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遠門淨柱 Yuanmen Jingzhu (1604–1654)
七十一世遠門淨柱禪師
遠門淨柱 Yuanmen Jingzhu
(Long Door, Pure Pillar)
(1604–1654),
Patriarch of the Seventy-first Generation
佛祖道影白話解 Lives of the Patriarchs
宣公上人講於 1985 年 8 月 1 日 Lectured by the Venerable Master on August 1, 1985
(宣化 Xuanhua, 1918-1995)
周果如 英譯 Translated into English by Guo Ru Chou
金剛 菩提海 Vajra Bodhi Sea (VBS): A Monthly Journal of Orthodox Buddhism, Nos. 483-485.
http://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/483/vbs483p012.pdf
http://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/484/vbs484p013.pdf
http://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/publish/485/vbs485p012.pdf
The Master was a son of the Chen family from Minzhang. Having read
Yunqi’s Seven Strokes Hook, he resolutely vowed to transcend the mundane
world. He went to pay his respects to Venerable Shi Yu (“Stone Rain”) at
Jinming, who questioned him, “It’s not the mind, not the Buddha, not a
thing. Ultimately, what is it?” The Master replied, “Celestial and human
beings are all graced by this power of kindness.” Yu asked, “A cow in Huai
province eats grass, and the belly of a horse in Yi province bulges; what’s
this all about?” The Master replied with a verse, “When spring arrives,
the flowers bloom. When autumn comes, the leaves fall. Human progeny
are all imbued with this vital energy. Yet those who stay inside the room
are unaware of it.” Yu nodded in approval. The Master succeeded him as
the abbot at Fo Ri (Buddha Sun) Monastery, and he also reinvigorated
Long Tang Monastery. During the reign of Emperor Shun Zhi, in the
lunar year of Jia Wu (1654), on the thirtieth day of the twelfth month, the
Master gathered the assembly and said: “The ancients called it suffering,
called it bliss, or blinked their eyes like a ghost, but the mountain monk
does not do the same. Why? The Han’s household has its own system.” He
then gently closed his eyes and passed away. A pagoda to accommodate
his entire body was built in Long Tang.71st Generation Dhyana Master Yuan Men Jing Zhu. This was a 71st
generation Patriarch of the Caodong School. This Patriarch’s name was Yuan
Men. His other name was Dhyana Master Jing Zhu.
The Master was a son of the Chan family from Minzhang. This Dhyana
Master was a native of the Zhang province in Fujian. From the time he
was born he was very fond of the Buddhadharma and delighted in studying
Buddhist sutras and texts. Having read Yunqi’s Seven Strokes Hook, Great
Master Lian Chi’s Seven Strokes Hook, he resolutely vowed to transcend
the mundane world. He was very fervent and determined, without the least
bit of hesitation. At that moment, he didn’t think: “Is it better for me to leave
the home-life, to remain a layman, or to go and find a friend or a girlfriend?”
Being free of all such frivolous thoughts, he simply resolved very firmly: “I’m
going to leave the home-life. I don’t want anything else! Whether they are
friends, girlfriends, or unscrupulous people pretending to be friends, I don’t
want anything to do with any of them!”
He went to pay his respects to Venerable Shi Yu (“Stone Rain”) at
Jinming. He started out by paying his respects to a good and wise advisor called
Dhyana Master Stone Rain Mingfang. You see! This ‘Rain’ will definitely kill
those upon whom it falls. Stone Rain implies that it rained a shower of stones.
Take a look. If a person got hit on the head, certainly his head would crack
open and bleed. This name conveys how fierce this monk was. He liked to
hit people. He was like a sandstorm or a rain of stones when he hit people—
beating them to the point where they could no longer even open their eyes.
Dhyana Master Stone Rain lived in Jinming Monastery. Yu, the Venerable
Stone Rain, asked him, It’s not the mind, not the Buddha, not a thing. It’s
neither the mind, nor the Buddha, nor any kind of thing. Ultimately, what
is it? In the end what is it? Say it now! Quickly! This is not to ask you to
wait and think. There is no time to think!” The Master, Dhyana Master Jing
Zhu, replied, “Celestial and human beings, beings from the heavens and the
human realm, and all categories of living beings, are all graced by this power
of kindness. It is all because of this power that they could come into being and
acquire this flow of vitality.
