The one who practiced unwholesomeness faced the realm intermediate to the deva realm on his deathbed because of the wholesome results he was going to receive in the lifetime after his next life.
Then, he said to himself, “I have been practicing unwholesomeness and have never created wholesome deeds. I ought to be reborn in hell. Why am I facing the realm intermediate to the deva realm?”
He then aroused crooked views and denied various fruits of whole-some and unwholesome actions. Because of his crooked views, the realm intermediate to the deva realm disappeared and the realm intermediate to hell appeared. His life ended, and he was reborn in hell.
This person not only kept on taking unwholesome actions without taking a single wholesome action in his lifetime, but also failed to recognize on his deathbed the results he was going to receive in a life-time after the next. So, he said to himself: “Although I have been taking unwholesome actions throughout my life, I am going to be reborn in the deva realm. From this I assume that there is no difference between wholesome and unwholesome actions.”
Because of his wrong views that denied the difference between wholesome and unwholesome actions, the realm intermediate to the deva realm disappeared and the realm intermediate to hell appeared. So, he fell into hell after his life ended.
Thus, you practitioners should not hold crooked views. Study in detail until you clarify the difference between wrong views and right views.
To deny cause and effect, to slander buddha, dharma, and sangha, to deny the past, present, and future, and to deny emancipation are all crooked views. Know that you do not have two or three selves in this lifetime. Isn’t it regrettable if you fall into wrong views and unfortunately receive unwholesome results by doing so? You receive unwholesome results by creating unwholesomeness and denying it, although you may hope that there will be no unwholesome results.
Imperial Attendant Haoyue asked Priest Changsha Jingcen, “An ancient teacher said, ‘If you have completed practice of the way, the hindrance of karma is essentially empty. If you haven’t, you need to repay your past debt.’ How can Venerable Simhabhikshu and Huike [who were both killed] repay their debts?”
Changsha said, “Reverend, you don’t understand essential emptiness.”
Haoyue asked, “What is essential emptiness?”
Changsha said, “The hindrance of karma.”
Haoyue asked again, “What is the hindrance of karma?”
Changsha said, “Essential emptiness.”
Haoyue remained silent.
Then Changsha instructed him with a verse:
A temporal being is not being.
A temporal death is not nonbeing.
Nirvana and paying debt—
one nature with no significant difference.
Changsha Jingcen, a senior student of Nanquan Puyuan, was known for his longtime practice. He often expressed himself with right understanding, but in this story he showed no understanding at all. He did not understand the recent words of Yongjia, nor did he clarify Kumaralabdha’s admonition. It seems that he had never dreamed of the World-Honored One’s talks on karma. If he had not understood these buddha ancestors, who would revere him?
The hindrance of karma is one of the three hindrances: the hindrance of karma, the hindrance of effect, and the hindrance of desire. The hindrance of karma is also called the five types of karma of Avichi Hell.
Haoyue’s question follows his predecessor’s words. It is based on the point that karma does not disappear, and so he asks about its effect in the future birth.
Changsha’s mistake was that when he was asked what essential emptiness is, he said, “The hindrance of karma.” This is grossly wrong. How can the hindrance of karma be originally empty? If karma is not created, there is no hindrance of karma. If karma is created, it is not originally empty. What has been created [unwholesome karma] should not have been created. Not removing the carrier of the hindrance of karma, and calling it emptiness, is a view of those outside the way.
Sentient beings who believe in the original emptiness of the hindrance of karma and create karma in self-indulgence would have no moment of emancipation. If there were no time for emancipation, there would be no emergence of buddhas. If there were no emergence of buddhas, Bodhidharma would not have come from India. If Bodhidharma had not come from India, there would be no Nanquan. If there were no Nanquan, who would replace your eye of study?
Responding to the question What is the hindrance of karma? by saying It is essential emptiness appears to be a traditional tautology. However, it seems to me that Changsha answered Haoyue with a lack of capacity; without completing the study, he uttered such an outrageous statement.
Then Changsha said in a verse, Nirvana and paying debt—one nature with no significant difference.
What is one nature? How does it fit with the three natures [the whole-some action nature, the unwholesome action nature, and the neutral nature]? I suspect Changsha did not know one nature.
What are Nirvana and paying debt? What kind of nirvana is it—that of shravakas, pratyeka-buddhas, or buddhas? Whichever it might be, nirvana is not the same as paying debt. What Changsha says is not the buddha ancestors’ expression. He should buy straw sandals and travel in search of the way.
Venerable Simha [the Twenty-fourth Indian Ancestor, Simhabhikshu] and Huike [the Second Chinese Ancestor] were killed by rascals. But this should not be the cause of doubt [on the effect of karma]. What they had was not final lives or life existing in nothing. How would they not receive effects in their future birth? As the effects they are bound to receive later are already maturing, have no doubt about their future lives. Thus, it is clear that Changsha had not clarified karma in the three periods.
