大慧普覺禪師語錄 26.5

26.5

示諭：「蚤歲知信向此道，晚年為知解所障，未有一悟入處，欲知日夕體道方便。」既荷至誠，不敢自外，據欵結案，葛藤少許。只這求悟入底，便是障道知解了也。更別有甚麼知解為公作障？畢竟喚甚麼作知解？知解從何而至？被障者復是阿誰？只此一句，顛倒有三，自言為知解所障是一，自言未悟甘作迷人是一，更在迷中將心待悟是一，只這三顛倒，便是生死根本。直須一念不生顛倒心絕，方知無迷可破，無悟可待，無知解可障，如人飲水冷煖自知，久久自然，不作這般見解也。但就能知知解底心上看，還障得也無？能知知解底心上，還有如許多般也無？從上大智慧之士，莫不皆以知解為儔侶，以知解為方便，於知解上行平等慈，於知解上作諸佛事，如龍得水，似虎靠山，終不以此為惱，只為他識得知解起處。既識得起處，即此知解，便是解脫之場，便是出生死處。既是解脫之場，出生死處，則知底解底當體寂滅。知底解底既寂滅，能知知解者不可不寂滅，菩提涅槃真如佛性，不可不寂滅，更有何物可障？更向何處求悟入？釋迦老子曰：「諸業從心生，故說心如幻，若離此分別，則滅諸有趣。」僧問大珠和尚：「如何是大涅槃？」珠云：「不造生死業，是大涅槃。」僧云：「如何是生死業？」珠云：「求大涅槃，是生死業。」又古德云：「學道人一念計生死，即落魔道；一念起諸見，即落外道。」又淨名云：「眾魔者樂生死，菩薩於生死而不捨；外道者樂諸見，菩薩於諸見而不動。」此乃是以知解為儔侶，以知解為方便，於知解上行平等慈，於知解上作諸佛事底樣子也。只為他了達三祇劫空，生死涅槃俱寂靜故。既未到這箇田地，切不可被邪師輩胡說亂道引入鬼窟裏，閉眉合眼作妄想。邇來祖道衰微，此流如麻似粟，真是一盲引眾盲，相牽入火坑，深可憐愍。願公硬著脊梁骨，莫作這般去就，作這般去就底，雖暫拘得箇臭皮袋子住便以為究竟，而心識紛飛，猶如野馬。縱然心識暫停，如石壓草，不覺又生，欲直取無上菩提到究竟安樂處，不亦難乎？宗杲亦嘗為此流所誤，後來若不遇真善知識，幾致空過一生。每每思量，直是叵耐，以故不惜口業力救此弊。今稍有知非者，若要徑截理會，須得這一念子嚗地一破，方了得生死，方名悟入。然切不可存心待破，若存心在破處，則永劫無有破時。但將妄想顛倒底心，思量分別底心，好生惡死底心，知見解會底心，欣靜厭鬧底心，一時按下，只就按下處看箇話頭。僧問趙州：「狗子還有佛性也無？」州云：「無。」此一字子，乃是摧許多惡知惡覺底器仗也。不得作有無會，不得作道理會，不得向意根下思量卜度，不得向揚眉瞬目處挅根，不得向語路上作活計，不得颺在無事甲裏，不得向舉起處承當，不得向文字中引證，但向十二時中四威儀內，時時提撕、時時舉覺，狗子還有佛性也無？云無。不離日用，試如此做工夫看，月十日便自見得也。一郡千里之事，都不相妨，古人云：「我這裏是活底祖師意，有甚麼物能拘執他？」若離日用別有趣向，則是離波求水、離器求金，求之愈遠矣。

