Continuation:
The captain then asked: 'Well, then neither the Pure Land nor Amida is to be separated from one's body. Butwhat of the teaching that the ten trillion lands are far off?'
Ikkyū replied: 'The ten-trillion lands are not far away either; they too are quite clearly found in the mortal body. If one calculates in detail all the hairs, bones, organs and muscles of the body, they add up to ten trillion. And if living beings let the ten-trillion passions separate them from Amida, he will not appear to them. What is being taught is that until one develops his spiritual faculty, the Pure Land remains far removed.'
The captain then asked: 'Then are the Pure Land and the Buddhas relied upon by the eight or nine sects all one thing? Or do they have particular significances?'
Ikkyū replied: 'In that the various sects all recognize something like Buddha-heart or Buddha-nature, they all represent the identical oneness of the Universal Buddha. Yet since living beings have differing modes of understanding, the way to Buddha is not simply one. Sects and schools have been established, and instead of just the way that talks about Buddha-nature, living creatures are able to follow whichever path of Buddhism suits their own temperament and come to know the nature of the Universal Buddha. Thus in the orthodox exoteric and esoteric sects it is given the name Dainichi and worshipped as the main symbol, or it is called "the Vajra in its correct form," or called "Original non-birth," and as such the basic essence is realized. The Lotus takes the word "wondrous" as its main symbol, whose highest expression is contained in the title, Lotus of the Wonderful Law. Zen talks of the "Original Visage," "the Actor," "the Dharmakaya Buddha," or "the Moon of Ultimate Reality."
'Although there exist various names, meditation practices, and austerities, when we inquire into the heart of the matter, the original and persistent Thusness is an identical oneness and represents the Universal Buddha. It is just as in the case of the newborn baby who lies helpless. Although it lacks a name, its parents consider various possibilities, and thinking of the child's future, they give him an auspicious name such as Tsuruchiyo or Kamematsu. The child may later attain official rank and become Sadaijin, Udaijin, or Kampaku Dajōdaijin. On such occasions his attitude may alter, and he will quickly come to pity his fellow man and try to help the world. If at such a time we ask who this is, it is no new person, but simply the Tsuruchiyo of old; and if we were to look for the person who was there before the name, it would be that helpless, naked infant. The Universal Buddha is like this.
'If one were able to realize the state of long ago before he had a name--before his parents were even born--and to realize that which neither comes nor goes in the void of the worlds in every direction, that which was ever there, the formless, nameless, ineffable Universal Buddha, he would see a Universal Buddha who appears in the guise of the ordinary Buddhas and employs various expedients for the sake of living creatures and who is then known by various names. One should be very clear about the reason why this is true.'
The captain then asked: 'Why does this one Universal Buddha with various names appear in many shapes--now gentle and forgiving, now holding up a sharp sword and grimacing fiercely with flames shooting from his body as he subdues some demon? And why are there different vows of salvation?'
Ikkyū responded: 'The Universal Buddha follows the example of the container of water. Various changes take place in accordance with the heat or cold of yin and yang. When cooled, water becomes frost, hail, snow, or ice. Then, warmed by the sun, it rises up to become clouds and mist, rain and dew, after which it falls again and soaks into the ground giving life to plants and sustenance to the world of men. If it is placed next to a fire, it becomes hot steam, but if the steam is cooled, it turns back into water again. If the water is severely chilled, it becomes hard ice, but if this ice is melted, it returns to the state of water. Water in its state of balance between yin and yang is neither hot nor cold. It holds the Middle Way; it is like the Universal Buddha. The two equinoxes, spring and autumn, are the time of the middle path of yin and yang. Thus they are called the "Time Appropriate," and we are taught that this is a time to pray to the Buddhas.
'If various waters gather into flood, they quickly lay the hillside bare; in an instant they crush dikes of one thousand feet; many homes are lost, and living creatures are killed in this harmful change of the original water under the influence of heat and cold. Yet from this cycle of yin and yang of heat and cold in the real world can be seen the form of the Universal Buddha who teaches through various expedients, all of which are in the hope of saving living creatures. To give knowledge to these foolish creatures, the Buddha taught the 80,000 scriptures, but men are all dumb-witted and do not realize the subtle law. Therefore out of great pity, the Universal Buddha devised expedients for the easy enlightenment of stupid creatures. The essence of the Universal Buddha--of the various Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the 80,000 worlds and ages--has been condensed in the name Amida, and this is prayed to as a Buddha. All the various Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions and three ages mentioned in the 80,000 scriptures are in fact Amida. This is what Bodhidharma meant when he said that "Amida" was a general name for all the Buddhas. Although such Buddha-names are very numerous, in the final analysis , they do not come to more than the "wonder" of the single heart. Too, Eshin's explanation, "Amida's Paradise is proven in the womb," and "Amida and Maitreya are two names for one thing," is the same story.'
The captain then asked: 'But did the founders of the various sects all understand the oneness of this Universal Buddha?'
Ikkyū replied: 'Since these teachers all attained the great satori of their natures, how could they not know?'
The captain then asked: 'If they knew about the Universal Buddha, why did they attack other sects and take pride in their own and engage in serious arguments about the good or bad of various sects?'
Ikkyū replied: 'These were not fights about the existence of the universal Buddha; the goal of all sects is to demonstrate his existence. But because the study of the Universal Buddha allows many roads, it is necessary to discuss their merits and degrees of difficulty. As in the poem:
Though the foothills are full of roads,
They all give view to one moon in the sky.
'For example, if you go to pay respects at court, there are many roads leading from the countryside to the capital. Some people go along the shore; others climb through the mountains; others go across plains. But although they may argue about the merit of their various routes, they don't fight about the Universal Buddha. If one comes to Paradise from the multitudinous worlds and enters the palace doors, he sees but one Imperial Person. And the reason the various sects boast about themselves is so that they may instill deep faith in creatures and draw them into their school, so that they may come to revere this same Universal Buddha. But I don't want to overemphasize my own sect. I'm simply replying to your questions. And if you have any further points of doubt, please feel free to ask. This is about the way my sect explains things. Even so, the eight or nine Zen sub-sects have various methods, including some of great interest. For further particulars, you should apply to each sect.'
Having received this explanation of the various sects, the captain was very grateful and thanked Ikkyū saying: 'Now I seem to have no questions left to ask. I feel as if the long night's darkness is beginning to lift and the rain-swept sky to clear up. It is as if that "Noumenal Moon" were coming out. My heart feels clear, like one mirror shining into another. Further, since you have shown me that the world of my body is equal to whole universes, I feel equal to the voidness of the ten directions.'
Ikkyū told him: 'The state of your heart is the same as that of a fully enlightened Buddha. It is the same as if Amida had come to save you.'
The captain was full of reverence and praise, and there-after he was never lax in his nembutsu. It is said, I believe, that he finally attained his long-cherished pure rebirth at the age of sixty-four.
Submitted January 28, 2018 at 04:59AM by Dillon123 http://ift.tt/2niRttO
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