觀心論疏 2.29

2.29

Answer: A single color, a single scent is nothing other than the Middle Way, nothing other than the place of jewels; form itself is emptiness, nothing other than the transformed city—this is how it is discriminated. Since we are discussing it immediately in terms of the mind close at hand, a sūtra says: "All sentient beings are themselves the mark of nirvāṇa, and will not be extinguished again"; "The liberation of the Buddhas should be sought in the mental conduct of sentient beings"; "In order to cause sentient beings to disclose the Buddha's knowledge and vision." It is only because sentient beings do not realize that there is a priceless jewel within their inner garments; how could they know that the principle of the place of jewels lies within the immediate mind itself? Just as the poor woman did not recognize the hidden treasure in her house, how could sentient beings awaken to the source of the Middle Way within their own bodies? A sūtra says: "Birth and death are themselves nirvāṇa; defilements are themselves bodhi." That being so, how could the principle of the place of jewels be outside of five hundred yojanas? A sūtra says: "Form itself is emptiness"; the transformed city of one-sided truth is likewise not outside of three hundred [yojanas]. Thus, the two principles reside in the mind in a single thought-moment; there is no need to travel far. A sūtra says: "Being able to contemplate the nature of the mind is called supreme absorption." However, when sentient beings seek the two principles, their faculties have sharp and dull, and the conditions are fourfold: skillful and clumsy; the teachings follow the conditions, leading to the distinction of four teachings. Now, first explaining the first verse on the Tripiṭaka teaching: sentient beings, being inverted, take body and mind to be permanence, bliss, self, and purity; following inverted thoughts, they give rise to the two delusions of views and inclinations, create boundless karmic fruits of birth and death, and constantly remain within the burning house, scorched and pressed by defilements, constantly suffering affliction. A sūtra says: "The fire comes pressing upon their bodies, and the agony pierces them directly." Although encountering great suffering, they do not consider it a calamity; they merely run back and forth, gazing at their father, having no thought of seeking to escape. Although the elder has strength in his body and arms, he does not use it, but through skillful means devises goat-carts, deer-carts, and so forth, expounding for the three vehicles the truths, conditions, and perfections; this is called the Tripiṭaka teaching that expounds the three vehicles. A sūtra says: "He proceeded directly to Vārāṇasī and turned the Dharma-wheel of the four truths, expounding for the five monks the arising and ceasing of the five skandhas," and so forth. "Five skandhas" refers to expounding the five skandhas. "Arising and ceasing" refers to the Tripiṭaka teaching of arising and ceasing. If practitioners today wish to receive and practice the Tripiṭaka contemplation of arising and ceasing, they should contemplate the spontaneously arising mind in a single thought-moment as being shifted by the three characteristics of arising, abiding, and ceasing, impermanent from thought-moment to thought-moment; because it is impermanent, it is suffering; because it is suffering, it is non-self; because it is non-self, it is empty. By contemplating and knowing suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self, one destroys the four inversions of permanence, bliss, self, and purity. Because the four inversions are destroyed, one does not give rise to the false delusions of views and inclinations. When the delusions of views and inclinations are eliminated, it is called the extinction of the fire; then they push and shove together, vying to escape the burning house. Thus, because the "basis possessing delusion" arises and the "thought possessing delusion" ceases, it is called the contemplation of arising and ceasing. By cultivating this contemplation of arising and ceasing, one awakens to the emptiness of mind and realizes the principle of the transformed city; this is called the clumsy crossing over of the Tripiṭaka, crookedly realizing the true principle. Therefore, the verse says: "[The verse] asks: Contemplating the spontaneously arising mind, / How is it the three vehicles?" and so forth; this is it.