Āryasiṃha
Introduction
Āryasiṃha (師子尊者), the twenty-fourth Indian patriarch, was the first patriarch to suffer martyrdom for the Dharma. Under the reign of the persecuting king of Kashmir, he was arrested, tortured and beheaded — but the miracle of his blood transformed into milk marked the spiritual defeat of the tyrant.
His name means "the noble lion" — a symbol of his fearless courage in the face of death. He did not resist, did not curse his executioners. He welcomed death as a natural stage, without fear or regret.
Keizan teaches that the body can be destroyed, but Awakening cannot be touched by any sword. The death of the martyr is the life of the Dharma.
The twenty-fourth ancestor, Master Simha, asked the twenty-third ancestor:
"I wish to seek the Way. How should I apply my mind?" The ancestor said: "If you seek the Way, there is no mind to apply." The master said: "If there is no mind to apply, who performs the Buddha's work?" The ancestor said: "If you have application, it is not merit. If you are without doing, that is the Buddha's work."
The sutra says: "The merit I have performed, yet there is no 'I'who performs it." Hearing these words, the master immediately entered the Buddha's wisdom.
He was a man of Central India, of Brahmin lineage.
Originally, he studied a different path and was widely learned with a powerful memory. Later, he visited the twenty-third ancestor and had this dialogue. Directly hitting the point of 'no mind to apply,'he suddenly entered the Buddha's wisdom.
At that time, the twenty-third ancestor,
Suddenly pointing to the northeast, he asked: 'What is this phenomenon?'The master said: 'I see a qi like a white rainbow piercing heaven and earth. Moreover, there are five paths of black qi horizontally spanning its midst.'The ancestor said: 'What is its omen?'The master said: 'It cannot be known.'The ancestor said: 'Fifty years after my nirvana, calamities will arise in the land of North India. They will afflict your person.'
Although it is thus, you should transmit and uphold my dharma treasure, teaching until the end of future ages. At that time, the master,
Received this secret prediction and immediately went to propagate teachings in the country of Kipin. Then he met Vasasita and said to him:
'My teacher secretly predicted that calamities would afflict my person. They cannot be avoided. Therefore I shall remain here. You should uphold my way and go to another country to spread the teachings.'He transmitted both the robe and the dharma.
At that time, the king of Kipin deeply revered the buddhadharma, yet he still remained attached to appearances.
However, in that country there were two heretics. One was named Mamdha, the second named Tulaksha. Having learned various illusory methods, they conspired together to create chaos. They secretly entered the royal palace disguised as monks, saying: 'If we do not succeed, we shall attribute the blame to the followers of the Buddha.'
The Jingde Chuandeng Lu records: There were two non-Buddhist ascetics. One named Mamuduo, the other Dulozhe. They studied various illusory arts and wished to conspire to create disorder. They then stole the appearance of Buddhist monks, secretly entered the king's palace, and said, 'If we do not succeed, the blame will fall upon the Buddhist disciples.'(T 2076.51.215a8-11). When the plot was exposed, the king indeed became angry and said, 'I have always devoted my heart to the Three Jewels. How could they contrive harm to such an extent?'He immediately ordered the monasteries to be destroyed and the Buddhist community expelled. He also personally took up his sword and went to where the Venerable Simha was.
He asked, 'Venerable, have you attained the emptiness of the aggregates?'The Venerable said, 'I have already attained the emptiness of the aggregates.'The king said, 'Have you transcended birth and death?'The Venerable said, 'I have already transcended birth and death.'The king said, 'Since you have transcended birth and death,'
'You should give me your head.'The Venerable said, 'The body is not mine; why would I begrudge my head?'The king immediately swung his blade and cut off the Venerable's head. White milk spurted forth to a height of several feet, and the king's right arm immediately also fell to the ground. After seven days, it ended.
The Jingde Chuandeng Lu states: The calamity they created themselves immediately befell them. (T 2076.51.215a11). The Jingde Chuandeng Lu records: When the plot was exposed, the king indeed became angry and said, 'I have always devoted my heart to the Three Jewels. How could they contrive harm to such an extent?'He immediately ordered the monasteries to be destroyed and the Buddhist community expelled. He also personally took up his sword and went to where the Venerable was. He asked, 'Venerable, have you attained the emptiness of the aggregates?'The Venerable said, 'I have attained the emptiness of the aggregates.'He said, 'Have you transcended birth and death?'The Venerable said, 'I have transcended birth and death.'He said, 'Since you have transcended birth and death, you may give me your head.'The Venerable said, 'The body is not mine; why be stingy with the head?'The king immediately swung his blade and cut off the Venerable's head. White milk spurted forth to a height of several feet. The king's right arm immediately also fell to the ground. After seven days, the Venerable's life ended in this manner.
At the very beginning, when master and disciple first met, the disciple first asked, 'I wish to seek the Way; what should I apply my mind to?'The Patriarch said, 'If you seek the Way, there is nothing to which you should apply your mind.'
When one truly seeks the Way, how can the Way be constrained by the application of mind? To die here and be born there.
Even if one aspires to the Way everywhere and seeks the Dharma, the lack of true attainment today stems from relying fundamentally on this very mind. However, if one wishes to suddenly correspond to the Buddha's wisdom, it is not merely about abandoning the four perverted views and three poisons; one must also necessarily cast off the three bodies and four wisdoms. When roaming and practicing in this manner,
Indeed, it becomes difficult to settle in the realm of ordinary beings, and also difficult to revere the Buddha's position. Far beyond the emotional domain of sages and ordinary beings, swiftly departing from arguments of difference and sameness. Therefore it is said: The profound and wondrous place—even Buddhas and Patriarchs find it hard to reach. Not only do Buddhas and Patriarchs find it hard to reach; fundamentally, when discussing this place, Buddhas and Patriarchs ultimately do not exist. To arrive at such a state is truly the essence of seeking the Way.
