Jishō Zammai

What all buddhas, the Seven Buddhas, and each buddha and ancestor have rightly transmitted is precisely the samadhi of practice and verification. This is what is called "sometimes from a teacher, sometimes from sutras." This is the eye of the buddhas and ancestors. Therefore, the Ancient Buddha of Caoxi asked a monk, "Do you still rely on practice and verification, or not?" The monk said, "Practice and verification are not nonexistent, but they cannot be defiled." From this, you should know that the practice and verification which is undefiled—this is the buddhas and ancestors. It is the thunderclap, wind, and lightning of the samadhi of the buddhas and ancestors.

At the proper moment of "sometimes from a teacher," sometimes half a face is mutually seen, sometimes half a body is mutually seen. Sometimes a full face is mutually seen, sometimes a whole body is mutually seen. Sometimes half of oneself is mutually seen, sometimes half of another is mutually seen. The divine head wearing fur is mutually verified; the demon face bearing horns is mutually practiced.

There is following another in the conduct of different kinds; there is transforming and departing in the shared life of the same branch. In such situations, the number of times of abandoning the body for the Dharma is incalculable, in the thousands and tens of thousands. The number of eons of seeking the Dharma for the body is incalculable, in the hundreds of millions. This is the living activity of "sometimes from a teacher"; it is the intimate details of investigating the self through the self. In the instant of mutual seeing, there is breaking into a smile; at the occasion of bowing upon obtaining the marrow, there is cutting off an arm.

Generally, from before and after the Seven Buddhas to the left and right of the Sixth Ancestor, the teachers of seeing the self are not one or two. The teachers of seeing others are not of the past or the present. At the time of "sometimes from sutras," when one investigates one's own skin, flesh, bones, and marrow, and when one casts off one's own skin, flesh, bones, and marrow, the peach-blossom eyes themselves protrude and are mutually seen; the sound of bamboo, the ear faculty itself, hears the thunderclap mutually.

Generally, when one studies following sutras, truly, sutras emerge. These sutras are the entire world of the ten directions: mountains, rivers, earth, grass, trees, self, and others. Eating meals and putting on robes, every movement and gesture. When one studies the Way following each one of these scriptures, furthermore, unprecedented sutras, countless in thousands and tens of thousands of scrolls, appear manifestly before one. There are sentences of affirmation, vividly present; there are verses of negation, freshly clear.

Having encountered these, when one takes up body and mind and engages in study, even if one exhausts the long kalpas or raises up the long kalpas, there is inevitably a place of thorough penetration. When one releases body and mind and engages in study, even if one digs out the subtlest trace or kicks away the subtlest trace, the merit of upholding and maintaining is inevitably accomplished. Now, the Sanskrit texts of the Western Heavens have been translated into the Dharma texts of the Eastern Land, amounting to less than five thousand scrolls. Among these, there are the Three Vehicles and Five Vehicles, the nine divisions and twelve divisions.

All of these are sutras to be studied and followed. Even if one tries to avoid and evade following them, it is impossible. Therefore, they have come to be either the eye, or my marrow. The head and horns are true; the tail and body are true. Although one receives this from another and transmits this to another, it is solely the living emergence of the eye, casting off self and other. It is solely the entrustment of my marrow, penetrating and casting off self and other. Because the eye and my marrow are neither self nor other, the buddhas and ancestors have rightly transmitted it from ancient times to ancient times, and from now on entrust it to now on.

There is the Sutra of the Staff, speaking horizontally and vertically, itself breaking through emptiness and breaking through existence. There is the Sutra of the Fly Whisk, washing snow and washing frost. There are one assembly and two assemblies of the Sutra of Zazen. There is one scroll and ten volumes of the Sutra of the Kasaya. These are what all buddhas and ancestors protect and uphold. Following such sutras, one practices, verifies, and attains the Way.

Sometimes causing heavenly faces and human faces, sometimes causing sun faces and moon faces to appear, the effort-power of "following sutras" is fully realized. However, even if one follows a teacher, even if one follows sutras, all is following the self. Sutras are themselves one's own sutras. Teachers are themselves one's own teachers. Therefore, studying with all teachers is studying with oneself; picking up a hundred grasses is picking up oneself; picking up ten thousand trees is picking up oneself. One studies, learning that the self is inevitably such effort-power. In this study, one casts off the self and intimately verifies the self.

