[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [金光明經玄義](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1783) › 2.10 # 金光明經玄義 2.10 金光明經玄義 2.10 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [2.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1783.2.10) 次觀心明三佛性。金光明者，觀一念心起，即空即假即中，是見三佛性。何者？心從緣起是故即空，強謂有心是故即假，不出法性是故即中。此釋已顯，更引經證之。《淨名》云「何謂病本？所謂攀緣。何謂攀緣？謂緣三界。」證其假也。「何謂息攀緣？謂心無所得。」此證即空。「我及眾生病，皆非真非有。」此證即中。《華嚴》云「心佛及眾生，是三無差別。」此證觀心即三佛性也。又《般舟三昧經》云「我心如、佛心如。佛心如、我心如。不見我心為佛心、不見佛心為我心，而見阿彌陀佛。」如瑠璃中見像、如饑夢食、如夢婬從事、如觀骨光等喻，皆是證即空即假即中之文。讀此經文，宜須細意。若併作如讀，是即空也。示如許多心紛紜，是即假也。見阿彌陀，是即中也。又我心如佛心如者，以有我佛如等分別之異，所以是即假。從不見我心為佛心去，是即空也。而見阿彌陀，是即中也。又以夢食喻之，夢食不飽譬即空，夢食百味譬即假，皆不出法性譬即中。餘譬類如此。又釋云：我心佛心者是假名，假名分別我佛之異也。我心如佛心，如凡聖俱空。不得我心不得佛心，豈有我心作佛心、佛心作我心？亡假也。不得我心如、不得佛心如，豈有我心如作佛心如？亡空也。是為雙亡空假正顯中道。而見阿彌陀者，雙照二諦也。常見佛，餘者安不見耶？此又是證觀心即空即假即中之文。觀心即中是正因佛性，即空是了因佛性，即假是緣因佛性，是為觀心三佛性。是金光明六即位，如前說。復次佛者覺智也，性者理極也。能以覺智照其理極，境智相稱合而言之名為佛性。今觀五陰，稱五陰實相名正因佛性。觀假名，稱假名實相名了因佛性。觀諸心數，稱心數實相名緣因佛性。故經云佛性者，不即六法、不離六法，此之謂也。觀五陰實相故名金，觀假名實相故名光，觀心數實相故名明，六即位如前思得。此大好故，附此後也。 > Next is contemplating the mind to clarify the three kinds of buddha-nature. As for Suvarṇaprabhāsa: contemplating a single thought-moment of mind as it arises as simultaneously empty, conventional, and middle is seeing the three kinds of buddha-nature. How so? The mind arises from conditions, therefore it is empty; arbitrarily positing that mind exists, therefore it is conventional; not going beyond the dharmatā, therefore it is middle. This explanation has already been clarified; passages from sūtras are further cited as proof. The Vimalakīrtinirdeśa says: "What is the root of illness? It is called cognitive grasping. What is cognitive grasping? It is grasping the three realms." This proves its conventionality. "What is quelling cognitive grasping? It means the mind has nothing to attain." This proves it is empty. "My illness and the illness of sentient beings are neither real nor existent." This proves it is middle. The Avataṃsaka-sūtra says: "Mind, buddha, and sentient beings—these three are without differentiation." This proves that contemplating the mind is itself the three kinds of buddha-nature. Furthermore, the Pratyutpanna-samādhi-sūtra says: "My mind is suchness; the Buddha's mind is suchness. The Buddha's mind is suchness; my mind is suchness. I do not see my mind as the Buddha's mind, nor do I see the Buddha's mind as my mind, yet I see the Buddha Amitābha." Analogies such as seeing an image in lapis lazuli, dreaming of food when hungry, dreaming of sexual intercourse, and contemplating the radiance of bones, are all passages proving simultaneous emptiness, conventionality, and the middle. When reading this sūtra text, one must be attentive. If one reads them entirely as suchness, this is emptiness. Showing so many churning minds, this is conventionality. Seeing Amitābha, this is the middle. Furthermore, as for "my mind is suchness, the Buddha's mind is suchness": because there is the difference of distinguishing "I", "Buddha", and "suchness", this is conventionality. From "not seeing my mind as the Buddha's mind" onward, this is emptiness. "Yet seeing Amitābha", this is the middle. Furthermore, taking the analogy of dreaming of food: dreaming of food not sating hunger exemplifies emptiness; dreaming of food of a hundred flavours exemplifies conventionality; all not going beyond the dharmatā exemplifies the middle. The other analogies are of this kind. Furthermore, it is explained: "my mind" and "the Buddha's mind" are conventional designations; conventional designations distinguish the difference between myself and the Buddha. "My mind is suchness; the Buddha's mind is suchness": ordinary beings and sages are both empty. Not grasping my mind and not grasping the Buddha's mind—how could my mind become the Buddha's mind, or the Buddha's mind become my mind? This is the extinguishing of the conventional. Not grasping my mind's suchness and not grasping the Buddha's mind's suchness—how could my mind's suchness become the Buddha's mind's suchness? This is the extinguishing of emptiness. This is doubly extinguishing emptiness and conventionality to properly reveal the middle way. "Yet seeing Amitābha" is doubly illuminating the two truths. Always seeing the Buddha, how could the rest not be seen? This is again a passage proving that contemplating the mind is simultaneously empty, conventional, and middle. Contemplating the mind as middle is the direct-cause buddha-nature; as empty, it is the revealing-cause buddha-nature; as conventional, it is the conditional-cause buddha-nature. This is contemplating the mind's three kinds of buddha-nature. The six identities of stages of Suvarṇaprabhāsa are as explained before. Furthermore, "Buddha" means awakening wisdom; "nature" means the ultimate principle. Being able to illuminate the ultimate principle with awakening wisdom, when objective realm and wisdom correspond to each other, they are spoken of together as "buddha-nature". Now, contemplating the five aggregates, corresponding to the real mark of the five aggregates is called the direct-cause buddha-nature. Contemplating conventional designations, corresponding to the real mark of conventional designations is called the revealing-cause buddha-nature. Contemplating the mental factors, corresponding to the real mark of mental factors is called the conditional-cause buddha-nature. Therefore the sūtra says: "Buddha-nature is neither identical to the six phenomena nor separate from the six phenomena." This is what it means. Because one contemplates the real mark of the five aggregates, it is called gold (suvarṇa); because one contemplates the real mark of conventional designations, it is called light (prabhāsa); because one contemplates the real mark of the mental factors, it is called radiance (uttama). The six identities of stages can be understood upon reflection as before. Because this is very fine, it is appended here at the end. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 2.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1783.2.9) - [Next: 2.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1783.2.11) - [Up: 2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1783.2) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1783~en-mt.2.10) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1783.2.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1783.2.10) · Pramāṇa