Meta-translation: Huangbo Xiyun's first sermon in Pei Xiu's record
- Alexandre
- Jul 7, 2020
- 20 min read
Updated: Sep 14, 2022
Here, you see the first sermon of the Pei Xiu Record as given in John Blofeld's edition of "The Zen Teaching of Huang-Po on the Transmission of Mind". I was very happy to have found an online copy of the original text in Chinese, so I took it upon myself to deconstruct the text character by character and compare the meanings to their translations so that I could get an in-depth understanding of how different translators went about their translations.
The sermon is deconstructed the following way:
[Original Chinese text] Modern Mandarin Chinese reading in Pinyin Modern Cantonese Chinese reading in Jyutping Reconstruction of Middle Chinese pronunciation in IPA Characters and their meanings Translations given by translators My own translation
I started by copy-pasting each sentence of the first sermon into the following website: https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary. After this, I took the Mandarin and Cantonese pronunciations from each character's information box, took each character's Middle Chinese reading from Wiktionary (example), copied each character's information entry in plain text (notice how they're in simplified Chinese whereas the original text is in traditional Chinese), pasted each translation of a given line that I could find and then tried my own hand at translating.
I tried to make my translation quite literal according to how I understood the text - not as much as Wonderwheel's translation of the Gateless Gate perhaps, but close enough. I hope that by having an insight into the nature of Chinese translations by looking at each character's reading and meaning alongside their translations, people here can appreciate different translations and how tricky they can be, perhaps even developing their own interest in translating the texts for themselves.
The translators compared are John Blofeld, John McRae, Thomas Cleary, and D.T. Suzuki. I omitted Lok To's translation because I felt it deviated too much from the original text and that I could not do a line-by-line analysis with it.
Disclaimer: I am not a cerified scholar of Chinese or Middle Chinese and have no prior experience with translating either. I do not speak any form of Chinese or Sinitic language fluently and did this purely out of interest. Please feel free to provide feedback or to critique my translation or methods.
師謂休曰。 shī wèi xiū yuē si1 wai6 jau1 joek6 /ʃˠiɪ/ /ɦʉiH/ /hɨu/ /ɦʉɐt̚/ 師 shī teacher / master / expert / model / army division / (old) troops / to dispatch troops 謂 wèi to speak / to say / to name / to designate / meaning / sense 休 xiū to rest / to stop doing sth for a period of time / to cease / (imperative) don't 曰 yuē to speak / to say Blofeld: “The Master said to me:” McRae: “The master said to [Pei] Xiu” Suzuki: “The Master said to Pai-hsiu” “The Master designated [Pei] Xiu and spoke:”
諸佛與一切眾生。 zhū Fó yǔ yīqiè zhòngshēng zyu1 fat6 jyu5 jat1cai3 zung3sang1 /t͡ɕɨʌ/ /bɨut̚/ /jɨʌX/ /ʔiɪt̚/ /t͡sʰet̚/ /t͡ɕɨuŋH/ /ʃˠæŋ/ 诸 zhū all / various 佛 Fó Buddha / Buddhism 与 yǔ and / to give / together with 一切 yī qiè everything / every / all 众生 zhòng shēng all living things Blofeld: “All the Buddhas and all sentient beings” McRae: “The Buddhas and all the sentient beings” Cleary: “The Buddhas and all living beings” Suzuki: “Buddhas and sentient beings” “All of the Buddha(s) and all living things”
唯是一心。 wéi shì yīxīn wai4 si6 jat1sam1 /jiuɪ/ /d͡ʑiᴇX/ /ʔiɪt̚/ /siɪm/ 唯 wéi -ism / only / alone 是 shì is / are / am / yes / to be 一心 yī xīn wholeheartedly / heart and soul Blofeld: “are nothing but the One Mind,” McRae: “are only the One Mind—” Cleary: “are only one mind;” Suzuki: “both grow out of One Mind,” “are only the one heart-mind.”
