''Xinxin Ming'' (alternate spellings ''Xin Xin Ming'' or ''Xinxinming'') (

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

: 信心銘;

Pīnyīn Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese fo ...

: ''Xìnxīn Míng'';

Wade–Giles Wade–Giles () is a romanization system for Mandarin Chinese. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Francis Wade, during the mid-19th century, and was given completed form with Herbert A. Giles's '' Chinese–English Dictionary'' of ...

: ''Hsin Hsin Ming''; Romanji: ''Shinjinmei''), meaning "Faith in Mind", is a poem attributed to the Third Chinese

Chán Chan (; of ), from Sanskrit '' dhyāna'' (meaning "meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and So ...

Patriarch

Jianzhi Sengcan Jianzhi Sengcan (; Hànyǔ Pīnyīn, Pīnyīn: ''Jiànzhì Sēngcàn''; Wade–Giles: ; Romanization of Japanese, Romanji: ) is known as the Third Chinese Patriarch of Chán after Bodhidharma and thirtieth Patriarch after Siddhārtha Gautama Buddh ...

(

: 鑑智僧璨;

: ''Jiànzhì Sēngcàn'';

: ''Chien-chih Seng-ts'an'';

Romaji The romanization of Japanese is the use of Latin script to write the Japanese language. This method of writing is sometimes referred to in Japanese as . Japanese is normally written in a combination of logographic characters borrowed from Ch ...

: ''Kanchi Sōsan'') and one of the earliest Chinese Chan expressions of the

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

mind training practice.

Title translation

"Xinxin" has commonly been interpreted as "faith" or "trust." For example, one translation is "Faith in Mind" (See ''The Poetry of Enlightenment: Poems by Ancient Ch'an Masters'', Ch'an Master Sheng-Yen). While this interpretation may appear to some to be a departure from the traditional view of seeking refuge in the

Three Jewels In Buddhism, refuge or taking refuge refers to a religious practice, which often includes a prayer or recitation performed at the beginning of the day or of a practice session. Since the period of Early Buddhism until present time, all Theravada ...

(

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

and

Sangha Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...

), it is actually a deliberate declaration and poetic polemic of the Chan (

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

) school written as a response to the increasingly popular movement of faith in Amitaba Buddha known as

Pure Land Buddhism Pure Land Buddhism (; ja, 浄土仏教, translit=Jōdo bukkyō; , also referred to as Amidism in English,) is a broad branch of Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Buddha's Buddha-field or Pure Land. It is one of the most wid ...

. From the Chan/Zen point of view, Buddha and Mind are one (即心即佛) (see the

Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch The ''Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch'' ( or simply: ''Tánjīng'') is a Chan Buddhist scripture that was composed in China during the 8th to 13th century. The "platform" (施法壇) refers to the podium on which a Buddhist teacher speak ...

(六祖壇經)), as expressed in Mazu's famous dictum "Mind is Buddha". Thus, faith in outward Buddhas is contrary to the goal of Buddhism, which is the direct experience of enlightenment. This can only be attained by having faith in Mind as Shakyamuni Buddha himself did. Variations of the title include: "Inscription on Trust in the Mind", "Verses on the Faith Mind", and "On Believing in Mind", as well as others. John McRae (1986:316 n. 64) argues that the title should be translated as "Inscription on Relying on the Mind" or "Inscription of the Perfected Mind". The word "inscription" does accurately convey the idea of a truth that can survive the test of time and is the more literal meaning of ''ming'' (銘). Another reading of the text allows that Xinxin could be understood as the Truthful Mind, which is always ready and perfect, implying that there is no need to further "perfect" it. Because in the Chinese language today, Xinxin (信心) usually means "trust", "confidence", or "believing mind", it is often forgotten that Xinxin can also be understood as the truthful mind (信實的心). From the Chan/Zen view, the true mind is perfect as it is and only false views obscure the true mind's inherent perfection. As the text states, "Any degeneration of your previous practice on emptiness arises because of false perspectives. There is really no need to go after the Truth but there is indeed a need to extinguish biased views." (前空轉變皆由妄見不用求真唯須息見) Moreover, the passage that follows immediately after explicitly warns against losing the original, true mind (失心): "Do not dwell in the two biased views. Make sure you do not pursue. The moment you think about right and wrong, that moment you unwittingly lose your true mind." (二見不住慎勿追尋才有是非紛然失心) Whether translated as Faith in Mind, Believing in Mind, Trust in Mind, or The Truthful Mind, the central message of the Xinxin Ming is the same: to point directly to Mind by giving up one-sided views so we can see the One Suchness of reality as it is.(心若不異萬法一如)

