Faith Mind Inscription

Faith Mind Inscription

Hsin-hsin Ming

By Third Ch'an Patriarch Chien-chih Seng-ts'an

Contents

Title of the Text

Author of the Text

Problem of Authorship

Written Sources of the Text

The Hsin-hsin Ming

The Original Text

The Text with Japanese "Current Characters" (Tõyõ Kanji)

Translation of the Text

Chinese and Japanese Transcriptions of the Text

An Analysis of the Hsin-hsin Ming

Two Mainstream Translations of the Hsin-hsin Ming

Another Verse Attributed to Chien-chih Seng-ts'an

Bibliography

Title of the Text

信心銘

Hsin-hsin Ming (Wade-Giles)

Xinxin Ming (Pinyin) Xin⁴xin¹ Ming²

Shinjinmei (or Shinjin no Mei) (Japanese)

Sinsim Myong (Korean)

Literally, Believing Heart (Mind) Inscription or Faith-Heart (Mind) Inscription

Various Translations of the Title

Different Western and Eastern translators have rendered the title "Hsin-hsin Ming" in different ways:

1. Trust Mind Inscription (Hae Kwang)

2. Inscription on Trust in the Mind (Burton Watson)

3. Inscribed On the Believing Mind (Daisetsu Teitarõ Suzuki)

4. On Believing in Mind (Daisetsu Teitarõ Suzuki)

5. Words Inscribed on the Believing Mind (Heinrich Dumoulin)

6. Verses On the Faith Mind (Richard B. Clarke)

7. On Faith in Mind (Dusan Pajin)

8. Faith in Mind (Sheng-yen)

9. Trusting In Mind (Hae Kwang)

10. On Trust in the Heart (Christmas Humphreys)

11. Trust in the Heart (Thomas Cleary)

12. Poem on the Trust in the Heart (Thomas Cleary)

13. Trusting In Mind (Stanley Lombardo)

14. Song of Trusting the Heart (translator unknown)

15. A Poetical Manuscript on Belief in the Mind (Katsuki Sekida)

16. The Mind of Absolute Trust (Stephen Mitchell)

17. The Mind of Absolute Trust (Robert F. Olson)

18. The Perfect Way (translator unknown)

Author of the Text

鑑智僧璨

Chien-chih Seng-ts'an (Wade-Giles)

Jianzhi Sengcan (Pinyin) Jian⁴zhi⁴ Seng¹can⁴

Kanchi Sõsan (Japanese)

"Seng-ts'an" is the Buddhist name of the author of the Hsin-hsin Ming, it means "Jewel of the [Buddhist] Community." (Lit. "Sangha-jewel.")

"Chien-chih" is an honorary title given to Seng-ts'an after his death, by Emperor Hsüan-tsung (Gensõ) of the T'ang dynasty. It means "Mirrorlike Wisdom."

Chien-chih Seng-ts'an, the third Ch'an patriarch in China, is also known as:

• Ch'an master Seng-ts'an (Seng-ts'an Ch'an-shih; Sõsan Zenji 僧璨禪師)

• The third patriarch Ch'an master Seng-ts'an (San-tsu Seng-ts'an Ch'an-shih; Sanso Sõsan Zenji 三祖僧璨禪師)

• Great master Chien-chih (Chien-chih Ta-shih; Kanchi Daishi 鑑智大師)

• The third patriarch great master Seng-ts'an (San-tsu Seng-ts'an Ta-shih; Sanso Sõsan Daishi 三祖僧璨大師)

Seng-ts'an is Buddhist name of the third patriarch, his real name is unknown. The following quotations contain information about Chien-chih Seng-ts'an, about which very little is known:

About Seng-ts'an

Sõsan Sêng-ts'an. The third patriarch in the lineage of the Chinese Zen Sect. In 592 he initiated Tao-hsin (Dõshin) into the profound doctrines of zen. He died in 606. After his death, he was given the title of Chien-chih ch'an-shih (Kanchi-zenji) by Emperor Hsüan-tsung (Gensõ) of the T'ang (Tõ) Dynasty. The Hsin-hsin-ming (Shinjimmei) was written by him.

(Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary 342)

About Seng-ts'an

We have little information about the life of the Third Patriarch. His birthplace and birth date are unknown. According to the Denko-roku ("The Transmission of the Lamp"), written by Keizan Zenji (1268-1325), he was a layman over forty years old suffering from leprosy when when he met the Second Patriarch, Hui-k'o (Jap: Eka), for the first time in 551 c.e. Being deeply impressed with this layman's capacity for the Dharma, Hui-k'o shaved the Third Patriarch's head and named him Seng-ts'an (Jewel of the Community). He was gradually cured of his illness and, after they had been practicing together for two years, Hui-k'o gave him the robe and bowl signifying the transmission of the Dharma.

Anticipating the persecution of Buddhists in China prophesied by Bodhidharma, Hui-k'o ordered his successor to hide in the mountains and not to teach. The Third Patriarch remained in seclusion at Ch'ung-kung shan and Ssu-k'ung shan for over twenty-four years. He later met the monk Tao-hsin and transmitted the Dharma to him. After that, the Third Patriarch moved to Lo-fu shan, located northeast of Kung-tung (Canton), for three years. Then he returned to Ch'ung-kung shan and died there in 606 c.e. It is said that he passed away standing under a big tree with his palms together in gassho.

(The Eye That Never Sleeps xv-xvi, Introduction of Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi Roshi)

A Brief History of Seng-ts'an

The author of this Buddhist "hymn," Sengtsan (Sosan), the third (Chinese) Zen patriarch from Dharma, the first Chinese and the twenty-eighth Indian Zen patriarch, lived during the sixth century, dying in 606 A.D. His place of origin is unknown. The conversion of Sengtsan at the hands of Huike (Eka), the Second Patriarch, is recorded in the "Chuantenglu" ("Dentoroku"), Part 3:

Sengtsan asked Huike, saying, "I am diseased: I implore you to cleanse me of my sin". Huike said, "Bring me your sin and I will cleanse you of it". Sengtsan thought for awhile; then said, "I cannot get at it". Huike replied, "Then I have cleansed you of it".

Sengtsan realized, not simply in his mind, but in every bone of his body, that his sinfulness was an illusion, one with that of the illusion of self. As soon as we are aware of our irresponsibility, all the cause of misbehaviour disappears in so far as the cause, (the illusion of the self) is removed. If we have no self, it cannot commit sin. Yet, it must be added, "I can't see how you and I, who don't exist, should get to speaking here, and smoke our pipes, for all the world like reality". (Stevenson, "Fables")

He became the disciple of the Second Patriarch and practiced austerities and led a life of devotion and poverty, receiving the bowl and the robe, insignia of the transmission through Bodhidharma, the First Patriarch (of China) of the Buddha Mind. At this time, one of the periodic persecutions of Buddhism broke out. Sutras and images were burned wholesale; monks and nuns were returned to the lay life. Sengtsan wandered for fifteen years all over the country, avoiding persecution. In 592, he met Taohsin (Doshin), who became the Fourth Patriarch. (R. H. Blyth)

About Seng-ts'an

Seng-ts'an (Jap. Sõsan), d. 606?; the third patriarch (soshigata) of Ch'an (Zen) in China; the dharma successor (hossu) of Hui-k'o and the master of Tao-hsin. Hardly any details are known of the life of the third patriarch. There are, however, many legends about him and his meeting with Hui-k'o. According to one of these legends Seng-ts'an was suffering from leprosy when he met the second patriarch. Hui-k'o is supposed to have encountered him with the words, "You're suffering from leprosy; what could you want from me?" Seng-ts'an is supposed to have replied, "Even if my body is sick, the heart-mind (kokoro) of a sick person is no different from your heart-mind." This convinced Hui-k'o of the spiritual capacity of Seng-ts'an; he accepted him as a student and later confirmed him as his dharma successor and the thirtieth patriarch (third Chinese patriarch) in the lineage of Ch'an (Zen), which begins with Shakyamuni Buddha.

The incident that marked the "transmission from heart-mind to heart-mind" (ishin-denshin) from Hui-k'o to Seng-ts'an is given in the Denkõ-roku as follows:

The thirtieth patriarch Kanchi Daishi [daishi, "great master"] went for instruction) to the twenty-ninth patriarch and asked, "The body of the student is possessed by mortal illness. I beg you, master, wipe away my sins."

The patriarch [Hui-k'o] said, "Bring me your sins here, and I'll wipe them away for you."

The master [Seng-ts'an] sat in silence for a while, the said, "Although I've looked for my sins, I can't find them."

The patriarch said, "In that case I've already thoroughly wiped away your sins. You should live in accordance with Buddha, dharma, and sangha" [sambõ].

It is said that during the Buddhist persecution of the year 574, Seng-ts'an had to feign mental illness in order to escape execution, and that finally he went into hiding for ten years on Mount Huan-kung. His mere presence there is said to have pacified the wild tigers, which until that time had caused great fear among the local people. The authorship of Hsin-hsin-ming (Jap. Shinjinmei) is attributed to Seng-ts'an. It is one of the earliest Ch'an writings. It expounds Ch'an basic principles in poetic form and shows strong Taoist influence. The Hsin-hsin-ming begins with a famous sentence, which comes up again and again in Ch'an (Zen) literature (for instance, in example of the Pi-yen-lu): "The venerable way is not difficult at all; it only abhors picking and choosing." In this early Ch'an poem, the fusion, typical for later Ch'an (Zen), of the mutually congenial teachings of Mahâyâna Buddhism and Taoism appears for the first time.

(The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion 311)

About Seng-ts'an

Next to Hui-k'ê came Sêng-ts'an, who succeeded as the third patriarch. The interview between master and disciple took place in this manner: A layman of forty troubled with fêng-yang¹ according to the Records, came to Hui-k'ê and asked:

'I am suffering from fêng-yang; pray cleanse me of my sins.'

'Bring your sins here,' said Hui-k'ê, 'and I will cleanse you of them.'

The lay-disciple was silent for a while but finally said, 'As I seek my sins, I find them unattainable.'

'I have then finished cleansing you altogether. You should thenceforth take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Samgha (Brotherhood), and abide therein.'

'As I stand before you, O master,' asked Sêng-ts'an, 'I know that you belong to the Brotherhood, but pray tell me what are the Buddha and the Dharma?'

Replied the master: 'Mind is the Buddha, Mind is the Dharma; and the Buddha and the Dharma are not two. The same is to be said of the Brotherhood (samgha).'

This satisfied the disciple, who now said, 'Today for the first time I realize that sins are neither within nor without nor in the middle; just as Mind is, so is the Buddha, so is the Dharma; they are not two.'²

He was then ordained by Hui-k'ê as a Buddhist monk, and after this he fled from the world altogether, and nothing much of his life is known. This was partly due to the persecution of Buddhism carried on by the Emperor of the Chou dynasty. It was in the twelfth year of K'ai-huan of the Sui dynasty (a.d. 592), that he found a disciple worthy to be his sucessor. His name was Tao-hsin. He asked the master:

'Pray show me the way to deliverance.'

'Who has ever put you in bondage.'

'Nobody,'

'If so,' said the master, 'why should you ask for deliverance?'

This put the young novice on the way to final enlightenment, which he attained after many years' study under the master. When Sêng-ts'an thought that the time was ripe to consecrate him as his successor in the faith, he handed him, as the token of the rightful transmission of the Law, the robe which had come down from Bodhidharma, the first patriarch of Zen in China. He died in a.d. 606. While much of his life is obscure, his thought is gleaned from a metrical composition known as Hsin-hsin-ming, or 'Inscribed on the Believing Mind', which is one of the most valuable contributions by the masters to the interpretation of Zen teaching.

(Essays in Zen Buddhism – First Series 195-6)

¹ Understood by some to be leprosy. (Essays in Zen Buddhism – First Series 195 n.1)

² In the Vimalakîrti, chapter iii, 'The Disciples', we have the following: 'Do not worry about the sins you have committed, O monks,' said Vimalakîrti. 'Why?' Because sins are in their essence neither within nor without nor in the middle. As the Buddha taught us, all things are defiled when Mind is defiled; all things are pure when Mind is pure; and Mind is neither within nor without nor in the middle. As is Mind, so are sins and defilements, so are all things – they never transcend the suchness of truth.'

(Essays in Zen Buddhism – First Series 195 n.2)

Seng-ts'an in the Transmission of the Light

Translation of chapter 31 of the Transmission of the Light¹, by Japanese Zen Master Keizan Jõkin² (1268-1325):

Sengcan said to the Zen master Huike, "I am riddled with sickness; please absolve me of my sin." Huike said, "Bring me your sin and I will absolve you." After a long pause, Sengcan said, "When I look for my sin I cannot find it." Huike said, "I have absolved you. You should live by the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community."

It is not known where Sengcan came from. When he visited Zen master Huike, he was a layman over forty years of age. He did not say his name, but came to the Zen master and asked for relief from his illness, as told in the story.

When Huike told him to live by the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community, Sengcan said, "I can see you are a monk, a member of the Buddhist community; what are the Buddha and the Teaching?" Huike said, "This mind is Buddha, this mind is the Teaching; the Teaching and the Buddha are not separate. This is also true of the Community."

Sengcan said, "Today for the first time I have realized that the essence of sin is not inside, not outside, not in between. So it is also of mind. Buddha and the Teaching are not separate either." Huike regarded him as having the capacity for the teching, so he had him ordained as a monk and named him Sengcan, which means "Light of the Religious Community." After this his sickness gradually healed.

Sengcan attended Huike for two years. Then Huike said to him, "The great teacher Bodhidharma came here to China from India, and gave me both the robe and the teaching. Now I entrust them to you." He also said, "Although you have attained the teaching, for the time being you should go into the mountains and not teach publicly. There will be trouble in this country."

