Tsuki

The full moon's perfect realization is not only the first three and three, nor only the latter three and three. The perfect realization of the full moon is not only the first three and three, nor only the latter three and three. Therefore, Śākyamuni Buddha says, "The Buddha's true Dharma-body is like empty space. In response to things, it manifests forms, like the moon in water." The thusness of "like the moon in water" is the water-moon. Water-thusness, moon-thusness, thusness-within, within-thusness. It is not speaking of similarity as thusness; thusness is thus. The Buddha's true Dharma-body is the "like empty space." This empty space is the "like" of the Buddha's true Dharma-body.

Because it is the Buddha's true Dharma-body, exhausting the earth and exhausting the realms, exhausting the dharmas and exhausting the manifestations, it is itself empty space. The "like" of the manifesting hundred grasses and myriad forms is nevertheless the Buddha's true Dharma-body, is like-water-like-moon. When it is the moon, it is not necessarily night; night is not necessarily dark. Do not be confined by the petty measures of human beings.

Where there is no sun or moon, there still must be day and night; the sun and moon are not for the sake of day and night. Because both sun and moon are thus-thus, it is not one moon or two moons, nor a thousand moons or ten thousand moons. Even if the moon's self upholds and maintains the view of one moon or two moons, this is the moon's view; it is not necessarily the speaking of the Buddha Way, nor the knowledge and insight of the Buddha Way. Therefore, even if we say there was a moon last night, the moon tonight is not last night's moon; we must investigate that the moon tonight is entirely the moon of tonight, from beginning, middle, to end. Because the moon succeeds the moon, even though there is a moon, it is not new or old.

Master Hōzan Hōseki says, "The mind-moon, solitary and round, its light swallows up the ten thousand phenomena. The light does not illuminate objects; objects, likewise, do not exist. Both light and objects vanish—what, then, is this?" What is spoken of here is that buddhas and ancestors, and buddha-disciples, invariably possess the mind-moon. It is because the moon is made to be mind. If it is not the moon, it is not mind; there is no moon that is not mind. "Solitary and round" means it is without deficiency or lack. Not being two or three is called the ten thousand phenomena. The ten thousand phenomena are this moonlight itself and are not the ten thousand phenomena.

Therefore, it is "the light swallows up the ten thousand phenomena." Because the ten thousand phenomena themselves wholly swallow up the moonlight, the light swallowing its own light is called "the light swallows up the ten thousand phenomena." For example, it is like the moon swallowing the moon, or light swallowing the moon. It is on this basis that the saying "the light does not illuminate objects; objects, likewise, do not exist" is expressed.

Because it is such, when among those to be saved through a buddha's body, it immediately manifests a buddha's body and preaches the dharma for them. When among those to be saved through a universally manifesting colored body, it immediately manifests a universally manifesting colored body and preaches the dharma for them. There is no instance of this not being the turning of the dharma wheel within the moon. Even if it is where the light of the yin-essence and yang-essence appears, or where it is formed by fire-pearls and water-pearls, it is immediately manifest and fully present. This mind is precisely the moon; this moon is itself mind. The investigation of principle and investigation of phenomena regarding the mind of buddhas and ancestors and buddha-disciples is like this.

An ancient buddha says, "One mind is all dharmas; all dharmas are one mind." Therefore, mind is all dharmas, and all dharmas are mind. Since mind is the moon, the moon must be the moon. Since all dharmas that are mind are each and every one the moon, the entire world is the entire moon. The whole body is the whole moon. Even if directly required, before and after ten thousand years, the three times three—which could fail to be the moon? Our present body-mind and environment, the Sun-Face Buddha and Moon-Face Buddha, are equally within the moon. Birth and death, coming and going, are all within the moon. The entire ten-direction world is the up, down, left, and right within the moon. Our present daily activity is precisely the clear moon's bright hundred grass-tips; it is the clear moon's bright mind of the ancestral teachers.

