Do
the words of the founding patriarch and the words of my late master rely
on eyes or rely on tongues?
the words of the founding patriarch and the words of my late master rely
on eyes or rely on tongues?
Shobogenzo
� When the earth
is without an inch of soil,121 [the words] �touching the ground� may be imma-
ture122 and [the words] �not having landed on the ground� may be immature.
This being so, �the Old Man's heels not having landed on the ground� is the
[very] exhalation and inhalation of the Old Man, the [very] moment of his
heels. 123
[174] Zen Master Koto124 of Kokutai-in Temple, on Kinkazan in the
Bushu125 district, the story goes, is asked by a monk, �What is the eternal
mirror like before being polished? �126
The master says, �The eternal mirror. �
The monk says, �What is it like after being polished? �
The master says, �The eternal mirror. �127
[174] Remember, the eternal mirror under discussion now has a time of
being polished, a time before being polished, and [a time] after being pol-
ished, but it is wholly the eternal mirror. This being so, when we are pol-
ishing, we are polishing the eternal mirror in its entirety. We do not polish
by mixing in mercury or anything else other than the eternal mirror. This is
neither polishing the self nor the self polishing; it is polishing the eternal
mirror. Before being polished the eternal mirror is not dull. Even if [people]
call it black, it can never be dull: it is the eternal mirror in its vivid state. In
general, we polish a mirror to make it into a mirror; we polish a tile to make
it into a mirror; we polish a tile to make it into a tile; and we polish a mir-
ror to make it into a tile. 128 There are [times when] we polish without mak-
ing anything; and there are [times when] it would be possible to make some-
thing, but we are unable to polish. 129 All equally are the traditional work of
Buddhist patriarchs.
[175] When Baso130 of Kozei,131 in former days, was learning in prac-
tice under Nangaku,132 Nangaku on one occasion intimately transmits to Baso
the mind-seal. This is the beginning of the beginning of �polishing a tile. �133
Baso has been living at Denpoin Temple, sitting constantly in zazen for a
matter of ten or so years. We can imagine what it is like in his thatched hut
on a rainy night. There is no mention of him letting up on a cold ? oor sealed
in by snow. Nangaku one day goes to Baso's hut, where Baso stands wait-
ing. Nangaku asks, �What are you doing these days? �
Baso says, �These days Doitsu just sits. �
Nangaku says, �What is the aim of sitting in zazen? �
Baso says, �The aim of sitting in zazen is to become buddha. �134
Nangaku promptly fetches a tile and polishes it on a rock near Baso's
hut.
Baso, on seeing this, asks, �What is the master doing? �
Nangaku says, �Polishing a tile. �
Baso says, �What is the use of polishing a tile? �
Nangaku says, �I am polishing it into a mirror. �135
Baso says, �How can polishing a tile make it into a mirror? �136
Nangaku says, �How can sitting in zazen make you into a buddha? �137
[178] For several hundred years, since ancient times, most people inter-
preting this story�great matter that it is�have thought that Nangaku was
simply spurring Baso on. That is not necessarily so. The actions of great
saints far transcend the states of common folk. Without the Dharma of pol-
ishing a tile, how could the great saints have any expedient method of teach-
ing people? The power to teach people is the bones and marrow of a Buddhist
patriarch. Although [Nangaku] has devised it, this [teaching method] is a
common tool. [Teaching methods] other than common tools and everyday
utensils are not transmitted in the house of Buddha. Further, the impression
on Baso is immediate. Clearly, the virtue authentically transmitted by the
Buddhist patriarchs is directness. Clearly, in truth, when polishing a tile
becomes a mirror, Baso becomes buddha. When Baso becomes buddha, Baso
immediately becomes Baso. When Baso becomes Baso, zazen immediately
becomes zazen. This is why the making of mirrors through the polishing of
tiles has been dwelled in and retained in the bones and marrow of eternal
buddhas; and, this being so, the eternal mirror exists having been made from
a tile. While we have been polishing this mirror�in the past also�it has
never been tainted. Tiles are not dirty; we just polish a tile as a tile. In this
state, the virtue of making a mirror is realized, and this is just the effort of
Buddhist patriarchs. If polishing a tile does not make a mirror, polishing a
mirror cannot make a mirror either. 138 Who can suppose that in this �mak-
ing� there is [both] �becoming� buddha and �making� a mirror? 139 Further,
to express a doubt, is it possible, when polishing the eternal mirror, to mis-
takenly think that the polishing is making a tile? The real state at the time
of polishing is, at other times, beyond comprehension. Nevertheless, because
Nangaku's words must exactly express the expression of the truth, it may
be, in conclusion, simply that polishing a tile makes a mirror. People today
also should try taking up the tiles of the present and polishing them, and they
will certainly become mirrors. If tiles did not become mirrors, people could
not become buddhas. If we despise tiles as lumps of mud, then we might
also despise people as lumps of mud. If people have mind, tiles must also
have mind. Who can recognize that there are mirrors in which, [when] tiles
come, tiles appear? And who can recognize that there are mirrors in which,
[when] mirrors come, mirrors appear?
Shobogenzo Kokyo
Preached to the assembly at Kannondori ko-
shohorinji, on the ninth day of the ninth
lunar month in the second year of Ninji. 140
---
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A Biography of Sakyamuni
The Lotus Sutra (Second Revised Edition)
The Sutra of Queen Srimala of the Lion's Roar
The Larger Sutra on Amitayus
The Sutra on Contemplation of Amitayus
The Smaller Sutra on Amitayus
The Bequeathed Teaching Sutra
The Vimalakirti Sutra
The Ullambana Sutra
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The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch
The Baizhang Zen Monastic Regulations
Shobogenzo: The True Dharma-Eye Treasury vol. 1
Shobogenzo: The True Dharma-Eye Treasury vol. 2
Shobogenzo: The True Dharma-Eye Treasury vol. 3
Shobogenzo: The True Dharma-Eye Treasury vol. 4
Tannisho: Passages Deploring Deviations of Faith
Rennyo Shonin Ofumi: The Letters of Rennyo
The Sutra on the Profundity of Filial Love
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Chapter/Section: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
B2582_1 (biblio info) Chapter/Section 21
[Chapter Twenty-one]
Kankin
Reading Sutras
Translator 's Note: Kan means �to read� and kin means �sutras. � Many
Buddhist sects revere reading sutras, because they think that the Buddhist
truth is theory which can be understood through abstract explanation. They
think that we can understand Buddhism only by reading sutras. At the same
time, there are other sects who deny the value of reading sutras; they say
that because Buddhist truth is not a theoretical system, we cannot attain the
truth by reading sutras. Master Dogen took the middle way on the problem:
rather than deny the value of reading sutras, he said that reading sutras is
one way of finding out what Buddhist practice is. He did not believe, how-
ever, that we can get the truth by reading sutras; he did not think that recit-
ing sutras might exercise some mystical in? uence over religious life. In this
way Master Dogen's view on reading sutras was very realistic. However, his
understanding of �reading sutras� was not limited to written sutras; he
believed that the universe is a sutra. He thought that observing the world
around us is like reading a sutra. So for him, grass, trees, mountains, the
moon, the sun, and so forth were all Buddhist sutras. He even extended his
view of reading sutras to include walking around the master 's chair in the
middle of the zazen hall. This viewpoint is not only Master Dogen's; it is the
viewpoint of Buddhism itself. So in this chapter, Master Dogen explains the
wider meaning of reading sutras.
[183] The practice-and-experience of anuttara samyaksa? bodhi sometimes
relies on [good] counselors and sometimes relies on the sutras. �[Good] coun-
selors�1 means Buddhist patriarchs who are totally themselves. �Sutras� means
sutras that are totally themselves. Because the self is totally a Buddhist patri-
arch and because the self is totally a sutra, it is like this. 2 Even though we call
it self, it is not restricted by �me and you. � It is vivid eyes, and a vivid fist.
