Shinjin Gakudō

Fourth: Studying the Way with Body and Mind

The Buddha Way cannot be approached by non-Ways; it grows more distant when attempted without study.

Zen Master Nanyue Dahui said: 'There is cultivation and realization, but they cannot be defiled.'

If one does not study the Buddha Way, one falls into the paths of heretics and icchantikas. Therefore, all Buddhas, past and present, invariably practice the Buddha Way.

In studying the Buddha Way, there are two aspects for now: studying with the mind and studying with the body.

Studying with the mind means studying with all minds. These minds are citta-hṛdaya, hṛdaya, and other such minds. Also, through the mutual response of influence and Way, after arousing the bodhi-mind, one takes refuge in the great Way of the Buddhas and ancestors and learns the conduct of arousing the bodhi-mind. Even if one has not yet aroused the true bodhi-mind, one should learn the Dharma of the Buddhas and ancestors who aroused the bodhi-mind before. This is arousing the bodhi-mind: it is the wholehearted mind, the ancient Buddha mind, the ordinary mind, the one mind of the three realms.

There are those who learn the Way by putting down these minds, and those who learn the Way by taking them up. At this time, one learns the Way by thinking, and one learns the Way by not thinking. Some transmit the golden robe, some receive the golden robe. There is 'You have attained my marrow,'and there is 'standing after three bows.'Pounding rice and transmitting the robe is learning mind with mind. Shaving the head and dyeing the robe is turning the mind, is illuminating the mind. Leaving the city and entering the mountains is going out of one mind, entering one mind. What the mountains enter is the ground of thinking and not thinking. What the world abandons is non-thinking.

This has been rolled into the eyeball for two or three bushels, this has been toyed with by the karmic consciousness for thousands of ends. In learning the Way thus, reward naturally comes for merit, but though there is reward, merit has not yet arrived; secretly borrowing the nostrils of the buddhas and ancestors to let out breath, taking up the hooves of donkeys and horses to seal verification—this is the model for ten thousand ages.

For a while, mountains, rivers, earth, sun, moon, and stars—these are mind. At this very moment, what preservation appears? Speaking of mountains, rivers, and earth: mountains are, for example, mountains and water. Earth is not only this place; mountains too are many—there are great Sumerus and small Sumerus. Some are placed horizontally, some vertically. There are three thousand realms, there are immeasurable lands. Some depend on form, some depend on emptiness. Rivers too are many—there are heavenly rivers, earthly rivers, the four great rivers, the Lake Anavatapta. In the northern continent, Uttarakuru, there are the four lakes of Anavatapta. There are seas, there are ponds.

Earth is not necessarily soil; soil is not necessarily earth. There may be physical earth, there may be mind-ground, there may be precious ground. Though called myriad kinds, there cannot be without earth; there may be worlds of emptiness and earth. Sun, moon, and stars—the seeing of humans and devas may differ; the seeing of various classes is not the same. Because it is thus, the seeing of one mind is altogether uniform. These are already mind. Are they internal? Are they external? Do they come? Do they go? At birth, does it increase by one point, or not increase? At death, does it remove one dust, or not remove?

Where shall we place this birth-and-death and the view of birth-and-death? Hitherto, it has been merely one thought, two thoughts of mind. One thought, two thoughts are one mountains, rivers, earth; two mountains, rivers, earth. Mountains, rivers, earth, and so on, because they are not existent or nonexistent, are not large or small, are not attained or not attained, are not known or not known, are not penetrated or not penetrated, do not change into enlightenment or non-enlightenment.

Such a mind, making a habit of learning the Way by itself—this should be decisively believed and accepted as mind learning the Way. This belief and acceptance is not large or small, existent or nonexistent. The present learning the Way of knowing the home as not-home, leaving home and leaving the home (knowing the home is not a home, leaving home and leaving the home) is not a measure of large or small, not a measure of far or near. It surpasses nostrils'beginning and end; it surpasses upward and downward. There is unfolding affairs—seven feet, eight feet. There is meeting opportunity—for oneself, for others. Being thus is learning the Way.

