法界圖記叢髓錄 2.73

2.73

The Great Record says: The intention behind raising the question, 'Why is it that sentient beings bound by defilements, having not severed afflictions and not accomplished merit and wisdom, are from the beginning fully enlightened Buddhas?' is this: If we consider the ten Buddhas, then among all dharmas of the dharmadhātu there are none that are not Buddha. Yet how could we blind, benighted ordinary beings of today be identical with the ten Buddhas? Such is the objection. The meaning of the answer is that it is a dharma transcending conventional concepts; reversing conventional concepts, it is just this. If one reverses conventional concepts and sees the dharmadhātu completely luminous, with all sentient beings' afflictions severed entirely and merit and wisdom already accomplished, how could they not be Buddhas? Such is the answer. In general, the intention of this question and answer relies on the three vehicles' sense of severing obstacles to attain Buddhahood in order to reveal the One Vehicle's being from the beginning fully enlightened Buddhas. Question: Is it that afflictions are originally severed, or is it knowing that original afflictions are unmoving? Answer: It is simply knowing that they are originally severed, because one who is awake does not see the five-foot ghost seen by the dreaming person. Question: If so, does this not contradict the meaning in the quoted sūtra that among affliction dharmas, not a single dharma is seen to decrease? Answer: Because they originally do not exist, how could a decrease be seen?