大慧普覺禪師語錄 24.3

24.3

The Buddha said: 'If anyone wishes to know the realm of the Buddha, they should purify their mind like empty space, leave far behind delusions and all graspings, and make wherever the mind turns completely unobstructed.' If you definitely have this resolution to study unsurpassed bodhi, constantly keep the square inch of your heart completely open and clear: do not attach to speech, do not fall into empty quiescence; with neither speech nor words, rely on neither extreme; with the two matters of good and evil, neither grasp nor abandon; throughout the twelve periods of the day, sit and cut off the mind of calculating and deliberating, yet do not abide in empty quiescence; let nothing out from within, let nothing in from outside—like clouds in the sky, like bubbles upon water, suddenly arising, abruptly vanishing. Turn around right here, cast yourself forward, and sweep across the great void. At such a time, one cannot arrange it, nor can one artificially embellish it. Why is this? The great Dharma is originally like this; it is not made by force. Have you not seen what old Shakyamuni said? 'Not taking up what sentient beings say, or all conditioned and false things, although not relying on the path of words, yet also not clinging to the absence of words.'

Nowadays, scholar-officials who study this Path have habitually been driven by cleverness and quick-wittedness; mostly they construct doctrines out of the words of the ancients, wanting to explain them with clarity. Little do they know that upon dry bones there is certainly no juice to be found. Even if some hear the admonitions and approvals of good spiritual friends, leave behind the characteristics of speech and words, they then sit in a place of no-words and no-speech, unmoved inside the ghosts' cave under the black mountain. If they wish wherever the mind turns to be unobstructed and unhindered, is it not difficult?

Since impermanence is swift and the matter of birth and death is great, if you are definitely determined to directly attain unsurpassed bodhi, write off all the various false and insubstantial matters of the world in one stroke! Then, toward the place where nothing can be grasped and nothing can be abandoned, quietly take a look and see: is it existent, or is it nonexistent? Go straight to the point where there is no place to apply your mind and no place to open your mouth, when within the square inch of your heart it is like a ball of hot iron—at that moment, do not let go! Right here, just look at this huatou: A monk asked Yunmen, 'If one kills father and kills mother, one repents before the Buddha; when one kills Buddha and kills Patriarch, where does one repent?' Yunmen said, 'Exposed (Lu).' If you have definite resolution, just look at this word 'Exposed.' Take the mind that calculates and discriminates the worldly dust of affairs and shift it onto the word 'Exposed.' Whether walking or sitting, raise and reflect on this word 'Exposed.' In your daily response to conditions—whether joy or anger, whether good or evil, in serving your elders, in social exchanges with friends, in reading the classics and histories of the sages—all are times to raise and reflect on it. Suddenly, without being aware, all news will be cut off on the word 'Exposed.' The teachings expounded by the sages of the Three Teachings need not be asked of others one by one: naturally on each and every thing they will be bright, and in each and every object they will be evident.

Did the Buddha not say: 'A bodhisattva-mahāsattva, with unimpeded and unobstructed wisdom, believes that all realms of the worldly are the realm of the Tathāgata'? An ancient worthy said: 'If you can enter the worldly, transcending the world leaves no residue.' It is just this principle! One only fears the absence of resolute faith and resolute aspiration. Without resolute faith, there is a mind of falling back; without resolute aspiration, one will not study through to the bottom. Now who has had resolute faith without a mind of falling back, and had resolute aspiration and studied through to the bottom? In the past, the second patriarch of Mount Niutou, Chan Master Zhiyan, was a native of Qu'e, surnamed Hua. In his youth, his wisdom and courage surpassed others; he stood seven feet six inches tall. During the Daye era of the Sui, he served as a court general. He always hung a water-filtration bag from his bow, drawing water for use wherever he went. Accompanying great generals on expeditions, he repeatedly achieved military distinctions. During the Wude era of the Tang, when he was just forty years of age, he begged to leave home, entering Mount Wangong in Shuzhou, and became a disciple under Chan Master Baoyue. Later, sitting in quietude one day, he saw an extraordinary monk over ten feet tall, with a refreshed and outstanding demeanor and clear, resonant speech, who said to Zhiyan: 'Sir, you have left home for eighty lifetimes; you should increase your vigor.' Having spoken, he disappeared. Once, while he was in samādhi in a ravine, the mountain waters suddenly swelled into a torrent; Zhiyan remained pleasantly unmoved, and the water receded of its own accord. A hunter passed by and, moved by this, repented and cultivated good. Furthermore, two former fellow soldiers, hearing that Zhiyan had gone into seclusion, went into the mountains together to seek him. Seeing him, they said to Zhiyan: 'General, are you mad? Why do you dwell here?' Zhiyan said: 'My madness is about to awaken; your madness is just breaking out. Craving sensual beauty, lusting after sounds, coveting glory, and risking all for favor, drifting through birth and death—how can you get out on your own?' The two were awakened, sighed, and departed. During the Zhenguan era, he returned to Jianye and entered Mount Niutou to call upon Chan Master Lanrong, thoroughly illuminating the great matter. Lanrong said to Zhiyan: 'I received the true secret from the Great Master [Daoxin], and everything attained was lost; even if there were a dharma surpassing nirvāṇa, I would say it is also like a dream or phantom. When a single speck of dust flies, it obscures the sky; when a single mustard seed falls, it covers the earth. You have now surpassed this view; what more can I say? The teaching and guidance of this mountain gate should be entrusted to you.' He then became the second patriarch of Niutou. This is a model of one who had resolute faith without a mind of falling back, and who had resolute aspiration and studied through to the bottom.

