15 Zen Teachings of Hongzhi Zhengjue

...of Jingde Monastery on Mt. Tiantong (c. 1150 AD)

Compiled with a Preface by Monk Puqung

Translated into English by Yi Wu

Gently edited by Ol’ Doc Skepsis

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Preface

My teacher Hongzhi made vast and empty the bright mirror, saw through it and reflected without neglect. He manifested the mysterious pivot of subtle change, then trusted his fortune and certainly found the core. Only one who had the true eye and deep flowing eloquence could have mastered this!

My teacher lived below Taipai Peak; dragons and elephants tromped around. The hammer and chisel [of Zen] chipped away. The meaning of his words spread widely but still conveyed the essence. Sometimes, scholars and laypeople who trusted the Way asked for his direction; sometimes, mendicant monks requested his instruction. They spread-out paper and wrote down his responses. He spoke up and answered their questions, producing appropriate Dharma talks. I have selected a few of these and arranged them in order.

Ah, the emptiness of the great blue sky; the flowing of the vast ocean.

I have not yet attained these utmost depths, so please excuse my attempt to record his talks. I await those who mysteriously accord with spiritual awakening, to pound out the rhythm of my teacher’s words and appreciate their tones.

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§ 1. The Bright, Boundless Field

The field of boundless emptiness is what exists from the very beginning. 

You must purify, cure, grind down, or brush away all the tendencies you have fabricated into apparent habits. Then you can reside in the clear circle of wonder. 

Utter emptiness has no image; upright independence does not rely on anything. Just expand and illuminate the original truth, unconcerned by external conditions. 

Accordingly, we are shown the realization that not a single thing exists. In this field, birth and death do not appear. The deep source — transparent down to the bottom — can radiantly shine, and can respond unencumbered to each speck of dust without becoming its partner. 

The subtlety of seeing and hearing transcends mere colors and sounds. 

The whole affair functions without leaving traces; mirroring without obscuring. Very naturally, mind and dharmas emerge and harmonize. 

An Ancient said that non-mind enacts and fulfills the way of non-mind. Enacting and fulfilling the way of non-mind, finally you can rest. Proceeding, you are able to guide the assembly. 

With thoughts clear, sitting silently, wander into the center of the circle of wonder.

This is how you must penetrate and study.

§ 2. The Practice Of True Reality

The practice of true reality is simply to sit serenely in silent introspection. When you have fathomed this, you cannot be triggered by external causes and conditions. 

This empty, wide-open mind is subtilely- and correctly-illuminating. 

Spacious and content, without confusion from inner thoughts or grasping, effectively overcome apparent habits and realize the Self that is not possessed by emotions. 

You must be broad-minded, whole, without relying on others. Such an upright, independent spirit can then begin not to engage in degrading situations. Here you can rest and become clean, pure and lucid. Bright and penetrating, you can immediately return, accord and respond to deal with events. 

Everything is unhindered; clouds gracefully floating up to the peaks, the moonlight glitteringly flowing down mountain streams. The entire place is brightly illumined and spiritually transformed, totally unobstructed and clearly manifesting responsive interaction — like box and lid, or arrow points meeting. 

Continuing on, cultivate and nourish yourself, to enact maturity and achieve stability. If you are in accord everywhere with thorough clarity, and cut off sharp corners without dependence on doctrines, like the white bull or wildcat [helping to arouse wonder], you can be called a complete person. 

Thus we hear that this is how a follower of the Way of non-mind acts; but prior to realizing non-mind, one must still endure great hardship.

§ 3. Face Everything, Let Go, Attain Stability

Vast and far-reaching, without boundary, secluded and pure, manifesting light; this spirit is without obstruction. Its brightness does not shine out, but can be called empty and inherently radiant. Its brightness, inherently purifying, transcends causal conditions; beyond subject and object. Subtle but preserved, illumined and vast, also it cannot be spoken of as either being or nonbeing, nor discussed with images or calculations. 

Right in here, the central pivot turns; the gateway opens. You accord and respond without laboring, and accomplish without hindrance. Everywhere you turn around freely — not following conditions, not falling into classifications.

Facing everything, let go and attain stability. 

Stay with this just as this. Stay with that just as that. That and this are mixed together with no discriminations as to their places. So it is said that the earth lifts up the mountain without knowing the mountain's stark steepness. A rock contains jade without knowing the jade's flawlessness. 

This how truly to leave home — how home-leaving must be enacted.

§ 4. Contemplating The Ten Thousand Years

Patched-robed monks make their thinking dry and cool, and rest from the remnants of conditioning. Persistently brush-up and sharpen this bit of the field. Directly cut through all the overgrown grass. 

Reach the limit in all directions without defiling even one atom. Spiritual and bright, vast and lustrous, illuminating fully what is before you; directly attain the shining light and the clarity that cannot attach to a single defilement. 

