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Kūkai, 774-835. Kūkai: Major Works. E-book, New York: Columbia University Press, 1972, https://hdl.handle.net/2027/heb.06009. Accessed 17 Sep 2020. Downloaded on behalf of University of California, Santa Cruz

PART THREE

MAJOR WORKS OF KUKAI

INDICATIONS OF THE GOALS OF THE THREE TEACHINGS

( San go shiki)

PREFACE

For any natural phenomenon or literary work there exists a cause. The sun, the moon, and the stars appear when the sky is clear. A man writes when moved. So the Eight Trigrams of Fu Hsi, the Tao-te Ching, the Book of Odes, the Elegies of Ch'u were written down by

102 PART THREE

men who were inspired from within. Of course, there can be no comparison between these sages of the past and a common man of the present such as I, yet somehow I feel compelled to express my inner- most feelings.

At fifteen I began my studies [ of Chinese classics] under -the guid- ance of Ato Otari, the teacher of a prince and an uncle on my mother's side. At eighteen I entered the college in the capital 1 and studied dili- gently. Meanwhile a Buddhist monk showed me a scripture called the Kokuzo gumonji no bo.2 In that work it is stated that if one recites the mantra one million times according to the proper method, one will be able to memorize passages and understand the meaning of any scripture. Believing what the Buddha says to be true, I recited the mantra inces- santly, as if I were rubbing one piece of wood against another to make fire, all the while earnestly hoping to achieve this result. I climbed up Mount Tairyii in Awa Province and meditated at Cape Muroto in Tosa. The valley reverberated to the sound of my voice as I recited, and the planetVenus appeared in the sky.3

From that time on, I despised fame and wealth and longed for a life in the midst of nature. Whenever I saw articles of luxury-light furs, well-fed horses, swift vehicles-I felt sad, knowing that, being transient as lightning, they too would fade away. Whenever I saw a cripple or a beggar, I lamented and wondered what had caused him to spend his days in -such a miserable state. Seeing these piteous conditions en- couraged me to renounce the world. Can anyone now break my determination? No, just as there is no one who can stop the wind.

My relatives and teachers opposed my entering the priesthood, say- ing that by doing so I would be unable to fulfill the Five Cardinal Vinues 4 or to accomplish the duties of loyalty or of filial piety. I thought then: living beings are not of the same nature-there are birds which fly high in the sky and fish which sink low in the water. To guide different types of people, there are three teachings: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Although their profoundness varies, they are still the teachings of the sages. If an individual chooses one, he does not necessarily repudiate loyalty and filial piety by doing so.

1 The capital was located at Nagaoka. 2 See Part One, p0 19, n. 1. 3 The planet Venus is thought to be one of the manifestations of Kolruzo

Bosatsu (Akasagarbha Bodhisattva). 4 They are the Five Confucian Virtues: benevolence, righteousness, propriety,

wisdom, and sincerity.

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Now I have a nephew who is depraved and indulges in hunting, wine, and women, and whose usual way of life consists of gambling and dissipation. It is obvious that an unfavorable environment has caused him to lead this kind of life. What has induced me to write [ this story] are the opposition of my relatives [ to my becoming a Buddhist] and the behavior of this nephew.

Here in my writing I should like to propose Tokaku (Hare's Horn) as host, with Kimo (Tortoise Hair) as guest speaker for Confucianism, Kyobu (Nothingness) as spokesman for Taoism, and Kamei-kotsuji (Mendicant X) as representative of Buddhism. These speakers will debate over Shitsuga (Leech's Tusk), the nephew, and admonish him. The work will consist of three parts and be called the Indications of the Goals of the Three Teachings. Of course, I am writing just to express my own unsuppressible feelings and not in order to be read by others.

First Day of the Twelfth Month Enryaku 16 (797)

PART ONE: THE ARGUMENT OF KIMO [CONFUCIANIST]

There was a man called Kimo (Tortoise Hair). He was eloquent by nature and stately in appearance and had memorized completely the Nine Oassics,5 the Three Dynastic Histories, 6 the sayings of the three ancient kings, and the theories of divination. Once he opened his mouth, his speech could bring back to life a dead tree or revivify a skeleton. It has been said that the famous eloquent orators of old, such as Su Ch'in and Yen P'ing, became tongue-tied before him, and Chang I and Kuo Hsiang became silent even when they saw him at a distance.

As it was his day off, Kimo visited Tokaku (Hare's Horn). Tokaku welcomed him with a feast and they drank heartily together. After exchanging the customary three cups, they started to talk.

rs The Book of Changes, the Book of Odes, the Book of History, the Book of Rites, the Rites of Chou, the Book of Ritual, the Tso chuan, the Kung-yang chuan, and the Ku-liang chuan.

6 The Historical Records of Ssu-ma Ch'ien, the History of the Former Han of Pan Ku, and the History of the Later Han of Fan Yeh.

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The topic of their conversation turned to the subject of Tokaku's nephew, Shitsuga (Leech's Tusk). He was dishonest by nature; he would not heed others' advice, nor pay attention to the proprieties. He indulged in gambling and hunting, was a profligate idler, and was arrogant and untrustworthy. One reaps as one has sown, but Shitsuga did not believe in the law of karma. Indulging in drinking, eating, and fleshly pleasures, he slept at irregular hours and did not worry about the sick even among his own relatives. He never greeted others when he met them, disgraced his father and elder brothers, and in his arro- gance humiliated well-learned elders.

Tokaku said to Kimo: "I have heard that, in ancient times, Wang Pao was an expert in singing, and so the people of Kao-t'ang followed his singing; thatTsung-chih [Wen Weng of Former Han] liked learn- ing, and so the people of Pa-shu came to like learning. An orange tree, when transplanted [from Huai-nan to Huai-pei], grows thick-skinned oranges; some crooked grasses, when grown side by side with hemp, straighten up of their own accord. By revealing the key to your inner wisdom, please enlighten this dull-minded one with your mystical elo- quence so that he will awaken from his folly."

Kimo replied: "I have heard that a wise man will not become a fool even if he is not taught, but a fool will not become wise even if he is taught. 7 Since even an ancient sage has in grief spoken in this way, I have no other words to add."

The host, Tokaku, said: "Ancient wise men have talked of writing compositions to describe things and of composing poetry to express their feelings; since ancient times the writing of essays concerning problems which arise has been a. highly esteemed occupation. There- fore, Wei Chao wrote a treatise condemning gambling, and Ylian-shu [Chao I], an essay attacking injustice; these have been recorded in books and preserved generation after generation as examples and ad- monitions. A dull knife, to cut through the bone, requires the help of a

. whetstone; a heavy wagon, to run well, needs oil. Even iron and wood which are devoid of intelligence depend on others; why should not man? If you clear the mist covering Shitsuga's mind and point ·out to him the errors of his conduct, remove the film that covers his eyes, and bring him back to the right path, how wonderful it will be!"

7 The Analects of Confucius, XVIII, 3.

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Thereupon, Kimo sank deep into thought and sighed. For some time he contemplated, looking first up at the sky and then down at the earth. Finally he smiled and said: "You have asked me cordially three times; therefore, I cannot refuse your request. I shall explain my humble views and judgments, relate my experience, and recount what I believe to be an outline of the method for controlling one's mind. I am, how- ever, neither eloquent nor wise. My writing lacks the power to cure another's disease,8 nor can my letters cause an enemy general to commit suicide.9 If I desire to express my thoughts, I cannot speak smoothly; nevertheless, if I do not speak out, my heart will be oppressed. As I cannot bear to keep silent, I shall speak, using examples both modern and ancient. Now I shall explain to you [as Confucius said] one quarter of the whole and ask you to guess the remainder.

"This is what I think: In the beginning there was chaos-what was pure and light became heaven and what was turbid and heavy became earth. Human beings then came into existence. All men born inherit something of both heaven and earth, being endowed with four limbs and a head, but there are very few who are wise and good and many who are stupid and wicked. Their deeds vary as stars one from another, and their minds differ as do their faces. As there is a distinction between a gem and a pebble, so there is a distinction between one man and another. The difference is great between a wise man and a fool. If a man is allowed to do what he likes, he can do it as easily as he can drop a stone in the water; but if he is forced to do what he hates, then he cannot accomplish anything, just as oil cannot mix with water. Just as a foul odor remains in a fishstore, so he remains subject to bad influences; and yet, his original good nature is not apparent, as the straight furrows of hemp cannot be seen until the plants sprout. Just as the lice on the head [ change their color according to the color of the hair] and the teeth of the people of Chin [ who eat yellow Chinese dates, turn yellow], so one's mind is conditioned by environment. It is as if one covers one's self with a tiger skin, but within is nothing but

8 Ch'en Lin of Wei was known for his good writing. It has been said that Em- peror Wu's headache disappeared when he read a letter from Ch'en Lin.

9 This is based on the story in the Historical Records of Ssu-ma Ch'ien. The General of Yen cried for three days and then committed suicide after having read the letter written by Lu Chung-lien, which had been tied to an arrow and shot into the castle.

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a mass of excrement bundled in silk brocade. Such a person would be disdained all his life as if he were a beast, and even after his death he

· would be known for generations as the foolish one who tried · to see the sky while carrying a tray on his head. What a shame! What a pit:y!

"I think that the uncut jade of Ch'u became lustrous only as a result of polishing, and that the brocade of Chen-tu became bright only after a rinse in the Yangtze River; Tai Yiian 10 changed his heart and rose to the rank of general; Chou Ch'u 11 also changed and made himself known for his loyalty and filial piety. A gem when polished may illumine darkness; a man by his effort may become intelligent. Even the son of a commoner, if he fol19ws the teaching faithfully, will be able to rise to the three highest positions in the government. Even a descen- dant of the emperor, if he stubbornly resists advice, may become a common man; I have heard that a tree can be straightened with the help of a rope. It is equally valid that by accepting advice one can become a sage. From the emperor down to the most humble man, there has never been a case in which a man has realized [a truth] by himself without studying, or has understood [it] by going against the teach- ings. That the states of Hsia and Yin perished and those of Chou and Han arose are good examples of . this; the fall of earlier dynasties serves to warn later generations .. One should be ca~tious; one should be prudent.

