Chapter 4 of Platform Sutra of the Dharma Treasure of the Great Master Sixth Ancestor

Fourth: Samadhi and Prajna

             The master instructed the assembly saying, "Virtuous companions. In this Dharma door of ours samadhi and prajna are considered to be the root.  Great Assembly, do not be confused.  The words ‘samadhi’ and ‘prajna’ are different, but samadhi and prajna are one essence and are not two.  Samadhi is the essence of prajna; prajna is the function of samadhi.  Immediately at the time of prajna, samadhi is in prajna. Immediately at the time of samadhi, prajna is in samadhi.  If one knows this meaning, then samadhi and prajna are equally learned.  You various people who study the Way, do not say, 'First samadhi, then comes prajna,' or 'First prajna, then comes samadhi' to separate them.  Those with this view make the Dharma have the characteristic of duality.

             "When the mouth speaks virtuous words but the mind is not virtuous, in vain does one have samadhi and prajna, and samadhi and prajna are not equal.  If the mind and mouth are virtuous together, then the inner and outer are One Thusness, and samadhi and prajna then are equal.  When awakening for oneself and cultivating practice, do not be involved in disputes.  If one disputes before or after, then one is the same as a bewildered person who does not cut off winning and losing, still enlarging the ‘I’ and things, and not free from the four characteristics.

            “Virtuous companions, to what class of things are samadhi and prajna like?

Like a lamp and a light: with a lamp, immediately light, without a lamp, immediately dark.  The lamp is the essence of the light; the light is the function of the lamp.  Although in name they have duality, the essence and the root are one and the same.  This is the Dharma of samadhi and prajna; returning thus is correct.”

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            The master instructed the assembly saying, "Virtuous companions, that which is the Samadhi of One Act (一行三昧, alt. One Practice Samadhi, Samadhi of the Practice of Oneness, One Doing Samadhi, etc.), at every place, walking or staying, sitting or lying down, is always acting with a singularly straightforward mind (alt. always practicing the one straightforward mind)!  [Vimalakirti] said, ‘A straightforward mind is the place of the Way (bodhimanda, J. dojo); a straightforward mind is the Pure Land.’  Do not act deceitfully with the mind. However the mouth may explain “straightforward” or the mouth may explain the “Samadhi of One Act,” it is not the acting straightforward mind. However, the acting straightforward mind does not have grasping attachment to everything (sarvadharma).  Deluded people attach to the characteristics of things (dharmalaksana) and grasp at the Samadhi of One Act by the straightforward words: ‘Always sitting and not moving (so that) foolishness does not rise in the mind is namely the Samadhi of One Act.’  Those who regard this as release (liberation) then are the same as the insentient and still are obstructed in the primary and secondary causes of the Way.

“Virtuous Companions!  The Way must flow unhindered. But how could it be stagnant? As mind does not abide in things, the Way at once flows unhindered. As mind seems to abide in things, it is named as ‘binding oneself.’  Perhaps the words ‘always sitting without moving’ are correct, but when Sariputra thus reposed sitting within the forest, yet he was scolded by Vimalakirti.

“Virtuous Companions!  Also, there are people teaching sitting as watching over the mind to contemplate serenity, not moving, not arousing, and from this putting in place merits. Bewildered people do not comprehend, even if they grasp it and become the top at it. Those who are like this are manifold and such are teaching each other. Therefore, know it is a great mistake.”

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            The master instructed the assembly saying, "Virtuous companions.  The correct teaching comes from the root without having gradual and immediate.  Human nature on its own has sharp and blunt.  Bewildered people cultivate gradually. Awakened people immediately agree.  Be conscious of the root mind on your own.  See the root nature on your own.  Then promptly there is no difference to distinguish.  The artificial names of ‘immediate’ and ‘gradual’ are actually set up by these means.

            “Virtuous companions!  In this Dharma Gate of mine/ours, from before and used since, we first set up no-thought (not-thinking) as the lineage (school, theme, axiom), no-characteristics (no-marks, no-appearances, no-qualities, signlessness) as the essence, and no-abiding (non-dwelling) as the root. 

