Kumāralabdha
Introduction
Kumāralabdha (鳩摩羅多), the nineteenth Indian patriarch, was a young Brahman of exceptional intelligence. He sought truth in sacred texts, but did not find it. Gayāśata simply made him listen to the song of a bird.
"What does the bird teach?" asked Gayāśata. "He teaches without teaching," replied Kumāralabdha. This response marked his transmission.
Keizan emphasizes that the simplest sounds — a bird singing, the wind in the trees — carry the complete teaching of the Buddha for those who know how to listen.
The Nineteenth Ancestor, the Venerable Kumaralata, was addressed by the Venerable Gayasata, who said:
Long ago, the World-Honored One prophesied, 'After my nirvana, in a thousand years, a great being will appear in the country of Yueh-chih, to continue and glorify the profound teaching.'Now you have met me, fulfilling this auspicious destiny. Hearing this, the master awakened his wisdom of past lives.
He was a man of the country of Yueh-chih, of the Brahmin caste. In a past life, when he was a deity in the Heaven of Free Enjoyment (the sixth heaven of the desire realm), he saw a bodhisattva's jeweled necklace and suddenly gave rise to a mind of attachment. Falling from that state, he was reborn in the Trayastrimsha Heaven (the second heaven of the desire realm). There, he heard Kaushika expound the Prajnaparamita. Because the dharma was superior, he ascended to the Brahma Heaven (the form realm). Because his faculties were sharp, he skillfully expounded the essential points of the dharma. The deities revered him as a teacher. When the time came to inherit the ancestral lineage, he descended to Yueh-chih.
Thus he descended to Yueh-chih.
The Eighteenth Ancestor, traveling to convert beings, arrived in the country of Yueh-chih. Seeing an unusual aura at the dwelling of a Brahmin, the Venerable was about to enter that house. The master asked, 'What kind of group is this?'The Venerable said, 'These are disciples of the Buddha.'Hearing the name of the Buddha, the master's mind and spirit were stirred with awe, and he immediately closed the door. The Venerable, after a long pause, knocked on the door. The master said, 'There is no one in this house.'The Venerable said, 'Who is the one answering "no one"?'Hearing these words, the master knew this was an extraordinary person. He hurriedly opened the door and invited him in.
The Venerable said, 'Long ago, the World-Honored One prophesied, saying, "..." Hearing this, he awakened his wisdom of past lives.
Now you have encountered me, responding to this auspicious opportunity. Thereupon, Kumaralabdha awakened the wisdom of past lives. This cause and condition must be carefully examined. Clarifying the name and the way, even if one clarifies the true human body of birth and death, coming and going, if one does not clarify the empty brightness and spiritual vastness of one's own original nature, one will not know the realization of all buddhas. Therefore, one may be startled upon seeing the bodhisattva's radiance, and even upon seeing the auspicious marks of the buddhas, one may feel attachment. Why is this? Because one has not yet been freed from the three poisons of greed, anger, and delusion. Now, observing the teacher's past causes, due to attachment, he fell and descended to the Trayastrimsa Heaven. Yet, relying on past causes, he encountered the teaching of Indra, ascended to the Brahma Heaven, and descended to be born in the country of Yuezhi. Accumulating merit and cultivating virtue was not in vain. Finally, he encountered the Eighteenth Patriarch and awakened the wisdom of past lives.
What is called the wisdom of past lives is ordinarily thought to be knowing the past and knowing the future. What is this? Only when one clearly sees that the original, unchanging self-nature, without distinction between sage and ordinary being, is free from confusion, then all the hundreds of thousands of dharma gates and immeasurable profound meanings are entirely within the source of the mind. Therefore, the confusion of sentient beings and the enlightenment of all buddhas are within one's own heart. They are not at all the dharma of sense faculties and objects. They are not the phenomena of mind and environment. Arriving here, what is ancient? What is present? Which are the buddhas? Which are the sentient beings? Not a single dharma obstructs the eye; not a single speck of dust is touched by the hand. There is only a single piece of empty brightness, vast and boundless. It is precisely the Tathagata who has been truly accomplished since the distant past, and the sentient beings whose original nature is not obscured. Even when realizing and knowing in this way, there is no increase; even when not knowing in this way, there is no decrease. To awaken and touch this 'thusness'since the distant past is called awakening the wisdom of past lives.
If one does not arrive at this ground, one is merely disturbed by the dispositions of confusion and enlightenment, shifted by the phenomena of coming and going.
Ultimately, one does not know that there is a self. One does not clarify that the original mind is not mistaken. Therefore, it causes all buddhas to trouble themselves by appearing in the world, and causes the patriarchs to come from the West from afar. The fundamental intent of appearing in the world, the fundamental meaning of coming from the West, is solely for this matter. It is not for any other affair. One must carefully apply the mind and know that which is spiritually aware and unobscured, clearly bright and unconcealed. To know that there is originally a single stretch of light is called the wisdom of past lives.
