Bankei Zen
Page 10
The Master instructed a monk who had come from Tamba:29 “To take the attitude that, having come all this way, you want to be sure and realize buddhahood now as quickly as you can is to be deluded by your consuming desire for buddhahood. This may seem like something perfectly fine and admirable, but it is, in fact, deluded. When it comes to me, I never even quote the words of the buddhas and patriarchs in the sutras and records. And if you want to know why, it’s because I can manage perfectly dealing with people’s own selves, so that’s all I talk to them about.
“Your wanting to realize buddhahood as quickly as you can is useless to begin with. Since the Buddha Mind you have from your parents is unborn and marvelously illuminating, before even a single thought is produced, all things are recognized and distinguished without resorting to any cleverness. Without attaching to [notions of] ‘enlightened’ or ‘deluded,’ just remain in the state where all things are recognized and distinguished. Let things take care of themselves, and whatever comes along will be smoothly managed—whether you like it or not! That’s the [working of the] Buddha Mind and its marvelously illuminating dynamic function. Like a mirror that’s been perfectly polished, without producing a single thought, with no awareness on your part, without even realizing it, each and every thing is smoothly dealt with as it comes from outside. Not understanding this, you people take all the credit and act as if you managed everything yourselves by means of cleverness! That’s why you can’t help remaining deluded. If you clearly grasp that thought is something you produce yourself when you get involved with things that come along, and keep from switching [the Buddha Mind] for some ‘thing,’ why, that’s the basis of religious practice; and it’s also what’s meant when we say that the Buddha Mind is unborn, our own intrinsic and marvelously illuminating dynamic function.”
HŌGO (Instruction)
Duality
A layman asked: “I’m grateful for your teaching of the Unborn, but I find that thoughts easily come up as a result of my ingrained bad habits, and when I’m distracted by them, I can’t wholeheartedly realize the Unborn. How can I put my faith totally [in the Unborn Buddha Mind]?”
The Master said: “When you try to stop your rising thoughts, you create a duality between the mind that does the stopping and the mind that’s being stopped, so you’ll never have peace of mind. Just have faith that thoughts don’t originally exist, but only arise and cease temporarily in response to what you see and hear, without any actual substance of their own.”
(zenshū, p. 124.)
The dog and the chicken
A layman asked: “I have heard that thoughts of foolishness and ignorance lead to becoming a beast, so that one goes from darkness into darkness, unable to realize buddhahood. However, when a beast has no awareness it’s pathetic, it fails to realize that being the way it is is agony, so can’t it, after all, be perfectly content?”
The Master replied: “Isn’t it lamentable to transform the Buddha Mind and Buddha Body everyone has innately into the agony of a hell-dweller, not even realizing how pathetic this is! For example, when you drive off and abuse the dog who stole your chicken the day before, the dog doesn’t realize it’s because he stole the chicken, so when he meets with this abuse, he barks and howls in anguish. Being an animal, he can’t understand the law of cause and effect and has to go on suffering endlessly. Because human beings are endowed with bright wisdom, when they have the chance to meet a wise teacher they can readily attain buddhahood. A wonderful thing, isn’t it, having the good fortune to be born in a human body in which you may easily realize buddhahood? Just such a great matter stands right before your eyes. Don’t fritter away your time!”
(zenshū, p. 125.)
Farming with the Buddha Mind
A farmer asked: “I’m short-tempered by nature and easily get angry. Because I’m a farmer, I’m wholly taken up with my chores and it’s hard for me to realize the Unborn. How can I be in accord with the Unborn Mind?”
The Master said: “Everyone has the Unborn Buddha Mind innately, so there’s no way you’re going to be in accord with it now for the first time! To perform your work as a farmer single-mindedly is practicing the Unborn Mind. When you’re at work with your hoe, you may be speaking with someone at the same time, but even if you’re absorbed in the conversation, it doesn’t interfere with your hoeing; and if you’re absorbed in hoeing, it doesn’t interfere with your carrying on a conversation. Even when you’re angry, you can still go on hoeing, but since anger is the evil cause of becoming a hell-dweller, [your work] turns into a difficult and painful practice. When you do your hoeing without delusions like anger, [your work] will become an easy and joyful practice. This is the practice of the Buddha Mind, the practice of the Unborn and Imperishable.”
(zenshū, pp. 125–126.)
The travelers
A monk asked: “I have heard that the masters of old reached great enlightenment through difficult and painful practice, and that it was through various sorts of difficult practice that the masters of our own day too attained complete realization of the Dharma. I can’t quite accept the idea that someone like myself can realize the Unborn Buddha Mind just as I am without engaging in religious practice or attaining enlightenment.”
The Master said: “Suppose there’s a group of travelers passing through tall mountain peaks. Arriving at a spot where there’s no water, they become thirsty, and one of them goes off to search for water in a distant valley. After strenuously searching all over, he finds some at last and returns to give it to his companions to drink. Without making any strenuous efforts themselves, the people who drink the water can satisfy their thirst just the same as the one who did make such efforts, can’t they? [On the other hand,] those who harbor doubts and refuse to drink the water will have no way to satisfy their thirst. Because I didn’t meet with any clear-eyed men, I went astray and engaged in strenuous efforts till finally I uncovered the buddha within my own mind. So when I tell all of you that, without painful practice, you [can uncover] the buddha in your own minds, it’s just like [the travelers] drinking the water and slaking their thirst without having gone in search of the water themselves. In this way, when you make use of the Buddha Mind that everyone has, just as it is, and attain peace of mind without delusory difficult practice, that’s the precious true teaching, isn’t it?”
(zenshū, p. 126.)
Parents
A nun from Izumo asked: “Both my parents are still living. How should I observe my filial duty toward them?”
The Master replied: “There’s no particular manner in which one must express filiality. Simply abiding in the Buddha Mind you have from your parents innately, just as it is—this is the true practice of filiality. Failing to do this is what it means to be unfilial.”
(zenshū, pp. 126–127.)
Becoming an expert at delusion
The Master addressed the assembly: “Originally, at birth, you were all without any sort of delusion. But, because of your bad upbringing, you turned the innate Buddha Mind into a first-rate unenlightened being, imitating and taking on all the delusions you saw around you and forming bad habits, so that you ended up becoming regular experts at delusion! It’s because the Buddha Mind is marvelously [functioning] that you pick up all sorts of deluded [behavior] that then become second nature to you. Nevertheless, when, hearing about this sort of precious thing,1 you rouse your faith and resolve to keep from being deluded, right then and there you’ll abide in the original Unborn, just as it is. So, it’s because the Buddha Mind is marvelously illuminating that you’re deluded; and it’s also because the Buddha Mind is marvelously illuminating that you’re enlightened. Since you don’t realize the preciousness of the Buddha Mind, you think the delusions that are harming you are treasures of great value. And you value these so highly, that you become deluded and throw your life away! Isn’t that thoughtless? Isn’t it foolish?”
(zenshū, p. 127.)
The living Buddha Mind
The Master addressed the ass
embly: “For one who at all times conclusively realizes the Buddha Mind, when he goes to bed, he goes to bed with the Buddha Mind; when he gets up, he gets up with the Buddha Mind; when he stays, he stays with the Buddha Mind; when he goes, he goes with the Buddha Mind; when he sits, he sits with the Buddha Mind; when he stands, he stands with the Buddha Mind; when he sleeps, he sleeps with the Buddha Mind; when he wakes up, he wakes up with the Buddha Mind; when he speaks, he speaks with the Buddha Mind; when he’s silent, he’s silent with the Buddha Mind; when he eats rice, he eats with the Buddha Mind; when he drinks tea, he drinks with the Buddha Mind; when he puts on his clothes, he puts them on with the Buddha Mind. At all times he abides continually in the Buddha Mind, and there’s not a single moment when he isn’t in the Buddha Mind. He functions with perfect freedom in accordance with circumstances, letting things take their way. Just do good things and don’t do bad ones. If you pride yourself on [your] good deeds, however, becoming attached to them and abominating the bad, that’s going against the Buddha Mind. The Buddha Mind is neither good nor bad, but operates beyond them both. Isn’t that the living Buddha Mind? When you’ve conclusively realized this and haven’t any doubts, then and there you’ll open the eye that pene trates men’s minds. That’s why my school is called the Clear-Eyed School.”
