by Red Pine
The first time I heard about the Lanka was during the seventies when I was living at Haiming Monastery in the hills south of Taipei. The abbot talked about the Lanka as if it was the holy grail of Zen. His name was Wu-ming, and in addition to being the head of the Taiwan Buddhist Association, he was also the head of the island’s Linchi (Rinzai) Zen lineage. I took his estimate of the Lanka’s significance seriously, and I bought a copy of Gunabhadra’s translation on one of my weekly trips into the city. The sutra turned out to be impenetrable. So on a subsequent trip, I bought a copy of Suzuki’s English translation. I thought if I read the English and Chinese side by side I would have no problem understanding the text. I was mistaken. Neither language helped. I gave up and moved on to other things, namely, the literary remains of Cold Mountain, Stonehouse, and Bodhidharma and the legacy of China’s hermit tradition.
In the thirty-five years since then, I have periodically considered giving the Lanka another try. But I have gotten into the habit of translating Buddhist texts in order to understand them—as my practice of the Dharma—and I was not convinced that the Lanka was such a text. Then ten years ago, on a visit to Sanmin Shuchu, my favorite bookstore in Taipei, I came across a volume (excerpted from the Hsutsangching, volume 1, pp 445-681) that compared all three Chinese translations of the Lanka paragraph by paragraph. It was just the sort of encouragement I needed. Now that I had all three Chinese versions in front of me, I did what comes natural and produced a composite rendering, choosing one line from one translation and another line from another. The result, though, was far from satisfactory. Even though I was putting words on the page, I still didn’t understand what they meant.
While I was deciding how to proceed, the opportunity to work on the Heart Sutra presented itself. It was such a relief, like running barefoot after wearing army boots. Still, after I finished the Heart Sutra, I resumed work on the Lanka, this time basing my translation on that of Shikshananda, whose Chinese was the easiest to understand. But before I had gotten very far, I was rescued once more, this time by the Platform Sutra. Once again, it was an easy choice. And when the Platform was done, I had no trouble finding something else to work on. I was avoiding the Lanka.
Then one day in the spring of 2009, while talking about possible projects with Jack Shoemaker, the publisher of this book, my pressing need for a book advance, and his desire to publish a translation of the Lankavatara dovetailed into a book contract with a two-year deadline. I wonder how many other books have been born from such a conjunction. More than a few, I imagine. And so, several months later, I supplied myself with a set of Chinese commentaries on my next trip to Taiwan, and I began work that summer.
Ever since then, I have worked on this translation with few interruptions and have actually gotten to like the Lanka. I have even gotten to like Gunabhadra’s translation. Once I became accustomed to his syntax, most of it was not that difficult. But most of it does not mean all of it. Sometimes I felt like I was trying to see through a wall. Hence, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge my gratitude to those who made it possible for me to understand what I thought was not possible to understand.
I doubt if I would have undertaken this work in the first place if not for D. T. Suzuki’s pioneering work on this sutra—not only his translation of the text, but also his Studies in the Lankavatara Sutra and his Index to the Lankavatara Sutra. These three books were of enormous help. I am also indebted to the monks whose commentaries provided me with insights into the meaning as well as the wording of the text: the Ming-dynasty monks T’ung–jun, Tseng-Feng-yi, and Te-ch’ing and the twentieth-century monks T’ai-hsu and Yin-shun. Without their help, I would have been lost.
In addition to translating the text of the sutra, I have also added summaries, comments, and notes, many of which are indebted to the monks whose commentaries I relied on. I have also noted any phrases or lines for which I have preferred the translations of Bodhiruchi or Shikshananda over that of Gunabhadra. Although I have already stated my reasons for not using the Sanskrit text itself, in the notes I have frequently listed the romanized Sanskrit for key terms (alas, without the usual diacritics) to give readers an opportunity to explore their wider range of meaning by themselves.
