六祖大師法寶壇經 1.13

1.13

偉乎《壇經》之作也，其本正、其迹效，其因真、其果不謬，前聖也、後聖也，如此起之、如此示之、如此復之，浩然沛乎，若大川之注也、若虛空之通也、若日月之明也，若形影之無礙也、若鴻漸之有序也。妙而得之之謂本，推而用之之謂迹，以其非始者始之之謂因，以其非成者成之之謂果。果不異乎因，謂之正果也；因不異乎果，謂之正因也。迹必顧乎本，謂之大用也；本必顧乎迹，謂之大乘也。乘也者，聖人之喻道也。用也者，聖人之起教也。夫聖人之道，莫至乎心；聖人之教，莫至乎修。調神入道，莫至乎一相止觀；軌善成德，莫至乎一行三昧。資一切戒，莫至乎無相；正一切定，莫至乎無念；通一切智，莫至乎無住。生善滅惡，莫至乎無相戒；篤道推德，莫至乎四弘願。善觀過，莫至乎無相懺；正所趣，莫至乎三歸戒。正大體、裁大用，莫至乎大般若；發大信、務大道，莫至乎大志。天下之窮理盡性，莫至乎默傳；欲心無過，莫善乎不謗。定慧為始道之基也；一行三昧，德之端也；無念之宗，解脫之謂也；無住之本，般若之謂也；無相之體，法身之謂也。無相戒，戒之最也；四弘願，願之極也；無相懺，懺之至也。三歸戒，真所歸也。摩訶智慧，聖凡之大範也。為上上根人說，直說也。默傳，傳之至也。戒謗，戒之當也。

the Correct Doctrine of the Bodhisattvas’ Storehouse. Those who discuss it call it the Learning of the Mystery (xuanxue), and is this not exactly the case? The world refers to it as a school (zongmen), and is this not appropriate?

When the Platform Sutra says, “Meditation and wisdom are the fundamental,” [it is because] these are the beginning of one’s progress to enlightenment (dao, the “Way”). Meditation is tranquility, and wisdom is illumination

(ming). Illuminating, one contemplates; tranquil, one pacifies. Pacifying the mind, one understands the mind (tixin). Contemplating the Way, one may speak of the Way.

The “samādhi of the single practice” ( yixing sanmei) is a term for the one characteristic of the dharmadhātu (fajie yixiang). Although the ten thousand forms of good are said to be different, they are all within the single practice.

“The formless is the essence” (wuxiang wei ti) is to honor the great precepts. “Nonthought is the doctrine” (wunian wei zong) is to honor the great meditation. “Nonabiding is the fundamental” (wuzhu wei ben) is to honor the great wisdom. Precepts, meditation, and wisdom constitute the Way penetrated by the three vehicles. The wondrous mind (miaoxin) is the great source of precepts, meditation, and wisdom; with the single wondrous mind one unifies the three Dharmas. Therefore, it is called great.

The “formless precepts” (wuxiang jie) are to constrain one so as to definitely attain correct realization. The “four great vows” (si hong yuan) are to vow salvation—salvation from suffering; to vow eradication—the eradication of the accumulation [of the afflictions]; to vow learning—to learn the Way; and to vow attainment—attainment of serene extinction (i.e., nirvana). Extinction is without anything that is extinguished, and therefore there is nothing that is not extinguished. Enlightenment is without anything one is enlightened to, and therefore there is nothing that is not saved.

The “formless repentances” (wuxiang chan) are to repent that which is not to be repented. The “three refuges” are to take refuge in the One. The One is the source of the three treasures. To explain mahāprajñā (great wisdom) is to refer to the very center of the mind. Prajñā is the expedient means of the Sage, the great wisdom of the Sage.

Fundamentally, it can be tranquilized, illumined, made provisional, and actualized. The people of this world use its tranquilization to subjugate a host of evils; the people of this world use its illumination to collect a host of goods; the people of this world use its provisionalization to make great their conditioned [activities of teaching]; the people of this world use its actualization to make great their unconditioned [attainment of nirvana]. How ultimate, this prajñā! The Way of the Sage, without prajñā, would not be illuminated and would not be attained. The tasks of those under heaven, without prajñā, would

not be appropriate and would not be correct. The Perfected Man’s actions [of teaching] use prajñā to elicit [interpretations]. Is this not abstruse?

[Huineng says that] “my Dharma is preached for those of the highest abilities” because he appropriately [matches person and Dharma].23 To make heavy use of those [capable of only] light loads would be unsuccessful, and to bequeath the great method to those of small [capacities] would be an error. That which has been transmitted silently and bequeathed from the past is a secret teaching. “Secret” is not to imply one’s own realization without speaking but to [base oneself on] suchness while [practicing] in secret. To not understand this Dharma and revile it readily, to eradicate one’s seeds of buddhahood for a hundred eons and a thousand lives, is to lose the [fundamental] mind even as one [attempts to] protect the people of this world.

How great, the appearance of the Platform Sutra! Its fundamentals are correct and its traces effective. Its cause is true and its results unerring. Previous sages and later sages have thus generated it, have thus manifested it,