華嚴經金師子章註 1.5

1.5

Now, as for this Golden Lion Essay, it was expounded by Great Master Fazang upon the request of Empress Zetian. Its text is concise while its meaning is profound; its words are few while its sense is vast. This is precisely crushing a minute dust mote to bring forth a great sutra scroll, condensing the great void and placing it within a single hair. Great awakening is as easy as pointing to the palm; present benefits support the hand. Could any bodhisattva of profound learning and great awakening fail to practice it diligently? If one wishes to succeed to the traces of the Buddhas and patriarchs and transmit the work of the unobstructed interpenetration of phenomena and phenomena, one must first sit in the full lotus posture, or use the half lotus posture. That is to say, at the time of proper formal sitting, first select a seat in quiet solitude, use a rush mat on top, and briefly clarify the guidelines: although not bound to a single direction, face toward the initial ground, which should correspond to the tenth stage of dedication. Place the left foot on the right thigh, raise the right foot and place it on the left thigh; place the right hand on the right thigh, raise the left hand and place it in the right palm, causing the pads of the two thumbs to press against each other. Generally, when sitting upright, one must not lean to the right or tilt to the left, stoop forward or lean backward; the ears must align with the shoulders, the nose must face the navel, the tongue should press against the upper palate, the lips against each other, the upper teeth close to the lower teeth, and the eyes should appear neither open nor closed, neither shut nor open. These are the guidelines for those who study the Great Sage. Next, as for the half lotus posture, raise the left foot and press it upon the right thigh. If one must practice the cultivation of śamatha and vipaśyanā, one may rely on the single gate of non-thought: when a thought arises, let it arise; one who does not give rise to thoughts still has thoughts—how could birth and death cease? Giving rise to thoughts and following thoughts is non-thought; this is called great nirvāṇa. The non-thought of non-thought, the animitta of animitta, the thought of thought, and the characteristics of characteristics are all attachments of non-Buddhists, and are by no means the Dharma spoken by the Buddhist house. I pray that all discerning people will follow the sāgaramudrā-samādhi of Śākyamuni Buddha and the contemplation gate of phenomena and phenomena of Great Master Fazang, and not rely on the nirodha-samāpatti of the Hīnayāna schools or the evil, perverse attachments of the non-Buddhist sects.