Because learning the Way is thus, walls, tiles, and pebbles are mind. Moreover, it is not that the three realms are mind only, not that the dharma realm is mind only—they are walls, tiles, and pebbles. Made before the Xiantong era, broken after the Xiantong era—dragging mud, stagnating water; binding oneself without a rope. There is the power to draw jade, there is the ability to enter water. There are days of passing through, times of breaking through, times of reaching the extreme minute. Not studying together with pillars, not rubbing shoulders with lanterns. Because it is thus, one learns the Way running barefoot—who will look with fixed eyes? One learns the Way turning somersaults—each has 'follow him.'At this time, the falling wall makes the ten directions learn, the gateless makes the four sides learn.

Arousing the mind of bodhi—sometimes it is attained within birth-and-death, sometimes it is attained within nirvana, sometimes it is attained beyond birth-and-death and nirvana. Though not waiting for a place, there is that which is not obstructed by the place of arousing the mind. It is not aroused by objects, not aroused by wisdom; it is the bodhi mind arousing, it is arousing the bodhi mind. Arousing the mind of bodhi is not existent, not nonexistent, not good, not evil, not neutral. It does not arise dependent on the ground of retribution; it is not that celestial beings necessarily cannot attain it.

Simply, together with the season, one arouses the mind of bodhi—because it does not depend on conditions. At the very moment of arousing the mind of bodhi, the entire dharma realm arouses the mind of bodhi. Though similar to turning conditions, it is not known by conditions. It is together producing one hand; it is oneself producing one hand; it is walking amidst different kinds. Even within hells, hungry ghosts, animals, asuras, and so on, one arouses the mind of bodhi.

Speaking of 'every fragment a red heart'—the fragments are all red heart. Not one fragment, two fragments; they are fragmentary.

Lotus leaves round, round like a mirror; water chestnut horns sharp, sharp like an awl.

Though it is said to be like a mirror, it is one-sided; though it is said to be like an awl, it is one-sided.

As for 'the mind of the ancient buddha,'there was once a monk who asked Great Master Daisho, 'What is the mind of the ancient buddha?'

The master said, 'Walls, tiles, pebbles.'

Therefore, know this: the mind of the ancient buddha is not walls, tiles, pebbles; nor is it called the mind of the ancient buddha because of walls, tiles, pebbles. The mind of the ancient buddha is precisely learning in this way.

'Ordinary mind'is this: not speaking of this world or other worlds, it is ordinary mind. In the past, it departed from this place; today, it arrives from this place. When departing, it departs filling the sky; when arriving, it arrives filling the earth. This is ordinary mind. Ordinary mind opens the gate within this house; because the thousand gates and ten thousand doors open and close simultaneously, it is ordinary. Now, this covering heaven and covering earth is like words beyond thought, like a single cry erupting from the earth. Words are equal, mind is equal, dharma is equal. Though arising and ceasing in the instant of birth and death, before the final body, it has never been known. Though unknown, when aspiration arises, one inevitably advances on the path of bodhi. Since this place exists, there is nothing further to doubt. Since there is doubt, that itself is ordinary.

'Learning the way with the body'means learning the way with the body. It is the learning of the red flesh ball. The body comes from learning the way; what comes from learning the way is precisely the body. The entire ten-direction world is this true human body; birth and death, coming and going, are the true human body. Turning this body, abandoning the ten evils, upholding the eight precepts, taking refuge in the three treasures, leaving home and renouncing the world—this is true learning of the way. Therefore, it is called the true human body. Later learners must not align with the externalist view of naturalism.

Great Master Baizhang Dazhi said: If one clings to the notion that original purity and original liberation are themselves buddha, that they themselves are the understanding of the Chan way, then this belongs to the naturalistic heresy.

This is not the broken tools of idle householders; it is the accumulated merit of studying the Way. Leaping and skipping, it is luminous on all eight sides; shedding and dropping, it is like a vine leaning on a tree. Sometimes manifesting this body to be saved and expounding the dharma, sometimes manifesting another body to be saved and expounding the dharma, sometimes not manifesting this body to be saved and expounding the dharma, sometimes not manifesting another body to be saved and expounding the dharma, and even to not expounding the dharma.

Yet, in the place of abandoning the body, there is raising the voice to stop the echo; in the place of discarding life, there is severing the intestines to obtain the marrow. Even if one sets out to study the Way before King Sounding Thunder, still this is one's own children and grandchildren increasing and growing.