Authorship

Although Sengcan has been traditionally been attributed as the author, modern scholars believe that the verse was written well after Sengcan's death, probably during the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

(Chinese: 唐朝; pinyin: Tángcháo) (618 – 907). (Dumoulin, p 97) Some scholars note the similarity with a poem called Mind Inscription by Niu-t'ou Fa-jung (594-657) of the

Oxhead school The Oxhead school (''Niu-t'ou zong'') was a short lived tradition of Chinese Chan Buddhism founded by Fa-jung (Niutou Farong, 牛頭法融, 594–657), who was a Dharma heir of the Fourth Patriarch Tao-hsin (580-651). Their main temple was locate ...

of Chan and have speculated that the Xinxin Ming is an abridged version of the Mind Inscription. The classical source of the Xinxin Ming can be found in the

Transmission of the Lamp ''The Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp'' (), often referred to as ''The Transmission of the Lamp'', is a 30 volume work consisting of putative biographies of the Chan Buddhist and Zen Buddhist patriarchs and other prominent Buddhist ...

(

: 景德傳燈錄;

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

: ''Jǐngdé Chuándēng-lù'';

: ''Ching-te Ch'uanteng-lu'';

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: ''Keitoku Dentō-roku'').

History

The Xinxin Ming has been much beloved by Chan (Zen) practitioners for over a thousand years. It is still studied in Western Zen circles. As an early expression of Chan Buddhism, the ''Inscription on Faith in Mind'' reveals the Buddhist missionary use of expedient means (

upaya Upaya (Sanskrit: उपाय, , ''expedient means'', ''pedagogy'') is a term used in Buddhism to refer to an aspect of guidance along the Buddhist paths to liberation where a conscious, voluntary action "is driven by an incomplete reasoning" a ...

) in China by adapting

Tao ''Tao'' or ''Dao'' is the natural order of the universe, whose character one's intuition must discern to realize the potential for individual wisdom, as conceived in the context of East Asian philosophy, East Asian religions, or any other phil ...

ist terminology to the Buddhist context of awakening. It also draws on the Wisdom sutras as well as the

Avatamsaka Sutra The ' (IAST, sa, 𑀅𑀯𑀢𑀁𑀲𑀓 𑀲𑀽𑀢𑁆𑀭) or ''Buddhāvataṃsaka-nāma-mahāvaipulya-sūtra (The Mahāvaipulya Sūtra named “Buddhāvataṃsaka”)'' is one of the most influential Mahāyāna sutras of East Asian B ...

and Lankavatara Sutra to express the essential unity of opposites and the basic nature of emptiness (''

śūnyatā ''Śūnyatā'' ( sa, शून्यता, śūnyatā; pi, suññatā; ), translated most often as ''emptiness'', ''vacuity'', and sometimes ''voidness'', is an Indian philosophical concept. Within Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and other p ...

'') The poem professes the need to take pleasant and unpleasant life experiences with a sense of equanimity. Broadly speaking, the Xinxin Ming deals with the principles and practice of

non-duality Nondualism, also called nonduality and nondual awareness, is a fuzzy concept originating in Indian philosophy and religion for which many definitions can be found, including: nondual awareness, the nonduality of seer and seen or nondiffer ...

, that is, with the application of nonduality and the results of its practice.See Pajin (1988).