In the Shaoxing era of the Great Song nation, there was a great Zen master named Dahui Zonggao of Mount Jing. Originally, he was a student of sutras and treatises. Following the custom of pilgrimage, he became a disciple of Zen master Cheng of Xuanzhou and studied Yunmen's "Picking Up Old Cases" as well as Xuedou's "Verse Comments on Old Cases" and "Picking Up Old Cases." This was the beginning of his study and practice. Not having grasped Yunmen's style, he eventually went to study under the Venerable Wei of Mount Dongshan, yet Wei ultimately did not permit him entry into the inner sanctum.

Venerable Wei was a Dharma heir of Venerable Furong, not one to be carelessly placed on equal footing with any ordinary person at the end of the seat. Although Zen master Gao studied under him for quite some time, he could not grasp Wei's skin, flesh, bones, or marrow; how much less could he know there was a dust-penetrating eye within. On one occasion, having only heard that in the Way of the Buddhas and Ancestors there is a method of transmitting the Dharma through a pledge of incense and a succession document, he repeatedly requested the succession document from Venerable Wei.

However, Venerable Wei would not grant it. Finally, he said, "If you want the succession document, do not be hasty. You must directly devote effort and diligently study. The transmission of the Buddhas and Ancestors is not recklessly bestowed. I do not begrudge bestowing the transmission; it is only that you do not yet possess the eye." At that time, Zonggao said, "The originally endowed true eye is self-witnessed and self-awakened. How could there be any lack of reckless bestowal?" Venerable Wei laughed and ceased.

Later, [he] visited Zen Master Tandō Jun. One day Tandō asked Sōkō, "For what reason is your nostril today lacking one side?" Sōkō said, "Under the gate of Hōhō." Tandō said, "A meditator of fabricated views."

Gao was reading a sutra when Zhan Tang asked, "What sutra are you reading?" Gao replied, "The Diamond Sutra." Zhan Tang said, "This Dharma is equal, with no high or low. Why then is Yunju Mountain high and Baofeng Mountain low?" Gao said, "This Dharma is equal, with no high or low." Zhan Tang said, "You have made yourself a head seat." He then had him step down.

Again one day, Tandō saw [an image of] the Ten Kings being adorned.

He asked the head monk Sōkō, “What is this official’s surname?” Kō said, “His surname is Ryō (Liang).” Tandō, stroking his own head with his hand, said, “But what about the fact that this ‘Ryō’ lacks a headcloth?” Kō said, “Although there is no headcloth, the nostrils are somewhat [discernible].” Tandō said, “A haphazard Zen practitioner.”

One day, Tandō asked Sōkō, saying: "Venerable Sōkō, the Zen of my school—you have grasped it all at once. When I have you speak, you can speak it; when I have you engage in meditation, you can meditate. When I have you compose verses on old cases, select and comment on old koans, give informal talks and general lectures, or hold question-and-answer sessions, you can do them all.

Only, there is one matter in which you are still lacking—do you know what it is?" Sōkō said: "What matter am I lacking?" Tandō said: "You are lacking just this one understanding. *Hō!* If you do not attain this one understanding, then when I speak to you in the abbot’s quarters, there is Zen; but as soon as you leave the abbot’s quarters, it is gone. When you are alert and thinking, there is Zen; but as soon as you fall asleep, it is gone. If it is like this, how can you withstand life and death?" Sōkō said: "This is precisely where Sōkō has doubt." Later, after some time had passed, Tandō showed signs of illness. Sōkō asked: "After the venerable’s passing, to whom shall Sōkō turn in order to complete this great matter?" Tandō instructed him, saying: "There is one called Kinpa-shi.

I do not know him either. Nevertheless, if you meet him, he will surely enable you to accomplish this matter. Once you have met him, you must not wander elsewhere. In later generations, you will come forth and engage in Zen practice." Examining this episode: Tandō still did not approve of Sōkō, and though he repeatedly attempted to open and develop him, in the end there remained the lack of one matter. It was not a matter of adding one thing, nor of casting off one thing. Venerable Eihei did not grant him the succession document in those days, urging him that he was still lacking—one should have faith in Venerable Eihei’s clear discernment of capacity.

Precisely because he did not exhaustively investigate "This is where Sōkō has doubt," he did not cast it off. He did not break through, did not give rise to great doubt, and was not free from doubt and hindrance. That he recklessly sought the succession document in those days was due to hasty training, the extreme of lacking the mind for the Way, and the depth of his lack of study. It should be said that he lacked foresight, that he was not attuned to the opportunity for the Way, and that it was the extreme of superficial learning.

