B. Wu chin tsang fa lüeh shuo Abridged Explanation of the of the Inexhaustible Storehouse

The Wu chin tsang fa lüeh shuo [¦áÀF‰ is in the Stein collec- tion (Stein No. 190, Giles No. 6617), and a fragment of the last part of this text is also found on the same scroll as the Hsin-hsing i wen, another impor- tant San-chieh text. Similarly titled texts found in the catalogues include the Ta sheng wu chin tsang fa Ø/[¦áÀ in one chüan listed among Hsin-hsing’s works in the Ta chou k’an ting chung ching mu lu,1 and a Ming ta sheng wu chin tsang gØ/[¦á recorded in the K’ai yüan lu,2 the Chen yüan hsin ting shih chiao mu lu,3 and the Jen chi lu tu mu.4 The latter two cat- alogs add the information “four pages” and “six pages” respectively, and the ³rst three catalogs attribute the work to Hsin-hsing. As it is partially con- tained on the same scroll as the Hsin-hsing i wen and both texts contain the same list of “sixteen eternal, joyous, self, and pure practices of the Inexhaustible Storehouse,” we can assume that it belongs to the early strata of San-chieh literature, if Hsin-hsing did not himself actually compose this text. Although originally comprised of eleven sections, because the ³rst part of the text is damaged only six of eleven sections are preserved (sections six through eleven). The ³rst ³ve sections are preserved, however, in a commentary to this work, the Ta sheng fa chieh wu chin tsang fa shih Ø/Àƒ[¦áÀt (translated below), and together with the Hsin-hsing i wen we are thus able to get a good picture of this important practice of the Inexhaustible Storehouse. Unfortunately, portions of the text, in particular the eleventh section, are very terse (as the title of the text forewarns) and do not easily yield to

1 T #2153, 55.475a. 2 T #2154, 55.678c. 3 Yabuki, Sangaikyõ no kenkyð, 228. 4 Ibid., 221.

257 258 / dharma of the inexhaustible storehouse

interpretation. The text is described in Giles’s Descriptive Catalogue of the Chinese Manuscripts from Tunhuang as follows:

6617. *[beginning damaged] Rules of monastic training. A work of the Three Stages sect. Very good MS. of 7th cent. Good, bright yellow paper. On a roller. 6 ft. S. 190.5

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The sixth6 clari³es the ease and dif³culty of perfecting the dharma realm practices: the Inexhaustible Storehouse of the eternal, joyous, self and pure virtues7 can be perfected in a few places, not in many places. The suf- fering, empty, and impermanent Inexhaustible Storehouse may be obtained equally in many or few places, according to the place. The seventh clari³es the relation between the great [i.e., ] and small [i.e., ] practices of the dharma realm. If both types of prac- tice, the eternal and joyous as well as the suffering and empty, are exhaus- tively cultivated, then it is the Mahayana. If only the partial practices of the empty and suffering [are cultivated] without exhausting the permanent and joyous then this is determined as belonging to the Hinayana. The eighth clari³es and manifests the study of the many and the few. Although it is taught that the are as numerous as grains of sand, the general teaching has sixteen [items]; if the general and the speci³c are taught together then there are more than thirty. There are also two kinds of giving: (1) only the general, daily giving sixteen shares of cash; (2) both the general and the speci³c, daily giving thirty shares of cash. The characteristics of the general and the speci³c are extensively explained below. 1. The study of inexhaustible to the Buddha; this is worshipping the Buddha, etc. 2. The study of inexhaustible offering to the dharma; this is reciting , etc.

5 Giles, Descriptive Catalogue, 209; my translation is based on Yabuki’s edition in his Sangaikyõ no kenkyð, appendix, 154–59; see also Yabuki, Sangaikyõ no kenkyð, 619–37; above, chapter 7; below, Appendix C. 6 This fragment of the “Abridged Explanation of the Dharma of the Inexhaustible Storehouse” begins from the sixth item (see chapter 7) and concludes after enumerating a total of eleven subjects. The items from one through ³ve can be found in the commentary, the Ta sheng fa chieh wu chin tsang fa shih, preceded by the phrase “The original says.…” The Ta sheng fa chieh wu chin tsang fa shih contains commentary on items one through eight. 7 The four gu«ap„ramit„: eternality (nitya); bliss (sukha); self (atman) or great self (mah„- „tman); and purity (šubha); cf. chapter 5, note 57. absolute delusion, perfect / 259