"Therefore, Shitsuga (Leech's Tusk), listen to me with th~ attentive ears of Ling Lun 12 and look at me with the penetrating eyes of Li Chu; 13 listen carefully to my admonishments and reexamine the path along which you have come. Now let us look at your own nature:

"You look down on your patents; you do not greet them when you leave or return home. You insult the people in the world and have no compassion for them.

"Seeking pleasure in hunting . birds and animals, you wander across fields and mountains; at other times, you row your boat out to the sea to fish.

10 He was the head of a band of thieves when young. 11 A notorious villain who is said to have killed a dragon and a tiger that had a

white forehead. 12 A famous musician who discovered the twelve standard tones during the

reign of the Yellow Empei;:or. 13 A man of old, well known for his keen vision.

MAJOR WORKS OF KUKAI 107

"All day long you indulge in amusements so that your bad deeds will soon exceed those of Chou Hsli.14 All night long you play and gamble, even more than Ssu-tsung 15 did. You even forget to eat and sleep, pay- ing no attention to wise counsels. You do nothing whatsoever good and your greed becomes stronger and stronger. You hunger for the flesh of animals as if you were a lion or tiger, and for fish as if you were a whale. You never think of them as your beloved children or of their flesh as your own. When you are drunk, you put even an orangutan 16

to shame. Your greed for food is worse than that of a leech that sucks blood. When intoxicated you are as noisy as a cicada, having no regard for the admonitions against drinking. You make no distinction between day and night. No one would even care to criticize your behavior, as Ma-tzu did.17 Your lasciviousness surpasses that of Teng T'u-tzu. 18

Even on seeing an ugly disheveled woman you are stirred; how much more so when you see a charming one! You would die of yearning for her as Siirpaka 19 did. Like a horse in the spring and a dog in the sum- mer, you have a heart that burns with lust. How can a fellow like you learn anything from such meaningful stories as those of the aged mon- key and the poisonous snake? 20

"You go on a spree in the gay quarters and behave like an ape play- ing in the treetops. Then at school you yawn and doze off like a crafty rabbit who takes a nap in the shade. It must be difficult for you to imagine that one [Sun Ching] studied hard [and kept himself from

14 He became the ruler of the state of Wei after killing his stepbrother but was later assassinated.

15 He was playing a game of chess at the time of his mother's death. 16 An orangutan is said to be very fond of drinking. 17 Three different remarks on Ma-tzu are found in the commentaries to the

Indications: 1) the source is unknown; 2) Ma-tzu is taken as a sesame seed, implying the ascetic practice of the Buddha who is said to have subsisted on a sesame seed a day while concentrating on his ascetic practice; 3) Ma-tzu is inter- preted as Wang Ma-tzu, who criticized Pai I and Shu Ch'i in Chou, causing them to starve to death (cf. Shingonshu zensho, XL, 21, 54). Since this appears as part of the speech of Kimo, a Confucianist, it seems appropriate to take the third interpretation here. ,

l8 He was scorned for having five children by his ugly, shaggy-haired wife. 19 An Indian fisherman who yearned for a queen. 20 Nanda, the Buddha's cousin and disciple, had a beautiful wife. She, however,

looked like an aged monkey beside the celestial nymphs. It is better for a man to insert his penis into the mouth of a poisonous snake than to have intercourse with a woman.

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sleep] by constricting his neck with a rope, or that another [Su Ch'in] did so by holding a gimlet against his thigh. Your mind is filled with thoughts of holding a glass of wine in one hand and a piece of crab in the other. You pay no heed to the story of the man in ancient-times [Ch'e Yin] who studied by the light of fifty or sixty fireflies gathered in a bag. Instead you are like the man who carried a hundred coins tied to the tip of his cane [so that he might be able to drink wherever he found a wineshop]. Should you by chance step inside a Buddhist temple, you neither confess nor repent but instead your mind turns toward evil. You are ignorant of the fact that to recite even once the name of the Buddha and to meditate on him may result in your attain- ing enlightenment, or that to spend a penny to off er a candle may result in your becoming an Enlightened One in the future.

"Instead of blaming your own faults, you resent it when you receive instructions from your father. It is impossible for you to understand the feelings of your teacher, who instructs you with more patience than he does his own son.

"You criticize others' faults and disregard the ten maxims.21 You are voluble and do not heed the admonitions about refraining from exces- sive talk. You know full well that to speak badly about others can be injurious, yet you are not cautious when what you say may well de- termine your own promotion or demotion.

"You have so many faults that it is impossible to describe them all. Even if you live a hundred years, if you indulge only in feasting, your life will have been spent like that of an animal. Even if you wear beautiful clothes throughout the year, you will still be like a dog or a pig. It is said in the Book of Rites that when a parent is sick the young son should not comb his hair, should abstain from frivolous behavior, should play no musical instruments, should drink only in moderation, and although merry should not reveal it by laughter. This is because the young son is so concerned about his sick parent that he cannot be bothered about his own deportment or appearance. Also in the same book it is said: 'When there is mourning next door, you should abstain from · singing while pounding · grain. Should there be a house in the neighborhood where a funeral has not yet been held, you should not sing in the streets.' This means that you should share the sufferings

21 Ts'ui Tzu-yii's ten maxims, the first of which is, "Do not talk of others' faults, nor praise your own strong points."

MAJOR WORKS OF KUKAI 109

of others, without making a distinction between relatives and strangers. Toward those to whom you are not related, you should act according to the above teaching; to those to whom you are closely related, you should act in the same way. Therefore, when a relative is sick, you must show your sincerity by calling a physician and then try the medicine first yourself. Otherwise, a wise man might look askance at you and be embarrassed by your behavior. When there is trouble in the neigh- borhood and you do not sympathize with or console those who suffer, relatives and intelligent people will be shocked. Your physical appear- ance differs from that of a bird or an animal; how can you remain [unaffected] like wood or stone? You have a human body, so why are you so much like a parrot or monkey?

"Shitsuga, if you change your heart and devote yourself to filial piety, you could be among those who are well known for this virtue. Think of the man who shed tears of blood; 22 of the man who struck a jar of gold; 28 of Meng Tsung; 24 of the man who caught carp; 25 or of Ting Lan.26 You can readily surpass such well-known examples as these.

"If you have a change of heart and devote yourself to loyalty, you could be among those who are highly esteemed for this virtue: think of the man who broke the railing; 27 of the man who broke a win- dow; 28 of the man who exchanged his liver; 29 of the man who was stabbed through the heart.30 Some day you may well excel these paragons in giving straightforward advice.

22 Kao Chai shed tears of blood for three years while mourning the death of his father.

28 Kuo Chii, while digging a hole to bury his child alive so that he might save food for his mother.

24 He miraculously found bamboo shoots in the winter because of his earnest wish to please his mother.

25 Wang Hsiang caught .two carp in an ice-covered pond while fishing at his stepmother's unreasonable command.

26 He made a wooden image of his mother, who had passed away while he was still young, and served it as if it were alive.

27 Chu Yun of Han, while being dragged away by an official to be put to death, broke the railing of the imperial palace in his earnest effon to give final advice to Emperor Ch'eng.

28 Shih Ching of Wei, when he tried to hit Marquis Wen with a harp in order to correct the marquis's fault of not listening to another's advice.

29 Hung Yen exchanged his liver with that of his lord, Duke I of Wei. 30 Pi Kan, for remonstrating with King Chou of Yin.

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"If you gave lectures on the classics, [great scholars like] Pao Hsien and Tzu Hsia would falter and withdraw. If you studied historical texts extensively, even Ch'ti Yuan and Yang Hsiung would hold their tongues in respect. If you devoted yourself to calligraphy, you would be able to write characters comparable to a bird flying or a . tiger in repose. Chung Yao, Chang Chih, Wang Hsi-chih, the Ou-yangs [0u- yang Hstin and his filial son Ou-yang T'ung] would throw away their brushes in shame. If you concentrated on archery, you could master the art to such an extent that you could hit the sun, and the monkeys would cry out in terror just seeing you put an arrow to the bowsfring. [Masters of archery such as] I Yu-ch'iung, Yang Yu-chi, Keng Ying, and P'u Ch'ieh-tzu would break their strings in admiration of you. If you entered into battle, [geniuses of war tactics such as] Chang Liang and Sun Tzu would lament their lack of strategy. If you engaged in trade and agriculture, [ successful businessmen such as] T'ao Chu and I Tun would bewail the fact that your grains exceeded theirs in variety. In politics your fame would transcend [Yang Chen's, who refused to be bribed, saying,] 'Heaven knows, the gods know, I know, and you know.' As a judge, you could win a reputation excelling that of the one [Liu Hsia-hui] who was discharged three times from his position [because of his honesty]. For prudence and purity, you might be compared to Mencius' mother or to Hsiao-wei; 31 for honesty and lack of greed, you could be compared to Po I and Hsti Yu.32 If you concentrated on the study of medicine, you would be an expert surgeon, more skillful than the one [Pien Ch'tieh] who exchanged the hearts of patients, or the one [Hua T'a] who washed out the patient's stomach. As an artist, your technique could excel that of Chiang Shih [in Chuang Tzu] who [with a chisel] could remove from the nose a piece of plaster as thin as the wing of a fly [ without so much as scratch- ing the nose}, or of Shu [Lu Pan] who carved a wooden kite.33 If you became such an expert, you would be as broad-minded and . wise as

3l The mother of Mencius is famous for her prudence in educating her young son. Hsiao-wei of the Later Han, living in a cave in Mount Wu-an and enjoying his life of purity, declined an invitation to be a government official.

32-Po I and Hsii Yu were famous men of old who are known for their reluc- tance to ascend the throne. Po I retired to the mountains, leaving the throne to his brother. Emperor Yao is said to have offered Hsii Yu the throne, but he declined the offer and then washed out the ears with which he had heard the emperor's offer. He lived content with poverty.

33 A bird so real that it flew on high and did not return for three days.

MAJOR WORKS OF KUKAI 111

Shu-tu 34 and as dignified and capable as Sou Sung.35 Those who saw you would be unable to measure your greatness.

