法界圖記叢髓錄 1.141

1.141

The Ancient Record says: In the past, the Virtuous Lin entered Tang [China] and approached Master Rongshun with a challenge, asking: "Since one has already attained Buddhahood, how is it that from the very beginning one's ordinary person's body does not move?" Shun said: "Among the six characteristics, there are identity and distinction; what difficulty is there?" (Thus far.) Question: Why did he not comprehensively say that it is because there are the six characteristics, but specially singled out identity and distinction to say so? Answer: If explained in terms of a house as particularity, the various conditions such as rafters are merely particular in relation to the universal house, not that one sees their curves, lengths, or shorts. Furthermore, as for disintegration, one merely sees each condition abiding in its own phenomenon, originally doing nothing. Only in the characteristics of identity and distinction: taken according to any single condition, its efficacy and meaning in subsuming the other conditions to form a complete house are identical, yet pillars are eight feet, rafters are twelve feet, and tiles are over a foot; because these distinct positions of long and short each do not move, he answered taking only this meaning.