Discerning Chen Jianmin's "Small and Great Vehicle Practice of Emptiness and Esoteric Mahamudra, Dzogchen, and Chan Discernment" — Part Three (Final)

2007/7/31 23:17:31

(IV) Discernment between Mahamudra and Dzogchen practice of emptiness — Both Mahamudra and Dzogchen belong to the Anuttarayoga methods of practicing emptiness through fruition-level skillful means. In terms of lineage, Dzogchen comes from the Nyingma terma tradition. The Gelug school considers it not an authentic Indian transmission and rejects it. Though the Gelug school does not readily discuss Mahamudra, it does not deny it. Not all terma teachings are unreliable, nor are they all trustworthy, since forgeries by later generations do exist. However, we can examine through reasoning and investigate according to the Dharma — genuine Dharma treasures are naturally distinguishable. This text is not a dedicated discussion of the true value of terma, but since Dzogchen itself belongs to the Nyingma terma tradition, a brief mention is warranted. The author wishes to inspire readers' confidence in Dzogchen, hence this introduction. As for its superiority over Mahamudra, consider what Master Gong stated: "Mahamudra pertains to the path, Dzogchen pertains to the fruition." From this, one can roughly imagine the distinction.

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Principle and phenomena entangle each other; phenomena and principle condition each other. When the river is exhausted and the pool depleted, it's all just one laughable farce.

1. Mahamudra establishes four yogas for gradual practice; Dzogchen does not establish four yogas but directly realizes in a sudden manner — there is truly a distinction between gradual and sudden. In the general discussion above, differentiating various views, we introduced that Mahamudra belongs to the Dharmakaya or co-emergent wisdom view, which still maintains distinctions between cause and fruition. The Dharmakaya and co-emergent wisdom both belong to the fruition level, thus requiring practice and realization before attainment. Dzogchen belongs to primordial purity, where cause and fruition are undivided and the essence is inherently complete. At the causal level one was never bound, at the fruition level there is no need for liberation. In terms of time, the present moment is realized as emptiness without waiting; in terms of space, the immediate essence is taken without selection. Seeing is practicing, practicing is acting, acting is fruition — there are no stages to pass through, no sequences to follow, one merely upholds this single view without departing for even a moment. Thus Gampopa said: "If one says I practice, what do I practice? If one says I haven't practiced, when was there ever disorder?" The work cannot deceive oneself — only those of great wisdom can accomplish this. Among various Dzogchen teachings, such as Longchenpa's "Resting in Meditation" and "Resting in Illusion," though named Dzogchen, much of their content actually belongs to exoteric teachings and Mahamudra. My work "Extracting the Essence of Padmasambhava's Dzogchen Instructions" directly points to the heart of Dzogchen — readers may refer to it.

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"Not using" is still using; "immediate" is not truly immediate. Time and space empty each other — neither present nor immediate.

2. Mahamudra relies on the third empowerment path to transform the body into rainbow light; Dzogchen does not rely on the third empowerment path, does not use a physical consort, and has the tögal method to transform the body into rainbow light. The former is more difficult and dangerous: a suitable consort is hard to find, hence difficult; achieving the fusion of drops into light after finding one is not easy, hence dangerous. The latter's tögal initially utilizes external light from the sun and moon, gradually introducing it into one's own body to develop the innate rainbow light — it is easier and more stable. Easier because under the sky, who does not experience sun and moon light? More stable because even if one cannot transform one's body into light, one will not fall into the Vajra Hell. Furthermore, if a Mahamudra practitioner exclusively favors the liberation path and disdains the third empowerment desire path, achieving the luminous emptiness Mahamudra of the fourth empowerment becomes relatively difficult. Dzogchen, besides the ordinary tögal method, also has the supreme convenience of seven-day Buddhahood, which is particularly extraordinary.

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Outside is not outside, inside is not inside. Sun and moon fall, heaven and earth become dust. Light swallowing all things is still beneath the steps; at the hundredth foot of the pole, it cheats and kills people.

3. In the preliminaries of Mahamudra, the view of dependent origination also differs slightly. Mahamudra's second or third empowerment simplifies, purifies, and elevates from the six-element dependent origination to the inseparability of mind and vital energy. The establishment of the wisdom body or illusory body, in union with the luminosity of Mahamudra, is this subtle wisdom body of inseparable mind and vital energy. As for Dzogchen's view of dependent origination, though it does not depart from the five elements-vital energies, five wisdoms, five lights, five vajra chains, nor from the preliminary practice of inseparable mind and vital energy — nevertheless, the five elements and five wisdoms are primordially united and complete, requiring no separate practice of the five wisdoms and five elements. Mind and vital energy are also primordially complete and pure — there is no need to first practice mind, then vital energy, then their inseparability. Thus the five lights of tögal are nothing but the manifestation of the five elements and five wisdoms. Yet within these five lights, one cannot analytically determine which are the five wisdoms and which are the five elements. Tögal is established upon trekchö, and trekchö's view of primordial purity penetrates through the five elements, five channels, five wisdoms, and five lights — none of which are not primordially pure, none of which are not primordially complete. This point must be carefully discerned before one can grasp the true spirit of tögal practice.