"A suitable place must be chosen for your residence. Bear in mind that proper human conduct is the floor of your house, virtue the bed on which you lie, benevolence the cushion on which you sit, righteous- ness the pillow on which you rest, propriety the bedding in which you sleep, and trust the clothing which you wear. Being careful not to waste even a minute's time, study the sages' teachings, choose only what is good, and try to understand it. Study diligently, and never for a moment lay aside your book or paper and brush.

"Through such practices, your eloquence could pour forth cease- lessly like a spring, inexhaustible as the ocean; you could be like the one [Chu Yi.in] who won the argument with Wu-lu [in front of Em- peror Yuan of the Former Han], or like the one [Tai Ping) who defeated fifty scholars. The excellent style of your writing and its content could be as impressive as a range of tall green trees in a deep forest. Then, surpassing Sung Ch'o and Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju, your sen- tences could sound as if bells were tinkling; surpassing the beautiful sentences of Yang Hsiung and Pan Ku, they could resound like the clanking of gold and could be praised for being as beautiful as a garland of flowers. Just as the one [Liu An] who was able to compose imme- diately his interpretation of [Ch'li Yuan's] "Solitude," or the one [Ni Heng) whose rhyme-prose (fu) on a parrot was so perfect that it needed no later revision, you could fly freely in the garden of poetry and rest at ease in the fields of prose.

"Should this happen, many people will come from afar to visit you, their wagons loaded with gifts of silk and jade as they crowd the front gate. You would be like the ancient wise man whom Wen Kung of Wei saluted from his royal coach while passing in front of his humble door; then you would not need to make yourself known by beating the horns. 36 Lil Shang was discovered by King Wen of Chou while he was fishing; Chu-ko Liang received three visits from Liu Pei.37 Self-

34 Huang Hsien. He was noted for his wisdom. 35 Sou Sung (Sou Tzu-sung) may be an error for Wen Chiao. Cf. Shingonshu

zensbo, XL, 196, 328. 36 Ning Ch'i, in order to get a position, drew the attention of Marquis Huai

by beating the horns of an ox and singing. 37 Literal translation: "The royal coach of the King of Chou passes by a grass

hut on the way to the hunt." "The royal coach of the King of Chou" refers to

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display in order to gain a promotion by striking the hilt of your sword would be unnecessary. 38 You could obtain a high position . in govern- ment without depending on luck and could ascend to the ranks of a high official without deliberately exhibiting your talents. To get a posi- tion as a high governmental official is as easy as picking a speck of dust from the ground; it can be had readily. If you studied hard [like Su Ch'in who fought sleep] by pricking your thighs with a gimlet, you would quickly ac-quire the garment and sash of a high official.

"Being devoted to your parents, you would be loyal to your lord and sincere in your association with friends. A sword of rank would compliment your waist, and in your hands would rest the jade tablet of authority and the wooden tablet of command.

"By participating in politics, your name and glory would extend everywhere, and by governing with benevolence, you would receive censure from no one. Your name would remain in history and your descendants would prosper. While alive you would reach a high rank and, after death, you would be given a beautiful posthumous name. Is this not a grand and hallowed . prospect? What more could one hope for?

"The worldly pleasures should be enjoyed while you are yet alive; after death there will be no one with whom to share these pleasures. The male star Altair laments-his loneliness in the sky and looks forward to seeing Vega [a female star] once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month; a couple of mandarin ducks always rejoice at being able to live together. Therefore, there is in the Book of Odes a poem comparing a girl who is anxious to marry but has already passed the marriageable age to an overripe plum dropping wasted to the ground. And in the Book of History there is the story of Emperor Yao giv- ing his two daughters to Shun. Not everyone can be like Liu Hsia- hui.89 Who does not want to marry? Most people are unlike Tzu-teng [Sun Teng] who lived alone in a mountain cave. How can one sleep

King Wen's hunting trip in the royal coach during which he discovered Lii Shang, and "a grass hut" suggests three visits made by Liu Pei, the founder of the Former Han Dynasty, to the grass hut of Chu-ko Liang.

88 Refers to Feng Huan, who sang while striking the hilt of his sword and asked Meng Ch'ang-chiin for a promotion.

89 He warmed with his body a girl trembling from cold, yet remained un- affected.

MAJOR WORKS OF KUKAI 113

alone? Should one find a beautiful girl, one should arrange to marry her. Then on the wedding day the carriage in which the groom takes the bride home rolls merrily through the town-speeding wagons drawn by dashing horses pass through the city, and the retinue of the bride follows behind, with sleeves flying in the air. The sedan carriers and charioteers follow on foot, their sweat dropping to the ground like a light rain. The purple canopies resemble flying clouds, and the embroidered dresses sound like the wind as they swish along the ground. After the wedding and the ceremony of the bride returning to her parents' home have been completed, the bride and groom be- come true husband and wife and eat, drink, and sleep together without any obstacle between them. They arrange their home fittingly and live together in harmony; they stay fast together as though held by glue or plaster. Living together more harmoniously than the one-eyed fish of the East 40 or the one-winged bird of the South, 41 they will enjoy life without worry for a hundred years.

"Sometimes they may invite relatives and friends, drink excellent liquor, eat rare delicious foods, fill their glasses again and again, and drink endlessly as if they were walking around a circle. The guests perhaps will play the eight kinds of musical instruments and recite the poem: 'I am drunk, I had better go home.' The host will then say : 'I have removed the linchpins from your wagon and have thrown them into a well; you cannot go home.' Or, perhaps he will recite the poem: 'On your way home the dew will be dense; wait until it has dried.' The guests may then forget to go home for days and will dance night after night; they will thus exhaust the pleasures of the world. Could there be pleasure beyond this?

"Shitsuga! Give up quickly your foolish attachments and follow my admonitions. You can then perfect filial piety and loyalty, widen your friendships, and extend prosperity down through your family line. What I have told you are the essential things you need to advance in this world and to gain fame. Confucius has said, 'In farming one some- times has to suffer a shortage of food, but for study a stipend is usually provided.' 42 This saying is indeed true. Let this truth sink into your mind."

40 The one-eyed fish which cannot move unless two swim side by side. 41 These birds c.an fly only in pairs. 42 Analects, XV, 31.

114 PART THREE

On hearing this, Shitsuga prostrated himself and said: "Yes, I have understood your advice well. Hereafter I shall concen-

trate on learning." Thereupon, T okaku descended from his seat, bowed twice, and

said: "How excellent! Before, . when I used to hear that a sparrow changes into a clam, I doubted the truth of the statement, but now that I have witnessed the dove-mind of Shitsuga change into that . of a hawk, I do not doubt any more. I have heard the story of Ko Hsien- kung transforming the grains of cooked rice iri his mouth into bees, and that of Tso Tz'u disguising himself as a sheep [in order to escape danger]; but the fact that your fine speech has changed this m~d one into a fine person is superior to these miracles. This is indeed more than I had expected; it is like asking for vinegar and getting liquor, or aiming at a hare and shooting a beautiful fawn. For a student .of Confucianism who learns the Book of Odes and the Book of Rites, there is no better instruction than what you have given today. It has been a lesson not only for Shitsuga but also for me; I shall treasure it in my min<l as long as I live." ·

PART TWO: THE ARGUMENT

OF KYOBU [TAOIST]

K yobu (Nothingness) had been beside them listening for some time. He was a person who concealed his wisdom by pretending . to be a fool; he mingled with the people in the streets, acting as if he were mad. His hair was disheveled, more so than that of Teng T'u-tzu's wife,43 and his ragged garment seemed shabbier than that of Tung Wei. 44 He had been listening, squatting with his legs far apart, and smiling arrogantly. But now he opened wide his eyes and spoke: ·

"How strange is your therapeutic medicine! When you started I thought your speech would be as valuable as a priceless fox coat; I was struck with awe as if I were facing a dragon or a tiger. But

43 She was well known for her ugliness. See above, n. · 18. 44 He was reputed to care nothing about his clothes.

MAJOR WORKS OF KUKAI 115

toward the end I felt as if I were watching a tiny snake or a rat. You are unable to cure your own dread disease, but still you have the nerve to speak about another's swollen legs; it is better not to cure at all than to cure by such a therapy."

Thereupon, Kimo turned around in astonishment. Quite embarrassed, he drew near to Kyobu and said:

"If you know of any other teaching, please share it with us. I may have spoken carelessly, being unable to ignore Tokaku's request. Please instruct us with your teaching, which is like the thunder in spring." 411

Kyobu said: "The sun is bright, but a blind man is unable to see the glittering rays. Though thunder roars violently, a deaf man does not know the sound. The secret doctrines of Emperor Huang do not reach the ears of ordinary people. Why should I teach indiscriminately the divine founder's secret doctrines? In olden times people drank the blood of a sacrificial animal and made a vow before they heard the doctrines; these teachings can seldom be heard. They engraved an oath on the bones vowing that they would keep the secret. These doctrines cannot be easily transmitted. Why is this so? Ordinary people assume that the well is dry, when in actuality the bucket they lower has too short a rope and cannot reach the water; or they try to measure the depth of the ocean by dipping a finger into it and imagine that they have touched the bottom. To an unfit person, we do not open our mouths; unless a man be a proper vessel, we hide our book in a wooden box deep down in the earth. When the occasion comes, we open the box and transmit the secret to those who have been selected."

Thereupon, Kimo and the others consulted together: "Long ago when Emperor Wu of Han went searching for the

secret of longevity, he came upon Hsi Wang Mu [Queen of the West] and with her he pleaded earnestly in a most polite manner for the reve- lation of the secret; Fei Ch'ang-fang learned the secret formula from an old man in a jar. Now we have unexpectedly met this teacher; from him we can learn the method of attaining longevity. We need not exert our- selves as Ping Yuan 46 did. We may be able to live as long as P'eng Tsu 47 did. Will it not be marvelous! How fortunate we are!"

45 The thunder in spring awakens beings from their hibernation. 46 He wandered over one thousand ri in search of a teacher. 47 He lived eight hundred and some odd years.

116 PART THREE

Thus they approached K yobu, courteously prostrated themselves again, and said, "We earnestly entreat you once more to favor us with your instruction."

Then K yobu said, "If you build an altar and make a vow, I shall teach you."