[184] At the same time,3 there is the consideration of sutras, the reading
of sutras,4 the reciting of sutras, the copying of sutras, the receiving of sutras,
and the retaining of sutras: they are all the practice-and-experience of Buddhist
patriarchs. Yet it is not easy to meet the Buddha's sutras: �Throughout innu-
merable realms, even the name cannot be heard. �5 Among Buddhist patri-
archs, �even the name cannot be heard. � Amid the lifeblood, �even the name
cannot be heard. � Unless we are Buddhist patriarchs we do not see, hear,
read, recite, or understand the meaning of sutras. After learning in practice
as Buddhist patriarchs, we are barely able to learn sutras in practice. At this
time the reality of hearing [sutras], retaining [sutras], receiving [sutras],
preaching sutras, and so on, exists in the ears, eyes, tongue, nose, and organs
of body and mind,6 and in the places where we go, hear, and speak. The sort
who �because they seek fame, preach non-Buddhist doctrines�7 cannot prac-
tice the Buddha's sutras. The reason is that the sutras are transmitted and
retained on trees and on rocks, are spread through fields and through vil-
lages, are expounded by lands of dust, and are lectured by space.
[186] Great Master Kodo,8 the ancestral patriarch of Yakusan Moun-
tain, has not ascended [his seat in the Dharma] hall for a long time. The tem-
ple chief 9 says, �The monks have long been hoping for your compassionate
instruction, master. �
[Yaku]san says, �Strike the bell! �
The temple chief strikes the bell, and a few of the monks assemble.
[Yaku]san ascends [the seat in the Dharma] hall and passes a while.
Then he gets down from the seat and goes back to the abbot's quarters. The
temple chief follows behind him and says, �Just before, the master agreed
to preach the Dharma for the monks. Why have you not bestowed a single
word upon us? �
[Yaku]san says, �For sutras there are sutra teachers. For commentaries
there are commentary teachers. How could you doubt the old monk? �10
[188] The compassionate instruction of the ancestral patriarch is that
for fists there is a fist-teacher, and for eyes there is an eye-teacher. At the
same time, with due respect, I would now like to ask the ancestral patriarch
this: I do not deny [your words] �how can the old monk be doubted? � but I
still do not understand: the master is a teacher of What. 11
[188] The order of the Founding Patriarch Daikan12 is on Sokeizan in
Shoshu district. Hotatsu,13 a monk who recites the Sutra of the Flower of
Dharma,14 comes to practice there. The Founding Patriarch preaches for
Hotatsu the following verse:
When the mind is in delusion, the Flower of Dharma turns.
When the mind is in realization, we turn the Flower of Dharma.
Unless we are clear about ourselves, however long we recite [the
sutra],
It will become an enemy because of its meanings.
Without intention the mind is right.
With intention the mind becomes wrong.
When we transcend both with and without,
We ride eternally in the white ox cart. 15
[189] So when the mind is in delusion we are turned by the Flower of
Dharma; when the mind is in realization we turn the Flower of Dharma. Fur-
ther, when we spring free from delusion and realization, the Flower of Dharma
turns the Flower of Dharma. On hearing this verse Hotatsu jumps for joy
and praises it with the following verse:
Three thousand recitations of the sutra
With one phrase from Sokei, forgotten.
Before clarifying the import of [the buddhas'] appearance in the world,
How can we stop recurring lives of madness?
[The sutra] explains goat, deer, and ox as an expedient,
[But] proclaims that beginning, middle, and end are good.
Who knows that [even] within the burning house,
Originally we are kings in the Dharma?
Then the Founding Patriarch says, �From now on, you will rightly be
called the Sutra-reading Monk. � We should know that there are sutra-read-
ing monks in Buddhism: it is the direct teaching of the eternal buddha of
Sokei. �Reading� in this [phrase] �Sutra-reading Monk� is beyond �having
ideas,� �being without ideas,� and so on. 16 It is �transcendence of both hav-
ing and being without. � The fact is only that �from kalpa to kalpa the hands
never put down the sutra, and from noon to night there is no time when it is
not being read. �17 The fact is only that from sutra to sutra it is never not being
experienced. 18
[191] The twenty-seventh patriarch is Venerable Praj�atara19 of eastern
India. A king of eastern India, the story goes, invites the Venerable One to
a midday meal, at which time the king asks, �Everyone else recites20 sutras.
Why is it, Venerable One, that you alone do not recite? �
The patriarch says:
My21 out-breath does not follow circumstances,
The in-breath does not reside in the world of aggregates. 22
I am constantly reciting sutras like this. 23
Hundred thousand myriad ko? is of scrolls.
Never only one scroll or two scrolls. 24
[192] The Venerable Praj�atara is a native of an eastern territory of
India. He is the twenty-seventh rightful successor from Venerable Maha -
kasyapa,25 having received the authentic transmission of all the tools of the
Buddha's house: he has dwelled in and retained the brains, the eyes, the fist,
and the nostrils; the staff, the patra, the robe and Dharma, the bones and
marrow, and so on. He is our ancestral patriarch, and we are his distant
descendants. 26 The words into which the Venerable One has now put his total
effort [mean] not only that the out-breath does not follow circumstances, but
also that circumstances do not follow the out-breath. Circumstances may be
the brains and eyes, circumstances may be the whole body, circumstances
may be the whole mind, but in bringing here, taking there, and bringing back
here again, the state is just �not following circumstances. � �Not following�
means totally following; therefore it is a state of bustling and jostling. The
out-breath is circumstances themselves; even so, �it does not follow cir-
cumstances. � For countless kalpas we have never recognized the situation
of breathing out and breathing in, but just now the moment has come when
we can recognize it for the first time, and so we hear �it does not reside in
the world of aggregates� and �it does not follow circumstances. � This is the
moment when circumstances study for the first time such things as �the in-
breath. � This moment has never been before, and it will never be again: it
exists only in the present. �The world of aggregates� means the five aggre-
gates: matter, perception, thought, enaction, and consciousness. The reason
he does not reside in these five aggregates is that he is in the world where
�five aggregates� have never arrived. Because he has grasped this pivotal
point, the sutras he recites are never only one or two scrolls; he is �constantly
reciting hundred thousand myriad ko? is of scrolls. � Though we say that �hun-
dred thousand myriad ko? is of scrolls� just cites for the present an example
of a large number, it is beyond only numerical quantity: it assigns the quan-
tity of �hundred thousand myriad ko? is of scrolls� to one out-breath's �not
residing in the world of aggregates. � At the same time, [the state] is not meas-
ured by tainted or faultless wisdom27 and it is beyond the world of tainted
and faultless dharmas. 28 Thus, it is beyond the calculation of wise intelli-
gence, it is beyond the estimation of intelligent wisdom; it is beyond the con-
sideration of non-wise intelligence, and it is beyond the reach of non-intel-
ligent wisdom. It is the practice-and-experience of buddhas and of patriarchs,
it is their skin, ? esh, bones, and marrow, their eyes, fists, brains, and nos-
trils, and their staffs and whisks, springing out of the moment.
