Five Ranks and the Precious Mirror Samadhi
The teaching of the five ranks was developed and spread by Tozan Ryokai, (T’ung-shan) a Chinese ancestor who lived 1,200 years ago. This teaching describes five different ways that we relate to the absolute and the relative worlds. There are several different formulations of the five ranks, so it can be difficult to translate across different traditions.
In the Soto descriptions of the first rank, the individual is unaware of the absolute, yet contained by it. In the second rank, the individual has an awareness of the absolute, but feels separate from it. In the third rank, there is experiential realization of one’s identity with the absolute. In the fourth rank, this experience is absorbed, so that the relative world is seen, in all its variety and uniqueness, as expressing the absolute. In the fifth stage, there is complete integration and interpenetration of absolute and relative.
The following table has several similar formulations of the five ranks:
Ho-un Jiyu Kennett Roshi Master-Disciple function Chung yuan (Five relations) Sozan (Tozan’s disciple)
=========================================================================================================================
1 Apparent within Eternal Host sees guest Particularity in universality Coming within the absolute
2 Eternal within Apparent Guest turns towards host Universality in particularity Arriving within the relative
3 Reappearance of Eternal Host alone Enlightenment emerging from universality The relative within the absolute
4 Union of Eternal with Apparent Guest alone, serving as needed Enlightenment emerging from particularity The absolute within the relative
5 Eternal in the Eternal Host and guest in union Enlightenment achieved between universality and particularity Arrival within both at once
In practice, we are always enacting one of these relationships, but we move back and forth in our perception of the unconditioned on a momentary basis. We may experience and express several stages in just a few minutes time.
There are many other metaphors for the absolute and relative, including: Lord & vassal, emptiness & form, proper & biased, principle & response, one & many, source & process; parent & child.
The most common scriptural treatment of the five ranks is the Precious Mirror Samadhi. Below is Dharma Rain’s translation, with chanting notations (underlined syllables are one beat).
The Precious Mirror Samadhi *
The dhar•ma of thus•ness is in•ti•mate•ly trans•mit•ted by budd•has and an•ces•tors;
Now you have it; pre•serve it well.
* A sil•ver bowl filled with snow; a he•ron hid•den in the moon.
Tak•en as sim•i•lar, they are not the same; not dis•ting•uished, their pla•ces are known.
The mean•ing does not re•side in the words, but a pi•vo•tal mo•ment brings it forth.
Move and you are trapped; miss and you fall in•to doubt and va•cil•la•tion.
Turn•ing a•way and touch•ing are both wrong, for it is like mas•sive fire.
Just to por•tray it in lit•er•ar•y form is to stain it with de•file•ment.
In dark•est night it is per•fect•ly clear; in the light of dawn it is hid•den.
It is a stan•dard for all things; its use re•moves all suf•fer•ing.
'Though it is not con•struct•ed, it is not be•yond words.
Fac•ing a pre•cious mir•ror; form and re•flec•tion be•hold each o•ther.
You are not it, but in truth it is you.
Like a new•born child, it is ful•ly en•dowed with five as•pects:
No go•ing, no com•ing, no a•ris•ing, no a•bid•ing;
A ba•by bab•bles is an•y•thing said or not?
In the end it says no•thing, for the words are not yet right.
In the Il•lum•in•a•tion hex•a•gram, ap•par•ent and real in•ter•act,
Stacked to•geth•er they be•come three, the per•mu•ta•tions make five,
Like the taste of the five fla•vored herb, like the five pronged va•jra.
Won•drous•ly em•braced with•in the real, drum•ming and sing•ing be•gin to•ge•ther.
Pen•e•trate the source and trav•el the path•ways; em•brace the ter•ri•to•ry and trea•sure the roads.
You would do well to re•spect this; do not ne•glect it.
Na'•tral and won•drous, it is not a mat•ter of de•lu•sion or en•light•en•ment.
With in cau•ses and con•di•tions, time and sea•son,it is ser•ene and il•lu•min•a•ting.
So mi•nute it ent•ers where there is no gap, so vast it tran•scends all di•men•sion.
Just a hair's breadth's dev•i•a•tion,and you are out of tune.
Now there are sud•den and gra•du•al, so teach•ings and ap•proa•ches a•rise.
With these mat•ters dis•tin•guished, each has its stand•ard,
Mast•ered or not, re•al•ity con•stant•ly flows.
Out•side still and in•side trem•bling, like teth•ered colts or cow•er•ing rats,
The an•cient sa•ges grieved for them, and of•fered them the dhar•ma.
Led by their in•vert•ed views, they take black for white.
When in•vert•ed think•ing stops, the af•firm•ing mind na•t'ral•ly ac•cords.
If you want to fol•low in the anc•ient tracks, please ob•serve the sa•ges of the past.
One on the verge of real•iz•ing the Bud•dha Way con•tem•pla•ted a tree for ten long kal•pas,
* Like a bat•tle scarred ti•ger, like a horse with shanks gone gray.
Be•cause some are vul•gar, jewel•ed ta•bles and or•nate robes;
Be•cause some are wide eyed, cats and white ox•en.
* With a great arch•er's skill one can hit the mark at a hund•red yards,
But ar•rows meet•ing head on, how could it be a mat•ter of skill?
Wood•en man starts to sing; Stone wo•man gets up danc•ing.
It is not reached by feel•ings or con•scious•ness, how could it in•volve de•lib•er•a•tion?
Min•is•ters serve their lords, chil•dren o•bey their par•ents;
Not o•bey•ing is not fil•i•al, fail•ure•to serve is no help.
With prac•tice hid•den, fun•ction se•cret•ly, like a fool, like an i•di•ot;
+ Just to do this con•tin•u•ous•ly + is called the host with•in the host.
