Darani

When the eye of study is clear, the eye of the true dharma is clear. Because the eye of the true dharma is clear, one attains the clarity of the eye of study. The power to correctly transmit this pivotal point lies in the act of serving and meeting a great good teacher. This is a great causal condition; this is a great dhāraṇī. The so-called great good teacher is a buddha-ancestor. One must diligently serve them with towel and water bottle. When this is so, then "bring the tea," "serve the tea"—the essential mind is fully realized, spiritual power is fully realized. "Bring the wash water," "pour out the water"—this is not clinging to objects, it is thorough understanding from below.

One does not merely study the essential mind of the buddha-ancestors; one encounters one or two buddha-ancestors within the essential mind. One does not merely receive and use the spiritual power of the buddha-ancestors; one obtains seven or eight buddha-ancestors within the spiritual power. Through this, the spiritual power of all buddha-ancestors is exhaustively investigated in this one bundle.

The essential mind of all buddha-ancestors is exhaustively investigated in this one grasp. Therefore, when serving and meeting a buddha-ancestor, making offerings with heavenly flowers and heavenly incense is not incorrect, but taking up the samādhi-dhāraṇī to serve, meet, and make offerings—this is the child and grandchild of the buddha-ancestors. The so-called great dhāraṇī is this human activity. Because human activity is the great dhāraṇī, one encounters the full realization of human activity.

The words of human activity, though they have circulated in the world for a long time, modeled on the sounds of the language of China, were not transmitted from the Brahma Heaven, nor transmitted from India; they were correctly transmitted from the buddha-ancestors. This is not a realm of sounds and forms; do not discuss the before and after of King Buddha Śabda. That human activity is offering incense and making prostrations. There is either the original teacher of leaving home, or the original teacher of transmitting the dharma. The original teacher of transmitting the dharma may also be the original teacher of leaving home.

One must always rely on, abide by, serve, and meet these original teachers; this is the dhāraṇī of inquiry and study. One should attend and serve without wasting any time. At the beginning and end of a retreat, at the winter solstice and New Year, and on the first and fifteenth of the month, one should definitely offer incense and make prostrations. The method is to take either before the morning gruel or after the morning gruel as the time. With full decorum, one goes to the teacher's hall. "With full decorum" means wearing the kāṣāya, holding the sitting cloth, arranging one's shoes and socks, and carrying a piece of sinking incense or the like, then going.

Upon reaching the teacher's presence, one makes a greeting. The attendant monk accordingly prepares the incense burner and lights a candle. If the teacher is already seated on the chair, then one should offer incense. If the teacher is behind a curtain, then one should offer incense. If the teacher is lying down, or eating, or at such times, then one should offer incense.

If the teacher is standing on the ground, one should greet saying, "Please, reverend, sit." One may also request, "Please, reverend, be at ease." There are many phrases for requesting to sit. After inviting the reverend to sit on the chair, one makes a greeting. The bow should be deep and according to the method. After finishing the greeting, one steps forward to the front of the incense stand and places the carried piece of incense in the incense burner. When placing the incense, sometimes the incense is tucked in the lapel of the robe. Sometimes it is carried in the breast of the robe. Sometimes it is carried inside the sleeve. It is according to each person's mind.

After the greeting, one takes out the incense. If it is wrapped in paper, turning the right shoulder, one removes the wrapping paper, holds the incense in both hands, and places it in the incense burner. Do it immediately; do not tilt it. After finishing placing the incense, with hands folded, one circles to the right, steps, arrives at the front, faces the reverend, makes a deep bow according to the method, finishes the greeting, and then spreads the sitting cloth and makes prostrations.

The prostrations are nine prostrations, or sometimes twelve prostrations. After finishing the prostrations, one folds the sitting cloth and makes a greeting. Sometimes one spreads the sitting cloth once, makes three prostrations, and then expresses greetings for the season. The current nine prostrations do not express seasonal greetings; it is simply performing the one-spread-three-prostration three times. This ceremony has been transmitted from the Seven Buddhas of the past. The authentic tradition of the school has come down. Therefore, this ceremony is used. Such prostrations are never omitted whenever the time comes.

Furthermore, one makes prostrations each time one receives a dharma benefit. One also makes prostrations when seeking to ask about a causal condition. This is like when the Second Ancestor presented his understanding to the First Ancestor and made three prostrations. When expounding the message of the Shōbōgenzō, one makes three prostrations. Know that making prostrations is the Shōbōgenzō. The Shōbōgenzō is the great dhāraṇī.

For prostrations when asking for instruction, a single straight prostration is often used nowadays. The ancient ceremony is three prostrations. Prostrations in gratitude for a dharma benefit are not necessarily nine or twelve prostrations. Sometimes they are three prostrations, sometimes a touching-the-ground single prostration. Sometimes there are six prostrations. All these are the ketou prostration. In India, this is called the supreme prostration. Sometimes there are six prostrations, knocking the head on the ground. That is, pressing the forehead against the ground and striking it, even until blood comes out; here too the sitting cloth is spread.

For one, three, or six prostrations, one knocks the forehead on the ground. Sometimes this is called the tonshou prostration. This prostration also exists in the secular world. In the secular world, there are nine grades of prostrations. At the time of a dharma benefit, there is also the non-abiding prostration. That is, making prostrations without stopping. One may continue even for hundreds and thousands of prostrations.