Immediately tug and pull back the ox's nose. Of course his horns are imposing and he stomps around like a beast, yet he has never once damaged people's sprouts or grain. 

Wandering around, accept how it goes. Accepting how it goes, wander around. Do not be bounded by or settle into any place. Then the plough will break open the ground in the field of the empty kalpa. Proceeding in this manner, each event will be unobscured, each realm will appear complete. One contemplation of the ten thousand years is beginning not to dwell on appearances. Thus it is said that the mind-ground contains every seed, and the universal rain makes them all sprout. 

When awakening blossoms, desires fade, and the Bodhi tree’s fruit is the perfected self.

§ 5. Performing The Buddha Work

The empty field can be neither cultivated nor proven. From the beginning it is altogether complete, undefiled, and clear down to the bottom. 

Where everything is correct and totally sufficient, attain the pure eye that illuminates thoroughly, fulfilling liberation. Enlightenment involves enacting this; stability develops from practicing it. 

Birth and death originally have no root or stems; appearing and disappearing originally have no defiling signs or traces. The primal light, empty and effective, illumines the headtop. The primal wisdom, silent but also glorious, responds to conditions. 

When you reach the truth without middle or edge, cutting-off before and after, then you realize one wholeness. Everywhere, sense faculties and objects both just happen. The one who sticks out his broad, long tongue transmits the inexhaustible lamp, radiates the great light, and performs the great Buddha work, from the outset borrowing from others not one atom from outside the Dharma. 

Clearly this affair occurs within your own house.

§ 6. Forgetting About Merit Is Fulfillment

Separate yourself from disturbance and face whatever appears before you. Not one iota seeps through from outside. 

The two forms, yin and yang, have the same root; and the ten thousand images have one substance. Following change and going along with transformation, the whole is not clouded-over by previous conditions. Then have you reached the foundation of the great freedom. Wind blows and moon shines, and beings do not obstruct each other. Afterwards, settle back within and take responsibility. Wisdom returns and the principle is consummated. 

When you forget about merit your position is fulfilled. Do not fall for occupying honorable stations, but enter the current of the world and join with the delusion. Transcendent, solitary and glorious, directly know that transmitting is merit, but having transmitted is not your own merit.

§ 7. The Ground That Sages Cannot Transmit

Cast-off completely your head and skin. Thoroughly withdraw from distinctions of light and shadow. Where the ten thousand changes do not reach is the foundation that even a thousand sages cannot transmit. Simply, by yourself, illuminate and deeply experience it with intimate accord. The original light flashes through confusion; true illumination reflects into the distance. 

Deliberations about being and nonbeing are entirely abandoned. The wonder appears before you, its benefit transferred-out for kalpas. Immediately, you follow conditions and accord with awakening, without obstruction from any defilements. The mind does not attach to things; your footprints are not visible on the road behind you. 

Then you are called to continue the family business. Even if you thoroughly understand this, still please practice until it is familiar.

§ 8. With Total Trust, Roam and Play in Samadhi

Empty and desire-free, dry and cool, simple and genuine; this is how to strike-down and fold-up the apparent habits of many lifetimes. When the stains from these old habits are exhausted, the original light appears, blazing through your skull, not allowing any other maters. Vast and spacious — like sky and water merging during autumn, like snow and moon having the same color — this field is without boundary, beyond direction, magnificently one entity without edge or seam. 

Further, when you turn within and drop-off everything completely, realization occurs. Right at the time of entirely dropping-off, ‘deliberation’ and ‘discussion’ are one thousand or ten thousand miles away. Still, no principle is discernible, so what could there be to point to or explain? People with the bottom of the bucket fallen-out immediately find total trust.

So we are told simply to realize mutual response, and explore mutual response, then turn around and enter the world. 

Roam and play in Samadhi. Every detail clearly appears before you. Sound and form, echo and shadow, all happen instantly without leaving traces. The outside and my self do not dominate each other, simply because no perceiving of objects comes between us. Only this non-perceiving encloses the empty space of the Dharma realm's majestic ten thousand forms. 

People with the original face should enact and fully investigate the field without neglecting a single fragment.

§ 9. The Valley Spirit and the Wind Matter

Patched-robed monks practice thoroughly without carrying a single thread. Open-mindedly sparkling and pure, they are like a mirror reflecting a mirror, with nothing regarded as outside, without capacity for accumulating dust. They illuminate everything fully, perceiving nothing as an object. This is called taking up the burden from inside, and is how to shoulder responsibility. 

Wisdom illuminates the darkness without confusion. The Way integrates with the monk and does not get stuck. From this unstuck place, engaging and transforming at the appropriate opportunity, the wisdom does not leak out. Clearly the Way does not get stained. Unobstructed and free, beyond restraints, monks do not depend on even subtle indicators, and their essential spirit cannot be eclipsed. 

