Saṅghānandin

The Seventeenth Ancestor, Venerable Sanghanandi, upon hearing Rāhulata's verse, was shown: 'Since I have no self, you must see my self. Since you have taken me as your teacher, know that I am not my self.'Hearing this, the master's mind opened wide. He then sought liberation.

The master was the son of King Ratnavyūha in the city of Śrāvastī. From birth, he was able to speak.

He constantly praised the Buddha's work. At the age of seven, he already grew weary of worldly pleasures. Using a verse, he informed his parents:

I bow to the great compassionate father, I pay homage to the mother of flesh and blood. I now wish to leave home, I beseech you to take pity on me.

His parents firmly tried to stop him. He then fasted for an entire day. They finally permitted him to leave home while remaining at the palace. He was named Sanghanandi. They also appointed the monk Chandrika as his teacher. For nineteen years, he never slackened or grew weary. The master often reflected to himself:

My body resides in the royal palace, how can I truly leave home? One evening, a heavenly light descended. By chance, he saw a level path and unconsciously walked slowly along it. After about ten li, he arrived before a great cliff.

There was a stone cave, wherein he dwelt in serene solitude. The king, having lost his son, banished Chanliduo from the kingdom to search for his child, yet he knew not his whereabouts. Ten years passed, and thus he left home. One evening, a heavenly light descended. Seeing a road level and smooth, he unconsciously walked slowly. After about ten li, he arrived before a great cliff. There was a stone cave. He dwelt in serene solitude within. The father, having lost his son, immediately banished Chanliduo from the kingdom to search for his child, not knowing his whereabouts. Ten years passed. (The Venerable Rahulata, traveling to teach, arrived at the city of Shravasti. There was a river named Goldwater, its taste exceptionally sweet. In midstream appeared the shadows of five buddhas. The Venerable addressed the assembly: 'The source of this river, some five hundred li distant, is where the sage Sanghanandi dwells. The Buddha prophesied that after a thousand years, he would inherit the sage's seat.'Having spoken, he led the assembly of disciples upstream. Arriving there, they saw Sanghanandi serenely seated in samadhi. The Venerable and the assembly waited for him. After twenty-one days, he finally arose from samadhi. The Venerable asked: 'Is it your body that is in samadhi, or your mind?'The master said: 'Both body and mind are in samadhi.'The Venerable said: 'If both body and mind are in samadhi, how can there be entering and exiting?')

Truly, if one speaks of body and mind being in samadhi, how can there be entering and exiting? If one cultivates samadhi directed toward body and mind, this is still not true samadhi. If it is not true samadhi, then there is entering and exiting. If there is entering and exiting, it should be said that this is not samadhi. Do not seek body and mind in the place of samadhi.

Zazen is fundamentally the dropping away of body and mind. What can be called body? What can be called mind?

The master said:

Although there is entering and exiting, the characteristic of samadhi is not lost. It is like gold in a well; the substance of gold is constantly serene. The Venerable said:

Although there is entering and exiting, the characteristic of samadhi is not lost. It is like gold in a well; the substance of gold is constantly serene. If gold is in the well, if gold leaves the well, yet the gold has no movement or stillness, what thing could enter or exit?

If gold has movement and stillness, has a place of emergence and a place of entry, then it is not true gold. Yet, you still do not penetrate this principle. The master said:

Gold moves and is still; what thing speaks of entering and exiting? It speaks of gold's entering and exiting. Gold is not movement and stillness; gold has no movement and stillness. If one says there is entering and exiting, there is still a dualistic view. Therefore, the Venerable One said:

If gold is in the well, then what emerges is not gold. If gold emerges from the well,

then what remains is what thing?

Outside, ultimately not letting in; inside, also not letting out. When emerging, it emerges completely; when entering, it enters completely. Why be in the well, and also emerge from the well? Therefore, what emerges is not gold. What remains is what thing? One does not reach this principle. The master said:

If gold emerges from the well, what remains is not gold. If gold is in the well, what emerges is not a thing.

This statement truly does not know the nature of gold. Therefore, the Venerable said,

This meaning is not so.

Although it truly seems to penetrate the principle while abiding in concentration, the master still has views of self and other. Therefore, it is said: 'If gold emerges from the well, it is not gold. If gold is in the well and emerges, it is not a thing.'This meaning is not so. That principle is not attachment. That meaning is not attachment.

However, this meaning lacks truth, like a light feather following the wind. Because it is not true, the Venerable said this meaning should fall away.

Based on the master's words, it is said. The master said:

That meaning does not stand.

The Venerable One, relying on the profound depth of great compassion and great kindness, spoke again:

If that principle is not established, then my principle is established.

