A Bird in Flight Leaves No Trace Read online

  The six perfections, or pāramitās, are the practices of perfect generosity, morality, forbearance, effort, meditative absorption, and wisdom. Becoming a buddha by cultivating these six perfections suggests there are sequential steps in practice. Were that the case, then there would be distinctions between those who have cultivated all the perfections and those who have cultivated only some of them. This deviates from the mind of a buddha, where there is nothing to cultivate because it is originally empty.

  It is not absurd to imply that one becomes a buddha after mastering a set of arduous and difficult practices, but you should know that such instructions are intended as expedients. Faith may be aroused in practitioners by outlining steps that lead upward to enlightenment. But such a teaching is simply a means to ensure they will realize their original buddhahood by turning one thought around when the time is right.

  If you merely awaken to this one mind, there will not be the slightest dharma that you need to attain, for this one mind is in fact a genuine buddha.

  但悟一心 更無少法可得 此即真佛.

  Only those who practice Seon can digest these words. However, these words do not apply to those not yet awakened. Unawakened people should first examine a hwadu, or meditative topic, raise the sensation of doubt, and break through the silver mountain and iron wall14 that are right before their eyes.

  Since buddhas and sentient beings are the one mind, they are not different. Like empty space, that mind is free from admixture or deterioration. It is like the great orb of the sun that shines over all four quarters of the world.

  佛與眾生一心無異 猶如虛空 無雜無壞 如大日輪 照四天下.

  Because empty space is clear and transparent, there are neither separate quarters of north, south, east, and west nor separate time periods of past, present, and future. Although empty space is originally formless, differently shaped clouds arise in it, in accordance with causes and conditions. If you become attached to those shapes, you will mistakenly believe that those differently shaped clouds are real entities. But if you know that they are mere shapes and not fixed entities, and you let go of your attachment, then that’s it. Out of delusion, however, you cling to your attachment, even though there is originally no attachment to let go of. I tell you, just let it go!

  When the sun rises, its light shines over the entire world, but empty space has never been illuminated. When the sun sets, darkness pervades the entire world, but empty space has never been darkened.

  日升之時 明遍天下 虛空不曾明 日沒之時 暗遍天下 虛空不曾暗.

  Just as empty space is itself never illuminated or darkened, so too the mind has nothing to do with illumination or darkness. In accordance with causes and conditions, when dawn comes, it gets light; when sunset comes, it gets dark. There is no need to try to sustain or become attached to brightness, because the mind encompasses both brightness and darkness, while remaining unaffected by them.

  The realms of light and dark alternate, but the nature of empty space is expansive and invariable. The minds of both buddhas and sentient beings are also like this.

  明暗之境 自相凌奪 虛空之性 廓然不變 佛及眾生 心亦如此.

  The Flower Garland Sūtra says, “The mind, the buddha, and sentient beings — there is no distinction among these three.”15 These three are given the names “buddha,” “sentient beings,” and “mind” so that we may distinguish them. Those who are awakened never distinguish among identical things that have become entangled with one another.

  Although empty space accommodates differently shaped clouds, its original appearance has never changed. Although buddhas and sentient beings cast different shadows, their essence is nondual.

  Say one observes buddhas as having the characteristics of purity, radiance, and liberation or observes sentient beings as having the characteristics of foulness, darkness, and birth and death. One who generates such an understanding will not be able to attain bodhi [enlightenment] even after kalpas [eons] as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, because one is attached to characteristics. There is only this one mind; there is not another dharma, even as small as a mote of dust, to be attained. The mind is the buddha. Those who train in the Way these days do not awaken to the essence of this mind. They then give rise to mental states overlaying this mind, seek the buddha externally, and practice while being attached to characteristics. All these are harmful techniques, not the path to bodhi.

  若觀佛 作清淨光明解脫之相 觀眾生 作垢濁暗昧生死之相 作此解者 歷河沙劫 終不得菩提 為著相故 唯此一心 更無微塵許法可得 即心是佛 如今學道人 不悟此心體 便於心上生心 向外求佛 著相修行 皆是惡法 非菩提道.