更無別法。 gèng wú bié fǎ gang3 mou4 bit6 faat3 /kˠæŋ/ /mɨo/ /bˠiᴇt̚/ /pɨɐp̚/ 更 gèng more / even more / further / still / still more 无 wú not to have / no / none / not / to lack / un- / -less 别 bié to leave / to depart / to separate / to distinguish / to classify / other / another / don't ...! / to pin / to stick (sth) in 法 fǎ law / method / way / Buddhist teaching / Legalist Blofeld: “beside which nothing exists.” McRae: “there are no other dharmas.” Cleary: “there is no other reality.” Suzuki: “and there is no other reality than this Mind.” “There is no other dharma more.”
此心無始已來。 cǐ xīn wú shǐ yǐ lái ci2 sam1 mou4 ci2 ji5 loi4 /t͡sʰiᴇX/ /siɪm/ /mɨo/ /ɕɨX/ (?) /lʌi/ 此 cǐ this / these 心 xīn heart / mind / intention / center / core / CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] 无 wú not to have / no / none / not / to lack / un- / -less 始 shǐ to begin / to start / then / only then 已 yǐ already / to stop / then / afterwards 来 lái to come / to arrive / to come round / ever since / next Blofeld: “This Mind, which is without beginning,” McRae: “Since beginningless time, this mind” Cleary: “This mind, from beginninglessness,” Suzuki: “It has been in existence since the beginningless past;” “This heart-mind is without beginning or origin.”
不曾生不曾滅。 bùcéng shēng bùcéng miè bat1cang4 saang1 bat1cang4 mit6 /pɨu/ /d͡zəŋ/ /ʃˠæŋ/ /pɨu/ /d͡zəŋ/ /miᴇt̚/ 不曾 bù céng hasn't yet / hasn't ever 生 shēng to be born / to give birth / life / to grow / raw / uncooked / student 不曾 bù céng hasn't yet / hasn't ever 滅 miè to extinguish or put out / to go out (of a fire etc) / to exterminate or wipe out / to drown Blofeld: “is unborn and indestructible.” McRae: “this mind has never been generated and has never been extinguished,” Cleary: “has never been born and never passed away.” Suzuki: “it knows neither birth nor death;” “It has never been born, nor can it be extinguished.”
不青不黃。 bù qīng bù huáng bat1 ceng1 bat1 wong4 /pɨu/ /t͡sʰeŋ/ /pɨu/ /ɦwɑŋ/ 不 bù (negative prefix) / not / no 青 qīng green / blue / black / youth / young (of people) 不 bù (negative prefix) / not / no 黃 huáng yellow / pornographic / to fall through Blofeld: “It is not green nor yellow,” McRae: “is neither blue nor yellow,” Cleary: “It is neither blue nor yellow;” Suzuki: “it is neither blue nor yellow;” “It is not blue/green or yellow.”
無形無相。 wúxíng wú xiàng mou4jing4 mou4 soeng1 /mɨo/ /ɦeŋ/ /mɨo/ /sɨɐŋ/ 無形 wú xíng incorporeal / virtual / formless / invisible (assets) / intangible 無 wú not to have / no / none / not / to lack / un- / -less 相 xiàng appearance / portrait / picture / government minister / (physics) phase / (literary) to appraise (esp. by scrutinizing physical features) / to read sb's fortune (by physiognomy, palmistry etc) Blofeld: “and has neither form nor appearance.” McRae: “is without shape and without characteristic,” Cleary: “it has no shape and no form.” Suzuki: “it has neither shape nor form;” “It is formless and has no appearance.”