3. The study of inexhaustible offering to the ; this consists of universal- ly making offerings [to the sangha] without question of whether they observe the precepts or transgress the precepts. 4. The study of inexhaustible offering to sentient beings; [that is,] universal offering to sentient beings of the six paths as though one, without question of whether they practice or do not practice. The six paths are (a) heaven, (b) humanity, (c) , (d) hell, (e) animal, (f) hungry ghost. 5. The general clari³cation of the inexhaustible separation from all evil. 6. The general clari³cation of the inexhaustible cultivation of all virtue. 7. The study of the inexhaustible giving of incense. 8. The study of the inexhaustible giving of light; this consists of candles. 9. The study of the inexhaustible giving of bathing [materials]. 10. The study of the inexhaustible giving of sound; this consists of bells, etc. 11. The study of the inexhaustible giving of clothing. 12. The study of the inexhaustible giving of shelter. 13. The study of the inexhaustible giving of bedding. 14. The study of the inexhaustible giving of eating utensils. 15. The study of the inexhaustible giving of charcoal and ³re. 16. The study of the inexhaustible giving of food and drink. Inexhaustible [donations of] food has many divisions: (a) ordinary rice; (b) glutinous rice; (c) µour; (d) oil; (e) maize; (f) lentils; (g) soy beans; (h) fuel [for cook- ing]; (i) cooks; (j) salt and vinegar; (k) honey; (l) ginger and pepper [i.e., spices]; (m) sesame seeds; (n) juices; (o) vegetables and various fruits.8 This concludes the presentation of the sixteen types of general and speci³c inexhaustible dharmas. Again, there is the giver: with regard to the above sixteen dharmas some give generally and some give speci³cally. [Both] are universally proclaimed to be donors (d„napati); without question of whether the donation is gener- al or speci³c all are made with the intention of being used universally, some- times circulating and sometimes decreasing.9 That is to say, the offerings to the Buddha, the dharma, the sangha, and the other thirteen up to and

8 This list is also contained in the Hsin-hsing i wen, (pp. 3–4), although there are slight dif- ferences; see also chapter 7, above. 9 The reading of this passage is tentative. I take the import to be that the intention is the determination of the universal, not whether the giving is actually “general” or “speci³c.” Sometimes the donation circulates (i.e., it is “inexhaustible” because it is lent and repaid ad in³nitum), and sometimes it naturally decreases (e.g., things that diminish through use such as candles or incense). This is also discussed in the Hsin-hsing i wen, 4, under the heading “Clarifying the materials used for the practice of the sixteen eternal, joyous, self, and pure dharmas.” It is also possible to interpret this to mean that although one sometimes practices the donation of food more than the giving of sutras, it doesn’t make any difference because all sixteen practices are interrelated. 260 / dharma of the inexhaustible storehouse including food sometimes circulate and sometimes decrease. The ³fteen communal functions are also like the sixteen [inexhaustible practices] that permeate and exhaust the practices of the dharma realm: sometimes they circulate and sometimes they decrease. The manner of the mutual function- ing of the two types of Inexhaustible Storehouse, namely, the permanent and joyous and the suffering and empty, is also like this.10 One should also completely know the teaching of the many and the few practices of the two types of Inexhaustible Storehouse—it is not a question of whether the valuables and things given are many or few, together they perfect and perpetuate the permanent and joyous Inexhaustible Storehouse; moreover, once the other practices have all been ³nished the cultivation of the eternal and joyous cannot be abolished. If the suffering and empty is practiced ³rst and each of the sixteen items is given separately it is not known as “mutual functioning.” The one-sided desire to gain accord- ing to one’s karmic connections does not enable the communal functioning [of the donations as does practicing together] in one place.11 Again, it is declared that by these inexhaustible good roots each and every donor will enable all sentient beings to naturally and fully complete the six- teen types of inexhaustible fruits.12 The ninth clari³es whether the pro³t of those sentient beings who are saved is shallow or deep; there are ³ve ranks: 1. The inexhaustible gaining of the sixteen dharmas by those who cultivate the same practice; 2. The inexhaustible gaining of the sixteen dharmas by those who follow in jubilation [the acts of the Inexhaustible Storehouse]; 3. The inexhaustible gaining of the sixteen dharmas by those who see [the acts of the Inexhaustible Storehouse]; 4. The inexhaustible gaining of the sixteen dharmas by those who hear [of the acts of the Inexhaustible Storehouse];