  The difference between buddhas and sentient beings is that those who attain awakening for themselves are buddhas while those who do not are sentient beings. The difference between the two is that simple. If people know that they are originally buddhas, they will act like buddhas. But because they presume they are ignorant, they become sentient beings, who suffer and discriminate.

  People should be able to realize that “this is it” by turning one thought around and letting go of all discriminative thoughts, without any lingering attachment. Not knowing this, they become greedy, looking left and right. How could they not but lose their original mind?

  2. No-Mind

  Making offerings to all the buddhas of the ten directions is not as good as making offerings to an individual practitioner of the Way who maintains no-mind.

  供養十方諸佛 不如供養一個無心道人

  As the Diamond Sūtra says, making offerings to all the buddhas in the trichiliocosm is not as good as making offerings to a single practitioner of the Way who is in a state of no-mind.16 This statement could be confusing to ordinary Buddhists who earnestly offer donations and prayers to the Buddha. But to those who have turned one thought around and achieved awakening, it is not incomprehensible. Those with lesser spiritual capacities end up trying to evaluate whether this statement is right or wrong, helpful or unhelpful. As the ocean accepts waters from all the rivers of the earth, Buddhists too should have the expansive type of understanding that accepts any type of teaching.

  Why is this? No-mind means that there are no mental states at all.

  何故 無心者 無一切心也.

  This is really a sublime statement. It is incorrect to say that there is either mind or no-mind. You should be able to digest any sort of description. A master may demand, “Leave behind the tetralemma and the hundred negations, which reject all sorts of right or wrong arguments, and just say one word!” Right at that moment, you should be able to answer him. Only then can you know the meaning of this statement.

  The essence of suchness is internally like wood or stone, which does not move or sway; externally, it is like empty space, which has no boundaries or obstructions. It has no subject or object, no direction or locus. It has no characteristics or shapes, and nothing to gain or lose. Those who pursue it are wary of accessing this dharma, for they are afraid of falling into voidness where there is no place to roost; therefore, they retreat as if staring at a sheer precipice. All of them are seeking everywhere for intellectual understanding. This is why those seeking intellectual understanding are [as common as] fur, while those who have awakened to the Way are [as rare as] a horn.

  如如之體 內如木石不動不搖 外如虛空不塞不礙 無能所無方所 無相貌無得失 趨者不敢入此法 恐落空無棲泊處 故望崖而退 例皆廣求知見 所以 求知見者 如毛 悟道者 如角.

  The phrase, “Like wood or stone, which does not move or sway,” directly expresses the level of a person who maintains no-mind. When people have not the slightest understanding of Buddhist training, they have nothing to be afraid of. However, when people who have opened heir eyes retain subtle lingering delusions, they may continue to be seized by fear.

  People can handle what they can understand. But when they come across something incomprehensib
le, they become puzzled and feel pushed to the edge of a precipice. At that moment, they become eager to secure rational understanding without being aware they are doing so. However, when you let all things go, you no longer care whether a certain thought arises or not. This is because nothing affects a practitioner who experiences no-thought.

  Mañjuśrī corresponds to principle. Samantabhadra corresponds to practice. “Principle” is the principle of true emptiness, which is free from obstructions. “Practice” is the practice that transcends characteristics and is inexhaustible.

  文殊當理 普賢當行 理者真空無礙之理 行者 離相無盡之行.

  The Buddhadharma assumes there are no fixed characteristics. You should practice the Buddhadharma with discerning eyes. Only when you open your eyes will you be able to understand the bodhisattvas Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra and to practice Buddhism. The moment you say, “These are the myriad practices of Samantabhadra,” that is nothing more than a sound you utter based on what you have learned and understood intellectually.

