The Sutra of the Forty-Two Sections

An Imperial Edict.

The Way of the Buddha and the Patriarchs points to awakening to one's own mind as the fundamental principle. Those who speak in this way are said to possess correct knowledge and correct view. Using this to benefit others and interact with the world, enabling people to directly reach the source of mind—only then can one be called a true descendant of the Buddhas and Patriarchs.

What are referred to as external paths and demonic paths also possess knowledge and views. However, because they mistakenly perceive the consciousness-spirit as the basis of birth and death, taking it as the ultimate principle, they misrecognize Buddha-nature and slander and destroy precepts and conduct. This is why they are called external and demonic paths.

We have perused the recorded sayings of Miyun Yuanwu and Tianyin Xiuxiu. Their words, phrases, and skillful means solely point directly upward, straight to the human mind. This accords with the essential meaning brought from the West and attains the true lineage of Caoxi.

Upon seeing within Miyun's record the refutation of the erroneous words of his disciple Fazang, and the words of Fazang cited therein, We were appalled by his complete delusion about inherent nature and his ignorant, false speech. Not only did he not know the essential purpose of the Buddha-Dharma, he had not even glimpsed the awakening of his own teacher. He recklessly gave vent to his wild fancies, deceiving the world and confusing people. This is truly the knowledge and view of external demons. Therefore, his teacher refuted him again and again, and Tianyin Xiuxiu also composed a "General Discourse Resolving Doubts" to expose his errors.

Yet at that time, the demonic mind did not cease. His writings should have been destroyed immediately, not circulated. For example, the demonic successor Hongren, poisoned by his views, further produced a book called *The Rescue of the Five Schools*, which was circulated together, hoping to make the demonic teachings immortal and create endless demonic karma. In the world and for later generations, those with clear vision are few. Not knowing the harm, even if some knew and refuted it, having virtue but no position, the words of a single person lacked evidence and were not believed. This would cause those seeking the ultimate in Chan to harbor doubts and not know where to turn. Those infected by his teachings would think this is what Chan is. First, they would give rise to wrong faith; next, they would possess wrong views. With the arising of wrong faith, correct faith is cut off. With the possession of wrong views, correct views are extinguished. This would inevitably lead to the demonic seed being everywhere, with everyone inheriting the demonic talk. Their own inherent nature-school would not be clear, while the verbal branches and vines would run wild.

Now his demonic sons and grandsons go so far as to not sit in meditation, not hold retreats, even to drinking alcohol, eating meat, destroying precepts, and breaking rules. They only engage in composing poetry and essays, flattering and pleasing scholar-officials, employing the same tricks as courtesans and entertainers. How could this not defile the ancestral monasteries? If they are not cut off and removed, it concerns the Dharma-eye of all Buddhas and the wisdom-life of sentient beings—no small matter.

We, as the ruler of the world, hold to the essence of the Mean to cultivate ourselves, regulate our families, govern the state, and bring peace to the world. We stand outside the situation and are not someone who opens a hall and expounds the Dharma. What connection do We have with Yuanwu and Xiuxiu? Or with Fazang and Hongren? However, having deeply understood the essential purpose of Chan and clearly seen the situation of demons and external paths, We acutely perceive the magnitude of the present demonic karma and foresee the depth of the future demonic calamity. We truly have no choice but to speak and cannot bear not to speak.

Now, Chan is the special transmission outside the teachings. It can be wordless; it can have words. An ancient worthy said: "Exhausting all metaphysical discussions is like placing a single hair in the vast sky; using up all the world's pivotal mechanisms is like dropping a single drop into a great ocean." Words spoken like this flow naturally from inherent nature. Like the Three Baskets and twelve divisions of scripture, and the seventeen hundred public cases—which one does not flow naturally from inherent nature? Never has there been a single substantial dharma to bind humans and devas.