            “That which is no-characteristics is to be in characteristics yet free from characteristics.  That which is no-thought is to be in thought yet to be no-thought. That which is no-abiding is the root nature of people.   

“In the mundane world, good and evil, proper and shameful, thereupon arrive together with the intimate grievances. At the time that words and speech stir up stinging and deceptive arguments, furthermore, treat them as empty. Do not consider returning harm.  Amidst thought after thought do not consider previous circumstances. If previous thoughts, current thoughts, and future thoughts, uninterruptedly replenish each other as thought after thought, this is called ‘being tied up.’  To not abide in the various things upon thought after thought, namely this is unbinding! This is using no-abiding as the root.

“Virtuous Companions. Externally to be free from all characteristics is called ‘no-characteristics.’  Able to be free from characteristics is at once the purity of the essence of the Dharma. This is using no-characteristics to be the essence.

            “Virtuous companions.  When mind is not stained by the various circumstances upon us, this is declared ‘no-thought.’  By upon one’s own thoughts always free from various circumstances.  Do not upon circumstances give birth to a mind [that believes] ‘If only the 100 objects are not considered and thought is exhausted and gotten rid of, then when a single thought is cut short, at once you die and receive birth at another place.’

This is a great mistake, and those who study the Way should consider it.  If one is not conscious of the meaning of Dharma, then one’s own mistakes are able to replace the errors of other people with one’s own bewilderment of not seeing. And also, you slander Buddha’s Sutras. Actually, by this means we establish no-thought as the lineage.

“Virtuous Companions. Why do we say we establish no-thought as the lineage?

Only by the condition of mouths articulating seeing nature (kensho).   Upon circumstances bewildered people have thoughts, and upon their thoughts they then arouse nefarious views, and from this the false beliefs of all the dusts and toils likewise are born.  The root of one’s own nature is without a single thing that may be attained. If there is that which is to be attained, then it is foolish articulation of good fortune and misfortune and is exactly the dust and toil of wrong views.  Therefore, this Dharma Gate establishes no-thought as the lineage.

            “Virtuous companions.  That which is ‘no’, is ‘no’ what?  That which is ‘thought’ is ‘thought’ of what object?  That which is ‘no’ has no characteristic of duality and has no various dusts and toils of the mind.  That which is ‘thought’ is thought of the original nature of True Suchness.  True Suchness is exactly the essence of thought; thought is exactly the function of True Suchness. One's nature of True Suchness gives rise to thought.  Neither the eye, ear, nose, nor tongue is capable of thought. True Suchness has the nature, therefore it can give rise to thought.  If one is without True Suchness, what is regarded as seeing and hearing, color and sound at that time exactly are ruined.

            “Virtuous companions.  When one's nature of True Suchness gives rise to thought, even if the six organs have seeing and hearing, perceiving and knowing, they are not contaminated by the myriad objective phenomena, and the true nature is always autonomous.  For this reason, the [Vimalakirti Nirdesa] sutra says, "Being able to properly differentiate the various characteristics of things (dharmalaksana) is being at the primary meaning and immovable."

 

 

 

"Ode of falling through"

On facing the monstrous through the fear,

The sun burns away all dross.

The profound shadowless blackness,

The blindingly brilliant diamond sphere,

Give way to the marvelous beholding of “This!”

The eyebrows flutter, the eyes blink.

The Distinction Between a Dharma Talk and a Teisho

 

In Zen you will sometimes hear of the distinction between a “Dharma Talk” and a “Teisho,” using the Japanese pronunciation of 提唱 (Ch. tichang).  While the two definitely have a shared overlapping meaning, they also have a clear distinction.

Both the Dharma Talk (說法, Skt. dharma-desaka, dharma-upadesaka, dharma-katha,, Ch. shuofa,  J. seppo) and the Teisho are articulations of the Dharma in an oral teaching format. In one view, we can look at the Dharma Talk as the general term for the category of oral Buddhist teachings that explain or clarify the Dharma and the Teisho as a specific kind of Dharma Talk. On the other hand, we can say that the Dharma Talk is a specific kind of oral discourse that clarifies differently from the Teisho.

