THE BLOODSTREAM TREATISE

ROOT TEXT

 

Yuzhou Hwa Yen Temple

 

The Bloodstream Treatise

Root Text Yuzhou Hwa Yen Temple

All appearances in the three realms arise from the mind and return to the mind. The buddhas before and after teach mind to mind without establishing words.

Question: “If words are not established, what is mind?”

Answer : “You ask me, that is your mind; I answer you, that is my mind. If I have no mind, how can I answer you? If you have no mind, how can you ask me? That which asks is your mind. Since the beginningless great kalpa, everything you have done, at any time or place, that is your fundamental innate mind, that is your buddha nature. In essence, this mind is the buddha. Except for this mind, there is no other buddha to be found. To search for enlightenment or nirvana beyond this mind is wrong.”

Your self-nature is real. It is neither cause nor effect. The Dharma is the mind, the nature of mind is enlightenment, and the nature of mind is nirvana. If you say, “The buddha and enlightenment are somewhere beyond the mind,” it is not so. Looking for the buddha or enlightenment outside is like grasping at empty space. Space has a name, but it has no form; it cannot be obtained or discarded, nor can it be held. If you look for a buddha outside this mind, you will never find it. The buddha is your mind’s work, so why look for a buddha outside? The buddhas before and after only speak of this mind. The mind is the buddha, and the buddha is the mind; beyond the mind there is no buddha, and beyond the buddha there is no mind. If you say, “There is a buddha outside the mind,” where is this buddha? Since there is no buddha outside the mind, why hold on to one? Misleading one another, you cannot know your real mind; captivated by external, insentient things, you cannot be free. If you do not believe this, it is useless to deceive yourself.

The buddha is not at fault. Sentient beings are confused and unaware that their own mind is the buddha. If they knew their own mind is the buddha, they would not seek the buddha outside the mind. Buddhas do not save buddhas. If you use your mind to search for a buddha, you do not know the buddha. When you only look outside for a buddha, you do not know your own mind is the buddha. Do not use the buddha to pay homage to a buddha, or use your mind to invoke a buddha. Buddhas do not recite sutras, observe precepts, or violate precepts; buddhas do not keep or break anything, and buddhas do not perform good or evil deeds. To find the buddha, you must see your nature; whoever sees his nature is a buddha. If you do not see your nature, there is no benefit in chanting the buddha’s name, reciting sutras, fasting, or observing precepts. Reciting the buddha’s name results in good karma, reciting sutras results in wisdom, observing the precepts results in rebirth in heaven, making offerings results in blessings, but you will never find the buddha.

If you do not understand on your own, you must consult a good teacher to get to the root of cyclic existence. A person who does not see his nature cannot be called a good teacher. Even if he can expound the twelve divisions of the scriptures, he will remain in the cycle of birth and death, and suffer in the three realms with no hope of escape. In the past, a monk named Sunakshatra was able to recite the twelve divisions of the scriptures, yet he could not escape rebirth because he did not see his nature. If such was the case with Sunakshatra, people nowadays who teach three or five sutras and sastras and think it is the Dharma are fools. Unless you recognize your own mind, reciting a lot of prose is useless.

If you want to find the buddha, you just need to see your nature. Your nature is the buddha, and the buddha is a free person – there is nothing the buddha needs to do. If you do not see your nature and run around all day looking elsewhere for the buddha, you will not obtain anything. In fact, there is nothing to obtain. To understand this, you must consult a good teacher and strive hard to realize the true nature of things. Life and death are important. Do not live your life in vain. There is no benefit in self-deception. Even if you have mountains of jewels and as many family members as the grains of sand in the Ganges, you see them when you open your eyes, but do you still see them when you close your eyes? You should know then that all compounded things are like a dream or illusion. If you do not find a teacher soon, you will live your life in vain. Although you have buddha nature, you will never know it without the help of a teacher. It is extremely rare for one to attain enlightenment without a teacher. If a person attains realization of the buddha due to the concomitance of karmic conditions, that person need not consult a teacher. He is born with an awareness that surpasses anything that can be taught. But unless you are so blessed, you must study hard and obtain realization through the teachings.

If a person understands the Dharma on his own, he naturally does not need to study with a teacher because he already knows. People who do not have this innate awareness and think they can obtain realization without study are deluded souls who cannot distinguish white from black. Falsely proclaiming the Buddha’s edict, they deride the Buddha and subvert the Dharma. They preach as if they were bringing rain; theirs are the words of demons, not of buddhas. The teacher is the demon king, and the disciples are his entourage; deluded people who follow their command descend into the sea of life and death without realizing it. But people who do not see their nature falsely claim to be buddhas; they are great transgressors who deceive sentient beings into entering the realm of demons. Unless they see their nature, their preaching of the twelve divisions of the scriptures is nothing more than the words of demons; the followers of demons are not disciples of Buddhism. If they cannot distinguish white from black, how can they avert life and death?