They did as they had been told. They constructed an altar and made a vow; they also drank the blood of a sacrificial animal and read an oath in front · of the hole they dug in which to bury the animal. After com- pleting the ceremony, they asked for instruction.

"Fine," said Kyobu. "Listen with sincerity. I shall bestow upon you the divine techniques for prolonging your life and attaining immor- tality. You, whose term of life is as short as that of the mayflies, will be able to live as long as a tortoise or a crane; you, whose speed compares to that of a lame donkey walking, will be as fast as a flying dragon. You will be everlasting like the sun, the moon, and the stars! You will be able to meet the Eight Immortals who ascended to the sky. You will climb the three mystical mountains [in the Eastern Sea] in the morning, enjoy yourselves in the silver palaces all day long, and in the evening reach the five mountains [ in the East J and wander on the golden platform all night. I will make all these miracles possible for you."

Kimo and the others replied, "Yes, yes, we should like to hear." "A potter's wheel when it shapes does not discriminate between

earthen vessels; a large furnace, when melting metals, has neither affec- tion nor hatred for the metals it melts. That Ch'ih Sung-tzu 48 and Wang Tzu-ch'iao 49 had long lives was not because they had any unusual good fortune; that Hsiang T'o 50 and Yen Hui 51 died young does not mean that they were unfortunate. The difference is deter- mined by how well they maintained their given nature. The methods of nourishing nature and of maintaining longevity are many; therefore, I cannot explain them all to · you. I shall teach you a little by describing things in outline.

48 A magician famed for his ability to bring about rainfall during the legendary age of Shen Nung. He went to the residence of Hsi Wang Mu and became iril- monal.

49 A magician of the sixth century B.c., the eldest son of King Ling of Chou. Riding through the air on a white crane, he ascended to heaven and became immonal.

50 At seven he was a teacher of Confucius. 51 A disciple of Confucius.

MAJOR WORKS OF KUKAI 117

"In olden times, Emperor Shih Huang of Ch'in and Emperor Wu of Han longed for the art of becoming immortal, but their way of life had been the same as that of everyone else in the world. The functions of their ears were weakened by hearing music and their eyesight was dulled by the brightness of brocade and embroidery. They were un- able, even for a short while, to be away from beautiful women, with their pink-colored eyelids and red lips. Dishes of fresh fish, birds, and animals appeared on their table without fail, even for the simplest meal. In battle they piled up corpses as high as a tall building, causing blood to flow like a river. Stories such as these are too numerous to tell in detail. In ~hort, they exhausted their energies in vain; there was a gap between their aspirations and their achievements. They hoped that a round cover would fit a square container, or that fire would come from ice. How stupid they were! People in the world, however, say that, since even the noblest emperors were unable to attain immortality, how can it be possible for commoners like us to attain it. They there- fore consider Taoism a fraud and call it nonsense. How confused they are! Luan T'ai 52 and both the emperors I have mentioned were but the lowest scum among all those who have been attracted to Taoism; they were abominable. Since people such as they exist, when we trans- mit the teaching, we must choose proper persons, regardless of their social standing. You had better apply yourselves diligently to learning so that you will not be blamed by later generations. Those who study well are different from the men I have mentioned. Refrain from killing the insects that come near you and do not let sperm or saliva escape from your body. Physically, abstain from worldly pollutions; mentally, get rid of your greediness. Stop looking into the distance and cease listening continuously. Avoid talking nonsense; give up eating delicious food. It goes without saying, however, that you should be dutiful to your parents, faithful to your friends, benevolent and compassionate. You must surrender wealth as if it were a thorn, and an emperor's position as if you were casting off your [ worn-out] straw sandals. When you see a beautiful girl with a slender waist, think of her as a devil or a ghost. Consider peerage and fiefdom as if they were dead rats. Remain quiet, doing nothing intentionally; with pride reduce your worldly affairs. Thereafter, if you study, it [to master this art] will be as easy as pointing at your own palm. What the worldly people like

ll2 He cheated Emperor Wu of the Former Han and was killed.

118 PART THREE

most, that the followers of Taoism most detest. To realize Taoism is not difficult if one stands apart from what people are fond of. Grains are poisonous to the internal organs. Spices are like a poisonous bird with a black body and red eyes-they damage your eyes. Liquors are swords that slice your intestines; pork and fish are halberds · that cut your life; beautiful women are axes that chop you down; singing and dancing shorten your allotted ·period of time. To laugh heartily, to be overly delighted, to be extremely angry, and to be exceeding!y sad all do great harm to your body. Even within our bodies are numerous enemies. Unless you overcome them, you cannot expect to have a long life. In everyday living it is extremely difficult to relinquish these enemies, but once rid of them it is very easy to realize Taoism. You should first understand the essence of it and apply the following pre- scriptions to yourselves:

"Medicines that cure inner diseases are Atractylis ovata,r.3 Poly- gonatum stenophyllum,M pine resin, the seed of paper mulberry, etc. The arrow of Rubus, the halberd of reed, charms and spells, etc., pre- vent external difficulties. You must practice the methods for regulating your breath according to the time of day and the season. Inhale air through the nostrils and swallow your saliva. Dig the ground and drink minerals. Satisfy your hunger in the morning with ts'ao-chih r,r, and ju-chih; 116 take fu-ling 117 and wei-hsi 58 for evening fatigue. After you have followed these practices; you will be able to make your shadow vanish, even when out under the sun, and to write in darkness during the night; you will be able to see through the earth and walk on water. You will be able to make demons your slaves, dragons and one . of the excellent steeds [of Mu Wang of Chou] your vehicles. You will be able to swallow swords and fire, stir winds, and produce clouds. In this way there is no magic that cannot be practiced; there are no desires which cannot be fulfilled.

118 A medicinal herb which promotes urination and perspiration and is good for stomach troubles. The herb is known among the Taoists for its effect in making the body light and in prolonging life.

r,4 A medicinal herb which is supposed by the Taoists to prolong one's life by improving the functions of the internal organs.

511 A species of fungus. 116 A dried frog. 117 A species of fungus that grows . on the stump of a pine three or four years

after the tree has been cut. 58 A little plant that grows on old fu-ling.

MAJOR WORKS OF KUKAI 119

"Silver and gold are the essence of heaven and earth. Divine pills and refined pills 59 are the most miraculous of all the medicines. Certain procedures in taking them and certain techniques in compounding them must be followed. If one becomes an expert, the other members of his family will also be able to fly into the sky; by drinking only a small quantity of the elixir, one can fly to the Milky Way during the day- time. There are yet many other methods-techniques of swallowing divine amulets and inhaling air; the technique of traveling swiftly, and the magic of changing one's form-so many that I cannot enumerate them all here.

"When you realize the Way and master this art, your aged body and gray hair will be rejuvenated and life prolonged. Death will be postponed and you will live long in this world. Freely you will fly up to the sky and wander in the regions where the sun sets. Whipping the horse of your mind, you will run to the ends of the eight directions; oiling the wagon of your will, you will gambol throughout the nine skies.60 You may roam about the palace of the sun, wander in the mansion where the Emperor of Heaven lives; you may see the weaving girl [Vega] or seek Heng-e 61 in the moon. Visiting the Yellow Em- peror,62 you can stay in his company; seeking Wang Tzu-ch'iao, 63 you can make him your friend. You may investigate the whereabouts of the roe (p'eng) depicted in Chuang Tzu and see for yourself the footprints of Huai's dog.64 You may examine the stables of the horse constellation and the residence of the star Altair. You can lie down at will anywhere and ascend and descend freely. You will be indifferent, free from de- sires, and at peace in solitude. You will live as long as the heaven and earth; enjoy life for an eternity together with the sun and moon. How excellent! How great! The existence of the immortal married couple, Tung Wang Kung [King of the East] and Hsi Wang Mu [Queen of the West], is not a fabrication; what I have spoken of is the most mysterious art that I have ever heard of or learned.

59 Elixirs of life. 60 The center and the eight directions of the sky. 61 A man named I had received elixirs of life from Hsi Wang Mu, but his

wife Heng-e drank them before he could and flew to the moon. 62 The third king among the most ancient five kings of China, who is said to

have flown to the sky on a dragon. 63 An ancient man who is said to have attained immortality. Cf. n. 49, above. 64 After Huai-nan Tzu had flown to the sky, his dog licked the remainder of

the divine medicine left in a container in the garden and also went up to the sky.

120 PART THREE

"Now let us examine the worldly life. People are restrained by avarice and suffer bitterly. Chained by passion, their hearts burn. They are compelled to work for their morning and evening meals; they must exhaust themselves for the necessary summer and winter clothing. With the hope of gaining a wealth that is as unstable as floating clouds, they gather property that is just as foamlike. Seeking after unmerited luck, they cherish their bodies, which indeed are as transient as lightning. Given a little pleasure in the morning, they scorn the delights of heaven; but given a little worry in the evening, they agonize as if they have fallen into filthy mire, or onto a bed of burning charcoal. Before the merry music has ended, a sad tone creeps in. A prime minister today is a servant tomorrow. In the beginning men are like the cat on top of a rat, but in the end they are like the sparrow under a hawk. They rely on the dew on the grass and forget that the sun rises at dawn; they trust the leaves at the end of a branch and forget that th~ frost may come. What a pity! They are not different from the tailorbirds.65 They are indeed not worthy to be mentioned. Which is better, my teacher's instruction, or what you believe in? Which is superior, what you enjoy, or the life we Taoists admire?"

At this point Kimo, Shitsuga, and T okaku knelt in a row and said, "We have been fortunate to meet you and to hear a good spee_ch. Now we realize the difference that exists between the foul smell of a fish store and the exquisite fragrance of mystical Mount Fang-hu, between the homeliness of Ch'ou Mi [appearing in the Spring and Autumn of Mr. Lu] and the fairness of Tzu Tu [in the Book of Odes]. Gold is different from stone; a fragrant grass cannot be compared with an ill- smelling one. From now on we _ shall concentrate on refining our spirits and for a long time savor your teaching."

PART THREE: THE ARGUMENT

OF KAMEI-KOTSUJI [BUDDHIST]

There was a man called Kamei-kotsuji (Mendicant X). Though the place of his birth remains obscure, it is certain that he was born -and

65 The little birds that build nests by stitching leaves together and find that when the strong wind blows their_eggs fall out and_ break.

