六祖大師法寶壇經 1.40

1.40

The next day, Governor Wei requested further instruction. The Master ascended the seat and addressed the great assembly, saying: "All of you, with purified minds, recite 'Mahāprajñāpāramitā.'" He said further: "Good friends! The wisdom of bodhi-prajñā is originally possessed by worldly people within themselves; it is only because their minds are deluded that they cannot awaken to it by themselves, and must rely on a great good spiritual friend to guide them to seeing into their nature. You should know that between foolish people and wise people, the Buddha-nature originally has no distinction; it is only because delusion and awakening differ that there are the foolish and the wise. I shall now expound for you the teaching of Mahāprajñāpāramitā, so that each of you may obtain wisdom. Listen attentively with concentrated mind! I shall expound it for you. Good friends! Worldly people recite 'prajñā' with their mouths all day long, yet do not recognize the prajñā of their own svabhāva; this is like speaking of food and not being filled. If one only speaks of emptiness with the mouth, even in ten thousand kalpas one cannot see into one's nature, and ultimately there will be no benefit. Good friends! Mahāprajñāpāramitā is a Sanskrit term; here it means 'great wisdom reaching the other shore.' This must be practiced in the mind; it does not lie in reciting it with the mouth. If one recites with the mouth but does not practice in the mind, it is like an illusion, like a phantom, like dew, like lightning; if one recites with the mouth and practices in the mind, then mind and mouth correspond. The original nature is the Buddha; apart from the nature there is no other Buddha. What is meant by 'mahā'? Mahā means great. The capacity of the mind is vast and great, just like empty space, without boundaries, neither square nor round, neither large nor small, neither blue, yellow, red, nor white, neither above nor below, neither long nor short, free from anger and free from joy, free from right and free from wrong, free from good and free from evil, and without head or tail. All buddha-lands are entirely identical to empty space. Worldly people's wondrous nature is originally empty, without a single dharma that can be attained. The true emptiness of svabhāva is also like this. Good friends! Do not hear me speak of emptiness and immediately become attached to emptiness. First of all, do not attach to emptiness; if you sit quietly with an empty mind, you are attached to neutral emptiness. Good friends! The emptiness of the world can contain the forms and images of the myriad things: the sun, moon, stars, constellations, mountains, rivers, the great earth, springs, streams, ravines, grasses, trees, thickets, forests, bad people, good people, bad dharmas, good dharmas, heaven, hell, all the great oceans, and Mount Sumeru and the other mountains—all are within emptiness. The emptiness of nature in worldly people is also like this. Good friends! That svabhāva can contain the myriad dharmas is 'great'; the myriad dharmas are within everyone's nature. If you see all people, both evil and good, neither grasping nor rejecting any of them, and not being tainted or attached, your mind being like empty space, this is named 'great'; therefore it is called mahā. Good friends! Deluded people speak with their mouths; wise people practice in their minds. There are also deluded people who sit quietly with an empty mind, thinking of nothing whatsoever, and call themselves great. With this group of people, one cannot speak, because of their wrong views. Good friends! The capacity of the mind is vast and great, pervading throughout the dharmadhātu; when applied, it is clear and distinct; whenever applied, it knows all. All is one; one is all. Coming and going freely, the substance of the mind unobstructed—this is prajñā. Good friends! All prajñā-wisdom arises from svabhāva; it does not enter from outside. Do not mistakenly apply your intent; this is called the self-functioning of the true nature. When the one is true, all is true. The mind's capacity is for the great matter; it does not practice minor paths. Do not speak of emptiness with your mouth all day long while not cultivating this practice in your mind; that is just like a commoner calling himself a king, which in the end cannot be achieved; such are not my disciples.