..续本文上一页sdom; and the Myriad Nirmanakayas are your actions. If you deal with these three bodies apart from your Mind-essence, they would be bodies without wisdom. If you realise that these three: self-nature, self-wisdom and self-action, have no substance of their own (being only manifestations of Mind-essence) then you have attained the enlightenment of the four Prajnas. Listen to this stanza:--

　　"The Three-bodies are inherent in our Essence of Mind,

　　By the radiation of which the four Prajnas are manifested.

　　Thus, without closing your eyes and your ears to shut out the external world,

　　You may reach Buddhahood directly.

　　Now that I have made this plain to you,

　　If you believe it implicitly, you will be forever free from delusion.

　　Follow not those who seek for ”enlightenment” from without:

　　Such people talk about Bodhi all the time, but do it vainly."

　　* * *

　　p. 286

　　For the second time, Chi-tong asked, "May I know something about the four Prajnas

　　" "If you understand the Three-Bodies," replied the Patriarch, "you should know the four Prajnas as well; your question is quite unnecessary. If you deal with the four Prajnas apart from the Three-Bodies, there would be Prajnas without bodies; in such a case, they would not be Prajnas. (Prajna is the Ultimate Principle of the Three-Bodies, which is Ultimate Reality.) The Patriarch then uttered this stanza:--

　　"Mirror-like Wisdom is pure by nature;

　　Wisdom that comprehends all things equally, frees the mind from all impediments;

　　All-discerning Wisdom sees things intuitively;

　　All-performing Wisdom, like Mirror-Wisdom, is free from prejudice.

　　Perception-consciousness of the five-sense-vijnanas,

　　And the Universal Consciousness of the Alaya-vijnana,

　　Are not ”transmuted” to Prajna, until the Buddha-stage;

　　While the intellective-consciousness of the Manas,

　　And the discriminative-consciousness of the Manovijnana,

　　Are ”transmitted” in the Bodhisattva-stage.

　　When you are able to free yourself entirely from attachments to sense-objects as these ”transmutations” take place,

　　Then you will forever abide in the never-ceasing Naga Samadhi." 1

　　p. 287

　　Suddenly Chi-tong realised the Prajna of his Mind-essence and submitted the following stanza to the Patriarch:--

　　"Intrinsically, the Three-Bodies are within our Essence of Mind.

　　When our mind is enlightened, the four Prajnas will appear.

　　When ”Bodies” and Prajna appear as one identity,

　　Then are we able to respond to the appeal of all beings. no matter what form they take.

　　To make an effort to find the Trikaya and the four Prajnas is to take an entirely wrong course;

　　To try to ”discriminate” and ”grasp” them is to misunderstand their intrinsic nature.

　　Through you, Sir, I am now able to realise the profundity of their meaning;

　　Henceforth, I may discard for ever their false and arbitrary names."

　　p. 288

　　THE MONK, CHI-SHEUNG, a native of Kwai-kai of Shun-chow, joined the order in his childhood and was very zealous in his efforts to realise Mind-essence. One day he came to pay homage to the Patriarch and was asked by the latter whence and for what he came. Chi-sheung replied:--

　　"I have recently been at the White Cliff Monastery in Hung-chow, to study with the Master Ta-tung who was good enough to teach me how to realise Mind-essence and thereby to gain Buddhahood, but as I still have some doubts, I have travelled far to come here to pay my respects to you. Will you kindly clear away my doubts, Sir

　　"

　　The Patriarch asked, "What instruction did he give you

　　 Will you please repeat it."

　　Chi-sheung replied: "After staying there three months without receiving any instruction, and being zealous for the Dharma, I went alone one night to his chamber and asked him, what my essence of mind was. He asked me, ”Do you see the illimitable void

　　” ”Yes, I do,” I replied. …

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