Bodhidharma's Outline of Practice
Many roads lead to the Path, but basically there
are only two: reason and practice. To enter by reason means to realize the
essence through instruction and to believe that all living things share the
same true nature, which isn’t apparent because it’s shrouded by sensation and
delusion.
Those who turn from delusion back to reality, who
meditate on walls, the absence of self and other, the oneness of mortal and
sage, and who remain unmoved even by scriptures are in complete and unspoken
agreement with reason. Without moving, without effort, they enter, we say, by
reason.
He will not then be a slave to words, for he is in
silent communion with the Reason itself, free from conceptual discrimination;
he is serene and not-acting. This is called Entrance by Reason
To enter by practice refers to four all-inclusive
practices: Suffering injustice, adapting to conditions, seeking nothing, and
practicing the Dharma.
First, suffering injustice. When those who search
for the Path encounter adversity, they should think to themselves, “In
Countless ages gone by, I’ve turned from the essential to the trivial and
wandered through all manner of existence, often angry without cause and guilty
of numberless transgressions. Now, though I do no wrong, I’m punished by my
past. Neither gods nor men can foresee when an evil deed will bear its fruit. I
accept it with an open heart and without complaint of injustice.” The sutras say
“when you meet with adversity don’t be upset because it makes sense.” With such
understanding you’re in harmony with reason. And by suffering injustice you
enter the Path.
Second, adapting to conditions. As mortals, we’re
ruled by conditions, not by ourselves. All the suffering and joy we experience
depend on conditions. If we should be blessed by some great reward, such as
fame or fortune, it’s the fruit of a seed planted by us in the past. When
conditions change, it ends. Why delight in its existence? But while success and
failure depend on conditions, the mind neither waxes nor wanes. Those who
remain unmoved by the wind of joy silently follow the Path.
Third, seeking nothing. People of this world are
deluded. They’re always longing for something – always, in a word, seeking. But
the wise wake up. They choose reason over custom. They fix their minds on the
sublime and let their bodies change with the seasons. All phenomena are empty.
They contain nothing worth desiring. Calamity forever alternates with
Prosperity. To dwell in the three realms is to dwell in a burning house. To
have a body is to suffer. Does anyone with a body know peace? Those who understand
this detach themselves from all that exists and stop imagining or seeking
anything. The sutras say, “To seek is to suffer. To seek nothing is bliss.”
When you seek nothing, you’re on the Path.
Fourth, practicing the Dharma. The Dharma is the
truth that all natures are pure. By this truth, all appearances are empty.
Defilement and attachment, subject and object don't exist. The sutras say,
"The Dharma includes no being because it's free from the impurity of
being, and the Dharma includes no self because it's free from the impurity of
self." Those wise enough to believe and understand this truth are bound to
practice according to the Dharma. And since that which is real includes nothing
worth begrudging, the give their body, life, and property in charity, without
regret, without the vanity of giver, gift, or recipient, and without bias or
attachment. And to eliminate impurity they teach others, but without becoming
attached to form. Thus, through their own practice they're able to help others
and glorify the Way of Enlightenment. And as with charity, they also practice
the other virtues. But while practicing the six virtues to eliminate delusion,
they practice nothing at all. That's what's meant by practicing the Dharma.
Red Pine, translator: The Zen Teaching of
Bodhidharma, North Point Press, New York, 1987.
