Hōkyōki

道元、幼年發菩提心、在本國訪道於諸師、聊識因果之所由。雖然如是、未明佛法僧之實歸、徒滯名相之懷標。後入千光禪師之室、初聞臨濟之宗風、今、隨全法師、而入炎宋、航海萬里、任幻身於波濤、遂達大宋、得投和尚之法席。蓋是宿福之慶幸也。和尚、大慈大悲、外國遠方之小人所願者、不拘時候、不具威儀、頻頻上方丈、欲拜問愚懷。無常迅速生死事大、時不待人、去聖必悔。本師堂上大和尚大禪師、大慈大悲、哀愍聽許道元問道問法。伏冀慈照。小師道元百拜叩頭上覆。和尚示云：「元子參問、自今已後、不拘晝夜時候、著衣衩衣、而來方丈問道無妨、老僧一如親父之恕子無禮也。」

From a young age, Dōgen awakened the mind of enlightenment and, in his own country, sought the Way under various masters, thus acquiring a certain understanding of the origin of causality. However, he had not yet clarified the true meaning of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, and remained vainly attached to nominal appearances. Subsequently, he entered the chamber of the Zen master Senkō and for the first time heard the style of the Rinzai school. Now, following the Zen master Zen, he entered Song China, crossing ten thousand li over the ocean, abandoning his illusory body to the waves and tides, and finally reached the great Song dynasty, where he was able to join the Dharma assembly of the Venerable Monk. This is truly good fortune due to accumulated karmic merits. Venerable Monk, in your great compassion and great benevolence, what this humble man from a distant foreign country wishes is to be able, without concern for the moment or observance of formalities, to frequently ascend to your quarters to humbly present his questions. Impermanence is swift, the matter of life and death is paramount; time waits for no one, and missing the saints would certainly be regrettable. May the great Venerable Monk and great Zen master of the Founder's Hall, in his great compassion and great benevolence, deign with pity to listen and allow Dōgen to ask questions about the Way and the Dharma. I humbly pray for your benevolent illumination. The small disciple Dōgen bows one hundred times and strikes his forehead on the ground in presenting this to you. The Venerable Monk declared: "From now on, my son Dōgen, when you come to ask questions, regardless of the time, day or night, whether you are in formal robes or casual clothes, you may come to my quarters to inquire about the Way without hindrance. This old monk will be like an indulgent father toward his son lacking in etiquette."

寶慶元年七月初二日參方丈。道元拜問：「諸方今稱教外別傳、而爲見祖師西來之大意、其意如何。」和尚示云：「佛祖大道何拘內外。然稱教外別傳、唯摩騰等所傳之外、祖師西來、親到震旦、傳道授業、故云教外別傳也。世界不可有二佛法也。」

On the second day of the seventh moon of the first year of the Baoqing era, I went to the zendō to consult the master. Dōgen bowed and asked: "Nowadays, in various monasteries, they speak of 'special transmission outside the teachings' to denote the great intention of the Patriarch who came from the West. What is its meaning?" The Venerable Master explained: "The great Way of the buddhas and patriarchs, why would it be limited to inside or outside? However, the expression 'special transmission outside the teachings' simply means that outside of what was transmitted by masters such as Matanga, the Patriarch who came from the West personally arrived in China to transmit the Way and teach the practice. That is why they speak of special transmission outside the teachings. There cannot be two buddhadharmas in the world."

道元拜問：「諸方古今長老等云：聞不聞、見不見、直下無一點計較、乃佛祖之道也。是以、竪拳竪拂、放喝行棒、教學者無一卜度、遂則不問佛化之始終、無期二生之感果。如是之等類、可爲佛祖之道耶。」和尚示云：「若無二生者實是斷見外道也。佛佛祖祖爲人設教、都無外道之言說。若無二生、乃不可有今生也。」

Dōgen bowed and asked: "The ancient masters of all times and all regions affirm: 'Hearing without hearing, seeing without seeing, without the slightest calculation in the very instant, that is the Way of the Buddhas and Patriarchs.' That is why, raising a fist or the hossu, shouting or striking with the staff, all this aims to teach disciples to leave no room for intellectual speculation, and thus, without even inquiring about the beginning or end of the Buddha's Awakening, one does not rely on the karmic fruits of a future life. Can such practices truly be considered the Way of the Buddhas and Patriarchs?" The Venerable Master explained to him: "Denying the existence of a future life truly belongs to the erroneous view of annihilationism, a heterodox doctrine. The Buddhas and Patriarchs, to guide beings and establish the teaching, have never uttered words belonging to such external doctrines. If there were no future life, there could also not be a present life."

