黃檗山斷際禪師傳心法要 1.12

1.12

問從上來皆云。即心是佛。未審即那箇心是佛。師云。爾有幾箇心。云為復即凡心是佛。即聖心是佛。師云。爾何處有凡聖心耶。云即今三乘中說有凡聖。和尚何得言無。師云。三乘中分明向爾道。凡聖心是妄。爾今不解。返執為有。將空作實。豈不是妄。妄故迷心。汝但除却凡情聖境。心外更無別佛。祖師西來直指一切人全體是佛。汝今不識。執凡執聖向外馳騁。還自迷心。所以向汝道。即心是佛。一念情生即墮異趣。無始已來不異今日。無有異法故名成等正覺。云和尚所言即者。是何道理。師云。覓什麼道理。纔有道理便即心異。云前言無始已來不異今日。此理如何。師云。秖為覓故。汝自異他。汝若不覓。何處有異。云既是不異。何更用說即。師云。汝若不信凡聖。阿誰向汝道即。即若不即。心亦不心。可中心即俱忘。阿爾便擬向何處覓去。

Someone asked: "From of old it has always been said: 'Mind itself is the Buddha.' I wonder which mind is the Buddha?" The Master said: "How many minds do you have?" The questioner said: "Is it that the ordinary mind is the Buddha, or that the sage mind is the Buddha?" The Master said: "Where do you have an ordinary or sage mind?" The questioner said: "Right now in the three vehicles it is spoken that there are ordinary and sage; how can the Upādhyāya say there are none?" The Master said: "In the three vehicles it is clearly told to you that the ordinary and sage minds are delusion. Now you do not understand and conversely cling to them as existent, taking emptiness as real; is this not delusion? Because it is delusion, it deludes the mind. You need only remove ordinary emotion and sage realms; outside of mind there is no other Buddha. The ancestral master came from the west directly pointing to all people being wholly the Buddha. Now you do not recognize this; clinging to the ordinary and clinging to the sage, you gallop outside and again delude your own mind. Therefore I say to you: 'Mind itself is the Buddha.' As soon as a single thought of emotion arises, one falls into different destinies. From the beginningless past down to today, it is not different; there being no different dharma is therefore called realizing equal and perfect enlightenment." The questioner said: "What principle is the 'itself' spoken of by the Upādhyāya?" The Master said: "What principle are you seeking? As soon as there is a principle, the mind immediately differs." The questioner said: "It was said before that from the beginningless past down to today it is not different; what is the principle of this?" The Master said: "Merely because of seeking, you yourself differ from it. If you do not seek, where would there be difference?" The questioner said: "Since it is not different, why further use the word 'itself'?" The Master said: "If you did not believe in ordinary and sage, who would say 'itself' to you? If 'itself' is not 'itself', the mind is also not mind. If 'itself' and 'mind' are both forgotten, where on earth do you intend to go seeking?"