宗鏡錄 21.5

21.5

答。夫萬行之由。皆為契真顯本。若違真逐末。不識教宗。凡一切眾生。皆本具自性之律。若鈍根者。則漸以相示。若上器者。直從性明。如傅大士云。持律本為制生心。我今無心過戒律。首楞嚴云。持犯但束身。非身何所束。如是之機。如是之教。豈須戒耶。已自知各具佛性戒故。然於初心凡夫。及出假菩薩。亦不壞於事相。遮性二戒。悉皆等持。以初心自行根劣故。須理事相資。以久行化他圓滿故。須權實雙備。且如凡夫二乘。菩薩諸佛。凡持戒者。莫不皆由一心所起。以凡夫全不自知垢淨之戒因。從自心生。罪福之戒果。當自心受。二乘雖知由心轉變。執有前塵。權小菩薩。雖不執前境實有。住無自性空。都不了外本無空。皆自心變。諸大菩薩。正了唯心。空有雙泯。無明未盡。功德未圓。理行猶虧。尚居因位。諸佛則圓證真唯識性。離念清淨。故經云。唯佛一人持淨戒。其餘盡名破戒者。如六行法云。次就戒明人心別。有六不同。先明麁凡。依戒起罪。謂有愚人。身雖持戒。不知看心。復不護口。自謂己能。毀他破戒。由此惡說。壞人敬信。便成罪業。當生惡道。次明凡夫。身口持戒。未學觀慧。唯成福行。次明二乘。出世道戒。謂二乘人。觀生空時。離凡我倒。則成道戒。次明大乘小菩薩。觀相空慧。心淨明時。離取相罪。即名為戒。次明大乘。大菩薩戒。謂觀唯心。本無外色。無色可破。相空亦無。離取相過。故名為戒。此則不同小菩薩戒。雖離著有。仍著空相。此大菩薩。知空亦空。無空可著。則證大空。故智論云。破諸法皆空。唯有空在。而取相著之。大空者。破一切法空。空亦復空。以此文證。著空是過。大根離之。故名為戒。次明佛戒。謂證唯心。離念常淨。無明垢盡。即成佛戒。但佛心中。具諸功德。離過義邊。則名為戒。諸大菩薩。雖具功德。無明未盡。則不同佛。故佛淨戒。與因有異。如上所說。六種持戒。雖即優劣不同。皆是一心所作。以凡小不了唯心。證空取相。取相者。成罪福之垢。證空者。背圓常之門。若入宗鏡之中。自成戒德。則不為空有諸緣所動。豈非第一耶。戒法既爾。萬行例然。所以華嚴論云。夫小乘戒為情有宗。為如來創為凡夫造業處。言是應作。是不應作。說善不善。如此立教。未為實有。如此有教。且約凡情虛妄之處。橫繫諸惡。以教制之。令生人天。是故戒序云。若欲生天上。及生人中者。常當護戒足。勿令有毀損。眾生有為作業。虛妄非實德。故生人天。無常。虛妄非實。未得法身智身。非為實有宗。且為情有宗。於小乘中。為軌持教也。如華嚴經持戒即不然。經云。身是梵行耶。身業四威儀。乃至佛法僧。十眾七遮。和尚羯磨壇頭等。是梵行耶。如是諦觀求梵行者。了不可得。是故名為清淨梵行。如梵行品說。如是清淨行者。名持佛性戒。得佛法身故。乃至初發心時。便成正覺。以持佛性戒故。與佛體齊。理事平等。混真法界。如是持戒。不見自身能持戒者。不見他身有破戒者。非凡夫行。非賢聖行。不見自身發菩提心。不見諸佛成等正覺。若好若惡。若有。少法可得。不名淨行。當如是觀。如是性戒。即法身也。法身者。即如來智慧也。如來智慧者。即正覺也。是故不同小乘有取捨故。然雖無取捨。於理行二門。亦不廢具修。如寒山子詩云。五嶽俱成粉。須彌一寸山。大海一滴水。吸在我心田。生長菩提子。遍蓋天中天。為報慕道者。慎勿遶十纏。夫九結十纏。性雖空寂。初心學者。且須離之。是以諸佛所說深經。先誡不可於新發意菩薩前說。慮種子習重。發起現行。又觀淺根浮信解不及。如。淨名經云。佛說婬怒癡性。即是解脫。又云。不斷婬怒癡。亦不與俱。故云得之者。隱傍之者現。若於婬怒癡。情生味著。得其事者。則道隱。若傍善觀之。了其性者。則道現。雖了而不著。故云亦不與俱。若非久行根熟菩薩。方能理事無礙。如先德偈云。久種善根深。逢塵塵不侵。不是塵不侵。自是我無心。

Answer: The reason for the myriad practices is in every case to accord with the real and reveal the fundamental. If one violates the real and pursues the derivative, one does not understand the source of the teachings. All sentient beings originally possess the vinaya of their own nature. To those of dull faculties, it is gradually demonstrated through phenomenal characteristics; for those of superior capacity, it is directly clarified from the perspective of the nature. As Master Fu said: "Observing the vinaya originally serves to curb the arising mind; / Now that I have no mind, I surpass the vinaya rules." The Śūraṅgama[sūtra] says: "Observing or violating [precepts] merely restrains the body; / Where there is no body, what could be restrained?" For faculties such as these and teachings such as these, why would precepts be needed, since they already know of themselves that each possesses the precept of the Buddha-nature? However, for ordinary people at the initial stage of practice and bodhisattvas emerging from emptiness into phenomenal engagement, phenomenal characteristics are also not destroyed; both prohibitive and intrinsically unwholesome precepts are equally observed. Because the roots of the beginner's self-cultivation are inferior, principle and phenomena must assist each other; because the long-practicing adept's transformation of others must be complete, provisional and real must both be prepared. Furthermore, whether ordinary people, the two vehicles, bodhisattvas, or Buddhas—all who uphold precepts do so through the arising of the one mind. Ordinary people completely fail to realize that the precept causes of defilement and purity arise from their own mind, and that the precept fruits of offense and blessing are to be experienced by their own mind. Although followers of the two vehicles know that [precepts] are transformed by the mind, they cling to external sense objects as existing. Although provisional and lesser bodhisattvas do not cling to external objects as truly existent and abide in the emptiness of lacking self-nature, they do not at all comprehend that the external is fundamentally free of emptiness and is entirely transformed by one's own mind. Great bodhisattvas truly comprehend consciousness-only: emptiness and existence are both extinguished; yet because their avidyā is not exhausted, their merits are not yet complete, and their practice of principle is still deficient, they still abide on the causal