ZEN MESTEREK ZEN MASTERS
« Zen főoldal
« vissza a Terebess Online nyitólapjára

破巖弘繼 Poyan Hongji (17th-18th c.)

七十一世破巖弘繼禪師
破巖弘繼 Poyan ("Cliff Shattering") Hongji (“Vast Seccession”), Patriarch of the Seventy-first Generation
佛祖道影白話解 Lives of the Patriarchs
宣公上人　講於金山寺一九八五年　八月二十三日 Commentary by the Venerable Master Hua at Gold Mountain Monastery, San Francisco, August 22, 1985 (宣化 Xuanhua, 1918-1995)
比丘尼恆音 英譯 English translation by Bhikshuni Heng Yin
金剛 菩提海 Vajra Bodhi Sea (VBS): A Monthly Journal of Orthodox Buddhism, Nos. 357-358.

http://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/357/vbs357p012.htm
http://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/358/vbs358p013.htm

Text: The Master was born in Lianshui to the family of Pu. At the age of eight, he saw a classmate wearing white and asked the reason. The classmate replied that his grandmother had died. "Will all people die?" asked the Master. He began to pay attention to the matter of birth and death. At age seventeen, he entered college. At thirty-three, he entered the national school. Afterwards, he studied under Master Xin of Xueqiao ("Faith of Snowy Ridge"), from whom he received profound instruction. His sense of doubt grew surpassingly keen. Later, while walking meditatively in the woods, he raised his head and saw that the moon had risen to the top of the willow tree. Suddenly his entire body was liberated. He still had doubts about the public record of "the girl who came out of samadhi." Happening to see the flowers blooming in Loyang, he smashed through his doubts at once. In autumn of the year  jiawu  during the Shunzhi reign period, he received the transmission from the Venerable Songru Mi. At age sixty, he became abbot at Zhuoxi. His recorded sayings and miscellaneous writings were put into circulation. In the autumn of the year  binyin  during the Kangxi reign period, he departed in a seated posture. He was eighty-two years old. A stupa was built at Qinlonggang (Green Dragon Ridge) next to Zhuoxi Monastery. Commentary: This Dhyana Master was another one of the seventy-first generation of the Caodong Sect. His name was Poyan ("Cliff Shattering"). He was probably a stone mason who was capable of breaking up cliffs and precipices. His other name was Dhyana Master Hongji ("Vast Succession"). The Master was born in Lianshui to the family of Pu.  Lianshui ("Flowing Waters") is the name of a place. His lay surname was Pu. As a child,  at the age of  only  eight, he saw a classmate wearing white and asked the reason.  He had probably never seen anyone all dressed in white before he turned eight. In China, white clothing is considered inauspicious.  The classmate replied that his grandmother had died,  and that he had to dress thus to show his filial piety. "Will all people die?" asked the Master.  "Is everyone going to die?" From that time on,  he began to pay attention to the matter of birth and death.  It never left his mind. He could not forget about it. At age seventeen, he entered college.  When one passed the district exam, one could enter college. It is not certain whether he had attained the status of a  xiucai  (graduate of the first degree).  At thirty-three, he entered the national school,  that is, the Imperial Academy. It was probably the highest educational institution in the country at the time. While attending the Imperial Academy, he engaged in constant research.  Afterwards, he  pursued the study of Buddhism. He drew near and  studied under Dhyana  Master Xin of Xueqiao ("Faith of Snowy Ridge"), from whom he received profound instruction.  He gained tremendous insights from Dhyana Master Xin.  His sense of doubt  regarding the Buddhadharma and the Chan practice  grew surpassingly keen.  These doubts drove him to apply himself with greater diligence. The degree of his zeal and concentration was so high that he forgot about eating and everything else; all he thought about in every second was concentrating on his practice. He was not aware of walking and sitting; he was not conscious of hunger and thirst. He had reached a climax in his practice and was ripe for a breakthrough. Day and night, he investigated his meditation topic, not forgetting it for a moment.  Later,  one night he could not sleep, so he took a walk in the forest.  While walking meditatively in the woods, he raised his head.  Usually, when people are engrossed in their practice, their heads are lowered and they are looking down at the ground. Seldom do they look up. He probably looked up without realizing it when he reached a peak in his meditative effort. He raised his head  and saw that the moon had risen to the top of the willow tree. Suddenly his entire body was liberated.  It was as if something had been unlocked. He put everything down, and experienced emptiness. However,  he still had doubts about the public record of "the girl who came out of samadhi."  He had not penetrated this public record yet. He did not understand it. Later,  happening to see the flowers blooming in Loyang, he smashed through his doubts at once.  Everything fell away and disappeared, and there was true emp­tiness. He was truly enlightened at that time. In autumn of the year  jiawu  during the Shunzhi reign period, he received the transmission  of the mind-seal Dharma  from the Venerable Songru Mi. At age sixty, he became abbot at Zhuoxi ­ Monastery.  His recorded sayings and miscellaneous writings were put into circulation.  They were all published.  In the autumn of the year  binyin  during the Kangxi reign period, he departed in a seated posture.  While seated, he perfected the stillness.  He was eighty-two years old  at the time. His stupa was built at Qinlonggang (Green Dragon Ridge) next to Zhuoxi Monastery.  It was to the left of the monastery.

