Sakyamuni Buddha says, “All living beings are entirely buddha-nature. The tathagata exists in constancy, without any change.”
This is the Dharma Wheel of our great master Shakyamuni as a lion roar and it is also the head and eyes of the buddhas and patriarch. It has been 2190 years to practice and learn, (now it is the 2nd year of the Japanese era of Ninji,1241), and it has been only 50 generations of right successors (till the late Master Tendo Nyojyo.) It has been maintained through 28 generations in India from one generation to generation, and 23 generations in China from one age to next. The buddhas and patriarchs in ten directions have maintained it.
The world Honorable One’s saying, “All living being are entirely buddha-nature” is, what is the principle, it is turning the Wheel-Dharma of saying, “What is this that has come thus?” Or, it is said living beings, sentient beings, colonial beings, group kinds.
The saying of all beings is living beings, it is group beings. All beings are, namely, buddha-nature. One being of all beings is called living beings. At this precise moment, the inside and outside of living beings, namely, is all beings of buddha nature. They are not only skin, flesh, bone, marrow transmitted directly, but because “You have gained my skin, flesh, bone, and marrow.”
You should know that the being done by Buddha-Nature is not the beings of existence or non-existence. “All beings” is the Buddha’s words, the Buddha’s tongue. It is the Buddhist patriarchs’ eyes and pupil, and nostrils of a robed monk. The saying of all beings, further, is not the beginning being, the original being, subtle being and so on. How much more could it be dependent being or delusive being? It is not related to mind, circumstances, quality, and phase. This being so, the life: subject, and its environments: object, of “living beings-all beings” is not entirely the karmic power of accumulation, however, it is not irrelevant dependent arising, it is not natural being with the Dharma, and it is not divine practice and realization. If all beings of living beings are itself the karmic power of accumulation, natural being with the Dharma and so on, various sagas’ realized sayings, many buddhas’ Bodhi, and the Buddhist patriarchs’ eyes and pupils, would also be the karmic power of accumulation, irrelevant dependent arising, and being natural with the Dharma and so on. That is not so. There is no dust in the whole world and there is no second person direct presence, because it is that the root has been cut directly, persons haven’t yet known it, when the boundless Karmic consciousness will cease. It is not the being of delusive dependent arising, because the whole world has never been hidden. To say that the whole world has never been hidden is not necessarily to say that the all-over world is just the being itself. To say that I owe the whole world is the evil view of outsiders: non-Buddhists. It is not the being of essential existence, for it is eternal of old and eternal of now. It is not the being of beginning, for it has never received a speck of dirt. It is not wisps of being, it has been combined together. It is not the being of beginningless being, for it is “what’s this that has come thus?” It is not the being of newly arising being, for it is “吾常心是道: One’s everyday mind is the Way.” You should really know, in the midst of whole being, it is impossible for living beings to meet expediently. (The thing is unable to meet the thing, because it is the thing itself.) If the whole being is perceived like thus, the whole being is the body transparent and fallen off.
Hearing the Buddha’s saying, many scholars misunderstood it as that of the non-Buddhist Senika. This is because they don’t meet (enlightened)persons, don’t meet (original face of) themselves and don’t encounter a true teacher. They vacantly think 心意識2the working of the mind: generated by the wind and fire to be the awareness and realization of Buddha-nature. Who has ever said there are awareness and realization in Buddha-nature? Even if enlightened persons and realized persons are buddhas, Buddha -nature is not awareness and realization. Moreover, the knowing to say buddhas are enlightened one and realized one is not the wrong views said by those persons as awareness and recognition, and not even the movement of wind and fire is to be regarded as realization and knowing. Only the one state of a buddha and a patriarch is realization and knowing.
Now and then, old men and predecessors have gone to India and back, or guided sentient beings and celestial beings, from Han to Shung dynasty, they have been as numerous as rice, hemp, bamboo, and reeds, most of them have considered the what is generated by the movement of wind and fire as the realization and knowing. It is pitiful that they made this error because the way of studying has been slighted. The beginners and late learners of Buddhism should not be like that. Even if you learn awareness and realization, awareness and realization are not movement. Even if you learn movement, movement is not like that. If you are able to attain the real movement, you should attain the true awareness and completion of realization. Buddha - nature has arrived here, and have arrived there. Buddha-nature is necessarily all beings, because all beings are Buddha-nature. All beings are not hundreds of fragments, is not a rail of iron. Because it is twirling up a fist, it is not large and small. It has already been said Buddha- nature, which must not be compared with sagas, must not be compared with Buddha-nature.
One group think that Buddha-nature is like the seed of a plant and a tree. When being fully watered with the rain of Dharma, it sprouts and grows its stem, and twigs, leaves, flowers, and fruits grow. The fruits still more bear the seeds. The understanding like this is the discern of ordinary men. Even if you understand like this, you should learn seeds and flowers and fruits are respectively undisguised red heart. There are seeds in fruit’s inside, though seeds are unseen, bring forth roots and stems and so on. Without being gathered, they grow into a number of big branches around, which is not the theory of inside or outside, it is not empty in the old time and now. This being so, even if it is relied on the ordinary men’s view, roots, stems, twigs, and leaves are all the Buddha- nature, which are born at the same time, die at the same time, and coexisted in the entirety at the same time.