[196] Great Master Shinsai29 of Kannon-in Temple in Joshu, the story
goes, is sent a donation by an old woman, who asks the Great Master to recite
the whole of the sutras. The master descends from the zazen chair, goes
around it once, and says to the messenger, �I have finished reciting the sutras. �
The messenger returns and reports this to the old woman. The old woman
says, �I asked him before to recite the whole of the sutras. Why did the mas-
ter only recite half the sutras? �30
[197] Evidently, the recitation of the whole of the sutras or half of the
sutras amounts to three scrolls of sutras in the old woman's case. 31 �I have
finished reciting the sutras� is the whole of Joshu's sutra. In brief, the situ-
ation of his reciting the whole of the sutras is as follows: There is Joshu going
around the zazen chair; there is the zazen chair going around Joshu, there is
Joshu going around Joshu, and there is the zazen chair going around the
zazen chair. At the same time, all instances of reciting the sutras are neither
limited to going around a zazen chair, nor limited to a zazen chair going
around.
[198] Great Master Shinsho32 of Daizuizan in Ekishu, whose original
Dharma name was Hoshin,33 succeeded Zen Master Daian34 of Chokeiji. In
the story, an old woman sends a donation and asks the master to recite the
whole of the sutras. The master descends from his zazen chair, goes around
it once, and says to the messenger, �I have already recited the whole of the
sutras. � The messenger returns and reports this to the old woman. The old
woman says, �I asked him before to recite the whole of the sutras. Why did
the master only recite half the sutras? �35
[199] Now, do not study that Daizui is going around the zazen chair,
and do not study that the zazen chair is going around Daizui. It is not only
a grouping together of fists and eyes; his making of a circle is enaction of a
circle. Does the old woman have the eyes, or does she not have the eyes [to
see it]? Even though she has got the expression �He only recited half the
sutras� in the authentic transmission from a fist,36 the old woman should also
say, �I asked him before to recite the whole of the sutras. Why did the mas-
ter only worry his soul? �37 If she spoke like this, even by accident, she would
be an old woman with eyes.
[200] [In the order] of the founding patriarch, Great Master Tozan
Gohon,38 the story goes, there is a government official who prepares the mid-
day meal, offers a donation, and requests the master to read and recite the
whole of the sutras. The Great Master descends from his zazen chair and
bows to39 the official. The official bows to the Great Master, who leads the
official once around the zazen chair, then bows to the official [again]. After
a while he says to the official, �Do you understand? � The official says, �I do
not understand. � The Great Master says, �You and I have read and recited
the whole of the sutras. How could you not understand? �
[201] That �You and I have read and recited the whole of the sutras�
is evident. We do not learn that to go around the zazen chair is to read and
recite the whole of the sutras, and we do not understand that to read and
recite the whole of the sutras is to go around the zazen chair. All the same,
we should listen to the compassionate instruction of the founding patriarch.
My late master, the eternal buddha, quoted this story when, while he was
residing [as master] on Tendozan, a donor from Korea entered the moun-
tain, made a donation for the monks to read the sutras, and requested that
my late master should ascend the lecture seat. When he had quoted [the
story], my late master made a big circle with his whisk and said, �Tendo
today has read and recited for you the whole of the sutras. � Then he threw
down the whisk and descended from the seat. We should read and recite
now the words spoken by the late master, never comparing them to [the
words of] others. Still, should we think that [Master Tendo], in reading and
reciting the whole of the sutras, uses a whole eye or uses half an eye?
Do
the words of the founding patriarch and the words of my late master rely
on eyes or rely on tongues? How many [eyes and tongues] have they used?
See if you can get to the bottom of it.
[202] The ancestral patriarch, Great Master Kodo40 of Yakusan Moun-
tain, does not usually let people read sutras. One day he is reading a sutra
himself. A monk asks him, �The master does not usually let others read
sutras. Why then are you reading yourself? �
The master says, �I just need to shade my eyes. �
The monk says, �May I copy the master? �
The master says, �If you were to read you would surely pierce holes
even in ox-hide! �
[203] The words �I just need to shade my eyes� spoken now are words
naturally spoken by shaded eyes41 themselves. �Shading the eyes� describes
getting rid of eyes and getting rid of sutras, it describes complete eye shad-
ing and completely shaded eyes. �Shading the eyes� means opening the eyes
in the shaded state, invigorating the eyes within shade, invigorating shade
within eyes, adding an extra eyelid, utilizing the eyes within shade, and eyes
themselves utilizing shade. This being so, the virtue of �shading the eyes�
is never [mentioned] in any [sutras] other than eye-sutras. �You would surely
pierce holes even in ox hide� describes complete ox hide and a complete-
hide ox, it describes utilizing the ox to become a hide. 42 This is why [pos-
session of] the skin, ? esh, bones, and marrow, and horns on the head, and
nostrils, has been seen as the vigorous activity of bulls and cows. 43 In �copy-
ing the master,� the ox becomes the eye�this is described as �shading the
eyes. � It is the eye becoming the ox.
[205] Zen Master Yafu Dosen44 says:
To serve offerings to buddhas hundred million thousands of times
is boundless happiness,
[But] how can it compare to everyday reading of the old teachings?
On the face of white paper characters are written in black ink.
Open your eyes, I beg you, and look before you. 45
[206] Remember, serving offerings to ancient buddhas and reading the
old teachings may be equal in happiness and good fortune and may go beyond
happiness and good fortune. �The old teachings� means characters written
in black ink on white paper, [but] who can recognize the old teachings as
such? We must master just this principle.
[206] [In the order of] Great Master Kokaku46 of Ungozan, the story
goes, there is a monk who is reading a sutra in his quarters. The Great Mas-
ter asks from outside the window, �Acarya, what sutra is that you are read-
ing? �
The monk replies, �The Vimalakirti Sutra. �
The master says, �I am not asking you if it is the Vimalakirti Sutra. That
which you are reading is a What sutra. �47
At this the monk is able to enter. 48
[207] The Great Master's words �That which you are reading is a What
sutra� mean that the �state of reading,�49 in one line, is age-old, profound,
and eternal; and it is not desirable to represent it as �reading. � On the road
we meet deadly snakes. This is why the question �What sutra? � has been
realized. In meeting as human beings, we do not misrepresent anything. This
is why [the monk replies] �The Vimalakirti Sutra. � In sum, reading sutras
means reading sutras with eyes into which we have drawn together all the
Buddhist patriarchs. At just this moment, the Buddhist patriarchs instantly
become buddha, preach Dharma, preach buddha, and do buddha-action. 50
Without this moment in reading sutras, the brains and faces of Buddhist patri-
archs could never exist. 51
[209] At present in the orders of Buddhist patriarchs, forms for the read-
ing of sutras are many and varied: for when a donor52 enters the mountain
and requests the whole sangha to read sutras; for when the monks have been
requested to read sutras regularly;53 for when the monks read the sutras of
their own volition, and so on. Besides these, there is the sutra reading by the
whole sangha for a deceased monk.
[209] When a donor enters the mountain and requests the monks to read
sutras, from breakfast on the day [of the reading] the hall chief54 hangs an
advance notice of the sutra reading in front of the monks' hall55 and in all
quarters. After breakfast the prostration mat is laid before the [image of the]
Sacred Monk. 56 When it is time [for the reading], the bell in front of the
monks' hall is struck three times, or struck once�according to the instruc-
tions of the abbot. After the sound of the bell, the head monk57 and all the
monks put on the ka? aya and enter the cloud hall. 58 They go to their own
place59 and sit facing forward. Then the abbot enters the hall, goes before
the Sacred Monk, bows with joined hands, burns incense, and then sits at
the [abbot's] place. Next the child helpers60 are told to distribute the sutras.
These sutras are arranged beforehand in the kitchen hall, placed in order and
made ready to be given out when the time comes. The sutras are either dis-
tributed from inside the sutra box, or placed on a tray and then distributed.
Once the monks have requested a sutra, they open and read it immediately.
