MY 46TH YEAR
(1885/86)
That spring, I left the Guan-yin Monastery on Mount Xiang, walking from the west through the Da-qing Pass and further on into Shensi Province. Passing through Yaozhou and San-yuan, I eventually reached Xian-yang, where I saw the historic sweet-pear tree under which an ancient, Zhao-bai, had lived. When I reached Xi’an (anciently known as Chang-an) with its imposing wall, I found many historic ruins. Outside the town to the northeast was the Ci-en Monastery,20 inside of which was Wild Goose Pagoda - its seven-storied stupa ornamented with famous calligraphic inscriptions in stone, some dating from the Tang Dynasty onwards, as well as Nestorian Tablets. In front of the Prefecture’s Confucian College, there was a forest of over seven hundred stone tablets. At its eastern gate, there was a viaduct with seventy-two spans and a covered pavilion where passersby could meet and congregate before going about their business. After negotiating the triple-gateway of Yang-guan Pass, I went on to the Hua-yan Monastery where I paid reverence to the stupa of Master
20
The ‘Ci-en’ or Monastery of Compassionate Grace had been built by the Crown Prince of Dai-zong in 648. The pagoda was built to be fireproof on the instructions of Xuan- zang in 652, its purpose being to house the massive collections of sutras brought back from India. He translated over thirteen hundred fascicles upon his return.
Du-shun21 and State Master Qing-liang.22 I then proceeded to Niu- tou Temple and Xing-guo Monastery, at the latter paying my respects to the stupa of Dharma-Master Xuan-zang (600-64). I went on, reaching eastern Wu-tai, Zhongnan Shan, thence Xiang- Gu-po, the Bao-zang Monastery and Bai-shui Lang Retreat, a place formerly used by two holy monks where they lived in seclusion. I visited the former abode of Zong-mi in the Yin-dong Cave on Jia Wu-tai Peak, this Master being the Fifth Patriarch of the Hua-yan (Avatamsaka) School in China.
Next, I walked to Southern Wu-tai, where I called on Masters Jue- lang, Ye-kai, Fa-ren, Ti-an and Fa-xing, who had built thatched huts there and invited me to stay with them. Fa-ren was staying at the ‘Tiger Retreat’. Ye-kai lodged under the ‘Benevolent Dragon Cedar’ and Fa-xing dwelt in the ‘Xian-zi Cave’ along with Jue-lang and Ti-an, whereas I stayed in a large, thatched hut. Early in the morning on the first day of the third month, I caught sight of a shooting star in the heavens beyond a nearby hall, its impression remaining for some time before fading away; I did not know what it portended.
MY 47TH AND 48TH YEARS
(1886/87)
During these years, I initially stayed in a hut on the Southern Peak of Wu-tai for Chan practice with my above-mentioned friends, Masters from whom I derived very great benefit.
21
Du-shun (558-640). First Patriarch of the Hua-yan School in China. Famous for his essay ‘Meditation on the Dharmadhatu’.
22
Alias Cheng-guan (738-840). Prolific commentator and Imperial Master to six successive Tang emperors.
In the second month, I descended the mountain and proceeded to Mount Cui-wei, where I paid reverence at the Huang-you Monastery. Thence at Qing-hua and Hou-an Mountains, the latter being where I visited Jing-ye Monastery to pay homage at the stupa of Dao-xuan, the Chinese Patriarch of the Lu (Vinaya discipline) School. I shortly arrived at the Cao-tang Monastery, where I paid reverence to the holy site of Kumarajiva.23 Next, I visited Mount Taibai, which was 108 li (540 km.) high and on which snow did not thaw even in summer’s heat. Thence I arrived at the Er-ban and Dai-ban Monasteries and eventually reached the Da Long-zhi (Great Dragon Pool) Peak where its waters divide into four mountain streams. Passing on through the market town of Zi-wu, I reached Han-zhong Prefecture, where I visited many historic places such as the terrace where the Han Dynasty Emperor Gao-zu paid tribute to his generals; the Temple of Zhu-gu (which commemorates a Chancellor of the second century) at Bao-cheng, and Wan-nian Memorial in honor of Zhang-fei. Going on beyond Long-dong (Dragon Cave) and through the Tian-xiong Pass, I reached ‘Little Emei’, the Jian-men (Sword-gate) Pass, Bo- you Monastery, the Bai-ma (White Horse) Pass and the Tomb of Pang-tong, eventually arriving at the Wen-chang Temple in Sichuan Province. While negotiating this terrain, I had to climb Mount Qi-qu (lit. ‘Seven-bends Mountain’) and cross the Jiu-qu Current (lit. ‘Nine-bends Current’), besides crossing the Jiamen Pass. It indeed looked just like a sword-blade spanning two precipitous cliffs and confirmed the ancient saying that a single
23
An eminent Master of Kuchan origin who came to China in the fourth century. Noted for the number of sutra translations which he produced with the help of his able Chinese assistant, Seng-zhao. Seized as a prize of war, Kumarajiva was taken to Chang- an (modern-day Xi’an) where a translation bureau had been set up. He died there in 412.
