六祖大師法寶壇經 1.78

1.78

「善知識！既歸依自三寶竟，各各志心，吾與說一體三身自性佛，令汝等見三身了然，自悟自性。總隨我道：『於自色身，歸依清淨法身佛。於自色身，歸依圓滿報身佛。於自色身，歸依千百億化身佛。』善知識！色身是舍宅，不可言歸。向者三身佛，在自性中，世人總有；為自心迷，不見內性。外覓三身如來，不見自身中有三身佛。汝等聽說，令汝等於自身中，見自性有三身佛。此三身佛，從自性生，不從外得。何名清淨法身佛？世人性本清淨，萬法從自性生。思量一切惡事，即生惡行；思量一切善事，即生善行。如是諸法在自性中，如天常清，日月常明，為浮雲蓋覆，上明下暗。忽遇風吹雲散，上下俱明，萬象皆現。世人性常浮游，如彼天雲。善知識！智如日，慧如月，智慧常明。於外著境，被妄念浮雲蓋覆自性，不得明朗。若遇善知識，聞真正法，自除迷妄，內外明徹，於自性中萬法皆現。見性之人，亦復如是。此名清淨法身佛。善知識！自心歸依自性，是歸依真佛。自歸依者，除却自性中不善心、嫉妬心、諂曲心、吾我心、誑妄心、輕人心、慢他心、邪見心、貢高心，及一切時中不善之行，常自見己過，不說他人好惡，是自歸依。常須下心，普行恭敬，即是見性通達，更無滯礙，是自歸依。何名圓滿報身？譬如一燈能除千年闇，一智能滅萬年愚。莫思向前，已過不可得；常思於後，念念圓明，自見本性。善惡雖殊，本性無二，無二之性，名為實性。於實性中，不染善惡，此名圓滿報身佛。自性起一念惡，滅萬劫善因；自性起一念善，得恒沙惡盡。直至無上菩提，念念自見，不失本念，名為報身。何名千百億化身？若不思萬法，性本如空，一念思量，名為變化。思量惡事，化為地獄；思量善事，化為天堂。毒害化為龍蛇，慈悲化為菩薩，智慧化為上界，愚癡化為下方。自性變化甚多，迷人不能省覺，念念起惡，常行惡道。迴一念善，智慧即生，此名自性化身佛。善知識！法身本具，念念自性自見，即是報身佛。從報身思量，即是化身佛。自悟自修自性功德，是真歸依。皮肉是色身，色身是舍宅，不言歸依也。但悟自性三身，即識自性佛。吾有一無相頌，若能誦持，言下令汝積劫迷罪一時銷滅。頌曰：

cal path of the false demons, but be constantly in realization yourselves using the three treasures of the self-nature.

“I exhort you, good friends, to take refuge in the three treasures of the self-nature. [The word] ‘Buddha’ means enlightenment. ‘Dharma’ means correct. ‘Sangha’ means pure. In your own minds, take refuge in enlightenment, so that the deluded and false is not generated. Know the sufficiency of decreased desires, and be able to transcend wealth and sensual pleasures: this is called the Two-legged Honored One (i.e., a buddha in human form). In your own minds, take refuge in the correct, being without false views in every moment of thought. If you are without false thoughts, then there is no self to become proud, lustful, or attached: this is called the Honored One Who Has Transcended Desire. In your own minds, take refuge in purity, [realizing] your self-nature to be completely unattached and undefiled by all the realms of the defiled laborings and the desires: this is called the Honored One within the Pure Assembly.

“If you cultivate this practice, this is to take refuge oneself. Ordinary people do not understand and from morning to night accept the three refuges, saying they are taking refuge in the Buddha. Where is the Buddha? If you do not see the Buddha, how will your entreaties for refuge reach him? Such words only create false [thoughts]!

“Good friends, you should each examine this for yourselves—do not go about this incorrectly. The sutras clearly say one should take refuge in the Buddha oneself, but they do not say to take refuge in some ‘other-buddha’ (tafo, i.e., a buddha other than oneself). If you do not take refuge in the ‘selfbuddha,’ you will have no place of refuge [at all]. Today you are to become enlightened yourselves, and each of you should take refuge in the three treasures of your own minds. Internally regulating the mind-nature, externally one pays reverence to other people: this is to take self-refuge.

“Good friends, now that we have finished taking refuge in the three treasures of our own [minds], you should all concentrate your minds, and I will explain for you the buddha of the self-nature in one essence and three bodies. I will make you see the three bodies and become comprehensively enlightened yourselves to the self-nature.

“Everyone should say after me: ‘Within my own physical body (literally, “form-body”), I take refuge in the pure dharmakāya buddha. In my own physical body I take refuge in the perfect and complete saṃbhogakāya buddha. In my own physical body I take refuge in the thousand billion nirmāṇakāya buddhas.’

“Good friends, the physical body is a house, but you can’t take refuge in it. The three bodies of the Buddha just mentioned exist within the selfnatures, and all the people of this world have them. It is only because one is deluded as to one’s own mind that one does not see the inner nature, but seeks externally for the Tathāgata in three bodies. Thus one does not see that the three bodies of the Buddha exist within one’s own body. You should all listen to this explanation, and I will make you see the three bodies of the Buddha that exist within the self-natures in your own bodies. These three bodies of the Buddha are generated from the self-natures, they are not attained from any external [source].

“What is the pure dharmakāya buddha? The [self]-natures of the people of this world are fundamentally pure. The myriad dharmas are generated from

the self-natures. To think of all the evil things is to generate evil practices; to think of all the good things is to generate good practices. Thus it is that the dharmas occur within the self-natures. Just as heaven is always clear and the sun and moon always bright—it may be that [the sky] above is bright and [the world] below is dark through being blocked by the floating clouds, but all at once a wind will rise up and blow the clouds away, so that above and below are both bright, and the myriad forms are all visible. The natures of the people of this world are constantly floating, just like the clouds in the sky.

“Good friends, sagacity is like the sun, and wisdom is like the moon. Sagacity and wisdom are always bright, but through being attached externally to sensory realms, the floating clouds of false thoughts block the selfnature, rendering it obscure. If you meet a spiritual compatriot and listen to the true and correct Dharma, you can eradicate the deluded and false within