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無明慧經 Wuming Huijing (1548-1618)

六十八世無明慧經禪師
無明慧經 Wuming Huijing (1548-1618), Patriarch of the Sixty-eighth Generation

68th Generational Patriarch: Dhyana Master Wu Ming Hui Jing
佛祖道影白話解 Lives of the Patriarchs
虛雲老和尚編輯 Composed by the Elder Master Hsu Yun (虚云 Xuyun, 1840-1959)
宣化上人講於一九八五年六月十三日 Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua (宣化 Xuanhua, 1918-1995) on June 13, 1985
金剛 菩提海 Vajra Bodhi Sea (VBS): A Monthly Journal of Orthodox Buddhism, Nos. 299-300.

http://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/299/vbs299p015.htm
http://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/300/vbs300p012.htm

The Master was born in Chongren of Fuzhou to the Fei family. He entered a rural school at the age of nine. When he grew older he went to study under Master Lin Shan. Realizing that there was a teaching that was separately handed down, he left Master Lin Shan and went to E Feng, where he built a hut. In the Records of the Transmission of the Lamp, he read about a monk who asked Master Xing Shan, “What is the Way?” Master Xing Shan said, “The wonderful mountain.” The Master was puzzled. He inquired into it, forgetting to sleep and to eat. One day, upon lifting a stone, he experienced a great enlightenment. He spoke a verse: “If you wish to study the supreme Bodhi Way, quickly level the wonderful mountain.” He walked back to see Master Lin Shan and reported what he had experienced. Master Lin Shan questioned him, and he responded without hesitation. Master Lin Shan then shaved his head and secretly transmitted the mind seal to him. Later he carried his bag and went to visit the temple of Shao. Then he went to Wutai (Five-Peaked) Mountain. After returning to the South, he settled at Dong Yan in Fujian. Following that, he served as abbot at Shou Chang, Bao Fang, and E Feng monasteries. On the sixteenth of the first lunar month in the year of Wu Wu of the Wanli reign, he asked for a brush and wrote in large characters: “Today the instructions are clearly given.” Then he threw the brush down and passed away in a seated position. Since his cranial bone remained intact after cremation, his stupa was erected in the abbot's quarters.

This Dhyana Master's name is Wu Ming Hui Jing. Wu Ming (ignorance) means delusion; Hui Jing means the Sutra of wisdom, that is, literary Prajna. He was the sixty-eighth generational patriarch of the Cao Dong sect. The Master was born in Chongren of Fuzhou to the Fei family. This Dhyana Master was born in Chongren County of Fuzhou in Jiangxi Province. His lay surname was Fei. He entered a rural school at the age of nine. Probably there were no other schools for him to go to at that time. When he grew older he went to study under Master Lin Shan. After he finished his studies and was older, he drew near Dhyana Master Lin Shan and studied under him.

Realizing that there was a teaching that was separately handed down, he left Master Lin Shan and went to E Feng, where he built a hut. Master Lin Shan understood the Dharma-door of the Chan School's separate transmission outside the teaching, which does not rely on writing. The transmission is separate in that it is specially passed on to one individual at a time; it is not a group transmission. When a single person receives the transmission, which occurs without writing, that is a separate transmission. The Dhyana Master was aware that this kind of Dharma existed in Buddhism. Therefore, he took his leave from Master Lin Shan and went to build a hut in E Feng.

In the Records of the Transmission of the Lamp, he read about a monk who asked Dhyana Master Xing Shan, “What is the Way?” Master Xing Shan said, “The wonderful mountain.” The Master was puzzled. He gave rise to feelings of doubt; he couldn't fathom the meaning of that sentence. Since he didn't understand, he began to investigate it. He inquired into it, forgetting to sleep and to eat. He applied himself to examining this question, trying to resolve it in thought after thought. However, his efforts were fruitless. When he could not resolve his doubt, he tried harder, forgetting even about eating and sleeping. He was applying himself to the utmost point, unlike people nowadays, who work for two and a half days and think, “I haven't achieved anything! I haven't seen any results!” Then they give up and fail to attain enlightenment. This Dhyana Master cultivated with this kind of zeal and vigor for twenty-four years, to the point that he even forgot to eat.

One day, upon lifting a stone, he experienced a great enlightenment. The stone probably refused to budge, but he was still able to move it, and when he did so, he became enlightened. He spoke a verse: “If you wish to study the supreme Bodhi Way, quickly level the wonderful mountain.” If you want to look into the unsurpassed enlightenment, hurry up and level the mountain so that it will be easy to walk on. When it is easy to walk on, that means there are no longer any attachments or afflictions. He walked back to see Master Lin Shan and reported what he had experienced. He told Master Lin Shan what he had seen. Master Lin Shan questioned him in order to test him, and he responded without hesitation. No matter what Master Lin Shan asked him, he replied smoothly and easily. He didn't even have to ponder for a moment, and the questions didn't throw him off at all. As soon as a question was asked, he would answer it. He didn't procrastinate and say, “Let me think about it for a minute.” Master Lin Shan then shaved his head and secretly transmitted the mind seal to him. Although he had been investigating and meditating in such a way, he had not yet shaved off his hair. At this point he finally shaved his hair and left the home-life. Master Lin Shan transmitted the Mind Seal Dharma-door to him, that is, handed the robe and bowl [symbols of the Dharma] to him. Later he carried his bag on a pole over his shoulder and went to visit the temple of Shao. After receiving the transmission of Dharma, he went to Shaolin Monastery and became a student there. Then he went to Wutai (Five-Peaked) Mountain to pay homage to Manjushri Bodhisattva.

