Faith Mind Inscription

Hsin-hsin Ming

By Third Ch'an Patriarch Chien-chih Seng-ts'an

 

 

Contents

Title of the Text

Author of the Text

Problem of Authorship

Written Sources of the Text

The Hsin-hsin Ming

The Original Text

The Text with Japanese "Current Characters" (Tõyõ Kanji)

Translation of the Text

Chinese and Japanese Transcriptions of the Text

An Analysis of the Hsin-hsin Ming

Two Mainstream Translations of the Hsin-hsin Ming

Another Verse Attributed to Chien-chih Seng-ts'an

Bibliography

 

 

Title of the Text

 

信心銘

Hsin-hsin Ming (Wade-Giles)

Xinxin Ming (Pinyin) Xin⁴xin¹ Ming²

Shinjinmei (or Shinjin no Mei) (Japanese)

Sinsim Myong (Korean)

Literally, Believing Heart (Mind) Inscription or Faith-Heart (Mind) Inscription

 

Various Translations of the Title

Different Western and Eastern translators have rendered the title "Hsin-hsin Ming" in different ways:

1.   Trust Mind Inscription (Hae Kwang)

2.   Inscription on Trust in the Mind (Burton Watson)

3.   Inscribed On the Believing Mind (Daisetsu Teitarõ Suzuki)

4.   On Believing in Mind (Daisetsu Teitarõ Suzuki)

5.   Words Inscribed on the Believing Mind (Heinrich Dumoulin)

6.   Verses On the Faith Mind (Richard B. Clarke)

7.   On Faith in Mind (Dusan Pajin)

8.   Faith in Mind (Sheng-yen)

9.   Trusting In Mind (Hae Kwang)

10. On Trust in the Heart (Christmas Humphreys)

11. Trust in the Heart (Thomas Cleary)

12. Poem on the Trust in the Heart (Thomas Cleary)

13. Trusting In Mind (Stanley Lombardo)

14. Song of Trusting the Heart (translator unknown)

15. A Poetical Manuscript on Belief in the Mind (Katsuki Sekida)

16. The Mind of Absolute Trust (Stephen Mitchell)

17. The Mind of Absolute Trust (Robert F. Olson)

18. The Perfect Way (translator unknown)

 

Author of the Text

 

鑑智僧璨

Chien-chih Seng-ts'an (Wade-Giles)

Jianzhi Sengcan (Pinyin) Jian⁴zhi⁴ Seng¹can⁴

Kanchi Sõsan (Japanese)

 

"Seng-ts'an" is the Buddhist name of the author of the Hsin-hsin Ming, it means "Jewel of the [Buddhist] Community." (Lit. "Sangha-jewel.")

"Chien-chih" is an honorary title given to Seng-ts'an after his death, by Emperor Hsüan-tsung (Gensõ) of the T'ang dynasty. It means "Mirrorlike Wisdom."

 

Chien-chih Seng-ts'an, the third Ch'an patriarch in China, is also known as:

• Ch'an master Seng-ts'an (Seng-ts'an Ch'an-shih; Sõsan Zenji 僧璨禪師)

• The third patriarch Ch'an master Seng-ts'an (San-tsu Seng-ts'an Ch'an-shih; Sanso Sõsan Zenji 三祖僧璨禪師)

• Great master Chien-chih (Chien-chih Ta-shih; Kanchi Daishi 鑑智大師)

• The third patriarch great master Seng-ts'an (San-tsu Seng-ts'an Ta-shih; Sanso Sõsan Daishi 三祖僧璨大師)

 

Seng-ts'an is Buddhist name of the third patriarch, his real name is unknown. The following quotations contain information about Chien-chih Seng-ts'an, about which very little is known:

 

About Seng-ts'an

Sõsan Sêng-ts'an. The third patriarch in the lineage of the Chinese Zen Sect. In 592 he initiated Tao-hsin (Dõshin) into the profound doctrines of zen. He died in 606. After his death, he was given the title of Chien-chih ch'an-shih (Kanchi-zenji) by Emperor Hsüan-tsung (Gensõ) of the T'ang (Tõ) Dynasty. The Hsin-hsin-ming (Shinjimmei) was written by him.

(Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary 342)

 

About Seng-ts'an

We have little information about the life of the Third Patriarch. His birthplace and birth date are unknown. According to the Denko-roku ("The Transmission of the Lamp"), written by Keizan Zenji (1268-1325), he was a layman over forty years old suffering from leprosy when when he met the Second Patriarch, Hui-k'o (Jap: Eka), for the first time in 551 c.e. Being deeply impressed with this layman's capacity for the Dharma, Hui-k'o shaved the Third Patriarch's head and named him Seng-ts'an (Jewel of the Community). He was gradually cured of his illness and, after they had been practicing together for two years, Hui-k'o gave him the robe and bowl signifying the transmission of the Dharma.

         Anticipating the persecution of Buddhists in China prophesied by Bodhidharma, Hui-k'o ordered his successor to hide in the mountains and not to teach. The Third Patriarch remained in seclusion at Ch'ung-kung shan and Ssu-k'ung shan for over twenty-four years. He later met the monk Tao-hsin and transmitted the Dharma to him. After that, the Third Patriarch moved to Lo-fu shan, located northeast of Kung-tung (Canton), for three years. Then he returned to Ch'ung-kung shan and died there in 606 c.e. It is said that he passed away standing under a big tree with his palms together in gassho.

(The Eye That Never Sleeps xv-xvi, Introduction of Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi Roshi)

 

A Brief History of Seng-ts'an

The author of this Buddhist "hymn," Sengtsan (Sosan), the third (Chinese) Zen patriarch from Dharma, the first Chinese and the twenty-eighth Indian Zen patriarch, lived during the sixth century, dying in 606 A.D. His place of origin is unknown. The conversion of Sengtsan at the hands of Huike (Eka), the Second Patriarch, is recorded in the "Chuantenglu" ("Dentoroku"), Part 3:

         Sengtsan asked Huike, saying, "I am diseased: I implore you to cleanse me of my sin". Huike said, "Bring me your sin and I will cleanse you of it". Sengtsan thought for awhile; then said, "I cannot get at it". Huike replied, "Then I have cleansed you of it".

         Sengtsan realized, not simply in his mind, but in every bone of his body, that his sinfulness was an illusion, one with that of the illusion of self. As soon as we are aware of our irresponsibility, all the cause of misbehaviour disappears in so far as the cause, (the illusion of the self) is removed. If we have no self, it cannot commit sin. Yet, it must be added, "I can't see how you and I, who don't exist, should get to speaking here, and smoke our pipes, for all the world like reality". (Stevenson, "Fables")

         He became the disciple of the Second Patriarch and practiced austerities and led a life of devotion and poverty, receiving the bowl and the robe, insignia of the transmission through Bodhidharma, the First Patriarch (of China) of the Buddha Mind. At this time, one of the periodic persecutions of Buddhism broke out. Sutras and images were burned wholesale; monks and nuns were returned to the lay life. Sengtsan wandered for fifteen years all over the country, avoiding persecution. In 592, he met Taohsin (Doshin), who became the Fourth Patriarch. (R. H. Blyth)

 

About Seng-ts'an

Seng-ts'an (Jap. Sõsan), d. 606?; the third patriarch (soshigata) of Ch'an (Zen) in China; the dharma successor (hossu) of Hui-k'o and the master of Tao-hsin. Hardly any details are known of the life of the third patriarch. There are, however, many legends about him and his meeting with Hui-k'o. According to one of these legends Seng-ts'an was suffering from leprosy when he met the second patriarch. Hui-k'o is supposed to have encountered him with the words, "You're suffering from leprosy; what could you want from me?" Seng-ts'an is supposed to have replied, "Even if my body is sick, the heart-mind (kokoro) of a sick person is no different from your heart-mind." This convinced Hui-k'o of the spiritual capacity of Seng-ts'an; he accepted him as a student and later confirmed him as his dharma successor and the thirtieth patriarch (third Chinese patriarch) in the lineage of Ch'an (Zen), which begins with Shakyamuni Buddha.

