宗鏡錄 17.3

17.3

答。成佛之旨且非時劫。遲速之教。屬在權宜。故起信論明。為勇猛眾生。成佛在於一念。為懈怠者。得果須滿三祇。但形教跡之言。盡成方便。楞嚴經鈔云。劫者。是時分義。而有成住壞空。皆由眾生。妄見所感。且妄見動。外感風輪。由愛發故。外感水輪。由堅執心。外感地輪。由研求懆故。外感火輪。由四大故。起六根。起六根故。見六塵。見六塵故。有時分。若了無明根本一念妄心。則知從心所生三界。畢竟無有。且時因境立。境尚本空。時自無體。何須更論劫數多少。但一念斷無明。何假更歷僧祇。是以首楞嚴經云。如幻三摩提彈指超無學。又云。想相為塵。識情為垢。二俱遠離。則汝法眼應時清明。云何不成無上知覺。圓覺經云。知幻即離。不作方便。離幻即覺。亦無漸次。故知長短之劫。由一念來。三乘趣果。並是夢中。說悟時事。皆無多劫耳。所以法華經。演半日為五十小劫。維摩經。演七日為一劫。又如涅槃經云。屠兒廣額。日殺千羊。後發心已。佛言。於賢劫中成佛。諸大菩薩。及阿羅漢疑云。我等成佛即遠劫。廣額何故成佛在先。佛言。欲得早成者。即與早。欲得遠成者。即與遠。若頓見真性。即一念成佛。故知利鈍不同。遲速在我。可驗心生法生。心滅法滅矣。以三界無別法。但是一心作。一切境界。皆因動念。念若不生。境本無體。返窮動念。念亦空寂。即知迷時無失。悟時無得。以無住真心。不增減故。如首楞嚴經云。佛言。富樓那。汝豈不聞。室羅城中。演若達多。忽於晨朝。以鏡照面。愛鏡中頭。眉目可見。瞋責己頭。不見面目。以為魑魅。無狀狂走。於意云何。此人何因無故狂走。富樓那言。是人心狂。更無他故。佛言。妙覺明圓。本圓明妙。既稱為妄。云何有因。若有所因。云何名妄。自諸妄想。展轉相因。從迷積迷。以歷塵劫。雖佛發明。猶不能返。如是迷因。因迷自有。識迷無因。妄無所依。尚無有生。欲何為滅。得菩提者。如寤時人。說夢中事。心縱精明。欲何因緣。取夢中物。況復無因。本無所有。如彼城中。演若達多。豈有因緣。自怖頭走。忽然狂歇。頭非外來。縱未歇狂。亦何遺失。富樓那。妄性如是。因何為在。汝但不隨分別世間業果眾生。三種相續。三緣斷故。三因不生。則汝心中演若達多。狂性自歇。歇即菩提。勝淨明心。本周法界。不從人得。何藉劬勞。肯綮修證。古釋云。頭無得失者。頭喻真性。無明迷時。性亦不失。無明歇時。亦不別得。歇即菩提者。但悟本體。五現量識。一切萬行。皆悉具足。即是菩提。如涅槃經云。一切眾生。本來成佛。無漏智性。本自具足。又頓從漸得名。俱稱方便。古釋云。若據說頓。亦是方便。若云漸頓俱是。亦謗於佛。俱不是。亦謗於佛。是以本覺體上。離頓漸。離言說。何處有頓漸名字。第六識動。有分別。不動。即等周法界。五現量識等。一一根皆遍法界。眼見色時。色不可得。元來等法界。法華經云。是法住法位。世間相常住。即知世間一切諸相。本來常任。何行位能知。唯佛於道場知已。導師方便說。為眾生迷不知。故說。若知。不俟更說。方知有說皆屬方便。