MAJOR WORKS OF KUKAI 121

grew up in a dilapidated, thatched house. He kept himself aloof from the hustle and bustle of the world and applied himself diligently to the realization of Buddhism. His shaven head was like a round tray of cop- per, and his ashen face, like an earthenware pot. He was haggard and small; his legs were long like those of a heron standing near a pond; and his sinewy short neck resembled that of a turtle in the mud. The often-mended begging bowl on his left arm was like a cow's feeding bag, and the rosary in his right hand with its 108 beads hung like a horse's girth. He wore sandals made of straw, not of leather; and his waist was bound, not by a sash adorned with rhinoceros horn, but by the rope used for a donkey's bridle. As he always carried a reed mat, even the beggars around the market place covered their faces in shame on seeing him. The thieves in prison, on seeing him carry a chair made of straw rope on his back, pressed their knees tightly together and sighed in disgust. He carried a broken water jug so that he looked like a poor oil-seller; like a firewood-seller, he carried in his hand a pilgrim's staff with the ring at the top missing. He had a crooked nose, deep eye sockets, pointed chin, square eyes, and a distorted mouth without a moustache, which resembled a strange seashell.66 His irregular front teeth showed between his deformed lips like those of a rabbit. If by chance he entered the market place, people showered him with pieces of tile and pebbles; if he passed a harbor, people cast horse's dung upon him. Abishido,67 however, was his fast friend and shared his aspirations, and the layman Komy6 was his benefactor. Sometimes he climbed the mountain called Kingan and encountered difficulty because of the snow; sometimes he climbed Mount Seki and experienced hardship because of the shortage of food. Once he was attracted by a beautiful girl, Undo, and his determination was somewhat relaxed, but on meeting the nun Kobe he was encouraged and his loathing for the world was intensified. He had hardships as Tzu Ssu 68 had, gathering frost-withered vegetables to eat; yet he enjoyed life in nature, brushing aside the snow to sleep,

66 The ;word given in the text is kujakugai (a peacock shell). According to a commentary (Sbingonsbu zensbo, XL, 351a), this shell is oval and the upper shell does not exactly fit the lower shell.

67 Of Abishido nothing is known. Abishido may well mean "an unordained monk (sbido) Abi." From this point on, the scene shifts to Japan; Kiikai seems to have utilized his personal experiences as the basis for his description of Kamei- kotsuji, Mendicant X.

68 K'ung Chi, the grandson of Confucius.

122 PART THREE

using his arms for a pillow. The blue sky was the ceiling of his hut and the clouds hanging over the mountains were his curtains; . he did not need to worry about where he lived or where he slept. In summer he opened his neck band in a relaxed mood and delighted in the gentle breezes as though he were a great king, but in winter he watched the fire with his neck drawn into his shoulders. If he had enough horse chestnuts and bitter vegetables to last ten days, he was lucky. His bare shoulders showed through his paper robe and clothes padded with grass cloth. He was, however, quite satisfied with what was given him, like a bird that perches on a single branch, or like the one who subsisted on half a grain a day.69 He did not ask for delicious foods like Ho Ts'eng [the gourmet], or warm furs like those of T'ien Tzu-fang. 70 He put the poor old man of three pleasures to shame, 71 and he could not be com- pared to the four old men with gray hair.72 Though his appearance was laughable, his deep-rooted will could not be taken away from him.

A certain man said to him: "My teacher has told -me: Man is the lord of all that is created. The most excellent virtues of man are filial piety and loyalty; among the infinite variety of virtues, those two are the most important. One should, therefore, not harm the body one has received from his parents; but, in time of crisis, one should know how to sacrifice one's life when duty calls for it. One should not neglect either to attain fame in the world or to enhance the name of one's ancestors. The pleasures of life are to seize wealth and position. As companions none are superior to one's own wife and children. Tzu Lu and Ts'eng Tzu, the disciples of Confucius, lamented that when they finally had obtained a high position, their parents had already passed away. In your case, however, your parents are still living and there is also a lord in the country whom you can serve. Why do you not serve your parents and your lord? You have meaninglessly sunk

69 While practicing asceticism in the woods, Prince Siddhartha, who became Buddha upon attaining Enlightenment, is said to have subsisted on half . a grain a day.

70 Having heard that Tzu Szu was leading a life of poverty, T'ien Tzu-fang sent him a white fox fur, but Tzu Szu declined it.

71 The old man of three pleasures is a hermit who met Confucius and said that he had three pleasures: the . pleasure of being born a human being, the plea- sure of being born a male, and the pleasure of being able to live long. The story appears in Lieb Tzu.

72 They are hermits who gave advice to the son of Emperor Kao-tsu of Han.

MAJOR WORKS OF KUKAI 123

into the ranks of beggars, and associate with those who have failed to discharge their official duties. You put your ancestors to shame; your name will remain noxious to later generations. Your conduct deserves severe punishment, and any gentleman would be highly ashamed of behavior such as yours. Your relatives, out of embarrassment, will feel like crawling into the earth because of you. Even strangers, on seeing you, pretend that they have not seen you. You should change your heart and practice filial piety and loyalty."

The mendicant countered: "What is filial piety and what is loyalty?" The man answered: "When you are at home, you must keep smiling,

studying the moods of your parents so that you may do what they want done before you are asked. Greet them when you go out or return. Make sure that they live comfortably and are cool in the sum- mer and warm in the winter. Arrange their bedding in such a way that they can sleep well, and always inquire after their health in the morning. Reading their faces, provide the things they need and give them satisfaction. Such is filial piety. Emperor Shun and King Wen of Chou, by practicing filial piety, ascended the throne; Tung Yung 73 and Po-chieh,74 also by following filial piety, left their fame to succeeding generations. When the time comes to serve your master, transfer your devotion from the practice of filial piety to loyalty; exert yourself to the fullest extent, and give advice to your master when he is wrong, even if, by off ending him, you lose your life. Know well both astron- omy and geography. Think of past events and compare them to the present situation; pacify the people in distant areas and control well the people nearby. Govern the world with order and assist your king to be righteous. Then your fame and success will be transmitted to posterity. Such is loyalty. I Yin, the Duke of Chou, Chi Tzu, and Pi Kan 75 in- deed fall into this category."

73 A man of the Han period known for his practice of filial piety. He had lost his mother when he was young. When he lost his father, he wanted to sell himself as a slave to pay the funeral expenses, because of his poverty. A celestial weaver recognized his act of filial piety and helped him.

74 A man noted for his devotion to his mother. He served his sick mother for three years without even taking off his sash. When she died, he made a hut near her grave and lived there.

75 Men who were noted for their loyalty to their masters in giving straight- forward advice.

124 PART THREE

The mendicant said: "I understand your meaning well. To comfort parents and to correct the mistakes of the king are, indeed, marks of filial piety and loyalty. Though unworthy, I am nevertheless different from birds and animals; therefore, my . heart is about to burst from being unable to forget these duties. My parents have reared me with the utmost care. When I reflect upon them, I feel that their merits are as high as the five mountains, and my obligation toward them deeper than the four [main] rivers [of China]. This thought penetrates my skin and bone. Who can forget his obligation to his parents? It is difficult to return the favors that I have received from them, for their extent is boundless. When I read such poems as Nan-kai and Liao-e,76 I feel ashamed and sad. At the sight of a crow I am touched; 77 at the thought of an otter my heartis broken. 78 What I am afraid of is that, before I am ready, my parents may pass away. [As is said in Chuang Tzu,] a carp lying in a wheel rut needs water at once if it is to survive; it is too late to bring the waters of a great river to a fish once it has been exposed in a fish store. Because [Li Li of] Wu did not give the ruler of Hsti his sword, he was required to stand before his totnb. 79 With gray- ing hair, my parents approach the grave. I am at a loss to know what to do in return for their favors. Time flies like an arrow and their lives get shorter and shorter. We do not have any savings, the walls are col- lapsing, the roof is falling in. My two elder brothers have already died and, to my sorrow, the fortunes of all our relatives are in decline. From morning till night, month after month, I have had no other recourse than to weep and to lament. Should I look for a position, I would find no master who would recognize me. And while I ponder over my difficul-

76 The title N an-kai is given in the Odes, but the poem itself is missing. A Nan-kai composed later appears in Wen bsuan XIX; it is a poem which emphasizes the filial duties of · sons toward their parents. Liao-e is a poem which occurs in the Odes; its theme is the lamentation of a filial son who cannot serve his parents.

77 It is said that a crow feeds its parents. 78 An otter is said to offer fish to its ancestors. 79 On his mission to the north, Li Li of Wu passed the country of Hsu and

met its ruler. At that time the ruler was attracted by Li's sword but did not verbally express his desire. Li, however, understood the ruler's mind, but as he was on duty did not give him his sword. On the way back from his mission, Li again passed by the country of Hsu only to find that the ruler had already passed away. He offered the sword to the tomb of the ruler. The account appears in the Historical Records of Ssu-ma Ch'ien.

MAJOR WORKS OF KUKAI 125

ties, my parents wait for my support. I mourn the inescapable situation in which I find myself; I can neither advance nor retreat. No matter how I struggle to wriggle out of my predicament, I cannot. I am at a loss. Therefore, to convey my feelings I have composed this poem:

Even if I wish to plow, I lack the physical strength; In seeking for a master, I lack the wit of Ning.80 If lacking talent I assume a job, then I insult the office; If I get a stipend without virtue, I do harm. To be paid for blowing the flute when I do not know how to play

is not right; s1 Only in Chou indeed were proper music and teaching known. Even Confucius, while seeking employment, spent no peaceful days; What rule should such an ignorant person as I follow? The desire to advance is hampered by lack of talent, Yet retreat is made an impossible circumstance. So caught between advancing and retreating, What else can I do but lament?"

