少室六門 1.106

1.106

夫道者。以寂滅為體。修者。以離相為宗。故經云。寂滅是菩提。滅諸相故。佛者覺也。人有覺心。得菩提道。故名為佛。經云。離一切諸相。即名諸佛。是知有相是無相之相。不可以眼見。唯可以智知。若聞此法者。生一念信心。此人以發大乘。乃超三界。三界者。貪嗔癡是。返貪嗔癡。為戒定慧。即名超三界。然貪嗔癡亦無實性。但據眾生而言矣。能返照了了見。貪嗔癡性即是佛性。貪嗔癡外更無別有佛性。經云。諸佛從本來。常處於三毒。長養於白法。而成於世尊。三毒者。貪嗔癡也。言大乘最上乘者。皆菩薩所行之處也。無所不乘。亦無所乘。終日乘未甞乘。此為佛乘。經云。無乘為佛乘也。若人知六根不實五蘊假名。遍體求之。必無定處。當知此人解佛語。經云。五蘊窟宅。是名禪院。內照開解。即大乘門。不憶一切法。乃名為禪定。若了此言者。行住坐臥皆是禪定。知心是空。名為見佛。何以故。十方諸佛皆以無心不見於心。名為見佛。捨心不悋。名大布施。離諸動定。名大坐禪。何以故。凡夫一向動。小乘一向定。謂出過凡夫小乘之坐禪。名大坐禪。若作此會者。一切諸相不離自解。一切諸病不治自差。此皆大禪定力。凡將心求法者為迷。不將心求法者為悟。不著文字名解脫。不染六塵名護法。出離生死名出家。不受後有名得道。不生妄想名涅槃。不處無明為大智慧。無煩惱處名般涅槃。無相處名為彼岸。迷時有此岸。悟時無此岸。何以故。為凡夫一向住此。若覺最上乘者。心不住此。亦不住彼。故能離於此彼岸也。若見彼岸異於此岸。此人之心已無禪定。煩惱名眾生。悟解名菩提。亦不一不異。只隔其迷悟耳。迷時有世間可出。悟時無世間可出。平等法中。不見凡夫異於聖人。經云。平等法者。凡夫不能入。聖人不能行。平等法者。唯大菩薩與諸佛如來行也。若見生異於死。動異於靜。皆名不平等。不見煩惱異於涅槃。是名平等。何以故。煩惱與涅槃。同是一性空故。是以小乘人妄斷煩惱。妄入涅槃。為涅槃所滯。菩薩知煩惱性空。即不離空。故常在涅槃。涅槃者。涅而不生。槃而不死。出離生死。名般涅槃。心無去來。即入涅槃。是知涅槃即是空心。諸佛入涅槃者。即是無妄想處。菩薩入道場者。即是無煩惱處。空閑處者。即是無貪嗔癡也。貪為欲界。嗔為色界。癡為無色界。若一念心生。即入三界。一念心滅。即出三界。是知三界生滅。萬法有無。皆由一心。凡言一心者。似破瓦石竹木無情之物。若知心是假名無有實體。即知自寂之心亦是非有亦是非無。何以故。凡夫一向生心名為有。小乘一向滅心名為無。菩薩與佛未曾生心。未曾滅心。名為非有非無心。非有非無心。此名為中道。是知將心學法。則心法俱迷。不將心學法。則心法俱悟。凡迷者迷於悟。悟者悟於迷。正見之人。知心空無。即超迷悟。無有迷悟。始名正解正見。色不自色。由心故色。心不自心。由色故心。是知心色兩相俱有生滅。有者有於無。無者無於有。是名真見。夫真見者。無所不見。亦無所見。見滿十方。未曾有見。何以故。無所見故。見無見故。見非見故。凡夫所見。皆名妄想。若寂滅無見。始名真見。心境相對。見生於中。若內不起心。則外不生境。故心境俱淨。乃名為真見。作此解時。乃名正見。不見一切法。乃名得道。不解一切法。乃名解法。何以故。見與不見。俱不見故。解與不解。俱不解故。無見之見。乃名真見。無解之解。乃名真解。夫真見者。非直見於見。亦乃見於不見。真解者。非直解於解。亦乃解於不解。凡有所解。皆名不解。無所解者。始名真解。解與不解。俱非解也。經云。不捨智慧名愚癡。以心為空。解與不解俱是真。以心為有。解與不解俱是妄。若解時法逐人。若不解時人逐法。若法逐於人。則非法成法。若人逐於法。則法成非法。若人逐於法。則法皆妄。若法逐於人。則法皆真。是以聖人亦不將心求法。亦不將法求心。亦不將心求心。亦不將法求法。所以心不生法。法不生心。心法兩寂。故常為在定。眾生心生則佛法滅。眾生心滅則佛法生。心生則真法滅。心滅則真法生。已知一切法各不相屬。是名得道人。知心不屬一切法。此人常在道場。迷時有罪。解時無罪。何以故。罪性空故。迷時無罪見罪。若解時即罪無罪。何以故。罪無處所故。經云。諸法無性。真用莫疑。疑即成罪。何以故。罪因疑惑而生。若作此解者。前世罪業即為消滅。迷時六識五陰皆是煩惱生死法。悟時六識五陰皆是涅槃無生死法。修道之人不外求道。何以故。知心是道。若得心時。無心可得。若得道時。無道可得。若言將心求道得者。皆名邪見。迷時有佛有法。悟無佛無法。何以故。悟即是佛法。夫修道者。身滅道成。亦如甲拆樹生。此業報身念念無常。無一定法。但隨念念修之。亦不得厭生死。亦不得愛生死。但念念之中。俱不妄想。則生證有餘涅槃。死入無生法忍。眼見色時。不染於色。耳聞聲時。不染於聲。皆解脫也。眼不著色。眼為禪門。耳不著聲。耳為禪門。總而言之。見色性者常解脫。見色相者常繫縛。不為煩惱繫縛者。即名解脫。更無別解脫。善觀色者。色不生於心。心不生於色。即色與心俱是清淨。無妄想時。一心是一佛國。有妄想時。一心是一地獄。眾生造作妄想。以心生心。故常在地獄。菩薩觀察妄想。不以心生心。故常在佛國。若不以心生心。則心心入空。念念歸靜。從一佛國。至一佛國。若以心生心。則心心不靜。念念歸動。從一地獄。歷一地獄。若一念心起。則有善惡二業。有天堂地獄。若一念心不起。即無善惡二業。亦無天堂地獄。為體非有非無。在凡即有。在聖即無。聖人無其心。故胸臆空洞。與天同量。心得涅槃時。即不見有涅槃。何以故。心是涅槃。若心外更見涅槃。此名著邪見也。一切煩惱為如來種子。為因煩惱而得智慧。只可道煩惱生如來。不可得道煩惱是如來。故身心為田疇。煩惱為種子。智慧為萌芽。如來喻於穀也。佛在心中。如香在樹中。煩惱若盡。佛從心出。朽腐若盡。香從樹出。即知樹外無香。心外無佛。若樹外有香。即是他香。心外有佛。即是他佛。心中有三毒者。是名國土穢惡。心中無三毒者。是名國土清淨。經云。若使國土不淨穢惡充滿。諸佛世尊於中出。無有此處。不淨穢惡者。即無明三毒也。諸佛世尊者。即清淨覺悟心也。一切言語無非佛法。若能無其所言。即盡日言而是道。若能有其所言。即終日默而非道。是故如來言不乘默。默不乘言。言不離默。悟此言默者。皆在三昧。若知時而言。言亦解脫。若不知時而默。默亦繫縛。是故言若離相。言亦名解脫。默若著相。默即是繫縛。夫文字者。本性解脫。文字不能就繫縛。繫縛自來就文字。法無高下。若見高下。即非法也。非法為筏。是法為人。筏者。人乘其筏。即渡非法。則是法也。若以世俗言之。即有男女貴賤。以道言之。即無男女貴賤。是以天女悟道。不變女形。車匿解真。寧移賤稱。此蓋非男女貴賤。皆由一相也。天女於十二年中求女相。了不可得。即知於十二年中求男相。亦不可得。十二年者。即十二入是也。離心無佛。離佛無心。亦如離水無氷。亦如離氷無水。言離心無佛者。非是遠離於心。但使不著心相。經云。不見相名為見佛。即是離心相也。離佛無心者。言佛從心出。心能生佛。然佛從心生。而佛未甞生心。亦如魚生於水。水不生於魚。欲觀於魚者。未見魚而先見水。欲觀於佛者。未見佛而先見心。即知已見魚者忘於水。已見佛者忘於心。若不忘於心。尚為心所惑。若不忘於水。尚被水所迷。眾生與菩提。亦如水與氷。為三毒所燒。即名眾生。為三解脫所淨。即名菩提。為三冬所凍。即名為氷。為三夏所消。即名為水。若捨却氷。即無別水。若棄却眾生。則無別菩提。明知氷性即是水性。水性即是氷性。眾生性者。即菩提性也。眾生與菩提同一性。只如烏頭與附子共根耳。但時節不同。迷悟異境故。有眾生菩提二名矣。蛇化為龍。不改其鱗。凡變為聖。不改其面。但知心者智內照。身者戒外貞。眾生度佛。佛度眾生。是名平等。眾生度佛者。煩惱生悟解。佛度眾生者。悟解滅煩惱。非無煩惱。非無悟解。是知非煩惱無以生悟解。非悟解無以滅煩惱。若迷時佛度眾生。若悟時眾生度佛。何以故。佛不自成。皆由眾生度故。諸佛以無明為父。貪愛為母。無明貪愛皆是眾生別名也。眾生與無明。亦如右掌與左掌。更無別也。迷時在此岸。悟時在彼岸。若知心空不見相。則離迷悟。既離迷悟。亦無彼岸。如來不在此岸。亦不在彼岸。不在中流。中流者。小乘人也。此岸者。凡夫也。彼岸者。菩提也。佛有三身者。化身報身法身。若眾生常作善根。即化身現。修智慧即報身現。覺無為即法身現。飛騰十方隨宜救濟者。化身佛也。斷惑修善雪山成道者。報身佛也。無言無說湛然常住者。法身佛也。若論至理。一佛尚無。何得有三。此言三身者。但據人智有上中下。下智人妄興。福力。妄見化身佛。中智人妄斷煩惱。妄見報身佛。上智人妄證菩提。妄見法身佛。上上智人內照圓寂。明心即佛。不待心而得佛。是知三身與萬法。皆不可取不可說。此即解脫心成於大道。經云。佛不說法。不度眾生。不證菩提。此之謂矣。眾生造業。業造眾生。今世造業。後世受報。無有脫時。唯有至人。於此身中。不造諸業。故不受報。經云。諸業不造。自然得道。豈虛言哉。人能造業。業不能造人。人若造業。業與人俱生。人若不造業。業與人俱滅。是知業由人造。人由業生。人若不造業。即業無由人生也。亦如人能弘道。道不能弘人。今之凡夫。往往造業。妄說無報。豈不苦哉。若以至理而論之。前心造後心報。何有脫時。若前心不造。即後心無報。亦安得妄見業報哉。經云。雖信有佛。言佛苦行。是名邪見。雖信有佛。言佛有金鏘馬麥之報。是名信不具足。是名一闡提。解聖法者。名為聖人。解凡法者。名為凡夫。但能捨凡法就聖法。即凡夫成聖人矣。世間愚人。但欲遠求聖人。不信慧解之心為聖人也。經云。無智人中。莫說此經。此經者。心也法也。無智之人。不信此心解法。成於聖人。但欲遠求外學愛慕空中佛像光明香色等事。皆墮邪見。失心狂亂。經云。若見諸相非相。即見如來。八萬四千法門。盡由一心而起。若心相內淨。由如虛空。即出離身心內八萬四千煩惱病本也。凡夫當生憂死。臨飽愁飢。皆名大惑。所以至人不謀其前。不慮其後。無變當今。念念歸道。

Now, the Way takes quiescent cessation as its essence; practice takes departure from marks as its guiding principle. Therefore a sūtra says: 'Quiescent cessation is bodhi, because it extinguishes all marks.' 'Buddha' means awakened. When a person possesses an awakened mind, they attain the path of bodhi; therefore they are named 'Buddha.' A sūtra says: 'Departing from all marks is called the Buddhas.' From this one knows that having marks is the mark of marklessness; it cannot be seen with the eyes, but can only be known by wisdom. If one hears this teaching and produces a single thought of faith, this person has already set out on the Great Vehicle and transcends the traidhātuka. The traidhātuka is desire, hatred, and ignorance. Turning desire, hatred, and ignorance into morality, concentration, and wisdom is called transcending the traidhātuka. Yet desire, hatred, and ignorance also have no real nature; they are merely spoken of with reference to sentient beings. If one can reflect back and see clearly, the nature of desire, hatred, and ignorance is precisely the Buddha-nature. Outside of desire, hatred, and ignorance, there is no other Buddha-nature. A sūtra says: 'The Buddhas, from the very beginning, constantly abide in the three poisons, nourish pure qualities, and accomplish the World-Honoured One.' The three poisons are desire, hatred, and ignorance. What are called the Great Vehicle and the Supreme Vehicle are the domain traversed by bodhisattvas. There is nowhere they do not ride, yet there is nothing they ride; riding all day, they have never ridden. This is the Buddha Vehicle. A sūtra says: 'The absence of a vehicle is the Buddha Vehicle.' If a person knows that the ṣaḍ-indriya are not real and the pañca-skandha are provisional names, and seeking them throughout the body finds no fixed place, one should know that this person understands the Buddha's words. A sūtra says: 'The cave and dwelling of the pañca-skandha is called a meditation monastery; opening understanding through inner reflection is the gate of the Great Vehicle.' Not recollecting any dharma is called meditative concentration. If one comprehends these words, walking, standing, sitting, and lying down are all meditative concentration. Knowing that the mind is empty is called seeing the Buddha. Why? The Buddhas of the ten directions all take no-mind and not seeing the mind as seeing the Buddha. Renouncing the mind without stinginess is called great giving. Departing from all movement and stillness is called great sitting meditation. Why? Ordinary persons are solely inclined toward movement; the Small Vehicle is solely inclined toward stillness. What surpasses the sitting meditation of ordinary persons and the Small Vehicle is called great sitting meditation. If one forms this understanding, all marks resolve themselves without departure; all ailments cure themselves without treatment. These are all the power of great meditative concentration. In general, those who use the mind to seek dharmas are deluded; those who do not use the mind to seek dharmas are awakened. Not clinging to written words is called vimokṣa. Not being defiled by the six sense objects is called protecting the Dharma. Departing from birth and death is called leaving home. Not receiving further existence is called attaining the Way. Not producing false thoughts is called nirvāṇa. Not dwelling in avidyā is great wisdom. The place without afflictions is called parinirvāṇa. The place of marklessness is called the other shore. When deluded, there is this shore; when awakened, there is no this shore. Why? Because ordinary persons solely abide here. If one awakens to the Supreme Vehicle, the mind abides neither here nor there; therefore one can leave both this shore and the other shore. If one sees the other shore as different from this shore, this person's mind already lacks meditative concentration. Affliction is named sentient beings; awakened understanding is named bodhi. They are neither one nor different; they are separated only by delusion and awakening. When deluded, there is a mundane realm to escape; when awakened, there is no mundane realm to escape. Within the equal Dharma, one does not see ordinary persons as different from noble ones. A sūtra says: 'The equal Dharma cannot be entered by ordinary persons, nor can it be practiced by noble ones. The equal Dharma is practiced only by great bodhisattvas and the Buddhas, Tathāgatas.' If one sees life as different from death, or movement as different from stillness, these are all called unequal. Not seeing affliction as different from nirvāṇa is called equality. Why? Because affliction and nirvāṇa are identical in the one nature of emptiness. Therefore, people of the Small Vehicle falsely sever affliction and falsely enter nirvāṇa, becoming obstructed by nirvāṇa. Bodhisattvas know that the nature of affliction is empty, so they do not depart from emptiness; hence they are constantly in nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa means: nir is not being born, and vāṇa is not dying. Leaving birth and death is called parinirvāṇa. When the mind has no coming or going, one enters nirvāṇa. From this one knows that nirvāṇa is precisely the empty mind. The Buddhas' entering nirvāṇa is precisely the place of no false thoughts. Bodhisattvas' entering the place of the Way is precisely the place of no afflictions. A quiet, empty place is precisely the absence of desire, hatred, and ignorance. Desire is the desire realm; hatred is the form realm; ignorance is the formless realm. If a single thought arises in the mind, one enters the traidhātuka; if a single thought ceases, one exits the traidhātuka. From this one knows that the arising and ceasing of the traidhātuka and the existence and nonexistence of the ten thousand dharmas all depend on the one mind. In general, to speak of 'one mind' is like inanimate objects such as broken tiles, stones, bamboo, and wood. If one knows that the mind is a provisional name and has no real substance, one knows that the naturally quiescent mind is neither existent nor nonexistent. Why? Ordinary persons solely give rise to mind, which is called existence; the Small Vehicle solely extinguishes mind, which is called nonexistence. Bodhisattvas and Buddhas have never given rise to mind and have never extinguished mind; this is called the mind that is neither existent nor nonexistent. The mind that is neither existent nor nonexistent—this is called the Middle Way. From this one knows that if one uses the mind to study the Dharma, both mind and Dharma are deluded; if one does not use the mind to study the Dharma, both mind and Dharma are awakened. Generally, the deluded