<p data-end="382" data-start="159"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-pSqAS5UTHKMIY2EMWZn7lbbycLQ0dn_Cho9htc58rXZVbvsNvvpZEfy_0zWs84mphOJJeHokYFXGNvl_xOfHPyx3bldGMaRj5_W5HmMyTVbJAc23wOwW_N2MbCv11X5V5C7f5DFRnY8DgLMAEWZqkYTAPewsJEAvafu9Ofs2xJ-P1X2yVIlw_VumVE/s1536/D1295567-3A83-48A8-8E8A-0B0D51430936.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-pSqAS5UTHKMIY2EMWZn7lbbycLQ0dn_Cho9htc58rXZVbvsNvvpZEfy_0zWs84mphOJJeHokYFXGNvl_xOfHPyx3bldGMaRj5_W5HmMyTVbJAc23wOwW_N2MbCv11X5V5C7f5DFRnY8DgLMAEWZqkYTAPewsJEAvafu9Ofs2xJ-P1X2yVIlw_VumVE/s16000/D1295567-3A83-48A8-8E8A-0B0D51430936.png" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;"><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;"><br /></span></span></div>Note by Soh: My translation is currently being refined. Once completed, I will make it available both on this blog (for free) and in Amazon Kindle for a low price (probably for the minimum price of $0.99 - Amazon does not allow free listing).<br /></span></span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">

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</div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Preface: The
Teachings of Chan Master Huangbo Xiyun</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;">The texts translated
herein preserve the austere yet profound teachings of Chan (Zen) Master Huangbo
Xiyun (<span lang="EN-GB">黃檗希運</span>, Huángbò Xīyùn), a
towering figure of the late-middle Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE), China's 'golden age' of
Chan Buddhism. Honored posthumously as “Duanji Chanshi” (<span lang="EN-GB">斷際禪師</span> – Chan Master of Decisive Judgment), Huangbo
flourished during the first half of the 9th century, likely passing away d. c. 850s CE (Dazhong era) during the Tang Dazhong reign period (847-860). Born in what is now Fuzhou</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">, Fujian Province&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">(</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">福建福州</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">)</span><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;">, he demonstrated a strong affinity for monastic
life from a young age. He was ordained in Fujian; later presided at Mount Huangbo (Jiangxi) from which he takes his name. Tradition holds he possessed unique physical marks,
including a distinctive protrusion on his forehead likened to a "flesh
pearl" (</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">肉珠</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">), often seen as
indicating future spiritual eminence. Known for his quick intelligence and
striking demeanor, he mastered not only Buddhist scriptures ("inner"
learning) but also familiarized himself with non-Buddhist classics ("outer"
learning), preparing him for the skillful guidance of diverse seekers.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Huangbo occupies a
pivotal place in the Chan lineage directly descending from the Sixth Patriarch,
Huineng (<span lang="EN-GB">慧能</span>). The transmission runs:<o:p></o:p></span></p><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Sixth Patriarch Huineng (<span lang="EN-GB">六祖慧能</span>) ↓<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Nanyue Huairang (<span lang="EN-GB">南岳懷讓</span>) ↓<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Mazu Daoyi (<span lang="EN-GB">馬祖道一</span>) ↓<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Baizhang Huaihai (<span lang="EN-GB">百丈懷海</span>) ↓<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Huangbo Xiyun (<span lang="EN-GB">黃檗希運</span>)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">He received the
"direct transmission of Mind" from his immediate teacher, Baizhang
Huaihai (720–814). Baizhang, famed for establishing Chan monastic regulations
and the maxim "A day without work is a day without food," guided
Huangbo to deep realization within the dynamic Hongzhou school tradition, which
emphasized direct experience and sudden awakening over solely scriptural
approaches. After his initial training, Huangbo eventually settled and taught
primarily at Da'an Monastery on Mount Huangbo (distinct from the mountain of
his ordination, sometimes written <span lang="EN-GB">黄蘖</span> using a variant character) in Hongzhou, Jiangxi Province, a major Chan
center. His stature within the tradition is reflected in comments like that of
later Soto Zen Master Hong Wen Liang (洪文亮, a Zen teacher who lives in Taichung, Taiwan, whose deep wisdom and teachings I greatly appreciate): “Zen Master Rujing was extremely strict
and exceptionally wise; very few patriarchs received his approval—only those
like Zen Master Hongzhi, Zen Master Huangbo, and Zen Master Dōgen.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Anecdotes illuminate
Huangbo's character and teaching. One notable story recounts his encounter with
a traveling monk displaying supernatural ability by walking effortlessly across
a flooded river. When the monk beckoned Huangbo to follow, Huangbo rebuked him,
reportedly lamenting that he hadn't crippled the monk to prevent such displays
of mere personal power, which he saw as contrary to the Mahayana ideal of
universal liberation over individual miracles. This highlights his unwavering
focus on the compassionate Bodhisattva path rather than siddhis (powers).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Huangbo's teaching
style embodied directness. The title "Duanji" reflects his mastery –
cutting through illusory boundaries. He employed abrupt methods – shouts (<span lang="EN-GB">喝</span>), blows, silence – as skillful means (<span lang="EN-GB">方便</span>, <i>upāya</i>) to shock students out of
habitual thought and provoke direct insight into the One Mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">His reputation
attracted vast "sea-like assemblies" (<span lang="EN-GB">海眾</span>). Among his foremost disciples was <b>Pei Xiu
(</b><b><span lang="EN-GB">裴休</span></b><b>, 791–864)</b>, a high-ranking official who became a devoted
student, invited Huangbo to teach in Zhongling and Wanling, and meticulously&nbsp;<span face="&quot;Noto Sans&quot;, sans-serif" style="line-height: 115%;">recorded
and organized&nbsp;</span>his teachings around 857 CE into the <i>Chuanxin Fayao</i> (<span lang="EN-GB">传心法要</span>) and <i>Wanling Lu</i> (<span lang="EN-GB">宛陵录</span>), verifying the records with other monks.
Another famed disciple was <b>Linji Yixuan (</b><b><span lang="EN-GB">臨濟義玄</span></b><b>, d. 866)</b>, founder of the influential Linji (Rinzai) school.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Following his passing
around 850 CE, Huangbo was honored with the title "Duanji Chanshi" by
Emperor Xuanzong, and later received additional titles like "Jue Zhao
Chanshi" and "Hongzong Miaoxing Chanshi." His impact deeply shaped
Chan/Zen in <b>both China and Japan</b>, primarily via the Linji school. His
recorded teachings remain a touchstone for practitioners worldwide, valued for
their uncompromising focus on realizing the nature of Mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;">Huangbo’s teaching
centers on the <b>"One Mind" (</b><b><span lang="EN-GB">一心</span></b><b>)</b>. This term points not to a universal source, substratum, substance or consciousness (like Brahman), but
to the <b>fundamental nature</b> (<span lang="EN-GB">本性</span>) of awareness itself – a primordial, empty and <b>unborn gnosis (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">本觉</span></b><b>, <i>běnjué</i>; jñāna)</b> which is the fundamental quality of each discrete instance of consciousness. This luminous clarity and empty nature of Mind is
universally present in all beings as the generic characteristics of all minds, like heat is to fire, but not to be reified as truly existent, or as a universal ground of everything <span lang="EN-SG">which is ontologically real,
singular, and overarching. </span>Gnosis
or Awareness is empty of inherent existence (<span lang="EN-GB">无自性</span>, <i>wú zìxìng</i>), unborn, indestructible,
and beyond conceptualization or substantiality. It is unborn not in a substantially existent way, but in the sense that nothing ever arose even in its vivid 'arising' (appearance). Mind is signless&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">(</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">无相</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">)</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">: empty of any intrinsic characteristics such as fixed forms and colors that can be grasped, and precisely because of its signlessness, all appearances are thereby possible.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Mind is not an inert emptiness: it is fundamentally&nbsp;<b>luminous</b>&nbsp;and clear, yet empty, actively manifesting as myriad appearances and activities. Huangbo likens Mind’s radiance to a great sun wheel,
as he illustrates: "Like the
great sun wheel illuminating the four continents: when the sun rises, its light
pervades the world, yet the vast emptiness has never become bright; when the
sun sets, darkness pervades the world, yet the vast emptiness has never become
dark.” Realizing the empty nature of dualistic consciousness (<i>vijñāna</i>)
reveals this non-dual gnosis. Thus, the core teaching of Huangbo, <b>"Mind is Buddha" (</b><b><span lang="EN-GB">即心是佛</span></b><b>)</b><b>, </b>as well as <b>"</b><b>Mind is of itself empty of Mind</b><b>"</b><b>&nbsp;(<span lang="ZH-CN">心自无心</span>)</b>, taken together signifies
that this very empty, luminous, fundamental gnosis <i>is</i> the awakened
state. Awakening is the direct recognition (<span lang="EN-GB">见性</span>, <i>jiànxìng</i> – "seeing the
nature") of this non-substantial, ever-present nature of Mind (<span lang="ZH-CN">心</span><span lang="EN-GB">性</span>), not an attainment of something external.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Furthermore, the
interdependence of Mind (as this fundamental gnosis) and phenomena
(dharmas) is expressed clearly in the teachings. Huangbo states directly: <b>"This Dharma [Phenomenal World] is
precisely Mind; outside of Mind, there is no Dharma. This Mind is precisely
Dharma; outside of Dharma, there is no Mind." (</b><b><span lang="EN-GB">此法即心，心外无法；此心即法，法外无心。</span></b><b>)</b> This resonates with teachings from his lineage predecessors. His Dharma
grandfather Mazu taught, "Outside the Mind, there is no other Buddha;
outside the Buddha, there is no other mind... Whatever forms are seen are
entirely seeing the mind. Mind is not intrinsically mind; it depends on forms (<span lang="EN-GB">色</span>)." The first Patriarch of Chan in China, Bodhidharma similarly explained, "Form is
not intrinsically form, but depends on mind; mind is not intrinsically mind, but depends on form... If the mind inside does not stir, the
environment outside does not arise. When mind and environment are both pure,
this is true seeing." These teachings underscore that Mind and forms/matter co-arise dependently; neither exists independently or substantially, precluding
any view that reduces reality solely to Mind or solely to matter.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>A monk asked</b>, ‘Master, why do you say that mind is Buddha?’<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Mazu said, ‘To stop babies from crying.’<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The monk said, ‘What do you say when they stop crying?’<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Mazu said, ‘No mind, no Buddha.’<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Instead of seeing ‘No
mind, no Buddha’ as a denial or rejection of Mind, it should be understood as a
more thorough penetration into the <i>nature </i>of this radiant Mind, as being
empty of any inherent, substantial, or separate existence.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Consistent with this
non-dual, empty view, Huangbo's teaching on <b>"No-Mind" (</b><b><span lang="EN-GB">无心</span></b><b>, <i>wúxīn</i>)</b> is paramount. This points to the realization
that Mind is fundamentally empty of inherent, substantial existence (<i>anātman</i>
applied to Mind). None of these teachings imply nihilism, although nihilism is
a genuine danger for those who misunderstand emptiness. "No Mind"
points directly to what is always already the case—it has no independent
existence of its own. There is no mind apart from phenomena, and no phenomena
apart from mind. This is precisely what the great Chan/Zen Masters meant when they
stated that mind has no true existence. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The path to realizing
this involves more than just intellectual understanding. While prioritizing
direct experience and wordless transmission, Huangbo's approach implies stages
of clarification. As many teachers elaborated,
there's a distinction between initially <b>apprehending the Mind</b> (<span lang="EN-GB">明心</span>, <i>míngxīn</i>)—recognizing its luminous
clarity—and fully <b>seeing the Nature</b> (<span lang="EN-GB">见性</span>, <i>jiànxìng</i>)—realizing its empty,
unobtainable/unfindable essence. Deluded sentient beings have no inkling of the radiant essence of Mind,
and identify themselves only with thoughts and perceptions, just like what was expressed
by Huangbo: “Worldly people do not awaken to it; they only recognize seeing,
hearing, awareness, and cognition as the mind. Being covered by seeing,
hearing, awareness, and cognition, they therefore do not perceive the
essential, luminous fundamental essence.”. However, by turning one’s fixation
away from thoughts and perceptions, taking the backward step and tracing awareness back to its source (<span lang="ZH-CN">回光返照</span>) through meditation and self-inquiry or kōan-introspection, one may
come to a direct and immediate certainty of one’s Mind-essence as a doubtless, luminously
clear and vivid Presence or numinous awareness<span lang="ZH-CN">（灵</span><span lang="ZH-CN">知</span><span lang="EN-SG">).&nbsp;It is a total and unshakeable conviction in one’s deepest core of one’s True Heart-Mind (真心) , as the truth of one’s very Beingness and Pure Existence reveals itself in its utter nakedness and crystal clarity, staring right at your face. Without this direct realization, nothing is worth to be termed “awakening”.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span><span lang="EN-SG">Although realizing this numinous awareness
(</span><span lang="EN-GB">灵知</span><span lang="EN-SG">) is an important, precious, and crucial initial fundamental breakthrough,
merely stopping here means one has not yet fully penetrated the relationship
between Mind or radiance and all phenomena, nor realized the empty, non-arisen,
and <b>unobtainable</b></span></span><b>/unfindable&nbsp;</b><span lang="EN-SG">nature of both Mind and phenomena. Instead, at this
stage, one’s understanding is prone to views resembling the Hindu view of
Atman-Brahman. One may identify with numinous awareness (</span><span lang="EN-GB">灵知</span><span lang="EN-SG">) as the ultimate,
pure, and unchanging Subjectivity that underlies or pervades all phenomena,
grasping at this awareness as one’s unchanging true Self while perceiving all
phenomena as emerging, changing, and subsiding within this changeless ground.
Zen Master Dogen, along with many great masters of the past, explicitly
criticized such views. Dogen critiqued those who hold such views—that numinous
awareness (</span><span lang="EN-GB">灵知</span><span lang="EN-SG">) is unchanging while mind and body change—as proponents of the
non-Buddhist Shrenika heresy. As Zen Master Shohaku Okumura explained in his
insightful article </span><span lang="EN-SG">(<a href="https://www.sotozen.com/eng/dharma/pdf/36e.pdf">https://www.sotozen.com/eng/dharma/pdf/36e.pdf</a>
- Soto Zen Journal Number 36)</span><span lang="EN-SG">, Dogen identified
teachings using metaphors like the "mani jewel (one bright jewel) which is
permanent and never changes, even though the surface color is changing" as
"nothing other than [the false view of] atman.” Hence, working with a deeply
awakened teacher who has thoroughly resolved “the great matter” is often
considered essential to arrive at the complete understanding, moving beyond
this stage to fully realize the empty nature.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span>Master Huangbo Xiyun’s
legacy endures as a powerful expression of Chan's core insight: liberation
arises from recognizing the already-present, empty, luminous Mind. His life and
words challenge practitioners to cease seeking externally, drop discriminating
thought, cut off clinging to dualities, and instead turn directly inward to
encounter the luminous clarity of one's Mind that is already free
precisely because it is empty of substance and ultimately <b>unobtainable</b></span><b>/unfindable&nbsp;</b>as an inherently existing entity, separate object, or state. His core
instruction echoes through the centuries: <b>"To see into one’s Mind is to
see the Buddha."</b></span></p><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">

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</div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Summary of
Huangbo's Teachings</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">This text comprises
the recorded teachings (dialogues and discourses) of the influential Tang
Dynasty Chan Master Huangbo Xiyun, likely drawn from the <i>Chuanxin Fayao</i>
and <i>Wanling Lu</i>&nbsp;<span face="&quot;Noto Sans&quot;, sans-serif" style="line-height: 115%;">recorded
and organized&nbsp;</span>by his disciple Pei Xiu. The central focus is
the direct, non-conceptual realization of the "One Mind," which
Huangbo equates with the fundamental nature itself, accessible here and now
beyond intellectual grasp or gradual attainment.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;">Huangbo relentlessly
expounds the core Chan tenet: <b>Mind itself is Buddha (</b><b><span lang="EN-GB">即心是佛</span></b><b>)</b>. He asserts that all beings share this same One Mind essence (<span lang="EN-GB">一心体</span>), which is fundamentally complete, perfect,
empty, quiescent (<span lang="EN-GB">空寂</span>), and
unborn. Recognizing this Mind involves seeing directly what is functioning
("That which is speaking right now is precisely your mind"),
realizing its nature is like empty space—devoid of inherent divisions,&nbsp;substance or existence,
yet luminously aware ("numinous awareness" – <span lang="ZH-CN">灵知</span>). Duality is the root of
delusion; thoughts, perceptions, and distinctions (Buddha/sentient being,
self/other) are baseless projections arising from the mind. True seeing
transcends opposites, understanding all phenomena as dependently arisen and
inseparable from one's own empty Mind, and conversely, Mind is not found
separate from phenomena or conditions (as established by&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">Huangbo:</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">"</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">This Dharma
(Phenomenal World) is precisely Mind; outside of Mind, there is no Dharma
(Phenomenal World). This Mind is precisely Dharma (Phenomenal World); outside
of Dharma (Phenomenal World), there is no Mind</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">"</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">).</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span><span><span>Although <b>Mind</b>
is already <b>by nature No-Mind</b>, as expressed by Huangbo: <b>"</b><b>Mind is of itself empty
of Mind</b><b>"</b>&nbsp;(<span lang="ZH-CN">心自无心</span>), a point he emphasizes should not be mistaken for a stage to be attained, but rather recognized as the fundamental, already-so nature of Mind&nbsp;(</span></span></span><span>Huangbo:</span><span>&nbsp;</span><span>"</span><span>Mind is already empty of Mind by itself; and there
is no one who achieves 'no-mind'. Attempting to turn 'mind' into a state of
'no-mind' – mind instead becomes (reified as) existent.</span><span>"</span><span>), he also describes&nbsp;</span><b>No-Mind</b><span>
as a state of actualization&nbsp;through continuous practice in every moment ("Just eat rice all day, yet never bite into a single grain; walk all day, yet never tread upon a single piece of ground. At such a time, there are no marks like self or others. All day long, not separate from all affairs, yet not deluded by various realms/objects – only then is one called a free person. Furthermore, moment after moment, do not see any signs; do not recognize the past, present, and future. The past has no going, the present has no abiding, the future has no coming. Sit peacefully and upright, function spontaneously without constraint – only then is one called liberated.").</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;"><span><span>Here, actualizing Zen, or No-Mind, involves the cessation of conceptual proliferations ("</span><span>This very mind is Buddha, no-mind is the Way. Just avoid giving rise to mind or moving thoughts such as existence or non-existence, long or short, other or self, subject or object, and suchlike minds.</span><span>")</span><span>, discrimination, seeking, and attachment ("顿息诸缘，莫生妄想分别"), and the realization and embodiment of the luminously clear, empty, and unobtainable</span></span>/unfindable&nbsp;nature of Mind/dharmas that is without self, subject or object.&nbsp;No‑mind (無心, mushin) in Zen is not merely a blank state of thoughtlessness; rather, it is the luminous functioning of <b>Prajña</b>, the penetrating wisdom that dispels delusive reification and reveals the pristine clarity of appearances free from conceptual imputations. This state of true, thought‑free wakefulness is characterized by spontaneous, boundless intuitive discernment that operates unimpeded by conceptual proliferations ("</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">existence or non-existence, long or short, other or self, subject or object, and suchlike minds")</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">. Experiential insight into no‑mind and anātman arises when the substrate of a background self or knower—realized to be a mere reified construct—is seen through and exhausted, dissolving any sense of a substantially existent knower, agent, self or Self behind vivid appearances and activities. To mistake Zen’s wúniàn (無念, “no‑thought”) for a vacuous mind incapable of distinguishing left from right is a fundamental misunderstanding and a manifestation of pure ignorance.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;">Huangbo strongly emphasizes abandoning all delusional views (见解) and clearing away the "dung" of speculative discourse. Dry intellectualism ("mouth Zen") divorced from direct insight, gradualism focused on attainment, and attachment to external forms or even subtle spiritual concepts are critiqued as deviations.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">However, abandoning views here should not be misunderstood merely as withholding views or cultivating a blank state of thoughtlessness. Rather, true abandonment of views—which really means the cessation of the deluded views of self&nbsp;(我见),&nbsp;subject and object&nbsp;(能所),&nbsp;existence and non-existence&nbsp;(有无)—can only occur through directly realizing the emptiness or non-arisen nature of Mind and whatever appears (which is none other than) as Mind. Such self-luminous appearances manifest like reflections or mirages, without ever amounting to something genuinely arisen or inherently existent. To that end, grasping the right understanding and right view (正见) of the Dharma, skillfully guided by a truly awakened and wise teacher, is essential—even if, at first, this understanding is primarily intellectual.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">Although it must be stressed that the key to Zen is a direct, non conceptual realization of the nature of Mind, the Zen Masters of old have also warned against misinterpreting Zen practice as a form of quietism—as if it consisted merely of shutting out all thoughts, anti intellectualism, passivity and withdrawal from engagement with the world, neglect of ethical conduct, rejection of doctrinal study, an obsession with nihilistic emptiness, mechanical concentration devoid of insight, romanticized anti intellectualism, the mistaken belief that suppressing thoughts alone yields Prajna or jñāna (智; knowledge), or neglect of compassionate action. As the Sixth Patriarch of Chan, Hui Neng said: “Learned Audience, when we use Prajna for introspection we are illumined within and without, and in a position to know our own mind. To know our mind is to obtain liberation. To obtain liberation is to attain Samadhi of Prajna, which is ‘thoughtlessness’. What is ‘thoughtlessness’? ‘Thoughtlessness’ is to see and to know all Dharmas (things) with a mind free from attachment. When in use it pervades everywhere, and yet it sticks nowhere. What we have to do is to purify our mind so that the six vijnanas (aspects of consciousness), in passing through the six gates (sense organs) will neither be defiled by nor attached to the six sense objects. When our mind works freely without any hindrance, and is at liberty to ‘come’ or to ‘go’, we attain Samadhi of Prajna, or liberation. Such a state is called the function of ‘thoughtlessness’. But to refrain from thinking of anything, so that all thoughts are suppressed, is to be Dharma ridden, and this is an erroneous view.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Dharma Master Hui Lü made this comment in his discourses on Huangbo's teachings: "Listen carefully: ceasing thoughts refers to resting delusive thoughts while right mindfulness (正念, zheng‑nian) remains; forgetting rumination means relinquishing mental scheming while the mind’s pure wisdom endures. In brief, function is still active. Ceasing thoughts does not mean discarding all mentation—human beings are not corpses. If you interpret it as “eliminating thought,” you go astray. Ceasing thoughts means halting grasping and discrimination; right mindfulness abides. Right mindfulness is precisely no‑thought (無念, wu‑nian). No‑thought is the vast Dharmakāya (法身); the Dharmakāya is equality, and equality expresses itself as the four immeasurables—great loving‑kindness, great compassion, great sympathetic joy, and great equanimity. Thus “ceasing thoughts” does not stop mental activity; it stops attachment and discrimination within mental activity, while right mindfulness endures. Though right mindfulness abides, it is nevertheless no‑thought; though it is the fundamental essence, its wondrous functioning is fully present. Hence, while there appear to be thoughts, they are actually no‑thought; and though there is no‑thought, when causes and conditions arise it immediately responds and acts."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;">Huangbo stresses the <b>urgency</b>
of resolving the great matter of birth and death now. He advocates for
determined effort and, illustrating the direct methods used even before later
formalized systems, <b>explicitly recommends investigating specific kōans (</b><b><span lang="EN-GB">公案</span></b><b>, gōng'àn), such as Zhaozhou's famous 'Wu' (or
in Japanese: 'Mu')</b>. He
describes a method of continuous contemplation ("guarding the character
Wu") as a potent way to cut through thought and arrive at realization
("Suddenly, the mind-flower will abruptly blossom"). Direct, personal and experiential realization ("like drinking water, knowing cold or warm for oneself") is paramount.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;">Another powerful kōan in the text, put forth by Huangbo, urges one to gaze directly at one's original face before concepts take shape, as Huangbo said, "</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">The Sixth Patriarch said: ‘When not thinking of good and not thinking of evil, right at such a time, return to me Head Monk Ming’s original face before your parents were born.’ Upon these words, Ming suddenly achieved tacit accord.".&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span>Dialogues clarify concepts like unconditional compassion (<span lang="EN-GB">无缘慈悲</span>), exiting the three realms (via ceasing thought), the nature of transmission ("no Dharma to give," illustrated by Huike's&nbsp;<b>unobtainable</b></span><b>/unfindable</b>&nbsp;mind), and the paradoxical view of ignorance (<span lang="EN-GB">无明</span>) as the ground of awakening. Anecdotes involving encounters with Nanquan, Guizong, an Emperor-novice, and others serve as practical demonstrations of these teachings in action.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Overall, Huangbo's teachings consistently point to the immediate realization of the empty, luminous, unborn Mind. His uncompromising style aims to cut through all delusions, external seeking and false concepts, leading practitioners to see for themselves the liberation inherent in their own fundamental nature.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span><b>An Elaboration on K</b></span><b>ōan-Introspection</b></span></p><p data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">In the Zen tradition, different kōans serve distinct purposes. The five categories of kōans range from hosshin, which provides practitioners their initial insight into the absolute, to the "five ranks," designed to awaken practitioners to the spontaneous unity of the relative and absolute—non-duality. The experience derived from the kōan, "Before birth, who are you?" grants merely a preliminary glimpse into our Mind-essence as a pure, naked Beingness and Existence—the numinous awareness (灵知) previously described. This differs significantly from Hakuin’s kōan, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?", which, after the initial breakthrough, prevents the practitioner from stagnating in dead water (一潭死水) and clinging exclusively to the Absolute (偏真). <br /><br />Instead, it directs practitioners to intimately encounter the ten thousand faces of radiant Mind. Specifically, it explores the “Sound” of one hand clapping. Whether one hand claps or before both hands clap, what precisely is that sound? This kōan guides practitioners into realizing that throughout, there has only ever been one hand clapping—two hands, symbolizing the duality of subject and object, hearer and sound, are neither needed nor ever genuinely existent. This is akin to the contemplation of "in hearing, always only sound, no hearer," leading to the realization of no-self (anātman), which realizes Mind-Radiance as the ten thousand things and simultaneously realizes that Mind is No-Mind: it has no singular 'Original Face' of its own besides these ten thousand faces. Illustrating this clearly, a Zen master was said to have proclaimed at the moment of awakening, "When I heard the sound of the bell ringing, there was no I, and no bell, just the ringing." The Zen Abbot of&nbsp;SANBÔZEN,&nbsp;Ryoun Yamada wrote, "The oak tree in the garden, besides that tree nothing else exists in heaven or earth--an even less so, a “Joshu” who is looking at it. This is the world that is manifested in this utterance. “The oak tree in the garden, but there is no I.”"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Guidance from a deeply awakened Zen master is essential to navigate these subtle distinctions, deepen one's insights beyond initial glimpses, and fully actualize one's non-dual and empty nature.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Huangbo beautifully expressed:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">"Mountains are mountains, water is water, monks are monks, laypeople are laypeople. The mountains, rivers, great earth, sun, moon, and stars are altogether not outside your mind. The three thousand worlds all arise as your own self. Where, then, are all these myriad things? Outside the mind, there are no dharmas; the green mountains fill the eyes. The empty world is brilliantly clear, without even a single strand of hair upon which views might cling. Thus, all sounds and forms are the wisdom eye of the Buddha."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Yet, before we can recognize sounds, mountains, and rivers as our own Radiance, it is crucial to first awaken clearly to what Mind truly is. If our attention merely fixates on external sounds, mountains, and rivers—as deluded sentient beings habitually do—or we merely verbally repeat "Mind is mountains and rivers" like a mantra, such practices offer little genuine help and instead perpetuate fundamental ignorance (as mentioned earlier: "Deluded sentient beings remain unaware of the radiant essence of Mind, identifying themselves only with thoughts and perceptions...," echoing Huangbo’s teaching). Thus, when stating, "Mind is mountains and rivers," the primary step must be to directly realize and intimately taste the essence of Mind before proceeding further. Without clearly illuminating and tasting Mind’s essence, teachings remain mere eloquent expressions without transformative power.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Here, Zen Master Huangbo—alongside other great Zen masters—skillfully reinforces the essential message, repeatedly striking at the heart of Zen with precision and grace: awaken to the One Mind, luminously clear, non-dual, and empty—this very nature of Mind is also the true nature of all phenomena.</span></p><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">

<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%" />

</div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Translator's Note
on Methodology</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;I
made the decision to produce this new translation because I found some widely circulated older
English translations unsatisfactory in terms of precision, accuracy, and
interpretation, particularly concerning key doctrinal points.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">A primary motivation
for this new rendition was to address significant misinterpretations observed
in earlier, influential English translations—most notably John Blofeld’s <i>The
Zen Teaching of Huang Po: On the Transmission of Mind</i>. <b>Blofeld's work
was pioneering and undeniably instrumental in introducing Huangbo's profound
teachings to a wide Western audience for the first time.</b>&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Blofeld's translation is often lauded for its smooth, accessible, and sometimes elegant English prose. He successfully made complex Chan ideas feel approachable and engaging for a Western audience unfamiliar with the tradition, contributing significantly to its popularity.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span>For this
significant contribution, many readers remain grateful. However, from a strict
Buddhist doctrinal perspective, his translation shows Vedāntic over‑tones, which can lead readers to reify Mind as an absolute substance.
This led him, for instance, to reframe Huangbo’s "One Mind" (<span lang="EN-GB">一心</span>) in terms suggesting a universal, eternal, or
substantive consciousness, akin to the concept of Brahman in Advaita&nbsp;</span><span>Vedānta</span><span>.
Such an interpretation inadvertently misrepresents a cornerstone of Huangbo’s
(and indeed, Mahayana Buddhist) teaching: that the 'One Mind', like all
phenomena, is inherently </span><b>empty of self-nature</b><span> (</span><span lang="EN-GB">无自性</span><span>, </span><i>wú zìxìng</i><span>) and devoid of any ultimate,
enduring substance. Any attempt to reify the Mind into an Absolute entity
distorts its profound meaning within the Chan context. This “One Mind” is not a
universal, undifferentiated oneness underlying and pervading the whole universe
as a monolithic substance, but rather points to the empty, fundamental nature
of awareness itself, which is beyond conceptual grasp. This aligns with core
Buddhist teachings found, for instance, in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, it is taught that "There is no mind in the mind; the original nature (prakṛti) of the mind is luminous" (其心无心，心者本净，本净心者，自然而乐清明而净). Huangbo's teachings,
along with those of his Dharma grandfather Mazu and the first Patriarch
Bodhidharma, consistently point to this non-substantial, empty, yet aware
nature.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Furthermore, Blofeld's
translation sometimes misinterpreted "No-Mind" (<span lang="EN-GB">无心</span>, <i>wúxīn</i>) as merely a psychological state
of non-conceptuality or mental quietude, replacing "No Mind" with "ceasing
thoughts", thus missing its deeper ontological significance as the
realization of Mind’s lack of inherent existence. The use of essentialist terms
such as the 'Absolute' or his initial rendering of 'One Mind' as 'Universal
Mind' (Blofeld begun with an earlier translation, “The Huang Po Doctrine of Universal Mind” in 1947, and then revisited the text before releasing it as “The Zen Teaching of Huang Po” in 1959, although he still held the view of a Universal Spirit in the latest edition) introduced concepts absent from the original Chinese and fundamentally
misaligned with Buddhist doctrines of emptiness (<i>śūnyatā</i>) and no-self (<i>anātman</i>).
While covering the main teachings, the interpretive and paraphrasing approach by Blofeld means that nuances and sometimes entire clauses or distinctions present in the original might be omitted or glossed over.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;">While acknowledging the historical importance of Blofeld's work in making these
texts accessible, this new translation seeks greater precision and fidelity to
the original text's specific philosophical context, aiming to avoid these
particular interpretive difficulties.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">Readability was secondary to accuracy.</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">&nbsp;While aiming for clear English, the strict adherence to literalness and source structure sometimes might make the prose less fluid than a more interpretive translation. The inclusion of annotations helps clarify potentially obscure points or technical terms.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span><span>In this
translation, a rigorous, literal approach was adopted, working directly from
the standard Chinese editions of 黄檗禅师传心法要. Each paragraph of the source text is presented
in full, followed immediately by its corresponding English rendition and
annotations where clarification of terms, context, or allusions is necessary.
This method aims to preserve every essential nuance – from the insistence on
the <b>unobtainability</b></span></span><b>/unfindability&nbsp;</b><span>(<span lang="EN-GB">不可得</span>, <i>bù
kě dé</i>) of Mind to the precise meaning of doctrinal terms within their
specific context.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span><span>This translation aimed for <b>extremely high fidelity by working directly from the Chinese source text&nbsp;</b></span><b>黄檗禅师传心法要</b>, translating paragraph-by-paragraph, including the original text for comparison, and strictly adhering to a detailed glossary for key terms. This translation emphasized <b>literalness</b> and <b>completeness </b>over paraphrasing.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The goal is to provide
readers with a clearer, more accurate, and contextually faithful version of
Huangbo's teachings, allowing for a direct engagement with his insights free
from the distortions introduced by previous interpretations influenced by non-Buddhist
philosophical assumptions. This effort seeks not only to honor the integrity of
Huangbo’s wisdom but also to offer a reliable resource for understanding the
subtleties of Chan thought, bridging the gap between the original texts and
contemporary readers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">

<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%" />

</div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Contextual
Perspectives</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span><b>1. Dharma Master
Huilü (</b></span><span><b>慧律法师)</b></span><b>&nbsp;on Reading Chan Texts and Practice:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Another contemporary teacher living in Taiwan, <span lang="EN-SG">Master Hui Lü (慧律法师), who is a very famous, prominent and esteemed
master, possesses profound clarity and insight. He is an awakened
teacher who integrates teachings from both Zen and Pure Land traditions and is
a lineage holder of both the Caodong and Linji schools of Chan (Zen).</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-SG"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Venerable Hui Lü's talks are consistently filled with
profound insights and clarity of View, stemming from his personal realizations
and extensive study of the Tripitaka. He has mentioned that he has read the
entire collection—which includes all of the Buddha's scriptures: the Vinaya
(monastic rules), the Sūtras (the Buddha's teachings), and the Abhidharma
(systematic, scholastic works or commentaries)—at least three times. He
delivered lectures on a wide array of sutras and other scriptures, Huangbo’s
teachings included, many of which are available on YouTube in Chinese. These
lectures have gained significant popularity among Chinese audiences, with
numerous videos attracting hundreds of thousands of views. Yet, he is far more
than just an intellectual or academic; he has also shared his own spiritual
awakening, having awakened to his true nature at an early age.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-SG"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-SG">Venerable Hui Lü said (my translation):</span><b><span lang="EN-SG"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-SG">"If you want to see (your own) nature,
there are several Chan school books you must read; VCDs, DVDs, mobile phones
can be of great help, network Facebook, Dharma audio players, DVDs, and, alas,
this technology advances daily; therefore, we Buddhist disciples must apply
this technology, coordinating Buddhism with technology to spread it far and
wide!<br />
<br />
As Buddhist disciples, as we just discussed, we should play a stable and
important role for the entire nation and society; we must make the greatest
contribution to the family, to society, to the country, to the Party, and to
all humanity! May our five-thousand-year-old Chinese nation live for ten thousand
upon ten thousand years.<br />
<br />
With the little time remaining, I will introduce a few books that should be
read; regarding books that should be read, well, some Chan school books, I am
not saying other scriptures are not good, but rather if you want to attain
awakening and see the nature, to instantly realize the pure self-nature,
several books must be read:<br />
<br />
<b>first,</b>&nbsp;the&nbsp;<b>Essentials of the Transmission of Mind (</b></span><b><span lang="EN-GB">传心法要</span><span lang="EN-SG">) by Chan Master
Huangbo Duanji</span></b><span lang="EN-SG">, must read;<br />
<b>second,</b>&nbsp;the&nbsp;<b>Essential Treatise on sudden awakening and
Entering the Way (</b></span><b><span lang="EN-GB">大珠和尚顿悟入道要门论</span><span lang="EN-SG">) by Great Master Dazhu</span></b><span lang="EN-SG">, must read;<br />
<b>third,</b>&nbsp;the&nbsp;<b>Faith in Mind (</b></span><b><span lang="EN-GB">信心铭</span><span lang="EN-SG">)</span></b><span lang="EN-SG">, must read; why introduce these? Because they all hit the nail on
the head directly [lit. pierce blood with one needle], without entanglements;<br />
<b>fourth,</b>&nbsp;the&nbsp;<b>Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch (</b></span><b><span lang="EN-GB">六祖坛经</span><span lang="EN-SG">)</span></b><span lang="EN-SG">, must be read repeatedly;&nbsp;<b>reading the Platform Sutra of the
Sixth Patriarch in conjunction with the Buddha-spoken Diamond Sutra offers a
distinct flavor</b>; well, when Great Master Bodhidharma came from the West, crossing
eastward to our China, the first text transmitted was the La</span><span lang="EN-SG">ṅ</span><span lang="EN-SG">kāvatāra
Sūtra; later, the Fifth Patriarch transmitted the Diamond Sutra because the La</span><span lang="EN-SG">ṅ</span><span lang="EN-SG">kāvatāra
Sūtra was too profound, too obscure, discussing the Great Emptiness of the
First Principle, the Five Dharmas, Three Self-Natures, Eight Consciousnesses,
and Twofold Emptiness—this is really not something average Buddhist disciples
can comprehend; well, I have already finished lecturing on it, have already
finished lecturing, and it is now being actively compiled."<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-SG"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">On another occasion, Master Hui Lu said:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="p1"><span lang="EN-SG"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">“<span class="s1">Uh, let me give an example, and you'll understand how difficult it
is when you can't find the right way to begin your practice. There was a young
man in Taiwan whose parents passed away very early. He was gradually raised by
his uncle. After graduating from university, he also came to understand
impermanence amidst life's complexities. Under these circumstances, he joined
others to live in simple huts, and he stayed there for a full ten years.</span></span></span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">One
day, he really couldn't bear it anymore. Despite reading many books,
contemplating koans and causal conditions, studying scriptures, prostrating to
Buddha, and chanting Buddha's name, he constantly felt that he hadn't attained
awakening. He realized that simply suppressing thoughts wasn't the
solution. He didn't know where the strength came from, but he resolved, "I
must find a master to ask for guidance on the Dharma."</span></span></span></p><p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">So,
he came alone. I thought, "Ah, this monk is very solemn, and highly
educated too. He could be a 'dragon and elephant' [a great figure] within the
Dharma gate." I decided to welcome him warmly. I asked, "Where are
you from?" He replied, "From mainland China." "Where do you
reside? Your esteemed monastery?" He said, "I don't have a monastery.
A group of monks and I each live in separate huts." "Oh," I
thought, "he's being modest." The point I am making with this story
is about how difficult it is to achieve awakening and see one's true
nature.<br />
<!--[endif]--></span></span><span lang="EN-SG"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">He
very respectfully asked me – I told him to relax, as I could see this young
monk was extremely deferential, which moved me – "Future dragon and
elephant of the Dharma, what questions do you have?" He dared to ask,
"Master, have you seen your true nature?" "Mm, I have seen my
nature." "Then, may I ask the Venerable Sir, what is seeing? What is
nature?" I replied, "That's an expert question from a layman's
perspective! Seeing&nbsp;</span></span><span class="s2"><span lang="EN-SG">is</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">&nbsp;nature, and nature&nbsp;</span></span><span class="s2"><span lang="EN-SG">is</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">&nbsp;seeing.
Without nature, there can be no seeing. How can the Dharma be dualistic?"
He seemed to grasp a little, understanding that splitting the Dharma into two
prevents entry into non-duality. Chan (Zen) is about direct apprehension.<br />
<!--[endif]--></span></span><span lang="EN-SG"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">"Then,
Master, how do you explain 'clarifying the mind and seeing the nature' (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">明心</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">见</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">性</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">)?" I
told him, "It means clarifying the True Suchness original mind (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">真如本心</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">) and seeing
the unborn, undying pure self-nature (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">清</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">净</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">自性</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">)." The
monk then asked again, "Master, so do you mean 'Mind is Buddha' (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">即心是佛</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">)?" I
said, "No. My meaning is 'Not Mind, not Buddha' (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">非心非佛</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">)." He
became increasingly confused. "So, it's 'Not Mind, not Buddha,' are you
sure?" I replied, "No. It is 'Mind is Buddha'." Now he was
completely lost. "Master, which one is it? Which one is it exactly?"</span></span></span></p><p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">I
explained, "Making a choice implies discrimination. Choosing 'Mind is
Buddha' is incorrect. Choosing 'Not Mind, not Buddha' is also incorrect. Yet,
choosing 'Mind is Buddha' is correct, and choosing 'Not mind, not Buddha' is
also correct." He felt like he was on a rollercoaster, completely spun
around. "Master, when do you say 'Mind is Buddha'?" "To
demonstrate that the Dharma is not nihilistic, to affirm that the True Suchness
original mind genuinely exists. At that time, we use 'Mind is Buddha'."
"Then Master, what does 'Not mind, not Buddha' mean?" "It means
you cannot be attached to the idea of a 'true mind.' The true mind is empty of
self-nature, hence 'not Mind.' Buddha has no sign; you cannot abide in signs.
The Tathagata is the Thusness of all dharmas. You cannot cling to Buddha as
something concrete; he is the signless Dharmakaya. Therefore, you also cannot
be attached, which is why we say 'Not Mind, not Buddha.' Because if you assert
'Mind is Buddha,' you become attached to the view that 'Mind' and 'Buddha'
truly exists. I say 'Not Mind, not Buddha' to tell you that both Mind and
Buddha are empty of inherent existence (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">心跟佛都空无自性</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">)."</span></span></span></p><p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">"Hmm,"
he said, "Master, I lived in a hut for ten years, and no one answered me
like this. I need to go back and really ponder this." I told him,
"Intellectual deliberation is useless. Great awakening and seeing the
nature require wielding the sword directly in battle; only then is it easily
seen." "Hmm... difficult. May I ask, Master, you often speak of 'all
dharmas are unborn' (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">一切法无生</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">). How do
you explain 'unborn' (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">无生</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">)?" I answered him,
"All dharmas arising is called non-birth (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">万法皆生名</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">为</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">无生</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">)."
"Master, I am asking about&nbsp;</span></span><span class="s2"><span lang="EN-SG">non</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">-birth!" "Yes," I
said, "I am answering your question. All dharmas arising&nbsp;</span></span><span class="s2"><span lang="EN-SG">is</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">&nbsp;called
non-birth." "Wow! Doesn't non-birth mean nothing exists at all?"
I responded, "Oh, monk, why do you cling to the heterodox views of
annihilationism and eternalism? Non-birth&nbsp;</span></span><span class="s2"><span lang="EN-SG">is</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">&nbsp;all dharmas arising. All
dharmas arising is precisely what I mean by true non-birth. You must understand
this clearly." "Wow... I need to go back and ponder this more."
I told him again, "Intellectual deliberation is useless. True liberation
comes from wielding the sword directly in battle; only then is it easily seen.
What need is there for questions and answers?"</span></span></span></p><p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">"May
I ask, Master, where will you go when you die?" I said, "That is your
delusion. Didn't I tell you all dharmas are unborn? If there is no birth, how
can there be such a thing as death? I've already told you about non-birth, yet
you still ask me where I will go when I die?" He still didn't get it.
"Master, do you mean you will go to the Pure Land after death?" I
replied, "From birth to death, you use terms of metabolic change. Before
birth and after death are also terms of metabolic change. You are consistently
using a mind of arising and ceasing (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">生</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">灭</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">的心</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">) to inquire
about the Tathagata's realm of non-arising and non-ceasing (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">不生不</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">灭</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">的境界</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">). How can
you possibly realize it?" "So Master, are you saying the mind&nbsp;</span></span><span class="s2"><span lang="EN-SG">is</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">&nbsp;the
Pure Land?" I said, "Yes." "Then aren't you going to the
Pure Land after death?" I countered, "What does the Pure Land look
like? On what road? Which street? What number? Tell me the address, and I'll
move there."</span></span><span lang="EN-SG"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">He had been ordained for ten years, yet with just a few simple replies from me, he couldn't grasp anything. How much more difficult would it be to realize the sacred path through a scattered and unfocused/leisurely and unhurried approach?​ As I said yesterday, even being ordained for twenty years doesn't guarantee possessing the Tathagata's right view. It's already clear how difficult it is to enter the Buddha's right view. I just turned him around a couple of times like that. Because he immediately latched onto "Mind is Buddha". I had to break his attachment with "Not Mind, not Buddha." Then he attached to "Not Mind, not Buddha." When he asked about "all dharmas are unborn," he clung to a nihilistic idea of non-birth. I answered him, "All dharmas arising is called non-birth." "Master, why do your answers always seem to contradict me?" I said, "To break your attachments!"</span></p><p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">Fundamentally,
dharma is non-dharma (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">法法本来就无法</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">). It only
becomes a 'dharma' (</span></span><span class="s2"><span lang="EN-SG">the definition of an entity
(dharma) in Buddhist teachings is something that bears characteristics</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">) because of
attachment to illusory appearances (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">假相</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">). Patriarchs, great masters, and
virtuous spiritual teachers have no choice but to use skillful means (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">善巧方便</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">) to untie
knots and relieve suffering.</span></span></span></p><p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">Okay,
this is a very real incident that happened to me. Let me tell you one more
thing: resolving the confusion in your mind, clarifying the mind and seeing the
nature – this is incredibly difficult. Just like this young man, ordained for
ten years, looking here and there, yet with just a couple of replies from me,
he couldn't find his way out. This tells everyone that spiritual practice is
truly not easy, truly not easy. Ah, attaining insight into one's nature is a
matter of real substance, "real guns and live ammunition" (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">真</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">枪实弹</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">); it's not
about cultivating a facade or decorating oneself with appearances. When
afflictions arise, such methods are useless. When life and death are imminent,
one is utterly lost. Now, throughout the twenty-four hours (</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">二六</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-GB">时钟</span></span><span class="s1"><span lang="EN-SG">), you must
penetrate through completely, lest you be frantic and confused when the end of
life approaches."</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-SG"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">This
realization of Mind (Mind is Buddha), the realization of No Mind, No Buddha,
and the realization of the non-arising of whatever dependently originates:
these insights expressed by Dharma Master Hui Lu are likewise expressed in Chan Master Huangbo’s teachings. Only apprehending Mind is Buddha is therefore at best a
partial understanding. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b><span lang="EN-SG"><span>2. My
dharma mentor John Tan on the Unobtainable</span></span></b><b>/Unfindable</b><b><span lang="EN-SG"><span>&nbsp;Mind (2014):</span></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;">"The purpose of
anatta&nbsp;<i>(i.e. the realization of No-Self)</i></span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">&nbsp;is to have full blown experience of the heart (Mind) -- boundlessly,
completely, non-dually and non-locally. Re-read what I wrote to Jax.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">In every situations,
in all conditions, in all events. It is to eliminate unnecessary contrivity so
that our essence can be expressed without obscuration.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Jax wants to point to
the heart but is unable to express in a non-dual way... for in duality, the
essence cannot be realized. All dualistic interpretations are mind made. You
know the smile of Mahākāśyapa? Can you touch the heart of that smile even 2500
yrs later?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span>One must lose all mind
and body by feeling with entire mind and body this essence which is <span lang="EN-GB">心</span> (Mind). Yet <span lang="EN-GB">心</span> (Mind) too is <span lang="EN-GB">不可得</span> (ungraspable/unobtainable</span>/unfindable).. The purpose is
not to deny <span lang="EN-GB">心</span> (Mind) but rather not to
place any limitations or duality so that <span lang="EN-GB">心</span> (Mind) can fully manifest.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span>Therefore without
understanding <span lang="EN-GB">缘</span> (conditions)<span lang="EN-GB">，</span>is to limit <span lang="EN-GB">心</span> (Mind). without understanding <span lang="EN-GB">缘</span> (conditions)<span lang="EN-GB">，</span>is to place limitation in its manifestations.
You must fully experience <span lang="EN-GB">心</span> (Mind)
by realizing <span lang="EN-GB">无心</span> (No-Mind) and fully
embrace the wisdom of <span lang="EN-GB">不可得</span>
(ungraspable/unobtainable</span>/unfindable)." - John Tan, 2014</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></p><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">