After returning to the South, he settled at Dongyan in Fujian. When he returned from Wutai Mountain, he went to Fujian Province and took up residence at Dongyan Mountain. Following that, he served as abbot at Shou Chang, Bao Fang, and E Feng monasteries. He assumed the abbotship first at Shou Chang Monastery, then at Bao Fang Monastery, and later at E Feng Monastery. On the sixteenth of the first lunar month in the year of Wu Wu of the Wanli reign, he asked for a brush and wrote in large characters: "Today the instructions are clearly given." Then he threw the brush down and passed away in a seated position. He dropped the brush and perfected the stillness as he sat there. Since his cranial bone remained intact after cremation, his stupa was erected in the abbot's quarters. After his body was cremated by fire, the bone at the top of his skull was still intact. Therefore, they built his stupa right in the abbot's quarters.

A verse in praise says:
He failed to make use of the wonderful mountain.
For over twenty years.
Moving pines and lifting rocks,
He turned his nostrils skyward.
He swept away and emptied the five positions
And obliterated the three secrets.
Noble in appearance and exalted in conduct,
His Way was great and his reputation far-reaching.

He failed to make use of the wonderful mountain / For over twenty years. He wasn't able to appreciate and make good use of the fine hills and rivers, the excellent surroundings. Moving pines and lifting rocks, / He turned his nostrils skyward. During those twenty-some years, he applied great effort. One time he picked up a stone and thereupon became enlightened. "Turning his nostrils skyward" means he became enlightened. He swept away and emptied the five positions / And obliterated the three secrets. After his nostrils turned towards the sky and he was enlightened, he swept away the "five positions" of the Cao Dong sect and was no longer attached to them. He also wiped out the method of the "three secrets" admired by the Lin Ji sect and no longer used them. Noble in appearance and exalted in conduct. His physical appearance was very dignified, and he conducted himself in a high-minded way which set him apart from the crowd. His Way was great and his reputation far-reaching. Because his Way and his Dharma were lofty and profound, his fame spread far and wide in the world.

Another verse says:
Abundant resources and heavenly treasures nurture rare talent:
In the sixty-eighth generation there was Hui Jing.
As a youth he studied the teachings of Confucius and Mencius
in a rural school;
After growing up, he drew near Lin Shan and gave rise to doubt.
Requesting benefit, he inquired about the Way and sought
the essentials of liberation.
Searching for the truth, he ascended the wonderful mountain.
Today I am very clear; thus is the Dharma.
You all should put forth effort to make Buddhism prosper.

Abundant resources and heavenly treasures nurture rare talent. The land of Jiangxi province was replete with rich resources and heavenly blessings. The people lived in prosperity and enjoyed plentiful things. An outstanding hero was produced in this place. Who was it? In the sixty-eighth generation there was Hui Jing. It was Dhyana Master Hui Jing (Sutra of Wisdom), the patriarch of the sixty-eighth generation in the Cao Dong sect.

As a youth he studied the teachings of Confucius and Mencius in a rural school. In his youth, this Dhyana Master attended a school in the countryside. After growing up, he drew near Lin Shan and gave rise to doubt. When he grew up, he went to Lin Mountain to draw near Dhyana Master Lin Shan. It was then that he learned about the Dharma-door which is transmitted separately, so he went away to investigate and study and later produced a feeling of doubt. Requesting benefit, he inquired about the Way and sought the essentials of liberation. He traveled around to learn about the Way and to request instruction about the methods of practice, with no other purpose in mind than that of leaving the Triple Realm. He sought the essentials of escape. Searching for the truth, he ascended the wonderful mountain. In his quest for the truth, for liberation, and for the way to stop being upside-down, he braved the winds and snow, undaunted by the hardships and suffering, and travelled to many places to study from other Good and Wise Advisors.

Today I am very clear; thus is the Dharma. In the end he asked for a brush and wrote, "Today the instructions are clearly given." His meaning was, "Now I am telling you clearly..." What was he saying? If a person has true skill, then he is free to come and go; he can live or die as he pleases. Another way to explain the sentence is to say that when he was sitting in meditation, he knew in advance the time that he was going to rebirth. He himself was clear about it, but he had to use some way to inform his survivors. Therefore the verse says that the Dharma is thus; that's just how it is. You all should put forth effort to make Buddhism prosper. Everyone should work energetically to propagate Buddhism and cause it to flourish.