During this time, at the [right] moment, the guest supervisor61 leads the donor
into the cloud hall. The donor picks up a handheld censer just in front of the
cloud hall and enters the hall holding it up with both hands. The handheld
censer is [kept] in the common area by the entrance to the kitchen hall. 62 It
is prepared with incense in advance, and a helper63 is [instructed] to keep it
ready in front of the cloud hall. When the donor is about to enter the hall,
[the helper], upon instruction, hands [the censer] to the donor. The guest
supervisor gives the orders regarding the censer. When they enter the hall,
the guest supervisor leads and the donor follows, and they enter through the
southern side of the front entrance to the cloud hall. The donor goes before
the Sacred Monk, burns a stick of incense, and does three prostrations, hold-
ing the censer while doing the prostrations. During the prostrations the guest
supervisor, hands folded,64 stands to the north of the prostration mat, facing
south but turned slightly toward the donor. 65 After the donor's prostrations,
the donor turns to the right, goes to the abbot, and salutes the abbot with a
deep bow, holding the censer up high with both hands. The abbot remains
on the chair to receive the salutation, holding up a sutra with palms held
together. 66 The donor then bows to the north. Having bowed, [the donor]
begins the round of the hall from in front of the head monk. During the walk
around the hall, [the donor] is led by the guest-supervisor. Having done one
round of the hall and arrived [again] in front of the Sacred Monk, [the donor]
faces the Sacred Monk once more and bows, holding up the censer with both
hands. At this time the guest supervisor is just inside the entrance to the cloud
hall, standing with hands folded to the south of the prostration mat, and fac-
ing north. 67 After saluting the Sacred Monk, the donor, following the guest
supervisor, goes out to the front of the cloud hall, does one circuit of the front
hall,68 goes back inside the cloud hall proper, and performs three prostrations
to the Sacred Monk. After the prostrations, [the donor] sits on a folding chair
to witness the sutra reading. The folding chair is set, facing south, near the
pillar to the Sacred Monk's left. Or it may be set facing north near the south-
ern pillar. When the donor is seated, the guest supervisor should turn to salute
the donor, and then go to his or her own place. Sometimes we have a San-
skrit chorus while the donor is walking round the hall. The place for the San-
skrit chorus is either on the Sacred Monk's right or on the Sacred Monk's
left, according to convenience. In the handheld censer, we insert and burn
valuable incense like jinko or sanko. 69 This incense is supplied by the donor.
While the donor is walking around the hall, the monks join palms. Next is
the distribution of donations for the sutra reading. The size of the donation
is at the discretion of the donor. Sometimes things such as cotton cloth or
fans are distributed. The donor personally may give them out, or the main
officers may give them out, or helpers may give them out. The method of
distribution is as follows: [The donation] is placed in front of [each] monk,
not put into the monk's hands. The monks each join hands to receive the
donation as it is given out in front of them. Donations are sometimes dis-
tributed at the midday meal on the day [of the sutra reading]. If [donations]
are to be distributed at lunch time, the head monk, after offering the meal,70
strikes down the clapper71 once again, and then the head monk gives out the
donations. The donor will have written on a sheet of paper the aim to which
[the sutra reading] is to be directed, and [this paper] is pasted to the pillar
on the Sacred Monk's right. When reading sutras in the cloud hall, we do
not read them out in a loud voice; we read them in a low voice. Or some-
times we open a sutra and only look at the characters, not reading them out
in phrases but just reading the sutra [silently]. There are hundreds or thou-
sands of scrolls provided in the common store72 for this kind of sutra read-
ing�mostly of the Diamond Praj�a Sutra; the �Universal Gate� chapter
and the �Peaceful and Joyful Practice� chapter of the Lotus Sutra; the Golden
Light Sutra,73 and so on. Each monk goes through one scroll. When the sutra
reading is finished, [the child helpers] pass in front of the [monks'] seats,
carrying the original tray or box, and the monks each deposit a sutra. Both
when taking [the sutra] and when replacing it, we join hands. When taking,
first we join hands and then we take. When replacing, first we deposit the
sutra, then we join hands. After that, each person, palms together, makes the
dedication in a low voice. For sutra readings in the common area,74 the chief
officer or the prior burns incense, does prostrations, goes around the hall,
and gives out the donations, all in the same way as a donor, and holds up the
censer also in the same way as a donor. If one of the monks becomes a donor
and requests a sutra reading by the whole of the sangha, it is the same as for
a lay donor. 75 There is burning of incense, prostrations, going around the
hall, distribution of donations, and so on. The guest supervisor leads, as in
the case of a lay donor.
[216] There is a custom of reading sutras for the emperor's birthday. So
if the celebration of the birthday of the reigning emperor is on the fifteenth
day of the first lunar month, the sutra readings for the emperor's birthday
begin on the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month. On this day there is no
formal preaching in the Dharma hall. Two rows of platforms are laid out in
front of [the image of] Sakyamuni Buddha in the Buddha hall. That is to say,
[the rows] are laid out facing each other east and west, each running from
south to north. Desks are stood in front of the east row and the west row,
and on them are placed the sutras: the Diamond Praj�a Sutra, the Benevo-
lent King Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, the Supreme King Sutra,76 the Golden Light
Sutra, and so on. Several monks each day are invited from among the monks
in the [zazen] hall to partake in refreshments before the midday meal. Some-
times a bowl of noodles and a cup of soup are served to each monk, or some-
times six or seven dumplings with a portion of soup are served to each monk.
The dumplings also are served in a bowl, [but in this case] chopsticks are
provided; spoons are not provided. We do not change seats to eat, but remain
at our seat for the sutra reading. The refreshments are placed on the desk that
the sutras are placed on; there is no need to bring another table. While refresh-
ments are being eaten, the sutras are left on the desk. After finishing the
refreshments, each monk rises from his or her seat to [go and] rinse the mouth,
then returns to the seat and resumes sutra reading immediately. Sutra read-
ing continues from after breakfast until the time of the midday meal. When
the lunch time drum sounds three times, we rise from our seats: the day's
sutra reading is limited to before the midday meal. From the first day a board
saying �Established as a Practice Place for Celebration of the Em peror's
Birthday� is hung in front of the Buddha hall, under the eastern eaves. The
board is yellow. In addition, notice of celebration of the emperor's birthday
is written on a shoji placard,77 which is then hung on the eastern front pillar
inside the Buddha hall. This placard [also] is yellow. The name78 of the abbot
is written on red paper or white paper; the two characters [of the name] are
written on a small sheet of paper, which is pasted onto the front of the plac-
ard, beneath the date. The sutra reading continues as outlined above until the
day of the imperial descent and birth, when the abbot gives formal preach-
ing in the Dharma hall and congratulates the emperor. This is an old con-
vention which is not obsolete even today. There is another case in which
monks decide of their own accord to read sutras. Temples traditionally have
a common sutra reading hall. [Monks] go to this hall to read sutras. The rules
for its use are as in our present Pure Criteria. 79
[219] The founding patriarch, Great Master Kodo80 of Yakusan Moun-
tain, asks Srama? era Ko,81 �Did you get it by reading sutras, or did you get
it by requesting the benefit [of the teaching]? �82
Srama? era Ko says, �I did not get it by reading sutras, and I did not get
it by requesting benefit. �
The master says, �There are a lot of people who do not read sutras and
who do not request benefit. Why do they not get it? �
Srama? era Ko says, �I do not say that they are without it. It is just that
they do not dare to experience it directly. �83
[220] In the house of the Buddhist patriarchs, some experience it directly
and some do not experience it directly, but reading sutras and requesting the
benefit [of the teaching] are the common tools of everyday life.
Shobogenzo Kankin
Preached to the assembly at Koshohorinji in
the Uji district of Yoshu,84 on the fifteenth
day of the ninth lunar month in the autumn
of the second year of Ninji.
is without an inch of soil,121 [the words] �touching the ground� may be imma-
ture122 and [the words] �not having landed on the ground� may be immature.