Fulfilled, wander around and arrive at such a field. The entire place secure, the entire place at leisure, the open field of the white ox is plain and simple, of one color. If you chase the ox, still he will not go away. You must intimately experience, and arrive here.

§ 10. Simply Drop Off Everything

Silently dwell in the self; in true suchness, abandon conditioning. Open-minded and bright, without defilement, simply penetrate and drop-off everything. 

Today is not your first arrival here. Since the ancient home before the empty kalpa, clearly, nothing has been obscured. Although you are inherently spirited and splendid, still you must go ahead and enact it. When doing so, immediately display every atom without hiding a speck of dirt. Dry and cool, in deep repose, profoundly understand. 

If your rest is not satisfying, and you yearn to go beyond birth and death, there can be no such place. Just burst through, and you will thus discern without thought-dusts; pure, and without reasons for anxiety. To step back with open hands, giving up everything, is to thoroughly comprehend life and death. Immediately you can sparkle and respond to the world. Merge together with all things. 

Everywhere is just right. Accordingly, we are told that from ancient until modern times, all dharmas are not concealed, always apparent and exposed.

§ 11. The Ancient Ferryboat in the Bright Moonlight

A patched-robed monk's authentic task is to practice the essence, carefully discerning in each minute event the shining source, radiant without discrimination, one color unstained. You must keep turning inwards, so then the source is apprehended. This is called being able to continue the family business. 

Do not wear the changing fashions — transcend the duality of light and shadow. Accordingly, the ancestors' single trail is marvelously enacted. 

The residual debris of the world departs, its influence ended. This worldly knowledge does not compare to returning to the primary and obtaining confirmation. Observing beyond your skull, the core finally can be fulfilled, and you can emerge from the transitory. 

The reeds blossom under the bright moon; the ancient ferryboat begins its passage; the jade thread fits into the golden needle. Then the opportunity arises to turn around, enter the world, and respond to conditions. All the dusts are entirely yours; all the dharmas are not someone else's. Follow the flow and paddle along, naturally unobstructed!

§ 12. The Gates Sparkling at the Source

All Buddhas and every ancestor, without exception, testify that they all arrive at this refuge where the three times — past, present, and future — cease, and the ten thousand changes are silenced. Straight ahead, unopposed by the smallest atom, the inherently-illumined Buddha-spirit subtly penetrates the original source. When recognized and realized exhaustively, this spirit shares itself and responds to situations. The gates sparkle, and all beings behold the gleaming. Then they understand that from within this place, fulfilled self flows-out. 

The hundreds of grass-tips all around never are imposed as my causes and conditioning. The whole body from head to foot proceeds smoothly.

§ 13. The Misunderstanding of Many Lifetimes

Emptiness is without characteristics. Illumination has no emotional afflictions. With piercing, quietly-profound radiance, it mysteriously eliminates all disgrace. Thus one can know oneself; thus the self is completed. 

We all have the clear, wondrously-bright field from the beginning. Many lifetimes of misunderstandings arise simply from distrust, hindrance and confusion, which we create in a scenario of isolation. With boundless wisdom, journey beyond this, forgetting accomplishments. Straightforwardly abandon stratagems, and take on responsibility. Having turned yourself around, accepting your situation, if you set foot on the path, spiritual energy will marvelously transport you. 

Contact phenomena with total sincerity, not a single atom of dust outside yourself.

§ 14. Self and Other the Same

All dharmas are innately amazing beyond description. Perfect vision has no gap. In mountain groves, grasslands and woods, the truth has always been on display. 

Discern and comprehend the broad long tongue of Buddha's teaching, which cannot be muted. The spoken is instantly heard; what is heard is instantly spoken. Senses and objects merge; principle and wisdom are united. When self and other are the same, mind and dharmas are one. When you face what you have excluded and see how it appears, you must quickly gather it together and integrate with it. Make it work within your house, then establish stable sitting.

§ 15. Ten Billion Illuminating Spirits

The Way abides in the empty middle of the circle of wonder, reaching the vacancy where appearances are forgotten. The pure, ultimate self blazes, brilliant simply due to inherent illumination. 

Facing the boundary of the objective world without yet creating the sense gates, realize the subtlety of how to eliminate the effects of the swirling flow of arising and extinction! Rely only upon the source of creation. If you feel a shadow of a hair's gap, nothing will be received.

Simply experience and respond appropriately. 

From this singular impact many thousands of roads open, and all things are preeminent. With this unification I radiantly speak the Dharma. The self divides into ten billion distinct, illuminating spirits. Distinguish these, without falling into names and classifications, and accord fully without effort. 

The mirror is clear and magnanimous. The valley is empty, but echoes. From the outset unbound by seeing or hearing, the genuine self romps and plays in Samadhi, without obstruction. 

When enacted like this, how could it not be beneficial?