are deluded about awakening; the awakened are awakened to delusion. A person of right view knows that the mind is empty and nonexistent, and thus transcends both delusion and awakening. When there is neither delusion nor awakening, only then is it called right understanding and right view. Rūpa is not rūpa of itself; because of mind, there is rūpa. Mind is not mind of itself; because of rūpa, there is mind. From this one knows that both marks of mind and rūpa have arising and ceasing. Existence exists in relation to nonexistence; nonexistence does not exist in relation to existence. This is called true seeing. Now, true seeing sees nothing, yet there is nothing it does not see; seeing fills the ten directions, yet it has never had any seeing. Why? Because there is nothing seen, because seeing is non-seeing, and because seeing is not seeing. What ordinary persons see is all called false thoughts. Only when one is quiescent and without seeing is it called true seeing. When mind and objects confront each other, seeing arises between them. If no mind arises internally, no objects are produced externally; therefore, both mind and objects are pure—only this is called true seeing. When one forms this understanding, only then is it called right view. Not seeing any dharmas is called attaining the Way. Not understanding any dharmas is called understanding the Dharma. Why? Because seeing and not seeing are both non-seeing; understanding and not understanding are both non-understanding. The seeing of non-seeing is called true seeing; the understanding of non-understanding is called true understanding. Now, true seeing does not merely see seeing; it also sees non-seeing. True understanding does not merely understand understanding; it also understands non-understanding. Whatever is understood is called non-understanding; having nothing understood is called true understanding. Understanding and not understanding are both non-understanding. A sūtra says: 'Not relinquishing wisdom is called foolishness.' Taking the mind as empty, both understanding and non-understanding are true; taking the mind as existent, both understanding and non-understanding are false. When one understands, dharmas follow the person; when one does not understand, the person follows dharmas. If dharmas follow the person, non-dharma becomes Dharma; if the person follows dharmas, Dharma becomes non-dharma. If the person follows dharmas, all dharmas are false; if dharmas follow the person, all dharmas are true. Therefore the sage does not use the mind to seek dharmas, nor uses dharmas to seek the mind, nor uses the mind to seek the mind, nor uses dharmas to seek dharmas. Hence the mind does not give rise to dharmas, and dharmas do not give rise to the mind. Mind and dharmas are both quiescent, so one is constantly in concentration. When sentient beings' minds arise, the Buddha-Dharma ceases; when sentient beings' minds cease, the Buddha-Dharma arises. When the mind arises, the true Dharma ceases; when the mind ceases, the true Dharma arises. One who already knows that all dharmas do not belong to one another is called a person who has attained the Way. One who knows that the mind does not belong to any dharma is constantly in the place of the Way. When deluded, there is guilt; when understanding, there is no guilt. Why? Because the nature of guilt is empty. When deluded, though there is no guilt, one sees guilt; if one understands, guilt is non-guilt. Why? Because guilt has no location. A sūtra says: 'All dharmas lack self-nature; do not doubt their true