, without regressing or straying, that is establishment of the bodhi-mind. When we thus give up for the bodhi-mind the grass, trees, tiles, pebbles, gold, silver, and precious treasures which all living beings of the present are clutching to themselves as their own possessions, how could that not be the establishment of the bodhi-mind itself? Because mind and real dharmas are both beyond subject, object, combination, and causelessness, if we establish this bodhi-mind for a single kṣaṇa,

15 the myriad dharmas will all become promoting conditions. 16 In general, establishment of the mind and attainment

of the truth rely upon the instantaneous arising and vanishing17 of all things. If [all things] did not arise and vanish instantaneously, bad done in the previous instant could not depart. If bad done in the previous instant had not yet departed, good in the next instant could not be realized in the present. Only the Tathāgata clearly knows the length of this instant. [The teaching that] "Mind can produce one word of speech at a time, and speech can express one word of writing at a time"18 is also of the Tathāgata alone—it is beyond the ability of other saints. In roughly the time it takes a man to click his fingers, there are sixty-five kṣaṇas, [in each of which] the five aggregates arise and vanish, but no common person has ever sensed it or known it. Even common people have known the length of a tatkṣaṇa.

19 In the passing of one

day and one night there are six billion, four hundred million, ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and eighty kṣaṇas,

20 [in each of which] all five aggregates arise and vanish, but common people never sense or know it. Because they do not sense or know it, they do not establish the bodhi-mind. Those who do not know the Buddha-Dharma and do not believe the Buddha-Dharma do not believe the principle of instantaneous arising and vanishing. One who 352

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clarifies the Tathāgata's right Dharma-eye treasury and the fine mind of nirvana inevitably believes this principle of instantaneous arising and vanishing. Meeting now the Tathāgata's teaching, we feel as if we clearly understand, but we are merely aware of periods of a tatkṣaṇa or longer, and we only believe the principle to be true. Our failure to clarify and failure to know all the dharmas that the World-honored One taught is like our failure to know the length of a kṣaṇa:students must never carelessly become proud. We are not only ignorant of the extremely small; we are also ignorant of the extremely large. And yet, even ordinary beings, when we rely on the power of the Tathāgata's truth, see the three-thousandfold-world. 21 In sum, as we pass from

living existence22 into middle existence, 23 and from middle existence into

the next living existence,

24 all things move in a continuous process, kṣāṇa by kṣāṇa.Thus, regardless of our own intentions, and led by past behavior, the cycle of life and death continues without stopping for a single kṣāṇa. With the body-mind that is swept like this through life and death, we should establish at once the bodhi-mind which is the will to deliver others before we ourselves attain deliverance. Even if, on the way to establishing the bodhimind, we begrudge the body-mind, it is born, grows old, becomes sick, and dies; in the end, it is not our own possession. [207] The ceaselessness and swiftness with which the course through life of living beings arises and vanishes: While the World-honored One is in the world there is a bhikṣuwho visits the Buddha, bows his head at the Buddha's two feet, then stands back to one side and addresses the World-honored One, saying, "How fast is

the arising and vanishing of the course through life of living beings?" The Buddha says,

"Even if I could explain it, you could not know it.

"

The bhikṣu says,

"Is there no allegory that can demonstrate it?" The Buddha says,

"There is, and I will tell it to you now. For example, four skilled archers each take a bow and arrow, stand together back to back, and prepare to shoot in the four directions. An agile man comes along and says to them,

'You may now shoot your arrows at once, and I will be able to catch each one before it falls to the ground. ' What does

it mean? Is he fast or not?"

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The bhikṣusays to the Buddha,

"Very fast, World-honored One.

"

The Buddha says,

"That man is not as fast as earthbound yakṣas.

Earthbound yakṣas are not as fast as skyborne yakṣas. Skyborne yakṣas are not as fast as the four heavenly kings.

25 Those gods are not as fast

as the two wheels of the sun and the moon. The two wheels of the sun and moon are not as fast as the gods26 who pull the chariot whose wheels are the sun and moon. Though the gods described here have become progressively swifter, the arising and vanishing of the course of a life is swifter still. [Life] flows at every instant, without the slightest "27

pause.

[209] The swiftness of the arising, vanishing, and instantaneous flowing of the course of our life is like this. Moment by moment, practitioners should not forget this principle. While experiencing the swiftness of this instantaneous arising, vanishing, and flowing, if we arouse one thought of delivering others before we attain deliverance ourselves, the eternal lifetime will manifest itself before us at once. The buddhas of the three times and the ten directions, together with the Seven World-honored Buddhas, plus the twenty-eight patriarchs of India in the west, the six patriarchs of China in the east, and all the other ancestral masters who have transmitted the Buddha's right Dharmaeye treasury and fine mind of nirvana, each has maintained and relied upon the bodhi-mind. Those who have never established the bodhi-mind are not ancestral masters.

[210] The Pure Criteria for Zen Monasteries,

28 question one hundred

and twenty, says,

"Have you awakened the bodhi-mind, or not?"

Clearly remember: in the Buddhist patriarchs' learning of the truth, to awaken the bodhi-mind is inevitably seen as foremost. This is the eternal rule29 of the Buddhist patriarchs.

"To awaken"30 means to be clear in; it does

not refer to the great realization of the truth31 itself. Even those who have suddenly experienced the ten states32 are still bodhisattvas. The twenty-eight patriarchs of India, the six patriarchs of China, and all the other great ancestral masters are bodhisattvas: they are not buddhas; and they are not śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, or the like. Among practitioners of this age there is not one person who clearly knows that [these patriarchs] are bodhisattvas, not śrāvakas. [Practitioners of this age] just randomly call themselves patchrobed monks and patch-robed disciples without knowing the reality of the 354

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matter, and so they have created confusion. It is pitiful that in a decadent age the truth of the patriarchs has degenerated. This being so, whether we are laypeople or ones who have left home, whether in the heavens above or in the human world, whether in suffering or in happiness, we should quickly establish the will to deliver others before we attain deliverance ourselves. Although the world of living beings is beyond limit and beyond limitlessness, we establish the mind to deliver, ahead of ourselves, all living beings. This is just the bodhi-mind. When bodhisattvas one life away [from buddhahood]33 are about to descend to Jambudvīpa, they say in their ultimate teaching for the gods in Tuṣita Heaven:34 "The bodhi-mind is a gate of Dharma illumination, for it prevents negation of the Three Treasures. "35

Clearly, non-negation of the Three Treasures is by virtue of the bodhi-mind. After establishing the bodhi-mind we should steadfastly guard it, never regressing or going astray.

[212] The Buddha says:

How do bodhisattvas guard the one matter, namely the bodhi-mind? Bodhisattva mahāsattvas constantly endeavor to guard this bodhi-mind as worldly people protect an only child or as the one-eyed protect their remaining eye. Just as those who, journeying through a vast wilderness, protect their guide, bodhisattvas again guard the bodhi-mind like this. Because they guard the bodhi-mind like this, they attain the truth of anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi.Because they attain the truth of anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi,they are replete with constancy, happiness, autonomy, and purity,

36 which are supreme and great parinirvāṇa.For this reason, bodhisattvas guard [this] one dharma.

37

[213] The Buddha's words on guarding the bodhi-mind are, evidently, like this. The reason we guard it and never permit backsliding is that, as popular custom has it, there are three things which, though born, do not reach maturity. They are fish eggs, āmra38 fruit, and a bodhisattva who has established the mind. Because, in general, there are so many people who regress and lose [the bodhi-mind], I have long feared that I also might regress and lose it. For this reason I guard the bodhi-mind. Bodhisattvas often regress or stray from the bodhi-mind when they are beginners because they do not meet a true teacher. Without meeting a true teacher, they do not hear the right 355

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Dharma. Without hearing the right Dharma, they are likely to negate cause and effect, to negate salvation, to negate the Three Treasures, and to negate all the dharmas of the three times. Idly craving the five desires39 of the present, they lose the virtue for future [attainment of] bodhi.Sometimes, in order to hinder a practitioner, celestial demons, pāpīyas,and the like40 will take on the shape of a buddha or will appear in the shape of a parent, a teacher, or relatives, gods, and so on; thus drawing near, they concoct fictions and prevail upon the bodhisattva, saying,

"The Buddha's truth is far distant. You would

suffer long hardships and experience the deepest sorrow. The better course is to resolve our own life and death first and then to deliver living beings. "

The practitioner, hearing these tales, regresses from the bodhi-mind and regresses in the conduct of a bodhisattva. Remember, talk such as the above is just the talk of demons. Bodhisattvas must recognize it and must not follow it. Just never regress or stray from your conduct and vow to deliver others before attaining deliverance yourself. Know [talk] that would turn you against the conduct and vow to deliver others before attaining deliverance yourself as the talk of demons, know it as the talk of non-Buddhists, and know it as the talk of bad companions. Never follow it at all. [216] There are four kinds of demons: The first is demons of hindrance, the second is demons of the five aggregates, the third is demons of death, and the fourth is celestial demons.

41

"Demons of hindrance"42

—of what are called the one hundred

and eight hindrances and so on43

—discriminate eighty-four thousand

miscellaneous hindrances.

"Demons of the five aggregates"44 are the primary and cooperating causes which combine to produce hindrances. We have got this body of the four elements;45 together with matter made from the four elements and matter [sensed through] the eyes and other organs, this is called "the aggregate of matter.

"46 The sum of feelings such as those of the

one hundred and eight hindrances is called "the aggregate of feeling. "47

Differentiation and synthesis of the countless thoughts, great and small that we have is called "the aggregate of thought.

"48 Through the occurrence of pleasure and displeasure, there can arise habits which accommodate or do not accommodate mental states such as greed, anger, and 356

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so on: this is called "the aggregate of conduct. "49 Combination of the

six senses50 and their six objects51 gives rise to the six kinds of consciousness. 52 The countless and limitless states of mind which are the differentiation and synthesis of these six kinds of consciousness are called "the aggregate of consciousness. "53

"Demons of death,

"54 through the impermanence of direct and cooperating causes, break the momentary succession of the lives of the five aggregates and utterly remove three things: consciousness, heat, and life. Therefore we call them "demons of death. "

"Celestial demons,

55 as rulers of the world of desire, 56 deeply attach

to worldly pleasures and rely upon expectation of gain;57 therefore, they give rise to wrong views. They hate and envy all sages' and saints' ways and methods of nirvana. We call these "celestial demons. "

Māra58 is an Indian word; in China it is called a being that is able to steal life. Only demons of death can actually steal life, but the others also are able to produce the direct and cooperating causes of the taking of life; moreover, they take away the life of wisdom. For this reason we call them killers.

Someone asks,

"One category, the demons of the five aggregates, covers the other three kinds of demon. Why do you separate them and explain the four?" The answer is as follows: "In fact it is one demon. [But] for the purpose of analysis, there are the four. "

[219] The foregoing is the teaching of the ancestral Master Nāgārjuna. Practitioners should know it and should diligently learn it. Never idly be worried by demons into regressing or straying from the bodhi-mind. This is to guard the bodhi-mind.

ShōbōgenzōHotsu-bodaishin

Preached to the assembly at Kippō Temple in the Yoshida district of Esshū on the fourteenth day of the second lunar month in the second year of Kangen.

59

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Notes

1 Monier-Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionarydefines cittaas attending, observing; thinking, reflecting, imagining, thought; intention, aim, wish; memory; intelligence, reason. See also Chapter Thirty-seven (Vol. II), Shinjin-gakudō, paragraph 144. 2 Shihō, lit.,

text.