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</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-SG"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Title and Author Information</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">黄檗断际禅师传心法要</span>
(Essential Dharma of Mind Transmission by Chan Master Huangbo Duanji)&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Recorded
and Prefaced by:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">河东裴休</span> (Pei
Xiu of Hedong)<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> There was a great Chan Master,
whose Dharma name was Xiyun.¹ He resided below Vulture Peak on Mount Huangbo in
Gao'an County, Hongzhou. He was a direct descendant in the Dharma lineage of
the Sixth Patriarch of Caoxi² and a Dharma nephew of Baizhang of Xitang.³ He
alone bore the seal of the highest vehicle, detached from words, transmitting
only the One Mind, with no other dharma. The Mind-essence is also empty; the
myriad conditions are utterly quiescent. Like the great sun wheel ascending
into the vast sky, its brilliant light illuminates, pure without a speck of
dust. For those who realize it, there is no new or old, no shallow or deep. For
those who speak of it, they establish no interpretations, establish no
sectarian positions, open no doors or windows – it is directly thus. To stir a
thought is to deviate. Only then is it the fundamental Buddha. Therefore, his
words were simple, his principles direct, his Way steep, his practice solitary.
Disciples from the four directions gazed upon the mountain and hastened towards
it; beholding his appearance, they attained awakening. The ocean-like assembly
coming and going constantly numbered over a thousand. In the second year of the
Huichang era,⁴ when I was serving as Prefect of Zhongling,⁵ I invited him from
the mountain to the prefecture, where he stayed at Longxing Monastery. Day and
night, I inquired about the Way. In the second year of the Dazhong era,⁶ when I
was serving as Prefect of Wanling,⁷ I again went to pay respects and invited
him to my administrative region, where he resided peacefully at Kaiyuan
Monastery, receiving the Dharma day and night. After retiring, I recorded it,
obtaining perhaps one or two tenths. I cherish it as a mind-seal and have not
dared to promulgate it. Now, fearing that the profound and essential meaning
might not be heard in the future, I have brought it forth and transmitted it to
the monastic disciple Dazhou Fajian,⁸ sending him back to Guangtang Monastery
on the old mountain to inquire among the elders and the Dharma assembly whether
it aligns with or differs from what they personally heard in former days.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">有大禅师，法讳希运，住洪州高安县黄檗山鹫峰下，乃曹溪六祖之嫡孙，西堂百丈之法姪，独佩最上乘离文字之印，唯传一心，更无别法，心体亦空，万缘俱寂。如大日轮，升虚空中，光明照曜，净无纤埃。证之者，无新旧，无浅深；说之者，不立义解，不立宗主，不开户牖，直下便是，动念即乖，然后为本佛。故其言简，其理直，其道峻，其行孤。四方学徒，望山而趋，睹相而悟，往来海众，常千余人。予会昌二年廉于钟陵，自山迎至州憩龙兴寺，旦夕问道。大中二年，廉于宛陵，复去礼迎至所部，安居开元寺，旦夕受法。退而纪之，十得一二，佩为心印，不敢发扬。今恐入神精义不闻于未来，遂出之，授门下僧大舟法建，归旧山之广唐寺，问长老法众，与往日常所亲闻同异如何也。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b><span lang="ZH-CN">法讳希运</span>
     (f</b><b>ǎhu</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ì</span> X</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span>y</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ù</span>n):</b> Dharma name Xiyun (d. 850?). Huangbo is the
     mountain where he taught; Duanji ("cutting off the
     indeterminate") is a title.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b><span lang="ZH-CN">曹溪六祖</span>
     (Cáoxī Liùz</b><b>ǔ):</b>
     The Sixth Patriarch of Caoxi, Huineng (638–713), the most famous Chan
     Patriarch in China. Huangbo is considered a third-generation descendant.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b><span lang="ZH-CN">西堂百丈</span>
     (Xītáng B</b><b>ǎizh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">à</span>ng):</b> Baizhang Huaihai (720–814), a direct disciple of
     Mazu Daoyi and Huangbo's teacher. Xitang Zhizang (735-814) was a Dharma
     brother of Baizhang under Mazu. Huangbo studied under Baizhang. The text
     calls him a "Dharma nephew" (<span lang="ZH-CN">法姪</span>, fǎzh<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">í</span>) of
     Xitang and Baizhang, implying a lineage connection through Mazu.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b><span lang="ZH-CN">会昌二年</span>
     (Huìchāng èr nián):</b> The second year of the Huichang era of Emperor
     Wuzong of the Tang dynasty, corresponding to 842 CE. This period saw a
     major persecution of Buddhism.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b><span lang="ZH-CN">钟陵</span>
     (Zhōnglíng):</b> Present-day Nanchang in Jiangxi Province. Pei Xiu (<span lang="ZH-CN">裴休</span>,
     791–864) was a high-ranking scholar-official and a devout lay Buddhist.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b><span lang="ZH-CN">大中二年</span>
     (Dàzhōng èr nián):</b> The second year of the Dazhong era of Emperor
     Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty, corresponding to 848 CE.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b><span lang="ZH-CN">宛陵</span> (W</b><b>ǎnl</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">í</span>ng):</b> Present-day Xuancheng in Anhui Province.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b><span lang="ZH-CN">大舟法建</span>
     (Dàzhōu F</b><b>ǎji</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">à</span>n):</b> A monastic disciple under Pei Xiu.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Prefaced on the eighth day of
the eleventh month in the eleventh year of the Dazhong era of the Tang
Dynasty.⁹<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">唐大中十一年十一月初八日序</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b> 9. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">唐大中十一年</span> (Táng Dàzhōng shíyī nián):</b>
The eleventh year of the Dazhong era, corresponding to 857 CE.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Title</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Essential Dharma of Mind
Transmission by Chan Master Huangbo Duanji of Mount Huangbo<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">黄檗山断际禅师传心法要</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> The Master addressed [Pei] Xiu,
saying: "All Buddhas and all sentient beings are only the One Mind; there
is no other dharma. This Mind, since beginningless time, has never been born
and never perished. It is not green nor yellow; it has no form, no sign. It
does not belong to existence or non-existence; it is not reckoned as new or
old; it is not long or short, not large or small. It transcends all
limitations, names, words, traces, and dualistic opposites. This very essence
is it; to stir a thought is to deviate. It is like the vast emptiness, without
boundaries, immeasurable. Only this One Mind is Buddha. Buddha and sentient
beings are without any difference, but sentient beings are attached to signs
and seek outwardly. Seeking it, they turn further away and lose it. To use
Buddha to search for Buddha, to use mind to grasp mind – even spending kalpas
exhaustively, one can ultimately never attain it. They do not know that by
ceasing thoughts and forgetting conceptualizations, Buddha spontaneously
appears before them. This Mind is precisely Buddha; Buddha is precisely
sentient beings. When one is a sentient being, this Mind does not decrease;
when one is a Buddha, this Mind does not increase. Even the six perfections (pāramitās),
myriad practices, and merits numerous as the sands of the Ganges are
fundamentally complete within it, not requiring cultivation or addition. When
conditions arise, it functions; when conditions cease, it is quiescent. If you
do not decisively believe that this is Buddha and instead wish to engage in
practice attached to signs, seeking functional attainment, all this is deluded
thinking, contrary to the Way.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">师谓休曰：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">诸佛与一切众生，唯是一心，更无别法。此心无始以来，不曾生，不曾灭；不青不黄，无形无相；不属有无，不计新旧，非长非短，非大非小，超过一切限量、名言、踪迹、对待，当体便是，动念即乖，犹如虚空，无有边际，不可测度。唯此一心即是佛，佛与众生更无别异，但是众生着相外求，求之转失。使佛觅佛，将心捉心，穷劫尽形，终不能得。不知息念忘虑，佛自现前。此心即是佛，佛即是众生。为众生时此心不减，为诸佛时此心不添。乃至六度万行、河沙功德，本自具足，不假修添。遇缘即施，缘息即寂。若不决定信此是佛，而欲着相修行，以求功用，皆是妄想，与道相乖。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> "This Mind is precisely
Buddha; there is no other Buddha, nor any other mind. This Mind is bright and
pure, like the vast emptiness, without a single speck of form or sign. To raise
the mind or stir a thought is to deviate from the dharma-essence, which is to
be attached to signs. Since beginningless time, there have been no Buddhas
attached to signs. Cultivating the six perfections (pāramitās) and myriad practices, wishing
to attain Buddhahood, is sequential. Since beginningless time, there have been
no sequential Buddhas. Just awaken to the One Mind; there is not the slightest
dharma to be obtained – this is the true Buddha. Buddha and sentient beings are
the One Mind, without difference, like the vast emptiness, unadulterated and
indestructible. Like the great sun wheel illuminating the four continents: when
the sun rises, its light pervades the world, yet the vast emptiness has never
become bright; when the sun sets, darkness pervades the world, yet the vast
emptiness has never become dark. The realms of brightness and darkness
naturally supplant each other, but the nature of the vast emptiness remains
vast and unchanging. The Mind of Buddhas and sentient beings is also like this.
If you view the Buddha as having the sign of purity, radiance, and liberation,
and view sentient beings as having the sign of defilement, turbidity, darkness,
and birth-and-death – holding such views, even through kalpas numerous as the
sands of the Ganges, you will never attain Bodhi, because of attachment to
signs. Only this One Mind – not even a mote of dust-like dharma can be
obtained. Mind is precisely Buddha.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">此心即是佛，更无别佛，亦无别心。此心明净，犹如虚空，无一点相貌。举心动念，即乖法体，即为着相。无始以来，无着相佛。修六度万行，欲求成佛，即是次第。无始以来，无次第佛。但悟一心，更无少法可得，此即真佛。佛与众生，一心无异，犹如虚空，无杂无坏。如大日轮照四天下，日升之时，明遍天下，虚空不曾明；日没之时，暗遍天下，虚空不曾暗。明暗之境，自相陵夺，虚空之性，廓然不变，佛及众生，心亦如此。若观佛作清净光明、解脱之相，观众生作垢浊暗昧、生死之相，作此解者，历河沙劫，终不得菩提，为着相故。唯此一心，更无微尘许法可得，即心是佛。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> "Nowadays, people who study
the Way do not awaken to this Mind-essence. Instead, they give rise to mind
upon mind, seeking Buddha outwardly, attached to signs in their practice. These
are all wrong methods, not the path to Bodhi. Making offerings to the Buddhas
of the ten directions does not compare to making offerings to a single person
of the Way who is without mind.¹⁰ Why? Because one 'without mind' is without
any mind whatsoever. The body of Thusness [tathatā] is inwardly like wood or
stone, unmoving, unshaken; outwardly like the vast emptiness, unobstructed,
unimpeded. Without subject and object, without location, without form or sign,
without gain or loss. Those who hasten dare not enter this Dharma, fearing they
will fall into emptiness with no place to abide, and thus they retreat upon
seeing the cliff's edge. They invariably seek extensive knowledge and views.
Therefore, those who seek knowledge and views are as numerous as hairs, while
those who awaken to the Way are as rare as horns.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">如今学道人，不悟此心体，便于心上生心，向外求佛，着相修行，皆是恶法，非菩提道。供养十方诸佛，不如供养一个无心道人。何故？无心者，无一切心也。如如之体，内如木石，不动不摇；外如虚空，不塞不碍。无能所，无方所，无相貌，无得失。趋者不敢入此法，恐落空无栖泊处故，望崖而退，例皆广求知见。所以求知见者如毛，悟道者如角。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b> 10. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">无心道人</span> (wúxīn dàorén):</b> Literally
"person of the Way without mind." Refers to one who has realized the truth of No-Mind. No-Mind is n</span>ot a state of blankness, but realizing and actualizing the truth that Mind is empty of a substantial existence (No-Mind), similar to the truth of anātman (No-Self).</span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> "Mañjuśrī corresponds to
principle; Samantabhadra corresponds to practice. Principle is the principle of
true emptiness and non-obstruction. Practice is the practice of being detached
from signs and inexhaustible. Avalokiteśvara corresponds to great compassion;
Mahāsthāmaprāpta corresponds to great wisdom. Vimalakīrti is 'Pure Name'.¹¹
'Pure' is the nature; 'Name' is the sign. Nature and sign are not different,
hence the name 'Pure Name'. What the great Bodhisattvas represent, everyone
possesses. It is not separate from the One Mind; awakening to it is it.
Nowadays, students of the Way do not awaken within their own minds but instead
attach to signs and grasp at realms outside the mind; this is entirely contrary
to the Way. The sands of the Ganges River – the Buddha said they are sand. If
Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Śakra, Brahmā, and various devas were to walk upon it,
the sand feels no joy. If cattle, sheep, insects, and ants were to trample upon
it, the sand feels no anger. For precious jewels and fragrant incense, the sand
feels no greed. For feces, urine, and foul stenches, the sand feels no
aversion. This Mind is the mind of no-mind, detached from all signs. Sentient
beings and Buddhas are without any difference. Just be able to be without mind,
and that is the ultimate. If students of the Way do not directly arrive at
no-mind, even cultivating for accumulated kalpas, they will ultimately not
accomplish the Way, being bound by the meritorious practices of the Three
Vehicles, unable to attain liberation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">文殊当理，普贤当行。理者，真空无碍之理；行者，离相无尽之行。观音当大慈，势至当大智。维摩者，净名也。净者，性也；名者，相也。性相不异，故号净名。诸大菩萨所表者，人皆有之，不离一心，悟之即是。今学道人不向自心中悟，乃于心外着相取境，皆与道背。恒河沙者，佛说是沙，诸佛菩萨、释梵诸天步履而过，沙亦不喜；牛羊虫蚁践踏而行，沙亦不怒；珍宝馨香，沙亦不贪；粪尿臭秽，沙亦不恶。此心即无心之心，离一切相，众生诸佛，更无差别。但能无心，便是究竟。学道人若不直下无心，累劫修行，终不成道，被三乘功行拘系，不得解脱。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b> 11. <b>Vimalakīrti (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">维摩</span>):</b> The central figure of the
Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra, a lay bodhisattva known for his profound wisdom. His
name means "Undefiled Reputation" or "Pure Name" (<span lang="ZH-CN">净名</span>, Jìngmíng).<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> "However, realizing this
Mind occurs with varying speed. There are those who, upon hearing the Dharma,
instantly attain no-mind in a single thought. There are those who reach the Ten
Faiths, Ten Abodes, Ten Practices, and Ten Dedications before attaining
no-mind.¹² There are those who reach the Ten Bhūmis before attaining no-mind.¹³
Whether attained quickly or slowly, once no-mind is attained and one abides there, there is nothing further to cultivate or realize. Truly, there is nothing
obtained; this is real and not false. One who attains it in a single thought
and one who attains it after reaching the Ten Bhūmis – their functional
attainment is exactly equal, without any difference in depth. It is merely that
one has needlessly endured hardships through accumulated kalpas. Committing
evil or doing good are both attachments to signs. Attached to signs while
committing evil, one needlessly undergoes rebirth. Attached to signs while
doing good, one needlessly endures toil and suffering. Neither compares to instantly
recognizing and accepting the fundamental Dharma upon hearing the words.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">然证此心有迟疾，有闻法一念便得无心者，有至十信、十住、十行、十回向乃得无心者，有至十地乃得无心者。长短得无心乃住，更无可修可证，实无所得，真实不虚。一念而得与十地而得者，功用恰齐，更无深浅，只是历劫枉受辛勤耳。造恶造善，皆是着相。着相造恶，枉受轮回；着相造善，枉受劳苦，总不如言下便自认取本法。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b> 12. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">十信、十住、十行、十回向</span> (shíxìn, shízhù, shíxíng,
shíhuíxiàng):</b> The Forty Stages of the Bodhisattva path preceding the Bhūmis
according to certain Mahāyāna schemas (e.g., Huayan, Tiantai). 13. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">十地</span> (shídì):</b> The Ten Bhūmis, the
ten stages or grounds of realization on the Bodhisattva path to Buddhahood.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;"><b>English Translation:</b> "This Dharma <i>(Phenomenal World)</i> is precisely
Mind; outside of Mind, there is no Dharma </span><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;"><i>(Phenomenal World)</i></span><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;">. This Mind is precisely Dharma </span><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;"><i>(Phenomenal World)</i></span><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;">;
outside of Dharma </span><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;"><i>(Phenomenal World)</i></span><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;">, there is no Mind. Mind is already empty of Mind by itself; and there is no one who achieves 'no-mind'. Attempting to turn 'mind' into a state of 'no-mind' – mind instead
becomes (reified as) existent. Silent accord is all that is needed; it cuts off all
deliberation. Therefore, it is said: 'The path of words is cut off; the place
of mental activity is extinguished.'¹⁴ This Mind is the fundamentally pure
Buddha of the original source; everyone possesses it. Insentient beings and
sentient beings endowed with numinous awareness¹⁵ are one body with all Buddhas
and Bodhisattvas, without difference. It is only due to deluded thoughts and
discriminations that various kinds of karmic consequences are created. Upon the
fundamental Buddha, there is truly not a single thing – only vast openness,
quiescent stillness, luminous wonder, and peaceful bliss. Deeply awaken and
enter into it; directly, it is right here, perfectly complete, lacking nothing.
Even if one diligently cultivates for three asaṃkhyeya
kalpas,¹⁶ passing through all the stages, when one attains realization in a
single thought, one only realizes the original own Buddha. Nothing
further is added. Looking back at the efforts of accumulated kalpas, they were
all deluded actions within a dream. Therefore, the Tathāgata said: 'Regarding
Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi,
I have truly obtained nothing. If I had obtained anything, Dīpaṃkara Buddha would not have
given me the prediction [of future Buddhahood].'¹⁷ He also said: 'This Dharma
is equal, without high or low; this is called Bodhi.'¹⁸<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">此法即心，心外无法；此心即法，法外无心。心自无心，亦无无心者。将心无心，心却成有。默契而已，绝诸思议，故曰：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">言语道断，心行处灭。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">此心是本源清净佛，人皆有之。蠢动含灵与诸佛菩萨一体不异。只为妄想分别，造种种业果。本佛上实无一物，虚通寂静，明妙安乐而已。深自悟入，直下便是，圆满具足，更无所欠。纵使三祇精进修行，历诸地位，及一念证时，只证元来自佛，向上更不添得一物。却观历劫功用，总是梦中妄为。故如来云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">我于阿耨菩提，实无所得。若有所得，然灯佛则不与我授记。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">又云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">是法平等，无有高下，是名菩提。</span>’<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b> 14. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">言语道断，心行处灭</span> (yány</b><b>ǔ d</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">à</span>o du</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">à</span>n, x</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span>nx</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">í</span>ng ch</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ù</span> mi</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">è</span>):</b> A
common Chan expression pointing to the inadequacy of language and conceptual
thought to grasp ultimate truth. Often found in texts like the Vimalakīrti
Sūtra. 15. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">蠢动含灵</span> (ch</b><b>ǔnd</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ò</span>ng h</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">á</span>nl</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">í</span>ng):</b>
Literally "wriggling creatures possessing numinous awareness." A
classical term for all sentient beings, emphasizing their shared potential. 16.
<b><span lang="ZH-CN">三祇</span> (sān
qí):</b> Abbreviation for <span lang="ZH-CN">三阿僧祇劫</span>
(sān āsēngqí jié), three asaṃkhyeya
kalpas (incalculably long eons), the traditional timeframe for a Bodhisattva's
path. 17. <b>Reference to the Diamond Sūtra:</b> This paraphrases a passage
where the Buddha explains that his awakening under Dīpaṃkara Buddha involved realizing that no fixed
dharma called "Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi"
was actually attained. 18. <b>Reference to the Diamond Sūtra:</b> This also
paraphrases a passage emphasizing the equality and non-dual nature of Bodhi.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> "This very original source,
the pure Mind, is equal with sentient beings, all Buddhas, worlds, mountains,
rivers, the formed and the formless, pervading the ten directions – everything
is equal, without the sign of other or self. This original source, the pure
Mind, is constantly, spontaneously, perfectly luminous and universally
illuminating. Worldly people do not awaken to it; they only recognize seeing,
hearing, awareness, and cognition¹⁹ as the mind. Being covered by seeing,
hearing, awareness, and cognition, they therefore do not perceive the
essential, luminous fundamental essence. Just directly be without mind, and the
fundamental essence reveals itself. Like the great sun wheel ascending into the
vast sky, it illuminates the ten directions universally, without any
obstruction. Therefore, students of the Way merely recognize seeing, hearing,
awareness, and cognition, applying them in actions and movements. If seeing,
hearing, awareness, and cognition are emptied, the mind-path is cut off, with
no place to enter. Just recognize the fundamental Mind within the domain of
seeing, hearing, awareness, and cognition. However, the fundamental Mind does
not belong to seeing, hearing, awareness, and cognition, nor is it separate
from seeing, hearing, awareness, and cognition. Simply do not give rise to
views based on seeing, hearing, awareness, and cognition; nor stir thoughts
based on seeing, hearing, awareness, and cognition; nor seek the mind apart
from seeing, hearing, awareness, and cognition; nor abandon seeing, hearing,
awareness, and cognition to grasp some dharma. Neither identical nor separate,
neither abiding nor attached – vertically and horizontally at ease, everywhere
is the place of the Way [bodhimaṇḍa].<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">即此本源清净心，与众生诸佛、世界山河、有相无相、遍十方界，一切平等，无彼我相。此本源清净心，常自圆明遍照，世人不悟，只认见闻觉知为心，为见闻觉知所覆，所以不睹精明本体。但直下无心，本体自现。如大日轮升于虚空，遍照十方，更无障碍。故学道人唯认见闻觉知，施为动作，空却见闻觉知，即心路绝无入处。但于见闻觉知处认本心，然本心不属见闻觉知，亦不离见闻觉知。但莫于见闻觉知上起见解，亦莫于见闻觉知上动念，亦莫离见闻觉知觅心，亦莫舍见闻觉知取法。不即不离，不住不著，纵横自在，无非道场。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b> 19. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">见闻觉知</span> (jiàn wén jué zhī):</b> Seeing,
hearing, sensing (or feeling/awareness), and knowing (or cognition). Refers to
the functions of the sense faculties and consciousness. Huangbo warns against
mistaking these functions for the fundamental Mind itself.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> "Worldly people hear that
all Buddhas transmit the Mind-Dharma and assume there is some separate dharma
upon the mind that can be realized or attained. Consequently, they use mind to
seek Dharma. They do not know that Mind is precisely Dharma, and Dharma is
precisely Mind. One cannot use mind to seek mind again; through millions of
kalpas, the day of attainment will never arrive. It is better to be without
mind right now – that is the fundamental Dharma. It is like a strongman
confused about the jewel on his own forehead, seeking it outwardly, traveling
throughout the ten directions, ultimately unable to find it. When a wise person
points it out, he instantly sees his original jewel just as it was. Therefore,
students of the Way are confused about their own fundamental Mind, not
recognizing it as Buddha. Consequently, they seek outwardly, initiating
effortful practices, relying on sequential realization. Striving diligently
through kalpas, they never accomplish the Way.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span>It is better to be without mind
right now, decisively knowing that all dharmas are fundamentally non-existent,
and also unobtainable</span>/unfindable, without reliance, without abiding, without subject,
without object. Not stirring deluded thoughts, one realizes Bodhi. When the Way
is realized, one only realizes the fundamental Mind-Buddha. The efforts of
accumulated kalpas are entirely illusory cultivation. Just like when the
strongman found the jewel, he only found the jewel originally on his forehead;
it had nothing to do with the effort of seeking outwardly. Therefore, the
Buddha said: 'Regarding Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi,
I have truly obtained nothing.' Fearing that people would not believe, he cited
what is seen by the Five Eyes and spoken by the Five Tongues²⁰ – it is real and
not false, the truth of the ultimate meaning [paramārtha-satya].</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">世人闻道诸佛皆传心法，将谓心上别有一法可证可取，遂将心觅法。不知心即是法，法即是心。不可将心更求于心，历千万劫，终无得日。不如当下无心，便是本法。如力士迷额内珠，向外求觅，周行十方，终不能得。智者指之，当时自见本珠如故。故学道人迷自本心，不认为佛，遂向外求觅，起功用行，依次第证，历劫勤求，永不成道。不如当下无心，决定知一切法本无所有，亦无所得，无依无住，无能无所。不动妄念，便证菩提。及证道时，只证本心佛。历劫功用，并是虚修。如力士得珠时，只得本额珠，不关向外求觅之力。故佛言：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">我于阿耨菩提实无所得。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">恐人不信，故引五眼所见，五语所言，真实不虚，是第一义谛。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b> 20. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">五眼</span> (w</b><b>ǔ y</b><b>ǎn),
</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">五语</span> (w</b><b>ǔ y</b><b>ǔ):</b> The Five Eyes
(physical, divine, wisdom, dharma, Buddha eye) represent escalating levels of
perception. The reference to "Five Tongues" seems unusual; "Five
Eyes" is standard. It might be a textual variant or reference to the
Buddha's capacity to speak truthfully and effectively to all beings. It
emphasizes the Buddha's comprehensive insight and truthful speech.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> "Students of the Way, do
not mistakenly take the four great elements to be the body. The four great
elements are without self [anātman], and the self is also ownerless. Therefore,
know that this body is without self and also ownerless. Do not mistakenly take
the five aggregates [skandhas] to be the mind. The five aggregates are without
self and also ownerless. Therefore, know that this mind is without self and
also ownerless. The six sense bases [āyatanas], six sense objects [viṣayas],
and six consciousnesses [vijñānas] arise and cease through combination, and are
also thus. Since the eighteen realms [dhātus] are empty, everything is empty.
Only the fundamental Mind is vast and clear, pure. There is nourishment through
consciousness and nourishment through wisdom. The body of the four great
elements suffers from hunger and injury. Nourishing it accordingly without
giving rise to craving and attachment is called nourishment through wisdom.
Indulging the desires, seeking flavors, deludedly giving rise to discriminations,
only seeking what pleases the palate without generating aversion [to samsara],
is called nourishment through consciousness.²¹ Śrāvakas ('hearers') attain
awakening through sound, hence they are called Śrāvakas. But they do not
comprehend their own mind; they form interpretations based on teachings heard
through sound, or through supernormal powers, or auspicious signs, words, or
actions. Hearing of Bodhi and Nirvāṇa,
and cultivating for three asaṃkhyeya
kalpas to accomplish the Buddha Way – all belong to the Śrāvaka path; they are
called Śrāvaka-Buddhas. Only by directly and suddenly comprehending that one's
own mind is originally Buddha, that not a single dharma can be obtained, and
not a single practice needs to be cultivated – this is the unsurpassed Way,
this is the True Suchness [Tathatā] Buddha.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">学道人莫疑四大为身。四大无我，我亦无主。故知此身无我亦无主。五阴为心，五阴无我亦无主。故知此心无我亦无主。六根六尘六识，和合生灭，亦复如是。十八界既空，一切皆空，唯有本心荡然清净。有识食，有智食。四大之身，饥疮为患，随顺给养，不生贪着，谓之智食。恣情取味，妄生分别，惟求适口，不生厌离，谓之识食。声闻者，因声得悟，故谓之声闻。但不了自心，于声教上起解，或因神通，或因瑞相，言语运动，闻有菩提涅槃，三僧祇劫修成佛道，皆属声闻道，谓之声闻佛。唯直下顿了自心本来是佛，无一法可得，无一行可修，此是无上道，此是真如佛。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b> 21. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">识食</span> (shí shí), </b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">智食</span> (zhì shí):</b> Nourishment through
consciousness (clinging, discrimination) versus nourishment through wisdom
(mindful sustenance without attachment). This contrasts ordinary,
craving-driven consumption with the mindful approach of a practitioner.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> "Students of the Way need
only fear having a single thought; that immediately separates them from the
Way. Thought after thought without sign, thought after thought without action
[wu wei],²² that is Buddha. If students of the Way wish to attain Buddhahood,
they need not study any Buddhadharma at all; they only need to study
non-seeking and non-attachment. Non-seeking means the mind does not arise;
non-attachment means the mind does not perish. Not arising and not perishing is
Buddha. The eighty-four thousand Dharma gates are remedies for the eighty-four
thousand afflictions; they are merely gates for teaching, transforming, and
guiding beings. Fundamentally, there are no dharmas at all. Detachment itself
is the Dharma; one who knows detachment is the Buddha. Just detach from all
afflictions, and there is no dharma to be obtained.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">学道人只怕一念有，即与道隔矣。念念无相，念念无为，即是佛。学道人若欲得成佛，一切佛法总不用学，唯学无求无着。无求即心不生，无着即心不灭，不生不灭即是佛。八万四千法门，对八万四千烦恼，只是教化接引门。本无一切法，离即是法，知离者是佛。但离一切烦恼，是无法可得。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b> 22. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">无为</span> (wúwéi):</b> Here likely refers to
non-action in the sense of acting without attachment, effort, or dualistic
concepts, rather than complete inaction or the unconditioned state
specifically, though it resonates with the latter.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> "Students of the Way, if
you wish to know the essential key, just do not attach a single thing onto the
mind. It is said, 'The Buddha's true Dharma-body is just like the vast
emptiness.' This is using vast emptiness as an analogy for the Dharma-body;
vast emptiness is precisely the Dharma-body. Ordinary people say the
Dharma-body pervades the realm of vast emptiness, that vast emptiness contains
and accommodates the Dharma-body. They do not know that the Dharma-body is
precisely vast emptiness, and vast emptiness is precisely the Dharma-body. If
you definitively say there is vast emptiness, then vast emptiness is not the
Dharma-body. If you definitively say there is a Dharma-body, then the
Dharma-body is not vast emptiness. Just do not form an understanding of 'vast
emptiness' – vast emptiness is precisely the Dharma-body. Do not form an
understanding of 'Dharma-body' – the Dharma-body is precisely vast emptiness.
Vast emptiness and the Dharma-body have no differing signs. Buddha and sentient
beings have no differing signs. Birth-and-death and Nirvāṇa have no differing signs.
Afflictions and Bodhi have no differing signs. Being detached from all signs is
precisely Buddha. Ordinary people grasp at realms [objects]; people of the Way
grasp at mind. When both mind and realms are forgotten, that is the true
Dharma. Forgetting realms is still easy; forgetting mind is extremely
difficult. People dare not forget mind, fearing they will fall into emptiness
with nothing to grasp onto. They do not know that emptiness is fundamentally
not empty; there is only the one true Dharma-realm.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">学道人若欲得知要诀，但莫于心上着一物。言</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">佛真法身犹若虚空</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">，此是喻法身即虚空，虚空即法身。常人谓法身遍虚空处，虚空中含容法身。不知法身即虚空，虚空即法身也。若定言有虚空，虚空不是法身；若定言有法身，法身不是虚空。但莫作虚空解，虚空即法身；莫作法身解，法身即虚空。虚空与法身无异相，佛与众生无异相，生死与涅槃无异相，烦恼与菩提无异相，离一切相即是佛。凡夫取境，道人取心；心境双忘，乃是真法。忘境犹易，忘心至难。人不敢忘心，恐落空无捞摸处，不知空本无空，唯一真法界耳。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> "This numinous nature of
awareness (<span lang="ZH-CN">覺性</span>), since
beginningless time, has the same lifespan as vast emptiness. It has never been
born, never perished; never existed, never not existed; never been defiled,
never been pure; never been noisy, never been silent; never been young, never
been old. It has no location, no inside or outside; no quantity, no form or
shape; no color or appearance, no sound or voice. It cannot be sought, cannot
be pursued; it cannot be known by wisdom; it cannot be grasped by words; it cannot
be met through objective things; it cannot be reached by meritorious effort.
All Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and all sentient beings endowed with numinous
awareness share this great Nirvāṇa-nature.
Nature is precisely Mind; Mind is precisely Buddha; Buddha is precisely Dharma.
A single thought departing from the true is entirely deluded thinking. One
cannot use mind to seek mind again; one cannot use Buddha to seek Buddha again;
one cannot use Dharma to seek Dharma again.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Therefore, students of the Way
directly attain no-mind; silent accord is all. To intend with the mind is to
err. Transmitting mind with mind – this is the right view. Be cautious not to
pursue external realms. Recognizing realms as mind is like recognizing a thief
as your son. Because there is greed, anger, and delusion, precepts,
concentration, and wisdom are established. Fundamentally, there are no
afflictions; how could there be Bodhi? Therefore, the Patriarchal Master said:
'The Buddha spoke all dharmas to eliminate all minds. If I have no mind at all,
what use are all dharmas?'²³ Upon the fundamentally pure Buddha of the original
source, not a single thing is attached. For example, the vast emptiness, though
adorned with immeasurable precious jewels, ultimately cannot hold them. The
Buddha-nature is like the vast emptiness; though adorned with immeasurable
merits and wisdom, ultimately it cannot hold them. It is only due to being
confused about the fundamental nature that one fails to see it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">此灵觉性，无始以来，与虚空同寿，未曾生、未曾灭，未曾有、未曾无，未曾秽、未曾净，未曾喧、未曾寂，未曾少、未曾老，无方所、无内外，无数量、无形相，无色像、无音声，不可觅、不可求，不可以智慧识，不可以言语取，不可以境物会，不可以功用到。诸佛菩萨与一切蠢动含灵，同此大涅槃性。性即是心，心即是佛，佛即是法。一念离真，皆为妄想。不可以心更求于心，不可以佛更求于佛，不可以法更求于法。故学道人直下无心，默契而已。拟心即差。以心传心，此为正见，慎勿向外逐境。认境为心，是认贼为子。为有贪嗔痴，即立戒定慧。本无烦恼，焉有菩提？故祖师云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">佛说一切法，为除一切心。我无一切心，何用一切法？</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">本源清净佛上，更不着一物。譬如虚空，虽以无量珍宝庄严，终不能住。佛性同虚空，虽以无量功德智慧庄严，终不能住。但迷本性，转不见耳。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b> 23. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">祖师云</span>... (Z</b><b>ǔsh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span> y</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ú</span>n...):</b> This saying is often
attributed to Bodhidharma, the First Patriarch of Chan in China.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span><b>English Translation:&nbsp;</b><o:p></o:p></span>The so-called ‘method of the mind-ground’—the gateway of the Dharma—is that all phenomena arise depending on this very mind. When circumstances appear, they are manifest; when no circumstance presents itself, there is no manifestation. One should not reinterpret one’s own pure nature as if it were a basis for grasping external forms. The terms ‘tranquility and wisdom,’ ‘discernment in operation,’ ‘quietude and alertness,’ and ‘the faculties of seeing, hearing, and knowing’ are nothing more than provisional explanations placed upon phenomena—teaching devices suited for those of middling or lesser capacities. If one truly wishes to experience the truth directly, one must not cling to such conceptual views; all that arises is simply condition. The Dharma exists (manifests) where it vanishes, and it vanishes where it exists (manifests). Yet with regard to every single phenomenon, if one refrains from adopting any view of “existence” or “nonexistence,” one directly perceives the Dharma itself.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">所谓心地法门，万法皆依此心建立。遇境即有，无境即无，不可于净性上转作境解。所言定慧、鉴用历历、寂寂惺惺、见闻觉知，皆是境上作解，暂为中下根人说即得。若欲亲证，皆不可作如此见解，尽是境。法有没处，没于有地。但于一切法，不作有无见，即见法也。</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> On the first day of the ninth
month, the Master addressed Xiu, saying: "Since Master Bodhidharma arrived
in China, he only spoke of the One Mind, only transmitted the One Dharma.
Transmitting Buddha with Buddha, speaking of no other Buddha; transmitting
Dharma with Dharma, speaking of no other Dharma. The Dharma is the Dharma that
cannot be spoken; the Buddha is the Buddha that cannot be grasped. This is the
fundamentally pure Mind of the original source. Only this one matter is real;
the other two [vehicles] are not true. Prajñā is wisdom; this wisdom is the
signless fundamental Mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">九月一日，师谓休曰：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">自达摩大师到中国，唯说一心，唯传一法。以佛传佛，不说余佛；以法传法，不说余法。法即不可说之法，佛即不可取之佛，乃是本源清净心也。唯此一事实，余二则非真。般若为慧，此慧即无相本心也。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> "Ordinary people do not
proceed towards the Way; they only indulge the six passions, thus
transmigrating through the six paths. Students of the Way, if in one thought
they calculate about birth and death, they fall into the way of māras [demons].
If in one thought they give rise to various views, they fall into the way of
outsiders [non-Buddhists]. Seeing arising and heading towards its extinction,
they fall into the Śrāvaka way. Not seeing arising, only seeing extinction,
they fall into the Pratyekabuddha way. Dharma fundamentally does not arise, and
now is also without extinction; not giving rise to the two views [of arising
and extinction], neither disgusted nor joyful – all dharmas are only the One
Mind. Only then is it the Buddha Vehicle.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">凡夫不趣道，唯恣六情，乃行六道。学道人一念计生死，即落魔道；一念起诸见，即落外道；见有生，趣其灭，即落声闻道；不见有生，唯见有灭，即落缘觉道；法本不生，今亦无灭，不起二见，不厌不欣，一切诸法，唯是一心，然后乃为佛乘也。</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b>&nbsp;In Mahayana Buddhism, particularly emphasized in Madhyamaka philosophy, whatever arises dependently on causes and conditions necessarily lacks inherent existence or self-nature (svabhāva). Because phenomena are devoid of such an independent essence, they cannot be said to truly or substantially arise from a state of non-being or cease into non-being in an ultimate sense. Their appearance and disappearance are conventionally observed but ultimately understood as illusory, like a dream or reflection—unborn (anutpanna) and unceasing. Like a reflection appearing in a mirror when conditions are met, or an echo resulting from sound waves, phenomena appear contingently but without any substantial entity actually being created or born. From the ultimate perspective (paramārtha-satya), reality is characterized by non-arising, non-ceasing, non-permanence, non-annihilation, non-coming, and non-going. This realization is central to Mahayana liberation, as it cuts the root of clinging to phenomena as truly existent.<br /><br />This view differs significantly from those associated with certain Śrāvakayāna schools, such as the Sarvāstivāda, which analyzed reality by deconstructing and dissolving the illusion of a Self (ātman) in favor of the truth of No-Self (anātman). These schools maintained that reality is composed of constituent dharmas—each possessing only a momentary existence or a specific essence—that genuinely undergo processes of arising, abiding, and ceasing, even while being dependently conditioned. In contrast, the Mahāyāna critique emphasizes the ultimate śūnyatā (emptiness) and asserts the non-arising nature of even these constituent dharmas. <br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana states:<br /><br />“Regarding the view of ‘substantial existence of dharmas and of a self,’ the Buddha taught only the emptiness of a self for the dull‑rooted of the two vehicles. Because that teaching was not ultimate, they still regard the five aggregates as arising and ceasing and are afraid of birth and death, clinging foolishly to nirvana. How to counter that? Because the self‑nature of the five aggregates is not born, there can be no extinction. They have been in nirvana from the start.”</span><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span lang="ZH-CN"></span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span><b>English Translation:</b> "Ordinary people all pursue
realms [objects], giving rise to mind, and the mind then develops liking and
aversion. If you wish for no realms, you must forget the mind. When the mind is
forgotten, realms are empty; when realms are empty, the mind is extinguished.
If you do not forget the mind, but merely try to eliminate realms, realms
cannot be eliminated, only increasing confusion. Therefore, the myriad dharmas
are Mind-only. Mind is also&nbsp;</span><span>unobtainable</span>/unfindable; what else is there to seek? People
who study Prajñā see not a single dharma that can be obtained. They cut off
intentions regarding the Three Vehicles. There is only the One Reality, which
cannot be realized or obtained. Those who say 'I can realize, I can obtain' are
all people of arrogant conceit [adhimāna]. Those who brushed off their robes
and left the assembly in the Lotus Sūtra²⁴ were all such types. Therefore, the
Buddha said: 'Regarding Bodhi, I have truly obtained nothing.' Silent accord is
all.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">凡夫皆逐境生心，心遂欣厌。若欲无境，当忘其心。心忘即境空，境空即心灭。若不忘心，而但除境，境不可除，只益纷扰。故万法唯心，心亦不可得，复何求哉？学般若人，不见有一法可得，绝意三乘，唯一真实，不可证得。谓我能证能得，皆增上慢人。法华会上拂衣而去者，皆斯徒也。故佛言：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">我于菩提实无所得</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">，默契而已。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b> 24. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">法华会上拂衣而去者</span> (F</b><b>ǎhu</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">á</span> hu</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ì</span> sh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">à</span>ng f</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ú</span> y</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span> </b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">é</span>r q</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ù</span> zh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ě</span>):</b> Refers to the incident in the
Lotus Sūtra (Chapter 2, "Expedient Means") where five thousand
arrogant monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen leave the assembly when the Buddha
prepares to reveal the ultimate truth of the One Vehicle, believing they have
already attained enough.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> "When ordinary people are
near the time of death, they should just contemplate the five aggregates as
empty, the four great elements as without self, and the true Mind as signless,
neither going nor coming. At the time of birth, the nature also does not come;
at the time of death, the nature also does not go. It is serene, perfectly
quiescent, mind and realm as one. If one can just directly comprehend this in
this way, one is not bound by the three times [past, present, future] and is
truly a world-transcending person. Absolutely do not have the slightest
inclination [towards anywhere]. If you see auspicious signs of Buddhas coming
to welcome you or various phenomena appearing, have no mind to follow them. If
you see fearsome signs or various phenomena appearing, have no mind of fear.
Just forget your own mind, becoming identical with the Dharma-realm, and you
will attain freedom. This is the essential point."<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">凡人临欲终时，但观五蕴皆空，四大无我，真心无相，不去不来。生时性亦不来，死时性亦不去，湛然圆寂，心境一如。但能如是直下顿了，不为三世所拘系，便是出世人也。切不得有分毫趣向，若见善相诸佛来迎及种种现前，亦无心随去。若见恶相种种现前，亦无心怖畏。但自忘心，同于法界，便得自在，此即是要节也。</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> On the eighth day of the tenth
month, the Master addressed Xiu, saying: "Speaking of the 'phantom city' [<span lang="ZH-CN">化城</span>],²⁵ the Two Vehicles, as well as
the Ten Bhūmis, Equal Awakening, and Wondrous Awakening,²⁶ are all provisional
teachings established to guide beings; they are all phantom cities. Speaking of
the 'jeweled place' [<span lang="ZH-CN">宝所</span>], it
refers to the jewel of the true Mind, the fundamental Buddha-nature. This jewel
does not belong to emotional calculation; it cannot be established. There is no
Buddha, no sentient beings, no subject, no object – where is there a city? If
asked, 'Since this is a phantom city, where is the jeweled place?' The jeweled
place cannot be pointed to. If pointed to, it has location and is not the true
jeweled place. Therefore, it is said to be 'nearby'. Being 'nearby' cannot be
quantitatively stated. One must just experience it; accord with it is it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">十月八日，师谓休曰：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">言化城者，二乘及十地、等觉、妙觉，皆是权立接引之教，并为化城。言宝所者，乃真心本佛自性之宝。此宝不属情量，不可建立。无佛无众生，无能无所，何处有城？若问此既是化城，何处为宝所？宝所不可指，指即有方所，非真宝所也，故云在近而已。在近者，不可定量言之。但当体会，契之即是。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b> 25. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">化城</span> (huàchéng):</b> Phantom city, from
the parable in the Lotus Sūtra (Chapter 7). A guide conjures up a resting place
(phantom city) for weary travelers halfway to their destination (the jeweled
place, symbolizing Nirvāṇa
or Buddhahood) to encourage them to continue. It represents provisional
teachings or attainments. 26. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">十地、等觉、妙觉</span>
(shídì, děngjué, miàojué):</b> Ten Bhūmis, Equal Awakening (Samyaññāṇa, 51st Bodhisattva stage),
and Wondrous Awakening (Sarvajñāṇa,
52nd stage, Buddhahood) according to the Tiantai/Huayan Bodhisattva path
schema. Huangbo considers even these high stages as provisional relative to the
direct realization of the One Mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> "Speaking of 'icchantika' [<span lang="ZH-CN">闡提</span>],²⁷ it means lacking faith. All
sentient beings of the six paths, even up to the Two Vehicles, who do not
believe in the fruition of Buddhahood, are all called icchantikas with severed
good roots. Bodhisattvas deeply believe in the Buddha Dharma, seeing no
Mahāyāna or Hīnayāna, seeing Buddha and sentient beings as having the same
Dharma-nature – they are called icchantikas of good roots.²⁸ Generally, those
who awaken through hearing teachings are called Śrāvakas ('hearers'). Those who
awaken through contemplating dependent origination [pratītyasamutpāda] are
called Pratyekabuddhas ('solitary realizers'). If one does not awaken within
one's own mind, even if one reaches Buddhahood, one is still called a
Śrāvaka-Buddha. Most students of the Way awaken based on doctrinal teachings,
not based on the Mind-Dharma. Even cultivating through accumulated kalpas, they
are ultimately not the fundamental Buddha. If one does not awaken in the Mind,
but rather awakens based on doctrinal teachings, one slights the Mind and
emphasizes the teachings, consequently becoming one who chases after clumps [of
earth, mistaking them for gold], forgetting the fundamental Mind. Therefore,
just accord with the fundamental Mind; there is no need to seek Dharma – Mind
is precisely Dharma.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">言阐提者，信不具也。一切六道众生，乃至二乘，不信有佛果，皆谓之断善根阐提。菩萨者，深信有佛法，不见有大乘小乘，佛与众生同一法性，乃谓之善根阐提。大抵因声教而悟者谓之声闻，观因缘而悟者谓之缘觉。若不向自心中悟，虽至成佛，亦谓之声闻佛。学道人多于教法上悟，不于心法上悟，虽历劫修行，终不是本佛。若不于心悟，乃至于教法上悟，即轻心重教，遂成逐块，忘于本心。故但契本心，不用求法，心即法也。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b> 27. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">阐提</span> (ch</b><b>ǎnt</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">í</span>):</b>
Icchantika. Originally meaning those deemed incapable of attaining Buddhahood
due to lack of faith or grave misdeeds. Mahāyāna texts later reinterpreted it,
suggesting even icchantikas possess Buddha-nature. 28. <b><span lang="ZH-CN">善根阐提</span> (shàngēn ch</b><b>ǎnt</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">í</span>):</b> Icchantika of good roots. This seems to be Huangbo's
specific terminology, possibly referring to Bodhisattvas who, despite having
deep faith (good roots), might still be considered 'cut off' (icchantika) from
the ultimate direct realization if they cling to concepts of Mahāyāna/Hīnayāna
or differences, rather than directly realizing the unified Dharma-nature. It
highlights the subtlety required for true awakening beyond conceptual
frameworks.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> "Ordinary people are often
obstructed in mind by realms [objects], and obstructed in principle by affairs.
They constantly wish to escape realms to pacify the mind, to screen out affairs
to preserve principle. They do not know that it is mind that obstructs realms,
and principle that obstructs affairs. Just let the mind be empty, and realms
will naturally be empty. Just let principle be quiescent, and affairs will
naturally be quiescent. Do not use the mind in reverse.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Ordinary people are
often unwilling to empty the mind, fearing they will fall into emptiness. They
do not know that their own mind is fundamentally empty. The foolish eliminate
affairs but not mind; the wise eliminate mind but not affairs. The
Bodhisattva's mind is like the vast emptiness, relinquishing everything. The
merits and virtues accrued are all without craving or attachment. However,
relinquishing has three grades: First, relinquishing everything, internal and
external, body and mind, like the vast emptiness, without any grasping or attachment,
then responding to situations according to circumstances, forgetting both
subject and object – this is great relinquishing.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span>Second, if one practices the
Way and spreads virtue on one hand, while immediately relinquishing on the
other, without any expectant mind – this is medium relinquishing. Third, if one
extensively cultivates various good deeds with hope [for reward], then hears
the Dharma and knows emptiness, consequently becoming unattached – this is
small relinquishing. Great relinquishing is like a candle flame right in front,
with no confusion or awakening. Medium relinquishing is like a candle flame to
the side, sometimes bright, sometimes dark. Small relinquishing is like a
candle flame behind, unable to see pitfalls and wells. Therefore, the
Bodhisattva's mind is like the vast emptiness, relinquishing everything. Past
mind is </span><span>unobtainable</span>/unfindable&nbsp;<span>– that is past relinquishing. Present mind is </span><span></span><span>unobtainable</span>/unfindable&nbsp;<span>– that is present relinquishing. Future mind is </span><span></span><span>unobtainable</span>/unfindable&nbsp;– that is future
relinquishing. This is called relinquishing the three times simultaneously.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">凡人多为境碍心、事碍理，常欲逃境以安心，屏事以存理，不知乃是心碍境、理碍事。但令心空境自空，但令理寂事自寂，勿倒用心也。凡人多不肯空心，恐落于空，不知自心本空。愚人除事不除心，智者除心不除事。菩萨心如虚空，一切俱舍，所作福德，皆不贪着。然舍有三等：内外身心一切俱舍，犹如虚空，无所取着，然后随方应物，能所皆忘，是为大舍；若一边行道布德，一边旋舍，无希望心，是为中舍；若广修众善，有所希望，闻法知空，遂乃不着，是为小舍。大舍如火烛在前，更无迷悟。中舍如火烛在旁，或明或暗。小舍如火烛在后，不见坑井。故菩萨心如虚空，一切俱舍。过去心不可得，是过去舍；现在心不可得，是现在舍；未来心不可得，是未来舍；所谓三世俱舍。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: medium; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b><span> “Ever since the Tathāgata
transmitted the Dharma to Kāśyapa, mind has sealed mind, and these minds have
been identical. If the seal is impressed upon emptiness, it leaves no
impression [lit., does not form characters]; if impressed upon things, it does
not constitute the Dharma [lit., does not form the dharma/method]. Therefore,
mind seals mind, and these minds are identical. Both the sealer and the sealed
are difficult to truly match and meet, hence, those who attain it are few.
However, mind is no-mind, and attainment is no-attainment.</span></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b>
“<span lang="ZH-CN">自如来付法迦叶以来，以心印心，心心不异。印着空，即印不成文；印着物，即印不成法。故以心印心，心心不异。能印所印，俱难契会，故得者少。然心即无心，得即无得。</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l32 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Mind
     seals mind (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">以心印心</span>,
     xīn yìn xīn):</b> Refers to the direct transmission of awakening from
     master to disciple in Chan, beyond words and scriptures, signifying a
     direct experiential recognition of the nature of mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l32 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Identical
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">不异</span>,
     bù yì):</b> Lit. "not different." Signifies the unchanging,
     non-dual nature of the mind transmitted.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l32 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>No-mind
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无心</span>,
     wúxīn):</b> Not a state of blankness, but realizing and actualizing the truth that Mind is empty of a substantial existence (No-Mind), similar to the truth of anātman (No-Self).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l32 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>No-attainment
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无得</span>,
     wú dé):</b> Since the fundamental nature is already complete, there is
     nothing external to attain. Awakening is the realization of this nature, not the acquisition of something new. Furthermore, Mind is empty of Mind, it is by nature not something obtainable or graspable.</span></li>
</ul>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> “The Buddha has three bodies:
the Dharma-body preaches the Dharma of the self-nature's unimpeded pervasion;
the Reward-body preaches the Dharma of all purity; the Transformation-body
preaches the Dharma of the six perfections and myriad practices. The Dharma
preached by the Dharma-body cannot be sought through speech, sound, form, or
writing. There is nothing spoken, nothing attested to—only the self-nature's
unimpeded pervasion. Therefore, it is said: ‘No Dharma can be spoken; that is
called preaching the Dharma.’ The Reward-body and Transformation-body both
appear in response to circumstances and capacities; the Dharma they preach also
adapts to events and faculties for the purpose of gathering and transforming
beings; all these are not the true Dharma. Therefore, it is said: ‘The Reward
and Transformation bodies are not the true Buddha, nor are they the preachers
of the Dharma.’”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">佛有三身，法身说自性虚通法，报身说一切清净法，化身说六度万行法。法身说法，不可以言语、音声、形相、文字而求。无所说，无所证，自性虚通而已。故曰：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">无法可说，是名说法。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">报身、化身皆随机感现，所说法亦随事应根以为摄化，皆非真法。故曰：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">报化非真佛，亦非说法者。</span>’”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l44 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Three
     bodies (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">三身</span>,
     sān shēn):</b> The Trikāya doctrine in Mahayana Buddhism: Dharmakāya (<span lang="ZH-CN">法身</span>,
     Dharma-body: ultimate truth itself), Sambhogakāya (<span lang="ZH-CN">报身</span>,
     Reward-body: body of enjoyment, appearing to advanced Bodhisattvas), and
     Nirmāṇakāya (<span lang="ZH-CN">化身</span>,
     Transformation-body: manifested body, appearing in the world, like
     Śākyamuni Buddha).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l44 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Self-nature's
     unimpeded pervasion (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">自性虚通</span>,
     zìxìng xūtōng):</b> Describes the nature of the Dharmakāya – empty, and freely interpenetrating all phenomena without obstruction.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l44 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Six
     perfections (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">六度</span>,
     liù dù):</b> Pāramitās: generosity, ethical discipline, patience,
     diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l44 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Myriad
     practices (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">万行</span>,
     wàn xíng):</b> The countless skillful means and practices undertaken by
     Bodhisattvas.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l44 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>True
     Dharma (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">真法</span>,
     zhēn f</b><b>ǎ) /
     True Buddha (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">真佛</span>,
     zhēn fó):</b> Refers to the ultimate truth (Dharmakāya) as opposed to
     conventional or provisional teachings and appearances (Sambhogakāya and
     Nirmāṇakāya).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> “What is meant by ‘The same
single essential brightness is divided into the six unions’? The ‘one essential
brightness’ is the one mind; the ‘six unions’ are the six sense faculties.
These six faculties each unite with their corresponding sense objects: eye
unites with form, ear with sound, nose with smell, tongue with taste, body with
touch, and mind-consciousness [<span lang="ZH-CN">意</span>]
with mental objects [<span lang="ZH-CN">法</span>]. In
between, the six consciousnesses arise, forming the eighteen realms. If one
understands that the eighteen realms are without any existence, one binds the
six unions into the one essential brightness. The one essential brightness is
precisely the mind. Practitioners of the Way all know this, but they cannot
avoid making the interpretation of ‘one essential brightness, six unions,’ and
are consequently bound by the Dharma, failing to accord with the original mind.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">所言</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">同是一精明，分为六和合。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">一精明者，一心也；六和合者，六根也。此六根各与尘合，眼与色合，耳与声合，鼻与香合，舌与味合，身与触合，意与法合，中间生六识，为十八界。若了十八界无所有，束六和合为一精明，一精明者即心也。学道人皆知此，但不能免，作</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">一精明六和合</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">解，遂被法缚，不契本心。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l55 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>One
     essential brightness (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">一精明</span>,
     yī jīngmíng):</b> Refers to the fundamental, luminous nature of Mind. This
     phrase originates from the <i>Śūra</i><i>ṅgama
     Sūtra</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l55 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Six
     unions (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">六和合</span>,
     liù héhé):</b> The coming together of the six sense faculties (<span lang="ZH-CN">六根</span>,
     liù gēn: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind-consciousness) and their
     corresponding six sense objects (<span lang="ZH-CN">六尘</span>,
     liù chén: form, sound, smell, taste, touch, mental objects).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l55 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Six
     consciousnesses (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">六识</span>,
     liù shí):</b> The consciousnesses arising from the contact between sense
     faculty and sense object (eye-consciousness, ear-consciousness, etc.).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l55 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Eighteen
     realms (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">十八界</span>,
     shíbā jiè):</b> The collective term for the six sense faculties, six sense
     objects, and six consciousnesses.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l55 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Bound
     by the Dharma (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">被法缚</span>,
     bèi f</b><b>ǎ f</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ù</span>):</b> Bound by conceptual understanding or attachment to
     doctrinal formulations, even correct ones, thus obstructing direct
     realization of the mind itself.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l55 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original
     mind (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">本心</span>,
     běnxīn):</b> The fundamental mind, which is the true nature or
     Buddha-nature.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> “When the Tathāgata appeared in
the world, he wished to preach the true Dharma of the One Vehicle, but sentient
beings would not believe, would give rise to slander, and would sink into the
sea of suffering. If he did not preach at all, he would fall into miserliness
and greed, not universally bestowing the wondrous Way upon sentient beings.
Consequently, he devised skillful means, teaching that there are Three
Vehicles. The vehicles have great and small, and the attainments have shallow
and deep; none are the fundamental Dharma. Therefore, it is said: ‘There is
only the Way of the One Vehicle; the other two are not true.’ However, this
still could not reveal the Dharma of the One Mind. Therefore, he summoned
Kāśyapa to share the Dharma seat and separately transmitted the One Mind, a
Dharma preached apart from words. This one branch [of teaching] caused the
Dharma to be practiced separately. If one can accord with and awaken to it, one
immediately reaches the stage of Buddhahood.”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">如来现世，欲说一乘真法，则众生不信兴谤，没于苦海。若都不说，则堕悭贪，不为众生溥舍妙道。遂设方便，说有三乘。乘有大小，得有浅深，皆非本法。故云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">唯有一乘道，余二则非真。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">然终未能显一心法，故召迦叶同法座，别付一心，离言说法。此一枝法令别行，若能契悟者，便至佛地矣。</span>”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l57 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>One
     Vehicle (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">一乘</span>,
     yī shèng):</b> Ekayāna. The single vehicle that leads all beings to
     Buddhahood, representing the ultimate teaching of Mahayana Buddhism,
     contrasted with the Three Vehicles.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l57 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Three
     Vehicles (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">三乘</span>,
     sān shèng):</b> Triyāna. The vehicles of the Śrāvakas (voice-hearers),
     Pratyekabuddhas (solitary realizers), and Bodhisattvas, traditionally seen
     as provisional teachings leading towards the ultimate One Vehicle.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l57 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Fundamental
     Dharma (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">本法</span>,
     běn f</b><b>ǎ):</b>
     The original, ultimate teaching, identified here as the Dharma of the One
     Mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l57 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>True
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">真</span>,
     zhēn):</b> Used here again to contrast the provisional teachings with the
     ultimate truth.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l57 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Dharma
     of the One Mind (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">一心法</span>,
     yīxīn f</b><b>ǎ):</b>
     The teaching pointing directly to the One Mind as the essence
     of everything and the basis of awakening.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l57 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Separately
     transmitted (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">别付</span>,
     bié fù):</b> Refers to the Chan lineage's claim of a special transmission
     outside the scriptures, initiated by the Buddha transmitting the essence
     to Kāśyapa.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l57 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Accord
     with and awaken to (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">契悟</span>,
     qì wù):</b> To realize directly and experientially, aligning one's
     understanding with the reality itself.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l57 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Stage
     of Buddhahood (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">佛地</span>,
     fó dì):</b> The state or level of a fully awakened Buddha.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “What is the Way? How
does one cultivate it?” The Master said: “What thing is the Way, that you wish
to cultivate it?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如何是道？如何修行？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">道是何物，汝欲修行？</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l17 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">This
     exchange exemplifies the Chan method of challenging the questioner's
     underlying assumptions. The Master questions the idea of the Way (<span lang="ZH-CN">道</span>,
     Dào) as an external object to be cultivated, pointing back towards one's nature.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “Masters of the
various schools everywhere inherit the tradition of practicing Chan and
studying the Way. How about this?” The Master said: “Words used to guide people
of dull faculties are not to be relied upon.” The questioner said: “These are
indeed words to guide people of dull faculties. May I ask, what Dharma is
spoken to guide people of superior faculties?” The Master said: “If one were a
person of superior faculties, where would they further seek from others? Even
finding their own self is&nbsp;</span><span>unobtainable</span>/unfindable, how could there be some other Dharma
corresponding to their feelings? Do you not see it said in the teachings: ‘What
state do dharmas upon dharmas have?’” The questioner said: “If it is like this,
then one should not seek at all.” The Master said: “If so, then you save mental
effort.” The questioner said: “In that case, everything becomes utterly cut
off; it cannot be that it is nothingness [<span lang="ZH-CN">無</span>, wú], can it?” The Master said: “Who taught him it is
nothingness? Who is he? Are you trying to find him?”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The questioner said:
“Since seeking is not permitted, why then say, ‘Do not cut him off’?” The
Master said: “If you do not seek, then stop. Who taught you to cut off? Look at
the empty space before your eyes—how can you cut it off?” The questioner said:
“Can this Dharma be obtained just like empty space?” The Master said: “When did
empty space ever tell you there is sameness or difference? I temporarily speak
like this, and you immediately give rise to interpretations based on it.” The
questioner said: “Should one not give rise to interpretations based on it?” The
Master said: “I have never hindered you. However, interpretation belongs to
feelings [<span lang="ZH-CN">情</span>, qíng],
and when feelings arise, wisdom [<span lang="ZH-CN">智</span>,
zhì] is obstructed.” The questioner said: “Regarding this, is it correct not to
give rise to feelings?” The Master said: “If you do not give rise to feelings,
who says it is correct?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">诸方宗师，相承参禅学道如何？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">引接钝根人语，未可依凭。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">此即是引接钝根人语，未审接上根人复说何法？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若是上根人，何处更就人。觅他自己尚不可得，何况更别有法当情？不见教中云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">法法何状。</span>’”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若如此，则都不要求觅也。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若与么，则省心力。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如是，则浑成断绝，不可是无也。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">阿谁教他无？他是阿谁？尔拟觅他？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">既不许觅，何故又言莫断他？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若不觅便休，即谁教尔断？尔见目前虚空作么生断他？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">此法可得便同虚空否？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">虚空早晚向尔道有同有异？我暂如此说，尔便向这里生解。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">应是不与人生解耶？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">我不曾障尔，要且解属于情，情生则智隔。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">向这里莫生情是否？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若不生情，阿谁道是？</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l39 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Dull
     faculties (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">钝根</span>,
     dùn gēn) / Superior faculties (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">上根</span>, shàng gēn):</b> Traditional
     classification of practitioners' capacities. Chan masters often used
     paradoxical or direct methods for those considered "superior,"
     while employing more gradual or explanatory methods for others. Huangbo
     dismisses reliance on any fixed method.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l39 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Feelings
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">情</span>,
     qíng):</b> Here refers broadly to emotional responses, conceptual
     thinking, and volitional impulses based on dualistic views and
     attachments, which obscure primordial wisdom (<span lang="ZH-CN">智</span>, zhì).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l39 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Save
     mental effort (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">省心力</span>,
     shěng xīnlì):</b> A common Chan expression suggesting that stopping futile
     conceptual seeking is the most direct path.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l39 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Nothingness
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无</span>,
     wú):</b> The questioner fears nihilism (<span lang="ZH-CN">断灭见</span>, duànmiè jiàn), a view
     explicitly rejected in Buddhism. Huangbo counters by questioning the very
     basis of the concept of "nothingness" and who perceives it.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l39 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The
     dialogue repeatedly subverts the questioner's attempts to grasp a fixed
     concept or method, pointing away from intellectual understanding (<span lang="ZH-CN">解</span>,
     jiě) tied to feelings/concepts (<span lang="ZH-CN">情</span>,
     qíng) towards direct, non-conceptual awakening to one's own primordial wisdom of the One Mind.</span></li>
</ul>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “As soon as I start
speaking to the Venerable Master, why do you immediately say my words have
lapsed [<span lang="ZH-CN">话堕</span>, huà
duò]?” The Master said: “You yourself are a person who does not understand
speech; what lapse or fault is there?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">才向和尚处发言，为甚么便言话堕？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">汝自是不解语人，有甚么堕负？</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l54 level1 lfo8; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Words
     have lapsed (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">话堕</span>,
     huà duò):</b> Lit. "speech falls" or "speech has
     lapsed/failed." In Chan contexts, this often means the words have
     fallen into conceptual traps, dualism, or missed the essential point, thus
     failing to convey the living truth. Huangbo turns it back, suggesting the
     problem isn't the words themselves but the questioner's lack of
     understanding of how language functions in relation to reality.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “All these many words
spoken previously were just antagonistic words [<span lang="ZH-CN">抵敌语</span>, dǐd<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">í</span> yǔ]. Have
you never at all given pointers to the True Dharma [<span lang="ZH-CN">实法指示</span>, shífǎ zhǐsh<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ì</span>] to people?<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">”</span> The Master said: <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">“</span>The True Dharma [<span lang="ZH-CN">实法</span>,
shífǎ] is without
inversion [<span lang="ZH-CN">无颠倒</span>, wú
diāndǎo]. Your current
questioning itself gives rise to inversion. What True Dharma&nbsp;are you
seeking?<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">”</span> The questioner said: <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">“</span>Since the questioning itself gives rise to inversion, what about
the Venerable Master<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">’</span>s answers?<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">”</span> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">向来如许多言说，皆是抵敌语，都未曾有实法指示于人？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">实法无颠倒，汝今问处自生颠倒，觅甚么实法！</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">既是问处自生颠倒，和尚答处如何？</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l11 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Antagonistic
     words (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">抵敌语</span>,
     d</b><b>ǐd</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">í</span> y</b><b>ǔ):</b>
     Words that seem to block, challenge, or oppose the questioner's line of
     thought.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l11 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Pointers to the True Dharma&nbsp;(<span lang="ZH-CN">实法指示</span>,
     shíf</b><b>ǎ zh</b><b>ǐsh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ì</span>):</b> Seeking concrete, affirmative teachings about
     ultimate truth.&nbsp;</span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l11 level1 lfo9; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Without
     inversion (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无颠倒</span>,
     wú diānd</b><b>ǎo):</b>
     Free from distorted views or upside-down thinking (viparyāsa), which
     perceives the impermanent as permanent, suffering as happiness, non-self
     as self, and the impure as pure. Huangbo points out that seeking a
     "True Dharma" while already operating from an inverted
     (dualistic, conceptual) standpoint is itself the problem. The inversion
     lies in the seeking mind, not in the absence of Truth.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> The Master said: “Just take
something to reflect your face and look. Don’t mind others.” He also said:
“Just like a foolish dog, barking as soon as it sees something move, without
distinguishing whether it’s the wind blowing grass or trees.” He also said:
“This Chan school of ours, since it has been transmitted from the ancestors,
has never taught people to seek knowledge or seek understanding. Just saying
‘study the Way’ is already a term for guiding people. However, the Way also
cannot be studied. If the feeling [<span lang="ZH-CN">情</span>,
qíng] of wanting to study and understand persists, it instead leads to
confusion about the Way.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The Way has no place or location; its name is the
Mahāyāna Mind. This mind is not inside, not outside, not in between; it truly
has no place or location. The first principle is not to make intellectual
interpretations [<span lang="ZH-CN">知解</span>,
zhījiě]. It is just said that the point where your current feelings and measure
[<span lang="ZH-CN">情量</span>,
qíngliàng] are exhausted is the Way. If feelings and measure are exhausted, the
mind has no place or location. This Way is naturally true [<span lang="ZH-CN">天真</span>, tiānzhēn], fundamentally without
name. Only because worldly people do not recognize it and are lost in feelings,
the Buddhas appeared to explain this matter. Fearing that you all would not
understand, they provisionally established the name ‘Way’. One cannot cling to
the name and give rise to interpretations. Therefore, it is said, ‘Get the fish
and forget the trap.’ Body and mind will naturally attain the Way.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘Recognizing
the mind reaches the fundamental source, therefore one is called a Śramaṇa.’ The fruit of a Śramaṇa is accomplished by ceasing
thoughts [<span lang="ZH-CN">息虑</span>, xī lǜ]; it is not obtained from
study. You now use mind to seek mind, leaning on others<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">’</span> houses [<span lang="ZH-CN">傍他家舍</span>, páng tā jiā shè], only intending
to learn and acquire things—when will you ever attain? People in ancient times
had sharp minds; upon hearing a single word, they would immediately cut off
study. That is why they were called ‘people of the Way who have finished
learning, are unconditioned [<span lang="ZH-CN">无为</span>,
wúwéi], and at leisure [<span lang="ZH-CN">闲道人</span>,
xián dàorén].’&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">People nowadays just want to gain much knowledge and
understanding, widely seeking textual meanings, calling it cultivation. They do
not know that much knowledge and understanding, on the contrary, become
obstructions. It is like only knowing to give a child much ghee and milk to
eat, without knowing at all whether they can digest it or not. Practitioners of
the Three Vehicles are all like this, all called ‘those whose food is
undigested.’ So-called undigested knowledge and understanding are all poison,
entirely grasped within arising and ceasing. Within True Suchness [<span lang="ZH-CN">真如</span>, zhēnrú], there is none of this
matter. Therefore, it is said: ‘In my royal treasury, there is no such sword.’
All the places of understanding you previously had, you must completely discard
them and make them empty, without any further discrimination; this is the empty
Tathāgatagarbha [<span lang="ZH-CN">空如来藏</span>, kōng
rúlái zàng]. The Tathāgatagarbha has not even a fine speck of dust that can
exist. This is ‘the Dharma King who destroys existence appearing in the world.’&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">It is also said: ‘At the place of Dīpaṃkara
Buddha, I did not attain the slightest Dharma.’ This statement is solely to
empty your feelings, measure, knowledge, and understanding. Just dissolve
feelings completely, inside and out, having no reliance or clinging at all—this
is a person with nothing to do [<span lang="ZH-CN">无事人</span>,
wúshìrén]. The nets of the Three Vehicle teachings are merely medicines
corresponding to capacities, spoken according to suitability, provisionally
established for the time, each different. If you can just understand this, you
will not be confused. The first principle is not to cling to the text of any
one specific teaching or context and create interpretations. Why is this so?
‘Truly there is no fixed Dharma that the Tathāgata can speak.’ This school of
ours does not discuss these matters. Just know that ceasing the mind [<span lang="ZH-CN">息心</span>, xī xīn] is repose; there is no
further need to ponder the past or future.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">尔且将物照面看，莫管他人。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">又云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">只如个痴狗相似，见物动处便吠，风吹草木也不别。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">又云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">我此禅宗从上相承以来，不曾教人求知求解，只云学道，早是接引之词。然道亦不可学，情存学解，却成迷道。道无方所，名大乘心。此心不在内外中间，实无方所。第一不得作知解，只是说汝如今情量尽处为道。情量若尽，心无方所。此道天真，本无名字。只为世人不识，迷在情中，所以诸佛出来说破此事。恐汝诸人不了，权立道名，不可守名而生解，故云</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">得鱼忘筌</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">，身心自然达道。</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">识心达本源，故号为沙门</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">。沙门果者，息虑而成，不从学得。汝如今将心求心，傍他家舍，只拟学取，有甚么得时？古人心利，才闻一言，便乃绝学，所以唤作</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">绝学无为闲道人</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">。今时人只欲得多知多解，广求文义，唤作修行。不知多知多解，翻成壅塞。唯知多与儿酥乳吃，消与不消，都总不知。三乘学道人，皆是此样，尽名食不消者。所谓知解不消，皆为毒药，尽向生灭中取。真如之中，都无此事。故云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">我王库内，无如是刀。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">从前所有一切解处，尽须并却令空，更无分别，即是空如来藏。如来藏者，更无纤尘可有，即是</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">破有法王，出现世间。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">亦云</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">我于然灯佛所，无少法可得。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">此语只为空尔情量知解。但销镕表里情尽，都无依执，是无事人。三乘教网，只是应机之药，随宜所说，临时施设，各各不同。但能了知，即不被惑。第一不得于一机一教边守文作解。何以如此？</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">实无有定法如来可说。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">我此宗门，不论此事，但知息心即休，更不用思前虑后。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Foolish
     dog:</b> Metaphor for reacting indiscriminately to phenomena without
     discerning their true nature.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Study
     the Way (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">学道</span>,
     xué dào):</b> While a common term, Huangbo points out its provisional
     nature and the impossibility of "learning" the Way conceptually.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Feelings
     and measure (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">情量</span>,
     qíngliàng):</b> The combination of emotional reactions and intellectual
     measurements/assessments that characterize the ordinary, dualistic mind.
     Exhausting these leads to the Way.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Naturally
     true (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">天真</span>,
     tiānzhēn):</b> Innate, uncontrived, fundamentally real.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Get
     the fish and forget the trap (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">得鱼忘筌</span>, dé yú wàng quán):</b> A
     famous analogy from Zhuangzi, meaning once the goal (understanding) is
     achieved, the means (words, concepts, methods) should be discarded.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Śrama</b><b>ṇa (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">沙门</span>,
     shāmén):</b> A wandering ascetic or monk. The quote emphasizes that the
     state of a true Śramaṇa
     comes from inner realization (recognizing the mind, ceasing thoughts), not
     external learning.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Ceasing
     thoughts (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">息虑</span>,
     xī l</b><b>ǜ):</b>
     Stopping the flow of discursive, discriminating thought.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Leaning
     on others' houses (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">傍他家舍</span>,
     páng tā jiā shè):</b> Relying on external teachings or authorities instead
     of realizing one's own mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Finished
     learning, unconditioned, and at leisure (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">绝学无为闲道人</span>, juéxué wúwéi xián
     dàorén):</b> Describes one who has transcended conceptual learning (<span lang="ZH-CN">绝学</span>),
     abides in the unconditioned state or non-dual activity (<span lang="ZH-CN">无为</span>), and is thus free and
     at ease (<span lang="ZH-CN">闲道人</span>).
     "Unconditioned" or "non-action" fits <span lang="ZH-CN">无为</span> here.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Obstructions
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">壅塞</span>,
     yōngsè):</b> Excessive intellectual knowledge blocks direct insight.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>True
     Suchness (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">真如</span>,
     zhēnrú):</b> Tathatā. The state of "thusness" or
     "suchness," reality as it is, devoid of conceptual overlay.</span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>In
     my royal treasury, there is no such sword:</b> A quote possibly alluding
     to the ultimate truth being devoid of the dualistic tools (like swords)
     needed for conventional struggle or attainment.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Empty
     Tathāgatagarbha (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">空如来藏</span>,
     kōng rúlái zàng):</b> The womb or storehouse of the Tathāgata
     (Buddha-nature), which is fundamentally empty of any inherent, separate
     existence or defilement.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>The
     Dharma King who destroys existence (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">破有法王</span>, pò y</b><b>ǒu f</b><b>ǎw</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">á</span>ng):</b> Refers to the Buddha, whose teaching overcomes the
     illusion of inherent existence.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>At
     the place of Dīpa</b><b>ṃkara
     Buddha, I did not attain the slightest Dharma:</b> A quote from the <i>Diamond
     Sutra</i>, signifying Śākyamuni's realization that there was nothing to
     attain.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Person
     with nothing to do (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无事人</span>,
     wúshìrén):</b> One who has realized the nature of mind and is free from
     the 'business' of striving, seeking, and conceptualizing.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Ceasing
     the mind (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">息心</span>,
     xī xīn):</b> Similar to <span lang="ZH-CN">息虑</span>,
     stopping the agitated, seeking, discriminating mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">

