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HE
INVESTIGATED THE HUA T'OU, THE MYRIAD DHARMAS RETURN TO ONE trying to
figure out what was meant by "the myriad dharmas return to one.
...AND
DISCOVERED THE MIND GROUND. That is, he became enlightened and understood
clearly the mind ground Dharma-door.
LATER
HE DWELT AT CHI TSU Afterward he went to Yunnan to Chi Tsu (Chicken Foot)
Mountain to live AT A PLACE CALLED CHIN LUNG (GOLDEN DRAGON)
POOL. There
HE FREQUENTLY SAW THE GOLDEN DRAGON APPEAR, flying out of the pool.
HE
ALSO NOTICED THAT THE PEPPER TREE GLOWED WITH LIGHT. THEREFORE HE FOUNDED
A MONASTERY NAMED HUA CHIAO (WILD PEPPER).
ON
THE VERGE OF DEPARTING HE WROTE A VERSE. When he was about to enter
nirvana and go off to rebirth he wrote:
THE
NATURE HAS NOTHING ADDED AND NOTHING TAKEN AWAY.
HOW COULD THERE BE ENLIGHTENMENT OR
CONFUSION?
BASICALLY
IT DOES NOT COME OR GO
IN ITS CLEVER AND STRANGE DISGUISE.
SEVERAL
TIMES AT THE HEIGHT OF MY STRENGTH,
MY MIND IN A PERFECT PLACE,
SITTING,
I SHED THE IRON SKIN OF THE FACE,
THE ONE THAT MY MOTHER BORE.
The
self-nature is not more or less, and does not increase or decrease.
How can it have confusion and enlightenment when basically there isn't any
confusion or any enlightenment? The self-nature also does not come or go;
how very clever and wonderful is the strange style it puts on! A lot of
times when I apply my skill to its maximum, at the height of my strength,
when I reach the ultimate point, my mind at that time is perfect. The
perfection of the mind is also the perfection of the nature. When that
state is reached, while sitting I toss aside the cast iron skin on my
face; the skin of this cast iron face, which was borne by my mother, is
destroyed. Although this skin is really tough, it is stripped off.
THE
PRAISE SAYS:
THE
MYRIAD DHARMAS RETURN TO ONE;
FORGET THE NET ONCE THE FISH ARE CAUGHT.
WHEN
THE WHALE SWALLOWS UP THE SEA
THE CORAL IS EXPOSED.
THE
PEPPER TREE EMITTED LIGHT;
THE GOLDEN DRAGON APPEARED AUSPICIOUSLY.
AT
THE HEIGHT OF STRENGTH THE MINDS PERFECTION
IS INCONCEIVABLE.
ANOTHER
VERSE IN HIS PRAISE SAYS:
IN
A BOAT OF VOWS HE NAVIGATES
THE SEA OF SUFFERING.
HE
UNIVERSALLY FERRIED BEINGS
TO THE OTHER SHORE.
AT
CHICKEN FOOT HE HID AWAY
TO CULTIVATE SAMADHI.
THE
APPEARANCE OF THE DRAGONS HEAD
REVEALED SIX PENETRATIONS.
THE
PEPPER TREE EMITTED LIGHT,
A PROVEN LUCKY SIGN.
GRASS
AND TREES RECEIVED THE MOISTURE
AS HE NURTURED UNUSUAL LEADERS.
THE
SAGE EXPOUNDED THE TEACHING
AND GUIDED THE TEEMING MASSES.
APART
FROM THE MARK OF THE SPOKEN WORD
HE DISPLAYED MYSTERIOUS LIGHT.
IN
A BOAT OF VOWS HE NAVIGATES/THE SEA OF SUFFERING. He set out in a great
boat of vows to come to the Saha world in the sea of suffering to take
people across, and HE UNVERSALLY FERRIED BEINGS/TO THE OTHER SHORE. He
wanted to carry beings across to the other shore.
AT
CHICKEN FOOT HE HID AWAY/TO CULTIVATE SAMADHI, and while he was there THE
APPEARANCE OF THE DRAGONS HEAD/REVEALED SIX PENETRATIONS. The dragon's
head appeared quite often and this made clear that the Master had the six
spiritual penetrations. The wild pepper tree glowed, and this was yet
another auspicious portent.
GRASS
AND TREES RECEIVED THE MOISTURE—the grass represents those of the Small
Vehicle, while the trees represent Bodhisattvas. HE NURTURED UNUSUAL
LEADERS. He created a lot of talent
in the Buddhadharma, he taught a lot
of Buddhist leaders. APART FROM THE MARK OF THE SPOKEN WORD/HE DISPLAYED
MYSTERIOUS LIGHT. Without speaking a single word he manifested an
inconceivable esoteric and wonderful brilliance.
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