Sengcan said, "Since you know about this, please give me some instructions." Huike said. "It is not that I know – this is the prediction given to Bodhidharma by Prajnatara, who said, 'Inside the heart is auspicious, but outside is bad luck.' According to my calculations, this prediction refers to your generation. Think about these words and don't get caught up in worldly problems."

After that Sengcan lived in seclusion in the mountains for ten years. This was the time that the Martial Emperor of the Wei dynasty persecuted the Buddhist religion. Because of this Sengcan changed his appearance and stayed in the mountains, dwelling in no fixed place.

While in this condition Sengcan met the novice Daoxin, who was to become his successor. He said to Daoxin, "After my teacher transmitted Zen to me, he went to the big city and spent thirty years there. Now that I have found you, why should I stay here?" Then we went to another mountain, but later returned to his old abode. The local people flocked to him and offered support. He gave extensive explanations of the essence of mind for the people, then at a religious meeting he died under a tree. His Poem on the Trust in the Heart was recorded and circulates even today. Later he was given the title Master of Mirrorlike Knowledge.

The sickness plaguing him in his first meeting with Huike was leprosy. But as he associated with the Zen master, his sickness disappeared. There is nothing special about this story: understanding that the nature of sin is ungraspable, he realized that the nature of mind is originally pure. Thus he heard that the Buddha and the Truth are not separate, that mind and reality are thus. When you really know the original mind, there is no difference in dying in one place and being born in another – how much less could there be any distinction of sin and virtue there! Thus the body-mind after all does not exist; we are fundamentally free from skin, flesh, bones, and marrow. Therefore his disease disappeared and his original mind appeared.

In expounding the essence of the teaching, Sengcan said, "The supreme Way is without difficulty – it is only averse to discrimination." In conclusion he said, "There is no way to talk about it – it is not of the past, future, or present." Really there is no inside or outside, no in between – what would you choose, what reject? You cannot take, you cannot leave. Once you have no hate or love, you are empty and clear. At no time do you lack, nothing is extra.

Yet even so, investigate throughly to reach the point of ungraspability, to arrive at the realm of ungraspability. Without becoming nihilistic, not being like wood or stone, you should be able to "strike space and make an echo, tie lightning to make a form." Carefully observe the realm where there are no tracks or traces, yet don't hide there. If you can be like this, even though "that is not the present phenomena, it is not within reach of ear or eye," you should see without hindrance, you should comprehend without deviation.

Can we add a discerning word to this story?

Essential emptiness has no inside or outside –

Sin and virtue leave no traces there.

Mind and Buddha are fundamentally thus;

The Teaching and Community are clear.

(Transmission of Light 129-131 Sengcan)

Notes

¹ Denkõroku 傳光錄伝光録

² Keizan Jõkin 瑩山紹瑾

Notes on the Chinese Names and Terms Used in the Quotations

Chinese ideograms of some of the Chinese terms used in the above quotations:

1. The second patriarch Shen-kuang Hui-k'o (Shinkõ Eka, 487-593) (神光慧可).

2. Ching-te Record of the Transmission of the Lamp (Ching-te Ch'uan-teng Lu, Keitoku Dentõroku

景德傳燈錄景徳伝灯録).

3. The meaning of feng-yang (風恙) is not clear. Some authors think that it is leprosy (lepra, or Hansen's disease). The related

Chinese word feng means paralysis, leprosy, or insanity. (See Ilza Veith, The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine p. 49

feng 瘋).

4. Tao-hsin (Dõshin 道信).

5. The title, Master of "Mirrorlike Wisdom" is "Chien-chih" (鑑智).

The Dharma Transmission From Hui-k'o to Seng-ts'an

The incident that marked the Dharma transmission from Hui-k'o to Seng-ts'an is related in the chapter 31 of the Transmission of the Light (Denkõroku), by Japanese Zen Master Keizan Jõkin (1268-1325), as follows:

[The interview between Seng-ts'an and master Hui-k'o took place in the following manner:]

弟子身纏風恙、請和尚懺罪。

I am riddled with sickness; please absolve me of my sin.

將罪來、與汝懺。

Bring me your sin and I will absolve you.

覓罪不可得。

When I look for my sin I cannot find it.

與汝懺罪竟。宜依佛法僧住。

I have absolved you. You should live by the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community.

Seng-ts'an asked Hui-k'o:

今見和尚、已知是僧。未審何名佛、法。

I can see you are a monk, a member of the Buddhist community; what are the Buddha and the Teaching?

是心是佛、是心是法、法佛無二、僧寶亦然。

This mind is Buddha, this mind is the Teaching; the Teaching and the Buddha are not separate. This is also true of the Community.

今日始知罪性不在内、不在外、不在中間、如其心然、佛法無二也。

Today for the first time I have realized that the essence of sin is not inside, not outside, not in between. So it is also of mind. Buddha and the Teaching are not separate either.

師深器之、即爲剃髪、云、是吾寶也。宜名僧璨。

Hui-k'o saw that Seng-ts'an's understanding is profound, he shaved his head and said: This is my treasure. I name him Seng-ts'an.

Seng-ts'an attended Hui-k'o for two years. Then Hui-k'o said to him,

菩提達磨遠自竺乾、以正法眼藏并信衣密付於吾、吾今授汝。汝當守護、無令斷絕。

Bodhidharma came here to China from India, and gave me both the robe and the teaching. Now I entrust them to you.

Hui-k'o gave him Bodhidharma's robe and bowl signifying the transmission of the Dharma. He said:

汝受吾教、宜處深山、未可行化、當有國難。

Although you have attained the teaching, for the time being you should go into the mountains and not teach publicly. There will be trouble in this country.

Seng-ts'an said:

師既預知、願垂示誨。

Since you know about this, please give me some instructions.

非吾知也。斯乃達磨傳般若多羅懸記云、｢心中雖吉外頭凶｣是也。吾校年代、正在于汝。

汝當諦思前言、勿罹世難。然吾亦有宿累、今要酬之。善去善行、俟時傳付。師付囑已、即往鄴都、隨宜説法。

It is not that I know – this is the prediction given to Bodhidharma by Prajnatara¹, who said, "Inside the heart is auspicious, but outside is bad luck." According to my calculations, this prediction refers to your generation. Think about these words and don't get caught up in worldly problems.

¹ The 27th Buddhist patriarch in India and Bodhidharma's master Prajnatara, his name means "Pearl of Wisdom" (般若多羅).

The Dharma Transmission From Seng-ts'an to Tao-hsin

Tao-hsin asked Seng-ts'an:

願和尚慈悲、乞與解脱法門。

Pray show me the way to deliverance.

誰縛汝。

Who has ever put you in bondage?

無人縛。

Nobody has put me in bondage.

更何求解脱。

If so, why should you ask for deliverance?

With these words, Tao-hsin attained his final enlightenment.

Problem of Authorship

Although the third patriarch Seng-ts'an has historically been accepted as the author of the Hsin-hsin Ming, contemporary scholarship doubts whether he was in fact the author. There is no record that Hui-k'o or Seng-ts'an ever wrote anything. The expressions and idioms used in the work have caused certain scholars to place the date of its composition in a later year.

