大慧普覺禪師語錄 13.3.3

13.3.3

雖妄受報，亦無實體，所以道：『若罪性有體，則盡虛空界不能容受。 』何故？ 為凡夫造罪者多。 今道上座發一念心，欲直取無上佛果菩提。 此心一發，所作之罪如積乾草高須彌山，所發之心如芥子許火，悉能燒盡無有遺餘。 還信得及麼？ 此一念心既發，當時成佛已竟，盡未來際永不退失。 以何為驗？ 不見教中天帝釋白法慧菩薩曰：『佛子！ 菩薩初發菩提之心，所得功德其量幾何？ 』法慧菩薩曰：『此義甚深，難說難知，難分別，難信解，難證難行，難通達，難思惟，難度量，難趣入。 雖然，我當承佛威神之力而為汝說。 假使有人，以一切樂具，供養東方阿僧祇世界所有眾生，經於一劫，然後教令盡持五戒； 南西北方四維上下亦復如是。 於意云何？ 此人功德，寧為多不？ 』天帝釋言：『此人功德唯佛能知，其餘一切無能量者。 』法慧曰：『此人功德，比菩薩初發心功德，百分不及一，千分不及一，百千分不及一，如是億分、百億分、千億分、百千億分，乃至阿僧祇分、無數無量無邊不可說分、不可說不可說分，亦不及一。 』次第引眾生欲樂邊際諸根差別，從十至百，從百至千，從千至萬，從萬至億，從億至不可說不可說阿僧祇數眾生，盡令持五戒十善，乃至第二人復倍前人之數展轉至百人，一人倍一人之數，盡令證須陀洹、斯陀含、阿那含、阿羅漢、辟支佛果，所得功德比菩薩初發心功德，百分不及一，乃至不可說算數譬喻亦不能及，盡其譬喻無較量處。 何故？ 此一念心與三世諸佛平等，無二無別故。 梵語懺摩，此云悔過，謂之斷相續心，一懺永不復造。 此心一發永不退失，若能直下無心去，初發心功德，比無心功德，百分、千分、百千分、百千萬億分，乃至算數譬喻不可說不可說阿僧祇分，亦不及一。 何故？ 初發心時，與三世諸佛平等故。 此心尚無，三世諸佛，向甚處摸𢱢？ 所以一念無心功德，又無較量處。 若爾，則亦無生，亦無死，亦無聖，亦無凡，亦無人，亦無我，亦無佛，亦無法。 若能如是見得，是真懺悔。 道上座既具大丈夫志氣，決定要參禪，但恁麼參，須是豁然悟去，直下無心，方得安樂。 若不悟，只是口頭道得幾箇無無，更引些古人說無處，錯證據了，便道：『我得休歇。 』我且問爾：還歇得也未？ 乃是將心無心。 若將心去，無心心却成有，如何硬無得？ 古聖訶為落空亡底外道，魂不散底死人，謗大般若不通懺悔，雖是善因而招惡果。 這般見解，如稻麻竹葦打殺百千萬箇，有甚罪過？ 這般底管取有一肚皮疑在。 若自無疑，始有方便為他人決疑； 若自有疑，如何為人除得疑？ 擬欲除他疑，再與他添得一重疑，所謂我眼本正，因師故邪。 諸人要知自無疑能與人除疑者麼？ 昔世尊在靈山會上說法，有五百比丘，得四禪定具五神通，未得法忍，以宿命智通，各各自見過去世時，殺父害母及諸重罪，於自心內各各懷疑，於甚深法不能證入。 是時文殊知眾疑怖，承佛神力，遂手握利劍，持逼如來，世尊乃謂文殊曰：『住住！ 不應作逆，勿得害吾，吾必被害，為善被害。 文殊師利！ 爾從本已來，無有我人，但以內心見有我人，內心起時我必被害，即名為害。 』於是五百比丘，自悟本心如夢如幻，於夢幻中無有我人，乃至能生所生父母。 於是五百比丘，同聲說偈讚文殊曰：『文殊大智士，深達法源底，自手握利劍，持逼如來身。 如劍佛亦爾，一相無有二，無相無所生，是中云何殺？ 』大眾！ 文殊雖然為眾決疑，費力不少。 雲門今日為道上座決疑，且不用利劍，只有箇不是心不是佛不是物，若向這裏疑情脫去，天下橫行； 若不然者，聽取箇註脚：一刀截斷生死路，摩醯正眼頂門開，無邊業障俱銷殞。 畢竟如何？ 寒山拾得在天台。 」以拂子擊禪床一下，喝一喝下座。

Although retributions are experienced delusively, they also have no real substantial entity. Therefore it is said: 'If the nature of sin had a substantial entity, the entire realm of empty space would not be able to contain it.' Why so? Because ordinary mortals who commit sins are numerous. Now Senior Monk Dao arouses a single thought of the mind, desiring to attain directly the unexcelled buddha-fruit of bodhi. Once this mind is aroused, the sins one has committed are like dried grass piled high as Mount Sumeru, and the mind aroused is like a fire the size of a mustard seed—it can burn them completely away without anything remaining. Can you still believe in this fully? Once this single thought of the mind is aroused, buddhahood is accomplished right then and there, and throughout the bounds of the future it will never regress and be lost. What serves as proof? Have you not seen in the teachings that Śakra, Lord of the Gods, addressed Bodhisattva Dharmamati, saying: 'Son of the Buddha! When a bodhisattva first arouses the mind of bodhi, how great is the measure of merit attained?' Bodhisattva Dharmamati said: 'This meaning is extremely profound, difficult to speak of, difficult to know, difficult to distinguish, difficult to believe and understand, difficult to realize, difficult to practice, difficult to comprehend, difficult to think about, difficult to measure, and difficult to enter into. Nevertheless, relying on the supernatural power of the Buddha, I shall speak of it for you. Suppose someone, with all instruments of pleasure, were to make offerings to all sentient beings in asaṃkhyeya worlds of the eastern direction throughout an entire kalpa, and afterward teach them to fully uphold the five precepts; and likewise in the south, west, north, four intermediate directions, above, and below. What do you think? Would this person's merit