SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA

THE
UNBORN
The Life and Teachings
of Zen Master Banket
1622-1693
Revised Edition
Translated and with an
Introduction by
Norman Waddell
North Point Press
A division o !arrar" #traus and $irou%
New &or'
Contents
Preace vn

Introduction
Notes to the Introduction
( )*

The +harma Tal's o ,en -aster Ban'ei
The Ryumon./i #ermons The H*shin./i
#ermons Notes to the +harma Tal's
(0
(0
12
3)3

The +ialo4ues o ,en -aster Ban'ei
Notes to the +ialo4ues
Unnecessary Words
Notes to Unnecessary Words
Biblio4ra5hy o Wor's 6ited
133
159
163
187
193
Preface
,en entered 7a5an at the time o the #outhern #un4 dynasty in
6hina8 +o4en 93)::.3);3< be4an to 5romul4ate his version o
,en" which" althou4h it came to be called #oto 9the 7a5anese
5ronunciation o the 6hinese Ts=ao.tun4<" is in act +o4en=s own
7a5anese ,en" which 4rew and develo5ed around his main wor'"
the ho!ogen"o# The Rin>ai sect" also introduced in the thirteenth
century" brou4ht to 7a5an the system and traditions o the
#outhern #un4 ?in.chi school8 Beyond that" it did not develo5 any
characteristic ,en thou4ht o its own worthy o mention8 ?ater"
when we come to the To'u4awa 5eriod 93*:(.31*2<" we see in the
'oan ,en o Ha'uin 93*1;.32*1< a new develo5ment in the
methods or techni@ues o ,en 5ractice and also" in a sense" a
systemati>ation o ,en thou4ht8 #li4htly beore Ha'uin=s time"
however" Ban'ei a55eared8 His AUnborn ,enA es5oused a resh
de5arture or the irst time since the ,en 5atriarch Bodhidharma8
Unborn ,en is truly one o the most ori4inal develo5ments in the
entire history o ,en thou4ht8 Ban'ei" indeed" must be considered
one o the 4reatest masters that 7a5an has ever 5roduced8 9+aiset>
#u>u'i" t$dies in the %istory of Zen Tho$ght& Bankei Zen'
THE 7APANE#E RIN,AI PRIE#T BANBEI &OTABU
93*)).3*0(< did not leave behind any written e%5osition o
his ,en teachin4" and he 4ave strict orders that no one else
was to reduce it to writin48 But records were made nonethe.
vii
PRE!A6E
less" his ollowers bein4 unable to bear the thou4ht that their
master=s words and deeds should 4o unrecorded and" as one
o them 5ut it" A/ust let or the s5arrows to 5lay around with8A
#o althou4h much more was lost than they were able to
commit to 5a5er" we must be 4rateul or the record they
have 5reserved or usC it is our sole means o learnin4 about
his Unborn ,en8
This account o Ban'ei=s lie and teachin4 be4ins with an
introduction tracin4 the course o his reli4ious career8 It is
based on material com5iled by his disci5les and on reerences
Ban'ei himsel ma'es to his lie in the course o his sermons8
It has considerable interest as reli4ious bio4ra5hy and should
also 5rovide readers with the bac'4round rom which his
uni@ue ,en 5eda4o4y emer4ed8
The remainder" and bul'" o the boo' is made u5 o
translations rom Ban'ei=s records8 Ban'ei is best 'nown or
the collo@uial sermons 9Atal'sA would 5erha5s be a better
word to describe them< that he 5reached tirelessly to the
ea4er students who came to him in 4reat numbers rom all
over 7a5an8 He delivered them in en4a4in4ly 5lain" everyday
7a5anese" the ordinary lan4ua4e o the common man8 They
are 5o5ular in the word=s best sense8 No one had brou4ht ,en
to the layman in such an inormal and yet thorou4h4oin4
manner8 These vernacular sermons are 4iven here virtually
in their entirety8 They are ollowed by an e%tensive selection
rom the records o the conversations Ban'ei had with the
students and 5riests who came to him or ,en interviews" the
teacher.5u5il conrontations amiliar to Western readers o
,en literature8 To4ether" the translations o the sermons and
dialo4ues demonstrate the basic reli4ious stand5oint o
Ban'ei=s teachin4 o the Unborn and 5rovide a com5rehensive
5icture o his style o ,en" which" in its 4enius" utter
sim5licity" and all.
PRE!A6E
rounded wholeness" recalls nothin4 so much as the 4reat
6hinese masters o ,en=s 4olden a4e in the T=an4 dynasty8
Renewed interest in Ban'ei and his teachin4 has come
about only in the last ity years or so8 It is due almost entirely
to the eorts o the late #u>u'i +aiset>8 In a series o classic
wor's 5ublished in the early 30D:s" #u>u'i clariied or the
irst time the true si4niicance o Ban'ei=s ,en and its hi4h
5lace in the history o ,en thou4ht" rescuin4 Ban'ei rom the
obscurity o two and a hal centuries o near.total ne4lect8
+es5ite the literature that has 4rown u5 in the years since
these studies a55eared" #u>u'i remains Ban'ei=s best
inter5reter8 His studies o Unborn ,en are" with ew
e%ce5tions" the only ones that come to terms with its sim5le
yet 5roound meanin48 Anyone who studies Ban'ei must be
dee5ly indebted to this 4reat ,en scholar and teacher8
The wor' on these translations occu5ied me on and o or
about iteen years8 -uch o the material a55eared in the
5a4es o (astern B$ddhist) the /ournal o the Eastern
Buddhist #ociety" Byoto8 I wish to ta'e this o55ortunity to
ac'nowled4e a lon4.standin4 debt o 4ratitude to +r8
Nishitani Bei/i" or answerin4 5atiently over the years the 'ind
o @uestion only he could answer8 I am also 4rateul to -r8
#u4awara &oshimune o the B*rin./i" or 5ermission to use
the sel.5ortrait o Ban'ei re5roduced on the /ac'et" and to
the !utetsu./i in Aboshi" or 5ermission to re5roduce the
e%am5le o Ban'ei=s calli4ra5hy 9the two 6hinese characters
f$-sho) or AUnbornA< at the be4innin4 o each cha5ter8
!or this new edition" I have retranslated one or two
5ara4ra5hs I elt stood in need o revision and corrected hal
a do>en or so mis5rints that had come to my notice over the
years8 I have also ta'en the o55ortunity to add a new section
to the wor'8 It is a translation o the 4reater 5art o Unneces-
IX
PRE!A6E
sary Words *Zeigo') a collection o Ban'ei=s tal's and
dialo4ues that had been re5resented in the ori4inal edition
by only a handul o entries8 Now" twenty years ater
Ban'ei=s records irst a55eared" I can only wish that this new
edition will be received as warmly as the irst one was8 -ore
than anythin4 else" I ho5e it will convince a new 4eneration o
readers that Ban'ei is" as that wise man +aiset> #u>u'i
5ointed out" one o the truly 4reat i4ures in the history o the
,en school8
Norman Waddell Boro.an"
Byoto" 301(" 3000
THE
UNBORN
+ntrod$ction
BANBEI &OTABU WA# BORN IN 3*))" ON THE
ei4hth day o the third month at Hamada" a small villa4e on
the shore o the Inland #ea" in the 5rovince o Harima" in
what is now eastern Hyo4o 5reecture8
3
His ather" #u4a 9or
#u4awara< +osetsu" was rom the island o #hi'o'uE or
4enerations the amily ancestors had been 5hysicians o
samurai ran' in the service o the rulin4 Awa clan8
)
!or
reasons not now 'nown" +osetsu resi4ned this 5ost and" as a
masterless samurai" or ronin) crossed over the Inland #ea to
the 5rovince o Bitchu8 There he married a -iss No4uchi and"
ater movin4 twice more" settled inally in Hamada" where he
5resumably 4ained a livelihood throu4h the 5ractice o
medicine8 Ban'ei was one o nine children born to them" the
ourth o ive sons8 His boyhood name was -uchi" which
translates rou4hly as A+on=t all behindFA When Ban'ei was
ten" his ather died" leavin4 the duty o raisin4 him and the
other children to his mother and his eldest brother" -asayasu"
who continued the amily tradition as a 5ractitioner o
6hinese medicine8
The records o Ban'ei=s lie reveal that he was an
intelli4ent" hi4hly sensitive child but at the same time rather
unruly and uncommonly stron4 willed8
His mother later told him that even at the youn4 a4e o two
or three he showed a distinct aversion to death8 The amily
ound that by tal'in4 about death or 5retendin4 to be dead"
INTRO+U6TION
they could sto5 his cryin48 ?ater" when he made a nuisance o
himsel by leadin4 the nei4hborhood children in mischie" the
same methods were used to brin4 him into line8
Every year on the ith day o the ith month" the occasion
o the Boys= !estival" the villa4e youths too' 5art in stone.
throwin4 contests" dividin4 into sides and hurlin4 small
stones at each other rom o55osite sides o a nearby river8
This annual event had been held in the district or over ive
hundred years" since the Heian 5eriod" in order to inculcate
manly virtues in youn4 boys8 We are told that whichever side
Ban'ei was on invariably won" because he would never
retreat" no matter how hard the stones rained down on him8
At the a4e o eleven" less than a year ater his ather=s death"
he was sent to the villa4e school" where he too' an immediate
interest in his studies8 But the calli4ra5hy lessons" held ater
school at a tem5le in a nei4hborin4 villa4e" were a dierent
matter8 !or these he harbored an intense disli'e8 To avoid the
monotony o co5yin4 and reco5yin4 6hinese characters rom
the teacher=s co5yboo'" he made a 5ractice o returnin4
home well beore the class was over8 Althou4h -asayasu
re5eatedly too' his youn4 brother to tas' or this" his
scoldin4 had a55arently little eect8 In returnin4 home"
Ban'ei had to cross a river8 His brother instructed the
erryman not to allow him to board i he should come alon4
early8 Ban'ei was not easily to be denied8 AThe 4round must
continue under the water"A he declared" and he strode ri4ht
into the stream" stru44lin4 alon4 over the bottom until he
emer4ed" breathless" at the ar ban'8
Wantin4 to avoid urther conlict with his brother" Ban'ei
thou4ht o committin4 suicide8 He had heard that eatin4
5oisonous s5iders was atal" so he swallowed a mouthul o
them and shut himsel u5 inside a small Buddhist shrine to
await
INTRO+U6TION
the end8 -any hours later" seein4 that he was still alive" he
abandoned the attem5t and went home8
At the villa4e school" Ban'ei was sub/ected to the same
curriculum as all To'u4awa schoolboys" the recitation o
6onucian te%ts over and over until they came automatically
to the li5s8 One day" the class was ta'in4 u5 the ,reat
Learning) one o the Aour boo'sA o 6onucianism8 The
teacher came to the central words" AThe way o 4reat learnin4
lies in clariyin4 bri4ht virtue8A
(
Ban'ei interru5ted the
teacher8 AWhat is bri4ht virtueGA he as'ed8 The teacher"
re5eatin4 the 4losses 4iven in one o the traditional
commentaries" answered" AThe intrinsic nature o 4ood in
each 5erson8A Ban'ei as'ed what the intrinsic nature o man
was and was told" AIt=s his undamental nature8A AThen what is
thatGA he 5ersisted8 AThe ultimate truth o Heaven"A re5lied the
teacher8 None o these answers satisied Ban'ei8 A dee5er
e%5lanation was needed8 He wanted to 'now what bri4ht
virtue meant in terms o his 5ractical e%5erience8 This
@uestionin4 mar's the awa'enin4 o reli4ious doubt in his
consciousness" which was most li'ely already dis5osed in that
direction because o the recent loss o his ather8 Ban'ei
himsel s5o'e o this critical /uncture si%ty years later as the
be4innin4 o his search Ato discover the Buddha.mind8A In any
case" his @uestionin4 o bri4ht virtue soon 4rew into an all.
consumin4 5assion8 !ired by un@uellable doubts" he
embar'ed u5on an ur4ent and relentless reli4ious @uest that
would occu5y the ne%t ourteen years and determine the
uture course o his lie8
At the be4innin4" he too' every o55ortunity to as' others
or hel58 A 4rou5 o 6onucian scholars" whom he 5ressed or
an answer they were at a loss to 4ive" su44ested he try ,en
5riests" because Athey 'now about such 'notty 5roblems8A
There were no ,en tem5les in the immediate vicinity" so he
INTRO+U6TION
was unable to ollow their advice8 Ban'ei had to content
himsel with @uestionin4 more 6onucianists and such
Buddhist 5riests as he ound in tem5les nearby8 In addition"
he attended every sermon" lecture" and other reli4ious
4atherin4 that came to his attention8 Aterward" he would run
home and tell his mother what had been said8
D
But such in@uiries brou4ht him no 4lim5se o
understandin48 He was unable to ind a sin4le 5erson who
could oer him any 4uidance8 Thorou4hly discoura4ed" he
Awandered about li'e a stray mountain lamb" aimlessly and
alone8A Now even his schoolwor' lost all interest or him" a
develo5ment so dis5leasin4 to his lon4.suerin4 brother that
Ban'ei was inally Abanished rom the amily house or
4ood8A
#till only eleven years old" Ban'ei was on his own8 I the
records are to be believed" he does not seem to have been
unduly troubled by this turn o events8 On the contrary" he
seems to have welcomed it as a chance to devote himsel to
his 5roblem secure rom all outside distraction8 In any case" a
close riend o the amily" ta'in4 5ity on him" ste55ed orward
and oered him the use o a small hut in the hills behind his
house8
;
Acce5tin4 the oer" Ban'ei wrote the words h$gyo-
an) or A5ractice hermita4e"A on a 5lan' o wood" 5ro55ed it
u5 outside the entrance" and settled down in earnest to
devote himsel to his own clariication o bri4ht virtue8
The records are more or less silent re4ardin4 the ne%t
several years8 He seems to have s5ent time at a tem5le o
the #hin sect located close by8 There he must have learned
about that school=s 5ractice o the NembutsuHthe callin4 o
the name o Amida Buddha8 A reerence in his sermons to
lon4 sessions devoted to the constant re5etition o the
NembutsuHAdays on end in a Nembutsu samadhiAH5erha5s
belon4s in this 5eriod as well8 When he was iteen" Ban'ei
lived or a while in a #hin4on tem5le" where he 5resumably
amil.
INTRO+U6TION
iari>ed himsel to some e%tent with the teachin4 and 5ractices
o esoteric Buddhism8 The head 5riest o this tem5le"
im5ressed by the youn4 boy=s resolution" tried to induce him
to stay on as his disci5le8 Ban'ei reused the oer8 ANeither
the #hin nor the #hin4on sect was to his li'in48A
The ne%t year" havin4 turned si%teen" he wal'ed the twenty
miles that se5arated Hamada rom the city o A'o to visit the
,uio./i" a tem5le o the ,en sect that had been built twenty.
two years beore or the incumbent abbot" Um5o ,en/o8
*
Um5o belon4ed to the Rin>ai traditionE his s5eciic iliation
5laced him in the mainstream o that school" which traced its
descent rom the 4reat ,en masters o the Bama'ura 5eriod"
+aio and +aito8 #eventy years old when Ban'ei visited him in
3*(1" Um5o had earned a wide re5utation as a stern
tas'master who demanded total dedication rom his mon's8
A bio4ra5hical notice o Um5o included in Ban'ei=s records
tells us that Aew were bold.hearted enou4h to enter his
chambers" and they usually led beore lon48A
Ri4ht o" Ban'ei told Um5o o the diiculty he was havin4
in comin4 to terms with bri4ht virtue8 Um5o re5lied that i he
wanted to discover what it meant" he would have to 5ractice
>a>en" seated meditation8 There must have been somethin4
about Um5o" and the ,en teachin4s and 5ractice he
embodied" that struc' a res5onsive chord in Ban'ei" because
then and there he as'ed Um5o to 4ive him ordination as a
Buddhist mon'8 Um5o" no doubt 5leased to 4rant this
re@uest" comin4 as it did rom such an obviously determined
youn4 man" immediately shaved Ban'ei=s head8 He 4ave him
the reli4ious name Iota'u" A?on4 Polishin4 Jo the -ind
$emK8A
2
Ban'ei" the name by which he is best 'nown" he
ac@uired in his early thirties" when he served a term as a
teacher in the trainin4 halls o the -yoshin./i in Byoto8
Althou4h we have no s5eciic inormation about the way in
INTRO+U6TION
which Um5o instructed Ban'ei" we can reasonably assume
that Ban'ei was sub/ected to a demandin4 trainin4 5ro4ram
durin4 the three years he was under Um5o=s 4uidance8 ,a>en
was" o course" the chie in4redient o trainin48 Ban'ei
5robably did some wor' on 'oans as well" althou4h no clear
evidence reveals this and there is some indication that
Um5o may not have laid the same stress on 'oans that his
contem5oraries did8
1
At nineteen" ater three years at the ,uio./i" Ban'ei set out"
headin4 east" on an e%tended /ourney around the country that
eventually too' him throu4hout the Byoto.Osa'a area and as
ar west as the island o Byushu8 Once he too' leave o Um5o"
he had no i%ed residence8 He stayed in tem5les" but more
oten he lived a solitary lie in rude" sel.made huts" or"
re@uently" to /ud4e rom his records" he merely sle5t in the
o5en8 The 5rivations o this lie were 4reat" but he aced them
with a more than s5artan disdain or hun4er and e%tremes o
season and tem5erature8 He is re5orted to have lived amon4
be44ars or several years" irst under the $o/o Brid4e in Byoto
and later beside the Tenman4u #hrine in Osa'a" where he
sle5t with nothin4 but reeds or a coverin48 He sat or a wee'
without eatin4 at the -atsuno.o #hrine in the western 5art o
the ca5ital8 !rom the ollowin4 account by Ban'ei himsel" we
can orm a 5icture o what his lie was li'e at this timeH
althou4h the disci5le who cites it adds that it tells Abut one
ten.thousandth o the actual circumstances8A
I 5ressed mysel without mercy" drainin4 mysel mentally and
5hysicallyE at times" I 5racticed dee5 in the mountains" in 5laces
com5letely cut o rom human contact8 I ashioned 5rimitive
shelters out o 5a5er" 5ulled that over me" and did >a>en seated
insideE sometimes" I would ma'e a small lean.to by 5uttin4 u5
two
INTRO+U6TION
walls o thic' 5a5er boards and sit in solitary dar'ness inside"
doin4 >a>en" never lyin4 down to rest even or a moment8
Whenever I heard o some teacher whom I thou4ht mi4ht be able
to 4ive me advice" I went immediately to visit him8 I lived that way
or several years8 There were ew 5laces in the country I did not
set oot8
0
When he went bac' to Um5o in 3*D; ater our years=
absence" Ban'ei was twenty.three years old and still no closer
to resolvin4 the doubt and incertitude 5ressin4 in u5on him8
He is said to have been wee5in4 in discoura4ement as he
told Um5o how he had been unable to ind a sin4le 5erson in
all his travels who could 4ive him the 'ind o hel5 he wanted8
Um5o=s re5ly was" AIt=s your desire to ind someone that
'ee5s you rom your 4oal8A He was tellin4 Ban'ei that he
would never be able to achieve enli4htenment as lon4 as he
5ersisted in searchin4 or an answer outside himsel8
The words seem to have had their intended eect8 Ban'ei
5rom5tly let a4ainE this time he stayed nearby" buildin4 a
hermita4e in the countryside to the north o A'o 6astle8 As i
to underscore his determination to accom5lish his end
entirely on his own" he isolated himsel com5letely rom
contact with the outside" wallin4 himsel u5 within his tiny
dwellin48 He sat constantly" day and ni4ht" dedicatin4 himsel
with even 4reater ur4ency to >a>en" resolved" /ust as the
Buddha beore him had been" not to 4et u5 until he had
ound the way throu4h8 Eventually" his buttoc's and thi4hs
became inlamed and swollen rom constant contact with the
bare roc' loor8 They be4an to ester8 #till he 'e5t sittin48 He
4ave u5 eatin4 or wee's at a time8 He threw cold water over
himsel whenever he elt even the sli4htest a55roach o the
Ademons o slee58A Here is one o several descri5tions we
have o his lie in the hutC
I NTRO+U6TI ON
The room" about ten eet s@uare" resembled nothin4 so much as a
5rison cell8 There was only one small o5enin4" /ust lar4e enou4h
or an arm to 5ass throu4h8 The door he 5lastered shut with mud"
so that no one could enter to bother him8 !ood was 5assed to him
throu4h the hole in the wall twice each day8 Ater he had inished
eatin4 it" he 5laced the bowl outside the o5enin4 once a4ain8 A
5rivy was arran4ed /ust below the wall" so that he could relieve
himsel rom inside the room throu4h a small a5erture made or
that 5ur5ose8
3:
But the lon4 years o stru44le had wea'ened him both
5hysically and mentally8 He contracted tuberculosis8
33
He tells
o it himsel in this amous 5assa4e rom his sermonsC
The adverse eects o the lon4 years o 5hysical 5unishment built
u5 and inally led to a serious illness8 8 8 8 -y illness steadily
worsened8 I 4rew wea'er and wea'er8 Whenever I s5at" 4outs o
bloody s5utum as bi4 as thumb heads a55eared8 Once" I s5at
a4ainst a wall and the 4lobules stuc' and slid to the 4round in
bri4ht.red beads8
8 8 8 The illness now reached a critical sta4e8 !or a whole wee'" I
couldn=t swallow anythin4 e%ce5t some thin rice broth8
3)
The 5hysician who e%amined him is re5orted to have Athrown
aside his medicine s5oonAHBan'ei was 5ast the 5oint where
such remedies could be o hel58 He was now resi4ned to
dyin48 But with thin4s at their blac'est" his dramatic 5ersonal
stru44le to attain enli4htenment came to an endC
I elt a stran4e sensation in my throat8 I s5at a4ainst a wall8 A mass
o blac' 5hle4m lar4e as a soa5berry rolled down the side8 8 8 8
#uddenly" /ust at that moment" 8 8 8 I reali>ed what it was that had
3:
INTRO+U6TION
esca5ed me until nowC -.. things are /erfect.y reso.0ed in the
Un!orn#
3(
Ater ourteen years o incredible hardshi5" he had achieved
a decisive enli4htenment" his doubts and uncertainties
disa55earin4 li'e a dream8 Immediately" he elt his stren4th
be4in to return8 His a55etite im5roved almost miraculously
and with it his health8
#oon ater this" accordin4 to the accounts 4iven in two o
the bio4ra5hical records" another enli4htenment occurred"
occasioned when the ra4rant smell o 5lum blossoms was
borne to him on the mornin4 bree>e as he was washin4 his
ace in a nearby stream8 One version o the story lin's this
second e%5erience to the irst one in the ollowin4 wayC
The master" rustrated in all his attem5ts to resolve the eelin4 o
doubt which wei4hed so heavily on his mind" became dee5ly
disheartened8 #i4ns o serious illness a55eared8 He be4an to
cou4h u5 bloody bits o s5utum8 He 4rew steadily worse" until
death seemed imminent8 He said to himsel" AEveryone has to
die8 I=m not concerned about that8 -y re4ret is dyin4 with the
4reat matter I=ve been stru44lin4 with all these years" since I was a
small boy" still unresolved8A His eyes lushed with hot tears8
His breast heaved violently8 It seemed his ribs would burst8 Then"
/ust at that moment" enli4htenment came to himHli'e the bottom
allin4 out o a buc'et8 Immediately" his health be4an to
return" but still he seemed unable to e%5ress what he had
reali>ed8 Then one day" in the early hours o the mornin4" the
scent o 5lum blossoms carried to him in the mornin4 air reached
his nostrils8 At that instant" all attachments and obstacles were
swe5t rom his mind once and or all8 The doubts that had been
5la4uin4 him ceased to e%ist8
3D
33
INTRO+U6TION
When he was stron4 enou4h to travel" he made his way to
the ,uio./i to tell Um5o what had ha55ened8 Um5o was
over/oyed8 AThat is the =marrow o Bodhidharma=s bones8=
!rom now on" no one anywhere will be able to touch you"A
he said" ac'nowled4in4 Ban'ei=s understandin48 He told him"
however" that he should obtain veriication rom other
masters8 $udo Tosho'u" the most hi4hly re4arded Rin>ai ,en
teacher o the day" was the man Um5o recommended8
Ban'ei" who was now twenty.si%" 5roceeded to the
5rovince o -ino 95resent $iu 5reecture<" where $udo=s
tem5le" the +aisen./i" was located" midway between Hamada
and Edo8 $udo" whose oicial duties obli4ed him to s5end a
4ood deal o time travelin4 around the country to the various
tem5les under his su5ervision" was by a stro'e o bad luc'
away in Edo" so Ban'ei could not avail himsel o this
eminent master=s stoc' o e%5erience8 Havin4 come that ar"
however" Ban'ei decided to try his luc' with some o the
other ,en teachers in the vicinity8 What he discovered" to his
disa55ointment" and a little to his dis4ust as well" was that
none o the men he visited was in a 5osition to 4ive him the
conirmation he was ater8 In act" Ban'ei @uotes in his
sermons a conession one o these 5riests made to him" to the
eect that what he tau4ht 5eo5le was not based on his own
enli4htenment 9he really was not enli4htened" he said<E he
merely re5eated what he had learned rom his teacher or
what he had been able to 4ras5 rom his readin4 o ,en
writin4s8 He even 5raised Ban'ei or bein4 able to see
throu4h his lac' o true attainment8
3;
Ban'ei seems to have s5ent the ne%t year or so in small
hermita4es built at dierent sites amon4 the orested hills
o -ino" as he a55lied himsel to the im5ortant 5ost.
enli4htenment 5hase o his trainin48 He returned to Harima
3)
INTRO+U6TION
in 3*;:" where" into the ollowin4 year" he a55arently 4ave
considerable thou4ht to the course his uture teachin4
activities should ta'e8 He contem5lated" he says" Athe natural
ca5acity o my ellow men" and the means by which they
could be instructed in the Way"A tryin4 to decide u5on how
best to transmit to others the understandin4 he had achieved8
In the autumn o 3*;3" while Ban'ei was still en4a4ed in
this 5eriod o relection" news reached him o a 6hinese 5riest
by the name o +osha 6ho4en" who had arrived rom 6hina
and was residin4 at a tem5le in the tradin4 5ort o Na4asa'i in
western Byushu8 Um5o 5ro5osed that he 4o to Na4asa'i and
see what the 6hinese 5riest had to oer8 Ban'ei" who was still
ea4er to ind someone to conirm his enli4htenment"
5robably needed little ur4in48 ?eavin4 A'o almost
immediately" he traveled westward by water" be44in4 a ride
on one o the small tradin4 vessels that 5lied the Inland #ea"
and arrived at Na4asa'i a wee' later8
3*
+osha had landed in the si%th month o 3*;38 By autumn"
the news o his arrival had reached Ban'ei=s ears" and already"
within another month or so" we ind him in Na4asa'i8
32
His
initial interview with the 6hinese master too' 5lace at the
#ou'u/i" a lar4e 6hinese.style tem5le that had been built
toward the be4innin4 o the century on the slo5es
overloo'in4 the harbor8
31
+urin4 their irst meetin4" +osha conirmed Ban'ei=s
enli4htenment" with the words A&ou have 5enetrated throu4h
to the matter o the sel8A Ater havin4 said that" however" he
added" ABut you still have to clariy the matter beyond" which
is the essence o our school8A
30
To Ban'ei" who was brimmin4
with sel.conidence" this was inconceivable" so irm was his
belie that he had attained 4reat enli4htenment itsel" ull and
5erect8 He thus reused" at irst" to acce5t +osha=s evaluation
3(
INTRO+U6TION
and told him as much8 Accordin4 to an account in +osha=s
recorded sayin4s" Ban'ei loo'ed at +osha" lau4hed loudly"
and then stal'ed brus@uely out o the room without even
ma'in4 his bows8 #till" he did not leave the tem5le8 Instead"
he stayed on or a ew days" closely observin4 +osha and the
manner in which he instructed the mon's under him8 Ban'ei
soon reali>ed +osha=s true merit8 He made u5 his mind to
continue his 5ractice at the #*u'u./i8
In the months that ollowed" he went oten to +osha=s
@uarters" where he no doubt had many s5irited encounters
with his new teacher8 #ince +osha did not 'now 7a5anese and
Ban'ei could not s5ea' 6hinese" althou4h he could read and
write it" they had to communicate by means o hits$dan) the
e%chan4e o written notes in 6hinese" Awith brushes in 5lace
o mouths" and eyes in 5lace o ears8A Ban'ei too' his 5lace in
the assembly and lived in the mon's= hall with the rest o the
students8 But he was unwillin4 to ollow some o the customs
o the #*u'u./i" whose tem5le re4ulations were 5atterned on
those in -in4 6hinese monasteries8 He was 5articularly averse
to the 5ractice o chantin4 sutras in 6hinese8 When +osha
attem5ted to re5rove him or not 5artici5atin4" Ban'ei
re5lied that the 7a5anese had their own monastic traditions
and customs" includin4 those havin4 to do with sutra
recitation" and he could see no reason to ado5t dierent
ones now8 AThe only reason I=ve come here at all"A he said"
Ais because I want to clariy the 4reat matter8 How can I aord
to waste valuable time learnin4 additional ways o chantin4
sutrasGA +osha did not brin4 the sub/ect u5 a4ain8 The
toleration he dis5layed toward Ban'ei" here and throu4hout
their brie association" is certainly to his credit and s5ea's
well o his e%cellence as a teacher8
The ollowin4 year" on the twenty.irst day o the third
3D
INTRO+U6TION
month" while sittin4 in the dar'ness o the meditation hall
with the other mon's" Ban'ei had another enli4htenment
e%5erience8
):
He let the hall" rushed to +osha=s chambers"
too' u5 a brush and wrote the @uestion AWhat is the ultimate
matter o ,enGA AWhose matterGA +osha wrote in re5ly8 Ban'ei
e%tended his arms out8 +osha too' u5 his brush" but beore
he could write anythin4" Ban'ei 4rabbed it out o his hand
and threw it to the loor8 He then Aswun4 his sleeves and
let8A
)3
The ne%t mornin4" +osha told the 5riest in char4e o the
mon's= hall that ABan'ei has com5leted the 4reat matter8A He
directed him to move Ban'ei to the 5osition o senior mon'8
But Ban'ei declined this distinction8 He 5reerred his old
5lace near the 'itchen" and he continued doin4 his chores
/ust as beore" sto'in4 the 'itchen ires with uel and servin4
the other mon's their meals8
#ome members o +osha=s assembly seem to have resented
Ban'ei=s 5resence almost rom the start8 The bio4ra5hies do
not 4o into much detail here" but we may ima4ine that his
inde5endent attitude" which the others too' as an e%5ression
o disres5ect toward their teacher" had somethin4 to do with
their dis5leasure8 In any case" when they learned that the
master had ac'nowled4ed Ban'ei=s enli4htenment" the
undercurrent o resentment eru5ted into stron4 eelin4s o
/ealousy8 As soon as +osha 4ot wind o this" he called Ban'ei
to him in secret and as'ed him to leave the tem5le or a while
until matters @uieted down" to avoid an incident with the
others8
Thus Ban'ei" ater a little over a year with +osha" 5ut the
#*u'u./i behind him and returned to his native 5rovince o
Harima8 !rom there" he 5roceeded to &oshino" a s5arsely
5o5ulated area in the southern 5art o &amato Province
95resent Nara 5reecture<E because o its inaccessibility" the
area had lon4 been a avorite haunt o the sh$gen1a) the
Amountain as.
3;
INTRO+U6TION
ceticsA o esoteric Buddhism8 While 5racticin4 in a solitary hut
amid &oshino=s hi4h hills and narrow valleys" Ban'ei
com5osed a 4rou5 o sim5le Buddhist son4s or the
instruction o the 5easants with whom he had contact8 In
them occurs the irst recorded instance o his usin4 the word
AUnbornA in his teachin48
))
!rom &oshino" Ban'ei moved to ad/acent -ino Province"
where the ollowin4 year" 3*;(" we ind him bac'" ater a ive.
year absence" at his small hermita4e" the $yo'uryu.an"
wor'in4 hard urther to dee5en his enli4htenment8 The
ollowin4 incident is interestin4 or the 5icture it 4ives us o
the conident youn4 Ban'ei at the be4innin4 o his teachin4
career8
Toward the end o the year" durin4 the severest winter in
memory" Ban'ei somehow 'new" throu4h a 'ind o second
si4ht" that his master Um5o was 4ravely ill8 He set out
immediately or the ,uio./i to see him8 At this time" a do>en
other mon's were livin4 with him at the hermita4e" amon4
them a ran'in4 disci5le o the ,en master +ai4u" by the
name o #en8
)(
AHow could you 5ossibly 'now that your
teacher is illGA he said8 AHe=s in A'o" many days rom here8A
AI 'now"A said Ban'ei8
2%ah3 &ou=re a swindler" Ban'ei"A scoed #en8 ABut i
you=re 4oin4" I=ll 4o alon4 with you8 I=ve been wantin4 to 5ay
+ai4u a visit anyway8A -idway in their /ourney" Ban'ei
suddenly said" AThe wie o an old riend o mine /ust died in
Osa'a8A
A!a'eFA said #en8 #ince their 5ath too' them throu4h Osa'a
anyway" the two men made strai4ht or the house o Ban'ei=s
riend8 The man hastened to the door to 4reet them8 A#i% days
a4o" I lost my wie"A he e%claimed8 A#tran4e you should come
now8 +urin4 her sic'ness your name was oten on her li5s8
How e%traordinaryF Please come in" oer some incense or
3*
INTRO+U6TION
her at the altar8A Turnin4 to #en" Ban'ei said" 2- swindler" am
IGA #en stared in ama>ement8 =Ater I=ve been to see +ai4u"A he
stammered" AI=m 4oin4 to serve you as a disci5le or the rest
o my lie8A
)D
Ban'ei did not reach A'o in time to see his old teacher8 The
ni4ht beore he arrived" on the ei4hth 9or ninth< day o the
twelth month" Um5o 5assed away at the a4e o ei4hty.ive8
7ust beore he died" he 4ave his successor" Bo'uo #o4yu" the
ollowin4 instructionsC
I am certain that Ban'ei is the one 5erson who is ca5able o
raisin4 alot the +harma banner and sustainin4 the ortunes o ,en
in the uture8 I want you" in my 5lace" to 5ush him out into the
world8 By no means should he be allowed to hide his talents8
);
When Ban'ei returned to the Na4asa'i area in the s5rin4 o
3*;D" with ive recently ac@uired disci5les in tow" he ound
the situation there had drastically chan4ed8 The 5revious year"
the hi4h.ran'in4 -in4 5riest &in.yuan ?un4.ch=i 93;0).3*2(<
had landed at Na4asa'i rom 6hina with a 4rou5 o twenty
mon's8 Unli'e +osha" In4enHto 4ive &in.yuan his 7a5anese
nameHwas there by oicial invitation and had been 4reeted
u5on his arrival by a lar4e dele4ation o im5ortant 7a5anese
oicials led by the 4overnor o Na4asa'i8 Relations between
the ollowers o the two men were strained rom the startE
4rievances arose" and it did not ta'e lon4 or stron4 eelin4s
o animosity to emer4e8 The In4en action" see'in4 to
establish the 5rimacy o their master=s claim as the senior
re5resentative o continental ,en" viewed +osha as a 5otential
rival and detrimental to their cause" es5ecially when they
noted how successul he had been in establishin4 himsel in
7a5an and attractin4 a body o loyal students to his side8 They
seem
32
INTRO+U6TION
to have tried various methods o 5ersuasion" and then
5ressure" to ma'e +osha a4ree to become a senior disci5le
o In4en=s8 When that ailed" evidence su44ests that -u.yuan
9-o'uan in 7a5anese 5ronunciation" 3*33.3*1D<" one o
In4en=s chie aides" may not have scru5led to ta'e stron4er
ste5s to discredit +osha=s standin4 as a ,en master and ma'e it
diicult or him to teach in 7a5an8
)*
When Ban'ei learned o the troubles his ormer teacher
had been havin4" he e%5ended considerable eort on +osha=s
behal to locate a tem5le where +osha could reside and
continue instructin4 his 7a5anese students8 He sailed to
Hirado" to enlist the aid o the eudal lord -atsuura
#hi4enobu" who was himsel a disci5le o +osha=s o two
years= standin48
)2
!rom there" he traveled to Bana>awa" a 5ort
in northwestern Honshu on the 7a5an #ea" a /ourney o rom
seven to ten days" in order to consult with Tesshin +oin
93;0(.3*1:<" a #oto 5riest who had been a ellow disci5le
o Ban'ei=s at the #*u'u./i and was now master o a lar4e
tem5le" the Tento'u.in" near Bana>awa8 But in the end" all o
Ban'ei=s eorts came to nothin48 Althou4h +osha remained
in 7a5an or our more years servin4 as the incumbent o the
!umon./i" the -atsuura=s amily tem5le in Hirado" he inally
returned to 6hina in the autumn o 3*;18 Accordin4 to one
account" he died on board shi5 on the tri5 bac'E another"
5robably more reliable source" has him dyin4 in 6hina in
3**3 or 3**)" at the re5orted a4e o si%ty.one8 7ust beore
+osha set sail" ?ord -atsuura as'ed him which o his
students had really mastered the essentials o his ,en8 +osha
is re5orted to have re5lied" without hesitation" AOnly
Ban'ei8A
The story o Ban'ei=s lie rom this time on may be told
rather sim5ly8 In 3*;2" our years ater Um5o=s death" Bo'uo"
in accordance with his master=s dyin4 wish" made Ban'ei his
31
INTRO+U6TION
oicial heir8 In addition to the +harma Transmission he had
already received rom +osha" which lin'ed him directly to
that master=s line o 6hinese ,en" Ban'ei=s ormal iliation to
the main -yoshin./i branch o 7a5anese Rin>ai ,en was now
established8
The 5eriod o 5il4rima4e was overE while he 'e5t to a
ri4orous mode o lie" strivin4 constantly to 5erect his
enli4htenment" Ban'ei became concerned more and more
with the s5iritual needs o those 5eo5le who were now
comin4 to him or 4uidance in ever.increasin4 numbers8 !or
the remainin4 thirty.si% years o his lie" he tau4ht untirin4ly
in tem5les and monasteries at a number o sites around the
countryE some tem5les were built or him by wealthy
disci5les" but he restored many o them on his own8 Three
amon4 them served as centers or these eorts to 5ro5a4ate
his ,en teachin4sC the Ryumon./i" in his native Hamada" the
Nyoho./i" in the city o O>u on the island o #hi'o'u" and the
B*rin./i" which was built somewhat later in Edo8
The irst o these" the Ryumon./i" the tem5le with which
Ban'ei=s name is most closely associated" was constructed or
him in his thirty.si%th year" on a scale rarely seen in the
5rovinces" rom unds donated by a rich merchant o Hamada
named #asa'i -ichiya8
)1
#asa'i was a boyhood riend o
Ban'ei=sE they had shared a des' at the calli4ra5hy lessons
youn4 Ban'ei had so des5ised8
The Nyoho./i was built in 3**0 by Bato &asuo'i" the lord o
OBU 6astle8
)0
Ban'ei selected a remote s5ot in the mountains
behind the tem5le as the site or a small trainin4 hall" which
he named Oshi.'en" or AHeart.o.the.-atter hermita4e8A
There" or two years in his early ities" he isolated himsel
with a small number o hand5ic'ed disci5les" totally cut o
rom contact with the outside world" in order to sub/ect them
30
INTRO+U6TION
to a continuous round o ri4orous ,en trainin48 He emer4ed
rom this se@uestration only because o stron4 and re5eated
5leas rom his many other ollowers around the country
be44in4 him to ma'e himsel available to their s5iritual
needs8
The last o the three" the B*rin./i" in the A>abu +istrict o
Edo" was com5leted in 3*21 and 4iven to Ban'ei by Byo4o'u
Ta'atoyo" a daimyo o #anu'i Province" at the behest o his
mother" the nun I;sho.ni" an ardent convert to Ban'ei=s
Unborn ,en8
(:
There" at the center o 4overnment" many
im5ortant daimyo" their retainers" and hi4h 4overnment
oicials came to ta'e instruction rom him and hear his
lectures8
7ourneyin4 bac' and orth between these three tem5les"
the !umon./i in Hirado" the $yo'uryu./i in -ino" the 7i>o./i in
Byoto" and the orty or so other tem5les that he built or
restored" Ban'ei devoted the remainder o his lie to
5ro5a4atin4 his teachin4 o the Unborn and attem5tin4 to
raise the ortunes o the ,en school" which or the 5revious
century or so had been at a low s5iritual ebb8 In 3*2)" at the
a4e o ity" he was a55ointed the )31th head abbot o the
-yoshin./i in Byoto8
!rom his late ities onward" Ban'ei be4an to conduct
e%tended 5ractice meetin4s to ma'e his ,en teachin4 more
accessible to the 4reat numbers o 5eo5le comin4 to him or
instruction8
(3
+urin4 these retreats" he delivered his tal's on
the Unborn and held 5ersonal interviews with the
5artici5ants" answerin4 their @uestions and dealin4 with
their doubts and 5roblems8 These meetin4s continued to be
held until his death in 3*0(" usually twice yearly" summer and
winter" or ninety days each8 #ome o them were limited to his
immediate disci5les" who numbered well in the hundreds"
but many retreats were o5en to all and were attended by
lar4e crowds o 5riests and lay men and women o all ran's
and denominations8
):
INTRO+U6TION
Amon4 the countless men and women who loc'ed to
Ban'ei durin4 these inal decades was +en #ute/o" a 5oet
whose verses were held in 4reat re4ard by her seventeenth.
century contem5oraries8
()
+en had become a Buddhist nun
in later lie" ater the death o her husband8 Ban'ei 4ave +en
her reli4ious name" Tei'an8
Tei'an=s association with Ban'ei be4an in 3*1(" when she
met him in Byoto8 Within a year" she had as'ed to become his
disci5le8 The diaries she 'e5t" coverin4 rou4hly the last
decade o the master=s lie" are illed with reerences to him
and constitute a valuable source o inormation or these later
years8 Than's to her" we 'now the dates o Ban'ei=s travels"
the 5laces he visited" when retreats were held" and how many
5eo5le attended them8 Admittedly" much o that 'nowled4e is
obtainable rom other sources as well" but nowhere else do
we ind descri5tions such as the ollowin4" her re5ort o the
4reat Ryumon./i retreat o 3*0:8 It is worth @uotin4 in ull" not
only or the vivid 5icture it 4ives o this 5articular meetin4 but
also or the 5revailin4 mood she ca5tures" which must have
been much the same" thou4h 5erha5s on a smaller scale" at
the Nyoho./i on #hi'o'u" the B*rin./i in Edo" or at any o
the smaller tem5les at which Ban'ei held retreats durin4 this
5eriod8
#ince the retreat was 5lanned at the be4innin4 o the ninth
month" only our wee's or so in advance" I hadn=t e%5ected many
5eo5le to attend8 But the word s5read ar and wideE they came
rom the ar.o northern island o E>o JHo''aidoK" rom #endai
and beautiul -atsushima" rom the western reaches o Byushu"
and rom all the home 5rovincesE the news made its way even to
the 5eo5le in the distant islands o Ryu'yu" or they were
re5resented as well8
-any senior 5riests o the Rin>ai and #oto ,en schools were
)3
INTRO+U6TION
there" as were 5riests and nuns o all the other Buddhist sects" in
numbers said to e%ceed several thousand8 They were all 4athered
around Ban'ei=s teachin4 seat" listenin4 intently to the words he
s5o'e" and devotin4 themselves in earnest to their 5ractice8 The
names o the clerics re4istered on the attendance roster alone
came to 3"*1:8 In addition" 4reat thron4s o lay men and women
had crowded into the western Zendo 9,en hall< and main Zendo)
and new tem5orary halls were bein4 5ut u5 daily to try to 5rovide
room or their ever.4rowin4 ran's8 The streets o Aboshi were
illed to overlowin4 with nuns and other reli4iously minded
5eo5le rom all wal's o lie and all 5arts o the country8 Beore
we 'new it" this little hamlet on the shores o the Inland #ea had
been transormed into the ca5ital o the realm" the very center o
thin4s8 As all the houses in the villa4e were soon ull" storerooms"
sheds" and every other available structure were 5ressed into
service" even the barns" anywhere that would 5rovide shelter or
the loods o 5il4rims8 The villa4ers o Aboshi had never seen
anythin4 li'e itE down to the lowest servant boy and 4irl they
were illed with the 4reat e%citement o the event8
Althou4h the end o the year" the busiest o seasons" was
a55roachin4" no one too' much notice o it" they were in such
hi4h s5irits" over/oyed in the 'nowled4e that they were able to be
5resent at the Ryumon./i and hear -aster Ban'ei 5reach8
The retreat inally drew to a close" but 5eo5le were reluctant to
leave8 The old year de5arted" and when the new year arrived"
there unolded the truly memorable s5ectacle o thousands and
thousands o men and women all crowdin4 around to say their
arewells to the master8 No brush or ton4ue could 5ossibly convey
the sadness that was universally elt at havin4 to ta'e leave o him"
and the 4reat /oy at havin4 been a 5art o this totally
un5recedented Buddhist assembly8 -any aces 4listened with tears
o 5roound 4ratitude8
I can ind no way mysel to e%5ress the /oy in my own heart" or
))
INTRO+U6TION
bein4 admitted into so ortunate a 'armic relation as to have been
born at a time when I could encounter -aster Ban'ei" so li'e the
Buddha #ha'amuni as to be his very incarnation8
((
The Ryumon./i retreat ended on the ith day o the irst
month8 Ater irst ma'in4 tri5s to Edo and Osa'a" in late
s5rin4 Ban'ei sailed with ?ord -atsuura to the island o Hi.
rado" one o the lord=s ies o the western coast o Byushu"
and stayed there until the end o summer8 The winter retreat
at the Ryumon./i that year was limited to several hundred o
Ban'ei=s immediate disci5les and as usual included both
5riests and laity8 The ollowin4 year" the winter meetin4 was
held at the $yo'uryu./i in -ino8 Accordin4 to one re5ort" over
si% thousand 5eo5le too' 5art in the ninety.day retreat" which
ended on the ith day o the new year8
Ban'ei stayed at the $yo'uryu./i or a ew months ater the
meetin4 had ended and then 5roceeded to Edo" ma'in4 several
sto5s at tem5les alon4 the way to ulill re@uests or sermons8
In the ith month" he let Edo and headed bac' or the
Ryumon./i" intendin4 to ma'e his usual teachin4 sto5s en route8
It had been an es5ecially hot summer" and the heat was severe8
At the city o Hamamatsu" the master be4an to show si4ns o
illness" and he decided to ma'e strai4ht or home8 The litter
carryin4 Ban'ei entered the 4ates o Ryumon./i on the tenth day
o the si%th month8 The ollowin4 mornin4" he mentioned to
one o his attendants that he would die within two months"
but" to avoid causin4 alarm" he orbade him to tell anyone8
Amon4 those who had been ea4erly awaitin4 the master=s
return was Tei'an8 I will let her ta'e u5 the story rom hereC
Tenth day) si4th 5onth) ,enrok$ 6 616937 -aster Ban'ei
returned rom Edo8 He became indis5osed on the way and is very
wea'8 Everyone is dee5ly concerned8
)(
INTRO+U6TION
er5ons on the fo$rteenth) t8enty-se0enth) t8enty-eighth)
thirtieth) and first of the se0enth 5onth
On the ourth day o the ei4hth month" he went to the western
5art o the main hall to meet the nuns who had 4athered there8 As
I loo'ed at his ace" I elt my heart sin' at the thou4ht that this
arewell mi4ht be our last8 He /ust came out" met us" and then
returned to his chambers8 Not a word was s5o'en8
er5ons for three consec$ti0e days) the fifth) si4th) and
se0enth of the eighth 5onth In s5ite o his e%tremely eeble
condition" he s5o'e with 4reat 5atience and 4reat attention to
detail" as i he wanted to ma'e certain everyone would understand
the essence o Unborn ,en8 I was struc' by the e%traordinary
sincerity contained in each o the words he s5o'e8
e0enth day) eighth 5onth
He went to his room ater he had inished the sermon and
remained there" restin4 @uietly8 He was not seein4 anyone8
Everyone was as'in4 about him in hushed and worried voices8
#ummer this year had been 5articularly hot" even into the ninth
month" but it be4an to 4row a little cooler" and I started to ta'e
ho5e rom the thou4ht that this would be 4ood or him8 Then" at
about ei4ht o=cloc'" on the third day o the ninth month" word
was sent to me that he had 5assed away8 +ee5ly sha'en" I
immediately hastened to the Ryumon./i8 I had 5re5ared mysel
or the worst" but now it was here8 I could not hel5 the tears that
lowed8
At the tem5le" I as'ed the head 5riest" #e'imon" i I could see
the master and say my last earthly arewell to him8
(D
A6ertainly"A
he re5lied" and I was ushered into the room where the body lay8 I
thou4ht that the si4ht o his ace would overcome me with 4rie"
but to my sur5rise" my mind was com5letely ree o all such
emotion8 -y tears sto55ed com5letely8 As I 4a>ed intently at
him" he
)D
INTRO+U6TION
seemed /ust as he had been when he was aliveC It was as i he were
merely slee5in48 How wonderul he loo'ed" lyin4 there with that
'ind and dee5ly com5assionate countenance8
(;
#everal months 5rior to his death" Ban'ei had sto55ed
ta'in4 ood8 He had reused all medicines8 He s5ent the time
s5ea'in4 5leasantly with his disci5les8 On the day o his death"
he 4ave them some inal instructions" and when he saw si4ns
o sadness in some o them" he said" AHow do you e%5ect to
see me" i you loo' at me in terms o birth and deathGA
#omeone as'ed i he would com5ose a death verse"
traditional in the ,en school8 He re5lied" AI=ve lived or
seventy.two years8 I=ve been teachin4 5eo5le or orty.ive8
What I=ve been tellin4 you and others every day durin4 that
time is all my death verse8 I=m not 4oin4 to ma'e another
one now" beore I die" /ust because everyone else does it8A
Ater s5ea'in4 those words" he 5assed away8 He was in a
seated 5osition accordin4 to one account" lyin4 on his ri4ht
side" li'e the Buddha" accordin4 to another8
His body was cremated the ne%t day" and" in accordance
with his instructions" the ashes were dividedE one hal was
5laced in a unerary stu5a at the Ryumon./i" and one hah
:
was
ta'en to the Nyoho./i and 5ut in a unerary stu5a that had
been built there under Ban'ei=s direction the 5revious year8 At
the time o his death" Ban'ei had as 5ersonal disci5les over
D:: 5riests and mon's and )2: nuns" in addition to the more
than ;"::: men and women o the laity who had received the
5rece5ts ma'in4 them his students8 They included 5eo5le
rom all over the country" more than a ew o whom were
daimyo and other men o 5rominent 5osition and amily" as
well as many students rom the 5easant classes8 In 32D:" orty.
seven years ater his death" the 5osthumous title o +aiho
);
INTRO+U6TION
#ho4en 9ATrue Eye o the $reat +harmaA< Bo'ushi" or
ANational Teacher"A was bestowed u5on him by the em5eror
#a'uramachi8
9:T( T: T%( +9T;:<UCT+:9
I have not 4iven sources or all the @uotations cited in the Introduction8
They may easily be located in !u/imoto Tsuchishi4e=s Banket kok$shi no
kenky$ 9A study o National -aster Ban'ei<" which is an e%haustive
com5ilation o Ban'ei=s bio4ra5hical records" arran4ed chronolo4ically
in year.by.year sections8
38 +ates throu4hout are 4iven as they a55ear in the 7a5anese
te%ts"
accordin4 to the lunar calendar8 The lunar 97a5anese< calendar is on av
era4e about ive wee's ahead o the Western 97ulian< calendar8
)8 Until +osetsu moved to Hamada" his amily name was
-iyoshiE
the name #u4awara was assumed ater the move to Hamada" when he
was ado5ted into a amily o that name8 #u4a was 5robably used as a
short orm o #u4awara8 !u/imoto" 558 20.138
(8 ?earnin4 6onucian te%ts by rote was a method used in
schools
throu4hout the To'u4awa 5eriod 93*:(.31*2<8 The ,reat Learning *Ta-
hs$eh in 6hineseE <aigak$ in 7a5anese<" the <octrine of the Mean) 6on
ucian -na.ects) and Menci$s) the Aour boo's"A were considered to
contain the 4ist o the 6onucian teachin48 !or its brevity and concise
ness" the ,reat Learning was a 5articular avorite o 7a5anese neo.
6onucians o the time" both those o the orthodo% 6hu.hsi school and
those o the unorthodo% Wan4 &an4.min4 school8
D8 Ban'ei=s mother s5ent the latter hal o her lie as a Buddhist
nun
9her reli4ious name was -yosetsu<" livin4 in a small tem5le" $ito'u.an"
in Aboshi" where Ban'ei always ound time to visit her8 #he lived to the
a4e o ninety" dyin4 in her son=s arms in 3*1:8 The e%tent o Ban'ei=s de
votion to his mother and his dee5 commitment to the 5rinci5les o ilial
)*
NOTE#
5iety 9albeit rom his own ,en stand5oint< can be elt throu4hout the
sermons8 In an entry in the ,yogo-ki we readC ABan'ei once s5o'e in a
sermon o the sense o ilial 5iety that he elt as a boy" which was
res5onsible" he said" or his entry into reli4ious lie in the irst 5lace"
and or his subse@uent achievement o enli4htenment8 8 8 8 Real ilial
devotion" he said" should not sto5 at merely carin4 or one=s 5arents8 A
truly ilial child should clariy the way o deliverance so as to be able to
ma'e his 5arents reali>e it too8A A'ao" 58 (2;8
;8 This man is identiied as #u'eshi>u" the head o #himomura
vil
la4e8 He was instrumental in arran4in4 or Ban'ei=s ather to be ado5ted
by the #u4awara amily 9see note )<8 ?ater" the 4reat.4randson o this
man" a ,en teacher in the ith 4eneration o Ban'ei=s line named +aitei
,en'ei" com5iled a collection o anecdotes dealin4 with Ban'ei=s lie8
This wor'" the hogen kok$shi its$1i1o) contains material ,en'ei 5re
sumably obtained rom his amily=s close association 8ith the #u4a.
waras8 A'ao" 558 D3;.3*8
*8 Inormation about the lie and teachin4 o Um5o
,en/o
93;*1.3*;(< is mea4er" a5art rom what is ound in Ban'ei=s records8
He be4an his reli4ious career at the amous Erin./i in Bai 95resent
&amanashi 5reecture<" under the master Baisen #ho'i8 There" as a
ourteen.year.old acolyte" he was close to a dramatic moment in 7a5a
nese history8 When Bai was invaded by the armies o Oda Nobuna4a in
3;1)" Nobuna4a=s men besie4ed the Erin./i" and Baisen and 3;: o his
mon's were orced into the u55er story o the monastery 4ate" which the
soldiers then set abla>e8 Beore they entered the Aire samadhiA and
burned to death" Baisen is said to have written what became a celebrated
comment in the annals o 7a5anese BuddhismC AWhen thou4ht is annihi
lated rom the mind" ire itsel is cool and rereshin48A Um5o esca5ed
death because he ha55ened to be away rom the tem5le at the time8
Ater wanderin4 or several years" Um5o ended u5 at the #anyu./i in
Hime/i with the Rin>ai master Nan'ei #o4a'u" whose heir he eventually
became8 ?ater" he went to A'o" where" in 3*3*" he built the ,uio./i8 Ac.
)2
INTRO+U6TION
cordin4 to a tem5le le4end at the ,uio./i 9!u/imoto" 58 02<" when Um5o
irst moved to A'o" he wor'ed as a common laborer8 One hot summer
day" a lar4e uneral was held or a member o the wealthy -ae'awa
amily8 As the uneral 5rocession iled to the cremation 4rounds" a
sudden rainstorm came u5E li4htnin4 darted all around" scatterin4 the
5eo5le and sendin4 them scurryin4 bac' to the town or shelter8 They
returned ater the s@uall had 5assed to ind the Abe44ar.mon' who had
been han4in4 around the villa4eA sittin4 ato5 the coin doin4 >a>en8
AI couldn=t let the Thunder $od 4et hold o the body"A Um5o
e%5lained" Aso I stayed to 4uard it8A This act earned him the 4ratitude and
res5ect o the -ae'awa amily" throu4h whose su55ort he 4ained many
ollowers" and led to the buildin4 o the ,uio./i8
O his teachin4 style we 'now little" althou4h Ban'ei wrote in an
encomium commemoratin4 the twenty.ith anniversary o Um5o=s
death that Um5o Areviled the masters o =word.,en= inestin4 the land"
crushed them into the dust" and 5romoted the silent" 5ersonal" and
direct transmission o the !irst Patriarch" Bodhidharma8A
Evidence su44ests that Um5o may have served as the abbot o the
-yoshin./i *Zen !$nka) vols8 3:.33" Bosai Bando" AUm5o osho no hito
to nari ni tsuiteA JThe character o Priest Um5oK" 558 02.3:)<8 +es5ite
evidence o Ban'ei=s obvious res5ect or Um5o" there is only one
5assin4 reerence to him in the sermons" and nothin4 to indicate that
Ban'ei re4arded him as his teacher8 Rather he states re5eatedly that"
until +osha" none o the ,en masters he had encountered were ca5able
o conirmin4 his enli4htenment8
28 =yokki) A'ao" 58 ))08
18 A letter rom Um5o to Ban'ei @uoted in the =yokki
includes a re
5ort that he is teachin4 his students Aby the direct method o the
Bud.
dhas and 5atriarchs" without the indiscriminate use o 'oans8A
6ited in
!u/imoto" 558 0D.0;8
08 !u/imoto" 558 3::.38
3:8 !rom ,an5ok$> @uoted in !u/imoto" 58 3:D8
)1
NOTE#
338 +n<ogen) Bankei) %ak$in no ryo!yo tets$gak$ 9The
5hiloso5hy
o treatin4 illness o +o4en" Ban'ei" and Ha'uin<" the author" Ao'i
#hi4eru" investi4ates the lives and methods o 5ractice o these three
4reat ,en masters to determine what eect they had on the critical ill
nesses Hdia4nosed by him as tuberculosisHthey all suered rom dur
in4 their reli4ious careers8
3)8 #ee translation" 558 ;:.;38
3(8 #ee 58 ;38 While no doubt this e%5resses the essential im5ort
o
Ban'ei=s reali>ation" it has been @uestioned whether at this 5oint Ban'ei
had arrived at this 5rec ise ormulation HAall thin4s are 5erectly resolved
in the UnbornAHwhich became a basic statement o his reli4ious stand
5oint8
3D8 ;yak$rok$) A'ao" 58 (D08 A similar statement in the
=yokki
9A'ao" 558 )().((< also attem5ts to lin' the two as se5arate satori 9en
li4htenment< e%5eriences8 All the other records s5ea' o only one satori
e%5erience at this time8 Whether these reerences to two e%5eriences are
a later inter5olation or not is un'no wn" but it is certainly 5ossible that a
second e%5erience occurred" dee5enin4 the ori4inal brea'throu4h" sim
ilar in nature to those that came later in Na4asa'i8
3;8 $udo Tosho'u 93;20.3**3< is 5erha5s best 'nown today as
the
s5iritual 4reat.4randather o Ha'uin E'a'u" the most im5ortant i4ure
o Rin>ai ,en in the 5ast ive hundred years8 6alled in his lietime a
Amodern.day Bodhidharma"A $udo is credited by Ha'uin with revivin4
and 'ee5in4 alive the true s5irit o the -yoshin./i line at a time when it
was in dan4er o dyin4 out8
$udo was enli4htened under the master Nan'ei #o4a'u at the #anyu. /i
in Hime/i Hthe same master rom whom Um5o ,en/o later received his
inka) or certiication8 He then went to ALB>an Beiyo at the #hota'u.in 9a
subtem5le o the -y oshin./i< and became his heirE this 5laces him" li'e
Um5o and Ban'ei" in the #hota'u branch o the -yoshin./i line" which
has been the most vi4orous oshoot o the 7a5anese Rin>ai school8 In
3*)1" he was installed as the head abbot o the -yoshin./i" the irst o
)0
I NTRO+U6TI ON
our terms in that oice" and became a re@uent lecturer at the im5erial
5alace o $omi>uno.o 9r8 3*33.3*)0<8 68 Ito Bo'an" ,$do#
The only record o a meetin4 between Ban'ei and this im5ortant
master is a doubtul entry ound in two o the bio4ra5hical collections"
which states that Ban'ei" ater visitin4 several masters in -ino"
5roceeded to the +aisen./i in &aotsu to visit $udo but ound him
Aunsatisactory8A Ban'ei=s own testimony" in the sermons" that $udo
was not at the +aisen./i when he visited there should no doubt be
acce5ted as the inal word8
In the sermons" Ban'ei tal's merely o visitin4 Aseveral masters in the
-ino area"A without namin4 themE the bio4ra5hical collections 4ive
them as Ryodo #o'etsu 93;12.3**3<" incumbent o the +aichi./i" and
#e'io $en/u 9n8d8<" ounder o the Reisho.in 9both tem5les are in the city
o $iu<8 The ,an5ok$ su44ests a 5riest named -itsuun $enmitsu
9n8d8<" identiied as head 5riest o the 7i'ei./i in O4a'i" but this would be
im5ossible in 3*D1" when Ban'ei visited -inoC Accordin4 to $udo=s
bio4ra5hical records" -itsuun $enmitsu=s irst interview with $udo was
not until 3*;(E he became his heir in 3*;2 and only ater that moved
into the 7i'ei./i8 ,$do) 558 3D3.D)8 We may conclude" then" that Ryodo
or #e'io" 5erha5s both" is 5robably the Rin>ai 5riest in @uestionH
des5ite the act that they were res5ected teachers and later head abbots
o the -yoshin./i8
The ,an5ok$ 4ives the ollowin4 account o the conversation
between Ban'ei and Ryodo at this time 9it may be com5ared with the
one Ban'ei describes in the sermonsE inra 558 ;).;(<C When Ban'ei
ound that $udo was away" he visited his disci5le Ryodo8 Ater
listenin4 to Ryodo=s recital o the ,en teachin4" he as'ed him" AWhat
about $udoGA Ryodo answered" A$udo is /ust the same8A Hearin4 this
eeble answer" Ban'ei A4ave u5" and went away si4hin4" =There=s not a
sin4le true man anywhere in the 4roves o ,enF= A !u/imoto" 58 33)8
3*8 En4elbert Baem5er 93*;3.323*<" a $erman 5hysician in the
em5loy o the +utch East India 6om5any" made the same /ourney rom
Na.
(:
NOTE#
4asa'i to Harima on his way to Edo in 3*03" alon4 the route we may
assume Ban'ei ollowed8 He too' about a wee' to reach Aboshi and
A'o" both o which he describes briely8 Baem5er" vol8 )" boo' D8
328 +osha 6ho4en 9Tao.che 6h=ao.yuan in 6hineseE 3*::G.
3**3G<"
born in !u'ien Province" was an heir o the 6hinese ?in.chi 97a5anese
Rin>ai< master Hsueh.en4 Ben.hsin 9#e55o Boshin in 7a5aneseE
3*:(.3*;0<8 Ben.hsin was a brother disci5le o &in.yuan ?un4.ch=i=s
97a5anese In4en Ryu'iE see note )*< when the two men studied under
!ei.yin T=un4./un4 9Hiin TsuyoE 3;0(.3**3< at the Wan.u.su 9-am5u'u.