         The incident that marked the "transmission from heart-mind to heart-mind" (ishin-denshin) from Hui-k'o to Seng-ts'an is given in the Denkõ-roku as follows:

         The thirtieth patriarch Kanchi Daishi [daishi, "great master"] went for instruction) to the twenty-ninth patriarch and asked, "The body of the student is possessed by mortal illness. I beg you, master, wipe away my sins."

         The patriarch [Hui-k'o] said, "Bring me your sins here, and I'll wipe them away for you."

         The master [Seng-ts'an] sat in silence for a while, the said, "Although I've looked for my sins, I can't find them."

         The patriarch said, "In that case I've already thoroughly wiped away your sins. You should live in accordance with Buddha, dharma, and sangha" [sambõ].

         It is said that during the Buddhist persecution of the year 574, Seng-ts'an had to feign mental illness in order to escape execution, and that finally he went into hiding for ten years on Mount Huan-kung. His mere presence there is said to have pacified the wild tigers, which until that time had caused great fear among the local people. The authorship of Hsin-hsin-ming (Jap. Shinjinmei) is attributed to Seng-ts'an. It is one of the earliest Ch'an writings. It expounds Ch'an basic principles in poetic form and shows strong Taoist influence. The Hsin-hsin-ming begins with a famous sentence, which comes up again and again in Ch'an (Zen) literature (for instance, in example of the Pi-yen-lu): "The venerable way is not difficult at all; it only abhors picking and choosing." In this early Ch'an poem, the fusion, typical for later Ch'an (Zen), of the mutually congenial teachings of Mahâyâna Buddhism and Taoism appears for the first time.

(The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion 311)

 

About Seng-ts'an

Next to Hui-k'ê came Sêng-ts'an, who succeeded as the third patriarch. The interview between master and disciple took place in this manner: A layman of forty troubled with fêng-yang¹ according to the Records, came to Hui-k'ê and asked:

         'I am suffering from fêng-yang; pray cleanse me of my sins.'

         'Bring your sins here,' said Hui-k'ê, 'and I will cleanse you of them.'

         The lay-disciple was silent for a while but finally said, 'As I seek my sins, I find them unattainable.'

         'I have then finished cleansing you altogether. You should thenceforth take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Samgha (Brotherhood), and abide therein.'

         'As I stand before you, O master,' asked Sêng-ts'an, 'I know that you belong to the Brotherhood, but pray tell me what are the Buddha and the Dharma?'

         Replied the master: 'Mind is the Buddha, Mind is the Dharma; and the Buddha and the Dharma are not two. The same is to be said of the Brotherhood (samgha).'

         This satisfied the disciple, who now said, 'Today for the first time I realize that sins are neither within nor without nor in the middle; just as Mind is, so is the Buddha, so is the Dharma; they are not two.'²

         He was then ordained by Hui-k'ê as a Buddhist monk, and after this he fled from the world altogether, and nothing much of his life is known. This was partly due to the persecution of Buddhism carried on by the Emperor of the Chou dynasty. It was in the twelfth year of K'ai-huan of the Sui dynasty (a.d. 592), that he found a disciple worthy to be his sucessor. His name was Tao-hsin. He asked the master:

         'Pray show me the way to deliverance.'

         'Who has ever put you in bondage.'

         'Nobody,'

         'If so,' said the master, 'why should you ask for deliverance?'

         This put the young novice on the way to final enlightenment, which he attained after many years' study under the master. When Sêng-ts'an thought that the time was ripe to consecrate him as his successor in the faith, he handed him, as the token of the rightful transmission of the Law, the robe which had come down from Bodhidharma, the first patriarch of Zen in China. He died in a.d. 606. While much of his life is obscure, his thought is gleaned from a metrical composition known as Hsin-hsin-ming, or 'Inscribed on the Believing Mind', which is one of the most valuable contributions by the masters to the interpretation of Zen teaching.

