A Mirror for Studying Zen

by Master Tsung-pen 

There is nothing else particularly special about the method of studying the Path: simply cleanse the sense faculties and sense objects, and make enlightenment, the standard. 

Good people, if you want to cultivate supreme enlightenment, you must firmly uphold discipline and maintain a vegetarian diet. If you do not strictly uphold discipline, you will never achieve enlightenment. What is the reason? Discipline is the foremost of the myriad practices, the foundation of the six perfections. It is like building a house: first you make a solid foundation. Without a solid foundation, you build in vain. 

As for discipline, this means the three combined disciplines of the Great Vehicle. One is the discipline covering codes of conduct, that cuts off all evils. That is, "Do not commit any of the forms of evil." One is the discipline covering good practices, that gathers together all forms of good. That is, "Faithfully practice the many virtues." One is the discipline of benefiting all sentient beings, so all beings are saved. That is, "Universally deliver sentient beings." (36) 

These three combined disciplines are the disciplines by which bodhisattvas become buddhas. Only if a person possesses these three disciplines can he cultivate Zen. Without the mentality [of these three combined disciplines], it does no good to study Zen.

Haven't you read what it says in the Brahma Net Sutra? 

If sentient beings accept the discipline of the buddhas, they will enter into the station of the buddhas. 

Could it be otherwise? 

The buddhas and patriarchs say, "Discipline can engender meditative concentration, and meditative concentration can engender wisdom. With wisdom, you illuminate mind. Illuminating mind, you see reality-nature, and become buddha. Being an enlightened teacher or a buddha always depends on this discipline." 

The business of studying Zen is the epitome of the mystic device of transcendence. It is not possible for those who take it easy. (37) 

You must generate great bravery and great energy. You also must stop thoughts, forget entangling objects, and gather in your seeing and hearing and turn them back [onto inherent reality]. You must take your everyday views of good and evil, your likes and dislikes, and your sentiments of affirmation and denial, and totally sweep them away. 

[Zen study] is like a sharp sword cutting through a skein of thread: when one thread is cut, all are cut. It is like cutting the mooring rope and casting off in a boat, and sailing away. It is like one man battling ten thousand men: there is no time to blink, no time to hesitate in doubt. 

If you can really generate this kind of adamant, fierce willpower, you will have the mettle to study Zen. 

Once you have the mettle to study Zen, take hold of the phrase "Amitabha Buddha" as if you are resting on the Polar Mountain and cannot be shaken. Concentrate your mind and unify your attention. Recite the buddha-name a few times, turn the light back and observe yourself, asking: Who is this one reciting the buddha-name? 

As you come to grips with it, you must see where this mindfulness of buddha, this recitation of the buddha-name, is arising from. After a long time, you will see through this mindfulness. Add doubt on top of doubt: ask yourself who, ultimately, is this one asking "who is the one reciting the buddha-name?" 

When you get here, hold the rope tight and don't let go. It is like seeing a mortal enemy. Hold tight: you must comprehend correctly. There is no room for hesitating in thought, no time for discussions. If you study Zen like this, eventually you will succeed. 

If you are as yet unable to act like this, listen further to some more talk. The method of work in studying Zen [can be described with the following metaphors]. 

It is like a person at the bottom of the well a thousand feet deep. Morning and night he thinks of only one thing: he wants to find a way out of the well. He has no other thought. 

It is like when you have lost something that is of crucial importance: you look for it everywhere from morning till evening. If you cannot find it, you think of it carefully, sighing with concern. 

It is like a cat hunting a rat, unified within and without [in rapt concentration] . 

It is like crossing a bridge made out of a single plank - you are extremely careful. 

If you use your mind like this, then oblivion and scattering naturally recede. Whether you are walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, [do your meditation work] as if you are holding an infant: you cannot make any sudden violent moves. 

Therefore, to pluck the pearl [from the bottom of the water], you must still the waves. To get the pearl when the water is moving is sure to be hard. When you have stilled the water and it is clear, the mind-pearl appears by itself . . . Thus the Complete Enlightenment Sutra says: 

Unobstructed pure wisdom is always born on the basis of samadhi, of stable meditative concentration. 

If you can really carry out your meditation work like this, then you will have meditative concentration in hand. 