Now, the demon Fazang established a single circle (○) as the ancestor of the thousand Buddhas and ten thousand Buddhas, taking the threads of the kasaya robe as what the essential purpose is tied to. He spoke of having four dharmas, having a double head, having a minor dharma and a major dharma, and a major dharma of the major dharma, calling these the subtle, secret tenets of the school, claiming transmission and bestowal. And the demonic successor Hongren, citing the case of Samgha-nandi meeting a child holding a mirror and walking straight forward as proof there has always been a form that could be shown, used it to validate his demonic teacher's circle-form as not being contradictory. He also used the incident of the kasaya being wrapped around in front of the Many-Children Stupa as clear evidence that the kasaya is what the essential purpose is tied to. He also interpreted Linji's striking of KeFu and Puhua as the symbolic image of Huangbo's three beatings. Countless such instances of creating substantial dharmas, all stemming from intellectual understanding and forced interpretations, losing their own mind. Huangbo said: "People nowadays only want much knowledge and much understanding, which instead becomes an obstruction. They only know to give children much curd to eat, not knowing whether they can digest it or not. Practitioners of the Three Vehicles are all like this; they are all called those who eat but cannot digest. Therefore, knowledge and understanding that are not digested are all poison. They are all sought within birth and extinction. Within true suchness, there is none of this." Those who eat but cannot digest are many, but the demon Fazang and his son are those already satiated with poison.

The Buddha-Dharma is non-dual. How can one rigidly fix upon three or four, and furthermore have a secret transmission of a three-or-four essential purpose? They extensively quote ancient worthy's sayings that seem similar to serve as their annotations, then use these to compare and critique the orthodox tradition of not establishing verbal explanations and solely pointing directly upward. They spit at the clouds facing upward, only to dirty their own faces. Zhaozhou said: "Here, this old monk uses fundamental matters to receive people. If you tell this old monk to receive people according to their capacities, there are already the Three Baskets and twelve divisions of scripture to receive them. To speak of having no characteristics of discrimination between right and wrong is already not fundamental. How much more so to clearly produce characteristics of discrimination between right and wrong?"

The World-Honored One's forty-nine years of speaking, the ancient awls' seventeen hundred public cases—all are just language and written words. If one does not recognize this, even if one imitates them character for character, phrase for phrase, it becomes demonic talk, it becomes slandering the Buddha. Even if one can remember the Three Baskets and twelve divisions spoken by the Buddhas and Patriarchs, and the seventeen hundred public cases, without a single character or phrase wrong, it is precisely adding more mud to the sea of light. Moreover, once one falls into verbal explanations, it is the same as the teaching's characteristics. Since it is the same as the teaching's characteristics, the Three Baskets and twelve divisions are already present. Why then establish the purpose of the special transmission outside the teachings? However one explains it sideways or straight, can it go beyond the Three Baskets and twelve divisions? The sage has many abilities; the Buddha has many spiritual powers. Abilities are not the sage's root; spiritual powers are also not the Buddha's essence. Did Confucius know the Sanskrit of the West? Could the Tathagata speak the Tang language of China? Abilities and spiritual powers each have their limits. What connection do they have with *this*? How much more so with mere literary skill? The demon Fazang and his son actually mocked Miyun for being illiterate, implying he was not as learned as they. If one wants to discuss principles and literature, there are already scholars for that. What use are lineage followers? Being literate or illiterate—what connection does that have with *this*? Being thoroughly versed in classics and histories is like cutting colored silk to add artificial flowers to a tree. Being utterly illiterate is also like cooking rice without borrowing a neighbor's fire and water. For the demon Fazang and his son, their great root illness lies precisely in recognizing characters but not recognizing *this*.

If a Mongol comes now, receive the Mongol. If a Russian comes, receive the Russian. If people from Siam, Sulu, Ryukyu, or Japan come, receive those from Siam, Sulu, Ryukyu, or Japan. If one must wait until they recognize written characters before receiving them, then the Buddha-Dharma could not cover heaven and earth.

The demon Fazang's perverse, external knowledge and view, thinking themselves that every word is based on antiquity, every character derives from the scriptures—how could they know that even if one exhausts the Three Baskets and twelve divisions, even the Thirteen Classics, Twenty-One Histories, the various schools and hundred philosophers, all the writings stored in the world's four libraries, and strings them all together, matching them perfectly, smoothing all edges and seams, claiming even a Buddha coming could not open his mouth—this is precisely what the Buddha appearing in the world also could not save. Ananda served as attendant for thirty years, solely because of his much learning and wisdom, the Buddha admonished him: "You learning wisdom for a thousand days is not equal to one day learning the Way. If you do not learn the Way, a single drop of water is hard to digest." How much more so for demon Fazang with his perverse, external knowledge and view, rashly touching upon the Buddhas' and Patriarchs' matter of pointing directly upward? How could he even have a share worthy of admonishment? He only deceives those who have eyes but no pupils. Before those with clear eyes, the demonic form reveals itself.

