摩訶止觀 8.123

8.123

經云：「妄想生妄想，輪迴十二緣。」如狂渴人，見焰為水，南向逐之，逐之不得，大喚言水，空中響應，謂：「己大南，水應在北。」迴頭北走。如是四方皆逐不得。遂大懊惱，謂水入地，爮地吼喚，身體疲極，轉更至闇，亦復不得。南走喻舌逐味；北走喻耳逐聲；西走喻鼻逐香；東走喻眼逐色；爮地喻身逐觸；到闇喻意逐無明。如是六根，遍走諸塵，無一可得，亦不得因緣和合之相，但自疲苦。既覺知已，不復更走。以不走故，身心定住。心定住故，豁爾悟解，發得因緣正智，知此色、心等，從本已來體性寂靜，非生非滅；妄想顛倒，謂有生滅。若不隨妄想，則無明滅乃至老死滅，畢故不造新，如不然火，是則無煙。既不得無明、老死，病為病誰？是名觀病起緣覺法界。

A sūtra says: "False imagination produces false imagination, revolving in the twelve links of conditioned arising." It is like a mad, thirsty person seeing a mirage as water, who runs south chasing it; chasing it without getting it, he shouts loudly for water, and an echo in the empty air responds; thinking, "I have gone too far south; the water must be in the north," he turns around and runs north. In this way he chases in all four directions without obtaining it. Thereupon in great distress, thinking the water has entered the earth, he claws at the ground and howls, his body utterly exhausted; turning into complete darkness, he still does not find it. Running south is a metaphor for the tongue pursuing tastes; running north is a metaphor for the ear pursuing sounds; running west is a metaphor for the nose pursuing fragrances; running east is a metaphor for the eye pursuing forms; clawing the ground is a metaphor for the body pursuing tangible objects; reaching darkness is a metaphor for the mind pursuing avidyā. In this way the six sense faculties run everywhere after the various dusts, with not a single thing obtainable, nor can they obtain the characteristic of the harmony of causes and conditions; it is merely self-inflicted weariness and suffering. Having awakened to this, he no longer runs. Because he does not run, body and mind become settled. Because the mind is settled, he suddenly awakens and understands, generating the correct wisdom of causes and conditions, knowing that this form, mind, and the like have from the beginning been quiet and peaceful in their essential nature, neither arising nor ceasing; false imagination and inverted views erroneously claim that there are arising and ceasing. If one does not follow false imagination, then avidyā ceases, up to aging and death ceasing; exhausting the old and not creating the new, just as when fire is not ignited there is no smoke. Since avidyā and aging and death cannot be found, whom does the illness afflict? This is called contemplating illness to give rise to the pratyekabuddha dharmadhātu.