[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [廬山蓮宗寶鑑](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973) › 10.6 # 廬山蓮宗寶鑑 10.6 廬山蓮宗寶鑑 10.6 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [10.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973.10.6) 真如本性者，父母未生已前一真無妄之體，謂之本來面目。禪宗則曰正法眼藏、蓮宗則曰本性彌陀、孔子則曰天理、大易則曰太極，名雖有異，其實同一真如本性也。此性虛而靈、寂而妙，與天地同根、萬物一本，歷塵劫而不朽、世界壞而不遷。人不能任其自如之真，而梏於地水火風和合之質。方其受形也，已為陰血濁氣昏其本然清淨之體。及其生也，六塵五欲之迷倒昧於本有之天真。是故佛說八萬四千法門，皆是導人反妄而歸真也。其捷徑易行者，惟念佛一門。修之者，心不散亂、三昧現前，是復其本性也。今有一等不究佛理之人，却將道門修養法冐濫蓮宗，妄說氣是主人，教人般精運氣，勞其筋骨、枉用身心，甘受苦辛，終無所濟。嘗觀道門張紫陽說，精氣神者，先天地之元精、元氣、元神也。元精非淫泆之精，元氣非呼吸之氣，元神非念慮之神。癡人不曉此意，喚甕作鍾眼，既不明理亦不達矯。誘他清信之士，一向在臭皮袋上造作，昧却一真佛性，妄言此是修行。可悲也哉。普告同修切宜仔細，究心念佛啟悟真源。若也了了自見、法法現前，是名見性成佛。一念差錯，天地懸殊。 > The fundamental nature of true suchness is the one true, unfeigned substance before one's parents gave birth to one, termed one's original face. The Chan school calls it the treasury of the true Dharma eye; the Lotus School calls it the Amitābha of one's own nature; Confucius called it the principle of Heaven; the Great Changes calls it the Great Ultimate (taiji). Although the names differ, in truth they are the same fundamental nature of true suchness. This nature is empty yet luminous, tranquil yet marvelous, sharing the same root with Heaven and Earth, and the same origin with the myriad things; it does not decay through kalpas of dust, nor does it shift when worlds are destroyed. People are unable to let its self-so truth be free, but are bound to the substance formed by the combination of earth, water, fire, and wind. Just when taking form, it is already darkened in its originally pure substance by yin blood and turbid qi. When born, the delusion of the six dusts and five desires benights its originally existent natural truth. Therefore, the Buddha taught eighty-four thousand Dharma gates, all of which guide people to turn back from falsehood and return to truth. As for that which is a shortcut and easy to practice, there is only the single gate of buddhānusmṛti. Those who cultivate it find their minds undistracted, and samādhi manifests before them; this is to recover their fundamental nature. Today there is a class of people who do not investigate Buddhist principles, but instead usurp Daoist methods of self-cultivation and conflate them with the Lotus School, falsely saying that qi is the master, teaching people to circulate essence and transport qi, fatiguing their muscles and bones, fruitlessly expending body and mind, willingly suffering bitterness and hardship, ultimately with nothing accomplished. I have observed that Zhang Ziyang of the Daoist school said: 'Essence, qi, and spirit are the primordial essence, primordial qi, and primordial spirit that precede Heaven and Earth. Primordial essence is not the essence of lewdness; primordial qi is not the qi of respiration; primordial spirit is not the spirit of thoughts and deliberations.' Foolish people do not understand this meaning; mistaking an urn for a bell, their eyes are neither clear about the principle nor comprehending of correct guidance. They mislead those pure and faithful scholars into constantly contriving upon this stinking bag of skin, benighting the one true Buddha-nature, and falsely claiming that this is cultivation. How lamentable! I universally advise fellow practitioners that they must be extremely careful, investigating the mind through buddhānusmṛti to open awakening to the true source. If one sees it clearly and on one's own, with phenomenon after phenomenon manifesting before one, this is termed seeing the nature and achieving Buddhahood. If there is a single thought's deviation, the difference is like Heaven and Earth. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 10.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973.10.5) - [Next: 10.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973.10.7) - [Up: 10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973.10) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973~en-mt.10.6) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973.10.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1973.10.6) · Pramāṇa