Master Huineng’s teachings: The Three Bodies and the Four Wisdoms

Sangha Wisdom. A native of Anfeng, Shouzhou. First reading of the Lankavatara Sutra. About a thousand times. Rather than the three bodies and four wisdoms. The ritual master seeks to understand its meaning. The teacher said. Three-body person. Purify the Dharmakaya. Your nature. Complete Sambhogakaya. Your wisdom. Billions of incarnations. Your trip is also. If away from nature. Don't talk about the three bodies. That is called having a body but no wisdom. If you realize that the three bodies have no inherent nature. It is called the Four Wisdoms of Bodhi. Listen to my verse.

Self-nature possesses three bodies, invented and developed into four kinds of wisdom. Inseparable from the conditions of seeing and hearing, I ascend to the Buddha's land transcendently. Now I will teach you the truth. Faith will never be lost. Do not learn. Those who seek will preach Bodhi all day long.

"Sangha Zhitong" , a native of Anfeng, Shouzhou, read the Lankavatara Sutra for the first time, about a thousand times." There is a monk named Zhitong, who is a native of Anfeng, Shouzhou. He has read the Lankavatara Sutra more than a thousand times, but "does not know the three bodies and four wisdoms": He does not understand what the three bodies are? What are the four wisdoms? "The ritual master seeks to understand its meaning": So I bow to the Sixth Patriarch and ask the Sixth Patriarch to explain its meaning.

"Master said: Of the three bodies, the pure Dharma body is your own nature.": The Sixth Patriarch said: Of these three bodies, the first is the pure Dharma body, which is your own nature. "The perfect Sambhogakaya is your wisdom": The second is the perfect Sambhogakaya; it is your wisdom. "Thousands of billions of incarnations are your actions": The third is tens of billions of incarnations; it is your actions. Whatever your behavior does, it will change.

"If you leave your own nature, don't talk about the three bodies": If you leave your own nature and talk about the three bodies, "it is called having a body but no wisdom": it means having a body but no wisdom. "If you realize that the three bodies have no inherent nature": If you realize that the three bodies have no inherent nature, "that is called the Four Wisdoms Bodhi", "Listen to my verse": I will say a verse, please listen to it.

"Your own nature has three bodies": Your own nature has three bodies: the pure Dharma body, the perfect Sambhogakaya, and the hundreds of billions of incarnations. "Invention becomes the four wisdoms": If you have an invented nature, your three bodies will become the four wisdoms. "Not separated from the conditions of seeing and hearing": The four kinds of wisdom are not separated from the conditions of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, feeling, and knowing. "Transcendence to the Buddha's Ground": If you understand this principle, you can transcend to the Buddha's ground; transcendence means that you can immediately ascend to the Buddha's ground from an ordinary person. "I will tell you now": I will tell you this verse now, "True faith will never be lost": If you truly believe deeply, you will never be lost. "Don't imitate those who seek from the outside": Don't imitate those who seek outside and "say Bodhi all day long": say Bodhi all day long! Bodhi! Bodhi! Talking about Bodhi from morning till night, but not practicing Bodhi and not understanding Bodhi. So now you don’t just talk about it, you have to truly understand the three bodies!

Tong Zaiqi said. The meaning of the four wisdoms. You can smell it. The teacher said. Knowing all three bodies. Then you will understand the four wisdoms. Why bother asking? If you leave the three bodies. Don’t talk about the four wisdoms. This name has wisdom but no body. This is wisdom. Still ignorant. Repeat the verse and say.

The Great Round Mirror, the nature of intelligence, the purity, the equality, the wisdom, the heart, the disease-free, the wonderful observation, the wisdom, the view, the non-achievement, the wisdom, the same round mirror, 5867, cause and effect, change, but use famous sayings, no reality, no mercy at the turn, complicated Xingyongchu Nagasing

"Tong Zaiqi said": The monk Zhitong heard the Sixth Patriarch's verse on the three bodies. Then he came to ask again and said, "Can you hear the meaning of the four wisdoms?" : I have already heard about the three bodies mentioned above, and the principles of the four wisdoms. Could you please tell me about this meaning, the Patriarch?