<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%" />

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “It has always been
said from the past, ‘Mind itself is Buddha [<span lang="ZH-CN">即心是佛</span>, jí xīn shì fó].’ May I ask, which mind is Buddha?”
The Master said: “How many minds do you have?” The questioner said: “Is it the
ordinary mind that is Buddha? Or is it the sagely mind that is Buddha?” The
Master said: “Where do you have an ordinary or sagely mind?”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The questioner
said: “Right now, within the Three Vehicles, it is spoken of having ordinary
and sagely. How can the Venerable Master say there are none?” The Master said:
“Within the Three Vehicles, it is clearly stated to you: the ordinary mind and
the sagely mind are illusory [<span lang="ZH-CN">妄</span>,
wàng]. You now do not understand and instead cling to them as existing, taking
emptiness as reality—is this not illusory? Being illusory, the mind is
confused. You just need to eliminate ordinary feelings and sagely states;
outside the mind, there is no separate Buddha. When the Patriarch came from the
West, he directly pointed out that the entire essence of all people is Buddha.
You now do not recognize this, clinging to ordinary and clinging to sagely,
galloping outwards, thus confusing your own mind. Therefore, I say to you: Mind
itself is Buddha. As soon as a single moment of feeling [<span lang="ZH-CN">情</span>, qíng] arises, you immediately fall
into different realms. From beginningless time until today, it has not been
different. There is no different Dharma, hence it is called ‘Attaining Equal
and Right Awakening [<span lang="ZH-CN">成等正觉</span>,
chéng děng zhèng jué].’”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The questioner said: “What principle underlies the
‘itself’ [<span lang="ZH-CN">即</span>, jí]
that the Venerable Master speaks of?” The Master said: “What principle are you
seeking? As soon as there is a principle, mind becomes different [from
Buddha].” The questioner said: “You previously said, ‘From beginningless time
until today, it has not been different.’ What is the principle behind this?”
The Master said: “It is only because of seeking that you make yourself
different from it. If you do not seek, where is the difference?” The questioner
said: “Since it is not different, what further need is there to speak of
‘itself’ [<span lang="ZH-CN">即</span>, jí]?”
The Master said: “If you do not have beliefs about ordinary and sagely, who
would tell you ‘itself’? If ‘itself’ is not ‘itself’, mind is also not mind. If
both mind and ‘itself’ can be forgotten, where else do you intend to seek?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">从上来皆云</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">即心是佛</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">，未审即哪个心是佛？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">尔有几个心？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">为复即凡心是佛？即圣心是佛？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">尔何处有凡圣心耶？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">即今三乘中，说有凡圣，和尚何得言无？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">三乘中分明向尔道：凡圣心是妄。尔今不解，返执为有，将空作实，岂不是妄？妄故迷心。汝但除却凡情圣境，心外更无别佛。祖师西来，直指一切人全体是佛，汝今不识，执凡执圣，向外驰骋，还自迷心。所以向汝道即心是佛。一念情生，即堕异趣，无始以来不异今日。无有异法，故名成等正觉。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">和尚所言即者，是何道理？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">觅什么道理？才有道理，便即心异。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">前言无始以来不异今日，此理如何？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">只为觅故，汝自异他。汝若不觅，何处有异？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">既是不异，何更用说即？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">汝若不信凡圣，阿谁向汝道即？即若不即，心亦不心，可中心即俱忘，阿尔更拟向何处觅去？</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l24 level1 lfo11; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Mind
     itself is Buddha (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">即心是佛</span>,
     jí xīn shì fó):</b> A central and famous Chan declaration, attributed
     originally to Master Mazu Daoyi. Huangbo rigorously defends its absolute,
     non-dual meaning.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l24 level1 lfo11; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Ordinary
     mind (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">凡心</span>,
     fánxīn) / Sagely mind (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">圣心</span>,
     shèngxīn):</b> Dualistic concepts the questioner introduces. Huangbo
     insists these distinctions are illusory (<span lang="ZH-CN">妄</span>, wàng).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l24 level1 lfo11; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Illusory
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">妄</span>,
     wàng):</b> False, unreal, based on delusion or misconception.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l24 level1 lfo11; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Patriarch
     came from the West (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">祖师西来</span>,
     z</b><b>ǔsh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span> x</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span> l</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">á</span>i):</b> Refers to Bodhidharma bringing Chan from India (the
     West) to China.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l24 level1 lfo11; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Directly
     pointed out (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">直指</span>,
     zhí zh</b><b>ǐ):</b>
     Chan emphasizes direct pointing to the human mind, bypassing
     intermediaries.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l24 level1 lfo11; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Feeling
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">情</span>,
     qíng):</b> Again, refers to conceptual thought and emotional impulses
     based on duality.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l24 level1 lfo11; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Different
     realms (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">异趣</span>,
     yì qù):</b> Different states of existence within samsara, or different
     dualistic viewpoints.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l24 level1 lfo11; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Attaining
     Equal and Right Awakening (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">成等正觉</span>, chéng děng zhèng jué):</b>
     Samyaksaṃbodhi, the
     perfect awakening of a Buddha. Huangbo equates this with the nature of mind itself.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l24 level1 lfo11; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Itself
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">即</span>,
     jí):</b> This word, often translated as "is" or "itself
     is," is crucial. Huangbo stresses it denotes identity, not a
     relationship between two separate things (mind <i>and</i> Buddha). Seeking
     a "principle" (<span lang="ZH-CN">道理</span>,
     dàolǐ) behind it
     introduces duality (<span lang="ZH-CN">心异</span>,
     xīn yì - mind becomes different). When the non-difference is revealed, external seeking stops.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">

<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%" />

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “Illusion [<span lang="ZH-CN">妄</span>, wàng] can obstruct the self-mind.
May I ask, by what means can illusion be eliminated now?” The Master said:
“Giving rise to illusion to eliminate illusion also becomes illusion. Illusion
fundamentally has no root; it only exists due to discrimination [<span lang="ZH-CN">分别</span>, fēnbié]. If you just exhaust your
feelings regarding the two realms of ordinary and sagely, illusion will
naturally cease [<span lang="ZH-CN">无妄</span>, wú
wàng]. How else do you intend to eliminate it? Not having even the slightest
reliance or clinging is called ‘I offer my two arms and will surely attain
Buddhahood.’” The questioner said: “Since there is no reliance or clinging,
what is transmitted [<span lang="ZH-CN">相承</span>,
xiāngchéng]?” The Master said: “Mind transmits mind [<span lang="ZH-CN">以心传心</span>, yǐ
x<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span>n chu<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">á</span>n x<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span>n].<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">”</span>&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The questioner said: <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">“</span>If mind transmits to mind, why is it said that mind is also
nothing [<span lang="ZH-CN">心亦无</span>, xīn
yì wú]?” The Master said: “Not attaining a single Dharma is called transmitting
the mind. If one understands this mind, it is precisely no-mind and no-Dharma [<span lang="ZH-CN">无心无法</span>, wú xīn wú fǎ].<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">”</span> The
questioner said: <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">“</span>If it is no-mind and no-Dharma, how
is it called transmission?<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">”</span> The Master said: <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">“</span>You hear <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">‘</span>transmitting the mind<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">’</span> and assume there is something that can be obtained? Therefore,
the Patriarch said: <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">‘</span>When the mind-nature is recognized,
it can be said to be inconceivable. Clearly understanding there is nothing
obtained, when obtained, one does not speak of knowing.<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">’</span> If this
matter were taught for you to understand [<span lang="ZH-CN">会</span>, huì], how could it be endured?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">妄能障自心，未审而今以何遣妄？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">起妄遣妄亦成妄，妄本无根，只因分别而有。尔但于凡圣两处情尽，自然无妄，更拟若为遣他？都不得有纤毫依执，名为</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">我舍两臂，必当得佛。</span>’”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">既无依执，当何相承？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">以心传心。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若心相传，云何言心亦无？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">不得一法，名为传心。若了此心，即是无心无法。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若无心无法，云何名传？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">汝闻道传心，将谓有可得也？所以祖师云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">认得心性时，可说不思议。了了无所得，得时不说知。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">此事若教汝会，何堪也。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l50 level1 lfo12; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Illusion
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">妄</span>,
     wàng):</b> Delusion, illusory thought, misconception.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l50 level1 lfo12; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Discrimination
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">分别</span>,
     fēnbié):</b> Vikalpa. Conceptual proliferation, distinguishing self/other,
     subject/object, etc., which is the basis of illusion.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l50 level1 lfo12; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Illusion
     will naturally cease (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">自然无妄</span>,
     zìrán wú wàng):</b> Awakening is not achieved by actively fighting
     illusion but by dropping the dualistic framework (ordinary/sagely
     feelings) from which it arises.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l50 level1 lfo12; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>I
     offer my two arms...:</b> An allusion to the story of the Second
     Patriarch, Huike, cutting off his arm to show his sincerity to
     Bodhidharma, symbolizing complete letting go of self-clinging.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l50 level1 lfo12; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Transmitted
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">相承</span>,
     xiāngchéng):</b> The lineage transmission in Chan.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l50 level1 lfo12; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Mind
     transmits mind (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">以心传心</span>,
     y</b><b>ǐ x</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span>n chu</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">á</span>n x</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span>n):</b> The core idea of Chan transmission – a direct,
     non-verbal, mind-to-mind realization.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l50 level1 lfo12; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Mind
     is also nothing (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">心亦无</span>,
     xīn yì wú):</b> Refers to the emptiness of any inherent, substantial
     mind-entity.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l50 level1 lfo12; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>No-mind
     and no-Dharma (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无心无法</span>,
     wú xīn wú f</b><b>ǎ):</b>
     The truth where neither a substantive mind nor any graspable Dharma
     (teaching, phenomenon, entity) is found. This <i>is</i> the nature of Mind transmitted.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l50 level1 lfo12; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Patriarch
     said...:</b> A quote emphasizing that recognizing the mind-nature is
     inconceivable and involves realizing there is nothing to obtain. True
     attainment isn't spoken of as "knowing" in the conventional
     sense.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l50 level1 lfo12; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Understand
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">会</span>,
     huì):</b> Here implies conceptual understanding, which Huangbo suggests is
     inadequate for this matter. True realization (<span lang="ZH-CN">悟</span>, wù) is different.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%" />

