黃檗山斷際禪師傳心法要 1.8

1.8

On the eighth day of the tenth month, the Master said to Xiu: "As for what is called the 'conjured city': the two vehicles, the ten stages, equal enlightenment, and wondrous enlightenment are all teachings provisionally established to guide [sentient beings]; all of them are conjured cities. As for what is called the 'place of jewels': it is the jewel of the true mind, the original Buddha, the self-nature. This jewel does not belong to emotional reckoning and cannot be established. There is neither Buddha nor sentient beings, neither subject nor object—where could there be a city? If you ask, 'Since this is a conjured city, where is the place of jewels?'—the place of jewels cannot be pointed out. If it is pointed out, there would be a location, and it would not be the true place of jewels. Therefore it is said, 'It is close by, that is all.' It cannot be spoken of by fixed measures; you need only realize and accord with it, and that is it. As for what is called an icchantika: it means faith is incomplete. All sentient beings in the six realms, and even those of the two vehicles, who do not believe there is a Buddha-fruit, are called icchantikas who have severed roots of goodness. As for bodhisattvas: they deeply believe there is the Buddhadharma, and do not see Mahāyāna or Hīnayāna; the Buddha and sentient beings share the same dharma-nature—these are called icchantikas of good roots. Generally, those who awaken by relying on the teaching of sounds are called śrāvakas; those who awaken by contemplating causes and conditions are called pratyekabuddhas. If one does not awaken toward one's own mind, even if one reaches Buddhahood, one is still called a śrāvaka Buddha. Students of the Way mostly awaken through doctrinal teachings and do not awaken through the Dharma of Mind. Even if they cultivate through eons, in the end it is not the original Buddha. If one does not awaken to the mind and instead awakens through doctrinal teachings, one disparages the mind and values teachings, thereby chasing clods of earth and forgetting the original mind. Therefore, simply accord with the original mind without needing to seek the Dharma; the mind itself is the Dharma. Ordinary people are mostly obstructed by objects in their minds and by phenomena in principle; they always wish to flee objects to pacify the mind, or cast off phenomena to preserve principle, not knowing that it is the mind that obstructs objects and principle that obstructs phenomena. Simply make the mind empty, and objects will naturally become empty; simply make principle tranquil, and phenomena will naturally become tranquil. Do not apply the mind contrarily. Ordinary people are mostly unwilling to empty their minds, fearing falling into emptiness, not knowing that their own minds are originally empty. The foolish eliminate phenomena but do not eliminate the mind; the wise eliminate the mind but do not eliminate phenomena. The mind of a bodhisattva is like empty space, renouncing everything entirely, without greedily clinging to any of the merit created. However, renunciation has three grades: renouncing entirely inside and outside, body and mind, just like empty space with nothing grasped or clung to, and then responding to things according to circumstances, forgetting both subject and object—this is great renunciation. If on the one hand one practices the Way and distributes virtue, and on the other hand renounces in turn without any mind of expectation—this is intermediate renunciation. If one extensively cultivates all kinds of good deeds with expectations, but hearing the Dharma knows emptiness and thereupon does not cling—this is lesser renunciation. Great renunciation is like a torch held in front: there is no longer confusion or awakening. Intermediate renunciation is like a torch held at the side: it is sometimes bright and sometimes dark. Lesser renunciation is like a torch held behind: one does not see pits and traps. Therefore, the mind of a bodhisattva is like empty space, renouncing everything entirely. The past mind cannot be found—this is past renunciation. The present mind cannot be found—this is present renunciation. The future mind cannot be found—this is future renunciation. This is what is called renouncing all three times. Ever since the Tathāgata entrusted the Dharma to Kāśyapa, mind has been imprinted with mind; mind and mind are not different. If an imprint is applied to emptiness, the imprint forms no pattern; if an imprint is applied to objects, the imprint forms no dharma. Therefore, mind is imprinted with mind; mind and mind are not different. Both the imprinter and the imprinted are difficult to accord with; hence, those who attain it are few. Yet mind is no-mind, and attainment is no attainment. The Buddha has three bodies: the dharma-body speaks the Dharma of the empty permeability of self-nature; the reward-body speaks the Dharma of all purities; the transformation-body speaks the Dharma of the six pāramitās and ten thousand practices. When the dharma-body speaks the Dharma, it cannot be sought through speech, sounds, physical forms, or written words; there is nothing spoken and nothing realized—it is only the empty permeability of self-nature. Hence it is said: 'That there is no dharma that can be spoken is called speaking the Dharma.' The reward-body and transformation-body both appear in response to capacities; the Dharma spoken also adapts to phenomena in response to faculties in order to gather and transform—none of these is the true Dharma. Hence it is said: 'The reward and transformation are not the true Buddha, nor are they the speaker of the Dharma.' What is said about 'the one subtle brightness dividing into the six unions': the one subtle brightness is the One Mind; the six unions are the six sense faculties. These six sense faculties each unite with sense objects: the eye unites with form, the ear with sound, the nose with scent, the tongue with taste, the body with touch, and the mind with dharmas. In between, the six consciousnesses are born, making the eighteen realms. If you understand that the eighteen realms have no reality, you bind the six unions back into the one subtle brightness. The one subtle brightness is the mind itself. Students of the Way all know this, but they cannot avoid interpreting it as 'one subtle brightness and six unions'; thus they are bound by dharmas and do not accord with the original mind. When the Tathāgata appeared in the world, wishing to speak the true Dharma of the One Vehicle, sentient beings would not believe it and would give rise to slander, drowning in the sea of suffering. If he spoke nothing at all, he would fall into stinginess and not universally bestow the wondrous Way upon sentient beings. Thereupon he devised expedient means and spoke of the three vehicles: the vehicles have large and small, and the attainments have shallow and deep—none of which is the original Dharma. Hence it is said: 'There is only the Way of the One Vehicle; the other two are not real.' Yet in the end he had not yet revealed the Dharma of One Mind; therefore he summoned Kāśyapa to the same Dharma seat and separately entrusted the One Mind, the Dharma apart from speech. He made this one branch of Dharma circulate separately. If one can accord with and awaken to it, one immediately reaches the Buddha stage."