The *Huayan Sutra* on Wisdom

Banshō's commentary on the case

From beginning to end of his great Huayan commentary, Master Qingliang classified this passage as “revealing causal nature.” In his commentary on Samantabhadra's vows, he called it “opening beings' source of nature.” How is it opened? The “Manifestation” chapter says: “Children of Buddha, there is not one sentient being who does not possess the Tathāgata's wisdom. Only because of delusive thought, inversion, and attachment do they not realize it.” The source note says: “Ordinary beings have delusive thought; provisional and small-vehicle practitioners have attachment; inversion applies to both.” “If they leave delusive thought, all-knowing wisdom, natural wisdom, and unobstructed wisdom appear of themselves.” The sutra then gives the analogy of a scripture scroll as vast as the great-thousand world contained within one mote of dust. The preceding verse's “amid the myriad phenomena, the body alone is exposed,” “apart from thought, see Buddha,” and “break the mote, release the scripture” belong precisely to this classification.⁴ The sutra also says: “At that time the Tathāgata, with unobstructed, pure wisdom-eye, universally contemplated all sentient beings in the Dharma realm and said: ‘Strange! Strange! How do these sentient beings possess the Tathāgata's wisdom yet, foolish and confused, neither know nor see it? I shall teach them by the correct road, have them forever leave delusive thought and attachment, and let them see within their own bodies the Tathāgata's vast wisdom, no different from Buddha.’” Qingliang's great commentary says, “Sentient beings encompass the virtues of nature as their substance and gather the sea of wisdom as their source. Yet appearance changes and substance differs; feeling arises and wisdom is obstructed. Now they are made to know mind and accord with substance, reach the source and forget feeling. Therefore this sutra is discussed to reveal it.” The explanation says this also clarifies why sentient beings lose the real. It is like a person complete in blessings, wisdom, and attractive appearance who suddenly dreams of a poor, sick, suffering body. The changed appearance is “appearance changes.” Not seeing the original body is “substance differs.” Grasping and recognizing the dream body as “my body” is “feeling arises.” Not believing in one's own blessed, upright body is “wisdom is obstructed.”² A monk asked Baozi, “‘Feeling arises and wisdom is obstructed; appearance changes and substance differs.’ What about before feeling has arisen?” Baozi said, “Obstructed.” The various regions did not know the phrase's source and often read the graph for “appearance” as “thought.” Students should know the distinction. When Kyōzan tested Kyōgen, he said, “I allow that elder brother understands Tathāgata Zen. As for patriarchal Zen, you have not even dreamed of it.” Now say: how far apart is Tathāgata Zen? Try using the Huayan Sutra passage to investigate the intent of Tendō's verse. Gantō said, “It must flow directly from your own breast and come forth to cover heaven and cover earth.” Here the verse says heaven covers and earth supports. How inverted! This is said according to ordinary human feeling. People ordinarily say heaven and earth generate humanity and call the three “the three powers.” Buddhism reverses this and says humanity generates heaven and earth: therefore the three realms are mind-only and the ten thousand dharmas consciousness-only.⁵ Here they are beaten into one mass and forged into one block, pervading the Dharma realm without boundary. In the Śūraṅgama Sutra, Buddha tells Ānanda: “Observe the nature of earth. Coarsely it is the great earth; finely, motes of dust. Proceeding to the neighboring-emptiness particle, divide the appearance at the boundary of extremely subtle form, which is made of seven parts. Divide neighboring-emptiness further and it is the nature of actual emptiness.”⁶ Banshō often raises the Inscription on Trust in Mind: The smallest equals the great, the object realm forgotten and cut off. The greatest equals the small; no boundary is seen. If someone asks what is greatest in the world, answer, “True emptiness.” Why? Because the greatest equals the small and no boundary is seen. If someone asks what is smallest, answer, “True emptiness.” Why? Because the smallest equals the great and the object realm is forgotten and cut off. Ah! What sort of person was the Third Patriarch? He produced one statement from which patch-robed monks throughout the world cannot leap free. A monk asked Jōshū, “What is mystery within mystery?” Jōshū said, “How long have you been mysterious?” The monk said, “Mysterious for a long time.” Jōshū said, “If not for this old monk, you would nearly have been mysterious to death.” Dongshan's Inscription on Mystery Within Mystery says, “Going toward the Way—do not go; returning, you turn your back on the father.” Since it pervades the Dharma realm and is made into one block, why labor to establish another mystery and subtlety outside the dust? How could there be before and after, front and back? Before Buddha appears in the world, it is not diminished. When Buddha appears, points it out, and expounds it, it is not increased. Praising the sea's breadth or boasting of the sun's brightness cannot express it; both merely add words. Once, while Nansen and Shanshan were gathering fern shoots in communal labor, Nansen held up one stalk and said, “This is excellent as an offering.” Shanshan said, “Not only this—even a hundred flavors and rare delicacies would not make him look.” Nansen said, “Even so, each person must taste it once.” Ming'an of Dayang ascended the hall and said, “Do not travel the road where mind goes. Do not sit in achievement where there is no place. Leave both being and nonbeing; heaven and earth are vastly empty.” Therefore Nansen said, “Everyone eats one stalk of greens. Seek one more stalk and you enter hell like an arrow shot.”⁷ Banshō says: Today, person seven.