四明尊者教行錄 4.125

4.125

答：甚深藏性之源非真非妄，此性隨緣而真而妄。故《佛性論》云：單真不生，獨妄難成，真妄和合，方有所為。是故教門所示，真有隨緣不變之義，妄有體空成事之能。良以靈源無住，隨妄而生，強覺既迷，忽然而起。然此起妄之言，復應了知其意。若言眾生本覺圓明之性，此即直指眾生無始無明而為法性，以無明法性體一故。若言忽然不覺而生無明，此即約修以說、對性論起，從本覺體而有不覺也。不如是，則不能顯進修之人是復本還源之道矣。以此意故，凡諸經論多云從真以起妄也。其實一切眾生自無始來，唯有迷妄不覺而已。故《起信論》曰：一切眾生不名為覺，以從本以來未曾離念，故說無始無明是也。子問不覺依何而生，若曉上意，則不必如此問也。如《首楞嚴》中滿願子嘗疑此事，佛反責曰：既稱為妄，云何有因？又《圓覺經》金剛藏亦啟此難，佛斥非為正問。諦觀兩處佛意，誠不欲興此疑難，蓋眾生之妄自無始即有之也。

Answer: The profound source of the tathāgatagarbha nature is neither true nor false; this nature accords with conditions and becomes true or false. Therefore the Foxing lun says: 'The purely true does not give birth; the solely false is difficult to accomplish. Only when the true and false unite in harmony is there any functioning.' Therefore, what the doctrinal teachings show is that the true possesses the meaning of according with conditions without changing, and the false possesses the capacity of being empty in essence while accomplishing affairs. Truly, because the numinous source has no abiding, it arises according to falsity; when forced awakening is already deluded, it suddenly springs forth. However, with regard to these words about arising falsity, one should further comprehend their intention. If one speaks of the fundamentally awakened, perfectly luminous nature of sentient beings, this directly points to the beginningless fundamental ignorance of sentient beings as being dharmatā, because fundamental ignorance and dharmatā are one in essence. If one speaks of suddenly not awakening and giving rise to fundamental ignorance, this is spoken in terms of practice, discussing arising in contrast to nature: from the essence of fundamental awakening, non-awakening comes to be. Were it not so, one could not show that for practitioners this is the Way of returning to the origin and restoring the source. Because of this intention, the sūtras and treatises mostly speak of arising falsity from the true. In reality, all sentient beings from beginningless time have had only deluded and false non-awakening. Therefore the Awakening of Faith says: 'All sentient beings are not called awakened, because from the beginning they have never been free from thoughts; hence it is called beginningless fundamental ignorance.' This is it. You ask on what non-awakening depends to arise; if you understand the above meaning, then it is not necessary to ask in this manner. Just as in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, Pūrṇamaitrāyaṇīputra once doubted this matter, and the Buddha rebuked him in turn: 'Since it is called false, how could it have a cause?' Furthermore, in the Perfect Enlightenment Sūtra, Vajragarbha also raised this difficulty, and the Buddha reproved it as not being a proper question. Carefully observing the Buddha's intention in both places, he truly did not wish this doubt and difficulty to be raised, for the falsity of sentient beings has existed from beginningless time.