"this direction" or "this quarter,

" means the Eastern Lands, China and Japan. The sentences in quotemarks are in the form of a quotation from a Chinese 3 Ryo-chi-shin, lit.,

"considering and recognizing mind,

" in other words, reason.

4 Monier-Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionarydefines hṛdayaas the heart (or region of the heart as the seat of feeling and sensations); soul, mind; the heart or interior of the body.

5 Sō-moku-shin,

"mind of grass and trees,

" describes the instinctive processes that exist in the life force itself and that are present prior to consciousness. 6 Monier-Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary defines vṛddha as grown, become larger or longer or stronger, increased, augmented; great, large; grown up, full grown, aged, old, senior; experienced, wise, learned. 7 Shakujū-shōyō-shinmeans the regulated mind of real wisdom, i.e., prajñā. 8 Dō(Ch. dao) literally means "Way.

" In some cases dōrepresents the Sanskrit mārga, as in the Fourth Noble Truth dōtai,from the Sanskrit mārga-satya.But in the Shōbōgenzō, dōusually represents the Sanskrit bodhi,which means the truth or the state of truth. Monier-Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary defines bodhi as "perfect knowledge or wisdom (by which a [person] becomes a buddha); the illuminated or enlightened intellect.

" In the Shōbōgenzō, however, wisdom is not intellectual but is the harmonized state of the body-mind in zazen; it is not a means to an end but is complete in itself.

9 Wataru,

"to cross over,

" means to be delivered, to attain the truth. 10 Kannō-dōkōmeans 1) mystical communication of the truth to living beings, 2) empathy between a master and disciple. See also Chapter Thirty-seven (Vol. II), Shinjin-gakudō, paragraph 144.

11 Hachi-nan-sho("eight troubled worlds"), lit., "eight places of difficulty" or "eight states of distress,

" represents the meaning of the Sanskrit aṣṭākṣaṇāḥ.The eight places are the realms of naraka(hell), tiryañc(animals), preta(hungry ghosts), dīrghāyur-deva 359

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(gods in heaven with interminably long lives), pratyantajanapada(remote or barbarian countries), indriyavaikalya(loss of power of the senses), mithyādarśana(pretentiousness), and tathāgatānām-anutpāda(absence of the Buddha). See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.

12 Sangō:the three forms of behavior or actions of body, speech, and mind. 13 Daihatsunehankyō(Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra), chap. 38. 14 The closing words of Lotus Sutra,Nyorai-juryō.See LS 3.36. 15 Setsunarepresents the Sanskrit kṣaṇa,which as a noun means moment or instant and as an adverb means in a moment or instantaneously. 16 Zōjō-en. Zō means to add on, to increase, or to promote; jō means to go above, or to advance, to improve; and enmeans a connection, an indirect or cooperating cause, a condition, a favorable circumstance. Therefore in context zōjō-enmay be interpreted literally as "promoting conditions,

" i.e., circumstances that are favorable to attainment of the truth. At the same time, zōjō-en represents the Sanskrit adhipati-pratyaya, which is the fourth of the catvāraḥ pratyayāḥ, or four types of circumstance. The four are: hetu-pratyaya,circumstances directly responsible for the event; samanantara-pratyaya, circumstances immediately contiguous to the event; ālambanapratyaya,circumstances indirectly connected with the event; and adhipati-pratyaya, overarching circumstances, all circumstances over and above the preceding. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.

17 Setsuna-shōmetsu,

"appearance and disappearance in a kṣaṇa. " This phrase introduces

the "Theory of the Momentary Appearance and Disappearance of the Universe" mentioned in the introduction to this chapter. 18 Bibasharon (Abhidharmamahāvibhāṣā-śāstra), chap. 15. 19 Gō-setsuna. Gō,which means "constant, " is thought to be a misprint of tan,which represents the sound of the Sanskrit tat.As a unit of measurement, the Sanskrit tatkṣaṇa,which literally means "that moment, " i.e., a definite period of time, is equivalent to one hundred and twenty kṣāṇas. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. 20 Rokujū-shi-oku, kyuman, kyusen, kyuhyaku, hachijū no setsuna. "Six billion four hundred million,

" i.e., 6,400 million, is expressed in Chinese and Japanese as sixty-four units of one hundred million (oku).

21 Sanzenkai("three-thousandfold-world"), the whole world of one billion (one thousand to the power of three) constituent worlds. 22 Hon-u.Traditionally there are said to be four stages of life, known as shi-u,or "four forms of existence.

" They are shō-u,

"birth existence,

" existence at the moment of

one's birth; hon-u,

"original existence,

" the living of one's life; shi-u"death existence, "

existence at the moment of one's death; and chū-u, "middle existence,

" an intermediate

stage through which conscious beings are supposed to pass following the moment of death.

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23 Chū-u,

"middle existence,

" represents the meaning of the Sanskrit antarā-bhava, which was originally a Brahmanistic concept describing the soul in an intermediate stage between death and regeneration. Buddhist masters utilized the concept to emphasize the importance of profound belief in cause and effect. See for example Chapter Eighty-four (Vol. IV), Sanji-no-gō,paragraph 44; Chapter Ninety (Vol. IV), Shizenbiku,paragraph 23. 24 Tō-hon-u. Tōmeans "the present, " "this one"; at the same time, it sometimes stands for tōrai,

"the future.

"

25 Shi-tennō,

"four quarter kings,

" from the Sanskrit catvāro mahā-rājāḥ,are four gods under the god Indra who inhabit the first and lowest of the six heavens of the world of desire and who each guard one quadrant of the four continents surrounding Mount Sumeru. Their names are Dhṛtarāṣṭra, ruler of the eastern continent; Virūḍhaka, ruler of the southern continent; Virūpākṣa, ruler of the western continent; and Vaiśravaṇa, ruler of the northern continent (who is mentioned by name in LS 3.252). 26 Kengyō-tenshi,

traced.