warrior defending the place could repulse an attack launched by an army of ten thousand soldiers.
Upon the mountain was the town of Jiang-wei, where Bai-yue had formerly commanded a garrison. It was as difficult to negotiate the bridging-planks laid across the precipice as it would be to ‘stride up into the sky’, as the ancient rightly put it. Moving on, I reached Nan-xin Prefecture, south of Guang-han, where I stayed at the Bao-guang Monastery to pass the New Year period. Since entering Sichuan that year, I had walked alone with only a bowl and the proper garments of a monk, thus being entirely free from all hindrances. As I wound my way across mountains and rivers, the scenery helped to clarify my mind.
MY 49TH YEAR
(1888/89)
In the first month, I left the Bao-guang Monastery and journeyed to the Provincial capital of Chengdu. There, I paid reverence at the Hall of Wen-shu (Manjusri) in Zhao-jue Monastery, Cao-dang Monastery and Qing-yang Temple. Thence, passing through Hua- yang and Shuang-liu I headed south and came to Meishan and Hungya Prefectures, walking on until I reached the foot of Mount Emei. From the Jiu-lao Cave at Fu-hu Temple (where Zhao Gong- ming formerly stayed to practice Daoism), I climbed the Jin-ding Peak of Mount Emei, where I offered incense.
At night I saw overhead, like a constellation of stars in the sky, countless ‘Buddha-lights’ - the beauty of which was indescribable. I called on Abbot Ying-zhen at the Bao-guang Monastery, where I stayed for ten days. From the Wan-nian Temple, where I paid reverence in the Vairocana Hall, I descended the mountain and carried on until reaching Yazhou Prefecture. After passing through
Chong-qing Prefecture, I reached Luding nearer the western border of Sichuan Province; and in the fifth month, I crossed the Lu River. In the town of Yan-an, the Da-fu River was spanned by the Luding suspension bridge, which was made of long chains over 300 feet long. It rolled and swung when in use so that travelers were usually scared and required great caution. Walking westwards, I passed through Da-jian Lu, Litang (also called Li-hua), Batang; and thence going north, I reached Qamdo. As I continued my westward journey, arrived at Shidu, A-lan-to24 and Lhari, where the vast expanse of terrain had only a scattered population consisting of a few Han Chinese, Tibetans, Mongolians and wild tribes whose languages differed, very few of them speaking Chinese. At Litang, there was the sacred mountain of Gonga (7556 m.) a holy site for adherents of Tibetan Buddhism. At Batang, there were very high mountains and Qamdo was a town where the rivers converged. Most people in this region were adherents of Lamaism.
From Lhari I walked southwards reaching Jiang-da (probably Gyamda), beyond which was the Tibetan border. Continuing my journey across the border into Tibet, I crossed the Wusu-Jiang25 River and later the Lhasa (Kyichu) River, soon arriving in Lhasa, the capital and joint administrative religious center for the whole of Tibet.
To the northwest of the city was Mount Potala on which stood the thirteen-storied Potala-palace; its buildings of glittering gold against the blue sky were of an imposing majesty. It was here that the ‘Living Buddha’, the Dalai Lama, sat on his throne surrounded by a community of 20,000 monks. As I did not understand
24
Shidu and A-lan-to are Chinese transcriptions of local place-names. Happily, Lhari can be identified and gives an idea of the vicinity.
25
Tibetan, I only went to the monasteries to offer incense and pay reverence to the ‘Living Buddha’.
