One night, whilst Enō was hard at work in the rice shed at Ōbai, Daiman Kōnin entered and asked, "Is the rice indeed white?" Enō replied, "It is white but it has not yet been winnowed." Damian struck Enō's rice-pounding mortar thrice with his staff; Enō shook the rice in the winnowing fan three times… Continue reading 33. Enō (C. Hui Neng 慧能）
When Kánin encountered Dáshin on the road to Übai, Dáshin asked him, “What is your clan name?” Kánin said, “I have a NATURE but I do not have a conventional clan name.” Dáshin asked, “And what is IT?” Kánin replied, “It is the BUDDHA NATURE.” Dáshin queried, “So you have no clan name?” Kánin answered, “Because ORIGINAL NATURE is empty, I… Continue reading 32. Kánin (C. Hung-ren 弘忍)
Bowing before Great Master Kanchi, Dáshin said, “Please, Reverend Monk, I beg you, from your compassion, to impart to me the Dharma Gate of liberation.” Kanchi said, “Who is preventing you from entering?” Dáshin answered, “No one is preventing me.” Kanchi said, “Then why do you seek liberation from me?” At these words Dáshin experienced… Continue reading 31. Dáshin (C. Tao-hsin 道信)
Upon meeting Eka, Sásan asked him, “My body is riddled with disease; please, Reverend Monk, cleanse me of my defilement.” Eka replied, “Bring me your defilement and I will cleanse you of it.” Sásan thought long and hard about this, then said, “I have searched for my defilement but cannot find it.” Eka replied, “I… Continue reading 30. Sásan (C. Seng-ts’an 僧璨）
Whilst serving and training with Bodaidaruma (Bodhidharma), Eka one day told him, “I have by now severed all my karmic ties.” Bodaidaruma said, “You are not denying the law of karma, are you?” Eka answered, “No, I am not.” Bodaidaruma asked him, “And how can you be sure of this?” Eka replied, “Clearly, and beyond… Continue reading 29. Eka (C. Hui-k’o 慧可)
One day Hannyatara asked Bodaidaruma (Bodhidharma), “Amongst all things, which is without any characteristics?” Bodaidaruma replied, “The NON-ARISING is without characteristics.” Hannyatara asked, “Amongst all things, which is the greatest?” Bodaidaruma answered, “The DHARMA-NATURE is the greatest.” Listen (part I) Listen (part II) Bodaidaruma was of the warrior caste. Originally his name was Bodaitara; he… Continue reading 28. Bodhidharma (达摩）
One day Funyomitta asked Hannyatara, “Do you recall any events from your past lives?” whereupon Hannyatara answered, “I remember living in the same place as you during a distant aeon; you were expounding on The Scripture of Great Wisdom as I was reciting from that most profound of Scriptures. Today’s events undoubtedly tally with that… Continue reading 27. Hannyatara
When Funyomitta was a crown prince, Bashashita asked him, “Since you wish to leave home to become a monk, what activities would you undertake to do?” Funyomitta said, “Were I to leave home to become a monk, it would not be to do anything in particular.” Bashashita then asked, “What would you refrain from doing?”… Continue reading 26. Funyomitta
Shishibodai said to Bashashita, “I am now Transmitting the EYE AND TREASURY OF THE TATHAGATA’S TRUE LAW to you; guard IT well that you may be able to make IT flourish everywhere in the future.” Having had his inherent karmic cause from a past life revealed to him, Bashashita received, unseen, the SEAL. Bashashita was a Brahman from Kashmir; his father… Continue reading 25. Bashashita
Shishibodai asked Kakurokuna, “As I wish to pursue the Way to enlightenment, how should I exert my mind in order to do it?” Kakurokuna answered, “If you would pursue the Way, there is no situation where you need to exert your mind.” Shishibodai asked, “If I do not exert myself, who will perform the work… Continue reading 24. Shishibodai
One day Manura observed, “Here is the UNSURPASSED TREASURE OF THE GREAT LAW, hearken to IT, accept IT and in the future teach IT.” Upon hearing this, Kakurokuna realized enlightenment. Kakurokuna (S. Haklena) was a Brahman from the kingdom of Kushana; his father was Senshá which means ‘A Thousand Victories’ and his mother was Kinká… Continue reading 23. Kakurokuna
When Manura asked Bashubanzu, “Just what is the enlightenment of the Buddhas?” Bashubanzu answered, “It is none other than your ORIGINAL NATURE.” Manura then asked, “What is ORIGINAL NATURE like?” Bashubanzu replied, “The eighteen realms of the senses (i.e., all experiences) are void, unstained and pure.” When Manura heard this, he understood enlightenment. Manura (S.… Continue reading 22. Manura
One day Shayata said to Bashubanzu, “Even though I may not seek after enlightenment, I do not act contrary to it; even though I may not be doing prostrations before the Buddha, I am not spiritually negligent; even though I may not be sitting in meditation, I am not lazy; even though I may not… Continue reading 21. Bashubanzu
One day Kumorata pointed out to Shayata, “Although you already believe in the three types of karma, you still have not awakened to the fact that karma is born from confusion, that confusion results from consciousness, that consciousness depends on the sleep of ignorance and that the sleep of ignorance depends on ORIGINAL MIND. ORIGINAL MIND is naturally… Continue reading 20. Shayata
Kayashata pointed out the following to Kumorata, “Long ago the World-honoured One prophesied that, a thousand years after His entry into nirvana, a great scholar would appear in Tokhara who would pass on the Marvellous Transmission. Your meeting me at the present time fulfills this most propitiously.” As a result of hearing this, Kumorata awakened… Continue reading 19. Kumorata
Once, whilst Kayashata was serving as a jisha to Ságyanandai, they heard a sound as the wind blew a temple bell. Ságyanandai asked Kayashata, “Is that the sound of the bell or the sound of the wind?” Kayashata answered, “Neither the wind nor the bell, merely the sound of the TRUE NATURE.” Ságyanandai asked, “And… Continue reading 18. Kayashata
One day Ragorata gave instruction to Ságyanandai in verse,“Because I am already beyond self,You should see the WEFor, if you take me as your master,You will know that ‘I’ is not this WE .”As a result of hearing this, Ságyanandai’s heart suddenly opened to a determination to be liberated and he sought to cross to… Continue reading 17. Ságyanandai
Ragorata was attending on Kanadaiba when, upon hearing about karmic cause from a past life, he experienced his ORIGINAL NATURE. Ragorata was a man from Kapilavastu; the issue of the karmic cause from a past life arose in the following manner. Kanadaiba, after realizing enlightenment, was travelling about converting others when he arrived at Kapilavastu.… Continue reading 16. Ragorata
This is what happened when Kanadaiba had his first audience with Nagyaarajuna, the Noble One. No sooner had Kanadaiba entered the gate than Nagyaarajuna realized what an astute person he was so he dispatched his jisha to fetch a bowl filled to the brim with water and place it in front of where they were… Continue reading 15. Kanadaiba
One day, when Kabimora paid a visit to the Lord of the Naga-dragons at the latter’s invitation, he received the wish-fulfilling Nyoi Pearl. Nagyaarajuna said to him, “This Pearl is the most treasured thing in the world; does it have a form or is it formless?” Kabimora replied, “You only know what ‘having form’ or… Continue reading 14. Nagyaarajuna