  You cannot understand the true practices of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra without realizing them yourself. Those who have developed the power of looking at their original perfect endowments by opening their discerning eyes always act and speak just like Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra. However, if you do not attain awakening, you may cultivate the six perfections and Samantabhadra’s myriad practices all day long, but that will be nothing but hypocrisy, because you will not have transcended characteristics. Saying “do” or “do not” to those who have attained the power to transcend this level is like telling college students to answer questions meant for elementary-school students.

  Avalokiteśvara represents great loving-kindness. Mahāsthāmaprāpta represents great wisdom. Vimalakīrti means “pure name”: “pure” refers to the nature while “name” refers to characteristics.

  觀音當大慈 勢至當大智 維摩者淨名也 淨者性也 名者相也

  Bodhisattvas, in fact, are free from characteristics. In order to indicate to the world what functions without characteristics, the ancient masters revealed these functions through such designations as Avalokiteśvara or Mahāsthāmaprāpta. In order to understand why, you must open the correct eye of the Buddhadharma. If you do not open that eye, you will simply display your intellectual understanding, not believing in what has actual value.

  Compassion, wisdom, and purity do not exist separately. They are all inherent in your original nature.

  Since nature and characteristics are not different, [Vimalakīrti] is called “pure name.” The qualities represented by all the great bodhisattvas are inherent in all human beings. They are not separate from the one mind. If one awakens to it, they will be right there.

  性相不異故 號淨名 諸大菩薩所表者 人皆有之 不離一心 悟之即是

  Avalokiteśvara, Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, and Vimalakīrti are simply manifestations of the nature. In accordance with conditions created from appearances that are free from appearances, in which beginning and end are simultaneous, the nature becomes Avalokiteśvara, Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, or Vimalakīrti. Although the nature may take various forms, all these appearances are not separate from the nature.

  If people know why this is, they will simply accept it as it is. If they don’t know why, they will then seek it out. You may think, “I will have a vision of Avalokiteśvara” or “I will achieve everything by relying on the power of Avalokiteśvara through sincere recitations or prayers.” In fact, your own discrimination creates such thoughts. These types of instructions, which of course do appear in Buddhist scriptures, are intended as an expedient for strengthening beginners’ faith. People misunderstand these words as being ultimate expressions of truth because they do not know the true meaning of the scriptural teachings.

  Awakening means that you turn one thought around and recognize the place of the nature, which is originally thus. Whatever appearances are reflected in it, they are all simply reflections of that nature. If you know this, you can calmly accept them.

  All sentient beings possess the same nature, so you should cherish your relationships with each of them. You should use your mind to help other people and live diligently; but better than trying to live diligently is living spontaneously. Then your mind transforms into Avalokiteśvara’s power, Samantabhadra’s vow, and Mañjuśrī’s wisdom, so that you become able to benefit all sentient beings.

  These days, practitioners of the Way do not seek awakening within their own minds. Instead, they look outside their minds, clinging to characteristics and holding on to external objects, turning their backs on the Way.

  今學道人 不向自心中悟 乃於心外 著相取境 皆與道背.

  If you do not attain awakening, then even while calling on the buddhas and bodhisattvas, you turn your back on the buddhas without even knowing it. The moment you turn one thought around and realize the true form of the nature, which is originally thus, you realize that you have been generating defilements and clinging to false appearances throughout your life, without even being aware of doing so.

  Regarding “the sands of the Ganges,” the Buddha said, “Even when all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, as well as Indra, Brahmā, and all the divinities, walk along those sands, those sands do not rejoice; even when oxen, sheep, ants, and insects tread along those sands, those sands are not enraged. Whether precious jewels or fragrant scents, those sands do not crave them; whether shit, urine, stench, or filth, those sands are not repelled by them.” This mind means the mind of no-mind. Since they are in this way far removed from all characteristics, sentient beings and all the buddhas have utterly no differences between them. If one is able to experience no-mind, this is then indeed the ultimate realm. If practitioners of the Way do not straightaway experience no-mind, they may train for numerous kalpas but never achieve the Way. As long as they are entangled in the meritorious practices of the three vehicles, they will be unable to attain liberation.