Driven by greed for fame and love of gain, he tried to force his way into the inner chamber of the Buddhas and ancestors. It is pitiable that he did not know the words of the Buddhas and ancestors. Study that does not accord with self-confirmation, and broad exploration across ten thousand generations that does not lead to self-awakening—because of such lack of study, there are faults like these, and self-error like this. Because it is like this, within the lineage of Zen Master Sōkō, there is not even one or half a one with true grasp; most are false imitations. Not understanding the Buddha Dharma, and not being free from not understanding the Buddha Dharma—it is like this. Practitioners of the present day must certainly engage in careful and detailed study; do not be negligent or superficial.

Sōkō, following Jundō’s dying instruction, after Jundō’s passing, went to study under Zen Master Engo at Tennei Temple in the capital. One day, when Engo ascended the hall to teach, Sōkō experienced a divine awakening and reported this awakening to Engo. Engo said, “Not yet. Although you are thus, the great Dharma is not yet clarified.” On another day, Engo ascended the hall and brought up the words of the Fifth Patriarch En concerning “having phrases and having no phrases.” Hearing this, Sōkō, in that very moment, attained the Dharma of great peace and joy. He again presented his understanding to Engo.

Engo laughed and said, “Have I not deceived you?” This is the karmic circumstance of Zen Master Sōkō later studying under Engo. Within Engo’s assembly, he was appointed as scribe. However, from beginning to end, no fresh attainment was seen. Even when he himself gave sermons or ascended the hall, he did not bring up any attainment. Know this: although the records say he had a divine awakening and record that he attained the Dharma of great peace and joy, there was nothing to it. Do not think too much of it; he was merely a student in training.

Zen Master Engo is an ancient Buddha, the most revered within the ten directions. Since Ōbaku, there has been no venerable elder like Engo. He is an ancient Buddha rarely encountered even in other worlds. However, those who know this are rare among humans and devas; this Sahā world is indeed pitiable. Now, raising up the teaching of the ancient Buddha Engo to examine Elder Sōkō, we see that his wisdom does not reach that of his teacher, nor is it equal to his teacher’s—how much less could it surpass his teacher’s? Such wisdom has never even been dreamed of. Therefore, know that Zen Master Sōkō did not attain even half the virtue of his teacher.

He merely memorized and transmitted passages from texts like the Avataṃsaka and Śūraṅgama sūtras. He had not yet penetrated the marrow of the Buddhas and ancestors. Sōkō thought that the insights attained by hidden worthies, great and small, drawn by tree- and grass-attached spirits and maintained by them, were the Buddha-Dharma. Because he took this to be the Buddha-Dharma, it is clear that he had not yet fully investigated the great Way of the Buddhas and ancestors. After Engo, he did not travel elsewhere or visit other teachers.

He rashly became the abbot of a great temple and served as head of the itinerant monks’ practice. The phrases he inherited did not reach the realm of the great Dharma. Yet, those who do not know think that Zen Master Sōkō is not ashamed even in comparison to the ancients. Those who do know are certain that he did not clarify it. In the end, he did not clarify the great Dharma and merely idly chattered with his mouth. Therefore, we know that Zen Master Gi of Tōzan truly left a clear mirror, without error. Those who studied under Zen Master Sōkō, even to this day, have not ceased envying and resenting Zen Master Gi. Zen Master Gi simply did not permit it. Zen Master Jun’s not permitting it was even more severe than Zen Master Gi’s; he only let it pass as if in a dream. Yet, they do not resent Zen Master Jun. How much embarrassment will there be for those who resent now and in the future?

Generally speaking, in the Great Song Dynasty, there are many who call themselves descendants of the Buddhas and Patriarchs. Yet, because few have truly studied the truth, there are few who teach the truth. The gist of this can be understood through this very circumstance. Even during the Shaoxing era, it was still like this. Now, it has declined even further from that time, beyond any comparison. Now, there are those who do not even know what the Great Way of the Buddhas and Patriarchs might be, yet they become masters of monks and practitioners.

Know this: the Buddhas and Patriarchs, in the Western Heavens and the Eastern Land, the authentic transmission of the succession documents—this authentic transmission is at the foot of Mount Qingyuan. After the foot of Mount Qingyuan, Dongshan naturally received the authentic transmission. All other directions have never known this. Those who know are all descendants of Dongshan, spreading their fame among the monks and practitioners. Even Zen Master Zonggao, during his lifetime, did not know the words of self-attainment and self-enlightenment—how much less could he penetrate other koans?

How much less could those who came later than Zen Elder Zonggao know the words of self-attainment? Therefore, in the Way of the Buddhas and Patriarchs, whether speaking of one's own way or another's, there must necessarily be the body-mind of the Buddhas and Patriarchs, and there must be the eye of the Buddhas and Patriarchs. Because it is the very marrow of the Buddhas and Patriarchs, it is not something ordinary people can grasp even superficially.