After having written down the poem, he recited it slowly in a low voice. Then he said:

"I have heard that with great effort a small amount of filial piety is possible, but that great filial piety is almost unattainable. Think of T'ai-po who joined a group of barbarians after shaving his hair,82 and the bodhisattva who stripped himself of his clothing and offered his body to a hungry tiger. Both of them caused their parents to fall to the ground in sorrow, and their relatives to cry to the skies in lamentation. Who can surpass these two in having harmed the bodies which were given them by their parents and in causing their relatives to mourn? According to what you have said, neither was filial to his parents. T'ai-po, however, is called the most virtuous of men, and the bo- dhisattva, the Enlightened Noble One. Therefore, as long as one con- forms to the right way, it is not necessary to demand of him minor things. Was it not an act of great filial piety that Maudgalyayana [a disciple of the Buddha] saved his mother from the world of hungry

so See above, n. 36. 81 King Hstian of Ch'i retained several hundred flute players at his court, as he

liked to hear flute concerts. The next king liked flute solos, however, and asked the players to play singly; many of the players then fled.

82 Jt is said that Wu T'ai-po of Chou did this in order to hand over the sover- eignty to his younger brother.

126 PART THREE

ghosts, or that rich Nasa helped to remove the torments of his father who was suffering in hell? Are they not good examples from which to learn? Though I am a fool, I have been studying the right teaching and at the same time appreciate and long for the good influences trans- mitted from olden times. I pray for the prosperity of the country and endeavor to make my parents happy. All my efforts to bring about success and to give happiness to my parents are no more than acts of filial piety and loyalty. You, however, know only how to exert physical labor to serve others and how to bow low to render homage; you do not know that good deeds, like those of Yti Kung,83 will bring success to one's posterity, and that bad deeds, like those of Yen Yen-nien,84 even if one climbs to a high position, will end in the reverse of · filial piety. Your idea is inferior, indeed! I shall tell you in more detail later, as what l have just said is not sufficient."

The Buddhist mendicant lived up to his principles. Not being obliged to his father or elder brothers and having no contact with his relatives, he wandered throughout the country like duckweed floating on water or dry grass blown by the wind. At dawn, when the brightness of the Milky Way began to fade, he suffered from unbearable hunger as the provisions in his cave ran out. His pots and pans were filled with dust and covered by mold. Finally he thought it best to go to a village where food was abundant; for it is written in Buddhist texts that living beings depend on food, and a non-Buddhist book says that it is of primary importance to get food and of secondary importance to study. Therefore, he left his cave in the pine grove for the city. Following the custom of Buddhist mendicants, he immediately started to beg. As he had no novice accompanying him, he stood alone in front of the gate of Tokaku's house with the scriptures in his hand. He happened to hear the arguments of Confucianist Kimo and Taoist Kyobu. He thought to himself:

"What they are thinking of is nothing but worldly gain, fame, and at most the extension of the span of their own lives. They · are fighting with bodies that are as momentary as lightning; bound in the prison of

83 Because Yii Kung of Han was a fair official at a provincial prison, his good deeds were rewarded by the prosperity enjoyed by later generations of his family.

s4 Yen Yen-nien was a merciless governor of Ho-nang. His mother in sorrow anticipated the retribution which might result from her son's misconduct.

MAJOR WORKS OF KUKAI 127

the four types of birth, 85 they cherish dreamlike ideas and sensations.86

They try to build castles of the imagination in the psychophysical domain 87 and to rally their bubblelike forces in the transitory material world. 88 Their soldiers wear helmets of cobwebs, ride on horses that are really insects that subsist on a diet of mosquitoes' eyebrows, and rally their forces by beating drums which are covered with the skins of lice. They indicate the whereabouts of their troops with flags made of mosquitoes' wings. Waving the halberds of egoism and the swords of little learning, held aloft by arms that are as fragile as a column of frost, they fight on a ghostly battlefield. In short, theirs is a fight of greedy stories, using arguments that are entirely secular."

Thus, with his eyes wide open, he listened attentively to their argu- ments. Kimo and K yobu each claimed that he was in the right and that the other was wrong.

The mendicant then thought: "Their arguments are indeed miser- able; they have no more strength in them than a drop of water. Their imaginations are like a tiny torch which illumines only a small area. Yet, they argue enthusiastically. But how much more qualified am I, the son of Buddha, to discuss these things. I am able to crush their idiocies, even though they pretend to be armed with sharp battle-axes that have the awesome power of a fierce tiger or panther. I know their attempts are as futile as a grasshopper's leap to the sun."

Thereupon, sharpening the sword of wisdom, letting flow the springs of eloquence, donning the armor of patience, riding the horse of com- passion, the mendicant neither too hastily nor too slowly stepped into the discussion. He was neither overwhelmed by his opponents nor afraid of them. Sometimes he discreetly stayed out of the argument; at other times he was extremely active in it. At last he sent an envoy urging his opponents to surrender. Their generals were frightened and their soldiers had lost their morale. They yielded to unconditional sur-

85 Born out of I) the uterus; 2) an egg; 3) humidity; 4) by transformation. 86 "Ideas and sensations" is literally '.'eighteen inns" in the text. "Eighteen inns"

refer to the eighteen realms (dhiitu) of Buddhism: the six senses; the six sense objects; and the awareness corresponding to the six sense organs.

87 This is a free translation of five skbanda, the constituents of a sentient being -form, sensation, conception, volition, and consciousness.

88 "Material world" is a free translation of the Four Great Elements, the com- ponents of the material world-earth, water, fire, and wind.

128 PART THREE

render and thus avoided unnecessary bloodshed. However, they were reluctant really to change their views, whereupon the mendicant patted them on the head, and with tears in his eyes, said to them in a sym- pathetic tone:

"The small fish in a puddle does not know the great fish that is thousands of miles long; the little bird flying around a fence does not know the roe that can fly 90,000 miles.89 Likewise, the stupid people living by the sea believe that there could not possibly be a tree as large as a fish, and the fools living in the mountains wonder whether there could be a fish as large as a tree. Unless one is as sharp-eyed as Li Chu, one cannot distinguish an object as minute as the tip of a hair; unless one is as keen-eared as Tzu Yeh [ depicted in the Spring and Autumn of Mr. Lu], one cannot distinguish the subtle differences in the sounds of various bells. What a difference there is between those who can see and those who cannot see, between a fool and a wise man! While I was listening to your arguments, I had the impression that you were trying to chisel a statue out of ice or to draw a picture upon water. Your efforts are futile; how meaningless they are! Here the question is not whether Kimo's legs are as short as those of a duck, or whether Kyobu's legs are as long as those of a crane; such arguments are com- pletely beside the point.

"You have not yet heard the teaching of the Buddha, the King of the Enlightened Ones! Let me summarize his teaching for you. But first I should like you to reflect upon the mirror of Emperor [Shih Huang] of Ch'in which reveals falsehood in people. You must recognize the errors of your beliefs. With courage, face the true teaching directly; do not be like Yeh Kung who liked to paint dragons but ran away when he saw a real dragon. Do not be subjective as were the blind men who described an elephant. Now you should study the teaching of the Buddha, whose . voice is as powerful as a lion's roar. Manavaka and Kasyapa 90 are both my friends. With pity for your ignorance, my teacher sent them; however, considering your inferior ca.pacities, only the superficial aspects of the doctrine of yin and yang were revealed

89 The great fish and huge bird refer to those mentioned in Chuang Tzu. 90 It is said that Buddha sent his disciples -Manavaka and Kasyapa to the East

and that they became Confucius and Lao Tzu respectively. This is a popular story created by Chinese Buddhists in order to show the superiority of Buddhism over Confucianism and Taoism.

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by the Buddha through these two disciples. He did not explain the principles of the time distinction of the past, present, and future and their interdependent relations. But each of you clings to his particular way and argues in support of it; yours is all an illusion."

Hearing this, K yobu said: "Your appearance differs from that of other people: you have not a single hair on your head, and are carry- ing many things with you. Whose disciple and whose son are you, and from what country and state do you come?"

The mendicant laughed and said: "In the triple world 91 there is no permanent residence; there is no fixed place in the world of transmigra- tion. Sometimes my home is in heaven; sometimes, in hell. Sometimes I may be your wife or your son; at other times, your father or your mother . Sometimes the Tempter King is my teacher and heretics, my friends. Ghosts, birds, and animals may be our parents, children, or wives. From the beginning to the present, there has been no such thing as first and second. How can there be a fixed state of existence from the present back to the very beginning! Turning like a circle or a wheel, beings transmigrate by changing their forms and states of being. Your hair may be completely gray, but it does not necessarily mean that you are my elder brotheL My sidelocks may resemble a [dark] cloud, but this does not necessarily indicate that I am the younger brother. From the beginningless beginning, you and I have been trans- migrating continuously without stopping in any fixed life. Therefore, essentially speaking, I have no permanently fixed birthplace or parents. However, in this present temporal existence, the visionlike being you see before you is residing at a bay in Japan, where a huge camphor tree spreads its shadow.02 Having yet to attain what I am searching for, I have already reached the age of twenty-four." 93

Kyobu was surprised when he heard these words and asked: "What is heaven and what is hell? Why do you carry so many objects with you?"

The mendicant replied: "If you do evil, the ox- and horse-headed demons of hell appear as a matter of course and punish you; if you do

91 The world of desire, form, and non-form. 92 This may well be the birthplace of Kiikai. 93 The age at which Kiikai wrote the major part of the Indications. It is evident

that it was written when Kiikai was twenty-four and not eighteen as some sources claim.

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good, golden and silver pavilions immediately gather -and you are offered ambrosial nectars. The thing that is difficult is to change your heart. There are no fixed heavens or hells. At first I, too, was perplexed and had doubts just as you do now. However, recently I met a good teacher who awakened me from the illusions which had continued from my previous existences.