10 Though this passage is dif³cult (unfortunately the commentary ends before this point), I take the basic idea to be that within the community of practitioners all of the activities and bene³ts are shared inasmuch as all participate in the same overall practice, much like the teachings of the Yðzð Nenbutsu school in Japan. 11 Although it is also possible to construe the meaning of this passage to be “³rst practice the suffering and empty,” I have chosen this reading because of the common theme in San-chieh literature of “³rst practice the universal (i.e., the eternal, joyous, etc.) and then practice the particular” (cf. the Practrices in Accord with the Capacity, 137). The reference to “one place” is taken up in several other works and means that goods donated and collected in one place have a greater ef³cacy and power than those scattered about (cf. Commentary on the Inexhaustible Storehouse), 166. 12 This is a reference to the “shared merit” of the Inexhaustible Storehouse as detailed in the following ³ve ranks. absolute delusion, perfect buddhahood / 261

5. The inexhaustible gaining of the sixteen dharmas by those who receive offer- ings [from the Inexhaustible Storehouse].13 The tenth clari³es the many and few seeds of the Inexhaustible Storehouse. This teaching has two [aspects]: (1) the ³elds are inexhaustible; this is the Buddha, dharma, and sangha [the Field of Respect], and sentient beings [the Field of Compassion] to whom are made daily, continuous, and uninter- rupted offerings, and (2) the seeds are inexhaustible, which refers to the giver who donates daily and continuously and so the Inexhaustible Store- house is not exhausted. The eleventh clari³es whether the offering and withdrawal of the person who participates in the Inexhaustible Storehouse is with offense or without offense. Within this there are two subsections: 1. The ³rst clari³es the production of speci³c merit, which only involves offer- ing and not withdrawal. What does this mean? Speci³c merit is not shared among self and others and there is thus offense in offering and withdrawing. 2. The second clari³es the universal merit of offering and withdrawing in accordance with the person. In offering virtue is obtained and withdrawing is without offense. Why is this? The essence of universal merit is shared by self and others but withdrawing is only in one direction and hence without offense. This, however, excludes the retreating of the bodhi-mind, which, although it retreats, is nonetheless superior and originally non-produced. Again, if you do not use those things that are discarded and turn them over to others there are two errors: the ³rst is the error of discarding the per- manent and joyous and entering the suffering and empty; the second is that it is the error of going against faith. The inner meaning of the text of these eleven sections only clari³es the meaning of existence and does not clarify emptiness. However, the follower who understands the meaning, sees existence, and penetrates emptiness knows the many [meanings] of both. The meaning of the universal and the particular is also like this: the inner [meaning] of the various only clari³es the universal practice and dharma and does not give rise to the particular. The universal dharma is like the four embracing [virtues], etc., of the Maha- yana sutras, which extensively explain the dharma of universal giving.14 The

13 As explained in chapter 7, the concept of “jubilation” (anumodan„) developed together with that of transforming merit; the concept that fellow practitioners as well as those who merely see, hear, or receive the offerings of another’s practice of the Inexhaustible Storehouse also gain a measure of the merit of the original practitioner seems to be a development of this same idea; see Kajiyama Yðichi, “Transference and Transformation of Merits.” 14 E.g., T #310 (23), 11.504b; T #310 (43), 11.633a; T #310 (44), 11.638b. 262 / dharma of the inexhaustible storehouse particular dharma universally pervades all of the sutras; in short it is taught in a few divisions. Some teach good and evil as the same state and the differ- ences in harm and pro³t; they teach that those who hold the precepts and those who break the precepts have the same karma, and neither will be able to escape hell. Others teach that those who hold the precepts do not drink the water of the same river as those who break the precepts. Others teach that those who hold the precepts are not respected or worshipped by those who break the precepts. As the Sutra explains, some teach the dhar- ma of [keeping] the evil at a distance, the virtuous close, and the deluded apart.15 [They] teach sentient beings that knowledge of [keeping] the evil distant is like being afraid of anger, the thief [who harms life and spirit]; [keeping] close to the virtuous is the knowledge that (a) suffering and joy are the same, that (b) life, property, and the like are not to be begrudged, and (c) [one’s] relations are not to be begrudged. As the Ãgama Sutras teach, with regard to the distant and close there are the four dharmas of [keeping] the evil distant and the virtuous nearby.16 This is [equivalent to] quickly running and avoiding [the evil] by one hun- dred yojana. One yojana is forty li, and one hundred yojana equal four thou- sand li. The four dharmas are (1) evil friends, (2) evil communities, (3) much talk or much idle gossip, (4) anger and quarrelling. Why is this? It is under- stood as illuminating the relation between light and heavy offenses. It is bet- ter to cut in half all of the sentient beings of the three thousand worlds than for the to arouse a mind of anger within the ³rst production of the [bodhi] mind. Again, non-attainment [in the present] is explained by the past of the home-departed ones and others. The future [possibilities] are as extensively explained in the teaching of the thirty-³ve kinds of dharmas of protecting the precepts in the Fang teng ching.17 Again, the Ratnamegha-sðtra does not

