觀心論疏 3.3

3.3

First, as for the constantly sitting samādhi, it comes from the *Wenshu shuo bore* (Saptaśatikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) and is also called the one-practice samādhi. It comprises three distinctions: first, phenomenal practices; second, methods of contemplation; third, exhortation to practice. First, as for phenomenal practices: when a practitioner wishes to contemplate the mind in a single thought-moment as spontaneously arising, there are essentials that must be relied upon. What are they? One may either stay among the assembly, or one may practice alone, dwelling in a quiet room, setting up a single corded chair, sitting cross-legged, upright and motionless, making a vow that the side of the body will not touch the bed. The sūtra says: 'Sitting for ten minor kalpas in a single stretch, the body as well as hands and feet remained tranquil and motionless.' One must constantly cast aside all discursive thoughts, and must not deceive the Buddha, betray one's own mind, or defraud sentient beings. Why? In discussing the cultivation of repentance and learning the Way, one is certainly a Buddha in initial intention. The sūtra says: 'The Buddha knows whether sentient beings practice the Way or do not practice the Way.' How could one deceive one's mind and conceal things from the sages? Not only would former transgressions fail to be eradicated, but even heavier afflictions would be added! Therefore, one must unify one's mind. If one is mindful of one Buddha, one should make [that Buddha] equal to the merit of the Buddhas of the ten directions. Furthermore, one must recite and chant the Buddha's name to assist the two karmas of body and mind; just as when a person is in grief or joy and cries out in a loud voice, the feelings of sorrow or delight are thereby vented. Diligently cultivating the three karmas, even if fatigued—the sūtra says: 'If there is suffering in the body, one should be mindful of all suffering and distressed sentient beings.' Taking the heavy suffering of others to displace one's own light suffering, one should forget fatigue: 'Moreover, I have already created causes, and the retribution of the three wretched paths will soon arrive. Now that the Buddha's compassion permits repentance, I am presently repenting and washing away [defilement]. If I cannot patiently endure this slight fatigue, what will I do about the suffering of the three wretched paths?' Why? The sūtra says: 'Neither in the sky nor in the ocean, nor among mountains and markets—there is no place anywhere by which one can escape without receiving retribution.' Where could one flee? Knocking on the ice made fish leap out; weeping over bamboo made shoots sprout. Even worldly filial intention and feeling can elicit a response, so how could a reverent mind toward the Three Jewels fail to respond? Second, explaining the methods of contemplation: this is contemplating the single thought-moment as the dharmadhātu and fixing attention on the dharmadhātu. As for the dharmadhātu: every single color and every single fragrance is the Middle Way; there is nothing that is not the Buddhadharma, hence all are the dharmadhātu. And when the mindful mind takes all dharmas as conditions, all are the Buddhadharma; that is, the dharmadhātu of true, wondrous true mark. Therefore it is said: 'Fixing attention on the dharmadhātu, a single thought-moment is the dharmadhātu.' Hence the sūtra says: 'As for the dharmadhātu, it is to believe that all dharmas are the Buddhadharma.' In the Buddhadharma, there is no before and no after, and there are no boundaries, because it is identically one Buddha-dhātu. This Buddhadharmadhātu has no knower and no speaker; it is neither existent nor non-existent, neither known nor not known; free from these two extremes, it abides in nowhere abiding, just as all Buddhas dwell peacefully in the dharmadhātu of quiescence and cessation. Hearing such an explanation, do not give rise to shock or fear. Furthermore, this dharma is also called bodhi, also called the inconceivable object, also called the dwelling place of prajñā, and also called non-arising and non-ceasing. If one can contemplate the dharmadhātu in this way, this is the joyful contemplation of the Tathāgata. When contemplating the Tathāgata, one does not regard the Tathāgata as the Tathāgata. If one contemplates the marks of sentient beings as being like the marks of all Buddhas, the extent of the realm of sentient beings is like the extent of the realm of all Buddhas. The extent of the realm of all Buddhas is inconceivable, and the extent of the realm of sentient beings is also inconceivable. The realm of sentient beings has no abode, dwelling like empty space; dwelling in prajñā through non-abiding dharmas, one