Even when samadhi appears before you, you must not abide in "dead-tree" samadhi. (38) You must study the Great Matter [of enlightenment] until you illuminate it completely, and achieve perfect omniscience. An ancient worthy said, "Don't just forget your physical body and deaden your mind. This is the most serious of hard-to-cure ailments." To succeed, you must plumb the depths of the source. Then you will see reality-nature and recognize the natural reality. Of this it has been said: "Take a step forward from the top of the hundred foot high pole. Hanging from the cliff, let go. After annihilation, you return to life - only then can you be called a person who completely understands things." 

If good scenes appear before you [as you meditate], you should not be happy, or the delusion of happiness may enter your mind. If bad scenes appear before you, you should not be vexed, or the delusion of vexation may enter your mind. You must realize that such scenes do not come from outside: all are born from being sunk in oblivion, or are brought about by karmic consciousness. All that the eyes see and the ears hear is false - don't get attached to it! Keep on making energetic progress ... (39) 

If intellectual understanding appears before you, do not accept it. Quickly sweep it away. (40) If you abide in the realm of intellectual knowledge, you are burying your original face. An ancient worthy said: 

The Buddha Dharma is not fresh fish - don't worry that it will rot away. It is like peeling an onion. You peel off one layer, and there is another layer. You peel off that layer, and there is yet another layer. Keep on peeling until there is no place left to begin, and then you will achieve unity. 

After this, [whatever you do], putting on clothes, eating food, going to the toilet, moving or keeping still, talking or keeping silent, none of it is not the one Amitabha Buddha. From this mind there radiates a light which shines through the ten directions like the sun at high noon lighting up the sky, like a clear mirror on its stand. Before another moment goes by, suddenly you achieve true enlightenment. Not only do you understand this one great matter, you penetrate from top to bottom all the stories of the buddhas and enlightened teachers and understand completely all the teachings of enlightenment and all the phenomena of the world. 

When you reach this stage, you still cannot abide in it or get attached to it. You must seek an adept to certify your enlightenment, find accord with him, and get his seal of approval. 

After you get the seal of approval, you do not posit holy or ordinary, you forget both grasping and rejecting, you do not speak of heaven and hell or differentiate between south, north, east, and west. The whole universe is your own Amitabha. All of space is the Pure Land of mind-only. 

Then you will be able to manifest the land of the Jewel King on the tip of a hair and turn the wheel of the Great Dharma while seated in an atom of dust. You will receive and guide future people and support those in the last age. Only a Zen person like this is a great person beyond convention, a hero who goes beyond the crowd. 

If you are not yet like this, then for now rely on the power of the vows of Amitabha Buddha, and seek birth in the Pure Land. Why? I am afraid that at the end of your life, delusory objects will appear before you and your limbs will be in confusion. Then you will be unable to ward off [delusion], and you will inevitably go off again following your karmic entanglements. You must genuinely recite the buddha-name and cultivate both merit and wisdom and place your thoughts on the Pure Land . . . 
.................................................

36. There are many sets of precepts (discipline) in Buddhism, for laypeople, novices, monks and nuns, etc. However, they all derive from the three fundamental precepts of the Bodhisattva: "do not commit any of the forms of evil; faithfully practice the many virtues; universally deliver sentient beings." In a similar vein, the Dhammapada Sutra, a key text of the Theravada School, states: "Do not what is evil. Do what is good. Keep your mind pure." Note that the last injunction differs, reflecting the different emphases of the Mahayana and Theravada schools. 

37. For example, the Patriarch Dogen, the founder of the Japanese Soto Zen school, held that only monks and nuns could achieve true enlightenment through Zen. For details, see Kenneth Kraft, Zen: Tradition and Transition, p. 186. 

38. Dead Tree Samadhi. After a cultivator has reached a fairly high level of samadhi, he experiences ethereal bliss. However, he must progress beyond that level to develop wisdom. Otherwise, he is said to be mired in "dead tree" samadhi, a form of attachment which will effectively prevent him from reaching the Way. A famous koan illustrates this point: 

Once there was a devoted old woman who built a place of retreat for a monk, arranging that he would not lack for anything, so that he could concentrate upon his meditation and practice. One day, after twenty years, she instructed her daughter: "Today, after serving the Master his meal, take advantage of the situation to embrace him tightly, asking him at the same time, 'how does it feel to be hugged these days?' Come back and let me know his answer as faithfully as you can." 