stages. Buddhas, then, fully realize the true nature of vijñaptimātra, free from thought and purely clear. Therefore the sūtra says: "Only the Buddha alone upholds the pure precepts; all others are called precept-breakers." As stated in the Six Practices Method: "Next, clarifying the distinctions among people's minds regarding the precepts, there are six differences. First, clarifying the coarse ordinary person who gives rise to offenses relying on the precepts: this refers to a foolish person who, though physically observing the precepts, does not know to inspect their own mind and furthermore does not guard their speech. Regarding themselves as capable, they disparage others and break the precepts. Due to this evil speech, they ruin others' reverence and faith, which turns into sinful karma, and they will be born in the evil destinies. Next, clarifying the ordinary person who observes the precepts in body and speech but has not yet learned contemplative wisdom: they merely accomplish meritorious practices. Next, clarifying the suparamundane path precepts of the two vehicles: when people of the two vehicles contemplate the emptiness of the person, they depart from the ordinary delusion of a self, and this accomplishes the path precepts. Next, clarifying the small bodhisattvas of the Mahāyāna: with the wisdom of contemplating the emptiness of characteristics, when their minds are pure and clear, they depart from the offense of grasping at characteristics, and this is called a precept. Next, clarifying the great precepts of the great bodhisattvas of the Mahāyāna: contemplating mind-only, fundamentally there is no external form; with no form to destroy, the emptiness of characteristics is also non-existent; they depart from the fault of grasping at characteristics, and this is therefore called a precept. This differs from the precepts of small bodhisattvas: although [the latter] depart from attachment to existence, they still attach to the characteristic of emptiness. These great bodhisattvas know that emptiness is also empty; there being no emptiness to attach to, they realize the great emptiness. Thus the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'Destroying all phenomena so they are all empty, only emptiness remains, and one grasps at its characteristic and attaches to it. Great emptiness means: destroying all phenomena into emptiness, emptiness is also empty.' Based on this textual evidence, attachment to emptiness is a fault; those of great faculties depart from it, and this is called a precept. Next, clarifying the Buddha's precepts: realizing mind-only, free from thought and constantly pure, with the defilements of avidyā exhausted, this constitutes the Buddha's precepts. It is only because the Buddha's mind is fully endowed with all merits and free from all faults that it is called a precept. Although great bodhisattvas are endowed with merits, because their avidyā is not exhausted, they are not the same as the Buddha. Therefore the Buddha's pure precepts differ from the causal [stages]." Although the six kinds of upholding precepts discussed above differ in superiority and inferiority, all are created by the one mind. Because ordinary people and lesser practitioners do not comprehend mind-only, they realize emptiness and grasp at characteristics: those who grasp at characteristics accomplish the defilements of offenses and blessings; those who realize emptiness turn away from the gate of perfect constancy. If one enters the Mirror of the Source, the virtue of the precepts is naturally accomplished, and one is not moved by the various conditions of emptiness and existence; how could this not be foremost? Since the Dharma of precepts is like this, the myriad practices are likewise so. Therefore the Huayan Treatise says: "The Hinayana precepts are a school of emotional existence; they were initially formulated by the Tathāgata for the ordinary person's generation of karma, stating 'this should be done' and 'this should