六祖大師法寶壇經 1.141

1.141

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."