"firmly going sons of heaven,

" probably represents the meaning of a Sanskrit proper name for these particular gods. However, such a name has not been 27 Bibasharon,chap. 136.

28 The Zen

'

enshingi. Its editing was completed by Master Chōro Sōsaku in 1103. 29 Jōhō. Jō means constant or eternal, and at the same time usual or everyday. Hō in this context means rule, method, or Dharma. 30 Hotsu-go. Hotsumeans to establish, to initiate, or to arouse, as in the chapter title. Go, sato[ru] means 1) to perceive, to realize, to wake up to, or to become conscious of something in a limited sense, with one's thinking mind; 2) to realize reality in the widest sense, through the whole body-mind. See Chapter Twenty-six (Vol. II), Daigo. 31 Daigaku. Daimeans "great.

" Kakumeans the state of truth, or realization of the state of truth.

32 Juchi,

"ten states,

" generally means jusshō,the ten sacred stages that constitute stages forty-one to fifty of the fifty-two stages through which bodhisattvas must pass before becoming buddhas. The first group of ten stages is jisshin,the ten stages of belief. The next three groups of ten stages are sanken,the three clever stages. The fifth group of ten stages is the ten sacred stages. The fifty-first stage is tōkaku, "the balanced

state of truth,

" and the fifty-second stage is myōkaku, "the fine state of truth.

"

33 Isshō-hosho no bosatsu,lit., "a bodhisattva at the place of assignment in one life, "

means a bodhisattva who is living his or her last life in Tuṣita Heaven before descending to the world to become a buddha. Isshō-hosho, "place of assignment in one life" is identified with myōkaku,

"fine state of truth,

" i.e., the last of the bodhisattva's fiftytwo stages. 361

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34 Tuṣita Heaven is usually listed as the fourth of roku-yoku-ten, "six heavens of [the

world of] desire" (from the Sanskrit kāmāvacara). The six heavens are inhabited by 1) caturmahārāja-kāyikās (deities attending the four quarter kings; see note 25); 2) trāyastriṃśās (thirty-three gods living on top of Mount Sumeru, eight in each quadrant surrounding Indra in the center); 3) yāmās (deities under Yama, who rules the spirits of the dead); 4) tuṣitās (indeterminate celestial beings); 5) nirmāṇa-ratayas ("gods who enjoy pleasures provided by themselves"); 6) paranirmita-vaśa-vartinas ("gods who constantly enjoy pleasures provided by others"). Monier-Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionaryhas tuṣitās in the third heaven and yāmās in the fourth. 35 Butsuhongyōjikkyō.This part of the sutra is also quoted in the Ippyakuhachi-hōmyōmon in the twelve-chapter edition of the Shōbōgenzō.See Vol. IV, Appendix III. 36 Jō-raku-ga-jō,

of nirvana.

"constancy, happiness, autonomy, and purity,

" are the four attributes

37 Daihatsunehankyō,chap. 25.

38 The Sanskrit āmrameans mango.

39 Goyoku,

"five desires,

" are desires for pleasure through sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. They are also categorized as desires for property, sexual love, food and drink, fame, and sleep.

40 Tenma-hajun-tō. Tenma,

"celestial demons,

" generally refers to the demons who rule

the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven, which was thought to house the palace of Māra, or Māraḥ-pāpīyān, the king of demons. Hajunrepresents the sound of the Sanskrit pāpīyas, which means "most wicked ones.

" Ten-mahajunmay be understood as one

concept,

"celestial māraḥ-pāpīyas,

" and as referring to one individual,

"the celestial

Māraḥ-pāpīyān.

" Here, however, tōindicates plurality, etc. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.

41 This section (one paragraph in the source text) is from the Daichidoron(Skt. Mahā prajñā pāramitopadeśa), chap. 68. The original Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśais a commentary attributed to Master Nāgārjuna, the fourteenth patriarch. It was translated into Chinese by Kumārajīva ca. 405 C.E.

42 Bonnō-ma, from the Sanskrit kleśa-māra. Kleśameans affliction, trouble, the cause of suffering, that which disturbs our balance and hinders our action. 43 Hyakuhachi-bonnō-tō refers to lists in Buddhist commentaries enumerating six or ten mūla-kleśas, basic causes of suffering, and varying numbers of upakleśas, secondary hindrances. According to the Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary,in the Vijñānavāda tradition the six mūla-kleśas are enumerated as rāga (craving), pratigha (anger), mūḍha(ignorance), māna(arrogance), vicikitsā(doubt), and ḍrṣṭi(wrong views, of which there are five categories, pañca ḍrṣṭyah); the Abhidharmakośa-śāstralists the following nineteen upa kleśas: pramāda(negligence), kausīdya(indolence), aśraddha (unbelief), styāna(sloth), auddhatya(disdain), āhrīkya(shamelessness), anapatrāpya (lack of reserve), krodha(wrath), mrakṣa(hypocrisy), mātsarya(meanness), īrṣyā 362

Chapter Seventy

(envy), pradāsa (affliction), vihiṃsā (tendency to do harm), upanāha (continual enmity), māyā(duplicity), śāṭhya(roguery), mada(presumption), middha(drowsiness), and kaukṛtya (remorse). Monier-Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary cites ten kleśas listed in the Sarvadarśanasaṃgrahaand refers to "twenty-four minor evil passions" listed in the Dharmasaṃgraha.See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. 44 Goshū-ma,from the Sanskrit pañca-skandha-māra.The pañca skandhas ("five agggregates") are the five constituent elements of being. Monier-Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionarylists them as 1) rūpa(bodily form), 2) vedana(sensation), 3) saṃjñā(perception), 4) saṃskāra (aggregate of formations), and 5) vijñāna (consciousness or thought faculty). Thich Nhat Hanh (in The Miracle of Mindfulness) lists them as 1) form, or bodily and physical forms, 2) feeling(s), 3) perception(s), 4) mental functioning(s), and 5) consciousness. T. R. V. Murti (in The Central Philosophy of Buddhism) lists them as 1) matter, or material forms; 2) feeling; 3) ideation, apprehension of determining marks; 4) the forces, mental and material, that condition existential entities; and 5) consciousness, or pure awareness without content. Ven. Dr. U. Rewata Dhamma, translating from the Pāli (The First Sermon of the Buddha), lists them as 1) matter; 2) sensations or feelings; 3) perceptions, or sense recognition following the arising of sensations; 4) mental formations, i.e., all our actions and reactions in daily life; 5) consciousness. Ven. Rewata Dhamma notes that sensations and perceptions are not volitional actions and so do not produce any karmic force, whereas saṃskāraproduces actual karmic effects.