"The original vows of Shakyamuni Buddha~ who is my teacher, were profound. He manifested himself on this earth for eighty years; with boundless compassion, he began the work of salvation of others when he was about thirty years old. Those who were fortunate, not only humans but also serpent gods and others, received his nectarlike instruc- tions and the promise that they would be enlightened in the future. Those who were unfortunate, on the other hand, regardless of their social standing, were unable to realize the taste of this excellent teach- ing, as they never could awaken from their conditioning under false doctrines. Therefore, the compassionate Buddha, on his last day on earth, instructed -Maitreya, the virtuous Mafijusri, and others, saying that Maitreya would be the Buddha of the future, _ and that other disciples should assist him and devote themselves to the salvation of sentient beings. Thereupon, the Bodhisattva Mafijusri, the great Kasyapa, and the others sent a message to all countries, declaring -that Maitreya would assume the throne of the kingdom of the true teaching. When I heard this message, I made all necessary preparations and started out at once for the -Tu~ita Heaven where Maitreya resides. But the path is far from human habitations and is filled with difficulties; there are many crossroads and the way is not well defined. Some followers of the teaching sink in the mud along the way and cannot free themselves from it. Others go ahead riding on a horse or wagon. This is the reason why I keep many small articles with me so that they may help me in my progress. My provisions, however, have run out and I have lost my way; that is why l am standing at your gate begging help to continue my trip."

At this point the mendican_t resolutely composed a rhyme-prose en- - titled "Transiency," in which he illustrated the principle that one gains retribution according to one's deeds. He recited it for -Kimo in a voice as beautiful as the sound of a small golden bell tinkling at the end of a stick, or of two golden balls striking gently together:

MAJOR WORKS OF KUKAI

Towering Mount Sumeru, 94 which reaches almost to the Milky Way, will be reduced to ashes by the fires of the last day of earth. The oceans which reach as far as the distant skyline will also disappear when exposed to the seven suns at the end of this epoch. The infinite heaven and earth will be liquidated and the round firmament will likewise be burned and destroyed. Existence even in heaven is as transient as lightning, and the period on earth of a Taoist immortal even with his extended span is as short as a clap

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of thunder. How much shorter, then, for human beings who are not endowed with diamondlike bodies but whose flesh is as insubstantial as tiles or pebbles! The Five Psychophysical Constituents 95 which form us are illusions like the image of the moon reflected on water; the Four Great Elements 96 that constitute the natural world are as transitory as vapors of hot air. Man runs about within the circle of the Twelve Links of Causation,97 which characterizes this life of ignorance, like a monkey leaping from branch to branch. The Eight Sufferings 98 bring forth anxiety and give pain to the innermost heart. The flames of greed, hatred, and stupidity burn day and night, and the thicket of the 108 defilements 99 flourishes throughout the four seasons.

Our fragile body is easily dispersed, like particles of dust in the wind or flower petals in the spring. When the time comes, our temporal life passes away like leaves carried off by the winds of autumn. A beautiful girl soon sinks into the world of the under- ground; even an emperor rises to the sky like smoke. The slender eyebrows of a beautiful lady vanish into the clouds like mist; her white teeth decay and disappear as if they were dew. The pretty eyes of an exquisite girl become two small swamps on which the moss floats. The ears, adorned by jewels, become a valley where the wind blows through the pine trees. Her pink cheeks become a resting place for flies and her red lips, food for crows. A coaxing smile can no longer be seen on a skeleton exposed to the wind and rain . Who would approach a decayed body, even though while alive it had been the most coquettish of maidens? Her rich black hair is scattered and tangled among flood-swept thickets, and deep in the grass her slender white arms rot. Her fragrance has vanished with the wind. From the openings of her body, stinking fluids pour forth. Your dearest wife

94 The center of the universe in Indian myth. 95 See above, n. 87. 96 Earth, water, fire, and wind. Cf. above, n. 88. 97 See Part Two, p. 70, n. 20. 98 Suffering derived from birth, old age, disease, death, separation from loved

ones, meeting with hated ones, not being able to obtain what one wants, and passion.

99 In Buddhism, it is thought that a man has a hundred and eight defilements.

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and your children are as unreal as the nymph whom King Sung of Ch'u met in his dream; 100 a treasure house filled with jewels may disappear in an instant, like the jade that Cheng Chiao-fu received from the two celestial girls.101 The pleasant wind blowing through the pine groves strikes against the collar of the dead man; but where are the ears that once enjoyed its sounds? The bright moon shines on the once beautiful face, but the awareness that in the past took delight in the glory of the moon is gone. Seen in this manner, we cannot appreciate a graceful thin dress; our usual adornments are no more than vines twisting in the fields. Palaces with red and white walls will not remain unchanged. The tombs on which the plants grow-these are our lasting abodes. Beloved wives and children cannot see each other once they are in the quiet graves. Intimate friends cannot chat together joyously once they are ·buried in the desolate graveyard. Alone one must lie beneath the shade of the tall pine trees in a remote grave deep under the grass; the only voices that can be heard are the chatterings of birds. Then many thousands of worms will crawl upon the body and wild dogs will rush in to devour it. Even a man's wife and children will not be able to bear the smell and will leave; his relatives will cover their -faces and escape. Alas! Even the body of i:he charming girl, who enjoyed eating all kinds of delicious dishes, will turn into the urine and feces of dogs and birds. The body of the beautiful girl adorned in fashionable attire in various colors is burned by the fire at cremation. No longer can one roam in the garden in spring and forget about the troubles of the -world; no longer can one feast beside the pond in autumn. Alas! Whenever I read P'an An-jen's poem,102 or hear the sad melody of the song about Princess Po,103 I feel depressed.

The storm of impermanence does not overlook even the Taoist. The demon which deprives men of their lives does not discriminate between noble and base. One cannot buy eternal life with wealth or be kept alive by secular power. No matter how much of the elixir of life one may drink, nor how deeply one may inhale the exquisite incense that recalls the departed soul, one cannot prolong one's life even for a second. Who can escape from going to that land that lies deep underground? -

Once a corpse rots in the grass, it tan no longer be restored to its

1oo King Sung composed a rhyme-prose about his encounter with a celestial girl.

101 Cheng met two celestial girls and received from them a piece of jade. When he had walked sixty or seventy steps away, he found that the jade had disap- peared; when he looked back, the girls had also disappeared.

102 P'an An-jen composed a moving poem lamenting his wife's death. l03 The widow Princess Po of Lu threw herself into the flames.

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original state. The departed spirit cannot escape from being boiled in an iron pot. Once in hell, the departed one may at times be thrown on a steep mountain of swords and shed much blood; at times he may suffer from the excruciating pain of a high mountain of spears piercing his breast. Sometimes he is run over by a flaming wagon wheel which bears the weight of many thousands of stones; and at other times he is made to sink into a bottomless river of ice. Some- times he is forced to drink boiling water, or to swallow molten iron, or he is roasted in roaring flames. In these circumstances he can obtain nothing to drink, let alone even hear drink mentioned. He has no way of getting even the tiniest morsel of food. Lions, tigers, wolves open wide their mouths and leap at him with watering lips; the horse-headed devils, eyes wide in anticipation, come seeking him out. Though he may raise desperate cries for help to heaven, he finds no response and his chances for pardon decrease each night. An appeal to the King of Hell is useless; the king has no sympathy at all. Even if he wants to call his wife and children, he has no means of doing so. Even if he wants to redeem his wrong doings by the payment of riches, he has not a single gem in his possession. Even if he wants to escape, the walls are too high to climb. How terribly painful it is! Where may one find a man skilled in imitating the cry of a rooster so that he can help open the gate of hell? Where may one find a man who is good at stealing so that one can escape from the swords of punishment in hell? 104 However much one tries, there is no way of escaping. Once you fall into hell, repentance is of no value; you will forever repeat your cries in vain. Alas! If you do not make an effort to emancipate yourselves now, and if you once fall into the hell of suffering, however much you may lament and be tormented, there will be no one to help you. Exen yourselves; do your best while you are on this earth.

Kimo and the others were filled with anguish and their hearts were about to burst with terror. Their stomachs burned, although they had swallowed no fire, and their breasts felt as if pierced, although no

swords had been thrust through them. They beat their breasts, cried,

and rolled on the ground. Looking up, they appealed to heaven in

their sorrow. They acted as if bereft of their parents or wives. One

fainted out of dread, the other, out of grief. Thereupon, the mendicant

104 Meng Ch'ang-chiin bribed his way out of a predicament with a white fox fur, stolen by a retainer who was a skilled thief. When he came to a barrier, he found that the gate was closed. Among his retainers was a man who was good at imitating a rooster's cry . He crowed, so that the guards thought it was time to open the gate. Thus Meng Ch'ang-chiin was able to escape.

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took up a jar and sprinkled water on their faces after he had purified it with a sacred formula. In a little while they recovered consciousness but, as though drugged, they spoke no words. They were like Liu Hslian-shih who lay in a grave,105 or like Kao-tsung in mourning. 106

Some while later, they knelt on the ground with teats in their eyes, bowing low with reverence, and said: - "We have been playing with worthless tiles and pebbles and have been absorbed in petty pleasures. We were like insects that eat bitter leaves but are unaware of their bitterness, or like the worms in the privy that do not notice the foul smell. We were like blind men crossing a dangerous road, or riders of a lame donkey in the dark. We did not know where we were going and to where we might fall. Because of your compassionate instruction, we now realize that our ways have been shallow and worthless. We deeply regret our past and shall try to do our best to enter the right path. 0 merciful and vener- able one, please show us the right way!"

The mendicant replied: "Indeed it is fortunate that you have re- pented before you went too far. Now I will tell you of the origins of suffering in this life of transmigration and of the bliss of Nirvana. On these points the Duke of Chou and Confucius did not speak, nor did Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu preach. Even the followers of Hinayana do not know about the attainment of bliss. Only the bodhisattvas who are destined to be Buddhas in the next stage can obtain and enjoy it. Listen well. I will summarize the essential points and show them to you."

Kimo and the others came down from their seats and said: ''Yes, we will compose ourselves and listen to you attentively."

The mendicant opened his innermost heart, and with flowing elo- quence narrated the essence in a rhyme-prose entitled "The Ocean of Transmigration," and, in addition, showed them how to attain great enlightenment:

The ocean of transmigration is limitless, surrounding the further- most limits of the triple world. It is without end, encompassing all the four continents. It gives breath to all and regulates all. By

1011 He stayed in a grave for three years without speaking after he had drunk strong wine.

l06 Kao-tsung of Yin is said to have remained silent for three years after his father had died.

