釋門歸敬儀 1.67

1.67

答曰：「經教引心，意存懷遠，取其大致，未可專文。故《經》云：『雖誦千章，不義何益？』是知深有所以，熙何未悉其致。致為指也，得月而指自忘。俗流常詠『得意忘言』，豈意道門猶行封滯？然則四堅果信，成行起於下凡；在凡不行，聖信無由而剋。義實如此，即須念念徵責，步步推繩，猶自迷妄叢生，豈類全無思擇？如不思擇，非行道人。故《經》云：『雖誦千義，不行何益？』文良證矣。今立正儀行敬，須本教宗，教有權實不同，行亦昏明殊則。先須通其立本，然後附本興懷，可也。經說四依，區分三位，足為末代之龜鏡，信是眾行之宗師。大聖致詞，終不徒設，準教行事，畢正無邪。初人四依，謂從初賢至於極聖。人資無漏，法體性空，據此依承，理無邪倒。但以無相好佛，尚惑魔形，況有識凡夫，能無受亂？故立法依，顯成楷定。

I replied: “The sūtras and teachings guide the mind with the intention of cherishing what is far-reaching; one should grasp their general import and must not adhere solely to the letter. Thus a sūtra states: ‘Even if one recites a thousand passages, if one does not understand the meaning, what benefit is there?’ From this we know that there is a deep purpose; how could you not yet fully understand its import? The import is the pointing finger; when one sees the moon, the finger is naturally forgotten. Worldly people often chant ‘grasp the meaning and forget the words’; how could one expect that the gate of the Dao would still practice clinging and stagnation? However, the fruition of faith with the four firm [aspects] and the completion of practice begin with the inferior ordinary person; if not practiced while an ordinary person, holy faith has no way to be attained. The principle is truly like this, so one must question and examine thought after thought, and investigate the guidelines step by step; even so, delusions and fictions still arise in thickets—how could this be like having no discernment at all? If one does not discern, one is not a person who practices the path. Thus a sūtra states: ‘Even if one recites a thousand principles, if one does not practice, what benefit is there?’ The text is truly evidence. Now, in establishing the correct deportment for practicing veneration, one must base it on the teaching's doctrine; the teachings differ between the provisional and the real, and practices also differ in obscurity and clarity. One must first penetrate that on which it is fundamentally established, and only then, adhering to the root, give rise to one's thoughts; this is permissible. The sūtras speak of the four reliances, distinguishing three stages; they are fully a mirror for later generations, and truly the ancestral master of the myriad practices. The words spoken by the Great Sage are never established in vain; if one conducts phenomena conforming to the teachings, it will be entirely correct and devoid of error. First, the four reliances of persons refer to those from the initial worthy up to the ultimate sage. These persons are endowed with undefiled [wisdom], and the nature of dharmas is inherently empty; relying on them according to this, the principle is free from error and inversion. However, with a Buddha devoid of major and minor marks, one might still mistake a demon's form, so how could a discerning ordinary person be free from falling into confusion? Therefore, the reliance on Dharma is established to clearly determine the standard.