15 A cursory look at the various versions of the Mah„parinirv„«a-sðtra and the Taishõ daizõkyõ sakuin does not show any use of the terms yüan o æÕ, chin shan ¢3, or ch’ih chi IÕ, though there are frequent references to the bene³ts of good friends and the dangers of evil friends, e.g., T #374, 561c; T #375, 808a. The latter term could also be rendered “the slow and the quick.” In light of the reference below to the “Chapter on the Peaceful Life” in the Lotus Sutra I have translated it to mean the general Buddhist teaching concerning one’s rela- tionship to virtuous and evil people. 16 Possibly this is a reference to the “four dharmas of becoming” found in several of the Ãgamas, e.g., T #1, 1.57c, T #1, 1.53b. 17 The Fang teng ching refers to the Ta fang teng t’o lo ni ching (T #1339), one of the sources for the popular liturgies of repentance and confession that is frequently connected with initiatory and preceptual puri³cation, as in the Li tai san pao chi record of the practices of Hsin-hsing’s congregation: “His disciples all practiced the puri³catory fang teng [repentance], the dhuta, and begging for food, and eating only one meal a day” (T #2034, 49.105b); see also Stevenson, “The T’ien-t’ai Four Forms,” 175, 182–83, passim; The “thirty-³ve kinds of dharmas absolute delusion, perfect buddhahood / 263 allow for the tendency to break the precepts concerning begging food from homes.18 Again, the Chapter on the Four Peaceful Practices in the Lotus Sutra teaches that after the Buddha has left the world, the preachers of the latter dharma (mo fa) will explain many dharmas; within this the meaning of avoiding evil [persons] and drawing near to [persons of] virtue is illuminated most fully.19 In general this is extensively taught in the various scriptures and works. The best illustration of how the common person [fan p’u, p£thagjana) of the latter dharma (mo fa) will study discarding the false and entering the true nirvana, discarding the evil and entering the virtuous, and discarding the small and entering the great is found in the Shih lun ching.20 This concludes the “Abridged Explanation of the Dharma of the Inex- haustible Storehouse.”

of protecting the precepts” most likely refers to the thirty-³ve buddhas of confession found in the San shih wu fo li ming ch’an wen (T #326), translated during the T’ang by Amoghavajra) or the Chüeh ting p’i ni ching (Up„liparip£cch„, T #325, 12.37c–39a, translated in the latter half of the 3rd century); cf. the list of names quoted in Š„ntideva, Šik¤„-samuccaya (translated by Cecil Bendall and W. H. D. Rouse, New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass edition, 1971), 165–66. The Thirty-³ve Buddhas also ³gure in the San-chieh practice of the Seven Roster Buddhan„ma (Yabuki, Sangaikyõ no kenkyð, 528 ff). I take this passage to refer to our sinful past which keeps us from attaining the higher stages of the path and the future that we can anticipate if we practice the Seven Roster Buddhan„ma. 18 Ratnamegha-sðtra (translated 503), T #658, 16.231b–c, passim. 19 This chapter, chapter 14 in the Kum„raj‡va translation (T #262, 9.37a), discusses “dwelling in the four dharmas,” or the “four peaceful practices” in the time of the latter dhar- ma, i.e., the peaceful practices of body, mind, speech, and vow. Although these practices (and in particular the ³rst) do, in general, concern themselves with the topic of one’s relation to various groups, as in the above reference to the Nieh p’an ching, the terms yüan o, chin shan, and ch’ih chi are not speci³cally used; on the use of “latter dharma” see Hubbard, “Three Periods.” 20 The Ta fang kuang shih lun ching (T #410), translator unknown, listed in the Chen yüan hsin ting shih chiao mu lu as a different version of the Ta sheng ta chi ti ts’ang shih lun ching recorded in the Pei liang lu (ca. 397–439; T #2157, 55.917b), is a work often referred to in San-chieh-chiao literature (more than twenty-³ve references in the two fragments of the San chieh fo fa recovered from Tun-huang). Hsin-hsing is also reported to have written two com- mentaries on this text, the Shih lun i i li ming in two chüan , and the Shih lun lüeh ch’ao in one chüan (K’ai yüan shih chiao lu, T #2154, 55.678c).