45 Shidai,

"four elements,

" from the Sanskrit catvāri mahābhūtāni,are 1) earth (representing the qualities of heaviness and lightness), ibid., 2) water (cohesion or fluidity), 3) fire (heat and cold), and 4) wind (motions and movements). 46 Shiki-shū. Shikiis literally "color" or "form.

"

47 Ju-shū. Juis literally "receive,

" "accept,

" or "take in.

" Master Nāgārjuna's comment

confirms that the term vedana embraces all feelings, not only physical or sensory (sensing of external stimuli) but also mental or emotional (greed, anger, pride, doubt, etc.).

48 Sō-shū. Sōis literally "idea,

" "conception,

" or "thought.

" For saṃjñāas one of the

skandhas, Monier-Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionarygives "perception, " but its

general definition of the term includes "clear conception" and "direction. " See Glossary

of Sanskrit Terms.

49 Gyō-shū. Gyōmeans going, conducting oneself, acting, carrying out, performing, becoming operative, being translated into action. For saṃskāraas one of the skan dhas, Monier-Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionarygives "mental conformation or creation of the mind,

" but it defines saṃskārain general as forming well, accomplishment, forming the mind, training, education. In Master Nāgārjuna's explanation saṃskāraindicates concrete self-conduct as the criterion of formation of good or bad habits. 50 Roku-jō("six sense organs"), usually called rokkon,represents the Sanskrit ṣad indriyāṇi. The six sense organs are cakṣus(eyes), śrotra(ears), ghrāṇa(nose), jihvā(tongue), kāya 363

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(body), and manas(the mind as a sense organ). According to Monier-Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary,manasoriginally means mind in a wide sense as applied to all mental faculties: intellect, understanding, perception, motor faculty, conscience, etc. In Buddhist philosophy the mind as a sense organ is sometimes subdivided into two components (see also note 51).

51 Roku-jin("six sense objects"), also called rokkyo,represents the Sanskrit ṣad viṣayaḥ. The six objects are rūpa(form), śabda(sound), gandha(odor), rasa(taste), sparśa (tangible objects), and dharma(objects of the mind such as thoughts, wishes, ideas, attributes, patterns, movements, etc.).

52 Roku-shiki ("six kinds of consciousness") are the momentary consciousness that arises in the eyes when seeing a visible object, the ears when hearing a sound, the nose when smelling an odor, the body when touching a tangible object, and the mind when meeting a mental object. Subdivision of the mind into kinesthetic and intellectual faculties results in seven kinds of consciousness, as mentioned in Chapter Twentyeight (Vol. II), Butsu-kōjō-no-ji,paragraph 63. 53 Shiki-shū. Shiki,

"consciousness,

" thus defined as the combination of subject and

object, is the basis of the teaching of yui-shiki,

"consciousness only" (Sanskrit: vijñānamātratā). This teaching, elucidated in the so-called Yogācāra-Vijñānavāda school (stemming from the twenty-first patriarch Vasubandhu), affirms the all-embracing reality of consciousness, whereby grass, trees, stars, pebbles, and so on are all seen as manifestations of seeds of the store consciousness (ālayavijñāna). 54 Shimarepresents the Sanskrit mṛtyu-māra.See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. 55 Tenshima,lit.,

"demons who are the sons of heaven,

" represents the Sanskrit deva putra-māra. Here the term refers to demons in the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven, the sixth and highest heaven in the world of desire. See note 40. 56 Yokkai,

"world of desire or volition,

" represents the Sanskrit kāmadhātu.See Chapter

Forty-seven, Sangai-yuishin.

57 Ushotokumeans having an ulterior motive or idealistic aim in mind—a tendency that Master Dōgen sometimes attributes to celestial demons; see, for example, Chapter Eight (Vol. I), Raihai-tokuzui,paragraph 194. The antonym mushotoku, "non-gaining"

or "nonattainment,

" describes the action of one who is living fully in the present moment. See also Chapter Eighty-seven (Vol. IV), Kuyō-shōbutsu,paragraph 131. 58 Ma, hitherto translated as "demon,

" represents both the sound and the meaning of

the Sanskrit māra,which means 1) killing, and 2) demon. See Glossary of Sanskrit Terms.

59 1244.

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[Chapter Seventy-one]

Nyorai-zenshin

242c3

The Whole Body of the Tathāgata Translator's Note:Nyorai represents the Chinese translation of the Sanskrit word Tathāgata, which means a person who has arrived at the truth. Sometimes, as in this case, nyorai means Gautama Buddha himself. Zenshin means "

whole body.

" In this chapter, Master Dōgen teaches that Buddhist sutras are Gautama Buddha

'

s whole body, using the word " sutras

" to express the

real form of the universe. Thus Master Dōgen insists that the universe is Gautama Buddha

'

s whole body.

[221] At that time, Śākyamuni Buddha was living on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa1 at Rājagṛha.