This being so, �the Old Man's heels not having landed on the ground� is the
[very] exhalation and inhalation of the Old Man, the [very] moment of his
heels. 123
[174] Zen Master Koto124 of Kokutai-in Temple, on Kinkazan in the
Bushu125 district, the story goes, is asked by a monk, �What is the eternal
mirror like before being polished? �126
The master says, �The eternal mirror. �
The monk says, �What is it like after being polished? �
The master says, �The eternal mirror. �127
[174] Remember, the eternal mirror under discussion now has a time of
being polished, a time before being polished, and [a time] after being pol-
ished, but it is wholly the eternal mirror. This being so, when we are pol-
ishing, we are polishing the eternal mirror in its entirety. We do not polish
by mixing in mercury or anything else other than the eternal mirror. This is
neither polishing the self nor the self polishing; it is polishing the eternal
mirror. Before being polished the eternal mirror is not dull. Even if [people]
call it black, it can never be dull: it is the eternal mirror in its vivid state. In
general, we polish a mirror to make it into a mirror; we polish a tile to make
it into a mirror; we polish a tile to make it into a tile; and we polish a mir-
ror to make it into a tile. 128 There are [times when] we polish without mak-
ing anything; and there are [times when] it would be possible to make some-
thing, but we are unable to polish. 129 All equally are the traditional work of
Buddhist patriarchs.
[175] When Baso130 of Kozei,131 in former days, was learning in prac-
tice under Nangaku,132 Nangaku on one occasion intimately transmits to Baso
the mind-seal. This is the beginning of the beginning of �polishing a tile. �133
Baso has been living at Denpoin Temple, sitting constantly in zazen for a
matter of ten or so years. We can imagine what it is like in his thatched hut
on a rainy night. There is no mention of him letting up on a cold ? oor sealed
in by snow. Nangaku one day goes to Baso's hut, where Baso stands wait-
ing. Nangaku asks, �What are you doing these days? �
Baso says, �These days Doitsu just sits. �
Nangaku says, �What is the aim of sitting in zazen? �
Baso says, �The aim of sitting in zazen is to become buddha. �134
Nangaku promptly fetches a tile and polishes it on a rock near Baso's
hut.
Baso, on seeing this, asks, �What is the master doing? �
Nangaku says, �Polishing a tile. �
Baso says, �What is the use of polishing a tile? �
Nangaku says, �I am polishing it into a mirror. �135
Baso says, �How can polishing a tile make it into a mirror? �136
Nangaku says, �How can sitting in zazen make you into a buddha? �137
[178] For several hundred years, since ancient times, most people inter-
preting this story�great matter that it is�have thought that Nangaku was
simply spurring Baso on. That is not necessarily so. The actions of great
saints far transcend the states of common folk. Without the Dharma of pol-
ishing a tile, how could the great saints have any expedient method of teach-
ing people? The power to teach people is the bones and marrow of a Buddhist
patriarch. Although [Nangaku] has devised it, this [teaching method] is a
common tool. [Teaching methods] other than common tools and everyday
utensils are not transmitted in the house of Buddha. Further, the impression
on Baso is immediate. Clearly, the virtue authentically transmitted by the
Buddhist patriarchs is directness. Clearly, in truth, when polishing a tile
becomes a mirror, Baso becomes buddha. When Baso becomes buddha, Baso
immediately becomes Baso. When Baso becomes Baso, zazen immediately
becomes zazen. This is why the making of mirrors through the polishing of
tiles has been dwelled in and retained in the bones and marrow of eternal
buddhas; and, this being so, the eternal mirror exists having been made from
a tile. While we have been polishing this mirror�in the past also�it has
never been tainted. Tiles are not dirty; we just polish a tile as a tile. In this
state, the virtue of making a mirror is realized, and this is just the effort of
Buddhist patriarchs. If polishing a tile does not make a mirror, polishing a
mirror cannot make a mirror either. 138 Who can suppose that in this �mak-
ing� there is [both] �becoming� buddha and �making� a mirror? 139 Further,
to express a doubt, is it possible, when polishing the eternal mirror, to mis-
takenly think that the polishing is making a tile? The real state at the time
of polishing is, at other times, beyond comprehension. Nevertheless, because
Nangaku's words must exactly express the expression of the truth, it may
be, in conclusion, simply that polishing a tile makes a mirror. People today
also should try taking up the tiles of the present and polishing them, and they
will certainly become mirrors. If tiles did not become mirrors, people could
not become buddhas. If we despise tiles as lumps of mud, then we might
also despise people as lumps of mud. If people have mind, tiles must also
have mind. Who can recognize that there are mirrors in which, [when] tiles
come, tiles appear? And who can recognize that there are mirrors in which,
[when] mirrors come, mirrors appear?
Shobogenzo Kokyo
Preached to the assembly at Kannondori ko-
shohorinji, on the ninth day of the ninth
lunar month in the second year of Ninji. 140
---
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BDK English Tripitaka
A Biography of Sakyamuni
The Lotus Sutra (Second Revised Edition)
The Sutra of Queen Srimala of the Lion's Roar
The Larger Sutra on Amitayus
The Sutra on Contemplation of Amitayus
The Smaller Sutra on Amitayus
The Bequeathed Teaching Sutra
The Vimalakirti Sutra
The Ullambana Sutra
The Sutra of Forty-two Sections
The Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment
The Vairocanabhisa? bodhi Sutra
The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch
The Baizhang Zen Monastic Regulations
Shobogenzo: The True Dharma-Eye Treasury vol. 1
Shobogenzo: The True Dharma-Eye Treasury vol. 2
Shobogenzo: The True Dharma-Eye Treasury vol. 3
Shobogenzo: The True Dharma-Eye Treasury vol. 4
Tannisho: Passages Deploring Deviations of Faith
Rennyo Shonin Ofumi: The Letters of Rennyo
The Sutra on the Profundity of Filial Love
Shobogenzo: The True Dharma-Eye Treasury vol. 1 (? ? ? ? (1))
Chapter/Section: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
B2582_1 (biblio info) Chapter/Section 21
[Chapter Twenty-one]
Kankin
Reading Sutras
Translator 's Note: Kan means �to read� and kin means �sutras. � Many
Buddhist sects revere reading sutras, because they think that the Buddhist
truth is theory which can be understood through abstract explanation. They
think that we can understand Buddhism only by reading sutras. At the same
time, there are other sects who deny the value of reading sutras; they say
that because Buddhist truth is not a theoretical system, we cannot attain the
truth by reading sutras. Master Dogen took the middle way on the problem:
rather than deny the value of reading sutras, he said that reading sutras is
one way of finding out what Buddhist practice is. He did not believe, how-
ever, that we can get the truth by reading sutras; he did not think that recit-
ing sutras might exercise some mystical in? uence over religious life. In this
way Master Dogen's view on reading sutras was very realistic. However, his
understanding of �reading sutras� was not limited to written sutras; he
believed that the universe is a sutra. He thought that observing the world
around us is like reading a sutra. So for him, grass, trees, mountains, the
moon, the sun, and so forth were all Buddhist sutras. He even extended his
view of reading sutras to include walking around the master 's chair in the
middle of the zazen hall. This viewpoint is not only Master Dogen's; it is the
viewpoint of Buddhism itself. So in this chapter, Master Dogen explains the
wider meaning of reading sutras.
[183] The practice-and-experience of anuttara samyaksa? bodhi sometimes
relies on [good] counselors and sometimes relies on the sutras. �[Good] coun-
selors�1 means Buddhist patriarchs who are totally themselves. �Sutras� means
sutras that are totally themselves. Because the self is totally a Buddhist patri-
arch and because the self is totally a sutra, it is like this. 2 Even though we call
it self, it is not restricted by �me and you. � It is vivid eyes, and a vivid fist.
