The *Surangama Sutra* on Not Seeing

Banshō's commentary on the case

Tendō saw that Setchō's scriptural quotation was abbreviated and that it only generally raised the teaching's eye. Though the citation is brief, the verse is detailed. The second fascicle of the Surangama first clarifies that the things which are not seeing are foreground objects; next it clarifies that seeing which is not a thing is true nature. The present case raises the whole second section: If seeing were a thing, then you too could see my seeing. If we saw together, that could be called seeing what I see. But when I do not see, why do you not see the place of my not-seeing? If you see my not-seeing, it naturally is not the characteristic of that not-seeing. If you do not see the ground of my not-seeing, it naturally is not a thing. How could it not be you?³ Master Changshui comments: “The meaning of this passage returns through successive conclusions. There are five stages in all. The sutra's wording preserves three and conceals two implications. Stated fully, it should say: “‘If you do not see the place of my not-seeing, you also do not see the place of my seeing. Since you do not see the place of my seeing, my seeing naturally is not a thing. If my seeing is not a thing, your seeing too is not a thing. Since your seeing is not a thing, how could it not be your true seeing?’”¹ Foguo raised it this way: “Ananda's intention was: the world, lanterns, and exposed pillars all have names and characteristics. What thing is the bright source, the essence of seeing? I ask that you let me see it. “The Buddha's intention was: when I see the incense platform, what do you do? “Ananda said, ‘I too see the incense platform; this means seeing the place the Buddha sees.’ “The Buddha said, ‘When I see the incense platform, that can be known. But when I do not see the incense platform, what do you do?’ “Ananda said, ‘I too do not see the incense platform; this means seeing the Buddha's not-seeing.’ “The Buddha said, ‘You say you do not see; that is naturally what you know. How could you know another person's place of not-seeing?’” When the ancients reached here, it could only be known for oneself and could not be explained to another. Setchō brought out the teaching's eye and versified only seeing the Buddha. Tendō deeply obtained the sutra's meaning and versified true seeing. Setchō said: Even the eon-stone, solid from antiquity, can be destroyed; stand in the blue sea's depth, and it must run dry. After that, the great void is filled. Master Gui of Zhuyuan, a Dharma successor of Foyan, and his uncle, layman Chi Yi, both delighted in the Surangama Sutra. Zhuyuan said, “If, apart from foreground objects, there is a discriminating nature, precisely that is the root of birth and death.” The layman was alarmed and said, “Does the Buddha speak falsely?” Zhuyuan said, “The Buddha certainly does not speak falsely. But right now, where exactly is the mind with which the layman challenges me face-to-face?” The layman sighed, “The Buddha's explanation of the foremost emptiness is called a lion's roar. Go on your way; do not stagnate here.”⁴ Later Zhuyuan ascended the hall and said: When seeing sees seeing, seeing is not seeing. Seeing still departs from seeing; seeing cannot reach it. Fallen flowers intentionally follow flowing water; flowing water without feeling carries fallen flowers. Whatever can be returned naturally is not you; what cannot be returned to you—if not you, then who? I constantly lamented spring's return, with nowhere to seek it; I did not know it had turned and entered here. He shouted once and said, “Thirty years from now, do not say the Able One taught other families' sons and daughters badly.” Banshō uses only the first three lines to annotate and break open the case. Setchō directly versified seeing the Buddha. Foguo singled out the place of the Buddha's not-seeing as knowable only for oneself. Tendō versified draining the blue sea and filling the great void. Zhuyuan directly clarified that seeing which is not a thing can itself remain the root of birth and death. This is “the patch-robed monk's nostrils are long”: all go beyond the teaching's intention and produce another eye. “The ancient Buddha's tongue is short.” Banshō says: The ancient Buddha adapts to the occasion and follows another's intention. His speech bends down for those of lower capacity, and therefore he speaks a half-word. Patch-robed monks consistently raise the complete command, and therefore there is a Way separately transmitted.⁵ At Ruilu Temple in Wenzhou, Zen Master Yu'an of Shangfang broke the punctuation of the Surangama and read: Knowing and seeing are established; knowing is the root of ignorance. Knowing and seeing are absent; seeing this is nirvana. He suddenly awakened completely. People said, “Venerable, you have broken the sentence reading.” Yu'an said, “This is the place of my awakening,” and never changed it. He was then called “Surangama An.” Banshō says: This too is striking the correct through the deviant.⁶ “Pearl-thread passes through nine bends.” A popular story says Confucius, in difficulty in Chen, tried to thread a nine-bend pearl. He met a woman among mulberry trees who gave him the secret: “Think closely of it; closely think of it.” Confucius then understood. He tied thread to an ant and guided it with honey through the pearl.⁷ Master Zong of Puzhao in Sizhou, in his preface to Tendō's verses and comments on old cases, said, “Curving pathways communicate, like the thread-ant that penetrates a pearl. Circling movement joins things, like cloud-dragons spreading rain.” Fushan's Collection of Nine Bands includes “the hanging band of bends,” whose main intention is to clarify bending as an affair of the present time. “The jade loom has barely turned once” is like one shuttle of the jade loom before a pattern has formed. Tendō raised Dongshan's end-of-summer exchange and said: “Outside the gate is grass. One passes through lush and boundless growth. Leaves fall and one knows autumn; one descends into dim and deep green. Arriving here, one must embody the place where, though the mechanism has turned its pivot, the seal has not yet formed a pattern.” After a long pause he said: Water bright after the old oyster conceives; clouds heavy when the blue dragon sheds its bones. “Meeting directly, who recognizes him? Only then believe: this person does not join companions.” Kassan said, “Sit and cut off the master; do not fall into a second view. You must know there is one person who does not join companions.” Banshō says: Coming alone, I had thought there was no acquaintance; suddenly in the crowd, I meet an old friend.