marks prajñā through signlessness. If one does not see ordinary dharmas, how could one abandon ordinary dharmas? If one does not see noble dharmas, how could one grasp noble dharmas? Birth-and-death and nirvāṇa, defilement and purity, are also like this. Because one neither abandons nor grasps, abiding in the true limit, one thus contemplates sentient beings as the true dharmadhātu. If one contemplates the defilements of greed, anger, and delusion: they are quiescent practice, they are unmoving practice, they are neither dharmas of birth-and-death nor dharmas of nirvāṇa; not abandoning views, one cultivates the Buddha Way; it is neither cultivating the Way nor not cultivating the Way. This is called correctly abiding in the dharmadhātu of defilements. If one contemplates the heaviest of karmas, none exceeds the five heinous crimes. The five heinous crimes are bodhi, and bodhi is the five heinous crimes, because there are no two marks, no awakened one, no knowing one, and no differentiating one. The mark of heinous transgressions and the mark of the true mark are both inconceivable and both indestructible; fundamentally having no basic nature, all karmic conditions abide in the true limit, neither coming nor going, neither cause nor fruit. This is contemplating karma as being the dharmadhātu itself. With this seal of the dharmadhātu, the four Māras cannot gain an advantage. Why? Māra is itself the seal of the dharmadhātu; how could the seal of the dharmadhātu destroy the seal of the dharmadhātu? Applying this meaning to all dharmas, it should also be like this. These are all the truthful words of that sūtra. However, regarding the contemplation methods of the four samādhis, one must take the aforementioned contemplation methods of the perfect teaching and apply them within the four kinds of samādhi; here we only re-adopt the contemplation methods of that sūtra to assist in accomplishing it. Third, regarding the exhortation to practice: this each and every dharmadhātu is the true dharma of the Buddhas, the seal of the bodhisattvas. If, hearing this dharma, one is neither shocked nor frightened, one has planted wholesome roots not merely before a thousand Buddhas, but has planted roots of virtue long ago in the presence of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of Buddhas. For example, when an elder loses a maṇi jewel, he is sorrowful and distressed; if he recovers it, his mind is exceedingly delighted. If someone among the four assemblies has a mind of faith and joy, but does not hear this dharma, distress arises; if they hear it and believe and understand, they are exceedingly joyful. You should know that this person has indeed seen Buddhas, and has drawn near to make offerings to them. Just as when a person is threading beads and suddenly encounters a maṇi jewel, their mind is filled with great joy—you should know that this person must have seen it before. If someone is practicing and studying other dharmas, and suddenly hearing this sūtra is able to give rise to joy, you should know that this person has already heard this dharma from Mañjuśrī. Śāriputra said: 'If one clearly understands and is resolute in this meaning, this is called a bodhisattva-mahāsattva.' Maitreya said: 'To be able to hear such complete dharmic marks is to be near the seat of Buddhahood. Why? Because the Tathāgata presently awakens to these dharmic marks.' Mañjuśrī said: 'To be able to hear profound dharmas without shock is to be a Buddha.' The Buddha said: 'If, hearing this dharma, one is neither shocked nor terrified, one immediately abides in the stage of non-retrogression, is fully endowed with the blazing six pāramitās, and is also fully endowed with the Buddhadharma.' If a person wishes to learn all Buddhadharmas, the auspicious marks and bodily deportments, the immeasurable ritual models; if they wish to understand all dharmic marks, wish to completely know the minds of all sentient beings, and wish to abide in the avaivartika stage and swiftly attain sambodhi, they must cultivate this one-practice samādhi with energetic diligence without laxity, and they will then be able to enter it. Just like polishing a maṇi jewel, as it is polished it becomes lustrous, its brilliance illuminating both inside and out. When realizing this inconceivable merit, one knows that the radiance of all dharmic marks is completely pervasive without any deficiency. When a bodhisattva can have such patient endurance, they swiftly attain sambodhi. If monks and nuns hear this without shock and fear, they are truly renouncing the household life following the Buddha; if laymen and laywomen hear this without shock and fear, they have found the true refuge. The appraisal and comparison of merits is fully contained in that text.