After Venerable Stone Rain (Yu) heard the Master, he felt that his two
sentences seemed a bit specious. It was not quite adequate. Therefore, Yu
asked, “A cow in Huai province eats grass, and the belly of a horse in Yi
province bulges; what’s this all about?” All of you take a look at this! It says:
“A cow in Huai province eats grass, and the belly of a horse in Yi province
bulges.” With all this talk, he still had not made the point. What is going
on? You see, the cow in Huai province eats grass, but doesn’t the horse in Yi
province eat grass too? It’s just the same! Hence it is perfectly normal for the
horse’s stomach to bulge. What’s so special about it? If you cannot turn your
mind around but think instead: “Oh? The cow in Huai province eats grass;
how come the belly of the horse in Yi province bulges? How does that happen?
What’s going on?” This is not to understand anything at all! In fact if the cow
in Huai province eats grass, then the horse in Yi province also eats grass! So
what’s the big deal about the horse’s belly being filled?
Basically there is nothing esoteric about it. However, if you don’t recognize
it, you will not understand. With just that little bit, this Dhyana Master can
prevent you from turning it around in your head. If you are able to turn it
around, basically there is nothing to it. If you are unable to make this turn,
then trouble will come. It’s just like this person. If you understand, then you
are not turned by any state. If you don’t understand, then you will be turned
by all states. That’s all there is to it! There’s nothing special or wonderful to it.
Do you understand or not? If Stone Rain comes, he will hit you on the head!
However, if the lid is opened, you can see that actually it has nothing inside
but emptiness. Hence, Dhyana Master Stone Rain purposely asked him to see
what he had to say.The Master replied with a verse: This time, Dhyana Master Jing Zhu
said nothing. He used a verse to answer. He said, “When spring arrives,
the flowers bloom. When spring arrives, the flowers will bloom. When
autumn comes, the leaves fall. If autumn comes around, then it is the
time for the yellow leaves to fall. Human progeny are all imbued with
this vital energy. “Human progeny” refers to all worldly people, not just
the literal ‘sons and grandsons.’ He said that all humankind and all living
beings will obtain the generative force of nature, which certainly has an
ineffable power of unceasing creativity and infinite transformations.
Yet, those who stay inside the room are unaware of it. However,
people who live inside the house do not know what’s happening outside.
They will not know what it is all about. That is to say, this thing is right
within yourself, but you don’t recognize it. “Yet, those who stay inside the
room are unaware of it.” This refers to your bright spiritual enlightened
nature, your pure Buddha nature. The Buddha nature is right within
you, but you aren’t aware of it and you don’t feel it. You keep seeking
outside, looking for boyfriends and girlfriends. This is truly pitiful! I am
not joking. If you still are not awakened, then there’s nothing I can do. Yu
nodded in approval. Venerable Stone Rain then hid away his stone rain
and nodded to certify him. The Master succeeded him as the abbot at
Fo Ri (Buddha Sun) Monastery, and he also reinvigorated Long Tang
Monastery. The Master became the abbot of Fo Ri Monastery and also
the abbot of Long Tang Monastery.
During the reign of Emperor Shun Zhi, in the lunar year of Jia Wu
(1654), which was the eleventh year of Emperor Shi Zong Shun Zhi of the
Qing Dynasty, on the thirtieth day of the twelfth month, the Master
gathered the assembly and said, “The ancients called it suffering,
called it bliss...” Some ancients, when they were about to enter Nirvana,
gritted their teeth and frowned: “Suffering! Suffering! Suffering!” Someone
else may have said, “I am going to the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Goodbye!”
He was bidding farewell to everyone, saying, “The Land of Ultimate Bliss
has a tremendous amount of gold! The ground is paved with the seven
jewels: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, mother-of-pearl are within reach
at all times. They are so common that there’s nothing special about
them.” So he called it ‘bliss.’ Or they blinked their eyes like a ghost.