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Ten thousand kinds of clever tricks — ghost-den machinations. Ghost-den machinations — ten thousand kinds of clever tricks.

(V) Discernment between Dzogchen and Chan practice of emptiness — Two points about Chan require preliminary introduction. First, in the Chinese tradition, Chan and Esoteric Buddhism are spoken of separately — this is quite improper. The Small, Great, and Esoteric three vehicles form the complete system of the Buddha's teaching and must not be confused. Esoteric Buddhism belongs to the Vajrayana or Secret Vehicle, while Chan belongs to the same Dharma lineage as Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism's Dzogchen, and therefore should be classified under Esoteric Buddhism, not under the exoteric schools that stand in opposition to it. There are three reasons: First, traces of Chan's style can be found in Tibetan scriptures, which is why Master Nuona called Chan "the Great Esoteric School." In the Nyingma tradition, Dzogchen is also called the Dzogchen stage, meaning it rides above the generation and completion stages. The so-called "Great Esoteric School" refers to its equivalence with the Dzogchen stage. Second, what is called "esoteric" must have esoteric content. Dzogchen certainly possesses the secret of Dharma-nature, but Chan's functioning — its secret of Dharma-nature — is even more unfathomable and unimaginable. Third, Patriarch Bodhidharma was the patriarch of the Tibetan Esoteric Right Sari lineage. In China, he is only known as the patriarch of Chan. What he transmitted in Tibet as Dzogchen is completely identical to the Chan he transmitted in China. Therefore, Chan must belong to the Esoteric lineage.

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Neither complete nor fulfilled, neither function nor use, neither esoteric nor Chan — futile speculation.

The second introductory point concerns the classification of Chan. Venerable Taixu once proposed four categories: first, Mind-illuminating Tathagata Chan; second, Beyond-Buddha Patriarch Chan; third, Beyond-Patriarch Five-House Chan; fourth, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Chan. However, I consider Taixu's classification rather inappropriate, for Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing are temporal designations, while the first three categories are classified by nature — one cannot use two different classification standards to describe the same Dharma lineage. Non-uniform standards are indeed taboo in classification studies or library science. Therefore, based on the various prophecies of the patriarchs, I classify them as: (1) Holy Teaching Tathagata Chan; (2) Direct Pointing Patriarch Chan; (3) Dynamic Functioning Descendant Chan; (4) Lip-Service River-Sand Chan. Thus the first two characters indicate style, the last three indicate personage. "River-sand" may be a thing rather than a person, but like the sands of the Ganges, it can symbolize Buddhas as well as Chan monks. Both "descendants" and "river-sand" are terms from the prophecies, such as "must rely on descendants to walk the path below" and "the Dharma pervades the sand-world." The former refers to the cream of Chan; the latter means that in later ages even women and children could speak of Chan on their lips. In the past this was perhaps mistaken for praise of Chan's widespread propagation; we posterity now see it as a reference to Chan's degeneration, carrying a tone of ridicule — it does not mean that true Chan, like the excellence of Descendant Chan, is something that all sentient beings as numerous as river-sand in all worlds can truly engage in. Based on these two introductions, the comparison in this text between Chan and Dzogchen: first, we can clearly compare them as belonging to the same Esoteric system; second, what we compare specifically refers to Dynamic Functioning Descendant Chan, not the other three categories. If we were to speak of Patriarch Chan, it could only be compared to Mahamudra; Tathagata Chan could only be compared to the Great Middle Way; only Dynamic Functioning Descendant Chan can be compared to Dzogchen, and with ample room to spare.

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Geese pass through the void, wind returns over water. One is not four; four are exactly one. The white sun hangs high while daylight is black as lacquer.

1. Dzogchen has indication transmission, oral transmission, and mind-seal transmission. The currently prevalent indication transmission must use crystal or a round mirror as an indication object for transmission, all following formally passed-down proper rituals. Chan, however, discards such fixed rituals and ceremonies, expressing itself through great dynamism and great function. A teacher must transmit through realized virtue; a disciple must receive through realized virtue — there is no fixed indication object. Therefore, if the teacher has not realized, it is insufficient to transmit to the disciple; if the disciple has not realized at that moment, they cannot receive this great Dharma. Dzogchen, however, because it has fixed rituals, can be transmitted according to procedure even if the teacher has the lineage but lacks realization.

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Wearing a robe and donning a crown — is that a monk or a Taoist? Holding a hoe with empty hands, water flows while the bridge does not.