All these are prostrations that have been used in the assemblies of the buddha-ancestors. Generally, for these prostrations, one should observe the reverend's direction and perform the prostration according to the method. Generally, when the practice of prostration abides in the world, the Buddha-Dharma abides in the world. If prostrations are hidden, the Buddha-Dharma perishes. Making prostrations to the original teacher who transmits the dharma is done without choosing a time, without discussing the place. One makes prostrations even when the teacher is sleeping or eating, or when going to relieve oneself.

Sometimes one makes prostrations from afar, separated by a wall, or separated by mountains and rivers. Sometimes one makes prostrations separated by kalpas, sometimes separated by birth and death, coming and going, sometimes separated by bodhi and nirvāṇa. Although disciple junior monks perform such various prostrations, the original teacher reverend does not return the prostration. They only join their palms. Although one may naturally use special prostrations, they are not used in ordinary ceremonies.

At such times of prostration, one must always make prostrations facing north. The original teacher reverend sits upright facing south. The disciple stands on the ground before the original teacher reverend, with their face to the north, and makes prostrations to the original teacher facing the original teacher. This is the fundamental ceremony. When the correct faith of taking refuge arises by itself, it is correctly transmitted that the north-facing prostration is performed from the very beginning.

Therefore, during the lifetime of the World-Honored One, the assemblies of humans, gods, and nāgas who took refuge in the Buddha all faced north to revere, honor, and bow to the World-Honored One. In the beginning, the five companions—Ajñāta Kauṇḍinya [also known as Kauṇḍinya], Aśvajit [also known as Aśvaka], Mahānāman [also known as Mahākāla], Bhadrika [also known as Bhadra], and Vāṣpa [also known as Daśabala Kāśyapa]—after the Tathāgata’s attainment of the Way, spontaneously arose, faced the Tathāgata, and offered the worship of facing north.

When followers of other paths and demonic factions abandoned their heresies and took refuge in the Buddha, they invariably performed the worship of facing north, without any mutual or self-induced compulsion. From that time onward, in the assemblies of the twenty-eight generations of patriarchs in India and the various generations of patriarchs in China, all who came and took refuge in the true dharma naturally performed the worship of facing north. This is the very affirmation of the true dharma; it is not a matter of contrived intention between teacher and disciple. This itself is the great dhāraṇī.

There is a great dhāraṇī named Perfect Enlightenment. There is a great dhāraṇī named Human Affairs. There is a great dhāraṇī that is the immediate realization of worship. There is a great dhāraṇī whose name is the kāṣāya. There is a great dhāraṇī that is called the Shōbōgenzō. By reciting this incantation, it has pacified and protected the entire great earth; it has pacified and perfected the entire realm of space; it has pacified and manifested the entire realm of time; it has pacified and actualized the entire realm of buddhas; it has pacified and pervaded both inside and outside the hermitage. One must investigate and discern that the great dhāraṇī is like this. All dhāraṇīs take this dhāraṇī as their seed syllable. All dhāraṇīs are immediately realized as the retinue of this dhāraṇī. All buddhas and patriarchs invariably, through this gate of dhāraṇī, arouse the aspiration for enlightenment, practice the Way, attain the Way, and turn the wheel of the dharma.

Therefore, as they are already descendants of the buddhas and ancestors, they should thoroughly investigate this dhāraṇī. In general, to be covered by the robe of Śākyamuni Buddha is to be covered by the robe of all buddhas and ancestors in the ten directions. To be covered by the robe of Śākyamuni Buddha is to be covered by the kāṣāya. The kāṣāya is the buddha assembly that is a sign and a banner. This affirmation is difficult to encounter, difficult to meet. Even if one is born in a remote land and is ignorant, due to the power of good roots from past cultivation of dhāraṇī becoming manifest, one meets and is born into the Dharma of Śākyamuni Buddha.

Even if one bows to all the buddhas and ancestors, whether self-arisen or other-arisen, at the edge of a hundred grasses, this is the attainment of the Way by Śākyamuni Buddha. It is the effort in practice of Śākyamuni Buddha. It is the spiritual transformation of dhāraṇī. Even if one bows to ancient buddhas and present buddhas for immeasurable billions of kalpas, this is the time of being covered by the robe of Śākyamuni Buddha.

Once one covers one's body with the kāṣāya, one has already thereby obtained the body, flesh, hands, feet, head, eyes, marrow, and brain of Śākyamuni Buddha; it is the turning of the wheel of the Dharma by his light. In this way, one wears the kāṣāya. This is the merit of wearing the kāṣāya that is present right now. One maintains this, delights in this, and together with the occasion protects it, puts it on, and makes offerings and bows to Śākyamuni Buddha. Within this, one affirms and exhaustively realizes the practice of however many three asamkhyeya kalpas. To bow and make offerings to Śākyamuni Buddha means sometimes to bow and make offerings to the original teacher who transmitted the Dharma, or to bow and make offerings to the original teacher who performed the head-shaving. This is precisely to see Śākyamuni Buddha. It is to make offerings to Śākyamuni Buddha with the Dharma. It is to make offerings to Śākyamuni Buddha with dhāraṇī.

Our late master, the Ancient Buddha of Tiantong, once said: "Some come upon the snow and make prostrations; some are amidst the chaff and make prostrations. This is the superior path, the trail of the ancients, the great dhāraṇī.