Buddhamitra

The Ninth Ancestor, Venerable Buddhamitra, heard Buddhanandi say: 'Your words are intimate with mind, parents cannot compare. Your actions accord with the Way, the very mind of all buddhas. Seeking outwardly for a buddha with form does not resemble you. To know your original mind, it is neither joined nor separate.'

The master then experienced great awakening.

He was from the country of Tekika. His family name was Vaisya.

Buddhanandi, traveling to teach, arrived at the house of a Vaisya in the city of Tekika country. Seeing a white light ascending from the roof, he said to his disciples: 'There must be a sage in this house.'

No words were spoken from his mouth—truly a vessel of the Great Vehicle.

Record of the Transmission of the Lamp from the Jingde Era: A person from Tekika country. Family name Vaisya. His feet did not touch the ground, he only knew to avoid defilement. 'This one shall be my successor.'

When he finished speaking, the elder came out, paid his respects, and asked, 'What do you require?'The Venerable One said, 'I seek an attendant.'The elder said, 'I have a son, already fifty years old, who has never spoken a word nor ever walked.'The Venerable One said, 'If it is as you say, he is truly my disciple.'The Venerable One, seeing him thus, heard such words.

The master immediately rose abruptly, paid homage, and spoke a verse, asking thus: 'Parents are not my true kin. Who then is the closest kin? All buddhas are not my path. Who then is the ultimate path?'The Venerable One replied with a verse: 'Your words are intimate with mind. Ultimately, neither joined nor separated.'At that time, the master, hearing the wondrous verse, immediately walked seven steps. The Venerable One said, 'This child, in the past, once encountered a buddha; his compassionate vow is vast and great.'

Because he considered his parents'affectionate love difficult to abandon, he neither spoke nor walked, and so on.

The Record of the Transmission of the Lamp from the Jingde Era: 'Traveling to spread the teaching, he arrived at the city of Tiga country, at the house of Vimala. Seeing a white light ascending above the dwelling, he said to his disciples: "In this house there must be a sage. Though mouth utters no words, truly a vessel of the Great Vehicle."'

Named Buddhamitra, already fifty years old, who had never spoken nor walked. The Venerable One said, 'As you say, truly my disciple.'The Venerable One, seeing him, abruptly rose, paid homage, and spoke a verse: 'Parents are not my kin, who then is the closest kin? All buddhas are not my path, who then is the ultimate path?'The Venerable One replied with a verse: 'Your words are intimate with mind, parents cannot compare; your actions accord with the Way, the mind of all buddhas is precisely it.'

'Seeking outwardly for a buddha with form, that is not like you. If you wish to know your original mind, it is neither joined nor separated.'Buddhamitra, hearing his master's wondrous verse, then walked seven steps. The master said, 'This child, in the past, once encountered a buddha; his compassionate vow is vast and great. He considered his parents'affectionate love difficult to abandon, therefore he neither spoke nor walked.'

Your hands and feet move without using another's motion. All beings are thus, all buddhas are thus. That one learning from this one, this one learning from that one—ultimately this is not intimacy. How could this be called the Way?

Because he upheld and maintained such truth, he spoke no words and walked not, passing some fifty years. Truly he was a vessel of the Great Vehicle, only not dwelling amid defilement. 'Parents are not my kin'—these are your words. This is precisely intimacy with your mind. 'All buddhas are not my Way'—thus he walked not at all. This is your practice, in accord with the Way. Therefore, seeking outwardly for buddhas with marks—ultimately this is not practice.

The Venerable One replied with a verse: 'Your words intimate with mind, parents cannot compare; Your practice in accord with Way, all buddhas'mind is there. Seeking outwardly for buddhas with marks, unlike you indeed; To know the original mind, neither joined nor apart.'Upon hearing the master's wondrous verse, Futamitta walked seven steps. The master said: 'This child in the past encountered buddhas, his compassionate vows vast and deep. Fearing parental affection hard to relinquish, he therefore spoke not and walked not.'

Then the elder let him leave to become a monk. The Venerable One soon conferred full precepts. Again he instructed him: 'I now entrust to you the Tathagata's True Dharma Eye Treasury. Therefore, within the ancestral school's gate, we do not establish words, directly point and singly transmit, realizing nature and becoming buddha. Thus, to let people know direct pointing, we singly transmit without other models.'

Only let people directly sit-cut the root of thought below, letting white mold grow at the mouth's edge. This is not avoiding speech, nor esteeming silence. It is to let you know your mind is thus. Like clear water, like empty space. Pure white and clean, harmonious and unobstructed.

Therefore, outside your own mind not one thing appears; upon your own spirit no fine dust can obstruct. The whole body luminous and bright, yet not arrayed among jewels. Do not compare the sun and moon's radiance to your own radiance. Do not compare the fire pearl's brightness to your own eye-brightness. Do you not see what is said?

Each person possesses a segment of light, bright as a thousand suns shining together. Those in darkness seek outwardly, while the bright do not dwell inwardly. Quietly reflect: do not consider the inner as intimate, nor the outer as distant.

Though it has been thus since ancient times past and present, do not fall and rise by yourself. Therefore, the ancestors intimately meet you. Just meet like this. There is nothing more. Do not necessarily clarify through the circumstances of the moment, nor say you must arrive through practice and verification, nor say you must exhaust through study. Just your own mind is entirely intimate with you. You yourself are precisely the Way. Beyond this, do not seek a Buddha with marks, nor a Buddha without marks. Truly know: with whom would you join? From whom would you separate? Ultimately, it is not joining, nor separating. Even if speaking of the body, it is not separation; even if speaking of the mind, it is also not joining. Though arriving at such a state, do not seek mind outside the body. Even if birth and death, coming and going occur, it is not the doing of body and mind.

All Buddhas also maintain thus, constantly verified throughout the three times; all ancestors also maintain thus, appearing throughout the three countries. All you virtuous ones also maintain thus, do not make anything extra. Throughout the twelve hours, ultimately there has never been any mistake. The twelve links of dependent origination are precisely the turning of the Dharma wheel. When arriving at this state, the revolving of the five paths is naturally the great vehicle's turning axle. The receiving of karma by the four kinds of birth is precisely one's own livelihood. Whether speaking of sentient or insentient, it is just different names for the eye. Even if called living beings, it is another term for mind and consciousness. Do not consider mind superior and consciousness inferior. How could one despise the eye and honor the pupil? In this state, ultimately there is no realm of sense faculties and objects, no perception of mind and dharmas. Therefore, everyone is entirely the Way; every affair is nothing but mind.

This morning, wishing to point out and speak of this circumstance, there is humble verse. Assembly, do you wish to hear?

Do not speak, do not remain silent—transcend subtle distinctions. How could sense faculties and objects stain the self-nature?