不屬有無。 bù shǔ yǒuwú bat1 suk6 jau5mou4 /pɨu/ /d͡ʑɨok̚/ /ɦɨuX/ /mɨo/ 不 bù (negative prefix) / not / no 屬 shǔ category / genus (taxonomy) / family members / dependents / to belong to / subordinate to / affiliated with / be born in the year of (one of the 12 animals) / to be / to prove to be / to constitute 有無 yǒu wú to have or have not / surplus and shortfall / tangible and intangible / corporeal and incorporeal Blofeld: “It does not belong to the categories of things which exist or do not exist,” McRae: “does not belong to being and nonbeing,” Cleary: “It does not belong to existence or nonexistence;” Suzuki: “it is beyond the category of being and non-being; “It is not of the category of corporeal and/or incorporeal.”
不計新舊。 bùjì xīn jiù bat1gai3 san1 gau6 /pɨu/ /keiH/ /siɪn/ /ɡɨuH/ 不計 bù jì to disregard / to take no account of 新 xīn new / newly / meso- (chemistry) 舊 jiù old / opposite: new 新 / former / worn (with age) Blofeld: “nor can it be thought of in terms of new or old.” McRae: “does not consider new or old,” Cleary: “it does not count as new or old.” Suzuki: “ it is not to be measured by age, old or new;” “It disregards the notions of ‘new’ and ‘old’.”
非長非短。 fēi cháng fēi duǎn fei1 coeng4 fei1 dyun2 /pʉi/ /ɖɨɐŋ/ /pʉi/ /tuɑnX/ 非 fēi to not be / not / wrong / incorrect / non- / un- / in- / to reproach or blame / (colloquial) to insist on / simply must 長 cháng length / long / forever / always / constantly 非 fēi to not be / not / wrong / incorrect / non- / un- / in- / to reproach or blame / (colloquial) to insist on / simply must 短 duǎn short / brief / to lack / weak point / fault Blofeld: “It is neither long nor short,” McRae: “is neither long nor short,” Cleary: “It is neither long nor short,” Suzuki: “it is neither long nor short;” “It is not long nor short.”
非大非小。 fēi dà fēi xiǎo fei1 daai6 fei1 siu2 /pʉi/ /dɑiH/ /pʉi/ /siᴇuX/ 非 fēi to not be / not / wrong / incorrect / non- / un- / in- / to reproach or blame / (colloquial) to insist on / simply must 大 dà big / huge / large / major / great / wide / deep / older (than) / oldest / eldest / greatly / very much / (dialect) father / father's elder or younger brother 非 fēi to not be / not / wrong / incorrect / non- / un- / in- / to reproach or blame / (colloquial) to insist on / simply must 小 xiǎo small / tiny / few / young Blofeld: “big nor small,” McRae: “and is neither large nor small.” Cleary: “neither large nor small.” Suzuki: “it is neither large nor small;” Lok To: “The Mind is neither large nor small;” “It is not big nor small.”
超過一切限量名言縱跡對待。 chāoguò yīqiè xiàn liáng míngyán zòng jì duìdài ciu1gwo3 jat1cai3 haan6 loeng4 ming4jin4 zung1 zek3 deoi3doi6 /ʈʰˠiᴇu/ /kuɑ/ /ʔiɪt̚/ /t͡sʰet̚/ /ɦˠɛnX/ /lɨɐŋ/ /miᴇŋ/ /ŋɨɐn/ /t͡sɨoŋH/ /t͡siᴇk̚/ /tuʌiH/ /dʌiX/ 超過 chāo guò to surpass / to exceed / to outstrip 一切 yī qiè everything / every / all 限 xiàn limit / bound / to set a limit (on) 量 liáng to measure 名言 míng yán saying / famous remark 縱 zòng warp (the vertical threads in weaving) / vertical / longitudinal / north-south (lines of longitude) / lengthwise / to release / to indulge / even if 跡 jì footprint / mark / trace / vestige / sign / indication / Taiwan pr. [ji1] 對待 duì dài to treat / treatment Blofeld: “for it transcends all limits, measures, names, traces and comparisons.” McRae: “It transcends all limitations, names, traces, and correlations.” Cleary: “It transcends all limiting measurements, all labels, all traces, all oppositions.” Suzuki: “for it transcends all limits, words, traces, and opposites.” “It surpasses all limits, measurements, verbalisations, traces and considerations.”