/i< on -ount Huan4.5o in !u'ien Province8 +osha came to Na4asa'i at
an o55ortune momentE the 5riest whom &in.yuan had sent rom 6hina
to be the abbot o the #*u'u./i had 5erished in a shi5wrec'8 The tem5le
needed someone to ill the vacancy" and +osha was warmly welcomed to
the 5ost8 +urin4 his tenure" he en/oyed considerable success in attract
in4 talented 7a5anese students rom all over the country8 Besides
Ban'ei" mon's who went on to distin4uish themselves were Tesshin
+oin" 6hoon +o'ai" and +o'uan $en'o8 +o'uan 93*(:.3*01<" who
studied under +osha or ei4ht years" su55lies us with one o the ew
clues we have to +osha=s ,en8 It is ound in his 5reace to the edition o
+osha=s recorded sayin4s 95ublished in 3*1*< that he com5iledC AHe
was not a 4reat reader o boo's8 The written word was not his orte8 &et
when as'ed to" he could recite im5rom5tu verses and Buddhist 5oems
which were naturally tin4ed with the eelin4 o the ancient masters8A
Muoted rom Na4ai" 58 D08
318 In the seventeenth century" all o 7a5an=s orei4n tradeHwith
the
Portu4uese" +utch" En4lish" and 6hineseHwas limited to the 5ort o Na
4asa'i8 $reat numbers o 6hinese" includin4 merchants and traders"
many o them reu4ees rom the -anchus" lived in the city8 To hold
5ro5er uneral rites or their dead" the services o 6hinese 5riests were
deemed essential8 These immi4rants constructed three tem5les" corre
s5ondin4 to the lin4uistic re4ions o 6hina rom which they came" and
5riests were invited rom the mainland to serve in themC the B*u'u./i
(3
I NTRO+U6TI ON
93*):<" called the Nan'in.dera because it was su55orted by 5eo5le rom
the Nan'in4 re4ion" was the irst8 Ne%t was the !u'usai./i 93*)1<" or
6ha'uchu.deraE its 5arishioners were rom the area o 6han4.chou8 The
#*u'u./i 93*)0< was built by 5eo5le rom the !u'ien" or !u.chou"
re4ionHhence its 5o5ular name" the !u'uchu.dera8 Baem5er" writin4
in 3*0:" includes in his descri5tion o the lie and institutions o
Na4asa'i a number o 5a4es on the city=s 6hinese Buddhist tem5les"
which are" he says" Aremar'able or their handsom structure" and the
number o mon's maintain=d therein8A Baem5er" vol8 )" 58 3D28
30. Accordin4 to another account" the e%act words +osha s5o'e at
this time were" A&ou have 5enetrated throu4h to the matter o the sel"
but you have not yet clariied discriminatory wisdom8A A'ao" 58 D))8
Buddhist wisdom may be described as havin4 as5ects o e@uality 9or
sameness< and dierence 9or distinction<8 The irst o these reers to the
reali>ation o the absolute sameness o all thin4s in the undierentiated
realm o em5tinessE the 5erection o wisdom" however" re@uires that
such reali>ation be dee5ened urther" until one is able to return to
the world o discrimination and orm and use that reali>ation in
everyday lie8
):8 A disci5le o Ban'ei=s" #ando 6hi/o" contends that Ban'ei
merely
had his ori4inal enli4htenment conirmed in Na4asa'i8 Althou4h Ban'ei
himsel does not mention this enli4htenment at Na4asa'i and seems
clearly to have re4arded the ori4inal e%5erience in Harima as his deci
sive enli4htenment" the evidence as a wholeHrom all the other bio
4ra5hical accounts" +osha=s recorded sayin4s" and other sources as
wellHsu44ests that a urther satori e%5erience o some 'ind did occur
while he was with +osha8 !u/imoto" 558 3)2.()8
)38 Preserved in the Ryumon./i is a scroll on which are mounted
two
small sli5s o 5a5er said to be those used by +osha and Ban'ei durin4
this e%chan4e8 Althou4h the wordin4 o the @uestion and answer that
are inscribed on them is dierent rom that 4iven in any o the accounts
recorded in the bio4ra5hies" the 4eneral im5lication in the inscribed
()
NOTE#
version is essentially the same as that in the bio4ra5hical records8 !u/i.
moto" 558 3);.)*8 That the 5a5er ra4ments have been 'e5t at the
Ryumon./i" where 5resumably they were brou4ht by Ban'ei" mi4ht
indicate the im5ortance he attached to this encounter with +osha8
))8 #ome o these son4s ound their way into 5rint in 32*0" under
die
title Us$hiki $ta) or A$rain.$rindin4 #on4sAE in some manuscri5t co5ies
the title is %onshin $ta) A#on4s o the Primary -ind8A In &oshino" where
they were sun4 to brin4 rain durin4 the dry summer months" they were
'nown as -5agoi $ta) ARain.Prayin4 #on4s8A !u/imoto" 558 3(0.D*8
)(8 +ai4u #ochi'u 93;1D.3**0<" a ma/or i4ure in Rin>ai ,enHit
was
commonly said he and $udo Tosho'u Adivided the ,en world between
themAHbelon4ed to the same branch o the -yoshin./i school as $udo
and Ban'ei8 +ai4u=s enli4htenment came in a rather im5robable wayE he
was doin4 >a>en seated on a 5iece o wood that he had 5laced crosswise
over the to5 o a well to 4ain some relie rom the summer heatE the
wood bro'e" and he ell" Ahead over heels"A to the bottom o the well
shat8 At that instant" his enli4htenment Ao5ened8A <aig$ iho) /# (8 In his
early orties" he served a term as head abbot o the -yoshin./i" then
resided or a time at the Nansen./i in EdoE but his main teachin4 activity
was in western 7a5an" in the 5rovinces o -ino" Hyo4o" and Harima8 In
3*;;" at the invitation o -atsudaira -itsumichi" lord o Echi>en 9in
5resent !u'ui 5reecture<" he ounded the +aian./i in the city o !u'ui"
the tem5le with which his name is most closely associated8 Ban'ei vis
ited him there around 3*;;8 His relationshi5 with the old 5riest seems
to have been mar'ed by dee5 mutual res5ect8 Accounts o several meet
in4s and dialo4ues between the two men are 4iven in Ban'ei=s records8
A'ao" 558 (:*" D)D.);8
)D8 ;yakki) A'ao" 558 (10.0:8 !or a sli4htly dierent version o
this
story" see the Unnecessary Words section" 558 313.1)" below8 Evidence
o Ban'ei=s su5ranormal 5owers o 5erce5tion is seen in a number o
entries in the records8 Ater one o these entries" however" the editor
adds that rom his middle years on Ban'ei was never observed usin4
((
INTRO+U6TION
these 5owers because he eared his ollowers would misunderstand
their si4niicance8
);8 A'ao" 58 32*8
)*8 In4en" a onetime abbot o -ount Huan4.5o 9Oba'u.>an in
7a5an
ese< in !u'ien Province" came to 7a5an as a reu4ee o the -anchus
and
ounded a 6hinese.style tem5le at U/i" near Byoto" which he named
the
-am5u'u./i ater the ori4inal tem5le at -ount Huan4.5o8 The
Oba'u
school o 7a5anese ,en that In4en ounded e%erted 4reat inluence
on
many areas o 7a5anese cultural lie8 -o'uan succeeded him as the
sec
ond abbot at the -am5u'u./i8
As !u/imoto has 5ieced it to4ether" the story behind +osha=s decision
to leave 7a5an shows the In4en 4rou5Hat least some amon4 themHin a
rather unamiable li4ht8 !u/imoto 5resents all the available material" most
o which admittedly has come rom sources that would be e%5ected to
be 5artial to +osha8 &et he succeeds" I thin'" in showin4 that +osha was
more or less orced out o the country by the maneuvers o the In4en
4rou58 !u/imoto" 558 3;2.**8
The ollowin4 account o relations between +osha and In4en is by a
-yoshin./i 5riest named Bosai #oryo8 It is ound in a note he included in
his un5ublished edition o Ban'ei=s sermons 9com5iled sometime in the
ei4hteenth century<8 The scenario he describes can be corroborated in
some but not all o its 5articulars rom what is 'nown throu4h other
sources8 Even allowin4 or e%a44eration" it seems at least li'ely that he
does convey an accurate 5icture o the 4eneral situation that e%isted at
Na4asa'i8
Bosai be4ins by @uotin4 a dialo4ue between In4en and +osha" which
he says he heard one o In4en=s attendants re5ort to his teacher In'eiC
In4en said somethin4 to +osha" I don=t remember what it was" but
+osha re5lied" AI=ve been brea'in4 in a 4ood horse or twenty
years8 Today" I=ve been 'ic'ed by a little ass8A In4en 4ot u5 and
stal'ed out o the room8 ?ater" still 4reatly an4ered by the incident"
(D
NOTE#
he said that he" a senior 5riest" had been insulted by a man who
had only been wearin4 Buddhist robes or twenty years8 8 8 8
Aterward" when ,en master Boshin JBen.hsinK" +osha=s master
in 6hina" sent him an oicial document that certiied his
transmission o the +harma to +osha 8 8 8 -o'uan interce5ted
it and burned it to 'ee5 it rom reachin4 +osha8 He then accused
+osha o teachin4 without 5ro5er certiication8 All this was to
induce +osha to become a disci5le o In4en=s8 +osha would not
submit8 Other char4es" e@ually un/ust" were directed a4ainst him8
They 5lotted to 5oison him but 4ave u5 the idea when their 5lans
were discovered8 !rom that time orth" however" +osha was
conined to his 5lace o residenceHhe was a man in a ca4e8 #o
while he Nwas 5hysically 5resent in 7a5an" it was as i he were not
9since he was unable to 5ursue his teachin4 activities<8 Because o
this" he returned inally to his homeland8
Bosai concludes with this inormationC
+osha had a much lar4er ollowin4 than In4en didE there were at
all times at least two hundred more 5eo5le in his assembly8 That"
no doubt" is the reason behind the In4en 4rou5=s unseemly
actions8 +osha=s assembly went about their 5ractice sim5ly and
un5retentiously" while In4en=s tended to e%trava4ance and
ceremonious dis5lay8 These ways have continued unabated" even
until today8 The 6hinese 5riests Jin 7a5anK have a tendency to be
very sel.assertive" always wantin4 to 5ush themselves orward8 It
is little wonder they had trouble acce5tin4 someone li'e +osha8
!u/i.moto" 558 3*;.**8
)28 ?ord -atsuura #hi4enobu 93*)).32:(<" whose ancestors had
been trusted retainers o Toyotomi Hideyoshi and later sided with To'u.
4awa leyasu at the battle o #e'i4ahara" was himsel a 5rominent
(;
INTRO+U6TION
daimyo8 He was noted both or his e%5ertise in the martial arts" in which
he was a student and close riend o &ama4a #o'o=s 93*)).3*1;<" the
4reatest authority on military aairs o the 5eriod" and or his
accom5lishments in the tea ceremony" in which he was a 5u5il o
Bata4iri #e.'ishu=s" and also the ounder o his own school o tea" the
6hinshin 9the 6hinese readin4 o #hi4enobu<8 The island o Hirado" the
-atsuura ie" lourished 4reatly as the center o 7a5anese orei4n trade
rom the mid.si%teenth century" when the irst Portu4uese shi5s landed
there" until the 3*(:s" when it was re5laced by Na4asa'i8 The ortunes o
the clan were thus shar5ly reduced durin4 #hi4enobu=s administration"
and he is credited with 4uidin4 it throu4h the diicult times with sound
economic and social 5ro4rams8
#hi4enobu became a ollower o Ban'ei=s shortly ater the meetin4
described in the Introduction8 The ne%t year" when Ban'ei was livin4
unnoticed amon4 the be44ars in the Asa'usa +istrict o Edo" he was
discovered by one o #hi4enobu=s men who ha55ened to be 5assin4 by
and overheard a 5enetratin4 remar' he made8 The retainer re5orted it
to #hi4enobu" who invited Ban'ei to stay in a small hermita4e within
the 5recincts o his Edo residence8 !rom that time orth" #hi4enobu
went re@uently to Ban'ei to receive his instruction" both in Edo"
where he was re@uired by law to s5end 5art o his time" and at the
Ryumon./i" when he was 5assin4 throu4h on his tri5s between Hirado
and Edo8 He also invited Ban'ei to teach and to lead retreats at the
!umon./i" the amily tem5le on Hirado8
)18 The three #asa'i brothers are said to have been 'nown throu4h
out the country as shi5owners8 They were all active members o the
Ryumon./i lay con4re4ation8 A'ao" 58 03D8
)08 Bato &asuo'i 93*31.3*22<" a direct descendant o one o
To.
yotomi Hideyoshi=s most trusted retainers" was an eminent daimyo"
noted as a master o the martial arts and author o several treatises on
the sub/ect8 He also had a dee5 and lon4.standin4 commitment to ,en"
havin4 studied in his youn4er days with $udo Tosho'u" rom whom he
(*
NOTE#
received his reli4ious name" $esso Bo/i" A?ayman o the -oon Window8A
He was introduced to Ban'ei by ?ord -atsuura at the latter=s Edo
residenceE rom then until his death" he was devoted to Ban'ei as a
student and disci5le and dee5ly attached to him as a riend8 A number
o their e%chan4es are recorded in Ban'ei=s bio4ra5hical records8 #u>u'i
+aiset> has called their relationshi5 Aone o the most beautiul 5a4es in
the history o 7a5anese Buddhism8A ?$sho Zen) 58 3;8
&asuo'i invited Ban'ei to his ie on the island o Byushu in 3*;2"
when Ban'ei was thirty.ive years old 9eleven years his /unior<" and
5resented him with his irst tem5le" the Hensho.an8 It was built in a
orest o oa' trees and could accommodate only ten or twenty mon's8 It
was 4reatly enlar4ed twelve years later into a ull.scale monastery and
renamed the Nyoho./iHa ma/or underta'in4" 4iven the limited revenues
o the Bato clan8 !u/imoto" 558 );(.;D8
(:8 Ta'atoyo 93*;;.3*0D< also built the H*shin./i or Ban'ei
near
the site o his castle in the city o -aru4ame and donated the land on
which the Ryumon./i was built8
(38 At irst" these retreats were a55arently conducted more or less
in
the traditional manner" with Ban'ei 4ivin4 individual instruction to the
5artici5antsE when the number o 5eo5le reached the 5oint where this
was no lon4er easible" the retreats turned into meetin4s or 4rou5 5rac
tice" a 5rominent eature o Ban'ei=s last decade o teachin48 Alto4ether"
there were iteen such meetin4s" mostly durin4 the winter months"
rom 3*20 until 3*0(" the year o Ban'ei=s death8
()8 +en #ute/o" one o the most 5rominent women 5oets o her
a4e"
is 'nown best today or a verse she is su55osed to have written at the
a4e o iveC A#nowy mornin4OThe character =two= all over the 4roundHO
The trac's o the 4etaA *@itki no asa) ni no1i ni no1i no) geta no ato> the
6hinese character or AtwoA is two hori>ontal lines<8 The eldest dau4hter
o a wealthy amily in the Tamba area" she e%celled in both the hai'u and
the wa'a orm" studyin4 hai'u with Bitamura Bi4in" the teacher o
Basho8 #he married at seventeen" bore si% children" and was widowed at
(2
I NTRO+U6TI ON
orty" ater which she became a nun o the Pure ?and 7odo sect8 But ater
si% years o study in Byoto she ound hersel Astill unsatisied" with an
em5tiness o s5irit8A #he visited Ban'ei at the nearby 7i>o./i" and when
he returned to Harima" she ollowed him there" ta'in4 u5 residence
close to the Ryumon./i in a small hermita4e" which Ban'ei named the
!utetsu.an8 Her diary covers the 5eriod between 3*13" two years beore
she met Ban'ei" and 3*0*" the year o her death8 !u/imoto Tsuchishi4e=s
Teikan "en-ni 9The ,en nun Tei'an< brin4s to4ether all the available
material about Tei'an and includes a 5hoto4ra5hic acsimile o her
diary8
((8 A'ao" 58 ;*18
(D8 #e'imon #omin 93*D).3*0*<" the third abbot o the
Ryumon./i"
succeeded +airyo #o'yo" Ban'ei=s chie heir" Nwho died in 3*118
(;8 A'ao" 558 ;2).2(8
(1
The <har5a Ta.ks of
Zen Master Banket
T%( ;@UM:9-A+ (;M:9
IN THE THIR+ &EAR O! $ENROBU 93*0:<" AT
the time o the 4reat winter retreat at the Ryumon./i held
under ,en master Butchi Bosai Ban'ei" ounder o the
tem5le" the attendance roster listed 3"*1( 5riests8
3
They came
rom all the dierent sectsC rom the two ,en schools" #oto and
Rin>ai" and also rom the #hin4on" Tendai" 7odo" 7odo.shin"
and Nichiren sects8
)
-asters and novices ali'e and 5riests o
every 'ind and ran' 4athered in a 4reat assembly around
the +harma seat8 The master mi4ht very well have been ta'en
or the Buddha himsel" as the teacher o his a4e and the
master o all 5eo5le and devas throu4hout the universe8
When the master came and ascended to the +harma seat"
he s5o'e the ollowin4 words to the assembled audience o
5riests and laity8
I was still a youn4 man when I came to discover the 5rinci5le
o the Unborn and its relation to thou4ht8 I be4an to tell
others about it8 What we call a Athou4htA is somethin4 that has
already allen one or more removes rom the livin4 reality o
the Unborn8 I you 5riests would /ust live in the Unborn"
there wouldn=t be anythin4 or me to tell you about it" and
you wouldn=t be here listenin4 to me8 But because o the un.
bornness and marvelous illuminative 5ower inherent in the
Buddha.mind" it readily relects all thin4s that come alon4 and
(0
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
transorms itsel into them" thus turnin4 the Buddha.mind
into thou4ht8 I=m 4oin4 to tell those in the lay audience all
about this now8 As I do" I want the 5riests to listen alon4 too8
Not a sin4le one o you 5eo5le at this meetin4 is
unenli4htened8 Ri4ht now" you=re all sittin4 beore me as
Buddhas8 Each o you received the Buddha.mind rom your
mothers when you were born" and nothin4 else8 This inherited
Buddha.mind is beyond any doubt unborn" with a marvelously
bri4ht illuminative wisdom8
(
In the Unborn" all thin4s are
5erectly resolved8 I can 4ive you 5roo that they are8 While
you=re acin4 me listenin4 to me s5ea' li'e this" i a crow
cawed or a s5arrow chir5ed" or some other sound occurred
somewhere behind you" you would have no diiculty
'nowin4 it was a crow or a s5arrow" or whatever" even
without 4ivin4 a thou4ht to listenin4 to it" because you were
listenin4 by means o the Unborn8
I anyone conirms that this unborn" illuminative wisdom is
in act the Buddha.mind and strai4htaway lives" as he is" in the
Buddha.mind" he becomes at that moment a livin4 Tatha4ata"
D
and he remains one or ininite 'al5as in the uture8
;
Once he
has conirmed it" he lives rom then on in the mind o all the
Buddhas" which is the reason the sect I belon4 to has
sometimes been called the ABuddha.mindA sect8
*
While you ace this way listenin4 to me now" i a s5arrow
chir5s behind you" you don=t mista'e it or a crowE you don=t
mista'e the sound o a bell or that o a drum" or hear a man=s
voice and ta'e it or a woman=s" or ta'e an adult=s voice or
a child=s8 &ou hear and distin4uish those dierent sounds"
without ma'in4 a sin4le mista'e" by virtue o the marvelous
wor'in4 o illuminative wisdom8 This is the 5roo that the
Buddha.mind is unborn and wonderully illuminatin48
None o you could say that you heard the sounds because
40
THE R&U-ON.7I #ER-ON#
you had made u5 your minds to hear them beorehand8 I you
did" you wouldn=t be tellin4 the truth8 All o you are loo'in4
this way intent u5on hearin4 me8 &ou=re concentratin4 sin4le.
mindedly on listenin48 There=s no thou4ht in any o your
minds to hear the sounds or noises that mi4ht occur behind
you8 &ou are able to hear and distin4uish sounds when they
do occur without consciously intendin4 to hear them because
you=re listenin4 by means o the unborn Buddha.mind8
When 5eo5le are irmly convinced that the Buddha.mind is
unborn and wonderully illuminatin4 and live in it" they=re
livin4 Buddhas and livin4 Tatha4atas rom then on8
ABuddha"A too" is /ust a name" arisin4 ater the act8 It=s only
the s'in and shell8 When you say ABuddha"A you=re already
two or more removes rom the 5lace o the Unborn8 A man o
the Unborn is one who dwells at the source o all the
Buddhas8 The Unborn is the ori4in o all and the be4innin4 o
all8 There is no source a5art rom the Unborn and no
be4innin4 that is beore the Unborn8 #o bein4 unborn means
dwellin4 at the very source o all Buddhas8
I you live in the Unborn" then" there=s no lon4er any need
to s5ea' about Anone%tinction"A or Aundyin48A It would be a
waste o time8 #o I always tal' about the AUnborn"A never
about the AUndyin48A There can be no death or what was
never born" so i it is unborn" it is obviously undyin48 There=s
no need to say it" is thereG &ou can ind the e%5ression
Aunborn" undyin4A here and there in the Buddha=s sutras and
in the recorded sayin4s o the ,en masters8
2
But there was
never" until now" any /roof or confir5ation 4iven o the
Unborn8 Peo5le have /ust 'nown the words Aunborn"
undyin48A No one beore has ever really understood this
matter o the Unborn by conirmin4 it to the marrow o his
bones8 I irst reali>ed how everythin4 is 5erectly resolved
by means o the
D3
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
Unborn when I was twenty.si% years old" and since then" or
the 5ast orty years" I=ve been tellin4 5eo5le about nothin4
else8 I=m the irst one to do this by 4ivin4 the actual 5roo o
the Unborn" by showin4 that the Unborn is the Buddha.mind
and that it is always without any doubt whatever marvelously
bri4ht and illuminatin48 None o the 5riests or other 5eo5le
here at this meetin4 today can say that they have heard o
anyone who has done this beore me8 I=m the irst8
When you are unborn" you=re at the source o all thin4s8
The unborn Buddha.mind is where the Buddhas o the 5ast
all attained their reali>ation and where uture Buddhas will all
attain theirs8 Althou4h we=re now in the +harma=s latter days"
i a sin4le 5erson lives in the Unborn" the ri4ht +harma
lourishes in the world8
1
There=s no doubt about it8
U5on conirmin4 yoursel in the Unborn" you ac@uire the
ability to see rom the 5lace o that conirmation strai4ht into
the hearts o others8 The name the ,en school is sometimes
4iven" the A6lear.eyedA sect" stems rom this8 There" at that
5lace o conirmation" the Buddha=s +harma is ully achieved8
Once the eye that can see others as they are o5ens in you" you
can re4ard yoursel as havin4 ully achieved the +harma"
because wherever you are becomes a 5lace o total
reali>ation8 When you reach that 5lace" no matter who you
are" you are the true successor to my +harma8
A certain 5riest has said" =All you do is re5eat the same thin4s
day ater day8 &ou ou4ht to 4ive your listeners a chan4e8 Their
minds will be more rece5tive i you throw in some stories
about the ,en masters o the 5ast8A
+ull.witted as I am" I thin' i I 5ut my mind to it" I could
5robably remember a cou5le o anecdotes to tell 5eo5le8 But
that would be li'e eedin4 them 5oison8 I don=t want to do
that8
D)
THE R&U-ON.7I #ER-ON#
I never cite the Buddha=s words or the words o ,en
5atriarchs when I teach8 All I do is comment directly on
5eo5le themselves8 That ta'es care o everythin48 I don=t
have to @uote other 5eo5le8 #o you won=t ind me sayin4
anythin4 about either the ABuddha +harmaA or the A,en
+harma8A I don=t have to" when I can clear everythin4 u5 or
you by commentin4 directly on you and your 5ersonal
concerns ri4ht here and now8G I=ve no reason to 5reach about
ABuddhismA or A,en8A
+es5ite the act that you arrived in this world with nothin4
but an unborn Buddha.mind" your 5artiality or yourselves
now ma'es you want to have thin4s move in your own way8
&ou lose your tem5er" become contentious" and then you
thin'" AI haven=t lost my tem5er8 That ellow won=t listen to
me8 By bein4 so unreasonable he has 5ade 5e lose it8A And
so you i% belli4erently on his words and end u5 transormin4
the valuable Buddha.mind into a i4htin4 s5irit8 By stewin4
over this unim5ortant matter" ma'in4 the thou4hts churn
over and over in your mind" you may inally 4et your way" but
then you ail in your i4norance to reali>e that it was
meanin4less or you to concern yoursel over such a matter8
As i4norance causes you to become an animal" what you=ve
done is to leave the vitally im5ortant Buddha.mind and ma'e
yoursel inwardly a irst.class animal8
&ou=re all intelli4ent 5eo5le here8 It=s only your i4norance
o the Buddha.mind that ma'es you 4o on transormin4 it
into a hun4ry 4host" i4htin4 s5irit" or animal8 &ou turn it into
this and into that" into all manner o thin4s" and then you
!eco5e those thin4s8
3:
Once you have" once you=ve become
an animal" or e%am5le" then even when the truth is s5o'en
to you" it doesn=t 4et throu4h to you8 Or" su55osin4 it
doesE since you didn=t retain it even when you were a human
bein4" you certainly won=t have the intelli4ence as an animal
to 'ee5
D(
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
it in your mind8 #o you 4o rom one hell or animal e%istence
to the ne%t or s5end countless lietimes as a hun4ry 4host8
&ou 5ass throu4h lives and e%istences one ater another in this
way in constant dar'ness" transmi4ratin4 endlessly and
suerin4 untold torment" or thousands o lives and throu4h
endless 'al5as o time" and durin4 it all" you have no
o55ortunity whatever to rid yoursel o the burden o your evil
'arma8 This ha55ens to everyone when" throu4h a sin4le
thou4ht" they let the Buddha.mind sli5 away rom them8 #o
you can see that it=s a very serious matter indeed8
Thereore" you must thorou4hly understand about not
transormin4 the Buddha.mind into other thin4s8 As I told you
beore" not a sin4le one o you in attendance here today is an
unenli4htened 5erson8 &ou=re a 4atherin4 o unborn Buddha.
minds8 I anyone thin's" ANo" I=m not8 I=m not enli4htened"A I
want him to ste5 orward8 Tell meC What is it that ma'es a
5erson unenli4htenedG
In act" there are no unenli4htened 5eo5le here8
Nonetheless" when you 4et u5 and be4in to ile out o the
hall" you mi4ht bum5 into someone in ront o you as you
cross over the threshold8 Or someone behind you mi4ht run
into you and 'noc' you down8 When you 4o home" your
husband" son" dau4hter.in.law" servant" or someone else may
say or do somethin4 that dis5leases you8 I somethin4 li'e
that ha55ens" and you 4ras5 on to it and be4in to ret over it"
sendin4 the blood to your head" raisin4 u5 your horns" and
allin4 into illusion because o your sel.5artiality" the
Buddha.mind turns willy.nilly into a i4htin4 s5irit8 Until you
transorm it" you live /ust as you are in the unborn Buddha.
mindE you aren=t deluded or unenli4htened8 The moment you
do turn it into somethin4 else" you become an i4norant"
deluded 5erson8 All illusions wor' the same way8 By 4ettin4
u5set and avorin4
THE R&U-ON .7I #ER-ON#
yoursel" you turn your Buddha.mind into a i4htin4 s5iritH
and all into a deluded e%istence o your own ma'in48
#o whatever anyone else may do or say" whatever
ha55ens" leave thin4s as they are8 +on=t worry yoursel over
them and don=t side with yoursel8 7ust stay as you are" ri4ht
in the Buddha.mind" and don=t chan4e it into anythin4 else8
I you do that" illusions don=t occur and you live constantly
in the unborn mind8 &ou=re a livin4" breathin4" irmly
established Buddha8 +on=t you seeG &ou have an
incalculable treasure ri4ht at hand8
&ou must understand about the marvelous illumination o the
unborn mind8 Once you have been to a certain 5lace" you
don=t or4et it" even ater years have 5assed8 It=s easy or you
to remember it8 &ou don=t always have to be 'ee5in4 it
consciously in mind8 I someone else 4oes to that same 5lace"
the two o you will be able to tal' about it" thou4h you may
be miles distant rom it at the time8 No matter where you
are when you tal' about it" it ma'es no dierenceE your
accounts will still be in a4reement8
While you=re wal'in4 down a road" i you ha55en to
encounter a crowd o 5eo5le a55roachin4 rom the o55osite
direction" none o you 4ives a thou4ht to avoidin4 the others"
yet you don=t run into one another8 &ou aren=t 5ushed down
or wal'ed over8 &ou thread your way throu4h them by
weavin4 this way and that" dod4in4 and 5assin4 on" ma'in4
no conscious decisions in this" yet you=re able to continue
alon4 unham5ered nevertheless8 Now" in the same way" the
marvelous illumination o the unborn Buddha.mind deals
5erectly with every 5ossible situation8
#u55ose that the idea to ste5 aside and ma'e way or the
others should arise s5ontaneously in your mind beore you
D;
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
actually moved asideHthat too would be due to the wor'in4
o the Buddha.mind=s illuminative wisdom8 &ou may ste5
aside to the ri4ht or to the let because you have made u5
your mind to do that" but still" the movement o your eet"
one ste5 ater another" doesn=t occur because you thin' to do
it8 When you=re wal'in4 alon4 naturally" you=re wal'in4 in the
harmony o the Unborn8
At these meetin4s" all I do is re5eat the same thin4s over and
over a4ain8 But that shouldn=t bother you" even i you=ve
heard them beore8 It doesn=t matter how many times you
hear them8 The more oten you listen" the more certain you=ll
be o what I tell you8 Every day new 5eo5le come who haven=t
heard my tal' beore8 -any will hear it today or the very irst
time8 I=m obli4ed or their sa'es to e%5lain everythin4 once
a4ain rom the start8 Otherwise" comin4 in somewhere in the
middle o the tal'" it would be hard or them to ollow it and
come to a real understandin4 o what is said8 That=s the
reason why I say the same thin4s day in and day out8 Re4ular
listeners will become surer o the teachin4 by hearin4 it
re5eated" and the new 5eo5le comin4 all the time won=t eel
they are missin4 somethin48 #o each time I be4in rom the
be4innin4" with the basics" e%5lainin4 careully and
deliberately so that no one will have any trouble
understandin48
Peo5le are here rom every 5art o the country" members o
all our classes o the Buddhist communityC old and youn4"
men and women" hi4h and low" 5riests and laity8 I see that
5riests seem to ma'e u5 the lar4est 4rou5" well" now that
you=re here" i any o you thin' you are enli4htened" no
matter who you are" I want you to come orward and let me
conirm it or you8
I was twenty.si% when it suddenly came to me that all
D*
THE R&U-ON. 7I #ER-ON#
thin4s are 5erectly resolved in the Unborn8 #ince then" I=ve
been tryin4 to tell others about it8 I=ve been all over8 But rom
the time o that reali>ation until now" I haven=t ound
anyone anywhere who was a match or this ton4ue o
mine8 When I attained my reali>ation" there wasn=t any wise
teacher around" or at least I didn=t have occasion to meet
u5 with him" so there was no way or me to 4et conirmation
o my understandin48 I had a very diicult time o it8 I haven=t
or4otten the trouble I had" and so now" althou4h I am not
well" as you can see" I have made a 4reat vow to do my best to
4ive conirmation to anyone who is enli4htened8 That=s
why I come here every day and meet with you all8 -y own
health ceases to be a concern8 #o i anyone thin's he or she
has reali>ed somethin4" ste5 out here and say so8 I=ll
conirm it or you8
When I was thirty years old" my teacher told me that a ,en
5riest named +osha 6ho4en had /ust come over rom 6hina
and was now residin4 in Na4asa'i8
33
He thou4ht it would be a
4ood idea or me to 4o and meet him8 As I made my
5re5arations or the tri5" the master said to meC A&ou=ve
mana4ed to 4et by until now wearin4 layman=s robes"
3)
but i
you=re 4oin4 to have an interview with a 6hinese 5riest" you
can=t very well 4o dressed li'e that8 Put on a 5ro5er 5riest=s
robe beore you leave or your meetin4 with +osha8A
#o" wearin4 the Buddhist robes or the irst time" I met with
,en master +osha8 Ri4ht o" I told him about my
understandin4 o the Unborn8 He too' one loo' at me and said"
AThis ellow is beyond birth and death8A +osha was the only
master at that time who could have 4iven me even that much
conirmation8 Even at the time" I wasn=t ully satisied8 I can
see now" loo'in4 bac' to that meetin4" that even +osha=s
reali>ation was less than com5lete8 I only he were alive
today" I could
47
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
ma'e him into a ine teacher8 It=s a 4reat shame8 He died too
soon8
All o you are e%tremely ortunate8 When I was a youn4 man"
it was dierent8 I couldn=t ind a 4ood teacher" and bein4
headstron4" I devoted mysel rom an early a4e to
e%ce5tionally diicult trainin4" e%5eriencin4 suerin4 others
couldn=t ima4ine8 I e%5ended an awul lot o useless eort8
The e%5erience o that needless ordeal is dee5ly en4rained in
me8 It=s somethin4 I can never or4et8
That=s why I come here li'e this day ater day" ur4in4 you to
5roit rom my own 5ainul e%am5le" so you can attain the
+harma easily" while you=re seated comortably on the tatami
mats" without all that unnecessary wor'8 &ou should consider
yourselves e%tremely ortunate" because you won=t ind a
teachin4 li'e this anywhere else8
7ust as I was oolish and bullheaded when I was youn4"
sure enou4h" i I tell you about my e%5eriences" some o the
youn4 ellows amon4 you will ta'e it into their heads that they
can=t achieve the +harma unless they e%ert themselves as I
did8 And that would be my ault8 But I do want to tell you
about them" so let=s ma'e this 5oint 5erectly clear to the
youn4 men8 &ou can attain the +harma without 5uttin4
yoursel throu4h the arduous stru44le I did8 I want you to
remember that careully as you listen to what I say8
-y ather was a masterless samurai" ori4inally rom the
island o #hi'o'u" and a 6onucian8 He moved and too' u5
residence in this area" and this is where I was born8 He died
when I was still @uite youn4" and my mother raised me8 #he
told me that I was a very unruly youn4ster and that I used to
lead all the nei4hborhood children in ma'in4 mischie8 #he
said that rom the a4e o two or three" I showed an aversion to
48
THE R&U-ON.7I #ER-ON#
death and dying# When + cried) 5y fa5i.y co$.d get 5e to sto/
by 5retendin4 they were dead or by tal'in4 about death8 This
method was also used to 5ut an end to my mischie8
When I came o a4e" this bein4 an area where 6onucian
learnin4 was en/oyin4 a 4reat vo4ue" I was sent to a 6onucian
teacher8 -y mother had him teach me the ,reat Learning by
the rote method8
3(
When I came to the 5lace where it says
that the Away o 4reat learnin4 lies in clariyin4 bri4ht virtue"A
I was brou4ht to a sto5 by the words Abri4ht virtue8A I /ust
couldn=t understand what they meant8 They raised doubts in
my mind that remained or a lon4 time8
I remember one day" I as'ed some 6onucian scholars
about bri4ht virtue8 What was itG What did it meanG But none
o them could 4ive me an answer8 One o them said that
'notty 5roblems li'e mine were somethin4 that ,en 5riests
'new about8 He told me to as' one o them8 He admitted that
since he and his ellow 6onucians devoted all their time to
e%5lainin4 the literal meanin4 o the 6onucian writin4s" they
didn=t 'now what bri4ht virtue really meant8
#ince I was still no closer to understandin4 bri4ht virtue" I
decided to ollow his advice8 But in those days" there were no
,en tem5les in the area" so I was unable to ind any ,en 5riest
to @uestion8
I then decided that" no matter what ha55ened" I was 4oin4
to 4et to the bottom o this bri4ht virtue8 I was also
determined to tell my elderly mother about it beore she
de5arted this lie8 I 4ro5ed about uncertainly" ho5in4 to
throw some li4ht on the 5roblem8 I attended sermons and
lectures8 I I heard a sermon was bein4 held somewhere" I=d
run o immediately and listen to it8 When I returned home"
I=d tell my mother about what I=d heard8 But bri4ht virtue
remained beyond my 4ras58
D0
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
Now more determined than ever" I inally succeeded in
locatin4 a ,en 5riest8
3D
He told me that i I wanted to
understand bri4ht virtue" I should do >a>en8 Immediately" I
too' u5 the 5ractice o >a>en8 I went into the mountains and
sat without eatin4 or seven days" luc'in4 my robes u5" I sat
directly on the shar5 surace o the roc's8 Once in 5osition"
without a thou4ht at all or my health" I didn=t sto5 until I
could no lon4er sit u5 under my own 5ower and to55led over8
Because o where I was" no one brou4ht ood to me" so I
oten ended u5 not eatin4 or days on end8
I returned home ater that8 I ashioned a small hut and shut
mysel u5 in it8 I recited the Nembutsu and would enter a
Nembutsu samadhi and 4o lon4 5eriods without slee58
3;
I
tried everythin4 I could thin' o" but still I 4ot nowhere8 As I
5ushed mysel 5ast the bounds o 5hysical endurance with
this com5lete lac' o re4ard or my health" the s'in o my
buttoc's became lacerated" ma'in4 it e%tremely 5ainul or me
to sit8 But I must have had a constitution o iron in those
days" because I was able to 4o ri4ht on without s5endin4 even
a sin4le day lyin4 down to recu5erate8 To lessen the 5ain rom
my buttoc's" I 5laced several layers o sot 5a5er over the
4round and sat on them" chan4in4 them re@uently8 Unless
I did" there was considerable bleedin4 rom the torn s'in" and
that" to4ether with the 5ain" would have made sittin4
im5ossible8 I also tried sittin4 on cotton waddin48 +es5ite
these diiculties" never once" day or ni4ht" did I lie down to
rest8
The adverse eects o the lon4 years o 5hysical
5unishment built u5 and inally led to a serious illness8 And I
still hadn=t clariied bri4ht virtue" in s5ite o all the time and
eort I had s5ent wrestlin4 with it8 -y illness steadily
worsened8 I 4rew wea'er and wea'er8 Whenever I s5at" 4outs
o bloody s5utum as bi4 as thumb heads a55eared8 Once" I
s5at a4ainst
;:
THE R&U-ON. 7I #ER-ON#
a wall and the 4lobules stuc' and slid to the 4round in bri4ht.
red beads8
The 'indly 5eo5le who lived nearby said that I should
recu5erate my health in the hut8 They arran4ed or someone
to loo' ater me8 But the illness now reached a critical sta4e8
!or a whole wee'" I couldn=t swallow anythin4 e%ce5t some
thin rice broth8
3*
I became resi4ned to the act that I was 4oin4
to die8 I viewed it as inevitable and elt no 4reat re4ret8 The
only thin4 that really bothered me was havin4 to die without
discoverin4 the meanin4 o bri4ht virtue" which had had sole
5ossession o my thou4hts or so lon48 Then I elt a stran4e
sensation in my throat8 I s5at a4ainst a wall8 A mass o blac'
5hle4m lar4e as a soa5berry rolled down the side8 It seemed
to relieve the discomort in my chest8 #uddenly" /ust at that
moment" it came to me8 I reali>ed what it was that had
esca5ed me until nowC -.. things are /erfect.y reso.0ed in
the Un!orn# I reali>ed too that what I had been doin4 all this
time had been mista'en8 I 'new all my eorts had been in
vain8
At the same time" my illness showed deinite si4ns o
im5rovement8 Over/oyed" I ound that my a55etite had
returned8 I called to the nurse" told him I thou4ht I could eat
somethin4" and as'ed him to 5re5are some rice 4ruel8 While
he seemed to thin' it a stran4e re@uest comin4 rom someone
at death=s door" he was deli4hted and hurriedly be4an to
5re5are the ood8 In his ea4erness to eed me as @uic'ly as
5ossible" he 4ave me the 4ruel beore the rice had been
coo'ed throu4h8 But I didn=t even notice8 I woled down two
or three bowls o it without suerin4 any adverse eects8
!rom that 5oint on" I im5roved steadily" and here I am" still
alive today8 I was able to ulill my vow ater all and also to
brin4 my mother to an understandin4 o the Unborn8
!rom that time until today" I have encountered no one any.