MAJOR WORKS OF KUKAI

emptying its enormous stomach, it absorbs many rivers; with its huge mouth, it sucks in many lakes and ponds. Huge waves strike incessantly with relentless force against the hills, and billows roar constantly against the capes. The sound of stones crushing against each other in the sea rumbles day and night like thunder. Within

135

its waters grotesque objects are produced, monstrous creatures grow, and strange beings abound.

Among them are scaly fishes filled with hatred, stupidity, and extreme greed. Their heads and tails are endlessly long, and they seek constantly after food, with their fins raised, tails striking, and their mouths open. When they swallow a billow, the boat of nongreed is smashed, and its sail vanishes from sight. When they spew forth spray, the rudder of the boat of compassion is broken and all the people on it killed. Swimming and diving haphazardly, they are filled with avarice and dishonesty. Their greed being as deep as a valley, they fail to consider the inevitable later harms. Like mice or silkworms, they gnaw at everything, having no sympathy or regard for others. They forget completely the retribution that will afflict them for endless aeons in the future; they look forward only to acquiring honor and prosperity while alive.

Then again there are some birds that by nature indulge in flattery, crookedness, abuse, rudeness, talkativeness, inquisitiveness, adulation, and bad behavior. They fly far away from the right path and rush to seek pleasure. On the beach of the Four Erroneous Views,107 they scream imprecations; they flap their wings in the lake of the Ten Evils,108 picking at innocent water chestnuts and clean greens. Looking up, they try to ward off f eng and Juan 109 by shouting at them, fearing that their food may be stolen. Yet they are entirely ignorant of the minds of these great birds. Looking down, they catch rats and dogs, crying loudly all the while. Sometimes they fly about and sometimes they screech hideously, always hunting for immediate gain. They feel pain at times and some of them die, but they never think of the awful pains of the future. They do not stop to think that on the slope of Mount Yen-men 110 the nets are set, and that in the lake of K'un-ming 111 the sticky snares are hidden. Nor do they consider that they might be shot at, their necks broken, and their blood shed.

Also in the ocean of transmigration, there live various animals

107 Consideration of transiency as eternity, anxiety as bliss, nonsubstantiality as substantiality, and impurity as purity.

108 Killing, stealing, committing adultery, lying, using exaggerated speech, slandering, equivocating, coveting, giving way to anger, and holding biased views.

109 Mythical auspicious birds, in Chinese belief. no In northern China. llt Southwest of Ch'ang-an.

136 PART THREE

that are arrogant and ill-tempered, abusive and jealous. Praising themselves and criticizing others, they are dissipated and undisciplined, arbitrary, shameless, unfaithful, compassionless, and -adulterous. Having wrong views, they go to extremes of hatred and attachment; filled with passion, they engage in killing _ and quarreling. Some of these animals may have similar shapes but differing minds; there are numerous kinds with a variety of names. Some have sawlike nails and chisel-like teeth and eat grain, always looking around with the glittering eyes of a tiger. Roaring like a lion, they roam day and night in the mountains and valleys. Other creatures-that encounter them fall into a faint and their brains and intestines are crushed. Those who see them from a distance cover their eyes in horror. These creatures gather f-rom the topmost heaven to the lowest hell. In certain areas they line up like the teeth of a comb or like houses ranged side by side along the seashore. No matter how skilled · a man might be in describing, he would fail completely should he attempt to depict such scenes.

-Therefore, the small boat bearing the Five Precepts 112 must be made to float to the shore where the demons abide, and the wagon carrying the Ten Precepts 113 must be drawn to the regions where the devils dwell. Unless a man gives rise to the excellent aspiration to attain enlightenment in the evening and seek after the result of enlightenment in the mo.ming, he cannot approach the grand Dhannakaya 114 and break through the vast ocean of transmigration. Borne on the raft of the Six Patamicas,115 he should cross to the other side. He should cross the waves of passion on the ship of the Noble Eightfold Path, 116 using the mast of effort and the sail of meditation, with the armor of patience for protection from thieves, and the sword of wisdom for defense against enemies. Whipping the horse of the Seven Means 117 to attain enlightenment, he should gallop away from the ocean of transmigration and transcend the clamorous dust-filled world. Then as a token of predicted future enlightenment, he will receh:e -the gem hidden in the topknot of the Universal Monarch, as did Sariputra and the Naga gid, who offered

112 Non-killing, non-stealing, not committing adultery, not -telling lies, and abstinence from intoxicating beverages.

us Opposite of the Ten Evils; see above, n. 108. 114 The ultimate Reality, the unconditioned Absolute, personified. 115 Charity, morality, patience, effort, meditation, and wisdom. 116 One of th~ basic doctrines of Buddhism by _ which one can approach final

deliverance: right views, right thinking, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

117 Contemplation, choosing the correct doctrine, effort, joy, repose, samadhi, and equanimity.

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her necklace to the Buddha. 118 Soon he will pass through the ten stages of attaining enlightenment. The stages may be many, but the required disciplines are not difficult to fulfill. Meanwhile, he will overcome all obstacles and attain Suchness ( tathatii) and upon reaching enlightenment will be called the Lord, the Buddha. Then he will abide in the principle of unity, with his mind freed from discriminations; by virtue of his wisdom shining like four mirrors, 119 he will be detached from both the abuse and the praise of the world. Transcending the phenomenal world, he will be immutable. Knowing neither increase nor decrease, he will be tranquil and serene, rising above the three divisions of time.120 How magnificent and splendid will he be! Not even the Yellow Emperor, the sage king Yao, and Fu Hsi will be worthy of tending his footgear, nor will the Universal Monarch, Indra, Brahma, and the rest be worthy to serve as his footmen. No matter how much abuse the devils and heretics may heap on him, it will be in vain, and no matter how much praise the disciples of the Buddha and those who have attained enlightenment by themselves may offer him, it will still be inadequate.

Nevertheless, the Four Vows 121 have not been realized as yet; the beloved, only son [mankind] is sunk deep in the trough. When [the Dharmakaya Buddha] thinks of his only son, he is downhearted, but in his benevolence he thinks of a means to save his son. Thereupon, manifesting himself in numberless forms in countless places, he reveals himself as a man [Shakyamuni Buddha] who follows the path to enlightenment and leads people to Nirvana. Showing his majestic dignity, appearing on the paths which people frequent, and exhibiting countless miracles, he sends his message all over the world.

Then he waits for all beings to come to him. Riding on the wind or the clouds they come, as numerous as tpe raindrops from heaven or the particles of spray from a fountain on earth. They come from filthy places and clean places, like clouds and like smoke. Gods, demons, monks, nuns, and lay followers come continually. Hymns,

118 Predictions that $ariputra and the Naga (serpent) girl would be the future Buddhas appear in the Lotus Sutra. After the Naga girl had offered the Buddha a priceless necklace, she was transformed into a man and later attained Buddha- hood. T9, p. 35c.

119 In The Awakening of Faith the characteristics of enlightenment are dis- cussed with analogies to four types of mirror. See The Awakening of Faith, pp. 42-43.

120 Past, present, and future. 121 Salvation of all beings, cessation of all defilements, mastery of the doctrines,

and attainment of enlightenment.

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drums, and bells resound, and heaven and earth are filled with fluttering flowers, the luster of gems, and the sound of horses and wagons. They throng so closely together that they step on each other's feet, and are obliged to draw in their arms and shoulders to make enough room, yet they never fail to be courteous to each other. With reverence and sincerity, they concentrate their minds.

Then the Buddha, preaching in a language which can be understood by all, crushes their illusions. He throws the entire world into another universe and reduces Mount Sumeru to a poppy seed. Pouring a rain of nectar, he admonishes and guides them; he gives them the food of joy, the doctrine that contains wisdom, and the method of moral discipline. They celebrate peace on earth, saying that the Emperor of Truth will come and all will be awakened. They enjoy themselves so much that they forget the existence of the Emperor, the Buddha. This is the place where all sentient beings from innumerable worlds gather in reverence. This is the noblest and the best capital, the source of ultimate value. Who can match the Buddha, the grandest and the loftiest of all!

"Though what I have said is but the smallest part of the teachings of my master the Buddha, now it should be evident to you that the petty seeking for longevity of Taoism and that dusty breeze of the secular world, Confucianism, are not worthy of comparison. They are not worthy to be spoken of in the same breath with Buddhism."

Kimo and the others were, while listening, at times frightened, ashamed, sorrowful, or filled with laughter. Along with the develop- ment of the story, they changed their expressions-sometimes they dropped their heads, and then again they lifted their faces. Finally they said approvingly:

"We are fortunate to have met this great authority and to have learned the supreme teaching which transcends the mundane world. We had not heard this doctrine before, and perhaps we would not again have had the opportunity to listen to it. If we had not met you, we would still be occupied in greedy activities and would have fallen into h~ll, the world of ghosts, or the world of beasts. Your instructions have made us feel much relieved in both body and mind. We feel that we are awakened, like worms stir.red by thunder in the spring after the long sleep of winter, or like the ice in the shade that starts to melt when the sun rises. How superficial the teachings of Confucius and Lao Tzu

MAJOR WORKS OF KUKAI 139

are! From now on we will observe faithfully your teaching with our whole beings-by writing it on the paper of our skins, with pens of bone, ink of blood, and the inkstone of the skull. Thus your teaching will be the boat and the wagon by which we may cross over the ocean of transmigration."

The mendicant said: "Please go back to your seats. I will compose a poem of ten rhymes clarifying the three teachings; recite it instead of singing popular songs." Then he made this poem:

The light of the sun and moon breaks through darkness, And the three teachings illumine ignorance. Nature and desire vary from person to person, Treatment differs with each physician. Human duties were preached by Confucius; On learning them one becomes a high government official. Lao Tzu taught the creation by yin and yang; On receiving his instructions one can observe the world from the

tower of a Taoist temple. Most significant and profound is the teaching of the ultimate path

of Mahayana. It teaches the salvation of oneself and of others; It does not exclude even animals or birds. The flowers in the spring fall beneath the branches; Dew in autumn vanishes before the withered grass. Flowing water can never be stopped; Whirling winds howl constantly. The world of senses is a sea in which one well may drown; Eternity, Bliss, the Self, and Purity are the summits on which we

ultimately belong. I know the fetters that bind me in the triple world; Why should I not give up the thought of serving the court?