Nidō Shishoshin
The Two Entrances and Four Practices
Bodhidharma · China · ~5th c.
Bodhidharma · China · ~5th c.
The Nidō Shishoshin (二入四行論, "Treatise on the Two Entrances and Four Practices") is the only text attributed to Bodhidharma (達磨, ~5th c.), the first Chinese patriarch of Chan. It constitutes the oldest document of the Chan tradition and lays the foundations for the practice that Dōgen and Keizan would later transmit to Japan.
The text presents two "entrances" to the Way: entrance by principle (sudden awakening to the nature of mind) and entrance by practice (concrete implementation in daily life). The latter unfolds into four practices: patience in the face of adversity, acceptance of conditions, non-seeking, and conformity with the Dharma.
夫入道多途，要而言之，不出二種：一是理入，二是行入。
The paths leading to the Way are many, but the essential does not go beyond two kinds: the first is entrance by principle, the second is entrance by practice.
理入者，謂藉教悟宗。深信含生同一真性，但為客塵妄想所覆，不能顯了。
Entrance by principle consists of relying on the teachings to understand the essence. One must deeply believe that all beings share the same true nature, but that it is veiled by adventitious dust and illusory thoughts.
行入者，所謂四行。其餘諸行，悉入此中。何等為四？一報冤行，二隨緣行，三無所求行，四稱法行。
Entrance by practice consists of four practices. All other practices are contained within these. What are these four? 1) The practice of patience in the face of adversity. 2) The practice of acceptance of conditions. 3) The practice of non-seeking. 4) The practice of conformity with the Dharma.
Source: CBETA T48n2009 · Public Domain (Taishō Canon) · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0