If one has not yet become thus, even if heavenly flowers rain down and the great earth trembles, even if one speaks of mind-nature and discusses profundity, regarding the true wondrous Way, one cannot glimpse even a hair's breadth of it. Yet, O virtuous Chan practitioners,
Having realized such an abstruse place, one should clearly understand the matter transmitted by the successive Patriarchs.
When attempting to express even a bit of this principle, there is, by convention, humble language. Do you wish to hear it?
If you wish to reveal emptiness, you must not cover it. The void, serene and pure, is originally luminous.
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)
第二十四祖、師子尊者、問二十三祖曰、
我欲求道、當何用心。祖曰、汝若求道、無所用心。師曰、既無用心、誰作佛事。祖曰、汝若有用、卽非功德。汝若無作、卽是佛事。
經曰、我所作功德、而無我所故。師聞是言已、卽入佛慧。
中印度の人なり。姓は婆羅門。
本と異道を學して博達強記なり。後に二十三祖に參じて今の問答あり。直に無所用心の處に當て、頓に佛慧に入る。
時に二十三祖、
忽ち東北を指して問て曰く、是れ何の氣象ぞ。師曰く、我れ氣を見るに白虹の如く天地を貫く。復た黒氣五道あり、横に其中に亙る。祖曰く、其兆云何。師曰く、知るべきなし。祖曰く、吾滅後五十年、北天竺國に當に難の起ることあるべし。嬰て汝が身に在ら《景德傳燈錄》中印度人也。姓婆羅門。(T 2076.51.214c7-8).《景德傳燈錄》忽指東北問云。是何氣象。師子曰。我見氣如白虹貫乎天地。
復有黑氣五道橫亘其中。尊者曰。其兆云何。曰莫可知矣。尊者曰。吾滅後五十年。北天竺國當有難起。嬰在汝身。(T 2076.51.214b21-25).是の如くなりと雖も、汝、吾法寶を傳持して未來際を化すべし。時に師、
此密記を受け、卽ち罽賓國に行化す。乃ち婆舎斯多を接して之に謂て曰く、
吾師、密に縣記あり。難ありて我身に嬰らんと。苟くも免がるべからず。故に我れ此に止まらん。汝當に我道を持し、他國に往て演化すべしと。衣法ともに授く。
時に罽賓國王、佛法を歸敬すること深しと雖も、尚ほ是れ有相に滯ほる。
然も彼國に外道二人あり。一を摩目多と名け、二を都落遮と名く。諸の幻法を學て共に亂を謀らんとす。乃ち盗て釋子の形像を爲て潜に王宮に入る。且つ曰く、成ぜずんば卽ち罪を佛子に歸せんと。
《景德傳燈錄》有外道二人。一名摩目多。二名都落遮。學諸幻法欲共謀亂。乃盜爲釋子形象。潛入王宮。且曰。不成即罪歸佛子。(T 2076.51.215a8-11).事既に敗す。王果して怒て曰く、吾素より心を三寶に歸す。何ぞ乃ち害を搆ること、一に斯に至るや。卽ち命じて伽藍を破毀し、釋衆を袪除す。又自ら劒を秉て師子尊者の所に至る。問て曰く、師、
蘊空を得るや否や。師曰く、已に蘊空を得たり。王曰く、生死を離るや否や。師曰く、已に生死を離る。王曰く、既に生死を離れば、
我に頭を施すべし。師曰、身は我有に非ず、何ぞ頭を惜まん。王卽ち刃を揮て師の頭を斷る。白乳を涌すこと高さ數尺、王の右の臂、旋て亦た地に墮つ。七日にして終る。
《景德傳燈錄》妖既自作禍亦旋踵。(T 2076.51.215a11).《景德傳燈錄》事既敗。王果怒曰。吾素歸心三寶。何乃搆害一至于斯。即命破毀伽藍祛除釋眾。又自秉劍至尊者所。問曰。師得蘊空否。尊者曰。已得蘊空。曰離生死否。尊者曰。已離生死。曰既離生死可施我頭。尊者曰。身非我有何悋於頭。王即揮刃斷尊者首。涌白乳高數尺。王之右臂旋亦墮地。七日而師の始終、是の如し。
其最初、師資相見の時、先づ問て曰く、我れ道を求めんと欲す、當に何か用心すべき。祖曰く、汝若し道を求めば、用心する所なしと。
眞實に求道せんとき、道、豈用心に拘はるべけんや。此に死し彼に生ず。
處處に道を志ざし、法を求むとも、今其實歸なきことは本と此心を用るに依てなり。然るに頓に佛慧に相應せんことを思はば、唯四倒三毒を離るるのみに非ず、亦須からく三身四智をも離却すべし。恁麼に游踐する時、
果して凡夫地にも安排し難く、又佛位にも敬重し難し。遙に聖凡の情域を超え、速かに異同の論量を離る。故に謂ふ、玄妙の處、佛祖尚ほ到り難し。唯佛祖到り難きのみに非ず、本より此處を論ずる時、佛祖卒に存せず。恁麼の田地に到るを、實に求道の爲體なりとす。
若し未だ是の如くならざれば、設ひ天華を雨し大地を動じ、心性と説き玄妙と談ずとも、眞箇の妙道に於て、毫髪も窺ひ見ることなし。然も諸禪德、
恁麼幽玄の處に證到して、列祖荷擔の事を分明にすべし。
些子の道理を説得せんとするに、例に依て卑語あり。聞かんと要や。
若欲顯空須莫覆。沖虛淨泊本來明。
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