Today there is also humble speech. I wish to convey a little bit of principle. Assembly, do you wish to hear?
Push over the body separated by past lives. Now meeting, the fellow of olden times.
Translated from kanbun based on the text provided by CBETA (Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association (CBETA)), T2585. Composed in 1309.
Texte source (伝光録 / Denkōroku)
第十九祖、鳩摩羅多尊者、因伽耶舎多尊者示曰、
昔世尊記曰、吾滅後一千年有大士。出現於月支國。紹隆玄化。今汝値吾、應斯嘉運。師聞發宿命智。
月支國の人なり。姓は婆羅門、昔し自在天人 (欲界第六天) たりしとき、菩薩の瓔珞を見て忽ち愛心を起す。墮して忉利（欲界第二天) に生じ、憍尸迦が般若波羅密多を説くを聞き、法の勝れたる《景德傳燈錄》大月氏國婆羅門之子也。昔爲自在天人(欲界第六天)見菩薩瓔珞。忽起愛心墮生忉利(欲界第二天)聞憍尸迦説般若波羅蜜多。以法勝故升于梵天(色界)以根利故善説法要。諸天尊爲導師。以繼祖時至遂降月氏。(Tを以ての故に梵天 (色界) に昇り、根利なるを以て、故に善く法要を説く。諸天、尊んで導師となす。祖位を繼ぐの時至れるを以て、
遂に月支に降る。
十八祖、化度して月支國に到る。一の婆羅門の舎に異氣あるを見て、尊者、將に彼舎に入んとす。師問て曰く、是れ何の徒衆ぞ。尊者曰く、是れ佛弟子なり。師、佛號を聞て、心神竦然として卽時に戸を閉づ。尊者、
良久して其門を扣く。師曰く、此舎に人なし。尊者曰く、無と答ふる者は誰そ。師、この語を聞て是れ異人なりと知る。遽かに關を開て延接す。尊者曰く、昔し世尊記して曰く、乃至、宿命智を發《景德傳燈錄》至大月氏國。見一婆羅門舍有異氣。尊者將入彼舍。舍主鳩摩羅多問曰。是何徒眾。曰是佛弟子。彼聞佛號心神竦然。即時閉戶。尊者良久自扣其門。羅多曰。此舍無人。尊者曰。答無者誰。羅多聞語知是異人。遽開關延接。尊者曰。昔世尊記曰。吾滅後一千年有大士。出現於月氏國。紹隆玄化。
今汝値吾應斯嘉運。於是鳩摩羅多發宿命智。(T 2076.51.212c6-13).此因縁、須らく子細にすべし。名字道を明らめ、若しは生死去來眞實の人體と明むとも、自己本性の虛明靈廓なることを明らめずんば、諸佛の所證を知らず、故に菩薩の放光を見て驚き、諸佛の相好を見ても愛すべし。故如何となれば、貪瞋癡等の三毒、未だ免がれざる故に、今、師の往因を見るに、愛に依て退墮して忉利天に下る。然も宿因に依て、帝釋の説法に遭て梵天に昇り、月支國に降生す。積功累德、空しからず。終に十八祖に遭て宿命智を發す。
謂ゆる宿命智とは、尋常過去を知り、未來を知ることと思へり。是れ何にかせん。唯本來不變の自性、聖凡なく迷なきことを看得すれば、百千の法門無量の妙義、總に心源に在り。故に衆生顚倒も、諸佛成道も、自己方寸の中に在り。全く根塵の法に非ず。心境の相に非ず。此に到りて、何をか古とし、何をか今とせん。何れか是諸佛、何れか是衆生。一法の眼に遮るなく、一塵の手に觸るるなし。但虛明一片にして、廓落無際なるのみなり。卽久遠實成の如來、不昧本來の衆生なり。是の如く悟り知る時も増さず、是の如く知らざる時も減せず。久遠劫來、恁麼なりと覺觸するを、宿命智を發すと謂ふ。
若し此田地に到らずんば、徒に迷悟の性情に亂され、去來の相に移され、
遂に自己あることを知らず。本心錯まらざることを明らめず。故に諸佛をして煩らはしく出世せしめ、祖師をして遥かに西來せしむ。出世の本懷、西來の本意、只此事の爲なり。更に他事に非ず。須く子細に用心して靈靈として不昧、明明として不藏なることを知るべし。本來一段の光明あることを知るを宿命智と謂ふなり。
今日又卑語あり。聊か些子の理を通ぜんと思ふ。大衆、聞かんと要すや。
推倒宿生隔歴身。而今相見舊時漢。
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