宗鏡錄 1.16

1.16

答。斯言遣滯。若無宗之宗。則宗說兼暢。古佛皆垂方便門。禪宗亦開一線道。切不可執方便而迷大旨。又不可廢方便而絕後陳。然機前無教。教後無實。設有一解一悟。皆是落後之事。屬第二頭。所以大智度論云。以佛眼觀一切十方國土中一切物。尚不見無。何況有法。畢竟空法。能破顛倒。令菩薩成佛。是事尚不可得。何況凡夫顛倒有法。今依祖佛言教之中。約今學人。隨見心性發明之處。立心為宗。是故西天釋迦文佛云。佛語心為宗。無門為法門。此土初祖達磨大師云。以心傳心。不立文字。則佛佛手授。授斯旨。祖祖相傳。傳此心。已上約祖佛所立宗旨。又諸賢聖所立宗體者。杜順和尚依華嚴經。立自性清淨圓明體。此即是如來藏中法性之體。從本已來。性自滿足。處染不垢。修治不淨。故云自性清淨。性體遍照。無幽不矚。故曰圓明。又隨流加染而不垢。返流除染而不淨。亦可在聖體而不增。處凡身而不減。雖有隱顯之殊。而無差別之異。煩惱覆之則隱。智慧了之則顯。非生因之所生。唯了因之所了。斯即一切眾生自心之體。靈知不昧。寂照無遺。非但華嚴之宗。亦是一切教體。佛地論。立一清淨法界體。論云。清淨法界者。一切如來真實自體。無始時來。自性清淨。具足種種過十方界極微塵數性相功德。無生無滅。猶如虛空。遍一切有情。平等共有。與一切法。不一不異。非有非無。離一切相。一切分別。一切名言。皆不能得。唯是清淨聖智所證。二空無我所顯。真如為其自性。諸聖分證。諸佛圓證。此清淨法界。即真如妙心。為諸佛果海之源。作群生實際之地。此皆是立宗之異名。非別有體。或言宗者。尊也。以心為宗。故云。天上天下。唯我獨尊。或言體者。性也。以心為體。故云。知一切法。即心自性。或言智者。以心為智。即是本性寂照之用。所以云。自覺聖智。普光明智等。若約義用而分。則體宗用別。若會歸平等。則一道無差。所以華嚴記問云。等妙二位。全同如來普光明智者。結成入普。所以。此會說等妙二覺。二覺全同普光明智。即是會歸之義。

Answer: These words dispel stagnation. If one possesses the source of no-source, then both the source and the teachings are unhindered. The ancient Buddhas all bequeathed expedient gates, and the Chan lineage also opened a single thread of a path. One must never grasp at expedients and lose sight of the great purport, nor may one abolish expedients and cut off subsequent instruction. Yet, before the [receptive] capacity, there is no teaching; after the teaching, there is no actuality. Even if there is an understanding or an awakening, it is already a belated matter, belonging to the second rank. Therefore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: "Observing all things in all the lands of the ten directions with the Buddha eye, one still does not see nonexistence, how much less an existing phenomenon? The phenomenon of ultimate emptiness can destroy inversion and cause bodhisattvas to attain Buddhahood, yet even this matter cannot be obtained; how much less the inverted existent phenomena of ordinary beings?" Now, relying upon the verbal teachings of the patriarchs and Buddhas, and addressing the present students according to the place where their apprehension of the mind-nature is illuminated, we establish citta as the source. For this reason, the Western Śākyamuni Buddha said: "The Buddha's words take citta as the source, and having no gate as the Dharma gate." The first patriarch in this land, Great Master Bodhidharma, said: "Transmit citta with citta; do not establish written words." Thus, Buddha after Buddha personally imparted it, imparting this principle; patriarch after patriarch mutually transmitted it, transmitting this citta. The above concerns the source and purport established by the Buddhas and patriarchs. Furthermore, regarding the substance of the source established by the various worthies and sages: Venerable Dushun, relying on the Avataṃsakasūtra, established the substance of the intrinsically pure, perfectly luminous nature. This is precisely the substance of the dharmatā within the tathāgatagarbha. From the beginningless past, its nature has been inherently complete. Abiding in defilement, it is not stained; cultivated and cured, it is not purified. Therefore, it is called intrinsically pure. The substance of the nature shines everywhere, leaving no darkness unperceived; therefore, it is called perfectly luminous. Furthermore, following the flow to add defilement, it is not stained; going against the flow to eliminate defilement, it is not purified. It can also reside in the sage's substance without increasing, and abide in the ordinary being's body without decreasing. Although there is the difference of concealment and manifestation, there is no distinction of differentiation. When kleśas conceal it, it is hidden; when prajñā realizes it, it is manifest. It is not produced by a productive cause (janaka-hetu); it is only revealed by an illuminative cause (jñāpaka-hetu). This is the very substance of the self-mind of all sentient beings: spiritually knowing and unobscured, tranquil yet shining without omission. It is not only the source of the Avataṃsaka, but also the substance of all teachings. The Buddhabhūmiśāstra establishes the substance of the single pure dharmadhātu. The treatise says: "The pure dharmadhātu is the true essence of all tathāgatas. From beginningless time, its intrinsic nature is pure, fully endowed with diverse nature-and-characteristic virtues that exceed the infinitesimal dust motes of the worlds in the ten directions. Unborn and unceasing, like empty space, it is equally shared by all sentient beings everywhere. It is neither one with nor different from all phenomena, neither existent nor nonexistent, free from all characteristics. All conceptual discriminations and all nominal expressions can never grasp it. It is only realized by pure noble wisdom, revealed by the two kinds of emptiness and selflessness, with tathatā as its intrinsic nature. The various sages partially realize it; the Buddhas fully realize it." This pure dharmadhātu is precisely the wondrous mind of tathatā, serving as the source of the sea of fruition of all Buddhas and acting as the foundation of ultimate reality for all living beings. These are all different names for establishing the source; there is no separate substance. Alternatively, it is said that "source" means "honoured"; taking citta as the source, it is said: "Above heaven and below heaven, I alone am uniquely honoured." Alternatively, it is said that "substance" means "nature"; taking citta as the substance, it is said: "Know that all phenomena are the intrinsic nature of citta." Alternatively, it is said that "wisdom" means taking citta as wisdom, which is the tranquil and shining function of the original nature. Therefore it is said: "Noble wisdom of self-realization," "universal luminous wisdom," and so forth. If divided according to meaning and function, then substance, source, and function are distinct; if returned and unified in equality, then the single path is without differentiation. Therefore, a question in the Huayan Record asks: "If the two stages of equal and wondrous [enlightenment] are entirely identical to the Tathāgata's universal luminous wisdom, this concludes by entering the universal. Therefore, this assembly speaks of the two awakenings of equal and wondrous [enlightenment]; that both awakenings are entirely identical to the universal luminous wisdom is precisely the meaning of returning and unifying."