[184] At the same time,3 there is the consideration of sutras, the reading
of sutras,4 the reciting of sutras, the copying of sutras, the receiving of sutras,
and the retaining of sutras: they are all the practice-and-experience of Buddhist
patriarchs. Yet it is not easy to meet the Buddha's sutras: �Throughout innu-
merable realms, even the name cannot be heard. �5 Among Buddhist patri-
archs, �even the name cannot be heard. � Amid the lifeblood, �even the name
cannot be heard. � Unless we are Buddhist patriarchs we do not see, hear,
read, recite, or understand the meaning of sutras. After learning in practice
as Buddhist patriarchs, we are barely able to learn sutras in practice. At this
time the reality of hearing [sutras], retaining [sutras], receiving [sutras],
preaching sutras, and so on, exists in the ears, eyes, tongue, nose, and organs
of body and mind,6 and in the places where we go, hear, and speak. The sort
who �because they seek fame, preach non-Buddhist doctrines�7 cannot prac-
tice the Buddha's sutras. The reason is that the sutras are transmitted and
retained on trees and on rocks, are spread through fields and through vil-
lages, are expounded by lands of dust, and are lectured by space.
[186] Great Master Kodo,8 the ancestral patriarch of Yakusan Moun-
tain, has not ascended [his seat in the Dharma] hall for a long time. The tem-
ple chief 9 says, �The monks have long been hoping for your compassionate
instruction, master. �
[Yaku]san says, �Strike the bell! �
The temple chief strikes the bell, and a few of the monks assemble.
[Yaku]san ascends [the seat in the Dharma] hall and passes a while.
Then he gets down from the seat and goes back to the abbot's quarters. The
temple chief follows behind him and says, �Just before, the master agreed
to preach the Dharma for the monks. Why have you not bestowed a single
word upon us? �
[Yaku]san says, �For sutras there are sutra teachers. For commentaries
there are commentary teachers. How could you doubt the old monk? �10
[188] The compassionate instruction of the ancestral patriarch is that
for fists there is a fist-teacher, and for eyes there is an eye-teacher. At the
same time, with due respect, I would now like to ask the ancestral patriarch
this: I do not deny [your words] �how can the old monk be doubted? � but I
still do not understand: the master is a teacher of What. 11
[188] The order of the Founding Patriarch Daikan12 is on Sokeizan in
Shoshu district. Hotatsu,13 a monk who recites the Sutra of the Flower of
Dharma,14 comes to practice there. The Founding Patriarch preaches for
Hotatsu the following verse:
When the mind is in delusion, the Flower of Dharma turns.
When the mind is in realization, we turn the Flower of Dharma.
Unless we are clear about ourselves, however long we recite [the
sutra],
It will become an enemy because of its meanings.
Without intention the mind is right.
With intention the mind becomes wrong.
When we transcend both with and without,
We ride eternally in the white ox cart. 15
[189] So when the mind is in delusion we are turned by the Flower of
Dharma; when the mind is in realization we turn the Flower of Dharma. Fur-
ther, when we spring free from delusion and realization, the Flower of Dharma
turns the Flower of Dharma. On hearing this verse Hotatsu jumps for joy
and praises it with the following verse:
Three thousand recitations of the sutra
With one phrase from Sokei, forgotten.
Before clarifying the import of [the buddhas'] appearance in the world,
How can we stop recurring lives of madness?
[The sutra] explains goat, deer, and ox as an expedient,
[But] proclaims that beginning, middle, and end are good.
Who knows that [even] within the burning house,
Originally we are kings in the Dharma?
Then the Founding Patriarch says, �From now on, you will rightly be
called the Sutra-reading Monk. � We should know that there are sutra-read-
ing monks in Buddhism: it is the direct teaching of the eternal buddha of
Sokei. �Reading� in this [phrase] �Sutra-reading Monk� is beyond �having
ideas,� �being without ideas,� and so on. 16 It is �transcendence of both hav-
ing and being without. � The fact is only that �from kalpa to kalpa the hands
never put down the sutra, and from noon to night there is no time when it is
not being read. �17 The fact is only that from sutra to sutra it is never not being
experienced. 18
[191] The twenty-seventh patriarch is Venerable Praj�atara19 of eastern
India. A king of eastern India, the story goes, invites the Venerable One to
a midday meal, at which time the king asks, �Everyone else recites20 sutras.
Why is it, Venerable One, that you alone do not recite? �
The patriarch says:
My21 out-breath does not follow circumstances,
The in-breath does not reside in the world of aggregates. 22
I am constantly reciting sutras like this. 23
Hundred thousand myriad ko? is of scrolls.
Never only one scroll or two scrolls. 24
[192] The Venerable Praj�atara is a native of an eastern territory of
India. He is the twenty-seventh rightful successor from Venerable Maha -
kasyapa,25 having received the authentic transmission of all the tools of the
Buddha's house: he has dwelled in and retained the brains, the eyes, the fist,
and the nostrils; the staff, the patra, the robe and Dharma, the bones and
marrow, and so on. He is our ancestral patriarch, and we are his distant
descendants. 26 The words into which the Venerable One has now put his total
effort [mean] not only that the out-breath does not follow circumstances, but
also that circumstances do not follow the out-breath. Circumstances may be
the brains and eyes, circumstances may be the whole body, circumstances
may be the whole mind, but in bringing here, taking there, and bringing back
here again, the state is just �not following circumstances. � �Not following�
means totally following; therefore it is a state of bustling and jostling. The
out-breath is circumstances themselves; even so, �it does not follow cir-
cumstances. � For countless kalpas we have never recognized the situation
of breathing out and breathing in, but just now the moment has come when
we can recognize it for the first time, and so we hear �it does not reside in
the world of aggregates� and �it does not follow circumstances. � This is the
moment when circumstances study for the first time such things as �the in-
breath. � This moment has never been before, and it will never be again: it
exists only in the present. �The world of aggregates� means the five aggre-
gates: matter, perception, thought, enaction, and consciousness. The reason
he does not reside in these five aggregates is that he is in the world where
�five aggregates� have never arrived. Because he has grasped this pivotal
point, the sutras he recites are never only one or two scrolls; he is �constantly
reciting hundred thousand myriad ko? is of scrolls. � Though we say that �hun-
dred thousand myriad ko? is of scrolls� just cites for the present an example
of a large number, it is beyond only numerical quantity: it assigns the quan-
tity of �hundred thousand myriad ko? is of scrolls� to one out-breath's �not
residing in the world of aggregates. � At the same time, [the state] is not meas-
ured by tainted or faultless wisdom27 and it is beyond the world of tainted
and faultless dharmas. 28 Thus, it is beyond the calculation of wise intelli-
gence, it is beyond the estimation of intelligent wisdom; it is beyond the con-
sideration of non-wise intelligence, and it is beyond the reach of non-intel-
ligent wisdom. It is the practice-and-experience of buddhas and of patriarchs,
it is their skin, ? esh, bones, and marrow, their eyes, fists, brains, and nos-
trils, and their staffs and whisks, springing out of the moment.