道元拜問：「古今善知識曰：如魚飲水冷暖自知、此自知即覺也、以之爲菩提之悟。」道元難云：「若自知即正覺者、一切眾生皆有自知、一切眾生依有自知、可爲正覺之如來耶。」和尚示曰：「若言一切眾生本是佛者、還是同自然外道也。以我我所比諸佛、不可免未得謂得未證謂證者也。」

Dōgen bowed and asked: "The sages of old and today say: 'Just as the fish drinks the water, it knows for itself its coldness or warmth.' This knowing for oneself is awakening, and it is this that is considered the illumination of bodhi." Dōgen objected: "If knowing for oneself is correct awakening, then all sentient beings possess this knowing for themselves, and since all sentient beings are endowed with this knowing for themselves, could they be Tathāgatas who have attained correct awakening?" The master taught him: "If one says that all sentient beings are originally buddhas, one falls back into the heterodox doctrine of naturalism. Comparing 'self' and 'mine' to buddhas is inevitably to fall into the pretense of having obtained what one has not obtained and having realized what one has not realized."

道元拜問：「學人功夫辦道之時、有應須習學心意識、並行住坐臥乎。」和尚示誨曰：「祖師西來、而佛法入震旦、豈無佛法之身心乎。第一初心辦道功夫時、不可長病、不可遠行、不可多讀誦、不可多諫諍、不可多營務、不可食五辛、不可食肉、不可多食乳並蜜等、不可飲酒、不可食諸不淨食、不可觀聽伎樂詠等聲、不可見諸卑醜事、不可親近國王大臣、不可食諸生硬物、不可著垢膩衣、不可歷見屠所。」

Dōgen bowed and asked: "When the practitioner engages in the effort of the Way, must they necessarily study the mind, consciousness, and mental activities, while practicing walking, standing, sitting, and lying down?" The Venerable Master instructed him thus: "Since the Patriarch came from the West and the Buddha Dharma entered China, has there ever been a body and mind devoid of the Buddha Dharma? For the first effort of the Way of the beginner's mind, one must not contract a prolonged illness, not undertake long journeys, not read or recite excessively, not engage in many disputes, not take on too many affairs, not consume the five strong vegetables, not eat meat, not consume excessively milk, honey, and similar products, not drink alcohol, not eat impure foods, not watch or listen to spectacles, music, or songs, not contemplate vile or ugly things, not approach kings and ministers, not eat raw or hard foods, not wear dirty and greasy clothes, not frequent slaughterhouses."

堂頭和尚示曰：「參禪者身心脫落也、不用燒香、禮拜、念佛、修懺、看經、祇管打坐而已。」道元拜問：「身心脫落者何。」堂頭和尚示曰：「身心脫落者坐禪也。祇管坐禪時、離五欲、除五蓋。」道元拜問：「若離五欲、除五蓋者、乃同教家之所談也。即爲大小兩乘之行人者乎。」堂頭和尚示曰：「祖師兒孫、不可強嫌大小兩乘之所說也。學者若背如來之聖教、何敢爲佛祖之兒孫者歟。」

The hall master declared: "For one who practices zazen, body and mind are shed. There is no need to burn incense, prostrate, recite the Buddha's name, perform repentance rituals, or study sutras. Simply sitting in meditation is sufficient." Dōgen bowed and asked: "What is the shedding of body and mind?" The hall master replied: "The shedding of body and mind is zazen. When one simply practices zazen, one distances oneself from the five desires and eliminates the five hindrances." Dōgen bowed and inquired: "If one distances oneself from the five desires and eliminates the five hindrances, this aligns with the teachings of other schools. Does this then correspond to the practitioners of the two vehicles, the Great and the Small?" The hall master declared: "Descendants of the patriarchs must not forcefully reject the teachings of the two vehicles. If practitioners were to turn their backs on the holy teachings of the Tathāgata, how could they claim to be descendants of the Buddhas and patriarchs?"