From Lhasa, I headed west and after passing through Gonggar and Gyangze, I reached Shigatse, to the west of which stood Tashilunpo Monastery. It was a large and beautiful structure occupying an area of a few square li and it is the administrative and religious center of Western Tibet where the other ‘Living Buddha’, the Panchen Lama, sat on his throne surrounded by a community of four to five thousand monks. During my trek from Sichuan Province to Tibet, which took a year, I walked by day and rested at night. Often, I did not meet a single person for days when climbing mountains or crossing streams. The birds and beasts differed from those in China and the customs also differed from ours. The Sangha did not observe the Monastic code and most of the monks ate beef and mutton. They were divided into sects distinguishable by their red and yellow hats. I thought of the days of the Jetavana Assembly and could not refrain from tears.26
26
Regarding Xu-yun’s observations about the status of Tibetan Buddhism, they seem less than salutary, though his account is otherwise generous towards the Tibetan tradition. Special circumstances need to be taken into account here. The Buddhist Sangha generally prohibits meat-eating and Xu-yun introduced rigorous reforms in the Chinese monasteries when and where he found meat-eating going on. Consequently, he was shocked to discover that it is fairly common for Tibetan Buddhists to eat meat as a matter of course. The Tibetan climate and terrain does not readily yield up vegetable crops and cereals are often scarce. Thus, out of sheer necessary, the Tibetan monks often live on meat. Barley and millet are sometimes available, but rarely in quantities sufficient to meet all needs. Having said that, Xu-yun was a strict vegetarian through his stay in Tibet and obviously found sufficient food to sustain himself. Strangely enough, the Vinaya code does not explicitly rule out meat-eating, largely because monks are supposed to beg or eat what their patrons offer. In China, the Vinaya code is linked with the Brahmajala-sutra, which does rule out meat eating, like the Lankavatara Sutra. Thus, in China, the Precepts do explicitly prohibit meat-eating.
As regards Xu-yun’s criticism of the Tibetan schools and their differences, the problem was more apparent than real. Tibetan Buddhism has developed its own schools as did the Chinese Buddhist tradition. Presumably, the Master thought that these different lineages represented sectarian views. As we know from Xu-yun’s remarks elsewhere, he regarded all aspects of the Dharma as complementary and taught his disciples not to
As the year was nearing its end, I returned from Shigatse to Lhasa to pass the New Year period.
MY 50TH YEAR
(1889/90)
I did not wish to stay in Tibet, so with the coming of spring, I headed southwards passing through La-ko and Ya-dong (alias Mao-dong), which was the gateway to India from Tibet. I entered Bhutan crossing the mountain ranges, the names of which were unknown to me, though I had sometimes heard them referred to as the ‘Onion Range’ or the ‘Snowy Range’ (the Himalaya Range). I availed myself of this opportunity to compose a poem which contained the following lines:
What crosses the horizon Looking like clear emptiness? Such a bright and silvery world Differs not from brilliant jade.
Once in India, I reached the town of Yang-pu,27 where I pilgrimaged to various holy places. Later, I reached the great Bengalese city of Calcutta from which I sailed to Ceylon. While there I made further pilgrimages to holy sites, after which I crossed the sea again, this time reaching Burma. There, I visited the great Golden Pagoda of Shwedagon (in Rangoon) and paid
discriminate in favor of one method. Had the Master spoken or read Tibetan, he would have recognized that the Tibetans find it expedient to express the Dharma through different methods, just as the Chinese schools do.
27
Probably Benares. It is sometimes impossible to locate foreign place-names given in Chinese transliteration, often a ‘rough and ready’ business. For instance, in the account of Xu-yun’s Tibetan sojourn, two identical phonetics are used for entirely different places, though happily to say, they were readily identifiable by plotting his course.
reverence inside the temple. When I reached Chi-ti-li28 near Moulmein, I saw an unusual boulder said to have been placed on its rocky prominence by Maudgalyayana in ancient times. Many devotees went there to pay reverence.
