六妙法門 1.46

1.46

How does a bodhisattva, within the path of counting the breath, cultivate the contemplation of emerging from emptiness into the provisional, giving rise to the characteristic of rotating and bringing forth all practices and merits? When the bodhisattva practitioner counts the breath, they should generate great vows to have compassion for sentient beings: although knowing that sentient beings are ultimately empty, they wish to bring sentient beings to maturity and purify Buddha lands until the end of the future. Having made this vow, they should immediately understand that the breath counted is neither arisen nor perished, and its nature is empty and tranquil; the breath itself is empty, it is not that the extinction of the breath is empty. The nature of the breath is inherently empty: breath is emptiness itself, and emptiness is breath itself; apart from emptiness there is no breath, and apart from breath there is no emptiness. All dharmas are also like this. Because the breath is empty, it is neither real nor provisional, neither mundane nor supramundane; seeking the breath, one apprehends neither breath nor non-breath, yet one also accomplishes mindfulness of the breath. That mindfulness of the breath which is accomplished is like a dream, like an illusion, like an echo, like a transformation; although no real entity can be apprehended, one also discriminates the things done by illusions and transformations. The bodhisattva's understanding of the breath is also like this: although no breath nature can be apprehended, one also accomplishes mindfulness of the breath, counting from one to ten, clearly and distinctly, and with deep mind discriminates the characteristics of the illusion-like breath.