The daughter dutifully did as she was told, putting her arms around the Master and asking the question. The Master replied, "I am not moved in the very least by sexual desire, no different from a dried up tree leaning against a cold mass of rocks in the middle of winter, when not even a drop of warmth can be found." The young girl repeated the answer to her mother, who said unhappily, "I have really wasted my time and effort during the last twenty years. Little did I know that I was only supporting a common mortal!" Having said this, she went out, evicted the monk, lit a fire and burned the meditation hut to the ground. 

39. All these scenes viewed by the cultivator while in meditation are referred to as demons. This is so because they disturb the mind. 

40. In Buddhism, the higher levels of truth cannot be grasped through mere intellectual understanding or reasoning. In fact, all reasoning, based on our limited senses and faculties, is a hindrance. The Buddhist analogy is that of a person attempting to lift a chair while seated upon it! 

Source Of Information:
《Pure Land Pure Mind 心净佛土净》, by Master Chu-hung and Tsung-pen, translated by J.C.Cleary, distributed by: Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Amitabha Malaysia, 90 & 92, Jalan Pahang, Gombak, 53000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.)
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.

Direct Pointing Back To The Source

by Master Tsung-pen 

The Author's Conversion to Pure Land 

My parents cared for me. They invited a teacher to come and instruct me, and I began to study the classics [of the Confucian tradition]. My father instructed my teacher to be very strict with me until I mastered the Book of Poetry and the Book of Rites. 

When I was fifteen years old, an older cousin of mine, who was a gentleman living at home without any special talents, died from disease. The body was laid out in an empty hall, and I happened to pass by and see my dead cousin. I was alarmed and assailed with worries and doubts. I exclaimed to myself, "Worldly forms are not solid. Life is like a candle in the wind. When impermanence suddenly arrives, it is impossible to escape." 

After this, I wanted to leave home [to become a monk] and study the [Buddhist] Path and transcend the cycle of birth and death. But I did not know where to begin to practice, and in my mind there was still some hesitation. 

I came to a tea-house in my neighborhood, and as I was paying homage to a statue of Buddha there, I happened to see a monk sitting upright with an awe-inspiring air about him. I asked him who he was. He said, "I am a wandering Zen man." When I heard him say this, I was overwhelmed with joy, so I immediately invited him to come home with me." 

After I had prepared incense and a vegetarian meal and offered him food, I bowed before him and said, "I want to escape from birth and death, but I do not know what method to cultivate." (29)

The Zen man asked me my name and age. I said, "My name is Ch'en Ching-hsiu and I am fifteen years old." 

The Zen man praised me saying, "It is rare in the world for one so young to have such a lofty aspiration. Concentrate and listen quietly to what I say, my boy. The only direct road of practice is to recite 'Amitabha Buddha.'" 

I said, "How can one transcend birth and death by reciting 'Amitabha Buddha'?" 

The Zen man said, "Believe what Buddha said. The best method for escaping suffering is to recite the buddha-name. If you do not recite the buddha-name, it will be difficult to escape birth and death." 

I asked, "Where does the method of reciting the buddha-name come from?" 

The Zen man answered, "The method of reciting the buddha-name is recorded in more than one sutra. Among the countless scriptures, there is not one that does not contain the method of reciting the buddha-name. If you practice according to this method, you are sure to be born in the Pure Land." 

I asked, "How much merit is there in reciting the buddha-name, that one may thereby be born in the Pure Land?" 

The Zen man replied, "If you offered to the buddhas and bodhisattvas and pratyekas and shravakas all the jewels in the world, the merit of this would be very great, but it would not equal the merit of urging people to recite the buddha-name even once." 

I asked, "How could one repetition of the buddha-name be better?" 

The Zen man answered, "The Treatise on Birth in the Buddha-Land says: 

If a man could walk a thousand miles a day from birth, and lived a thousand years, and all the lands he traversed were filled with jewels, and he offered these jewels to Buddha, it would not equal the merit of a person in the later evil ages who could invoke even once the name of Amitabha Buddha. 

"If invoking the buddha-name oneself is this meritorious, how much the more so, to encourage others to recite the buddha-name!" 

I asked, "Even though the virtues of Buddha are like this, how could ordinary people, with so much bad karma, be able to attain birth in the Pure Land in one lifetime by reciting the buddha-name?" 