functioning. If you doubt, it becomes guilt.' Why? Because guilt arises from doubt and hesitation. If one forms this understanding, karmic guilt from previous lives will be extinguished. When deluded, the six consciousnesses and five aggregates are all dharmas of affliction, birth, and death; when awakened, the six consciousnesses and five aggregates are all dharmas of nirvāṇa, free from birth and death. Practitioners of the Way do not seek the Way externally. Why? Because they know the mind is the Way. When one attains the mind, there is no mind to be attained; when one attains the Way, there is no Way to be attained. To say that one attains by using the mind to seek the Way is all called wrong view. When deluded, there is Buddha and there is Dharma; when awakened, there is no Buddha and no Dharma. Why? Because awakening is itself the Buddha-Dharma. Now, for practitioners of the Way, when the body perishes, the Way is accomplished, just as when a seed-coat breaks, a tree grows. This body of karmic retribution is impermanent from thought to thought, with no fixed state; one simply practices along with each thought. One must neither loathe birth and death nor love birth and death; but in thought after thought, if one has no false thoughts at all, then in life one realizes nirvāṇa with remainder, and in death one enters the forbearance of the non-arising of dharmas. When the eye sees rūpa and is not defiled by rūpa, and when the ear hears sounds and is not defiled by sounds, both are vimokṣa. When the eye does not cling to rūpa, the eye is the gate of meditation; when the ear does not cling to sounds, the ear is the gate of meditation. In summary, one who sees the nature of rūpa is constantly liberated; one who sees the marks of rūpa is constantly bound. Not being bound by afflictions is called vimokṣa; there is no other vimokṣa. For one who contemplates rūpa skillfully, rūpa does not arise from the mind, and the mind does not arise from rūpa; then both rūpa and mind are pure. When there are no false thoughts, the one mind is a Buddha-land; when there are false thoughts, the one mind is a hell. Sentient beings fabricate false thoughts, using mind to generate mind; therefore they are constantly in hell. Bodhisattvas observe false thoughts, not using mind to generate mind; therefore they are constantly in a Buddha-land. If one does not use mind to generate mind, then thought after thought enters emptiness, and thought after thought returns to stillness, going from one Buddha-land to another Buddha-land. If one uses mind to generate mind, then thought after thought is not still, and thought after thought returns to movement, going from one hell to undergo another hell. If a single thought arises in the mind, then there are the two karmas of good and evil, and there are heaven and hell. If a single thought does not arise in the mind, then there are neither the two karmas of good and evil nor heaven and hell. Because its substance is neither existent nor nonexistent: in ordinary beings it exists, while in the sage it does not exist. The sage is without that mind, so their chest is hollow and open, equal in measure to heaven. When the mind attains nirvāṇa, it does not see that there is nirvāṇa. Why? The mind is nirvāṇa. If one sees nirvāṇa outside the mind, this is called clinging to wrong views. All afflictions are seeds of the Tathāgata, because one attains wisdom on account of afflictions. One can only say that afflictions give birth to the Tathāgata; one cannot say that afflictions are the Tathāgata. Therefore, body