;3
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
where who could dis5rove my teachin48 I only I had
encountered someone with a real understandin4 o the
+harma to s5ea' with while I was travelin4 around rom
5lace to 5lace stru44lin4 with my 5roblem" I wouldn=t have
had to e%5end all that useless eort8 But there was no such
5erson" and I 5racticed 5rolon4ed and 5ainul austerities"
sub/ectin4 my body to hardshi5s so severely 5unishin4 that I
suer rom the eects even today8 That=s the reason I=m not
able to come here and meet with you as oten as I would
li'e8
Well" ater I reali>ed that all thin4s are resolved by means o
the Unborn" I wanted to tal' to someone about it8 As I was
considerin4 whom I should visit" my master told me o a
5riest named $udo" in -ino Province8
32
He described him as
an e%cellent teacher and advised me to 4o and have an
interview with him8 I ollowed his advice and traveled to -ino"
but $udo was away in Edo at the time" and I was unable to
meet and tal' with him8 Havin4 already come that ar"
however" I thou4ht that" rather than return with nothin4 to
show or my tri5" I would visit some o the other ,en 5riests
in the area8
31
I introduced mysel to one o them as a ,en mon' rom
Harima Province and told him that I had come all that
distance to receive his instruction8 He e%5lained the ,en
teachin4 to me8 Ater he had inished" I saidC AI reali>e that it=s
very disres5ectul or me to s5ea' at all" but I would li'e to
say somethin48 Please or4ive the lac' o 5ro5riety8
=All that you and everyone else here has said to me is very
true8 It=s not that I don=t a4ree with it8 Only" somehow or
other" the eelin4 I 4et is that o scratchin4 an itchy oot with
my shoe on8 It=s not 4ettin4 to the itch8 &our teachin4s don=t
stri'e home to the center" to the real marrow8A
#ur5risin4ly enou4h" my words didn=t disconcert him in
the least8 He answeredC AO course8 It=s /ust as you say8 We
teach others in the same manner we ourselves have been
;)
THE R&U-ON. 7I #ER-ON#
tau4ht8 We /ust ollow the teachin4s o 5revious masters"
which are ound written down in sutras and ,en records8 I=m
ashamed to say it" but the act is that what we teach isn=t really
based on enli4htenment8 #ince we=re not really enli4htened"
it=s understandable that you should say what you do about
our teachin4 not bein4 able to reach the 5lace that itches8 &ou
were able to see throu4h all that and reco4ni>e me or what I
am8 #urely" you=re no ordinary man8A
Naturally" under those circumstances" it was im5ossible to
4et veriication rom any o them8 I returned home and shut
mysel u5 in retreat a4ain8 It was then" as I was en4a4ed in
contem5latin4 the natural ca5acity o my ellow men and the
means by which they could be instructed in the Way" that I
heard about +osha havin4 come to Na4asa'i8 I went at the
su44estion o my teacher Um5o and visited him" and" as I=ve
told you all beore" he conirmed my understandin48 I really
had a hard time indin4 someone able to 4ive 5ositive
veriication o my enli4htenment8 There /ust wasn=t anybody8
I a55ear here every day to tal' with you or that very
reason8 I any o you come to enli4htenment" you=re ortunate
to have someone around to 4ive you veriication o it8 I you
believe you=ve reached enli4htenment" then you should say
so8 Otherwise" you should listen careully and conirm what I
say or yourselves8 Then you will be enli4htened8 When you
s5ea' o a ABuddha"A or a A5atriarch"A that is merely a name8
It is a word that is let behind ater they a55ear or are AbornA
and is several removes rom the site o the Unborn itselHand
thus totally unim5ortant8 When you dwell in the Unborn
itsel" you=re dwellin4 at the very wellhead o the Buddhas
and 5atriarchs8 No one can 'now the dwellin4 5lace o a
5erson who is irmly convinced that the Buddha.mind is
Unborn8 It isn=t 'nown even to Buddhas and 5atriarchs8
I you establish yoursel irmly in the Unborn" then sim5ly
;(
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
and without any trouble or eort" while sittin4 comortably on
the tatami mats" you=re an authentic Tatha4ata" a .i0ing
Buddha8 The eye to see others will o5en in you" and you=ll be
able to see everythin4 rom the vanta4e 5oint o reali>ation8 I
never err in my /ud4ment o 5eo5le" nor does anyone else
who has the eye o the Unborn8 Our school has been called
the A6lear.eyedA sect or that reason8 And" since this ability is
5ossible because you=re dwellin4 in the unborn Buddha.
mind" it is sometimes called the ABuddha.mindA sect as well8
When the eye to see others o5ens in you" and you can see
strai4ht into their hearts" you may consider that you=ve ully
reali>ed the Buddha=s +harma" because then" at that very
5lace" that=s /ust what you=ve done8
Until you reali>e or yourselves what I=ve /ust said" you may
ind it hard to believe8 &ou may even thin' I=m tryin4 to
deceive you8 But ater you leave here" when the day comes
that you do reali>e it" that very day and at that very s5ot"
whoever you are" you too will be able to see into others=
hearts8 &ou=ll 'now then that everythin4 I=ve said is true8 Be
dili4ent now" in the interests o that uture day8 I I were
lyin4 to you" my ton4ue would be 5ulled out ater I die or
the sin o s5ea'in4 alsehood8 +o you thin' I=d be standin4
here tellin4 you lies" 'nowin4 that I=d all into the ton4ue.
5ullin4 hell or doin4 itG
3
G
The unborn +harma disa55eared in both 7a5an and 6hina"
and it has lon4 since been or4otten8 But now it has a55eared
in the world a4ain8 Once you come to be convinced that
unborn" illuminatin4 wisdom is unmista'ably the Buddha.
mind" your belie in it becomes unsha'able8 Then it=s as i all
the 5eo5le in the world were to 4et to4ether and try to ma'e
you believe that a crow was a heron8 #ince you 'now very
well by
54
THE R&U-ON.7I #ER-ON#
your common e%5erience that a crow is by nature blac' and a
heron white" they couldn=t convince you no matter how hard
or how lon4 they tried8
Once you come to 'now without any doubt that the
marvelous illuminative wisdom o the Unborn is the
Buddha.mind and that the Buddha.mind 5uts all thin4s in
5erect order by means o the Unborn" then you can no
lon4er be deluded or led astray by others8 Peo5le with this
unsha'able conviction are called Athe irm and
incontrovertible8A !or today and or endless uture a4es" they
are unborn" livin4 Buddhas8
When I was youn4 and irst be4an to declare the unborn
+harma" 5eo5le had trouble understandin4 it8 They thou4ht I
was 5reachin4 heresy" or they too' me or a 6hristian8
):
They
were araid o me8 No one would come near8 But it wasn=t
lon4 beore they reali>ed their mista'e and came to 'now
5erectly well that I was teachin4 them the true +harma8 Now"
instead o their stayin4 away as beore" I=m besie4ed by too
many callers" im5lorin4 and 5ressin4 me to meet with them8 I
don=t have a moment to mysel8
All thin4s have their season8 #ince I irst came to live in this
tem5le" more than orty years have 5assed" and because I=ve
been re5eatin4 my teachin4 over and over durin4 that time"
many 5eo5le can be ound in these 5arts who e%cel the
masters o reli4ion8
&our sel.5artiality is at the root o all your illusions8 There
aren=t any illusions when you don=t have this 5reerence or
yoursel8 I the men sittin4 ne%t to you start @uarrelin4" it may
be easy or you to tell which o the dis5utants is in the ri4ht
and which in the wron4" because you=re not involved yoursel8
&ou are a bystander" so you can 'ee5 a cool head8 But what i
;;
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
you do have a 5art in itG Then you ta'e your own side and
o55ose the other ellow8 As you i4ht with each other" you
transorm your Buddha.minds into i4htin4 s5irits8
Or a4ain" because o the Buddha.mind=s wonderul
illuminative wisdom" such thin4s as you have done and
e%5erienced in the 5ast cannot ail to be relected in it8 I
you i% onto those ima4es as they relect" you are unwittin4ly
creatin4 illusion8 The thou4hts do not already e%ist at the
5lace where those ima4es are relectin4E they are caused by
your 5ast e%5eriences and occur when thin4s you have seen
and heard in the 5ast are relected on the Buddha.mind8 But
thou4hts ori4inally have no real substance8 #o i they are
relected" you should /ust let them be relected" and let
them arise when they arise8 +on=t have any thou4ht to sto5
them8 I they sto5" let them sto58 +on=t 5ay any attention to
them8 ?eave them alone8 Then illusions won=t a55ear8 And
since there are no illusions when you don=t ta'e note o the
relectin4 ima4es" while the ima4es may be relected in the
mind" it=s /ust the same as i they weren=t8 A thousand thou4hts
may arise" yet it=s /ust as thou4h they hadn=t8 They won=t 4ive
you a bit o trouble8 &ou won=t have any thou4hts to clear
rom your mindH not a sin4le thou4ht to cut o8
Ban'ei s5o'e to the assembly on the irst day o the twelth
monthC
)3
At my tem5les" every moment" day and ni4ht" is the
i%ed and a55ointed time or 5ractice8 I don=t do as they do
elsewhere and tell you that the 5eriod o 5ractice be4ins at
such and such a time8 Everyone doesn=t start dashin4 around
ma'in4 a 4reat uss8
There was once a mon' in my tem5le who had been
do>in4 o8 Another mon' saw him and really laid into him
with a stic'8 I re5rimanded himC AWhy hit him when he=s
en/oyin4 a
;*
THE R&U-ON. 7I #ER-ON#
5leasant na5G +o you thin' he leaves the Buddha.mind and
4oes somewhere else when he slee5sGA Now" I don=t ur4e
5eo5le to slee5 around here8 But once they are aslee5"
you=re ma'in4 a serious mista'e i you hit them8 Nothin4 li'e
that is allowed to ha55en here anymore8 We don=t 4o out o
our way to ur4e 5eo5le to ta'e na5s8 &et neither do we hit
them or scold them or it i they do8 We don=t scold them or
5raise them or slee5in4" any more than we scold them or
5raise them or not slee5in48
I you stay awa'e" you stay awa'e8 I you slee5" you slee58
When you slee5" you slee5 in the same Buddha.mind you
were awa'e in8 When you=re awa'e" you=re awa'e in the same
Buddha.mind you were slee5in4 in8 &ou slee5 in the Buddha.
mind while you slee5 and are u5 and about in the Buddha.
mind while you=re u5 and about8 That way" you always stay in
the Buddha.mind8 &ou=re never a5art rom it or an instant8
&ou=re wron4 i you thin' that 5eo5le become somethin4
dierent when they all aslee58 I they were in the Buddha.
mind only durin4 their wa'in4 hours and chan4ed into
somethin4 else when they went to slee5" that wouldn=t be the
true Buddhist +harma8 It would mean that they were always
in a state o transmi4ration8
All o you 5eo5le here are wor'in4 hard to become Bud.
dhas8 That=s the reason you want to scold and beat the ones
who all aslee58 But it isn=t ri4ht8 &ou each received one thin4
rom your mother when you were bornHthe unborn Buddha.
mind8 Nothin4 else8 Rather than try to become a Buddha"
when you /ust stay constantly in the unborn mind" slee5in4
in it when you slee5" u5 and about in it when you= re
awa'e" you=re a livin4 Buddha in your everyday lieHat all
times8 There=s not a moment when you=re not a Buddha8
#ince you=re always a Buddha" there=s no other Buddha in ad.
;2
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
dition to that or you to become8 Instead o tryin4 to !eco5e
a Buddha" then" a much easier and shorter way is /ust to !e a
Buddha8
The unborn Buddha.mind deals reely and s5ontaneously
with anythin4 that 5resents itsel to it8 But i somethin4
should ha55en to ma'e you chan4e the Buddha.mind into
thou4ht" then you run into trouble and lose that reedom8 ?et
me 4ive you an e%am5le8 #u55ose a woman is en4a4ed in
sewin4 somethin48 A riend enters the room and be4ins
s5ea'in4 to her8 As lon4 as she listens to her riend and sews
in the Unborn" she has no trouble doin4 both8 But i she 4ives
her attention to her riend=s words and a thou4ht arises in her
mind as she thin's about what to re5ly" her hands sto5
sewin4E i she turns her attention to her sewin4 and thin's
about that" she ails to catch everythin4 her riend is sayin4"
and the conversation does not 5roceed smoothly8 In either
case" her Buddha.mind has sli55ed rom the 5lace o the
Unborn8 #he has transormed it into thou4ht8 As her thou4hts
i% u5on one thin4" they=re blan' to all others" de5rivin4
her mind o its reedom8
?et me tell you about what ha55ened when I was in
-aru4ame in #anu'i Province8 As you 'now" -aru4ame is a
castle town" and when I was there" many 5eo5le came to
listen to the tal's8 On one occasion" a lady showed u5"
accom5anied by her maidservant and an elderly woman8 The
three o them listened and then let8 #ometime aterward" the
lady and the old woman came a4ain8 The lady saidC ABeore
she met you" my elderly attendant here was always a willul
and disa4reeable creature8 #he would lose her tem5er at the
sli4htest 5rete%t8 But you 'now" it=s been @uite a while now
;1
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
are em5loyed in lar4e numbers8 #ome amon4 them are bound
to be careless with thin4s8 Occasionally" treasured dishes or
other articles are bro'en8 Perha5s it is somethin4 not even
worth mentionin4" but in any case" you let the blood rush to
your head8 &ou lash out and scold the oender an4rily8 But no
matter how 5ri>ed the dish or tea bowl may have been" it
wasn=t bro'en deliberately8 It was an accident" and now
there=s nothin4 that can be done about it8 7ust the same" you
ly into a ra4e and let the deilements rom your sel.centered
5assions transorm the 5recious Buddha.mind 4iven when
you were born into a i4htin4 s5irit8 &ou can always buy
another teacu58 Tea tastes the same anyway" whether rom an
ordinary Imari teacu5 or rom a 5riceless Borean tea bowl8
&ou can drin' it /ust as well rom either one8 But a tem5er"
once lost" can=t easily be undone8
Now" i you really understand what I=ve been sayin4 about
the tea bowl" you should 'now" without my havin4 to tell you
about them one by one" that it=s the same or everythin4 else8
Whatever ha55ens" /ust don=t turn your Buddha.minds into
i4htin4 s5irits by worryin4 over it8 +on=t chan4e them into
i4norance or let your sel.centered thou4hts turn them into
hun4ry 4hosts8 Then you=ll automatically be livin4 in the
unborn Buddha.mind8 &ou won=t have any choice in the
matter8 Once you 'now the Buddha.mind=s 4reat value"
there=s no way you can avoid dwellin4 in the Unborn even i
you don=t want to8 I want to ma'e you 'now how vitally
im5ortant it is or you not to chan4e your Buddha.minds into
the three 5oisons"
))
so you will have to listen to me attentively
and then be very careul that you don=t transorm your
Buddha.minds into somethin4 else8
When I tell 5eo5le about the Unborn li'e this" they sometimes
assume it=s a teachin4 I came u5 with all by mysel8 But that=s
*:
THE R&U-ON. 7I #ER-ON#
mista'en8 I you loo' throu4h the sutras and other Buddhist
records" you=ll ind that the Unborn was 5reached in the 5ast
in various ways8
)(
The 5atriarchs o the ,en school mentioned
it8 It was heard rom the 4olden mouth o #ha'amuni himsel8
Even children have 'nown o it8 But it=s always the 8ords
Aunborn" undyin4A that you ind8 There=s never any
veriication 4iven to show /ust what this Aunborn" undyin4A
really is8 I am the irst to teach 5eo5le by 4ivin4 them 5roo o
the Unborn8 It=s understandable" then" that those who don=t
'now this should ma'e the mista'e o thin'in4 that I thou4ht
the words u5 mysel8
As a youn4 man strivin4 to reali>e the Buddha.mind" I tried
my hand at 'oan study8 I had interviews with ,en teachers and
en4a4ed in ,en dialo4ues with them in 6hinese8 I wor'ed
very dili4ently at it8 But it is better or us 7a5anese to use the
common lan4ua4e we s5ea' every day when we as' @uestions
havin4 to do with the Way8 #ince we aren=t very 4ood at
6hinese" when we have to use it or such @uestions and
answers" we have trouble e%5ressin4 ourselves ully and
sayin4 /ust what we want to8 But i we use our own
everyday lan4ua4e and s5ea' /ust the way we normally do"
there=s nothin4 at all we can=t as' about8 Instead o
strainin4 around worryin4 about how to as' somethin4 in
6hinese" we should as' our @uestions in a lan4ua4e we can
use easily" ree o the burdens and constraints o a orei4n
lan4ua4e8 O course" i we couldn=t attain reali>ation unless
we used 6hinese" I would be the irst to say use it8 But the
act is that we can as' about the Way" and attain it" without
any trouble at all by usin4 our own lan4ua4e8 It=s wron4 or us
to have to as' @uestions in a lan4ua4e we have diiculty
usin48 &ou must remember this" and whenever you have
somethin4 to as' me" eel no hesitation8 I don=t care what it
is" as' it /ust the way you want to" in your
*3
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
own words" and I=ll hel5 you clear it u58 #ince you=re able to
resolve thin4s in that way" what could be as useul to you
and convenient to use as the ordinary 7a5anese you s5ea'
every dayG
While I was studyin4 with +osha in Na4asa'i" a letter was sent
to 6hina to the 5riest In4en" invitin4 him to come to
Na4asa'i8
)D
I was one o those who too' 5art in the
discussions leadin4 u5 to the issuance o that invitation" and"
ortunately" I ha55ened to be visitin4 +osha when In4en
inally arrived8 As his boat sailed to the 5ort entrance" all the
mon's in +osha=s assembly went down to the @uay to
welcome him8 But when In4en disembar'ed the shi5" I 'new
the moment I set eyes on him that he wasn=t a man o the
Unborn8 #o I never bothered to 4o to him or instruction8
Peo5le 4enerally have the wron4 idea about livin4 and dyin4
at will8 They thin' it means that someone decides on one day
that he will die on the ne%t" or that he 5redicts the day and
month in the ollowin4 year when he is to die and then does
indeed die a natural death on that date" or they thin' it means
the ability to e%tend one=s lietime so many days or months8
#uch are the notions many 5eo5le have8 I mysel won=t say
that they aren=t e%am5les o livin4 and dyin4 at willE obviously"
in a sense" such 5eo5le do live and die very much at will8 But
since their ability is the result o trainin4 and 5ractice" it=s
sometimes seen even in those whose reli4ious eye has not yet
been o5ened8 Even some nonreli4ious 5eo5le may 'now
when they=re 4oin4 to die8 But in such cases" since their
reli4ious eye is not o5ened" they don=t have the sli4htest idea
o its real meanin48
A man o the Unborn is beyond livin4 and dyin4 9samsara<8
*)
THE R&U-ON .7I #ER-ON#
What I mean by that isC #omeone who is unborn is also
undyin4" so he is beyond both birth and death8 What O call
livin4 and dyin4 at will is when someone dies without bein4
troubled by lie and death" the continuous succession o
birth.death" birth.death that is samsaric e%istence8 -oreover"
livin4 and dyin4 is ta'in4 5lace at every instant throu4hout
the twenty.our hours o the dayE dyin4 does not occur only
once in your lie when you cease breathin48 When you=re
livin4 without bein4 concerned about lie or death" you=re
always livin4 in such a way that whenever death does come"
even ri4ht now" at this moment" it=s no 4reat matter8 NowE
that=s what I call Alivin4 and dyin4 at will8A It means livin4
conirmed in your unborn Buddha.mind8 To ma'e a
declaration that you=ll die at a certain time on a certain i%ed
day and to have that on your mindHcan you ima4ine how
coninin4 and un.ree that would beG
&ou oten hear reli4ious 5eo5le tal'in4 about samsara" or
livin4 and dyin4" bein4 the same as nirvana8
);
But when they
s5ea' about it" they do so rom the stand5oint o samsara" so
in act it has nothin4 to do with nirvana8 They ma'e this
mista'e because they haven=t 4ras5ed yet that the unborn
Buddha.mind they always have with them sets everythin4
ri4ht this very day by means o the Unborn8 To loo' or
Asamsara is nirvanaA anywhere else and involve yoursel in
words and letters is 5ointless8 What they=re doin4 is chan4in4
the unborn Buddha.mind into the thou4ht Asamsara is
nirvanaA and senselessly s5endin4 every second o the day
and ni4ht" without a moment=s rest" conined within samsara8
#ince the Buddha.mind ta'es care o everythin4 by means o
the Unborn" it has nothin4 to do with samsara or nirvana8
#een rom the 5lace o the Unborn" both o them are li'e the
shadows in
*(
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
a dream8 But because the Buddha.mind has the marvelous
de%terity it does" i a 5erson who until /ust yesterday was
busily en4a4ed in samsara should today reali>e his mista'e
and henceorth sto5 chan4in4 his Buddha.mind into the three
5oisons" he will henceorth dwell in the Buddha.mind ree o
all concern with such thin4s as samsara8 When the time comes
or his 5hysical elements to dis5erse in death" he will 4ive
himsel com5letely to the dis5ersal and die without re4ret or
attachment8 A 5erson li'e that is .i0ing the truth o Asamsara is
nirvanaA and is" at the same time" livin4 and dyin4 at will8
Here" I always ur4e 5eo5le sim5ly to live in the unborn
Buddha.mind8 I don=t try to ma'e anyone do anythin4 else8
We haven=t any s5ecial rules8 But since everyone 4ot to4ether
and decided that they wanted to s5end si% hours each day 9or
a 5eriod o twelve stic's o incense< doin4 >a>en" I let them
do as they wish8 That amount o time has been set aside or
>a>en8 But the unborn Buddha.mind has no connection with
those stic's o incense8 It=s /ust bein4 at home in the Buddha.
mind" not strayin4 into illusion" and not see'in4
enli4htenment beyond that8 7ust sit in the Buddha.mind"
stand in the Buddha.mind" slee5 in the Buddha.mind" awa'e
in the Buddha.mind" do everythin4 in the Buddha.mindH
then you=ll be unctionin4 as a livin4 Buddha in all that you
do in your daily lie8 There=s nothin4 urther8
Now" in >a>en" it=s a matter o the Buddha.mind sittin4 at
rest8 It=s the Buddha.mind doin4 continuous >a>en8 ,a>en
isn=t limited to the time you sit8 That=s why" around here" i
5eo5le have somethin4 to do while they=re sittin4" they=re
ree to 4et u5 and do it8 It=s u5 to them" whatever they=ve a
mind to do8 #ome o them will do kinhin or one stic' o
incense8
)*
But they can=t /ust continue wal'in4" so then they sit
*D
THE R&U-ON .7I #ER-ON#
down and or another stic' o incense they do >a>en8 They
can=t be slee5in4 all the time" so they 4et u58 They can=t tal'
constantly" so they sto5 tal'in4 and do some >a>en8 They
aren=t bound by any set rules8
In recent times" wherever you 4o" you ind that ,en
teachers use Aold toolsA when they deal with 5u5ils8
)2
They
seem to thin' they can=t do the /ob without them8 They=re
unable to teach directly" by thrustin4 themselves orward and
conrontin4 students without their tools8 Those eyeless
bon>es with their Atool ,enAHi they don=t have their
im5lements to hel5 them" they aren=t u5 to handlin4 5eo5le8
What=s worse" they tell 5racticers that unless they can raise
a A4reat ball o doubtA and then brea' throu4h it" there can=t
be any 5ro4ress in ,en8
)1
Instead o teachin4 them to live by
the unborn Buddha.mind" they start by orcin4 them to raise
this ball o doubt any way they can8 Peo5le who don=t have
a doubt are now saddled with one8 They=ve turned their
Buddha.minds into Aballs o doubt8A It=s absolutely wron48
-y reli4ion has nothin4 to do with either Asel.5owerA or
Aother.5ower8A
)0
It=s beyond them both8 -y 5roo is thisC
While you ace me and listen to me say this" i somewhere a
s5arrow chir5s" or a crow caws" or a man or woman says
somethin4" or the wind rustles the leaves" thou4h you sit
there without any intent to listen" you will hear and
distin4uish each sound8 Because it isn=t yoursel that=s doin4
the listenin4" it isn=t sel.5ower8 On the other hand" it
wouldn=t do you any 4ood i you had someone else hear and
distin4uish the sounds or you8 #o it isn=t other.5ower8 That=s
the reason why I can say that my teachin4 has nothin4 to do
with sel.5ower or other.5ower and is beyond them both8
When you=re listenin4 li'e this in the Unborn" each and
every sound is
*;
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
heard as it occurs8 And all other thin4s as well" in /ust the
same way" are 5erectly well ta'en care o in the Unborn8
Anyone who lives his lie in the Unborn" whoever he may be"
will ind this to be true8 No one who lives in the Unborn is
concerned with sel or other8 He=s beyond them both8
I went around the country wastin4 time and ener4y on ascetic
5ractices" all because I wanted to discover my Buddha.mind8 I
ended u5 brin4in4 on serious illness instead8 I=ve been
conined to sic'beds or lon4 5eriods" so I=ve learned all
about sic'ness at irsthand8 Everyone who is born into this
world and receives bodily orm is thereore bound to
e%5erience illness8 But i you become conirmed in the
unborn Buddha.mind" you aren=t troubled by the suerin4
that normally accom5anies illness8 Illness and suerin4 are
dierentiatedC The illness is illness" the suerin4 is suerin48
Now" the way it wor's is this8 Bein4 ori4inally unborn" the
Buddha.mind has no concern with either 5ain or /oy8 #ince
bein4 unborn means that it is com5letely detached rom
thou4ht" and since it is throu4h the arisin4 o thou4hts that
you e%5erience both 5ain and /oy" so lon4 as the Buddha.
mind remains as it is in its ori4inal unbornness" unworried by
and unattached to the illness" it doesn=t e%5erience suerin48
But i a thou4ht arises rom the 4round o the Unborn and
you start to worry about your illness" you create suerin4
or yourselE you chan4e your Buddha.mind into suerin48 It
can=t be hel5ed8 The suerin4s o hell itsel are no dierent8
Now" su55ose someone is suerin4 because he worries
an%iously about his illness8 The illness may at some 5oint
be4in to im5rove" yet because he worries" over and above the
ori4inal illness" about the medicine bein4 wron4 or about the
5hysician bein4 ine5t" he chan4es the Buddha.mind into vari.