The Zen man answered, "The Sixteen Contemplations of Amitabha Sutra (Meditation Sutra) says: 

One perfectly sincere repetition of 'Hail to Amitabha Buddha' wipes out the grievous sins of eight billion eons of birth and death. (30) 

"Even someone who has committed serious sins throughout his life can get to be born in the Pure Land, if as he is about to die he recites, 'Amitabha Buddha' ten times. How much the more so for someone who has kept a vegetarian diet and maintained the precepts and recited the buddha-name his whole life long." (31) 

I asked, "Why does Amitabha Buddha have such vast merit and such far-reaching vows?" 

The Zen man replied, "The Greater Amitabha Sutra says: 

One day the expression on the face of Shakyamuni Buddha changed. His constant attendant Ananda thought this was strange and asked him about it. Buddha said, 'Excellent! Your question is better than giving offerings to all the shravakas and pratyekas in the world, and making gifts to all the devas and humans and other living creatures down to the humblest insects. Even if you did this for many eons, it would not equal a billionth part of the merit of your question. Why so? Because due to your question, all creatures from the king of the devas, to the human beings, to the humblest insects will gain liberation. ' 

"This was the time when Shakyamuni Buddha was first about to speak of Amitabha Buddha. This was on his mind, and so it showed on his face, which was different from normal. Thus we see that Amitabha Buddha's influence on Shakyamuni Buddha was certainly extraordinary. How much the more so is his influence on sentient beings! 

"Observe. When Amitabha Buddha first made his vows he said, 'When I become a buddha, my name will sound through the ten directions. Humans and devas will rejoice to hear it, and all come to be born in my land. Even those in hell and hungry ghosts and animals will be born in my land.' Thus we know that Amitabha saves all in the six planes of existence in the Triple World. 

"Right now Amitabha Buddha is in the Land of Ultimate Bliss in the west, and he is also in all the worlds of the ten directions teachings and transforming countless numbers of devas and humans, and all creatures down to the humblest insects ... If Buddha is saving even the lowly insects like this, how much the more so is he saving human beings! Amitabha also vowed: 

Those who invoke my name are sure to be born in the Pure Land. If it is not so, I swear not to become a buddha. 

"Thus, Amitabha delivers sentient beings without end. If people wholeheartedly take refuge with Amitabha, they will be born in his land. From this we can infer that the merit of reciting the buddha-name is truly inconceivable. Amitabha Buddha also said: 

If there are sentient beings who want to be born in my land, those of the highest class must use the mind of compassion and not kill living beings; they must cherish and protect all creatures with awareness; they must practice all the precepts; they must read and recite the Great Vehicle scriptures and understand their highest meaning; they must have deep understanding of true principles and support the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha; they must be filial to their parents and respect them; they must be merciful to the poor and suffering; they must teach and transform sentient beings and add to their power with the food of the Dharma; they must make offerings to the spirits; they must refrain from all forms of evil and faithfully practice all forms of virtue. 

If they recite the buddha-name while acting like this, they are sure to be born in the highest class in the Pure Land, and eventually become buddhas. If their strength is not sufficient for this, then for the time being they should firmly uphold a vegetarian diet and maintain the precepts, and singlemindedly recite the buddha-name. If they can recite the buddha-name from moment to moment without a break, they will be born in the Pure Land, and not in the lowest class there. 

"This Dharma-Gate [of buddha-name recitation] does not discriminate between wise and ignorant, or high ranking and lowly, or rich and poor. It does not distinguish between male and female or old and young or monks and nuns and laypeople. It does not matter if you have practiced it for a long time or have just recently started. Everyone can recite the buddha-name. 

"The guidelines for reciting the buddha-name are not rigid. You can recite the buddha-name in a loud voice or a low voice, while doing ablutions or while making prostrations. You can recite the buddha-name while gathering in the mind, while meditating, while contemplating the concept of buddha, while counting beads. You can recite the buddha-name while walking or standing or sitting quietly or lying on your side. You can recite the buddha-name silently or aloud. You can recite the buddha-name a thousand times or ten thousand times. It is all the same mindfulness of buddha. The only thing that is essential is to have definite faith, and to seek birth in the Pure Land. 

