六祖大師法寶壇經 1.141

1.141

師一日喚門人法海、志誠、法達、神會、智常、智通、志徹、志道、法珍、法如等，曰：「汝等不同餘人，吾滅度後，各為一方師。吾今教汝說法，不失本宗：先須舉三科法門，動用三十六對，出沒即離兩邊。說一切法，莫離自性。忽有人問汝法，出語盡雙，皆取對法，來去相因。究竟二法盡除，更無去處。三科法門者，陰、界、入也。陰是五陰——色、受、想、行、識是也。入是十二入，外六塵——色、聲、香、味、觸、法；內六門——眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意是也。界是十八界，六塵、六門、六識是也。自性能含萬法，名含藏識。若起思量，即是轉識。生六識，出六門，見六塵。如是一十八界，皆從自性起用。自性若邪，起十八邪；自性若正，起十八正。若惡用即眾生用，善用即佛用。用由何等？由自性有，對法外境。無情五對：天與地對，日與月對，明與暗對，陰與陽對，水與火對；此是五對也。法相語言十二對：語與法對，有與無對，有色與無色對，有相與無相對，有漏與無漏對，色與空對，動與靜對，清與濁對，凡與聖對，僧與俗對，老與少對，大與小對；此是十二對也。自性起用十九對：長與短對，邪與正對，癡與慧對，愚與智對，亂與定對，慈與毒對，戒與非對，直與曲對，實與虛對，險與平對，煩惱與菩提對，常與無常對，悲與害對，喜與瞋對，捨與慳對，進與退對，生與滅對，法身與色身對，化身與報身對；此是十九對也。」師言：「此三十六對法，若解用即道，貫一切經法，出入即離兩邊。自性動用，共人言語，外於相離相，內於空離空。若全著相，即長邪見；若全執空，即長無明。執空之人有謗經，直言不用文字。既云不用文字，人亦不合語言。只此語言，便是文字之相。又云：『直道不立文字。』即此不立兩字，亦是文字。見人所說，便即謗他言著文字。汝等須知，自迷猶可，又謗佛經。不要謗經，罪障無數。若著相於外，而作法求真；或廣立道場，說有無之過患。如是之人，累劫不得見性。但聽依法修行，又莫百物不思，而於道性窒礙。若聽說不修，令人反生邪念。但依法修行，無住相法施。汝等若悟，依此說、依此用、依此行、依此作，即不失本宗。若有人問汝義，問有將無對，問無將有對，問凡以聖對，問聖以凡對。二道相因，生中道義。如一問一對，餘問一依此作，即不失理也。設有人問：『何名為闇？』答云：『明是因，闇是緣，明沒即闇。』以明顯闇，以闇顯明，來去相因，成中道義。餘問悉皆如此。汝等於後傳法，依此轉相教授，勿失宗旨。」

One day, the Master summoned his disciples Fahai, Zhicheng, Fada, Shenhui, Zhichang, Zhitong, Zhiche, Zhidao, Fazhen, Faru, and others, saying, "You are not like ordinary people. After my parinirvāṇa, each of you will be a master in your own region. I will now teach you how to expound the Dharma without losing the fundamental lineage: you must first bring forth the Dharma doors of the three categories, and in dynamic application employ the thirty-six pairs of opposites, so that in emerging and submerging you depart from both extremes. When speaking of all dharmas, do not depart from svabhāva. If someone suddenly asks you about the Dharma, whenever you speak, make it entirely paired, taking up complementary dharmas that depend on each other in coming and going. Ultimately, both dharmas are entirely eliminated, leaving no further place to go. As for the Dharma doors of the three categories, they are the aggregates, the realms, and the entrances. The aggregates are the five aggregates: form, sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. The entrances are the twelve entrances: externally, the six dusts—form, sound, fragrance, taste, touch, and dharmas; internally, the six gates—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. The realms are the eighteen realms: the six dusts, the six gates, and the six consciousnesses. Svabhāva can contain the ten thousand dharmas, and is named the storehouse consciousness. If thinking arises, it is the transforming consciousness. It generates the six consciousnesses, emerges through the six gates, and perceives the six dusts. Thus the eighteen realms all arise in their functioning from svabhāva. If svabhāva is deviant, eighteen deviants arise; if svabhāva is correct, eighteen corrects arise. If it is used evilly, it is the function of sentient beings; if it is used wholesomely, it is the function of buddhas. Where does this functioning come from? It exists from svabhāva, confronting external objects with complementary dharmas. There are five pairs of insentient things: heaven paired with earth, sun paired with moon, light paired with darkness, yin paired with yang, water paired with fire; these are the five pairs. There are twelve pairs of linguistic phenomena: speech paired with Dharma, being paired with non-being, with-form paired with without-form, with-marks paired with animitta, with-outflows paired with without-outflows, form paired with emptiness, motion paired with stillness, purity paired with turbidity, ordinary paired with sacred, monastic paired with lay, old paired with young, large paired with small; these are the twelve pairs. There are nineteen pairs of functions arising from svabhāva: long paired with short, deviant paired with correct, delusion paired with wisdom, foolishness paired with sagacity, disturbance paired with samādhi, kindness paired with malice, precepts paired with misconduct, straight paired with crooked, real paired with unreal, treacherous paired with level, affliction paired with bodhi, permanent paired with impermanent, compassion paired with cruelty, joy paired with anger, giving paired with stinginess, advancing paired with retreating, arising paired with ceasing, dharmakāya paired with physical body, nirmāṇakāya paired with saṃbhogakāya; these are the nineteen pairs." The Master said, "With these thirty-six pairs of dharmas, if one understands how to use them, they are the Way, running through all sūtras and teachings, departing from both extremes in emerging and entering. When svabhāva is put into dynamic application, in speaking with others, outwardly depart from marks while amid marks, and inwardly depart from emptiness while amid emptiness. If one clings entirely to marks, it increases deviant views; if one grasps entirely to emptiness, it increases ignorance. People who grasp emptiness revile the sūtras, directly claiming that there is no need for words. Since they say there is no need for words, humans should not use speech either. This very speech is itself the mark of words. They also say, 'The direct way does not establish words.' Yet these very two words, 'not establish,' are also words. Seeing what others say, they immediately slander them, claiming they are attached to words. You must know: while being confused oneself is one thing, to go on to slander the Buddha's sūtras brings countless karmic obstacles of sin! If one clings to marks on the outside and performs rites to seek the real, or extensively establishes bodhimaṇḍas and discourses on the faults of being and non-being, such a person will not attain seeing into their nature for kalpas upon kalpas. Simply listen and practice according to the Dharma, and do not think of nothing at all, thereby obstructing the nature of the Way. If one listens to explanations without practicing, it causes deviant thoughts to arise instead. Simply practice according to the Dharma, and give the Dharma without abiding in marks. If you understand, speaking by this, applying by this, practicing by this, and acting by this, you will not lose the fundamental lineage. If someone asks you about a meaning, when asked about 'being' answer with 'non-being'; when asked about 'non-being' answer with 'being'; when asked about 'ordinary' answer with 'sacred'; when asked about 'sacred' answer with 'ordinary.' The two ways depend on each other, producing the meaning of the Middle Way. Just as with this one question and answer, all other questions should be treated identically, and you will not depart from the principle. Suppose someone asks, 'What is meant by darkness?' Reply, 'Light is the cause, darkness is the condition; when light submerges, there is darkness.' Use light to reveal darkness, and darkness to reveal light; coming and going depend on each other, completing the meaning of the Middle Way. All other questions are just like this. When you transmit the Dharma in the future, instruct one another successively according to this, and do not lose the essential tenet."