Dharma Hall Discourse #46
Here is a story.
The first ancestor [Bodhidharma] requested to his disciples, “The time [of my passing] is finally coming. Why don’t you each speak of what you have attained?” Then his disciple Daofu replied,“My understanding is, without attaching to words and without separating from words, to perform the function of the way.” The ancestor said, “You have my skin.”
The nun Zongchi said, “My present understanding is that it is like Ananda seeing the land of Aksobhya Buddha once, and never seeing it again.” The ancestor said, “You have my flesh.”
Daoyu said, “The four great elements are fundamentally empty. The five skandhas do not exist; and my view is that there is not even one Dharma to attain.” The ancestor said, “You have my bones.”
Lastly,[Dazu] Huike made a prostration, and then stood at his position. The ancestor said, “You have my marrow.”
The teacher Dogen said: Later people believe that these are shallow or deep [levels], but this is not the ancestor’s meaning. “You have my skin” is like speaking of lanterns and standing pillars. “You have my flesh”is like saying, “This very mind is Buddha.” “You have my bones” is like speaking of the mountains, rivers, and great earth. “You have my marrow” is like twirling a flower and blinking the eyes. There is no shallow or deep, superior or inferior. If you can see like this, then you see the ancestral teacher[Bodhidharma], you see the second ancestor, and you can receive transmission of the robe and bowl.
The power of the buddha ancestors’ Dharma wheel is great, turning the entire universe and turning each atom. Even though the robe and bowl were transmitted into Huike’s hands, the Dharma is heard by and universally pervades every man and woman.
Submitted February 24, 2018 at 03:11AM by planetbyter http://ift.tt/2CeeA2o
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