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “Just like the empty
space before my eyes, is it not an object [<span lang="ZH-CN">境</span>, jìng]? Is it not possible to see the mind by pointing to
the object?” The Master said: “What mind instructs you to see upon the object?
Even if you manage to see, it is merely a mind that reflects objects [<span lang="ZH-CN">照境的心</span>, zhào jìng de xīn]. Like a person
using a mirror to reflect their face, even though they get to see their
eyebrows and eyes clearly, it is originally just reflections [<span lang="ZH-CN">影像</span>, yǐngxi<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">à</span>ng]. What does it have to do with you?<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">”</span> The
questioner said: <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">“</span>If not through reflection [<span lang="ZH-CN">照</span>, zhào], when can one get to see?”
The Master said: “If it involves relying on causes [<span lang="ZH-CN">涉因</span>, shè yīn], one must always depend
on things [<span lang="ZH-CN">假物</span>, jiǎ w<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ù</span>]. When
will there ever be an end to it? Have you not seen him say to you: <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">‘</span>To wave the hand like you, having not a single thing<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">—</span>how futilely and deceitfully are thousands of kinds spoken of?<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">’”</span> The questioner said: <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">“</span>If he
recognizes it, is the reflection also non-existent [<span lang="ZH-CN">无物</span>, wú wù]?” The Master said: “If it
is non-existent, what further need is there to reflect? Don’t you go speaking
dream-talk with open eyes.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">只如目前虚空，可不是境，岂无指境见心乎？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">甚么心教汝向境上见？设汝见得，只是个照境的心。如人以镜照面，纵然得见眉目分明，元来只是影像，何关汝事！</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若不因照，何时得见？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若也涉因，常须假物，有什么了时？汝不见他向汝道：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">拨手似君无一物，徒劳谩说数千般？</span>’”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">他若识了，照亦无物耶？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若是无物，更何用照？尔莫开眼寐语去。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l19 level1 lfo13; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Object
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">境</span>,
     jìng):</b> Sensory or mental object, the objective pole in a
     subject-object duality.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l19 level1 lfo13; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Mind
     that reflects objects (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">照境的心</span>,
     zhào jìng de xīn):</b> A mind that functions dualistically, perceiving
     itself as a subject observing external objects. Huangbo points out this is
     not the fundamental mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l19 level1 lfo13; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Reflections
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">影像</span>, y</b><b>ǐngxi</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">à</span>ng):</b> Images, appearances. Likens perceived objects
     (even one's reflection) to mere appearances without independent substance.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l19 level1 lfo13; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Reflection
     / To reflect (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">照</span>,
     zhào):</b> Can mean to illuminate, reflect, or perceive/be aware of (often
     with a connotation of dualistic observation).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l19 level1 lfo13; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Relying
     on causes (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">涉因</span>,
     shè yīn) / Depend on things (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">假物</span>, ji</b><b>ǎ w</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ù</span>):</b> Relying on conditions, intermediaries, or objects to
     perceive reality. Huangbo insists this dependency is endless and futile
     for realizing the unconditioned mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l19 level1 lfo13; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Wave
     the hand like you...:</b> Likely a quote or allusion emphasizing the state
     of having "not a single thing"—complete non-attachment and
     emptiness of inherent existence—contrasted with futilely speaking about
     myriad concepts.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l19 level1 lfo13; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Non-existent
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无物</span>,
     wú wù):</b> Lit. "no thing." Refers to the emptiness of inherent
     existence. If true nature is already understood as "no thing," the
     need for a dualistic process of "reflection" disappears.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l19 level1 lfo13; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Speaking
     dream-talk with open eyes (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">开眼寐语</span>, kāiy</b><b>ǎn m</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">è</span>iy</b><b>ǔ):</b>
     Speaking nonsense or delusion while appearing awake; clinging to concepts
     when the reality is obvious.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Ascending the hall, he said:
“Among a hundred kinds of vast knowledge, none compares to non-seeking [<span lang="ZH-CN">无求</span>, wúqiú], which is the very highest.
A person of the Way is a person with nothing to do [<span lang="ZH-CN">无事人</span>, wúshìrén]. Truly, there are not
so many kinds of mind, nor are there principles [<span lang="ZH-CN">道理</span>, dàolǐ]
to be explained. Nothing to do<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">—</span>disperse!<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">”</span> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">上堂云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">百种多知，不如无求最第一也。道人是无事人，实无许多般心，亦无道理可说，无事散去。</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l51 level1 lfo14; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Ascending
     the hall (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">上堂</span>,
     shàng táng):</b> A formal Chan sermon delivered by the master in the
     Dharma Hall.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l51 level1 lfo14; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Non-seeking
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无求</span>,
     wúqiú):</b> Freedom from desire and the striving for attainment,
     considered supreme because seeking reinforces the illusion of lack and
     duality.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l51 level1 lfo14; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Person
     of the Way (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">道人</span>,
     dàorén):</b> Practitioner, one who follows the path.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l51 level1 lfo14; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Person
     with nothing to do (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无事人</span>,
     wúshìrén):</b> One who has realized the fundamental nature and rests in
     non-striving, free from the 'business' of samsaric concerns or conceptual
     pursuits.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l51 level1 lfo14; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Principles
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">道理</span>,
     dàol</b><b>ǐ):</b>
     Rational explanations, doctrines. Huangbo dismisses their ultimate value
     compared to direct realization.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l51 level1 lfo14; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Nothing
     to do—disperse! (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无事散去</span>,
     wúshì sàn qù):</b> A common way for Chan masters to conclude a sermon,
     emphasizing the ultimate pointlessness of conceptual discussion and urging
     a return to simple presence.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">

<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%" />

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Question: “What is worldly truth [<span lang="ZH-CN">世谛</span>, shìdì]?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The Master said: “What’s the use of talking about tangled
vines [<span lang="ZH-CN">葛藤</span>,
géténg]! Fundamentally pure [<span lang="ZH-CN">本来清净</span>,
běnlái qīngjìng], why rely on words, questions, and answers? Just be without
any mind at all [<span lang="ZH-CN">无一切心</span>, wú
yīqiè xīn], and this is named uncontaminated wisdom [<span lang="ZH-CN">无漏智</span>, wúlòu zhì]. In your daily
activities—walking, standing, sitting, lying down—and all your speech, just do
not cling to conditioned dharmas [<span lang="ZH-CN">有为法</span>,
yǒuw<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">é</span>i fǎ].
When you speak or blink your eyes, let it all be identical to the
uncontaminated [<span lang="ZH-CN">无漏</span>,
wúlòu].&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Nowadays, as the Dharma-ending age progresses, most of those who study
the Chan path cling to all sounds and forms. Why not let your minds be
identical with empty space, like withered wood and stone, like cold ashes and
dead fire? Only then can you have some small degree of correspondence [<span lang="ZH-CN">相应</span>, xiāngyìng]. If you are not like
this, one day you will surely be interrogated by old man Yama. Just detach from
all dharmas of existence and non-existence [<span lang="ZH-CN">有无诸法</span>, yǒu
w<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ú</span> zh<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ū</span> fǎ], and let the mind be like
the sun-disc, constantly in empty space. Its brightness is natural,
illuminating without [needing to] illuminate. Isn<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">’</span>t this an
effortless matter? When this time is reached, there is no place to abide or
rest [<span lang="ZH-CN">无栖泊处</span>, wú
qībó chù]; this is practicing the practice of all Buddhas, and this is
precisely ‘Give rise to the mind that abides nowhere’ [<span lang="ZH-CN">应无所住而生其心</span>, yīng wú suǒ zh<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ù</span> <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">é</span>r sh<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ē</span>ng q<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">í</span> x<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span>n]. This is your pure Dharma-body [<span lang="ZH-CN">清净法身</span>, qīngjìng fǎsh<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ē</span>n],
called Anuttara[-samyaksaṃbodhi]
[<span lang="ZH-CN">阿耨菩提</span>, ā
nòu pútí].&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;">If you do not understand this meaning, even if you learn much
knowledge, practice diligently and arduously, wear clothes of grass and eat
food of wood, if you do not recognize your own mind [<span lang="ZH-CN">自心</span>, zìxīn], it is all called deviant
practice [<span lang="ZH-CN">邪行</span>, xié
xíng], and you are certain to become kin of heavenly demons [<span lang="ZH-CN">天魔眷属</span>, tiānmó juànshǔ]. What benefit could such
practice possibly have? Zhigong said: <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">‘</span>Buddha is
originally made by one<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">’</span>s own mind; how can one seek it in
written words?<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">’</span> Even if you learn until you fulfill
the stages of the Three Worthies, Four Fruits, and Ten Bh<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ū</span>mis, you are still just sitting within the ordinary and sagely
realms. Do you not see it said: <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">‘</span>All formations
[<span lang="ZH-CN">诸行</span>, zhū
xíng] are impermanent; this is the law of arising and ceasing.’ ‘When the force
is spent, the arrow falls back down, incurring a future life not as one wishes.
How can this compare to the gate of the unconditioned [<span lang="ZH-CN">无为</span>, wúwéi] true characteristic [<span lang="ZH-CN">实相门</span>, shíxiāng mén]?&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">One leap directly
enters the stage of the Tathāgata.’&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">Because you are not such a person, you need
to widely study the knowledge and interpretations from the expedient teaching
gates [</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">建化门</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">,
jiànhuà mén] of the ancients. Zhigong said: ‘Without encountering a
world-transcending enlightened teacher, one futilely takes the Mahāyāna
Dharma-medicine.’ Now, at all times—walking, standing, sitting, lying down—just
learn to be without mind [</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">无心</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">,
wúxīn]. After a long time, you must attain it practically. Because your
strength is small, you cannot leap beyond suddenly. But if you just attain it
for three years, five years, or ten years, you must find an entry point; you
will naturally understand [</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">会</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">,
huì]. Because you are unable to be like this, you insist on using the mind to
study Chan and study the Way. What connection does this have with the
Buddha-Dharma? Therefore, it is said: ‘What the Tathāgata preached was all for
transforming people.’ Like taking yellow leaves for gold to stop a small
child’s crying—it is definitely not real. If there is any real attainment, you
are not a guest of our school’s gate. Moreover, what connection does it have
with your fundamental essence [</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">本体</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">,
běntǐ]? Therefore, the s</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;; mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ū</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">tra says: </span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;; mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">‘</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">Truly not the slightest Dharma is
attained; this is called Anuttara[-samyaksaṃbodhi].’
If you can understand this meaning, only then will you know that both the
Buddha path and the Mara path are mistaken.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">Fundamentally pure [</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">本来清净</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">, běnlái qīngjìng], bright and
clear [</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">皎皎地</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">, jiǎojiǎo de], without square or round, without large or
small, without long or short and other such characteristics; uncontaminated [</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">无漏</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">, wúlòu] and unconditioned [</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">无为</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">, wúwéi], without confusion [</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">无迷</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">, wú mí] or awakening [</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">无悟</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">, wú wù]. Clearly seeing [</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">了了见</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">, liǎoliǎo ji</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;; mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">à</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">n], there
is not a single thing; also no person, also no Buddha. The great thousand
sand-realms are bubbles in the sea; all sages and worthies are like flashes of
lightning. Nothing compares to the reality of the mind [</span><span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">心真实</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">, xīn zhēnshí]. The Dharma-body,
from ancient times until today, is the same as that of the Buddhas and
Patriarchs. Where is it lacking even a single hair? Since you understand this
meaning, you must greatly exert yourself throughout this present life. The
exhaled breath does not guarantee the inhaled breath.”</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如何是世谛？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">说葛藤作什么！本来清净，何假言说问答。但无一切心，即名无漏智。汝每日行住坐卧，一切言语，但莫着有为法，出言瞬目，尽同无漏。如今末法向去，多是学禅道者，皆着一切声色，何不与我心心同虚空去，如枯木石头去，如寒灰死火去，方有少分相应。若不如是，他日尽被阎老子拷尔在。尔但离却有无诸法，心如日轮，常在虚空，光明自然，不照而照，不是省力的事？到此之时，无栖泊处，即是行诸佛行，便是</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">应无所住而生其心。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">此是尔清净法身，名为阿耨菩提。若不会此意，纵尔学得多知，勤苦修行，草衣木食，不识自心，尽名邪行，定作天魔眷属。如此修行，当复何益？志公云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">佛本是自心作，哪得向文字中求？</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">饶尔学得三贤四果、十地满心，也只是在凡圣内坐。不见道</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">诸行无常，是生灭法。</span>’‘<span lang="ZH-CN">势力尽，箭还坠，招得来生不如意，争似无为实相门？一超直入如来地。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">为尔不是与么人，须要向古人建化门广学知解。志公云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">不逢出世明师，枉服大乘法药。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">尔如今一切时中，行住坐卧，但学无心，久久须实得。为尔力量小，不能顿超，但得三年、五年或十年，须得个入头处，自然会去。为尔不能如是，须要将心学禅学道，佛法有甚么交涉？故云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">如来所说，皆为化人。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">如将黄叶为金，止小儿啼，决定不实。若有实得，非我宗门下客，且与尔本体有甚交涉！故经云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">实无少法可得，名为阿耨菩提。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">若也会得此意，方知佛道魔道俱错。本来清净，皎皎地，无方圆，无大小，无长短等相；无漏无为，无迷无悟。了了见，无一物，亦无人，亦无佛。大千沙界海中沤，一切圣贤如电拂，一切不如心真实。法身从古至今，与佛祖一般，何处欠少一毫毛？既会如是意，大须努力，尽今生去，出息不保入息。</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Worldly
     truth (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">世谛</span>,
     shìdì):</b> Saṃvṛti-satya. Conventional
     truth, relative truth, contrasted with ultimate truth
     (paramārtha-satya). Huangbo dismisses discussing it as getting entangled.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Tangled
     vines (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">葛藤</span>,
     géténg):</b> A common Chan metaphor for complex, entangling, and
     ultimately useless intellectual or verbal discourse about the Dharma.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Fundamentally
     pure (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">本来清净</span>,
     běnlái qīngjìng):</b> The original purity of the mind and all phenomena.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Without
     any mind at all (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无一切心</span>,
     wú yīqiè xīn):</b> Complete freedom from all forms of conceptual,
     discriminating, attached mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Uncontaminated
     wisdom (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无漏智</span>,
     wúlòu zhì):</b> Anāsrava-jñāna. Wisdom free from the "outflows"
     or defilements (kleśas) that perpetuate samsara.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Conditioned
     dharmas (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">有为法</span>,
     y</b><b>ǒuw</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">é</span>i f</b><b>ǎ):</b>
     Saṃskṛta-dharma. Phenomena that
     arise from causes and conditions, are impermanent, and characterized by
     arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing. Contrasted with unconditioned
     dharmas (<span lang="ZH-CN">无为法</span>,
     wúwéi fǎ).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Uncontaminated
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无漏</span>,
     wúlòu):</b> Anāsrava. Free from defilements.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Dharma-ending
     age (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">末法</span>,
     mòf</b><b>ǎ):</b> The
     final period after the Buddha's passing, when the capacity to practice and
     realize the Dharma is believed to decline.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Withered
     wood and stone... cold ashes and dead fire:</b> Metaphors for a mind
     completely quiescent, unresponsive to external stimuli in a clinging way,
     free from the "heat" of passion and discrimination.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Correspondence
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">相应</span>,
     xiāngyìng):</b> Accordance, resonance, being in tune with the Way.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Old
     man Yama (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">阎老子</span>,
     yán l</b><b>ǎozi):</b>
     The king of the underworld judges beings after death.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Dharmas
     of existence and non-existence (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">有无诸法</span>, y</b><b>ǒu w</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ú</span> zh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ū</span> f</b><b>ǎ):</b> All phenomena
     conceived within the duality of existence and non-existence.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>No
     place to abide or rest (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无栖泊处</span>,
     wú qībó chù):</b> The state of non-abiding, not fixating or settling
     anywhere conceptually or emotionally.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Give
     rise to the mind that abides nowhere (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">应无所住而生其心</span>, yīng wú su</b><b>ǒ zh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ù</span> </b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">é</span>r sh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ē</span>ng q</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">í</span> x</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span>n):</b> Famous quote from the <i>Diamond Sutra</i>, pivotal
     in the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng's awakening. It describes the functioning
     of the awakened mind – responsive yet unattached.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Pure
     Dharma-body (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">清净法身</span>,
     qīngjìng f</b><b>ǎsh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ē</span>n):</b> The Dharmakāya in its original purity.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Anuttara[-samyaksa</b><b>ṃbodhi] (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">阿耨菩提</span>,
     ā nòu pútí):</b> Supreme, perfect awakening.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Own
     mind (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">自心</span>,
     zìxīn):</b> One's own intrinsic mind-nature.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Deviant
     practice (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">邪行</span>,
     xié xíng):</b> Practices based on wrong views, even if outwardly ascetic.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Heavenly
     demons (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">天魔</span>,
     tiānmó):</b> Māras who obstruct practitioners, often associated with
     subtle attachments to spiritual states or merit.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Zhigong
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">志公</span>):</b>
     Master Baozhi (<span lang="ZH-CN">宝志</span>), a
     semi-legendary Buddhist monk of the Liang Dynasty, respected in Chan.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Three
     Worthies (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">三贤</span>,
     sān xián), Four Fruits (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">四果</span>,
     sì gu</b><b>ǒ), Ten
     Bh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ū</span>mis (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">十地</span>, shí dì):</b> Stages of
     attainment in traditional Mahayana and Śrāvakayāna paths. Huangbo
     dismisses them as still "within the ordinary and sagely realms"
     compared to direct realization of the One Mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>All
     formations (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">诸行</span>,
     zhū xíng):</b> Saṃskāra.
     All conditioned things, compounded phenomena. Quote refers to their
     impermanence (<span lang="ZH-CN">诸行无常</span>,
     zhū xíng wúcháng - anitya).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Arising
     and ceasing (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">生灭法</span>,
     shēng miè f</b><b>ǎ):</b>
     The nature of conditioned phenomena.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Unconditioned
     true characteristic gate (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无为实相门</span>,
     wúwéi shíxiāng mén):</b> The path of realizing the unconditioned (asaṃskṛta) nature, the true reality (<span lang="ZH-CN">实相</span>,
     shíxiāng - bhūtalakṣaṇa).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Expedient
     teaching gates (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">建化门</span>,
     jiànhuà mén):</b> Provisional teachings or methods established by past
     masters.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Learn
     to be without mind (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">学无心</span>,
     xué wúxīn):</b> Practice cultivating the state of no-mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Understand
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">会</span>,
     huì):</b> Experiential understanding or realization.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Transforming
     people (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">化人</span>,
     huà rén):</b> Guiding and transforming beings through skillful means.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Yellow
     leaves for gold:</b> Metaphor for using expedient, ultimately unreal means
     to pacify or guide (like tricking a child).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Fundamental
     essence (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">本体</span>,
     běnt</b><b>ǐ):</b>
     One's own true nature.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Mara
     path (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">魔道</span>,
     módào):</b> Path of delusion, obstruction, attachment to phenomena or
     self. Huangbo states both conventional Buddha-path seeking and Mara's path
     are mistaken from the ultimate view.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Bright
     and clear (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">皎皎地</span>,
     ji</b><b>ǎoji</b><b>ǎo de):</b> Pure and
     luminous.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Uncontaminated
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无漏</span>,
     wúlòu) and unconditioned (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无为</span>,
     wúwéi):</b> Key characteristics of the absolute.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Without
     confusion or awakening (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无迷无悟</span>,
     wú mí wú wù):</b> In the ultimate truth, the duality of confusion and
     awakening does not exist.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Clearly
     seeing (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">了了见</span>,
     li</b><b>ǎoli</b><b>ǎo ji</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">à</span>n):</b> Direct, unobscured perception.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Bubbles
     in the sea... flashes of lightning:</b> Metaphors for the ephemeral, insubstantial
     nature of the universe and even sagely accomplishments compared to the
     reality of Mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Reality
     of the mind (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">心真实</span>,
     xīn zhēnshí):</b> The ultimate truth is the nature of mind itself.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l14 level1 lfo15; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Exhaled
     breath does not guarantee the inhaled breath:</b> Reminder of impermanence
     and the urgency of practice.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “The Sixth Patriarch
did not know the scriptures, so how could he receive the transmission of the
robe and become a Patriarch? Head Monk Xiu was the leader of five hundred
monks, served as a teaching master, and could lecture on thirty-two volumes of
sutras and treatises. Why was the robe not transmitted to him?” The Master
said: “Because he had an intentional mind, which is conditioned dharma. What he
cultivated and realized, he took to be correct. Therefore, the Fifth Patriarch
entrusted it to the Sixth Patriarch. At that time, the Sixth Patriarch only
achieved tacit accord; he secretly received the Tathāgata’s profound meaning.
Therefore, the Dharma was entrusted to him. Have you not heard it said: ‘The
Dharma fundamentally is no-dharma; no-dharma is also Dharma. Now that the
no-dharma is transmitted, how could the Dharma ever have been Dharma?’ If you
understand this meaning, only then can you be called one who has left home,
only then is it good to cultivate. If you do not believe it, how was it that
Head Monk Ming came running to the summit of Dayu Ridge in search of the Sixth
Patriarch?&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The Sixth Patriarch then asked: ‘For what matter have you come? Are
you seeking the robe? Or seeking the Dharma?’ Head Monk Ming said: ‘I have not
come for the robe, but only for the Dharma.’ The Sixth Patriarch said: ‘You
should temporarily withdraw your thoughts; do not think of either good or
evil.’ Ming then followed the instruction. The Sixth Patriarch said: ‘When not
thinking of good and not thinking of evil, right at such a time, return to me
Head Monk Ming’s original face before your parents were born.’ Upon these
words, Ming suddenly achieved tacit accord. He then bowed and said: ‘Like a
person drinking water, knows for themselves whether it is cold or warm. I, this
humble monk, was in the assembly of the Fifth Patriarch, wasting thirty years
of effort; only today do I realize my former errors.’&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The Sixth Patriarch said:
‘Thus it is.’ At this point, one then knows that the Patriarch coming from the
West directly points to the human mind; seeing the nature and attaining
Buddhahood does not depend on words and speech. Have you not seen Ānanda asking
Kāśyapa: ‘Apart from transmitting the golden robe, what else did the
World-Honored One transmit?’ Kāśyapa called out, ‘Ānanda!’ Ānanda responded,
‘Yes!’ Kāśyapa said: ‘Knock down the flagpole in front of the gate.’ This
precisely is the sign of the Patriarchs, very profound! Ānanda served as
attendant for thirty years, only because of his great learning and wisdom, he
was rebuked by the Buddha, who said: ‘Your thousand days of studying wisdom are
not as good as one day of studying the Way.’ If one does not study the Way,
even a drop of water is difficult to digest.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">六祖不会经书，何得传衣为祖？秀上座是五百人首座，为教授师，讲得三十二本经论，云何不传衣？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">为他有心，是有为法，所修所证，将为是也。所以五祖付六祖。六祖当时只是默契，得密授如来甚深意，所以付法与他。汝不见道：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">法本法无法，无法法亦法，今付无法时，法法何曾法。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">若会此意，方名出家儿，方好修行。若不信，云何明上座走来大庾岭头寻六祖，六祖便问：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">汝来求何事？为求衣？为求法？</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">明上座云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">不为衣来，但为法来。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">六祖云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">汝且暂时敛念，善恶都莫思量。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">明乃禀语。六祖云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">不思善，不思恶，正当与么时，还我明上座父母未生时面目来。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">明于言下忽然默契，便礼拜云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">如人饮水，冷暖自知。某甲在五祖会中，枉用三十年工夫，今日方省前非。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">六祖云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">如是。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">到此之时，方知祖师西来直指人心，见性成佛，不在言说。岂不见阿难问迦叶云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">世尊传金襴外，别传何物？</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">迦叶召阿难，阿难应诺。迦叶云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">倒却门前刹竿着。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">此便是祖师之标榜也，甚深！阿难三十年为侍者，只为多闻智慧，被佛诃云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">汝千日学慧，不如一日学道。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">若不学道，滴水难消。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l47 level1 lfo16; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Sixth
     Patriarch:</b> Huineng (<span lang="ZH-CN">慧能</span>,
     638–713), the sixth patriarch of Chan Buddhism in China, known for
     emphasizing direct realization over scriptural study.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l47 level1 lfo16; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Head
     Monk Xiu:</b> Shenxiu (<span lang="ZH-CN">神秀</span>,
     606?–706), a prominent Chan master favored by the imperial court, often
     contrasted with Huineng. He represented a more gradual approach to
     awakening.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l47 level1 lfo16; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Fifth
     Patriarch:</b> Hongren (<span lang="ZH-CN">弘忍</span>,
     601–674), the teacher of both Huineng and Shenxiu.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l47 level1 lfo16; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Head
     Monk Ming:</b> Huiming (<span lang="ZH-CN">惠明</span>),
     formerly a general, pursued Huineng after the latter received the
     transmission, seeking the robe and Dharma. The encounter on Dayu Ridge (<span lang="ZH-CN">大庾嶺</span>)
     is a famous Chan story.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l47 level1 lfo16; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original
     face before your parents were born:</b> A classic Chan expression pointing
     to one's fundamental nature, unconditioned and prior to conceptualization.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l47 level1 lfo16; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Like
     a person drinking water...:</b> A metaphor emphasizing the personal,
     non-transferable nature of direct experiential realization.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l47 level1 lfo16; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Patriarch
     coming from the West:</b> Refers to Bodhidharma, traditionally considered
     the first patriarch of Chan in China, who came from India.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l47 level1 lfo16; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Ānanda
     and Kāśyapa:</b> Mahākāśyapa is considered the first patriarch of Chan in
     India, receiving the "mind-to-mind transmission" from the
     Buddha. Ānanda was the Buddha's cousin and primary attendant, famed for
     his memory of the teachings. The dialogue about the robe and the flagpole
     is a classic Zen koan illustrating the transmission beyond words.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l47 level1 lfo16; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Knock
     down the flagpole...:</b> A seemingly nonsensical instruction typical of
     Zen, intended to break conceptual thinking and point directly to mind. The
     flagpole (<span lang="ZH-CN">刹竿</span>, <i>chatra</i>-pole)
     often symbolized the Buddha or the Dharma.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l47 level1 lfo16; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Drop
     of water is difficult to digest:</b> A monastic saying meaning that
     accepting offerings from lay devotees is a heavy responsibility that can
     only be repaid through genuine practice; otherwise, one incurs karmic
     debt.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “How can one avoid
falling into stages?” The Master said: “Just eat rice all day, yet never bite
into a single grain; walk all day, yet never tread upon a single piece of
ground. At such a time, there are no marks like self or others. All day long,
not separate from all affairs, yet not deluded by various realms/objects – only
then is one called a free person. Furthermore, moment after moment, do not see
any signs; do not recognize the past, present, and future. The past has no
going, the present has no abiding, the future has no coming. Sit peacefully and
upright, function spontaneously without constraint – only then is one called
liberated. Strive on, strive on! Within this gate, among thousands and tens of
thousands, only three or five attain it. If you do not take this as your task,
the day of suffering calamities will surely come. Therefore, it is said:
‘Strive to finish it in this lifetime; who can endure the remaining calamities
over accumulated kalpas?’” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如何得不落阶级？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">但终日吃饭，未曾咬着一粒米；终日行，未曾踏着一片地。与么时，无人我等相，终日不离一切事，不被诸境惑，方名自在人。更时时念念不见一切相，莫认前后三际。前际无去，今际无住，后际无来，安然端坐，任运不拘，方名解脱。努力努力！此门中千人万人，只得三个五个。若不将为事，受殃有日在。故云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">着力今生须了却，谁能累劫受余殃？</span>’”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> The Wanling Record of Chan
Master Huangbo Duanji <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">黄檗断际禅师宛陵录</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%" />

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Prime Minister Pei asked the
Master: “Among the four or five hundred people in the mountains, how many have
attained the Abbot’s Dharma?” The Master said: “Those who have attained
it—their number cannot be fathomed. Why? The Way is realized by the mind, how
could it be in words and speech? Words and speech are merely for instructing
ignorant children.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">裴相公问师曰：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">山中四五百人，几人得和尚法？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">得者莫测其数。何故？道在心悟，岂在言说？言说只是化童蒙耳。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l43 level1 lfo17; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Prime
     Minister Pei:</b> Pei Xiu (<span lang="ZH-CN">裴休</span>,
     791–864), a high-ranking official in the late-middle Tang Dynasty and a devoted
     lay student of Huangbo. He&nbsp;<span face="&quot;Noto Sans&quot;, sans-serif" style="line-height: 115%;">recorded
and organized&nbsp;</span>Huangbo's teachings.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l43 level1 lfo17; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Abbot
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">和尚</span>):</b>
     Referring to Huangbo himself.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%" />

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “What is Buddha?” The
Master said: “This very mind is Buddha, no-mind is the Way. Just avoid giving
rise to mind or moving thoughts such as existence or
non-existence, long or short, other or self, subject or object, and suchlike minds.
Mind is fundamentally Buddha, Buddha is fundamentally mind; mind is like empty
space. Therefore, it is said: ‘The true Dharma-body of the Buddha is like empty
space.’ Do not seek elsewhere; all seeking is suffering. Even if one were to
practice the six paramitas and myriad practices for kalpas as numerous as the
sands of the Ganges and attain Buddha Bodhi, it is still not ultimate. Why?
Because it belongs to creation through causes and conditions. When causes and
conditions are exhausted, one returns to impermanence. Therefore, it is said:
‘The Reward and Transformation bodies are not the true Buddha, nor are they the
speakers of Dharma.’ Just recognize your own mind, which is without self or
person—this is originally Buddha.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如何是佛？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">即心是佛，无心是道。但无生心动念、有无长短、彼我能所等心，心本是佛，佛本是心，心如虚空。所以云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">佛真法身，犹若虚空。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">不用别求，有求皆苦。设使恒沙劫行六度万行得佛菩提，亦非究竟。何以故？为属因缘造作故。因缘若尽，还归无常。所以云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">报化非真佛，亦非说法者。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">但识自心，无我无人，本来是佛。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l53 level1 lfo18; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>No-mind
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无心</span>):</b>
     Not a state of blankness, but realizing and actualizing the truth that Mind is empty of a substantial existence (No-Mind), similar to the truth of anātman (No-Self).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l53 level1 lfo18; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Subject
     or object (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">能所</span>):</b>
     The duality between the perceiver (subject) and the perceived (object).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l53 level1 lfo18; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Dharma-body
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">法身</span>,
     Dharmakāya):</b> The ultimate, true body or nature of a Buddha, often
     described as formless and like space.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l53 level1 lfo18; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Six
     paramitas and myriad practices:</b> The traditional Mahayana path
     involving generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, meditation, and
     wisdom, along with countless other wholesome activities. Huangbo
     emphasizes that realization is not dependent on these practices but on
     recognizing the mind's fundamental nature.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l53 level1 lfo18; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Causes
     and conditions (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">因缘</span>):</b>
     The Buddhist principle that all compounded phenomena arise dependently on
     causes and conditions and are therefore impermanent.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l53 level1 lfo18; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Reward
     and Transformation bodies (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">报化</span>, Sambhogakāya and Nirmā</b><b>ṇakāya):</b> Two of the
     three bodies (Trikāya) of a Buddha. The Sambhogakāya is a body of bliss
     experienced by advanced Bodhisattvas, and the Nirmāṇakāya is the physical body manifested in the
     world (like Siddhartha Gautama). Huangbo points beyond these relative
     forms to the ultimate Dharmakāya, which is equated with one's own mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%" />

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “If the sage’s no-mind
is Buddha, does the ordinary person’s no-mind perhaps sink into empty
quiescence?” The Master said: “The Dharma has no ordinary or sagely, nor does
it have sinking or quiescence. The Dharma is fundamentally not existent, do not
hold a view of non-existence; the Dharma is fundamentally not non-existent, do
not hold a view of existence. Both existence and non-existence are entirely
emotional views, like illusions and cataracts. Therefore, it is said: ‘Seeing
and hearing are like illusions and cataracts; knowing and perceiving are
[characteristic of] sentient beings.’ In the gate of the Patriarchs, we only
discuss ceasing mental activity and forgetting views. Therefore, forgetting
mental activity, the Buddha Path flourishes; discriminating, the demon armies
blaze.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">圣人无心即是佛，凡夫无心，莫沉空寂否？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">法无凡圣，亦无沉寂。法本不有，莫作无见；法本不无，莫作有见。有之与无，尽是情见，犹如幻翳。所以云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">见闻如幻翳，知觉乃众生。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">祖师门中，只论息机忘见。所以忘机则佛道隆，分别则魔军炽。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l45 level1 lfo19; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Empty
     quiescence (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">空寂</span>):</b>
     A potential pitfall in meditation where one might mistake a state of
     mental quietness or blankness, devoid of wisdom, for true emptiness or
     liberation. Huangbo clarifies that the Dharma itself is beyond such
     states.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l45 level1 lfo19; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Emotional
     views (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">情见</span>):</b>
     Views based on subjective feelings, attachments, and conceptual
     discriminations rather than direct insight.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l45 level1 lfo19; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Illusions
     and cataracts (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">幻翳</span>):</b>
     Metaphor for how ordinary perception and conceptual thinking obscure the
     true nature of reality.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l45 level1 lfo19; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Knowing
     and perceiving are [characteristic of] sentient beings (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">知觉乃众生</span>):</b>
     This line suggests that discriminative consciousness, the ordinary way of
     knowing and perceiving based on subject-object duality, is what
     constitutes the state of being an unenlightened sentient being.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l45 level1 lfo19; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Ceasing
     mental activity and forgetting views (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">息机忘见</span>):</b> A key Chan
     practice: stopping the discriminating mind (<span lang="ZH-CN">机</span>, literally 'mechanism' or
     'trigger') and letting go of all conceptual standpoints (<span lang="ZH-CN">见</span>, views).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l45 level1 lfo19; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Demon
     armies (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">魔军</span>):</b>
     Refers to Māra, the personification of temptation, distraction, and the
     forces that obstruct awakening, often associated with discriminative
     thought and attachment.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%" />

