Fukan Zazengi

原夫道本圓通。爭假修證。宗乘自在。何費功夫。況乎全體逈出塵埃。孰信拂拭之手段。大都不離當處。豈用修行之脚頭。然而毫釐有差天地懸隔。違順纔起紛然失心。須知歴劫輪迴還因擬議之一念。塵世迷道復由商量之無休。欲超向上之徹底。唯解直下之承當。

The original Way is fundamentally perfect and unobstructed; why should it need cultivation and actualization? The teaching of the lineage is naturally free; why expend effort? Moreover, the whole being entirely transcends worldly dust; who could believe in methods of cleaning and dusting? The essential never departs from the present place; how could one use the feet of practice to arrive there? Yet, a hair's breadth of deviation creates a separation as vast as heaven and earth. Once opposition and conformity arise, the mind is lost in confusion. One must know that the cycles of rebirth through the ages stem from a single thought of hesitation and calculation. Straying on the path of the ordinary world likewise comes from endless deliberation. To go beyond what is beyond and attain ultimate penetration, there is only one solution: directly understand and assume what is there, in this very instant.

直饒誇會豐悟。獲瞥地之智通。得道明心。擧衝天之志氣。雖有入頭之量。尚缺出身之路。矧彼釋迦老子之爲生知。已在六年端坐之跡。達磨大師之傳心印。更貽九歳面壁之蹤。古聖既然。今人盍辨。所以ニ翻尋言逐語之鮮行。須迴光返照之退歩。自然身心脱落。本來面目現前。欲得恁麼。急務坐禪。

Even if one boasts of possessing profound understanding and having attained the intuitive wisdom of a flash of satori, or of having realized the Way and clarified the mind, raising an aspiration as vast as the sky, even if one has the capacity to penetrate the essential, the path for fully emerging from it is still lacking. Consider how the venerable Śākyamuni, as a being endowed with innate wisdom, nevertheless left the trace of six years of diligent zazen; how the great master Bodhidharma, transmitting the seal of the mind, furthermore bequeathed the trace of nine years facing the wall. The ancient sages acted thus; how could people today neglect to discern this? Therefore, one must reject the vain practice of chasing words and phrases, and it is necessary to turn around, to turn the light inward to illuminate within. Then, naturally, body and mind are freed from their fetters, and the original face manifests before you. To realize this, the urgent practice is zazen.

夫參禪者。靜室宜焉。飮飡節矣。乃放捨諸縁休息萬事。不思善惡。莫管是非。停心意識之運轉。止念想觀之測量。正坐之時。厚敷坐物。上用蒲團。然後結跏趺坐。或半跏趺坐。謂結跏趺坐。先以右足安左上。左足安右上。半跏趺坐。但以左足壓右矣。寛繋衣帶可令齊整。次右手安左足上。左掌安右掌上。以兩大拇指面相拄。乃正身端坐。不得左側右傾前躬後仰。要令耳與肩對鼻與臍對。舌掛上腭唇齒相著。目須常開。身相既定氣息亦調。念起即覺。覺之即失。久久忘縁自成一片。此坐禪之要術也。

For one who practices zazen meditation, a quiet room is suitable and food should be moderate. One should then let go of all ties and put the ten thousand affairs to rest, not think of good or evil, not be concerned with right or wrong, stop the functioning of thought and consciousness, cease the measuring and observing of imagination and reflections. When sitting properly, spread the sitting cushion thickly, place a straw cushion on it, then assume the full-lotus or half-lotus sitting posture. The full-lotus posture is: first place the right foot on the left thigh, then the left foot on the right thigh. For the half-lotus posture, simply place the left foot on the right thigh. Fasten the garment belt comfortably, so that it is well adjusted. Next, place the right hand on the left foot, and the left palm on the right palm, with the tips of the two thumbs touching. Then straighten the body and sit upright, without leaning left or right, without inclining forward or tilting backward. The ear should be aligned with the shoulder, and the nose with the navel. The tongue rests against the palate, lips and teeth are closed. The eyes should normally remain open. Once the bodily posture is established, the breathing also harmonizes. When a thought arises, one immediately becomes aware of it; upon becoming aware, it vanishes. In time, one forgets the ties and naturally becomes unified. This is the essential method of seated meditation.

