顯密圓通成佛心要集 1.8

1.8

Second is the contemplation of tathatā free of signs (which corresponds to the contemplation of the dharmadhātu of principle). Within this, settling the mind again has three approaches: First, one constantly contemplates that throughout the entire dharmadhātu there is only the single flavor of pure tathatā, originally without any differentiated phenomenal characteristics; this contemplative wisdom itself is also the single flavor of tathatā. The *Avataṃsaka-sūtra* says: "All dharmas are unborn; / all dharmas do not perish. / If one can understand in this way, / the buddhas will constantly appear before one." Furthermore, the Seventh Patriarch Dhyāna Master said: "To be mindful of no-thought is precisely to be mindful of tathatā." The Sixth Patriarch explained no-thought, saying: "'No' means being without any signs; 'thought' means being mindful of tathatā." This refers to conceiving of all dharmas as entirely tathatā. Although one conceives [of them], fundamentally there is no sign of conceiving. Therefore the *Treatise on the Awakening of Faith* says: "Although one is mindful, there is neither a subject that is mindful nor an object of mindfulness." (The tathatā conceived here is precisely the absolute true mind explained earlier in the sudden teaching. Practitioners of this approach constantly conceive of all dharmas as only the single flavor of pure tathatā, fundamentally without arising or ceasing; this is called the tathatā samādhi, also called the one-practice samādhi, and also called the unborn samādhi.) Second, when a thought arises, one simply arouses an aware mind. Therefore the Seventh Patriarch said: "As soon as a thought arises, become aware of it; upon being aware of it, it is gone. The marvelous gateway of practice lies solely in this." This very aware mind is then called contemplation. Here, too, although an aware mind is aroused, fundamentally there is no sign of arousing awareness. (For practitioners of this approach, at all times, whenever a mental thought arises, merely arousing the aware mind is the essential, marvelous gateway of practice.) Third, to frame a thought is already to err; to stir a thought is at once to go astray. Simply resting the mind with nowhere to alight, the principle will spontaneously and profoundly accord. Therefore the *Avataṃsaka-sūtra* says: "Dharma-nature is fundamentally empty and tranquil, / without grasping and without viewing. / The emptiness of nature is itself the Buddha; / it cannot be conceived." Moreover, an ancient virtuous one said: "The true mark cuts off speech and thought; / tathatā transcends seeing and hearing. / This is the place to settle the mind; / divergent schools talk in vain." This is simply leaving its original nature to illuminate itself, without arousing any newly generated intellectual understanding. The *Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment* says: "Only when bodhisattvas and sentient beings of the final age at all times do not arouse delusive thoughts, nor extinguish delusive minds, abide in realms of delusive thoughts without applying discerning knowledge, and regarding the absence of discerning knowledge do not distinguish what is true and real." Furthermore, Xianshou said: "If one arouses the mind to perform ordinary practices or sacred practices, these are not true practices. Performing no practice at all, with the practicing mind having nowhere to alight—this is called the great practice." This approach takes the self-illumination of original nature as contemplation. (For practitioners of this approach, having the mind alight nowhere at all times is called true cultivation; although fully cultivating the ten thousand practices, within the ten thousand practices the mind has nowhere to alight. Furthermore, the essential mind transmitted by the seven generations of Chan patriarchs in the Eastern Land has three approaches, which encompass everything without remainder: 1. The approach of seeing the nature: one must first understand and awaken to the absolute true mind—that all delusive signs are fundamentally absent, the true mind is fundamentally pure, this mind itself is the Buddha, and one need not seek externally; this is the one mind of the sudden teaching mentioned earlier. 2. The approach of settling the mind: as explained above, the three approaches of conceiving tathatā and so forth are this. 3. The approach of initiating practice: one must fully cultivate the bodhisattva's six perfections and ten thousand practices. Fully relying on these three approaches is genuine Chan; lacking any one of them turns into a biased view. Bodhidharma said: 'My Dharma is a transmission from mind to mind, not established upon words and letters.' This mind is the pure, original enlightenment of all sentient beings, also called the buddhadhātu. Wishing to seek the Buddha-path, one must awaken to this mind; this is the approach of seeing the nature. He also said: 'Settle the mind in this way, which is called wall-contemplation.' This leads practitioners of the Path to abide their minds in the true principle, tranquil and non-active, analogous to a wall, not giving rise to discrimination; this is the approach of settling the mind. He also said: 'Initiate practice in this way, which is called the four practices: 1. The practice of requiting enmity: when practitioners of the Path suffer pain, they should reflect: "Throughout countless kalpas in the past, I abandoned the root to pursue the branches, wandering through various destinies, arousing much enmity and hatred and causing boundless harm. Although I commit no offense now, this is the ripening of the bad karma from my past enmities; it is not bestowed by gods or humans." One accepts it willingly and patiently, entirely without grievance. A sūtra says: "Encountering suffering, one does not sorrow. Why? Because one's awareness is thorough." 2. The practice of according with conditions: when practitioners of the Path receive excellent rewards, honor, and such things, they should reflect: "All dharmas are born from conditions. They were induced by the causes I cultivated in the past. Only now do I obtain them; when the conditions are exhausted, they will be gone again. What joy is there in this?" Accord with conditions in gain and loss, with no increase or decrease in the mind; the wind of joy does not move it, and the wind of anger does not arise. 3. The practice of seeking nothing: worldly people are perpetually deluded, clinging with greed everywhere, which is called seeking. The wise awaken to the true principle and turn against the mundane; the three realms and nine abodes are like a burning house. Wherever there is a body, all is suffering; who could attain peace? Within the three realms, they have no desires or pleasures. A sūtra says: "Wherever there is seeking, all is suffering; seeking nothing is bliss." 4. The practice of according with the Dharma: the true principle of nature's purity is termed Dharma. Since this rational principle is fundamentally free from all ten thousand evils such as stinginess, one should accord with the rational principle to cultivate all ten thousand virtues such as giving.' These four practices are the approach of initiating practice. In addition, in Dhyāna Master Caotang's *Commentary on the Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment*, there are also three approaches, broadly similar to this: 1. First awaken to the nature of perfect enlightenment, which is the single flavor of the pure true mind; 2. next arouse the bodhicitta, which is great compassion, great wisdom, and great vows; 3. afterward cultivate bodhisattva practices, which are dharmas such as the six perfections and ten thousand practices. These three approaches are extremely crucial for students of Chan. If one does not cultivate the three approaches perfectly, there is no way to be free of various wrong views. That is to say, recorded sayings of various Chan houses since ancient times mostly only addressed the capacities and inclinations of their times: some only spoke of seeing the nature, some only talked about settling the mind, or some merely spoke of initiating practice; furthermore, within settling the mind and initiating practice there are multiple paths, or they only clarified a single path, and so forth. If one thoroughly penetrates these approaches in one's mind now, and afterward peruses the Chan teachings of the various houses, one will then understand where each of them aims.)