六祖大師法寶壇經 1.126

1.126

Zhicheng bowed again and said: "I, your disciple, studied the Way with Great Master Xiu for nine years without attaining awakening. Now, hearing the upādhyāya speak once, I immediately accord with the original mind. For this disciple the matter of birth and death is great; may the upādhyāya, out of great compassion, give further instruction." The Master said: "I have heard that your teacher instructs students in the practices of precepts, samādhi, and wisdom. I do not know how your teacher explains the active characteristics of precepts, samādhi, and wisdom. Speak of it for me to see." Cheng said: "Great Master Xiu says that not committing any evil is called precepts; practicing all that is good is called wisdom; and purifying one's own intention is called samādhi. That is his explanation; I wonder what Dharma the upādhyāya uses to instruct people?" The Master said: "If I were to say that I have a Dharma to give to people, I would be deceiving you. I merely untie fetters according to the situation, provisionally naming it samādhi. The precepts, samādhi, and wisdom spoken by your teacher are truly inconceivable; the precepts, samādhi, and wisdom I see are yet different." Zhicheng said: "Precepts, samādhi, and wisdom should be of only one kind; how can they be different?" The Master said: "Your teacher's precepts, samādhi, and wisdom guide people of the Mahāyāna; my precepts, samādhi, and wisdom guide people of the Supreme Vehicle. Awakening and understanding are not the same; perception is slow or swift. Listen to my explanation: is it the same as his? The Dharma I teach does not depart from the svabhāva. To teach the Dharma apart from the essence is called teaching marks; one's svabhāva is constantly deluded. One must realize that the myriad phenomena all arise in their function from the svabhāva—this is the true Dharma of precepts, samādhi, and wisdom. Listen to my verse: