The Special Transmission Outside the Teachings of the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye and the Wondrous Mind of Nirvāṇa

At the assembly on Vulture Peak, the World-Honored One held a flower offered by a deva and smiled faintly at the assembly of disciples. The multitude of humans and devas were bewildered, but only Mahākāśyapa responded to the World-Honored One with a smile. With the flesh eye, the heavenly eye, the dharma eye, and the Buddha eye, the World-Honored One saw that Mahākāśyapa had suddenly awakened to the mind of the Chan school, and so he said: "I have the treasury of the true dharma eye, the wondrous mind of nirvāṇa, the markless mark of ultimate reality, which I now transmit to Mahākāśyapa." This confirmed Mahākāśyapa's sudden enlightenment, and thus Mahākāśyapa became the first patriarch of the Chan school in the Sahā world.

The wondrous mind of nirvāṇa refers to the true mind and self-nature of every sentient being, which constantly abides in nirvāṇa, subtly manifesting as present dharma. It is the most real dharma-mark, yet this dharma-mark has no worldly marks whatsoever—no marks of form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas. Because the seventh consciousness of sentient beings is obscured by ignorance, it does not recognize this wondrous mind of nirvāṇa. In this kōan, not only is the World-Honored One's wondrous mind of nirvāṇa manifesting at every moment, but Mahākāśyapa's wondrous mind of nirvāṇa is also manifesting at every moment, and even the wondrous minds of nirvāṇa of the countless humans and devas in the assembly are manifesting at every moment. Alas, sentient beings simply fail to recognize it! Their minds are blocked by ignorance, their spiritual wisdom cannot be opened, and the eye of wisdom does not appear—what can be done?

Only Mahākāśyapa proved worthy of being the Buddha's foremost disciple, understanding the Buddha's mind. When he saw the Buddha holding up a flower to show the assembly, his eye of wisdom pierced through the Buddha's wondrous, luminous mind, and he began to smile; at the same time, his own wondrous, luminous mind was also seen through by the Buddha. Thus there was an exchange of minds between master and disciple—mind to mind, sealed upon each other, without the use of words or language. The wondrous dharma of the Chan school was thus transmitted in full view of everyone. There is a passage of text afterward that supplements this: the words spoken by the World-Honored One, "I have the wondrous mind of nirvāṇa..."

Why can the dharma of the Chan school be transmitted as a special transmission outside the teachings? Because what is transmitted is the wondrous mind and wondrous dharma. If it could only be confined to words and language, it would not be wondrous. The wonder of the wondrous mind lies in its ability to function within all dharmas, without picking or choosing any dharma. The wondrous mind and wondrous dharma have nothing to do with words and language; they work in every dharma—He is everywhere. Where is He not? In the pure and the defiled, in the audible and the silent, in what has words and what has none—He vividly manifests in all dharmas.

For forty-nine years, the World-Honored One used words and language to expound the Tripiṭaka and the twelve divisions of scriptures, everywhere manifesting the wondrous mind of nirvāṇa—this is the gate of teachings and the gate of principle, but it is still somewhat roundabout. This time, the World-Honored One demonstrated for the assembly the most direct, the most decisive, the most exhilarating approach, pointing directly at the human mind, without saying a single word—just swaying a single flower before the assembly. Ah! The assembly fretted anxiously, thinking: What is this about? What medicine does the World-Honored One have in his gourd? They could not figure it out. Mahākāśyapa did not need to think—he suddenly awakened in an instant; this was the sudden enlightenment of the manas. The mind consciousness awakens gradually, because the mind consciousness has to think! Whatever involves thinking is not real; if a patriarch saw one such person, he would strike him dead with a single blow—a fellow entangled in sentiment, thought, and intellectual understanding, what future does he have? The dharma transmitted outside the teachings is exhilarating and swift, allowing you no time to think. By the time you start thinking, the wild goose has long since flown away, and the cucumbers have long since gone cold. Whoever, at such a moment, still dares to strike poses, scratch his head and rub his ears—straightaway comes a blow with the staff. What kind of place is this, that allows you to ponder left and right, mulling over past and future? If you are not a suitable vessel for the Path, striking you dead would be no injustice.

What does "treasury of the true dharma eye" mean? Only this eye is the most correct; all other eyes are not correct—arising and ceasing, afflicted by ignorance and vexations, unable to stand independently, necessarily depending on something else—these are certainly not correct. "Treasury" means containing and storing: the wondrous mind of nirvāṇa contains the seeds of all dharmas and can generate all dharmas; the myriad dharmas are contained within it. This is truly wondrous—creating existence out of nothing, conjuring up the world, for the multitude to rely upon and grasp.