Your letter states: 'In my early years I had faith in and turned toward this Path, but in my later years I have been obstructed by intellectual understanding, not yet having found a place of awakening and entry; I wish to know an expedient means for embodying the Path day and night.' Since I have received your utmost sincerity, I dare not hold myself aloof, and so, following the confession to conclude the case, I offer a few vines [of words]. Just this seeking awakening and entry is itself the intellectual understanding that obstructs the Path. What other intellectual understanding is there that acts as an obstruction to you, sir? In the end, what is called intellectual understanding? From where does intellectual understanding arrive? And who is the one being obstructed? In this single phrase alone, there are three inversions: saying yourself that you are obstructed by intellectual understanding is one; saying yourself that you are unawakened and willingly acting the part of a confused person is one; and further, remaining in confusion while keeping a mind that awaits awakening is one. Just these three inversions are the very root of birth and death. You must simply reach the point where not a single thought arises and the inverted mind is cut off; only then will you know that there is no confusion to break through, no awakening to await, and no intellectual understanding to obstruct—just like a person drinking water, who knows for himself whether it is cold or warm. After a long time it will naturally become so, and you will not form this kind of view. Just look upon the mind that can know intellectual understanding: does it still suffer obstruction or not? On the mind that can know intellectual understanding, are there still so many varieties [of things] or not? From ancient times, all masters of great wisdom have taken intellectual understanding as their companion, taken intellectual understanding as an expedient means, practiced equal compassion upon intellectual understanding, and performed all buddha-works upon intellectual understanding—like a dragon gaining water, or a tiger leaning against a mountain—never being troubled by it, simply because they recognized the place where intellectual understanding arises. Having recognized the place where it arises, this very intellectual understanding is the site of liberation, the place where birth and death are transcended. Since it is the site of liberation, the place where birth and death are transcended, then that which is known and understood is of its very essence quiescent and extinguished. When that which is known and understood is quiescent and extinguished, then that which can know and understand cannot but be quiescent and extinguished; bodhi, nirvāṇa, true thusness, and buddha-nature cannot but be quiescent and extinguished. What thing is there left to cause obstruction? In what place is there left to seek awakening and entry? Old Śākyamuni said: 'All karmas arise from the mind, therefore it is said that the mind is like an illusion; if one is free from this conceptual differentiation, then all realms of existence are extinguished.' A monk asked Master Dazhu: 'What is great nirvāṇa?' Zhu said: 'Not creating the karma of birth and death is great nirvāṇa.' The monk said: 'What is the karma of birth and death?' Zhu said: 'Seeking great nirvāṇa is the karma of birth and death.' An ancient worthy also said: 'When a practitioner of the Path in a single thought calculates birth and death, he falls into the demonic path; when in a single thought he gives rise to views, he falls into non-Buddhist paths.' Furthermore, Vimalakīrti said: 'Demons delight in birth and death, while the bodhisattva does not abandon birth and death; those of non-Buddhist paths delight in views, while the bodhisattva is unmoved among views.' This is precisely the model for taking intellectual understanding as a companion, taking intellectual understanding as an expedient means, practicing equal compassion upon intellectual understanding, and performing all buddha-works upon intellectual understanding. It is simply because they fully realized that the three asaṃkhyeya kalpas are empty, and that birth and death as well as nirvāṇa are both serene and quiescent. Since you have not yet reached this stage, you must under no circumstances be led into a ghost cave by false teachers talking nonsense, closing your eyebrows and shutting your eyes in vain imagination. Lately the ancestral path has fallen into decline, and this crowd is as numerous as hemp and millet—truly it is the blind leading the blind, dragging each other into the pit of fire, deeply pitiable. I hope that you will stiffen your backbone and not adopt this kind of attitude. Those who adopt this kind of attitude, though they temporarily restrain this stinking skin-bag and settle it down, consider it the ultimate; yet their mental consciousness flutters in confusion, just like wild horses. Even if the mental consciousness temporarily pauses, like pressing grass with a stone, it unintentionally sprouts again. To wish thereby to directly grasp unexcelled bodhi and arrive at the place of ultimate peace and joy—is that not difficult? I, Zonggao, was also once misled by this crowd; later, if I had not met a true and good spiritual friend, I would almost have spent my whole life in vain. Whenever I think of this, it is truly unbearable; therefore, not begrudging vocal karma, I exert all my strength to remedy this defect. Nowadays, if there is anyone with a slight awareness of what is wrong, if they want a direct and cutting-through understanding, they must have this single thought crack open with a pop! Only then can birth and death be resolved, and only then is it called awakening and entry. However, you must never harbor a mind that awaits the breaking open; if you harbor your mind in the place of breaking open, then for eternal kalpas there will be no time of breaking open. Just take the mind of vain imagination and inversion, the mind of thinking and differentiation, the mind that loves life and hates death, the mind of views and intellectual understanding, the mind that delights in quietude and detests commotion—press them down all at once, and right at the place where they are pressed down, look at a huatou. A monk asked Zhaozhou: 'Does a dog have buddha-nature or not?' Zhou said: 'No.' This single character is the weapon that demolishes so many evil knowledges and evil perceptions. You must not understand it in terms of existence and non-existence, you must not understand it in terms of principle, you must not think and calculate upon it at the sense-base of intellect, you must not dodge your roots where eyebrows are raised and eyes are blinked, you must not make a living on the road of words, you must not cast it into the armor of nothing-to-do, you must not undertake it where it is brought forth, and you must not cite evidence from written words. Just throughout the twelve double-hours and within the four deportments, constantly bring it to mind and constantly raise it: 'Does a dog have buddha-nature or not?' He said: 'No.' Without departing from daily life, try to do your practice like this; in a month or ten days you will see it for yourself. Matters of an entire prefecture across a thousand li will not be an obstacle at all. An ancient said: 'Here with me is the living intention of the Patriarchs; what thing can restrain it?' If you turn toward some other inclination apart from daily life, that is seeking water apart from waves, or seeking gold apart from vessels—the seeking will only take you farther away.