(zenshū, p. 127.)
The “teetotaler”
A layman asked: “I don’t doubt that, originally, deluded thoughts don’t exist; but since the flow of my thoughts never stops for even a moment, it’s impossible for me to realize the Unborn.”
The Master said: “When you came into this world, there was only the Unborn Buddha Mind. As you grew, however, you picked up the ignorant attitudes you saw around you, so that, as time passed, you got used to being deluded, and the deluded mind gained a free hand. Originally, in your innate self, thoughts don’t exist, so in the mind that affirms and has faith in its own unborn buddhahood, thoughts simply vanish. It’s like a man who’s fond of wine but gets sick from it and has to stop drinking. If he finds himself in a situation where wine is served, thoughts of wanting to drink may arise, but since he doesn’t drink, he neither gets sick nor drunk. He’s a ‘teetotaler’ even while thoughts of drinking arise, and ends up a healthy man. Delusory thoughts are like this too. When you simply let them arise or cease, without either taking them up or rejecting them, then, before you know it, they’ll vanish in the Mind of the Unborn.”
(zenshū, pp. 127–128.)
Suppression is delusion too
A monk asked: “I find it impossible to suppress all my defilements and delusions. What can I do to suppress them?”
The Master replied: “Trying to suppress delusion is delusion too. Delusions have no original existence; they’re only things you create yourself by indulging in discrimination.”
(zenshū, p. 128.)
Right now
A visiting monk asked: “In your sermon the other evening, you stated that everyone innately possesses the Buddha Mind. While I’m grateful for your instruction, it seems to me that if everyone were endowed with the Buddha Mind, deluded thoughts couldn’t arise.”
The Master replied: “Right now as you’re saying this, what delusions are there?”
The monk prostrated himself three times and withdrew.
(zenshū, p. 128.)
Sleeping and waking
A layman asked: “I admit that we see arid hear with the Unborn. But when we fall asleep, we’re unaware even of another person right beside us, so at that time we seem to lose the vital function of the Unborn.”
The Master said: “What kind of loss is there? There’s no loss at all. You’ve simply fallen asleep.”
(zenshū, p. 128.)
Sendai
A monk from Sendai2 came and asked: “How can I realize original mind?”
The Master answered: “Apart from the one who’s asking me at this moment, there is no original mind. This original mind transcends thought, clearly distinguishing all things. And isn’t the proof of this that when I ask you about anything to do with Sendai, you’re able to answer without the slightest reflection?”
(zenshū, p. 129.)
The place of the Unborn
A visiting monk asked: “If one truly realizes the Unborn, after the four elements of the physical body3 have dispersed, will he be born again or not?”
The Master replied: “In the place of the Unborn, the whole question of being born or not being born is irrelevant.”
(zenshū, p. 129.)
Letting go
A layman said: “Some years ago, I asked you what I should do to stop wayward thoughts from arising, and you instructed me: ‘Let them just arise or cease as they will.’ But, since then, although I’ve taken your advice to heart, I’ve found it hard to let my thoughts just arise or cease like this.”
The Master told him: “The reason you’re having difficulty is that you think there’s some special way to let your thoughts just arise or cease as they will.”
(zenshū, p. 129.)
