THE BODHI SEAL OF THE PATRIARCHS

MING DYNASTY DHYANA MASTER SAN FENG FA TSANG

(DHARMA TREASURY OF THREE PEAKS)

Composed by Tripitaka Master Hua
Translated by Bhiksuni Heng Yin
Revised by Bhiksuni Heng Ch’ih
Edited by Bhiksu Heng Kuan

TEXT:

    THE MASTER WAS FROM HSI SHAN, THE SON OF THE SU FAMILY, HE INVESTIGATED THE SURANGAMA SUTRA AND CULTIVATED KUAN YIN'S PERFECT PENETRATION OF THE EAR ORGAN. HE RAN INTO A MONK WHOSE ROBE HAD CAUGHT ON A BAMBOO FENCE. HEARING THE BAMBOO BREAKING, SOUNDING LIKE A ROLL OF THUNDER, HE EXPERIENCED THE GREAT PENETRATION. HE WENT TO MEET THE HIGH MASTER MI YUN OF CHIN HSI. ONE DAY, HSI BROUGHT UP THE CASE OF THE SANGHA MEMBER WHO QUESTIONED THE ANCIENT WORTHY, SAYING: "WHAT ABOUT WHEN THE BRIGHT MOON IS IN EMPTY SPACE?"
     THE WORTHY SAID, "YOU'RE STILL A FELLOW AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS."
THE SANGHA MEMBER SAID, "WILL THE MASTER PLEASE LEAD ME UP THE STAIRS?"
     THE WORTHY SAID, "COME AND SEE ME AGAIN WHEN THE MOON'S GONE DOWN."
      "NOW, YOU TELL ME, HOW DID THEY MEET WHEN THE MOON WENT DOWN?"
     THE MASTER IMMEDIATELY LEFT THE HALL. (MASTER) HSI WENT TO REST.


     (MASTER FA TSANG) ESTABLISHES THE DHARMA AT SAN FENG, WIDELY PROPAGATING THE (LIN) CHI SCHOOL. AFTER HE DIED A STUPA WAS BUILT FOR HIM ON THAT MOUNTAIN.

COMMENTARY:

MING DYNASTY DHYANA MASTER SAN FENG FA TSANG, SAN FENG, "Three Peaks" is the name of a mountain. DHYANA MASTER FA TSANG "Dharma Treasury" dwelt there.
     THE MASTER WAS FROM HSI SHAN. His father and mother had the name SU.  He was THE SON OF A SU FAMILY, after he left home, HE INVESTIGATED THE SURANGAMA SUTRA exclusively, to the point that he read it while he ate, he recited it while he walked. In every move he made, he investigated THE SURANGAMA SUTRA. When he had investigated for several years, he CULTIVATED KUAN YIN'S PERFECT PENETRATION OF THE EAR ORGAN. He cultivated the Dharma-door of "entering the stream and forgetting the place of entry, of returning the hearing to hear the self-nature."
     HE RAN INTO A MONK WHOSE ROBE HAD CAUGHT ON A BAMBOO FENCE, He met a member of the Sangha coming in the door whose clothing had caught on the bamboo fence and had broken the bamboo. HEARING THE BAMBOO BREAKING--it was like rolling thunder--oooooohhmmmmm!!!--such a loud sound. SOUNDING LIKE A ROLL OF THUNDER HE EXPERIENCED THE GREAT PENETRATION, he became enlightened.  "Oh!" and the ear organ became perfectly penetrating.
     HE WENT TO MEET THE HIGH MASTER MI YUN OF CHIN HSI. He went to Chin Hsi to bow to the High Master Mi Yun.
     ONE-DAY MASTER CHIN HSI BROUGHT UP THE CASE OF THE SANGHA MEMBER WHO QUESTIONED AN ANCIENT WORTHY. There was a public record, which dealt with a member of the Sangha who questioned a Dharma Master. The Dharma Master's name is not given; he is simply called THE ANCIENT WORTHY. What was his question?
     The Sangha member asked, "WHAT ABOUT WHEN THE BRIGHT MOON IS IN EMPTY SPACE? When the perfectly full, bright moon is in empty space, what is it like then? Say something and we'll see how it is. We'll test your skill.
     THE WORTHY SAID, "YOU'RE STILL A FELLOW AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS. You haven't entered the door. You're an outsider. You haven't gone up the stairs and in the door. To get in the door, you've got to walk up the stairs." A fellow at the bottom of the stairs is one who is still outside the door; he is not yet enlightened. He still has that bright moon hanging there in space. In other words, he still has an attachment and so the Worthy One said, "You're at the bottom of the stairs; you haven't gone in the door. You're still attached." He thought the state of the bright moon in space was very fine when actually he was still an outsider.
     THE SANGHA MEMBER SAID, "WILL THE MASTER PLEASE LEAD ME UP THE STAIRS?  Please, Worthy One, won't you take me in the door?"
     THE WORTHY SAID, "COME AND SEE ME AGAIN WHEN THE MOONS GONE DOWN." Ultimately, what were they saying? I don't know what it was and neither do you. Only the Ancient Worthy and the Sangha member know. Perhaps the two of them know, but perhaps they don't know either.
     So, having related this case. Master Hsi then asked Dhy5na Master Fa Tsang, "NOW, YOU TELL ME, HOW DID THEY MEET WHEN THE MOON WENT DOWN? You tell me. Speak up. After the moon went down, how did they meet? Who did they meet?  What did they meet?"
     THE MASTER IMMEDIATELY LEFT THE HALL. When he heard that sentence, what do you think Master Fa Tsang did? He tossed his sleeve and stamped right out of the room.  He walked right out. (MASTER) HSI WENT TO REST, because there was nothing left for him to say at that point.
     (MASTER FA TSANG) ESTABLISHED THE DHARMA AT SAN FENG. Later, Dhyana Master Fa Tsang established the Dharma at San Feng Monastery on San Feng Mountain, WIDELY PROCLAIMING THE CHI SCHOOL. No doubt you all know what that means?
     Disciple: "It's the Lin Chi School."
      Master: "And what about 'widely propagating.'?"
      Disciple: "Propagating the Lin Chi Ch'an School."
     Master "Greatly propagating the Lin Chi School! You should not say the 'Lin Chi Ch'an School.' Greatly propagating the Lin Chi School."
     AFTER HE MOVED AND TRANSFORMED. What does that mean?
     Disciple: "After he entered extinction."
     Master: "How can you call entering extinction 'moving'? How do you explain the word 'moved'?"
     Disciple: "It means you couldn't see him anymore."
     Master: "What? 'Moved and transformed' means he 'moved house.' He moved from this body into another body. He moved. Moved and changed means that he was done here and so he 'moved' to another place, 'changed' locations. He went elsewhere.
     A STUPA WAS BUILT FOR HIM ON THAT MOUNTAIN. They built a STUPA, a pagoda, for him on that very mountain.

TEXT:

A VERSE IN HIS PRAISE RUNS:

AT THE SOUND OF THE SPLITTING BAMBOO
HE DEEPLY ENTERED PERFECT PENETRATION.
THE MYRIAD FORMS OF CREATION
ALL COME TOGETHER IN THIS SCHOOL.
IN FRONT OF THE STAIRS, AS THE MOON FELL,
FACE TO FACE THEY MET.
WITH A TOSS OF HIS SLEEVE, HE TOOK HIS LEAVE,
TO SIT ON THREE PEAKS, ALONE.