2 He addressed Bodhisattva Medicine King, saying: Medicine King! In every place where [this sutra] is preached, or read, or recited, or copied, or where volumes of the sutra are kept, we should establish a stupa3 of the seven treasures, making it most high, wide, and ornate. [But] there is no need to place bones4 in it. Why? [Because] in it there is already the whole body of the Tathāgata. This stupa should be served, revered, honored, and extolled with all kinds of flowers, fragrances, strings of pearls, 5 silk canopies, banners, flags, music, and songs of praise. If any people, being able to see this stupa, do prostrations and serve offerings to it, know that they are all close to anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi.

6

[222] What has been called "volumes of the sutra" is concrete preaching itself,

7 is concrete reading itself, is concrete reciting itself, and is concrete copying itself.

"Volumes of the sutra" are real form itself. 8 "There will be

established the Stupa of the Seven Treasures":9 this expresses real form as a stupa. The "height and width" of "utmost making" are inevitably the dimensions of real form.

"In this10 there is already the whole body of the Tathāgata": for 365

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volumes of the sutra are the whole body itself. Thus, concrete preaching, concrete reading, concrete reciting, concrete copying, and so on, are themselves the whole body of the Tathāgata. We should serve, revere, honor, and extol them with all kinds of flowers, fragrances, strings of pearls, silk canopies, banners, flags, music, and songs of praise. Those may be celestial flowers, celestial fragrances, celestial canopies, and so on, all of which are real form. Or they may be the choice flowers, choice fragrances, fine robes, and fine clothes of the human world—these are all real form. Serving offerings and showing reverence are real form. We should establish the stupa, "but there is

no need to place bones in it": clearly, volumes of the sutra are themselves the bones of the Tathāgata and the whole body of the Tathāgata. These are the golden words of the Buddha's own mouth; there can be no virtue greater than seeing and hearing them. We should be quick to accumulate merit and to heap up virtue. If any people do prostrations and serve offerings to this stupa, remember,

"they are totally close to anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi.

" When we

are able to see this stupa, we should wholeheartedly do prostrations and serve offerings to this stupa; just those actions may be "total closeness" to anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi.

"Being close" is neither closeness following separation nor closeness following coming together. Anuttara samyaksaṃbodhiis called "total closeness.

" Our own experience here and now of receiving, retaining, reading, reciting, interpreting, and copying is "being able to see this stupa. "

We should rejoice: it is the total closeness of anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi. [225] So the volumes of the sutra are the whole body of the Tathāgata. To do prostrations to volumes of the sutra is to do prostrations to the Tathāgata. To have met volumes of the sutra is to be meeting the Tathāgata. The volumes of the sutra are the bones of the Tathāgata. Because this is so, bones may be this sutra.

11 Even if we know that volumes of the sutra are the bones, if we do not know that bones are volumes of the sutra, that is not yet the Buddha's truth. The real form of all dharmas here and now is volumes of the sutra. The human world, the heavens above, the ocean, space, this land, and other realms all are real form, are volumes of the sutra, and are bones. Receiving, retaining, reading, reciting, interpreting, and copying bones we should disclose realization: this is [called] "sometimes following the sutras.

" There are bones of eternal

buddhas, bones of present buddhas, bones of pratyekabuddhas, and bones of wheel-turning kings. There are lion bones, there are wooden buddha bones 366

Chapter Seventy-one

and painted buddha bones, and there are human bones. In the great kingdom of Song today, several generations of Buddhist patriarchs are manifesting their bones while they are living; and many have yielded their bones after cremation.

12 These cases are all volumes of the sutra.

[226] Śākyamuni Buddha addressed the great assembly, saying, "The

lifetime that I have realized by my original practice of the bodhisattva way is not even yet exhausted but will still be twice the previous number. "13

The eighty-four gallons of bones of the present are just the Buddha's lifetime itself. The lifetime of "original practice of the bodhisattva way" is not confined to the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world; it may be incalculable. Such is the whole body of the Tathāgata. Such are the volumes of the sutra. [227] Bodhisattva Wisdom Accumulation said,

"I have seen [how]

Śākyamuni Tathāgata, during countless kalpas of hard practice and painful practice, accumulating merit and heaping up virtue, has pursued the bodhisattva way and has never ceased. I have observed that in the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world, there is no place even the size of a mustard seed where he has not abandoned his body and life as a bodhisattva for the sake of living beings. After acting thus, he was then able to realize the truth of bodhi.

"14

Clearly, this three-thousand-great-thousandfold world is a single instance of red mind, is a single concrete space, and is the whole body of the Tathāgata, which can never depend upon abandonment or non-abandonment. Bones are neither prior to the Buddha nor subsequent to the Buddha; nor are they arranged side by side with the Buddha.

15 Countless kalpas of hard practice

and painful practice are the vivid activity of the Buddha's womb or the Buddha's abdomen; they are the Buddha's skin, flesh, bones, and marrow. It says "he has never ceased": having attained buddhahood he practices all the more vigorously, and having educated the great-thousandfold world he is still going forward. The vigorous activity of the whole body is like this. ShōbōgenzōNyorai-zenshin

Preached to the assembly at Kippō Temple in

the Yoshida district of Esshū on the fifteenth

day of the second lunar month in the second

year of Kangen.

16

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Notes

1 The Sanskrit Gṛdhrakūṭa, here represented phonetically, means "Vulture Peak. " This

mountain, a natural platform overlooking the Rājagṛha valley, was the stage on which was set the Buddha's preaching of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma;i.e., the sutra of the Lotus Universe (the Lotus Sutra). See LS 1.8. 2 Ōshajō, lit.,

"City of Royal Palaces,

" represents the meaning of the Sanskrit Rājagṛha, which was the name of the capital of the ancient kingdom of Magadha. 3 Tō,literally,

"tower.