Niu-t'ou Fa-jung¹ (594-657), a disciple of Tao-hsin, composed a poem called Mind Inscription² (Hsin Ming) and the similarity between the Hsin-hsin Ming and the Hsin Ming has caused scholars to speculate that Hsin-hsin Ming was actually written after the time of the sixth patriarch Hui-neng³ (638-713), as an improved, condensed version of the Mind Inscription.

According to Japanese scholars Nishitani Keiji and Yanagida Seizan, the Hsin-hsin Ming was composed in the eighth century, two centuries after Seng-ts'an (see Nishitani Keiji and Yanagida Seizan, eds., Zenke Goroku⁴ vol.2; Tõkyõ: Chikuma Shobõ, 1974, pp. 105-112). Yanagida Seizan also suspects that the Hsin-hsin Ming is the work of the fourth patriarch Tao-hsin (580-651). Chinese scholar Yin-shun shares this opinion in his Chung-kuo Ch'an-tsung Shih⁵, pp. 52-60.

Some scholars also believe that the author of the Hsin-hsin Ming was not Seng-ts'an but the fourth Ch'an patriarch Tao-hsin. As observed in most religious and spiritual traditions, putting down to writing what one's master recited was a common practice. It is therefore also possible, as some scholars suspect, that Seng-ts'an only recited the poem, and it was later written by one of his disciples.

Notes

¹ Niu-t'ou Fa-jung (Gozu Hõyû 牛頭法融)

² Hsin Ming (Shinmei 心銘)

³ Hui-neng Ta-chien (Enõ Daikan 慧能大鑑)

⁴ Zenke Goroku (禅家語録)

⁵ Chung-kuo Ch'an-tsung Shih (中国禅宗史)

Written Sources of the Text

There were no separately published editions of the Hsin-hsin Ming. The classical source of the Hsin-hsin Ming is the chapter 30 of the Transmission of the Lamp. Full title of this work is Ching-te Record of the Transmission of the Lamp¹ and it is found in the Japanese canon of Buddhist sûtras titled Taishõ Daizõkyõ², vol. 48, No. 2010.

Two Tun-huang manuscripts³ containing the text of the Hsin-hsin Ming were discovered in 1926 (Pelliot 2104, 4638; Stein 4037, 5692). Presently, one of these manuscripts is in Paris and the other in London. The manuscripts were collated by Kim Ku-Kyông⁴ in 1931 and later reprinted in the Taishõ Shinshû Daizõkyõ⁵, 85.1283-1290. One of the manuscripts is the Record of the Masters and Disciples of the Lankâ⁶ which contains historical information about the first Ch'an patriarchs (Pelliot 3436, Stein 2054). There are minor variations between the Taishõ Daizõkyõ version and the versions in the Tun-huang manuscripts.

In one of the Tun-huang manuscripts, the Hsin-hsin Ming is conjoined with another famous Ch'an poem, the Song of Realizing the Way⁷ of Ch'an master Yung-chieh Hsüan-chüeh⁸ (Yõka Genkaku, 655-713). This text also contains twenty-four verses of the popular edition of the book published and circulated under the title Ch'an-men Mi-yao-chüeh⁹ (Zenmon Hiyõketsu) (Pelliot 2104, 4638; Stein 4037, 5692). There is also a popular edition of the poem, with variant characters and verses, titled Faith-Mind Inscription of the Third Patriarch of Sui Dynasty¹⁰.

Notes

¹ Ching-te Ch'uan-teng Lu (Keitoku Dentõroku 景德傳燈錄景徳伝灯録)

² Taishõ Daizõkyõ (大正大藏經大正大蔵経)

³ Tonkõhon (敦煌本)

⁴ 金九經

⁵ Taishõ Shinshû Daizõkyõ (大正新修大藏經大正新修大蔵経)

⁶ Leng‑chia Shih-tzu Chi (Ryõga Shijiki 楞伽師資記)

⁷ Cheng-tao-ko, Shõdõka (證道歌証道歌)

⁸ 永嘉玄覺

⁹ Ch'an-men Mi-yao Chüeh (Zenmon Hiyõketsu 禪門秘要決)

¹⁰ Sui-chao San-tsu Hsin-hsin Ming (Zuichõ Sanso Shinjinmei 隨朝三祖信心銘)

The Hsin-hsin Ming

The title of the Hsin-hsin Ming may be explained in the following way:

信

Hsin means "belief" or "faith." This is not the faith in the ordinary sense, it is a belief that comes from firsthand experience, a faith which arise out of supreme knowledge and wisdom of enlightenment. This "believing" is an affirmation that all existence or reality is essentially the Buddha mind, which is our true nature. Hsin is the conviction that at the bottom of all phenomena lies the One Mind, the Buddha mind, which is one with our real nature, the Buddha-nature.

心

Hsin literally means "heart." It means mind, not the deluded mind of the ignorant but the Buddha-mind. Hsin is the mind that merge with the all-encompassing One Mind.

銘

Ming literally means "inscription." It means written expression or record. Ming also means warnings or admonitions.

Hsin-hsin Ming is one of the earliest and most influential Zen writings. It is usually referred to as the first Zen poem. It consists of 146 unrhymed four-character¹ verses² (lines), total 584 characters³. The Hsin-hsin Ming was composed in shih⁴ form. Shih was the principal poetic form in use in the early period, it is first used in the Book of Odes⁵ (Shih-ching, Shikyõ). Like the early shih, the Hsin-hsin Ming consists of lines that are 4-characters in length, but contrary to most shih, no end rhyme is employed in the poem.

As a characteristic of shih, one line usually constitutes a single syntactical unit. Since one character represents one syllable, and since classical Chinese is basically monosyllabic, this means that there are usually four words to a line. Lines tend to be end-stopped, with few run-on lines, so that the efffect is of a series of brief and compact utterances.

This concise form of four characters a line is shorter than the general run of Chinese verse, which usually has five or seven characters per line. Economy, even starkness of expression is a characteristic of the Hsin-hsin Ming. It is more of a verse than poetry and its brevity is one of the peculiar characteristics of this famous work. Its contents is closer to the Buddhist sûtras than poems. In fact, the Hsin-hsin Ming can be regarded as a sûtra. Many verses are like a short Zen saying and therefore can be taken as if they are a single-sentence Zen maxim. The original text was not divided in stanzas. Some translators divided the poem in different ways, with or without adding numbers to them.