**
THE R&U-ON.7I #ER-ON#
ous 5ainul thou4hts" until the disease in his mind becomes a
more serious aliction than the ori4inal illness8 While the
turmoil o thou4hts crowd throu4h his mind as he attem5ts
to esca5e rom his illness" the ori4inal illness may 4radually
im5rove and he may re4ain his health8 But now he suers
because he=s 5la4ued by the troubled thou4hts churnin4 in
his mind" which have 4rown and intensiied in the course o
his illness and recovery8
But even thou4h I say this" i someone who is down with an
illness or under4oin4 any other 'ind o suerin4 were to say
that he doesn=t suer" he would have to be called a liar8 He=s
i4norant o the way in which the marvelous wisdom o the
Buddha.mind wor's8 I he 5led4ed on his honor that he was
5ositively not suerin4" it would only mean that his suerin4
was ta'in4 the orm o not suerin48 There is no way such a
5erson could be ree rom suerin48 #ince the wor'in4 o
illuminative wisdom is intrinsic to the Buddha.mind" by which
it 'nows and 5erectly dierentiates not only suerin4 but all
other thin4s as well" when the sic'ness comes" the Buddha.
mind remains ree o any involvement or concern with 5ain or
suerin48 But" even then" since you will inevitably thin' about
your sic'ness" it=s best at such times to 4ive yoursel u5 to the
sic'ness" and to moan when there is 5ain8 Then" all the time"
both when you=re sic' and when you=re well" you=ll be livin4
in the unborn Buddha.mind8 But you ou4ht to be aware
that when thou4ht becomes involved in your suerin4" the
Buddha.mind is chan4ed into the tho$ght o sic'ness or the
tho$ght o suerin4" @uite a5art rom the sic'ness or suerin4
itsel" and you will suer because o that8
The unborn Buddha.mind is ori4inally ree rom all
thou4ht8 #o lon4 as a 5erson is i4norant o the Buddha.
mind=s unbornness and suers because he has chan4ed it into
*2
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
thou4ht" no matter how loudly he may deny his suerin4" his
denialHthe notion that AI=m not suerin4AHis only a
determination he has created out o thou4ht8 He couldn=t
5ossibly be detached rom suerin48 He may thin' that he=s
not suerin4" but inasmuch as he hasn=t conirmed himsel in
the unborn Buddha.mind that is detached rom birth and
death" that very birth and death is the cause o his suerin48
The wor'in4 o your bri4ht" illuminatin4 Buddha.mind is as
dierent rom an ordinary mirror as a cloud is rom mud8
Byoto" Osa'a" Edo" #endai" Na4asa'i" or wherever" once
you=ve been and seen a 5lace" even ater many years 5ass and
you=re at an entirely dierent location" i someone else who
has been there comes and tal's to you about it" your
conversation will 4o alon4 in 5erect a4reement8 -oreover"
while a mirror is able only to illuminate and show ob/ects a
yard or two away at most" the wor'in4 o the Buddha.mind=s
res5lendent clarity is such that you can see and reco4ni>e a
man over a bloc' awayE you can see a towerin4 mountain
5ea' ity lea4ues distant" even behind rows o hills" and your
Buddha.mind can tell that it=s -ount !u/i" or -ount Bon4o"
or some other mountain8 #o while the Buddha.mind is oten
com5ared to a mirror" how vastly dierent its bri4htness
really isF Even the sun and moon li4ht u5 only the earth and
the heavens8 The marvelous bri4htness o the Buddha.mind"
by means o words" is able to enli4hten 5eo5le and deliver
them rom their illusions one by one8 And when someone
hears these words" and understands and airms them" he will
'now or himsel that the Buddha.mind=s wonderul
bri4htness sur5asses even the bri4htness o the sun and
moon8 What an incalculable treasure your Buddha.mind isF
*1
THE R&U-ON.7I #ER-ON#
;(P:9( T: BU(T+:9(;
A mon' said to Ban'eiC I was born with a short tem5er8 It=s
always larin4 u58 -y master has remonstrated with me
time and a4ain" but that hasn=t done any 4ood8 I 'now I
should do somethin4 about it" but as I was born with a bad
tem5er" I=m unable to rid mysel o it no matter how hard I
try8 Is there anythin4 I can do to correct itG This time" I=m
ho5in4 that with your teachin4" I=ll be able to cure mysel8
Then" when I 4o bac' home" I=ll be able to ace my master
a4ain" and o course I will beneit by it or the rest o my lie8
Please" tell me what to do8
Ban'eiC That=s an interestin4 inheritance you have8 Is your
tem5er here nowG Brin4 it out8 I=ll cure it or you8
(:
-on'C I=m not an4ry now8 -y tem5er comes on
une%5ectedly" when somethin4 5rovo'es me8
Ban'eiC &ou weren=t born with it then8 &ou create it
yoursel when some 5rete%t or other ha55ens to a55ear8
Where would your tem5er be at such times i you didn=t cause
itG &ou wor' yoursel into a tem5er because o your 5artiality
or yoursel" o55osin4 others in order to have your own
way8 Then you un/ustly accuse your 5arents o havin4
burdened you with a short tem5er8 What an e%tremely
unilial son you areF
Each 5erson receives the Buddha.mind rom his 5arents
when he=s born8 His illusion is somethin4 he 5roduces all
alone" by bein4 5artial to himsel8 It=s oolish to thin' that it=s
inherent8 When you don=t 5roduce your tem5er" where is itG
All illusions are the sameE as lon4 as you don=t 5roduce them"
they cease to e%ist8 That=s what everyone ails to reali>e8 There
they are" creatin4 rom their own selish desires and deluded
mental habits somethin4 that isn=t inherent but thin'in4 it is8
*0
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
On account o this" they=re unable to avoid bein4 deluded in
whatever they do8
&ou certainly must cherish your illusions dearly or you to
chan4e the Buddha.mind into them /ust so you can be
deluded8 I you only 'new the 4reat value o the Buddha.
mind" there=s no way you could ever be deluded a4ain" not
even i you wanted to be8 !i% this clearly in your headC When
you are not deluded" you are a Buddha" and that means you
are enli4htened8 There is no other way or you to become a
Buddha8 #o draw close and listen careully and be sure that
you understand what I say8
&ou create your outbursts o tem5er when the or4ans o
your si% senses Jvision" hearin4" smell" taste" touch" and
aculty o mindK are stimulated by some e%ternal condition
and incite you to o55ose other 5eo5le because you desire to
assert your own 5reciously held ideas8 When you have no
attachment to sel" there are no illusions8 Have that 5erectly
clear8
All your 5arents 4ave you when you were born was a
Buddha.mind8 Nothin4 else8 What have you done with itG
!rom the time you were a tiny baby" you=ve watched and
listened to 5eo5le losin4 their tem5ers around you8 &ou=ve
been schooled in this" until you too have become habituated
to irascibility8 #o now you indul4e in re@uent its o an4er8
But it=s oolish to thin' that=s inherent8 Ri4ht now" i you
reali>e you=ve been mista'en and don=t allow your tem5er to
arise anymore" you=ll have no tem5er to worry about8 Instead
o tryin4 to correct it" don=t 5roduce it in the irst 5lace8
That=s the @uic'est way" don=t you a4reeG Tryin4 to do
somethin4 about it ater it occurs is very troublesome and
utile besides8 +on=t 4et an4ry to be4in with" then there=s no
need to cure anythin48 There=s nothin4 let to cure8
70
THE R&U-ON.7I #ER-ON#
Once you=ve reali>ed this and you sto5 creatin4 that tem5er
o yours" you=ll ind that you won=t have any other illusions
either" not even i you want to" or you=ll be livin4 constantly
in the unborn Buddha.mind8 There is nothin4 else8
#ince everythin4 is in 5erect harmony i you live and wor' in
the unborn mind o the Buddhas" my school is also 'nown as
the ABuddha.mindA sect8 ?ive in the Buddha.mind and you=re
a livin4 Buddha rom that moment on8 This is the 5riceless
thin4 Adirectly 5ointed to8A
(3
3 want you to trust com5letely in
what I=ve been tellin4 you8 +o /ust as I=ve said8 To start with"
try to stay in the Unborn or thirty days8 Once you=ve
accustomed yoursel to that" then you=ll ind it=s im5ossible to
live a5art rom the Unborn8 It will come naturally to you then"
and even i you don=t want to" even i you 4row tired o it"
there=ll still be no way you can avoid livin4 in the Unborn and
doin4 an admirable /ob o it too8 Everythin4 you do will be
accordin4 to the Unborn8 &ou=ll be a livin4 Buddha8
&ou should all listen to my words as i you were newly born
this very day8 I somethin4=s on your mind" i you have any
5reconce5tion" you can=t really ta'e in what I say8 But i you
listen as i you were a newborn child" it=ll be li'e hearin4 me
or the irst time8 #ince then there=s nothin4 in your mind" you
can ta'e it ri4ht in" 4ras5 it even rom a sin4le word" and ully
reali>e the Buddha=s +harma8
A laywoman rom I>umo" who had come to the retreat
because she had heard o Ban'ei and his teachin4" as'edC
Accordin4 to what you say" all we have to do is sim5ly
remain eortlessly in the Buddha.mind8 +on=t you thin' that
teachin4 is too li4htwei4htG
23
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
Ban'eiC ?i4htwei4htG &ou set no store by the Buddha.mind8
&ou 4et an4ry and turn it into a i4htin4 s5irit8 &ou 4ive vent to
selish desires and chan4e it into a hun4ry 4host or do
somethin4 oolish and convert it into an animal8 &ou
deludedly turn the Buddha.mind into all sorts o dierent
thin4sHthat=s li4htwei4ht" not my teachin48 Nothin4 is o
more 4ravity" and nothin4 more 5raiseworthy" than livin4 in
the Buddha.mind8 #o you may thin' when I tell you to live in
the Buddha.mind that it is li4htwei4ht" but believe me" it=s
/ust because it has such wei4ht that you are unable to do it8
This" however" mi4ht 4ive you the idea that livin4 in the
Buddha.mind is a very diicult business8 But isn=t it true that
i you listen careully to my teachin4" understand it well" and
live in the Buddha.mind" then" sim5ly and easily" without
doin4 any hard wor'" you=re a livin4 Buddha this very dayG
&ou decided ater hearin4 what I said that dwellin4
eortlessly in the Buddha.mind was an easy matter8 But in
act it=s not easy" so you 4o on transormin4 it into a i4htin4
s5irit" a hun4ry 4host" or an animal8 &ou 4et an4ry" even over
triles8 When you do" you create the cause o rebirth as a
i4htin4 s5irit8 #o thou4h you may not be aware o it" you=re
s5endin4 your e%istence as a human bein4 creatin4 a i4htin4
s5irit o the irst order8 And sure enou4h" i you wor'
earnestly at it" you=ll not only be a i4htin4 s5irit durin4 your
lietime" you=ll all into such an e%istence ater you die as well"
have no doubt about it8
On account o sel.interest" you toil away to turn the
Buddha.mind into 4reed and desire8 #ince that=s the cause o
rebirth as a deni>en o the realm o hun4ry 4hosts" you=re
un'nowin4ly 5avin4 the way or rebirth into that realm8
&ou=re readyin4 yoursel or a 5ostmortem all into a hun4ry
4host e%istence8 It=s a ore4one conclusionE you=ll surely end
u5 there8
2)
THE R&U-ON. 7I #ER-ON#
Owin4 to selish thou4hts and aims" you dwell on one
thou4ht ater another" rettin4 senselessly over thin4s that can
4et you nowhere8 6ontinuin4 on li'e that" unable to sto5" you
turn the Buddha.mind into i4norance8 I4norance causes you
to be reborn as an animal8 It=s clear even now while you=re
alive and busily creatin4 the cause o such a wretched ate that
when you die you=ll enter that e%istence8
I see 5eo5le unaware o this" dedicatin4 their lives to
careully ashionin4 the very causes o their rebirth into the
three evil realms8
()
It=s 5itiul8 They=re reservin4 seats or the
5assa4e8 But when you don=t chan4e your Buddha.mind
into a i4htin4 s5irit" hun4ry 4host" or animal" you can=t
avoid dwellin4 naturally in the Buddha.mind8 It=s obvious"
isn=t itG
The laywomanC &es" o course8 It=s trueF I have no words to
than' you8
A mon'C &ou=re always teachin4 5eo5le that they should live
in the Unborn8 To me that seems li'e tellin4 them to live
5ur5oselessly" without any aim8
Ban'eiC &ou call dwellin4 in the unborn Buddha.mind
bein4 without 5ur5oseG &ou don=t stay in the unborn
Buddha.mind yoursel8 Instead" you=re always wor'in4
enthusiastically at other thin4s" doin4 this" doin4 that"
s5endin4 all your time transormin4 your Buddha.mind into
somethin4 else8 What could be more 5ur5oseless than thatG
The mon' made no re5ly8
Ban'eiC ?ive in the Unborn8 It=s certainly not 5ur5oseless8
A mon'C To live in the Buddha.mind as you say would mean
to live in a state o un'nowin4" to be insensible8
Ban'eiC What i someone came u5 behind you without your
'nowin4 it and suddenly 5o'ed you in the bac' with a 4imletG
Would you eel 5ainG
2(
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
The mon'C O course I would8
Ban'eiC Then you=re not un'nowin4 or insensible" are youG
I you were" it wouldn=t hurt8 &ou eel it because you=re not
insensible" and you never have been8 Have conidence in me8
?ive in the unborn Buddha.mind8
A mon'C &ou tell 5eo5le to dwell in the Unborn" but it seems
to me that would mean remainin4 totally indierent to
thin4s8
((
Ban'eiC While you ace me there listenin4 innocently to
what I say" su55ose someone should come u5 behind you and
touch a irebrand to your bac'8 Would it eel hotG
The mon'C O course it would8
Ban'eiC In that case" you aren=t indierent8 How could
someone who eels heat be indierentG &ou eel it because
you aren=t indierent8 &ou have no diiculty tellin4 what is
hot and what is cold" without havin4 to 4ive rise to a thou4ht
to ma'e such a distinction8 The very act that you as' that
@uestion about bein4 indierent or not shows that you=re not
indierent8 &ou have no trouble tellin4 by yoursel whether
you=re indierent or notHthat=s because you=re not
indierent8 #o you see" the Buddha.mind with its illuminatin4
wisdom is ca5able o discriminatin4 thin4s with a miraculous
eiciency8 It is anythin4 but indierent8 How could any
human bein4" who is able to thin'" be indierentG A man
who was really indierent wouldn=t be en4a4ed in thin'in48 I
can assure you that you are not indierent and that you
never have been8
A mon'C I don=t 'now why it is" but my mind oten seems to
be somewhere else8 6ould you hel5 me to 'ee5 my mind
rom 5layin4 truant li'e thatG
74
THE R& U-ON .7I #ER-ON#
Ban'eiC The unborn mind o the Buddhas that all 5eo5le
receive rom their 5arents when they=re born is wonderully
bri4ht and illuminatin48 No oneHand that includes all o
youHis ever se5arated rom it8 This absentmindedness o
yours is the same8 &our mind=s not really somewhere else8 It=s
only that you haven=t learned about the Buddha.mind" so
instead o /ust dwellin4 in it" you chan4e it into various other
thin4s8 Then even thou4h you listen to thin4s" you can=t really
ta'e them inHyou don=t really hear them8 &ou=re not absent.
minded" 8hat yo$Cre doing is 5aking the B$ddha-5ind into
these other thin4s8
Would someone whose mind is really somewhere else be
in@uirin4 whether it was or notG I your mind were
somewhere else" you would hardly be aware o it8 &ou
wouldn=t be as'in4 @uestions about it8 &ou=re not even away
rom it when you slee5" because i someone calls to you and
tells you to wa'e u5" you will res5ond to him and wa'e ri4ht
u58 &ou=ve never been a5art rom your mind in the 5ast" you
won=t be a5art rom it in the uture" and you=re not a5art
rom it ri4ht now8 None o you here has ever been se5arated
rom your mind" /ust as none o you is an unenli4htened
5erson8 &ou=ve each been born with the Buddha.mind8 It=s
your birthri4ht8
Ater you leave here today" be toward all thin4s /ust as you
are ri4ht at this moment as you listen to me s5ea'" and you=ll
be in the unborn Buddha.mind8 Peo5le orm bad habits" strive
or 5ersonal 4ain" and all into illusion" all on account o the
deilements 5roduced rom their desires and 5assions8
?eavin4 the Buddha.mind" they become unenli4htened8 But
ori4inally there are no unenli4htened 5eo5le8
#u55ose two men are wal'in4 to4ether down the same
5ath8 One steals thin4s" the other doesn=t8 Althou4h the one
who steals is no less a human bein4 than his com5anion" he=s
2;
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
branded with a s5ecial nameC thief# He has to carry that name
around with him wherever he 4oes8 But no one calls the other
man a thie" and he doesn=t have to be burdened with that
name8 The thie is li'e an unenli4htened man" a deluded
human bein4" and the one who doesn=t steal and isn=t deluded
is li'e a man o the Unborn who lives in the Buddha.mind8
No mother ever 4ave birth to a thie8 The truth o the
matter is this8 !rom the time the thie is a small child" he
be4ins to be habituated unwittin4ly to the wron4
inclinations" ta'in4 what belon4s to other 5eo5le8 ?ittle by
little" as he 4rows to manhood" his selishness comes more
and more to the ore" until he learns to be a s'illul thie and
is unable to 'ee5 his hands o others= 5ro5erty8 Now" i he
didn=t steal to be4in with" he=d have no need to sto58 But he
doesn=t ma'e the sli4htest mention o his own ailin48 He
claims that his inclination to steal others= 5ro5erty is
somethin4 he can=t sto5 because he=s a !orn thief# That=s
ridiculous8 The 5roo that a mother doesn=t bear children to
be thieves is that there are no con4enital thieves8 Peo5le turn
into thieves by watchin4 others e%ercisin4 their bad habits
and imitatin4 them" stealin4 thin4s o their own accord"
because o their own 4reed8 Now" how can that be called
inbornG
A thie may rationali>e his 5roblem by layin4 the blame on
his 'arma" tellin4 you that he can=t hel5 himselE he=s unable
to 'ee5 rom stealin4 because o his bad 'arma8 There=s not a
word about the selish desires that have i%ed this
re5rehensible habit dee5ly in his character over a lon4 5eriod
o time8 It=s a lot o nonsense8 &ou don=t steal because o
'arma8 #tealin4 itsel is the 'arma8 #u55osin4 thet were
caused by 'arma" su55osin4 stealin4 were inborn" it=s still
5ossible or a thie to reali>e that what he=s been doin4 is
wron4 and to sto5 stealin48 #o it=s not true that he can=t sto58
There=s not even any reason or him to sto5" i he doesn=t
steal to be4in with8
2*
THE R&U-ON .7I #ER-ON#
Even the 4reatest scoundrel who ever lived" a man who
until /ust yesterday may have been the ob/ect o everyone=s
contem5tuous 5ointin4 and whis5erin4" i he reali)es today
that what he=s been doin4 is wron4 and starts to live in his
Buddha.mind" that man is a livin4 Buddha rom then on8
When I was a youth" we had a rascal in this nei4hborhood
called the ABa55a8A
(D
He was a notorious robber in the mold
o Bumasa'a 6hohan8
(;
He 5lied his trade on the hi4hways8
He had ac@uired an uncanny 'nac' o bein4 able to tell at
a 4lance /ust how much money a 5erson had with him8 He
was always ri4ht8 It was ama>in48 Anyway" he was eventually
cau4ht and thrown into Osa'a 5rison8 Ater a lon4 5eriod
loc'ed u5 in a cell" because he was such a master thie" his
death sentence was inally lited and he was released" on the
condition that he wor' as an a4ent or the constabulary8
(*
He
later became a scul5tor o Buddhist ima4es" livin4 in Osa'a"
and made a name or himsel as a master scul5tor8 He ended
his days as a 5racticer o the Pure ?and aith and 5assed away
5eaceully in a Nembutsu samadhi8
(2
By mendin4 his ways" even a notorious thie li'e the Ba55a
died with a dee5 as5iration or rebirth in the Pure ?and8 #o
where is a man who steals because o the de5th o his 'arma
or the blac'ness o his sinsG Robbery=s the bad 'arma8
Robbery=s the sin8 I you don=t steal" you don=t have the 'arma
or the sin8 Whether you steal or not is determined by you
yoursel" not by any 'arma8
And don=t thin' that what I=ve been sayin4 a55lies only to
stealin48 It=s /ust as true o any human illusions8 They=re all
the same8 Havin4 illusions or not havin4 them de5ends u5on
your own mind and nothin4 else8 I you have illusions" you=re
an unenli4htened 5ersonE i you don=t" you=re a Buddha8
Outside o this" there=s no shortcut to bein4 a Buddha8 Each
one o you should i% this unsha'ably in your mind8
77
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
A laymanC Everyone says that you=re able to read others=
minds8 Is it trueG
(1
Ban'eiC There=s no 5lace in my school or stran4e thin4s
li'e that8 Even i I did have such an ability" because o the un.
bornness o the Buddha.mind" I wouldn=t use it8 Peo5le 4et
the idea that I can read minds rom hearin4 me comment
on the concerns o those who come to see me8 I can=t read
minds8 I=m no dierent rom any o you8 When you dwell in
the Buddha.mind" which is the very source o all the Buddha=s
su5ernatural 5owers" everythin4 is resolved and in 5erect
harmony without recourse to such 5owers8 #o I don=t need
to 4et involved in a lot o side issues8 All the true unborn
+harma needs to do the /ob is direct 5ersonal comments on
you and your lives8
A laymanC I=ve 5racticed dili4ently or a lon4 time" but even
when I thin' I=ve advanced to where I won=t bac'slide
anymore" there=s still a stron4 tendency to do so" and I
sometimes sli5 bac'8 How can I become so that I won=t
bac'slideG Ban'eiC ?ive in the unborn Buddha.mind8 Then
there=s no re4ression8 No need or advancement8 Any idea o
wantin4 to ma'e 5ro4ress is already a re4ression rom the
5lace o the Unborn8 A man o the Unborn has nothin4 to do
with either advancin4 or bac'slidin48 He=s always beyond
them both8
A mon'C I=ve been wor'in4 on AHya'u/o=s !o%A or a lon4
time8
(0
I=ve concentrated on it as hard as I 'now how" but I
still can=t seem to 4ras5 it8 I thin' it=s because I=m unable to
achieve total concentration8 I 5ossible" I would li'e to receive
your teachin48
Ban'eiC I don=t ma'e 5eo5le here waste their time on
worthless old documents li'e that8 &ou don=t 'now yet about
78
THE R&U-ON .7I #ER-ON#
your unborn Buddha.mind and its illuminative wisdom" so I=ll
tell you about it8 That will ta'e care o everythin48 Pay careul
attention8
Ban'ei then tau4ht him about the Unborn8 The mon' was
com5letely convinced8 He is said to have develo5ed into an
e%ce5tional 5riest8
Another mon' 9who had been listenin4 to this<C I that=s true"
what about all the old 'oansG Are they useless and
unnecessaryG
Ban'eiC When worthy ,en masters o the 5ast dealt with
those who came to them" every word and every movement
were a55ro5riate to the moment8 It was a matter o
res5ondin4 to their students and their @uestions ace.to.ace8
They had no other 5ur5ose in mind8 Now" there=s no way or
me to tell you whether that was necessary" or hel5ul" or not8
I everyone /ust stays in the Buddha.mind" that=s all he has
to doHthat ta'es care o everythin48 Why do you want to 4o
and thin' u5 other thin4s to doG There=s no need to8 7ust
dwell in the Unborn8 &ou=re ea4er to ma'e this e%tra wor'
or yourselHbut all you=re doin4 is creatin4 illusion8 #to5
doin4 that8 #tay in the Unborn8 The Unborn and its marvelous
illumination are 5erectly reali>ed in the Buddha.mind8
A 5riest saidC #u55ose ri4ht now a tri5le invalid Ja man at
once blind" dea" and muteK a55eared beore you8
D:
How
would you deal with himG
Ban'eiC &ou must thin' very hi4hly o these tri5le invalids"
the way you s5end so much time studyin4 about them" tryin4
ea4erly to /oin their ran's8 But ri4ht at this moment" you are
not a tri5le invalid8 Instead o tryin4 to become oneHwhich
would be very diicult anyhowHyou should 4et to the
bottom o your own sel8 That=s the irst order o business
or
20
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
you" since you don=t have any o those disabilities
yoursel8 $oin4 around tal'in4 about all these other thin4s
will 4et you nowhere8 Pay attention now to what I=m 4oin4 to
tell you8
Ban'ei always had a subtem5le set aside or the 5riests o the
Prece5ts sect who came or the summer retreats to study with
him8
D3
At the 4reat winter retreat" there was a contin4ent o as
many as ity.three 5riests o that denomination in attendance8
Two amon4 them as'ed Ban'eiC We observe all the );:
Buddhist 5rece5ts8 We believe that will enable us to attain
Bud.dhahood8 Would you say that is 4ood or badG
Ban'eiC There=s nothin4 in the least wron4 with it8 It=s a
4ood thin48 But you can=t say it=s the best8 It=s shameul to
wear your rules as a bad4e and call yourselves the APrece5tsA
sect" as i you thin' that=s somehow su5erior8 Basically"
5rece5ts are somethin4 initiated by the Buddha because o
evil 5riests who trans4ressed a4ainst the +harma8 The );:
5rece5ts enumerate the dierent 'inds o oenses committed
by disre5utable 5riests8 Priests o the true stri5e never ta'e
it u5on themselves to u5hold 5rece5ts so that they won=t
violate the +harma=s conventions8 !or a 5erson who
doesn=t drin'" there=s no need or 5rece5ts a4ainst alcohol8
Those who don=t steal don=t need 5rece5ts a4ainst thet8
Prece5ts a4ainst lyin4 are wasted on a truthul man8 &ou tell
me that you observe the 5rece5ts" but to observe them or
violate them is actually somethin4 which should be o
concern only to an evil 5riest8 When you start sayin4" AWe=re
the Prece5ts sect"A and set u5 5rece5ts as su5erior" you=re
advertisin4 yourselves as evil 5riests8 Why" it=s li'e a 5erson
5aradin4 as an evil man" imitatin4 him" even thou4h he=s a
4ood man8 Wouldn=t you thin' that re5roachableG
80
THE R&U-ON. 7I #ER-ON#
The Unborn is the mind o the Buddhas8 I you live
accordin4 to it" then rom the irst there=s no distinction
between observin4 and not observin48 Those are desi4nations
that arise ater the act8 They=re one or more removes rom
the 5lace o the Unborn8
The two 5riests thus 4ained a dee5 understandin4 o
Ban'ei=s teachin48 Beore they let" they than'ed him
5rousely and told him that they reali>ed com5letely the truth
o his words8
+urin4 the retreat" a lar4e number o women rom the
5rovinces o Tamba" Tan4o" I>umo" and -ino came to see
Ban'ei8 #ome were mournin4 the death o a 5arent8 Others
were 4rievin4 inconsolably or the loss o a child8 They came
ho5in4 to lessen the 5ain o their bereavement by meetin4
with Ban'ei8 He s5o'e to themC
The sorrow o a 5arent who loses his child" o a child who
loses his ather or his mother" is the same the world over8 The
'arma that binds to4ether 5arent and child is dee58 When
death ta'es one rom the other" sorrow is only natural8 And
yet the dead won=t come bac'" no matter how 4reat your
sorrow may be8 #hould you s5end your lives in unbro'en
sadness" 4rievin4 mis4uidedly over somethin4 you can=t
5ossibly chan4eG Have you ever heard o anyone who was
successul in restorin4 the dead to lie because o the intensity
o his sorrowG O course you haven=t8 And since there=s no
way or the dead to return" don=t s5end any more time on your
4rie8 #to5 mournin4 ri4ht now8 Use the time instead to do
some >a>en" recite a sutra" or oer some lowers and incense
or the dead 5erson8 That will be a real demonstration o your
ilial devotion or 5arental love8
Now" you don=t 'now it" but by 4rievin4 li'e this" you=re ac.
13
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
tually causin4 trouble or the dead 5erson8 &ou all mourn
your 5arents or children because you eel sorry or them8 &ou
believe that you=re doin4 it or their sa'es8 But you=re really
hurtin4 them8 !or all your 5roessions o 5ity" you=re not
actin4 as i you 5itied them at allE you=re actin4 as i you had
somethin4 a4ainst them8 Well" i you do" then lamentin4 them
is the ri4ht way to e%5ress it8 But i you eel truly sorry or
them" you should sto5 mournin48 It=s wron4 to mourn them
out o 5ity8 &ou could do nothin4 more oolish than to 4o on
li'e this" marchin4 your minds around your 4rie day and
ni4ht" lamentin4 the unchan4eable" illin4 every thou4ht with
sadness and re4ret" uselessly 5ourin4 out endless tears"
ruinin4 your health in the 5rocess" oblivious to what others
try to tell you8 It=s senseless8 And don=t or4et" olly or
i4norance is the cause o an animal e%istence8 Were you to
die in such a state o mind" it 4oes without sayin4 that you=d
all to4ether with your 5arent or child" ri4ht into an animal
e%istence8 I that ha55ened" you=d have to s5end that entire
e%istence constantly i4htin4 with each other8
Each 5erson comes into the world with nothin4 but the
Buddha.mind his 5arents 4ive him8 When you turn this
unborn Buddha.mind into a state o i4norance because o
your 5arent or child" inwardly you=re livin4 as a irst.rate
animal8 This is true durin4 your lietime" but even ater you
die" you=ll all directly into an animal e%istence" where 5arent
and child are doomed constantly to i4ht each other tooth
and nail8 Now" do you see anythin4 5raiseworthy in thatG I=m
sure you=ll a4ree that it=s absurd and de5lorable beyond
words8
Pay attention" then8 It=s natural or 5arents to eel
com5assion or their children and or children to be devoted
to their 5arents" but i the child saddens his 5arents by dyin4
irst" and causes them to mourn and become i4norant beasts
as a result" can you call that ilial 5ietyG +o you ima4ine that
an unilial
1)
THE R&U-ON .7I #ER-ON#
child who dies" causin4 his 5arents to all into an animal
e%istence" is destined or a 5eaceul lie in his uture e%istenceG
O course not8 The outcome can be only oneC Parent and
child will all to4ether into the evil 5aths o e%istence8
I the 5arent allows himsel to be overwhelmed by 4rievin4
over what cannot be otherwise" and becomes deluded on
account o his child" turnin4 into an animal himsel and
sendin4 the child he dee5ly loves into hell as well" can that
be called 5arental loveG It would be 5arental hate8 By the same
to'en" a child who turns his ather and mother into animals
because o his death is dee5ly unilial8 The 5arents" led by
their child into turnin4 their Buddha.minds into animals" 4o
to hell alon4 with him" where all three o them become
deni>ens o that wretchedness and i4ht one another as
deadly enemies8
&ou can see" then" that even i your child or 5arent is ta'en
rom you" i you 4o on 4rievin4 endlessly" the only thin4 you=ll
accom5lish is to condemn him or her to 4reat misery8 &ou
won=t be able to mourn now without bein4 reminded that
you are thereby causin4 harm8 Or could you mourn even
thenG I don=t thin' so8 #o recite a sutra instead" or do >a>en"
or oer some lowers or incense or the sa'e o his or her
uture e%istence8 That will demonstrate your sense o 5ity
and com5assion ar better8 It may even ha55en that a 5erson
who isn=t reli4iously minded to be4in with will" u5on
suerin4 the loss o a loved one" ac@uire true aith and the
desire or birth in a avorable uture e%istence8 I so" he can
be said to have been saved by the deceased" since the aith he
ac@uired stems rom the bereavement8 I a child=s death can
turn his 5arent to reli4ion" it can be said to have a redeemin4
merit8 He=ll be doin4 somethin4 or his 5arent ar 4reater than
anythin4 he did while he was alive8
+o you thin' that ater savin4 his 5arent with this act o
dee5 ilial 5iety an unwelcome destination awaits the child in
1(
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
his ne%t e%istenceG No8 Both 5arent and child are thus saved8
I the 5arent becomes a 5erson o aith owin4 to his child and
lives in the unborn Buddha.mind" even the child=s death has a
redeemin4 as5ect8 The child 5erorms the role o a 4ood
reli4ious teacher to his 5arent8
D)
It=s commendable that you=ve all come such lon4 distances
at this cold season o the year sim5ly to meet me and try to
ease the sorrow in your hearts8 I you want to ma'e your lon4
/ourneys truly worthwhile" the thin4 or you to do is to return
to your homes8 #ince you=ve come here or the 5ur5ose o
seein4 me and dis5ellin4 some o the 4rie you eel" don=t ta'e
your sorrow bac' with you8 ?eave it here with me" and 4o
home without it8 I you can 4ras5 thorou4hly what I=ve said" I
don=t thin' that you=ll indul4e in any more 4rie" 'nowin4 that
it only wor's to the disadvanta4e o you and your loved ones8
I someone inds" even then" that she can=t sto5 4rievin4"
she should remember that she=s chan4in4 her Buddha.mind
into i4norance8 I she=s a child" she=ll all into hell or the sin
o transormin4 her 5arents into a state o i4noranceE i she=s a
5arent" she=ll all into an animal e%istence hand in hand with
her child or havin4 turned her Buddha.mind into i4norance
on her child=s account8 Were someone to tell you that it=s ri4ht
or you to 4rieve and lament" it=s advice you should never
listen to8 Or would you 4rieve" even at such costG
Thereu5on" the women who had come to Ban'ei with
4rie.sic' hearts declared as a 4rou5C We understand all that
you have told us8 &ou have cleared the an4uish and sorrow
rom our minds8 We are dee5ly 4rateul8 We cannot than' you
enou4h8
Ban'eiC $oodF I want you to remain /ust the way you are
now" even ater you=ve let the tem5le and are bac' in your
own homes8
84
THE R&U-ON. 7I #ER-ON#
The womenC We we5t because we elt so dee5ly about our
loved ones8 But what you=ve told us has convinced us8
-ournin4 them only brin4s harm to them8 We don=t want to
do anythin4 to hurt them8 In our i4norance" we didn=t reali>e
what we were doin48 !rom now on" even ater we return
home" we will always remain in the Unborn and never
chan4e our Buddha.minds into anythin4 else8 We shall never
mourn them a4ain" even i someone should encoura4e us to8
The main i4ure o worshi5 at the Ryumon./i was an ima4e o
the bodhisattva Bannon carved by Ban'ei8
D(
Aware o this" a
mon' rom Oshu" in northern 7a5an" who was standin4
a4ainst a 5illar" as'ed in the middle o one o Ban'ei=s tal'sC Is
that i4ure a new Buddha or an old oneG
Ban'eiC What does it loo' li'e to youG
The mon'C A new Buddha8
Ban'eiC I it loo's to you li'e a new Buddha" then that=s
what it is" and that=s the end o it8 Why did you have to as'
meG #ince you don=t 'now yet that the Unborn is the Buddha.