當體便是。 dāng tǐ biànshì dong1 tai2 bin6 si6 /tɑŋ/ /tʰeiX/ /biᴇnH/ /d͡ʑiᴇX/ 當 dāng to be / to act as / manage / withstand / when / during / ought / should / match equally / equal / same / obstruct / just at (a time or place) / on the spot / right / just at 體 tǐ body / form / style / system / substance / to experience / aspect (linguistics) 便是 biàn shì (emphasizes that sth is precisely or exactly as stated) / precisely / exactly / even / if / just like / in the same way as Blofeld: “It is that which you see before you -” McRae: “It in itself—that’s it!” Cleary: “This very being is it; Suzuki: “It must be taken just as it is in itself;” “It is exactly this substance.”
動念即乖。 dòng niàn jí guāi dung6 nim6 zik1 gwaai1 /duŋX/ /nemH/ /t͡sɨk̚/ /kˠuɛi/ 動 dòng (of sth) to move / to set in movement / to displace / to touch / to make use of / to stir (emotions) / to alter / abbr. for 動詞|动词[dong4 ci2], verb 念 niàn to read / to study (a subject) / to attend (a school) / to read aloud / to give (sb) a tongue-lashing (CL:頓|顿[dun4]) / to miss (sb) / idea / remembrance / twenty (banker's anti-fraud numeral corresponding to 廿[nian4]) 即 jí namely / that is / i.e. / prompt / at once / at present / even if / prompted (by the occasion) / to approach / to come into contact / to assume (office) / to draw near 乖 guāi (of a child) obedient, well-behaved / clever / shrewd / alert / perverse / contrary to reason / irregular / abnormal Blofeld: “begin to reason about it and you at once fall into error.” McRae: “To activate thoughts is to go against it!” Cleary: “when you stir thoughts, you turn away from it.” Suzuki: “when an attempt is made on our part to grasp it in our thoughts, it eludes.” “Begin to stir thoughts about it or study it and you go against it.”
猶如虛空無有邊際不可測度。 yóurú xūkōng wú yǒu biānjì bùkě cèduó jau4jyu4 heoi1hung1 mou4 jau5 bin1zai3 bat1ho2 caak1dok6 /jɨu/ /ȵɨʌ/ /hɨʌ/ /kʰuŋ/ /mɨo/ /ɦɨuX/ /pen/ /t͡siᴇiH/ /pɨu/ /kʰɑX/ /t͡ʃʰɨk̚/ /duoH/ 猶如 yóu rú similar to / appearing to be 虛空 xū kōng void / hollow / empty 無 wú not to have / no / none / not / to lack / un- / -less 有 yǒu to have / there is / there are / to exist / to be 邊際 biān jì limit / bound / boundary / (economics) marginal 不可 bù kě cannot / should not / must not 測度 cè duó to estimate / to conjecture Blofeld: “It is like the boundless void which can not be fathomed or measured.” McRae: “It is like space, which is boundless and immeasurable.” Cleary: “It is like space, which has no boundaries and cannot be measured.” Suzuki: “It is like space whose boundaries are altogether beyond measurement;” “It is like a boundless void which cannot be measured.”
唯此一心即是佛。 wéi cǐ yīxīn jí shì Fó wai4 ci2 jat1sam1 zik1 si6 fat6 /jiuɪ/ /t͡sʰiᴇX/ /ʔiɪt̚/ /siɪm/ /t͡sɨk̚/ /bɨut̚/ 唯 wéi -ism / only / alone 此 cǐ this / these 一心 yī xīn wholeheartedly / heart and soul 即 jí namely / that is / i.e. / prompt / at once / at present / even if / prompted (by the occasion) / to approach / to come into contact / to assume (office) / to draw near 是 shì is / are / am / yes / to be 佛 Buddha / Buddhism Blofeld: “The One Mind alone is the Buddha,” McRae: “It is only this One Mind that is Buddha;” Cleary: “This one mind is itself Buddha.” “Only this heart-mind is the Buddha, as it is.”