Just as you are
The Master addressed the assembly: “All of you should realize the vital, functioning, living Buddha Mind! For several hundred years now, [people in] both China and Japan have misunderstood the Zen teaching, trying to attain enlightenment by doing zazen or trying to find ‘the one who sees and hears,’ all of which is a great mistake. Zazen is just another name for original mind, and means to sit in tranquility with a tranquil mind. When you do sitting meditation, you’re simply sitting, just as you are; when you do walking meditation, you’re walking, just as you are. Even if your mouth were big enough to swallow heaven and earth, Buddhism couldn’t be expressed in words. Those who do speak about Buddhism, for the most part, are only blinding people’s eyes.
“In the mind you have from your parents innately, there isn’t even a trace of delusion. So when you fail to realize this and insist, ‘I’m deluded because I’m an unenlightened being,’ you’re unjustly accusing your own parents as well! The buddhas of the past and the people of today are one. There’s no difference between them. Let me give you an example: When water from the ocean is ladled into different sorts of tubs and the weather turns cold, the water freezes, and, according to whether the tub is large or small, round or square, the ice will assume different shapes; yet when the ice melts, all the water is the same as the [water of the] ocean. Not knowing the living and functioning buddha, you think you’ll become a buddha by accumulating the fruits of religious practice and realizing ‘enlightenment,’ lost in error, going from darkness into darkness. Pathetic, isn’t it? I don’t teach about Buddhism, but when I talk to you just deal with all your wrong ideas.”
(zenshū, p. 130.)
Not even a trace
A visiting monk asked: “I’m performing religious practice with the aim of realizing enlightenment. What do you think about this?”
The Master said: “Enlightenment only exists in contrast to delusion. And since everyone possesses the substance of buddhahood, not even a trace of delusion exists. So what is it you need to realize?”
The monk said: “That seems foolish to me. It was by realizing enlightenment that all the ancient sages, beginning with Daruma himself, experienced complete attainment of the Dharma.”
The Master told him: “It’s by being ‘foolish’ that the tathagata saves sentient beings. To neither come nor go, but to remain just as you innately are, without allowing the mind to become obscured—this is what’s meant by tathagata. And such was the way with all the patriarchs of the past.”
(zenshū, p. 130.)
Kantarō’s question
At one time the Master was staying at the Kannon temple at Kiyodani in Iyo’s Kita district.4 The headman of the nearby village of Utsu,5 one Kantarō, came regularly to study with him. Although Kantarō occasionally tried to stump the Master with difficult questions, the Master’s sharp and piercing response remained far beyond his reach.
One day, Kantarō set out to visit Kiyodani in the company o
f Yoshino Yojizaemon.6 On their way, he said to Yoshino: “Whenever I go to see him, the Master says: ‘Kantarō, have you come?’ I’m sure today will be the same as always. So, if the Master says, ‘Kantarō, have you come?’ I’ll say, ‘Who could that fellow be?’ ”
The two arrived at Kiyodani. The Master came and greeted Yoshino, but said nothing to Kantarō. After some time, Kantarō said: “Well, is your Reverence feeling all right?”
The Master replied: “Who could that fellow be?”
Kantarō, wholly at a loss, expressed his apologies.
(zenshū, p. 131.)
Jōsen
The monk Jōsen7 said: “I’m greatly troubled by [the problem of] death, and that’s why I come regularly to see your Reverence. I think that, for a human being, there is no matter of greater importance.”
The Master said: “This spirit is the basis for the study of Buddhism. If you hold to it and don’t lose your determination, you’ll be directly in accord with the Way.”
[Jōsen] asked: “What does it mean to realize buddhahood?”
The Master replied: “Fully affirm what I’ve told you, have faith in it and harbor no doubts, and then you’ll be realizing buddhahood.”
Some time later, [Jōsen] remarked: “Lately, I felt that my mind was vast and boundless as the sky, without being fixed anywhere. ‘This must be it!’ I thought, but, on reflection, I realized that I had better not tarry there.”