The Hsin-hsin Ming has an important place In Ch'an Buddhist tradition. The poem has been very influential in Zen circles and many important commentaries were written on it. The opening stanza, "The best way is not difficult. It only excludes picking and choosing," is quoted by many Zen masters as well as in the classical Zen works such as the Blue Cliff Records⁶. Along with the following influential poems, it is considered as a poem which reveals the essence of Zen philosophy:

1. Song of Realizing the Way

Cheng-tao-ko (Shõdõka, 證道歌)

(variant title 証道歌)

by Ch'an master Yung-chieh Hsüan-chüeh (Yõka Genkaku, 655-713 永嘉玄覺)

2. Harmony of Difference and Sameness

Ts'an-t'ung-ch'i (Sandõkai 參同契)

by Ch'an master Shih-t'ou Hsi-ch'ien (Sekitõ Kisen, 700-790 石頭希遷)

3. Song of Precious Mirror Samadhi

Pao-ching San-mei-ko (Hõkyõ Zanmaika 寶鏡三昧歌)

by Ch'an master Tung-shan Liang-chieh (Tõsan Ryõkai, 807-869 洞山良价)

4. Mind Inscription

Hsin Ming (Shinmei 心銘)

by Ch'an master Niu‑t'ou Fa-jung (Gozu Hõyû, 594-657 牛頭法融)

5. Mind King Inscription

Hsin-wang Ming (Shinnõmei 心王銘)

by Ch'an master Fu-hsi (Fukyû, ?-569 傅翕)

The title of the work bears resemblance to three previously composed poems:

1. Mind King Inscription

Hsin-wang Ming (Shinnõmei 心王銘)

by Ch'an master Fu-hsi (Fukyû, ?-569 傅翕)

2. Inscription of Stopping the Mind

Hsi-hsin Ming (Sokushinmei 息心銘)

by Chou dynasty (1050-256 b.c.) Ch'an master Wang-ming (Bõmei 亡名)

3. Enlightenment-Mind Inscription

Wu-hsin Ming (Goshinmei 悟心銘)

by Elder Yüan-yin (Yüan-yin Lao-jen; Gen'on Rõnin 元音老人)

Another important Ch'an poem Mind Inscription (Hsin Ming; Shinmei 心銘), bears a similar title and it is influenced by the Hsin-hsin Ming. This poem attributed to Ch'an master Niu‑t'ou Fa-jung⁷ (Gozu Hõyû) has many points in common with the Hsin-hsin Ming, their contents as well as styles are similar.

A unique aspect of the Hsin-hsin Ming is the particular Taoist concepts it contains, the poem, therefore, blends together Buddhist and Taoist teachings. Words of Taoist origin such as non‑action (wu‑wei⁸), no‑mind (wu‑hsin⁹), one‑mind (i-hsin¹⁰), spontaneity (tzu‑jan¹¹), vacuity (hsü¹²), and deep meaning (hsüan-chih¹³) clearly shows the profound influence that Taoism had on Zen.

Notes

¹ Four-character (four-word) (ssu-yen 四言)

² Verse (kou 句)

³ Character (tzu 字)

⁴ Shih (詩)

⁵ Shih-ching (Shikyõ 詩經詩経)

⁶ Case 57, Pi-yen Lu (Hekiganroku 碧巖錄碧巌録)

⁷ Niu‑t'ou Fa-jung (Gozu Hõyû, 594-657 牛頭法融)

⁸ 無爲

⁹ 無心

¹⁰ 一心

¹¹ 自然

¹² 虚

¹³ 玄旨

The following quotations contain further information on the Hsin-hsin Ming:

Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi Rõshi

The famous Hsin hsin ming (Jap: Shin jin mei) is known as the first Zen poem. It consists of 146 four-word lines, directly and vividly expressing the Zen spirit in a simple, compact form. An outstanding characteristic of the poem is that it is written in genuine Chinese without using any Sanskrit or Pali Buddhist terms.

The main themes expressed in the Hsin hsin ming derive from Two Entries and Four Acts, one of the few authentic writings of the great Zen Patriarch Bodhidharma, who brought Buddhism from India to China in the sixth century. The roots of Bodhidharma's work can be traced to the Vimalakirtinirdesa Sutra, written sometime before the third century c.e. in India. Even though authorship of the Hsin hsin ming is traditionally attributed to the Third Patriarch, Chien-chih Seng-ts'an (Jap: Kanchi Sosan), the idioms employed in the poem have caused some scholars to place the date of its composition in a later year.

[. . .]

The title Hsin hsin ming is translated as Verses on the Faith Mind. The title of a poem is sometimes likened to the forehead, which expresses a person's unique characteristics. In Hsin hsin ming, hsin is generally understood as "faith." However, the word is also used in a different sense in the context of the verses, as, for example, at the very end:

Hsin hsin pu erh 信心不二

Faith mind are not two

Pu erh hsin hsin 不二信心

Nondual faith mind

The translator renders these lines as:

To live in this faith is the road to nonduality

because the nondual is one with the trusting mind.

In this context, faith does not have the usual meaning of "having faith in something," but rather that faith is the very fact of existence or reality itself. Dogen Zenji says, "Without attaining Buddhahood, the faith won't manifest. Where the faith manifests, Buddhas and Patriarchs manifest" (Shobogenzo). The Nirvana Sutra says, "Great faith is no other than Buddha nature." Kozan Garyu says that "one thousand seven hundred koans are all together the expression of this mind."

The word ming means "written expression" and also "warnings or admonitions," hence the title means "the verbal expression of the fact that the very nature of existence and of all the phenomenal world are no other than the faith mind." The Hsin hsin ming declares:

Although all dualities come from the one

Do not be attached even to this One.

That is to say, at the bottom of the two there is one and at the bottom of one there is zero. And that zero is "just this," the unborn one Mind, which is the faith mind.

From the time of its composition up to the present day, the Hsin hsin ming has been published and translated repeatedly by various scholars and appreciated by different Chinese and Japanese masters, who have written numerous commentaries on it. The masters' frequent references to the poem have authenticated it as a genuine expression of the spirit of Zen.

In the Sung dynasty, the verse Hsin hsin ming nien-ku of Chen-hsieh Ch'ing-liao (Jap: Shinketsu Seiryo, 1088-1151) was the first major commentary. Two centuries later, in the Yuan dynasty, Chung-feng Ming-pen (Jap: Chuho Myohun, 1263-1323) commented on the Hsin hsin ming. In 1667, during the Ming dynasty, Wei-lin (Jap: I Rin) wrote Hsin hsin ming chu-yu (Jap: Jakugo).

The founder of the Japanese Soto School, Dogen Zenji (1200-1253), quoted a number of passages from the Hsin hsin ming in his Eihei-koroku, written in Chinese. In 1303, Keizan Zenji, the cofounder of the Japanese Soto School, wrote the most famous Japanese commentaries on the verse, known as the Hsin hsin ming nentei ("Teisho on the Hsin hsin ming). In 1781, during the Edo period, Kozan Garyu wrote a commentary, the Hsin hsin ming yatosui, which also contains Chen-hsieh Ch'ing-liao's verse and Keizan's Nentei. Rinzai master Isshi Benshu (1608-1646) also wrote a major commentary in Japanese entitled the Hsin hsin ming benchu.

