廬山蓮宗寶鑑 2.16

2.16

慈照宗主云「離相念佛三昧者，上根智人悟此深理，常運虛空平等心，無我人眾生壽者相。」經云「離一切諸相，即名諸佛。」論曰「我以計內、人以計外、眾生以續前為能、壽者以續後為義，既無內外前後執心，則一切諸相悉皆空寂。」故經云「知無我人，誰受輪轉？」亦無身心受彼生死，是名離相念佛三昧。此則見一切眾生本性皆同彌陀，既不執有相無相二邊，亦無有斷見常見之說，由是念念彌陀出世、處處極樂現前。如此念者，無念之念，念則真如；無生之生，生則實相。故知無念即離念、實相乃無相，無相則無住，無住則入佛境界，此乃無上正真大菩提道。若到此地，無修無證，無生死可脫、無涅槃可求，性相俱空、聖凡齊等，無佛道可成、無眾生可度、無己靈可得。一念無為十方坐斷，無一法本有、無一法始成，自他互收、事理無礙，塵塵具足、剎剎全彰。法本如然，思議莫及，可謂十方薄伽梵，一路涅槃門。

Patriarch Cizhao said: "Regarding the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi of abandoning marks, wise persons of superior faculties awaken to this profound principle, constantly exercising an empty, equal mind, free from the marks of self, person, sentient being, or life span." A sūtra says: "To be free from all marks is called the Buddhas." A treatise states: "'Self' is conceived internally; 'person' is conceived externally; 'sentient being' has the function of continuing what came before; 'life span' has the meaning of continuing what comes after. Since there is no grasping mind of internal or external, before or after, all marks whatsoever are entirely empty and quiescent." Therefore a sūtra says: "When one knows there is neither self nor person, who undergoes transmigration?" Nor are there body and mind undergoing that birth and death—this is called the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi of abandoning marks. This means seeing that the original nature of all sentient beings is identically Amitābha: neither grasping the two extremes of possessing marks and lacking marks, nor holding views of annihilation or permanence. From this, in thought after thought Amitābha appears in the world, and in place after place Sukhāvatī manifests before one. One who recites in this way engages in the mindfulness of non-mindfulness, and mindfulness is then true suchness; the birth of non-birth, and birth is then the real mark. Therefore know that non-mindfulness is being free of thought, and the real mark is marklessness; marklessness is non-abiding, and non-abiding is entering the realm of the Buddhas. This is the unsurpassed, truly authentic Great Bodhi path. If one arrives at this stage, there is neither cultivation nor realization, no birth-and-death to escape, no nirvāṇa to seek; nature and marks are both empty, saint and ordinary being are equal; there is no Buddha-path to accomplish, no sentient beings to deliver, and no personal spirit to attain. A single thought of non-action cuts off the ten directions; not a single phenomenon exists fundamentally, nor is a single phenomenon newly accomplished. Self and other mutually subsume; principle and phenomena are unhindered; every dust mote is complete, every realm is fully manifest. The Dharma is originally thus, beyond thought and discussion. It may indeed be called: 'The Bhagavāns of the ten directions have one single path to the gate of nirvāṇa.'"