The teachings expounded by the sages of the Three Teachings are none other than encouraging good, warning against evil, and rectifying people's mental ways. If one's mental ways are not upright, then treacherous evil pursues only profit; if one's mental ways are upright, then loyalty and righteousness follow only principle. 'Principle' is the principle of rectitude and righteousness, not the principle of pedantic theory. Like your respected uncle, the Military Commissioner, who acts as soon as he sees what is right, displaying extraordinary true courage—this is this principle. Chan Master Guifeng said: 'Performing righteous deeds is the awakened mind; performing unrighteous deeds is the mad and chaotic mind. Madness and chaos stem from emotional thoughts, and at the end of life one is dragged by karma; awakening does not stem from emotions, and at the end of life one can transform karma.' This is also this principle. The Buddha said: 'Principle is suddenly awakened, and along with awakening all is dissolved; phenomena are gradually eliminated, coming to an end in due sequence.' This is also this principle. Elder Li said: 'Perfect fusion does not obstruct sequential steps: the one is precisely the many; sequential steps do not obstruct perfect fusion: the many are precisely the one.' This is also this principle. Yongjia said: 'One stage completely contains all stages, one dharma pervades and includes all dharmas, one moon universally appears in all waters, all waters' moons are gathered in the one moon.' This is also this principle. The *Avataṃsaka* says: 'The Buddha's teachings and worldly teachings—if one sees their reality, all are without difference.' This is also this principle. The difference lies in the person, not in the teaching.

Loyalty, righteousness, treachery, and evil are born together with one's life. When a loyal and righteous person is among the treacherous and evil, it is like a pure maṇi jewel placed in mud: even for hundreds of thousands of years, it cannot be defiled. Why is this? Because its original nature is pure. When a treacherous and evil person is among the loyal and righteous, it is like mixed poison placed in a pure vessel: even for hundreds of thousands of years, it cannot be changed. Why is this? Because its original nature is turbid and foul. What was said earlier—that the difference lies in the person, not in the teaching—is just this principle. For instance, when a treacherous person and a loyal person both read the books of the sages: the books of the sages are the teaching, originally without difference; yet when the treacherous and the loyal read them, they understand according to their kind, and thus there is difference. The *Vimalakīrti* says: 'The Buddha expounds the Dharma with a single voice, and sentient beings each understand according to their kind.' This is it. When a gentleman of loyalty and righteousness sees righteousness, his original nature comes forth; when a person of treachery and evil sees profit, his original nature comes forth. It is like a lodestone meeting iron, or fire meeting dry firewood: even if one wished to restrain it, one could not. Like your respected uncle, the Military Commissioner, whose heroic strength surpasses others: declaring great righteousness before myriad people, he stirred the hearing of the times. This too was his original nature of loyalty and righteousness, which comes forth upon seeing righteousness; it is not artificial, not calculated. As the teaching says: For example, when a mighty warrior like a mahānāga rouses fierce wrath, a boil will inevitably grow upon his forehead; as long as the boil is not closed, no one among all the people of Jambudvīpa can subdue him. The Buddha used this as an analogy for one who gives rise to the bodhi-mind. The bodhi-mind is none other than the mind of loyalty and righteousness: the names differ, but the substance is the same. Once this mind meets with righteousness, the worldly and the supramundane are captured in a single net, with nothing missing and nothing left over.

Although I am a student of the Buddha, my mind of cherishing the sovereign and worrying for the state is equal to that of loyal and righteous scholar-officials; it is only that my strength is insufficient and my years have passed away. The resolution to love the upright and hate evil was born together with my life. As Yongjia said: 'Even if an iron wheel should whirl upon my head, the perfect clarity of samādhi and prajñā is never lost.' Incompetent though I am, I dare to trust myself directly without doubt. Jigong, your aspiration is extraordinary, and your years are in their prime—precisely the time of scurrying about in worldly dust. To be able to turn back at this time to study unsurpassed bodhi: unless you had planted the roots of virtue in past lives, how could you have reached such faith, held steady, and become your own master? May you strengthen this mind, consistent from beginning to end; encountering environments and meeting with conditions, remain unchanged and unmoved—only then are you called a great person of power.

Impermanence is swift and the matter of birth and death is great. If in thought after thought you consider this great cause and condition unresolved and unstated, and directly transcend and realize it, you will save yourself from much evil karma that obstructs the Path in your daily response to conditions—how much more so when a single thought corresponds, transforming the ordinary into the sagely! Only bring forth a resolute, willing mind, and you will certainly not be deceived. From ancient times, there have been models for doing good. In reading widely through the multitude of books, you need only know where the sages applied their minds. Once you know this, your own mental ways will be upright; when your mental ways are upright, various mixed poisons and various heterodox teachings cannot defile you. Jigong, in setting your mind on studying Confucianism, you must broaden and fulfill it, and then extend the remainder to reach other beings. Why is this? If study does not reach the goal, it is not study; if study reaches the goal but cannot be applied, it is not study; if study cannot transform beings, it is not study. When you study through to the bottom, civil accomplishments are within it, martial accomplishments are within it, phenomena are within it, principle is within it; loyalty, righteousness, and filial piety, down to the arts of cultivating oneself, governing others, and bringing peace to the country and state—there is nothing that is not within it. Old Shakyamuni said: 'Constantly dwelling within it, walking, sitting, and lying down.' This is just the message. There has never been one loyal to the sovereign who was not filial to his parents, nor has there ever been one filial to his parents who was not loyal to the sovereign. Just rely on and practice what the sages praised, and dare not violate what the sages admonished; then toward loyalty and filial piety, toward phenomena and principle, cultivating oneself and governing others, in all things you will adapt smoothly and understand clearly. Soon we shall see your respected uncle, the Military Commissioner, establish great merit and return in triumph, and Jigong leap above the blue clouds: in the Cheng family, there will be both martial and civil distinction—of this there is no doubt. Strive on, Jigong!