[196] Great Master Shinsai29 of Kannon-in Temple in Joshu, the story
goes, is sent a donation by an old woman, who asks the Great Master to recite
the whole of the sutras. The master descends from the zazen chair, goes
around it once, and says to the messenger, �I have finished reciting the sutras. �
The messenger returns and reports this to the old woman. The old woman
says, �I asked him before to recite the whole of the sutras. Why did the mas-
ter only recite half the sutras? �30
[197] Evidently, the recitation of the whole of the sutras or half of the
sutras amounts to three scrolls of sutras in the old woman's case. 31 �I have
finished reciting the sutras� is the whole of Joshu's sutra. In brief, the situ-
ation of his reciting the whole of the sutras is as follows: There is Joshu going
around the zazen chair; there is the zazen chair going around Joshu, there is
Joshu going around Joshu, and there is the zazen chair going around the
zazen chair. At the same time, all instances of reciting the sutras are neither
limited to going around a zazen chair, nor limited to a zazen chair going
around.
[198] Great Master Shinsho32 of Daizuizan in Ekishu, whose original
Dharma name was Hoshin,33 succeeded Zen Master Daian34 of Chokeiji. In
the story, an old woman sends a donation and asks the master to recite the
whole of the sutras. The master descends from his zazen chair, goes around
it once, and says to the messenger, �I have already recited the whole of the
sutras. � The messenger returns and reports this to the old woman. The old
woman says, �I asked him before to recite the whole of the sutras. Why did
the master only recite half the sutras? �35
[199] Now, do not study that Daizui is going around the zazen chair,
and do not study that the zazen chair is going around Daizui. It is not only
a grouping together of fists and eyes; his making of a circle is enaction of a
circle. Does the old woman have the eyes, or does she not have the eyes [to
see it]? Even though she has got the expression �He only recited half the
sutras� in the authentic transmission from a fist,36 the old woman should also
say, �I asked him before to recite the whole of the sutras. Why did the mas-
ter only worry his soul? �37 If she spoke like this, even by accident, she would
be an old woman with eyes.
[200] [In the order] of the founding patriarch, Great Master Tozan
Gohon,38 the story goes, there is a government official who prepares the mid-
day meal, offers a donation, and requests the master to read and recite the
whole of the sutras. The Great Master descends from his zazen chair and
bows to39 the official. The official bows to the Great Master, who leads the
official once around the zazen chair, then bows to the official [again]. After
a while he says to the official, �Do you understand? � The official says, �I do
not understand. � The Great Master says, �You and I have read and recited
the whole of the sutras. How could you not understand? �
[201] That �You and I have read and recited the whole of the sutras�
is evident. We do not learn that to go around the zazen chair is to read and
recite the whole of the sutras, and we do not understand that to read and
recite the whole of the sutras is to go around the zazen chair. All the same,
we should listen to the compassionate instruction of the founding patriarch.
My late master, the eternal buddha, quoted this story when, while he was
residing [as master] on Tendozan, a donor from Korea entered the moun-
tain, made a donation for the monks to read the sutras, and requested that
my late master should ascend the lecture seat. When he had quoted [the
story], my late master made a big circle with his whisk and said, �Tendo
today has read and recited for you the whole of the sutras. � Then he threw
down the whisk and descended from the seat. We should read and recite
now the words spoken by the late master, never comparing them to [the
words of] others. Still, should we think that [Master Tendo], in reading and
reciting the whole of the sutras, uses a whole eye or uses half an eye?
Do
the words of the founding patriarch and the words of my late master rely
on eyes or rely on tongues? How many [eyes and tongues] have they used?
See if you can get to the bottom of it.
[202] The ancestral patriarch, Great Master Kodo40 of Yakusan Moun-
tain, does not usually let people read sutras. One day he is reading a sutra
himself. A monk asks him, �The master does not usually let others read
sutras. Why then are you reading yourself? �
The master says, �I just need to shade my eyes. �
The monk says, �May I copy the master? �
The master says, �If you were to read you would surely pierce holes
even in ox-hide! �
[203] The words �I just need to shade my eyes� spoken now are words
naturally spoken by shaded eyes41 themselves. �Shading the eyes� describes
getting rid of eyes and getting rid of sutras, it describes complete eye shad-
ing and completely shaded eyes. �Shading the eyes� means opening the eyes
in the shaded state, invigorating the eyes within shade, invigorating shade
within eyes, adding an extra eyelid, utilizing the eyes within shade, and eyes
themselves utilizing shade. This being so, the virtue of �shading the eyes�
is never [mentioned] in any [sutras] other than eye-sutras. �You would surely
pierce holes even in ox hide� describes complete ox hide and a complete-
hide ox, it describes utilizing the ox to become a hide. 42 This is why [pos-
session of] the skin, ? esh, bones, and marrow, and horns on the head, and
nostrils, has been seen as the vigorous activity of bulls and cows. 43 In �copy-
ing the master,� the ox becomes the eye�this is described as �shading the
eyes. � It is the eye becoming the ox.
[205] Zen Master Yafu Dosen44 says:
To serve offerings to buddhas hundred million thousands of times
is boundless happiness,
[But] how can it compare to everyday reading of the old teachings?
On the face of white paper characters are written in black ink.
Open your eyes, I beg you, and look before you. 45
[206] Remember, serving offerings to ancient buddhas and reading the
old teachings may be equal in happiness and good fortune and may go beyond
happiness and good fortune. �The old teachings� means characters written
in black ink on white paper, [but] who can recognize the old teachings as
such? We must master just this principle.
[206] [In the order of] Great Master Kokaku46 of Ungozan, the story
goes, there is a monk who is reading a sutra in his quarters. The Great Mas-
ter asks from outside the window, �Acarya, what sutra is that you are read-
ing? �
The monk replies, �The Vimalakirti Sutra. �
The master says, �I am not asking you if it is the Vimalakirti Sutra. That
which you are reading is a What sutra. �47
At this the monk is able to enter. 48
[207] The Great Master's words �That which you are reading is a What
sutra� mean that the �state of reading,�49 in one line, is age-old, profound,
and eternal; and it is not desirable to represent it as �reading. � On the road
we meet deadly snakes. This is why the question �What sutra? � has been
realized. In meeting as human beings, we do not misrepresent anything. This
is why [the monk replies] �The Vimalakirti Sutra. � In sum, reading sutras
means reading sutras with eyes into which we have drawn together all the
Buddhist patriarchs. At just this moment, the Buddhist patriarchs instantly
become buddha, preach Dharma, preach buddha, and do buddha-action. 50
Without this moment in reading sutras, the brains and faces of Buddhist patri-
archs could never exist. 51
[209] At present in the orders of Buddhist patriarchs, forms for the read-
ing of sutras are many and varied: for when a donor52 enters the mountain
and requests the whole sangha to read sutras; for when the monks have been
requested to read sutras regularly;53 for when the monks read the sutras of
their own volition, and so on. Besides these, there is the sutra reading by the
whole sangha for a deceased monk.
[209] When a donor enters the mountain and requests the monks to read
sutras, from breakfast on the day [of the reading] the hall chief54 hangs an
advance notice of the sutra reading in front of the monks' hall55 and in all
quarters. After breakfast the prostration mat is laid before the [image of the]
Sacred Monk. 56 When it is time [for the reading], the bell in front of the
monks' hall is struck three times, or struck once�according to the instruc-
tions of the abbot. After the sound of the bell, the head monk57 and all the
monks put on the ka? aya and enter the cloud hall. 58 They go to their own
place59 and sit facing forward. Then the abbot enters the hall, goes before
the Sacred Monk, bows with joined hands, burns incense, and then sits at
the [abbot's] place. Next the child helpers60 are told to distribute the sutras.
These sutras are arranged beforehand in the kitchen hall, placed in order and
made ready to be given out when the time comes. The sutras are either dis-
tributed from inside the sutra box, or placed on a tray and then distributed.
Once the monks have requested a sutra, they open and read it immediately.