If you see your nature, you are a buddha; if you do not see your nature, you are a mortal. If you can obtain your buddha nature outside your mortal nature, where is it? Our mortal nature is our buddha nature. There is no buddha outside of this nature, the buddha is our nature. Apart from this nature there is no buddha, and apart from the buddha there is no nature.

Question: “If I do not see my nature, can I still attain enlightenment by invoking the buddhas, reciting sutras, making offering , observing precepts, practicing diligence, and doing good deeds?” Answer: “No.”

“Why not?” Answer : “If there is anything to be attained, it is conditioned dharma, it is cause and effect, it is retribution, it is samsara. So long as you are subject to birth and death, you will never attain enlightenment. To become a buddha, you must see your nature. Unless you see your nature, you are an outsider espousing cause and effect, etc. The buddhas do not practice teachings given by outsiders. A buddha is free of karma, free of cause and effect. But to say he has anything to attain is to slander the buddha. What can possibly be attained? Even clinging to a mind, a power, an understanding, and a view, the buddha does not allow. A buddha neither upholds nor violates the precepts, his mind is essentially empty, it is neither pure nor impure. There is nothing to cultivate and nothing to realize, no cause and effect. The buddha does not observe precepts, the buddha does not do good or evil, the buddha is not diligent or lazy, the buddha is one who does nothing. But if you cling to the thought of seeing the buddha, it is not allowed. The buddha is not a buddha, so do not try to interpret it as a buddha. If you do not understand this, you will never know your fundamental innate mind. People who do not see their nature and imitate the buddha by practicing thoughtlessness and inaction all the time are transgressors and fools that fall into blank emptiness; they are as dazed as drunks, and they cannot tell good from evil. If you practice not doing anything, you must first see your nature, then abandon all conceptualizations. Unless you see your nature, attaining buddhahood is impossible. Some people refute the existence of cause and effect and commit bad karma without hesitation. They falsely claim that since everything is empty, committing evil is not wrong. These people will descend into the darkness of avici hell and never come out. A wise person should not hold such a view.”

Question: “If our every action at any time is the fundamental innate mind, why do we not see it when we die?” Answer : “The fundamental innate mind is always present, but you just don’t see it.”

“If the mind is present, why can’t it be seen?”

“Have you ever had a dream?” “Yes, I have.”

“When you dream, is that you?” “Yes, it is me.”

“Are your words, actions, and movements different from you?” “No, they are not.”

“If there is no difference, then this body is your dharmakaya, and this dharmakaya is your fundamental innate mind. This mind since beginningless kalpas has never varied. It has never experienced birth and death, it neither arises nor ceases, neither increases nor decreases, it is neither pure nor impure, neither good nor evil, it neither comes nor goes. It is not right or wrong. It is not male or female. It appears not as a monk or layman, an elder or a novice, a sage or a mortal, a buddha or a sentient being. It neither cultivates nor seeks realization, is not touched by cause and effect, and has no strength or form. It is just like space. You cannot possess or discard it. It cannot be hindered by mountains, rivers, or stone walls; it can come and go with ease; it can penetrate the mountain of five skandhas and cross the river of samsara. This dharmakaya cannot be bound by any karma. This mind is subtle and difficult to see, it is different from the sensual mind, everyone wants to see this mind. Beings whose thoughts and actions are carried out within the clarity of this mind are as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges, but if you ask them, no one can explain it. They are like wooden figures; they always use it, so why don’t they know it?”

The Buddha said, “All sentient beings are deluded. They fall into the river of samsara because of their deeds. They want to escape but cannot because they do not see their nature.” If sentient beings were not confused, why would they not answer, why would they not know their mind? The sages are not mistaken; deluded people do not know their own mind. Indeed, it is difficult to know, only the buddha understands this mind; humans, gods, and other sentient beings do not. If this mind is enlightened, it is called dharma nature, it is called liberation. Not bound by life and death, nor restrained by anything, it is called the Dharmakaya Buddha; it is also known as the Inconceivable, the Sacred Body, the Immortal, the Great Sage. Although the names are different, the essence is one.