"If you can actually practice the recitation like this, then there is no need to seek elsewhere for an enlightened teacher. （32） As the saying goes, 'Steering the boat is entirely up to the person who holds the tiller.' Those who arrive mount to the Land of Peaceful Nurturing [Amitabha's Pure Land] together." 

                ***

I asked, "People in the world often say that they are tied down by family affairs and wrapped up in worldly tasks, and that they will wait until they are old to recite the buddha-name. Please comment on this kind of talk." 

The Zen man said, "How painful! What foolish, lying words! Haven't you read what Zen master Ssu-hsin said? 

Some people in the world have mountains of wealth and precious jewels. Wives and concubines fill their homes to delight them day and night. How could they not want to live forever in the world? But what can they do about it? The road ahead is limited, the darkness presses in upon them. When the command comes they go: no delay is allowed. Old Yama [the King of Death] does not obey human sentiments. The Demon King of Impermanence has no face. 

As everyone has seen and heard with their own eyes and ears: how many have died in the neighboring streets and lanes, how many relatives and household members and friends and brothers, how many in the prime of life, how many young people? Haven't you heard the ancient's saying? "Do not wait until you are old before you study the Path. The isolated graves are all the tombs of young people. 

"Ssu-hsin also said: 

From their early years, men search for wives and rear children and manage their businesses and endure all sorts of troubles and pains. Suddenly the vital energy in their heart is cut off. Unavoidably one day everything stops. If there are filial sons and grandsons, they give a vegetarian feast for a few monks to read the scriptures, they burn paper money and make the proper funeral offerings, and weep and wail. They are remembering papa and mama. 

If the children are no good, as soon as the parents die, before the bones are even cold, they are already digging out the wealth and selling off the fields and gardens to indulge their whims and enjoy themselves. If we look at it like this, what was the great urgency [to accumulate possessions]? Your descendants will have their own good fortune: don't worry about them. 

"Ssu-hsin also quoted an ancient worthy who said: 

A cold laugh for the rich family's patriarch. He is busy as can be managing his enterprises. In his storehouses, weevils are in the grain; in his treasuries, the cords on which the coins are strung are rotting away. All day long he holds the scales [weighing his rent receipts]; at night by lamp light he figures his accounts. His body is like a puppet. Don't let the strings break, old man! 

"Such pains Ssu-hsin took to warn people! Would he let you occupy yourself with worldly affairs and wait until you are old before you start to recite the buddha-name?" 

                *** 

"You should consider this: how long can a person's life in the world last? In the blink of an eye, it passes. Take advantage of the time before you are old. While you are free from illness, mobilize your body and mind, and put aside worldly affairs. If you have one day's time, recite the buddha-name for a day. If you have an hour's free time, cultivate the Pure Land for an hour. When we are on the brink of death, whether we die well or die badly depends on how we have prepared in advance. [If we have been reciting the buddha-name], the road ahead is secure. If not, then it is too late for regrets. Think about it! 

"Happily, it is very easy to recite 'Amitabha Buddha' and be born in the Pure Land. Although people in the world cannot avoid taking care of family affairs, they should [set aside some time] in the morning and evening to burn incense and recite the buddha-name. 

"This method of buddha-name recitation can be practiced by everyone. It is like lighting a candle in a room that has been dark for a thousand years: once the candle shines, the room is lit. Thus, even a butcher can put down his killing knife and practice it. 

"The means by which [buddha-name recitation] is practiced is not hard, and it does not interfere with ordinary affairs. For those in office, it does not interfere with official business. For scholars, it does not interfere with studying books. For merchants, it does not interfere with buying and selling. For farmers, it does not interfere with plowing and planting. For wives, it does not interfere with women's work. For government clerks, it does not interfere with legal duties. For monks, it does not interfere with studying Zen. It does not interfere with any activity. 

"You can recite the buddha-name and pay homage to buddha in the morning or in the evening. When you are busy, steal a little free time [to recite the buddha-name]. Recite the buddha-name every day a thousand times or a hundred times or three hundred times or five hundred times or only ten times. 

"All that is important is that you dedicate [the merit gained to the Pure Land] and make vows to go to the Western Paradise. If you can genuinely do this, then you are sure to be born in the Pure Land. 

"Chen, my boy, if you keep a vegetarian diet and uphold discipline and recite the buddha-name with pure energy and a unified mind, and if you are not [then] born in the Pure Land, then I will surely [gladly] fall into the hell where tongues are plucked out." 