be much?' Śakra, Lord of the Gods, said: 'This person's merit only a buddha could know; of all others, none can measure it.' Dharmamati said: 'Compared with the merit of a bodhisattva's initial arousing of the mind, this person's merit does not equal one hundredth part, nor one thousandth part, nor one hundred-thousandth part, and so on up to a hundred-millionth part, a ten-billionth part, a trillionth part, a hundred-trillionth part, and even an asaṃkhyeya part, an incalculable, immeasurable, boundless, ineffable part, an ineffably ineffable part—it does not equal even one part.' Then, progressively adducing the differences in sentient beings' capacities at the limits of desires and pleasures—from ten to a hundred, from a hundred to a thousand, from a thousand to ten thousand, from ten thousand to a hundred million, from a hundred million to ineffably ineffable asaṃkhyeya numbers of sentient beings—causing them all to uphold the five precepts and ten wholesome deeds; and furthermore, up to a second person who doubles the number of the previous person, multiplying progressively up to a hundred people, each person doubling the number of the previous person, causing them all to realize the fruits of srotāpanna, sakṛdāgāmin, anāgāmin, arhat, and pratyekabuddha; yet the merit attained, compared with the merit of a bodhisattva's initial arousing of the mind, does not equal one hundredth part, and so on, even ineffable reckoning, numbers, and metaphors cannot reach it; exhausting all metaphors, there is no basis for comparison. Why so? Because this single thought of the mind is equal to the buddhas of the three times, without difference, without distinction. In Sanskrit, kṣamā is here called 'repenting of faults', meaning severing the continuing mind: once repented, it is never committed again. Once this mind is aroused, it is never regressed and lost. If one can directly go into no-mind, the merit of first arousing the mind, compared with the merit of no-mind, does not equal one hundredth part, one thousandth part, one hundred-thousandth part, one hundred-thousand-millionth part, and so on, even reckoning, numbers, metaphors, and ineffably ineffable asaṃkhyeya parts do not equal one part. Why so? Because when the mind is first aroused, it is equal to the buddhas of the three times. When even this mind does not exist, where can the buddhas of the three times grope for it? Therefore the merit of a single thought of no-mind again has no basis for comparison. If so, then there is also no birth and no death, no sage and no ordinary mortal, no person and no self, no buddha and no dharma. If one can see it like this, this is true repentance. Since Senior Monk Dao possesses the fortitude of a great man and is determined to investigate Chan, just investigate like this! One must break open in awakening and directly enter no-mind; only then will one attain peace and ease. If one does not awaken, but merely mouths a few phrases of 'no, no' and further adduces places where the ancients spoke of 'nothingness', mistaking them as proofs and then saying, 'I have attained rest'—let me ask you: Have you actually rested yet? This is merely using the mind to be without mind. If you take the mind to make no-mind, the mind instead turns into existence; how could you rigidly force it into non-existence? The ancient sages reproved such as