Long Scroll of the Treatise on the Two Entrances and Four Practices
The Treatise on the Two Entrances and Four Practices (Chinese: 二入四行; Pinyin: "èrrú sìxíng"; Wade–Giles: "Erh-ju ssu-hsing"; Japanese: "Ninyū shigyō ron") is a Buddhist text attributed to Bodhidharma, the traditional founder of Chan (Japanese: Zen) Buddhism. History. The text, sometimes referred to simply as "The Two Entrances", was first used in 6th century CE by a group of wandering monks in Northern China specializing in meditation who looked to Bodhidharma as their spiritual forebearer. Though this text was originally attributed to Bodhidharma, a great deal  of material was added to it, probably around the 8th century, by the monks or perhaps other anonymous groups. The work, along with T'an Lun's biography of Bodhidharma and other newly discovered manuscripts, was recompiled by a renowned Japanese Zen practitioner, Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki, in 1935. Teachings. The two entrances referred to in the title are the entrance of principle (理入 lǐrù) and the entrance of practice (行入 xíngrù). According to John R. Mcrae, "the “entrance of principle” refers to interior cultivation, mental practice undertaken deep within the individual's psyche, and the “entrance of practice” refers to practice  undertaken actively and in interaction with the world." Yet, McRae also notes that it's not clear what exactly the "entrance of principle" entailed. The phrase "wall contemplation," "biguan", is not directly explicated, though it is commonly used in Buddhist and Taoist literature to refer to both physically facing a wall and metaphorically cultivating non differentiation between all things through internal stillness. Later tradition graphically depicted it as practicing "dhyana" while facing a wall, but it may be a metaphor, referring to the four walls of a room which prevent the winds from entering the room. Structure. The format of  the text is that of a collection of the master's teaching as collected by his students. There are two entrances listed, one abstract and one concrete. In other words, the text list two different ways of achieving enlightenment, one based on inward reflection (the entrance of principle) and one based on outward action (the entrance of practice). The bimodal structure of this treatise was frequently copied and became typical in early Chan Buddhism.