Seeing the Zen man take such a grave oath, I was very impressed, and fell on my knees to give homage to him for instructing me in the method of reciting the buddha-name. 

The Zen man said, "Even in a hundred million eons, I could not say all there is to say about the Pure Land teaching. Therefore I have briefly described it in a few words. An ancient worthy said, 'Superior people decide once, and understand everything. With the average and below average sort, the more they hear, the more they don't believe.' How true these words are! 

"As for people who practice with true faith being born in the Pure Land in the west, this is not something that you just say you will do, then quit — you must take it as a great mission. If you fully believe, then from this day forward, you will generate great bravery and great energy. 

"Don't ask whether you understand or not, whether you see reality-nature or not. (33) Just hold to the phrase 'Hail to Amitabha Buddha' as if you are up on the Polar Mountain and cannot be shaken. 

"This mindfulness of buddha is your fundamental teacher. This mindfulness of buddha is the precious sword which cuts down all heresies. This mindfulness of buddha is the bright lamp that dispels the darkness. This mindfulness of buddha is the great ship for crossing the ocean of suffering. This mindfulness of buddha is the best way to escape birth and death. This mindfulness of buddha is the direct route out of the Triple World. This mindfulness of buddha is the Amitabha of inherent nature and the Pure Land of mind-only. 

"You must keep your attention on this phrase 'Amitabha Buddha' and not let it slip away. Let it appear before you from moment to moment and never leave your mind. 

"Recite the buddha-name like this when you have nothing to do, and recite the buddha-name like this when you are busy. Recite the buddha-name like this when you are happy and at ease, and when you are sick and in pain. Recite the buddha-name like this when you are living, and recite the buddha-name like this as you are dying. 

"If your mindfulness of buddha is clear, then there is no need to ask anyone else the way home. As the saying goes, 'If there is no other thought but Amitabha, then without even snapping your fingers, you arrive in the Western Paradise.'" 

The Zen man instructed me further, telling me, "Now I will give you the teaching on the ten realms. You should instruct those who come after you with this teaching, so that they can make energetic progress, cultivate practice, and together achieve the fruits of buddhahood." 

I replied, "I will disseminate this teaching widely to later generations, in hopes of being of some assistance to the future." 

The Zen man said, "Very good! Very good! "The ten realms are the realm of the buddhas (the enlightened ones), the realm of the bodhisattvas (the enlightening beings), the realm of the pratyeka buddhas (the solitary illuminates), the realm of the shravakas (the literalist disciples), the realm of the devas (the heavens), the realm of the human beings, the realm of the asuras (the demigods), the realm of the hungry ghosts, the realm of the animals, and the realm of the hells. The ten realms are all present in the One Mind, and experienced according to the karma one creates. 

"According to the causal basis you create, the results you have created are returned to you. Thus, practicing good and practicing evil are worldly causes, and the six planes of existence in the Triple World are worldly results. Maintaining discipline and reciting the buddha-name are world-transcending causes, and the Pure Land and becoming buddha are world-transcending results. 

"In the paths of humans and devas, making merit is foremost. In the sea of birth and death, reciting the buddha-name is number one. Those who want to enjoy the happiness of devas and humans without cultivating merit, those who want to escape birth and death without reciting the buddha-name, are like birds who want to fly without wings, like trees that want to flourish without roots. It cannot be done. 

"You must take reciting the buddha-name as the correct basis, and making merit as an auxiliary factor. Cultivating both merit and wisdom, you will achieve correct enlightenment. 

"Thus, causes encompass the sea of results, and results extend back through the causal source. (34) There is no gap between cause and effect: from beginning to end, they are never obscured. Why? If the form is straight, the shadow is upright. If the sound is harmonious, the echo is pleasant. You must realize that if the cause is genuine, the result will not be false. What you do right now is the cause; what you experience at death is the result. If you do evil, then evil realms will appear. If you recite the buddha-name, then the realm of buddha will arrive spontaneously. 

"Haven't you read what it says in the Flower Ornament (Avatamsaka) Sutra?

If you want to fully know all the buddhas of past, present and future, you must contemplate the nature of the realm of reality. Everything is created by Mind alone." 

I asked, "What method do we cultivate in order to reach the realm of the buddhas?" 