and mind are the fields, afflictions are the seeds, wisdom is the sprout, and the Tathāgata is compared to the grain. The Buddha is in the mind, like fragrance in wood; when afflictions are exhausted, the Buddha emerges from the mind, just as when rot is exhausted, the fragrance emerges from the wood. From this one knows that outside the tree there is no fragrance, and outside the mind there is no Buddha. If there were fragrance outside the tree, it would be another fragrance; if there were a Buddha outside the mind, it would be another Buddha. Having the three poisons in the mind is called an impure, defiled land; having no three poisons in the mind is called a pure land. A sūtra says: 'If a land is filled with impurities and defilements, that the Buddhas, World-Honoured Ones emerge therein—no such place exists.' Impurity and defilement are avidyā and the three poisons; the Buddhas, World-Honoured Ones are the pure, awakened mind. All speech is nothing other than the Buddha-Dharma: if one can have nothing spoken, then speaking all day is the Way; if one has something spoken, then remaining silent all day is not the Way. Therefore, the Tathāgata's speech does not mount upon silence, silence does not mount upon speech, and speech does not depart from silence. Those who awaken to this speech and silence are all in samādhi. If one speaks knowing the time, speech is also vimokṣa; if one remains silent without knowing the time, silence is also bondage. Therefore, if speech departs from marks, speech is also called vimokṣa; if silence clings to marks, silence is bondage. Written words are intrinsically liberated by nature; words cannot approach and bind, but bondage itself comes to approach words. The Dharma has no high or low; if one sees high and low, it is not the Dharma. Non-dharma is the raft; this Dharma is the person. As for the raft, when a person rides that raft, they cross over non-dharma, and that is the Dharma. Spoken in worldly terms, there are male and female, noble and base; spoken in terms of the Way, there are neither male nor female, noble nor base. Therefore, the heavenly maiden awakened to the Way without changing her female form, and Chandaka understood the truth without altering his lowly designation. These are neither male nor female, noble nor base, because they all arise from a single mark. The heavenly maiden sought the mark of a woman for twelve years and could not find it at all; one should know that seeking the mark of a man for twelve years is also impossible. The twelve years are the twelve sense bases. Apart from the mind there is no Buddha; apart from the Buddha there is no mind—just as apart from water there is no ice, and apart from ice there is no water. Saying that apart from the mind there is no Buddha does not mean being far removed from the mind, but merely not clinging to the marks of the mind. A sūtra says: 'Not seeing marks is called seeing the Buddha'—this means departing from the marks of the mind. That apart from the Buddha there is no mind means that the Buddha emerges from the mind and the mind can produce the Buddha; yet while the Buddha is produced from the mind, the Buddha has never produced mind, just as fish are produced from water, but water is not produced from fish. One who wishes to observe fish sees the water before seeing the fish; one who wishes to observe the Buddha sees the mind before seeing the Buddha. From this one knows that one who has already seen the fish forgets the water, and one who has already seen the Buddha forgets the mind. If one does not