1. Among the patriarchs of Dzogchen, great dynamism and great function are not entirely absent. For instance, Tilopa struck Naropa's genitals afterward, causing him to directly realize the first bhumi; Virupa, upon receiving the Vajravarahi empowerment, danced and sang his way to direct realization of the sixth bhumi — these are oral traditions well documented in Tibetan history. However, when it comes to the great masters of Chan's Descendant lineage, their dynamic functioning is exceptionally outstanding. Like a chick pecking from inside while the hen pecks from outside at the same moment, the protocols between teacher and disciple are too numerous to count — not limited to one time, one person, one event. Cases emerge endlessly in the koans, constituting inconceivable merit. Their abundance exceeds the historical accounts of Dzogchen patriarchs by more than a hundred, a thousand times. Take for example the case of Bird's Nest blowing a hair — what is the hair? How easy the blowing! Yet it caused his disciple to realize on the spot. Such dynamic functioning is beyond the reach of any but a greatly accomplished master and a greatly reverent disciple. Beyond this, there are Shigong drawing his bow, Juzhi's finger, striking the ground, righteous beheading, killing the snake, pounding the ribs, raising a fist, crying to heaven, smashing the stove, destroying the pot, false breath, pushing the bed, tapping bamboo, glimpsing the reflection — all manner of forms, bizarre yet plain, plain yet bizarre. The texts of Chan can truly be said to rain heavenly flowers, utterly unfathomable. In the entire history of Buddhism, whether in the Western Heavens or the Eastern lands, has there ever been such a dazzling spectacle!

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A person with diseased eyes seeing flowers, a person grasping at emptiness and catching shadows.

3. In Dzogchen, receiving the transmission and practicing trekchö and tögal is quite common. However, in Chan, if one has not formally attained awakening, one is not permitted to blindly practice based merely on intellectual understanding. As the saying goes: "Don't close the gate until the first barrier is broken; don't go to the mountain until the second barrier is broken." Often one spends ten or eight years visiting teachers everywhere without being able to awaken. Yet once awakened, one simply upholds the single direct command, and a lifetime of use is inexhaustible. Supernatural transformations — like Yinfeng's inverted standing, Puhua's aerial ascension. Achievers form an unbroken chain, a grand sight to behold. Throughout the Tang dynasty, regardless of gender, age, monastic or lay status, those who attained liberation from birth and death were extremely numerous. The loftiness of their style and the multitude of their accomplishments are beyond what Dzogchen can match.

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Escaping birth and death is still birth and death. A person from which country, bearing what surname?

III. Conclusion
To summarize the three great emptiness-practice methods of Esoteric Buddhism: First, in Mahamudra, one must understand the principle of the non-meditation yoga, and only then can it be equivalent to Dzogchen's view of primordial purity. Second, Dzogchen's view of primordial purity must manifest in realized experience before it qualifies as the entry point of Chan. Third, in Mahamudra, one must thoroughly see the luminous essence to count as having entered — without the luminous essence, even with transmission texts and trial practice, it is no different from practicing emptiness in the Prajna vehicle. In Dzogchen, one must personally realize the great trekchö view of primordial purity. Personally realizing this view is vastly different from merely knowing the theory of primordial purity. If one merely understands the principle of Dzogchen without having the direct perception, one cannot begin practice and it does not count as Dzogchen. In Chan, one must have direct perceptual awakening, genuine realization, and definitive knowledge of the special transmission outside the teachings. The Dharmakaya preaches the Dharma; one must personally see one's original face. Only then can one uphold the single direct command, wield the fist without hands, see bodhi everywhere one looks. Otherwise, if one merely slips by verbally, it is ultimately self-deception. This is the third point. Finally, using the simplest descriptive terms to define the Small and Great Vehicle and the three Esoteric emptiness-practice methods: The Small and Great Vehicles share "practicing emptiness" — the Small Vehicle practices emptiness in conjunction with the Four Noble Truths, the Great Vehicle practices emptiness in conjunction with the Six Paramitas. Such practice is indeed comparatively difficult. This is the first point. Mahamudra is "able" emptiness, for it possesses the ability of the luminous essence, and then uses this to knot emptiness, applying it to whatever is to be emptied. Thus it is more direct than the Small and Great Vehicles, yet more gradual than Dzogchen. This is the second point. Dzogchen is "original" emptiness — original emptiness is more sudden than able emptiness. I once compared the eye and the tail of a needle to Mahamudra and Dzogchen. My verse says: "Needle's eye and needle's tail contend for merit, only because both thread the same line; the eye can pierce while the tail follows along — able emptiness suffers compared to original emptiness." This is the third point. Chan is "realized" emptiness — from the very first awakening, it is already in the realm of direct experience. Anything not of direct experience is spurned by Chan. Therefore, among the five, Chan stands alone at the summit. Hence I compose a verse in its praise, as an auspicious conclusion to this text. This is the fourth point.

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Neither practice, nor ability, nor original realization — white clouds lie across the path on the white-cloud mountain.

Those with Great Vehicle capacity — Descendant Chan; from the Sixth Patriarch onward, before the Five Houses.
Through all antiquity, few are those truly fierce and ruthless — who can endure the rib-blow and return my fist?

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One flower, five petals, none related to Chan; the white moon blazes bright before the river water.