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “Since the mind is
originally Buddha, does one still need to cultivate the six paramitas and
myriad practices?” The Master said: “Realization lies in the mind, it is not
related to the six paramitas and myriad practices. The six paramitas and myriad
practices are all matters pertaining to the expedient means of receiving beings
and guiding them across. Even if it concerns Bodhi, True Suchness, Reality,
Liberation, Dharma-body, right up to the ten grounds, the four fruits, and
sagely positions—these are all gates of deliverance, not related to the
Buddha-mind. Mind is precisely Buddha. Therefore, among all the various gates
of deliverance, the Buddha-mind is foremost. Just be without minds such as
[those involved in] samsara and afflictions, then you do not need dharmas such
as Bodhi.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Therefore, it is said: ‘The Buddha spoke all dharmas to deliver all
my minds; I have no minds, what use are all dharmas?’ From the Buddha down to
the Patriarchs, they did not discuss other matters, only discussing the One
Mind, also called the One Vehicle. Therefore, searching truly in the ten
directions, there is no other vehicle. ‘This assembly has no branches or
leaves, only the true and real.’ Therefore, this meaning is difficult to
believe. When Bodhidharma came to this land, arriving in the states of Liang
and Wei, there was only Great Master Ke who secretly trusted his own mind and
understood immediately upon hearing the words: This very mind is Buddha. Body
and mind both non-existent is called the Great Way. The Great Way is
fundamentally equal. Therefore, deeply believe that sentient beings share the
one true nature. Mind and nature are not different; nature is mind. Mind not
being different from nature is called a Patriarch. Therefore, it is said: ‘When
mind-nature is recognized, it can be called inconceivable.’” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">心既本来是佛，还修六度万行否？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">悟在于心，非关六度万行，六度万行尽是化门接物度生边事。设使菩提、真如、实际、解脱、法身，直至十地、四果圣位，尽是度门，非关佛心。心即是佛，所以一切诸度门中，佛心第一。但无生死烦恼等心，即不用菩提等法。所以道：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">佛说一切法，度我一切心；我无一切心，何用一切法？</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">从佛至祖，并不论别事，唯论一心，亦云一乘。所以十方谛求，更无余乘。</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">此众无枝叶，唯有诸贞实。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">所以此意难信。达摩来此土，至梁魏二国，只有可大师一人密信自心，言下便会，即心是佛。身心俱无，是名大道。大道本来平等，所以深信含生同一真性。心性不异，即性即心；心不异性，名之为祖。所以云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">认得心性时，可说不思议。</span>’” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l26 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>True
     Suchness (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">真如</span>,
     Tathatā):</b> The state of things as they truly are, unconditioned
     reality.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l26 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Reality
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">实际</span>):</b>
     The actual, ultimate state.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l26 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Ten
     grounds (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">十地</span>,
     Daśa-bhūmi):</b> The ten stages of development for a Bodhisattva on the
     path to Buddhahood in Mahayana Buddhism.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l26 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Four
     fruits (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">四果</span>):</b>
     The four stages of attainment in the Śrāvaka (hearer) path:
     Stream-enterer, Once-returner, Non-returner, Arhat. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l26 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>‘The
     Buddha spoke all dharmas...’:</b> A famous quote often attributed to
     Bodhidharma, summarizing the idea that teachings are remedies for the
     mind's afflictions; if the afflictions cease, the remedies are
     unnecessary.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l26 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>One
     Mind (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">一心</span>):</b>
     The central doctrine of Huangbo, the fundamental
     nature of Mind, which is identical to Buddha-nature. Pei Xiu's Preface states: "[The master himself] just esteemed the stamp of the Supreme Vehicle, which stayed far removed from words and letters. He transmitted only the one mind; there was no other dharma. The essence of mind is also empty, and the myriad conditions are all quiescent. It is like the great orb of the sun that rises in the sky: its radiance shines brightly, and it is clear without the slightest trace of dust."</span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l26 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>One
     Vehicle (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">一乘</span>,
     Ekayāna):</b> The doctrine, most famously elaborated in the Lotus Sutra,
     that the various paths taught by the Buddha (for Śrāvakas,
     Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas) are ultimately skillful means leading to
     the single, universal Buddha Vehicle.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l26 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>‘This
     assembly has no branches or leaves...’:</b> A quote from the Lotus Sutra,
     Chapter 2 (Expedient Means), emphasizing the directness and authenticity
     of the ultimate teaching, discarding temporary or provisional doctrines.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l26 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Bodhidharma
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">达摩</span>):</b>
     The semi-legendary Indian monk credited with bringing Chan Buddhism to
     China in the 5th or 6th century.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l26 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Liang
     and Wei:</b> Dynasties/states in China during Bodhidharma's time.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l26 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Great
     Master Ke:</b> Huike (<span lang="ZH-CN">慧可</span>,
     487–593), the second patriarch of Chan in China, who famously received the
     transmission from Bodhidharma after demonstrating his sincerity (in
     legend, by cutting off his arm).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l26 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Body
     and mind both non-existent (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">身心俱无</span>):</b> Refers to the
     realization of the emptiness of both physical form and mental phenomena.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l26 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Great
     Way (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">大道</span>):</b>
     The ultimate path or reality.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l26 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>True
     nature (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">真性</span>):</b>
     The true nature, synonymous with Buddha-nature or mind-nature.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l26 level1 lfo20; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Mind-nature
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">心性</span>):</b>
     The inherent nature of the mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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</div>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “Does the Buddha
deliver sentient beings?” The Master said: “In reality, there are no sentient
beings for the Tathāgata to deliver. Even ‘I’ cannot be attained, how can
‘not-I’ be attained? Buddha and sentient beings are both&nbsp;</span><span></span><span>unobtainable</span>/unfindable.” [The
questioner] said: “Currently there are the thirty-two marks and the delivering
of sentient beings, how can you say they are non-existent?” The Master said:
“‘All that has characteristics is illusory and unreal. If you see all characteristics&nbsp;as non-characteristics,
you then see the Tathāgata.’ Buddha and sentient beings are entirely your
creation of illusory views. It is only because you do not recognize the
fundamental mind that you mistakenly formulate views. As soon as you create the
view of Buddha, you are obstructed by Buddha; creating the view of sentient
beings, you are obstructed by sentient beings. Creating views of ordinary,
sagely, pure, impure, and so forth—all become obstructions. Obstructing your
mind, they altogether become samsaric turning. It is like a monkey, letting go
of one and grasping another, with no time to rest. This is all just learning.
You must directly achieve no-learning: no ordinary, no sage, no pure, no
impure, no large, no small, without outflows, unconditioned. Thus, within this
one mind, expediently and diligently adorn [it]. Even if you learn the
teachings of the Three Vehicles and the twelve divisions of the scriptures, all
views must be completely discarded. Therefore, remove everything, leave only
one bed, and lie down as if sick. This is just not giving rise to any views.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">When not a single dharma can be obtained, one is not obstructed by dharmas, and
penetrates beyond the domains of ordinary and sagely in the three realms—only
then does one get to be called a world-transcending Buddha. Therefore, it is
said: ‘Bow the head to the one like space, without reliance,’ surpassing the
externalist paths. Since mind is not different, dharma is also not different;
since mind is unconditioned, dharma is also unconditioned. The myriad dharmas
are all transformed by mind. Therefore, ‘Because my mind is empty, all dharmas
are empty; the thousand kinds and myriad types are all the same.’ The entire
empty realm of the ten directions is the same one mind-essence. Mind is
fundamentally not different, dharma is also not different. It is only because
your views are different that there are distinctions. It is like the devas
eating from the same precious vessel; according to their merits, the color of
the food differs. The Buddhas of the ten directions in reality have not attained
the slightest dharma—this is named Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. It is just the One
Mind, in reality without different characteristics, also without lustre, also
without victory or defeat. No victory, thus no sign of Buddha; no defeat, thus
no sign of sentient beings.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">佛度众生否？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">实无众生如来度者。我尚不可得，非我何可得？佛与众生皆不可得。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">现有三十二相及度众生，何得言无？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">凡所有相，皆是虚妄。若见诸相非相，即见如来。佛与众生，尽是汝作妄见，只为不识本心，谩作见解。才作佛见，便被佛障；作众生见，被众生障。作凡作圣作净作秽等见，尽成其障，障汝心故，总成轮转。犹如猕猴，放一捉一，无有歇期，一等是学。直须无学，无凡无圣，无净无垢，无大无小，无漏无为，如是一心中，方便勤庄严。听汝学得三乘十二分教，一切见解，总须舍却。所以除去所有，唯置一床，寝疾而卧。只是不起诸见，无一法可得，不被法障，透脱三界凡圣境域，始得名为出世佛。所以云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">稽首如空无所依</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">，出过外道。心既不异，法亦不异；心既无为，法亦无为。万法尽由心变，所以</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">我心空故诸法空，千品万类悉皆同。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">尽十方空界同一心体，心本不异，法亦不异。只为汝见解不同，所以差别。譬如诸天共宝器食，随其福德，饭色有异。十方诸佛实无少法可得，名为阿耨菩提。只是一心，实无异相，亦无光彩，亦无胜负。无胜故无佛相，无负故无众生相。</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>“In
     reality, there are no sentient beings...” &amp; “All that has characteristics...”:</b>
     Direct references or strong echoes of verses from the Diamond Sutra,
     emphasizing emptiness and the illusory nature of perceived distinctions.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Tathāgata
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">如来</span>):</b>
     "Thus Come One" or "Thus Gone One," an epithet for a
     Buddha.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Thirty-two
     marks (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">三十二相</span>):</b>
     The major physical characteristics said to adorn the body of a great being
     like a Buddha or a universal monarch (Cakravartin). Huangbo dismisses
     these as mere signs.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Mistakenly
     formulate views (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">谩作见解</span>):</b>
     Creating interpretations or conceptual frameworks based on delusion rather
     than direct insight into the fundamental mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Obstructed
     by Buddha (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">佛障</span>):</b>
     Even the concept of "Buddha," if clung to as an external reality
     or goal, becomes an obstacle to realizing one's own inherent Buddha-mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Samsaric
     turning (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">轮转</span>):</b>
     The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (samsara), driven by ignorance and
     attachment to views.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Monkey,
     letting go of one and grasping another:</b> Metaphor for the restless mind
     that constantly grasps at thoughts and objects.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>No-learning
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无学</span>,
     aśaikṣa):</b> The stage beyond learning, characteristic of an Arhat or
     Buddha who has completed the path and has nothing further to train in or
     learn in the conventional sense.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Without
     outflows (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无漏</span>,
     anāsrava):</b> Free from the "outflows" or "cankers" –
     sensual desire, desire for existence, wrong views, and ignorance – that
     perpetuate samsara.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Unconditioned
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无为</span>,
     asa</b><b>ṃsk</b><b>ṛta):</b> Not produced by
     causes and conditions; referring to the ultimate truth, Nirvana, or the
     nature of the awakened mind. Here, used according to the specific
     instruction: related to the cessation of afflictive conditionings.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Expediently
     and diligently adorn [it] (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">方便勤庄严</span>):</b> In the context of the
     preceding negations ("no ordinary, no sage..."), this phrase
     likely means to simply maintain awareness of the One Mind, free from these
     dualistic views, as the fundamental 'practice' or 'adornment'. It's an
     adornment devoid of conventional effort or attributes.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Three
     Vehicles and twelve divisions of the scriptures (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">三乘十二分教</span>):</b> The
     traditional classification of Buddhist paths (Śrāvaka, Pratyekabuddha,
     Bodhisattva) and scriptures. Huangbo insists that even mastery of these is
     insufficient without abandoning conceptual views.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Remove
     everything, leave only one bed...:</b> An allusion to the layman
     Bodhisattva Vimalakīrti, who demonstrated profound wisdom while seemingly
     ill in an empty room, symbolizing liberation from all attachments and
     conceptual frameworks.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Three
     realms (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">三界</span>):</b>
     The realms of desire, form, and formlessness that constitute samsara.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>World-transcending
     Buddha (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">出世佛</span>):</b>
     A Buddha who has gone beyond the conditioned world (samsara).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>‘Bow
     the head to the one like space...’:</b> A line from the <i>Song of Realization&nbsp;</i>(<span lang="ZH-CN">证道歌</span>)
     by Yongjia Xuanjue (<span lang="ZH-CN">永嘉玄觉</span>),
     referring to the ultimate truth (often equated with Dharmakāya or
     Buddha-nature) which is like space – boundless, centerless, and without
     any fixed support or attribute.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Externalist
     paths (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">外道</span>):</b>
     Non-Buddhist teachings, often characterized in Buddhism as holding
     erroneous views (e.g., eternalism, nihilism, belief in a permanent self).
     Huangbo uses it here for anyone clinging to views.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Unconditioned
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无为</span>):</b>
     Used again here, meaning free from afflictive conditioning and conceptual
     fabrication.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Myriad
     dharmas are all transformed by mind:</b> A key Mahayana concept,
     particularly emphasized in Yogācāra and Chan, that perceived reality is
     inseparable from the mind that perceives it.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Devas
     eating...:</b> A common Buddhist analogy illustrating how the same reality
     (the food/vessel) is experienced differently based on individual karma and
     merit (the devas' fortune). Similarly, the One Mind appears differentiated
     due to differing views.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l37 level1 lfo21; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">阿耨菩提</span>):</b>
     "Unsurpassable Perfect Awakening," the supreme awakening of a
     Buddha. Huangbo equates it with the realization of the One Mind, wherein
     nothing is actually attained because it was never lost.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> [The questioner] said: “Since
the mind is signless, how can it be entirely without the thirty-two marks and
eighty minor marks, [manifesting] to transform and deliver sentient beings?”
The Master said: “The thirty-two marks belong to characteristics. ‘All that has characteristics is
illusory and unreal.’ The eighty minor marks belong to form/color. ‘If one sees
me by means of form... that person practices a wrong path and cannot see the
Tathāgata.’” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">心既无相，岂得全无三十二相、八十种好化度众生耶？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">三十二相属相，凡所有相，皆是虚妄；八十种好属色，若以色见我，是人行邪道，不能见如来。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l35 level1 lfo22; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Signless
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无相</span>):</b>
     Lacking inherent, fixed characteristics.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l35 level1 lfo22; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Eighty
     minor marks (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">八十种好</span>):</b>
     Secondary physical characteristics attributed to a Buddha, complementing
     the thirty-two major marks.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l35 level1 lfo22; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Form/color
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">色</span>,
     rūpa):</b> Physical form, matter, color – the realm of sensory appearance.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l35 level1 lfo22; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>‘All
     that has characteristics...’ &amp; ‘If one sees me by means of form...’:</b> Quotes
     from the Diamond Sutra, used here to deconstruct attachment to the
     physical or visible attributes of a Buddha, pointing instead to the signless nature of mind/reality.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Text:</b> <i>Extract from a Chan/Zen Buddhist text
(Likely the Huangbo Chuán Xīn F</i><i>ǎ
Y</i><i><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">à</span>o </i><i><span lang="ZH-CN">黃檗傳心法要</span> - Essential Teachings of the Transmission of Mind by
Huangbo Xiyun, but source not explicitly provided in the prompt).</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “Are Buddha-nature and
the nature of sentient beings the same or different?” The Master said: “Nature
is without sameness or difference. If based on the teachings of the Three
Vehicles, then it is said there is Buddha-nature and there is sentient
being-nature, which leads to the cause and effect of the Three Vehicles, thus
there is sameness and difference. If based on the Buddha Vehicle and the
transmission of the Patriarchs, then such things are not spoken of; there is
only the One Mind, which is neither same nor different, neither cause nor
effect. Therefore it is said: ‘There is only this One Vehicle path, neither two
nor three, except for the Buddha’s expedient explanations.’”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b>
<span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">佛性与众生性为同为别？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">性无同异。若约三乘教，即说有佛性，有众生性，遂有三乘因果，即有同异；若约佛乘及祖师相传，即不说如是事，唯有一心，非同非异，非因非果。所以云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">唯此一乘道，无二亦无三，除佛方便说。</span>’”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l56 level1 lfo23; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Three
     Vehicles (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">三乘教</span>
     sān shèng jiào):</b> The paths of Śrāvakas (voice-hearers),
     Pratyekabuddhas (solitary realizers), and Bodhisattvas, often presented in
     Mahāyāna sutras as distinct paths with different goals, contrasted with
     the One Vehicle (Ekayāna <span lang="ZH-CN">佛乘</span>
     fó shèng) which encompasses all and leads to supreme Buddhahood. The One
     Mind teaching of Chan transcends these distinctions.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l56 level1 lfo23; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>One
     Mind (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">一心</span> yī
     xīn):</b> A central concept in Chan/Zen and some Mahāyāna schools,
     referring to the ultimate, the fundamental nature of all beings,
     identical to Buddha-nature.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l56 level1 lfo23; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Patriarchs
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">祖师</span> z</b><b>ǔsh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span>):</b> The lineage holders in Chan Buddhism, starting from
     Bodhidharma, who are believed to have transmitted the direct experience of
     the One Mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “Why does the
Bodhisattva Limitless Body not see the crown feature [uṣṇīṣa] of the Tathāgata?” The Master said: “In
reality, there is nothing to be seen. Why is this so? The Bodhisattva Limitless
Body is precisely the Tathāgata, and should not see again. It only teaches you
not to form a view of Buddha, not falling to the side of Buddha; not to form a
view of sentient beings, not falling to the side of sentient beings; not to
form a view of existence, not falling to the side of existence; not to form a
view of non-existence, not falling to the side of non-existence; not to form a
view of the ordinary, not falling to the side of the ordinary; not to form a
view of the holy, not falling to the side of the holy. Simply having no views
is the Limitless Body. If there is a place of views, it is called an external
path. Those on external paths delight in various views; Bodhisattvas are
unmoved amidst various views; the Tathāgata is the suchness-meaning of all
dharmas. Therefore it is said: ‘Maitreya is also suchness, all sages and
worthies are also suchness.’ Suchness is non-arising, suchness is non-ceasing,
suchness is non-seeing, suchness is non-hearing. The Tathāgata’s crown is
perfect seeing, yet also without perfect seeing, hence not falling to the side
of perfection. Therefore the Buddha’s body is unconditioned, not falling into
any category. Expediently, it is compared to empty space, perfectly identical
to the great void, without lack or excess, ordinarily without affairs. Do not
forcefully discriminate other realms/objects; discriminating gives rise to
consciousness. Therefore it is said: ‘Perfect completion drowns in the sea of
consciousness, transmigrating like drifting tumbleweed.’&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Merely saying ‘I
know,’ ‘I have learned,’ ‘I have attained accordant awakening,’ ‘I am
liberated,’ ‘There is a principle,’ where strong, one feels satisfied, where
weak, one feels dissatisfied—what use is this kind of view? I say to you: ‘Ordinarily without affairs, do not deceive yourself by
using the mind. No need to seek the true, only cease views.’ Therefore,
internal views and external views are both mistaken; the Buddha path and the
Mara path are both wrong. This is why Mañjuśrī, momentarily giving rise to
dualistic views, was relegated to the two Iron Mountains. Mañjuśrī is the
wisdom of reality, Samantabhadra is expedient wisdom. Expedient and real are
relative antidotes; ultimately, there is neither expedient nor real, only the
One Mind. The mind is neither Buddha nor sentient being, without differing
views. As soon as there is a view of Buddha, a view of sentient beings arises.
Views of existence and non-existence, views of permanence and annihilation,
become the two Iron Mountains, because one is obstructed by views. The
Patriarchs directly point to the fundamental mind and fundamental essence of
all sentient beings as originally Buddha, not needing cultivation to be
achieved, not belonging to gradual stages, not being about brightness or
darkness.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Not being bright, thus without ignorance; not being dark, thus
without non-darkness. Therefore, there is no ignorance, nor extinction of
ignorance. Entering this school of ours, you must pay close attention. Seeing
in this way is called the Dharma. Seeing the Dharma, one is called Buddha. When
Buddha and Dharma are both absent, it is called the Sangha, referred to as the
unconditioned Sangha, also named the Three Jewels in One Body. Those who seek
the Dharma should not seek attached to Buddha, not seek attached to Dharma, not
seek attached to the Sangha; they should seek nothing. Not seeking attached to
Buddha, thus there is no Buddha; not seeking attached to Dharma, thus there is
no Dharma; not seeking attached to the Sangha, thus there is no Sangha.”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original
Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">无边身菩萨为什么不见如来顶相？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">实无可见。何以故？无边身菩萨便是如来，不应更见。只教尔不作佛见，不落佛边；不作众生见，不落众生边；不作有见，不落有边；不作无见，不落无边；不作凡见，不落凡边；不作圣见，不落圣边。但无诸见，即是无边身。若有见处，即名外道。外道者乐于诸见，菩萨于诸见而不动，如来者即诸法如义。所以云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">弥勒亦如也，众圣贤亦如也。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">如即无生，如即无灭，如即无见，如即无闻。如来顶即是圆见，亦无圆见，故不落圆边。所以佛身无为，不堕诸数，权以虚空为喻，圆同太虚，无欠无余，等闲无事。莫强辨他境，辨着便成识。所以云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">圆成沉识海，流转若飘蓬。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">只道我知也、学得也、契悟也、解脱也、有道理也，强处即如意，弱处即不如意，似这个见解，有什么用处？我向汝道：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">等闲无事，莫谩用心。不用求真，唯须息见。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">所以内见外见俱错，佛道魔道俱恶。所以文殊暂起二见，贬向二铁围山。文殊即实智，普贤即权智，权实相对治，究竟亦无权实，唯是一心。心且不佛不众生，无有异见。才有佛见，便作众生见。有见无见，常见断见，便成二铁围山，被见障故。祖师直指一切众生本心本体本来是佛，不假修成，不属渐次，不是明暗。不是明，故无明；不是暗，故无暗。所以无无明，亦无无明尽。入我此宗门，切须在意，如此见得，名之为法。见法故，名之为佛。佛法俱无，名之为僧，唤作无为僧，亦名一体三宝。夫求法者，不着佛求，不着法求，不着众求，应无所求。不着佛求，故无佛；不着法求，故无法；不着众求，故无僧。</span>”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Bodhisattva
     Limitless Body (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无边身菩萨</span>
     wúbiān shēn púsà):</b> Represents the boundless nature of the enlightened
     mind, which is non-different from the Tathāgata (Buddha). Seeing the uṣṇīṣa (<span lang="ZH-CN">顶相</span> dǐng xi<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">à</span>ng,
     a mark of a Buddha) would imply a separation between seer and seen, a
     duality that is transcended.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Views
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">见</span>
     jiàn):</b> Refers to conceptual viewpoints, opinions, or fixed ideas,
     especially those rooted in duality (Buddha/sentient being,
     existence/non-existence, etc.). Chan emphasizes transcending all views.
     Sakkāya Diṭṭhi
     (self-view) is a primary one, but here it refers broadly to all conceptual
     fixation.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>External
     path (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">外道</span>
     wàidào):</b> Literally "outside the way," referring to
     non-Buddhist paths or any approach attached to views and conceptual
     frameworks, missing the direct experience of the Mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Suchness
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">如</span>
     rú):</b> Tathatā. The state of things as they truly are, beyond conceptual
     elaboration, designation, or duality.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Unconditioned
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无为</span>
     wúwéi):</b> Here refers to the state beyond conditioned existence, free
     from afflictions, causes, and effects; transcendent and unconstructed. Not
     simply inaction, but action free from dualistic effort.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Great
     Void (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">太虚</span>
     tàixū):</b> Similar to empty space (<span lang="ZH-CN">虚空</span> xūkōng), symbolizing the
     boundless, formless, and empty nature of reality/Mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Ordinarily
     without affairs (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">等闲无事</span>
     děngxián wúshì):</b> A Chan expression signifying the state of mind free
     from contrived activities, seeking, or mental complication; a natural,
     uncontrived state.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Discriminating...
     gives rise to consciousness (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">辨着便成识</span> biàn zhuó biàn chéng shí):</b>
     Conceptual discrimination creates the subject-object split and the
     operations of discriminative consciousness (vijñāna).</span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Cease
     views (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">息见</span> xī
     jiàn):</b> Stop the arising of and clinging to conceptual views and
     discriminations.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Mañjuśrī
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">文殊</span>
     Wénshū) and the Two Iron Mountains (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">二铁围山</span> èr tiě wéi shān):</b>
     Mañjuśrī represents wisdom. This story, found in texts like the
     Vimalakīrti Sutra and used often in Chan, illustrates that even a slight
     lapse into dualistic thought (like distinguishing Buddha from non-Buddha)
     constitutes an obstruction, metaphorically represented by imprisonment
     between two concentric iron mountains (Cakravāḍa), symbolizing entrapment in duality.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Wisdom
     of reality (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">实智</span>
     shí zhì) and Expedient wisdom (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">权智</span> quán zhì):</b> Prajñā that
     directly realizes ultimate truth versus skillful means or wisdom adapted
     to context. Samantabhadra (<span lang="ZH-CN">普贤</span>
     Pǔxi<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">á</span>n) often represents the application of wisdom in activity.
     Ultimately, this distinction also dissolves in the One Mind.&nbsp;</span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Not
     needing cultivation to be achieved (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">不假修成</span> bù ji</b><b>ǎ xi</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ū</span> ch</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">é</span>ng):</b>
     Emphasizes the Chan view that Buddhahood is not something to be newly
     created through practice but is one's fundamental true nature to be recognized.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Not
     belonging to gradual stages (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">不属渐次</span> bù sh</b><b>ǔ ji</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">à</span>nc</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ì</span>):</b>
     Highlighting the sudden awakening aspect of Chan, contrasting with gradual
     path approaches.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Ignorance
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无明</span>
     wúmíng):</b> Avidyā. Fundamental unawareness of the true nature of
     reality. The text plays on the literal meaning of <span lang="ZH-CN">无明</span> (no brightness) and its
     opposite. The line "Therefore, there is no ignorance, nor extinction
     of ignorance (<span lang="ZH-CN">所以无无明，亦无无明尽</span>)"
     directly echoes the Heart Sutra, indicating the ultimate emptiness of both
     ignorance and its cessation.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Unconditioned
     Sangha (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无为僧</span>
     wúwéi sēng) / Three Jewels in One Body (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">一体三宝</span> yīt</b><b>ǐ s</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ā</span>nb</b><b>ǎo):</b>
     When all conceptual distinctions (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha as separate
     entities) dissolve into the realization of the One Mind (which is
     unconditioned), the Three Jewels are realized as inseparable aspects of
     this single reality.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l10 level1 lfo24; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Not
     seek attached to... (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">不着</span>...</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">求</span> bù
     zhuó... qiú):</b> Seeking while being attached to the concepts of Buddha,
     Dharma, or Sangha prevents realization. True seeking is<span lang="ZH-CN">無所求</span> (wú suǒ qi<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ú</span>) - seeking nothing, having no objective goal.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “Venerable Master, you
are currently expounding the Dharma, how can you say there is no Sangha and no
Dharma?” The Master said: “If you see that there is a Dharma that can be
expounded, you are seeking me through sound. If you see that there is an ‘I’
[who teaches], that is [grasping at] a location/abode. Dharma is also
no-dharma; Dharma is Mind. Therefore, a Patriarch said: ‘When transmitting this
Mind-Dharma, when has dharma ever been dharma? No-dharma, no fundamental mind,
only then understand the Mind-to-Mind Dharma.’ Truly, not a single dharma can
be attained; this is called sitting in the place of awakening. The place of
awakening is simply not giving rise to any views. Awakening to the fundamental
emptiness of dharmas is called the empty Tathāgatagarbha. Originally there is
not a single thing, where can dust alight? If you attain the meaning within
this, what is there to discuss about being carefree and unrestrained?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">和尚见今说法，何得言无僧亦无法。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">汝若见有法可说，即是以音声求我。若见有我，即是处所。法亦无法，法即是心。所以祖师云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">付此心法时，法法何曾法。无法无本心，始解心心法。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">实无一法可得，名坐道场。道场者，只是不起诸见。悟法本空，唤作空如来藏。本来无一物，何处有尘埃？若得此中意，逍遥何所论。</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l29 level1 lfo25; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Seeking
     me through sound (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">以音声求我</span>
     y</b><b>ǐ y</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span>nsh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ē</span>ng qi</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ú</span> w</b><b>ǒ):</b>
     Referencing a famous passage in the Diamond Sutra where the Buddha states
     that those who try to see the Tathāgata through form or seek him through
     sound are on a wrong path.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l29 level1 lfo25; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Location/abode
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">处所</span>
     chùsu</b><b>ǒ):</b> Grasping
     at a self ('I') implies fixing it in a conceptual location or state, a
     form of clinging.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l29 level1 lfo25; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Mind-Dharma
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">心法</span>
     xīnf</b><b>ǎ):</b>
     The Dharma that is the Mind itself, the core transmission in Chan.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l29 level1 lfo25; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Verse
     "</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">付此心法时</span>...</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">始解心心法</span>":</b>
     This verse points to the ineffable nature of the transmission. True
     understanding comes when notions of "Dharma" and
     "Mind" are transcended. "Mind-to-Mind Dharma" (<span lang="ZH-CN">心心法</span>
     xīn xīn fǎ) refers
     to the direct transmission beyond words.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l29 level1 lfo25; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Not
     a single dharma can be attained (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">实无一法可得</span> shí wú yī f</b><b>ǎ k</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ě</span> d</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">é</span>):</b> A
     key Mahāyāna and Chan expression emphasizing emptiness and the absence of
     any substantial entity to be grasped or achieved.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l29 level1 lfo25; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Place
     of awakening (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">道场</span>
     dàoch</b><b>ǎng):</b>
     Bodhimaṇḍa. Here,
     it's defined not as a physical place but as the state of mind free from
     arising views.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l29 level1 lfo25; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Empty
     Tathāgatagarbha (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">空如来藏</span>
     kōng rúlái zàng):</b> Tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature) understood through
     the lens of emptiness (śūnyatā). While possessing the potential for
     Buddhahood, it is fundamentally empty of inherent existence.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l29 level1 lfo25; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>"Originally
     there is not a single thing, where can dust alight?" (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">本来无一物，何处有尘埃</span>?
     běnlái wú yī wù, hé chù y</b><b>ǒu
     ch</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">é</span>n'</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ā</span>i?):</b>
     The famous verse attributed to Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Chan,
     expressing the fundamentally pure and empty nature of the mind,
     contrasting with Shenxiu's verse about polishing the mirror.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l29 level1 lfo25; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Carefree
     and unrestrained (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">逍遥</span>
     xiāoyáo):</b> A term often associated with Daoist ideals (e.g., Zhuangzi),
     adopted into Chan to describe the freedom and ease that comes with
     awakening.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">

<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%" />

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “‘Originally there is
not a single thing’—does ‘no thing’ mean it is correct/right?” The Master said:
“‘No’ is also not correct/right. Bodhi has no place of being correct/right, nor
is there understanding of ‘no’.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">本来无一物，无物便是否？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">无亦不是，菩提无是处，亦无无知解。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l20 level1 lfo26; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无亦不是</span>
     (wú yì bù shì):</b> "No" is also not right/correct. This negates
     clinging even to the concept of emptiness or nothingness, preventing it
     from becoming another fixed view.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l20 level1 lfo26; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b><span lang="ZH-CN">菩提无是处</span>
     (pútí wú shì chù):</b> Bodhi (awakening) has no place where it
     "is" or "is correct." It transcends affirmation and
     negation.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l20 level1 lfo26; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b><span lang="ZH-CN">亦无无知解</span>
     (yì wú wú zhī jiě):</b> Nor is there an understanding characterized by
     "no." Understanding cannot be based on the concept of negation
     alone.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">

<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%" />

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “What is Buddha?” The
Master said: “Your mind is Buddha. Buddha is precisely Mind. Mind and Buddha
are not different, therefore it is said, ‘Mind itself is Buddha.’ If separate
from the mind, there is no other Buddha.” Question: “If one’s own mind is
Buddha, when the Patriarch came from the West [Bodhidharma], what did he
transmit?” The Master said: “When the Patriarch came from the West, he only
transmitted the Mind-Buddha, directly pointing out that your minds are
originally Buddha. Mind to mind without difference, hence called Patriarch. If
you directly see this meaning, you instantly transcend all the stages of the
Three Vehicles. Originally you are Buddha, not needing cultivation to be
achieved.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">何者是佛？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">汝心是佛，佛即是心，心佛不异，故云即心是佛。若离于心，别更无佛。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若自心是佛，祖师西来，如何传授？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">祖师西来，唯传心佛，直指汝等心本来是佛。心心不异，故名为祖。若直下见此意，即顿超三乘一切诸位，本来是佛，不假修成。</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l9 level1 lfo27; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Mind
     itself is Buddha (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">即心是佛</span>
     jí xīn shì fó):</b> A cornerstone statement in Chan Buddhism, attributed
     to masters like Mazu Daoyi and Huangbo.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l9 level1 lfo27; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Patriarch
     came from the West (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">祖师西来</span>
     z</b><b>ǔsh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span> x</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span> l</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">á</span>i):</b> Refers to Bodhidharma bringing Chan from India (the
     West relative to China) to China.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l9 level1 lfo27; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Transmitted
     the Mind-Buddha (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">唯传心佛</span>
     wéi chuán xīn fó):</b> The transmission was not of doctrines or scriptures
     primarily, but a direct pointing (<span lang="ZH-CN">直指</span> zhí zhǐ) to the hearer's own mind as Buddha.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l9 level1 lfo27; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Mind
     to mind without difference (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">心心不异</span> xīn xīn bù yì):</b>
     Describes the nature of the Chan transmission – a direct, non-verbal
     understanding passed from the mind of the master to the mind of the
     disciple.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l9 level1 lfo27; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Instantly
     transcend (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">顿超</span>
     dùn chāo):</b> Emphasizes the "sudden awakening" (dunwu <span lang="ZH-CN">頓悟</span>)
     aspect of Chan, where realization is immediate and complete, surpassing
     gradual stages.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">