佛與眾生更無別異。 Fó yǔ zhòngshēng gèng wú bié yì Fat6 jyu5 zung3sang1 gang3 mou4 bit6 ji6 /bɨut̚/ /jɨʌX/ /t͡ɕɨuŋH/ /ʃˠæŋ/ /biᴇnH/ /bˠiᴇt̚/ /jɨH/ 佛 Buddha / Buddhism 與 yǔ and / to give / together with 眾生 zhòng shēng all living things 更 gèng more / even more / further / still / still more 無 wú not to have / no / none / not / to lack / un- / -less 別 bié to leave / to depart / to separate / to distinguish / to classify / other / another / don't ...! / to pin / to stick (sth) in 異 yì different / other / hetero- / unusual / strange / surprising / to distinguish / to separate / to discriminate Blofeld: “and there is no distinction between the Buddha and sentient things,” McRae: “there is no distinction between Buddhas and sentient beings.” Cleary: “Buddha and sentient beings are no different;” “Buddhas and living things are not separate or different.”
但是眾生著相外求。 dànshì zhòngshēng zháo xiàng wài qiú daan6si6 zung3sang1 zoek3 soeng1 ngoi6 kau4 /dɑn/ /d͡ʑiᴇX/ /t͡ɕɨuŋH/ /ʃˠæŋ/ /ʈɨɐk̚/ /sɨɐŋ/ /ŋuɑiH/ /ɡɨu/ 但是 dàn shì but / however 眾生 zhòng shēng all living things 著 zháo to touch / to come in contact with / to feel / to be affected by / to catch fire / to burn / (coll.) to fall asleep / (after a verb) hitting the mark / succeeding in 相 xiàng appearance / portrait / picture / government minister / (physics) phase / (literary) to appraise (esp. by scrutinizing physical features) / to read sb's fortune (by physiognomy, palmistry etc) 外 wài outside / in addition / foreign / external 求 qiú to seek / to look for / to request / to demand / to beseech Blofeld: “but that sentient beings are attached to forms and so seek externally for Buddhahood.” McRae: “However, sentient beings are attached to characteristics and seek outside themselves.” Cleary: “it’s just that sentient beings seek externally, grasping appearances,” “However, living things are affected by appearances/form and seek externally.”
求之轉失。 qiú zhī zhuǎn shī kau4 zi1 zyun2 sat1 /ɡɨu/ /t͡ɕɨ/ /ʈˠiuᴇnX/ /ɕiɪt̚/ 求 qiú to seek / to look for / to request / to demand / to beseech 之 zhī (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]) / him / her / it 轉 zhuǎn to turn / to change direction / to transfer / to forward (mail) 失 shī to lose / to miss / to fail Blofeld: “By their very seeking they lose it,” McRae: “Seeking it, they lose it even more.” Cleary: “losing the more they seek.” “They seek it and turn away from it, losing it.”
使佛覓佛。 shǐ Fó mì Fó sai2 fat6 mik6 fat6 /ʃɨX/ /bɨut̚/ /mek̚/ /bɨut̚/ 使 shǐ to make / to cause / to enable / to use / to employ / to send / to instruct sb to do sth / envoy / messenger 佛 Fó Buddha / Buddhism 覓 mì to seek / to find 佛 Fó Buddha / Buddhism Blofeld: “for that is using the Buddha to seek for the Buddha” McRae: “Sending the Buddha in search of the Buddha,” Cleary: “If you try to have Buddha seek Buddha,” “It is using Buddha to seek Buddha.”