The sages vary in kind, but never leave their own mind. The mind’s capacity is unlimited, its applications are endless; the eyes seeing forms, the ears hearing sounds, the nose smelling fragrance, the tongue knowing taste, every movement is your mind. At every moment, when there are only words without attachment, it is your mind. Therefore, it is said: “The tathagata’s universe is endless, and so is his wisdom.” The mind perceives infinite forms. That it can distinguish all things and their every movement is the mind’s wisdom. The mind has no form and its wisdom has no limit. Therefore, it is said: “The tathagata’s universe is endless, and so is his wisdom.” A form body composed of the four elements is unsatisfactory, it is subject to birth and death; the real body, the dharmakaya, exists without abiding anywhere, it never changes.

Therefore, the sutras say: “Sentient beings should know that buddha nature inherently exists.” The Venerable Mahakashyapa realized just this true nature – the true nature is our mind, our mind is the true nature, this is the same mind as all the buddhas. The buddhas before and after only transmit this mind; apart from this mind, no buddha can be obtained. Deluded people do not know that their own mind is the buddha, they search outside and are busy all day long; reciting the buddha’s name and worshipping the buddha, where is the buddha? Do not cling to this illusion, just know your mind, there is no other buddha beyond the mind.

The sutras say: “All appearances are false.” They also say: “Wherever you are, there is a buddha.” Your mind is the buddha, do not use a buddha to worship a buddha. Even if a buddha or bodhisattva appears before you, there is no need to pay homage. This mind of ours is empty and without form; those who hold on to appearances are devils; they fall into the wrong path. If illusions arise from the mind, there is no need to bow. Those who worship do not know, and those who know do not worship; to worship is to be possessed by the devil. I say this because I am afraid practitioners do not understand it. The true nature of all the buddhas and tathagatas is without form, this we must remember. If something unusual appears, do not pay attention to it, do not fear, do not doubt; your mind is basically pure, how can there be forms? Even if you see devas, dragons, yakshas, ghosts, or divine beings, do not pay homage or harbor fear; your mind is inherently empty, all appearances are illusions, do not cling to these appearances. If you envision a buddha, a dharma, or a bodhisattva and bow to them, you descend into the world of mortals. If you want to be enlightened directly, you will succeed just by staying free of attachment. I have nothing more to add. Therefore, the sutras say: “All appearances are false.” Having no fixed reality or form, they are impermanent. If you do not cling to appearances, you are of one mind with the buddha. Therefore, the sutras say: “Being free from all appearances is the buddha.”

Question: “Why can’t we pay homage to the buddhas and bodhisattvas?” Answer : “The demons, mara, and asuras possess the power of manifestation and can appear as bodhisattvas. All kinds of transformation are those of heretics, not the buddha. The buddha is your own mind, so do not misdirect your reverence.”

Buddha is a Sanskrit term for enlightenment. The enlightened one abides in a state of awakening; embracing living beings of all kinds, raising the brows, blinking the eyes, and moving the hands and feet are all his awakened nature. Our nature is the mind, the mind is the buddha, the buddha is the path, and the path is Chan. But the word Chan is one that is hard for ordinary people and sages to understand. Seeing your nature directly is Chan. Unless you see your nature, it is not Chan. Even if you can explain thousands of sutras and treatises, unless you see your true nature, your words are those of an ordinary person, not a buddha. The supreme path is profound, impossible to put in words; the scriptures cannot explain it. But you can apprehend the truth if you see your true nature, even without knowing a word. A person who sees his nature is a buddha; the buddha’s body is intrinsically pure and free of impurities. All words spoken by the buddha or sages are a function of the mind. This mind is inherently empty. A buddha cannot be found in famous sayings or anywhere in the twelve divisions of the scriptures. The path is basically perfect. It does not need to be created or perfected. The path has no form or sound. It is subtle and hard to see. Just like a person drinking water knows how hot or cold it is, but cannot tell others. That which only the tathagata can know, all other beings are unaware. Ordinary people are not wise enough, so they have attachments. Not knowing their mind is basically empty, they cling to appearances and all phenomena; they are thus outsiders. If you know that everything arises from the mind, you should not have any attachment; with attachment, you are unaware. If you see your true nature, the entire twelve divisions of the scriptures become senseless words. Its thousands of sutras and treatises are just for knowing the mind; if you have achieved this goal through words, what use are the teachings thereafter? The ultimate truth is beyond words; the scriptures are just words, not the path. The path is wordless. Words are delusions.

If in a dream at night you see castles, palaces, elephants and horses, forests, or lakeside pavilions, do not give rise to even a single thought of attachment or joy. These are all places of rebirth, so be careful. At the time of death, do not cling to appearances; without attachment, you are free from obstructions. Just a moment of doubt or suspicion, and you will be possessed by demons. The dharmakaya is inherently pure and impassible, but due to confusion, you are not aware of it, you suffer retributions in vain. Therefore, with any yearning for or attachment to your possessions as death approaches, freedom cannot be attained. Once you awaken to your true nature, you will no longer be tainted by habits.