mind" you as' useless @uestions li'e that" thin'in4 it=s ,en8
Instead o botherin4 everyone here with oolish @uestions" sit
down" 'ee5 your mouth shut or a while" and listen careully
to what I say8
A mon'C When I all into a dee5 slee5" sometimes I dream8
Why do we have dreamsG What do they meanG
Ban'eiC I you=re sound aslee5" you don=t dream8 &our
dreams mean that you=re not sound aslee58
The mon' had no re5ly8
A layman rom I>umo Province bowed beore Ban'ei and
as'edC Is it true that when someone is enli4htened as you are"
1;
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
he can really see the 5ast" 5resent" and uture worlds /ust as i
he is loo'in4 at the 5alm o his handG
DD
Ban'ei loo'ed at him and saidC Is that @uestion somethin4
you thou4ht u5 beorehandG Or did it occur to you /ust nowG
The laymanC It didn=t come into my head /ust now when I
as'ed it8 It=s somethin4 I thou4ht about beore8
Ban'eiC In that case" it will be all ri4ht to leave that or later8
!irst o all" what you must do ri4ht now is to ind out about
yoursel8 Until you=ve com5leted that" no matter how much I
described to you what the three worlds loo'ed li'e" you
wouldn=t be able to understand what I was sayin4" because
you couldn=t see them or yoursel8 Once you=ve ound out
about yoursel" the @uestion o both seein4 the three worlds
and not seein4 them will be somethin4 you=ll 'now about
@uite naturally8 There=s no sense in my tryin4 to tell you about
it and no need in your as'in4 me8 Rather than do what you
should be doin4 today" dealin4 with the matter o your sel"
you come here with worthless @uestions that you don=t really
need to 'now about now" and miss the 5oint com5letelyE
you=re misdirectin4 your eort to what=s alto4ether irrelevant
to you8 It=s li'e countin4 u5 someone else=s money or him"
when you=re not 4oin4 to 4et a 5enny o it yourselF #o listen
to what I=m 4oin4 to tell you8 The im5ortant thin4 or you to
do is to ind out all about your sel8 Pay careul attention to my
instructions8 I you ollow them" and become absolutely sure
o them yoursel" that very instant you=re a livin4 Buddha8
Then you=ll reali>e how mista'en you=ve been to carry around
needless @uestions such as the one you /ust as'ed" and you
won=t direct your eort where you shouldn=t8
A mon' had 5racticed >a>en assiduously or twenty years"
even 4rud4in4 time to lie down or slee58 He s5ared no
1*
THE HO#HIN .7I #ER-ON#
eort and tried various methods to achieve enli4htenment"
but all without success8 Then" chancin4 to hear re5orts o
Ban'ei and his teachin4" he came to meet the master8 Ban'ei
5rom5tly 4ave him his teachin4 o the Unborn8 The mon'
listened and was immediately convincedC There=s never been
a teachin4 li'e this beore8 Now I see I=ve been wron4 all
these years8
Ban'eiC Even twenty years o hard 5ractice can=t e@ual the
sin4le word AUnbornA that I s5o'e today8
The mon'C &es" you=re ri4ht8 It=s /ust as you say8
T%( %:%+9-A+ (;M:9
Toward the end o autumn in the third year o $enro'u
93*0:<" Ban'ei crossed the Inland #ea to -aru4ame" in
#anu'i Province" and delivered tal's at the H*shin./i8
D;
The t8enty-third day of the eighth 5onthH
the 5idday ser5on
What I teach everyone in these tal's o mine is the unborn
Buddha.mind o illuminative wisdom" nothin4 else8 Everyone
is endowed with this Buddha.mind" only he doesn=t 'now it8
-y reason or comin4 and s5ea'in4 to you li'e this is to ma'e
it 'nown to you8
Well then" what does it mean" you=re endowed with a
Buddha.mindG Each o you now 5resent decided to come
here rom your home in the desire to hear what I have to say8
Now" i a do4 bar'ed beyond the tem5le walls while you=re
listenin4 to me" you=d hear it and 'now it was a do4 bar'in48
I a crow cawed" you=d hear it and 'now it was a crow8 &ou=d
hear an adult=s voice as an adult=s and a child=s as a child=s8
87
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
&ou didn=t come here in order to hear a do4 bar'" a crow caw"
or any o the other sounds that mi4ht come rom outside the
tem5le durin4 my tal'8 &et while you=re here" you=d hear
those sounds8 &our eyes see and distin4uish reds and whites
and other colors" and your nose can tell 4ood smells rom
bad8 &ou could have had no way o 'nowin4 beorehand o
any o the si4hts" sounds" or smells you mi4ht encounter at
this meetin4" yet you=re able nevertheless to reco4ni>e these
unoreseen si4hts and sounds as you encounter them"
without 5remeditation8 That=s because you=re seein4 and
hearin4 in the Unborn8
That you do see and hear and smell in this way without
4ivin4 rise to the tho$ght that you will is the 5roo that this
inherent Buddha.mind is unborn and 5ossessed o a
wonderul illuminative wisdom8 The Unborn maniests
itsel in the thou4ht AI want to seeA or AI want to hearA not
bein4 born8 When a do4 howls" even i ten million 5eo5le
said in chorus that it was the sound o a crow cawin4" I doubt
i you=d be convinced8 It=s hi4hly unli'ely there would be any
way they could delude you into believin4 what they said8
That=s owin4 to the marvelous awareness and unbornness o
your Buddha.mind8 The reason I say it=s in the AUnbornA that
you see and hear in this way is because the mind doesn=t
4ive AbirthA to any thou4ht or inclination to see or hear8
Thereore it is $n!orn# Bein4 unborn" it=s also undyin4C It=s
not 5ossible or what is not born to 5erish8 This is the sense in
which I say that all 5eo5le have an unborn Buddha.mind8
Each and every Buddha and bodhisattva in the universe"
and everyone in this world o humans as well" has been
endowed with it8 But bein4 i4norant o the act that you have
a Buddha.mind" you live in illusion8 Why is it you=re deludedG
Because you=re 5artial to yoursel8 What does that meanG Well"
88
THE HO#HIN.7I #ER-ON#
let=s ta'e somethin4 close to home8 #u55ose you heard that
your ne%t.door nei4hbor was whis5erin4 bad thin4s about
you8 &ou=d 4et an4ry8 Every time you saw his ace" you=d
immediately eel indi4nant8 &ou=d thin'" Oh" what an
unreasonable" hateul 5ersonF And everythin4 he said would
a55ear to you in a bad li4ht8 All because you=re wedded to
your sel8 By becomin4 an4ry" losin4 your tem5er" you /ust
transorm your one Buddha.mind into the sinul e%istence o
the i4htin4 s5irits8
I your nei4hbor 5raised you instead" or said somethin4
that 5leased you" you=d be immediately deli4hted" even i the
5raise was totally undeserved and the 5leasure you elt
unounded" a 5roduct o your wishul thin'in48 The deli4ht
you e%5erience when this ha55ens is due to that same
obstinate" constitutional 5reerence to yoursel8
7ust sto5 and loo' bac' to the ori4in o this sel o yours8
When you were born" your 5arents didn=t 4ive you any ha55y"
evil" or bitter thou4hts8 There was only your Buddha.mind8
Aterward" when your intelli4ence a55eared" you saw and
heard other 5eo5le sayin4 and doin4 bad thin4s" and you
learned them and made them yours8 By the time you reached
adulthood" dee5.seated habits" ormed in this way o your
own manuacture" had emer4ed8 Now" cherishin4 yoursel
and your own ideas" you turn your Buddha.mind into the
5ath o i4htin4 s5irits8 I you covet what belon4s to other
5eo5le" 'indlin4 selish desires or somethin4 that can never
be yours" you create the 5ath o hun4ry 4hosts" and you
chan4e the Buddha.mind into that 'ind o e%istence8 This is
what is 'nown as transmi4ration8
I you reali>e ully the meanin4 o what I=ve /ust said" and
do not lose your tem5er" or thin' you must have this" or
decide that you don=t li'e that" or have eelin4s o bitterness
or
10
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
5ityHthat in itsel is the unborn Buddha.mind8 &ou=ll be a
livin4 Buddha8
It=s the same thin4 I always tell everyone about the Buddha.
mind8 I do it because when I was a youn4 boy I tried very hard
to attain the Buddha.mind mysel8 In the course o my
5ractice" I sou4ht hel5 rom Buddhist teachers8 I had
interviews with them and @uestioned them about the various
doubts and uncertainties that arose in me8 But nobody could
4ive me any hel58 #o I went on 5racticin4 very hard8 I did
>a>en8 I went and lived in the mountains8 I disci5lined mysel
as severely as I 5ossibly could8 But none o it hel5ed a bit8 I
didn=t 4et any closer to understandin4 the Buddha.mind8
!inally" when I was twenty.si% years old" it suddenly came
to me" and I arrived at my reali>ation8 I=ve been tellin4 others
about the unborn Buddha.mind ever since8 I=m sure there=s
no one else who can teach these thin4s as thorou4hly as I do8
&ou can 4ather rom what I=ve told you that my 5ractice
lasted many lon4 years and that I came to reali>e my Buddha.
mind only ater 4reat hardshi58 But you can 4ras5 your
Buddha.minds very easily" ri4ht where you sit" without that
lon4" 5unishin4 5ractice8 That shows the relation that lin's
you to Buddhahood is stron4er than mine was8 &ou=re all very
ortunate indeed8
Ever since I reali>ed the wonderul wor'in4 o the Buddha.
mind" I=ve been 4oin4 around tellin4 5eo5le about it8 -any o
them have become convinced o it too8 O course" it=s not
somethin4 I learned rom a Buddhist teacherE I discovered it
on my own8 And since I did" each time I tell others about it at
these meetin4s" my words come rom 5ersonal 'nowled4e
and e%5erience8 Hearin4 about it only once or twice 5robably
won=t be enou4h" so you should listen as many times as you
need to8 I you have any @uestions about it" as' them" and I=ll
answer them or you8
0:
THE HO#HIN .7I #ER-ON#
I was once as'ed some @uestions by a 6onucian scholar
in Edo8 I thin' it would do you 4ood to hear about them8
He saidC AI have no trouble acce5tin4 what you say about
=unborn" undyin48= It=s @uite reasonable8 While the body is
stron4" it=s true that the ears hear sounds" the eyes see and
distin4uish thin4s" the nose reco4ni>es smells" the mouth
5erceives the tastes o the ive lavors and s5ea's" all in the
absence o any conscious thou4ht to do so8 But once the
body dies" no matter how much it=s s5o'en to" it can ma'e
no res5onseE it can=t tell one color rom another" and it=s
i4norant o all smells8 &ou can=t very well s5ea' o either
unborn or undyin4 then8A
Now" the thrust o this ar4ument" while it may seem @uite
5lausible" is wron48 But we can use it to ma'e the 5rinci5le o
Aunborn" undyin4A better understood8 #ince the 5hysical body
is somethin4 that was born and is com5osed o the elements
o earth" water" ire" and air brou4ht tem5orarily to4ether"
accordin4 to the 5rinci5le that what is born cannot avoid
5erishin4" it" too" must one day 5erish8
D*
But the Buddha.mind
is unbornE the body may be burned with ire or decom5ose
throu4h interment" but the 7Buddha.mind cannot8 The unborn
Buddha.mind sim5ly ma'es the born body its tem5orary
home8 While it resides there" it is ree to hear" see" smell" and
so orth8 But when the body 5erishes and it loses its dwellin4
5lace" it can no lon4er do those thin4s8 It=s as sim5le as that8
The body" bein4 created" has a birth and a death" but the
mind" which is ori4inally the unborn Buddha.mind" does not8
It stands to reason" doesn=t itG It=s the same as #ha'amuni=s
death or nirvanaC ne is the unborn" and !an is the undyin4
mind8
D2
Both 5oint to the Unborn8
?isten closely" because whatever I say" it=s always about your
inherent Buddha.mind8 The im5ortant thin4 or you is to
clariy it or yoursel8
03
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
Basically" there=s not a thin4 wron4 with youE it=s only that
you let sli4ht" inadvertent mista'es chan4e the Buddha.mind
into thou4ht8 A thie" or e%am5le" be4ins by 5ilerin4 only
triles8 He inds it a wonderully convenient way o ac@uirin4
thin4s8 It doesn=t even re@uire any ca5ital8 And so he advances
beyond 5etty thet and becomes a hi4hly accom5lished
robber8 But inally" it becomes im5ossible to 'ee5 rom
bein4 ound out8 He=s discovered" arrested" trussed u5" and
dealt with by the law8 When this ha55ens" and he=s brou4ht
out or 5unishment" he oten or4ets all about the oenses he
has committed and becomes indi4nant and resentul toward
the blameless oicers o the law" re5roachin4 them bitterly or
bein4 so hard on him8 I=m sure you=ll a4ree that he=s 4reatly
mista'en8 What he has done is to turn his valuable Buddha.
mind into the way o hun4ry 4hosts or animals because o a
small mista'e8
I have a hermita4e at &amashina near Byoto8
D1
When I stay
there" I 4o into Byoto every day" 5assin4 by way o the
Awata4uchi" where the 5rison is8 There" severed heads are set
out on 5i'es" and cruciied criminals are dis5layed beore the
5rison 4ates8 #ince I 5ass by there @uite re@uently" I oten
come u5on such si4hts8
D0
In Edo" there was a criminal 5rosecutor or the sho4unate
named Boide Osumi" with whom I was well ac@uainted8
Whenever I visited him at his residence" criminals o various
sorts would be brou4ht beore his ma4istrates or beatin4s
and other 5unishments8 They suered miserably8 But when
this ha55ened" they or4ot all about their 4uilt and showed
dee5 resentment toward the oicers administerin4 the
5unishment" as i their misery were somehow the ault o the
oicers8 ?ater" I used to visit on the days o 4eneral abstinence
set aside by the sho4unate" when the criminals weren=t
brou4ht
0)
THE HO#HIN .7I #ER-ON#
or 5unishment8
;:
But they are a 4ood e%am5le o what can
ha55en rom a seemin4ly minor mista'e8 ?et it be a lesson to
encoura4e you to remain directly in the Buddha.mind you
were born with and to stay clear o illusion" 5artialness" and
selish desires8 They=re the source o all the bad habits that
insinuate themselves into your character8
The irst re@uirement or anyone who wor's as a servant"
man or woman" is sin4le.minded devotion8 There should be
no thou4ht at all or yourselE everythin4 you do is or your
master=s sa'e8 This e%ercise o total loyalty to your master is at
the same time ilial devotion to your 5arents8 #hould you do
somethin4 wron4 or harmul to your master=s interests
because o a sel.interest you weren=t born with and ail in
your res5onsibility to him" you turn the Buddha.mind that
you were born with into an evil thin4 and into the bar4ain are
bein4 very unilial to your ather and mother8 I" on the other
hand" you are a dutiul son or dau4hter" your devotion to your
5arents will be elt by your master" whose 'indness toward
you will then increase8 When your 5arents learn o this
'indness" they can=t hel5 bein4 4reatly 5leased8 In such a case"
loyalty to your master is simultaneously ilial 5iety" and ilial
5iety is devotion to your master8 This shows how essential it
is or you to have a irm understandin4 o the unborn
Buddha.mind8
When your mother bears you" you have neither bad habits
o behavior nor selish desires o any 'indE your mind has no
inclination to avor yoursel8 There=s nothin4 but the Buddha.
mind8 But rom the a4e o about our or ive" you be4in to
learn all manner o wron4 behavior by watchin4 the 5eo5le
around you" and by listenin4 you learn rom them their ill.
avored 'nowled4e8 -a'in4 your way throu4h lie under such
conditions" it=s little wonder that selish desires emer4e" lead.
0(
I THE +HAR-A TA?B#
in4 to a stron4 sel.5artiality" which is the source o all your
illusions and evil acts8 I this sel.5artiality ceases to e%ist" illusion
doesn=t occur8 That 5lace o nonoccurrence is where you reside
when you live in the Unborn8 Buddhahood and the Buddha.
mind are ound nowhere else8
#o i there is any doubt in anyone=s mind about the 5rinci5le
o this" I want you to as' me about it" whatever it is8 Have no
hesitation whatever8 That=s what I=m here or8 This isn=t li'e
in@uirin4 about somethin4 o 5assin4 im5ortance in your worldly
lieE it=s a @uestion that involves the uture e%istence e%tendin4
endlessly beore you8 I you have any doubts or @uestions" you
should as' them now8 #ince it=s not certain when I=ll be able to
meet with you a4ain" I ur4e you to ta'e advanta4e o this
o55ortunity to clear u5 anythin4 you have trouble with8 I you
can come to com5lete understandin4 o the unborn nature o
your Buddha.mind" it will be to your 4reat and lastin4 beneit8
The t8enty-fifth day of the eighth 5onthH
the 5orning ser5on
&ou all
assembled
here
beore
daybrea'
to listen
to what I
have to
say8 I=m
4oin4 to
tell you
about the
Buddha.
mind" the mind o the Unborn8 &ou=ve come here this early in the
mornin4 because you e%5ected to hear somethin4 out o the
ordinary8 &ou wouldn=t be here i you didn=t8
Those o you who have reached the a4e o ity have lived your
ity years totally unaware that you=ve had a Buddha.mind8 I
you=re thirty" you=ve been i4norant o your Buddha.mind or
thirty years" ri4ht u5 to this mornin48 &ou=ve all been slumberin4
the years away8 But today at this 4atherin4" i you come to
understand thorou4hly that you have an unborn Buddha.mind
and 4o on to live in the Unborn" at that moment you become a
livin4 Buddha or countless uture a4es8
0D
THE HO#HIN .7I #ER-ON#
-y only reason or s5ea'in4 to 5eo5le li'e this is because I
want to ma'e everyone 'now about the marvelously
illuminatin4 clarity o the unborn Buddha.mind8 When you=ve
conirmed it or yoursel" you=re the Buddha.mind rom then
on8 No dierent rom #ha'amuni himsel8 The Buddha.body
is yours once and or all" or endless a4es" and you won=t
ever all into the evil ways a4ain8
And yet" should you 4ras5 the unborn Buddha.mind at this
meetin4 and then return home and let yoursel be u5set over
somethin4 you see or hear" even i it=s a trilin4 thin4" that
little bit o an4er will ma'e the unborn mind" to which you
were /ust enli4htened" chan4e into the way o the i4htin4
s5irits or hun4ry 4hosts" increasin4 the 4reat evil o the lie
you lived 5rior to hearin4 about the Unborn by hundreds o
millions o times and causin4 you to 5ass endlessly throu4h
the wheel o e%istence8
I=m sure not a sin4le 5erson amon4 you would tell me that
he was averse to becomin4 a Buddha8 That=s the reason I try
to tell everyone I can about my teachin48 Once they=re able to
understand it" they=re livin4 Buddhas rom then on8
Now" what i I were to tell you that you didn=t have to
become BuddhasG #u55ose I tried to ur4e you to 4o to hell
insteadG I don=t thin' I=d see many o you volunteerin4 to
ma'e the tri58 The act that you=re here at this meetin4 to
listen to my tal' is 5roo o that8 &ou let your warm beds
beore dawn to come here" and now you sit there 5ac'ed in
to4ether without a com5laint" because your minds are set on
becomin4 Buddhas8 Inasmuch as you have come" you must be
very careul rom now on to remain in the Buddha.mind in
whatever you do8
Why do you thin' we=ve been born into the human worldG
We=ve received our 5resent mind and body in order to
become Buddhas8
;3
In my own case" the desire to become
a
0;
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
I
Buddha was somethin4 I had my mind set on rom the time I was
a small boy8 I wor'ed very hard at it or a lon4 time8 I was able to
become a Buddha8 Now" unless you become Buddhas in your
5resent lives" you=ll all into the realms o the hun4ry 4hosts or
animals8 Once you=ve allen into an animal e%istence" it will be
hard or you ever to become Buddhas" not even in hundreds o
millions o a4es8 It=s easy to see why8 &ou could lead a cow or
horse in ront o me here" and I could 4ive it the same teachin4
that I 4ive you8 But would the animal understand itG O course
not8 Once you=ve become an animal" it=s too late8 &ou can=t
understand then about thin4s li'e Buddha or +harma8 It
transmi4rated and came to this sorry 5ass because in its 5revious
e%istence the as5iration to become a Buddha didn=t arise8 Now
that each o you has heard about how the Buddha.mind wor's"
you should start bein4 unborn today and that way avoid
transmi4ratin48 It all de5ends on your own mind8
Now" you=re 5robably all wonderin4 what this unborn
Buddha.mind is li'e8 Well" while you=re sittin4 there acin4 me and
tryin4 to catch what it is I=m sayin4" i the bar' o a do4 or the cry
o a street vendor should ind its way in here rom outside the
tem5le walls" thou4h you=re listenin4 to me" each o you would
hear it" even thou4h you had no intention to do so" than's to
the wor'in4 o the Buddha.mind" which hears and understands
in the Unborn8 The Buddha.mind" unborn and illuminatin4 all
thin4s with 5erect clarity" is li'e a mirror" standin4 clear and
s5otlessly 5olished8 A mirror" as you 'now" relects anythin4
that=s
beore it8
Whatever=s
5laced in
ront o it
never ails to be relected" thou4h the mirror has no idea or
intention o doin4 so8 And when the ob/ect is ta'en away" the
mirror doesn=t relect it any lon4er" thou4h it ma'es no decision
to cease relectin48 Now" that=s /ust how the unborn
0*
THE HO#HIN .7I #ER-ON#
Buddha.mind wor's8 &ou see and hear all thin4s" no matter
what they are" althou4h you haven=t 4enerated a sin4le
thou4ht to see or hear them" because o the vital wor'in4 o
the unborn Buddha.mind each o you received at birth8
I 4o on e%5lainin4 thin4s to you li'e this to ma'e you
understand8 I you can=t 4ras5 it today" then I don=t su55ose
you could understand it no matter how many times you
listened to me8 But those who do understand about their
unborn Buddha.mind" ater only this one meetin4Hthose
5eo5le are livin4 Buddhas now and or endless uture a4es8
?et me 4ive you an e%am5le8 #u55ose you didn=t 'now how
to 4et rom Edo to Byoto" and you as'ed the way rom
someone who did8 &ou would i% well in your mind all the
details o the directions he 4ave you8 I you ollowed them
e%actly" you wouldn=t have any trouble reachin4 your
destination8 Today" in the same way" i you listen careully to
what I tell you and then arrive at an understandin4 o it"
you=re livin4 in the Buddha.mind ri4ht then and there8 7ust
li'e that8 I" on the other hand" you didn=t ollow the
directions or Byoto ater you=d been told them" you=d be
certain to lose your way and wind u5 in an entirely dierent
5lace8
#o you see" you=d better listen careully to what I say8
There=s no tellin4 when I=ll be bac' here a4ain to tal' to you"
and even i you went and listened to other 5eo5le" I don=t
thin' you would ind anyone else who=d tell you about the
unborn Buddha.mind8 Be sure" then" that you don=t 4o
brewin4 u5 a lot o unnecessary thou4hts in your heads8
-a'e u5 your minds that you=re never a4ain 4oin4 to revolve
in the wheel o e%istence8 +on=t or4etC I you miss the chance
to become Buddhas in this lie" you won=t be born into the
human world a4ain" and 4et another chance" or millions o
a4es8 By all means" then" you want to conirm yourselves in
the unborn
97
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
Buddha.mind now and 'ee5 yoursel ree o illusion8 When
you=ve done that" the men will live undeluded in their men=s
Buddha.minds" and the women in their women=s Buddha.
mindsHyou=ll all be Buddhas8 Enli4htened Buddhas8
And while we=re on the sub/ect o women=s Buddha.minds" I
'now there are many women who are dee5ly troubled by
those who say that they=re cut o rom Buddhahood /ust
because they=re women8
;)
Nothin4 could be urther rom the
truth8 I=m addressin4 the women here now" so listen careully8
How could women be any dierent rom men in thisG -en are 7
Buddha.bein4s8 Women are too8 &ou needn=t doubt it or siP
moment8 Once you=ve 4ot the 5rinci5le o this Unborn i%edA
in your minds" you=re unborn whether you=re a man or a I
. 'I
woman8 -en and women are not the same in a55earance8 We /
all 'now that8 But there=s not a whis'er o dierence between
them when it comes to their Buddha.minds8 #o don=t be
deluded by outward a55earances8
Here=s somethin4 that will 5rove to you that the Buddha.
mind is the same in men and women8 There are a lot o
5eo5le 4athered here8 Now" su55ose that outside the
tem5le walls someone started to beat on a drum or stri'e a
bell8 When you heard those sounds" would the women here
mista'e the drumbeat or the bell" or the bell or the
drumbeatG No8 As ar as hearin4 those sounds is concerned"
no dierence e%ists between the men and the women8 It=s not
only true o men and womenE there are 5eo5le o all 'inds in
this hallC old 5eo5le and youn4" 5riests and laity" and so on8
But there wouldn=t be any dierence in the way that a youn4
5erson" or a mon'" or a layman heard the sounds either8 The
5lace in which there=s no dierence in the hearin4 o those
sounds is the Unborn" the Buddha.mind" and it=s 5erectly
e@ual and absolutely the same in each one o you8 When we
say AThis is a
01
THE HO#HIN .7I #ER-ON#
manA or AThis is a woman"A those desi4nations result rom the
arisin4 o thou4ht8 They come aterward8 At the 5lace o the
Unborn" beore the thou4ht arises" attributes such as AmanA
or AwomanA don=t even e%ist8 That should ma'e it clear that
there=s no distinction between men=s Buddha.minds and
women=s8 There=s no reason" then" to doubt about women
havin4 Buddha.minds8
&ou see" you are always unborn8 &ou 4o alon4 livin4 in the
Buddha.mind unconscious o bein4 a man or a woman8 But
while you are doin4 that" 5erha5s you=ll see or hear
somethin4 that bothers you" 5erha5s someone will ma'e a
nasty remar' about you" sayin4 they don=t li'e you" or
whatever8 &ou let your mind asten on that" you be4in to ret
over it" and thou4hts crowd into your mind8 &ou may eel
that you want somethin4" or you may eel unha55y" and yet
i you don=t allow this to lead you astray" into thin'in4 that
it can=t be hel5ed !eca$se yo$Cre on.y a 8o5an) then you
will be able to 4ain a stron4 conirmation o the Unborn8
Then you yoursel are a Buddha" o the same substance not
only as other men and women but also as all Buddhas o the
5ast and uture8 #o there are no 4rounds whatsoever or
sayin4 women can=t become Buddhas8 I they really couldn=t"
what would I 4ain by 4oin4 around lyin4 to everyoneG I=d be
willully deludin4 you8 I I was 4uilty o that" I=d be the irst
candidate or hell8 I stru44led very hard" rom the time I was
a little boy" because I wanted to become a Buddha8 Now" do
you thin' I want to all into hell at this 5oint or ma'in4
u5 liesG All I=ve been tellin4 you is unvarnished truth8 #o
listen careully" ladies8 $ive me your undivided attention"
and you=ll be able to 5ut your minds at rest8
This sub/ect reminds me o somethin4 that ha55ened last
year when I 4ave a sermon in Bi>en8 Amon4 those who at.
00
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
tended was a 5arty o our or ive 5eo5le" includin4 a cou5le
o women" who came rom Niwase Jnow in the city o
O'ayamaK in the Bitchu area8 One o the women sent word
that she wished to as' me somethin48 #he didn=t eel it was
ri4ht or a woman to raise @uestions durin4 the sermon itsel"
so she wanted to 'now i it would be 5ossible to as' her
@uestions in 5rivate8
I 4ladly a4reed" and sometime later she arrived with three
or our others8 We introduced ourselves" and then the woman
saidC AI come rom a 5lace called Niwase8 I=m married and
lead a very avera4e lie8 -y husband and I have no children o
our own" but by my husband=s ormer wie there is a son
whom I=ve raised8 Now that he=s 4rown" he treats me with the
same consideration he would show a real mother8 It=s /ust li'e
havin4 a son o my own" so I=m 5leased with the way thin4s
have wor'ed out8
ABut there is one thin4 I am concerned about8 I heard that
a childless woman can=t become a Buddha" no matter how
4reat her desire or the Pure ?and8 I=ve as'ed Buddhist 5riests
whether it was true or not8 They told me it was" that women
can=t attain Buddhahood8 #o here I am8 I=ve had the 4ood
ortune to be born a human bein4" yet I=m cut o rom
Buddhahood8 I can=t hel5 eelin4 that 4ainin4 human orm
was meanin4less ater all8 I de5lore my bad luc' in bein4 born
as a woman8 It=s made me sic' 5inin4 over it8 As you can see"
I=ve wasted away to s'in and bone8 I=d been lon4in4 so much
to ind a 4reat 5riest such as yoursel who could answer this
@uestion or me8 I was over/oyed to hear that you would be
comin4 here to 4ive some tal's8 It was a re5ly to my 5rayers8
Now" at lon4 last" I=ll be able to ind out i it=s true what I=ve
always heard about childless women bein4 inca5able o
attainin4 Buddhahood8A
3::
THE HO#HIN.7I #ER-ON#
+ The 5eo5le with her s5o'e u5C AIt=s /ust as she says8 The
i idea that childless women can=t become Buddhas has been
i tormentin4 her ever since she heard about it8 It worries her
day and ni4ht8 #he hasn=t really been well or several years
now8 #he has wasted away to a shadow8 There must be many
childless women in the world" but surely none is more
concerned about her uture e%istence than she is8 #he thin's
o nothin4 else8 &ou can see or yoursel how dee5ly
troubled she is8A
I=m 4lad that today=s tal' 4ave me an o55ortunity to tell
you this story8 What I said to that woman is /ust what I say to
5eo5le everywhere I 4o8 It=s the same thin4 that I=ve been
tellin4 you" so listen careully8 To 5rove to her that 5eo5le
without children can become Buddhas" I cited the act that in
all the 4enerations o ,en masters" be4innin4 with the irst
5atriarch" Bodhidharma" and continuin4 ri4ht u5 to mysel"
there has never been a sin4le one o us who had children8 I
as'ed i she had ever heard that Bodhidharma or any o the
others had allen into hell8 #he said that althou4h we didn=t
have any children" she didn=t believe it 5ossible or 5eo5le
li'e usHshe said we were BuddhasHto all into hell" no
matter what we did8
A+o you mean to tell me"A I said" Athat the minds o
childless women wor' dierently rom those o other 5eo5leG
&ou have a Buddha.mind" re4ardless o your se%8 When you
hear the sound o a bell" there=s no dierence in the way that
Buddhas" 5atriarchs" me" you" or anyone else hears it8 I you
really want to be born as a Buddha" you can8 Anyone who
says you can=t is wron48 It=s as sim5le as that8A
A&our words are reassurin4"A she said" Abut it=s still hard or
me to or4et all that tal' about women bein4 barred rom
Buddhahood8A
3:3
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
ABut /ust thin' o all the women who have become Bud.
dhas since the time o #ha'amuni Buddha8 Haven=t you heard
about Bin4 Prasena/it=s dau4hter #rimalaG Or the ei4ht.year.
old Na4a maidenG In 6hina" there was ?in4.chao" the dau4hter
o ?ayman P=an48 In 7a5an" there was Taima 6hu/ohime8
;(
All
o them became Buddhas8 #o who is there to say that you
can=tGA
That convinced her8 A&ou don=t 'now how 4lad I am to hear
that"A she said8 A&ou=ve rid me o doubts that have been
tormentin4 me or years8A
#he stayed on or a while in Bi>en and attended my tal's8
Her a55etite returned to normal and her s5irits 5ic'ed u58
Her com5anions were all ama>ed and over/oyed to see her
bac' to her old sel8 Isn=t it remar'able how such an as5iration
awa'ened in a woman and became the central concern in her
lieG That=s why I told you her story8 I want you to have that
same 'ind o as5iration in your minds too8
!urthermore" even wic'ed 5eo5le aren=t de5rived o the
Buddha.mindE all they have to do is chan4e their minds" 4o
bac' to the Buddha.mind" and they=re livin4 in the Unborn8
?et me 4ive you another e%am5le8
Two men are wal'in4 toward the city o Ta'amatsu8 One is
a 4ood man and the other an evil man" thou4h o course
neither o them is conscious o that8 As they wal' on en4a4ed
in conversation on a variety o sub/ects" i somethin4 occurs
alon4 the road" they will see it" thou4h they have no thou4ht
to do so8 The thin4s they come u5on a55ear e@ually to the
eyes o the 4ood man and the evil man8 I a horse or a cow
a55roaches rom the o55osite direction" both men will ste5
aside to let it 5ass8 They ste5 aside" even i they are conversin4
at the time" des5ite the act that neither man has made u5 his
mind beorehand to do so8 I there is a ditch they must /um5
3:)
THE HO#HIN.7I #ER-ON#
over" they both /um5 over it8 When they come to a stream"
they both ord it8
&ou mi4ht sus5ect that the 4ood man would ste5 aside to
let the horse or cow 5ass without 5rior relection" whereas
the evil man would not be able to do so as readily" that is"
without some deliberation" but the act is" there isn=t the
sli4htest dierence between them in 5erormin4 this act8 It
shows that the unborn Buddha.mind is ound even in an
evil man8
Until now" the basic inclination o your minds has been to
thou4hts o re4ret" desire" and so orthE you=ve been losin4
your tem5ers" 4ettin4 an4ry" turnin4 your Buddha.minds into
the way o the i4htin4 s5irits or hun4ry 4hosts" and movin4
deludedly throu4h the wheel o e%istence8 +es5ite that" i you
listen to me here today and come to understand what I tell
you" those same re4retul" desire.illed minds will become"
willy.nilly" the minds o Buddhas" and you won=t miss out on
your Buddha.minds ever a4ain8 In other words" you=ll become
livin4 Buddhas8 Be very careul" then" or i you ail to re4ain
your Buddha.mind" i you ail to reali>e it in this lietime" you
won=t have another chance or millions and millions o a4es8
#o you=d better be sure that what I=ve been tellin4 you is i%ed
well in your minds8
I thin' I=ll be 4ettin4 on to bed now8 &ou should be 4oin4
bac'" too8
The t8enty-si4th day of the eighth 5onthH
the 5orning ser5on
All o the 5eo5le here want to become Buddhas8 That=s what
brou4ht you to this hall so early in the mornin48 It=s a 4ood
thin4 you have come" because i you ail to become Buddhas
now" you won=t have another chance or thousands u5on
3:(
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
thousands o a4es8 &ou were born into the human world or
one reasonHso you could become Buddhas8 I you miss this
chance and all into hell" much 4reater suerin4 awaits you" as
you transmi4rate endlessly" bein4 born and dyin4 over and
over a4ain" throu4h many lives" in many dierent worlds8
Now" no one wants that to ha55en to them" so you=d better be
sure you understand what I say very" very well8
&ou may have encountered men who" in their ill.used
worldly wisdom" say that 5eo5le are tau4ht that they will be
born into heaven or hell ater they die sim5ly to intimidate
them8 Anyone who would say somethin4 so thou4htless
obviously hasn=t a shred o understandin4 about what the
real Buddha Way is li'e8 Now" i someone did come alon4
whose teachin4 somehow com5ared with #ha'amuni=s" and
he denied the e%istence o hell and 5aradise" we mi4ht 4ive
some wei4ht to what he said8 But rom the mouth o a man
whose wisdom doesn=t e%tend beyond the ti5 o his 4lib
ton4ue" how can such words hel5 bein4 woeully mista'enG
In the irst 5lace" #ha'amuni 5ossessed all si% su5ernatural
5owers8 He could em5loy s'illul means at will8
;D
He 'new all
about both hell and 5aradise without havin4 to move rom
where he sat8 He traveled to many 5laces to 5reach his
+harma8 It s5read over India" 5assed into 6hina" and rom
there came to 7a5an8 We now ind it recorded in a 4reat many
sutras8 Alon4 comes a man who hasn=t the aintest notion
about any o this to declare that the Buddhas" their teachin4"
the Buddhist +harma itsel" none o it e%ists8 He=s li'e a
summer insect that never lives to see the winter and ima4ines
that the world is always hot8
#ha'amuni is a Buddha whose name has been 'nown to all
the 4enerations that came ater himHin 6hina" India" and
7a5an8 Would such a man have 5reached that hell and 5ar.