" On the one hand, The Threefold Lotus Sutra(LSW) notes that the Sanskrit text of the Lotus Sutra here has caitya. Furthermore, LSW notes that from this place on, the Lotus Sutrastresses the building of caityas (repositories for sutras) as opposed to stupas (repositories for relics). On the other hand, Monier-Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionarysuggests that the two terms, caitya and stupa, are interchangeable. See Vol. I, Glossary of Sanskrit Terms. Master Dōgen discusses the problem further in Chapter Eighty-seven (Vol. IV), Kuyō-shōbutsu, paragraph 160. In general, we have translated tōas "stupa. "

4 Sharirepresents the Sanskrit śarīra,which means a body, dead body, or bones (relics). 5 Yōraku,lit.,

"necklaces,

" represents the Sanskrit muktāhāra,which means a string of pearls or jewels worn by royalty and nobility in ancient India. 6 Lotus Sutra,Hōsshi.See LS 2.154.

7 Nyaku-setsu.In the Lotus Sutraquotation, moshi[ku wa] is used as the conjunction "or,

" but here Master Dōgen uses the character as an intensifier to suggest real preaching as it is. The same applies to reading, reciting, and copying. Similar usage of nyaku occurs in Chapter Twenty (Vol. I), Kōkyō,paragraph 153 and in Chapter Twenty-two (Vol. II), Busshō,paragraph 14.

8 Kyogan wa jissō kore nari.Master Dōgen saw Myōhōrengekyō, "Sutra of the Lotus

Flower of the Wonderful Dharma,

"as an expression of the universe itself. Therefore, kyōgan,

"volumes of the sutra,

" means not only copies of the sutra of the Lotus Universe but also the concrete manifestations of this Lotus Universe as a sutra. Jissō, "real

form,

" also means the universe itself, or reality itself (see Chapter Fifty, Shohō-jissō). 9 Ō-ki-shippō-tō.The meaning suggested in the Lotus Sutrais "we should erect a stupa of the seven treasures.

" But in Master Dōgen's interpretation shippō-tō, "Stupa of

the Seven Treasures,

" is used as another figurative expression of the substantial form 369

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of the real universe. Here, o-kimeans not only "[we] should erect" but also "[there] will arise"; i.e., it suggests not only the propriety of building a stupa out of bricks etc., but also the inevitability of the momentary establishment of the real universe. 10 Shichū,

"in this,

" means "in this concrete reality here and now. " Shi,

"this,

" may

therefore be interpreted as referring to 1) volumes of the Lotus Sutra,2) action, 3) real form or reality, and 4) the stupa of the seven treasures. In the first sentence of this paragraph Master Dōgen has identified items 1 and 2; in the second sentence items 1 and 3; in the third sentence items 3 and 4; and in the fourth sentence items 2 and 3. In this sentence he says that in each of these four elements, which he has thus directly or indirectly identified with each other, there is the whole body of the Tathāgata. 11 12 13 14 15 Shari wa shikyo naru beshi. Shari, "bones" or "relics,

" are here a symbol of the concrete, and shikyō, "this sutra,

" means "a sutra of this concrete reality. "

Ja-irepresents the pronunciation of the Prakrit term jhāpita,which means cremation. Lotus Sutra,Nyorai-juryō.The "previous number" refers to the astronomically large number of kalpas that had passed since the beginning of the Buddha's buddhahood. See LS 3.12, 3.20.

Lotus Sutra,Daibadatta("Devadatta"). See LS 2.218-220. Concrete bones and the Buddha cannot be separated. 16 1244.

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Chapter 72: Zanmai-ō-zanmai - The Samādhi That Is the King of Samādhis

[Chapter Seventy-two]

Zanmai-ō-zanmai

The SamādhiThat Is the King

of Samādhis

Translator's Note: Zanmai is the Japanese pronunciation of the phonetic rendering in Chinese of the Sanskrit word "samādhi, " which means the state

in zazen; that is, the balanced state of body and mind. Ō means "king.

" We

can consider that there are many kinds of samādhi in our daily lives. However, according to Buddhist theory the most important and best samādhi is just the samādhi that we can experience in zazen. Therefore, we call the state in zazen

"the king of samādhis.

" In this chapter, Master Dōgen explains what zazen is, and so he chose the title Zanmai-ō-zanmai, "The Samādhi That Is

the King of Samādhis.

"

[231] To transcend the whole universe at once, to live a great and valuable life in the house of the Buddhist patriarchs, is to sit in the full lotus posture. To tread over the heads of non-Buddhists and demons; to become, in the inner sanctum of the Buddhist patriarchs, a person in the concrete state, is to sit in the full lotus posture. To transcend the supremacy of the Buddhist patriarchs' supremacy, there is only this one method. Therefore, Buddhist patriarchs practice it solely, having no other practices at all. Remember, the universe in sitting is far different from other universes. Clearly understanding this truth, Buddhist patriarchs pursue and realize the establishment of the will, training, the state of bodhi,and nirvana. Just in the moment of sitting, investigate whether the universe is vertical, and whether it is horizontal. Just in the moment of sitting, what is the sitting itself? Is it a somersault? Is it a state of vigorous activity? Is it thinking? Is it beyond thinking? Is it doing something? Is it not doing anything? Is it sitting inside of sitting? Is it sitting inside of the body-mind? Is it sitting that is free of "the inside of sitting, " "the inside of the body-mind,

"

and so on? There should be investigation of thousands and tens of thousands 371

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of points like these. Sit in the full lotus posture with the body. Sit in the full lotus posture with the mind. Sit in the full lotus posture being free of body and mind.

[233] My late master, the eternal buddha, says,

"To practice [za]zen is

to get free of body and mind. Just to sit is to have attainment from the beginning. It is not necessary to burn incense, to do prostrations, to recite the Buddha's name, to confess, or to read sutras.