COMMENTARY:

AT THE SOUND OF THE SPLITTING BAMBOO/HE DEEPLY ENTERED PERFECT PENETRATION. THE MYRIAD FORMS OF CREATION, the mountains, the rivers, the earth itself, the vegetation, forests, and the myriad things, the houses and the buildings--these are called "all of creation." ALL COME TOGETHER IN THIS SCHOOL. All of the things in the world unite in the Ch'an school. See? He became enlightened just hearing the sound of breaking bamboo. Ah! To say nothing of breaking bamboo, one could smash a piece of steel and you still wouldn't get enlightened. Why? Because your attachments are too heavy. With hearts heavy with attachment there is no way to become enlightened. 
     IN FRONT OF THE STAIRS AS THE MOON FALLS. In front of the stairs, outside the door, they waited until the moon went down...and then FACE TO FACE THEY MET. They saw each other once again. WITH A TOSS OF HIS SLEEVE, HE TOOK HIS LEAVE. He shook his sleeve and departed, TO SIT ON THREE PEAKS, ALONE. He sat on San Feng Mountain alone, teaching and transforming living beings.

TEXT:

ANOTHER VERSE IN HIS PRAISE RUNS:

     GOING INTO THE STREAM, FORGETTING THE PLACE,
     THE EAR ORGAN PERFECTLY PENETRATES;
     THE WONDERFUL ENLIGHTENMENT OF HEARING THE NATURE
     IS PRESENT IN ITS MIDST.
     THE HEART EMBRACES THE GREAT VOID,
     ENCOMPASSING REALMS LIKE GRAINS OF SAND,
     THE MARKS OF SELF AND OTHER DESTROYED,
     ONE PERVADES LANDS LIKE DUST.
     IN A SINGLE THOUGHT, TRANSCEND
     AEONS WITHOUT LIMIT,
     THE HUNDRED DHARMAS DON'T GO BEYOND
     SAMADHI'S FUSION.
     SAN FENG'S VIRTUE IN THE WAY
     FILLED ALL UNDER HEAVEN.
     THE GREAT TEACHING BENEFITS ALL
     TRANSFORMING EAST AND WEST.

COMMENTARY:

GOING INTO THE STREAM, FORGETTING THE PLACE, THE EAR ORGAN PERFECTLY PENETRATES. Kuan Yin Bodhisattva talks about entering the stream and forgetting the place of entry. You enter the stream, forget the place of entry, and then the ear organ attains perfect penetration. THE WONDERFUL ENLIGHTENMENT OF HEARING THE NATURE IS PRESENT IN ITS MIDST. Hearing the nature, this inconceivably wonderful enlightenment, is within it. THE HEART EMBRACES THE GREAT VOID, ENCOMPASSING REALMS LIKE GRAINS OF SAND. Our hearts encompass the great void. The great void is within our hearts. The heart encompasses realms as many as grains of sand in the Ganges River.
     THE MARKS OF SELF AND OTHERS DESTROYED, ONE PERVADES LANDS LIKE DUST.  When there is no mark of people and no mark of self, then one pervades all the lands like dust, and they all become as one. IN A SINGLE THOUGHT, TRANSCEND AEONS WITHOUT LIMIT. In the space of a thought, you can pass beyond limitless kalpas. THE HUNDRED DHARMAS DON'T GO BEYOND SAMADHI'S FUSION. Although a hundred dharmas are a great many, if you are concentrated, you can understand them all, you can unite with them all and they don't go beyond samadhi's fusion--they are all fused.
     SAN FENGS VIRTUE IN THE WAY FILLED ALL UNDER HEAVEN. This Dhyana Master's virtue in the Way was very great; it filled everything under heaven. THE GREAT TEACHING BENEFITS ALL, TRANSFORMING THE EAST AND WEST. The great teaching is Buddhism. He taught the Buddha's teaching; with the Buddha's teaching he benefited all living beings, teaching and transforming people in the East and in the West.

Bhiksu Heng Kuan, Bhiksuni Heng Yin, and Bhiksuni Heng Ch’ih are all committee chairmen of the Buddhist Text Translation Society.