During this time, at the [right] moment, the guest supervisor61 leads the donor
into the cloud hall. The donor picks up a handheld censer just in front of the
cloud hall and enters the hall holding it up with both hands. The handheld
censer is [kept] in the common area by the entrance to the kitchen hall. 62 It
is prepared with incense in advance, and a helper63 is [instructed] to keep it
ready in front of the cloud hall. When the donor is about to enter the hall,
[the helper], upon instruction, hands [the censer] to the donor. The guest
supervisor gives the orders regarding the censer. When they enter the hall,
the guest supervisor leads and the donor follows, and they enter through the
southern side of the front entrance to the cloud hall. The donor goes before
the Sacred Monk, burns a stick of incense, and does three prostrations, hold-
ing the censer while doing the prostrations. During the prostrations the guest
supervisor, hands folded,64 stands to the north of the prostration mat, facing
south but turned slightly toward the donor. 65 After the donor's prostrations,
the donor turns to the right, goes to the abbot, and salutes the abbot with a
deep bow, holding the censer up high with both hands. The abbot remains
on the chair to receive the salutation, holding up a sutra with palms held
together. 66 The donor then bows to the north. Having bowed, [the donor]
begins the round of the hall from in front of the head monk. During the walk
around the hall, [the donor] is led by the guest-supervisor. Having done one
round of the hall and arrived [again] in front of the Sacred Monk, [the donor]
faces the Sacred Monk once more and bows, holding up the censer with both
hands. At this time the guest supervisor is just inside the entrance to the cloud
hall, standing with hands folded to the south of the prostration mat, and fac-
ing north. 67 After saluting the Sacred Monk, the donor, following the guest
supervisor, goes out to the front of the cloud hall, does one circuit of the front
hall,68 goes back inside the cloud hall proper, and performs three prostrations
to the Sacred Monk. After the prostrations, [the donor] sits on a folding chair
to witness the sutra reading. The folding chair is set, facing south, near the
pillar to the Sacred Monk's left. Or it may be set facing north near the south-
ern pillar. When the donor is seated, the guest supervisor should turn to salute
the donor, and then go to his or her own place. Sometimes we have a San-
skrit chorus while the donor is walking round the hall. The place for the San-
skrit chorus is either on the Sacred Monk's right or on the Sacred Monk's
left, according to convenience. In the handheld censer, we insert and burn
valuable incense like jinko or sanko. 69 This incense is supplied by the donor.
While the donor is walking around the hall, the monks join palms. Next is
the distribution of donations for the sutra reading. The size of the donation
is at the discretion of the donor. Sometimes things such as cotton cloth or
fans are distributed. The donor personally may give them out, or the main
officers may give them out, or helpers may give them out. The method of
distribution is as follows: [The donation] is placed in front of [each] monk,
not put into the monk's hands. The monks each join hands to receive the
donation as it is given out in front of them. Donations are sometimes dis-
tributed at the midday meal on the day [of the sutra reading]. If [donations]
are to be distributed at lunch time, the head monk, after offering the meal,70
strikes down the clapper71 once again, and then the head monk gives out the
donations. The donor will have written on a sheet of paper the aim to which
[the sutra reading] is to be directed, and [this paper] is pasted to the pillar
on the Sacred Monk's right. When reading sutras in the cloud hall, we do
not read them out in a loud voice; we read them in a low voice. Or some-
times we open a sutra and only look at the characters, not reading them out
in phrases but just reading the sutra [silently]. There are hundreds or thou-
sands of scrolls provided in the common store72 for this kind of sutra read-
ing�mostly of the Diamond Praj�a Sutra; the �Universal Gate� chapter
and the �Peaceful and Joyful Practice� chapter of the Lotus Sutra; the Golden
Light Sutra,73 and so on. Each monk goes through one scroll. When the sutra
reading is finished, [the child helpers] pass in front of the [monks'] seats,
carrying the original tray or box, and the monks each deposit a sutra. Both
when taking [the sutra] and when replacing it, we join hands. When taking,
first we join hands and then we take. When replacing, first we deposit the
sutra, then we join hands. After that, each person, palms together, makes the
dedication in a low voice. For sutra readings in the common area,74 the chief
officer or the prior burns incense, does prostrations, goes around the hall,
and gives out the donations, all in the same way as a donor, and holds up the
censer also in the same way as a donor. If one of the monks becomes a donor
and requests a sutra reading by the whole of the sangha, it is the same as for
a lay donor. 75 There is burning of incense, prostrations, going around the
hall, distribution of donations, and so on. The guest supervisor leads, as in
the case of a lay donor.
[216] There is a custom of reading sutras for the emperor's birthday. So
if the celebration of the birthday of the reigning emperor is on the fifteenth
day of the first lunar month, the sutra readings for the emperor's birthday
begin on the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month. On this day there is no
formal preaching in the Dharma hall. Two rows of platforms are laid out in
front of [the image of] Sakyamuni Buddha in the Buddha hall. That is to say,
[the rows] are laid out facing each other east and west, each running from
south to north. Desks are stood in front of the east row and the west row,
and on them are placed the sutras: the Diamond Praj�a Sutra, the Benevo-
lent King Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, the Supreme King Sutra,76 the Golden Light
Sutra, and so on. Several monks each day are invited from among the monks
in the [zazen] hall to partake in refreshments before the midday meal. Some-
times a bowl of noodles and a cup of soup are served to each monk, or some-
times six or seven dumplings with a portion of soup are served to each monk.
The dumplings also are served in a bowl, [but in this case] chopsticks are
provided; spoons are not provided. We do not change seats to eat, but remain
at our seat for the sutra reading. The refreshments are placed on the desk that
the sutras are placed on; there is no need to bring another table. While refresh-
ments are being eaten, the sutras are left on the desk. After finishing the
refreshments, each monk rises from his or her seat to [go and] rinse the mouth,
then returns to the seat and resumes sutra reading immediately. Sutra read-
ing continues from after breakfast until the time of the midday meal. When
the lunch time drum sounds three times, we rise from our seats: the day's
sutra reading is limited to before the midday meal. From the first day a board
saying �Established as a Practice Place for Celebration of the Em peror's
Birthday� is hung in front of the Buddha hall, under the eastern eaves. The
board is yellow. In addition, notice of celebration of the emperor's birthday
is written on a shoji placard,77 which is then hung on the eastern front pillar
inside the Buddha hall. This placard [also] is yellow. The name78 of the abbot
is written on red paper or white paper; the two characters [of the name] are
written on a small sheet of paper, which is pasted onto the front of the plac-
ard, beneath the date. The sutra reading continues as outlined above until the
day of the imperial descent and birth, when the abbot gives formal preach-
ing in the Dharma hall and congratulates the emperor. This is an old con-
vention which is not obsolete even today. There is another case in which
monks decide of their own accord to read sutras. Temples traditionally have
a common sutra reading hall. [Monks] go to this hall to read sutras. The rules
for its use are as in our present Pure Criteria. 79
[219] The founding patriarch, Great Master Kodo80 of Yakusan Moun-
tain, asks Srama? era Ko,81 �Did you get it by reading sutras, or did you get
it by requesting the benefit [of the teaching]? �82
Srama? era Ko says, �I did not get it by reading sutras, and I did not get
it by requesting benefit. �
The master says, �There are a lot of people who do not read sutras and
who do not request benefit. Why do they not get it? �
Srama? era Ko says, �I do not say that they are without it. It is just that
they do not dare to experience it directly. �83
[220] In the house of the Buddhist patriarchs, some experience it directly
and some do not experience it directly, but reading sutras and requesting the
benefit [of the teaching] are the common tools of everyday life.
Shobogenzo Kankin
Preached to the assembly at Koshohorinji in
the Uji district of Yoshu,84 on the fifteenth
day of the ninth lunar month in the autumn
of the second year of Ninji.