3:D
THE HO#HIN.7I #ER-ON#
adise e%ist i they didn=tG What would have been 4ained by
thatG Now" i the worldly.wise want to believe that 5aradise
and hell don=t e%ist" that=s their business8 The least they can
do is 'ee5 their ideas to themselves8 It=s intolerable to have
them arro4antly s5readin4 such 4roundless nonsense to others8
Now" I=m sure you=ve all seen it ha55enHwhen everyone
5raises a 5erson who has some e%ce5tional s'ill in an art or
trade" there will always be some sel.im5ortant ellow who
will try to deny the 4eneral o5inion and belittle that 5erson=s
s'ill8 What words can describe such 5etty meannessG I
someone they themselves ta'e a ancy to has some trilin4
talent not even worth mentionin4" these same ellows will
invariably 5raise him to the s'ies8 There are a 4reat many
such 5eo5le around8 It=s easy to see how wron4 they are8
When you 5raise someone" you should 5raise him so as to
5lease him" and when you hear about someone else=s
ha55iness" you should be ha55y yoursel" /ust as i somethin4
4ood had ha55ened to you8 That=s the 5ro5er way or 5eo5le to
live in the world8 It is also the condition o the Unborn8
When everythin4 is seen and heard with a selish bias" your
inherent Buddha.mindH the very Buddha.mind that your
5arents 4ave you when you were bornHis turned into a hell8
It=s de5lorable that anyone would chan4e it into a i4htin4
s5irit or hell because o an e4otistic 5artiality or himsel8 It
would be the most unilial thin4 you could do8
No 5arent wants his child to 4row into a scoundrel or
4ood.or.nothin4" the ob/ect o 5eo5le=s hatred" to see him
5unished by the law" maybe even destined or the
e%ecutioner=s blade8 Unless you ma'e an earnest eort to set
yoursel strai4ht" you shouldn=t even tal' o ilial 5iety8 All o
you should ma'e u5 your minds to be4in today" or really"
there=s nothin4 so wonderul as the care and aection o a
5arent or
3:;
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
his child8 &our 5arents loo'ed ater you when you didn=t
'now what was 4oin4 on around you8 They raised you until
you could thin' or yoursel8 &ou didn=t 'now the irst thin4
about Buddhism8 Now you=ve heard its wonderul teachin4s
and come to learn about the unborn Buddha.mind8 Thin'
about it8 It was 5ossible because o dee5 5arental love8 To
honor your 5arents or all they=ve done or you is the
behavior natural to a 4ood son or dau4hter8 When you are in
accord with the way o ilial 5iety" your mind is the Buddha.
mind8 +on=t thin' because we s5ea' o a mind o ilial 5iety
and a Buddha.mind that they re5resent two dierent minds8
There=s only the one sin4le mind" and it=s directly conversant
with all thin4s8
+etach yoursel rom a sel.interested way o thin'in4"
which will ma'e you lose your tem5er and ma'e you eel
unha55y over this and crave ater that8 And don=t be hard
on your servants8 Treat them 'indly too8 7ust because you
5ay them a wa4e doesn=t entitle you to stri'e them or s5ea'
to them in an unreasonable manner8 &ou shouldn=t re4ard
them as stran4ers8 Thin' o them as members o your amily8
6hildren oten disobey their 5arents when their 5arents tell
them what to do8 When the disobedient child belon4s to
someone else" it irritates you no end8 When it=s your own
child" however" you 5ut u5 with his antics because you thin'
o him as yours8 No matter how unreasonable you are in
re5rimandin4 your own os5rin4" because you are his 5arent
he 5robably will not resent it too dee5ly8 But the resentment
a servant will eel" because he is not related to you" is an
alto4ether dierent matter8
I until now you=ve been losin4 your tem5er" scoldin4
5eo5le" and u5settin4 yoursel" without even thin'in4
much about it" you=ve been dee5ly mista'en8 &ou=ve been
unaware
3:*
THE HO#HIN .7I #ER-ON#
o the reason or it" so you=ve 4one alon4 under the delusion
that an4er is one o the norms o society8 But rom now on"
inasmuch as you=ve been told how to become unborn" you
shouldn=t do anythin4 that will inca5acitate your Buddha.
mind8 And by the way" don=t 4et the idea that your servants
5ut me u5 to sayin4 this" because they didn=t8
It doesn=t matter how ine5t a servant may be" i you lose
your tem5er" and with it your Buddha.mind" you 'now the
resultHit=s /ust as I=ve been tellin4 you8 And it=s no dierent i
you are a servant8 I servants attend aithully to their duties"
and don=t 4ive their master reason to be dis5leased with them
or let him down throu4h some discreditable act" then they
will have everyone=s 5raise" their master will be dis5osed
'indly toward them" they=ll be actin4 dutiully toward their
5arents" and it will beneit them as well8 #o servants" too"
should 'ee5 what I say irmly in mind8
Women are unli'e men in bein4 strai4htorward about thin4s8
They may be more rivolous than men in their basic
dis5ositions" yet when you tell them that they will 4o to hell
i they do somethin4 evil" they understand it ri4ht away"
without any s'e5ticism8 And when you tell them they will
become Bud.dhas i they do 4ood" their thou4hts turn sin4le.
mindedly to becomin4 BuddhasHand their attainment o
aith is all the dee5er8 When they hear my teachin4 o the
Unborn and come to be convinced o it" women in their
sim5le directness are the ones that become Buddhas" rather
than men with their shrewd intellectuality8
But some o you may be thin'in4C ABan'ei 'ee5s tellin4 us
not to be an4ry" not to let ourselves eel ha55y" and so on8
Always watch your ste58 Practice sel.control8 But i we were
doin4 that" and someone be4an to ridicule us" callin4 us a
ool"
!
3:2
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
we wouldn=t be able to stand or that and a4ree with him and
say" =&es" I=m a ool8= A
Now" I can understand your reasonin4" but someone who
would call another 5erson a ool when he=s not is himsel
rather oolish8 &ou should overloo' what such a 5erson says8
+on=t 5ay any attention to it8
A samurai" however" would not tolerate that 'ind o tal'
rom anyone8 ?et me use an illustration8 -any 5eo5le own
e%5ensive 5ieces o 5otteryHBorean tea bowls" lower vases"
and so on8 I don=t have any o them mysel" but I see those
others have collected8 They wra5 the articles u5 careully in
layers o the sotest cloth and 'ee5 them in bo%es" which is
understandable" since i one o those 5recious 5ieces were to
stri'e a4ainst somethin4 hard" it mi4ht brea'" and the owner
certainly wouldn=t want that to ha55en8 6areully 5rotectin4
the ob/ects in this way with sil' and cotton wra55in4s is an
eective method o 'ee5in4 them rom bein4 dama4ed8
A samurai=s dis5osition is li'e that8 He always 5laces his
sense o honor and sel.res5ect above all else8 I he hears even
a word that seems to run counter to this" he calls the s5ea'er
to account without an instant=s hesitation8 Once a word o
challen4e has 5assed between two samurai" there can be no
@uestion o them lettin4 the matter dro5" so they always ma'e
sure beorehand to 'ee5 this hard" uncom5romisin4 side o
their mind careully under wra5s" so its rou4h" abrasive ed4es
won=t come into contact with others8 Once a challen4e has
been s5o'en between two samurai" the matter isn=t resolved
until one o them has allen8
#ometimes" while s5earheadin4 an attac'" a samurai will
cut down an adversary by rushin4 in ront o his master to
shield him rom dan4er8 When it=s done by a samurai" we
don=t re4ard such an act as murder8 It would be i he were to
'ill someone rom a selish 5ersonal motive8 In that case" his
3:1
THE HO#HIN .7I #ER-ON#
Buddha.mind is turned into a i4htin4 s5irit8 A4ain" i they
don=t die or their lord when their duty calls or it" i they lee
or retreat or show even a hint o what may be construed as
cowardice" then their Buddha.mind is transormed into an
animal8 Now" birds and animals don=t have human
intelli4ence and can=t tell ri4ht rom wron4" so they have no
conce5tion o a sense o duty or doin4 what is ri4ht8 They
don=t even thin' about such thin4s8 They only run rom
dan4er when it a55roaches and do their best to 5reserve their
lives8 #o or a samurai to or4et his sense o duty and run
shameully rom the midst o his comrades" instead o
attac'in4 the enemy" would ma'e him no dierent rom an
animal8
I have a tem5le in Edo" located in A>abu on the outs'irts o
the city8
;;
We once had a man there who wor'ed around the
tem5le8 He had an interest in reli4ious matters to be4in with"
I thin'" or he was always observin4 the daily lives o the
mon's8 !rom this" a 4enuine reli4ious as5iration must have
develo5ed in him naturally8 In any case" one evenin4 some o
the mon's sent him on an errand that too' him to the outer
rin4es o the city" where houses were ew and ar between8 It
was an area where rom time to time a samurai wantin4 to try
the ed4e o his blade on a human body had been a55earin4
and cuttin4 down 5assin4 travelers8
;*
The mon's were
concerned or his saety because it was 4ettin4 dar' and he
would have to 5ass throu4h this dan4erous area8 But he told
them not to worry" and he set ri4ht out" sayin4 that he would
be bac' soon8 As the messen4er returned in the 4rowin4
dar'ness" however" sure enou4h the samurai ste55ed out at
his usual haunt and brushed 5ast him8
A&ou brushed your sleeve a4ainst me on 5ur5ose"A he
4rowled" drawin4 his sword8
ABut my sleeve didn=t even touch you"A re5lied the messen.
3:0
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
4er8 Then" or some reason" he 5rostrated himsel beore
the samurai three times8 The samurai" who had raised his
sword and was on the 5oint o stri'in4" now unaccountably
lowered it8
A&ou=re a stran4e one"A he said8 AWell" 4o on" I=ll let you
5ass8A And the messen4er esca5ed unharmed8
Now" a tradesman had seen all this ta'e 5lace8 He had led
to the saety o a nearby roadside teahouse and had witnessed
the events rom his 5lace o hidin48
When he saw the sword about to all" he turned his eyes
away and waited earully or the inevitable to ha55en8 When
he inally loo'ed u5 a4ain" he saw to his sur5rise that the
messen4er was standin4 ri4ht beore him8
A&ou certainly 4ot out o that by the s'in o your teethFA he
said8 He then as'ed the messen4er what had made him thin'
to 4ive the three bows8
The messen4er answered that all the 5eo5le where he
wor'ed bowed three times8 A-y mind was com5letely em5ty8
I /ust thou4ht" I you=re 4oin4 to stri'e me with that sword"
then do it8 I made those bows without thin'in48 The man told
me I was a stran4e ellow and said he would s5are me8 Then
he allowed me to 4o 5ast8A
#o" havin4 barely esca5ed death" the messen4er returned
saely to the tem5le8 I told him that I thou4ht this was because
o the de5th o his reli4ious mind" which enabled him to
reach the heart o such a lawless samurai8 It 4oes to show that
nothin4 is more trustworthy than the Buddhist +harma8
I run across various thin4s in my travels around the country8 I
have a tem5le in O>u" in lyo Province" where I s5end some
time almost every year8
;2
Unli'e here" the buildin4s are lar4e"
and whenever I visit" 4reat crowds assemble8 There is one hall
HO
THE HO#HIN .7I #ER-ON#
es5ecially or women and another or men8 I have two men
and two women whose /ob is to see that the seatin4 o the
audience 4oes smoothly8 They also ma'e sure everyone listens
as he or she should8 Peo5le rom the countryside two or
three miles around O>u come to ta'e 5art in the meetin4s8
At one o these meetin4s was a youn4 woman rom O>u
who was married to a man rom a 5lace several miles outside
the city8 His mother was livin4 with them" and they had one
child" but the marria4e wasn=t 4oin4 well8 They were
constantly bic'erin48 Then there was a 4reat @uarrel" and the
wie decided to turn her child over to her husband and
return to her 5arents= home8 As she was about to leave" her
husband 5ic'ed u5 the small inant and threatened to throw
him into the river unless she chan4ed her mind8
AHe=s all yours"A she retorted8 AI don=t care what you do to
him8A
A$o on and leave then"A her husband re5lied8 ABut I won=t
let you ta'e any clothin4 with you or anythin4 elseFA
A&ou can have them"A she said8 =All I want is to 4et away
rom here8A And she set o or her 5arents= house in O>u8
Now" at that very time" a lar4e 4rou5 o men and women
were leavin4 or the tem5le to listen to one o my tal's8
#eein4 them" the woman decided to /oin themE instead o
4oin4 strai4ht home to her 5arents" she came to the tem5le
and listened intently to the tal' I 4ave that day8 When it was
over" she ell in with the 5rocession o 5eo5le ma'in4 their
way home8 On the road" she ha55ened to meet one o her
5arents= nei4hbors" who as'ed her what she was doin4 in
O>u8
AI had a @uarrel with my husband this mornin4" and let the
house"A she said8 AI had come this ar" when I noticed these
5eo5le 4oin4 to hear a 5riest 4ive a sermon8 It seemed a 4ood
o55ortunity" so instead o 4oin4 strai4ht to my 5arents" I went
ill
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
with them to the tem5le8 The sermon I heard today seemed
to be directed at me 5ersonally8 I=m so ashamed8 It was my
own ill.natured dis5osition that made me leave my husband=s
house today8 He didn=t want me to leave8 He and my mother.
in.law both tried to tal' me out o it8 But I was in a 4reat
tem5er over some trile and wouldn=t listen to them8 I made
them both very an4ry8 But today=s sermon made me reali>e
how wron4 I=ve been8 I=m not 4oin4 home to my 5arents8 I=m
4oin4 strai4ht bac' to my husband" let him 'now how much I
re4ret what I=ve done" and be4 him and my mother.in.
law or their or4iveness8 And I must tell them about the
wonderul sermon I heardE unless I can 4et them to
understand about transmi4ration too" my own learnin4 about it
will be or nothin48A
Ater hearin4 her story" the nei4hbor said" AIt sounds as i
you=ve had a serious @uarrel8 Now that matters have reached
this 5oint" I don=t see how you can /ust 4o home8 No" I can=t
let you return by yoursel8 $o on to your 5arents= house8
?ater" I=ll 4o with you and hel5 you 5atch thin4s u5 with your
husband8A
AThere=s no need or that"A she said8 AWhatever ha55ens"
the ault was all mine8 I=ll try to soothe their an4er and 4et
bac' in their 4ood 4races8 Ater that" I must tell them about
the wonderul teachin4 I heard today8 It=s not or me alone8
It=s somethin4 to share with them8 Then it will have real
meanin48A
Others in the 4rou5" who had been listenin4 to this
e%chan4e as they wal'ed alon4" were ama>ed8 AWhat a
remar'able youn4 woman8 #he only heard the 5riest=s
teachin4 today" and already she=s re5entin4 her mista'e8 &ou
certainly don=t see that ha55en oten" es5ecially in a
womanFA
They scolded the nei4hborC AWhy are you tryin4 to sto5 her
33)
THE HO#HIN .7I #ER-ON#
when she says she wants to 4o home aloneG Tellin4 her you=ll
hel5 her 5atch thin4s u5F &ou should be ashamed8 &ou live
here in O>u" you must have heard the 5riest=s teachin4 many
times8 How could you 4ive her such bad adviceG
A&ou have the ri4ht idea"A they told the woman8 A&ou
should hurry ri4ht bac' to your husband8A #o she set o
immediately or her home8
That same day" I was invited to someone=s house in O>u8 A
number o his riends were also there8 They told me the
woman=s story and marveled that today=s sermon had wor'ed
to such 4reat eect8 Aterward" I learned the rest o the story8
It seems that" on arrivin4 home" this is what the wie said to
her husband and mother.in.lawC
A&ou didn=t tell me to leave8 -y stu5idity and oul
dis5osition were the cause o it all8 They made me o55ose
you" they made me obstinately insist on leavin4 to 4o bac' to
my 5arents8 But as it turned out" my leavin4 must have been
arran4ed by the Buddhas themselves to set me on the ri4ht
5ath8 I met some 5eo5le who were on their way to hear a
5riest 4ive a sermon8 I /oined them and went to the tem5le8
Everythin4 the 5riest said a55lied directly to me8 It was as i
every word was s5o'en to me 5ersonally8 It made me reali>e
how wron4 my thou4hts had been8 #o ater I let the meetin4"
I decided to come ri4ht bac' here to you8 It was my mean
dis5osition and nothin4 else that was res5onsible or causin4
the two o you this distress8 In the uture" I=ll do /ust as you
tell me8 Please" ta'e out all your an4er on me8 +o whatever
you want" it doesn=t matter8 I=ve said what I wanted to say8
However hard my lot becomes" I won=t eel the least
resentment ever a4ain8A
When they heard this" the husband and mother.in.law were
more than 4lad to have her bac'8 AIt was an unim5ortant mat.
33(
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
ter that caused you to lose your tem5er8 &ou 'now now that it
was wron48 &ou=ve come bac'8 There=s nothin4 more to say
about it8A
#o thin4s wor'ed out much better than beore8 #he became
an obedient wie and a res5ectul dau4hter.in.law and de.
voted hersel dili4ently to her 'itchen wor'8 !rom time to
time" she told them about the wonderul teachin4 o the
Unborn" and beore lon4 she had 5ersuaded them to come
and hear me8 +urin4 my visits to that area" the three o them
attended re4ularly8
Isn=t it commendable that a 5erson who has ties to Buddha
li'e this womanHan ordinary woman with no intellectual
5retensionsHcan come to have a mind ree o all
contentiousness and an4er" /ust by listenin4 to me onceG I
wanted all o you to hear this story8 I ho5e it will serve as an
e%am5le to you and will 5rom5t you to 4et on the ri4ht 5ath
and live in the Unborn too8
I=ve 5robably tired you out with this lon4 tal' today8 ?et=s
sto5 here8 I ho5e to see you a4ain at tomorrow=s meetin48
The first day of the ninth 5onthH
the 5orning ser5on
I=m very 5leased that you=ve all 4athered here beore dayli4ht
to hear what I have to say" des5ite bein4 s@uee>ed to4ether
into this crowded hall8 Each o you let your bed while it was
still dar' outside to come here because you wanted to
become a Buddha8 What 5rom5ted you to come was the
natural wisdom that you are born with8 In other words" you
came because o the wor'in4 o your Buddha.mind8
Althou4h you each have a Buddha.mind" you=ve de5rived
yourselves o it because o the mista'en way that you=ve been
brou4ht u58 A lietime o learnin4 the wron4 thin4s8 &ou still
have a Buddha.
33D
THE HO#HIN .7I #ER -ON#
mind" or all the bad thin4s you=ve learned and the delusions
your thou4hts create or you8 &ou can=t 5ossibly lose it8 It=s
/ust dar'ened by the illusions caused by your selish desires
and 5artiality8
Perha5s a com5arison will hel5 ma'e this clear8 The sun
shines day ater day without ail" yet i clouds a55ear to ma'e
the s'y overcast" it can=t be seen8 It still comes u5 in the east
every mornin4 and 4oes down in the west8 The only
dierence is that you can=t see it because it=s hidden behind
the clouds8 The sun is your Buddha.mind" the clouds are your
illusions8 &ou are unaware o your Buddha.mind because it=s
covered by illusions and can=t be seen8 But you never lose it"
not even when you 4o to slee58 The unborn Buddha.mind
that your mother 4ave you is thus always there" wonderully
clear and bri4ht and illuminatin48 Ri4ht at the moment that
you=re born into the world" i someone were to throw cold
water over you" you=d eel cold8 I you 5ut your in4ers near a
ire" you=d eel hotHthat=s all due to the wor'in4 o this same
Buddha.mind8 It ta'es care o everythin48 It ma'es everythin4
4o smoothly8
Pride and sel.assertiveness are traits ound in many
5eo5le8 They can=t bear to be second to anyone8 It=s wron4 to
be that way" o course" but that=s what 5ride does to you8 I
you aren=t always thin'in4 about 4ettin4 the best o others"
then you=ll never have to worry about bein4 second to them
either8 I 5eo5le treat you badly" the reason is your own sel.
see'in4 ways8 I they are disa4reeable to you" it=s because
there is somethin4 disa4reeable about you yoursel8 I you
turn your thou4hts rom those others and direct them to
yoursel" you=ll ind that there isn=t a sin4le bad 5erson
anywhere on earth8
When an4er arises in your mind" you chan4e the marvelous
wisdom o your Buddha.mind into the way o the hun4ry
33;
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
4hosts or i4htin4 s5irits8 An4er and ha55iness both e%ist only
because o your 5artiality to yoursel8 This 5artiality ma'es
you lose the Buddha.mind=s marvelous wisdom and sends
you into the endless illusion o the wheel o e%istence8 I it
disa55ears" however" your mind becomes the mind o the
Unborn" and you do not transmi4rate8 That=s why it=s so
im5ortant or you to understand about your Buddha.mind8
Once you have" then" even without 5erormin4 a lot o
reli4ious disci5lines" you=re unborn that very day8 I the
Buddha.mind is clearly reali>ed" that=s enou4h8 &ou need do
nothin4 elseHno 5ractice" no 5rece5ts" no >a>en or 'oan
study8 Nothin4 li'e that8 &ou=ll be ree rom care" everythin4
will be ta'en care o" /ust by bein4 as you are8
I we com5are the duties o a Buddhist 5riest with those o
a samurai" we ind that in some res5ects the duties o a samu
rai are easier to 5erorm8 Those who leave home to become
5riests usually be4in their studies at an early a4e8 Their 5rac
tice ta'es them all over the country" even overseas to other
lands8 Thou4h they may have some destination in mind" they
never 'now what will be waitin4 or them when they arrive8
They carry no ood or money with them on their 5il4rima4es"
and wherever they 4o" they ind very little in the way o com
ort8 I someone oers them shelter while they=re on the road"
they acce5t it 4rateully" re4ardin4 it as a dis5ensation be
stowed on them by the Buddhas8 When there is no such shel
ter" they lie down in the ields or in the mountains8 I they run
out o ood" they ta'e their bowl and be4 or some8 Oten no
alms are 4iven" so they must 4o with an em5ty stomach8 As a E
rule" their 5ractice is carried on in a state o 5er5etual hun4er D
Occasionally someone may 4ive them nice lod4in4s8 They are /
dee5ly 4rateul and illed with a eelin4 o indebtedness or D
this e%5ression o the Buddhas= avor8 //
Ater the hardshi5s they e%5erience durin4 this 5eriod o8=K
33*
NF
THE HO#HIN.7I #ER-ON#
5il4rima4e" they may have the 4ood ortune to receive a
hermita4e o their own8 Or they may be entrusted with an
entire tem5le and receive the contributions their 5arishioners
5rovide8 This 5uts them in a 5osition o some security8 But
they didn=t leave their homes and amily and /oin the
5riesthood because they desired to achieve such comorts8 All
their hard" 5ainul 5ractice was or only one reasonC They
ho5ed to ind some way to awa'en themselves in
enli4htenment and discover the Buddha.mind8
Now" com5are this lie with the lie o a samurai8 He
receives a sti5end rom his lord8 He carries out his duties
wearin4 warm clothin4" eatin4 re4ular meals" and livin4 his
daily lie much as he 5leases8 I" as is to be ho5ed" he devotes
some o his time to the matter o his uture e%istence" it
doesn=t involve a 4reat deal o trouble or him8 -oreover" i he
attains the mind o the Unborn" that will be consistent with
his loyalty to his lord8 #ince the wor'in4 o the Buddha.mind
is somethin4 that e%tends to all thin4s" includin4 the
samurai=s duties" he won=t ind the routine o his wor'
tiresome or diicult in any way8 No matter what duty he may
be 4iven to 5erorm" he does it easily in the Unborn" without
any trouble8 #ince i he dwells in the Unborn" he isn=t
hindered by any thou4hts o sel.interest" his mind is always
air and im5artial8 This will be 4reatly a55reciated by all those
he comes into contact with8 Any oicial o the sho4unate who
is able to brin4 such satisaction to the 5eo5le he deals with
cannot hel5 bein4 a 4ood servant to his lord8 Everyone is
bound to sin4 his 5raises8 I in all his duties he dwells in the
Unborn and ta'es his outloo' rom the Buddha +harma" then
even as a samurai his 5ractice o the Way will be e%tremely
beneicial to him8 And it will be easier or him to 5ractice it
than or a Buddhist 5riest8
Or consider the diicult lie o a 5eddler who travels
332
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
around the country carryin4 his wares u5on his shoulders8
;1
He ta'es his 5ac' u5 and be4ins his day in the early hours o
the mornin4" travelin4 throu4h ields and over hills and
valleys8 #uch a lie is not easy" but set beside the 5ractice o
someone disci5linin4 himsel to become a 5riest" the
adversity he aces is o an entirely dierent order8 The
5eddler has a dwellin4 rom which he de5arts on his daily
rounds8 It=s true that he has to set out beore dawn" when the
stars are still out8 In the evenin4" his clothin4 is soa'ed
throu4h with dew8 But when he has sold all his wares" he can
rest his weary body leisurely at an inn8 His time is his own8
He can or4et about his daily routine and en/oy lie to the
e%tent his circumstances 5ermit8
A 5riest has no real home8 He can=t settle anywhere8 He
slee5s in the o5en ields or in the hills8 !or him" there=s only
hardshi5 and hun4er8 No one is waitin4 or him where he
4oes8 There=s never a moment o relie rom his hard lie8 With
only his ordinary robes and no e%tra clothin4" he has no way
to 'ee5 himsel warm in cold weather8 No" I don=t thin'
anythin4 can be4in to com5are with the 5rivations a 5riest
e%5eriences8
#till" he carries on his 5ractice" ta%in4 his body severely" and
or one reasonC because he wants to discover the wonderul
bliss o the Buddha.mind8 When his 5ractice is com5leted" he
teaches others" and he receives rom them donations and
beneits o various 'inds8 His years o 5ainul 5ractice are then
all transormed into the +harma" and he lives in the
wonderul 'nowled4e o the unborn Buddha.mind8
I=m 4oin4 to tell you a story now that will 4ive you an idea o K
the Buddha.mind=s marvelous wor'in48 About thirty years +
a4o" there was a tradesmanHhe later became my disci5leH /
331
THE HO#HIN .7I #ER-ON#
whom 5eo5le called -a4oemon the Thie" because he used to
ra'e in a healthy 5roit by overchar4in4 in his sales8 Wherever
he went" 5eo5le would 5oint their in4ers at him and say"
AThere 4oes that thie -a4oemon8A #ince he had a 'nac' or
this 'ind o 5roit ma'in4" he 4ot better and better at it" until
he became a very wealthy man8 Even at that time" he
re@uented my tem5le" and I used to remonstrate with him8
A&ou=re incorri4ible" -a4oemon8 Everyone comes around
here sayin4 that you=re a thie8 And it=s your own ault8 &ou=ve
only yoursel to blame8A
-a4oemon didn=t a4ree8 AI=d eel ashamed i I=d bro'en
into someone=s home to steal their 5ro5erty or o5ened a hole
in their storehouses to ta'e somethin4 rom them8 But I don=t
rob 5eo5le li'e that8 Remember" I=m not the only one who
ma'es a 5roit throu4h trade8 The 5eo5le who say bad thin4s
about me" you=ll notice" are most o them tradesmen
themselves8 They don=t ma'e the 'ind o money I do" so they
slander me and try to cause me trouble8 But the way I see it"
business is business8A And he remained unconcerned about
it all8
Then later" I don=t 'now what ha55ened to cause the
chan4e in him" but he turned his business over to his
ne5hews" too' all the money he had hoarded" divided it
amon4 his 'inol'" and came to me be44in4 me to shave his
head and ma'e him a mon'8
AI anyone else had come ma'in4 that re@uest"A I told him"
AI mi4ht hesitate beore 4rantin4 it8 But rom someone li'e
you" with your bad re5utation" it must have been s5o'en with
a s5ecial resolve8A #o I 5roceeded at once to turn him into a
mon'8 He develo5ed into a man o stron4 aith8 This story
shows the marvelous way that the Buddha.mind wor's8 As or
-a4oemon" ater he became a mon'" not thirty days had
330
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
5assed beore 5eo5le were callin4 him ABuddha -a4oemon8A
That=s the way these thin4s ha55en8 I want each one o you
here to 4ras5 this and arrive at a irm understandin4 in your
own mindsHbecause one thin4 you may be very sure oC
There=s nothin4 in the world as wonderul as your Buddha.
mind8
The only way any o you can become unborn and reali>e
the Buddha.mind is to conirm what I=m tellin4 you in your
own mind8 I won=t tell you that you have to 5ractice such and
such" that you have to u5hold certain rules or 5rece5ts or
read certain sutras or other ,en writin4s" or that you have to
do >a>en8 I=m not 4oin4 to try to 4ive you the Buddha.mind
eitherHyou already have it8 I you listen careully to me" and
4ras5 the Buddha.mind that=s already yours" then you become
a 4enuine livin4 Buddha8 Wherever you are standin4" that
5lace is the Unborn8 Whatever you want to do" you can do it8
I you want to recite sutras or do >a>en" observe 5rece5ts"
recite the Nembutsu or the +aimo'u" you should do it8
;0
I
you=re a armer or a tradesman and you want to wor' your
arm or your business" then 4o ahead" do itE whatever it is"
that will be your 5ersonal samadhi8 -y 5art in this is sim5ly to
tell you about it and to try to 4et you to conirm the Buddha.
minds you were all 4iven when you were born8
When daimyo rom dierent 5arts o the country invite me to
4ive tal's in their areas" I always 4o8 I=ll 4o anywhere that I=m
as'ed8 #ometimes" the meetin4s last or twenty or thirty days8
But wherever I 4o" I ind that a 4reat many 5eo5le come to
listen8 ?ater" when I return" they always tell me that the
number o 5eo5le interested in reli4ion seems to have 4rown
and that there has been a noticeable im5rovement in 5ublic
morality as well8 I want you to 'now how 4lad I am that
you in this
3):
NOTE#
area have been comin4 here early every mornin4 to attend
these meetin4s and listenin4 so attentively to what I say8 The
day ater tomorrow" on the third o the month" I must leave
-aru4ame" so tomorrow mornin4=s tal' will be the last8
9:T( T: T%( < %-;M - T-L=
38 Butchi Bosai is the honorary title 4iven Ban'ei by im5erial edict
in
3*0:8 The lon4 winter retreat lasted rom the ith day o the tenth
month o the third year o $enro'u 93*0:< to the ith day o the irst
month o the ne%t year8 These are transcri5tions o some o the si%ty
tal's and sermons he 4ave durin4 the retreat8
)8 These re5resent all the main schools o -ahayana Buddhism
in
7a5an8
(8 The three terms ABuddha.mind"A Athe Unborn"A and
Ailluminative
wisdomA recur throu4hout the tal's8 The ABuddha.mindA *B$sshin in
7a5anese< is a synonym or the Buddha.nature that is inherent in every
5erson" the mind as it really is" in its ori4inal state o true reality or such.
ness *tathata') which is 5rior to human intellection and discrimination8
In Buddhism in 4eneral" AunbornA *f$sho in 7a5anese<" or as it usually
occurs in a 5air" Aunborn" undyin4"A stands in contrast to birth and
death" or samsara" the continuous 5rocess o 4eneration and e%tinction
to which a human is bound because o his illusion8 In this sense" the Un
born may be said to be synonymous with nirvana and untouched by the
vicissitudes o birth and death8 A9-arvelously bri4htK illuminative wis
domA *rei5ei in 7a5anese< attem5ts to e%5ress in En4lish the marvelous
bri4htness" 5urity" and clarity o the Buddha.mind wor'in4 in the un
born state" which Ban'ei elsewhere calls the Adiscrimination o non.