Answer: The essential principle of attaining Buddhahood does not pertain to time or kalpas. Teachings of slowness or speed belong to expedient means. Therefore, the Awakening of Faith clarifies that for vigorous sentient beings, attaining Buddhahood lies in a single thought-moment; for indolent ones, obtaining the fruit requires completing three asaṃkhyeya kalpas. Statements merely describing traces of the teaching all constitute expedient means. The Commentary on the Śūraṅgamasūtra states: "'Kalpa' has the meaning of a division of time. That there are formation, abiding, destruction, and emptiness is entirely induced by the false views of sentient beings. When false views stir, they externally induce the wind-mandala. Due to the arising of craving, they externally induce the water-mandala. Due to the grasping mind, they externally induce the earth-mandala. Due to the agitation of seeking, they externally induce the fire-mandala. Due to the four great elements, the six sense faculties arise. Because the six sense faculties arise, the six dust-objects are seen. Because the six dust-objects are seen, there are divisions of time. If one realizes the single thought-moment of the deluded mind that is the root of ignorance, one then knows that the three realms born from the mind are completely non-existent. Furthermore, time is established based on objects; since objects are already originally empty, time naturally has no substance of its own. Why must one further discuss the number of kalpas? If in just a single thought-moment one severs ignorance, why rely on traversing asaṃkhyeya kalpas?" For this reason, the Śūraṅgamasūtra states: "With the illusion-like samādhi, in the snap of a finger one transcends the stage of no-learning." It also states: "Conceptions of characteristics are dust; emotional consciousness is defilement. When both are left far behind, your Dharma-eye will immediately become pure and clear—how could you not attain unsurpassed awareness?" The Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment states: "Knowing illusion is detachment, without applying expedient means; detachment from illusion is enlightenment, without any gradual sequence." Therefore, we know that long and short kalpas come from a single thought-moment; the three vehicles' striving toward the fruit are all matters within a dream, whereas speaking of awakening, none involve many kalpas. Therefore, the Lotus Sūtra expanded half a day into fifty minor kalpas, and the Vimalakīrtisūtra expanded seven days into a kalpa. Also, as the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra states, the butcher Guṅga killed a thousand sheep a day; after he later generated the aspiration [for enlightenment], the Buddha said he would attain Buddhahood in the Bhadrakalpa. The great bodhisattvas and arhats doubted, saying, 'For us to attain Buddhahood requires distant kalpas; why should Guṅga attain Buddhahood beforehand?' The Buddha said, 'To one who wishes to attain it early, I grant it early; to one who wishes to attain it distantly, I grant it distantly.' If one頓見 [suddenly sees] the true nature, one attains Buddhahood in a single thought-moment. Therefore, we know that faculties differ in sharpness and dullness, and slowness or speed lies with oneself. It can be verified that when the mind arises, dharmas arise; when the mind ceases, dharmas cease. Because in the three realms there are no separate dharmas—they are merely made by the one mind. All sensory realms arise from the stirring of thought. If thought does not arise, realms originally have no substance. Returning to investigate the stirring of thought, thought too is empty and tranquil. One then knows that at the time of delusion there is nothing lost, and at the time of awakening there is nothing gained, because the non-abiding true mind neither increases nor decreases. As the Śūraṅgamasūtra states, the Buddha said: "Pūrṇa, have you not heard of Yajñadatta in the city of Śrāvastī? Suddenly one morning he looked at his face in a mirror and loved the head in the mirror, with its eyebrows and eyes clearly visible; he reproached his own head for not seeing its face and eyes, took it to be a goblin, and ran madly about without reason. What do you think? For what reason did this man run madly about without cause?" Pūrṇa said: "That man's mind was mad; there was no other reason." The Buddha said: "Wondrous enlightenment is luminous and perfect, originally perfectly luminous and wondrous. Since it is called delusion, how could it have a cause? If it had a cause, how could it be called delusion? From various false thoughts, they cause each other in turn; accumulating delusion upon delusion, they traverse dust-kalpas. Although the Buddha elucidates it, they still cannot turn back. Such causes of delusion arise of themselves due to delusion. Recognizing delusion has no cause, delusion has nothing upon which to rely. Since it does not even have arising, what could you wish to extinguish? One who attains bodhi is like an awake person speaking of matters in a dream: even if his mind is sharp and bright, by what causes and conditions could he grasp the objects in the dream? How much less so when there is no cause, and it is originally non-existent! Just like that Yajñadatta in the city: could there be any cause or condition for his self-frightened running away with his head? When the madness suddenly ceased, his head did not come from outside; even when the madness had not yet ceased, what was lost? Pūrṇa, such is the nature of delusion; by what cause could it exist? If you simply do not follow the three kinds of continuity of distinguishing worldly karma and its results, and sentient beings—because the three conditions are severed, the three causes do not arise. Then the Yajñadatta in your mind, his mad nature, will naturally cease. Cessation is bodhi. The supremely pure and luminous mind originally pervades the dharmadhātu; it is not obtained from another. Why rely on laborious toil, the crucial joints of practice and realization?" An ancient commentary states: "'The head is without gain or loss': the head is an analogy for the true nature. When one is deluded by ignorance, the nature is not lost; when ignorance ceases, it is not separately obtained. 'Cessation is bodhi': simply awakening to the original substance, the five direct-perception consciousnesses and all myriad practices are entirely complete—this is bodhi." As the Nirvāṇasūtra states: "All sentient beings originally have attained Buddhahood; the uncontaminated nature of wisdom is originally complete in itself." Moreover, "sudden" gets its name in contrast to "gradual"; both are called expedient means. An ancient commentary states: "If one relies on speaking of the sudden, it is also an expedient mean. If one says both gradual and sudden are right, one also slanders the Buddha; if one says both are not right, one also slanders the Buddha. Therefore, on the substance of original enlightenment, it is free from sudden and gradual, free from words and speech. Where could there be the names of 'sudden' and 'gradual'? When the sixth consciousness stirs, there is discrimination; when it does not stir, it equally pervades the dharmadhātu. The five direct-perception consciousnesses and the rest: each and every sense faculty pervades the dharmadhātu. When the eye sees matter, matter is ungraspable, and is fundamentally equal to the dharmadhātu." The Lotus Sūtra states: "These dharmas abide in their dharma-positions; worldly characteristics are eternally abiding." One then knows that all worldly characteristics are originally eternally abiding. What stage of practice can know this? Only the Buddha knew it at the bodhimaṇḍa, and the Guide spoke it as an expedient mean because sentient beings are deluded and do not know it. If they knew, there would be no need to speak it further. Only then does one know that whatever is spoken belongs to expedient means.