Ode to the One Vehicle

This is a poetic collage of bits taken from various sources, now juxaposed and combined with my words to string together this ode in praise of the One Vehicle. The primary source material is from Zen Master Guifeng Zongmi's Introduction to the Collection of the Various Expositions of the Fountainhead of Zen, with other cullings from the Sutra of the One Vehicle of Queen Srimila's Lion's Roar, the Huayen Sutra, the Lankavatara Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, and the writings of First Zen Ancestor Bodhidharma, Third Zen Ancestor Sengcan, Fifth Zen Ancestor Hongren, and Sixth Zen Ancestor Huineng. Having eaten their words, what you see here as strung together is only my fault.




Ode to the One Vehicle

By Gregory Wonderwheel


Wanderers in the Way,
Hear the One Vehicle (Ekayana) of the Tathagata’s lion’s roar.
Everyone of the multitude of beings in every case has Buddha Nature,
And without exception are led to enter the Way of the One Vehicle.

That One Vehicle
Always abides in the Dharma-realm,
Always silent and always illuminating.

The immeasurable and innumerable expedient methods of the Buddha Dharma,
Indeed in every case, are for the reason of the One Buddha Vehicle.
Directly pointing to one’s own mind immediately reveals true nature,
And opens the knowing and seeing of the Buddha.

Great master Bodhidharma transmitted the lineage of the One Vehicle of Southern India
Without self and without other,
With the worldly and the sacred one and the same,
Only the Bodhidharma lineage transmits the inheritance by means of Mind.
The Mind is the fountainhead of the Dharma.

Great Master Huineng instructed to use establishing no-thought as the lineage.
Those who see the essence of no-thought see the lineage,
Then thought after thought in every case is the One Buddha Vehicle.
If that mind is entirely extinguished,
There is no vehicle, as well as someone in the vehicle.

If you want to choose the One Vehicle,
Do not hate the six dusts.
All things are completely the evidentiary things of the One Mind.
The One Mind is completely the One Mind of all things.
All things completely then are True Mind.
By flowing unobstructed, consequently all things are wonderful medicine.

The true mind of root enlightenment is like the brightness of the mirror.
There are no appearances that can be obtained.
Therefore all things are like appearances in the mirror.
The essence of the one true heart-mind
Is indeed one’s own essence of true suchness.

That which is Dharma knows one’s own nature.
That which is Dharma knows the real truth.
That which is Dharma knows the One Vehicle.
In every case consider the Dharma of the One Vehicle as the real truth

The deep necessarily includes the shallow;
the shallow does not reach the deep.
Likewise, the One Vehicle necessarily includes the various vehicles;
While the various vehicles do not reach the One Vehicle
Because the various vehicles immediately are the One Vehicle,
Those who gain the One Vehicle
Gain the unexcelled unified equality-enlightenment (anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi),
Always abiding in the Dharma-realm,
Able to touch and yet immediately to pass through.

[and in my poor excuse for Chinese]

一乘頌
Gregory Wonderwheel 述

道流。
聞如來師子吼一乘。
一切眾生皆有佛性。
無不引入一乘道。

一乘者。
常住法界常寂常照也。

佛法無量無數方便。
是皆為一佛乘故。
直指自心即顯真性。
開佛知見。

菩提達磨大師傳南天竺一乘宗。
無自無他。
凡聖等一。
以心傳嗣。
唯達摩宗。
心是法源。

慧能大師示以立無念為宗。
見 無念 體者 見 宗
即念念皆一佛乘
若彼心滅盡，　　
無乘及乘者，

若欲取一乘
勿惡六塵
諸法是全一心之 證法。
一心是全諸法之一心。
諸法全即真心。
通則諸法妙藥。

本覺真心如鏡之明
無相可得。
故一切法如鏡中相。
一真心體。
者真如自體。

法者知自性。
法者知真諦。
法者知一乘。
皆以一乘法為真諦。

深必該淺。
淺不至深。
亦一乘必該諸乘
卻 諸乘不至一乘
諸乘即是一乘故。
得一乘者。
得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。
常住法界。
能感而即通。