forget the mind, one is still deluded by the mind; if one does not forget the water, one is still bewildered by the water. Sentient beings and bodhi are also like water and ice: being scorched by the three poisons is called sentient beings; being purified by the three liberations is called bodhi. Being frozen by the three months of winter is called ice; being melted by the three months of summer is called water. If one discards the ice, there is no other water; if one rejects sentient beings, there is no other bodhi. Clearly know that the nature of ice is precisely the nature of water, and the nature of water is precisely the nature of ice; the nature of sentient beings is precisely the nature of bodhi. Sentient beings and bodhi share the identical nature, just as aconite and lateral aconite share the same root; it is only because of different seasons and different realms of delusion and awakening that there are the two names, sentient beings and bodhi. A snake transforming into a dragon does not change its scales; an ordinary person transforming into a sage does not change their face. One only knows that the mind is wisdom shining within, and the body is precepts remaining pure without. Sentient beings liberate the Buddha, and the Buddha liberates sentient beings: this is called equality. That sentient beings liberate the Buddha means that afflictions give rise to awakened understanding; that the Buddha liberates sentient beings means that awakened understanding eliminates afflictions. It is not that there are no afflictions, nor that there is no awakened understanding; from this one knows that without afflictions there is no way to produce awakened understanding, and without awakened understanding there is no way to eliminate afflictions. When deluded, the Buddha liberates sentient beings; when awakened, sentient beings liberate the Buddha. Why? The Buddha does not accomplish [enlightenment] on his own; it is entirely through sentient beings that he is liberated. The Buddhas take avidyā as their father and craving as their mother; avidyā and craving are both alternative names for sentient beings. Sentient beings and avidyā are like the right palm and the left palm, with no other difference. When deluded, one is on this shore; when awakened, one is on the other shore. If one knows that the mind is empty and does not see marks, one departs from delusion and awakening; having departed from delusion and awakening, there is also no other shore. The Tathāgata is neither on this shore nor on the other shore, nor in midstream. Midstream is the people of the Small Vehicle; this shore is ordinary persons; the other shore is bodhi. The Buddha has three bodies: the transformation body, the reward body, and the dharmakāya. If sentient beings constantly cultivate roots of good, the transformation body appears; if they cultivate wisdom, the reward body appears; if they awaken to the unconditioned, the dharmakāya appears. Flying through the ten directions to bring rescue according to circumstances is the transformation body Buddha. Severing delusion, cultivating good, and attaining the Way in the Snowy Mountains is the reward body Buddha. Wordless, unexplainable, tranquil, and eternally abiding is the dharmakāya Buddha. If discussed according to ultimate truth, there is not even one Buddha, so how could there be three? To speak of three bodies here is merely based on human wisdom having superior, middling, and inferior grades. People of inferior wisdom falsely stir up the power of merit and falsely see the transformation