宗鏡錄 15.11

15.11

答。非初非後。不離初後。如大智度論云。不但以初心得。亦不離初心得。所以者何。若但以初心得。不以後心者。菩薩初發心便應是佛。若無初心。云何有第二第三心。第二第三心。以初心為根本因緣。亦不但後心。亦不離後心者。是後心亦不離初心。若無初心。則無後心。初心集種種無量功德。後心則具足。具足故。能斷煩惱習。得無上道。須菩提。此中自說難因緣。初後心心數法不俱。不俱者。則過去已滅。不得和合。若無和合。則善根不集。善根不集。云何成無上道。佛以現事譬喻答。如燈炷非獨初焰燋。亦不離初焰。非獨後焰燋。亦不離後焰。而燈炷燋。佛語須菩提。汝自見炷燋。非初非後而炷燋。我亦以佛眼見菩薩得無上道。不以初心得。亦不離初心。亦不以後心得。亦不離後心。而得無上道。燈譬菩薩道。炷喻無明等煩惱。焰如初地相應智慧。乃至金剛三昧相應智慧。燋無明等煩惱炷。亦非初心智焰。亦非後心智焰。而無明等煩惱炷燋盡。得成無上道。又如燈雖念念滅。而能相續破闇。心亦如是。雖念念不住。前後不俱。而能相續。成其覺慧。成無上道。清涼疏云。華嚴經云。了知境界。如幻如夢。如影如響。亦如變化。若諸菩薩。能與如是觀行相應。於諸法中不生二解。一切佛法疾得現前。初發心時。即得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。知一切法。即心自性。成就慧身。不由他悟者。夫初心為始。正覺為終。何以初心便成正覺。故云知一切法。即心自性故。覺法自性。即名為佛。故經頌云。佛心豈有他。正覺覺世間。斯良證也。斯則發者。是開發之發。非發起之發也。何謂現前之相。夫佛智非深。情迷謂遠。情亡智現。則一體非遙。既言知一切法。即心自性。則知此心。即一切法性。今理現自心。即心之性。已備無邊之德矣。成就慧身者。上觀法盡也。正法當興。今諸見亡也。佛智爰起。覺心則理現。理現則智圓。若鏡淨明生。非前非後。非新非故。寂照湛然。不由他悟者。成上慧身。即無師自然智也。又不由他悟。是自覺也。知一切法。是覺他也。成就慧身。為覺滿也。成就慧身。必資理發。見夫心性。豈更有他。若見有他。安稱為悟。既曰心性。自亦不存。寂而能知。名為正覺。故法華經云。為一大事因緣故出現於世。開示悟入佛之知見。夫一者。即古今不易之一道。大者。是凡聖之心體故。十方諸佛。為此一大事出現於世。皆令眾生。於自心中。開此知見。若立種種差別。是眾生知見。若融歸一道。是二乘知見。若一亦非一是菩薩知見。若佛知見者。當一念心開之時。如千日並照。不俟更言。即是祖師西來。即是諸佛普現。故云念念釋迦出世。步步彌勒下生。何處於自心外。別求祖佛。則知眾生佛智。本自具足。若欲起心別求。即成遍計之性。故六祖云。本性自有般若之智。自用智慧觀照。不假文字。若如是者。何用更立文字。今為未知者。假以文字指歸。令見自性。若發明時。即是豁然還得本心。於本心中。無法不了。故云悟無念法者。萬法盡通。悟無念法者。見諸佛境界。是知若入無念法門。成佛不出剎那之際。若起心求道。徒勞神於塵劫之中。如釋迦文佛。從過去無量劫來。承事供養無數恒河沙等諸佛。皆不得記。何以故。以依止所行有所得故。至燃燈佛時。因獻五莖蓮華。乃得授記釋迦之號。方達五陰性空。心無所著。始見天真之佛。頓入無得之門。故將蓮華獻佛。用表證明。所以華嚴經頌云。性空即是佛。不可得思量。尚不用瞥起思量。豈況勞功永劫。

