大慧普覺禪師語錄 23.21

23.21

When the mind that doubts birth—not knowing whence it comes—and death—not knowing whither it goes—is not yet forgotten, then birth and death are intertwined. Just toward this place of intertwining, observe a huatou: A monk asked Master Zhaozhou, 'Does even a dog have buddha-nature, or not?' Zhou said, 'No (wu).' Simply take this mind that doubts birth not knowing whence it comes and death not knowing whither it goes, and shift it onto the word 'wu'; then the intertwined mind will not operate. Once the intertwined mind does not operate, the mind doubting the coming and going of birth and death will be on the verge of cessation. Just toward the point where it is about to cease but has not yet ceased, push and rub against it; when the time and conditions arrive, with a sudden burst, you will instantly conclude what the teachings call putting an end to the mind of birth and death, halting the mind of unwholesomeness, cutting down the thicket of the mind, and washing clean the defilement and turbidity of the mind. Yet how could the mind have defilement? How could the mind have turbidity? That which is concentrated by the miscellaneous poisons of discriminating good and evil is also called unwholesomeness, also called defilement and turbidity, and also called a thicket. If you truly obtain that sudden burst, this very thicket is itself the sandalwood incense forest; this very defilement and turbidity is itself the pure, liberated, unconditioned wondrous substance. This substance is originally unstained; it is not made so. When discrimination does not arise, emptiness and brightness shine of themselves—this is precisely the principle. This is the fifth model of an ancestral master causing students to abandon the heterodox and return to the correct. Layman Miaoming, simply investigate relying on this; after a long time, you will bump into it and hit upon it of yourself.