將心捉心。 jiāng xīn zhuō xīn zoeng1 sam1 zuk1 sam1 /t͡sɨɐŋ/ /siɪm/ /t͡ʃˠʌk̚/ /siɪm/ 將 jiāng will / shall / to use / to take / to checkmate / just a short while ago / (introduces object of main verb, used in the same way as 把[ba3]) 心 xīn heart / mind / intention / center / core / CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] 捉 zhuō to clutch / to grab / to capture 心 xīn heart / mind / intention / center / core / CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] Blofeld: “and using mind to grasp Mind.” McRae: “grasping the mind with the mind,” Cleary: “or use mind to grasp mind,” “It is using heart-mind to seek heart-mind.”
窮劫盡形終不能得。 qióng jié jìn xíng zhōng bùnéng dé kung4 gip3 zeon6 jing4 zung1 bat1 nang4 dak1 /ɡɨuŋ/ /kɨɐp̚/ /d͡ziɪnX/ /ɦeŋ/ /t͡ɕɨuŋ/ /pɨu/ /nəŋ/ /tək̚/ 窮 qióng poor / destitute / to use up / to exhaust / thoroughly / extremely / (coll.) persistently and pointlessly 劫 jié to rob / to plunder / to seize by force / to coerce / calamity / abbr. for kalpa 劫波[jie2 bo1] 盡 jìn to use up / to exhaust / to end / to finish / to the utmost / exhausted / finished / to the limit (of sth) / all / entirely 形 xíng to appear / to look / form / shape 終 zhōng end / finish 不能 bù néng cannot / must not / should not 得 dé to obtain / to get / to gain / to catch (a disease) / proper / suitable / proud / contented / to allow / to permit / ready / finished Blofeld: “Even though they do their utmost for a full aeon, they will not be able to attain to it-” McRae: “they may exhaust themselves in striving for an entire eon but will never get it.” Cleary: “you will never succeed.” “For a whole kalpa they persistently and pointlessly look and cannot obtain it.”
不知息念忘慮佛自現前。 bùzhī xī niàn wàng lǜ Fó zì xiàn qián bat1zi1 sik1 nim6 mong4 leoi6 fat6 zi6 jin6 cin4 /pɨu/ /ʈiᴇ/ /sɨk̚/ /nemH/ /mʉɐŋH/ /lɨʌH/ /bɨut̚/ /d͡ziɪH/ /ɦenH/ /d͡zen/ 不知 bù zhī not to know / unaware / unknowingly / fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc) 息 xī breath / news / interest (on an investment or loan) / to cease / to stop / to rest / Taiwan pr. [xi2] 念 niàn to read / to study (a subject) / to attend (a school) / to read aloud / to give (sb) a tongue-lashing (CL:頓|顿[dun4]) / to miss (sb) / idea / remembrance / twenty (banker's anti-fraud numeral corresponding to 廿[nian4]) 忘 wàng to forget / to overlook / to neglect 慮 lǜ to think over / to consider / anxiety 佛 Fó Buddha / Buddhism 自 zì self / oneself / from / since / naturally / surely 現 xiàn to appear / present / now / existing / current 前 qián front / forward / ahead / first / top (followed by a number) / future / ago / before / BC (e.g. 前293年) / former / formerly Blofeld: “They do not know that, if they put a stop to conceptual thought and forget their anxiety, the Buddha will appear before them,” McRae: “They do not understand that if they cease their thoughts and end their thinking, the Buddha will automatically be present.” Cleary: “What you don’t realize is that if you stop thoughts and forget ruminations, the Buddha spontaneously appears. “They do not know that by stopping their study and rumination, the Buddha will appear before them.”
