Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Hsin Hsin Ming
Hsin Hsin Ming
Hsin Hsin Ming
Seng T’san who lived in the sixth century, was the third Chinese patriarch of Zen.
The poem attributed to him, the Hsin Hsin Ming, is one of the earliest and most influential Zen
writings, blending together Buddhist and Taoist teachings.
Words!
The Way is beyond language,
for in it there is
no yesterday
no tomorrow
no today.
*) 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 arises 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. 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 opening
stanza, " The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences” is quoted by many Zen
masters as well as in the classical Zen works such as the Blue Cliff Records. It is considered as a poem
which reveals the essence of Zen philosophy.
不生不心 When no discriminating thoughts arise, the old mind ceases to exist.
能隨境滅 When thought objects vanish, the thinking-subject vanishes,
境逐能沈 as when the mind vanishes, objects vanish.
境由能境 Things are objects because of the subject (mind);
能由境能 the mind (subject) is such because of things (object).
欲知兩段 Understand the relativity of these two
元是一空 and the basic reality: the unity of emptiness.
一空同兩 In this Emptiness the two are indistinguishable
齊含萬象 and each contains in itself the whole world.
不見精麁 If you do not discriminate between coarse and fine
寧有偏黨 you will not be tempted to prejudice and opinion.