[NOTE: 說法, to articulate the Dharma, is also known as 法談 (Ch. fatan, J. hodan) Dharma discussion, and 說法 is an internal abbreviation of the longer term 說法談義 (Ch. shuofatanyi,  J. sepp(h)odangi), to articulate (說) the Dharma (法) discussing (談) the meaning (義).]

Speaking generally, the Dharma Talk explains the Dharma between the two poles of exegesis or exposition and expounding or explicating. Exegesis, usually preferred by the Theravadan tradition and by some in the Tibetan tradition, is “a teaching by analysis” that sticks closely to the text to provide a critical analysis of the words and phrases of the text, using definitions, grammar, and tradition to explain the meaning. Exegesis relies heavily on detailed and usually learned and lengthy intellectual analysis. Exegesis is the preferred method of the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma, exemplified in the Visuddhismagga of Buddhaghosa described as "the hub of a complete and coherent method of exegesis" of the Buddha’s Dharma. At the other pole and usually preferred by Mahayana tradition, expounding explains the meaning by unfolding or unpacking the text to throw light on the underlying meaning, based on but not bound by the text. Expounding goes beyond exegesis to reveal the underlying meaning by interpretation using the application of special knowledge or insight. This going beyond intellectual exegesis is what makes the interpretations of expounding the Dharma suspect to some who are skeptical of any approach using insight over reasoning. Expounding is the preferred method of the Second Turning of the Wheel of Dharma exemplified in the writings of Nagarjuna. This bifurcation is of course somewhat of an over-simplification, but it describes the two distinct primary approaches to articulating the Dharma in a Dharma Talk. In fact, regardless of the Buddhist tradition, most modern Dharma Talks include some measure of both exegesis and expounding, but with the emphasis on one or the other according to the tradition.

The Teisho will also have some features of the Dharma Talk, primarily expounding, but its main emphasis is explicitly to do something more. In addition to the preference to unfold and unpack the underlying meaning as meaning, the Teisho is intended to be a direct manifestation of Buddha Nature through the speaker as a living presentation or embodiment of the primary or ultimate meaning (paramartha) of Buddha Knowledge (Buddhajnana). Thus, the Teisho is usually given within the setting of a meditation retreat where the audience is participating in deep practice. This approach is based on the One Vehicle teachings in such sutras as the Lotus Sutra (Sutra of the White-Lotus Flower of the Real Dharma) that states the purpose of a Buddha manifesting in the world is for beings to be able to hear, to be shown, to awaken to, and to enter the Way of Buddha’s knowing and seeing.  This method of articulating the Dharma is preferred by the Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma as described by Zen Master Guifeng Zongmi (780–841 C.E.) as “The One Vehicle's (Ekayana) Teaching Of Manifesting Nature,” with the emphasis on directly manifesting that “everybody has the root enlightenment of true mind,” not on reasoning or intellectual explanations of Dharma doctrines or such things as emptiness.    

This orientation is embedded in the name “Teisho” (提唱) that literally means “lifting up or handing up (提) the song (唱)” and is sometimes translated as “to raise the cry” or “to present the shout.”  The “song” here includes a call or chant, and it also has a specific connotation of a song in a Chinese opera, i.e., an aria. Though the spoken part of an opera and the singing part are the same in carrying forward the story (of the Dharma), they are very different in how they do so.  In this context the Zen Master giving a Teisho is expected to sing his/her heart out like an operatic aria. In this way the Teisho is a living presentation of the call of the Buddha’s Lion’s Roar.  Of course, not every Zen Master can sing their guts out every time he gives a Teisho, thus many Teisho are a mixture of explanations, historical contextualizing, and a direct presentation of the Buddha’s seeing and knowing. Regardless of the particular successful actualization of the speaker, the intention of the Teisho is to be something more than merely a Dharma Talk; it is to evoke the living Buddha within each person present and hearing the rendition of the Buddha’s song.