(Essays in Zen Buddhism – First Series 195-6)

¹ Understood by some to be leprosy. (Essays in Zen Buddhism – First Series 195 n.1)

² In the Vimalakîrti, chapter iii, 'The Disciples', we have the following: 'Do not worry about the sins you have committed, O monks,' said Vimalakîrti. 'Why?' Because sins are in their essence neither within nor without nor in the middle. As the Buddha taught us, all things are defiled when Mind is defiled; all things are pure when Mind is pure; and Mind is neither within nor without nor in the middle. As is Mind, so are sins and defilements, so are all things – they never transcend the suchness of truth.'

(Essays in Zen Buddhism – First Series 195 n.2)

 

Seng-ts'an in the Transmission of the Light

Translation of chapter 31 of the Transmission of the Light¹, by Japanese Zen Master Keizan Jõkin² (1268-1325):

 

Sengcan said to the Zen master Huike, "I am riddled with sickness; please absolve me of my sin." Huike said, "Bring me your sin and I will absolve you." After a long pause, Sengcan said, "When I look for my sin I cannot find it." Huike said, "I have absolved you. You should live by the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community."

         It is not known where Sengcan came from. When he visited Zen master Huike, he was a layman over forty years of age. He did not say his name, but came to the Zen master and asked for relief from his illness, as told in the story.

         When Huike told him to live by the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community, Sengcan said, "I can see you are a monk, a member of the Buddhist community; what are the Buddha and the Teaching?" Huike said, "This mind is Buddha, this mind is the Teaching; the Teaching and the Buddha are not separate. This is also true of the Community."

         Sengcan said, "Today for the first time I have realized that the essence of sin is not inside, not outside, not in between. So it is also of mind. Buddha and the Teaching are not separate either." Huike regarded him as having the capacity for the teching, so he had him ordained as a monk and named him Sengcan, which means "Light of the Religious Community." After this his sickness gradually healed.

         Sengcan attended Huike for two years. Then Huike said to him, "The great teacher Bodhidharma came here to China from India, and gave me both the robe and the teaching. Now I entrust them to you." He also said, "Although you have attained the teaching, for the time being you should go into the mountains and not teach publicly. There will be trouble in this country."

         Sengcan said, "Since you know about this, please give me some instructions." Huike said. "It is not that I know – this is the prediction given to Bodhidharma by Prajnatara, who said, 'Inside the heart is auspicious, but outside is bad luck.' According to my calculations, this prediction refers to your generation. Think about these words and don't get caught up in worldly problems."

         After that Sengcan lived in seclusion in the mountains for ten years. This was the time that the Martial Emperor of the Wei dynasty persecuted the Buddhist religion. Because of this Sengcan changed his appearance and stayed in the mountains, dwelling in no fixed place.

         While in this condition Sengcan met the novice Daoxin, who was to become his successor. He said to Daoxin, "After my teacher transmitted Zen to me, he went to the big city and spent thirty years there. Now that I have found you, why should I stay here?" Then we went to another mountain, but later returned to his old abode. The local people flocked to him and offered support. He gave extensive explanations of the essence of mind for the people, then at a religious meeting he died under a tree. His Poem on the Trust in the Heart was recorded and circulates even today. Later he was given the title Master of Mirrorlike Knowledge.

         The sickness plaguing him in his first meeting with Huike was leprosy. But as he associated with the Zen master, his sickness disappeared. There is nothing special about this story: understanding that the nature of sin is ungraspable, he realized that the nature of mind is originally pure. Thus he heard that the Buddha and the Truth are not separate, that mind and reality are thus. When you really know the original mind, there is no difference in dying in one place and being born in another – how much less could there be any distinction of sin and virtue there! Thus the body-mind after all does not exist; we are fundamentally free from skin, flesh, bones, and marrow. Therefore his disease disappeared and his original mind appeared.

         In expounding the essence of the teaching, Sengcan said, "The supreme Way is without difficulty – it is only averse to discrimination." In conclusion he said, "There is no way to talk about it – it is not of the past, future, or present." Really there is no inside or outside, no in between – what would you choose, what reject? You cannot take, you cannot leave. Once you have no hate or love, you are empty and clear. At no time do you lack, nothing is extra.

         Yet even so, investigate throughly to reach the point of ungraspability, to arrive at the realm of ungraspability. Without becoming nihilistic, not being like wood or stone, you should be able to "strike space and make an echo, tie lightning to make a form." Carefully observe the realm where there are no tracks or traces, yet don't hide there. If you can be like this, even though "that is not the present phenomena, it is not within reach of ear or eye," you should see without hindrance, you should comprehend without deviation.

         Can we add a discerning word to this story?

 

            Essential emptiness has no inside or outside –

            Sin and virtue leave no traces there.

            Mind and Buddha are fundamentally thus;

            The Teaching and Community are clear.

 

(Transmission of Light 129-131 Sengcan)

 

Notes

¹ Denkõroku 傳光錄   伝光録

² Keizan Jõkin 瑩山紹瑾

 

Notes on the Chinese Names and Terms Used in the Quotations

Chinese ideograms of some of the Chinese terms used in the above quotations:

1. The second patriarch Shen-kuang Hui-k'o (Shinkõ Eka, 487-593) (神光慧可).

2. Ching-te Record of the Transmission of the Lamp (Ching-te Ch'uan-teng Lu, Keitoku Dentõroku

    景德傳燈錄   景徳伝灯録).

3. The meaning of feng-yang (風恙) is not clear. Some authors think that it is leprosy (lepra, or Hansen's disease). The related

    Chinese word feng means paralysis, leprosy, or insanity. (See Ilza Veith, The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine p. 49

    feng 瘋).

4. Tao-hsin (Dõshin 道信).

5. The title, Master of "Mirrorlike Wisdom" is "Chien-chih" (鑑智).

 

The Dharma Transmission From Hui-k'o to Seng-ts'an

The incident that marked the Dharma transmission from Hui-k'o to Seng-ts'an is related in the chapter 31 of the Transmission of the Light (Denkõroku), by Japanese Zen Master Keizan Jõkin (1268-1325), as follows:

 

[The interview between Seng-ts'an and master Hui-k'o took place in the following manner:]

弟子身纏風恙、請和尚懺罪。

I am riddled with sickness; please absolve me of my sin.

將罪來、與汝懺。

Bring me your sin and I will absolve you.

覓罪不可得。

When I look for my sin I cannot find it.

與汝懺罪竟。宜依佛法僧住。

I have absolved you. You should live by the Buddha, the Teaching, and the Community.

         Seng-ts'an asked Hui-k'o:

今見和尚、已知是僧。未審何名佛、法。

I can see you are a monk, a member of the Buddhist community; what are the Buddha and the Teaching?

是心是佛、是心是法、法佛無二、僧寶亦然。

This mind is Buddha, this mind is the Teaching; the Teaching and the Buddha are not separate. This is also true of the Community.

今日始知罪性不在内、不在外、不在中間、如其心然、佛法無二也。

Today for the first time I have realized that the essence of sin is not inside, not outside, not in between. So it is also of mind. Buddha and the Teaching are not separate either.

         師深器之、即爲剃髪、云、是吾寶也。宜名僧璨。

         Hui-k'o saw that Seng-ts'an's understanding is profound, he shaved his head and said: This is my treasure. I name him Seng-ts'an.

         Seng-ts'an attended Hui-k'o for two years. Then Hui-k'o said to him,

菩提達磨遠自竺乾、以正法眼藏并信衣密付於吾、吾今授汝。汝當守護、無令斷絕。

Bodhidharma came here to China from India, and gave me both the robe and the teaching. Now I entrust them to you.

         Hui-k'o gave him Bodhidharma's robe and bowl signifying the transmission of the Dharma. He said:

汝受吾教、宜處深山、未可行化、當有國難。

Although you have attained the teaching, for the time being you should go into the mountains and not teach publicly. There will be trouble in this country.

         Seng-ts'an said:

師既預知、願垂示誨。

Since you know about this, please give me some instructions.