The Buddha said, “I f you want to know the principle of Buddha- nature, you should observe the time of causal circumstances. When the time has come, Buddha- nature manifest in front of you.”
Now saying, “If you want to know the meaning of Buddha-nature,” says not only knowing, but wanting to practice, wanting realize, wanting to preach, wanting to forget. Those preaching・ practicing・ realizing ・deceasing ・ being mistaken ・being unmistaken etc, , are however, the time of causal circumstances. In order to observe the just time of causal circumstances, we should observe with the just time of causal circumstances. We can also observe it holding a whisk, a staff, and so on. It can never be observed the intellect such as Asava wisdom・non -Asava wisdom, original awakening ・ beginning awakening, or not awakening ・ right awakening, and so on.
The saying “Just observation" is not related to subjective observation and objective observation, and it is not conformed to right observation and wrong observation, and the like, this is just observation. Because it is just observation. Because this is just reflection, it is not observation of one’s own and not the observation of others. It is the just time -causal circumstance itself, it is beyond causes and circumstances. It is Buddha-nature itself, it is buddha- nature casted off. It is each buddha itself, it is each nature itself.
The people in all ages have thought that the word “when the time has come” means to wait for the time will come in the future when the Buddha nature manifests in front of them. If they continue their practice like that, they will naturally encounter the time the Buddha-nature might manifest in front of them. If the time has not yet come, the Buddha- nature will not manifest even if they practice to ask a teacher for Dharma, even if they make effort on Zazen-practice. They take such a view, vainly return to the of crimson dust: secular world and stare at idly the Milky Way. Those people are probably the type of natural heretics. What is called “If you want to know the principle of Buddha- nature,” means, for example, “You rightly know the principle of Buddha-nature.” The words “you should observe the time of causal circumstances” is “you should know the time of causal circumstances.” If you want to know the principle of Buddha- nature, you should know, the time of causal circumstances, which should be this.
The words, “When the time has come,” is “The time has already come, what could there be to doubt.” The time of doubt, let it happen, it is letting me return the Buddha- nature. You should know “The time has already come” is beyond space throughout twelve hours. “if it has come” is like to say “it has already come.” If the time has come, the Buddha-nature has not come. Therefore, if the time has already come, namely, this is the manifestation of the Buddha-nature. Or it is that the reason is evident itself. In general, there have never been any time when the time has not come, nor the Buddha-nature that has never has manifested.
This is the Dharma Wheel of our great master Shakyamuni as a lion roar and it is also the head and eyes of the buddhas and patriarch. It has been 2190 years to practice and learn, (now it is the 2nd year of the Japanese era of Ninji,1241), and it has been only 50 generations of right successors (till the late Master Tendo Nyojyo.) It has been maintained through 28 generations in India from one generation to generation, and 23 generations in China from one age to next. The buddhas and patriarchs in ten directions have maintained it.
The world Honorable One’s saying, “All living being are entirely buddha-nature” is, what is the principle, it is turning the Wheel-Dharma of saying, “What is this that has come thus?” Or, it is said living beings, sentient beings, colonial beings, group kinds.
The saying of all beings is living beings, it is group beings. All beings are, namely, buddha-nature. One being of all beings is called living beings. At this precise moment, the inside and outside of living beings, namely, is all beings of buddha nature. They are not only skin, flesh, bone, marrow transmitted directly, but because “You have gained my skin, flesh, bone, and marrow.”
You should know that the being done by Buddha-Nature is not the beings of existence or non-existence. “All beings” is the Buddha’s words, the Buddha’s tongue. It is the Buddhist patriarchs’ eyes and pupil, and nostrils of a robed monk. The saying of all beings, further, is not the beginning being, the original being, subtle being and so on. How much more could it be dependent being or delusive being? It is not related to mind, circumstances, quality, and phase. This being so, the life: subject, and its environments: object, of “living beings-all beings” is not entirely the karmic power of accumulation, however, it is not irrelevant dependent arising, it is not natural being with the Dharma, and it is not divine practice and realization. If all beings of living beings are itself the karmic power of accumulation, natural being with the Dharma and so on, various sagas’ realized sayings, many buddhas’ Bodhi, and the Buddhist patriarchs’ eyes and pupils, would also be the karmic power of accumulation, irrelevant dependent arising, and being natural with the Dharma and so on. That is not so. There is no dust in the whole world and there is no second person direct presence, because it is that the root has been cut directly, persons haven’t yet known it, when the boundless Karmic consciousness will cease. It is not the being of delusive dependent arising, because the whole world has never been hidden. To say that the whole world has never been hidden is not necessarily to say that the all-over world is just the being itself. To say that I owe the whole world is the evil view of outsiders: non-Buddhists. It is not the being of essential existence, for it is eternal of old and eternal of now. It is not the being of beginning, for it has never received a speck of dirt. It is not wisps of being, it has been combined together. It is not the being of beginningless being, for it is “what’s this that has come thus?” It is not the being of newly arising being, for it is “吾常心是道: One’s everyday mind is the Way.” You should really know, in the midst of whole being, it is impossible for living beings to meet expediently. (The thing is unable to meet the thing, because it is the thing itself.) If the whole being is perceived like thus, the whole being is the body transparent and fallen off.