Finally, this translation and its commentary have also benefited immeasurably from the generosity of two of the world’s most respected scholars of Buddhism, Dan Lusthaus and Paul Harrison, both of whom set aside their own work to read through earlier drafts. They have suggested numerous corrections and improvements, and my debt to them is so sufficiently great that I will have to wait for some future lifetime to balance accounts.
Before passing the results on to the reader, I should note that I have decided not to include the collection of verses that were appended to the Lankavatara sometime between Gunabhadra’s translation (443), in which it is absent, and Bodhiruchi’s (513), in which it is present. It was given the title of Sagathakam (Collection of Verses) by Nanjio and includes 884 four-line poems, among which 205 also appear in the main body of the Lanka. Whether one of them borrowed from the other or whether they shared a common source is impossible to say. In any case, the Sagathakam reads as if it was a selection meant to accompany oral instruction. And in the absence of such instruction or an understanding of the context of the poems, I have decided to forego the challenge a translation would have entailed. Still, it does include some worthwhile poems, and fortunately it has already been translated in its entirety as part of Suzuki’s translation of this sutra.
In regard to my own work on the Lanka, I thought I would never get this far—to the point where I would be writing a preface. Admittedly, I’m glad to be passing it on. And naturally, I wish I could have done a better job. But I’m reminded of a comment Nan Huai-chin made to me during a five-hour dinner at his home in Shanghai five years ago. The ninety-year-old Zen layman recounted when he was young asking Empty Cloud why the old master kept restoring Zen monasteries but never finished them. Empty Cloud slapped his young disciple on the back of the head and said, “Smart aleck. If I finished them, what would the next generation have to do?” Indeed, I have left plenty of work for those to come. Meanwhile, I think it’s time for that cup of tea.
RED PINE
APRIL 1, 2011
PORT TOWNSEND, WASHINGTON
CHAPTER ONE:1
KING RAVANA’S REQUEST2
Thus have I heard:3 Once the Bhagavan was staying in the South Seas on the peaks of Lanka4 in a place adorned by countless jewels and flowers. In addition to an assembly of great monks, he was also joined by a host of great bodhisattvas from other buddhalands. Led by Mahamati Bodhisattva-Mahasattva, 5 they were masters of every kind of samadhi, spiritual power and psychic ability and were the recipients of the blessings of countless buddhas. Skilled in the knowledge that external objects are perceptions of one’s own mind,6 they had opened doors of liberation for beings of every mental and physical capacity and were thoroughly versed in the five dharmas, the modes of reality, the forms of consciousness, and the two kinds of no–self.7
At that time,8 the Bhagavan had been expounding the Dharma for seven days in the palace of Sagara, the Serpent King.9 Upon reappearing, he was welcomed by Shakra and Brahma10 and a host of serpent maidens. Lifting his eyes and beholding Lanka’s Mount Malaya,11 he smiled and said, “On Lanka’s Mount Malaya, the tathagatas, the arhats, the fully enlightened ones of the past have taught the self–realization of buddha knowledge,12 which is beyond the comprehension of shravakas and pratyeka–buddhas13 or the mistaken knowledge of followers of other paths. Today, for the sake of Ravana, ruler of the yakshas,14 I, too, will teach this teaching.”
By the power of the Tathagata, King Ravana heard these words of the Buddha and knew that the Bhagavan had reappeared from the Serpent King’s palace accompanied by Shakra and Brahma and countless serpent maidens. And he saw the thoughts of those in that assembly stirred by the wind of externality and rising like so many waves in the oceans of their repository consciousness.15 Ravana sho
uted joyfully, “I will go and invite the Bhagavan to Lanka for the lasting happiness and welfare of humans and devas!”
King Ravana then mounted his flower-decked chariot and with his royal retinue went to see the Buddha. Upon arriving, they all dismounted and walked around the Bhagavan three times from left to right.16 Meanwhile, the king’s musicians strummed lutes inlaid with aquamarine17 using picks of the bluest sapphire. Then hanging them at their sides from straps of the costliest cloth, they sang gathas18 in praise of the Buddha according to the grama and murchana19 modes and in the kaishika20 melodic style accompanied by a chorus of flutes:
1. “To the Dharma treasury of the self–existent mind / free from defilement or belief in a self / may the Buddha teach us the path / to the knowledge found within ourselves
2. In his body of perfected merit / displaying the transformed and transforming / the joy of self–realization / may the Buddha come to Lanka today
3. Buddhas of the past have appeared on Lanka / accompanied by bodhisattvas of countless forms / pray honor us with the peerless Dharma / every yaksha is hoping to hear.”
Ravana, king of the yakshas, then sang gathas in the totaka meter:
4. “After seven nights the Buddha has risen / from the sea where leviathans dwell / from the palace of the Serpent King, Sagara / happily he has come to this shore
5. And now that the Buddha has risen / I have come with my apsara queen22 / with Shuka and Sarana23 / with yakshas and learned men
6. Conveyed before the Buddha by an unseen force / we dismount our flower-decked carts and bow / present our names and offerings / and hope for the Bhagavan’s blessing
7. I am Ravana who comes before you / the ten-headed king of the yakshas / may the Buddha favor this Lanka of mine / and all who dwell in its towns
8. Buddhas of the past within its cities / upon its jewel-strewn peaks / spoke of what they themselves attained / the realm of self–realization24
9. May the Bhagavan do so as well / together with these sons of victors25 / the residents of Lanka and I would listen / to his teaching of the purest Dharma
10. To the Lankavatara praised by past buddhas / to what they themselves attained / the realm of self–realization / unknown among other schools
11. I recall in previous ages / buddhas accompanied by the sons of victors / recited this sutra out loud / may the Bhagavan do so today
12. Buddhas in the future and the sons of victors / they too will pity this yaksha assembly / they too will ascend this jewel-decked summit / and teach this profoundest of teachings
13. The city of Lanka is a city of wonders / adorned with every known jewel / surrounded by lovely cool peaks / and shaded by canopies of pearls
14. The yakshas present today, Bhagavan / have transcended desire and anger / they have honored buddhas and looked within / and have urged each other to turn to the Mahayana
15. Yaksha boys and girls as well / thirst to hear the Mahayana / to the city of Lanka on Mount Malaya / Bhagavan, come be our teacher
16. Kumbhakarna and his rakshasas26 / they also dwell in this city / devotees of the Mahayana / they too would learn about self–realization
17. Having honored buddhas with devotion in the past / they hope to do so again / out of compassion, please come / come with these sons of victors to Lanka
18. Mahamuni,27 accept my palace / together with its apsara host / my crown and necklaces too / and my delightful ashoka groves28
19. All I possess I give to the Buddha / and to these sons of victors / there is nothing I would not give / Mahamuni, have compassion on me.”
20. To this, the Lord of the Three Realms replied,29 / ”Ruler of the Yakshas / to this jeweled peak / the teachers of the past have come
21. Out of compassion for you they have taught / the way of self–realization / and on this jewel-adorned peak / so shall they teach in the future
22. For this is where practitioners dwell30 / who delight in that which is present31 / King of the Yakshas, you have known / the compassion of sugatas and now shall know mine.“32
23. Accepting this invitation / the Bhagavan stood without speaking / Ravana then offered his chariot of flowers / which the Buddha mounted and rode inside.
24. With his retinue Ravana followed / along with the bodhisattvas / as the Buddha advanced toward the city / apsaras sang and danced in his honor
25. Once the Buddha had passed through its gates / to the reverent bows of the yaksha throng / joined by Ravana and the yaksha men / and also the yaksha women
26. A group of yaksha boys and girls / presented the Bhagavan with a net of pearls / while Ravana placed strands of jewels / around the necks of the Victor and the Victor’s sons
27. As the Buddha and the wise bodhisattvas / acknowledged these offerings of jewels / each in turn spoke in praise / of the fathomless realm of self–realization
28. Then Ravana and the yaksha throng / having honored the best of teachers / asked and beseeched Mahamati / who was known for requesting the Dharma
29. ”You have asked the Buddha before / concerning the realm of self–realization / we yakshas and the bodhisattvas present / come before you with this request
30. You are the most eloquent speaker / a devoted practitioner too / thus we sincerely beseech the Master / to ask the Buddha for this teaching
31. Free from the faults of other paths / of pratyeka-buddhas and shravakas / the immaculate teaching realized within / the teaching that leads to buddhahood.”
32. The Buddha thereupon conjured mountains / peaks covered with jewels / beautiful scenes of every sort / adorned with countless gems
33. And on each jewel-covered peak / the Buddha could also be seen / and standing at his side / Ravana the yaksha appeared
34. Also the entire assembly / was visible on each summit / and in every land / another buddha was present
35. And together with the king of Lanka / its residents appeared as well / inside their conjured cities / gazing upon each other
36. Other things also appeared / the products of the Buddha’s power / ashoka groves and sunlit forests / and nothing in anyway different
37. And Mahamati on each peak / was asking on behalf of the yaksha king / for the teaching of self–realization / which the buddhas spoke in countless voices
38. And after they had spoken33 / these buddhas and bodhisattvas vanished / only Ravana the yaksha remained / standing inside his palace
39. He wondered what really happened / who spoke just now and who listened / who saw and what was seen / and where did those cities and buddhas go:
40. ”Where did those cities go / those radiant buddhas, those sugatas / were they a dream or an illusion / or were they the work of gandharvas34
41. Were they the result of cataract eyes / or was what I saw a mirage / dream children of a barren woman / the smoke and flames from a wheel of fire?
42. Such is the nature of things / the realm of nothing but mind35 / this is something the foolish don’t know / bewildered by false projections
43. There is no seer or anything seen / no speaker or anything spoken / the appearance of buddhas and also their teachings / are merely what we imagine
44. Those who view such things as real / they don’t see the Buddha / nor do those who imagine nothing / only those who transform their existence.“36
With this, the Lord of Lanka felt an awakening and transformation of his consciousness, as he realized what appeared was nothing but the perceptions of his own mind,37 and he found himself in a realm free from such projections. Due to the stockpile of good karma from previous lives, he suddenly gained an understanding of all teachings, the ability to see things as they really are and not how others see them, how to examine things with his own wisdom while remaining free from discursive views, and all the abilities of a great yogin38 no longer dependent on others: namely, how to manifest himself in various auspicious forms, how to master all skillful means, how to know the nature and characteristics of the stages of advancement, how to delig
ht in detachment from the self–existence of mind, will, and conceptual consciousness,39 how to liberate himself from views involving the three continuities,40 how to refute the arguments of followers of other paths concerning causation, how to understand buddhahood, self–realization, and the tathagata–garbha,41 and how to live with the knowledge of a buddha.
Then from the sky and from within himself42 he heard a voice say, “Well done, Lord of Lanka, well done. Practitioners should practice as you have practiced. They should see tathagatas and dharmas as you have seen them—any other way would be nihilistic. They should examine things while remaining free from the mind, the will, and conceptual consciousness. They should look within and not be misled by external appearances or fall prey to the doctrines, views, or meditations of shravakas, pratyeka-buddhas, or followers of other paths. They should not delight in idle or frivolous talk, or cling to the views of the Vedas,43 or become attached to exercising power over others, or indulge in such meditations as the six dhyanas.44
“This, Lord of Lanka, is the understanding of all great practitioners, who thereby overcome false doctrines and refute mistaken views, who eliminate attachment to a self, and who make use of the subtlest wisdom to transform their consciousness.45 This is the Mahayana path that leads to the stage attained by buddhas. You should therefore devote yourself to such an understanding.