Those who study buddha dharma should clarify the karma of the three periods just as Kumaralabdha did. This is the essential teaching of karma in the ancestral school. Do not neglect it.
Besides the karma of the three periods, there are eight types of karma of indefinite time. Study this extensively.
Without knowing this, the true dharma of buddha ancestors will not spread. Those who have not clarified karma of the three periods should not groundlessly be regarded as teachers of humans and devas.
The World-Honored One said, “Effects of an action will never perish, even after one hundred and one thousand eons. One receives the results when the causes and conditions meet. Know that dark actions bring forth dark results, bright actions bring forth bright results, and mixed actions bring forth varied results. So, refrain from taking dark and mixed actions, and endeavor to take bright actions.”
The assembly of those who heard the Buddha’s discourse accepted it with joy and trust.
As the World-Honored One says, once wholesome or unwholesome actions are created, they will not perish even after one hundred, one thousand, or ten thousand eons. One receives the results when the causes and conditions meet. However, unwholesome actions disappear or turn to lighter results by repentance. Wholesome actions increase by rejoicing. This is called never perish. It is not that they do not have effects.
This was copied at the head monk’s office at the Eihei Monastery on the ninth day, the third month, the fifth year of the Kencho Era [1253]. Ejo.
86
FOUR HORSES
ONE DAY SOMEONE outside the way asked the World-Honored One, “I am not asking you for a teaching with words, or a teaching without words.”
Then the World-Honored One sat silently for some time.
The person outside the way bowed and admired him: “How splendid is the World-Honored One! With great compassion you have cleared out the cloud of delusion and helped me to enter realization.” Then he bowed and left.
After the person outside the way was out of sight, Ananda asked the Buddha, “What caused that man to say that he had entered realization and praise you before he left?”
The World-Honored One said, “He is like a good horse that runs upon seeing a shadow of the whip.”
From the tim
e Bodhidharma came from India to China, many teachers have taken up this story and explained it to those who study the way. After studying this story for days, months, or years, some students clarify the meaning and enter the buddha dharma. This is called “a story of someone outside the way asking the World-Honored One a question.”
Know that the World-Honored One has two methods of guiding—noble silence and noble speech. All those who enter the way with either of these methods are like a good horse that runs upon seeing a shadow of the whip. Those who enter the way without these methods are also like this.
Ancestor Nagarjuna said, “When a phrase of guidance is spoken, an excellent horse sees a shadow of the whip and gets to the right path.”
To encounter various situations and hear the dharma of birth and beyond birth, and the teaching on the Three Vehicles and the One Vehicle, is to see a shadow of the whip and get to the right path, instead of the common tendency to follow the wrong path.
When you follow a master and encounter a true person, there is no place a guiding phrase is not presented; there is no moment when you don’t see a shadow of the whip. Whether you see a shadow of the whip right away, or after immeasurable eons, you are able to enter the right path.
According to the Samyuta Agama Sutra, the Buddha said to the monks:
There are four types of horses. The first type of horse becomes startled upon seeing a shadow of the whip and follows the rider’s intention. The second type of horse is startled by being whipped on its mane and follows the rider’s intention. The third type of horse is startled upon being whipped on its flesh. The last type of horse becomes startled when it is whipped to its bones.
The first horse is like someone who hears about the impermanence of a village and arouses the thought of leaving home. The second horse is like someone who hears about the impermanence of one’s own village and arouses the thought of leaving home. The third horse is like someone who hears about the impermanence of one’s parents and arouses the thought of leaving home. The last horse is like someone who experiences suffering of one’s own disease and arouses the thought of leaving home.
This teaching is called “the Agama’s four types of horses,” which is often studied when studying the buddha dharma. Those who emerge as true teachers among humans and devas, as well as ancestors and messengers of the Buddha, unfailingly study this teaching and transmit it to their students. Those who don’t know it are not teachers of humans and devas. If students have nurtured wholesome roots and are close to the buddha way, they do not fail to hear this teaching. Those who are far from the buddha way do not hear it. This being so, teachers should consider teaching this right away. Students should hope to hear it right away.
In regard to arousing the thought of leaving home, it is taught: “When the Buddha expounds the dharma with a single voice, sentient beings understand it in accordance with their capacity. Some are frightened, some rejoice, some arouse the thought of leaving home, and others doubt.”
According to the Maha Pari-nirvana Sutra, the Buddha said:
Good person, there are four ways to command a horse: touching the hair, touching the skin, touching the flesh, and touching the bones. The horse always follows the rider’s command according to where it is touched.