However, because one mistakenly understands non-self. The master said:

This principle should fall. That principle is not established. That principle is not established, my principle is established. Even though my principle is established, the dharma is not mine.

The Venerable One said:

My principle is already established, because I am without self.

Although one knows that indeed all dharmas are without self, one still does not know the true reality. The Master said:

Since I am without self, what meaning could possibly be accomplished?

Wishing to let him know intimately, the Venerable One said:

Since I am without self, I accomplish your meaning.

Indeed, the four great elements are all not the self. The five aggregates are originally not existent. Because one discriminates and makes distinctions, thinking there is a self in such a selfless place, the Master asked:

Noble one, under which sage as teacher did you attain this selflessness?

To demonstrate that the way of teacher and disciple is not to be taken lightly, the Venerable said:

I take the great being Kanadeva as my teacher, and through him I have realized this selflessness.

The teacher said:

I bow to you, teacher Deva. You emerged from the benevolent one. Since the benevolent one is selfless, I wish to take you as my teacher.

The Venerable replied, saying:

Benevolent one, from which sage did you learn this selflessness? My teacher Kanadeva realized this selflessness. Since I am already selfless, you must see my self. If you take me as your teacher, know that my self is not my self.

Indeed, one who truly sees the real self no longer retains even the self; how could any dharma obstruct the eye? Seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing are ultimately undivided; not a single thing, not a single dharma can be separated. Therefore, sage and ordinary are not apart; the way of master and disciple merges. When one sees this principle, one meets the buddhas and ancestors. Thus, one takes oneself as the master, and the master as oneself. Even with axe and blade, it cannot be opened.

Such principle is suddenly realized. Therefore, one immediately seeks liberation. The Venerable said: 'Your mind is free; it is not bound by me.'Having spoken, the Venerable then raised a golden bowl with his right hand, lifting it to the Brahma palace. He took that fragrant food to offer a meal to the assembly. But the assembly suddenly produced a mind of aversion. The Venerable said: 'It is not my fault; it is your own karma.'He then instructed Sanghanandi to share his seat and eat together. The assembly was astonished. The Venerable said: 'That you cannot eat is all because of this. You should know that the one who shares my seat is the past Śāla Tree King Tathāgata. Out of compassion for beings, he descended. You all, though having reached the third fruit in the Kalpa of Adornment, have not yet realized the non-outflow.'The assembly said: 'Our master's spiritual power we can believe. But calling him a past buddha—we secretly doubt.'Knowing the assembly's arrogance, he then said: 'When the World-Honored One was in the world, the world was level and even, without hills or valleys. Rivers and streams, all waters were sweet and fine. Plants flourished, the land was abundant and full, without the eight sufferings, practicing the ten virtues. Since his nirvana under the twin trees over eight hundred years ago, the world has become hilly and barren, trees withered and dry. People lack deep faith, right mindfulness is slight. They do not believe in true suchness, only love spiritual power.'Having spoken, with his right hand gradually extending into the ground, reaching the diamond wheel realm, he took nectar water, and holding it in a lapis lazuli vessel, brought it to the assembly place. The assembly,

all seeing it, all submitted and repented.

It is pitiable: since the Tathāgata's time in the world eight hundred years, it is still like this. How much more now, a hundred years later, even if one barely hears the name of the Buddha-dharma, one cannot discern what the principle might be. Because there is no thorough body-mind, there is no one to ask what should be done. Even if one somewhat attains this principle, there is no one to protect and uphold it. Even if there are teachers, relying on the great compassionate precepts, and one has some awareness and understanding, yet perhaps invaded by laziness, there is no true faith and understanding. Therefore, without true practitioners, there are none who truly arouse the mind. Truly, due to the degenerate age and clumsy past karma, one encounters such a time. Shameful and regrettable, it is excessive.

Yet, all you virtuous ones, born in the period of True Dharma and Semblance Dharma. Whether as master or disciple, though pitiable, consider: the Buddha-dharma gradually moved eastward, reaching the Final Dharma age; in our land hearing the Tathāgata's True Dharma is barely fifty or sixty years. It should be said this matter is just beginning. Wherever the Buddha-dharma reaches, it does not fail to flourish.

You all, with vigorous exertion, arouse the aspiration, do not take self as self, directly realize no-self, quickly attain no-mind, not constrained by bodily and mental actions, not confined by feelings of delusion and enlightenment, not lingering in the cave of birth and death, not entangled in the net of beings and buddhas, you should know: from immeasurable kalpas past, throughout the endless future, there is an I that has never changed.

The mind's mechanism turns and is called the mind's appearance. How many aspects of my own face come forth?