A Zen Poem by Pang Yun (I)
龐蘊 禪詩 (一)
85 X 42 cm in Clerical Script (隸書)
Translation
English Translation
Original Chinese
Father and son rely on (守, 1) each other as they dwell (坐, 2) upon an open and spacious hill (空山, 3),
父子相守空山坐,
Leaving behind all forms of things and differentiations (無相如如, 4), they lodge (寄, 5) with ease fulfilled.
無相如如寄有間.
Commoners see peace, yet originally (元), there is no such thing as peace,
世人見靜元無靜,
What seems to be at ease is likewise still uneased.
看似閑時亦不閑.
(Translated by KS Vincent POON, Sept 2023)
Background information
(I)
This Zen poem was composed by Pang Yun (龐蘊, approx. 740-808 AD) (6), a renowned Lay Buddhist (Layman/Householder, 居士) of the Tang Dynasty. Despite his affluence (7), he often reflected on his life and befriended Monk Danxia Tianran (丹霞天然禪師, 8). He also sought tutelage from other Zen Masters such as Monk Shitou Xiqian (石頭希遷禪師, 9) as well as the revered Monk Mazu Daoyi (馬祖道一禪師, 10). His poems and verses are documented in the book Quotations from Lay Buddhist Pang (《龐居士語錄》), which was compiled by the venerable Tang statesman Yu Di (于頔, ?-818 AD) (11).
(II)
"Leaving all human differentiations behind (如如/不二)" is a fundamental concept in Buddhism (12). Remarkably, this thought is very similar to Laozi's "無為", which is "to not act with any personal differentiation and intent":
天下皆知美之為美, 斯惡已; 皆知善之為善, 斯不善已。故有無相生, 難易相成; 長短相較, 高下相傾; 音聲相和, 前後相隨。是以聖人處無為之事, 行不言之教。All under Heaven recognize the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this, they have the idea of what ugliness is; they all recognize the goodness of the good, and in doing this, they have the idea of what not good is. Hence, the ideas of "existence" and "non-existence" emerge from each other; "difficult" and "easy" give rise to each other; "long" and "short" compare with each other; "high" and "low" contrast each other; "notes" and "tones" harmonize each other; "front" and "back" accompany each other. This is why a wise sage deals with all matters by "not acting with any personal differentiation and intent (無為)" and implements enlightenment of others through the wordless.
Source: KS Vincent Poon & Kwok Kin Poon, An English Translation and the Correct Interpretation of Laozi's Tao Te Ching. Toronto: The SenSeis, 2020, p.16.
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(1)"守" here means "rely on (依靠)", as in the Book of Han – Biography of Yan Zhu (《漢書‧嚴助傳》)： "民得夫婦相守，父子相保." See 《漢語大字典》. Wuhan: 崇文書局, 2010, p.978.
(2)"坐" here means "dwell (居住)", as in Gui Zhuang's Biography of Filial Son Wong (歸莊《黃孝子傳》)： "父子坐旅中惝怳累日，因留過歲." See 《漢語大字典》. Wuhan: 崇文書局, 2010, p.455.
(3) "空山" here is "an open and spacious hill (空曠的山谷)". See Taiwan's 中華民國教育部《重編國語辭典修訂本》online edition.
(4) "無相" here is "the veritable tenet that asks one to leave behind all forms of things (真理之絕眾相)". See 《佛學詞典》. Hong Kong: 菩提學社, publication year unknown, p.414.
"如如" here refers to the “core body (理體)” of “the nature of all Buddhist principles (法性)”, which is "to leave behind all human differentiations (不二)":
法性之理體，不二平等，故云如，彼此之諸法皆如，故云如如，是正智所契之理體也.Source: 《佛學詞典》. Hong Kong: 菩提學社, publication year unknown, p.227.
(5) "寄" here means "to lodge (客居)" as indicated in Xuanying's (玄應) Pronunciation and Meaning in the Complete Buddhist Canon (《一切經音義》): "寄, 客也." See 《漢語大字典》. Wuhan: 崇文書局, 2010, p.1005.
(6) 于頔,《龐居士語錄》, Vol.3. Taipei: 中華電子佛典協會(cbeta), https://cbetaonline.dila.edu.tw/zh/X69n1336_p0143a24.
(7) "(龐蘊)甞以舡載家珍數萬." See 本覺《釋氏通鑑》, Vol. 9. Taipei: 中華電子佛典協會(cbeta), https://cbetaonline.dila.edu.tw/zh/X76n1516_p0104a04.
(8) 覺岸,《釋氏稽古略》, Vol. 9. Taipei: 中華電子佛典協會(cbeta), https://cbetaonline.dila.edu.tw/zh/T49n2037_p0832a12.
(9) 超永, 《五燈全書》, Vol. 6. Taipei: 中華電子佛典協會(cbeta), https://cbetaonline.dila.edu.tw/zh/X81n1571_p0463b22.
(10) Ibid..
(11) See footnote (6).
(12) 佛言:"善根有二: 一者常, 二者無常, 佛性非常非無常, 是故不斷, 名為不二; 一者善, 二者不善, 佛性非善非不善, 是名不二. 蘊之與界, 凡夫見二, 智者了達. 其性無二, 無二之性即是佛性." See 宗寶 《六祖大師法寶壇經》. 臺北: 中華電子佛典協會(cbeta), https://cbetaonline.dila.edu.tw/T48n2008_p0349c26.
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