A verse in praise says: On vows he came riding, A Confucian entering Buddhism. With red shoes and blue robes, He studied with all teachers of Wu and Yue. In a flash the brain's door opened– The bright moon was held fast. The universe blazed with light. People and gods rejoiced. Commentary: On vows he came riding , on the power of the vows he made in the past,  A Confucian entering Buddhism . From Confucianism, he walked into Buddhism.  With red shoes and blue robes , he wore the typical garb of a scholar. Later, after leaving home and becoming a monk,  he studied with all  the good and wise  teachers of Wu and Yue . In a flash the brain's door opened –The "brain's door" is the literal translation for forehead. Here, it refers to the Buddha eye. This line means that his Buddha eye opened, not that his forehead split in half.  The bright moon was held fast.  With the Buddha eye opened, everything was bright and dazzling, as if illuminated by the bright moon.  The universe blazed with light  at that time.  People and gods rejoiced . All were happy to see him attain the Way. Another verse says: Upon vows he returned, an extraordinary man. Seeing death, knowing life, he felt utterly bewildered. From Confucianism, he entered Buddhism to seek the Great Way. Near and far, he inquired from worthies of old. Bright moon atop the willow: his original self was seen. Flowers fallen upon the earth: to truth he awakened Shining like sun and moon, he is esteemed by all. For unhindered liberation, the source is deep. Commentary: Upon vows he returned, an extraordinary man.  He was a Bodhisattva who had vowed to come to the Saha World to teach and transform sentient beings. He was a very special individual, completely different from ordinary people. Seeing death, knowing life, he felt utterly bewildered.  He knew what it was to be alive and he'd seen death, but he didn't understand the manner in which a living person died. Since he was unenlightened in this regard, he pursued the issue of life and death. From Confucianism, he entered Buddhism to seek the Great Way  of liberation from birth and death. Near and far, he inquired from worthies of old.  From nearby places to faraway regions, he sought instruction from various teachers. This line also means that, from within his mind to the external world, and from the outside to the inside, he investigated the question of birth and death. "Near and far" corresponds to the line in the previous verse, "he studied with all teachers of Wu and Yue." "Worthies of old" refers to the teachers of his time, who are "worthies of old" from the perspective of the present time. It refers not to ancient historical figures of his time, but to living teachers. Bright moon atop the willow: his original self was seen.  Seeing the luminous moon at the top of the willow tree, he experienced a sudden enlightenment and recognized his original face. Flowers fallen upon the earth: to truth he awakened.  He still didn't understand the case of how the girl came out of samadhi. Then he saw flowers blooming in Loyang, which implies that he also saw them wither and fall to the ground. At the sight of the flowers, he understood the entire truth. Shining like sun and moon, he is esteemed by all.  He is like the sun shining in the sky. Just as people raise their heads to look at the sun, they all look up to him. For unhindered liberation, the source is deep.  He was free to come and go. He could just sit there and depart. Ordinary people cannot do that. He was able to do it because he had a past history of cultivation; his origins ran deep. Let me add a few words. I feel that people are getting impatient with our class. They cannot take any more and complain that the class is too long. Good and wise advisors! Since limitless eons ago, we have balked at long hours of study, and thus have failed to end birth and death. Do you understand? We have been bobbing up and down in birth and death's ocean of suffering for an unreckonably long time. How come we don't feel that it's been too long? What's so unbearable about spending a few hours studying the Buddhadharma? If we can't even bear that, how can we end samsara and transcend the six paths of rebirth? Therefore, everyone should realize that we are seeking to end birth and death, to leave suffering and attain happiness. This is no joke. With five minutes of zeal will not suffice to resolve birth and death, nor to leave suffering and attain happiness. It's not that simple. If you can't renounce life, you can't change death. If you can't give up the false, you can't achieve truth. If you don't set aside this valuable time to study the Buddhadharma, how can you investigate the Sutras deeply and have ocean-like wisdom? Every day you work like a dog, making money and doing various things. Your daily life is crazy and hectic, rife with competition and arguments, yet you don't find it too long or intolerable. On the other hand, you don't have the patience to study the Buddhadharma for even a few hours. And you worry, "Am I going to die?"