非吾知也。斯乃達磨傳般若多羅懸記云、｢心中雖吉外頭凶｣是也。吾校年代、正在于汝。

汝當諦思前言、勿罹世難。然吾亦有宿累、今要酬之。善去善行、俟時傳付。師付囑已、即往鄴都、隨宜説法。

It is not that I know – this is the prediction given to Bodhidharma by Prajnatara¹, who said, "Inside the heart is auspicious, but outside is bad luck." According to my calculations, this prediction refers to your generation. Think about these words and don't get caught up in worldly problems.

¹ The 27th Buddhist patriarch in India and Bodhidharma's master Prajnatara, his name means "Pearl of Wisdom" (般若多羅).

 

The Dharma Transmission From Seng-ts'an to Tao-hsin

Tao-hsin asked Seng-ts'an:

願和尚慈悲、乞與解脱法門。

Pray show me the way to deliverance.

誰縛汝。

Who has ever put you in bondage?

無人縛。

Nobody has put me in bondage.

更何求解脱。

If so, why should you ask for deliverance?

With these words, Tao-hsin attained his final enlightenment.

 

Problem of Authorship

 

Although the third patriarch Seng-ts'an has historically been accepted as the author of the Hsin-hsin Ming, contemporary scholarship doubts whether he was in fact the author. There is no record that Hui-k'o or Seng-ts'an ever wrote anything. The expressions and idioms used in the work have caused certain scholars to place the date of its composition in a later year.

         Niu-t'ou Fa-jung¹ (594-657), a disciple of Tao-hsin, composed a poem called Mind Inscription² (Hsin Ming) and the similarity between the Hsin-hsin Ming and the Hsin Ming has caused scholars to speculate that Hsin-hsin Ming was actually written after the time of the sixth patriarch Hui-neng³ (638-713), as an improved, condensed version of the Mind Inscription.

         According to Japanese scholars Nishitani Keiji and Yanagida Seizan, the Hsin-hsin Ming was composed in the eighth century, two centuries after Seng-ts'an (see Nishitani Keiji and Yanagida Seizan, eds., Zenke Goroku⁴ vol.2; Tõkyõ: Chikuma Shobõ, 1974, pp. 105-112). Yanagida Seizan also suspects that the Hsin-hsin Ming is the work of the fourth patriarch Tao-hsin (580-651). Chinese scholar Yin-shun shares this opinion in his Chung-kuo Ch'an-tsung Shih⁵, pp. 52-60.

         Some scholars also believe that the author of the Hsin-hsin Ming was not Seng-ts'an but the fourth Ch'an patriarch Tao-hsin. As observed in most religious and spiritual traditions, putting down to writing what one's master recited was a common practice. It is therefore also possible, as some scholars suspect, that Seng-ts'an only recited the poem, and it was later written by one of his disciples.

 

Notes

¹ Niu-t'ou Fa-jung (Gozu Hõyû 牛頭法融)

² Hsin Ming (Shinmei 心銘)

³ Hui-neng Ta-chien (Enõ Daikan 慧能大鑑)

⁴ Zenke Goroku (禅家語録)

⁵ Chung-kuo Ch'an-tsung Shih (中国禅宗史)

 

Written Sources of the Text

 

There were no separately published editions of the Hsin-hsin Ming. The classical source of the Hsin-hsin Ming is the chapter 30 of the Transmission of the Lamp. Full title of this work is Ching-te Record of the Transmission of the Lamp¹ and it is found in the Japanese canon of Buddhist sûtras titled Taishõ Daizõkyõ², vol. 48, No. 2010.

         Two Tun-huang manuscripts³ containing the text of the Hsin-hsin Ming were discovered in 1926 (Pelliot 2104, 4638; Stein 4037, 5692). Presently, one of these manuscripts is in Paris and the other in London. The manuscripts were collated by Kim Ku-Kyông⁴ in 1931 and later reprinted in the Taishõ Shinshû Daizõkyõ⁵, 85.1283-1290. One of the manuscripts is the Record of the Masters and Disciples of the Lankâ⁶ which contains historical information about the first Ch'an patriarchs (Pelliot 3436, Stein 2054). There are minor variations between the Taishõ Daizõkyõ version and the versions in the Tun-huang manuscripts.