<hr align="center" size="2" width="100%" />

</div>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “If it is like this,
when the Buddhas of the ten directions appear in the world, what Dharma do they
speak?” The Master said: “When the Buddhas of the ten directions appear in the
world, they only jointly speak the Dharma of the One Mind. Therefore, the
Buddha secretly entrusted it to Mahākāśyapa. This essence of the One Mind
Dharma exhausts empty space and pervades the dharma realm, called the principle
of all Buddhas. Regarding this Dharma, how can you understand it through words
and sentences? Nor can you see it through a particular potentiality or realm.
This meaning can only be tacitly understood. This gate is called the
unconditioned Dharma gate. If you wish to understand, just know no-mind;
suddenly awaken, and you attain it. If you use the mind intending to learn and
grasp it, you turn further away. If you are without a mind of divergent paths,
without any mind of grasping and rejecting, mind like wood and stone, only then
do you have the capacity for studying the Way.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若如此，十方诸佛出世，说于何法？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">十方诸佛出世，只共说一心法，所以佛密付与摩诃大迦叶。此一心法体，尽虚空遍法界，名为诸佛理。论这个法，岂是汝于言句上解得他？亦不是于一机一境上见得他。此意唯是默契得。这一门名为无为法门，若欲会得，但知无心，忽悟即得。若用心拟学取，即转远去。若无岐路心、一切取舍心，心如木石，始有学道分。</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l63 level1 lfo28; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Secretly
     entrusted it to Mahākāśyapa (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">密付与摩诃大迦叶</span> mì fù y</b><b>ǔ M</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ó</span>h</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ē</span> D</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">à</span>ji</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ā</span>sh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">è</span>):</b> Refers to the origin story of Chan transmission,
     where the Buddha held up a flower, Mahākāśyapa smiled in understanding,
     and the Buddha acknowledged this direct mind-to-mind transmission beyond
     words.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l63 level1 lfo28; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Essence
     of the One Mind Dharma (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">一心法体</span>
     yī xīn f</b><b>ǎ t</b><b>ǐ):</b> The fundamental
     nature or essence of the One Mind Dharma.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l63 level1 lfo28; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Exhausts
     empty space and pervades the dharma realm (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">尽虚空遍法界</span> jìn xūkōng biàn f</b><b>ǎji</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">è</span>):</b> Describes the omnipresent, boundless nature of the
     One Mind. Dharma realm (<span lang="ZH-CN">法界</span>
     fǎji<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">è</span>) is Dharmadh<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ā</span>tu.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l63 level1 lfo28; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Principle
     of all Buddhas (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">诸佛理</span>
     zhū fó l</b><b>ǐ):</b>
     The underlying truth or reality realized by all Buddhas.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l63 level1 lfo28; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Potentiality
     or realm (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">一机一境</span>
     yī jī yī jìng):</b> Refers to specific circumstances, encounters, states
     of mind, or objects of meditation. The One Mind cannot be grasped through
     such particulars.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l63 level1 lfo28; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Tacitly
     understood (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">默契得</span>
     mòqì dé):</b> Understood intuitively, directly, without relying on
     language or concepts.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l63 level1 lfo28; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Unconditioned
     Dharma gate (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无为法门</span>
     wúwéi f</b><b>ǎm</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">é</span>n):</b> The path that leads to the unconditioned, the state
     beyond conceptual fabrication and conditioned phenomena. See footnote on <span lang="ZH-CN">无为</span>
     (wúwéi) earlier.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l63 level1 lfo28; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>No-mind
     (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">无心</span>
     wúxīn):</b> Not a state of blankness, but realizing and actualizing the truth that Mind is empty of a substantial existence (No-Mind), similar to the truth of anātman (No-Self).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l63 level1 lfo28; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Suddenly
     awaken (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">忽悟</span> hū
     wù):</b> Instantaneous realization.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l63 level1 lfo28; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Mind
     of divergent paths (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">岐路心</span>
     qílù xīn):</b> A mind that gets lost in distinctions, alternatives, and
     complexities.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l63 level1 lfo28; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Mind
     of grasping and rejecting (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">取舍心</span> q</b><b>ǔsh</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ě</span> x</b><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ī</span>n):</b> A
     mind caught in liking and disliking, accepting and rejecting, the root of
     dualistic attachment.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l63 level1 lfo28; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Mind
     like wood and stone (</b><b><span lang="ZH-CN">心如木石</span>
     xīn rú mù shí):</b> A mind that is unresponsive to dualistic provocations,
     unmoving, free from passions and discriminations. This indicates stability
     and non-attachment, a prerequisite for deep practice.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> [Someone] said: “Currently there
are various kinds of illusory thoughts present; how can you say they are
non-existent?” The Master said: “Illusion fundamentally lacks substance; it is
precisely what arises from your mind. If you recognize that the mind is Buddha,
the mind is fundamentally without illusion, how could you then give rise to
mind to further acknowledge illusion? If you do not give rise to mind or
activate thoughts, naturally there is no illusion. Therefore it is said: ‘When
the mind arises, various dharmas arise; when the mind ceases, various dharmas
cease.’”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">[Someone] said: “Right now, when illusory thoughts are arising, where
is the Buddha?” The Master said: “When you are now aware of the arising of
illusion, that awareness is precisely the Buddha. Wherein, if there were no
illusory thoughts, the Buddha would also not be. Why is this so? Because you
give rise to the mind creating a view of Buddha, you then assert there is a
Buddha to be attained; creating a view of sentient beings, you then assert
there are sentient beings to be delivered. Giving rise to mind and activating
thoughts is entirely your place of views. If there are no views whatsoever,
where is the location of the Buddha? Just as Mañjuśrī, as soon as he gave rise
to the view of Buddha, was immediately banished to the two Iron Encircling
Mountains.”¹ [Someone] said: “Right now, at the moment of awakening, where is
the Buddha?” The Master said: “Where does the question come from? Where does
awareness arise from? Speech and silence, movement and stillness, all sounds
and forms, are entirely Buddha’s activity. Where would you seek the Buddha? You
must not place a head on top of a head, or add a mouth onto a mouth. Just do
not give rise to different views.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span>Mountains are mountains, water is water,
monks are monks, laypeople are laypeople. The mountains, rivers, the great
earth, sun, moon, and stars are altogether not outside your mind. The three
thousand worlds all come to be your own self. Where are so many kinds [of
things]? Outside the mind, there are no dharmas; the green mountains fill the
eyes. The empty world is brilliantly clear, without a single strand of hair for
you to form views upon. Therefore, all sounds and forms are the wisdom eye of
the Buddha. Dharma does not arise in isolation; it relies on conditions
[objects/environments] to arise. For the sake of things, there is much wisdom.
Speaking all day, when has one ever spoken? Hearing all day, when has one ever
heard? Therefore, Śākyamuni spoke for forty-nine years, yet never spoke a
single word.” [Someone] said: “If it is like this, where is Bodhi?” The Master
said: “Bodhi has no place where it is; Buddhas also do not attain Bodhi, and
sentient beings also do not lose Bodhi. It cannot be attained through the body,
it cannot be sought through the mind. All sentient beings are themselves the
characteristic of Bodhi.” [Someone] said: “How does one arouse the Bodhi mind?”
The Master said: “Bodhi is&nbsp;</span><span></span><span>unobtainable</span>/unfindable. You now just arouse the mind of
unobtainability/unfindability; definitively not obtaining a single dharma is the Bodhi mind.
Bodhi has no place to abide; therefore, there is no one who attains it. Thus it
is said: ‘At the place of Dīpaṃkara
Buddha, I did not have the slightest dharma that could be attained, and the
Buddha then gave me the prediction [of future Buddhahood].’²&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Clearly know that
all sentient beings are fundamentally Bodhi; they should not attain Bodhi
again. You now hear ‘arouse the Bodhi mind’ and assume it means a mind learning
to become a Buddha, solely intending to become a Buddha. Even if you practice
for three asaṃkhyeya
kalpas,³ you will only attain a Reward Body (saṃbhogakāya)
or Transformation Body (nirmāṇakāya)
Buddha. What connection does this have with your fundamental source, the true
nature Buddha? Therefore it is said: ‘Seeking a Buddha with form externally is
not similar to you.’”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如今现有种种妄念，何以言无？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">妄本无体，即是汝心所起。汝若识心是佛，心本无妄，哪得起心更认于妄？汝若不生心动念，自然无妄。所以云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">心生则种种法生，心灭则种种法灭。</span>’”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">今正妄念起时，佛在何处？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">汝今觉妄起时，觉正是佛。可中若无妄念，佛亦无。何故如此？为汝起心作佛见，便谓有佛可成；作众生见，便谓有众生可度。起心动念，总是汝见处。若无一切见，佛有何处所？如文殊才起佛见，便贬向二铁围山。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">今正悟时，佛在何处？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">问从何来？觉从何起？语默动静、一切声色，尽是佛事，何处觅佛？不可更头上安头，嘴上加嘴。但莫生异见，山是山，水是水，僧是僧，俗是俗，山河大地、日月星辰总不出汝心，三千世界都来是汝个自己，何处有许多般？心外无法，满目青山。虚空世界皎皎地无丝发许与汝作见解，所以一切声色是佛之慧目。法不孤起，仗境方生。为物之故，有其多智。终日说，何曾说？终日闻，何曾闻？所以释迦四十九年说，未尝说着一字。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若如此，何处是菩提？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">菩提无是处，佛亦不得菩提，众生亦不失菩提。不可以身得，不可以心求，一切众生即菩提相。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如何发菩提心？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">菩提无所得，尔今但发无所得心，决定不得一法，即菩提心。菩提无住处，是故无有得者。故云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">我于然灯佛所，无有少法可得，佛即与我授记。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">明知一切众生本是菩提，不应更得菩提。尔今闻发菩提心，将谓一个心学取佛去，唯拟作佛。任尔三祇劫修，亦只得个报化佛，与尔本源真性佛有何交涉？故云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">外求有相佛，与汝不相似。</span>’” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l25 level1 lfo29; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The
     Two Iron Encircling Mountains (<span lang="ZH-CN">二鐵圍山</span>):
     In Buddhist cosmology, these are ranges surrounding Mount Sumeru. Being
     banished there is a metaphor for falling into dualistic views or
     conceptual limitations, even seemingly positive ones like "seeing
     Buddha." Mañjuśrī, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, is often depicted in
     Zen anecdotes as engaging in profound, sometimes paradoxical, dialogues.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l25 level1 lfo29; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Dīpaṃkara Buddha: The Buddha
     who, according to the scriptures (like the Diamond Sutra mentioned here
     implicitly), predicted Śākyamuni Buddha's future attainment of Buddhahood.
     The reference emphasizes that this prediction was given precisely because
     Śākyamuni realized the unobtainability/unfindability&nbsp;of any "dharma" (thing,
     concept, state).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l25 level1 lfo29; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Three
     asaṃkhyeya kalpas (<span lang="ZH-CN">三祇劫</span>):
     An immeasurably long period, traditionally said to be the time required
     for a Bodhisattva to practice the path to attain Buddhahood through
     gradual cultivation. Huangbo contrasts this with the sudden awakening
     approach of Zen, which points directly to one's self-perfected Buddha-nature.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation: </b>Question: “Since [the
fundamental nature] is originally Buddha, how can there still be the four types
of birth, the six realms of existence, and various different forms and
appearances?” The Master said: “The essence of all Buddhas is perfectly
complete, without increase or decrease. Flowing into the six realms, it is
perfectly complete everywhere. Among the myriad kinds [of beings], each and
every one is Buddha. It is like a mass of mercury: dispersed into various
places, every droplet is perfectly round. When not dispersed, it is just one
piece. This one is identical to all; all are identical to this one. The various
forms and appearances are analogous to houses. Leaving a donkey’s house to
enter a human’s house, leaving a human body to reach a deva’s body, and so on
up to the houses of śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and Buddhas—these
are all places of your picking and choosing, hence the distinctions arise. How
could the fundamental, original nature have distinctions?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">本既是佛，哪得更无四生六道种种形貌不同？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">诸佛体圆，更无增减，流入六道，处处皆圆。万类之中，个个是佛。譬如一团水银，分散诸处，颗颗皆圆。若不分时，只是一块。此一即一切，一切即一。种种形貌，喻如屋舍。舍驴屋入人屋，舍人身至天身，乃至声闻缘觉菩萨佛屋，皆是汝取舍处，所以有别。本源之性，何得有别？</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo30; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Four
     types of birth (<span lang="ZH-CN">四生</span>):
     Birth from womb, egg, moisture, and transformation.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo30; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Six
     realms of existence (<span lang="ZH-CN">六道</span>):
     Realms of gods (deva), demigods (asura), humans, animals, hungry ghosts
     (preta), and hell-beings.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo30; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Śrāvakas
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">声闻</span>),
     Pratyekabuddhas (<span lang="ZH-CN">缘觉</span>):
     Disciples of the Hinayana or Lesser Vehicle, contrasted with Bodhisattvas
     and Buddhas of the Mahayana or Greater Vehicle. The analogy emphasizes
     that the luminous clarity and empty nature of Mind is universally present in all beings as the generic characteristics of all minds, like heat is to fire, while the conditional forms and states experienced arise from
     conceptual discrimination, acceptance and rejection (<span lang="ZH-CN">取舍</span>).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “How do the Buddhas
practice great loving-kindness and compassion (mahā-maitrī-karuṇā), speaking the Dharma for
sentient beings?” The Master said: “The Buddhas’ loving-kindness and compassion
are without conditions [objects/reasons], hence they are called ‘great
loving-kindness and compassion.’ Loving-kindness (maitrī) means not seeing any
Buddha to be attained; compassion (karuṇā)
means not seeing any sentient beings to be delivered. The Dharma they speak is
without speaking and without indicating; those who listen to the Dharma are
without hearing and without attaining. It is like an illusionist speaking
Dharma for illusory people. This Dharma, if you were to say, ‘I grasped it from
the words of a good spiritual advisor, I understood it, I awakened to it’; this
loving-kindness, if you were to give rise to mind and activate thoughts to
learn his views—this is not awakening to your own original mind by yourself,
and is ultimately of no benefit.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">诸佛如何行大慈悲，为众生说法？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">佛慈悲者，无缘，故名大慈悲。慈者，不见有佛可成；悲者，不见有众生可度。其所说法，无说无示；其听法者，无闻无得。譬如幻士为幻人说法。这个法，若为道我从善知识言下领得，会也悟也；这个慈悲，若为汝起心动念学得他见解，不是自悟本心，究竟无益。</span>”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l22 level1 lfo31; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Without
     conditions (<span lang="ZH-CN">无缘</span>):
     Wu yuan ci bei (<span lang="ZH-CN">無緣慈悲</span>)
     signifies compassion that arises spontaneously from the enlightened
     nature, not dependent on specific objects, reasons, or relationships. It
     is universal and unconditional.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l22 level1 lfo31; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Illusionist
     for illusory people (<span lang="ZH-CN">幻士为幻人说法</span>):
     A common Mahayana metaphor illustrating the dreamlike, unreal nature of
     both the teacher (Buddha) and the audience (sentient beings), as well as
     the teaching itself, from the perspective of ultimate truth. True
     understanding comes from direct realization (<span lang="ZH-CN">自悟本心</span>), not conceptual
     learning.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “What is diligence
(vīrya)?” The Master said: “Body and mind not arising—this is called the
foremost, firmest diligence. As soon as one gives rise to the mind to seek
outwardly, this is called King Kali¹ going out hunting with pleasure. The mind
not wandering outwardly is precisely the Patient Immortal.² Body and mind both
being non-existent is precisely the Way of the Buddha.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">何者是精进？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">身心不起，是名第一牢强精进。才起心向外求者，名为歌利王爱游猎去。心不外游，即是忍辱仙人。身心俱无，即是佛道。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l27 level1 lfo32; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">King
     Kali (<span lang="ZH-CN">歌利王</span>):
     Refers to King Kaliṅga
     from the Jātaka tales, who dismembered the Bodhisattva (Śākyamuni in a
     past life) practicing patience as an ascetic (the Patient Immortal) in the
     forest. Here, seeking outwardly is likened to the King's destructive
     activity, driven by delusion.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l27 level1 lfo32; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Patient
     Immortal (<span lang="ZH-CN">忍辱仙人</span>):
     The Bodhisattva practicing kṣānti-pāramitā (perfection of patience) who
     endured dismemberment by King Kali without anger. Here, the mind not
     wandering outwardly symbolizes this unwavering inner stability and
     patience.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “If one practices this
Way without mind (<span lang="ZH-CN">无心</span>), is it
possible to attain it?” The Master said: “Without mind is precisely practicing
this Way. What more is there to say of attaining or not attaining? For
instance, the fleeting arising of a single thought (<span lang="ZH-CN">念</span>) is precisely the object
[environment/condition]. If there is not a single thought, then the object is
forgotten and the mind naturally ceases; there is nothing further to pursue.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若无心行此道，得否？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">无心便是行此道，更说什么得与不得。且如瞥起一念，便是境。若无一念，便是境忘心自灭，无复可追寻。</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “What is exiting the
three realms?”¹ The Master said: “Do not think (<span lang="ZH-CN">思量</span>) about good and evil at all; right
where you are, you instantly exit the three realms. The Tathāgata appeared in
the world to destroy the three existences.² If there is no mind whatsoever, the
three realms are also non-existent. It is like breaking one micro-particle into
one hundred parts; if ninety-nine parts are non-existent and one part exists,
Mahāyāna cannot transcend.³ When all one hundred parts are non-existent, only then
can Mahāyāna transcend.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如何是出三界？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">善恶都莫思量，当处便出三界。如来出世，为破三有。若无一切心，三界亦非有。如一微尘破为百分，九十九分是无，一分是有，摩诃衍不能胜出。百分俱无，摩诃衍始能胜出。</span>”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo33; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Three
     Realms (<span lang="ZH-CN">三界</span>):
     The realms of desire (kāmadhātu), form (rūpadhātu), and formlessness
     (arūpadhātu), encompassing all samsaric existence.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo33; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Three
     Existences (<span lang="ZH-CN">三有</span>):
     Another term for the three realms, emphasizing the cyclical existence
     within them.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l7 level1 lfo33; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Mahāyāna
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">摩诃衍</span>):
     The Great Vehicle path in Buddhism, aiming for the liberation of all
     beings and Buddhahood, contrasted with paths focused solely on individual
     liberation. The analogy suggests that complete transcendence requires the
     utter cessation of all conceptualizations and perceived realities, leaving
     no trace of existence ("one part") behind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation: </b>Discourse in the hall: “Mind itself is
Buddha. From the highest Buddhas down to the lowest crawling and sentient
beings, all possess Buddha-nature, sharing the same mind-essence. Therefore,
Bodhidharma came from the West solely transmitting the One Mind Dharma,
directly pointing out that all sentient beings are originally Buddha, not
requiring cultivation. Just recognize your own mind now, see your own
fundamental nature, and seek nothing else.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">How to recognize one's own mind?
That which is speaking right now is precisely your mind. If not speaking and
not functioning, the mind-essence is like empty space, without form or
appearance, and without location. Nor is it exclusively non-existent; it is present yet cannot be seen. The Patriarch¹ said: ‘The true nature is the mind-ground
treasury (cittabhūmi-garbha), without head or tail. Responding to conditions,
it transforms into things; expediently, it is called wisdom (<span lang="ZH-CN">智</span>).’ When not responding to
conditions, its existence or non-existence cannot be spoken of. Even when
directly responding, there is also no trace. Since you know this, just abide
now in the midst of non-existence (<span lang="ZH-CN">無中栖泊</span>),
and that is walking the path of all Buddhas. The Sutra says: ‘One should give
rise to the mind that abides nowhere.’² All sentient beings cycling in birth
and death do so because their mental consciousness (<span lang="ZH-CN">意</span>) chases after conditions, the mind
ceaselessly moving through the six realms, leading them to endure various
sufferings.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: ‘People hard to transform have minds
like monkeys. Therefore, various methods are used to control their minds, and
then they are tamed.’³ Therefore, ‘when the mind arises, various dharmas arise;
when the mind ceases, various dharmas cease.’⁴ Thus, know that all dharmas are
created solely by the mind; even the realms of humans and gods, hells, the six
realms, and asuras are all created by the mind. Now, just learn to be without
mind (<span lang="ZH-CN">无心</span>),
instantly ceasing all conditions. Do not give rise to illusory thoughts and
discriminations; no self, no other; no greed or anger; no aversion or craving;
no victory or defeat. Just eliminate these many kinds of illusory thoughts, and
the nature will spontaneously be originally pure; this is practicing Bodhi,
Dharma, Buddha, and so forth.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">If you do not understand this principle, even if
you study extensively, practice diligently and arduously, eating wood and
wearing grass,⁵ if you do not recognize your own mind, it is all called deviant
practice, entirely becoming celestial demons, external path followers, water
and land spirits. What benefit could such practice possibly have? Zhi Gong⁶
said: ‘The fundamental essence is made by one's own mind; how can it be sought
in written words?’ Now just recognize your own mind, cease thinking (<span lang="ZH-CN">思惟</span>) and illusory thoughts, and the
dust of afflictions (<span lang="ZH-CN">尘劳</span>) will
naturally not arise. The Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: ‘Just place a single bed, and
lie down ill.’⁷ When the mind does not arise, like a person lying ill, all
grasping at conditions ceases, illusory thoughts extinguish – this is Bodhi. If
your mind is now agitated and unsettled, no matter if you learn up to the Three
Vehicles, Four Fruits, Ten Bhūmis, and various stages, you will ultimately just
be sitting amongst ordinary beings and saints. All conditioned phenomena (<span lang="ZH-CN">諸行</span>) return to impermanence; all powers
have their time limit. It is like an arrow shot into the sky: when its force is
spent, it falls back down, returning to the cycle of birth and death.
Practicing like this without understanding the Buddha’s intent, enduring
hardship in vain – is this not a great error!&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Zhi Gong said: ‘Without
encountering a world-transcending enlightened teacher, one takes the Mahāyāna
Dharma medicine in vain.’ Now, just at all times – walking, standing, sitting,
lying down – learn only to be without mind (<span lang="ZH-CN">无心</span>). Also without discriminations, without reliance,
without abiding or attachment. Throughout the day, function spontaneously and
freely (<span lang="ZH-CN">任运腾腾</span>),
like a fool. The people of the world all do not recognize you, and you also
have no need to make people recognize you or not. Let the mind be like a
stubborn rock, utterly without cracks. All dharmas cannot penetrate your mind;
blankly unattached (<span lang="ZH-CN">兀然无着</span>).
Only when like this do you have some small degree of correspondence.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">上堂云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">即心是佛。上至诸佛，下至蠢动含灵，皆有佛性，同一心体。所以达摩从西天来，唯传一心法，直指一切众生本来是佛，不假修行。但如今识取自心，见自本性，更莫别求。云何识自心？即如今言语者，正是汝心。若不言语，又不作用，心体如虚空相似，无有相貌，亦无方所。亦不一向是无，有而不可见故。祖师云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">真性心地藏，无头亦无尾，应缘而化物，方便呼为智。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">若不应缘之时，不可言其有无。正应之时，亦无踪迹。既知如此，如今但向无中栖泊，即是行诸佛路。经云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">应无所住而生其心。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">一切众生轮回生死者，意缘走作，心于六道不停，致使受种种苦。《净名》云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">难化之人，心如猿猴。故以若干种法制御其心，然后调伏。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">所以</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">心生种种法生，心灭种种法灭。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">故知一切诸法，皆由心造，乃至人天、地狱、六道、修罗，尽由心造。如今但学无心，顿息诸缘，莫生妄想分别，无人无我，无贪嗔，无憎爱，无胜负。但除却如许多种妄想，性自本来清净，即是修行菩提、法、佛等。若不会此意，纵尔广学、勤苦修行、木食草衣，不识自心，皆名邪行，尽作天魔外道水陆诸神。如此修行，当复何益？志公云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">本体是自心作，哪得文字中求？</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">如今但识自心，息却思惟妄想，尘劳自然不生。《净名》云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">唯置一床，寝疾而卧。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">心不起也，如人卧疾，攀缘都息，妄想歇灭，即是菩提。如今若心里纷纷不定，任尔学到三乘四果、十地诸位，合杀只向凡圣中坐。诸行尽归无常，势力皆有尽期，犹如箭射于空，力尽还堕，却归生死轮回。如斯修行，不解佛意，虚受辛苦，岂非大错！志公云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">未逢出世明师，枉服大乘法药。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">如今但一切时中，行住坐卧，但学无心，亦无分别，亦无依倚，亦无住着，终日任运腾腾，如痴人相似。世人尽不识尔，尔亦不用教人识不识，心如顽石头，都无缝罅，一切法透汝心不入，兀然无着，如此始有少分相应。</span><span lang="ZH-CN">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l18 level1 lfo34; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Patriarch
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">祖师</span>):
     Refers to Bodhidharma or subsequent Zen patriarchs. The quote describes
     the fundamental nature (<span lang="ZH-CN">真性</span>)
     or mind-ground (<span lang="ZH-CN">心地</span>).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l18 level1 lfo34; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘One
     should give rise to the mind that abides nowhere’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">应无所住而生其心</span>): A famous line
     from the Diamond Sutra, central to Zen understanding. It points to the
     mind functioning freely without attachment or fixation.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l18 level1 lfo34; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Vimalakīrti
     Sūtra (<span lang="ZH-CN">《净名》</span>):
     A key Mahayana text emphasizing non-duality and the Bodhisattva path
     practiced by laypeople. The quote about the monkey mind is from Chapter 5
     (Mañjuśrī's Visit).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l18 level1 lfo34; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘when
     the mind arises... when the mind ceases...’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">心生种种法生，心灭种种法灭</span>): A
     fundamental principle in Mind-Only (<span lang="ZH-CN">唯識</span>) and Zen philosophy, stating
     that phenomena arise and cease depending on the activity of the mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l18 level1 lfo34; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Eating
     wood and wearing grass (<span lang="ZH-CN">木食草衣</span>):
     Describes extreme ascetic practices. Huangbo implies that without
     recognizing the mind, even severe austerities are misguided.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l18 level1 lfo34; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Zhi
     Gong (<span lang="ZH-CN">志公</span>):
     Usually refers to Baozhi (<span lang="ZH-CN">宝志</span>),
     a revered monk from the Liang Dynasty known for his eccentric wisdom and
     prophecies, often quoted in Zen literature.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l18 level1 lfo34; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘Just
     place a single bed, and lie down ill’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">唯置一床，寝疾而卧</span>): From the Vimalakīrti
     Sūtra, Chapter 3 (Disciples' Reluctance). Vimalakīrti explains his
     "illness" arises from compassion for the suffering of beings and
     that a Bodhisattva's true resting place is non-abiding awareness,
     symbolized by lying ill and ceasing activity.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l18 level1 lfo34; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Three
     Vehicles (<span lang="ZH-CN">三乘</span>),
     Four Fruits (<span lang="ZH-CN">四果</span>),
     Ten Bhūmis (<span lang="ZH-CN">十地</span>):
     Stages of attainment in various Buddhist paths (Hinayana and Mahayana).
     Huangbo suggests that without realizing the nature of mind (<span lang="ZH-CN">无心</span>),
     even achieving these stages remains within the duality of ordinary (<span lang="ZH-CN">凡</span>)
     and saintly (<span lang="ZH-CN">圣</span>),
     subject to impermanence.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> “Penetrating beyond the
environment of the three realms is called the Buddha appearing in the world.
Not leaking the characteristics of the mind is called undefiled wisdom
(anāsrava-jñāna). Not creating karma for [rebirth in] human or celestial
realms, not creating karma for hell realms, not giving rise to any mind
whatsoever, all conditions completely not arising – then this very body and
mind belong to a free person. It is not that they consistently do not arise,
but simply that they arise according to conditions (<span lang="ZH-CN">随</span>​<span lang="ZH-CN">意</span>​<span lang="ZH-CN">而</span>​<span lang="ZH-CN">生</span>). The Sutra says: ‘The Bodhisattva
possesses a mind-made body (manomayakāya)’¹ – this is it. If suddenly you have
not yet understood being without mind (<span lang="ZH-CN">无心</span>), and engage in activities while attached to
characteristics, it all belongs to demonic karma. Even performing Pure Land
Buddha activities² will all become karma, and is called a Buddha-obstacle.
Because it obstructs your mind, you are bound by cause and effect, without
freedom in coming and going. Therefore, Bodhi and other such dharmas are
fundamentally not existent. What the Tathāgata taught were all methods to
transform people, like using yellow leaves [to represent] gold, temporarily
stopping a small child's crying.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">&nbsp;Thus, in reality, there is no dharma called
Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi.³
Now that you understand this meaning, what need is there for meticulous
efforts? Just accord with conditions to dissolve old karma, and moreover, do
not create new misfortune. Be clear and bright within the mind. Therefore, all
past views must be completely abandoned. The Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: ‘Remove
all possessions.’⁴ The Lotus Sutra says: ‘For twenty years, constantly ordering
the removal of dung.’⁵ This just means removing the place within the mind where
views are created. It also says: ‘Cleansing away the dung of speculative
discourse (<span lang="ZH-CN">戲論之糞</span>).’⁶
Therefore, the Tathāgata-garbha⁷ is fundamentally empty and quiescent (<span lang="ZH-CN">空寂</span>), not retaining a single dharma.
Thus, the Sutra says: ‘The lands of all Buddhas are also completely empty.’⁸&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">If
one says the Buddha Way is obtained through cultivation and learning, such
views have absolutely no connection [to reality]. Or, engaging in a particular
technique or state, raising eyebrows or moving eyes, matching responses
appropriately, then saying one has attained<span lang="ZH-CN">契会</span>, has realized and awakened to the principle of Chan (<span lang="ZH-CN">禪理</span>). If suddenly encountering a person
who does not understand, then saying they know nothing at all. If facing them
and getting the reasoning right, feeling joyful in the heart; if being refuted
by them and feeling inferior, then immediately becoming disheartened in the
mind. Studying Chan with such a state of mind, what connection does it have?
Even if you understand some minor principles, you just obtain a mental object
dharma (<span lang="ZH-CN">心所法</span>); it
has absolutely no connection with the Way of Chan. Therefore, Bodhidharma faced
the wall,⁹ not allowing people to have any standpoint [view].&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Thus it is said:
‘Forgetting discriminations (<span lang="ZH-CN">忘机</span>)
is the Buddha Way; discriminating thoughts (<span lang="ZH-CN">分别</span>) are demonic realms.’ This nature—even when you are
deluded, it is not lost; when you are awakened, it is not attained. The
naturally true self-nature (<span lang="ZH-CN">天真自性</span>)
is fundamentally without delusion or awakening. The entire ten directions of
the realm of empty space are originally the essence of my one mind. Even if you
move, act, and create, how can you leave empty space? Empty space is
fundamentally neither large nor small, without outflows (<span lang="ZH-CN">漏</span>) nor conditioned activity (<span lang="ZH-CN">为</span>),¹⁰ without delusion nor awakening.
Seeing clearly, there is not a single thing, nor any person, nor any Buddha.
Free from the slightest measure, it is without reliance, without adhesion—a
single, clear stream. This is the self-nature's unborn dharma-patience
(anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti).¹¹ What room is there for deliberation (<span lang="ZH-CN">拟议</span>)? The true Buddha has no mouth,
cannot explain the Dharma; true hearing has no ears, who then hears? Take
care!”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> “<span lang="ZH-CN">透得三界境过，名为佛出世。不漏心相，名为无漏智。不作人天业，不作地狱业，不起一切心，诸缘尽不生，即此身心是自由人。不是一向不生，只是随意而生。经云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">菩萨有意生身</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">是也。忽若未会无心，着相而作者，皆属魔业。乃至作净土佛事，并皆成业，乃名佛障。障汝心故，被因果管束，去住无自由分。所以菩提等法，本不是有，如来所说，皆是化人，犹如黄叶为金，权止小儿啼，故实无有法名阿耨菩提。如今既会此意，何用区区？但随缘消旧业，更莫造新殃。心里明明，所以旧时见解总须舍却。《净名》云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">除去所有。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">《法华》云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">二十年中常令除粪。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">只是除去心中作见解处。又云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">蠲除戏论之粪。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">所以如来藏本自空寂，并不停留一法。故经云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">诸佛国土亦复皆空。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">若言佛道是修学而得，如此见解，全无交涉。或作一机一境，扬眉动目，抵对相当，便道契会也，得证悟禅理也。忽逢一人不解，便道都无所知。对他若得道理，心中便欢喜；若被他折伏，不如他，便即心怀惆怅。如此心意学禅，有何交涉？任汝会得少许道理，即得个心所法，禅道总没交涉。所以达摩面壁，都不令人有见处。故云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">忘机是佛道，分别是魔境。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">此性，纵汝迷时亦不失，悟时亦不得。天真自性，本无迷悟，尽十方虚空界，元来是我一心体。纵汝动用造作，岂离虚空？虚空本来无大无小，无漏无为，无迷无悟。了了见，无一物，亦无人，亦无佛。绝纤毫的量，是无依倚，无粘缀，一道清流，是自性无生法忍，何有拟议？真佛无口，不解说法；真听无耳，其谁闻乎？珍重！</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l21 level1 lfo35; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Mind-made
     body (<span lang="ZH-CN">意生身</span>,
     manomayakāya): A subtle body created through meditative power, possessed
     by advanced Bodhisattvas, allowing them to manifest freely in various
     realms to benefit beings. Here, it illustrates arising freely according to
     conditions, without the constraints of ordinary karmic birth.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l21 level1 lfo35; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Pure
     Land Buddha activities (<span lang="ZH-CN">净土佛事</span>):
     Practices aimed at rebirth in a Buddha's Pure Land, such as reciting the
     Buddha's name. Huangbo warns that even these can become obstacles if
     performed with attachment to form and results, obscuring the direct
     realization of mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l21 level1 lfo35; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi (<span lang="ZH-CN">阿耨菩提</span>): Supreme, perfect
     awakening. Huangbo echoes the Diamond Sutra's point that ultimately, even
     this highest attainment is conceptually designated and not a 'thing' to be
     grasped.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l21 level1 lfo35; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘Remove
     all possessions’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">除去所有</span>):
     From the Vimalakīrti Sūtra, referring to letting go of all attachments,
     mental and physical.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l21 level1 lfo35; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘For
     twenty years, constantly ordering the removal of dung’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">二十年中常令除粪</span>): A reference to
     the Parable of the Prodigal Son in the Lotus Sutra, Chapter 4. The son
     spends years doing menial work (removing dung) before recognizing his true
     inheritance. Metaphorically, it represents the gradual purification of
     defilements and wrong views.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l21 level1 lfo35; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Speculative
     discourse (<span lang="ZH-CN">戲論</span>,
     prapañca): Idle or proliferating conceptual thought that obscures reality.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l21 level1 lfo35; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Tathāgata-garbha
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">如来藏</span>):
     The womb or storehouse of the Tathāgata; the innate potential for
     Buddhahood within all beings, often equated with the fundamental nature of
     mind, described here as empty and quiescent (<span lang="ZH-CN">空寂</span>).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l21 level1 lfo35; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘The
     lands of all Buddhas are also completely empty’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">诸佛国土亦复皆空</span>): Quote likely
     referencing Prajñāpāramitā literature (e.g., Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra),
     emphasizing the emptiness not only of beings but also of the environments
     (Buddha-lands) perceived.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l21 level1 lfo35; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Bodhidharma
     faced the wall (<span lang="ZH-CN">达摩面壁</span>):
     Refers to the legend of Bodhidharma meditating facing a wall for nine
     years at Shaolin Temple, symbolizing direct, non-conceptual realization
     beyond intellectual understanding or external forms.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l21 level1 lfo35; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Without
     outflows (<span lang="ZH-CN">无漏</span>,
     anāsrava) nor conditioned activity (<span lang="ZH-CN">无为</span>, asaṃskṛta):
     Terms denoting freedom from defilements/afflictions and the unconditioned
     nature of reality, respectively. Note: <span lang="ZH-CN">无为</span> (wu wei) here aligns with the
     Buddhist meaning of "unconditioned" rather than the Taoist
     "non-action," fitting the context of describing the fundamental
     nature of reality (<span lang="ZH-CN">虚空</span>).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l21 level1 lfo35; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Unborn
     dharma-patience (<span lang="ZH-CN">无生法忍</span>,
     anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti): The realization and acceptance of the
     non-arising nature of all phenomena. A high stage of Bodhisattva
     realization.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> One day, the Master ascended the
hall and addressed the assembly, saying: “If you haven’t thoroughly penetrated
beforehand, when the night of the thirtieth of the twelfth lunar month¹
arrives, I guarantee you will be flustered and confused. There is a type of
heterodox practitioner who, upon seeing someone talk about doing the practice (<span lang="ZH-CN">做工夫</span>),² just sneers: ‘Still holding
onto this?’ Let me ask you: ‘When suddenly facing the end of life, what will
you use to resist birth and death?’ You should ponder this carefully; there is
indeed a principle here. How could there be a naturally born Maitreya, a
spontaneous Śākyamuni?³ There are some idle spirits and wild ghosts who, upon
seeing someone slightly ill, immediately say to others: ‘Just let it go.’ Yet
when they themselves get sick, they cannot manage it, becoming frantic and
clumsy. How can you endure your flesh being cut as if by sharp knives, unable
to be the master? All matters must be settled during times of leisure, so they
can be used during times of urgency—how much effort that saves! Don’t wait
until you’re thirsty to dig a well, finding your hands and feet unprepared. How
can you escape this messy predicament? The road ahead is dark; blindly groping
and crashing about—misery, oh misery! On ordinary days, you only learn verbal
samādhi, talking about Chan and the Way, shouting at Buddhas and cursing
Patriarchs; when it comes to this point, none of it is useful. On ordinary
days, you only deceive others; how could you know that today you have deceived
yourself? The Avīci Hell⁴ will definitely not let you go.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Now, as the
Dharma-ending age⁵ deepens, we rely entirely on powerful brothers to shoulder
the responsibility, continuing the Buddha’s wisdom-life, not allowing it to be
cut off. Nowadays, there is barely one or half [such person]. Travelers just go
to gaze at mountains and scenery, not knowing how much time they have. If one
breath does not return, it is the next life, with an unknown form. Alas! I urge
you, brothers, while your physical strength is still robust, seek out a place
of clear understanding, this great matter of not being deceived by others.
These crucial points (<span lang="ZH-CN">關棙子</span>)⁶ are
actually very easy; it’s just that you are unwilling to apply deadly
determination to do the practice, merely saying it’s difficult, oh so
difficult. Let me tell you clearly, how can there be a wooden ladle naturally
grown on a tree? You must make the transformation yourself. If you are a true
man, look into a kōan. A monk asked Zhaozhou: ‘Does a dog have Buddha-nature or
not?’ Zhaozhou said: ‘Wu (No)!’⁷ Just throughout the twelve periods of the day,
contemplate this character ‘Wu’. Investigate day and investigate night, while
walking, standing, sitting, lying down, putting on clothes, eating meals,
defecating, urinating – let mind attend to mind, fiercely apply your energy,
guard this character ‘Wu’. As days lengthen and months deepen, it merges into
one piece. Suddenly, the mind-flower will abruptly blossom, awakening to the
pivotal mystery (<span lang="ZH-CN">機</span>) of the
Buddhas and Patriarchs. Then you will not be deceived by the tongues of the old
monks under heaven, and you will be able to open your great mouth. Bodhidharma
coming from the West stirred up waves where there was no wind; the
World-Honored One twirling a flower was a complete failure.⁸ Arriving here,
what mention is there of old man Yama?⁹ Even a thousand sages cannot do
anything to you. Do not disbelieve that there is truly such wonder. Why is it
like this? ‘Success favors the determined person.’”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">师一日上堂，开示大众云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">预前若打不彻，腊月三十夜到来，管取尔热乱。有般外道才见人说做工夫，他便冷笑：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">犹有这个在？</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">我且问尔：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">忽然临命终时，尔将何抵敌生死？</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">尔且思量看，却有个道理，哪得天生弥勒，自然释迦？有一般闲神野鬼，才见人有些少病，便与他人说：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">尔只放下着。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">及至他有病，又却理会不下，手忙脚乱。争奈尔肉如利刀碎割，做主宰不得。万般事须是闲时办得下，忙时得用，多少省力。休待临渴掘井，做手脚不办，这场狼藉，如何回避？前路黑暗，信采胡钻乱撞，苦哉苦哉！平日只学口头三昧，说禅说道，喝佛骂祖，到这里都用不着。平日只管瞒人，争知道今日自瞒了也，阿鼻地狱中决定放尔不得。而今末法将沉，全仗有力量兄弟家负荷，续佛慧命，莫令断绝，今时才有一个半个。行脚只去观山观景，不知光阴能有几何。一息不回，便是来生，未知甚么头面。呜呼！劝尔兄弟家，趁色力康健时，讨取个分晓处，不被人瞒底一段大事。这些关棙子甚是容易，自是尔不肯去下死志做工夫，只管道难了又难。好教尔知，哪得树上自生的木杓？尔也须自去做个转变始得。若是个丈夫汉，看个公案。僧问赵州：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">狗子还有佛性也无？</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">州云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">无。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">但二六时中看个</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">无</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">字，昼参夜参，行住坐卧，着衣吃饭处，阿屎放尿处，心心相顾，猛着精彩，守个</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">无</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">字。日久月深，打成一片，忽然心花顿发，悟佛祖之机，便不被天下老和尚舌头瞒，便会开大口。达摩西来，无风起浪；世尊拈花，一场败缺。到这里说甚么阎罗老子，千圣尚不奈尔何。不信道，直有这般奇特，为甚如此？事怕有心人。</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l33 level1 lfo36; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Night
     of the thirtieth of the twelfth lunar month (<span lang="ZH-CN">腊月三十夜</span>): New Year's Eve in
     the lunar calendar; metaphorically, the moment of death when accounts must
     be settled.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l33 level1 lfo36; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Doing
     the practice (<span lang="ZH-CN">做工夫</span>):
     Engaging in dedicated Chan/Zen practice, often involving meditation or
     kōan work.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l33 level1 lfo36; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Naturally
     born Maitreya, a spontaneous Śākyamuni (<span lang="ZH-CN">天生弥勒，自然释迦</span>): Implies that
     awakening is not effortless or automatic; it requires dedicated practice.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l33 level1 lfo36; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Avīci
     Hell (<span lang="ZH-CN">阿鼻地狱</span>):
     The lowest and most torturous hell in Buddhist cosmology.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l33 level1 lfo36; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Dharma-ending
     age (<span lang="ZH-CN">末法</span>):
     The final degenerate age after the Buddha's passing, when genuine
     understanding and practice decline.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l33 level1 lfo36; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Crucial
     points (<span lang="ZH-CN">關棙子</span>):
     Key points, barriers, or kōans used in Chan practice.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l33 level1 lfo36; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Zhaozhou's
     "Wu" (<span lang="ZH-CN">趙州狗子無字公案</span>):
     One of the most famous kōans in Zen. A monk asked Chan Master Zhaozhou
     Congshen (<span lang="ZH-CN">趙州從諗</span>)
     if a dog has Buddha-nature. Zhaozhou replied "Wu" (<span lang="ZH-CN">無</span>),
     meaning "no" or "nothingness." Practitioners
     investigate this "Wu" single-pointedly.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l33 level1 lfo36; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Bodhidharma...
     waves; World-Honored One... failure (<span lang="ZH-CN">達摩西來，無風起浪；世尊拈花，一场败缺</span>): These lines
     paradoxically diminish even the foundational acts of Zen (Bodhidharma's
     arrival) and Buddhism (Buddha's silent transmission by holding up a
     flower). From the perspective of ultimate realization, even these pivotal
     events are seen as mere ripples or flaws within the already perfect nature
     of reality. To "open one's great mouth" after awakening means to
     speak from this profound understanding, potentially overturning
     conventional interpretations.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l33 level1 lfo36; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Old
     man Yama (<span lang="ZH-CN">阎罗老子</span>):
     The king of hell, judge of the dead. Being beyond his reach signifies
     transcendence of karmic retribution and the cycle of birth and death.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation: </b>Verse: “Transcending the dust of
afflictions is no ordinary matter, Tightly grasp the rope’s end and make a
determined effort.¹ If not for a round of bone-chilling cold, How could the
plum blossoms’ fragrance assail the nostrils?”²<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">颂曰：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">尘劳迥脱事非常，紧把绳头做一场。不是一翻寒彻骨，争得梅花扑鼻香？</span>”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l46 level1 lfo37; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Grasp
     the rope’s end (<span lang="ZH-CN">紧把绳头</span>):
     Metaphor for holding firmly to the method of practice (like the
     "Wu" kōan).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l46 level1 lfo37; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Plum
     blossoms’ fragrance after cold (<span lang="ZH-CN">不是一翻寒彻骨，争得梅花扑鼻香</span>):
     A famous couplet attributed to Huangbo, used widely in Chan/Zen. It
     signifies that profound awakening (fragrance) comes only after enduring
     hardship and intense, dedicated practice (bone-chilling cold). Plum
     blossoms bloom in winter, symbolizing resilience and beauty emerging from
     adversity.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> The Master was originally from
Fujian (<span lang="ZH-CN">闽中</span>).¹ In
his youth, he left the household life at Huangbo Mountain² in his home
province. There was a protrusion on his forehead like a pearl; his voice was
resonant and clear, and his aspirations were tranquil and detached. Later,
while traveling to Mount Tiantai,³ he met a monk who seemed like an old
acquaintance. They thus traveled together. They encountered a stream whose
waters had suddenly risen; the Master leaned on his staff and stopped. The monk
urged the Master to cross together. The Master said: “You cross first, elder
brother.” The monk then floated his bamboo hat on the water and crossed over.
The Master said: “I actually teamed up with a lesser fellow (<span lang="ZH-CN">稍子</span>);⁴ I regret not striking him dead
with one blow of my staff.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">师本是闽中人，幼于本州黄檗山出家。额间隆起如珠，音辞朗润，志意冲澹。后游天台，逢一僧如旧识。乃同行。属涧水暴涨，师倚杖而止。其僧率师同过，师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">请兄先过。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">其僧即浮笠于水上便过。师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">我却共个稍子作队，悔不一棒打杀。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l59 level1 lfo38; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Fujian
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">闽中</span>):
     A coastal province in southeastern China.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l59 level1 lfo38; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Huangbo
     Mountain (<span lang="ZH-CN">黄檗山</span>):
     The mountain where Master Huangbo Xiyun initially ordained, located in
     Fujian. This is distinct from Mount Huangbo in Jiangxi where he later
     taught extensively.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l59 level1 lfo38; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Mount
     Tiantai (<span lang="ZH-CN">天台</span>):
     A major center for Buddhism in China, particularly associated with the
     Tiantai school.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l59 level1 lfo38; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Lesser
     fellow (<span lang="ZH-CN">稍子</span>,
     shāozi): This term is somewhat obscure. It might imply someone relying on
     minor tricks or supernatural powers (like floating on a hat) rather than
     true understanding or proper means. Huangbo's harsh comment reflects a
     Chan emphasis on direct realization over displays of powers, seeing the
     latter as potentially misleading or superficial.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> A monk took leave of Guizong.¹
Guizong said: “Where are you going?” [The monk] said: “To various places to
study the five-flavor Chan.”² Guizong said: “Various places have five-flavor
Chan; here I only have one-flavor Chan.” [The monk] said: “What is the
one-flavor Chan?” Guizong immediately struck him. The monk said: “I understand!
I understand!” Guizong said: “Speak! Speak!” The monk was about to open his
mouth, and Guizong struck him again. Later, this monk arrived at the Master's
[Huangbo's] place. [Huangbo] asked where he came from. [The monk] said: “From
Guizong.” The Master said: “What words or phrases did Guizong offer?” The monk
then recounted the previous exchange. The Master then went up to the hall,
related this encounter, and said: “Master Ma[zu]³ produced eighty-four Virtuous
Friends/Spiritual Mentors (<span lang="ZH-CN">善知识</span>,
kalyāṇamitra). When
questioned, each one shits uncontrollably (<span lang="ZH-CN">屙漉漉地</span>);⁴ only Guizong is somewhat better.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">有僧辞归宗，宗云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">往甚处去？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">诸方学五味禅去。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">宗云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">诸方有五味禅，我这里只是一味禅。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如何是一味禅？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">宗便打。僧云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">会也会也。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">宗云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">道！道！</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">僧拟开口，宗又打。其僧后到师处，问甚么处来。云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">归宗来。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">归宗有何言句。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">僧遂举前话。师乃上堂举此因缘云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">马大师出八十四善知识，问著，个个屙漉漉地，只有归宗较些子。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l31 level1 lfo39; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Guizong
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">归宗</span>):
     Refers to Chan Master Guizong Zhichang (<span lang="ZH-CN">歸宗智常</span>), a prominent disciple of
     Mazu Daoyi.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l31 level1 lfo39; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Five-flavor
     Chan (<span lang="ZH-CN">五味禅</span>):
     A term possibly used critically by Guizong to denote various types or
     approaches to Chan practice circulating at the time, perhaps implying they
     were mixed or impure compared to his direct "one-flavor"
     approach.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l31 level1 lfo39; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Master
     Ma[zu] (<span lang="ZH-CN">马大师</span>):
     Refers to the highly influential Chan Master Mazu Daoyi (<span lang="ZH-CN">馬祖道一</span>), the teacher of both
     Guizong and Huangbo's teacher Baizhang Huaihai (<span lang="ZH-CN">百丈懷海</span>). Mazu was known for
     having many accomplished disciples.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l31 level1 lfo39; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Shits
     uncontrollably (<span lang="ZH-CN">屙漉漉地</span>):
     A coarse Chan expression used by Huangbo to suggest that despite their
     reputation, many of Mazu's disciples lacked true, unshakeable realization
     when put to the test. He singles out Guizong as being relatively solid.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation: </b>When the Master was in the assembly of
Yanguan,¹ Emperor Dazhong² was a novice monk (śrāmaṇera). The Master was bowing to the Buddha in the
Buddha hall. The novice monk said: “Do not seek through the Buddha, do not seek
through the Dharma, do not seek through the Sangha.³ Elder, when you bow, what
exactly are you seeking?” The Master said: “Not seeking through the Buddha, not
seeking through the Dharma, not seeking through the Sangha; I always bow as a
matter of course like this.” The novice monk said: “What is the use of bowing?”
The Master immediately slapped him. The novice monk said: “Too coarse!” The
Master said: “What kind of place is this to talk of coarse and fine?”
Subsequently, he slapped him again, and the novice monk ran off.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">师在盐官会里，大中帝为沙弥。师于佛殿上礼佛，沙弥云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">不著佛求，不著法求，不著众求。长老礼拜，当何所求？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">不著佛求，不著法求，不著众求，常礼如是事。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">沙弥云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">用礼何为？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师便掌，沙弥云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">太粗生。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">这里是什么所在，说粗说细。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">随后又掌，沙弥便走。</span>&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l58 level1 lfo40; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Yanguan
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">盐官</span>):
     Refers to Chan Master Yanguan Qi'an (<span lang="ZH-CN">鹽官齊安</span>), another disciple of Mazu
     Daoyi. Huangbo spent time in his assembly.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l58 level1 lfo40; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Emperor