道元拜問：「長沙和尚與皓月供奉問論業障本來空之道理。道元疑云：若業障空、則餘二異熟障煩惱障亦應空耶。」堂頭和尚示曰：「長沙之道終不是也。長沙未明三時業也。」

Dōgen bowed and asked: "Monk Changsha and official Haoyue discussed the principle that karmic hindrances are originally empty. Dōgen doubts: if karmic hindrances are empty, then the other two hindrances, those of maturation and afflictions, should also be empty, should they not?" The temple master declared: "Changsha's way is ultimately not correct. Changsha did not understand the actions of the three times."

堂頭和尚示曰：「坐禪時、舌挂上齶、或括當門板齒亦得。若四五十來年慣習坐禪、渾不會低頭瞌睡者、閉眼目坐禪無妨。如初學未慣者、開目坐也。若坐久疲勞、改右改左無妨。此乃從佛直下僅五十世正傳、有證也。」

The meditation hall master taught thus: "When you practice zazen, place the tongue against the upper palate, or press it against the central incisors; that is also suitable. If you have practiced zazen for forty or fifty years and are absolutely not inclined to lower your head and doze off, there is no harm in meditating with closed eyes. However, for beginners who are not yet accustomed, one must meditate with eyes open. If, after a long period of sitting, fatigue arises, it is permitted to change position, whether to the right or to the left. This method is directly transmitted from the Buddha, through only fifty generations of authentic succession, and it is attested by experience."

堂頭和尚慈誨云：「吾見儞在僧堂被位、晝夜不眠坐禪、得甚好。儞向後必聞美妙香氣世間無此者也、此乃吉瑞也。或面前如滴油落地者、吉瑞也。直須救頭燃、坐禪辦道。」世尊言：「聞思猶如處門外、坐禪直乃歸家穩坐、所以、坐禪乃至一須臾一剎那、功德無量。」

The temple master taught with kindness: "I see you in the monks' hall, in your place, practicing zazen day and night without sleeping, and that is excellent. In the future, you will certainly feel a marvelous fragrance, such as does not exist in this world; it is an auspicious sign. Sometimes, it will seem to you that you see oil dripping drop by drop onto the floor before you, which is also a favorable sign. You must practice with the urgency of someone trying to save their head from flames, and devote yourself entirely to the practice of zazen and the realization of the Way." The Buddha said: "Intellectual study and reflection are like standing before the gate; practicing zazen is truly returning home and sitting peacefully. Thus, even a single instant, a single thought of zazen possesses immeasurable merit."

堂頭和尚慈誨云：「坐禪時、莫倚壁及屏風禪椅等。若倚、教人生病也。直須正身端坐、如坐禪儀、慎莫違背。」又云：「起從坐禪、欲經行者、不得遶步、直須直步。若二三十許步欲迴必右迴莫左迴、欲移步、先移右足、左足乃次。」

The temple master teaches with kindness: "When you practice zazen, do not lean against the wall, the screen, the meditation chair, or other things. If you lean, it can provoke illness. You must absolutely straighten the body and sit upright, as prescribed by the zazen ritual, and take care not to transgress it." He also said: "When you rise after zazen and wish to practice walking meditation, do not walk in a circle; you must absolutely walk in a straight line. If after twenty or thirty steps or so you wish to turn around, you must imperatively turn to the right, not to the left. To move the foot, always begin by moving the right foot, then the left foot afterward."

堂頭和尚慈誨云：「坐禪時、安心諸處皆有定處。又坐禪時、安心於左掌上、乃佛祖正傳之法也。」

The venerable master of the temple taught with benevolence: "During the practice of zazen, the pacified mind finds its anchoring point in every place. Furthermore, during seated meditation, placing the pacified mind on the palm of the left hand constitutes the method authentically transmitted by the patriarchs and buddhas."