Some people would make ghostly eyes. What does that mean? When a
person was about to die, he would intentionally made a ghostly face by
closing and opening his eyes consecutively, making people think, “Oh!
He’s gone!” He would deliberately put on a bizarre act to astound you,
making you feel: “Ah! This is really amazing, he truly has skill.” However,
the mountain monk, which refers to Dhyana Master Jing Zhu himself,
does not do the same. I am not like them. I don’t copy their manner, or
mimic them, doing exactly what they do. I don’t want to be like them!
Why? Why is it that I don’t do the same? The Han’s household has its
own system.” The Han’s household here refers to the Master himself. He
said, “I have my own family tradition. I have my own method. I don’t need
to use other people’s rules.” “Han household” originally meant the Han
Dynasty. The Han Dynasty has the Han Dynasty’s rules and conventions.
But here he was not referring to the Han Dynasty. This ‘Han’ [which in
Chinese, also has the meaning of “a man”] refers to himself. You can also
say that he was an Arhat [Chinese “luo han”], a great man, or a good man.
He said, “I have my own family tradition. I will go in the way I decide to
go. I am free. I don’t have to learn other people’s ways!” Having said that,
he gently closed his eyes and passed away. A pagoda to accommodate
his entire body was built in Long Tang. His disciples built him a pagoda
in Long Tang Monastery.Praise:
What is neither the mind nor the Buddha? He hauled out his arsenal.
Leaves fall and flowers bloom. His claws and teeth were all exposed.
As he supported Fo Ri, elephants and dragons streamed in to take refuge.
They embraced and practiced what they observed, The system of the Han’s household.What is neither the mind nor the Buddha? He hauled out his arsenal.
When being asked: “It’s not the mind, not the Buddha, not a thing,
what is it?” The Master brought out his razor-sharp weapon, his
sharpest wisdom sword.
Leaves fall and flowers bloom. His claws and teeth are all exposed.
The Master said, “When spring arrives, the flowers bloom. When
autumn comes, the leaves fall.” These two phrases are clearly words
from an expert! Only a person who has been through and understood,
who has realized enlightenment, could say these words. Hence, it is
said that his every scale and claw were exposed.
As he supported Fo Ri, elephants and dragons streamed in to
take refuge. He supported the Buddha’s residence, and the dragons
and elephants, the great talents of Buddhism, like streams of water, all
came to take refuge. That is, they all came to his place.
They embraced and practiced what they observed, the system of the
Han household. Whenever the Master instructed the assembly how to
cultivate, they would all cultivate accordingly. This was his family tradition,
his own system, and his own rules.Another Verse:
Wealth, honor, and fame are just dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows.
Your spouse, riches, children, and status: none can help you out.
It’s neither a thing, nor the mind nor the Buddha.
The middle, existence, and nonexistence are all apart from forms.
When spring arrives, flowers bloom, luxuriant in their diversity.
When autumn comes, leaves fall and all ends in emptiness.
Do you know what the inner message is about?
The sun travels from east to west, things become hazy again.Commentary:
Wealth, honor, and fame are just dreams, illusions, bubbles, and
shadows. Wealth, honor, and fame are all this way. They are all reminiscent
of dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows.
Your spouse, riches, children, and status: none can help you out.
