by Eihei Dogen, translated by Kazuaki Tanahashi

Rujing, my late master, Old Buddha Tiantong, was the thirtieth abbot of the Tiantong Jingde Monastery, renowned Mount Taibai, Qingyuan Prefecture, Great Song. He ascended the teaching seat and said to the assembly:

Tiantong’s first phrase of midwinter:
Old plum tree bent and gnarled
all at once opens one blossom,
two blossoms, three, four, five blossoms,
uncountable blossoms,
not proud of purity,
not proud of fragrance;
spreading, becoming spring,
blowing over grass and trees,
balding the head of a patch-robed monk.
Whirling, quickly changing into wild wind, stormy rain,
falling, snow all over the earth.
The old plum tree is boundless.
A hard cold rubs the nostrils.

The old plum tree spoken of here is boundless. All at once its blossoms open, and of itself the fruit is born.

It forms spring; it forms winter. It arouses wild wind and stormy rain. It is the head of a patch-robed monk; it is the eyeball of an ancient buddha. It becomes grass and trees; it becomes pure fragrance. Its whirl- ing, miraculous quick transformation has no limit. Furthermore, the treeness of the great earth, high sky, bright sun, and clear moon derives from the treeness of the old plum tree. They have always been entangled, vine with vine.

When the old plum tree suddenly opens, the world of blossoming flowers arises. At the moment when the world of blossoming flowers arises, spring arrives. There is a single blossom that opens five petals. At this moment of a single blossom, there are three, four, and five blossoms, hundreds, thousands, myriads, billions of blossoms— countless blossoms. These blossomings are not-being-proud-of one, two, or countless branches of the old plum tree. An udumbara blossom and blue lotus blossoms are also one or two branches of the old plum tree’s blossoms. Blossoming is the old plum tree’s offering.

The old plum tree is within the human world and the heavenly world. The old plum tree manifests both human and heavenly worlds in its treeness. Thus, hundreds and thousands of blossoms are called both human and heavenly blossoms. Myriads and billions of blossoms are buddha ancestor blossoms. In such a moment, “All buddhas have appeared in the world!” is shouted. “The ancestor was originally in this land!” is shouted.

Rujing Ascended The Teaching seat and said to the assembly:

When Gautama’s eyeball vanishes, plum blossoms in snow, just one branch, become thorn branches, here, everywhere, right now. Laughing, spring wind blows madly.

This is the time for all human and heavenly beings to turn toward attaining the way, as the old buddha’s dharma wheel is turned to the extreme limit of the entire world. Even clouds, rain, wind, and water, as well as grass, trees, and insects do not fail to receive benefit from this teaching.

Heaven, earth, and land are vigorously turned by this dharma wheel. To hear words never heard before is to hear these words. To attain what has never existed is to attain this teaching. This is the dharma wheel that cannot be seen or heard without having some inconceivable good fortune.

Now In Great Song China, both inside and outside of its one hundred and eighty regions, there are uncountable mountain temples and town temples. Many monks abide there, but those who have not seen Rujing are many, and those who have seen him are few. Further, fewer have heard his words, not to mention those who have personally met with him face to face. Even fewer have been allowed to enter his chamber. Among these few, how many have been allowed to take refuge in his skin, flesh, bones, and marrow, eyeball and face?

Rujing did not easily allow monks to join his monastery. He would say, “Those who are accustomed to a lax way-seeking mind cannot stay in this place.” He would chase them out and say, “What can we do with those who have not realized original self? Such dogs stir people up. They should not be permitted to join the monastery.”

I have personally seen and heard this. I think to myself, “Which roots of unwholesome actions made it impossible for them to abide with the master even though they were from the same country? With what fortune was I allowed not only to join the monastery, but to enter the chamber whenever I wished, to take refuge in his venerable form, and to listen to the dharma words, even though I was someone from a remote country? Although I was foolish and ignorant, it is an excellent causal relationship that is not at all hollow.”

When Rujing was giving guidance in Song China, there were those who could receive personal guidance from him and those who could not. Now that he has left Song China, it is darker than dark night. Why? Because there is no old buddha like Rujing—before or after him. Therefore, you who study later should think about this upon hearing these words. Do not think that human and heavenly beings everywhere see and hear this dharma wheel.

Photo by Gunnar Salvarsson

The Plum Blossoms In snow is the emergence of an udumbara blossom. How often do we see the eyeball of the true dharma of our Buddha Tathagata but do not smile, miss- ing his blink? Now we authentically receive and accept that plum blossoms in snow are truly the Tathagata’s eyeball. We take them up and hold them as the eye at the top of the head, as the pupil of the eye.