When a sage returns to the mundane world and appears in any of myriad forms as a sentient being, he is at ease in any circumstance, good or bad, unrestrained by karma. Having long attained enlightenment, a sage possesses great might and virtue, he can transform all kinds of karma, heaven and hell can do nothing to him. Ordinary people are confused, but sages know everything inside and out. If you have any doubt, do not act; once you act, you will wander into life and death, and regret having no refuge. Poverty and hardship all arise from deluded thinking. If you understand the mind, you should encourage and inspire one another, but do without doing; this way you will see things from a tathagata’s perspective.

When you are new on the path, your mind is often uncertain. You are likely to see strange scenes in your dreams, but do not doubt that they all arise from your own mind and nowhere else. If in a dream you see a light brighter than the sun, it means your remaining habits will come to an end, and the nature of reality will be uncovered. Such an occurrence is the cause of enlightenment. But only you know it, do not tell others. If in a quiet garden, while walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, you see a light, whether bright or dim, do not tell anyone about it, do not cling to it; it is the clear light of your own nature. If in the stillness of night, while walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, you see a light, like daylight, do not be surprised; the nature of your mind is about to reveal itself. Or if in a night dream you see the stars and the moon clearly, it means your karmic hindrances will soon be eliminated; but do not tell others. If the dream is murky, like you are wandering in darkness, it means your mind is clouded by afflictions; this too only you know.

Once you perceive your true nature, there is no need to read scriptures or invoke the buddhas; learning too much is useless, it will only dim your mind. The teachings are there only to point out the nature of mind; if you see your mind already, why study the teachings? To become a sage, you must put an end to evil karma, cultivate your mind, and accept what life brings. Excessive anger will lead you away from the path, bringing only harm. In life and death, sages come and go as they please, appearing and disappearing at will, unrestrained by karma. They have already cut through delusions and evil influences. Sentient beings only need to see their true nature to instantly eradicate their residual habits; with a clear mind, they must directly grasp the truth, right in the moment. If you really want to realize the path, do not cling to anything. Once you put an end to evil karma and cultivate your mind, all remaining habitual tendencies will naturally dissipate. Clarity will arise without much effort. Outsiders who fail to grasp the Buddha’s intent exert themselves tirelessly; they violate his true meaning, and drive around chanting the buddha’s name and reciting sutras all day long, they remain confused about their own nature and cannot avoid rebirth. The buddha is an idle person. He does not busily pursue fame and fortune. What use are these things afterwards? But people who do not see their nature read scriptures, invoke buddhas, and study diligently; they practice day and night, and meditate for long periods of time without lying down. They study widely and think it is the Dharma; these people are all slanderers of the Dharma.

The buddhas before and after only talk about seeing your nature. All composite phenomena are impermanent. If you do not see your nature and falsely claim, “I have attained the highest perfect enlightenment,” you are a great liar. Among the Buddha’s ten great disciples, Ananda was foremost in listening, but he did not really know the buddha, he relied only on extensive learning. Outsiders in the two vehicles do not know the buddha; they cultivate realization through practice only, and cannot transcend cause and effect. That is the karma of sentient beings, they cannot avoid birth and death, they violate the Buddha’s will and slander him. Killing them is not a sin. The sutras say: “Icchantikas do not believe in cause and effect, so killing them would not be wrong.” A person who has faith is at the level of the buddha. If you are not enlightened, do not casually slander the goodness of others, there is no benefit in self-deception. Good and evil are apparent, and cause and effect are clear. Heaven and hell are right in front of your eyes, but fools do not believe it and fall into the darkness of hell; they are not aware of it, and they do not believe it because of their serious karma. This is akin to a blind person who has no way of knowing there is light on the road; even if told, he cannot believe it, so how can he discern sunlight? The same goes for fools. They end up in the lower realms or among the poor and despised, unable to live or die. Despite their suffering, if you ask them, they say, “I am as happy as the beings in heaven.” Thus, sentient beings perceive cyclic existence to be joyful, they do not know and are unaware. Such fools cannot develop faith because of their serious karma; they are not free. People who realize that their mind is the buddha no longer need to shave their head, these people in white clothes (laymen) are buddhas too. If they do not see their nature and shave their head, they are still outsiders.

Question: “How can a layman who is married become a buddha if he does not abandon lust?” Answer: “I do not talk about lust, only about seeing its nature. You do not see its nature. Once you recognize its nature, lust is basically empty, you need not cut it off, your delight in it ends, any residual habits cannot harm you. Why? Because the nature of afflictions is essentially pure. Although you dwell in this five-aggregate body, its nature is pure and cannot be polluted. The dharmakaya has no sensation, no hunger or thirst, no cold or heat, no disease, no love, no dependents; no pain or pleasure, no good or evil, no short or long, no strength or weakness, there is nothing to obtain. It is only due to the existence of this physical body that there is hunger, thirst, cold and heat, miasma diseases, and other symptoms; once you stop clinging to it, you can do whatever you want. If you gain great freedom in life and death, you can transform everything through unobstructed spiritual powers, and you can be at ease wherever you are. If there is any doubt in your mind, you will never penetrate or see things as they really are. It is best to do nothing, otherwise you will transmigrate indefinitely in samsara. If a chandala sees his nature, even he can become a buddha.”

Question: “How can a chandala become a buddha if he slaughters animals and creates karma?” Answer : “I only talk about seeing the nature of mind, not about creating karma. Whatever his transgressions, he is no longer restrained by karma. Since beginningless time, beings have fallen into hell, created karma, and transmigrated in cyclic existence due to ignorance of their nature. After enlightenment, they cease creating karma. If a person does not see his nature, invoking the buddhas will not free him from retribution, let alone killing a living being. If he sees his nature, all doubts instantly disappear, even slaughtering animals cannot affect him.”

The twenty-seven patriarchs in India only transmitted the heart seal. Now that I have come to this land, I only teach the sudden enlightenment of the Mahayana, that is, this mind is the buddha. I do not talk about precepts, charity, diligence, or ascetic practices such as entering water and fire, boarding a wheel of swords, eating just one meal a day, or sitting for a long time without lying down. These are all heretical practices. Once your mind awakens to its spiritually aware nature, it is the mind of all buddhas. The buddhas before and after only talk about transmitting the mind, they teach nothing else. Even an ordinary person who is illiterate is a buddha if he understands this teaching. If you do not recognize your own awakened nature, even if you exert yourself to the point of breaking your body into a mote of dust, you will never find the buddha.

The buddha is also known as the dharmakaya and the fundamental innate mind. This mind has no form, no cause and effect, no tendons, no bones; it is empty like space and cannot be held. It is unobstructed, it does not look outside for the buddha. Only the tathagata understands this mind, all other living beings are confused and cannot understand it. This mind is inseparable from the body of four elements; without this mind, you cannot move. The body itself, being insentient, is like grass and rubble. If the body has no feelings, why can it move? It is the mind that moves; even language and actions, perception and awareness are movements of the mind. All movements are the mind’s motion. Motion is its function. There is no mind apart from motion, and there is no motion apart from the mind. Motion is not the mind, and the mind is not motion. There is basically no mind in motion, and there is basically no motion in mind. Motion is not separate from the mind, and the mind is not separate from motion. There is no mind for motion to exist apart from, and no motion for mind to exist apart from. Motion is the mind’s function, and its function is the mind’s motion. To move is to use the mind, and to use is to move the mind. But in essence, there is neither motion nor function. The essence of function is emptiness, and emptiness is inherently without motion. Motion and function both return to the same mind. The mind is essentially free of movement.

Therefore, the sutras say: “Move without moving, come and go without coming and going, see without seeing, laugh without laughing, hear without hearing, know without knowing, rejoice without rejoicing, walk without walking, abide without abiding.” Therefore, the sutras say: “The essence of mind can neither be expressed nor conceived; seeing, hearing, and perceiving are inherently empty.” Even anger, joy, pain, and itching cannot be found if you examine and look for them; in that sense we are not unlike wooden figures. Therefore, the sutras say: “Evil deeds result in painful retributions, and good deeds result in good retributions; anger takes you to hell and happiness takes you to heaven.” But if you know that anger and joy are empty in nature, and do not hold on to them, you will be free from all karma. If you do not see your nature, teaching the Dharma is baseless and speaking about it is endless. Briefly distinguishing good from evil is possible, but it barely covers a thing or two about the Dharma.

Verse:

The mind, mind, mind is hard to find,

When vast, it pervades the Dharma realm,

When narrow, it cannot hold a needle.

I seek the mind, not the buddha outside,

I know the three realms are empty of substance.

To seek the buddha, seek the mind alone,

For this very mind is the buddha.

I seek the mind, the mind is ever present,

It cannot be obtained, let the mind know itself.

Buddha nature is not found outside,

To look beyond the mind is wrong.

Verse:

I originally came to this land

To teach the Dharma and save people from confusion.

A single flower will blossom into five petals,

Its fruit will naturally ripen.

 

Thus concludes the Bloodstream Treatise