Master Ciji of Mount Touzi in Shuzhou was asked by a monk, "What about when the moon is not yet full?" The master said, "Swallow three or four." The monk said, "What about after it is full?" The master said, "Spit out seven or eight." What we now investigate is that both "not yet full" and "after full" are, in themselves, the moon's own doing. Within the moon's three or four, there is the one piece of "not yet full." Within the moon's seven or eight, there is the one piece of "after full." "Swallow" is the three or four. At this time, the seeing and actualizing of the moon-not-yet-full is accomplished. "Spit out" is the seven or eight.

At this time, the seeing and actualizing of after-full is accomplished. When the moon swallows the moon, it is three or four. Because there is moon within swallowing, it actualizes; the moon is the seeing and actualizing of swallowing. When the moon spits out the moon, there are seven or eight. Because there is moon within spitting out, it actualizes; the moon is the actualizing of spitting out. Therefore, swallowing is exhaustive, spitting out is exhaustive.

Spitting out exhausts the earth and exhausts the heavens; swallowing covers the heavens and covers the earth. One must swallow self, swallow other; one must spit out self, spit out other.

The Buddha Śākyamuni addressed the bodhisattva Vajragarbha, saying, "It is like the moving eye that can shake still water, and again, like the fixed eye that still causes fire to whirl. When clouds race, the moon moves; when the boat travels, the shore shifts—it is also like this." Now, we should clearly investigate the Buddha's exposition of "when clouds race, the moon moves; when the boat travels, the shore shifts." Do not learn it hastily; do not conform to ordinary sentiment. Yet, those who see and hear this Buddha's teaching as the Buddha's teaching are rare.

If one truly learns it as the Buddha's teaching, then perfect enlightenment is not necessarily body-and-mind, nor is it bodhi and nirvana; bodhi and nirvana are not necessarily perfect enlightenment, nor are they body-and-mind. Now, in the Way of the Tathāgata, "when clouds race, the moon moves; when the boat travels, the shore shifts" means: at the time of clouds racing, the moon moves; at the time of boat traveling, the shore shifts.

The principle expressed is that cloud and moon are simultaneously on the same path, taking the same steps and moving together—it is not a matter of beginning and end, nor of before and after. Boat and shore are simultaneously on the same path, taking the same steps and moving together—it is not a matter of arising and ceasing, nor of flowing and turning. Even if one learns a person's practice, a person's practice is not arising and ceasing; the practice of arising and ceasing is not the person. Do not raise up arising and ceasing to compare and measure a person's practice.

The racing of clouds and the moving of the moon, the traveling of the boat and the shifting of the shore—all are like this. Do not confine yourself to the narrow views of foolish, limited perception. Do not forget the principle that the racing of clouds does not ask east, west, south, or north, and the moving of the moon does not rest day or night, past or present. The traveling of the boat and the shifting of the shore are both unrelated to the three times, yet they fully employ the three times.

Therefore, it is "directly up to now, full and not hungry." Yet, foolish people hold the view that because clouds race, they see the unmoving moon as moving; because the boat travels, they see the unmoving shore as shifting. If it were as foolish people say, how could it be the Way of the Tathāgata? The principle of the Buddha-Dharma has never been the small measure of humans and devas. It is simply immeasurable, yet there is practice according to capacity. Who would not repeatedly scoop and grope for boat and shore? Who would not urgently fix their eyes on clouds and moon?

Know this: one should quietly devote effort and investigate the principle of the Way of the Tathāgata—that it does not liken clouds to any particular dharma, does not liken the moon to any particular dharma, does not liken the boat to any particular dharma, does not liken the shore to any particular dharma. The single step of the moon is the perfect enlightenment of the Tathāgata; the perfect enlightenment of the Tathāgata is the moon's moving activity. It is not motion or stillness; it is not advance or retreat. Since the moon's moving is not a simile, it is the nature and characteristics of solitary perfection.

Know that even if the moon's movement is swift, it is not beginning, middle, or end. Therefore, there is a first moon and a second moon. The first and the second are equally the moon. Precisely practicing is this moon; precisely making offerings is this moon; shaking one's sleeves and leaving is this moon. Round and pointed are not the wheel-turning of coming and going. Because it employs and does not employ the wheel-turning of coming and going, releases and holds fast, and displays its elegance, there are such various moons.