'The entire ten-direction world'means the ten directions are all exhausted realms. East, west, south, north, the four intermediates, above, and below are called the ten directions. One should consider the time when that surface and interior, vertical and horizontal, are thoroughly exhausted. 'Consider'means that even if the human body is obstructed by self and other, one contemplates and determines that it is the entire ten directions. This is hearing the unheard. Because the directions are equal, because the realms are equal. The human body is the four great elements and five aggregates; the great dust is not what ordinary people exhaust, it is what sages investigate.

Also, one should contemplate the ten directions in a single dust; the ten directions are not contained within a single dust. Sometimes establishing a monks'hall and buddha hall in a single dust; sometimes establishing the exhausted realm within the monks'hall and buddha hall. Established from this, establishment is from this.

Such principle is precisely the entire ten-direction realm, the true human body. One must not learn the perverted views of naturalness and spontaneity. Not being within the measure of realm, it is neither broad nor narrow. The entire ten-direction realm is the eighty-four thousand dharma-expounding accumulations, the eighty-four thousand samadhis, the eighty-four thousand dharani. The eighty-four thousand dharma-expounding accumulations, because they are turning the dharma wheel, the place where the dharma wheel turns pervades realms, pervades times. It is not without direction and domain; it is the true human body.

You now, I now, are people of the entire ten-direction realm, the true human body. Without missing these, one studies the Way. Even through three great asamkhyeya kalpas, thirteen great asamkhyeya kalpas, up to immeasurable asamkhyeya kalpas, discarding body and receiving body, it is necessarily the time of studying the Way, progress and regress studying the Way. Bowing and greeting are precisely movement and stillness, dignified bearing. Drawing pictures of withered trees, grinding bricks into dead ashes. For a while, no interruption. Though the calendar days are short, studying the Way is deep and distant.

Even if the elegance of leaving home and renouncing the world is austere, do not confuse it with woodcutters. Even if livelihood competes head-on, it is not uniform with tenant farmers. Do not compare with discussions of confusion and enlightenment, good and evil; do not dwell on the boundary of perverted and correct, true and false.

Birth and death, coming and going, the true human body: so-called birth and death, though they are the wandering of ordinary people, are what the great sage has transcended. Transcending the ordinary and surpassing the sage is not merely taking this as the true substance. Though there are two kinds and seven grades of this, in thorough exhaustion, every face is birth and death, so there is no need to fear. Why? Because not yet having abandoned birth, one already sees death. Not yet having abandoned death, one already sees birth. Birth does not obstruct death; death does not obstruct birth; birth and death are both not what ordinary people know. Birth is like a cypress tree seed. Death is like an iron man. Even if the cypress tree is obstructed by the cypress tree, because birth is not yet obstructed by death, it is studying the Way. Birth is not one piece; death is not two bolts. Death does not oppose birth; birth does not depend on death.

Zen Master Yuanwu said: 'In life, the whole function appears; in death, the whole function appears. It fills the vast emptiness, the red heart always piece by piece.'

This saying should be quietly examined through practice. Although Zen Master Yuanwu spoke thus, he still did not know the fullness of life and death. In studying coming and going, there is life and death in going, there is life and death in coming; there is coming and going in life, there is coming and going in death. Coming and going, taking the entire ten-direction world as two wings or three wings, fly away and fly back; taking the entire ten-direction world as three legs or five legs, advance and retreat. With life and death as head and tail, the true human body of the entire ten-direction world can turn body and reverse mind.

In turning body and reversing mind, it is as large as a coin, like within a mote of dust; the flat, level ground is a sheer cliff of a thousand fathoms; the place of the sheer cliff of a thousand fathoms is the flat, level ground. Therefore, there is the face of southern provinces and northern provinces; examine this and learn the Way. There is the marrow of neither thought nor non-thought; uphold this and learn the Way.'

Shobogenzo: Learning the Way with Body and Mind, Fourth

At that time, on the Double Ninth Day in the third year of Ninji, Renin, at Hōrin-ji Temple, addressing the assembly

Written on the second day of mid-spring, Ninji Kigai