Answer: It is neither the first nor the last, yet not apart from the first and the last. As the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says:
"It is not attained solely by the initial citta, nor is it attained apart from the initial citta. Why is this? If it were attained solely by the initial citta and not by the final citta, then a bodhisattva upon first generating the citta would immediately be a Buddha. If there were no initial citta, how could there be a second or a third citta? The second and third cittas take the initial citta as their fundamental cause and condition. That it is also not solely by the final citta, nor apart from the final citta, means that this final citta is also not apart from the initial citta. If there were no initial citta, there would be no final citta. The initial citta gathers all kinds of immeasurable merits, and the final citta brings them to completion. Because they are complete, it can sever the residual impressions of the kleśas and attain the unsurpassable Path.
Subhūti, herein an objection regarding causes and conditions is raised: The mental factors of the initial and final cittas do not exist simultaneously. Because they do not exist simultaneously, the past has already ceased and cannot combine. If there is no combination, then roots of goodness are not accumulated. If roots of goodness are not accumulated, how could the unsurpassable Path be accomplished?
The Buddha answered with a simile of present occurrences: Just as a lamp-wick is not scorched solely by the first flame, nor apart from the first flame; and it is not scorched solely by the later flame, nor apart from the later flame; yet the lamp-wick is scorched. The Buddha said to Subhūti: You yourself see that the wick is scorched; neither by the first nor by the later, yet the wick is scorched. I also, with the Buddha-eye, see that a bodhisattva attains the unsurpassable Path not by the initial citta, nor apart from the initial citta, and not by the final citta, nor apart from the final citta, and yet attains the unsurpassable Path.
The lamp is a metaphor for the bodhisattva path; the wick is an analogy for avidyā and other kleśas; the flame is like the wisdom corresponding to the first bhūmi, up to the wisdom corresponding to the vajrasamādhi. Scorching the wick of avidyā and other kleśas is neither the wisdom-flame of the initial citta nor the wisdom-flame of the final citta, yet the wick of avidyā and other kleśas is scorched away, and the unsurpassable Path is attained. Furthermore, just as the lamp, although ceasing thought-moment by thought-moment, can continuously dispel darkness, the citta is also like this: although it does not abide thought-moment by thought-moment and the earlier and later do not coexist, it can continue in succession, accomplish its awakening wisdom, and accomplish the unsurpassable Path."
The commentary of Qingliang says:
"The Avataṃsakasūtra says: 'Comprehending and knowing that objective realms are like illusions, like dreams, like shadows, like echoes, and also like phantoms—if bodhisattvas can correspond with such contemplative practice and do not generate dualistic understanding regarding phenomena, all Buddha-dharmas will swiftly appear before them. When first generating the citta, they immediately attain anuttarāsamyaksaṃbodhi, know that all phenomena are the citta's own nature, accomplish the wisdom-body, and do not awaken by means of another.'
Now, the initial citta is the beginning, and right awakening is the end. Why does the initial citta immediately accomplish right awakening? Thus it says, 'because they know that all phenomena are the citta's own nature.' Awakening to the self-nature of phenomena is precisely named Buddha. Therefore the sūtra verse says:
'How could the Buddha-citta be anything else? / Right awakening awakens to the world.'
This is truly a clear proof. Thus 'generating' here means opening and revealing, not bringing forth through origination. What is meant by 'the characteristic of appearing before [them]'? The Buddha's wisdom is not deep; emotional delusion considers it distant. When emotion vanishes and wisdom appears, the single substance is not remote. Since it is said that they know all phenomena are the citta's own nature, they know that this citta is the nature of all phenomena. Now principle appears in one's own citta; being the nature of citta, it is already replete with boundless virtues. 'Accomplishing the wisdom-body' means that the aforementioned contemplation of phenomena is exhausted. The true Dharma is about to arise, and now all views have vanished. The Buddha-wisdom thereupon arises: when citta is awakened, principle appears; when principle appears, wisdom is perfected. Like a mirror being cleansed and brightness emerging, it is neither before nor after, neither new nor old, quiet and luminous, clear and bright. 'Not awakening by means of another' means that accomplishing the aforesaid wisdom-body is precisely the teacherless, spontaneous wisdom. Furthermore, not awakening by means of another is self-awakening; knowing all phenomena is awakening others; accomplishing the wisdom-body is the fulfillment of awakening. Accomplishing the wisdom-body must rely on principle to be revealed; seeing the nature of citta, how could there be anything else? If one sees something else, how could it be called awakening? Since it is called the nature of citta, the self also does not exist. Quiescent yet able to know: this is named right awakening.
Therefore the Lotus Sūtra says: 'It is for the sake of the one great matter of causes and conditions that [Tathāgatas] appear in the world: to open, reveal, awaken to, and enter the knowledge and vision of the Buddhas.'
The 'one' is the one Path unchanging throughout past and present. The 'great' is because it is the citta-substance of ordinary beings and sages. Therefore the Buddhas of the ten directions appear in the world for this one great matter, all to cause sentient beings to open this knowledge and vision within their own citta. If one establishes various differentiations, this is the knowledge and vision of sentient beings. If one harmonizes and resolves them into the one Path, this is the knowledge and vision of the two vehicles. If the one is also not one, this is the knowledge and vision of bodhisattvas. As for the knowledge and vision of the Buddhas, at the moment when a single thought-moment of citta opens, it is like a thousand suns shining together; it awaits no further words. This is precisely the ancestral master coming from the West; this is precisely the universal appearance of all Buddhas. Thus it is said: in thought-moment after thought-moment Śākyamuni appears in the world; with step after step Maitreya is born down below. Where outside one's own citta could one separately seek ancestors and Buddhas? Thus one knows that the Buddha-wisdom of sentient beings is originally complete in itself. If one wishes to give rise to a thought to seek it separately, that becomes the parikalpita nature. Therefore the Sixth Ancestor said: 'The fundamental nature inherently possesses the wisdom of prajñā. One uses one's own wisdom to contemplate and illuminate, not relying on written words.'
If it is like this, why set up written words further? Now, for those who do not yet know, we provisionally use written words to indicate the direction of return, causing them to see their self-nature. When it is illuminated, they suddenly recover their original citta. Within their original citta, there is not a single phenomenon that is not comprehended. Therefore it is said: 'One who awakens to the Dharma of non-thought completely penetrates the myriad phenomena; one who awakens to the Dharma of non-thought sees the realm of all Buddhas.' From this we know that if one enters the Dharma-gate of non-thought, accomplishing Buddhahood does not exceed an instant. If one gives rise to a thought to seek the Path, one vainly wears out one's spirit across dust-like kalpas. For instance, Śākyamuni Buddha, from immeasurable kalpas in the past, served and made offerings to countless Buddhas equal to the sands of the Ganges, yet received no prediction [of Buddhahood] from any of them. Why is this? Because what he practiced by relying on [these practices] involved acquisition. Only when he came to Dīpaṅkara Buddha and offered five stalks of lotuses did he receive the prediction with the name of Śākyamuni. Only then did he penetrate the emptiness of the nature of the five aggregates, his citta having no attachment; only then did he see the innately true Buddha and suddenly enter the gate of non-attainment. Therefore he took lotuses and offered them to the Buddha to manifest verification. Hence the Avataṃsakasūtra verse says:
'Emptiness of nature is precisely the Buddha; / It cannot be grasped by conceptual thought.'
Even a fleeting arising of conceptual thought is not to be used, how much less the labor of an eternal kalpa!