Blue Cliff Record 97, Book of Serenity 58

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Blue Cliff Record (Hekiganroku, Biyan Lu) #97
Book of Serenity (Shoyoroku, Congrong Lu) #58
The Diamond Sutra's "The Transgression is Wiped Out"

Personnel

The Diamond Sūtra (in Sanskrit, Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) is a short (about 6,000 words in English) Mahāyāna sūtra from the Prajñāpāramitā ("Perfection of Wisdom") canon. Scholars believe the original text of the Diamond Sutra was written in India some time in the 2nd century CE. The original Sanskrit version is lost; the oldest extant version is Kumarajiva's 401 CE translation of the sutra into Chinese. Framed as a dialog between Buddha and the monk Subhuti, the Diamond Sutra emphasizes the practice of non-abiding and non-attachment.

Yuanwu's Preface (Blue Cliff Record; Yamada)

Freely handling one while releasing two is not yet a true adept. Realizing three when one is held up still goes against the fundamental truth. Even if you can directly upend heaven and earth while cutting off voices in the four directions, even if thunder rumbles and lightning streaks while clouds move and rain pours down, even if you upset ponds and turn over cliffs so that water gushes forth as from a jug or from an overturned bowl, this still does not hold up the other half. Is there anyone who knows how to turn the Northern Dipper and move the earth's axis? To test, I am citing this. Look!

Wansong's Preface (Book of Serenity; Yamada)

Understanding the meaning depending upon the sutras is the enemy of the Buddhas of three realms;
Going away one word from the sutras is the same as the devil’s preaching.
The one who is not included in cause and does not go into effect –
Does that person receive karma results or not?

Case (Sato)

The Diamond Sutra says, "It is about getting despised by other people. If you are to come into hell because of your sins in your previous life, these sins will be extinguished because you are despised by the people of this world."

Diamond Sutra, chapter 16

Thich Nhat Hanh translation
"Furthermore, Subhuti, if a son or daughter of good family, while reciting and practicing this sutra, is disdained or slandered, his or her misdeeds committed in past lives, including those that could bring about an evil destiny, will be eradicated, and he or she will attain the fruit of the most fulfilled, awakened mind."

Red Pine translation
"Nevertheless, Subhuti, the noble son or daughter who grasps, memorizes, recites, and masters such a sutra as this and contemplates it thoroughly and explains it in detail to others will suffer their contempt, their utter contempt. And how could this be? Subhuti, the bad karma created by these beings in their past lives should result in an unfortunate rebirth. But now, by suffering such contempt, they put an end to the bad karma of their past lives and attain the enlightenment of buddhas."

Xuedou's Verse (Yamada)

The bright jewel is in the palm of my hand.
It will be awarded to those who have distinguished themselves.
Neither Barbarians nor Chinese come.
It is completely without skill.
The technique is already gone.
The evil one has lost the way.
Gautama! Gautama!
Do you know me or not?
Again I say, "I have seen through you completely."

Hongzhi's Verse (Yamada)

Merits and faults are continuously connected;
Causes and effects are glued together.
Away from his mirror Ennyadatta runs about crazily,
[Master] Hasôda strikes [the oven] with his staff.
The oven is broken, [the god of the oven] is come to be congratulated;
He sees that he was [always] going against his own self.

Mahasattva Fu's Verse

In a previous embodiment there were consequential hindrances;
Today accepting and upholding the scripture,
Temporarily slighted and scorned by people,
It turns the serious back into light

Hakuin's Comment

There is something of significance here, you know; no more can be said about it.

Tenkei's Comment

In bringing out this passage, Xuedou breaks up the cave of scholasticism, sets for the Zen eye, and versifies the great meaning of the scripture.

Sekida's Comment

When you are despised by others, for whatever reason, if you can hold on to your ordinary mind and remain unaffected by the actions of others, you are absolved of your previous transgressions.

Yamada's Comment

For the evil karma to disappear you must realize that your true nature is totally empty. This is the only way. The Diamond Prajna Paramita Sutra is certainly not just the sutra written on paper. The real Diamond Sutra is your true self, your essential nature. You should constantly keep your attention on your true self and realize the emptiness of all things. Just being scorned by others would not have that much power to extinguish past evil karma. No, it is in the act of ceaselessly "reciting" the sutra of your true self every moment of the day and never straying from it. For such people it is very true that the evil karma of a former life is extinguished. If everything is totally empty, anything like sin or evil karma is also totally empty.

Wick's Comment

In fact, your practice can be said to be a means of dealing with karma and its consequences. When it's time to scream, we scream; when it is time to laugh, we laugh; when it is time to cry, we cry; when it's cold, we're cold; when you're reviled, be reviled. You have to be one with cause and effect. The principle of causation means that those who practice oneness, those that truly identify themselves with causes and effects will be released. It's as straightforward as that.

Rothenberg's Verse

The Scorn of the Time

When heaven changes to earth,
the sky tumbles down, lakes go belly-up.
Cliffs fall over like a teapot cracking
beneath the weight of the tea.

Our own scorn smothers the history of evil.
The latest snow obscures the last.
Boiling water still melts ice.

I always turn the answers around in my fingers.
I urge you to stop before reaching the end:
You must check if the words are still emitting light.

A jewel in the palm reflects rays to the sun.
You lose it at once when it's cast in the waters,
not for friend nor for enemy,
know me or fool me,
all lies open to you.

