淨土生無生論 1.15

1.15

The nature of the one true Dharma-realm is precisely the nature's essence, nature's measure, and nature's containment explained previously. When it is said in the teachings that 'True suchness, unchanging, accords with conditions; according with conditions, it is unchanging,' this is precisely because the nature's essence and nature's measure are identical with the nature's containment, just as an exemplary person is not a mere utensil, being capable of both good and evil. Thus the Jin translation of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'Able to accord with defiled and pure conditions, it fully creates the ten Dharma-realms.' This means that the nine Dharma-realms contained in the nature of true suchness are able to accord with defiled conditions to create the nine Dharma-realms in concrete phenomena; the Buddha Dharma-realm contained in the nature of true suchness is able to accord with pure conditions to create the Buddha Dharma-realm in concrete phenomena. That which makes it able is precisely the nature's containment; if the nature did not contain them, what ability could be spoken of? The Tiantai school states: 'It is entirely due to the containment in principle that there is the functioning in concrete phenomena.' This is what it means. Thus we know that the ten Dharma-realms in concrete phenomena, the three bodies, and the four lands are all transformed and created by true suchness according with conditions. Since it is said that 'True suchness, unchanging, accords with conditions; according with conditions, it is unchanging,' then the defiled and pure bodies and lands in concrete phenomena are in their very substance identical with the real, without the slightest bit that can be added to or subtracted from them. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra says: 'Seeing and the conditions of seeing, together with the appearances conceived by thought, are like flowers in the sky, originally non-existent.' This seeing and its conditions are fundamentally the wondrous, pure, bright substance of bodhi itself. If so, then Sahā and Sukhāvatī, the nine grades of rebirth to be attained by sentient beings of this world, and Amitābha already accomplished as the future fruition of our minds, are all transformed and created by the mind-nature. Since the mind contains and creates them, how could one separate creator and created! The mind itself is Buddha, the Buddha itself is mind; the mind itself is the land, the land itself is mind; the mind itself is the fruit, the fruit itself is the mind. The conditions able to create and the dharmas created are, right where they are, the mind-nature. Therefore, one who clarifies this doctrine and seeks birth in the Land of Bliss follows the supreme path in which both birth and non-birth are reconciled into darkness.