discriminationA and which is totally beyond all lo4ical calculation8 This
wor'in4 is li'ened to a bri4ht" res5lendent mirror that relects whatever
comes beore it e%actly as it is in its reality8 As no one En4lish translation
3)3
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
can convey ade@uately these meanin4s contained in the word rei5ei) I
have ound it necessary to render it in various ways8 !or #u>u'i=s brie
discussion o the term" see =enky$) 558 )3.)(8
D8 An a55ellation 4iven to a Buddha when he a55ears in this
worldE
literally" it means Aone who is thus comeAE a livin4 Buddha8
;8 An incalculable len4th o time" an a4e8
*8 The Buddha.mind sect *B$sshin-s!$ in 7a5anese< as a name
or
the ,en school irst a55ears in the records o Bodhidharma" the irst ,en
5atriarch in 6hina" <ento-rok$) ch# 2#
28 The words Aunborn" undyin4A a55ear" or e%am5le" in the
%eart
$tra and in the celebrated Buddhist 5hiloso5her Na4ar/una=s 9second
or third century< ei4htold ne4ationC nonbirth" none%tinction" non.
cessation" non5ermanence" nonuniormity" nondiversity" noncomin4"
non4oin48
18 Three time 5eriods were su55osed to ollow the Buddha=s
deathC
the 5eriod o the right <har5a) when the Buddhist teachin4" 5ractice"
and enli4htenment e%istE the 5eriod o the se5!.ance or i5itati0e
<har5a) when teachin4 and 5ractice alone remainE and the .atter or fi
na. <har5a) when only the teachin4 remains and 5eo5le are unable
either to 5ractice it or to 4ain enli4htenment8 In 7a5an" Alatter.dayA
teachin4s be4an to a55ear at the end o the Heian 5eriod 920D.331;<"
when" accordin4 to one theory" the a4e o the semblance +harma ended
and the inal a4e be4an8 By Ban'ei=s lietime" the world was 4enerally as
sumed to be well into the inal 5eriod8
0. Turnin4 students to the Unborn by merely Acommentin4 on their
5ersonal concernsA 9in 7a5anese" 5i no $e no hihan' is a characteristic
eature o Ban'ei=s ,en teachin48
3:8 In the Buddhist conce5tion" livin4 bein4s are classiied into ten
worlds or realmsC those o the hell.dwellers" hun4ry or cravin4 4hosts"
animals" i4htin4 s5irits" humans" heavenly bein4s" hearers o the
Buddha=s teachin4" 5rivate Buddhas" bodhisattvas" and Buddhas8 The
irst si% o these are the lesser waysE bein4s in these various states o
illusion
3))
NOTE#
are sub/ect to transmi4ration in the wheel o e%istence8 The last our are
the enli4htened realms o the saintly bein4s8 The irst three o the si%
lesser ways" called the three evil ways" are re4arded as es5ecially
unavorable rebirth destinations8 The hell.dwellers constantly under4o a
variety o torments in the dierent realms o hellE the cravin4 4hosts
suer rom constant" una55easable hun4er and thirstE the animals are
characteri>ed by i4noranceE the i4htin4 s5irits" or ash$ra) live in
5er5etual strieE heavenly bein4s live in constant ha55iness and 'now no
suerin4 but are thus never conduced to any awa'enin4 o reli4ious
as5iration8 With both suerin4 and 5leasure in de4ree" the human
realm alone amon4 the si% ways contains the 5ossibility o reli4ious
as5iration and attainment o Buddhahood8
338 +osha 6ho4en 96hinese Tao.che 6h=ao.yuanE I*::G.l**lG<E
see
Notes to the Introduction" number 328
3)8 The 7a5anese term is1ittok$) or a short" hi5.len4th robe
worn
over the re4ular 'imono in the Edo 5eriod 93*:(.31*2<E used by such
5eo5le as 6onucian scholars" retired mon's" and lay Buddhists8
3(8 ,reat Learning *Ta-hs$eh in 6hineseE <aigak$ in 7a5anese<"
one
o the our classic boo's o 6onucianism8 This amous 5assa4e a55ears
at the very be4innin48 #ee Introduction" 58 ;8
338 Ban'ei reers to his teacher Um5o ,en/o8
338 The constant re5etition o the ormula ANamu.Amida.
ButsuA
9AHoma4e to Amida BuddhaAE also called Nembutsu< leadin4 to samadhic
concentration and unity with Amidha Buddha is a 5ractice es5oused by
the Pure ?and schools and the 7odo sect in 5articular8 As a boy" Ban'ei
s5ent time at a tem5le o the Pure ?and #hin sect8 #ee Introduction" 58 *8
3)8 :5oy$ in 7a5anese" this broth" consistin4 o the li@uid drawn
o
rom rice 4ruel" is traditional ood or invalids and sic' 5eo5le who can
ta'e no other sustenance8
3(8 $udo Tosho'u 93;20.3**3< was one o the leadin4 Rin>ai
,en
i4ures o his day8 Itsu>an" in the ;yakki) calls $udo Athe oremost mas
ter in the land8A ,orok$) 58 ))*8
3)(
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
318 In the bio4ra5hies" the identity o these 5riests is 4iven variously
as #e'io" Ryodo" and -itsuunE the last was a disci5le o $udo Tosho'u=s8
#ee Notes to the Introduction" number 3;8
308 ?yin4 is one o the ive cardinal evils o Buddhism" alon4
with
ta'in4 lie" stealin4" adultery" and drin'in4 into%icants8
):8 AHeresyA reers to any non.Buddhist teachin48 6hristianity was
introduced into 7a5an by !rancis Qavier and other 5riests rom the mid
dle o the si%teenth centuryC The years 3;D0.3*;: have been called the
A6hristian centuryA o 7a5an8 Be4innin4 in the early seventeenth century"
7a5anese 4overnment 5olicy chan4ed8 A 5eriod o su55ression o 6hris
tianity and 5ersecution o its adherents be4an" which ended in a com
5lete 5roscri5tion8 $eor4e #ansom" in his %istory of Aa/an) 161E-1F6G)
58 3:)" cites a document" dated 3*;1" containin4 various 4overnmental
5rohibitionsE one statesC AIn rural districts not a sin4le 6hristian 5riest
or brother or other member o a orbidden sect may be allowed entry8
6are must be ta'en to 5revent such entry8A
)38 The be4innin4 o the twelth month is traditionally the start
o
the Rohatsu sesshin in ,en tem5les" a 5eriod o intensive 5racticeE it
ends on the mornin4 o the ei4hth day" the time when #ha'amuni is tra
ditionally thou4ht to have attained his enli4htenment8
))8 $reed" an4er" and oolishness or i4norance are called
A5oisonsA
because they are the source o all human 5assions and illusions8
)(8 #ee note 28
)D8 In4en 93;0).3*2(< was a 6hinese 5riest 9his name in 6hinese
is
&m.yuan ?un4.ch=i< and ounder o the Oba'u ,en school in 7a5an8
Ban'ei is not 'nown to have been in Na4asa'i in the summer o 3*;D"
when In4en arrived8 A55arently" either there is a mista'e in the tran
scri5tion here" or else Ban'ei himsel conused In4en or In4en=s disci
5le -o'uan" who arrived in Na4asa'i in 3*;;" when Ban'ei was there
visitin4 +osha8 #ee Introduction" 58 31 and Notes to the Introduction"
number )*8
);8 A central -ahayana Buddhist conce5tC +eluded samsaric e%is
tence is" as such" nirvana" the 5erectly tran@uil state o enli4htenment8
3)D
NOTE#
i f
)*8 O
ne stic' o
incense
lasts
a55ro%im
ately
thirty
minutes8
=inhin)
sometimes
called
wal'in4
>a>en"
means
wal'in4
about
durin4
5eriods o
meditatio
n to
relieve
ati4ue or
drowsines
s8
)28 AOld toolsA reers
5rimarily to 'oans8
)18 T
he 4reat
ball 9or
lum5" or
mass< o
doubt 9in
7a5anese"
daigi-
dari' is
Athe state
o mind
reached
by the
'oan
student
when he
has 5ur
sued the
'oan u5
to a
certain
sta4e8 8 8 8
It is a
'ind o
mental
bloc'ade
8 8 8 Jin
whichK
the stream
o thou4ht
is bloc'ed
u5 8 8 8
does not
run on
but is
ro>en and
orms a
lum58A
+aiset>
#u>u'i"
Li0ing !y
Zen) 58
))38
)08 B
an'ei
reers
here to
the
distinctio
n made
between
the
teachin4
o the
Pure
?and
school"
which
holds that
enli4hten
ment is
attained
solely
throu4h
the
com5assi
onate
5ower o
an
Aother"A
Amida
Buddha"
and other
schools"
such as
,en"
which
hold that
it is
achieved
throu4h
the sel.
eort o
each
5racticer8
(:8 T
here is a
well.
'nown
e%chan4e
similar to
this one
between
Hui.
'=o and
Bodhidha
rma8 #ee
,en'ei
#hibayam
a" Zen
Co55ent
s on the
M$5onka
n) case
D38
(38 B
an'ei
alludes to
the well.
'nown
ma%im
attributed
to Bodhi
dharma
that
describes
the
5rinci5les
o the ,en
sectC
AByo4e
betsuden"
uryu
mon/i"
/i'ishi
ninshin"
'ensho
/obutsu8A
This
states that
,en is Aa
s5ecial
transmiss
ion
outside
the
Buddhist
scri5tures
" not
based on
words or
letters" in
which
one sees
into one=s
true
nature
and
attains
Buddhaho
od by
directly
5ointin4
to one=s
own
JBuddha.K
mind8A
()8 T
he three
evil
realms 9in
7a5anese"
san-
ak$do'
are the
three low
est and
least
desirable
rebirths in
the wheel
o
e%istenceC
the realms
o
hell"
hun4ry
4hosts"
and
animals8
#ee note
3:8
((8 A
Indieren
tA
translates
the
Buddhist
technical
term 5$ki
9#an
s'rit
a0ydkrta'
# M$ki is
used in
con/uncti
on with
"enki
9A4oodA<
and
ak$ki
9AbadA< to
reer to
what is
neutral"
indieren
t" or
neither
4ood
nor bad8
The
En4lish
word
Aindiere
nt"A
althou4h
admittedl
y inade
@uate"
does" I
thin'"
convey
the basic
sense o
5$ki as it
is bein4
used
here8 The
mon'
ima4ines
that
dwellin4
in what
Ban'ei
calls the
unborn
Buddha.
mind
would
mean
enterin4
into a
>ombieli'
e state o
indeter.
3);
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
minate" anesthetic inactivity" cut o rom eelin4 and sensation8 #ee
Li0ing !y Zen) 58 ))D8
(D8 The thie earned his sobri@uet rom bein4 so elusiveE the
ka//a
is a ty5e o 7a5anese water im58
(;8 Bumasa'a 6hohan" a amous robber who i4ures in the stories
o
the twelth.century wars between the Taira and $en/i clans8 Accordin4 to
one le4end" he went to the 4reat monastery at -ount Boya intendin4 to
steal but instead reali>ed his evil ways and became a 5riest o dee5 aith8
(*8 +urin4 the Edo 5eriod 93*:(.31*2<" criminals were oten re
cruited rom amon4 the inmates in the 5risons to wor' as a4ents
*5eakasht'#
(28 Accordin4 to the Pure ?and schools o 7a5anese Buddhism"
the
callin4 o the ormula ANamu.Amida.ButsuA 9or Nembutsu< brin4s salva
tion and rebirth in the Pure ?and o Bliss throu4h the 4race o Amida
Buddha8
(18 One o the si% Asu5ernaturalA 5owers attained by Buddhas is
the
ability to see into others= minds *tashin"$ in 7a5anese<8 #ee note ;D8
(08 AHya'u/o=s !o%A is a amous 'oan" ound in the 5o5ular 'oan col
lection M$5onkan 9in 6hinese" W$-5en k$ari') case )8 #ee #hibayama"
558 ((.DD8
D:8 The 5riest alludes to the ATri5le InvalidA 'oan" which a55ears
in
the %ekiganrok$) case 118 In it" the T=an4 5riest $ensha #hibi 96hinese"
Hsuan.sha #hih.5ei< s5ea's these words to his disci5lesC
All masters s5ea' about their oice o ministerin4 or the sa'e o
livin4 bein4s8 How would you deal with a tri5le invalid i he
should a55ear suddenly beore you hereG &ou may hold u5 a
mallet or a ly whis'" but a man suerin4 rom blindness cannot
see you8 &ou could 4ive 5lay to all the verbal resources at your
command" but a man suerin4 rom deaness cannot hear you8
&ou may let him tell you his understandin4" but that is
im5ossible since he is mute8 How" then" will you deal with himG I
you cannot
3)*
NOTE#
deal with him" the Buddha +harma must be 5ronounced wantin4 in
s5iritual eicacy8
D38 The Prece5ts" or Linaya *;its$ in 7a5anese<" sect bases its
teach
in4 on the strict observance o certain rules 9);: rules or a 5riestE ;::
or a nun<" which is thou4ht to lead one to enli4htenment8 The Prece5ts
sect was one o the old Buddhist schools brou4ht rom 6hina in the
Nara 5eriod 9*D*.20D<8 Its inluence 4reatly waned with the a55earance
o new schools in the Bama'ura 5eriod 9330).3(((<8
D)8 Ban'ei reers to the term "enchishiki) literally a A4ood man"A
a
name 4iven to a 5erson who hel5s another to ma'e 5ro4ress toward en
li4htenment8
D(8 Ban'ei was" li'e many o the 4reat ,en teachers" a 5ainter
and
calli4ra5her 9s5ecimens o his wor' etch hi4h 5rices whenever they a5
5ear<8 He was also an accom5lished scul5tor o Buddhist ima4esE many
o his wor's are still enshrined in the tem5les with which he was associ
ated8 #ee !u/imoto" 558 *3D.3;8
DD8 The three AworldsA *sa5e in 7a5anese< reer to the 5ast"
5resent"
and uture8 Attainment o Buddhahood is said to brin4 with it the ability
to see all time and s5ace as i you are loo'in4 at the 5alm o your hand8
D;8 Ban'ei had to cross the Inland #ea rom the Ryumon./i" his
main
tem5le" to reach -aru4ame" a castle town on the Inland #ea coast o the
island o #hi'o'u8 #anu'i Province is 5resent Ba4awa 5reecture8 The
H*shin./i was built by the lord o -aru4ame 6astle" Byo4o'u Ta'atoyo"
or his mother" a devoted ollower o Ban'ei8 #he had 5assed away the
5revious year" and her dyin4 wish was that Ban'ei lead a retreat at the
H*shin./i8 Ban'ei=s sermons too' 5lace rom the twenty.third day o the
ei4hth month to the second day o the ninth month8 He returned on the
third o the month to the Ryumon./i to be4in the lon4 winter retreat"
which o5ened on the ith8 6hronolo4ically" then" the H*shin./i sermons
were delivered beore those at the Ryumon./i8 All the main manuscri5t
co5ies have the Ryumon./i sermons irst8
3)2
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
D*8 Ban'ei reers to the our constituent elements o the universe8
A
7a5anese 5oem attributed to Ban'ei readsC AThis -ind is unborn and
undyin4" Earth" water" ire" and air are its tem5orary home8A ,orok$)
58 3138
D28 The #ans'rit word nir0ana a55ears in transliterated orm as
the
6hinese nie-/an or nie-/Can) which in 7a5anese becomes ne-han# The
word is used 5o5ularly to mean Adeath"A but that is wron4" or nirvana is
re4arded as 5uttin4 an end to all comin4 into lie and dyin48 Here
Ban'ei=s e%5lanation o nehan 9nirvana< as AunbornA and Aundyin4A ol
lows a 5o5ular etymolo4y that was a55arently current in 6hina and
7a5an8 68 The +nf.$ence of B$ddhis5 on the Chinese Lang$age) -ission
Press" Newchwan4" 31108
D18 The 7i>o./i" rebuilt by Ban'ei in 3**D on the site o an
old
Bama'ura.5eriod tem5le" was a avorite restin4 5lace to which Ban'ei
oten re5aired when his chronic illness made 5eriods o convalescence
necessary8 At times" he also used it or retreats8 &amashina lies /ust to the
east o Byoto" beyond the Awata4uchi 5ass" the old eastern entranceway
to Byoto on the To'aido road8
D08 In 3*0)" En4elbert Baem5er described the e%ecution 4rounds
in
EdoC A7ust beore we came to #ina4awa" the 5lace o 5ublic' e%ecutions
oer=d to our view a very shoc'in4 and un5leasin4 si4ht" human heads
and bodies" some tendin4 to 5utreaction" some hal devour=d" lyin4
amon4 other dead carcasses" widi multitudes o do4s" ravens" crows"
and other ravenous beasts and birds" waitin4 to satisy their devourin4
a55etites u5on these miserable remains8A Baem5er" vol8 (" 58 2:8 The
condemned were s5read.ea4led on a 6ross or wooden 5lan' and dis
5atched with lances8 When the method o e%ecution was beheadin4" the
head was dis5layed on a 5i'e at the e%ecution 4round beore the 5rison
4ates8
;:8 It was customary on the anniversary o the death o a member
o
one=s amily or Buddhists to observe the occasion by eatin4 ve4etarian
are and 5racticin4 the Buddhist virtues8 A day o A4eneral abstinenceA
3)1
NOTE#
5resumably reers to the death anniversary o the sho4un or some
member o his amily" which the entire country was e%5ected to observe8
;38 A ormula recited when a 5erson enters the Buddhist lie
readsC
AHuman orm is hard to 4et" now I have itE the Buddha +harma is hard
to hear" now I have heard itE i I do not 4ain salvation in this lie" when
will I have this chance a4ainG All the 4reat multitude o bein4s must with
wholeness o heart ta'e their reu4e in the Three TreasuresC Buddha"
+harma 9?aw<" and #an4ha 96ommunity<8A
;)8 This idea derives ori4inally rom Indian Buddhism8 In
India"
where the social 5osition o women was low" the idea develo5ed that
women were unable to attain salvation as womenE they had irst to as
sume the body o a man8 Althou4h later the -ahayana teachin4 that all
bein4s 5ossess the Buddha.nature allowed to women the 5ossibility o
attainin4 Buddhahood" the earlier notion did not com5letely die out"
and it is seen in the Buddhist canon" whence the idea no doubt ound
its way into 7a5an8 The idea o chi.d.ess women bein4 cut o rom Bud
dhahood does not have any basis in orthodo% Buddhist teachin4 and
5robably re5resents the stron4 inluence o 6onucian ancestor worshi5
5revalent in To'u4awa 7a5an8
;(8 #rimala" the dau4hter o Bin4 Prasena/it o Bosala" is the 5rota4o
nist o the ri5a.a $tra# The Na4a maiden a55ears in the Lot$s $tra
9+evadatta cha5ter<" as the ei4ht.year.old dau4hter o the +ra4on Bin4
#a4ara8 Ater 5resentin4 the Buddha Nwith a 5recious 4em" she turns into
a man and immediately attains Buddhahood8 ?in4.chao 9Reisho in
7a5anese<" the celebrated dau4hter o the T=an4 layman Houn 9P=an4.
yun in 6hineseE 23D.1:1<" a55ears with her ather in a number o
e5isodes recorded in the ,en histories8 Taima 6hu/ohime is a semi.
le4endary ei4hth.century dau4hter o !u/iwara Toyonari8 #he is said to
have become a nun and devoted hersel to the 5ractice o Nembutsu
and" with the aid o Amida Buddha" to have embroidered a 5icture
9'nown as the Taima -andala< de5ictin4 the s5lendors o the Pure ?and
o Bliss8
3)0
THE +HAR-A TA?B#
;D8 The te%t is literally" A#ha'amuni=s si% sense or4ans Jvision" hear
in4" smell" taste" touch" and aculty o mindK 5ossess the si% su5ernatural
5owers8A These are the si% su5erhuman aculties ac@uired by a Buddha"
4ivin4 him e%traordinary 5owers o seein4" hearin4" discernment" and so
on" incom5rehensible to unenli4htened bein4s8 His vision is such that
he can see everythin4" rom the hi4hest heavens to the lowest hells8
A#'illul meansA *$/aya' reers to the various devices a Buddhist teacher
uses in instructin4 the unenli4htened and leadin4 them to deliverance8
;;8 Ban'ei reers to the B*rin./i" built or him in 3*21 by the lord
o
-aru4ame 6astle" Byo4o'u Ta'atoyo" at the behest o his mother" the
nun &*sho.ni 9see note D;<8 The B*rin./i was one o Ban'ei=s three main
tem5les8
;*8 6alled ts$1igiri in 7a5anese" these samurai would test the
ed4es
o their swords by stri'in4 down chance wayarers on lonely byways8 A
rumor current earlier in the century was that #ho4un lemitsu 93*:(.
3*;3< himsel indul4ed 9inco4nito< in nocturnal e%cursions o this 'ind8
Bo%er" The Christian Cent$ry in Aa/an) 1EH9-16EI) 58 (*D8
;28 *>u was an ancient castle town in lyo Province 95resent
Ehime
5reecture< on #hi'o'u8 The Nyoho./i was built or him there in 3**08
;18 In 3*0)" /ust two years ater Ban'ei s5o'e these words" a con
tem5orary witness" the $erman 5hysician En4elbert Baem5er" 4ave this
descri5tion o Ahaw'ers and 5edlersAC
The crowd and thron4 u5on the roads in this country is not a
little encreas=d by numberless small retail.merchants and children
o country 5eo5le" who run about rom mornin4 to ni4ht"
ollowin4 travellers" and oerin4 them to sale their 5oor" or die
most 5art eatable merchandi>eE such as or instance several ca'es
and sweetmeats" wherein the @uantity o su4ar is so inconsiderable"
that it is scarce 5erce5tible" other ca'es o dierent sorts made o
lowers 8 8 8 all sorts o roots boil=d in water and salt" road.boo's"
straw.shoes or horses and men" ro5es" strin4s" tooth.5ic'ers" and a
mul.
3(:
NOTE#
titude o other triles made o wood" straw" reed" and bambous"
such as the situation o every 5lace aords8 Baem5er" 58 (D;8
;08 In the ?otus 9Ho'e in 7a5anese<" or Nichiren" sect" the title" or
<ai5ok$) o the Lot$s $tra) 5ronounced Myohorenge-kyo) is recited by
the devotee in the belie that he will thereby receive all the merits con.I8
tained in the sutra8
3(3
The <ia.og$es of Zen
Master Banket
The fo..o8ing short ta.ks and dia.og$es are taken fro5 a
8ork entit.ed Butchi 'osai >en/i ho4o *The <har5a 8ords of
Zen 5aster B$tchi =osai) that is) Bankei') a co5/i.ation !y
+ts$"an onin *16EE-1G3H') 8ho ser0ed as BankeiCs atten
dant fro5 16F9 $nti. his death in 1693- +ts$"anCs 8ork co0
ers a so5e8hat 8ider ti5e /eriod than the /receding
ser5ons and consists 5ain.y of BankeiCs res/onses to J$es
tions fro5 his o8n Zen disci/.es and fo..o8ers and fro5 re/
resentati0es of other B$ddhist sects# The co.o/hon of the
5an$scri/t co/y of this 8ork) 8hich is /reser0ed in the
;y$5on-1i) is dated 1G3I) 8hen +ts$"an 8as se0enty-fi0e
years o.d# + ha0e $sed the te4t gi0en in ?$1i5oto Ts$chishigeCs
Ban'ei >en/i ho4o shu8 O ha0e added *//# 1EH-E9' a n$5!er
of anecdotes fro5 other so$rces as 8e..) for their intrinsic in
terest and for the f$rther .ight they shed on BankeiCs re.igio$s
/ersona.ity# *9W'
A ?A&-ANC I= LE HEAR+ &OU #A& THAT BE.
cause we have oolish thou4hts" we become animals" and 5ass
rom dar'ness to dar'ness cut o rom Buddhahood8 &et
when there=s no sadness in the animal=s mind" it=s able to do
as it li'es" without any awareness o its suerin48 #houldn=t
that be a careree e%istence ater allG
Ban'eiC But isn=t it sad to live com5letely unaware that
3((
THE +IA?O$UE#
you=re turnin4 the one and only Buddha.mind that you 4ot
rom your 5arents into the suerin4s o hellG I someone beats
the do4 that stole a chic'en the day beore" the do4 doesn=t
'now it=s bein4 beaten or what it did yesterday8 7ust the same
it howls 5iteously when the stic' alls8 As an animal" not
'nowin4 the 5rinci5le o cause and eect" it under4oes an
endless round o suerin48 !or you as a human bein4" whose
intelli4ence is beyond dis5ute" it=s a relatively easy matter to
encounter a 4ood teacher and become a Buddha8 #o you
ou4ht to be dee5ly than'ul that you=ve had the 4ood ortune
to be born into a human body8 Ri4ht at hand" then" you have a
matter o incalculable im5ortance8 +on=t let your time 5ass in
vainF
A laymanC Every time I clear a thou4ht rom my mind" another
a55ears ri4ht away8 Thou4hts 'ee5 a55earin4 li'e that
without end8 What can I do about themG
Ban'eiC 6learin4 thou4hts rom the mind as they arise is
li'e washin4 away blood in blood8 &ou may succeed in
washin4 away the ori4inal blood" but you=re still 5olluted by
the blood you washed in8 No matter how lon4 you 'ee5
washin4" the bloodstains never disa55ear8 #ince you don=t
'now that your mind is ori4inally unborn and undyin4 and
ree o illusion" you thin' that your thou4hts really e%ist" so
you transmi4rate in the wheel o e%istence8 &ou have to
reali>e that your thou4hts are e5hemeral and unreal and"
without either clutchin4 at them or re/ectin4 them" /ust let
them come and 4o o themselves8 They=re li'e ima4es
relected in a mirror8 A mirror is clear and bri4ht and
relects whatever is 5laced beore it8 But the ima4e doesn=t
remain in the mirror8 The Buddha.mind is ten thousand times
bri4hter than any mirror and is marvelously illuminative
besides8 All thou4hts vanish tracelessly into its li4ht8
3(D
THE +IA?O$UE#
A armerC #ince I was born with a short tem5er" an4ry
thou4hts come into my mind very easily8 This distracts me
rom my wor'8 I ind it e%tremely diicult to remain in the
Unborn8 What can I do so that my mind will be in harmony
with the unborn mindG
Ban'eiC #ince the unborn Buddha.mind is somethin4 you
and everyone else are born with" there=s no way you can 4o
about attainin4 it now or the irst time8 7ust attend to your
armwor' and have no other thou4hts8 That=s the wor'in4 o
the unborn mind8 &ou can swin4 your hoe while you=re an4ry"
too" or that matter8 But in that case" since an4er is an evil that
lin's you to hell" your wor' becomes hard and onerous8
When you hoe with a mind unclouded by an4er and other
such thin4s" the wor' is easy and 5leasant8 It=s the 5ractice o
the Buddha.mind itsel" so it=s unborn and undyin48
A mon'C It too' much hard 5ractice or the 4reat ,en masters
o the 5ast to 5enetrate 4reat enli4htenment so dee5ly8 !rom
what I have heard" your own reali>ation also came only ater
many hardshi5s8 #omeone li'e me" who hasn=t en4a4ed in any
5ractice or arrived at any enli4htenment" couldn=t 5ossibly
achieve true 5eace o mind sim5ly by 5erceivin4 the necessity
o livin4 in the unborn Buddha.mind and stayin4 /ust as I am8
Ban'eiC It=s li'e this8 A 4rou5 o travelers" climbin4 throu4h a
stretch o hi4h mountains" 4ets thirsty" and one o them
stri'es out and ma'es his way ar down into the valley to etch
water8 It=s not easy" but he inally inds some and brin4s it
bac' and 4ives his com5anions a drin'8 +on=t those who
drin' without havin4 e%erted themselves @uench their thirst
the same as the one who didG Now" i a 5erson reused to
drin' the water because he elt that doin4 so was wron4"
there wouldn=t be any way to @uench his thirst8
3(;
THE +IA?O$UE#
-y own stru44le was underta'en mista'enly" because I
didn=t meet u5 with a clear.eyed master8 Eventually" thou4h" I
discovered the Buddha.mind or myselE ever since" I have
been tellin4 others about theirs" so they=ll 'now about it
without 4oin4 throu4h that ordeal" /ust as those 5eo5le drin'
water and @uench their thirst without havin4 to 4o and ind it
or themselves8 #o you see" everyone can use the innate
Buddha.mind /ust as it is and achieve a trouble.ree 5eace o
mind" without resortin4 to any mis4uided austerities8 +on=t
you thin' that is an invaluable teachin4G
A laymanC I don=t @uestion that there are no illusory thou4hts
in the 5rimary mind" but /ust the same" there=s no letu5 to the
thou4hts that come into my mind8 I ind it im5ossible to stay
in the Unborn8
Ban'eiC Althou4h you arrived in the world with nothin4 but
the unborn Buddha.mind" you ell into your 5resent deluded
ways as you were 4rowin4 u5" by watchin4 and listenin4 to
other 5eo5le in their delusion8 &ou 5ic'ed all this u5
4radually" over a lon4 5eriod o time" habituatin4 your mind
to it" until now your deluded mind has ta'en over com5letely
and wor's its delusion unchec'ed8 But none o your deluded
thou4hts was inborn8 They weren=t there rom the start8 They
cease to e%ist in a mind that=s airmin4 the Unborn8
It=s li'e a sa'e lover who has contracted an illness that
orces him to 4ive u5 drin'in48 He still thin's about it8
Thou4hts about havin4 a ew drin's still enter his mind
whenever he has a chance to 4et his hands on some sa'e8 But
since he abstains rom drin'in4 it" his illness isn=t aected
and he doesn=t 4et drun'8 He stays away rom it des5ite the
thou4hts that arise in his mind" and eventually he becomes a
healthy man" cured o his illness8 Illusory thou4hts are no
dierent8 I
3(*
THE +IA?O$UE#
you /ust let them come and let them 4o away" and don=t 5ut
them to wor' or try to avoid them" then one day you=ll ind
that they=ve vanished com5letely into the unborn mind8
A mon'C I have 4reat diiculty subduin4 all the desires and
deluded thou4hts in my mind8 What should I doG
Ban'eiC The idea to subdue deluded thou4hts is a deluded
thou4ht itsel8 None o those thou4hts e%ists rom the start8
&ou con/ure them u5 out o your own discriminations8
A visitin4 mon'C I a55reciate very much what you told us last
ni4ht about everyone bein4 born with a Buddha.mind8 #till" to
me it would seem that i we are this Buddha.mind" illusory
thou4hts shouldn=t arise8
Ban'eiC The instant you said that" what illusion was thereG
A laymanC I can a4ree with what you say about seein4 and
hearin4 by means o the Unborn8 But while we=re aslee5"
someone may be ri4ht ne%t to us and we don=t even 'now it8
Isn=t the Unborn=s inluence lost thenG
Ban'eiC What loss is thereG There=s nothin4 lost8 &ou=re /ust
slee5in48
Ban'ei to his assemblyC &our unborn mind is the Buddha.
mind itsel" and it is unconcerned with either birth or death8
As evidence o this" when you loo' at thin4s" you=re able to
see and distin4uish them all at once8 And as you are doin4
that" i a bird sin4s or a bell tolls" or other noises or sounds
occur" you hear and reco4ni>e each o them too" even thou4h
you haven=t 4iven rise to a sin4le thou4ht to do so8 Everythin4
in your lie" rom mornin4 until ni4ht" 5roceeds in this same
way" without your havin4 to de5end u5on thou4ht or relec.
3(2
THE +IA?O$UE#
tion8 But most 5eo5le are unaware o thatE they thin'
everythin4 is a result o their deliberation and
discrimination8 That=s a 4reat mista'e8
The mind o the Buddhas and the minds o ordinary men
are not two dierent minds8 Those who strive earnestly in
their 5ractice because they want to attain satori" or to discover
their sel.mind" are li'ewise 4reatly mista'en8 Everyone who
recites the %eart $tra 'nows that Athe mind is unborn and
undyin48A
3
But they haven=t sounded the so$rce o the
Unborn8 They still have the idea that they can ind their way
to the unborn mind and attain Buddhahood by usin4 reason
and discrimination8 As soon as the notion to see'
Buddhahood or to attain the Way enters your mind" you=ve
4one astray rom the UnbornH4one a4ainst what is unborn
in you8 Anyone who tries to become enli4htened thereby
alls out o the Buddha.mind and into secondary matters8
&ou are Buddhas to be4in with8 There=s no way or you to
become Buddhas now or the irst time8 Within this ori4inal
mind" there isn=t even a trace o illusion8 Nothin4" I can assure
you" ever arises rom within it8 When you clench your ists
and run about" or e%am5leHthat=s the Unborn8 I you harbor
the least notion to become better than you are or the sli4htest
inclination to see' somethin4" you turn your bac' on the
Unborn8 There=s neither /oy nor an4er in the mind you were
born withHonly the Buddha.mind with its marvelous
illuminative wisdom that enli4htens all thin4s8 !irmly believin4
in this and bein4 ree o all attachment whatsoever 8 8 8 that is
'nown as the Abelievin4 mind8A
A mon' rom the city o #endai in northern 7a5anC What 'ind
o 5re5aration must we under4o to enable us to conorm with
this 5rimary mindG
3(1