摩訶止觀 6.170

6.170

故《大經》云：「慈若有、若無、非有非無，如是之慈乃是諸佛如來境界。」當知慈具三諦也。迦葉讚云：「今我欲以一法讚，所謂慈心遊世間。是慈即是大法聚！是慈即是真解脫！解脫即是大涅槃！」上慈作意乃成，此慈任運無請。為依手出師子令彼調伏；如慈石吸鐵，無心而取。夫鐵在障外，石不能吸。眾生心性即無緣慈，無明障隔，不能任運吸取一切。今欲破無明障，顯佛慈石，任運吸取無量佛法、無量眾生。欲修此慈，非中道觀誰能開闢？如水生火，水不能滅，還用火滅。此無明障依兩觀生，兩觀所不能除，唯中道觀乃能破耳。為是因緣，修第三觀也。

Therefore the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra says: 'Benevolence, whether existing, non-existing, or neither existing nor non-existing—such benevolence is the realm of the Buddha-Tathāgatas.' One should know that benevolence is endowed with the three truths. Kāśyapa praised [the Buddha], saying: 'Now I wish to offer praise through a single dharma, which is to say, walking through the world with a mind of benevolence. This benevolence is a great accumulation of dharmas! This benevolence is true vimokṣa! Vimokṣa is mahānirvāṇa!' The previous benevolence succeeds only through deliberate effort; this benevolence functions spontaneously without being entreatied. Just as reliance on the hand makes a lion emerge to tame them, or as a lodestone attracts iron without any deliberate intention to grasp it. When iron is beyond an obstruction, the stone cannot attract it. The mind-nature of sentient beings is itself unconditioned benevolence, but obstructed and separated by avidyā, it cannot spontaneously attract everything. Now, wishing to break the barrier of avidyā and reveal the lodestone of the Buddha's benevolence, it spontaneously attracts immeasurable Buddha-dharmas and immeasurable sentient beings. Wishing to cultivate this benevolence, without the contemplation of the middle way, who could open it up? Just as when fire is born from water, water cannot extinguish it, and fire must in turn be used to extinguish it: this obstruction of avidyā arises in dependence on the two contemplations; what the two contemplations cannot eliminate, only the contemplation of the middle way can break. For these causes and conditions, one cultivates the third contemplation.