"

Clearly, in the last four or five hundred years, only one person, my late master, has scooped out the Eye of the Buddhist Patriarch and sat inside the Eye of the Buddhist Patriarch; few people have equaled him, even in China. Very few people realize that the act of sitting is the Buddha-Dharma and that the Buddha-Dharma is the act of sitting. Even if some physically understand sitting to be the Buddha-Dharma, none has realized sitting as sitting. How then can any be maintaining and relying upon the Buddha-Dharma as the Buddha-Dharma? This being so, there is sitting with the mind, which is not the same as sitting with the body. There is sitting with the body, which is not the same as sitting with the mind. And there is sitting that is free of body and mind, which is not the same as "sitting that is free of body and mind. " Already

to have attained the state like this is the Buddhist patriarchs' state in which practice and understanding are in mutual accord. Maintain and rely upon this awareness, thought, reflection. Investigate this mind, will, consciousness. [235] Śākyamuni Buddha addresses a large assembly: "If we sit in the full lotus posture, the body-mind will experience samādhi,and many people will revere the dignity and virtue of the state. Like the sun lighting up the world, it clears away sleepy, lazy, and melancholy mind. The body is light and tireless. Perception and consciousness are also light and responsive. We should sit like coiled dragons. 1 On seeing just

a picture of the lotus posture, even the king of demons is afraid. How much more so if he sees a person really experiencing the state of truth, sitting without inclination or agitation?"2

Thus, on seeing a picture of the lotus posture, even the king of demons is surprised, worried, and afraid. Still more, when we really sit in the lotus posture, the virtue is beyond imagination. In short, the happiness and virtue of everyday sitting are limitless.

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Chapter Seventy-two

[236] Śākyamuni Buddha addresses a large assembly: "This is why we sit in the full lotus posture.

" Then the Tathāgata, the World-honored

One, teaches his disciples that they should sit like this. Sometimes non-Buddhists pursue the truth by continuously standing on tiptoes, sometimes they pursue the truth by continuously standing up, and sometimes they pursue the truth by carrying the legs on the shoulders. Mad and obstinate mind like this sinks into the sea of wrongness, and the body is not peaceful. For this reason, the Buddha teaches his disciples to sit in the full lotus posture, sitting with the mind upright. Why? [Because] if the body is upright, the mind is easily set right. When the body sits upright, the mind is not weary, the mind is regulated, the intention is right, and the attention is bound to what is immediately present. If the mind races or becomes distracted and if the body leans or becomes agitated, [sitting upright] regulates them and causes them to recover. When we want to experience samādhiand want to enter samādhi,even if the mind is chasing various images and is variously distracted, [sitting upright] completely regulates all such states. Practicing like this, we experience and enter the samādhithat is king of samādhis. 3

[237] Evidently, sitting in the full lotus posture is just the samādhithat is king of samādhis, and is just experience and entry. All samādhis are the followers4 of this, the king of samādhis. To sit in the full lotus posture is to set the body straight,

5 to set the mind straight, to set the body-mind straight, to set Buddhist patriarchs straight, to set practice and experience straight, to set the brain straight, and to set the life-blood straight. Now, sitting our human skin, flesh, bones, and marrow in the full lotus posture, we sit the samādhi that is king among samādhis in the full lotus posture. The World-honored One is constantly maintaining and relying upon the practice of sitting in the full lotus posture. He authentically transmits the practice of sitting in the full lotus posture to his disciples, and he teaches human beings and gods to sit in the full lotus posture. The mind-seal authentically transmitted by the Seven Buddhas is just this. Under the bodhi tree Śākyamuni Buddha passes fifty minor kalpas, passes sixty kalpas, and passes countless kalpas, sitting in the lotus posture. Sitting in the full lotus posture for three weeks, or sitting for hours, is the turning of the splendid Dharma wheel, and is the lifelong teaching of the Buddha. It lacks nothing. It is just a yellow scroll on a red stick. 6 The

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meeting of Buddha with Buddha is this moment. This is just the time when living beings become buddha.

[239] The First Patriarch,

7 Venerable Bodhidharma, after arriving from the west, passed nine years facing the wall at Shōrinji on Shōshitsuhō in the Sūgaku Mountains, sitting in zazen in the lotus posture. From that time through to today, brains and eyes have pervaded China. The lifeblood of the First Patriarch is only the practice of sitting in the full lotus posture. Before the First Patriarch came from the west the people of Eastern Lands never knew sitting in the full lotus posture. Since the ancestral master came from the west they have known it. This being so, just to sit in the lotus posture, day and night, from the beginning to the end of this life, and for tens of thousands of lives, without leaving the temple grounds8 and without having any other practices, is the samādhithat is the king of samādhis. ShōbōgenzōZanmai-ō-zanmai

Preached to the assembly at Kippō Temple in Etsu district,

9 on the fifteenth day of the second lunar month in the second year of Kangen. 10

374

Notes

1 Ryū[no] wadakama[ru ga] goto[ku seyo], "like a dragon in its coil, " suggests a sitting

posture in which there is stability and power without undue rigidity or exertion. 2 Quoted from vol. 7 of the Daichidoron,the Chinese translation of the Mahāprajñā pāramitopadeśa. 3 Also quoted from vol. 7 of the Daichidoron. 4 Kenzoku,lit.,

"family,

" "household,

" or "kin,

" represents the Sanskrit parivāra(dependents, followers). The words are used in the Lotus Sutrato indicate the followers of a god or a king. See LS 1.14. 5 Jiki-shin, jiki, nao[su], used in the previous paragraph as an adjective and as an adverb, means straight or upright. Used here as a transitive verb, jiki, nao[su] means to make upright, to set straight, to rectify, to restore to order or normality, or to cure. 6 A concrete sutra.

7 Master Bodhidharma (d. ca. 528), the twenty-eighth patriarch in India and the First Patriarch in China.

8 Furi sōrin. Sōrin,lit., "thicket-forest,

" from the Sanskrit piṇḍavana,suggests a place where many practitioners are gathered for Buddhist practice; or, more widely, the state of Buddhist practice. See Chapter Thirty-nine (Vol. II), Dōtoku. 9 Modern-day Fukui prefecture. 10 1244.

375