Basiasita
Introduction
Basiasita (婆舎斯多), the twenty-fifth Indian patriarch, received transmission from Āryasiṃha just before the latter's martyrdom. He had to flee persecution and maintain the lineage in secret and humility for years.
His name means "blessed, prosperous" — for he was the one through whom the lineage continued when all seemed lost. He did not have the glory of martyrdom, but the silent faithfulness of one who keeps the flame in the shadows.
Keizan sees in Basiasita the virtue of discreet transmission: The Dharma does not need to be loudly defended. It is enough to live it silently, and it radiates.
The twenty-fifth ancestor, Venerable Vasasita, the twenty-fourth ancestor declared:
The treasury of the true dharma eye of the Tathagata is now transmitted to you. You must protect and widely nourish it for future generations.
Manifest your past causes, secretly transmit the mind seal.
He was from the country of Kipin. His family was Brahmin. His father was Silent Practice, his mother was Constant Joy. Initially, his mother
dreamed of obtaining a divine sword, and thereby became pregnant.
Ancestor Simha,
He traveled and arrived in the country of Kipin. There was one named Parika, who had long practiced meditation. Thus, there were five groups: meditation, knowledge and insight, attachment to characteristics, abandonment of characteristics, and silence.
The Record of the Transmission of the Lamp from the Jingde Era: He was from the country of Kipin. His family name was Brahmin. His father was Silent Practice. His mother was Constant Peace and Joy. Initially, his mother dreamed of obtaining a divine sword. According to the Record of the Transmission of the Lamp from the Jingde Era, he traveled to the country of Kipin. There was one named Parika, who had long practiced meditation. Thus, there were five groups: meditation, knowledge and insight, attachment to characteristics, abandonment of characteristics, and silence. The Venerable One, having already gathered the five groups, his fame spread far and wide. While seeking a dharma successor, he met a certain elder. The elder brought his son and asked the Venerable One, saying, 'This child is named Sthira. At birth, he immediately clenched his left hand. Now he has grown, yet he has never been able to open it. I beseech the Venerable One to reveal his past causes.'
The Venerable One, seeing him, immediately extended his hand and said, 'You should return the pearl to me.'The child suddenly opened his hand and offered the pearl. The assembly was all astonished. The Venerable One said, 'In my previous life, I was a monk. There was a child named Basiasa. I once attended a feast at the Western Sea, received a pearl as a donation, and entrusted it to him. Now that he returns the pearl to me, the principle is indeed thus.'The elder then relinquished his son to leave home. The Venerable One immediately gave him the full precepts. Due to the past connection, he was named Basias Sthira.
The Record of the Transmission of the Lamp from the Jingde Era: The Venerable One, having already gathered the five groups, his fame spread far and wide. While seeking a dharma successor, he met a certain elder. The elder brought his son and asked the Venerable One, saying, 'This child is named Sthira. At birth, he immediately clenched his left hand. Now he has grown, yet he has never been able to open it. I beseech the Venerable One to reveal his past causes.'The Venerable One, seeing him, immediately extended his hand and said, 'You should return the pearl to me.'The child suddenly opened his hand and offered the pearl. The assembly was all astonished. The Venerable One said, 'In my previous life, I was a monk. There was a child named Basiasa. I once attended a feast at the Western Sea, received a pearl as a donation, and entrusted it to him. Now that he returns the pearl to me, the principle is indeed thus.'The elder then relinquished his son to leave home. The Venerable One immediately gave him the full precepts. Due to the past connection, he was named Basias Sthira. Finally, transmitting the succession, he said,
The Tathagata's True Dharma Eye Treasury, I now bestow upon you. Protect it well and extend it to the future. To manifest past causes means: it is said that in a previous life, he was the child Basiasa. He received the pearl from the Venerable One. Entering the womb, and until being born into the elder's household, he still held it, and finally offered it to the Venerable One.
From this, one should know: this cause and effect does not necessarily mean that the physical body perishes and only the true body exists. If this body were a perishable body, how could the pearl be held until now? Yet one should know: abandoning one life and receiving another is originally not a perishable body. Reaching this point, one should not say that when the hundred bones all crumble, one thing alone remains eternally spiritual. What kind of thing could be eternally spiritual? It merely manifests abandoning the body and manifests receiving a body. Therefore, it should be said: it is not two separate entities.
There is no distinction between ancient and present. Therefore, it should not be called the body, nor should it be called the mind. Since body and mind are not divided, past and present should not be separated. Thus it is so.
It is not only Basiasa who is like this. To speak truthfully, all people are entirely like this. Therefore, there is no place of birth and no place of death. They merely change heads and reverse faces according to time. It is not necessarily that the four great elements are exchanged and the five aggregates are renewed. There is no piece of flesh that covers over, nor any slightest bone that supports. Even if there are a thousand kinds of forms and ten thousand varieties, all are the original light of the mind.
Not knowing this principle, one thinks this is youth and that is old age. There is no old body, and originally there is no youth. If it is thus, upon what basis would one judge birth and death, or distinguish before and after?
Based on this, the former Basiasa and the present Sthavira are not two bodies—this pointing and explanation is precisely the karmic cause from past lives. Therefore, the Tathagata's True Dharma Eye Treasury is transmitted and bestowed, moistening the future.