Sonya Gardenswartz's Verse

Turning around once
Sit thee down and
There’s no turning back
   In a previous embodiment there were consequential hindrances
All my ancient twisted karma
   Revealing continuous merit and fault
From beginningless greed hate and delusion
   Inextricable cause and effect
I now fully avow
   Today accepting and upholding the scripture
Not holding to so much as the letter “A”
   It turns the serious back into light
Embracing completely who you are
Taking time to bow without hurry
Leaves a traceless residue

Martin Luther King Jr. Quote

Unearned suffering is redemptive.

Sturmer's Verse

Jean Cocteau
suffered from
a mysterious skin disease
while filming
Beauty and the Beast.
For several weeks
the loveliest of fairytales
disfigured its creator.

Hotetsu's Verse

The people hate you, of course.
They know you for the liar, the thief, the murderer that you are.
Can you be saved? Redeemed?
Maybe. Just tell me this:
How deeply grateful are you
for their hatred?

Appendix: Alternate Translations

Case

Sato (BCR & BOS): The Diamond Sutra says, "It is about getting despised by other people. If you are to come into hell because of your sins in your previous life, these sins will be extinguished because you are despised by the people of this world."

T. Cleary & J.C. Cleary (BCR): The Diamond Cutter scripture says, "If one is scornfully reviled by others, this person has done wicked acts in previous ages which should bring him down into evil ways, but because of the scorn and vilification by others in the present age, the wicked action of former ages is thereby extinguished."

T. Cleary (BCR): The Diamond Scripture says, "If one is scorned and reviled by others, this individual has done wrong in previous ages and should fall into states of misery. Because of the scorn and revilement of people in the present age, the wrongs of previous ages dissolve."

Hinton (BCR): The Diamond Sutra says: If someone derides you as a worthless bonehead, it's because the sins they committed in a previous life pitched them into evil ways. Once you realize this, you're free.

Sekida (BCR): The Diamond Sutra says, "If anyone is despised by others, even if he has committed some serious transgression in a former life and been doomed to fall into the evil world, the transgression in the former life is wholly wiped out by virtue of the fact that he is despised in this life."

Shaw (BCR): Attention! The Diamond Sutra says, 'If men dispise a person (for studying and delighting in) it, he (the despised person) need not mind. In previous existences he had committed evils which would have made him fall into the evil world (of devils, denons and beasts). By being despised for delighting in this Sutra, those evils of his previous existences will be extinguished.'

T. Cleary (BOS): The Diamond-Cutter Scripture says, "If someone is reviled by others, this person has done wicked acts in previous ages and should fall into evil ways, but because of the scorn and revilement of people in the present age, the wicked deeds of past ages are dissolved."

Wick (BOS): Attention! The Diamond Sutra says if someone is reviled by others it is because that person had acquired negative karma in a previous existence. Because of this past falling into evil ways he is reviled by people in this life, and in being reviled, the karma of the past will be exhausted.

Xuedou's Verse

Yamada: The bright jewel is in the palm of my hand./ It will be awarded to those who have distinguished themselves./ Neither Barbarians nor Chinese come./ It is completely without skill./ The technique is already gone./ The evil one has lost the way. Gautama! Gautama!/ Do you know me or not?/ Again I say, "I have seen through you completely."

T. Cleary & J.C. Cleary: The clear jewel is in my palm;/ Whoever has accomplishment will be rewarded with it./ When neither foreigner nor native comes/ It has utterly no abilities./ Since it has no abilities,/ The Evil One loses the way./ Gautama, Gautama!/ Do you know me or not?/ (Hsueh Tou also said,) "Completely exposed!" T. Cleary: The bright pearl in the palm/ Is awarded to the accomplished./ If neither alien nor native comes,/ It has no skills at all./ If one has no skills,/ The devil loses the way./ Gautama, Gautama --/ Do you recognize me or not?/ Completely exposed!

Hinton: To seize the Buddha-truth pearl, you/ must master wild adoration's depths.// Of all sage-masters foreign or native,/ not one's transmitted Absence whole:// if anyone could, that destroyer Lord/ Mara would be lost. O, Wary-Cloud,// Wary-Cloud Buddhas, to fathom me/ you must be Absence whole yourself.// Commenting further, Snow-Chute/ Mountain said: "Broke it open!"

Sekida: Holding the jewel,/ Merit is rewarded./ Free from merit,/ The jewel reflects no more./ Truly meritless,/ The heavens seek in vain./ Gautama, Gautama,/ Do you know the secret?/ "Everything lies open,"/ Says Xuedou again.

Shaw: To him who holds the wonderful jewel (i.e. the Diamond Sutra) in his hand, and who has that merit, a reward will assuredly be given. But neither from Ko nor from Kan (from anywhere) does anybody with such merit come forth. Norbody has that capacity or qualification. Mara (the Wicked ones) have lost the way. Gautama, Gautama, do you yourself know who you are? (Are you the One with the right qualifications?) (And Setcho added a concluding word: 'I have penetrated your mind long ago.')

Hongzhi's Verse

Yamada: Merits and faults are continuously connected;/ Causes and effects are glued together./ Away from his mirror Ennyadatta runs about crazily,/ [Master] Hasôda strikes [the oven] with his staff./ The oven is broken, [the god of the oven] is come to be congratulated;/ He sees that he was [always] going against his own self.

Cleary: Continuous, merit and fault:/ Inextricable, cause and effect./ Outside of the mirror crazily ran Yajnadatta./ With the staff the oven-breaker struck -- the oven fell;/ The spirit came to celebrate,/ Only to be told he'd been turning away from his self.

Wick: Success and failure bound together;/ cause and effect glued together./ Outside the mirror Enyadatta crazily runs;/ Hasoda swings the staff and the kiln is smashed./ The spirit comes forth to congratulate him./ Why say you've been beholden till now?

KOAN INDEX