Puṇyamitra

The twenty-sixth ancestor, the Venerable Punyamitra, when he was a prince, the twenty-fifth ancestor asked him:

You wish to leave home; for what matter will you do so? The master said: If I leave home, it will not be for any other matter. The ancestor said: Not for what matter?

The master said: Not for worldly matters. The ancestor said: For what matter then? The master said: For the Buddha's matter. The ancestor said: The prince's wisdom reaches heaven; surely many sages manifest traces. The ancestor then permitted him to leave home.

The master was the prince of King Jayavijaya of South India.

The twenty-fifth ancestor, first subduing the non-Buddhist teacher Anatman in Central India, then arrived in South India.

At that time, the king of that country was named Devendra. He welcomed and invited him, making offerings. The king had two sons: one was violent, with robust physical strength; the other was gentle and had long suffered from illness. The ancestor,

Then he expounded the principle of cause and effect. The king suddenly resolved his doubts.

After the death of King Tiande,

The 'Jingde Chuandeng Lu'records: He was the crown prince of King Desheng of Southern India. At that time, the king of that country was named Tiande, who invited and made offerings. The king had two sons: one violent and robust in strength, the other gentle but chronically ill. The Patriarch then expounded cause and effect. The king immediately resolved his doubts. Crown Prince Desheng ascended the throne. Again he believed in heretics and brought calamity upon the Patriarch. Punyamitra, having remonstrated, was imprisoned. The king abruptly asked the Patriarch, saying: 'My country has always been free from monstrous heresies. What school should that which you transmit be?'The Patriarch said: 'Your majesty's country has indeed never had false dharma. That which I transmit is precisely the Buddha's school.'

The king said: 'It has already been twelve hundred years since the Buddha's nirvana. From whom did you obtain it?'The Patriarch said: 'Mahakasyapa personally received the Buddha's seal, which passed through twenty-four generations to the Venerable Simha. I obtained it from him.'The king said: 'I have heard that the bhiksu Simha could not escape execution. How could he transmit the dharma to later people?'The Patriarch said: 'Before my teacher's calamity arose, he secretly bestowed upon me the robe of faith and the dharma verse to manifest the teacher-succession.'The king said: 'Where is that robe?'The Patriarch immediately took the robe from his bag and showed it to the king. The king ordered it to be burned. The five-colored appearance was vivid, and when the firewood was exhausted, it remained as before. The king immediately repented and paid homage. Since the true successor of Simha was already clear, he then pardoned the crown prince. The crown prince then sought to leave home. The Patriarch asked the crown prince, saying: 'You wish to leave home; what matter should you undertake?'... The Patriarch permitted him to leave home.

The 'Jingde Chuandeng Lu'records: Crown Prince Desheng ascended the throne. Again he believed in heretics and brought calamity upon the Patriarch. Crown Prince Punyamitra, having remonstrated, was imprisoned. The king abruptly asked the Patriarch: 'My country has always been free from monstrous heresies. What school should that which you transmit be?'The Patriarch said: 'Your majesty's country has indeed never had false dharma. That which I obtained is precisely the Buddha's school.'The king said: 'It has already been twelve hundred years since the Buddha's nirvana. From whom did you obtain it?'The Patriarch said: 'Mahakasyapa personally received the Buddha's seal, which passed through twenty-four generations to the Venerable Simha. I obtained it from him.'The king said: 'I have heard that the bhiksu Simha could not escape execution. How could he transmit the dharma to later people?'The Patriarch said: 'Before my teacher's calamity arose, he secretly bestowed upon me the robe of faith and the dharma verse to manifest the teacher-succession.'The king said: 'Where is that robe?'The Patriarch immediately took the robe from his bag and showed it to the king. The king ordered it to be burned. The five-colored appearance was vivid, and when the firewood was exhausted, it remained as before. The king immediately repented and paid homage to Simha. Since the true successor was already clear, he then pardoned the crown prince. The crown prince then sought to leave home. The Patriarch asked the crown prince:

'You wish to leave home; what matter should you undertake?'He said: 'If I leave home, I will not undertake that matter.'The Patriarch said: 'What matter will you not undertake?'He said: 'I will not undertake worldly matters.'The Patriarch said: 'What matter should you undertake?'He said: 'I should undertake Buddha's matters.'The Patriarch said: 'The crown prince's wisdom comes from heaven; he must be a sage manifesting in the world.'He then permitted him to leave home. From then on, he served for six years, after which the Tathagata's True Dharma Eye Treasury was transmitted to him, saying: 'From the Tathagata, it has been entrusted successively until now. You should transmit and uphold it, able to transform all beings.'When the teacher received the secret prediction, his body and mind were completely at ease.

The preceding circumstances show that it is not for worldly affairs. Therefore, he asked: 'You wish to leave home—what should you do?'He replied: 'I will do buddha-work.''Work'means worldly affairs. Truly, leaving home is fundamentally not for affairs; this should be recognized. Now, 'work'is neither one's own affair nor another's affair. Therefore, it is said: it is not for worldly affairs.

Even if one shaves the head, dyes the robes, and resembles a buddha-son in form, one still cannot avoid self-view and other-view. If one does not transcend male and female appearances, all is worldly affair, not buddha-work. Temporarily, when speaking according to people's original mind, there is neither buddha-work nor worldly affair; yet without knowing the original mind, it is temporarily called worldly affair. Once the original mind is clearly realized, this is named buddha-work.

When the original mind is known and attained, there is still no birth-mark and no extinction-mark. How much less deluded person or awakened person?

When seeing and attaining like this, the four great elements and five aggregates do not even remain; the three realms and six paths—how could they stand? Therefore, as a home, there is no place to abandon; as a body, there is no place to place. Therefore, it is called leaving home. Because there is no place to dwell, the home is broken and the person perishes. Therefore, birth-death and nirvana naturally exhaust without being swept away; bodhi and afflictions are originally separate without being abandoned.

Today, it is not only thus. From kalpa to kalpa, it is fundamentally not moved by the four kalpas of formation, abiding, decay, and emptiness, nor bound by the four marks of birth, abiding, change, and extinction. Vast like the emptiness without inside or outside; pure like water without surface or interior. Everyone's original mind is entirely thus, yet one should not fear being a layperson nor be arrogant about leaving home. Simply cease seeking outwardly; you must discern within yourself. Try, all of you: temporarily do not scatter the mind east or west,

do not turn the eyes forward or backward, but look carefully—at this moment, what is called 'I'and what is called 'that'? Already, self and other do not face each other. Further, what can be named good and evil? If it is thus, the original mind is fundamentally manifest, bright like sun and moon. There is no place where its hidden illumination does not shine.

Now, to illustrate the circumstances of his arrival, there is also a humble verse. Listen.

In the original ground, ordinarily, not a blade of grass. Where in the ancestral wind is any arrangement made?