人天眼目 2.95

2.95

To 'lower' means the sage lowers his capacity to receive and guide beings. 'Devious' means taking off the precious royal robes and putting on tattered, filthy garments. Master Tong'an said: 'Provisionally donning filthy clothes, one is called a Buddha; if one dresses again in precious royal robes, what should one be called?' Precious royal robes refer to not leaving the world; filthy clothes refer to leaving the world. A monk asked Venerable Che of Shimen: 'Why did Dharma Master Yunguang turn into an ox?' Che said: 'In a mean alley, he does not ride a golden horse; returning along the way, he wears a ragged robe instead.' After the sage realizes Buddhahood, he becomes a bodhisattva again to guide and benefit living beings. This is called 'not abiding in the unconditioned and not exhausting the conditioned.' Mañjuśrī asked Vimalakīrti: 'How does a bodhisattva penetrate the Buddha Way?' Vimalakīrti replied: 'A bodhisattva walking in non-ways is called penetrating the Buddha Way.' (An ancient master commented: "The cloud of compassion covers universally without boundary; if the withered tree bears no blossoms, what can be done? Twisting and turning through right and wrong, following crooked and straight; to understand the news of this moment is to know how to let the wind pass through.")