"Master said": The Sixth Patriarch said, "Now that you understand the three bodies": since you understand the principles of the three bodies, "you will understand the four wisdoms": you should understand the four wisdoms of the Buddha. . "Why ask again?": Why do you ask again? "If you leave the three bodies, don't talk about the four wisdoms": If you leave the three bodies and talk about the four kinds of wisdom, "This name has wisdom but no body": This means that although there are names of the four wisdoms, they have no reality. "Even if you have wisdom, you will still be without wisdom": If you leave the body of the three bodies, even if you have wisdom, you will eventually become without wisdom. It is just a name and has no use for the four wisdoms.

"Retell the verse and say": He also said the verse to Zhitong and said, "The wisdom of the great round mirror is pure": What is the wisdom of the great round mirror? The Buddha has four kinds of wisdom. The great round mirror wisdom is transformed from the eighth consciousness, and the consciousness becomes wisdom. When you don't know how to use it, it is consciousness; when you return to the original state and turn to the eighth consciousness, it becomes the great round mirror wisdom. So what is the nature of the great round mirror wisdom? It is pure and untainted.

"The wisdom of equality has no disease in mind": The wisdom of equality is transformed by the seventh consciousness.

That is, before you understand it, it is called the seventh consciousness; after you become enlightened, it is the wisdom of equality. The seventh consciousness, called mana consciousness, is also called transmission consciousness. It is passed from the sixth consciousness to the eighth consciousness, so it is called transmission consciousness; eighth consciousness? Also called hidden consciousness. In Sanskrit, it is called Alaya Consciousness, and when translated into Chinese, it is called Tibetan Consciousness. Stored consciousness, the seeds of the good and evil we do, are all hidden in the eighth consciousness. If you sow good causes, you will get good results; if you sow evil causes, you will get bad results. So it is also called the Eighth Consciousness Field, just like a field, what you plant will be what it produces. What about the seventh consciousness? Turn the seventh consciousness into the wisdom of equality. Equality means that the minds of all Buddhas and all sentient beings are equal and equal. How can you call your heart disease-free? To be free from disease is to have no obstacles, no jealousy, no greed, anger and delusion. If you have no obstacles, jealousy, greed, anger, or delusion, you can transform your seventh consciousness into the wisdom of equality.

"The wisdom of wonderful observation is that you see what is not merit": The wisdom of wonderful observation is what is transformed into the sixth consciousness. The sixth consciousness distinguishes everything, good and evil, right and wrong. In all your thoughts, you see this as good and that as bad; this is good and that is evil; this is wrong and that is right; this is male and that is female. The sixth consciousness does this job, so it is very smart; it seems very smart, but in fact it has become a kind of consciousness. If it were transformed into wisdom, what would it become? Become a wise observer. The wisdom of wonderful observation can see all realms without distinction, so it is called wonderful observation. There is a difference between wonderful observation and discriminating mind. Discriminating mind requires you to use a kind of discrimination to distinguish. Now you can know without distinguishing. This is called the wisdom of wonderful observation. Therefore, when he reaches the state of Arahant, he must observe with intention. Observation with intention is to use the wisdom of wonderful observation to know everything. If he does not pay attention to observation, he still has this kind of intention, which is what ordinary people have; then if he does make intention, he means to be quiet and calm down; if he wants to know something, he will know it by observing it with the wisdom of wonderful observation. . How long can we know? Can know things within eighty thousand eons.

"The wisdom of perfecting is the same as a round mirror": The wisdom of perfecting is formed by the first five senses, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body. These five senses form the wisdom of perfecting. Comprehensive wisdom is the same as a round mirror. If you use the first five consciousnesses to achieve conscientious wisdom, it is the same as a round mirror.

"Five, eight, six and seven effects and causes turn": Five is the first five consciousnesses, and eight is the eighth consciousness. These five or eight are based on fruit, but what about six or seven? It is due to transit. Sixty-seven is the first turn in the cause, turning to the sixth consciousness and the seventh consciousness; then the first five consciousnesses and the eighth consciousness are turned up in the effect, and the great round mirror wisdom and the accomplished wisdom are turned. "But there is no real nature in the famous saying": Although it talks about turning on the cause and turning on the effect, this is just a way of saying it. In fact, there is no real nature, it is just a name. "If you are not merciful in the place where it turns": If you are not merciful in the place where it is turning, you will not stop. You don't need to think about this turning situation with your ordinary mind. "Prosperity will always be in Naga Din": "Fan" means "many", and "Xing" means "rising". That is, a lot of the time, I am often in Nagasama.

