萬松老人評唱天童覺和尚頌古從容庵錄 4.31

4.31

The Master said: Taking seeing and hearing as the seed, the eight difficulties surpass the stages of the ten grounds. When understanding and practice abide in oneself, a single lifetime perfects the fruit of vast kalpas. Guifeng divided this sūtra under the heading of 'transforming sins into becoming a buddha.' Here, bodhi and defilement are non-dual; saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are non-dual. Prince Zhaoming of the Liang classified this section of the sūtra as 'The Division of Being Able to Purify Karmic Obstacles.' Mahāsattva Fu's verse says: 'In past lives there were retributive obstacles; today one receives and upholds the sūtra. Temporarily held in contempt by others, what is heavy is reversed and becomes light.' This is precisely explaining the meaning according to the sūtra. The subsequent four lines then have the atmosphere of a patch-robed monk, saying: 'If one understands dependent origination (paratantra), one can eliminate the passions of conceptual fabrication (parikalpita). Constantly relying on the contemplation of prajñā, why worry about not achieving complete perfection (pariniṣpanna)?' The first four lines pertain to the power of merit; the latter four lines pertain to the power of contemplative practice. The Sixth Patriarch's Oral Explanation says: 'The Buddha said: A person who upholds the sūtra ought to receive reverence and offerings from all people. Because of heavy karmic obstacles from many lifetimes, though they uphold this sūtra in the present life, they are constantly held in contempt by people and do not receive reverence and offerings. Because they personally uphold the sūtra, they do not give rise to the marks of self or others; without questioning whether someone is foe or kin, they constantly practice reverence. When offended, they do not retaliate, and constantly cultivate the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā); heavy sins over many kalpas are entirely eliminated.' Furthermore, speaking from the perspective of principle: the prior life is the preceding thought of the deluded mind; the present life is the subsequent thought of the awakened mind. Using the awakened mind of the subsequent thought to hold in contempt the deluded mind of the preceding thought, delusion cannot abide, hence it says that sinful karma from prior lives is eliminated. Once deluded thoughts are extinguished, sinful karma is not formed, and one immediately attains bodhi. Both of these explanations, of principle and phenomena, pertain to contemplative practice. A monk asked Yunju: 'I have heard that the teaching says: "This person's sinful karma from prior lives would warrant falling into the evil realms. Because they are held in contempt by people in this present life, their sinful karma from prior lives will be eliminated." What is the meaning of this?' Yunju said: 'If you move, you warrant falling into the evil realms. If you remain still, you are held in contempt by others.' Chongshou Chou said: 'Having dharmas outside the mind warrants falling into the evil realms. Guarding oneself warrants being held in contempt by others.' Wansong says: Both of these old fellows have not shed their worldly habits either. Tell me, how is it on Tiantong's part? The verse says: