Bodhi Seal of the Patriarchs

MING DYNASTY VINAYA MASTER KU HSIN JU HSING
OF HUI YUN MOUNTAIN

      --composed by Tripitaka Master Hua
      --translated by Disciple Bhiksuni Heng Yin
      

      The Master was a native of Li Yang in Chiang Nan. He was the son of the Yang Family. When he was born a rare fragrance pervaded the neighborhood. On his face were 36 red spots. As a young man he went to She Mountain and had his head shaved.

      In the past he had made vast vows to journey on foot to Ch'ing Liang Mountain. This moved the Bodhisattva Manjusri to transmit a robe to him and to rub him on the crown of the head and say, "I have just transmitted the precepts to you. " As he heard the words, the Master was suddenly enlightened to the mind ground Dharma door of the five sections and the three grounds. He specialized in holding the pure precepts as pristinely as sparkling frost.

Commentary:

The word hsing in the master's name means "fragrant," as the Master held the precepts purely.

In a past life he vowed to walk to Ch'ing Liang Mountain, that is, Wu T'ai Mountain. Because he was old, however, his legs wouldn't help him out. Since he couldn't walk, he made the vow, and in his next incarnation he fulfilled it. "I can't visit Wu T'ai Mountain in this life," he said, "but I shall most certainly do so in my next life."

      When he finally arrived at Wu T'ai Mountain the Bodhisattva Manjusri was moved. He patted the Master on the head and said, "Because you have come to Wu T'ai Mountain, I have transmitted the precepts to you." The Master didn't know it was Manjusri Bodhisattva at the time, but he became enlightened just as he heard the Bodhisattva speak. It was only later that he knew that it was Manjusri. He understood that the Five Sections and the Three Groups, which are divisions of the Vinaya, or moral code, arise from the mind-ground. The Master maintained the precepts as cleanly as ice, frozen solid without a speck of dust in it.

      He built the Ku Lin Hermitage where he caused the Dharma of the precepts to flourish. Emperor Shen Tsung conferred the purple robe upon him and commanded the Master to go to Wu T'ai Mountain to transmit the precepts to him. Clouds of congratulations formed in space. The Emperor gave him the title Vinaya Master Hut Yun. Twelve people obtained his Dharma and the vinaya door was opened wide.

A verse in his praise runs:

Manjusri stretched out his arm,

And the pure precepts were perfectly realized.

His conduct, like that of Upali,

According to beings he appeared.

Gods and men both rejoiced

At his profound transformations and spiritual skill.

The sun of the vinaya forever blazes

Glorified from antiquity.

Another verse in his praise runs:

He was born with strange marks,

Scarlet-colored spots;

Thirty-six of them, scattered like stars

All across his face.

Formerly he made a vast vow

To visit Mt. Ch'ing Liang;

In the present his difficult practices

emptied him of vexation.

Manjusri rubbed him on the crown

And personally gave him the precepts;

Samantabhadra testified that he had left

Defilement far behind.

This wisdom cloud gave its shade

To the entire trichiliocosm;

Twelve people obtained his Dharma

And the vinaya greatly flourished.

GOLD MOUNTAIN DAILY SCHEDULE SPRING QUARTER, 1974

AM  3:40 Morning Boards

    4:00 Morning Recitation

    4:45 Bowing to Patriarchs

    5:00 Meditation (three one hour periods interspersed with walking meditation)

    8:30 Monastery Work, Translation, etc.

   10:30 High Heal Offering

   11:00 Daily Meal

PM 12:00 Monastery Work, Translation, etc.

    4:45 Language Lesson (Sanskrit, Spanish, Elementary and Advanced Chinese

         during Spring Quarter)

    5:45 Meditation (one Hour)

    7:00 Evening Recitation and Sutra Lecture

    8:50 Ten Thousand Buddha Repentance

    9:20 Bowing to Patriarchs

   10:00 Lights Out.

Weekend schedules include additional Sutra Lectures at 12:30 on Saturday and Sunday, and the Medicine Master Repentance at 9:00 AM on Saturday morning.