Excerpts

Opening verse

The opening verse, variously translated, sets out the fundamental principle: : The best way [Great Way, the

] is not difficult : It only excludes picking and choosing : Once you stop loving and hating : It will enlighten itself. : (trans. D. Pajin) Alternatively: : The Perfect Way knows no difficulties : Except that it refuses to make preferences; : Only when freed from hate and love, : It reveals itself fully and without disguise : (trans. by

D.T. Suzuki , self-rendered in 1894 as "Daisetz", was a Japanese-American Buddhist monk, essayist, philosopher, religious scholar, translator, and writer. He was a scholar and author of books and essays on Buddhism, Zen and Shin that were instrumental in s ...

)Suzuki (1960), pp. 76-82; see also, Soeng (2004), pp. 133, 139, 145, 151, 157, 163, 169. And also: : There is nothing difficult about the Great Way, : But avoid choosing! : Only when you neither love nor hate, : Does it appear in all clarity. : (trans. R.H. Blyth, Zen and Zen Classics)

Last verse

The poem ends with: : Emptiness here, Emptiness there, : but the infinite universe stands always before your eyes. : Infinitely large and infinitely small; : no difference, for definitions have vanished : and no boundaries are seen. : So too with Being : and non-Being. : Don't waste time in doubts and arguments : that have nothing to do with this. : One thing, all things: : move among and intermingle, without distinction. : To live in this realization : is to be without anxiety about non-perfection. : To live in this faith is the road to non-duality, : Because the non-dual is one with the trusting mind. : Words! The Way is beyond language, : for in it there is :: no yesterday :: no tomorrow :: no today.
(trans. Richard B. Clarke)
Alternatively: : One in All, : All in One— : If only this is realized, : No more worry about your not being perfect! :Where Mind and each believing mind are not divided, :And undivided are each believing mind and Mind, :This is where words fail; :For it is not of the past, present, and future. :(trans. D.T. Suzuki) And also: : One thing is all things; : All things are one thing. : If this is so for you, : There is no need to worry about perfect knowledge. : The believing mind is not dual; : What is not dual is not the believing mind. : Beyond all language, : For it there is no past, no present, no future. : (trans. R.H. Blyth, Zen and Zen Classics)

Bibliography

* Blyth, R. (1960). Zen and Zen Classics, Vol. I. Hokuseido Press . * Clarke, Richard (1973, 1984). ''Hsin Hsin Ming: Verses on the Faith-Mind''. Buffalo, New York: White Pine Press. * * Dumoulin, Heinrich (1994, 1998). ''Zen Buddhism: A History, Volume I, India and China'', Simon & Schuster and Prentice Hall International * McRae, John R (1986). ''The Northern School and the Formation of Early Ch'an Buddhism'', University of Hawaii Press, * Pajin, Dusan (1988). ''On Faith in Mind'', Journal of Oriental Studies, Vol. XXVI, No. 2, Hong Kong 1988, pp. 270–288

* Putkonen, Eric (2008). ''Hsin Hsin Ming: Verses on the Perfect Mind''. (interpretation, not a direct translation
Available as a free E-book in PDF format
* Soeng, Mu (2004). ''Trust in Mind: The Rebellion of Chinese Zen''. Boston: Wisdom Publications. . * Suzuki, D.T. (1960). ''Manual of Zen Buddhism''. NY: Grove Press. . * Cleary, J. C.; Yoshida, Osamu, trans. (1995)
Three Chan Classics (The Faith-Mind Maxim; T 48, no 2010)
Berkeley: BDK America. {{ISBN, 1-886439-07-9

Notes

External links

The Advaita Show
an audio reading of the Xin Xin Ming *Music File of Song of the Truthful Mind in MP3 format as well as lyrics are now available for download. Visit: https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/xin-xin-ming-song-of-the-truthful-mind

in "A Collection of Selected Buddhist Texts" by Chung Tai Translation Committee, pages 80-87.
One Essence: The Nondual Clarity of an Ancient Zen Poem
A modern commentary on the Hsin Hsin Ming.
Daily Hsin Hsin Ming Verse
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