The Zen man said, "You must realize that all sentient beings in the six planes of existence have buddha-nature. True thusness is everywhere equal. View all sentient beings as sharing a single essence. Think of them like buddhas, like your parents. Do not separate enemies and kinsmen - save them all. For all time to come, carry out the work of universal salvation practiced by the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. If you can practice according to this method, then you will be equal to the buddhas." 

I asked, "What method do we cultivate in order to reach the realm of the bodhisattvas?" 

The Zen man answered, "By giving, you transcend stinginess and craving. By upholding discipline, you transcend destructiveness and sin. By patient forbearance, you transcend anger. By energetic progress, you transcend laziness and sloth. By meditative concentration, you transcend oblivion and scattering. By wisdom, you transcend ignorance. If you can practice according to this method, then you will be equal to the bodhisattvas." 

I asked, "What method do we cultivate in order to reach only the realm of the pratyeka buddhas, the solitary enlightened ones?" 

The Zen man answered, "People of the middle vehicle enjoy solitude and think stillness is best. Though they know the causal conditions for all phenomena, they do not practice universal salvation, so they only reach the realm of the pratyekas." 

I asked, "What method do we cultivate in order to reach only the realm of the shravakas, the literalist disciples?" 

The Zen man answered, "People of the lesser vehicle fear birth and death like a ferocious beast. They escape it alone, without concern for those who come after them. They wish to escape the Triple World quickly, and seek nirvana for themselves. Because of this, they only reach the realm of the shravakas." 

I asked, "What method do we cultivate in order to be born in the plane of the devas, the celestial beings?" 

The Zen man answered, "By cultivating the ten virtues, one attains birth in the realm of the devas." 

                    *** 

I asked, "What method do we cultivate in order to again attain the human level?" 

The Zen man answered, 'By firmly upholding the five precepts [against murder, theft, lying, sexual excess, and intoxication], one will attain birth in the human realm." 

I asked, "What bad karma do we create to cause us to descend into the realm of the asuras, the jealous demigods?" 

The Zen man answered, "If a person cultivates good karma, but constantly harbors the attitude of competitiveness and anger and arrogance, he falls into the realm of the asuras." 

I asked, "What bad karma do we create to cause us to descend into the realm of the hungry ghosts?" 

The Zen man answered, "Selfish craving, feeding oneself by deceiving the group, leads to falling into the realm of the hungry ghosts." 

I asked, "What bad karma do we create that causes us to fall into the animal realm?" 

The Zen man answered, "If one creates the karma of ignorance, stupidity, error and evil, one will surely fall into the animal realm." 

I asked, "What bad karma do we create that causes us to fall into hell?" 

The Zen man answered, "If one disrupts or slanders the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and commits a multitude of evils, one will definitely fall into hell. 

"In sum, these ten realms depend on what people do and what they practice." 

                    *** 

I bowed down to give thanks to the Zen man and said, "If not for good fortune in past lives, how could I have encountered and enlightened teacher to instruct me?" 

The Zen man bade me farewell and said, "If you have any doubts that are not yet resolved, you should read [Pure Land books like] The Precious Mirror of the Lotus School, Pointing out the Way Back to the Pure Land, Lung-shu's Pure Land Texts, Where the Myriad Virtues Return, Chih'i's Treatise on Ten Doubts about the Pure Land. T'ien-ju's Questions about the Pure Land (35), Shen-ch'i's Verses on the Land of Peaceful Nurturing, and the Treatise to Resolve Doubts about the Pure Land. You can also read any of the sutras that extol the Pure Land." 

I said, "I respectfully accept your instructions, and will faithfully carry them out." 

[The text continues:] The story of Tsung-pen's leaving home and studying is long and is not recorded. 

related post: A Mirror for Studying Zen
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29. Please note the high-level nature of Master Tsung-pen's inquiry. It is to escape birth and death that he seeks the Dharma and not for wealth or good health or other such mundane aspirations. 

30. See note 1 . 

31. Killing sentient beings, including slaughtering animals for food, is among the heaviest transgressions in Buddhism. This is not only because such acts create untold suffering and contradict the spirit of compassion, but also because they cut short the lives of future Buddhas (as all sentient beings have a common Buddha Nature). 

32. By de-emphasizing the role of teachers and gurus, thus freeing practitioners from mediating authority figures, the Pure Land school effectively empowers practitioners. 

