English
English version: There are many rumors about the profundity and shortcomings of teachings. However, the essence of the Chan (Zen) school lies in inner illumination; it cannot be fully described by writing, nor can it be fully proclaimed by words. Although words may fall short, one can still try to express it. But writing cannot reach it; it is truly difficult to put pen to paper. Now, I write this as a last resort, hoping that you will understand it with your heart and not be bound by the words. When Bodhidharma (达磨) (the first patriarch of Chan Buddhism in China) came from the West, he only transmitted the mind-to-mind transmission. Therefore, he said, 'My Dharma transmits mind to mind, without establishing words.' This mind is the pure, original awareness of all sentient beings, also called Buddha-nature, or spiritual awareness. When deluded, it gives rise to all afflictions; afflictions are also inseparable from this mind. When enlightened, it gives rise to boundless wonderful functions; wonderful functions are also inseparable from this mind. Wonderful functions and afflictions, although different in merit and demerit, do not differ in this mind, whether in enlightenment or delusion. If you want to seek the Buddha-path, you must awaken to this mind. Therefore, the successive patriarchs only transmitted this. If the response and connection are in accord, then even if one lamp transmits to hundreds of thousands of lamps, the lamps are not different from each other. If the capacity and teaching do not match, then even if one sound expounds the Dharma, each person will interpret it according to their own understanding. Therefore, the different interpretations of the various schools are the fault of later generations. Now, let us first describe each school separately, and then judge their differences and correctness. The Northern School (北宗) believes that sentient beings inherently possess awareness, just as a mirror has inherent brightness. Afflictions cover it, so it cannot be seen, just as a mirror is covered by dust. If one follows the teacher's instructions and ceases deluded thoughts, then when the thoughts cease, the mind-nature will awaken and know everything, just as wiping away the dust from a mirror will make the mirror bright and illuminate everything. Therefore, Master Shenxiu (神秀) (the leader of the Northern School) presented a verse to the Fifth Patriarch (五祖): 'The body is the Bodhi tree, the mind is like a bright mirror stand. Constantly wipe it clean, do not let it gather dust.' The commentary says: This is only the appearance of conditioned arising of defilement and purity, the path of reversing and turning away from habits, and does not realize that deluded thoughts are originally empty and the mind-nature is originally pure. Since enlightenment is not thorough, how can cultivation be considered genuine? (In the Jiannan (剑南) area, there is also the Jingzhong School (净众宗), whose teachings are largely the same as this. There is also the Baotang School (保唐宗), whose understanding is similar, but whose practice is completely different. It cannot be described in detail here; I will report it in person another day and distinguish them one by one.) The Hongzhou School (洪州宗) believes that every arising thought, every snap of the fingers, every movement of the eyes, every action, --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
皆是佛性。全体之用。更无别用。全体贪嗔痴。造善造恶。受乐受苦。此皆是佛性。如面作种种饮食。一一皆面。意以推求此身。四大骨肉．喉舌牙齿。眼耳手足。并不能自语言．见闻．动作。如一念命终。全身都未变坏。即便口不能语。眼不能见。耳不能闻。脚不能行。手不能作。故知能言语动作者。必是佛性。且四大骨肉。一一细推。都不解贪嗔烦恼。故知贪嗔烦恼并是佛性。 佛性体非一切差引种种。而能造作一切差别种种。体非种种者。谓此佛性非圣非凡。非因非果。非善非恶。无色无相。无根无住。乃至无佛无众生也。能作种种者。谓此性即体之用。故能凡能圣。能因能根。能善能恶。现色现相。能佛能众生。乃至能贪嗔等。若核其体性。则毕竟不可见。不可证。如眼不自见眼等。若就其应用。即举动运为。一切皆是。更无别法而为能证所证。彼意准楞伽经云。如来藏是善不善因。能遍兴造一切趣生。受苦乐。与因俱。又。佛语心。经云。或有佛刹扬眉动睛。笑吹謦欬。或动摇等皆是佛事。既悟解之理。一切天真自然。故所修行。理宜顺此。而乃不起心断恶。亦不起心修道。道即是心。不可将心还修于心。恶亦是心。不可将心还断于心。不断不造。任运自在。名为解脱人。无法可拘。无佛可作。犹如 现代汉语译本： 一切都是佛性（Buddha-nature）。是全体的功用，没有其他的功用。全体的贪婪、嗔恨、愚痴，造善、造恶，承受快乐、承受痛苦，这些都是佛性。就像用面粉制作各种各样的食物，每一样都是面粉做的。用心去推究这个身体，四大（地、水、火、风 four elements）骨肉、喉咙舌头牙齿、眼睛耳朵手脚，并不能自己说话、看、听、行动。如果一念之间命终，全身都没有变坏，但却口不能说，眼不能见，耳不能听，脚不能走，手不能做。所以知道能说话、能行动的，一定是佛性。而且四大骨肉，一一仔细推究，都不懂得贪婪、嗔恨、烦恼。所以知道贪婪、嗔恨、烦恼，都是佛性。 佛性的本体不是一切差异和种种不同，却能造作一切差异和种种不同。本体不是种种不同，是说这佛性非圣非凡，非因非果，非善非恶，无色无相，无根无处可住，乃至无佛无众生。能作种种不同，是说这佛性就是本体的功用，所以能凡能圣，能因能果，能善能恶，显现色相，能佛能众生，乃至能贪能嗔等等。如果考察它的体性，那么毕竟不可见，不可证，就像眼睛不能自己看到自己一样。如果就它的应用来说，那么一举一动，一切都是佛性，没有其他的方法可以作为能证和所证。这个意思依据《楞伽经》（Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra）所说，如来藏（Tathāgatagarbha）是善与不善的因，能普遍兴起造作一切众生，承受苦乐，与因同在。又，《佛语心经》说，或者有的佛刹（Buddha-kṣetra）扬眉动眼，笑、吹气、清嗓子，或者动摇等等，都是佛事。既然领悟理解了这个道理，一切都是天真自然，所以所修行的，理应顺应这个道理，而不生起心去断恶，也不生起心去修道。道就是心，不可将心还用来修心。恶也是心，不可将心还用来断恶。不断不造，任运自在，叫做解脱人。没有法可以拘束，没有佛可以成就，犹如...
English
English version: All are Buddha-nature (Buddha-nature). It is the function of the whole, and there is no other function. The entirety of greed, hatred, and delusion, creating good, creating evil, experiencing joy, experiencing suffering, all of these are Buddha-nature. It's like using flour to make various kinds of food, each one is made of flour. If you use your mind to investigate this body, the four elements (earth, water, fire, wind), bones and flesh, throat, tongue, and teeth, eyes, ears, hands, and feet, cannot speak, see, hear, or act on their own. If one's life ends in a single thought, even though the whole body has not changed, the mouth cannot speak, the eyes cannot see, the ears cannot hear, the feet cannot walk, and the hands cannot work. Therefore, know that what can speak and act must be Buddha-nature. Moreover, the four elements, bones, and flesh, when examined closely one by one, do not understand greed, hatred, or afflictions. Therefore, know that greed, hatred, and afflictions are all Buddha-nature. The essence of Buddha-nature is not all differences and varieties, yet it can create all differences and varieties. That the essence is not all varieties means that this Buddha-nature is neither saintly nor ordinary, neither cause nor effect, neither good nor evil, without color or form, without root or dwelling