Thus it should be known: all buddhas and ancestors have never been enlightened from the beginning; all ignorant people are never deluded. Sometimes there is practice, sometimes there is arousing the mind. Bodhi and arousing the mind have no end and no beginning.
Sentient beings and buddhas are neither inferior nor superior from the beginning. They are only thus, free and unrestrained. Therefore, since time without beginning, they have always been maintained thus, never forgetting the karmic causes from past lives.
This morning, again, in pointing out this causal connection, there is, as usual, humble speech.
When flowers bloom and leaves fall, they directly reveal the moment. The king of medicinal trees ultimately has no separate flavor.
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)
第二十五祖、婆舎斯多尊者、二十四祖示曰、
如來正法眼藏、今轉附汝。汝應保護普潤來際。
顯發宿因、密傳心印。
罽賓國の人なり。姓は婆羅門。父は寂行、母は常安樂。初め母、
神劔を得ると夢む。因て孕むことあり。
師子尊者、
遊方して罽賓國に到る。波利迦と云ふ者あり、本より禪觀に習へり。故に禪定と知見と執相と捨相と不語の五衆あり。
《景德傳燈錄》罽賓國人也。姓婆羅門。父寂行。母常安樂。初母夢得神劍。因《景德傳燈錄》遊方至罽賓國。有波利迦者。本習禪觀。故有禪定知見執相捨相不語之五衆。(T 2076.51.214c8-9).尊者、旣に五衆を攝して、名、遐邇に聞ふ。法嗣を求るに方りて一り長者に遇ふ。其子を引て尊者に問て曰く、此子を斯多と名く。
生るに當て便ち左手を拳る。今旣に長ぜり。而も終に未だ舒ること能はず。願くは尊者、其宿因を示せ。尊者、之を覩て卽ち手を以て接して曰く、我に珠を還すべし。童子遽かに手を開て珠を奉る。衆、皆驚異す。尊者曰く、吾れ前報に僧と爲れり。童子あり、婆舎と名く。吾れ嘗て西海の齋に赴て嚫珠を受て之に附す。今吾に珠を還す理、固に然り。長者遂に其子を捨て出家せしむ。尊者卽ち與に受具せしむ。前縁を以ての故に婆舎斯多と名く。
《景德傳燈錄》尊者既攝五衆名聞遐邇。方求法嗣。遇一長者。引其子問尊者曰。此子名斯多。當生便拳左手。今既長矣。而終未能舒。願尊者。示其宿因。尊者覩之。即以手接曰。可還我珠。童子遽開手奉珠。衆皆驚異。尊者曰。吾前報爲僧。有童子名婆舍。吾嘗赴西海齋受嚫珠付之。今還吾珠理固然矣。長者遂捨其子出家。尊者即與受具。以前緣故名婆舍斯多。(T 2076.51.214c22-215a1).終に嗣續して曰く、
如來の正法眼藏、今汝に授く。善く保護して來際に及ぼすべし宿因を顯發すと云は、謂ゆる前生旣に婆舎童子と云ふ。尊者の珠を預ける。今胎内に入り、及び長者の家に生るるまで、尚ほ之を保持し、卒に尊者に奉る。
之に依て知るべし、此因縁必ずしも肉身破れ、唯眞身のみありと謂ふべきに非ず。若し此身是れ壞身となるならば、珠、如何が今保持せん。然も知るべし、捨生受生、本より是れ壞身に非ず。此に到りて、百骸倶に潰散して、一物鎭へに長靈なりと謂ふべからず。是如何なる者か長靈なるべきぞ。唯捨身を現じ受身を現ずるのみなり。故に謂つべし、前後兩箇に非ず、
古今別異なしと。然れば是れ身と謂ふべきに非ず。是れ心と謂ふべきにも非ざるなり。身心と分れざれば、古今と分つべきに非ず。故に恁麼なり。
婆舎のみ是くの如くなるに非ず。眞實を言はば、人人皆悉く是くの如くなり。故に生所なく死所なし。時に隨ひて頭を換へ面を反すのみなり。必ず四大を換へ五蘊を新たにするには非ず。都て一片肉團の覆ひ來るなく、曾て絲毫の骨頭の支へ來るなし。設ひ千種の形あり萬般の品あるも、悉く是本來の心光なり。
此道理を知らずして、此を幼少と思ひ、彼を老大と思ふ。總て老體なく、本來幼少なし。若し是の如くならば、何に依てか生死を判じ、前後を分たん。
之に依て前世の婆舎、今日の斯多、兩箇の身に非ずと指説する、是れ則ち宿因なり。故に如來の正法眼藏を傳付し、未來際を霑ほす。
然れば知るべし、一切諸佛諸祖、本より曾て悟らず、一切の愚痴諸人、卒に迷はず。有時は修行し、有時は發心す。菩提發心、本と終なく始なし。
衆生諸佛、本より劣に非ず勝に非ず。只恁麼縱横なるのみなり。然れば曠劫以來、曾て是の如く保任して、宿因を忘れざるのみなり。
今朝、又這箇の因縁を指注するに、例に依て卑語あり。
開華落葉直彰時。藥樹王終無別味。
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