In modern times, several Japanese commentaries have been written. Among the most famous are the commentaries by Kodo Sawaki Roshi on Keizan Zenji's Hsin hsin ming nentei and by Kodo Akino Roshi on Kozan Garyu's Hsin hsin ming yatosui. In addition, Ian Kishizawa Roshi has written the Hsin hsin ming kattoshu. D.T. Suzuki also gave concise, pithy comments on the Hsin hsin ming. The most recent commentary was written by Koun Yamada Roshi. (The Eye That Never Sleeps xv-xviii)

Thomas Cleary

"Huike's successor Sengcan, is traditionally credited with authorship of 'The Trusting Heart,' one of the earliest and most enduringly popular works on Zen. Quotations from this favorite work appear throughout later Zen literature. Generally speaking, it is a guide to Zen meditation, but the unifying theme is mental balance. Many of the Zen instructions translated in the present volume are very much in the spirit of this early Zen classic." (Zen Essence 93)

Heinrich Dumoulin

"a poem attributed to the Third Patriarch, Seng-ts'an (d. 606), 'Words Inscribed on the Believing Mind.' Part of the poem reads: 'When the one mind does not arise, the myriad things (dharma) are no obstacle./When there is no obstacle, no thing appears./And when no thing appears, there is no mind.' As D.T. Suzuki makes clear in his English paraphrase, these verses should not be understood in a nihilistic sense. The key idea of the poem is the unity of nondualistic reality. For the enlightened mind, all duality is overcome."

(Zen Buddhism: A History, Japan 280)

Christmas Humphreys

"Here, then, to conclude, is an extract from the glorius poem of the third Chinese Patriarch Seng-ts'an which he called 'On Trust in the Heart'. It may be asked why, as it seems the most simple, it is put at the end of so much harder reading. The answer is that although it is simple it is at the same time enormously profound, and until it is realized that these are not moral maxims for the class-room, but fragments from a vast and deep experience, the quintessence of all the teaching that has gone before, they will not be appreciated at their true value." (Zen – A Way of Life 127)

Author Unknown

Suzuki sensei's fine translation of Seng-ts'an's 'Hsin-hsin-ming' ('On Believing in Mind,' pages 76-82), the very first verse treatise on Zen – which in the original Chinese takes up just two thirds of a page in the more than 100,000 pages of 'Taisho' – a text which embodies the quintessence of Zen and that deserves to be far better known.

(From a book review of Manual of Zen Buddhism by D.T. Suzuki)

The Original Text

The original text of the Hsin-hsin Ming with obsolete Chinese ideograms.

言但若極無十要非一契兩泯一眼夢迷法六不任執大一境無二二前歸多一止莫圓違毫至　三

語能不大在方急思切心既其如若幻生無塵好性之道空由咎由見空根言種動逐同順釐道　祖

道如如同不智相量不平不所體不虚寂異不勞合失體同能無一不轉得多不歸有太相有無　僧

斷是此小在者應處留等成以玄睡華亂法惡神道度寛兩境法有住變旨慮通止縁虚爭差難　璨

非何必不十皆唯識無所一不兀諸何悟妄還何逍必無齊能不一慎皆隨轉兩止勿無是天唯　大

去慮不見方入言情可作何可爾夢勞無自同用遙入易含由生亦莫由照不處更住欠爲地嫌　師

來不須邊目此不難記倶有方忘自把好愛正疏絶邪無萬境不莫追妄失相失彌空無心懸揀　信

今畢守表前宗二測憶息爾比縁除捉惡著覺親惱路難象能心守尋見宗應功動忍餘病隔擇　心

　信一有極宗不眞虚狐究止萬心得一將智欲繫放小不欲能一纔不須絶遣唯一良不欲但　銘

　心即即小非二如明疑竟動法若失切心者取念之見見知隨心有用臾言有滯種由識得莫

　不一是同促皆法自盡窮無齊不是二用無一乖自狐精兩境不是求返絶沒兩平取玄現憎

　二切無大延同界照淨極動觀異非邊心爲乘眞然疑麤段滅生非眞照慮有邊懷捨旨前愛

　不一無忘一無無不正不動歸萬一良豈愚勿昏體轉寧元境萬紛唯勝無從寧泯所徒莫洞

　二切即絶念不他勞信存止復法時由非人惡沉無急有是逐法然須卻處空知然以勞存然

　信即是境萬包無心調軌無自一放斟大自六不去轉偏一能無失息前不背一自不念順明

　心一有界年容自力直則止然如卻酌錯縛塵好住遲黨空沉咎心見空通空種盡如靜逆白

The Text with Japanese "Current Characters" (Tõyõ Kanji)

In the following text, the obsolete characters in the original text are replaced with newer, simplified characters used in contemporary Japanese. These newer characters are indicated with gray font color.

言但若極無十要非一契両泯一眼夢迷法六不任執大一境無二二前帰多一止莫円違毫至　三

語能不大在方急思切心既其如若幻生無塵好性之道空由咎由見空根言種動逐同順釐道　祖

道如如同不智相量不平不所体不虚寂異不労合失体同能無一不転得多不帰有太相有無　僧

断是此小在者応処留等成以玄睡華乱法悪神道度寛両境法有住変旨慮通止縁虚争差難　璨

非何必不十皆唯識無所一不兀諸何悟妄還何逍必無斉能不一慎皆随転両止勿無是天唯　大

去慮不見方入言情可作何可爾夢労無自同用遥入易含由生亦莫由照不処更住欠為地嫌　師

來不須辺目此不難記倶有方忘自把好愛正疏絶邪無万境不莫追妄失相失弥空無心懸揀　信

今畢守表前宗二測憶息爾比縁除捉悪著覚親悩路難象能心守尋見宗応功動忍余病隔択　心

　信一有極宗不真虚狐究止万心得一将智欲繋放小不欲能一纔不須絶遣唯一良不欲但　銘

　心即即小非二如明疑竟動法若失切心者取念之見見知随心有用臾言有滞種由識得莫

　不一是同促皆法自尽窮無斉不是二用無一乖自狐精両境不是求返絶没両平取玄現憎

　二切無大延同界照浄極動観異非辺心為乘真然疑麁段滅生非真照慮有辺懐捨旨前愛

　不一無忘一無無不正不動帰万一良豈愚勿昏体転寧元境萬紛唯勝無従寧泯所徒莫洞

　二切即絶念不他労信存止復法時由非人悪沈無急有是逐法然須却処空知然以労存然

　信即是境万包無心調軌無自一放斟大自六不去転偏一能無失息前不背一自不念順明

　心一有界年容自力直則止然如却酌錯縛塵好住遅党空沈咎心見空通空種尽如静逆白

Translation of the Text

Translated by Prof. Dusan Pajin of Belgrade University, Yugoslavia

F

1

唯嫌揀擇

it only excludes picking and choosing.

洞然明白

it will enlighten itself.

天地懸隔

and heaven and earth are set apart.

莫存順逆

do not be for or against.

是爲心病

makes the mind sick.

徒勞念靜

it is useless to quiet thoughts.

無欠無餘

with nothing lacking, nothing in excess.

所以不如

there is no suchness.

         1

勿住空忍

do not dwell in emptiness.

泯然自盡

everything will stop by itself.

止更彌動

and rest will move you again.

寧知一種

how will you know oneness?

二處失功

you will miss in two ways.

從空背空

following emptiness you are always behind it.

轉不相應

the more you will go astray.