Zhaozhou said: "Knowledgeable ones nowadays produce branches and vines upon branches and vines. All are greatly distant from the sages. Each generation is worse than the last. Just as Nanquan ordinarily said, 'One must practice among different species'—how would you understand that? Nowadays, babes at the breast, at crossroads in the streets, speak tangled vines, seeking alms-food, looking for bows, gathering three to five hundred people, saying 'I am a good knowledgeable one, you are a learner.'" One can know that the demonic form of Fazang and his son was already judged by Zhaozhou several hundred years ago. There is no need to see it with one's own eyes to know.

Yuanwu and Xiuxiu both used Linji's single shout and strike to point to people. The demon Fazang condemned this as "one-stump Chan," a hiding-place rut. If we discuss this matter, regardless of wondrous words and phrases, none are of any use. Even a single shout or strike is also an extraneous dharma. The ancients used shouts and strikes out of necessity, originally to cut off emotional views and point directly to the human mind. If demon Fazang uses emotional views to interpret them, the error is extreme. Did not the ancients say: "A single shout or strike is not used as a single shout or strike." When did they ever cling to this one shout or one strike? The demonic intention only wanted to reject shouts and strikes, hoping to promote the circle-form they falsely established, and the substantial dharmas of the double head and four dharmas, to seek novelty and victory. Little did they know this greatly violates the purpose of the special transmission outside the teachings, which has no dharma to transmit.

Moreover, Yuanwu and Xiuxiu never said a single strike is the ancestor of the thousand Buddhas and ten thousand Buddhas. Yet the demon Fazang falsely fabricated a circle-form as the ancestor of the thousand Buddhas and ten thousand Buddhas. Is this alone not a hiding-place rut? If one uses the circle-form as a shout or strike, it is still a hiding-place rut. If one takes the circle-form as the ancestor of the thousand Buddhas and ten thousand Buddhas, it is straightaway a demon's den.

National Teacher Zhong presented ninety-seven circle-forms to Danyuan; Danyuan showed them to Guiyang. The demon Fazang fabricated, calling them the "wordless secret seal before Dipankara." At that time, Danyuan showed them to Yangshan. Yangshan saw them once and immediately burned them. Later, Danyuan asked Yangshan; Yangshan then compiled another copy and presented it to Danyuan, with nothing missing. Also, Guishan raised a circle-form, inside making a sun-character. Yangshan drew a circle-form on the ground, inside making a sun-character, and wiped it out with his foot. Guishan laughed heartily. The demon Fazang only marveled at Yangshan being able to remember after one glance, considering it miraculous, but did not apprehend at the place of Guishan's great laughter, or Yangshan burning them and wiping with his foot. This is so-called "Han Lu chasing a clod." If one says the ninety-seven circle-forms are extraordinary, We now will make eighty-four thousand circle-forms, then reduce them to eight thousand three hundred ninety-seven, then to seven hundred ninety-one, then to ninety-five, then to nine, then to one circle-form. It is precisely like counting sands upon entering the ocean, also a mere plaything in the Flower Storehouse. What is extraordinary about it?

As for the Three Mysteries and Three Essentials, since Linji proclaimed them, ancient and modern lineage masters have all brought them up, yet none could clearly point them out. The demon Fazang then clung to Huangbo's three beatings to force a connection, fabricating and arranging arbitrarily. This is completely not knowing the Three Mysteries and Three Essentials. Did not Linji say: "Generally, when expounding the lineage teaching, a single phrase must possess the Three Mysteries gate. Within a single Mystery, three essentials must be possessed." He first mentions "expounding." Expounding cannot be without phrases. Phrases must recognize the Mysteries and Essentials to become living phrases. However, with one Mystery, the three essentials are already possessed. With three Mysteries, the nine essentials are fully possessed. Thus, the Mysteries establish the Essentials; the Essentials penetrate the Mysteries. Without the nine essentials, one cannot penetrate the three Mysteries. Attaining the nine essentials, the three Mysteries are then complete. Not divided yet divided; divided yet not divided. Therefore, the method of Mysteries and Essentials includes all dharmas. For example, "a single shout or strike is not used as a single shout or strike"—this is obvious. Also, the method of the Four Discernments is like the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, winter. Although the cold scenes change, they never go beyond this one year. This one year is the shout and strike. Caodong's Five Ranks are also like the mutual possession of the five elements, not going beyond this single energy. This single energy is the shout and strike. As for Fushan's Nine Belts, We say a single phrase must possess the Nine Belts, and within the Nine Belts, fifty-five bundles must be possessed. Also, like Fen Yang's Ten Wisdoms Sharing in Truth, We say a single phrase must possess the Ten Wisdoms Sharing in Truth, and within a single sharing in truth, fifty-five realities must be possessed. How is this different from the purpose of Mysteries and Essentials? Piling them up and expanding them is difficult to enumerate fully. In short, successive lineage masters, although changing their appearance to guide people, never depart from the World-Honored One holding up the flower and Linji's shout and strike. Departing from this is demonic talk.