Even if you have a spouse, riches, children, or high status, none can
stand in for you at the time of your death. When it’s time for you to die,
can you bring your wealth with you? In the past, there was a very rich
man who had three sons. What he liked most was gold and silver. Gold
includes all jewelry, and silver includes everything that’s valuable. He was
also fond of karmic offenses. Hence, he named his eldest son Gold. His
second son was called Silver, and his third Karmic Offense. Later, when
this man got old and was about to die, he thought, “I am about to see
King Yama. I will be so lonely if no one accompanies me; how can I
endure that? If I ask one of my three sons to follow me to see King Yama,
I won’t feel so frightened.” He then cried out, “Gold, my eldest! All my
life I have loved and cherished you most. You are my favorite, and I can’t
bear to leave you and be apart from you. Now I am about to see King
Yama. It would be best if you were to accompany me and we were to go
together!” The eldest son stared at him angrily, “You go your way. I am
Gold! How can I accompany such an old man? I won’t do it!” The eldest
son simply refused to go, and the father was very upset, “Alas! I have
loved Gold in vain! Ever since he was born, I have loved him so much and
treated him like a treasure, like a bright pearl in my palm. So he doesn’t
want to come with me? Then I’ll ask Silver and discuss the matter with
him!” And he said, “Silver! Silver! Although I don’t treat you as well as
your elder brother; nevertheless, I have always been good to you. Your
elder brother is unwilling to accompany me to see King Yama. I feel really
lonely! I am worried about going there. I am scared of King Yama! I don’t
know what to do. Will you accompany me?” Silver said, “You should die
quickly. Who wants to die with you? When you are alive, we can stay
with you. Now you want me to go with you to your death? Humph! I am
still young. How can I follow and die with you? You! You won’t be my
father, and I also won’t be your son. The two of us shall end our father-son
relationship completely. I don’t want a father from now on!” As you see,
Silver was absolutely heartless. He was more fierce than Gold! The old
man broke down and cried, “Aye! Gold does not want to follow me, and
Silver is not willing to accompany me. I’ll confer with my third son.” He
said, “You are my youngest son. My life is about to end, and I have just
received King Yama’s written invitation. Will you accompany me to King
Yama’s place for a drink of wine? You like to drink wine. Does this sound
good to you?” Karmic Offense replied, “I will go any place where there’s
wine! Okay!” The rich man’s trip had not been made in vain. As it’s said,
“You cannot bring anything at all. Only your karmic offenses will follow
you.” So Karmic Offense followed him. King Yama said, “Good, your
karmic offense has come. The two of you will now undergo retribution.”
At that time, the two gazed angrily at each other. The son said, “You got
me into big trouble!” The father replied, “You are the one who has gotten
me into big trouble! If not for you, how would I have created so many
offenses?” The two regretted their deeds but it was all too late. So you see
you can’t take anything along. When you are about to die, no one shows
kindness or concern. No one can stand in for you.
It’s neither a thing, nor the mind nor the Buddha. It is not a thing,
it is not the mind, and it is not the Buddha. In the end what is it? The
middle, existence, and nonexistence are all apart from forms. Whether
it’s the middle way, or perhaps emptiness, or perhaps existence, all these
are apart from shapes and forms. There is no appearance whatsoever.
When spring arrives, flowers bloom, luxuriant in their diversity.
When spring comes, many different kinds of flowers will bloom, each
competing with the other in splendor. They all contend with each other
in attractiveness. When autumn comes, leaves fall and all ends in
emptiness. When the leaves fall in autumn, it’s the end of their play. Do
you know what the inner message is about? Between heaven and earth,
there’s birth and transformation, transformation and birth. Something
is transformed into nothing; nothing is transformed into something.
True emptiness gives rise to wondrous existence, and in turn wondrous
existence gives rise to true emptiness. Do you know this message or
not? Do you understand or not? You say, “I am almost there!” Then
you should neither laugh nor cry. Just let things take their own course!
As the sun travels from east to west, things become hazy again.
Today the sun rises in the east; then it will set in the west. Everyone
falls into unconsciousness, sleeps and wakes up the next day. It is like
the woodworm looking for food. At night it feels cold and says, “I’m
freezing to death, I’m freezing to death. Tomorrow I’ll make a nest.” It
waits till the sun rises the next day and says, “Take it easy, take it easy.”
It has forgotten about freezing to death. Taking it easy, it prefers to find
food instead. It flies east and west. When night falls, it feels cold again
and says, “I’m freezing to death. I’m freezing to death. Tomorrow I’ll
make a nest.” It wants to make a nest tomorrow. But when tomorrow
comes, it will completely forget again. Such is its delusion!
