The Master went up to the hall and asked, "Is there anyone who does not reciprocate for the four forms of benevolence (1) or respond to the three classes of beings (2)?"
The assembly made no response.
The Master spoke again, saying, "If one does not personally experience the meaning of this, how can he transcend the tribulation of birth and death? If constantly and without a break you don't let any thought come into contact with things or any step come to rest, then you will accord with reality. You should strive earnestly and not pass the day at ease."
(1) Personally I think Dongshan is talking about the brahmavihāras (sublime attitudes, lit. "abodes of brahma"). From wikipedia: a series of four Buddhist virtues and the meditation practices made to cultivate them. They are also known as the four immeasurables (Sanskrit: apramāṇa, Pāli: appamaññā). The Brahma-viharas are:
- loving-kindness or benevolence
- compassion
- empathetic joy
- equanimity
Powell's opinion: Lists of the "four forms of benevolence" vary, but a popular one, found in the Ta-ch'eng pen sheng-hsin ti-kuan ching (T.159), includes the following four: the benevolence appropriate for parents, king, all beings, and the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha).
(2) "The three classes of beings" are the beings existing in the Three Realms of Indian cosmology, i.e., the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm. According to The Admonitions of Kuei-shan (Kuei-shan ching-tse), Buddhists should "constantly strive to repay the kindness of others and rescue beings in the Three Realms."
Submitted December 25, 2017 at 01:19AM by essentialsalts http://ift.tt/2DHyWPd
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