六祖大師法寶壇經 1.127

1.127

「心地無非自性戒，心地無癡自性慧，
心地無亂自性定，不增不減自金剛，
身去身來本三昧。」

What are the characteristics of his practice? Tell them to me.”

Zhicheng said, “Great Master Shenxiu teaches that ‘not to do evil is called morality, to practice good is wisdom, and to purify one’s own intentions is called meditation.’ Thus does he teach. I wonder, with what Dharma does Your Reverence teach people?”

The master said, “To say that I have a Dharma for people would be to deceive you. I simply release people’s fetters according to the situation. The samādhi of provisional names, such as your master’s explanation of morality, meditation, and wisdom, is truly inconceivable. [But] my view of morality, meditation, and wisdom is different.”

Zhicheng said, “There can be only one type of morality, meditation, and wisdom. How can there be any other?”

The master said, “The morality, meditation, and wisdom of your teacher is directed at people of the Great Vehicle. My morality, meditation, and wisdom are directed at people of the Supreme Vehicle.

The enlightenment and understanding [of people] differs, and there is slow and fast in seeing. Listen to my explanation and [see if] it’s the same as his. The Dharma that I preach does not depart from the self-natures. To preach the Dharma apart from the essence is called superficial preaching and

is permanently deluded regarding the self-natures. You should understand that all the functions of the myriad dharmas are all activated from the selfnature. This is the true Dharma of morality, meditation, and wisdom. Listen to my verse:

For the mind-ground to be without error is the morality of the

self-nature.

For the mind-ground to be without stupidity is the wisdom of the

self-nature.

For the mind-ground to be without disruption is the meditation of

the self-nature.

Neither increasing nor decreasing, oneself adamantine,

The body going and coming fundamentally is samādhi.

When Zhicheng heard this verse, in gratitude he offered a verse that said:

The five skandhas, the body of phantasmagoria.

How could the phantasmagoria be [penetrated to the] ultimate?

Proceeding back toward suchness,

The dharmas are still impure.

The master approved this, then said to Zhicheng, “The morality, meditation, and wisdom of your master is for exhorting those of small capacities to wisdom, but my morality, meditation, and wisdom is for exhorting those of great capacities to wisdom. If you are enlightened to the self-nature, you need not posit bodhi and nirvana, nor do you have to posit emancipated perceptual understanding. Only when there is not a single dharma that can be apprehended can one posit the myriad dharmas. To understand this doctrine is called ‘the body of the Buddha.’ It is also called bodhi and nirvana, and emancipated perceptual understanding. The person who has seen the nature apprehends [the dharmas] whether he posits them or not. He is autonomous in his going and coming, without stagnation or hindrance. He acts in response to the functions [of students], and he answers in response to their words. Always manifesting his nirmāṇakāya, he never departs from the selfnature. He attains the samādhi of autonomous disportment in the supernormal powers. This is called seeing the nature.”

Zhicheng further inquired of the master, “What is the meaning of ‘not positing’?”

The master said, “The self-nature is without error, without stupidity, and without disruption. In moment after moment of thought, prajñā illuminates, constantly transcending the characteristics of dharmas. Independent and autonomous, he apprehends everything—how could there be any positing? The self-nature becomes enlightened itself, sudden enlightenment and sudden cultivation. There is no gradual progression. Therefore, one does not posit all the dharmas. The dharmas are quiescent—how could there be a progression?”