無處不通

                                    信心銘

Faith-Mind Inscription

至道無難

The best way is not difficult

但莫憎愛

Once you stop loving and hating

毫釐有差

Depart for a hairbreadth

欲得現前

If you want it to appear

違順相爭

To set longing against loathing

不識玄旨

Not knowing the deep meaning (of the way)

圓同太虚

Complete it is like great vacuity

良由取捨

When you grasp and reject

莫逐有縁

Do not follow conditions,

一種平懷

Cherishing oneness in the hearth,

止動歸止

Rest to stop motion,

唯滯兩邊

If you are merely in either,

一種不通

Not understanding oneness

遣有沒有

Expelling being you will be without it,

多言多慮

The more words and thoughts

絶言絶慮

and there is nothing you cannot understand.

隨照失宗

following the outcome you lose the source.

勝卻前空

and surpass the emptiness of things.

皆由妄見

all have their cause in ignorance.

         1

唯須息見

only abstain from views.

慎勿追尋

be careful not to pursue them.

紛然失心

and mind is lost in confusion.

一亦莫守

however, do not even maintain the one.

萬法無咎

then everything is without blame.

不生不心

no arising, no mind.

境逐能沈

the object is expelled when the subject sinks.

能由境能

the subject is related to the object.

元是一空

their origin is one emptiness.

齊含萬象

evenly containing innumerable forms.

         1

寧有偏黨

and you will not be for or against.

無易無難

neither easy nor difficult.

轉急轉遲

now in haste, then too late.

必入邪路

                                                   Stop speaking, stop thinking

歸根得旨

Return to the root and obtain the purport;

須臾返照

For a moment turn inward,

前空轉變

Changes that go on in emptiness

不用求眞

Do not seek the true,

二見不住

Do not dwell in dual views,

纔有是非

The slightest trace of right and wrong

二由一有

One being is the source of the two,

一心不正

With one mind there is no arising,

無咎無法

No blame, no things;

能隨境滅

The subject follows when the object ceases

境由能境

The object is related to the subject

欲知兩段

If you want to know these two

一空兩同

In one emptiness both are equal

不見精

Do not differentiate coarse and fine

大道體寛

The great way is all‑embracing

小見狐疑

Small views are irresolute, full of doubt,

執之失度

and you will go astray.

體無去住

essence neither goes nor abides.

逍遙絶惱

and go free of troubles.

昏沈不好

it darkens, sinks and spoils.

何用疏親

of what use are strange and familiar?

         1

勿惡六塵

do not dislike the six sense‑objects.

還同正覺

turns out equal to perfect awakenness.

愚人自縛

the fool ties himself.

妄自愛著

ignorance leads to preference.

豈非大錯

is it not a great mistake?

悟無好惡

awakening negates liking and disliking.

妄自斟酌

lead to absurd consideration.

何勞把捉

why strive to grasp them?

一時放卻

away with this once for all.

諸夢自除

all dreams stop by themselves.

         1

萬法一如

all things are of one suchness.

兀爾忘縁

resolutely neglect conditions.

                                                   Grasp beyond measure

放之自然

Letting go leads to spontaneity,

任性合道

Accord your nature with the way

　念乖眞

Fettered thinking strays from the real,

不好勞神

To weary the spirit is not good;

欲取一乘

In following the One vehicle

六塵不惡

Not disliking the six sense‑objects

智者無爲

The wise performs through non‑action,

法無異法

Things are not different,

將心用心

To use the mind to hold the mind,

迷生寂亂

Out of confusion arise rest and disturbance;

一切二邊

All opposite sides

夢幻虚華

Dreams, illusions, flowers in the air,

得失是非

Profit and loss, right and wrong;

眼若不睡

If the eyes are not closed

心若不異

If the mind does not discriminate

一如體玄

In the deep essence of one suchness

歸復自然

you return again to spontaneity.

不可方比

and nothing can be compared.

動止無止

set rest in motion and there is no resting.

一何有爾

how will one be for you?

不存軌則

and there is no principle or rule retained.

所作倶息

which stops every action.

1

正信調直

true faith is firm and harmonized.

無可記憶

nothing to remember.

不勞心力

power of the mind is not exerted.

識情難測

sense or feeling cannot fathom this.

無他無自

there is neither other nor self.

唯言不二

only express non‑duality.

無不包容

nothing is left out.

皆入此宗

all belong to this teaching.

一念萬年

beyond a moment, or an eon.

十方目前

everywhere in front of the eyes.

忘絶境界

when boundaries are forgotten.

萬法齊觀

When all things are beheld as even

泯其所以

Put an end to the cause

止動無動

Cease movement and no movement arises;

兩既不成

When both do not make a whole

究竟窮極

Investigate to the end

契心平等

Accord the mind with Impartiality

狐疑盡淨

All doubts are cleared,

一切不留

Nothing is detained,

虚明自照

Vacuous, enlightened, self‑illumined;

非思量處

Thought is useless here,

眞如法界

In the real suchness of the thing‑realm

要急相應

Swiftly to accord with that

不二皆同

In non-duality all is equal,

十方智者

The wise from all directions

宗非促延

This teaching is not urgent, or extensive,

無在不在

Not here, not there,

極小同大

Very small and large are equal,

不見邊表

the limits cannot be seen.

無即是有

with non‑being there is being.

必不相守

do not hold on to it.

一切即一

all is one.

何慮不畢

worry not for finality.

不二信心

Non‑duality is faith in mind.

非去來今

with no past, present, future.

極大同小

Very large and small are equal,

有即是無

With being there is nonbeing,

若不如此

If not so –

一即一切

One is all,

但能如是

Merely with such ability

信心不二

Faith in mind is non‑dual.

言語道斷

Discourse here stops –

Chinese and Japanese Transcriptions of the Text

For those who want to read the Hsin-hsin Ming in Chinese or Japanese, Chinese and Japanese transcriptions of the text are given here.

Throughout this article, the Tun-huang manuscript version of the text is used. As with most Chinese texts, there are minor differences between various versions of the Hsin-hsin Ming. Variant lines and characters in the Taishõ Daizõkyõ (vol. 48, No. 2010) version are indicated in this section.

1 First lines are Chinese readings (Wade-Giles transcription system).

2 Second lines are Chinese readings (Pinyin transcription system).

3 Third lines are Japanese readings (kanbun yomi kudashi) according to Hepburn transcription system (Hebonshiki).

4 Fourth lines are the translations of Dusan Pajin.

Variant lines and characters are indicated on the right side.

When pronunciations or English translations of the variant characters are the same as the original characters, no variant pronunciations or translations are given.

1 至道無難　唯嫌揀擇

Chih-tao wu-nan. Wei hsien chien-tse.

Zhi⁴dao² wu²nan². Wei² xian² jian³ze².

Shidõ bunan. Tada kenjaku o kirau. (Shidõ bunan. Yui ken kenjaku.)

The best way is not difficult. It only excludes picking and choosing.

3 但莫憎愛　洞然明白

Tan mo tseng-ai, tung-jan ming-pai.

Dan⁴ mo⁴ zeng¹ai⁴, dong⁴ran² ming²bai².

