大慧普覺禪師語錄 15.2.3

15.2.3

"This old fellow was stubborn and obstinate, and he happened upon this monk who was also stubborn and obstinate, who stuck to him and immediately asked: 'If there is no mind to use, who becomes a buddha?' The National Teacher said: 'Having no mind, one naturally becomes a buddha; becoming a buddha is also having no mind.' The monk said: 'Buddhas possess great inconceivability because they can deliver sentient beings. If there is no mind, who delivers sentient beings?' The National Teacher said: 'Having no mind is truly delivering beings. If you see that there are beings to be delivered, that is having a mind, distinctly undergoing arising and ceasing.' The monk said: 'Now since there is no mind, the Sage of the Śākyas appeared in the world and expounded so many traces of teaching—could that have been in vain?' The National Teacher said: 'The Buddha's expounding of teachings was also without mind.' The monk said: 'Expounding the Dharma without mind should mean having no exposition.' The National Teacher said: 'Exposition is itself nothingness; nothingness is itself exposition.' The monk said: 'If expounding the Dharma is without mind, is creating karma with mind?' The National Teacher said: 'Having no mind is having no karma. Now that you have karma, your mind arises and ceases—how could it be without mind?' The monk said: 'Having no mind is becoming a buddha; has the Venerable now become a buddha or not?' The National Teacher said: 'Even mind itself does not exist; who speaks of becoming a buddha? If there were a buddha to become, that would still be having a mind; having a mind is having outflows—how could you attain no-mind?' The monk said: 'Since there is no buddha to become, does the Venerable still attain the function of a buddha or not?' The National Teacher said: 'Even mind itself does not exist; where would function come from?' The monk said: 'If all is utterly non-existent, wouldn't that fall into nihilism?' The National Teacher said: 'Fundamentally there are no views; who speaks of annihilation?' The monk said: 'Fundamentally there are no views—would that not fall into emptiness?' The National Teacher said: 'There is no emptiness into which one could fall.' The monk said: 'Is there anything one can tumble into?' The National Teacher said: 'Since emptiness is non-existent, where could tumbling be established?' The monk said: 'Subject and object are both non-existent. If someone suddenly came holding a blade to take your life, would that be existent or non-existent?' The National Teacher said: 'It is non-existent.' The monk said: 'Would there be pain?' The National Teacher said: 'Pain is also non-existent.' The monk said: 'Since pain is non-existent, into which destiny will one be born after death?' The National Teacher said: 'There is no death, no birth, and no destiny.' The monk said: 'Since you have attained ease with nothing existing, when pressed by hunger and cold, how do you apply your mind?' The National Teacher said: 'When hungry, eat rice; when cold, put on clothes.' The monk said: 'Knowing hunger and knowing cold should be having a mind.' The National Teacher said: 'I ask you: if you have a mind, what form or structure does the mind have?' The monk hesitated for a long while; seeking the form and structure of the mind and of hunger and cold, he could not find them at all. Thereupon he truthfully confessed, saying: 'Mind has no form or structure.' The National Teacher said: 'Since you know it has no form or structure, it is fundamentally without mind—how can you say it exists?' The monk said: 'When encountering tigers and wolves in the mountains, how should one apply the mind?' The National Teacher said: 'See as though not seeing; let them come as though not coming. When you are without mind, vicious beasts cannot inflict harm.' The monk said: 'Silent and without affairs, solitary and unbound without mind—what is this called?' The National Teacher said: 'It is called the Vajra Great Being.'" The Master gave a shout and said, "Refusing to be a good person, he insists on wallowing in excrement! 'The monk said: "What form or structure does the Vajra Great Being have?" The National Teacher said: "Fundamentally it has no physical form." '" The Master said, "Why didn't you say so earlier? 'The monk said: "Since it has no physical form, what is called the Vajra Great Being?" The National Teacher said: "It is called the formless Vajra Great Being." The monk said: "What merits does the Vajra Great Being possess?" The National Teacher said: "In a single thought corresponding with the Vajra, one can extinguish the heavy transgressions of birth and death for kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, and behold all the buddhas numerous as the sands of the Ganges. The merits of this Vajra Great Being are measureless—they cannot be spoken by the mouth, nor expressed by thought. Even if one were to dwell in the world and speak of them for kalpas numerous as the sands of the Ganges, they could never be exhausted."' This monk was enlightened on the spot, like awakening from a dream, like a lotus flower opening. Something like this is precisely a vajra trap and a chestnut burr. If you cannot swallow it and cannot penetrate it, failing to see the ancient ones' footsteps, you will definitely give rise to slander without doubt. Once you penetrate this, only then can you become a great ferryboat, not clinging to this shore, not clinging to that shore, and not staying in midstream. Only when a good friend of Chan can deploy such skill and enter into such a lair can he begin to be a teacher of people. If one does not possess such varied eyes—such as those who find an entry-way on the interpretive path of mind-nature—they definitely will not like sparks struck from stone or flashes of lightning, but will love this kind of speech, and yet will mistakenly understand it as real dharmas. As for those who find an entry-way upon a single dynamic action, a single state, a single blow, or a single shout, they definitely will not like this kind of speech, which is again a misunderstanding. Truly, it is what is called: 'Views differ, and each has its gains and losses.' In the teachings it is said: 'Bodhisattvas see water as sweet dew; devas see water as lapis lazuli; ordinary mortals see water as water; hungry ghosts see water as pus and blood.' If there is a patch-robed monk who loves lofty Chan and comes forward saying, 'Does Miaoxi hold such views as these?' I will simply say to him, 'Whenever you meet someone, just bring it up like this.' Therefore, contained in the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye: A monk asked National Teacher Zhong, 'An ancient worthy said: "The lush green bamboo is entirely the Dharma-body; the luxuriant yellow flowers are none other than prajñā." Some do not accept this, saying it is a heterodox teaching; there are also those who believe it, saying it is inconceivable. I do not know how it is.' The National Teacher said, 'This is indeed the realm of Samantabhadra and Mañjuśrī; it cannot be believed and accepted by ordinary mortals and the Lesser Vehicle. It entirely accords with the intent of the Mahāyāna sutras of definitive meaning. Therefore the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: "The Buddha's body fills the dharmadhātu, universally appearing before all sentient beings; responding to conditions and according with affinities, there is nowhere it does not reach, yet it constantly abides on this bodhi-seat." Since the green bamboo does not fall outside the dharmadhātu, how could it not be the Dharma-body? Furthermore, the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra says: "Because form is boundless, prajñā is also boundless." Since the yellow flowers do not exceed form, how could they not be prajñā? These are profound and far-reaching words; those who do not understand will find it hard to comprehend their meaning.' Furthermore, a lecturer on the Avataṃsaka asked Venerable Dazhu, 'Why does the Chan master not accept that lush green bamboo is entirely the Dharma-body, and luxuriant yellow flowers are none other than prajñā?' Dazhu said, 'The Dharma-body is without form, yet it takes shape in response to green bamboo; prajñā is without knowing, yet it reveals its appearance in reflection of yellow flowers. It is not that those yellow flowers and green bamboo possess prajñā and the Dharma-body.'