     Dazhong (<span lang="ZH-CN">大中帝</span>):
     Refers to Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (reigned 846-859, era name
     Dazhong). Before becoming emperor, he had spent time as a monk, hence the
     reference to him as a novice (<span lang="ZH-CN">沙弥</span>,
     śrāmaṇera). This
     anecdote is famous in Zen history.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l58 level1 lfo40; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Do
     not seek through the Buddha... Sangha (<span lang="ZH-CN">不著佛求，不著法求，不著众求</span>): The novice
     quotes a principle emphasizing non-attachment and not seeking externally.
     Huangbo’s response and actions demonstrate that true non-seeking doesn't
     necessarily mean abandoning conventional forms like bowing, but performing
     them without conceptual attachment or objective seeking. His slaps cut
     through the novice's intellectual understanding.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation: </b>When the Master was traveling on foot,
he arrived at Nanquan.¹ One day during the mealtime, holding his bowl, he went
and sat in Nanquan's seat. Nanquan came down, saw him, and asked: “Elder, in
which year did you start practicing the Way?” The Master said: “Before King Bhīṣmagarjitasvara-rāja.”²
Nanquan said: “Still a grandson-disciple of Old Teacher Wang.³” The Master then
got down [from the seat]. One day, when the Master was going out, Nanquan said:
“Such a large body, wearing such a tiny little bamboo hat.” The Master said:
“The three thousand great thousand worlds are entirely contained within it.”
Nanquan said: “What about Old Teacher Wang?” The Master put on his hat and
walked away.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text: </b><span lang="ZH-CN">师行脚时到南泉，一日斋时，捧钵向南泉位上坐。南泉下来见，便问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">长老什么年中行道？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">威音王已前。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">南泉云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">犹是王老师孙在。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师便下去。师一日出次，南泉云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如许大身材，戴个些子大笠。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">三千大千世界总在里许。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">南泉云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">王老师呢？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师戴笠便行。</span>&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l49 level1 lfo41; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Nanquan
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">南泉</span>):
     Refers to Chan Master Nanquan Puyuan (<span lang="ZH-CN">南泉普願</span>), a major disciple of Mazu
     Daoyi, known for his sharp and unconventional teaching style.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l49 level1 lfo41; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">King
     Bhīṣmagarjitasvara-rāja (<span lang="ZH-CN">威音王</span>):
     The first Buddha of the current kalpa according to some traditions,
     existing countless aeons ago. Saying one practiced before him is a Chan
     way of indicating the timeless, unborn nature of the fundamental mind,
     transcending temporal origin.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l49 level1 lfo41; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Old
     Teacher Wang (<span lang="ZH-CN">王老师</span>):
     Nanquan's playful, self-deprecating way of referring to himself (his lay
     surname was Wang). By calling Huangbo his "grandson-disciple,"
     he is humorously acknowledging Huangbo's claim to primordial practice
     while also asserting his own connection to that same source (as if Huangbo
     were descended from him in the Dharma lineage of timelessness). The
     exchange about the hat further plays on the Chan themes of the absolute
     (the whole universe in a small hat) and the relative, often involving witty
     challenges between masters.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> One day, the Master was sitting
in the tea hall. Nanquan came down and asked: “Regarding the equal practice of
concentration and wisdom (śamatha-vipaśyanā),¹ clearly seeing the Buddha-nature
– what is this principle?” The Master said: “Throughout the twelve periods of
the day,² not relying on a single thing.” Nanquan said: “Isn’t that precisely
the Elder’s viewpoint?” The Master said: “I dare not say so.” Nanquan said:
“Let’s set aside the money for gruel and water; who should pay back the money
for the straw sandals?”³ The Master then fell silent. Later, Guishan⁴ related
this encounter and asked Yangshan:⁵ “Could it be that Huangbo was unable to
corner Nanquan?” Yangshan said: “Not so. One must know that Huangbo possessed
the tactic to trap a tiger.”⁶ Guishan said: “Your insight reaches so far!”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">师一日在茶堂内坐，南泉下来，问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">定慧等学，明见佛性，此理如何？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">十二时中不依倚一物。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">泉云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">莫便是长老见处么？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">不敢。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">泉云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">浆水钱且置，草鞋钱教什么人还？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师便休。后沩山举此因缘问仰山：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">莫是黄檗构他南泉不得么？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">仰山云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">不然。须知黄檗有陷虎之机。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">沩山云：</span>“<b><span lang="ZH-CN">子见处得与么长。</span>” <o:p></o:p></b></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l61 level1 lfo42; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Equal
     practice of concentration and wisdom (<span lang="ZH-CN">定慧等学</span>): The balanced cultivation
     of meditative stability (samādhi, <span lang="ZH-CN">定</span>) and insight (prajñā, <span lang="ZH-CN">慧</span>).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l61 level1 lfo42; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Twelve
     periods of the day (<span lang="ZH-CN">十二时中</span>):
     Refers to the entire day (24 hours), based on the traditional Chinese
     division of the day into twelve two-hour periods. Implies constantly, at
     all times.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l61 level1 lfo42; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Money
     for gruel and water... straw sandals (<span lang="ZH-CN">浆水钱</span>... <span lang="ZH-CN">草鞋钱</span>): Nanquan's question
     shifts abruptly from the high principle of Buddha-nature to mundane
     matters of debt. "Gruel and water" might refer to basic
     sustenance offered by the monastery. "Straw sandals" were worn
     by traveling monks. The question is a Chan challenge, possibly testing
     Huangbo's ability to integrate the absolute ("not relying on a single
     thing") with the relative, practical world, or perhaps hinting at
     karmic debts or the debt of gratitude owed for teachings/support.
     Huangbo's silence is itself a response, open to interpretation.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l61 level1 lfo42; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Guishan
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">沩山</span>):
     Chan Master Guishan Lingyou (<span lang="ZH-CN">溈山靈祐</span>),
     founder of the Guiyang school of Chan, and a disciple of Baizhang Huaihai
     (making him a Dharma-brother to Huangbo).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l61 level1 lfo42; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Yangshan
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">仰山</span>):
     Chan Master Yangshan Huiji (<span lang="ZH-CN">仰山慧寂</span>),
     Guishan's main disciple and co-founder of the Guiyang school.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l61 level1 lfo42; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Tactic
     to trap a tiger (<span lang="ZH-CN">陷虎之机</span>):
     Yangshan interprets Huangbo's silence not as defeat or inability, but as a
     subtle and powerful move, like setting a trap for a formidable opponent
     (Nanquan, the "tiger"). This suggests Huangbo’s response was
     profound, perhaps demonstrating non-reliance so completely that there was
     nothing for Nanquan’s probing question to grasp.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> One day during communal work,¹
Nanquan asked: “Where are you going?” The Master said: “To select vegetables.”
Nanquan said: “What will you use to select?” The Master held up his knife.
Nanquan said: “Only know how to act as the guest, do not know how to act as the
host.”² The Master struck [the ground or chopping block?] three times.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">一日普请，泉问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">什么处去？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">择菜去。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">泉云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">将什么择？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师竖起刀子。泉云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">只解作宾，不解作主。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师扣三下。</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l62 level1 lfo43; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Communal
     work (<span lang="ZH-CN">普请</span>, fǔqǐng): A traditional Chan monastery practice
     where all members, including the abbot, participate in manual labor.
     Nanquan (<span lang="ZH-CN">泉</span>)
     refers to Master Nanquan Puyuan.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l62 level1 lfo43; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Guest/Host
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">宾</span>/<span lang="ZH-CN">主</span>):
     In Chan dialogue, "host" often refers to the fundamental
     essence, the awakened mind, or the master's position, while
     "guest" refers to phenomena, discriminating thoughts, or the
     disciple's position. Nanquan is challenging Huangbo, suggesting his action
     (showing the knife) is merely a response (guest) rather than stemming from
     the fundamental ground (host). Huangbo's three strikes are a non-verbal
     assertion or response.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> One day, five newly arrived
monks came together for an interview. One of them did not bow, but drew a
circle¹ with his hand and stood there. The Master said: “Do you still recognize
a good hunting dog?” [The monk] said: “I come following the scent of the
gazelle.” The Master said: “The gazelle has no scent, where will you search for
it?” [The monk] said: “I come following the tracks of the gazelle.” The Master
said: “The gazelle has no tracks, where will you search for it?” [The monk]
said: “I come following the traces of the gazelle.” The Master said: “The
gazelle has no traces, where will you search for it?” [The monk] said: “In that
case, it's a dead gazelle.” The Master then let it rest. The next day, after
ascending the seat [for a discourse] and concluding, [the Master] asked: “Will
the monk who was seeking the gazelle yesterday please come forward?” That monk
came forward. The Master said: “This old monk’s words from yesterday were not
finished. What about it?” The monk had no reply. The Master said: “I thought he
was a true-colored patch-robed monk,² but he turns out to be just an exegetical
śramaṇa.³”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">一日，五人新到，同时相看。一人不礼拜，以手画一圆相而立。师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">还知道好只猎犬么？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">寻羚羊气来。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">羚羊无气，汝向什么处寻？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">寻羚羊踪来。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">羚羊无踪，汝向什么处寻？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">寻羚羊迹来。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">羚羊无迹，汝向什么处寻？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">与么则死羚羊也。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师便休。来日升座，退问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">昨日寻羚羊僧出来。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">其僧便出。师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">老僧昨日后头未有语在，作么生？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">其僧无语。师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">将谓是本色衲僧，元来只是义学沙门。</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l15 level1 lfo44; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Circle
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">圆相</span>,
     ensō): Often used in Chan to represent emptiness, completeness, the
     Dharmakāya, or the mind-nature, beyond words. The monk uses it instead of
     a conventional bow.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l15 level1 lfo44; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Gazelle
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">羚羊</span>):
     Often used metaphorically in Chan for the subtle, traceless nature of
     reality or awakening, which cannot be caught by ordinary means (scent,
     tracks, traces). Huangbo systematically negates all ways of searching,
     pointing towards its ungraspable nature. The monk’s final statement
     "it's a dead gazelle" might imply giving up the chase or
     realizing its unobtainability/unfindability, but Huangbo tests him further the next day.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l15 level1 lfo44; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">True-colored
     patch-robed monk (<span lang="ZH-CN">本色衲僧</span>):
     An authentic Chan practitioner who embodies the realization directly.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l15 level1 lfo44; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Exegetical
     śramaṇa (<span lang="ZH-CN">义学沙门</span>):
     A monastic who studies Buddhist doctrines intellectually or conceptually,
     contrasted with a Chan practitioner focused on direct experiential
     insight. Huangbo dismisses the monk as merely intellectual when he cannot
     respond further.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> The Master had once dispersed
the assembly and was residing at Kaiyuan Monastery in Hongzhou.¹ One day,
Vice-Minister Pei² entered the monastery. While walking, he saw a mural and
asked the temple superintendent: “What is this painting?” The superintendent
said: “A painting of an eminent monk.” The Vice-Minister said: “The form and
reflection (<span lang="ZH-CN">形影</span>) are
here, but where is the eminent monk?” The superintendent had no reply. The
Vice-Minister asked: “Are there perhaps any Chan monks here?” The
superintendent said: “There is one person.” The Vice-Minister thereupon invited
the Master for a meeting and raised the previous question to the Master. The
Master called out: “Pei Xiu!” Xiu responded: “Yes?” The Master said: “Where is
[he]?” The Vice-Minister had a realization upon these words. He then requested
the Master again to open the hall [for teaching].<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">师曾散众在洪州开元寺。裴相公一日入寺，行次，见壁画，乃问寺主：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">这画是什么？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">寺主云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">画高僧。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">相公云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">形影在这里，高僧在什么处？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">寺主无对。相公云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">此间莫有禅僧么？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">寺主云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">有一人。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">相公遂请师相见，乃举前话问师。师召云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">裴休。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">休应诺。师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">在什么处？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">相公于言下有省，乃再请师开堂。</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l16 level1 lfo45; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Hongzhou
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">洪州</span>):
     A major center for Chan Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty, particularly
     associated with Mazu Daoyi and his lineage. Kaiyuan Monastery was a
     prominent temple there.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l16 level1 lfo45; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Vice-Minister
     Pei (<span lang="ZH-CN">裴相公</span>):
     Refers to Pei Xiu (<span lang="ZH-CN">裴休</span>),
     a high-ranking government official, scholar, and devoted lay disciple of
     Huangbo. He&nbsp;<span face="&quot;Noto Sans&quot;, sans-serif" style="line-height: 115%;">recorded
and organized&nbsp;</span>Huangbo's teachings into the <i>Chuan Xin Fa Yao</i>
     and <i>Wanling Lu</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l16 level1 lfo45; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">The
     form and reflection (<span lang="ZH-CN">形影</span>)
     are here, but where is the eminent monk?: Pei Xiu poses a classic Chan
     question about the relationship between appearance (the painting) and
     reality (the actual person or essence).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l16 level1 lfo45; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Master
     calls Pei Xiu's name... "Where is [he]?": Huangbo turns the
     question back onto Pei Xiu. By calling his name and eliciting a response,
     he points directly to Pei Xiu's immediate awareness, the living presence
     responding "Yes?", implying <i>that</i> is where the
     "eminent monk" (or the essential nature) is to be found – not
     separate from one's own immediate experience. This leads Pei Xiu to an
     awakening (<span lang="ZH-CN">有省</span>).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Discourse in the hall: “You
people are all wine dreg dregs!¹ Traveling on foot like this, you make others
die laughing. If it were all so easy, how could today even exist? Do you
perhaps know that in the empire of the Great Tang, there are no Chan masters?”
At that time, a monk asked: “Given that in various places there are currently
those appearing in the world, guiding disciples and leading assemblies, why
then say there are no Chan masters?” The Master said: “I do not say there is no
Chan; I only say there are no masters.” Later, Guishan related this encounter
and asked Yangshan: “What does this mean?” Yangshan said: “The king goose
selects milk;² it is fundamentally not the category of ducks.” Guishan said:
“This is truly hard to discern.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Original Text: <span lang="ZH-CN">上堂云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">汝等诸人，尽是哃酒糟汉。与么行脚，笑杀他人。总似与么容易，何处更有今日？汝还知大唐国里无禅师么？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">时有僧问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">只如诸方现今出世，匡徒领众，为什么却道无禅师？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">不道无禅，只道无师。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">后沩山举此因缘问仰山云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">意作么生？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">仰山云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">鹅王择乳，素非鸭类。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">沩山云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">此实难辨。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo46; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Wine
     dreg dregs (<span lang="ZH-CN">哃酒糟汉</span>):
     A very harsh and dismissive term Huangbo uses for his assembly, implying
     they are useless leftovers, perhaps clinging to superficial understanding
     or lacking true determination. <span lang="ZH-CN">哃</span>
     appears to be a variant or error for <span lang="ZH-CN">同</span> (tong - same as) or perhaps
     meant something like 'muddled'. The sense is strongly pejorative.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo46; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">No
     Chan masters (<span lang="ZH-CN">无禅师</span>):
     Huangbo clarifies this provocative statement: he means there are no <i>true</i>
     masters who fully embody the realization, not that the practice of Chan
     itself doesn't exist.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l5 level1 lfo46; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">King
     goose selects milk (<span lang="ZH-CN">鹅王择乳</span>):
     An allusion to the mythical Hamsa bird (often translated as swan or goose
     king) said to be able to drink only the milk from a mixture of milk and
     water, leaving the water behind. Yangshan uses this metaphor to imply that
     Huangbo (the king goose) makes a fine distinction, recognizing true
     mastery (milk) from the mere appearance of it (water), a discernment
     ordinary people (ducks) lack.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> One day, Vice-Minister Pei
presented a Buddha statue, knelt¹ before the Master, and said: “I request the
Master to bestow a name.” The Master called out: “Pei Xiu!” Xiu responded:
“Yes?” The Master said: “I have finished bestowing the name for you.” The
Vice-Minister then performed obeisance. One day, the Vice-Minister presented a
verse. The Master received it and immediately sat down. He then asked: “Do you
understand?” The Vice-Minister said: “I do not understand.” The Master said:
“Not understanding like this is somewhat better. If it takes the form of paper
and ink, where is our school’s principle?”² The poem read: “Since the Great
Being³ transmitted the mind-seal (心印),
His forehead bore a round pearl, his body seven feet tall.⁴ Hanging his staff,⁵
he resided by the Shu waters for ten years; Floating his cup,⁶ today he crosses
the Zhang riverbank. A thousand disciples, dragons and elephants,⁷ follow his
noble steps; Ten thousand miles of fragrant flowers⁸ form auspicious
connections. I wish to serve the Master as a disciple; I do not know to whom
the Dharma will be entrusted?” The Master replied [in verse]: “The mind is like
the great ocean, boundless; The mouth emits red lotuses⁹ to nourish the sick
body.¹⁰ Though possessing a pair of idle hands, They have never merely bowed to
ordinary people.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">裴相一日托一尊佛于师前胡跪云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">请师安名。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师召云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">裴休。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">休应诺。师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">与汝安名竟。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">相公便礼拜。相公一日上诗一章，师接得便坐却。乃问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">会么？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">相公云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">不会。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">与么不会，犹较些子。若形纸墨，何有吾宗？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">诗曰：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">自从大士传心印，额有圆珠七尺身。挂锡十年栖蜀水，浮杯今日渡漳滨。千徒龙象随高步，万里香花结胜因。愿欲事师为弟子，不知将法付何人？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师答曰：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">心如大海无边际，口吐红莲养病身。虽有一双无事手，不曾只揖等闲人。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l60 level1 lfo47; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Knelt
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">胡跪</span>,
     húguì): A specific form of kneeling, often on the right knee with the left
     up, used when presenting offerings or making requests.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l60 level1 lfo47; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Naming
     the Buddha: Huangbo again uses the technique of calling Pei Xiu's name to
     point directly to the immediate, responding awareness as the essence,
     rather than engaging in the conventional act of naming the statue. The
     true "name" or essence is found in the living mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l60 level1 lfo47; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Paper
     and ink... where is our school’s principle? (<span lang="ZH-CN">形纸墨，何有吾宗？</span>): Huangbo
     dismisses reliance on written words (the poem) as inadequate for conveying
     the true principle (<span lang="ZH-CN">宗</span>)
     of Chan, which is transmitted mind-to-mind. Not understanding conceptually
     is deemed "somewhat better."<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l60 level1 lfo47; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Great
     Being (<span lang="ZH-CN">大士</span>,
     Mahāsattva): Refers to Bodhidharma, the first Patriarch of Chan in China.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l60 level1 lfo47; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Forehead...
     pearl... seven feet tall: Traditional descriptions of Bodhidharma's
     appearance.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l60 level1 lfo47; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Hanging
     his staff (<span lang="ZH-CN">挂锡</span>):
     A monk settling down in a place. Refers perhaps to Bodhidharma's time or
     generally to settling for practice. Shu waters (<span lang="ZH-CN">蜀水</span>) refers to Sichuan. The
     historical accuracy of Bodhidharma spending ten years there is
     questionable; it may be symbolic.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l60 level1 lfo47; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Floating
     his cup (<span lang="ZH-CN">浮杯</span>):
     Alludes to the legend of Bodhidharma crossing the Yangtze River on a
     single reed. Zhang riverbank (<span lang="ZH-CN">漳滨</span>)
     likely refers to a location relevant to Huangbo or Pei Xiu's context,
     perhaps symbolically crossing over into the realm of Chan.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l60 level1 lfo47; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Dragons
     and elephants (<span lang="ZH-CN">龙象</span>):
     Metaphor for outstanding disciples or great practitioners.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l60 level1 lfo47; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Fragrant
     flowers (<span lang="ZH-CN">香花</span>):
     Offerings, symbolic of reverence and karmic connection.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l60 level1 lfo47; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Mouth
     emits red lotuses (<span lang="ZH-CN">口吐红莲</span>):
     Metaphor for speaking profound and pure Dharma.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l60 level1 lfo47; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Nourish
     the sick body (<span lang="ZH-CN">养病身</span>):
     Refers perhaps to the Mahayana concept of the Bodhisattva remaining in the
     "sick" world of samsara out of compassion, using the Dharma to
     sustain themselves and others. Alternatively, it could be a humble
     self-reference by Huangbo.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l60 level1 lfo47; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Idle
     hands... never merely bowed to ordinary people (<span lang="ZH-CN">无事手，不曾只揖等闲人</span>): Asserts the
     Master's independence and discrimination, engaging only with those ready
     for the profound Dharma, not wasting effort on the unprepared
     ("ordinary people"). "Idle hands" (<span lang="ZH-CN">无事手</span>) implies hands not
     engaged in worldly striving but embodying effortless action or non-action.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Discourse in the hall: “Those who study
the Way must first put aside miscellaneous studies and various conditions.
Resolutely do not seek; resolutely do not attach. Hearing the extremely
profound Dharma should be like a clear wind reaching the ear: it passes by in a
flash, without being pursued further – this is deemed ‘extremely profound.’
Entering the Tathāgata Chan, one departs from thoughts of Chan arising. From
the Patriarchs of the past, only the One Mind has been transmitted; there is no
second dharma. Pointing to the mind as Buddha instantly transcends the levels
of Equal Awakening and Wondrous Awakening.¹&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Resolutely do not flow into a
second thought (<span lang="ZH-CN">念</span>); only
then is it like entering our school’s gate. For such a Dharma, how could you,
an ordinary person, approach here intending to learn? Therefore it is said:
when intending the mind, one is bound by the demon of the intending mind; when
not intending the mind, one is bound by the demon of the non-intending mind;
when neither-nor intending the mind, one is bound by the demon of the
neither-nor intending mind.² Demons do not come from outside; they arise from
your own mind. Only the Bodhisattva without supernatural powers³ has footprints
that cannot be traced.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">If at all times the mind holds the view of permanence,
that is the external path of eternalism. If one contemplates all dharmas as
empty and forms the view of emptiness, that is the external path of
annihilationism.⁴ That 'the three realms are mind-only, the myriad dharmas are
consciousness-only'⁵ – this is still spoken in opposition to external path
heretical views. If speaking of the Dharmakāya as the ultimate fruit, this is
spoken in relation to the Three Worthies and Ten Saints.⁶ Therefore, the Buddha
severed two kinds of ignorance (<span lang="ZH-CN">愚</span>):
first, subtle cognitive ignorance (<span lang="ZH-CN">微细所知愚</span>);
second, extremely subtle cognitive ignorance (<span lang="ZH-CN">极微细所知愚</span>).⁷ Since the Buddha is like
this, what more is there to say about Equal and Wondrous Awakening? Therefore,
all people merely wish to face the bright, not wishing to face the dark. They
merely wish to seek awakening, not accepting affliction and ignorance (<span lang="ZH-CN">烦恼无明</span>), thus saying Buddha is awakened,
sentient beings are deluded. If one holds such views, for hundreds of kalpas
and thousands of lifetimes, one will cycle through the six realms with no end.
Why? Because one slanders the fundamental source, the self-nature of all
Buddhas.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">He clearly tells you: Buddha is not bright, sentient beings are not
dark, because the Dharma is without brightness or darkness. Buddha is not
strong, sentient beings are not weak, because the Dharma is without strength or
weakness. Buddha is not wise, sentient beings are not foolish, because the
Dharma is without foolishness or wisdom. It is you who step forward claiming to
understand Chan, but the moment you open your mouth, the sickness manifests.
You speak not of the root, only the branches; speak not of delusion, only
awakening; speak not of the essence (<span lang="ZH-CN">体</span>),
only the function (<span lang="ZH-CN">用</span>). There
is utterly no place for your arguments. All his dharmas are fundamentally
non-existent [from the start], and now are also not non-existent. Arising from
conditions, they are not existent; ceasing due to conditions, they are not
non-existent. Fundamentally they are also not existent, because the
'fundamental' is not fundamental.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Mind is also not mind, because mind is not
mind. Form (<span lang="ZH-CN">相</span>) is also
not form, because form is not form. Therefore it is said: no dharma, no
fundamental mind; only then understand the mind-mind dharma.⁸ Dharma is
non-dharma; dharma is not non-dharma. No dharma, no non-dharma; therefore it is
the mind-mind dharma. Suddenly, a fleeting thought arises – realize it is like
an illusion, like a transformation, and it immediately flows into the past
Buddha. The past Buddha is not existent; the future Buddha is not non-existent,
yet is also not called 'future Buddha'. The present moment's thoughts do not
abide, not called 'present Buddha'. When Buddha [nature] arises, do not intend
it as awakened or deluded, good or evil. Absolutely do not grasp or cling to
it, nor cut it off. Like a single thought fleetingly arising: a thousand heavy
locks cannot lock it; ten thousand fathoms of rope cannot bind it.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Since it is
like this, how could you then intend to extinguish it or stop it? He clearly
tells you it is your 'flame consciousness' (<span lang="ZH-CN">焰识</span>);⁹ how do you intend to sever it? It is analogous to a
mirage (<span lang="ZH-CN">阳焰</span>): you
say it is near, yet searching the ten directions of the world, it cannot be
found; you then say it is far, yet when you look, it is right before your eyes.
You intend to chase it, yet it moves further away. You then avoid it, yet it
comes pursuing you. It cannot be grasped, nor can it be abandoned. Since it is
like this, know therefore that the nature of all dharmas (<span lang="ZH-CN">法性</span>) is fundamentally and originally so
(<span lang="ZH-CN">自尔</span>). Thus,
do not worry about it or be anxious about it. As for the saying, ‘The preceding
thought is ordinary, the succeeding thought is saintly, like turning the hand
over’ – this is the culmination of the Three Vehicle teachings. According to my
Chan school, the preceding thought is not ordinary, and the succeeding thought
is not saintly; the preceding thought is not Buddha, the succeeding thought is
not sentient being. Therefore, all forms are Buddha-form; all sounds are
Buddha-sound. Raise one principle, and all principles are thus. See one affair,
and see all affairs; see one mind, and see all minds; see one path, and see all
paths; everywhere is nothing but the path. See one dust mote, and the ten
directions of the world, mountains, rivers, and the great earth are all thus.
See one drop of water, and see the nature of all water in the ten directions of
the world.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Furthermore, seeing all dharmas is seeing all mind. All dharmas are
fundamentally empty (<span lang="ZH-CN">本空</span>); the
mind then is not non-existent (<span lang="ZH-CN">不无</span>);
not non-existent is wondrous presence (<span lang="ZH-CN">妙有</span>).¹⁰ Existence is also non-existence; non-existence is
existence; this is true emptiness, wondrous presence. Since it is like this,
the ten directions of the world do not go beyond my one mind. All lands of
micro-particles do not go beyond my single thought. If so, what talk is there
of internal and external? Like honey whose nature is sweet – all honey is thus;
one cannot say this honey is sweet and the rest are bitter. Where could such a
thing exist?&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Therefore it is said: empty space has no inside or outside; the
dharma-nature is fundamentally and originally so. Empty space has no middle;
the dharma-nature is fundamentally and originally so. Thus, sentient beings are
identical to Buddha; Buddha is identical to sentient beings. Sentient beings
and Buddha are originally of the same essence. Samsara and nirvana, conditioned
(<span lang="ZH-CN">有为</span>) and
unconditioned (<span lang="ZH-CN">无为</span>), are
originally of the same essence. Worldly and world-transcending, even the six
realms and four types of birth, mountains, rivers, the great earth, sentient
and insentient, are also of the same essence. Speaking of ‘sameness’ means names
and forms are also empty; existence is also empty; non-existence is also empty;
the entire world of Ganges sands is originally one emptiness.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Since it is like
this, where is there a Buddha delivering sentient beings? Where are there
sentient beings receiving the Buddha’s deliverance? Why is this so? Because the
nature of the myriad dharmas is fundamentally and originally so. If one forms
the view of naturalism, one falls into the external path of naturalism. If one
forms the view of no-self, no-mine, one falls into the stages of the Three
Worthies and Ten Saints. How can you now take a ruler of one foot or one inch
and intend to measure empty space? He clearly tells you: dharma does not reach
dharma (<span lang="ZH-CN">法法不相到</span>),
because dharma is itself quiescent (<span lang="ZH-CN">法自寂故</span>).
In its own place, it naturally abides; in its own place, it is naturally true.
Because the body is empty, it is called emptiness of dharmas (<span lang="ZH-CN">法空</span>); because the mind is empty, it is
called empty nature (<span lang="ZH-CN">性空</span>).
Body and mind altogether empty, thus called emptiness of dharma-nature (<span lang="ZH-CN">法性空</span>). Even the thousand different
paths of explanation are all not separate from your fundamental mind.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Nowadays,
talk of Bodhi, Nirvana, True Suchness (<span lang="ZH-CN">真如</span>), Buddha-nature, the Two Vehicles, Bodhisattvas – these
are all pointing to leaves as gold, explanations like [showing] a closed
fist.¹¹ If the hand is opened, the entire great assembly, whether gods or
humans, all see that within the palm there is utterly not one thing. Therefore
it is said: ‘Originally there is not one thing; where could dust alight?’¹²
Since fundamentally there is no thing, the three periods [past, present,
future] are fundamentally non-existent. Therefore, the person studying the Way
must enter directly with a single blade (<span lang="ZH-CN">单刀直入</span>); one must see this meaning to succeed.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Thus, Master
Bodhidharma came from the West to this land, passed through how many countries,
and only found Master Ke¹³ as the one person, secretly transmitting the
mind-seal. Sealing your fundamental mind; using mind to seal the Dharma, using
Dharma to seal the mind. Since mind is thus, Dharma is also thus. Same as the
true boundary (<span lang="ZH-CN">真际</span>), equal
to the dharma-nature (<span lang="ZH-CN">法性</span>). Within
the emptiness of dharma-nature, who is the one giving the prediction? Who is
the one becoming Buddha? Who is the one obtaining the Dharma? He clearly tells
you: Bodhi cannot be obtained through the body, because the body is signless (<span lang="ZH-CN">身无相故</span>); cannot be obtained through the
mind, because the mind is signless (<span lang="ZH-CN">心无相故</span>);
cannot be obtained through the nature, because the nature is precisely the
fundamental source, the self-nature, the naturally true Buddha (<span lang="ZH-CN">性即便是本源自性天真佛故</span>). One cannot obtain
Buddha again through Buddha; cannot obtain signlessness again through
signlessness; cannot obtain emptiness again through emptiness; cannot obtain
the Way again through the Way.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Fundamentally there is no attainment;
non-attainment also cannot be attained. Therefore it is said: not one dharma is
attainable. It only teaches you to realize your fundamental mind. At the moment
of realization, do not grasp the characteristic of realization. The
characteristic of no-realization and no-non-realization also cannot be
attained. This kind of Dharma, the one who attains it, attains it. The attainer
is not consciously aware [of attaining]; the non-attainer is also not
consciously aware [of not attaining]. This kind of Dharma, since ancient times,
how many people have come to know it? Therefore it is said: how many people in
the world have forgotten themselves? Nowadays, grasping at a particular
technique, a state, a scripture, a teaching, an era, a time, a name, a word,
before the gates of the six senses – how is this different from a mechanical
wooden puppet? If suddenly one person comes forth who does not make
interpretations based on a single name or form, I say that searching for this
person throughout the ten directions of the world, they cannot be found,
because there is no second person.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Therefore, they succeed to the Patriarchal
seat, also called a descendant of Śākya (<span lang="ZH-CN">释种</span>), pure and unmixed. Thus it is said: ‘When the king
becomes Buddha, the prince also follows and leaves home.’¹⁴ This meaning is
exceedingly difficult to know. It just teaches you: do not seek; seeking
immediately loses it. Like a fool shouting on a mountain top; an echo comes
from the valley, and he runs down the mountain to chase it. When he cannot find
it, he shouts again; the echo on the mountain responds again, and he runs up
the mountain to chase it. Like this for thousands of lifetimes and myriad
kalpas, just a person seeking sounds and chasing echoes, a fellow living vainly
and dying wantonly. If you make no sound, there is no echo. Nirvana means no
hearing, no knowing, no sound, eliminating tracks, eliminating traces. If one
can attain this, one is slightly neighboring the Patriarchs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">上堂云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">夫学道者，先须并却杂学诸缘，决定不求，决定不著。闻甚深法，恰似清风届耳，瞥然而过，更不追寻，是为甚深。入如来禅，离生禅想。从上祖师唯传一心，更无二法。指心是佛，顿超等妙二觉之表，决定不流至第二念，始似入我宗门。如斯之法，汝取次人到这里拟作么生学？所以道：拟心时被拟心魔缚，非拟心时又被非拟心魔缚，非非拟心时又被非非擬心魔缚。魔非外来，出自你心。唯有无神通菩萨，足迹不可寻。若以一切时中心有常见，即是常见外道；若观一切法空，作空见者，即是断见外道。一切三界唯心，万法唯识，此犹是对外道邪见人说。若说法身以为极果，此对三贤十圣人言。故佛断二愚：一者微细所知愚，二者极微细所知愚。佛既如是，更说什么等妙二觉来？所以一切人，但欲向明，不欲向暗。但欲求悟，不受烦恼无明，便道佛是觉，众生是妄。若作如是见解，百劫千生轮回六道，更无断绝。何以故？为谤诸佛本源自性故。他分明向你道：佛且不明，众生且不暗，法无明暗故。佛且不强，众生且不弱，法无强弱故。佛且不智，众生且不愚，法无愚智故。是你出头总道解禅，开著口便病发。不说本，只说末；不说迷，只说悟；不说体，只说用。总无你话论处。他一切法且本不有，今亦不无，缘起不有，缘灭不无，本亦不有，本非本故。心亦不心，心非心故。相亦非相，相非相故。所以道无法无本心，始解心心法。法即非法，法非即法。无法无非法，故是心心法。忽然瞥起一念，了知如幻如化，即流入过去佛。过去佛且不有，未来佛且不无，又且不唤作未来佛。现在念念不住，不唤作现在佛。佛若起时，即不拟他是觉是迷、是善是悪，辄不得执滞他、断绝他。如一念瞥起，千重关锁锁不得，万丈绳索索他不住。既若如是，争合便拟灭他止他。分明向你道尔焰识，你作么生拟断他？喻如阳焰，你道近，十方世界求不可得；始道远，看时只在目前。你拟趁他，他又转远去。你始避他，他又来逐你。取又不得，舍又不得。既若如此，故知一切法性自尔，即不用愁他虑他。如言</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">前念是凡，后念是圣，如翻覆一般。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">此是三乘教之极也。据我禅宗中，前念且不是凡，后念且不是圣；前念不是佛，后念不是众生。所以一切色是佛色，一切声是佛声。举著一理，一切理皆然。见一事，见一切事；见一心，见一切心；见一道，见一切道；一切处无不是道。见一尘，十方世界、山河大地皆然。见一滴水，即见十方世界一切性水。又见一切法，即见一切心。一切法本空，心即不无，不无即妙有。有亦不有，不有即有，即真空妙有。既若如是，十方世界，不出我之一心。一切微尘国土，不出我之一念。若然，说什么内之与外，如蜜性甜，一切蜜皆然，不可道这个蜜甜，余底苦也。何处有与么事？所以道：虚空无内外，法性自尔。虚空无中间，法性自尔。故众生即佛，佛即众生。众生与佛，元同一体。生死涅槃，有为无为，元同一体。世间出世间，乃至六道四生，山河大地，有性无性，亦同一体。言同者，名相亦空，有亦空，无亦空，尽恒沙世界，元是一空。既若如此，何处有佛度众生？何处有众生受佛度？何故如此？万法之性自尔故。若作自然见，即落自然外道；若作无我、无我所见，堕在三贤十圣位中。你如今云何将一尺一寸，便拟量度虚空？他分明向汝道：法法不相到，法自寂故。当处自住，当处自真。以身空故名法空，以心空故名性空。身心总空，故名法性空。乃至千途异说，皆不离你之本心。如今说菩提、涅槃、真如、佛性、二乘、菩萨者，皆指叶为黄金，拳掌之说。若也展手之时，一切大众，若天若人，皆见掌中都无一物。所以道：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">本来无一物，何处惹尘埃</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">。本既无物，三际本无所有。故学道人单刀直入，须见这个意始得。故达摩大师从西天来至此土，经多少国土，只觅得可大师一人，密传心印。印你本心，以心印法，以法印心。心既如此，法亦如此。同真际，等法性，法性空中，谁是授记人？谁是成佛人？谁是得法人？他分明向你道：菩提者，不可以身得，身无相故；不可以心得，心无相故；不可以性得，性即便是本源自性天真佛故。不可以佛更得佛，不可以无相更得无相，不可以空更得空，不可以道更得道。本无所得，无得亦不可得，所以道无一法可得。只教你了取本心，当下了时，不得了相。无了无不了相，亦不可得。如此之法，得者即得。得者不自觉知，不得者亦不自觉知。如此之法，从上已来，有几人得知。所以道天下忘己者有几人？如今于一机、一境、一经、一教、一世、一时、一名、一字，六根门前领得，与机关木人何别？忽有一人出来，不于一名一相上作解者，我说此人尽十方世界觅这个人不可得，以无第二人故，继于祖位，亦云释种，无杂纯一。故言王若成佛时，王子亦随出家，此意大难知。只教你莫觅，觅便失却。如痴人山上叫一声，响从谷出，便走下山趁。及寻觅不得，又叫一声，山上响又应，亦走上山上趁。如是千生万劫，只是寻声逐响人，虚生浪死汉。汝若无声即无响。涅槃者，无闻、无知、无声，绝迹绝踪。若得如是，稍与祖师邻房也。</span><span lang="ZH-CN"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm; text-align: left;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l52 level1 lfo48; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Equal
     Awakening (<span lang="ZH-CN">等覺</span>)
     and Wondrous Awakening (<span lang="ZH-CN">妙覺</span>):
     The 51st and 52nd (final) stages in the Mahayana Bodhisattva path
     according to the Tiantai school classification, representing stages just
     below and at supreme Buddhahood. Huangbo asserts that the direct
     realization of Mind transcends even these highest conceptual stages.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l52 level1 lfo48; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Intending
     mind... non-intending mind... neither-nor intending mind: Refers to
     getting caught in conceptual traps, whether actively trying to control the
     mind, trying <i>not</i> to control it, or trying to find a middle way
     conceptually. All involve intention (<span lang="ZH-CN">拟心</span>) and create demonic obstacles
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">魔</span>).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l52 level1 lfo48; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Bodhisattva
     without supernatural powers (<span lang="ZH-CN">无神通菩萨</span>):
     Perhaps refers to a Bodhisattva who relies on wisdom rather than powers,
     or one whose realization is so profound it leaves no traceable signs (<span lang="ZH-CN">足迹不可寻</span>),
     unlike those who manifest powers.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l52 level1 lfo48; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Eternalism
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">常见外道</span>)
     and Annihilationism (<span lang="ZH-CN">断见外道</span>):
     Two extreme views refuted by Buddhism. Eternalism posits a permanent self
     or reality; annihilationism posits complete cessation after death with no
     continuity. Huangbo warns against mistaking meditative states or
     conceptual views of emptiness for these extremes.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l52 level1 lfo48; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Three
     realms are mind-only, myriad dharmas are consciousness-only (<span lang="ZH-CN">三界唯心，万法唯识</span>):
     Core tenets of the Yogācāra (Mind-Only) school. Huangbo implies that even
     these profound statements are provisional, used to counter cruder
     externalist views.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l52 level1 lfo48; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Dharmakāya...
     Three Worthies and Ten Saints (<span lang="ZH-CN">三贤十圣</span>):
     The Dharmakāya is the ultimate body/reality of a Buddha. The Three
     Worthies and Ten Saints are stages on the Bodhisattva path prior to
     Buddhahood. Huangbo suggests that viewing the Dharmakāya as a final goal
     to be achieved is still relative to these stages, not the ultimate
     non-dual realization.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l52 level1 lfo48; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span>Subtle
     and Extremely Subtle Knowledge Ignorance (<span lang="ZH-CN">微细所知愚</span>, <span lang="ZH-CN">极微细所知愚</span>): These refer to the
     most subtle knowledge obscurations (<span lang="ZH-CN">所知障</span>), hindrances related to
     understanding the nature of reality, as opposed to affective obscurations
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">烦恼障</span>,
     kleśāvaraṇa) related
     to emotions.&nbsp;<br /></span><br />In Mahāyāna Buddhism two principal&nbsp;<strong>obscurations</strong>&nbsp;(Skt.&nbsp;<em>āvaraṇa</em>; Tib.&nbsp;<em>sgrib pa</em>) are distinguished—<strong>afflictive obscurations</strong>&nbsp;(Skt.&nbsp;<em>kleśā‑āvaraṇa</em>; Tib.&nbsp;<em>nyön mongs kyi sgrib pa</em>) and&nbsp;<strong>knowledge obscurations</strong>&nbsp;(Skt.&nbsp;<em>jñeyā‑āvaraṇa</em>; Tib.&nbsp;<em>ye shes kyi sgrib pa</em>)—each defined by its essence (<em>bhāva</em>), cause (<em>hetu</em>), and function (<em>varaṇa</em>).</span><p><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Afflictive obscurations are the defiling emotions—passion (<em>raga</em>), aggression (<em>dveṣa</em>), delusion (<em>moha</em>), and the like—which arise from grasping at a self, agent or soul (Skt.&nbsp;<em>ātmagrāha</em>, Tib.&nbsp;<em>bdag lta bu</em>) and block final liberation from saṃsāra.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Knowledge obscurations are the subtler veils of misperception—beginning with the classic three spheres of subject, object, and action; extending to all notions of how phenomena arise, abide, and cease; to supposed inherent causes and effects; to misconceived characteristics (<em>lakṣaṇa</em>‑grāha); to dualistic divides of internality versus externality; and to extremes of existence versus non‑existence—each stemming from ascribing true, independent reality to phenomena (the “self of phenomena,” Skt.&nbsp;<em>dharmātmagrāha</em>, Tib.&nbsp;<em>chos lta bu</em>) and thereby obscuring omniscience.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Although Śrāvaka‑Ārhat and Pratyekabuddha practitioners likewise uproot the afflictive obscurations, entry into the&nbsp;<strong>eighth&nbsp;bhūmi</strong>&nbsp;marks the first stage at which a bodhisattva has eliminated all kleshas—putting them on par with arhats in that respect—yet they remain subject to the knowledge obscurations until full Buddhahood.</span></p><h2><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Saṃsāric Cycles: 分段生死 and 变易生死</span></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans;"><strong>分段生死</strong>&nbsp;(<em>pṛthak‑saṃleśa‑saṃsāra</em>, “rebirth in segmented lifetimes”) refers to the grosser cycle of rebirth through the six realms (hell‑beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras, and devas), driven by afflictive karma and ignorance. Śrāvaka‑Ārhats, Pratyekabuddhas and the the&nbsp;<strong>eighth&nbsp;bhūmi </strong>Bodhisattvas are able to put an end to this type of&nbsp;saṃsāric rebirth.<br /><strong>变易生死</strong>&nbsp;(<em>pariniṣpanna‑saṃsāra</em>, “the subtler cycle of conditioned transformation”) denotes, as Chinese sources explain, the inconceivable “births and deaths” of mind‑made bodies (意身生,&nbsp;manomaya-kāya) or spiritual states—such as progress through the bodhisattva bhūmis, Pure Land rebirths, and shifts among meditative absorptions—powered by residual, non‑fabricated karmic seeds (the “transformative seeds”) and compassionate vows; although these beings no longer undergo realm‑to‑realm rebirth, they still experience state‑to‑state transitions until the final eradication of all obscurations at Buddhahood</span><span style="font-family: &quot;Noto Sans&quot;;">.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Only the&nbsp;<strong>tathāgata</strong>, having eradicated both the afflictive and knowledge obscurations, transcends both&nbsp;<strong>分段生死</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>变易生死</strong>, thereby realizing unsurpassable awakening.</span></p></li><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>An Partial Excerpt from&nbsp;</b><b>Examination of the Five Aggregates (五蕴观)</b><br /><br />"若能依此身心相。諦觀分明。於一切處但見五蘊。求人我相終不可得。<br />If we rely on these characteristics of body and mind, carefully examine and see clearly, then in all places we only see the five aggregates. We search out the self-characteristic of the person and in the end it cannot be found.<br />名人空觀。乘此觀。行出分段生死。永處涅槃。名二乘解脫。<br />We call this the examination of the emptiness of persons. If one utilizes this examination then one departs birth and death within the six realms and forever abides in nirvāṇa (cessation). We call this the liberation of the two vehicles.<br />計法我者用後觀照之。知一一蘊皆從緣生。都無自性。求蘊相不可得。則五蘊皆空。<br />For the conception of the self of a phenomenon we utilize the later examination and investigate it. We then know that each of the aggregates all arise from conditions and all are without self-essence. We seek out the characteristics of the aggregates and they cannot be found and so the five aggregates are all empty.<br />名法空觀。若二觀雙照。了人我法我。畢竟空無所有。<br />We call this the examination of the emptiness of phenomena. If we investigate with both examinations we understand the person's self and the phenomenon's self are ultimately empty without existence.<br />離諸怖畏。度一切苦厄。出變易生死。名究竟解脫。<br />Free from all fears, crossing over all pains and emerging into existence as a Bodhisattva – we call this ultimate liberation.<br />問。夫求解脫。祗是了妄證真。但能契真如理。寂然無念則便離縛。何假興心觀蘊方求解脫。豈不乖理哉。"<br /><br /></span><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l52 level1 lfo48; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Mind-mind
     dharma (<span lang="ZH-CN">心心法</span>):
     The direct transmission or realization of mind through mind, beyond words
     or concepts.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l52 level1 lfo48; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Flame
     consciousness (<span lang="ZH-CN">焰识</span>):
     Consciousness flickering and unstable like a flame or mirage, unable to be
     grasped or stopped by force.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l52 level1 lfo48; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Wondrous
     presence (<span lang="ZH-CN">妙有</span>):
     A key Mahayana term indicating that true emptiness (<span lang="ZH-CN">真空</span>) is not mere nothingness
     but is dynamically manifest as wondrous, ungraspable presence or function.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l52 level1 lfo48; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Pointing
     to leaves as gold, explanations like a closed fist (<span lang="ZH-CN">指叶为黄金，拳掌之说</span>): Standard
     metaphors for expedient means (upāya) – teachings given provisionally to
     guide beings but not representing the ultimate truth itself (the open hand
     revealing nothing, or the actual gold).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l52 level1 lfo48; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘Originally
     there is not one thing; where could dust alight?’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">本来无一物，何处惹尘埃</span>): Famous verse
     attributed to the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, expressing fundamental
     emptiness and purity.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l52 level1 lfo48; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Master
     Ke (<span lang="ZH-CN">可大师</span>):
     Refers to Huike (<span lang="ZH-CN">慧可</span>),
     the Second Patriarch of Chan, who received the transmission from
     Bodhidharma.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l52 level1 lfo48; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘When
     the king becomes Buddha, the prince also follows and leaves home’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">王若成佛时，王子亦随出家</span>):
     An analogy possibly suggesting that when the fundamental mind (king) is
     realized, its functions or subsequent thoughts (prince) naturally align
     with awakening (leave home). Huangbo notes its difficulty.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “Regarding the King's
treasury,¹ there is absolutely no such sword within it. I humbly request your
instruction and guidance.” The Master said: “The King’s treasury is precisely
the nature of empty space (<span lang="ZH-CN">虚空性</span>).
It can contain the ten directions of the empty space world; all of it is
entirely not outside your mind. It is also called the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha (<span lang="ZH-CN">虚空藏菩萨</span>).² If you say it exists, or does
not exist, or neither exists nor does not exist, it all becomes sheep horns.³
Sheep horns are precisely that which you seek.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如王库藏内，都无如是刀。伏愿诲示。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">王库藏者，即虚空性也。能摄十方虚空世界，皆总不出你心，亦谓之虚空藏菩萨。你若道是有是无，非有非无，总成羊角。羊角者，即你求觅者也。</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l48 level1 lfo49; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">King's
     treasury (<span lang="ZH-CN">王库藏</span>):
     Metaphor for the fundamental nature, the mind-essence, or the
     Tathāgata-garbha. The questioner seems to be referencing a story or
     analogy involving a special sword.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l48 level1 lfo49; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Bodhisattva
     Ākāśagarbha (<span lang="ZH-CN">虚空藏菩萨</span>):
     The Bodhisattva whose name means "Treasury of Empty Space,"
     symbolizing boundless wisdom and merit like space itself. Huangbo equates
     this with the mind's empty nature.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l48 level1 lfo49; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Sheep
     horns (<span lang="ZH-CN">羊角</span>):
     A Chan term symbolizing entanglement in dualistic concepts, useless
     seeking, delusion, or getting stuck on extraneous points. Any attempt to
     define the empty nature (treasury) as existent, non-existent, etc., is
     falling into conceptual delusion.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “Is there a true sword
in the King’s treasury or not?” The Master said: “This is also sheep horns.”
[The questioner] said: “If there is fundamentally no true sword in the King’s
treasury, why is it said, ‘The prince, holding the true sword from the King’s
treasury, went out to a foreign country’?¹ Why uniquely say there is none?” The
Master said: “The one holding the sword and going out – this is a metaphor for
a Tathāgata’s messenger. If you say the prince held the true sword from the
King’s treasury and went out, then the treasury should have become empty. The
fundamental source, the empty nature, cannot be taken away by another person.
What kind of talk is this? If you suppose you possess something, it is all
called sheep horns.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">王库藏中有真刀否？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">此亦是羊角。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若王库中本无真刀，何故云</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">王子持王库中真刀，出至异国？</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">何独言无？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">持刀出者，此喻如来使者。你若言王子持王库中真刀出去者，库中应空去也。本源虚空性，不可被异人将去。是什么语？设你有者，皆名羊角。</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l41 level1 lfo50; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘The
     prince, holding the true sword...’: The questioner cites a specific story
     or phrase. Huangbo interprets it metaphorically: the "sword" is
     wisdom or the teaching, the "prince" is a messenger (like a
     Bodhisattva or teacher), and the "treasury" is the fundamental
     source. He rejects the literal interpretation that something tangible (the
     sword) is removed from the inherently empty source (treasury). Holding
     onto the idea of a tangible "true sword" (a specific doctrine or
     attainment) is delusion ("sheep horns").<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation: </b>Question: “Did Kāśyapa, having received
the Buddha’s mind-seal, become a transmitter of the message?”¹ The Master said:
“Yes.” [The questioner] said: “If he is a transmitter of the message, he ought
not to be free from sheep horns.” The Master said: “Kāśyapa himself grasped the
fundamental mind, therefore it is not sheep horns. If one grasps the
Tathāgata’s mind, sees the Tathāgata’s intent, [but only] sees the Tathāgata’s
physical form (<span lang="ZH-CN">色相</span>), then
one belongs to the category of the Tathāgata’s messenger, acting as a
transmitter of the message. Therefore, Ānanda, having served as attendant for
twenty years, only saw the Tathāgata’s physical form, and thus was rebuked by
the Buddha, saying: ‘You only contemplate the Savior of the World [externally].’²
[He] could not get free from sheep horns.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">迦叶受佛心印，得为传语人否？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">是。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若是传语人，应不离得羊角。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">迦叶自领得本心，所以不是羊角。若以领得如来心，见如来意，见如来色相者，即属如来使，为传语人。所以阿难为侍者二十年，但见如来色相，所以被佛呵云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">唯观救世者。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">不能得离羊角。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo51; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Transmitter
     of the message (<span lang="ZH-CN">传语人</span>):
     Someone who relays teachings or information. The questioner implies this
     role is inherently secondary or conceptual ("sheep horns").
     Huangbo distinguishes between Mahākāśyapa, who received the mind-to-mind
     transmission (<span lang="ZH-CN">心印</span>)
     and realized the essence directly, and Ānanda, who initially focused on
     the Buddha's words and form without the same depth of direct realization,
     thus remaining entangled in "sheep horns" until his own later
     awakening.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo51; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘You