place, even without Buddha or sentient beings. That it can create all varieties means that this nature is the function of the essence, so it can be ordinary or saintly, cause or effect, good or evil, manifest form and appearance, Buddha or sentient beings, even greed and hatred, and so on. If you examine its essence, then it is ultimately invisible and unprovable, just as the eye cannot see itself. If you consider its application, then every action and movement is Buddha-nature, and there is no other method that can serve as the knower and the known. This meaning is based on what the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra says: the Tathāgatagarbha (Tathāgatagarbha) is the cause of good and non-good, and can universally arise and create all beings, experiencing suffering and joy, being with the cause. Furthermore, the Buddha Spoken Heart Sutra says that in some Buddha-kṣetras (Buddha-kṣetra), raising eyebrows, moving eyes, laughing, blowing air, clearing the throat, or shaking, etc., are all Buddha-activities. Since one has realized and understood this principle, everything is naturally genuine, so what is practiced should accord with this principle, without giving rise to the mind to cut off evil, and without giving rise to the mind to cultivate the Way. The Way is the mind, and one cannot use the mind to cultivate the mind. Evil is also the mind, and one cannot use the mind to cut off the mind. Neither cutting off nor creating, being free and at ease, is called a liberated person. There is no Dharma that can bind, and no Buddha to become, like... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
虚空不增不减。何假添补。何以故。心性之外。更无一法可得故。故但任心。即为修也。 评曰。此与前宗敌体相返。前则朝暮分别。动作一切皆妄。此则朝暮分别。动作一切皆真。奉问疑其互相诋訿。暮肯会同。且所见如此相违。争不诋訿。若存他。则失己。争肯会同。 牛头宗意者。体诸法如梦。本来无事。心境本寂。非今始空。迷之为有。即见荣枯贵贱等事。事迹既有相违相顺。故生爱恶等情。情生则诸苦所系。梦作梦受何损何益。有此能了之智。亦如梦心。乃至设有一法过于涅槃。亦如梦如幻。既达本来无事。理宜丧己忘情。情妄即绝苦因。方度一切苦厄。此以忘情为修也。 评曰。前以念念全真为悟。任心为修。此以本无事为悟。妄情为修。又上三家见解异者。初一切皆妄。次一切皆真。后一切皆无。若就行说者。初伏心灭妄。次信任情性。后休心不起。(宗密)性好勘会。一一曾参。各搜得旨趣如是。若将此语问彼学人。即皆不招承。问有答空。徴空认有。或言俱非。或言皆不可得。修不修等。皆类此也。彼意者。常恐堕于文字。常怕滞于所得。故随言拂也。有归心学者。方委细教授。令多时观照。熟其行解矣。然每宗复有多种方便。拒于外难。诱于徒属。不可具书。今但罗其意趣。 现代汉语译本：虚空不会因为什么而增加，也不会因为什么而减少。又何必去人为地增添或弥补什么呢？为什么这么说呢？因为在心性之外，再也没有任何一法可以获得。所以，只要顺任自心，就是修行了。 评论说：这与前面的宗派观点完全相反。前面认为早晚的分别，一切的动作都是虚妄的。而这里则认为早晚的分别，一切的动作都是真实的。我担心他们会互相诋毁，最终也不能达成一致。而且他们所见解的如此相违背，怎么会不互相诋毁呢？如果只坚持自己的观点，就会失去客观。又怎么会肯达成一致呢？ 牛头宗的观点是：体悟诸法如梦幻泡影，本来就没有任何事情。心和境界本来就是寂静的，不是现在才变成空无。迷惑地认为它们是真实存在，就会看到荣华、枯萎、富贵、贫贱等等现象。既然这些现象有相互违背和相互顺应的，所以就会产生爱和憎恶等情绪。情绪产生，就会被各种痛苦所束缚。梦做了，梦也承受了，又有什么损失和益处呢？拥有这种能够了达一切的智慧，也如同梦中的心一样。甚至假设有一种法超过了涅槃，也如同梦幻泡影一般。既然通达了本来就没有任何事情，理应丧失自我，忘却情感。情感和妄想一旦断绝，就是断绝了痛苦的根源，才能度过一切苦难。这是以忘却情感作为修行的方法。 评论说：前面认为念念都是真实的就是开悟，顺任自心就是修行。这里认为本来就没有任何事情就是开悟，忘却妄情就是修行。而且上面三家的见解不同：最初认为一切都是虚妄的，其次认为一切都是真实的，最后认为一切都是空无的。如果从修行上来说，最初是降伏内心，灭除妄想；其次是信任和顺任情性；最后是停止内心，不起任何念头。（宗密）我喜欢考证和会通，曾经一一参访过，各自搜寻得到的旨趣就是这样。如果将这些话去问那些学人，他们都会不承认。问有，他们回答空；征求空，他们又认为有。或者说都不是，或者说一切都不可得。修不修行等等，都与此类似。他们的意思是，常常害怕落入文字的陷阱，常常害怕停留在已经获得的境界上，所以随着言语而否定它。对于真心归向佛学的学者，才详细地教授，让他们长时间地观照，熟悉他们的修行和理解。然而每个宗派又有很多种方便法门，用来抵御外来的诘难，诱导自己的门徒，不能全部记载下来。现在只是罗列出他们的意趣。