  恒河沙者 佛說是沙 諸佛菩薩 釋梵諸天 步履而過 沙亦不喜 牛羊蟲蟻 踐踏而行 沙亦不怒. 珍寶馨香 沙亦不貪 糞尿臭穢 沙亦不惡. 此心即無心之心 離一切相. 眾生諸佛 更無差別. 但能無心 便是究竟. 學道人 若不直下無心 累劫修行 終不成道. 被三乘功行拘繫 不得解脫.

  The nature is originally no-mind. No-mind refers to the perfect state in which you are able to accept and embrace everything. If you do not realize no-mind, you cannot achieve the Way, even though you train yourself for years on end.

  Mazu Daoyi said, “The everyday mind is the Way.”17 However, if you create or seek out this everyday mind, you have already deviated from it. The mind that you originally possess, the mind that is untainted, uncontaminated, and pure, is in fact everyday mind, no-mind, the original face, and the source of the nature. The conditions that derive from this mind create all different kinds of perceptual objects. Turning one thought around, you realize that you and all the buddhas and patriarchs are originally endowed with this same nature.

  It may be that you are able to practice by following a sequence of steps. However, do not cling to this way as the sole right way; for without realizing no-mind, you will simply compound your ignorance.

  Nevertheless, in realizing this mind, there is slow and fast.

  然證此心 有遲疾.

  “I am ignorant. How is it possible I am not even slightly different from a buddha?” This wrong view comes from your attachment to your body. You must believe that, from the standpoint of absolute truth, there is no distinction between you and a buddha. Since you do not believe what you should believe and follow something ineffectual instead, you become demonic and fooled by ghosts. Here I am talking only about the nature. Whether different perceptual objects appear or not, you need only follow that original nature; you need not be attracted any longer by perceptual objects that arise in dependence on conditions.

  There are those who, on hearing the dharma, attain no-mind in a single moment of thought. Bu
t there are also those who attain no-mind after progressing through [the extended bodhisattva path, that is] the ten faiths, ten abodes, ten practices, and ten dedications; there are even those others who attain no-mind only after arriving at the ten stages (bhūmi) [the culmination of the bodhisattva path]. Whether long or short, if you achieve no-mind, then it will be right there; there is nothing more you need to practice or realize. In reality, there is nothing to attain — this is true, not false.18

  有聞法 一念 便得無心者. 有至十信十住十行十迴向 乃得無心者. 有至十地 乃得無心者. 長短得無心 乃住 更無可修可證. 實無所得 真實不虛.

  If you conclusively realize the innate no-mind, you will know already that you have relied on your nature; consequently, you will not delude yourself into thinking there is something else you need to attain.

  Whether you attain it in a single moment of thought or only after mastering the ten stages, both approaches are equally effective. There is no distinction in their depth or shallowness; [prolonging practice] merely entails sequential kalpas of needless bitterness and hardship.

  一念而得 與十地而得者 功用恰齊 更無深淺. 秖是歷劫 柱受辛勤耳.

  When facing a problem, some people can solve it at once while others solve it only after numerous trials and errors. However, whether you solve a problem all at once or through a series of steps, the solution is the same.

  Those who toil for a long time are dimwitted. If you can attain a great awakening all at once, that is all you need to do. If you attempt to gain still greater awakening through more training, you cannot but be called foolish. “What I realized first was shallow. But after further realizations, I have gone still deeper.” This statement appears to make sense, but it is flawed. Those who have awakened in this manner are clinging to a sequence of steps, and they teach their students to follow the same approach.

  Engaging in evil deeds or good deeds involves clinging to characteristics. If you cling to characteristics and perform evil deeds, you needlessly subject yourself to the cycle of saṃsāra. If you cling to characteristics and perform good deeds, you needlessly subject yourself to toil and drudgery.