Hearing the Buddha’s saying, many scholars misunderstood it as that of the non-Buddhist Senika. This is because they don’t meet (enlightened)persons, don’t meet (original face of) themselves and don’t encounter a true teacher. They vacantly think 心意識2the working of the mind: generated by the wind and fire to be the awareness and realization of Buddha-nature. Who has ever said there are awareness and realization in Buddha-nature? Even if enlightened persons and realized persons are buddhas, Buddha -nature is not awareness and realization. Moreover, the knowing to say buddhas are enlightened one and realized one is not the wrong views said by those persons as awareness and recognition, and not even the movement of wind and fire is to be regarded as realization and knowing. Only the one state of a buddha and a patriarch is realization and knowing.
Now and then, old men and predecessors have gone to India and back, or guided sentient beings and celestial beings, from Han to Shung dynasty, they have been as numerous as rice, hemp, bamboo, and reeds, most of them have considered the what is generated by the movement of wind and fire as the realization and knowing. It is pitiful that they made this error because the way of studying has been slighted. The beginners and late learners of Buddhism should not be like that. Even if you learn awareness and realization, awareness and realization are not movement. Even if you learn movement, movement is not like that. If you are able to attain the real movement, you should attain the true awareness and completion of realization. Buddha - nature has arrived here, and have arrived there. Buddha-nature is necessarily all beings, because all beings are Buddha-nature. All beings are not hundreds of fragments, is not a rail of iron. Because it is twirling up a fist, it is not large and small. It has already been said Buddha- nature, which must not be compared with sagas, must not be compared with Buddha-nature.
One group think that Buddha-nature is like the seed of a plant and a tree. When being fully watered with the rain of Dharma, it sprouts and grows its stem, and twigs, leaves, flowers, and fruits grow. The fruits still more bear the seeds. The understanding like this is the discern of ordinary men. Even if you understand like this, you should learn seeds and flowers and fruits are respectively undisguised red heart. There are seeds in fruit’s inside, though seeds are unseen, bring forth roots and stems and so on. Without being gathered, they grow into a number of big branches around, which is not the theory of inside or outside, it is not empty in the old time and now. This being so, even if it is relied on the ordinary men’s view, roots, stems, twigs, and leaves are all the Buddha- nature, which are born at the same time, die at the same time, and coexisted in the entirety at the same time.
The Buddha said, “I f you want to know the principle of Buddha- nature, you should observe the time of causal circumstances. When the time has come, Buddha- nature manifest in front of you.”
Now saying, “If you want to know the meaning of Buddha-nature,” says not only knowing, but wanting to practice, wanting realize, wanting to preach, wanting to forget. Those preaching・ practicing・ realizing ・deceasing ・ being mistaken ・being unmistaken etc, , are however, the time of causal circumstances. In order to observe the just time of causal circumstances, we should observe with the just time of causal circumstances. We can also observe it holding a whisk, a staff, and so on. It can never be observed the intellect such as Asava wisdom・non -Asava wisdom, original awakening ・ beginning awakening, or not awakening ・ right awakening, and so on.
The saying “Just observation" is not related to subjective observation and objective observation, and it is not conformed to right observation and wrong observation, and the like, this is just observation. Because it is just observation. Because this is just reflection, it is not observation of one’s own and not the observation of others. It is the just time -causal circumstance itself, it is beyond causes and circumstances. It is Buddha-nature itself, it is buddha- nature casted off. It is each buddha itself, it is each nature itself.
The people in all ages have thought that the word “when the time has come” means to wait for the time will come in the future when the Buddha nature manifests in front of them. If they continue their practice like that, they will naturally encounter the time the Buddha-nature might manifest in front of them. If the time has not yet come, the Buddha- nature will not manifest even if they practice to ask a teacher for Dharma, even if they make effort on Zazen-practice. They take such a view, vainly return to the of crimson dust: secular world and stare at idly the Milky Way. Those people are probably the type of natural heretics. What is called “If you want to know the principle of Buddha- nature,” means, for example, “You rightly know the principle of Buddha-nature.” The words “you should observe the time of causal circumstances” is “you should know the time of causal circumstances.” If you want to know the principle of Buddha- nature, you should know, the time of causal circumstances, which should be this.
The words, “When the time has come,” is “The time has already come, what could there be to doubt.” The time of doubt, let it happen, it is letting me return the Buddha- nature. You should know “The time has already come” is beyond space throughout twelve hours. “if it has come” is like to say “it has already come.” If the time has come, the Buddha-nature has not come. Therefore, if the time has already come, namely, this is the manifestation of the Buddha-nature. Or it is that the reason is evident itself. In general, there have never been any time when the time has not come, nor the Buddha-nature that has never has manifested.