body Buddha. People of middling wisdom falsely sever afflictions and falsely see the reward body Buddha. People of superior wisdom falsely realize bodhi and falsely see the dharmakāya Buddha. People of the supreme wisdom reflect inward to complete quiescence, understanding clearly that the mind is the Buddha, not waiting on the mind to attain Buddhahood. From this one knows that the three bodies and the ten thousand dharmas are all unobtainable and inexpressible. This is the liberated mind accomplishing the Great Way. A sūtra says: 'The Buddha does not preach the Dharma, does not liberate sentient beings, and does not realize bodhi'—this is what it means. Sentient beings create karma, and karma creates sentient beings; creating karma in this life, they receive retribution in future lives, with no time of release. Only the perfected person does not create any karma in this body, and therefore does not receive retribution. A sūtra says: 'When all karma is not created, one naturally attains the Way.' How could this be false speech? Humans can create karma, but karma cannot create humans. If humans create karma, karma and humans arise together; if humans do not create karma, karma and humans perish together. From this one knows that karma is created by humans, and humans are born from karma. If humans do not create karma, then karma has no way to produce humans. This is also like humans being able to broaden the Way, but the Way cannot broaden humans. Ordinary persons today often create karma and falsely say there is no retribution; how lamentable! If discussed according to ultimate truth, the preceding mind creates and the succeeding mind receives retribution—how could there be release? If the preceding mind does not create, then the succeeding mind has no retribution; how then could one falsely see karmic retribution? A sūtra says: 'Though having faith that there is a Buddha, to say that the Buddha practiced austerities is called wrong view. Though having faith that there is a Buddha, to say that the Buddha had the retribution of the golden spear and horse-barley is called deficient faith; this is called an icchantika.' One who understands the noble teaching is called a noble one; one who understands the ordinary teaching is called an ordinary person. Simply being able to renounce ordinary teachings and take up noble teachings makes an ordinary person a noble one. The foolish people of the world merely wish to seek the noble one afar, not believing that the mind of wise understanding is itself the noble one. A sūtra says: 'Among people without wisdom, do not preach this sūtra.' This sūtra is the mind, it is the Dharma. People without wisdom do not believe that this mind understands the Dharma and accomplishes the noble one; they merely wish to seek externally, admiring Buddha images, light, fragrance, colors, and such things in the sky, falling entirely into wrong views and losing their minds in madness. A sūtra says: 'If one sees that all marks are not marks, one sees the Tathāgata.' The eighty-four thousand Dharma gates all arise from the one mind. If the marks of the mind are internally pure like space, one leaves behind the root of the eighty-four thousand sicknesses of affliction within the body and mind. Ordinary persons worry about death when alive, and grieve over hunger when full; these are all called great confusion. Therefore, the perfected person does not plan for what is before them, does not fret over what is behind them, does not alter the present moment, and thought after thought returns to the Way.