The Tathagata likewise subdues sentient beings in four ways. First, the Buddha speaks of birth for sentient beings, who accept his words just as the horse follows the rider’s command by being touched on the hair. Second, the Buddha speaks of birth and old age for sentient beings, who accept his words just as the horse follows the rider’s command by being touched on the hair and the skin. Third, the Buddha speaks of birth, old age, and sickness for sentient beings, who accept his words just as the horse follows the rider’s command by being touched on the hair, skin, and flesh. Finally, the Buddha speaks of birth, old age, sickness, and death for sentient beings, who accept his words just as the horse follows the rider’s command by being touched on the hair, skin, flesh, and bones.
Good person, there is no fixed way for a rider to command the horse. The way the Tathagata, the World-Honored One, guides sentient beings is never in vain. Thus, the Buddha is called the Excellent Tamer.
This is called “the Nirvana Sutra’s four types of horses.” There are no students who do not study this teaching. There are no buddhas who do not speak of it.
You follow the Buddha and hear about this teaching. You see the Buddha, make offerings to the Buddha, and hear about it. For eons, every time you transmit buddha dharma to sentient beings, you explain this teaching without negligence. Even after arriving at the buddha fruit, just at the time of arousing the beginner’s mind, you speak of this teaching to the assemblies of bodhisattvas, shravakas, humans, and devas. In this way, the seeds of the buddha-dharma-sangha treasure are not destroyed.
Thus, these teachings of the Buddha [in the early scriptures] are rather different from that of Bodhisattva Nagarjuna [in the Mahayana scriptures].
Know that there are four ways for a rider to command the horse—to touch the hair, the skin, the flesh, or the bones. It appears not clear what touches the hair, but teachers who transmit dharma interpret it as a whip.
However, sometimes a whip is used and sometimes a whip is not used for commanding a horse. Commanding is not limited to using a whip.
What is called Dragon Horse is said to be eight feet high. There are few humans who can ride it. What is called One-Thousand-Li Horse can travel one thousand li in a day. It sweats blood while going the first five hundred li, then it begins to be fresh and runs fast. There are also few humans who can ride and command it. There is no such horse in China, but it exists in a foreign land. It does not appear that frequent whipping is needed for such horses.
On the other hand, an ancient teacher said, “Commanding a horse is always done with a whip. Without a whip, commanding a horse is not possible.” This is normally how to command a horse. It is done by touching the hair, the skin, the flesh, and the bones.
You cannot touch the skin without touching the hair. You cannot touch the flesh and bones without touching the hair and skin. Thus, we know that a whip should be used.
The description of commanding a horse is not sufficient without mentioning a whip. There are a number of insufficient descriptions in sutras.
The Tathagata, the World-Honored One, the Excellent Tamer, also guides sentient beings with four types of dharma, never in vain. There are those who accept the Buddha’s words when he explains birth. There are those who accept the Buddha’s words when he explains birth and old age. There are those who accept the Buddha’s words when he explains birth, old age, and sickness. And there are those who accept the Buddha’s words when he explains birth, old age, sickness, and death.
Those who hear the last three teachings do not skip the first. It is just like there is no touching the skin, flesh, and bones without touching the hair.
To explain birth, old age, sickness, and death is to explain birth, old age, sickness, and death as taught by the Tathagata, the World-Honored One.
This teaching is not to keep sentient beings away from birth, old age, sickness, and death. It is not to explain and let sentient beings understand that birth, old age, sickness, and death are the way. This teaching is to explain birth, old age, sickness, and death in order to help sentient beings attain unsurpassable, complete enlightenment.
This being so: The way the Tathagata, the World-Honored One, guides sentient beings is never in vain. Thus, the Buddha is called the Excellent Tamer.
On a summer practice day of the seventh year of the Kencho Era [1255], I have copied my late master’s draft. Ejo.
87
VIRTUE OF HOME LEAVING
ACCORDING TO NAGARJUNA Bodhisattva [in the Treatise on Realization of Great Wisdom]:
Question: It is taught that those who receive lay precepts will be born in the deva world, attain the bodhisattva way, and experience nirvana. What, then, is the use of receiving the precepts for home leavers?
Answe
r: Those who receive both types of precepts become awakened. But one type is difficult and the other is easy. Laypeople engage in various works. If they wish to concentrate on the dharma of the way, their business declines. If they are focused on their business, their activity of the way declines. Without choosing one and abandoning the other, laypeople need to practice dharma. This is difficult. Those who have left the household can be free from worldly affairs, distant from confusion, and practice the way wholeheartedly. So, this is easy.
Further, laypeople are noisy and confused while being occupied in many things. The roots of their driving forces are the center of all unwholesome actions. That is why lay practice is difficult. Leaving the household is similar to going out into an empty field where there are no people. They can keep their minds unified and free from thinking. As their thoughts inside retreat, their affairs outside also disappear. It is said in a verse:
Sitting leisurely among trees,
quietly letting go of all unwholesome actions,
and attaining a single mind free from desire—
this is pleasure beyond a deva’s bliss.
Treasury of the True Dharma Eye Page 92