33. To see "reality nature," i.e., one's true mind, is the immediate goal of Zen meditation. 

34. This concept from the Avatamsaka Sutra can be understood through the analogy of apple seeds (causes) leading to the apples of the future (results); the apples (results), in turn, contain within themselves the seeds (causes) of future trees and apples. In the same vein, sentient beings (causes) have the Buddha Nature within themselves, leading to Buddhahood (results) in the future; these Buddhas (results), in time, return to the world to rescue sentient beings (causes). Thus, cause and result are inseparable - cause is result, result is cause. 

35. Translations of Master Chih-i's commentary "Ten Doubts about Pure Land" and Master T'ien-ju's treatise "Questions about the Pure Land" appear in Thich Thien Tam, Pure Land Buddhism: Dialogues with Ancient Masters. See Bibliography for details. 

《Pure Land Pure Mind 心净佛土净》, by Master Chu-hung and Tsung-pen, translated by J.C.Cleary, distributed by: Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Amitabha Malaysia, 90 & 92, Jalan Pahang, Gombak, 53000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.)
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.

Preface (Direct Pointing Back To The Source)

The Venerable Shakyamuni Buddha appeared in the world for one great cause: to open up the perception of the buddhas to sentient beings, to enable them to awaken to the Great Path of the real and the eternal. 

The people of the world did not comprehend the truth of this, and rejected [Buddha's teaching] as heresy. They were like unfilial children who hate their parents. What a painful thing! 

I had lived in seclusion for a long time [trying to find enlightenment], but because my eye for the Path was not clear, for me it was just as the saying goes: "All people feed on it, but few can recognize its flavor." Alas! 

A Confucian can pay homage to Buddha and be a true Confucian. Have you not read what Prime Minister Chang Shang-ying said? "Only after I studied Buddhism was I able to understand Confucianism." This is what he meant. 

Zen master I-yuan Tsung-pen of Yen-ch'ing studied Confucianism in his youth, and when he grew up followed Buddhism. He had penetrating enlightenment in the school of reality-nature [Zen], and specialized in cultivating Pure Land practice. He was truly one who stood out from the multitude as a man of knowledge, an enlightened teacher. Because he was keen to benefit others, he put together this collection. One day he passed by my abode and invited me to compose a preface for this book. 

I urge you people who study the Path, once you have the faith to enter upon it, practice it with all your strength. (27)

You should not stick to the [letter of] the teaching and miss its intent, or take the pointing finger for the moon. 

It is all a matter of splitting open an atom of dust and letting a universe of scriptures flow forth from it, (28) to save all living beings and let them achieve correct enlightenment together. How could it depend on one or two texts? Ah! If you really reach this stage, my words too are but sleep talk. 

Preface by Wang Piao, the Layman of the Deer Garden [dated] Buddha 's birthday, fourth lunar month of [year missing], Lung Ch 'ing era [1567-1572] 

related post:  Direct Pointing Back To The Source

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27. In Buddhism, regardless of the school, practice (cultivation) is a must. A Buddhist who merely studies or lectures on the Buddha's teaching while failing to put it into practice has been likened to a sick doctor who prescribes medicines for others while refusing to take any himself. 
According to Buddhist teachings, we all have within us varying degrees of greed, anger and delusion. To practice is to avoid or mitigate the conditions that promote greed, anger and delusion. Thus, for example, 
whenever anger flares up, one's thoughts should be redirected, as a form of displacement, toward the Buddha through buddha-remembrance (Buddha Recitation). 

28. This is a well-known image from the Avatamsaka Sutra: 

It is as [if] there is a great scripture/Equal in extent to a universe/Existing inside one atom/And in all atoms as well;/Someone with intelligence and wisdom/Sees all clearly with pure eyes/ And breaks the atoms, 
releasing the scriptures/for the benefit of all beings./Buddha-knowledge, likewise,/Is in all beings' minds... (Thomas Cleary, tr. The Flower Ornament Sutra, Vol. II, p. 317.) 

Source Of Information:
《Pure Land Pure Mind 心净佛土净》, by Master Chu-hung and Tsung-pen, translated by J.C.Cleary, distributed by: Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Amitabha Malaysia, 90 & 92, Jalan Pahang, Gombak, 53000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.)
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.