Why is it called Nagading? Naga is a name for the dragon; the dragon is always in concentration, and Naga concentration is the concentration of the dragon. Do you think why dragons can be big or small? It is manifested from concentration, so it is called the divine dragon, because the dragon has changes. Didn't I say before that the Sixth Patriarch used a bowl to subdue the dragon and said: "If you are a divine dragon, you can not only manifest the big body, you can also manifest the small body; if you can only manifest the big body and not the small body, that's not true." Shenlong." So the dragon appeared in a small form. The Sixth Patriarch said: "You don't dare to come into my alms bowl." I believe this dragon also has a very big temper and a great deal of ignorance: You said that I don't dare to come into your alms bowl, let me just give it a try! So he jumped into the bowl. After jumping into the bowl, he had no choice but to jump out. So the old monk, the Sixth Patriarch, taught it the Dharma, and it passed away. Although it is always in concentration, it has not broken through ignorance, so it still loses its temper. Hey! I will show you a small body! If it is really in concentration, and you say I won’t show up in the lower body, I won’t show up, so what’s the point? Let me show you this body! When it was turned by him, it lost its concentration, so the Sixth Patriarch subdued it.

Naga concentration is the concentration of the dragon; the concentration of the dragon means that it has an incredible state.

I asked you before, why did the dragon become a dragon? Because he practices and studies Buddhism very hard and works hard day and night, but he does not keep the precepts. It says that the precepts are observed by ordinary people. I am an extraordinary person. I am simply not among ordinary people. I don’t need to keep the precepts! Ever since, it turned into a dragon.

As above, transform consciousness into wisdom. It is said in the teaching that the first five consciousnesses are transformed into the wisdom of perfection, the sixth consciousness is transformed into the wisdom of wonderful observation, the seventh consciousness is transformed into the wisdom of equality, and the eighth consciousness is transformed into the wisdom of the great round mirror. Although six or seven causes are transferred in the middle, and five or eight fruits are transferred upward, their names are transferred, but their bodies are not transferred.

This passage is not from the original scripture, but was added by later generations. "As above, transforming consciousness into wisdom": As mentioned above, this is the method of transforming consciousness into wisdom. "Jiao Zhongyun": In the teaching, it is said, "Turn the first five consciousnesses into the wisdom of perfection, turn the sixth consciousness into the wisdom of wonderful observation, turn the seventh consciousness into the wisdom of equality, and turn the eighth consciousness into the wisdom of the great round mirror. Although the six The seven causes are transferred in the middle, and the five and eight fruits are transferred upward." "But the name is transferred": the name of consciousness and wisdom, "but the body is not transferred": the main body does not move or rotate at all.

Understand the wisdom of nature. Then he presented a verse and said.

The three bodies, the original self, the four wisdoms, the original mind, the body, and the wisdom are integrated without hindrance, and respond to things regardless of the shape. I practice in any way, and guard the true and exquisite purpose. Because the teacher Xiao finally died, he was stained with a tainted reputation.

"Tong suddenly understood the wisdom of nature, and then wrote a verse:" Zhitong immediately understood the role of the four wisdoms of nature, so he also said a verse. Saying "the three bodies are my original body" means that the pure Dharma body, the perfect Sambhogakaya, and the hundreds of billions of incarnations are my own body, and there are not three bodies outside of my body. "The four wisdoms originate from the clear mind": the wisdom of the great round mirror, the wisdom of equality, the wisdom of wonderful observation, and the wisdom of achievement. These four kinds of wisdom are originally understood in one's own heart, and only then are these four kinds of wisdom born. "The body and wisdom are integrated without hindrance": the principle of the integration of the three bodies and the four wisdoms without hindrance, "According to things and letting them follow their shapes": Responding to things means observing opportunities and teachings, and teaching according to people; letting them follow their forms means letting things happen and following the conditions. Unchanged, unchanging and whatever happens.

"Every time I start to practice, it is all delusion.": If you talk about how I cultivate the three bodies and four wisdoms, and if I start cultivating my mind, it is all delusion to have such a mind. "Keep the true essence of bandits": If you say: Hold on to prejudices, I have some attachments; stick to prejudices, this is not the real essence, not the real truth. "The wonderful purpose is known by the teacher": This infinitely mysterious truth and purpose are only understood by me because of the Sixth Patriarch. "Death is stained with a name": There is no such stained name at all. Being untainted means that it comes from nature and does not fall into one kind of consciousness. That’s why it is said, “When you are defiled, you are not allowed to do it.” If you are defiled, you cannot return to the original state. So this is the pure origin without any pollution.