Moreover, this shout and strike can possess all dharmas and can dissolve all dharmas. Does this shout and strike have a fixed form? How can a single shout or strike be used as a single shout or strike? The demon Fazang, not recognizing this, calls it "one-stump Chan." If we speak of Chan, even one stump is already an excessive setup. The demon Fazang is still not satisfied. We do not know how many stumps are needed to satisfy his demonic intention. The three beatings and the three days of deafness—could they have separate meanings? What connection do they have?

Furthermore, the demon Fazang, in his preface to the *Record of the Five Schools*, used a stupa as a metaphor: taking the nine levels as the five-period teaching doctrines; taking the pinnacle as Tathagata Chan; taking a thousand-foot sandalwood breaking through the pinnacle from emptiness as Patriarch Chan; taking the five lights and three samadhis as the five family schools. He also boasted of his words as adding a handful of sand atop the stupa—all kinds of demonic talk.

All teaching characteristics belong to traps and snares. Tilling soil to plant melons—when the melon ripens, it is not the soil. Gold comes from ore—is the ore then the gold? To say the levels of the teaching end, and their pinnacle is Tathagata Chan, is straightaway like talking in one's sleep. Moreover, the great meaning from the West is precisely the Tathagata's Nirvana wondrous mind. The five families dividing into schools—their true aim returns to the source. How can one divide Buddha and Patriarch, and further divide five families? Even between the Two Vehicles and the Great Vehicle, it is like skin, flesh, bones, marrow—the layers are distinct yet cannot be split apart. How much more so for the matter of solely pointing directly upward? What connection do the five lights and five schools have? Greatly resembling Han Dynasty pedantic Confucians who said the twenty-eight chapters of the *Book of Documents* correspond to the twenty-eight generals of the Cloud Terrace. The demonic intention only wanted to promote the Five Schools as surpassing Buddha and Patriarch, and adding a handful of sand atop already surpasses the Five Schools. This is what the Tathagata called "accomplishing great false speech."

Also, the demon Fazang pointed to Caoxi's "Originally not a single thing exists" as falling into the emptiness-annihilation external path. And Hongren clung to the phrase "Huangmei also had not seen nature," dead at the words. Now, considering only the phrase "originally not a single thing exists," it indeed seems like a self-liberating view. But the following line says, "Where could dust alight?" This can also be said to surpass all merit and directly reach the upward matter. The phrase "Huangmei also had not seen nature," being dead at the words—we need not discuss it for now. If one says it was to cover people's eyes and ears, that is also not so. Would Huangmei be willing to mislead sentient beings? And the reply "The rice is white, no sieve needed"—would Caoxi engage in worldly polite deference? Yuanwu and Xiuxiu's judgment, although somewhat vague, and Fazang and Hongren's direct condemnation as "emptiness-annihilation external path," appear even more unbearable. It is evident they have not even achieved self-liberation, solely engaging in conditioned substantial dharmas, perverse knowledge and perverse views.

Hongren also condemned Miyun's "Sentient and insentient, vividly and suddenly appear" as "women's quarters stuff," citing Yunmen's "Directly attaining the great earth without the slightest fault" as a turning phrase, and "Not seeing a single color" as a half-lift, saying "You must know there is also a time of the full-lift" as proof. Little did he know that Miyun's single strike going all the way down is precisely everywhere the full-lift, all due to the power of "sentient and insentient, vividly and suddenly appear." Since he had not reached Miyun's awakening, he dragged in Yunmen's sayings

On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, in the eleventh year of the Yongzheng reign.