此心即是佛。 cǐ xīn jí shì Fó ci2 sam1 zik1 si6 fat6 /t͡sʰiᴇX/ /siɪm/ /t͡sɨk̚/ /d͡ʑiᴇX/ /bɨut̚/ 此 cǐ this / these 心 xīn heart / mind / intention / center / core / CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] 即 jí namely / that is / i.e. / prompt / at once / at present / even if / prompted (by the occasion) / to approach / to come into contact / to assume (office) / to draw near 是 shì is / are / am / yes / to be 佛 Fó Buddha / Buddhism Blofeld: “for this Mind is the Buddha” “This heart-mind is the Buddha.”
佛即是眾生。 Fó jí shì zhòngshēng fat6 zik1 si6 zung3 sang1 /bɨut̚/ /t͡sɨk̚/ /d͡ʑiᴇX/ /t͡ɕɨuŋH/ /ʃˠæŋ/ 佛 Fó Buddha / Buddhism 即 jí namely / that is / i.e. / prompt / at once / at present / even if / prompted (by the occasion) / to approach / to come into contact / to assume (office) / to draw near 是 shì is / are / am / yes / to be 众生 zhòng shēng all living things Blofeld: “and the Buddha is all living beings.” “The Buddha is all living things.”
為眾生時此心不減。 wéi zhòngshēng shí cǐ xīn bù jiǎn wai6 zung3sang1 si4 ci2 sam1 bat1 gaam2 /ɦˠiuᴇ/ /t͡ɕɨuŋH/ /ʃˠæŋ/ /d͡ʑɨ//t͡sʰiᴇX/ /siɪm/ /pɨu/ /ɦˠɛmX/ 為 wéi as (in the capacity of) / to take sth as / to act as / to serve as / to behave as / to become / to be / to do / by (in the passive voice) 眾生 zhòng shēng all living things 時 shí o'clock / time / when / hour / season / period 此 cǐ this / these 心 xīn heart / mind / intention / center / core / CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] 不 bù (negative prefix) / not / no 減 jiǎn to lower / to decrease / to reduce / to subtract / to diminish Blofeld: “It is not the less for being manifested in ordinary beings,” “It is not any lesser when manifested in living things.”
為諸佛時此心不添。 wéi zhū Fó shí cǐ xīn bù tiān wai6 zyu1 fat6 si4 ci2 sam1 bat1 tim1 /ɦˠiuᴇ/ /t͡ɕɨʌ/ /bɨut̚/ /d͡ʑɨ//t͡sʰiᴇX/ /siɪm/ /pɨu/ /tʰem/ 為 wéi as (in the capacity of) / to take sth as / to act as / to serve as / to behave as / to become / to be / to do / by (in the passive voice) 諸 zhū all / various 佛 Fó Buddha / Buddhism 時 shí o'clock / time / when / hour / season / period 此 cǐ this / these 心 xīn heart / mind / intention / center / core / CL:顆|颗[ke1],個|个[ge4] 不 bù (negative prefix) / not / no 添 tiān to add / to increase / to replenish Blofeld: “nor is it greater for being manifested in the Buddhas.” “It is not any greater when manifested in the Buddhas.”
Here are the original translations: Blofeld:
The Master said to me: All the Buddhas and all sentient beings are nothing but the One Mind, beside which nothing exists. This Mind, which is without beginning, is unborn and indestructible. It is not green nor yellow, and has neither form nor appearance. It does not belong to the categories of things which exist or do not exist, nor can it be thought of in terms of new or old. It is neither long nor short, big nor small, for it transcends all limits, measures, names, traces and comparisons. It is that which you see before you - begin to reason about it and you at once once fall into error. It is like the boundless void which cannot be fathomed or measured. The One Mind alone is the Buddha, and there is no distinction between the Buddha and sentient things, but that sentient beings are attached to forms and so seek externally for Buddhahood. By their very seeking they lose it, for that is using the Buddha to seek for the Buddha and using mind to grasp Mind. Even if they do their utmost for a full aeon, they will not be able to attain to it- They do not know that, if they put a stop to conceptual thought and forget their anxiety, the Buddha will appear before them, for this Mind is the Buddha and the Buddha is all living beings. It is not the less for being manifested in ordinary beings, nor is it greater for being manifested in the Buddhas.