The teaching of the five ranks was developed and spread by Tozan Ryokai, (T’ung-shan) a Chinese ancestor who lived 1,200 years ago. This teaching describes five different ways that we relate to the absolute and the relative worlds. There are several different formulations of the five ranks, so it can be difficult to translate across different traditions.
In the Soto descriptions of the first rank, the individual is unaware of the absolute, yet contained by it. In the second rank, the individual has an awareness of the absolute, but feels separate from it. In the third rank, there is experiential realization of one’s identity with the absolute. In the fourth rank, this experience is absorbed, so that the relative world is seen, in all its variety and uniqueness, as expressing the absolute. In the fifth stage, there is complete integration and interpenetration of absolute and relative.
The following table has several similar formulations of the five ranks:
Ho-un Jiyu Kennett Roshi Master-Disciple function Chung yuan (Five relations) Sozan (Tozan’s disciple)
=========================================================================================================================
1 Apparent within Eternal Host sees guest Particularity in universality Coming within the absolute
2 Eternal within Apparent Guest turns towards host Universality in particularity Arriving within the relative
3 Reappearance of Eternal Host alone Enlightenment emerging from universality The relative within the absolute
4 Union of Eternal with Apparent Guest alone, serving as needed Enlightenment emerging from particularity The absolute within the relative
5 Eternal in the Eternal Host and guest in union Enlightenment achieved between universality and particularity Arrival within both at once
In practice, we are always enacting one of these relationships, but we move back and forth in our perception of the unconditioned on a momentary basis. We may experience and express several stages in just a few minutes time.
There are many other metaphors for the absolute and relative, including: Lord & vassal, emptiness & form, proper & biased, principle & response, one & many, source & process; parent & child.
The most common scriptural treatment of the five ranks is the Precious Mirror Samadhi. Below is Dharma Rain’s translation, with chanting notations (underlined syllables are one beat).
The Precious Mirror Samadhi *
The dhar•ma of thus•ness is in•ti•mate•ly trans•mit•ted by budd•has and an•ces•tors;
Now you have it; pre•serve it well.
* A sil•ver bowl filled with snow; a he•ron hid•den in the moon.
Tak•en as sim•i•lar, they are not the same; not dis•ting•uished, their pla•ces are known.
The mean•ing does not re•side in the words, but a pi•vo•tal mo•ment brings it forth.
Move and you are trapped; miss and you fall in•to doubt and va•cil•la•tion.
Turn•ing a•way and touch•ing are both wrong, for it is like mas•sive fire.
Just to por•tray it in lit•er•ar•y form is to stain it with de•file•ment.
In dark•est night it is per•fect•ly clear; in the light of dawn it is hid•den.
It is a stan•dard for all things; its use re•moves all suf•fer•ing.
'Though it is not con•struct•ed, it is not be•yond words.
Fac•ing a pre•cious mir•ror; form and re•flec•tion be•hold each o•ther.
You are not it, but in truth it is you.
Like a new•born child, it is ful•ly en•dowed with five as•pects:
No go•ing, no com•ing, no a•ris•ing, no a•bid•ing;
A ba•by bab•bles is an•y•thing said or not?
In the end it says no•thing, for the words are not yet right.
In the Il•lum•in•a•tion hex•a•gram, ap•par•ent and real in•ter•act,
Stacked to•geth•er they be•come three, the per•mu•ta•tions make five,
Like the taste of the five fla•vored herb, like the five pronged va•jra.
Won•drous•ly em•braced with•in the real, drum•ming and sing•ing be•gin to•ge•ther.
Pen•e•trate the source and trav•el the path•ways; em•brace the ter•ri•to•ry and trea•sure the roads.
You would do well to re•spect this; do not ne•glect it.
Na'•tral and won•drous, it is not a mat•ter of de•lu•sion or en•light•en•ment.
With in cau•ses and con•di•tions, time and sea•son,it is ser•ene and il•lu•min•a•ting.
So mi•nute it ent•ers where there is no gap, so vast it tran•scends all di•men•sion.
Just a hair's breadth's dev•i•a•tion,and you are out of tune.
Now there are sud•den and gra•du•al, so teach•ings and ap•proa•ches a•rise.
With these mat•ters dis•tin•guished, each has its stand•ard,
Mast•ered or not, re•al•ity con•stant•ly flows.
Out•side still and in•side trem•bling, like teth•ered colts or cow•er•ing rats,
The an•cient sa•ges grieved for them, and of•fered them the dhar•ma.
Led by their in•vert•ed views, they take black for white.
When in•vert•ed think•ing stops, the af•firm•ing mind na•t'ral•ly ac•cords.
If you want to fol•low in the anc•ient tracks, please ob•serve the sa•ges of the past.
One on the verge of real•iz•ing the Bud•dha Way con•tem•pla•ted a tree for ten long kal•pas,
* Like a bat•tle scarred ti•ger, like a horse with shanks gone gray.
Be•cause some are vul•gar, jewel•ed ta•bles and or•nate robes;
Be•cause some are wide eyed, cats and white ox•en.
* With a great arch•er's skill one can hit the mark at a hund•red yards,
But ar•rows meet•ing head on, how could it be a mat•ter of skill?
Wood•en man starts to sing; Stone wo•man gets up danc•ing.
It is not reached by feel•ings or con•scious•ness, how could it in•volve de•lib•er•a•tion?
Min•is•ters serve their lords, chil•dren o•bey their par•ents;
Not o•bey•ing is not fil•i•al, fail•ure•to serve is no help.
With prac•tice hid•den, fun•ction se•cret•ly, like a fool, like an i•di•ot;
+ Just to do this con•tin•u•ous•ly + is called the host with•in the host.