金光明經玄義 2.14

2.14

Next, regarding observing the mind as the Suvarṇaprabhāsa of the trikāya: attentively observing a single thought-moment as identical to emptiness, identical to the provisional, and identical to the middle is itself the trikāya. How so? The Avataṃsaka-sūtra states: “Mind is like a skilled painter, creating the various five aggregates.” If the mind conditions actions that violate the precepts, this is the body of the hells; conditioning a lack of shame and conscience, arrogance, and anger constitutes the body of animals; conditioning flattery, deviousness, and reputation constitutes the body of hungry ghosts; conditioning jealousy and contention constitutes the body of asuras; conditioning the five precepts to prevent the five evils constitutes the human body; conditioning the ten wholesome actions to prevent the ten unwholesome actions and conditioning dhyāna-concentration to prevent distraction constitutes the heavenly body; conditioning impermanence, suffering, emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness constitutes the body of the two vehicles; conditioning loving-kindness, compassion, and the six perfections constitutes the bodhisattva body; and conditioning suchness and the true aspect constitutes the buddha body. Ascending is difficult while falling is easy; because [the mind] mostly conditions unwholesome bodies, one knows that all bodies are produced by the mind. For example, just as the single great earth can produce various sprouts, if one observes the five appropriated aggregates, thoroughly penetrating that they are empty and non-existent, then all bodies produced from the mind are completely empty and non-existent, just like overturning the great earth so that grasses and trees are completely uprooted; therefore it is said to be “identical to emptiness.” If one is [merely] identical to emptiness, one permanently sinks into ashen extinction, unable even to generate a single body from the single empty mind; how then could one disport in the five destinies to manifest one's body? One would be unable to manifest a buddha body for those who should be saved by a buddha body, or manifest all the various bodies of the three vehicles, the four assemblies, and the devas, nāgas, and eight classes, sharing their activities for those who should be saved by them. Because of this flaw, it is said to be “identical to the provisional,” matching the bodies of the six destinies. Observing bodies in this manner falls into the two extremes, which is not properly observing the body. As for one who properly observes the body, the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra states: “One cannot apprehend the body, which is the eight-foot form; one cannot apprehend the marks of the body, which is the form of the five vesicles; one cannot apprehend the cause of the body, which is nourished by food and drink; one cannot apprehend the effect of the body, which is retribution for the five precepts; one cannot apprehend the accumulation of the body, which consists of the aggregates, bases, and elements; one cannot apprehend the unity of the body, which is formed by the provisional and the real; one cannot apprehend the duality of the body, which is formed by the four great elements; one cannot apprehend this body, which is one's own single body; one cannot apprehend that body, which is another's mortal remains; one cannot apprehend consciousness of the body, which is impermanent from thought-moment to thought-moment; one cannot apprehend the equality of the body, for within the body it is empty, and the six destinies all equally have bodies; one cannot apprehend cultivation of the body, for relying on the body one is able to cultivate the Dharma; one cannot apprehend the cultivator, which is the practitioner. Nor does one apprehend the suchness of the body, the suchness of the marks of the body, up to the suchness of cultivation of the body, and the suchness of the cultivator; nor does one apprehend the nature of the body, the nature of the marks of the body, up to the nature of cultivation of the body, and the nature of the cultivator, being ultimately pure.” For this meaning, it is said to be “identical to the middle.” Being identical to the middle is the dharmakāya; being identical to emptiness is the saṃbhogakāya; being identical to the provisional is the nirmāṇakāya. This is called observing the mind as the Suvarṇaprabhāsa of the trikāya. The six identities are as before.