McRae:
The master said to [Pei] Xiu: The Buddhas and all the sentient beings are only the One Mind—there are no other dharmas. Since beginningless time, this mind has never been generated and has never been extinguished, is neither blue nor yellow, is without shape and without characteristic, does not belong to being and nonbeing, does not consider new or old, is neither long nor short, and is neither large nor small. It transcends all limitations, names, traces, and correlations. It in itself—that’s it! To activate thoughts is to go against it! It is like space, which is boundless and immeasurable. It is only this One Mind that is Buddha; there is no distinction between Buddhas and sentient beings. However, sentient beings are attached to characteristics and seek outside themselves. Seeking it, they lose it even more. Sending the Buddha in search of the Buddha, grasping the mind with the mind, they may exhaust themselves in striving for an entire eon but will never get it. They do not understand that if they cease their thoughts and end their thinking, the Buddha will automatically be present.
Cleary:
The Buddhas and all living beings are only one mind; there is no other reality. This mind, from beginninglessness, has never been born and never passed away. It is neither blue nor yellow; it has no shape and no form. It does not belong to existence or nonexistence; it does not count as new or old. It is neither long nor short, neither large nor small. It transcends all limiting measurements, all labels, all traces, all oppositions. This very being is it; when you stir thoughts, you turn away from it. It is like space, which has no boundaries and cannot be measured.
This one mind is itself Buddha. Buddha and sentient beings are no different; it’s just that sentient beings seek externally, grasping appearances, losing the more they seek. If you try to have Buddha seek Buddha, or use mind to grasp mind, you will never succeed. What you don’t realize is that if you stop thoughts and forget ruminations, the Buddha spontaneously appears.
D.T. Suzuki:
The Master said to Pai-hsiu: Buddhas and sentient beings both grow out of One Mind, and there is no other reality than this Mind. It has been in existence since the beginningless past; it knows neither birth nor death; it is neither blue nor yellow; it has neither shape nor form; it is beyond the category of being and non-being; it is not to be measured by age, old or new; it is neither long nor short; it is neither large nor small; for it transcends all limits, words, traces, and opposites. It must be taken just as it is in itself; when an attempt is made on our part to grasp it in our thoughts, it eludes. It is like space whose boundaries are altogether beyond measurement; no concepts are applicable here.
It is worth also perhaps referring to Blofeld's note on Huangbo's use of the term "one mind":
The text indicates that Huang Po was not entirely satisfied with his choice of the word 'Mind' to symbolize the inexpressible Reality beyond the reach of conceptual thought, for he more than once explains that the One Mind is not really mind at all. But he had to use some term or other, and 'Mind' had often been used by his predecessors. As Mind conveys intangibility, it no doubt seemed to him a good choice, especially as the use of this term helps to make it clear that the part of a man usually regarded as an individual entity inhabiting his body is, in fact, not his property at all, but common to him and to everybody and everything else. (It must be remembered that, in Chinese, 'hsin' means not only 'mind', but 'heart' and, in some senses at least, "spirit" or 'soul' - in short, the so-called real man, the inhabitant of the body-house.) If we prefer to substitute the word 'Absolute', which Huang Po occasionally uses himself we must take care not to read into the text any preconceived notions as to the nature oft he Absolute. And, of course, 'the One Mind' is no less misleading, unless we abandon all preconceived ideas, as Huang Po intended. In an earlier translation of the first part of this book, I ventured to substitute 'Universal Mind' or 'the One Mind', hoping that the meaning would be clearer. However, various critics objected to this, and I have come to see that my term is liable to a different sort of misunderstanding; it is therefore no improvement on 'the One Mind', which at least has the merit of being a literal translation.
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