英語訳
[Page 16, Upper Section]
Speaking of the meaning of master-disciple transmission in this school: The three-division esoteric teachings expounded by Dainichi Nyorai were protected and maintained by Vajrasattva within an iron stupa in South India. Eight hundred years after the Buddha's extinction, Nāgārjuna Bodhisattva first opened it, met Vajrasattva, received and transmitted this esoteric dharma, and conferred it upon Nāgabodhi Bodhisattva. Nāgabodhi Bodhisattva lived long and transmitted this dharma to the three Tripiṭaka masters: Vajrabodhi, Śubhakarasiṃha, and Amoghavajra. During the Kaiyuan era of Emperor Xuanzong, the sixth ruler of the Tang dynasty, these three Tripiṭaka masters came to China and transmitted it to Hanguang, Juechao, Huiguo and others, greatly propagating the Shingon teaching. Our country's Dengyō Daishi met Venerable Shunxiao, a disciple of Tripiṭaka Śubhakarasiṃha, and received Shingon. Kōbō Daishi met Venerable Huiguo, a disciple of Tripiṭaka Amoghavajra, and transmitted Shingon. Jikaku Daishi met Ācārya Yuanzheng, Ācārya Yizhen and others and received this esoteric teaching. Chishō Daishi met Ācārya Faquan and transmitted this secret dharma. Each returned to Japan and widely performed esoteric empowerments.
However, Kōbō Daishi, based on the Dainichi Sutra, Treatise on Awakening of Faith, etc., established the Ten Stages of Mind and encompassed all teaching gates: First, the mind of beings like goats and sheep (four evil destinies); second, the mind of foolish children observing precepts (human vehicle); third, the mind of infants without fear (heavenly vehicle); fourth, the mind of aggregates-only and no-self (śrāvaka vehicle); fifth, the mind that uproots karmic seeds (pratyekabuddha vehicle); sixth,
[Page 16, Lower Section]
the mind of other-dependent Mahāyāna (Hossō school); seventh, the mind awakening to non-arising (Sanron school); eighth, the mind of one way and non-action (Tendai school); ninth, the mind of ultimate no-inherent-nature (Kegon school); tenth, the mind of esoteric adornment (Shingon supreme vehicle). He propagated this at Tōji and Kōya, spreading it universally throughout the realm. It divided into the two streams of Ono and Hirosawa, with transformative guidance being inexhaustible. However, Dengyō Daishi, Chishō Daishi, Annen Oshō and others refuted this sequence of Ten Stages of Mind. Therefore, the Sankē no Eihyōshū states: "The newly arrived Shingon school obliterates the written transmission lineage." This refuted the obliteration of the Tang dynasty's written transmission lineage through the sequence of Ten Stages of Mind. Also, the Sannōin Dainichi-kyō Shiki states: "The young child of our country mixes sweet dew with poisonous milk." This is because Kōbō Daishi placed the Lotus of true-aspect sweet dew beneath the Kegon milk teaching, precisely mixing the supreme flavor of sweet dew with contaminated poisonous milk. Therefore it was refuted as "young child." Also, Godaiin's Kyōji-gi established five errors and refuted Kōbō's Ten Stages of Mind. Because it is extensive, I abbreviate it here. The essential point is to understand the meaning of superiority and inferiority between Shingon and the Lotus. This matter has various different opinions and is difficult to definitively judge. Dengyō Daishi judged: "Though exoteric and esoteric differ, the great way is not impaired." There are degrees of thick and thin benefit according to capacity.
[Page 17, Upper Section]
IX. Zen School
What is called Zen dharma is the essential nature of all phenomena, the original source of one mind. It is the principle of constant and eternal non-change, whether Buddha exists or not. The Tathāgata's lifetime of teaching is like a finger pointing at the moon. All are expedient means established for those of middle and lower faculties. The principle of self-realized non-characteristics does not speak even one word. Therefore, the essence of Zen is the original face before father and mother were born, the inherent nature-principle that all people possess completely. Sentient beings, due to ignorance and false thinking, cling to seeing the distinctions of all phenomena. From this arise the painful fruits of the six destinies. Because there are ordinary beings of painful fruits, the Tathāgata manifests in golden form and expounds the sacred teachings of a lifetime. There are bodhisattvas who assist the Buddha in transformative activity, and patriarchs who propagate after extinction. There are defiled lands and pure lands. All those false thoughts, painful fruits, ordinary beings, Buddhas, Buddha-dharma, worldly dharmas, bodhisattvas, patriarchs, defiled lands, pure lands—all phenomena that reach the seen and heard and float in consciousness have no real substance whatsoever. All are like flowers in the sky, like what is seen in dreams. Now, obtaining the true intention of Buddha and patriarchs, releasing gain and loss, right and wrong all at once, with not a hair's breadth of delusion or wisdom in the mind, being empty-empty and still-still without falling into the sickness of emptiness, being spiritual-spiritual and wondrous-wondrous—when the time arrives, one will surely shatter and sweep away the ignorance of vast kalpas all at once and accord with the original emptiness where delusion and enlightenment are not yet differentiated. Though this school has no sutra it relies upon, it takes the Laṅkāvatāra Sutra as
[Page 17, Lower Section]
its foundation, because it was transmitted from First Patriarch Bodhidharma to the Second Patriarch. It also relies upon the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sutra, based on the Sixth Patriarch's enlightenment. Though it has no main deity, it takes Śākyamuni as the main deity, because he is first among the twenty-eight patriarchs. Generally speaking, the ultimate principle of all Mahāyāna teachings where there is no verbal explanation—that is precisely Zen dharma. It is not found in written words and phrases. In the Nirvana Sutra there is text about entrusting the supreme true dharma to Venerable Kāśyapa. This does not rely upon the Daibon Tennō Monbutsu Ketsugi-kyō, because that sutra is not included in the catalog. From Śākyamuni and Kāśyapa, transmitted in succession to the Twenty-eighth Patriarch Bodhidharma, who came to the Liang dynasty of China, faced the wall for nine years, and composed the Six Gates. Within this are two kinds of entry: principle-entry and practice-entry. Practice-entry has four practices: requiting enmity practice, following conditions practice, seeking nothing practice, and according with dharma practice. With this dharma he transmitted and entrusted it to Second Patriarch Huike. From there it was transmitted to Jianzhi, Daoxin, Hongren, and Huineng. Under Hongren there were the Northern and Southern schools. Shenxiu was the patriarch of the Northern school. Huineng was the patriarch of the Southern school. From the Southern school branched the tributaries of five houses and seven schools. The five houses are: Linji, Yunmen, Weiyang, Caodong, and Fayan. For seven schools, Yangqi and Huanglong are added. The doctrinal positions of each are recorded in detail in various books. China's Zen dharma still has not been severed. In our country, Dengyō Daishi and Jikaku Daishi's entries [to China]