In the seventh month I returned to China. Proceeding from Lashio, I passed through the Han-long Gate and entered Yunnan Province. After passing through Nian-ning, Long-ling, Jing-dong, Meng-hua, Chaozhou and Xiaguan, I reached Da-li Prefecture. There, I visited the great Er-hai Lake, where the din of its silvery cascades could be heard for several li around; it was a most remarkable scene. Upon my return to China, my first vow was to visit the Cock’s Foot Mountain, where I wished to pay reverence to Mahakasyapa - to whom the mountain is sacred - and where he is said to be wrapped in samadhi inside a cave, awaiting the Future Buddha, Maitreya. From Er-hai Lake, I headed in a northeasterly direction and after passing through Wa-se, Bai-dan, Bing-sha, Shan-jiao and the Temple of Da-wang at An-bang, I reached the Arch of Ling- shan (Vulture Peak) assembly at the case of Cock’s Foot Mountain. Halfway from its peak was the Ming-ge Terrace where, in former times, it is said that eight princes followed Mahakasyapa to the mountain. Unable to bear the thought of leaving him, they are said to have stayed on the mountain to continue their self- cultivation, all becoming Dharma-protectors (on account of which they are now revered in the near-by Temple of Da-wang).
I climbed the mountain, reaching the Cave-Shrine of Mahakasyapa where his image is kept inside. It is said that when Ananda went there to pay reverence, the stone door at the front of the cave opened by itself. It was a high mountain cave, blocked off by a stone wall resembling a door. The door is called the ‘Hua-shou
28
‘Chi-ti-li’ is Kyai Khtiyo, near Moulmein. Devout Burmese Buddhists plaster this rock with gold-leaf, often saving for years in order to do so.
Men’ (‘Flower Blossom Gate’)29 and Mahakasyapa is supposed to be sitting in samadhi within. The door closing off the cave opening had the appearance of a huge city-gate, measuring a few hundred feet in height and over a hundred feet in width. The two portions of the door were closed, but the line of juncture between them was clearly visible.
That day, there were many visitors with local guides. While I was offering incense and making prostrations, the sound of a large bell unexpectedly rang out thrice. The locals present were overjoyed and paid reverence, saying, ‘Whenever an enlightened person comes here, the sound of a bell, drum or musical instrument is heard. We have all heard that of a drum or musical instrument once or twice to date, but so far we have never heard the sound of a large bell. Seeing that you came to pay reverence today - and that the sound of a large bell was heard, that surely means you have attained the Dao?’ I immediately denied that I was qualified for the welcoming bell. It was the last day of the seventh month. Next, I ascended the Tian-zhu Peak (Pillar of Heaven); it was the highest point of the whole mountain and the distance between it and the ground was about thirty li (approx. 15 km.) Upon it were a bronze shrine and the Surangama Stupa. According to the annals of Cock’s Foot Mountain, there were once 360 hermitages and 72 great temples on it, but now less than ten temples remained. Monks and laymen were no longer distinguishable and the ownership of temples passed from generation to generation on a hereditary basis, each community appropriating its own temple
29
The door to Mahajasyapa’s Cave-Shrine was called ‘Hua’shou Men’ or ‘Flower Blossom Gate’ to commemorate the Buddha’s ‘Flower-sermon’ in which he had held a flower aloft, thus directly pointing to the Mind. Mahakasyapa was the only disciple to understand the profound meaning of the gesture, responding with a smile. The Chan tradition regards this episode as the point at which the ‘Transmission of the mind’ began, Mahakasyapa being the First Indian Patriarch in the Chan lineage.
and refusing to allow monks from other places to come and stay, even for a short period. I thought of the past prosperity of the Dharma assemblies and compared it with the present decadence - I could not help sighing. In spite of my ardent desire to restore the former grandeur of these places, I did not know whether the chance to do so would come.
I descended the mountain, crossing through the Liang-wang and Jiu-feng peaks before reaching a district of Yunnan. From there, I passed through the Shui-mu, Ling-qiu and Zi-qi Mountains reaching Chuxiong Prefecture. There, I stayed at the Gao-ding Monastery beyond its western gate. Shortly after my arrival, the monastery was filled with the fragrance of orchids. The Managing- monk at the temple congratulated me on this rare occurrence. Then the Abbot came and said, ‘This divine fragrance has only been smelled a few times before. According to the Annals of the Prefecture, there are divine but invisible orchids on the mountain which only exude their fragrance when an enlightened person comes here. As the whole mountain is filled with such a fragrance today, this must be due to your pure virtue.’ He accorded me every courtesy and insisted that I stay for a long time. As I was in a hurry to return to my native Province of Hunan, I politely declined his request. After one night’s stay, I left the monastery and after passing through Kunming and Qu-jing Prefectures, I reached Bing- yi on the border of Guizhou Province. I went on in an easterly direction, passing through Kue-yang and Zhen-yuan, before long