C.1.7. Only this one-mind has not the tiniest dust-speck of dharma to be attained. This is the mind that is Buddha. Students-of-the-way these days, realising not this mind-basis, go on to generate mind on top of mind. Turning outwards to seek Buddha, practising with attachment to characteristics, all these are bad dharma, not the bodhi-way.
Rather than making offerings to all Buddhas of the ten directions, make offerings to a wayfarer of no-mind instead. Why so? Because no-mind is devoid of each and every possible mind. It is the basis of tathata - inwardly like wood and stone, unmoved and unshaken; outwardly like empty sky, unblocked and unhindered. It is devoid of can and can-be, devoid of direction and location; devoid of characteristic and appearance, devoid of gain and loss.
Those who rely [on things] do not dare enter this dharma, for fear of falling into an emptiness that's devoid of places to perch and anchor on. They see the cliff-edge and retreat. Instead, one following after another, they go seeking everywhere for conceptual knowledge. And therefore, those who seek conceptual knowledge are [numerous] like hair. Those who realise the way are [few] like horns.
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B.1.3.(continued). There is only the One Mind and not a particle of anything else on which to lay hold, for this Mind is the Buddha. If you students of the Way do not awake to this Mind substance, you will overlay Mind with conceptual thought, you will seek the Buddha outside yourselves, and you will remain attached to forms, pious practices and so on, all of which are harmful and not at all the way to supreme knowledge.
B.1.4. Making offerings to all the Buddhas of the universe is not equal to making offerings to one follower of the Way who has eliminated conceptual thought. Why? Because such a one forms no concepts whatever. The substance of the Absolute is inwardly like wood or stone, in that it is motionless, and outwardly like the void, in that it is without bounds or obstructions. It is neither subjective nor objective, has no specific location, is formless, and cannot vanish. Those who hasten towards it dare not enter, fearing to hurtle down through the void with nothing to cling to or to stay their fall. So they look to the brink and retreat. This refers to all those who seek such a goal through cognition. Thus, those who seek the goal through cognition are like the fur (many), while those who obtain intuitive knowledge of the Way are like the horns (few).
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TC. It is just this one mind; there is nothing more to attain at all. Mind itself is Buddha. People who study the Way now do not realize the essence of this mind, and so produce mind upon mind, thought upon thought, seeking outwardly to become Buddhas, cultivating practice fixated on forms. This is all wrong; it is not the path to enlightenment.
Making offerings to the Buddhas of the ten directions is not as good as making offerings to a single unminding wayfarer. Why? Because unminding means being free from all mentalities. The essence of being as such is inwardly undisturbed and unshakable as wood or stone, while outwardly unobstructed and unimpeded as space. There is no subject and object, no location, no appearance, no gain and loss. Those who head for it do not gain access to this reality; because they fear they’ll fall into emptiness, with no place to rest, they shrink from the prospect. Because everyone seeks knowledge far and wide, those who seek knowledge are many, while those who realize the Way are few.
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LT. What exists for both Buddhas and for sentient beings, however, is the unconditioned Mind (Asamskrta citta) with nothing to attain. Many Ch'an students, not understanding the nature of this Mind, use the Mind to create Mind, thus grasping form and searching outside themselves. However, this is only to follow the path of evil and really is not the practice path to Bodhi.
Making offerings to one "without mind" surpasses in merit offerings made to countless others. Why is this? Because without mind we have unconditioned Buddha, who has neither movement nor obstruction. This alone is true emptiness, neither active nor passive, without form or place, without gain or loss.
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DT. That Mind is no other than Buddha is not understood by Buddhists of the present day; and because of their inability of seeing into the Mind as it is, they imagine a mind beside Mind itself and seek Buddha outwardly after a form. This way of disciplining is an error, is not the way of enlightenment.
It is better to make offerings to a spiritual man who is free from mind-attachment' than to make offerings to all the Buddhas in the ten quarters. Why? Because to be free from mind-attachment means to be free from all forms of imagination.
Suchness as it expresses itself inwardly may be likened o wood or rock, it remains there unmoved, unshaken; while outwardly it is like space, nothing is obstructed or checked. Suchness, as it is free both from activity and passivity, knows no orientation, it has no form, there is in it neither gain nor loss. Those who are running [wildly] do not dare enter this path, for they are afraid of falling into an emptiness where there is no foothold to keep them supported. They beat a retreat as they face it. They are as a rule seekers of learning and intellectual understanding. Many are indeed such seekers, like hair, while those who see into the truth are as few as horns.
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MC.1.(continued). This mind is Buddha. Trainees these days are unenlightened to this essence of the mind, and they generate mind on top of mind, looking outward in search of the Buddha, and undertaking spiritual cultivation in attachment to characteristics. These are all bad methods (dharmas) and not the path to bodhi.
MC.2. To make offerings to all the Buddhas of the ten directions is inferior to making offerings to a single religious person with no-mind. Why? No-mind refers to the absence of all [states of] mind. The essence of suchness is unmoving like wood or stone within and unhindered like space without. It is without subject and object, without location, without characteristic, and without gain or loss. Those who would proceed [to enlightenment] are unwilling to enter this Dharma, fearing that they will fall into the void with nowhere to alight. Therefore they gaze upon the precipice and retreat, then they all seek widely after conceptual knowledge. Therefore those who seek after conceptual knowledge are as [numerous as strands of] hair while those who are enlightened are as [uncommon as] horns.
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C. Essential Dharma of Mind Transmission. Translated by chintokkong
B. The Zen Teaching of Huang Po: On the Transmission of Mind. Translated by John Blofeld
TC. Essentials of the Teaching of Communication of Mind. Translated by Thomas Cleary
LT. The Dharma of Mind Transmission: Zen Teachings of Huang-po. Translated by Master Lok To
DT. Treatise on the Essentials of the Transmission of Mind. Translated by D.T. Suzuki
MC. Essentials of Transmission of Mind. Translated by John McRae
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As you can see, I am now up to the point where McRae has made his way into the mix (as per u/chintokkong s suggestion). Always on the lookout for more translations of either the Chuanxinfayao or the Wanling Lu.
I also updated the formatting as the whole thing is becoming quite unwieldy (5 and a half books side by side!).
I've already done a ton of work, and will enjoy getting back to it. Anybody see any standout differences?
Submitted April 22, 2021 at 02:57PM by turiya-harem https://ift.tt/2QmHBSg
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