Lankavatara Sutra (楞伽經纂)

Preface to the Lankavatara Sutra

Alas! This Great Way cannot be conveyed through words or sounds. When the Buddha smiled on Vulture Peak, the Dharma was already transmitted; when Bodhidharma sat facing a wall at Shaolin, the meaning was silently revealed. The mind-seal was transmitted without establishing written words, so that through a mere exchange of glances, the Great Way was fully realized—no need for acupuncture or moxibustion; chronic illness was instantly cured. How regrettable that later students clung to past habits and were swayed by the storms of views and knowledge. Those with ripened mango-like potential were not lacking, but those who attained sudden illumination like the sun were few. Moonlight and mist both appeared, gold ore and impurities mixed, causing the wondrous clarity to be covered by dust. Moreover, as time passed, teachings inevitably became corrupted; with many teachers, practices inevitably deviated. Without written records, how could there be proof?

Thus, our Patriarch, coming from the West, pointed out the secret texts and transmitted them together, ensuring that even as generations declined, the Dharma would remain steadfast; even as people became misguided, the texts would still endure. For those determined to sift through sand, what difficulty is there in obtaining treasure? Our Patriarch Bodhidharma once said, "I have the four rolls of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, which are the mind-seal of all Buddhas." He transmitted them to the Second Patriarch, instructing him to uphold and protect them. Passed down through teachers, praised through generations, it was meant to accept vessels of the Great Vehicle and grant them the supreme delicacy—washing away subtle faults and placing them upon the true, pure ground.

But because India and China differed in languages and scripts, readers spent ten days struggling with punctuation and phrasing. How could they penetrate the text, see the meaning, and clearly understand it in their hearts? I deeply lament that the wonderful treasury of the Enlightened One has been neglected and eaten by bookworms over time. I imagine this breaks the hearts of all sages; how could any benevolent person sit idly by? I have long cherished sincere devotion to this, and its meaning subtly penetrated my mind. Studying day and night, the great principles became clear. Yet I deeply lamented that the previous texts were obscure and archaic, causing later students to abandon study. Therefore, I compiled the profound pivot, composed annotations, opened the precious secret texts, and set a day to begin the work.

Sure enough, a golden-adorned woman appeared to me in a midnight dream, urging my dullness to action. I composed a humble eulogy, completed it, and wished that students could see with their eyes and understand in their hearts. After a full year, the four scrolls were complete. Not daring to place them alongside the true scripture, I only called it "The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra: A Compilation." Thus, I arranged the 108 meanings into over seventy sections, grasping the profound mysteries and adding headings, so that students could read the text, attain its meaning, and use that meaning to verify their minds. Not only could the Buddha-seal be transmitted, but the majestic text would also not fall into ruin.

Alas! Sentient beings are ignorant, entangled in habitual karma, unaware that they have discarded their own family wealth, spending all day carrying dung for others. Their consciousness drifts and dashes about, bound to old age and death, even sinking into the four forms of birth and cycling through the six realms. Among them, some superior practitioners struggle to escape the dust of biased views—annihilating mind and appearances in emptiness, not knowing they are drowning in non-existence; or clinging to the illusory dust of consciousness, not knowing they are falling into existence. Taking "non-action" as the Great Way, they end up falling into the dust of consciousness. Pondering and speculating, they lose the source; stilling the spirit, it only moves more. The light of spirit continues, but the body hides within shadows. Silently sitting and contemplating emptiness is but a livelihood in a cave. Moreover, treating seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowledge as true thusness? How could they grasp the triple-wheel phrases and non-triple-wheel phrases, the marks and non-marks, the substantial and non-substantial, the existence and non-existence phrases, the phrase of "with" and "without," the phrase of self-realization and bliss, and the non-phrase thereof? The phrases of land, non-land, subtle particles, and non-subtle particles; water and non-water; bow and non-bow; substance and non-substance; number and non-number (this refers to the number of things); number and non-number (this "number" is pronounced shuò, meaning to count); clarity and non-clarity; space and non-space; clouds and non-clouds; craftsmanship, arts, and sciences phrases and their opposites; wind and non-wind; earth and non-earth; mind and non-mind; conceptual constructs and non-constructs; inherent nature and non-inherent nature. The teacher spoke for the sake of the secret treasury; if only the spiritual source returns to its root, what worry is there that all phenomena are not true?

Therefore, our Able One (Śākyamuni) greatly bestowed skillful means, revealing the wondrous essence of the One Mind and blocking the evil of all views. Truly, to savor the finest ghee, one must pour it over the impoverished son; using the wisdom of transcendence, enter the mind of ordinary beings; point out flaws, wash away defilements, and refine the true mind through the seven natures and seven meanings; simplify emotional consciousness through the four meditative states; set up the four lesser fruits to eliminate empty thoughts; describe the five heinous acts to remove delusive attachments; noticing that realization is not yet complete, they distinguish ten grounds; investigating that all phenomena are without marks, they reveal the seven forms of emptiness; the three types of wisdom and three bodies lead to the Dharma body; the two truths and five dharmas lead to the Dharma itself. Only because attachments and perspectives remain, who knows the loss is in a speck of dust? Thus, the teaching of nirvāṇa free from thought reveals the selfless store-house consciousness. Sever the tangled threads of delusion, not allowing them to continue, and cause the true seal to be worn, realizing emptiness. Extinguish existence and non-existence, transcend feelings and non-feelings, awakening. The intention is to close off the path of deviant views for future generations, open the field of self-realization—when the ore is gone, the pure gold pervades the whole body. Thus, guard against the side paths before the stages, examine the scars on the grounds, scrape away the gold-dust, and uncover the subtle membrane, so that both hindrances vanish completely, and there is no vehicle to climb. Forever shed the dirty robe of worldly existence, and sit upon the suchness ground of suchness.

Therefore, the treasury of jewels is stored, yet uniquely called the mind-essence. The Master of Jiangxi praised it, saying it has no gate. Called the mind-essence, there is no other school apart from mind; called having no gate, then there is a gate beyond dharmas. Looking up to this wonderful essence, there is truly a place of return. Treasures are laid out in abundance, but only seek the great price; the medical prescriptions are displayed in variety, but are specifically for minor ailments. When the great price is obtained, all goods are discarded; when the minor ailment is removed, what use are the many prescriptions? The transmission between the ancient Buddhas is only the One Mind. The secret treasury and the Āḍhyāśaya Sūtra only remove the sickness of mind. True consciousness is empty and still; delusive conditions arise from emotional thoughts. When emptiness and stillness return to the source, emotional dust naturally vanishes. Then this true consciousness stands alone, without support; mind and objects are both forgotten; the continuation of conditions ceases forever. This is called correct wisdom—what other search is needed? Finding the original pearl, it is none other than the old possession in one’s own home; removing the film from the eye, naturally there are no flowers in the empty sky. Water has no separate essence, yet freely forms waves; the mirror has no mind of its own, yet what obstacle is there to reflecting objects? The secret meaning of the Supreme Buddha is the same destination for a thousand sages. The brush and paper may be exhausted, but praise cannot be exhausted. This is why I, in my foolishness, do not shun offering a firefly’s light to assist the sun’s radiance, and earnestly pray that all sentient beings may dwell together in the undefiled.

Lankavatara Sutra, Compiled Version, Volume 1(Part 1)