六妙法門 1.43

1.43

復次，云何名為菩薩數息相？行者為求一切智、佛智、自然智、無師智、如來知見、力、無所畏，愍念安樂無量眾生，故修數息，欲因此法門入一切種智。所以者何？如經中說：「阿那般那，三世諸佛入道之初門。」是故新發心菩薩，欲求佛道，應先調心數息。當數息時，知息非息，猶如幻化，是故息非是生死，亦非是涅槃。爾時於數息中，不得生死可斷，不得涅槃可入，是故不住生死。既無二十五有繫縛，不證涅槃，則不墮聲聞辟支佛地。以平等大惠，即無取捨心，入息中道，名見佛性，得無生忍，住大涅槃常樂我淨。故經云：「譬如大水能突蕩一切，唯除楊柳，以其軟故。生死大水，亦復如是，能漂沒一切凡夫之人，唯除菩薩住於大乘大般涅槃，心柔軟故。」是名大乘行者於數息中入菩薩位。

Furthermore, what is called the bodhisattva's characteristic of counting the breath? The practitioner seeks sarvajñatā, the Buddha's wisdom, spontaneous wisdom, teacherless wisdom, the Tathāgata's knowledge and vision, powers, and fearlessnesses, and with compassionate concern for bringing peace and happiness to immeasurable sentient beings, cultivates counting the breath, wishing by means of this dharma gate to enter sarvākārajñatā. Why is this? As a sūtra states: 'Ānāpāna is the initial gate for all Buddhas of the three periods of time to enter the path.' Therefore, a bodhisattva of initial resolve who wishes to seek the Buddha path should first regulate the mind and count the breath. When counting the breath, one knows that the breath is not the breath, being like an illusion and a transformation; therefore, the breath is neither saṃsāra nor nirvāṇa. At that time, within counting the breath, there is no saṃsāra to be severed and no nirvāṇa to be entered, and therefore one does not abide in saṃsāra. Since there are no bondages of the twenty-five states of existence, and one does not realize nirvāṇa, one does not fall into the stages of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. With equal, great wisdom, free from a mind of grasping or discarding, one enters the middle way of the breath, which is called seeing the Buddha nature, attains the tolerance of the unarisen, and abides in the permanence, bliss, self, and purity of great nirvāṇa. Thus a sūtra states: 'Just as a great flood can sweep away everything except willows, because of their flexibility, the great flood of saṃsāra is also like this: it can submerge all ordinary persons, except bodhisattvas who abide in the Great Vehicle and the great parinirvāṇa, because their minds are flexible.' This is called the practitioner of the Great Vehicle entering the bodhisattva stage within counting the breath.