Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a stand.
From "Bodhi Verses" by Huineng in the Tang Dynasty
Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a stand.
Buddha nature is always pure, where is the dust!
The heart is the bodhi tree, and the body is the mirror stand.
The bright mirror is originally pure, but it is stained with dust!
Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a stand.
There is nothing in the first place, so where is the dust!
Bodhi can only be found in the heart, so why bother seeking mysteries from outside?
I heard that by practicing this, the West is only now!
Huineng (638-713), whose common surname was Lu, was from Xinzhou, Lingnan (now Xinxing County, Guangdong) in the Tang Dynasty. The founder of Zen Buddhism received the mantle of Hongren, the fifth ancestor of Huangmei, and inherited the Dongshan method. He is the sixth ancestor of Zen, and is known as the sixth ancestor of Zen in the world. Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty was posthumously named Zen Master Dajian. The author of the Sixth Patriarch's "Tan Sutra" has been passed down to the world. He is one of the most influential Buddhist monks in Chinese history. The true body of Zen Master Huineng is enshrined in the Lingzhao Pagoda of Nanhua Temple in Shaoguan, Guangdong.
Appreciation
The first verse is found in the Dunhuang manuscript "Tan Jing". Regarding the origin of this poem, there is a clear record in Sections 4 to 8 of the Tan Sutra: The Fifth Patriarch Hongren "called all his disciples one day" and asked everyone to "compose a verse." He also said, "If you realize the general idea," that is, "I will give you the Dharma and give it to the Sixth Generation." Shenxiu, Hongren's first disciple, wrote a verse in front of the door: "The body is like a Bodhi tree, and the heart is like a mirror stand. I always wipe it diligently to prevent any dust." After Hongren learned about it, "then he called Shenxiu to sit in the hall." He said, "When you write this verse, you have not yet arrived" and "If you are looking for the supreme Bodhi, you will not be able to obtain it." Therefore, he was asked to "write another verse." But "it takes several days to show off, but it won't work." Huineng's verse was written in response to Shenxiu's Wuxiang verse. According to the "Tan Sutra", Huineng was illiterate. He first "asked someone to read" Shenxiu's verses, and then composed this verse and "asked an interpreter to write it on the wall of the west room."
This verse is fundamentally different from the one by Shenxiu in terms of practice methods. Shenxiu's "No Phase Gauge" disqualified him from being the successor of Hongren, but he became the founder of the Beizong sect. Because Shenxiu emphasized "diligently brushing the dust at all times", later generations called it the "Gradual Xiu School" because of his idea of ??"whisking the dust to see it clean". Huineng's poem is a complete negation of Shenxiu's verse, that is, a complete negation of subjective idealism to objective idealism. It directly grasps the key to "seeing one's nature and becoming a Buddha", and is called the "Sudden Enlightenment School".
In the 20th section of the "Tan Sutra", Huineng pointed out: "The human nature of the world is inherently pure, and all dharmas are in its own nature. Thinking about all evil things means doing evil; thinking about all good things means practicing good deeds. ." This is the basis of Huineng's "Epiphany Theory". In his opinion, there is no insurmountable gap between "fools" and "wise men", "good people" and "evil people", and between them and "Buddha". From "confusion" to "enlightenment", it only takes one thought. This idea of ??"putting down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha immediately" not only had a huge effect on the evolution of Buddhism in our country, but also had a significant impact on subsequent Chinese philosophical theories.
The second verse was also written by Huineng in response to Shenxiu's "No Phase verse". It aims to illustrate the purity of the "mirror", that is, the purity of the "self-nature", which is the subjective condition that Buddhists firmly believe can be used by everyone to reach the ideal state. This verse is also found in the Dunhuang manuscript "Tan Jing", but according to Guo Peng's "Tan Jing Compilation and Interpretation", this verse is definitely a Yanwen. Especially in the first two sentences, although the positions of the words "body" and "heart" are swapped, they are actually repeating Shenxiu's words and should not be regarded as Huineng's thoughts.
The third stanza is found in the "Dharma Treasure of the Sixth Patriarch: Tan Sutra" and has been widely circulated. It was added to the "Complete Collection of Complete Tang Poems". According to Guo Peng's "Commentary and Commentary of the Tan Sutra", this poem evolved from the first poem of "Bodhi Gauge". The key lies in the third sentence. The Huixin version took the lead, followed by the Qisong and Zongbao versions. "Buddha nature is always pure" was changed to "originally nothing." This is a misunderstanding, and some people criticized it as early as the Song Dynasty. Guo Peng believes: "The first readers of the Tan Sutra not only did not understand the theory of 'Buddha nature', but also did not understand the theory of 'nature is empty'." In fact, the so-called "emptiness" and "nothing" in Mahayana Buddhism are In terms of "delusion mind" and "delusion state", but in terms of "true mind" and "true state", it is by no means "absolutely nothing". In the fifteenth section of the "Altar Sutra", Huineng said: "With a lamp, there is light; without a lamp, there is no light. A lamp is the body of light, and light is its purpose.
"In the 24th section of the "Tan Sutra", Huineng also said: "The void can contain the sun, moon and stars, the earth, mountains and rivers, all vegetation, evil and good people, evil and good dharma, heaven and hell, all in the sky; the human nature of the world is empty. The same is true again. "These are enough to prove that Huineng's ideological system is completely different from the theory that "all dharmas are inherently empty". However, before this sentence, Huineng said: "The mind is vast, just like void." ” He attributed everything to “heart”, that is, “self-nature”. This is a typical subjective idealist view. But in any case, it is inappropriate to equate “Buddha-nature is always pure” with “originally nothing”.
The fourth stanza is found in the Taisho Tibetan Altar Sutra, which focuses on the practice method. In the thirty-fifth section of the Altar Sutra, Huineng quotes the Buddha: "As long as your mind is pure, Then the Buddha Land is pure. ” Then he said: “As long as the mind is not impure, it is not far from the West; if the mind is impure, it is difficult to reach rebirth by reciting the name of Buddha. "Verse 36 of the "Tansu Sutra" says: "If you see the true way, you will do it rightly. If you don't have a right mind, you will walk secretly without seeing the way. If you don’t have a Buddha mind, where can you ask for Buddha? "Verse 52 of the "Altar Sutra" says: "There is a Buddha in my heart, and the Buddha is the real Buddha. If I don't have a Buddha mind, where can I ask for the Buddha! "Verse 53 of the Tan Sutra also says: "If you can have truth in your heart, having truth is the cause of becoming a Buddha; if you don't seek truth and look for Buddha outside, you will always be a fool. " He repeatedly stated that seeking truth from one's own self and seeking Buddha for oneself is the only way for Huineng to teach his disciples to become a Buddha immediately. In his view, people who seek Buddha only seek self-enlightenment, do not make false appearances, and focus on one thing. The situation can be easily achieved, and the purpose can be achieved.
Creation background
As for the origin of this poem, there are chapters from the fourth to eighth sections of the "Tan Sutra". There is a clear record: The Fifth Patriarch Hongren "called all his disciples one day" and asked everyone to "compose a verse" and said, "If you understand the general idea," he said, "I will give you the Dharma and give it to the Sixth Generation." Shenxiu, Hongren's first disciple, wrote a verse in front of the door: "The body is like a bodhi tree, and the heart is like a mirror stand." Wipe frequently to keep away dust. "After Hong Ren knew about it, he "called the Reverend Xiu to sit in the hall" and said, "You have written this verse before you can see it." "If you are looking for the supreme Bodhi, you will not be able to get it." Therefore, he asked him to "write another verse." ". And "I went to the show for several days and couldn't do it. "Huineng's verse was written in response to Shenxiu's "Wuxiang verse". According to the "Tan Sutra", Huineng was illiterate. He first "asked people to read" Shenxiu's verse, and then composed this song Verse: "Ask a calligrapher to inscribe on the wall of the west room"