Tada zõai nakunba, tõnen to shite meihaku nari.

Once you stop loving and hating, it will enlighten itself.

5 毫釐有差　天地懸隔

Hao li yu ch'a, t'ien-ti hsüan ke.

Hao² li² you³ cha¹, tian¹di⁴ xuan² ge².

Gõri mo sha areba, tenchi haruka ni hedataru.

Depart for a hairbreadth, and heaven and earth are set apart.

7 欲得現前　莫存順逆

Yü te hsien-ch'ien, mo ts'un shun-ni.

Yu⁴ de² xian⁴qian², mo⁴ cun² shun⁴ni⁴.

Genzen o en to hosseba, jungyaku o zon suru nakare.

If you want it to appear, do not be for or against.

9 違順相爭　是爲心病

Wei-shun hsiang-cheng, shih wei hsin ping.

Wei²shun⁴ xiang¹zheng¹, shi⁴ wei² xin¹ bing⁴.

Ijun ai arasou, kore o shinbyõ to nasu.

To set longing against loathing, makes the mind sick.

11 不識玄旨　徒勞念靜

Pu-shi hsüan-chi, tu lao nien-ching.

Bu⁴shi⁴ xuan²zhi³, tu² lao² nian⁴jing⁴.

Genshi o shirazareba, itazura ni nenjõ ni rõ su.

Not knowing the deep meaning (of the way), it is useless to quiet thoughts.

13 圓同太虚　無欠無餘

Yüan-t'ung tai-hsü, wu-chien, wu-yü.

Yuan²tong² tai⁴xu¹, wu²qian⁴, wu²yu².

Madoka naru koto taikyo ni onaji, kakuru koto naku, amaru koto nashi.

Complete it is like great vacuity, with nothing lacking, nothing in excess.

15 良由取捨　所以不如

Liang yu ch'u-she, so-i pu-ju.

Liang² you² qu³she³, suo³yi³ bu⁴ru².

Makoto ni shusha ni yoru, yue ni funyo nari.

When you grasp and reject, there is no suchness.

17 莫逐有縁　勿住空忍

Mo chu yu yüen, wu chu kung jen.

Mo⁴ zhu² you³ yuan², wu⁴ zhu⁴ kong¹ ren³.

Uen o ou koto nakare, kûnin ni jû suru koto nakare.

Do not follow conditions, do not dwell in emptiness.

19 一種平懷　泯然自盡

I-cheng p'ing huai, ming-jan tzu chin.

Yi¹zhong³ ping² huai², min³ran² zi⁴ jin⁴.

Isshu heikai nareba, minnen to shite onozu kara tsuku.

Cherishing oneness in the hearth, everything will stop by itself.

21 止動歸止　止更彌動

□□□□　二□□□

erh

er⁴

nisho

Chih tung kui chih, chih keng mi tung.

Zhi³ dong⁴ gui¹ zhi³, zhi³ geng⁴ mi² dong⁴.

Dõ o yamete ki ni shi sureba, shi sara ni iyoiyo dõzu.

Rest to stop motion, and rest will move you again.

23 唯滯兩邊　寧知一種

Wei chih liang-pien, ning chih i-chung?

Wei² zhi⁴ liang³bian¹, ning² zhi¹ yi¹zhong³?

Tada ryõhen ni todokooraba, nanzo isshu o shiran ya?

If you are merely in either, how will you know oneness?

25 一種不通　兩處失功

I-chung pu-t'ung, liang-ch'u shih kung.

Yi¹zhong³ bu⁴tong¹, liang³chu³ shi¹ gong¹.

Isshu tsûzezareba, ryõsho ni kõ o shissu.

Not understanding oneness, you will miss in two ways.

27 遣有沒有　從空背空

Ch'ien yu mei yu, ts'ung kung pei kung.

Qian³ you³ mei² you³, cong² kong¹ bei⁴ kong¹.

U o yareba u o bosshi, kû ni shitagaeba kû ni somuku.

Expelling being you will be without it, following emptiness you are always behind it.

29 多言多慮　轉不相應

To yen, to lu chuan pu hsiang-ying.

Duo¹ yan², duo¹ lu⁴ zhuan³ bu⁴ xiang¹ying⁴.

Tagon, taryo utata sõõ sezu.

The more words and thoughts the more you will go astray

31 絶言絶慮　無處不通

Chüeh yen, chüeh lu wu-ch'u pu-t'ung.

Jue² yan², jue² lu⁴ wu²chu³ bu⁴tong¹.

Zetsugon, zetsuryo tokoro to shite tsûzezu to iu koto nashi.

Stop speaking, stop thinking and there is nothing you cannot understand.

33 歸根得旨　隨照失宗

Kui ken te chih. Sui chao shih tsung.

Gui¹ gen¹ de² zhi³. Sui² zhao⁴ shi¹ zong¹.

Kon ni ki sureba shi o e. Shõ ni shitagaeba shû o shissu.

Return to the root and obtain the purport. Following the outcome you lose the source.

35 須臾返照　勝卻前空

Hsü-yü fan-chao, sheng-ch'üeh ch'ien-kung.

Xu¹yu² fan³zhao⁴, sheng⁴que⁴ qian²kong¹.

Shuyu mo hanshõ sureba, zenkû ni shõkyaku su.

For a moment turn inward, and surpass the emptiness of things.

37 前空轉變　皆由妄見

Ch'ien-kung chuan-pien chieh yu wang-chien.

Qian²kong¹ zhuan³bian⁴ jie¹ you² wang⁴jian⁴.

Zenkû no tenpen wa mina mõken ni yoru.

Changes that go on in emptiness all have their cause in ignorance.

39 不用求眞　唯須息見

Pu-yung ch'iu chen, wei hsü hsi-chien.

Bu⁴yong⁴ qiu² zhen¹, wei² xu¹ xi²jian⁴.

Shin o motomuru koto o mochiizare, tada subekaraku ken o yamu beshi.

□□□□　□勿□□

wu

wu⁴

Do not seek the true, only abstain from views.

41 二見不住　慎莫追尋

Erh-chien pu-chu, chen mo chui-hsün.

Er⁴jian⁴ bu⁴zhu⁴, shen⁴ mo⁴ zhui¹xun².

Niken ni jûsezu, tsutsushinde tsuijin suru koto nakare.

Do not dwell in dual views, be careful not to pursue them.

43 纔有是非　紛然失心

Ts'ai yu shih-fei fen-jan shih hsin.

Cai² you³ shi⁴fei¹ fen¹ran² shi¹ xin¹.

Wazuka ni zehi areba funnen to shite shin o shissu.

The slightest trace of right and wrong and mind is lost in confusion.

45 二由一有　一亦莫守

Erh yu i yu, i i mo shou.

Er⁴ you² yi¹ you³, yi¹ yi⁴ mo⁴ shou³.

Ni wa itsu ni yotte ari, itsu mo mata mamoru koto nakare.

One being is the source of the two, however, do not even maintain the one.

47 一心不生　萬法無咎

I-hsin pu-sheng, wang-fa wu-chiu.