大慧普覺禪師語錄 18.4

18.4

At the request of Vice Prefect Sun for a general sermon, the Master said: “Preaching the Dharma out of season is invariably unseasonal talk. Therefore it is said: ‘Before leaving Tuṣita he had already descended to the royal palace; before emerging from his mother's womb he had already finished liberating people.’ Elder Li wrote the *Huayan Treatise*, stating: ‘This sūtra was definitely preached ten days after the Buddha attained enlightenment, when he first arose from concentration before the Mountain of True Awakening. Seeing the morning star, he suddenly awakened to the Way, immediately beholding his own original face.’ Know for certain that when the time arrives, the principle naturally reveals itself. I, Miaoxi, often reflect that Layman Wujin, having studied prajñā across who knows how many hundreds of lifetimes, has achieved such immense practical functioning in this present life! In his commentary on the *Qingjing haiyan jing*, expounding the eight fulfillments, concerning ‘Thus have I heard, at one time the Buddha was dwelling...’, he said: ‘Principle having nothing not thus (ru) is called “thus” (shi); phenomena having nothing not right (shi) is called “right” (ru).’ Never before had anyone spoken like this; it was because he penetrated to the marrow of Old Man Śākyamuni that he could draw freely from either side and encounter the source. When the Buddha was first born, pointing one hand to heaven and one hand to earth, he said: ‘Above heaven and below heaven, I alone am revered.’ Hence it is said: ‘The solely revered of the three realms is called “I”.’ What is called ‘I’ is not the ‘I’ of person and self, just as Mencius said, ‘All things are fully present within me.’ The mind penetrating the ten directions is called ‘heard.’ For worldly people hear all sounds with their ears, but only Bodhisattva Samantabhadra hears with his mind. Thus the sūtra says: ‘The mind hearing penetrates the ten directions, born of the power of great causal conditions.’ The foundation of the many is called ‘one.’ Consider the present great assembly of one thousand monks: counting from the head monk, from one to one hundred, and from one hundred to one thousand. Hence it is said: ‘One is that which the many take as their foundation.’ The arising of the one is called ‘time.’ This ‘time’ is precisely the time when Layman Miaoxin requests Miaoxi to preach the Dharma for the great assembly. You should know that this time is able to encompass the ten directions and the three times, even as many as dust motes and sands of buddhas, the six destinies and four modes of birth, ordinary beings and sages, grasses and trees, sentient and insentient.” He then struck the meditation platform once with his fly-whisk and said: “All realize equal, perfect enlightenment right here; nothing exceeds this time. Furthermore, it is said: ‘Initial enlightenment merging with the original is called “Buddha”.’ This means that present initial enlightenment merges with original enlightenment. Often, heretical teachers regard wordless silence as initial enlightenment, and the other side of King of Awesome Voice as original enlightenment—which is certainly not this principle. Since this is not the principle, what is awakening? If all is awakening, how could there still be delusion? If you say there is no delusion, how is it that when the morning star appeared, Old Man Śākyamuni suddenly realized and knew his own true destiny, that originally it was right here? Thus it is said: ‘Due to initial enlightenment, it merges with original enlightenment.’ Like Chan practitioners suddenly grasping their own nostrils, this is the very principle. Yet this matter is fully present without deficiency in everyone. Yesterday, while speaking with Layman Miaoxin, I mentioned that his uncle the Minister's writings and scholarship can be called an exemplar among the literati, but when it comes to hearing of this Way, he considers it difficult for himself. Often literati only know that a so-called Buddha practiced deportment for a thousand kalpas, cultivated the marks of excellence for ten thousand kalpas, and only attained it after three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas of cultivation. They think: ‘How can an ordinary mortal walking the earth, active in ignorance and trapped by wealth and status, ever accord with the Way?’ The moment they form this thought, they push forward a Mount Sumeru within their mental consciousness, obstructing the eye of the Way with a single barrier, unable to clearly see the scenery of their native place and their original face. This is precisely what is meant by: ‘The known is not an obstacle; it is the obstacle that obstructs the known.’ Modern literati mostly hold this view. For instance, Han Zicang and I were together in Linchuan, our nostrils pressed against each other for half a year, yet he still lacked self-confidence, often saying: ‘Regarding this matter, our sort need only know to take refuge in it; how could we actually enter into it?’ This too is creating one’s own obstacles and difficulties. Or others mistakenly understand the ancient Buddha's words: ‘Great Penetrating Wisdom Excellence Buddha sat at the place of awakening for ten kalpas, yet the Buddha Dharma did not appear before him, and he could not attain the Buddha Way,’ claiming that attaining the Buddha Way is this difficult. Little do they realize: ‘In a single thought, comprehensively observing boundless kalpas, without coming, without going, and without abiding; understanding the matters of the three periods of time like this, transcending all expedients, one realizes the ten powers.’ The moment Old Man Śākyamuni caught a glimpse, he said: ‘Miraculous! All sentient beings possess the wisdom and virtuous characteristics of the Tathāgata, but because of delusive thoughts and attachments, they do not realize it.’ What is called delusive thoughts and attachments speaks directly to the illness of today’s literati. This is why former sages pointed out: under everyone’s heels, it is completely fulfilled, lacking nothing. Hence there is the saying: ‘A father cannot pass it to his son, nor can a minister present it to his ruler.’ It must be self-verified and self-awakened; it cannot be obtained from others. Therefore, without destroying conventional designations, true reality is discussed. Master Sengzhao said: ‘Serene and desolate, vast and spacious, divided and distinct. Above there is the ruler, below there is the minister; father and son dwell together in intimacy; noble and lowly hold different stations. Teachings are instituted and their origins explained; then countries delineate their borders, people reside in their families, and each keeps to their station.’ Is this not ‘the Dharma abides in its Dharma position; the characteristics of the world are permanently abiding’? Does not the Buddha say: ‘To those who should be liberated by the body of a Buddha, he manifests the body of a Buddha and preaches the Dharma; to those who should be liberated by the body of an official, even up to the body of an elder, layman, brāhmaṇa, monk, or nun, he manifests all their bodies and preaches the Dharma’? And he also said: ‘When responding to the eye, it is like a thousand suns, and the myriad phenomena cannot hide their shadows or forms; when responding to the ear, it is like a deep valley, and loud or soft sounds are all fully received.’ Since the Dharma gate is so sublime, why do practitioners mostly fail to comprehend it at this time, but instead withdraw and feel discouraged, precisely because they do not believe in their own excellence and willingly make themselves inferior people? If one is a sharp fellow, taking it up right here, one will then know: ‘A single speck of dust arises and the great earth is completely embraced; a lion on a single tip of hair appears on a hundred million tips of hair; among a thousand heads and ten thousand heads, just recognize a single head.’ And what is that single head? Have you not seen Master Nantai, upon hearing the clapper sound, make a verse saying: ‘Excellent is the striking of the clapper three times; / The spiritual teachers all come to inquire. / Since they skillfully know the season and time, / I will not repeat it a second or third time.’?” He again struck the meditation platform once with his fly-whisk and said: “What was just said about all realizing equal, perfect enlightenment right here is the true meaning. Therefore National Teacher Deshao said: ‘The Tathāgata realizes equal, perfect enlightenment everywhere: he realizes equal, perfect enlightenment on mountains of knives and trees of swords; he realizes equal, perfect enlightenment in boiling cauldrons and burning coals; he realizes equal, perfect enlightenment under the blow of the staff; he realizes equal, perfect enlightenment under the shout.’ Yet although it is like this, like a person drinking water, one knows for oneself whether it is cold or warm. Have you not seen: when the youth Sudhana arrived before the Great Pavilion of Vairocana, he threw his whole body to the ground, rose from the ground, and thought: ‘This great pavilion is the dwelling place of those who understand emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness; it is the dwelling place of those who make no distinctions regarding all phenomena; it is the dwelling place of those who practice entering all kalpas in a single kalpa and entering a single kalpa with all kalpas without destroying their characteristics; it is the dwelling place of those who enter all buddhas with a single buddha and enter a single buddha with all buddhas without destroying their characteristics; ... it is the dwelling place of those who do not cling to any worldly dens and dwellings.’ What is called ‘worldly dens and dwellings’? It is precisely creating obstacles and difficulties for oneself regarding the unexcelled Way. If one clings to all worldly dens and dwellings and cannot let them go, then we so-called elders should not reside in monasteries either, but should entirely cut off worldly affairs in order to practice this Way. If so, that would be destroying worldly characteristics to speak of true reality—what Way would there be? I have always loved Dongpo’s writings; he was close to being one who attained the Way. Even if he did not fully arrive at the Way, his samādhi of words was truly close to it. People say he was the rebirth of Master Jie of Wuzu, yet they do not know through what circumstances he forgot this intention midway; it was merely that he was temporarily out of advantage. Looking at his eulogy on the portrait of Vimalakīrti, from beginning to end he was not trapped under words. His text says: ‘I observe many craftsmen serving a single master, / Each holding a medicine to treat a disease: / Wind exhaustion wants cold, energy wants warmth, / Lungs, liver, stomach, and kidneys overcoming one another; / Prescriptions and stored medicines piled like mounds and mountains, / Yet in the end not a single medicine is fit to be applied.’ A great medicine king claps his hands and laughs, / Dismissing the craftsmen, and the disease is immediately cured. That is to say, the medicine king dismissed the physicians, saying: ‘Your use of medicine is entirely without merit.’ Once the craftsmen left, the disease was cured. Someone asked the medicine king: ‘With what medicine did you relieve the illness?’ He said: ‘It does not go beyond what the craftsmen used; they merely did not use it well.’ Thus it says: ‘Ask the great medicine king what medicine was used: / It was still what the craftsmen used. / I observe the thirty-two bodhisattvas, / Each expressing the non-dual gate through conception, / While Vimalakīrti remained silent without words, / And the thirty-two meanings collapsed all at once. / I observe that this meaning did not collapse either: / Vimalakīrti from the start never departed from this exposition.’ Although this is playing with a dead snake to make it come alive, if the discourse of those thirty-two people had truly been defeated, then wordlessness would surpass having words. One clearly knows the ancients' intent was definitely not like this. Therefore he established an analogy, saying: ‘Just as lamp oil and wax make lamps and candles, / Without lighting them with fire they will never be bright; / Suddenly seeing the place of silent wordlessness, / The thirty-two expositions all blaze with light. / If disciples of the Buddha read the *Vimalakīrti Sūtra*, / They should take this thought as right mindfulness. / I observe Vimalakīrti’s ten-foot-square room: / It can accommodate nine million bodhisattvas / And thirty-two thousand lion seats, / All accommodated without being cramped.’ Recorded in the sūtra, this is Layman Vimalakīrti's power of inconceivable great liberation and spiritual penetrations, which is why he borrowed seats from King of Lamps, brought food from Fragrance Accumulated, and severed and took the world of Abhirati like a potter’s wheel, or like holding a needle’s point to lift a jujube leaf. True reality cannot be known through intellect, nor discerned through consciousness. Thus it says: ‘Furthermore, he could distribute a single bowl of rice / To satisfy boundless assemblies in the ten directions, / Severing and taking the Buddha world of Abhirati / Like lifting a jujube leaf on the tip of a needle; / Saying this is the bodhisattva's inconceivable / Power of spiritual penetrations dwelling in great liberation. / I observe Recluse Shi, / In hemp shoes and torn hat with both elbows exposed, / Able to make Vimalakīrti emerge from the tip of his brush; / His spiritual power surpasses even Vimalakīrti. / If you say this painting lacks real characteristics, / Inside the city of Vaiśālī was not real either. / If disciples of the Buddha see the portrait of Vimalakīrti, / They should take this contemplation as right contemplation.’ This is the Chan that Dongpo spoke of; did his words not reach it? If not perfumed and practiced in previous lives, how could he speak like this? Therefore Miaoxi’s intent is also to have the Minister have complete faith in this matter. Layman Miaoxin, please take these words and relate them to your uncle; perhaps through Miaoxi's words, he may directly have faith, and one day suddenly erupting with a burst, he will cut off the flow of birth and death, take the seat of buddhas and patriarchs, and become an immeasurable great person transcending the world, thereby not failing Miaoxi’s expectations. Layman Miaoxin recently painted Guanyin entering samādhi, and inscribed upon it a eulogy Miaoxi composed in past years. That was when I was in Hengyang, requested by my fellow practitioner Lin Tingyan; at that time I wrote it in one stroke following my inspiration. Although the words differ from the Vimalakīrti eulogy, the general meaning is similar. It says: ‘The various signs of sounds in the world / Are heard by the multitude with their ears, not seen with their eyes; / All sounds must be heard with ears, / But Guanyin perceives them with the eyes.’ Hence it is said that only this Great Being can perceive with the eyes. How is this seen? It says: ‘Closing the eyes and contemplating carefully is performing the Buddha's work.’ Reaching here, it turns, saying: ‘Taking nothing in the sphere of the eyes.’ Since the sphere of the eyes cannot be taken, the eye-sphere is extinguished in stillness; since the eye-sphere is extinguished in stillness, the ear-sphere cannot fail to be extinguished in stillness. Therefore it is said: ‘Ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind are also like this; / Excellent is the mind penetrating the emptiness of the ten directions, / The six sense faculties mutually manifesting this meaning.’ Bodhisattva Guanyin hears with the eyes, while Bodhisattva Samantabhadra hears with the mind; this is precisely the meaning of mutual manifestation. What is called mutual manifestation is: performing the Buddha's work of the ear at the eye; performing the Buddha's work of the nose at the ear; performing the Buddha's work of the tongue at the nose; performing the Buddha's work of the body at the tongue; performing the Buddha's work of the mind at the body; and within the mind-sphere performing boundless, vast Buddha works. Having attained such functional freedom, the eyes still observe forms, the ears still listen to sounds, and down to the nose, tongue, body, and mind, each abides in its proper role. Thus it is said: ‘Eye to form, ear to sound, nose smelling fragrance, / Body tactile and mind thought have no distinction.’ This is what was mentioned earlier: ‘the Dharma abides in its Dharma position; the characteristics of the world are permanently abiding.’ ‘One should contemplate like this with this contemplation; / Taking this as real becomes delusive thought.’ Reaching here, it turns again, saying: ‘If one departs from delusive thoughts to grasp a real dharma, / One becomes increasingly confused and loses the original mind; / Once the original mind is lost, one follows inversions, / And does not see the Great Being’s wondrous form body.’ What is inversion? When the eyes see form, one turns along with form; when the ears hear sound, one turns along with sound. This is called sentient beings’ inversion, losing oneself and chasing after objects; because of chasing after objects, one does not see the Great Being’s wondrous form body. Having no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind—this has clear textual authority in the teachings. Since eyes, ears, and the rest have no substance, upon what can the meaning of mutual manifestation be established? Thus it is said: ‘The meaning of mutual manifestation is also extinguished in stillness; / There is also no wondrous form body of the Great Being, / Nor are there the various signs of sounds; / If disciples of the Buddha can make such a contemplation, / They will forever leave the suffering of birth and death in the world.’ Generally speaking, writing must be made to work; if it does not work, it does not constitute literature. Just before, because of discussing seasonal causes and conditions, I spoke of how when Sudhana was standing before the pavilion, he had already praised many sublime matters, yet had not been able to enter. He addressed Bodhisattva Maitreya, saying: ‘I only pray that the Great Sage will open the door of the pavilion and let me enter.’ Then Bodhisattva Maitreya stepped forward to the pavilion and snapped his fingers, making a sound; the door immediately opened, and he bade Sudhana enter. Sudhana’s heart rejoiced; once he entered, it closed again. How was it when it closed? It was the news of Guanyin entering the flow and forgetting the object. Then, inside the pavilion, Sudhana saw a hundred million four-continents and a hundred million Tuṣita heavens, each having Bodhisattva Maitreya descending his spirit and taking birth, taking seven steps, observing the ten directions, manifesting as a youth dwelling in palaces, for the sake of all-knowledge leaving home to practice austerities, subduing the demons, attaining equal, perfect enlightenment, requested by the Brahmā kings to turn the wheel of the true Dharma, and ascending to heavenly palaces to expound the Dharma—the number of kalpas, lifespan, adornment of assemblies, purified lands, practiced vows, and sustained teachings were all different. Sudhana not only saw Bodhisattva Maitreya’s entire cycle of Buddha works, but also saw his own body in the presence of all those Tathāgatas, and also saw himself in all those assemblies and all Buddha works, sealed by the ocean-seal samādhi with a single seal, without the slightest leak. Having seen such immeasurable, sublime, adorned, and sovereign realms, Bodhisattva Maitreya withdrew his spiritual power, entered the pavilion, snapped his fingers again with a sound, and told Sudhana: ‘Noble son, arise! The nature of dharmas is like this. This is the mark manifested by the assembly of a bodhisattva’s causes and conditions of the wisdom that knows all dharmas; such self-nature is like an illusion, like a dream, like a shadow, like an image, none of it truly established.’ At that time Sudhana heard the sound of the finger-snap and arose from samādhi. At this time, he suddenly dropped his cloth bag. Then Maitreya showed him that the above realms have no place of departure and no place of abiding, being neither quiet nor permanent, far removed from all things.” The Master addressed the assembly, saying: “Since there is no place from which it comes and no place to which it goes, then when Great Master Yunmen’s handheld fan leapt up to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven and bumped into Indra's nostrils, striking the carp of the Eastern Sea with a blow so that rain poured down like basins, what fault could there be? You should know that this season and time is endowed with boundless gates of vast wisdom, boundless gates of spiritual penetrations, boundless gates of verbal expression, and boundless gates of sovereign enjoyment of all buddhas and bodhisattvas that can be spoken of yet cannot be spoken of. If you people can have faith like this and enter like this, only then will you know what the ancient sage said: ‘All past kalpas / Are placed in the future and present; / Future and present kalpas / Are placed back into the past.’ ” He then gave a shout and said: “If I do not shout to stop spinning entanglements, it will go on until tomorrow morning.” Striking the meditation platform, he stepped down from his seat.