         In one of the Tun-huang manuscripts, the Hsin-hsin Ming is conjoined with another famous Ch'an poem, the Song of Realizing the Way⁷ of Ch'an master Yung-chieh Hsüan-chüeh⁸ (Yõka Genkaku, 655-713). This text also contains twenty-four verses of the popular edition of the book published and circulated under the title Ch'an-men Mi-yao-chüeh⁹ (Zenmon Hiyõketsu) (Pelliot 2104, 4638; Stein 4037, 5692). There is also a popular edition of the poem, with variant characters and verses, titled Faith-Mind Inscription of the Third Patriarch of Sui Dynasty¹⁰.

 

Notes

¹ Ching-te Ch'uan-teng Lu (Keitoku Dentõroku 景德傳燈錄   景徳伝灯録)

² Taishõ Daizõkyõ (大正大藏經   大正大蔵経)

³ Tonkõhon (敦煌本)

⁴ 金九經

⁵ Taishõ Shinshû Daizõkyõ (大正新修大藏經   大正新修大蔵経)

⁶ Leng‑chia Shih-tzu Chi (Ryõga Shijiki 楞伽師資記)

⁷ Cheng-tao-ko, Shõdõka (證道歌   証道歌)

⁸ 永嘉玄覺

⁹ Ch'an-men Mi-yao Chüeh (Zenmon Hiyõketsu 禪門秘要決)

¹⁰ Sui-chao San-tsu Hsin-hsin Ming (Zuichõ Sanso Shinjinmei 隨朝三祖信心銘)

 

 

The Hsin-hsin Ming

 

The title of the Hsin-hsin Ming may be explained in the following way:

 

信

Hsin means "belief" or "faith." This is not the faith in the ordinary sense, it is a belief that comes from firsthand experience, a faith which arise out of supreme knowledge and wisdom of enlightenment. This "believing" is an affirmation that all existence or reality is essentially the Buddha mind, which is our true nature. Hsin is the conviction that at the bottom of all phenomena lies the One Mind, the Buddha mind, which is one with our real nature, the Buddha-nature.

 

心

Hsin literally means "heart." It means mind, not the deluded mind of the ignorant but the Buddha-mind. Hsin is the mind that merge with the all-encompassing One Mind.

 

銘

Ming literally means "inscription." It means written expression or record. Ming also means warnings or admonitions.

 

 

Hsin-hsin Ming is one of the earliest and most influential Zen writings. It is usually referred to as the first Zen poem. It consists of 146 unrhymed four-character¹ verses² (lines), total 584 characters³. The Hsin-hsin Ming was composed in shih⁴ form. Shih was the principal poetic form in use in the early period, it is first used in the Book of Odes⁵ (Shih-ching, Shikyõ). Like the early shih, the Hsin-hsin Ming consists of lines that are 4-characters in length, but contrary to most shih, no end rhyme is employed in the poem.

         As a characteristic of shih, one line usually constitutes a single syntactical unit. Since one character represents one syllable, and since classical Chinese is basically monosyllabic, this means that there are usually four words to a line. Lines tend to be end-stopped, with few run-on lines, so that the efffect is of a series of brief and compact utterances.

         This concise form of four characters a line is shorter than the general run of Chinese verse, which usually has five or seven characters per line. Economy, even starkness of expression is a characteristic of the Hsin-hsin Ming. It is more of a verse than poetry and its brevity is one of the peculiar characteristics of this famous work. Its contents is closer to the Buddhist sûtras than poems. In fact, the Hsin-hsin Ming can be regarded as a sûtra. Many verses are like a short Zen saying and therefore can be taken as if they are a single-sentence Zen maxim. The original text was not divided in stanzas. Some translators divided the poem in different ways, with or without adding numbers to them.

         The Hsin-hsin Ming has an important place In Ch'an Buddhist tradition. The poem has been very influential in Zen circles and many important commentaries were written on it. The openin