謂坐禪則大安樂法門也。若得此意。自然四大輕安。精神爽利。正念分明。法味資神。寂然清樂。日用天眞也。已能發明。可謂。如龍得水。似虎靠山。當知。正念現前。昏散曷到。若從坐起。徐徐動身。安祥而起。不應卒暴。於一切時護持定力。

Zazen is the great gate of peaceful bliss. When one grasps its meaning, naturally the four elements become light and tranquil, the mind is sharp and penetrating, right thought is clear and distinct. The taste of the Dharma nourishes the mind, in a pure and joyful stillness, daily life regains its original innocence. Once this is revealed, one can say: like the dragon finding water, like the tiger leaning on the mountain. One must know that when right thought is present, how could dullness or distraction arise? When leaving the sitting posture, move the body slowly, rise with calm and dignity, without haste or violence. At all times, it is fitting to preserve and maintain the power of concentration.

參究之超上關無本可據證。放之被自礙。所以未留乃道之十成也。誠禪定一門最爲高勝。先以十分之會擧。次轉一半之證來。只在此法。拈花破顏禮拜得髓。皆承他之恩力而獲大自在者也。學般若菩薩。詎不隨順者乎。嘗觀。超凡越聖必假靜縁。坐脱立亡能任定力。況復指竿針鎚之轉機。拂拳棒喝之證契。未是思量分別之所能解也。豈爲神通修證之所能知也。可爲聲色之外威儀。那非知見之前軌則者歟。

The ultimate barrier of zazen investigation relies on no basis to certify. If one relaxes it, one bumps into oneself. Thus, leaving nothing behind is the tenfold perfection of the Way. Truly, among the gates of zen meditation, this is the highest and supreme. First, one lifts the totality of the encounter; afterwards, one turns half of the certification. Everything resides solely in this method. Grasping the flower, splitting the face into a smile, bowing in greeting, obtaining the marrow: all receive through its grace and power the great liberation. Bodhisattvas who study prajñā (wisdom), how could they not conform to it? One often observes that transcending the ordinary and surpassing the saint necessarily requires stillness as a condition; sitting to strip away or standing to vanish can be accomplished through the power of concentration. All the more so, the decisive turn of the finger, the staff, the needle, or the hammer; the confirmation and accord through the fly-whisk, the fist, the staff, or the shout: this is not what thoughts and discriminations can comprehend. How could it be knowable through supernatural powers or practices of certification? This can be considered the dignity beyond sounds and forms; is it not the rule prior to all knowledge and opinion?

然則不論上知下愚。莫簡利人鈍者。放下六根。見轉全道。不生一念坐斷十方。凡其自界他方佛法本無異法。西天東地祖門遂開五門。等持佛印。各檀宗風。唯務單傳。直指專事。翻身迴頭雖謂千差萬別。但喜歸程祥參。何忘却自家之坐床謾去來他國之塵境。若錯一歩。當面蹉過。既得人身之應會。莫虚度光陰。必憶佛道之當行。誰浪樂石火。加以形質如草露。運命似電光。倏忽便空。須臾即失。

Thus, whether enlightened sages or obtuse ignoramuses, whether gifted or slow-witted, all must lay down the six sensory roots to see the entire Way turn around. Without producing a single thought, they sit enthroned, cutting off the ten directions. Truly, between one's own domain and other lands, the Buddhist Dharma knows no different Dharma. From the celestial West to the land of the East, the gate of the patriarchs has opened in five ways. All equally maintain the seal of the Buddha, each establishing its own ancestral style, aiming only for the unique transmission, pointing directly, devoting themselves exclusively to the matter. Turning around, turning back, though one speaks of a thousand differences and ten thousand distinctions, one rejoices only in returning home, in the auspicious visit. How could one forget one's own seat of meditation to wander aimlessly in foreign lands, in dusty worlds? If one makes a misstep, one misses the opportunity face-to-face. Having obtained this meeting that is the human body, do not vainly waste time. Be sure to remember the practice of the Buddha's path; who would play with the spark from flint? Moreover, the physical form is like dew on grass, destiny like lightning. In an instant, all becomes empty; in a brief moment, all is lost.

冀其參學高流久習摸象勿怪眞龍。早向直指端的之正道。速成絶學無爲之眞人。方遵百丈之規繩。遍通少林之消息。莫勞拂耳之風。更驚撃舌之響耶。但能正開自寶藏受用使如意。

I hope that advanced practitioners who have long studied, like those groping the elephant, will not be startled by the true dragon. May they quickly orient themselves toward the authentic path of direct indication, and accomplish without delay the true realization of ultimate study and non-action. May they thus follow the rules and precepts of Baizhang, and penetrate everywhere the message of Shaolin. May they no longer tire of the wind that caresses the ear, nor be alarmed by the sound that strikes the tongue. Provided they correctly open their own inner treasure and freely enjoy it according to their will.