non-Buddhists who fall into empty voidness, dead people whose spirits have not dispersed, slandering great prajñā beyond repentance; although it is a wholesome cause, it brings about an evil fruition. Such views, even if you were to beat to death hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of them like rice, hemp, bamboo, and reeds, what sin would there be? People like this are sure to have a whole belly full of doubt remaining. Only if one is personally free of doubt does one have the skillful means to resolve doubts for others; if one personally has doubts, how could one eliminate doubts for others? Intending to eliminate another's doubt, one adds yet another layer of doubt to him—as it is said: 'My eyes were originally correct, but because of the master became distorted.' Do you people want to know the one who is personally without doubt and able to eliminate doubts for others? Formerly, when the World-Honoured One was preaching the Dharma at the assembly on Vulture Peak, there were five hundred monks who had attained the four dhyānas and possessed the five supernatural faculties, yet had not attained the tolerance of dharmas. Through the supernatural faculty of knowing past lives, each saw that in past lives they had killed their fathers, harmed their mothers, and committed various heavy sins; in their own minds they each harbored doubts, and could not enter into the realization of the profound Dharma. At that time, Mañjuśrī, knowing the assembly's doubt and fear, relied on the Buddha's supernatural power, grasped a sharp sword in his hand, and advanced pressing upon the Tathāgata. The World-Honoured One then said to Mañjuśrī: 'Stop, stop! You should not commit treason; do not harm me! If I must be harmed, let it be well harmed. Mañjuśrī! From the beginning, you have had no self and no person; it is merely that with the inner mind you see self and person existing. When the inner mind arises, I must be harmed; that is what is called harming.' Thereupon, the five hundred monks awakened on their own to their fundamental mind as like a dream, like an illusion, wherein within the dream and illusion there is no self and no person, nor even parents who can give birth or are born. Thereupon the five hundred monks with one voice spoke a verse praising Mañjuśrī: 'Mañjuśrī, great man of wisdom, / profoundly penetrates to the bottom of the Dharma source. / With his own hand he grasps a sharp sword / and advances pressing upon the Tathāgata's body. / As with the sword, so it is with the Buddha: / one characteristic without duality. / Without characteristics, without that which is produced— / how could there be killing within this?' Great assembly! Although Mañjuśrī resolved doubts for the assembly, it cost him no small effort. Today Yunmen resolves doubts for Senior Monk Dao, and does not even use a sharp sword; there is only this: it is not mind, it is not buddha, it is not a thing. If you cast off the doubtful sentiment right here, you will stride freely across the world. If not, listen to a footnote: A single blade severs the path of birth and death; / the true eye of Maheśvara opens on the crown of the head; / boundless karmic hindrances all melt away. / In the end, how is it? / Hanshan and Shide are on Tiantai." Striking the meditation bed once with his fly-whisk, he gave a shout and descended from the seat.