     only contemplate the Savior of the World’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">唯观救世者</span>): Reference to the <i>Śūra</i><i>ṅgama Sūtra</i>, where the
     Buddha points out Ānanda's reliance on external form rather than realizing
     the mind-nature within.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation: </b>Question: “Regarding Mañjuśrī holding a
sword before Gautama,¹ what about that?” The Master said: “Five hundred
Bodhisattvas attained the wisdom of past lives (<span lang="ZH-CN">宿命智</span>) and saw the karmic obstacles from
past births. The five hundred are precisely your five skandha-body (<span lang="ZH-CN">五阴身</span>).² Because they saw these
past-life obstacles, they sought Buddha, sought Bodhisattvas, sought Nirvana.
Therefore, Mañjuśrī, using the sword of wisdom and liberation (<span lang="ZH-CN">智解剑</span>), slew this mind that sees a
Buddha [to be attained] (<span lang="ZH-CN">有见佛心</span>).
Thus, it is said, ‘You slay well.’”³ [The questioner] said: “What is the
sword?” The Master said: “The mind of liberation (<span lang="ZH-CN">解心</span>) is the sword.” [The questioner]
said: “The mind of liberation is the sword, cutting off this mind that sees a
Buddha. But what about the mind that is able to cut – how can that be
eliminated?” The Master said: “Still use your non-discriminating wisdom (<span lang="ZH-CN">无分别智</span>) to cut off this discriminating
mind that sees [a Buddha].” [The questioner] said: “For example, having the
view of existence, having the mind that seeks Buddha, one uses the sword of
non-discriminating wisdom to cut it off. But how can one deal with the
wisdom-sword still being there?” The Master said: “If the non-discriminating
wisdom slays views of existence and non-existence, the non-discriminating
wisdom also cannot be obtained [is also eliminated].” [The questioner] said:
“Cannot use wisdom to further cut wisdom? Cannot use a sword to further cut a
sword?” The Master said: “Sword naturally slays sword; sword slaying sword,
then the sword also cannot be obtained. Wisdom naturally slays wisdom; wisdom
slaying wisdom, then wisdom also cannot be obtained. Mother and child both
perish;⁴ it is also like this.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">文殊执剑于瞿昙前者，如何？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">五百菩萨得宿命智，见过去生业障。五百者即你五阴身是，以见此夙命障，故求佛求菩萨涅槃，所以文殊将智解剑，害此有见佛心故，故言你善害。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">何者是剑？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">解心是剑。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">解心即是剑，断此有见佛心，只如能断见心，何能除得？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">还将你五分别智，断此有见分别心。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如作有见，有求佛心，将无分别智剑断。争奈有智剑在何？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若五分别智害有见、无见，五分别智亦不可得。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">不可以智更断智，不可以剑更断剑？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">剑自害剑，剑剑相害，即剑亦不可得。智自害智，智智相害，即智亦不可得。母子俱丧，亦复如是。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l42 level1 lfo52; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Mañjuśrī
     holding a sword before Gautama: Refers to a story, likely from the <i>Vimalakīrti
     Sūtra</i> or related literature, where Mañjuśrī, embodying wisdom,
     brandishes a sword, often interpreted as cutting through delusion or
     attachment.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l42 level1 lfo52; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Five
     hundred Bodhisattvas... five skandha-body (<span lang="ZH-CN">五百菩萨</span>... <span lang="ZH-CN">五阴身</span>): Huangbo interprets
     the 500 Bodhisattvas seeing past karma as representing the five skandhas
     (form, feeling, perception, formations, consciousness) recognizing their
     own conditioned nature and history of creating obstacles.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l42 level1 lfo52; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">You
     slay well (<span lang="ZH-CN">你善害</span>):
     A phrase likely from the source story, where the Buddha (Gautama) or
     someone praises Mañjuśrī's action. "Slay" here means to cut
     through or eliminate delusion.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l42 level1 lfo52; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Mother
     and child both perish (<span lang="ZH-CN">母子俱丧</span>):
     A metaphor for the complete elimination of both the object of elimination
     (child - discriminating thought, views) and the tool of elimination
     (mother - non-discriminating wisdom used as a tool). In the ultimate
     realization, the dualism of means and end, wisdom and ignorance, subject
     and object, dissolves entirely.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation: </b>Question: “What is seeing the nature (<span lang="ZH-CN">见性</span>)?” The Master said: “Nature is
precisely seeing; seeing is precisely nature. One cannot use nature to see
nature again. Hearing is precisely nature; one cannot use nature to hear nature
again. It is just that you create a ‘nature seeing,’ a ‘nature that can hear
and see,’ and immediately a differentiation between one and other arises. He
clearly stated: ‘That which can be seen, cannot be seen again.’¹ Why do you
place another head on top of your head? He clearly stated: ‘Like pearls
scattered in a dish, the large ones are largely round, the small ones are
smallly round; each one does not know the others, each one does not obstruct
the others.’² ‘When arising, they do not say “I arise”; when ceasing, they do
not say “I cease”.’ Therefore, among the four types of birth and six realms of
existence, there has never been a time when they are not thus. Furthermore,
sentient beings do not see Buddha; Buddha does not see sentient beings. The
Four Fruits do not see the Four Towards;³ the Four Towards do not see the Four
Fruits. The Three Worthies and Ten Saints do not see Equal and Wondrous
Awakening; Equal and Wondrous Awakening do not see the Three Worthies and Ten
Saints. Even water does not see fire; fire does not see water. Earth does not
see wind; wind does not see earth. Sentient beings do not enter the Dharma
realm; Buddha does not exit the Dharma realm.⁴ Therefore, the dharma-nature has
no coming or going, no subject or object (<span lang="ZH-CN">无能所</span>). Since seeing is like this, why do you say ‘I see, I
hear,’ ‘At the place of a good spiritual advisor I attained concordance and
awakening,’ ‘The good spiritual advisor spoke Dharma to me,’ ‘The Buddhas
appear in the world to speak Dharma for sentient beings’? Kātyāyana, just
because he used a mind of arising and ceasing to transmit the Dharma of the
true characteristic (<span lang="ZH-CN">实相法</span>), was
rebuked by Vimalakīrti.⁵ He clearly stated: ‘All dharmas are originally
unbound; why try to liberate them? Originally unstained; why try to purify
them?’⁶ Thus it is said: ‘The precious characteristic is thus; how can it be
spoken?’ You now just foster a mind of right and wrong, a mind of defilement
and purity, learn some piece of knowledge or understanding, roam around the
world, and upon seeing people, immediately intend to assess them – who has the
mind-eye, who is strong, who is weak. If like this, the difference is like
heaven and earth; what further talk can there be of seeing the nature?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如何是见性？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">性即是见，见即是性，不可以性更见性。闻即是性，不可以性更闻性。只你作性见，能闻能见性，便有一异法生。他分明道：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">所可见者，不可更见。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">你云何头上更著头？他分明道：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">如盘中散珠，大者大圆，小者小圆，各各不相知，各各不相碍。</span>’‘<span lang="ZH-CN">起时不言我起，灭时不言我灭。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">所以四生六道，未有不如时。且众生不见佛，佛不见众生；四果不见四向，四向不见四果；三贤十圣不见等妙二觉，等妙二觉不见三贤十圣。乃至水不见火，火不见水；地不见风，风不见地；众生不入法界，佛不出法界。所以法性无去来，无能所。见既如此，因什么道</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">我见我闻、于善知识处得契悟、善知识与我说法、诸佛出世与众生说法？</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">迦旃延只为以生灭心传实相法，被净名呵责。分明道：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">一切法本来无缚，何用解他？本来不染，何用净他？</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">故云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">宝相如是，岂可说乎？</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">汝今只成是非心、染净心，学得一知一解，绕天下行，见人便拟定当取，谁有心眼，谁强谁弱。若也如此，天地悬殊，更说什么见性。</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l23 level1 lfo53; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘That
     which can be seen, cannot be seen again’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">所可见者，不可更见</span>): A paradoxical
     statement suggesting that true seeing (<span lang="ZH-CN">见性</span>) is not an act of a subject
     seeing an object; the nature itself <i>is</i> the seeing. Trying to see
     the nature as an object is redundant and impossible ("adding a head
     onto a head").<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l23 level1 lfo53; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Pearls
     scattered in a dish... (<span lang="ZH-CN">盘中散珠</span>...):
     Analogy illustrating the self-contained, non-interfering, self-so nature
     of phenomena when seen from the perspective of emptiness or fundamental
     nature. They simply are as they are.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l23 level1 lfo53; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Four
     Fruits / Four Towards (<span lang="ZH-CN">四果</span>/<span lang="ZH-CN">四向</span>):
     Stages of attainment in the Śrāvaka (Hinayana) path: Stream-enterer
     (towards/fruit), Once-returner (towards/fruit), Non-returner
     (towards/fruit), Arhat (towards/fruit). Huangbo asserts their mutual
     non-perception from the standpoint of non-dual reality.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l23 level1 lfo53; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Sentient
     beings do not enter... Buddha does not exit... (<span lang="ZH-CN">众生不入法界，佛不出法界</span>): Emphasizes
     the non-dual nature of the Dharma realm (dharmadhātu). There is no actual
     movement of entering or exiting; beings are already within it, and Buddha
     is not separate from it.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l23 level1 lfo53; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Kātyāyana...
     rebuked by Vimalakīrti (<span lang="ZH-CN">迦旃延</span>...
     <span lang="ZH-CN">被净名呵责</span>):
     Refers to a passage in the <i>Vimalakīrti Sūtra</i> (Chapter 3) where
     Vimalakīrti criticizes Mahākātyāyana for explaining the ultimate truth (<span lang="ZH-CN">实相</span>)
     using dualistic concepts of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and
     no-self, which still operate within arising and ceasing.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l23 level1 lfo53; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘All
     dharmas are originally unbound... Originally unstained...’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">一切法本来无缚</span>...
     <span lang="ZH-CN">本来不染</span>...):
     Quotes echoing Vimalakīrti's sentiment, emphasizing inherent liberation
     and purity. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “The student does not
understand; how does the Reverend Master provide indication?” The Master said:
“I have not a single thing; never have I ever given a single thing to anyone.
Since beginningless time, simply because you have been indicated to by others,
seeking accordance, seeking understanding – is this not a case where both
disciple and master fall afoul of the king’s law?¹ You should just know that
one thought (<span lang="ZH-CN">念</span>) not
being received is precisely the body without reception; one thought not conceptualized
(<span lang="ZH-CN">想</span>) is
precisely the body without conceptualization; definitively not shifting,
flowing, or creating is precisely the body without volition (<span lang="ZH-CN">行</span>);² not thinking (<span lang="ZH-CN">思量</span>), calculating, or discriminating is
precisely the body without consciousness (<span lang="ZH-CN">识</span>).³ As soon as you now give rise to a separate thought,
you enter the twelve links of dependent origination. Ignorance conditions
volition (<span lang="ZH-CN">無明緣行</span>) –
both cause and effect; continuing up to old age and death – also both cause and
effect. Therefore, when the youth Sudhana⁴ sought Virtuous Friends/Spiritual
Mentors (<span lang="ZH-CN">善知識</span>, kalyāṇamitra) in one hundred and ten
places, he was merely seeking within the twelve links of dependent origination.
Finally, he saw Maitreya, but Maitreya then directed him to see Mañjuśrī.
Mañjuśrī is precisely your fundamental ground of ignorance (<span lang="ZH-CN">無明</span>).⁵ If mind after mind differs,
seeking Virtuous Friends/Spiritual Mentors externally, as soon as one thought
arises, it ceases; as soon as it ceases, it arises again. Therefore, you bhikṣus
also undergo birth, old age, sickness, and death. In responding to causes and
repaying effects, this is precisely the arising and ceasing of the five
aggregates. The five aggregates (<span lang="ZH-CN">五聚</span>)
are the five skandhas (<span lang="ZH-CN">五陰</span>). If
one thought does not arise, then the eighteen realms⁶ are empty; this very body
is then the flower and fruit of Bodhi; this very mind is then numinous
awareness (<span lang="ZH-CN">靈知</span>), also
called the numinous terrace (<span lang="ZH-CN">靈台</span>).⁷
If there is any abiding or attachment, then the body becomes a dead corpse,
also called a ghost guarding a dead corpse.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">学人不会，和尚如何指示？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">我无一物，从来不曾将一物与人。你无始以来，只为被人指示，觅契觅会，此可不是弟子与师俱陷王难？你但知一念不受，即是无受身；一念不想，即是无想身；决定不迁流造作，即是无行身；莫思量卜度分别，即是无识身。你如今才别起一念，即入十二因缘。无明缘行，亦因亦果，乃至老死亦因亦果。故善财童子一百一十处求善知识，只向十二因缘中求，最后见弥勒，弥勒却指见文殊，文殊者即汝本地无明。若心心别异，向外求善知识者，一念才生即灭，才灭又生。所以汝等比丘，亦生亦老亦病亦死，酬因答果以来，即五聚之生滅。五聚者，五陰也。一念不起，即十八界空，即身便是菩提華果，即心便是靈智，亦雲靈臺。若有所住著，即身為死屍，亦雲守死屍鬼。</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo54; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Fall
     afoul of the king’s law (<span lang="ZH-CN">陷王難</span>):
     A metaphor suggesting that seeking external validation or conceptual
     understanding leads both teacher and student into entanglement and
     trouble, away from true liberation.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo54; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Body
     without volition (<span lang="ZH-CN">無行身</span>):
     <span lang="ZH-CN">行</span>
     (xing) corresponds to Saṃskāra-skandha
     (volitional formations).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo54; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Body
     without reception... conceptualization... volition... consciousness (<span lang="ZH-CN">無受身</span>...<span lang="ZH-CN">無想身</span>...<span lang="ZH-CN">無行身</span>...<span lang="ZH-CN">無識身</span>):
     Huangbo explains the emptiness of the five skandhas (form/rūpa being
     implied as the physical basis) not as annihilation, but as the absence of
     grasping, conceptualizing, fabricating, and discriminating consciousness
     when the mind does not give rise to separate thoughts (<span lang="ZH-CN">一念不起</span>). The terms <span lang="ZH-CN">受</span>
     (shou), <span lang="ZH-CN">想</span>
     (xiang), <span lang="ZH-CN">行</span>
     (xing), <span lang="ZH-CN">識</span>
     (shi) correspond to Vedanā (feeling/reception), Saṃjñā (perception/conceptualization), Saṃskāra (volitional
     formations), and Vijñāna (consciousness) skandhas respectively.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo54; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Sudhana
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">善財童子</span>):
     The pilgrim protagonist of the Gaṇḍavyūha
     chapter of the Avataṃsaka
     Sūtra, who visits numerous teachers (kalyāṇamitra)
     seeking awakening.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo54; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Mañjuśrī
     is precisely your fundamental ground of ignorance (<span lang="ZH-CN">文殊者即汝本地无明</span>): This is a
     radical Chan interpretation. Mañjuśrī represents supreme wisdom (prajñā).
     Identifying him with the fundamental ground (<span lang="ZH-CN">本地</span>) of ignorance (<span lang="ZH-CN">無明</span>,
     avidyā) points to the non-dual insight that wisdom is not separate from
     ignorance; rather, seeing through ignorance reveals the primordial wisdom,
     which is the mind's fundamental nature. Seeking externally, even for
     wisdom (Mañjuśrī), is still operating within the causal chain rooted in
     ignorance.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo54; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Eighteen
     Realms (<span lang="ZH-CN">十八界</span>):
     The six sense bases (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind), six sense
     objects (form, sound, smell, taste, touch, mental objects), and six sense
     consciousnesses (visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, mental).
     Their emptiness signifies the cessation of dualistic subject-object
     perception.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo54; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Numinous
     terrace (<span lang="ZH-CN">靈台</span>):
     A Taoist term adopted into Chan, referring to the mind or heart as the
     seat of consciousness/spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “Vimalakīrti remained
silent, and Mañjuśrī praised him, saying: ‘This is truly entering the non-dual
Dharma gate.’¹ What does this mean?” The Master said: “The non-dual Dharma gate
is precisely your fundamental mind (<span lang="ZH-CN">本心</span>). Speaking or not speaking involves arising and ceasing.
When there is no speech or talk, there is nothing displayed. Therefore,
Mañjuśrī praised.” [Someone] said: “Vimalakīrti did not speak; does sound then
have cessation or extinction?” The Master said: “Speech is identical to
silence; silence is identical to speech. Speech and silence are non-dual.
Therefore, it is said the true nature of sound also has no cessation or
extinction; Mañjuśrī's fundamental hearing also has no cessation or extinction.
Therefore, the Tathāgata constantly speaks; there has never been a time of not
speaking. What the Tathāgata speaks is precisely the Dharma; the Dharma is
precisely the speaking; speaking and Dharma are non-dual. Thus, even the Reward
and Transformation bodies (Sambhogakāya and Nirmāṇakāya),
Bodhisattvas, Śrāvakas, mountains, rivers, the great earth, water, birds,
trees, and forests are all simultaneously speaking the Dharma. Therefore,
speech also speaks, silence also speaks; speaking all day yet never having
spoken. Since it is like this, just take silence as fundamental.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">净名默然，文殊赞叹云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">是真入不二法门。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">如何？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">不二法门，即你本心也。说与不说，即有起灭。无言说时，无所显示。故文殊赞叹。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">净名不说，声有断灭否？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">语即默，默即语。语默不二，故云声之实性亦无断灭，文殊本闻亦无断灭。所以如来常说，未曾有不说时。如来说即是法，法即是说，说法不二故。乃至报化二身、菩萨声闻、山河大地、水鸟树林，一时说法。所以语亦说，默亦说，终日说而未尝说。既若如是，但以默为本。</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l13 level1 lfo55; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Vimalakīrti's
     silence... non-dual Dharma gate (<span lang="ZH-CN">净名默然</span>...
     <span lang="ZH-CN">不二法门</span>):
     Refers to the famous episode in the Vimalakīrti Sūtra (Chapter 9) where
     various Bodhisattvas explain the non-dual Dharma gate. Mañjuśrī asks
     Vimalakīrti for his explanation, and Vimalakīrti responds with profound
     silence, which Mañjuśrī praises as the ultimate expression of non-duality,
     transcending all verbal formulations. Huangbo equates this non-dual gate
     with one's own fundamental mind.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “Regarding Śrāvaka¹
practitioners hiding their form in the three realms, but being unable to hide
from Bodhi – what does this mean?” The Master said: “Form (<span lang="ZH-CN">形</span>) means substance/body (<span lang="ZH-CN">质</span>). Śrāvaka practitioners are only
able to cut off the views and cultivation pertaining to the three realms² and
have already departed from afflictions (<span lang="ZH-CN">烦恼</span>, kleśa), but they cannot hide from Bodhi. Therefore,
they are still captured by Māra-rāja³ within Bodhi. While sitting calmly in
meditation in the forest, they still form subtle views about the Bodhi-mind.
Bodhisattva practitioners, regarding the three realms and Bodhi, are
definitively neither abandoning nor grasping. Because they do not grasp, they
cannot be found even if sought among the seven great elements.⁴ Because they do
not abandon, external demons also cannot find them. As soon as you intend to
attach to a single dharma, the imprint (<span lang="ZH-CN">印子</span>)⁵ is already formed. If the imprint fixes on existence (<span lang="ZH-CN">有</span>), then the patterns of the six
realms and four types of birth emerge; if the imprint fixes on emptiness (<span lang="ZH-CN">空</span>), then the formless pattern
manifests. Now, just know definitively not to imprint any object whatsoever.
This imprint becomes empty space (<span lang="ZH-CN">虚空</span>),
neither one nor two. Emptiness is fundamentally not empty; the imprint is
fundamentally non-existent. Throughout the ten directions of the empty space
world, the appearance of Buddhas in the world is just like seeing a flash of
lightning; contemplating all crawling and sentient beings is like hearing an
echo. Seeing the lands of the ten directions, numerous as micro-particles, is
just like seeing one drop of water in the ocean. Hearing all profound Dharma is
like illusion, like transformation. Mind after mind is not different; dharma
after dharma is not different. Even the thousand sutras and ten thousand
treatises are solely for the sake of your one mind. If you can avoid grasping
any characteristic at all, hence it is said: ‘Within this one mind, skillfully
and diligently adorn [it].’”⁶<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Original Text: <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">声闻人藏形于三界，不能藏于菩提者。如何？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">形者，质也。声闻人但能断三界见修，已离烦恼，不能藏于菩提，故还被魔王于菩提中捉得。于林中宴坐，还成微细见菩提心也。菩萨人已于三界、菩提，决定不舍不取。不取，故七大中觅他不得；不舍，故外魔亦觅他不得。汝但拟著一法，印子早成也。印著有，即六道四生文出；印著空，即无相文现。如今但知，决定不印一切物，此印为虚空，不一不二。空本不空，印本不有。十方虚空世界，诸佛出世，如见电光一般；观一切蠢动含灵，如响一般。见十方微尘国土，恰似海中一滴水相似。闻一切甚深法，如幻如化。心心不异，法法不异。乃至千经万论，只为你之一心，若能不取一切相。故言</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">如是一心中，方便勤庄严。</span>’” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l28 level1 lfo56; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Śrāvaka
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">声闻</span>):
     "Hearer" disciple, associated with the Hinayana path, focused on
     individual liberation (Arhatship) by understanding the Four Noble Truths
     and overcoming afflictions within the cycle of birth and death (three
     realms).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l28 level1 lfo56; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Views
     and cultivation pertaining to the three realms (<span lang="ZH-CN">三界见修</span>): The erroneous views
     (dṛ<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Aptos; mso-bidi-font-family: Aptos; mso-hansi-font-family: Aptos;">ṣ</span>ṭi)
     and the afflictions cultivated (bhāvanā) that bind beings to the realms of
     desire, form, and formlessness. Śrāvakas aim to eliminate these.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l28 level1 lfo56; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Māra-rāja
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">魔王</span>):
     The king of demons, symbolizing obstacles to awakening, including subtle
     attachments. Here, even attaining liberation from gross afflictions, the
     Śrāvaka may still have a subtle attachment to the idea or experience of
     Bodhi (awakening) itself, making them vulnerable.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l28 level1 lfo56; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Seven
     Great Elements (<span lang="ZH-CN">七大</span>):
     Earth, water, fire, wind, space, consciousness, and often
     perception/cognition (<span lang="ZH-CN">見大</span>
     in some texts like Śūraṅgama
     Sūtra). Refers to the fundamental constituents of reality; being unfound
     among them implies ultimate non-graspability.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l28 level1 lfo56; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Imprint
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">印子</span>):
     Like a seal making an impression. Refers to the mind fixing or
     conceptualizing reality as either existent or non-existent (empty), thus
     creating a definite pattern or view (<span lang="ZH-CN">文</span>), leading to further karmic
     consequences (six realms) or subtle states (formlessness). True freedom
     lies in not imprinting anything.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l28 level1 lfo56; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘Within
     this one mind, skillfully and diligently adorn [it]’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">如是一心中，方便勤庄严</span>): This line,
     possibly quoting a sutra, suggests that all practices and skillful means (<span lang="ZH-CN">方便</span>)
     are ultimately about working within/adorning this one mind, by realizing
     its nature free from grasping characteristics.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation: </b>Question: “Like when I, in a past life,
was the Patient Immortal whose body was dismembered by King Kali¹ – how should
this be understood?” The Master said: “The Immortal is precisely your mind.
King Kali loved seeking;² neglecting to guard his kingly position is called
greed for gain. Nowadays, students who do not accumulate merits and virtues,
upon seeing something, immediately intend to learn it – how are they different
from King Kali? For example, when seeing forms, it damages the Immortal’s eye;
when hearing sounds, it damages the Immortal’s ear. Continuing through to
cognition (<span lang="ZH-CN">觉知</span>), it is
also like this. This is called dismemberment joint by joint.” [Someone] said:
“But when the Immortal was enduring, there shouldn’t have been any further
joint-by-joint dismemberment. It cannot be that one part of the mind endures,
and another part does not endure.” The Master said: “You creating views of
non-arising, interpretations of patience, and views of non-seeking – these are
all damaging.” [Someone] said: “When the Immortal was being cut, did he still
know pain? It is also said: ‘Herein there is no receiver [of feeling].’ Who
experienced the pain?” The Master said: “Since you feel no pain, why do you
stick your head out looking for something?”³<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如我昔为歌利王割截身体，如何？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">仙人者，即是你心。歌利王好求也，不守王位，谓之贪利。如今学人不积功累德，见者便拟学，与歌利王何别？如见色时，坏却仙人眼；闻声时，坏却仙人耳。乃至觉知时，亦复如是。唤作节节支解。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">只如仙人忍时，不合更有节节支解。不可一心忍，一心不忍也。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">你作无生见、忍辱解、无求解，总是伤损。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">仙人被割时，还知痛否？又云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">此中无受者</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">，是谁受痛？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">你既不痛，出头来觅个什么？</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l36 level1 lfo57; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">King
     Kali (<span lang="ZH-CN">歌利王</span>):
     See footnote on this story in the previous translation section. The
     questioner identifies with the Patient Immortal (<span lang="ZH-CN">忍辱仙人</span>).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l36 level1 lfo57; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Loved
     seeking (<span lang="ZH-CN">好求也</span>):
     Huangbo interprets King Kali's actions not just as cruelty, but as a form
     of greedy seeking or external grasping, analogous to spiritual
     practitioners who chase after external teachings or experiences without
     cultivating inner stability. The "dismemberment" becomes a
     metaphor for the mind being fragmented and harmed by grasping at sense
     objects (forms, sounds, etc.).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l36 level1 lfo57; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Since
     you feel no pain, why do you stick your head out looking for something? (<span lang="ZH-CN">你既不痛，出头来觅个什么？</span>):
     A sharp, dismissive Chan retort. Huangbo cuts off the
     intellectual/philosophical questioning about the nature of pain and the
     "receiver" (<span lang="ZH-CN">受者</span>,
     vedaka, the feeler of sensation/vedanā). If the questioner truly
     realized the truth of "no receiver," the question about who feels the pain wouldn't arise. Asking the question reveals they are still operating
     from a conventional viewpoint, "sticking their head out" into
     conceptual problems.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “Regarding Dīpaṃkara Buddha’s prediction [to
Śākyamuni], was it given within the five hundred years, or outside the five
hundred years?”¹ The Master said: “Within the five hundred years, the
prediction is not obtained. What is meant by the prediction is that your fundamental
[nature] is definitively not forgotten and not lost; [though seemingly] engaged
in conditioned activity (<span lang="ZH-CN">有为</span>),²
you do not grasp Bodhi. Just by understanding the mundane as non-mundane, one
also does not obtain a separate prediction outside the five hundred years, nor
does one obtain the prediction within the five hundred years.” [Someone] said:
“Is understanding that the three times (past, present, future) aspect of the
world is </span><span></span><span>unobtainable</span>/unfindable&nbsp;<span>sufficient?” The Master said: “Not a single dharma is&nbsp;</span><span>obtainable</span>/findable.” [Someone] said: “Why then is it said: ‘Frequently passing through
five hundred lifetimes, the periods before and after are extremely long’?”³ The
Master said: “Five hundred long and distant lifetimes—you should know this
still refers to the Immortal.⁴ Therefore, when Dīpaṃkara gave the prediction, there was truly not the
slightest dharma that could be attained.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">然灯佛授记，为在五百岁中，五百岁外？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">五百岁中不得授记。所言授记者，你本决定不忘不失，有为不取菩提。但以了世非世，亦不出五百岁外别得授记，亦不于五百岁中得授记。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">了世三际相不可得已否？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">无一法可得。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">何故言</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">频经五百世，前后极时长</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">五百世长远，当知犹是仙人。故然灯授记时，实无少法可得。</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l34 level1 lfo58; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Within...
     outside the five hundred years (<span lang="ZH-CN">五百岁中</span>...
     <span lang="ZH-CN">五百岁外</span>):
     This likely refers to periods after a Buddha's parinirvāṇa, often associated with
     the decline of the Dharma. The question probes the temporal aspect of the
     prediction. Huangbo refutes the relevance of such temporal frameworks,
     grounding the "prediction" in the timeless nature and
     the realization of non-attainment.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l34 level1 lfo58; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Engaged
     in conditioned activity (<span lang="ZH-CN">有为</span>,
     saṃskṛta): Refers to actions
     within the realm of cause and effect. Even while seemingly active in the
     world, the one who understands does not grasp at Bodhi as something
     conditioned or attainable.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l34 level1 lfo58; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘Frequently
     passing through five hundred lifetimes...’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">频经五百世，前后极时长</span>): This quote
     likely refers to accounts of Śākyamuni's past lives as a Bodhisattva
     practicing austerities for vast periods.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l34 level1 lfo58; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Still
     refers to the Immortal (<span lang="ZH-CN">犹是仙人</span>):
     Huangbo equates these long periods of past practice with the stage of the
     "Immortal" (like the Patient Immortal), implying it was still a
     phase <i>before</i> the final realization of non-attainment which
     triggered Dīpaṃkara's
     prediction. The prediction wasn't based on the duration of practice but on
     the realization itself.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “In the teachings it
says: ‘Eliminate my inverted thoughts accumulated over countless eons; without
traversing asaṃkhyeya
kalpas, obtain the Dharmakāya.’¹ What does this mean?” The Master said: “If
through practicing for three incalculable eons (asaṃkhyeya kalpa), one were to attain some
realization, even through eons countless as the sands of the Ganges, it could
not be attained. If within a single instant (kṣaṇa)
one obtains the Dharmakāya, directly understanding and seeing the nature, this
is still the ultimate discourse of the Three Vehicle teachings. Why is this so?
Because seeing the Dharmakāya as obtainable, it all belongs within the category
of provisional meaning teachings (<span lang="ZH-CN">不了义教</span>).”²<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">教中云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">销我亿劫颠倒想，不历僧祇获法身</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">者，如何？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若以三无数劫修行有所证得者，尽恒沙劫不得。若于一刹那中获得法身，直了见性者，犹是三乘教之极谈也。何以故？以见法身可获故，皆属不了义教中收。</span>”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Footnotes/Annotations:</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l12 level1 lfo59; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘Eliminate
     my inverted thoughts... obtain the Dharmakāya’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">销我亿劫颠倒想，不历僧祇获法身</span>): A quote,
     possibly from the Śūraṅgama
     Sūtra or similar Mahayana texts, contrasting the instantaneous realization
     possible through understanding the mind-nature with the gradual path
     taking immense periods (asaṃkhyeya
     kalpas, abbreviated as <span lang="ZH-CN">僧祇</span>).
     Dharmakāya is the "Dharma-body," the ultimate aspect of
     a Buddha.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l12 level1 lfo59; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Provisional
     meaning teachings (<span lang="ZH-CN">不了义教</span>,
     neyārtha): Teachings given according to the capacity of the audience, not
     expressing the final, ultimate truth (<span lang="ZH-CN">了义教</span>, nītārtha). Huangbo
     classifies even the idea of <i>obtaining</i> the Dharmakāya, however
     quickly, as provisional, because the ultimate view is that the Dharmakāya
     is self-perfected and not something to be obtained.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “Does one who
understands the Dharma instantaneously see the Patriarch’s intent?” The Master
said: “The Patriarch’s mind is beyond empty space.” [Someone] said: “Does it
have limits or measure?” The Master said: “Having limits, being without limits
– these are all dharmas of quantification and dualistic opposition. The
Patriarch said: ‘It is neither limited nor limitless, nor is it not non-limited
and non-limitless,’ because it is free from dualistic opposites (<span lang="ZH-CN">绝待</span>). You students nowadays have not
yet been able to exit beyond the Three Vehicle teachings; how can you be called
Chan masters? Let me clearly tell you: ‘When practicing Chan uniformly, do not
carelessly give rise to differing views.’ It is like a person drinking water –
they know for themselves whether it is cold or warm. In every action, every
abiding, in every instant, thought after thought is not different. If it is not
like this, you cannot avoid rebirth in the cycle (saṃsāra).”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">见法顿了者，见祖师意否？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">祖师心出虚空外。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">有限剂否？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">有无限剂，此皆数量对待之法。祖师云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">且非有限量，非无限量，非非有无限量，以绝待故。你如今学者，未能出得三乘教外，争唤作禅师？分明向汝道：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">一等学禅，莫取次妄生异见。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">如人饮水，冷暖自知。一行一住，一刹那间，念念不异。若不如是，不免轮回。</span>” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l38 level1 lfo60; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Free
     from dualistic opposites (<span lang="ZH-CN">绝待</span>):
     A key Chan term indicating transcendence of all relative pairs and
     conceptual dichotomies (limit/limitless, being/non-being, etc.). The
     Patriarch's mind, or the ultimate, cannot be defined by such
     dualistic measures.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l38 level1 lfo60; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Like
     drinking water... know for themselves (<span lang="ZH-CN">如人饮水，冷暖自知</span>): A famous Chan saying
     emphasizing the direct, personal, non-transferable nature of experiential
     realization.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation: </b>Question: “The Buddha’s body is
unconditioned (<span lang="ZH-CN">无为</span>, asaṃskṛta) and does not fall into any category
[number/measure]. Why then are there eight<span lang="ZH-CN">斛</span> (hu) and four<span lang="ZH-CN">斗</span>
(dou)¹ of Buddha’s body relics (<span lang="ZH-CN">舍利</span>,
śarīra)?” The Master said: “Holding such a view, you see only illusory relics,
not true relics.” [Someone] said: “Are relics fundamentally existent, or are
they the result of meritorious efforts?” The Master said: “They are neither
fundamentally existent, nor are they the result of meritorious efforts.”
[Someone] said: “If they are neither fundamentally existent nor the result of
meritorious efforts, why is it that the Tathāgata’s relics, the more they are
refined, the purer they become, with golden bones remaining eternally?” The
Master then rebuked him, saying: “You hold such views; how can you be called a
Chan student? Have you ever seen bones in empty space? The minds of all Buddhas
are identical to the great void; what bones are you looking for?” [Someone]
said: “Currently, one sees that there are relics; what dharma is this?” The
Master said: “This arises from your illusory thinking mind (<span lang="ZH-CN">妄想心</span>); thus you see relics.” [Someone]
said: “Does the Reverend Master also have relics? Please bring them out for me
to see.” The Master said: “True relics are difficult to see. Only if you can
gather up the entirety of Mount Sumeru² into micro-particles with your ten
fingers will you then see the true relics. Indeed, when investigating Chan and
studying the Way, one must attain a state where the mind does not arise in
response to anything. Just focus on forgetting discriminations (<span lang="ZH-CN">忘机</span>), and the Buddha Way flourishes;
engaging in discriminating thoughts (<span lang="ZH-CN">分别</span>),
and the armies of Māra³ grow strong. Ultimately, there is not even a hair’s
breadth of the slightest dharma to be obtained.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">佛身无为，不堕诸数，何故佛身舍利八斛四斗？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">你作如是见，只见假舍利，不见真舍利。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">舍利为是本有，为复功勋？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">非是本有，亦非功勋。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">若非本有，又非功勋，何故如来舍利，唯炼唯精，金骨常存？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师乃呵云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">你作如此见解，争唤作学禅人？你见虚空曾有骨否？诸佛心同太虚，觅什么骨？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如今见有舍利，此是何法？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">此从你妄想心生，即见舍利。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">和尚还有舍利否？请将出来看。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">真舍利难见。你但以十指撮尽妙高峰为微尘，即见真舍利。夫参禅学道，须得一切处不生心。只论忘机即佛道隆，分别即魔军盛。毕竟无毛头许少法可得。</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l64 level1 lfo61; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Eight<span lang="ZH-CN">斛</span>
     (hu) and four<span lang="ZH-CN">斗</span>
     (dou): Traditional Chinese units of volume, often cited as the quantity of
     relics left after the Buddha's cremation. <span lang="ZH-CN">斛</span> (hu) and <span lang="ZH-CN">斗</span>
     (dou) are measures of grain; their application to relics emphasizes the
     apparent paradox.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l64 level1 lfo61; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Mount
     Sumeru (<span lang="ZH-CN">妙高峰</span>):
     The mythical central mountain of the world in Buddhist cosmology.
     Gathering it into micro-particles is an impossible task, symbolizing the
     transcendence required to see the "true relics," which Huangbo
     equates with the unconditioned mind, like empty space.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l64 level1 lfo61; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Armies
     of Māra (<span lang="ZH-CN">魔军</span>):
     Forces of delusion, represented by Māra, that obstruct awakening.
     Discriminating thought fuels these forces.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><span><b>English Translation: </b>Question: “To whom did the Patriarch
transmit the Dharma?” The Master said: “There is no Dharma to give to people.”
[Someone] said: “Why then did the Second Patriarch¹ ask the [First] Master to
pacify his mind?” The Master said: “If you say there is [a mind to be
pacified], the Second Patriarch should then have been able to find the mind.
Because the mind was found to be&nbsp;</span><span></span><span>unobtainable</span>/unfindable, that is why [Bodhidharma] said,
‘I have pacified your mind for you.’² If anything were obtained, it would
entirely belong to arising and ceasing.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">祖传法，付与何人？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">无法与人。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">云何二祖请师安心？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">你若道有，二祖即合觅得心。觅心不可得故，所以道</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">与你安心竟。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">若有所得，全归生灭。</span>”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo62; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Second
     Patriarch (<span lang="ZH-CN">二祖</span>):
     Refers to Huike (<span lang="ZH-CN">慧可</span>),
     the successor to Bodhidharma (the First Patriarch of Chan in China).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo62; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Ask
     the Master to pacify his mind... ‘I have pacified your mind for you’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">请师安心</span>...
     <span lang="ZH-CN">与你安心竟</span>):
     Refers to the famous story where Huike, distressed, asks Bodhidharma to
     pacify his mind. Bodhidharma demands, "Bring me your mind, and I will
     pacify it." Huike searches but replies, "I have searched for the
     mind, but cannot find it." Bodhidharma declares, "There, I have
     pacified your mind for you." This illustrates that the mind, when
     sought as an object, is&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">unobtainable</span><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"></span><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">/unfindable, and realizing this unobtainability/unfindability&nbsp;<i>is</i>
     peace of mind. It confirms Huangbo's point of "no Dharma to
     give" and nothing to obtain.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “Does the Buddha completely
exhaust ignorance (<span lang="ZH-CN">无明</span>,
avidyā)?” The Master said: “Ignorance is precisely the place where all Buddhas
attain the Way. Therefore, dependent origination (<span lang="ZH-CN">缘起</span>, pratītyasamutpāda) is the
Way-place (<span lang="ZH-CN">道场</span>,
bodhimaṇḍa).¹ Every
single particle of dust, every single form perceived, should merge with
boundless principle (<span lang="ZH-CN">理性</span>).
Lifting the foot, setting the foot down, one does not leave the Way-place. The
Way-place is unobtainability (<span lang="ZH-CN">无所得</span>).
I tell you, just unobtainability is called sitting in the Way-place.”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">[Someone]
said: “Is ignorance bright or dark?” The Master said: “It is neither bright nor
dark. Brightness and darkness are dharmas of alternation. Ignorance is
precisely not bright and also not dark. Not bright is simply the fundamental
brightness. Not bright, not dark—just this one phrase confuses the eyes of
everyone under heaven. Therefore it is said: ‘Even if the entire world were
filled with those like Śāriputra,² exhausting their thoughts together to
measure it, they could not fathom the Buddha’s wisdom.’³ Its unobstructed
wisdom surpasses empty space; there is no place for your words or discussions.
Śākyamuni’s measure is equal to the three thousand great thousand worlds. If
suddenly a Bodhisattva appeared and took one stride, striding across the three
thousand great thousand worlds, they would not exit one pore of Samantabhadra.⁴
What skill do you possess now that you intend to learn from him?”&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">[Someone]
said: “Since it cannot be learned, why is it said: ‘Returning to the source,
the nature is non-dual; skillful means (<span lang="ZH-CN">方便</span>, upāya) have many gates’?”⁵ The Master said: “‘Returning
to the source, the nature is non-dual’ means that the true nature of ignorance
is precisely the nature of all Buddhas. ‘Skillful means have many gates’ means
that Śrāvaka practitioners see ignorance arise and see ignorance cease;
Pratyekabuddha⁶ practitioners only see ignorance cease, they do not see
ignorance arise, moment by moment realizing quiescent extinction (<span lang="ZH-CN">寂灭</span>, śānti-nirvāṇa); all Buddhas see sentient beings throughout
the day being born yet without birth, throughout the day ceasing yet without
cessation. Non-arising and non-ceasing is precisely the fruit of the Mahāyāna.
Therefore it is said: ‘When the fruit is full, Bodhi is perfected; when the
flower opens, the world arises.’⁷ ‘Lifting the foot is precisely Buddha;
setting the foot down is precisely sentient beings.’⁸ ‘All Buddhas are the
Honored Ones with Two Feet’⁹ means being complete in principle (<span lang="ZH-CN">理足</span>) and complete in phenomena (<span lang="ZH-CN">事足</span>); sentient beings are complete,
birth and death are complete; all are equally complete. Being complete, there
is no seeking.&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Your current thought-after-thought intention to learn Buddhahood
implies aversion towards sentient beings. If you have aversion towards sentient
beings, you are slandering the Buddhas of the ten directions. Therefore, when
the Buddha appeared in the world, he wielded the dung-removing implement,
cleansing away the dung of speculative discourse (<span lang="ZH-CN">戲論之糞</span>),¹⁰ just teaching you to remove
the mind of learning and the mind of seeing that you have had all along. Once
removed completely, you do not fall into speculative discourse; this is also
called carrying the dung out. It just teaches you not to give rise to mind. If
the mind does not arise, you naturally become a greatly wise person. Definitely
do not discriminate between Buddha and sentient beings; do not discriminate
anything at all. Only then can you enter the gate of my Caoxi lineage.¹¹
Therefore, the ancient sages of the past said: ‘Few practice my Dharma gate.’
Thus, non-action (<span lang="ZH-CN">无行</span>)¹² is
my Dharma gate, which is just the One Mind gate. All people reaching here dare
not enter. It’s not said there are none at all, just that few people attain it.
Those who attain it are precisely Buddha. Take care!”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Original Text: <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">佛穷得无明否？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">无明即是一切诸佛得道之处，所以缘起是道场，所见一尘一色，便合无边理性。举足下足，不离道场。道场者，无所得也。我向你道，只无所得，名为坐道场。</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">无明者为明为暗？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">非明非暗，明暗是代谢之法。无明且不明亦不暗。不明，只是本明。不明不暗，只这一句，乱却天下人眼。所以道：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">假使满世间，皆如舍利弗，尽思共度量，不能测佛智。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">其无碍慧，出过虚空，无你语论处。释迦量等三千大千世界，忽有一菩萨出来一跨，跨却三千大千世界，不出普贤一毛孔。你如今把什么本领拟学他？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">既是学不得，为什么道：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">归源性无二，方便有多门。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">如之何？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“‘<span lang="ZH-CN">归源性无二</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">者，无明实性即诸佛性。</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">方便有多门</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">者，声闻人见无明生，见无明灭；缘觉人但见无明灭，不见无明生，念念证寂灭；诸佛见众生终日生而无生，终日灭而无灭，无生无灭，即大乘果。所以道：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">果满菩提圆，华开世界起。</span>’‘<span lang="ZH-CN">举足即佛，下足即众生。</span>’‘<span lang="ZH-CN">诸佛两足尊</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">者，即理足、事足，众生足、生死足，一切等足，足故不求。是你如今念念学佛，即嫌著众生，若嫌著众生，即是谤他十方诸佛。所以佛出世来，执除粪器，蠲除戏论之粪，只教你除却从来学心见心，除得尽，即不堕戏论，亦云搬粪出。只教你不生心，心若不生，自然成大智者。决定不分别佛与众生，一切尽不分别，始得入我曹溪门下。故自古先圣云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">少行我法门。</span>’<span lang="ZH-CN">所以无行为我法门，只是一心门，一切人到这里尽不敢入。不道全无，只是少人得，得者即是佛。珍重！</span>” 
<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l30 level1 lfo63; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Dependent
     origination is the Way-place (<span lang="ZH-CN">缘起是道场</span>):
     Seeing the interconnected, conditioned nature of reality directly is the
     place of awakening. Ignorance isn't something separate to be destroyed,
     but the very field within which wisdom arises.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l30 level1 lfo63; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Śāriputra
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">舍利弗</span>):
     One of the Buddha's chief disciples, foremost in wisdom within the Śrāvaka
     tradition.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l30 level1 lfo63; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘Even
     if the entire world... fathom the Buddha’s wisdom’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">假使满世间</span>... <span lang="ZH-CN">不能测佛智</span>): A quote emphasizing
     the inconceivable nature of Buddha's wisdom, beyond the grasp of even the
     wisest Śrāvakas using conceptual thought. Often found in Mahayana sutras
     like the Lotus Sutra.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l30 level1 lfo63; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Samantabhadra
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">普贤</span>):
     A major Bodhisattva embodying practice and vows, often depicted riding a
     white elephant. The imagery highlights the vastness and all-encompassing
     nature of the Bodhisattva's realization/state, making even cosmic scales
     seem small.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l30 level1 lfo63; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘Returning
     to the source... many gates’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">归源性无二，方便有多门</span>):
     A common Buddhist phrase summarizing that the ultimate nature is non-dual,
     but various skillful means (paths, practices) exist to lead beings toward
     it.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l30 level1 lfo63; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Pratyekabuddha
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">缘觉</span>):
     "Solitary Realizer," one who attains awakening independently,
     often through contemplating dependent origination, but does not teach
     widely like a Buddha.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l30 level1 lfo63; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘When
     the fruit is full... world arises’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">果满菩提圆，华开世界起</span>): A poetic
     expression, likely from the Avataṃsaka
     Sūtra or similar texts, linking the perfection of Bodhi (fruit) with the
     manifestation of enlightened reality (flower opening, world arising).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l30 level1 lfo63; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘Lifting
     the foot... sentient beings’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">举足即佛，下足即众生</span>):
     A dynamic expression of non-duality in action. The potential (lifting
     foot) is Buddha; the manifestation in the relative world (setting foot
     down) is sentient beings, yet both are inseparable aspects of the same
     reality.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l30 level1 lfo63; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Honored
     Ones with Two Feet (<span lang="ZH-CN">两足尊</span>):
     An epithet of the Buddha, literally "most honored among two-legged
     beings (humans and gods)." Huangbo reinterprets it non-literally as
     "complete in two aspects"—principle (<span lang="ZH-CN">理</span>) and phenomena (<span lang="ZH-CN">事</span>),
     or wisdom and compassion, etc. signifying holistic perfection.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l30 level1 lfo63; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Dung-removing
     implement... speculative discourse (<span lang="ZH-CN">除粪器</span>... <span lang="ZH-CN">戏論之糞</span>): Revisiting the
     metaphor from the Lotus Sutra (Parable of the Prodigal Son). Removing
     "dung" means clearing away proliferating concepts,
     discriminations, and intellectual views ("speculative
     discourse," prapañca).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l30 level1 lfo63; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Caoxi
     lineage (<span lang="ZH-CN">曹溪门下</span>):
     Refers to the lineage descending from the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, whose
     temple was at Caoxi (<span lang="ZH-CN">漕溪</span>).
     Huangbo places his teaching firmly within this tradition of direct
     mind-pointing.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l30 level1 lfo63; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Non-action
     (<span lang="ZH-CN">无行</span>):
     While <span lang="ZH-CN">行</span>
     (xing) often means volitional formations (skandha) or practice, here <span lang="ZH-CN">无行</span>
     (wu xing) likely means "non-doing" or
     "non-fabrication," aligning with the core teaching of "no
     mind" (<span lang="ZH-CN">无心</span>) –
     ceasing contrived effort and conceptual activity. It signifies the natural
     functioning of the One Mind itself.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> Question: “How can one avoid
falling into stages or grades (<span lang="ZH-CN">阶级</span>)?”
The Master said: “Eating rice all day, yet never having chewed a single grain.
Walking all day, yet never having trod upon a single patch of ground.¹ When it
is like this, there are no characteristics such as self or other. Throughout
the day, not departing from all activities, yet not being confused by various
objects [environments/conditions] – only then is one called a person of freedom
(<span lang="ZH-CN">自在人</span>).
Thought after thought, seeing no characteristics whatsoever; do not acknowledge
the three times of past, present, and future. The past period has no going; the
present period has no abiding; the future period has no coming. Seated
peacefully and uprightly, functioning spontaneously without constraint – only
then is one called liberated (<span lang="ZH-CN">解脱</span>).
Exert effort! Exert effort! Within this gate, out of thousands and tens of
thousands, only three or five attain it. If you do not take this as your task,
the day of receiving calamity will surely come. Therefore it is said: ‘Strive
forcefully in this life to completely resolve it; who can endure the remaining
calamities over accumulated eons?’”²<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">问：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">如何得不落阶级？</span>”<span lang="ZH-CN">师云：</span>“<span lang="ZH-CN">终日吃饭，未曾咬著一粒米。终日行，未曾踏著一片地。与么时，无人我等相，终日不离一切事，不被诸境惑，方名自在人。念念不见一切相，莫认前后三际。前际无去，今际无住，后际无来。安然端坐，任运不拘，方名解脱。努力！努力！此门中千人万人，只得三个五个。若不将为事，受殃有日在。故云：</span>‘<span lang="ZH-CN">著力今生须了却，谁能累劫受余殃？</span>’” <o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l6 level1 lfo64; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Eating...
     yet never chewed; Walking... yet never trod (<span lang="ZH-CN">终日吃饭，未曾咬著一粒米。终日行，未曾踏著一片地</span>):
     Metaphors for functioning in the world without attachment or conceptual
     fixation. Actions are performed, but the mind does not grasp or establish onto the
     action, the object, or the self performing the action as truly existing or separate. This embodies
     non-abiding and freedom from dualistic perception, thus transcending
     stages.&nbsp;<br /><br />Zen master Munan said, “There is nothing to Buddhism—just see directly, hear directly.&nbsp; When seeing directly, there is no seer; when hearing directly, there is no hearer.” <br /><br />Shidō Munan (至道無難, 1602-1676) was an early Tokugawa Zen master mostly active in Edo. He was the teacher of Shōju Rōjin, who is in turn considered the main teacher of Hakuin Ekaku. He is best known for the phrase that one must "die while alive," made famous by D.T. Suzuki.<br /><br />Another Zen Master said, 'You get up in the morning, dress, wash your face, and so on; you call these miscellaneous thoughts, but all that is necessary is that there be no perceiver or perceived when you perceive—no hearer or heard when you hear, no thinker or thought when you think. Buddhism is very easy and very economical; it spares effort, but you yourself waste energy and make your own hardships.' (Foyan Qingyuan, in Instant Zen, p 70)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l6 level1 lfo64; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">‘Strive
     forcefully... accumulated eons?’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">著力今生须了却，谁能累劫受余殃？</span>): A verse urging
     immediate and determined effort to achieve liberation in this lifetime,
     rather than continuing endlessly in saṃsāra.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>English Translation:</b> The Master passed away during
the Dazhong reign period (<span lang="ZH-CN">大中年中</span>)¹
of the Tang Dynasty, at his home mountain.² Emperor Xuanzong bestowed the
posthumous title ‘Chan Master Duanji’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">断际禅师</span>, Chan Master of Decisive Judgment) and named his stupa
‘Guangye’ (<span lang="ZH-CN">广业</span>, Vast
Karma/Activity).<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;"><b>Original Text:</b> <span lang="ZH-CN">师于唐大中年中，终于本山。宣宗敕谥断际禅师。塔曰广业。</span>“ Footnotes/Annotations:<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l40 level1 lfo65; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">Dazhong
     reign period (<span lang="ZH-CN">大中年中</span>):
     847-860 CE. Huangbo likely passed away around 850 CE.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l40 level1 lfo65; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Noto Sans; font-size: medium;">His
     home mountain (<span lang="ZH-CN">本山</span>):
     Refers to Mount Huangbo in Jiangxi province (<span lang="ZH-CN">洪州黄檗山</span>), where he taught
     extensively, not the mountain of the same name in Fujian where he first
     ordained.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>

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