not be done,' speaking of the good and unwholesome. Establishing the teachings in this way does not represent true existence. Such a teaching of existence merely takes the ordinary person's erroneous sentiments as a point of reference, restraining all evils across the board by curbing them through the teachings so as to cause them to be born among humans and devas. For this reason, the Precept Preface says: 'If one wishes to be born in the heavens / Or among humans, / One should always protect the feet of precepts / And not let them be damaged.' Sentient beings generate conditioned karma, which is false and lacks real virtue; hence being born among humans and devas is impermanent, false, and unreal. Having not yet attained the dharmakāya and the wisdom-body, this is not the school of true existence; it is provisionally the school of emotional existence, serving as the teaching of guidelines and standards in the Hinayana." In the Avataṃsakasūtra, upholding the precepts is not like this. The sūtra says: "Is the body the brahma-conduct? Are bodily actions and the four deportments, up to the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, the ten assemblies, the seven obstructions, the preceptor, the karma master, the platform, and so forth the brahma-conduct? When one thus attentively contemplates seeking the brahma-conduct, it is completely unattainable; therefore it is called pure brahma-conduct." As spoken in the Chapter on Brahma-Conduct: one who practices such pure conduct is called one who upholds the precept of the Buddha-nature, because they attain the Buddha's dharmakāya, and even at the moment of first generating the mind [of bodhi], they immediately accomplish right enlightenment. Because they uphold the precept of the Buddha-nature, they are equal in substance with the Buddha; principle and phenomena are equal, merging into the true dharmadhātu. Upholding the precepts like this, one does not see one's own body as capable of upholding the precepts, nor does one see another's body as having broken the precepts; it is not the practice of an ordinary person, nor is it the practice of a worthy or sage. One does not see one's own body generating the bodhicitta, nor does one see the Buddhas accomplishing equal, right enlightenment. If good, evil, or existence—if even the slightest phenomenon could be apprehended—it is not called pure conduct. One should contemplate in this way: such a nature precept is the dharmakāya. The dharmakāya is the Tathāgata's wisdom; the Tathāgata's wisdom is right enlightenment. Therefore, it is unlike the Hinayana, which involves grasping and rejecting. However, although there is no grasping or rejecting, in the two gates of principle and practice, full cultivation is not neglected. As Master Hanshan's poem says: "The five peaks are ground to powder, / Mount Sumeru is a one-inch hill; / The great ocean is a single drop of water, / Drawn into my mind-field, / Growing the seeds of bodhi / That cover the god of gods. / To report to those who admire the Way: / Be cautious not to circle around the ten entanglements." Although the nine saṃyojanas and ten entanglements are by nature empty and quiescent, beginners must first depart from them. For this reason, regarding the profound sūtras spoken by the Buddhas, they first admonish that they must not be spoken before newly aspiring bodhisattvas, fearing that their habitual seeds are heavy and will give rise to active manifestations, and also observing that those of shallow faculties and fleeting faith will fail to understand them. As the Vimalakīrtinirdeśasūtra says: "The Buddha taught that the nature of lust, anger, and delusion is liberation itself." And further: "Without severing lust, anger, and delusion, neither being conjoined with them." Therefore it is said: for those who grasp it [literally], the Way is hidden; for those who approach it obliquely, it is revealed. If one generates emotional relish and attachment toward lust, anger, and delusion, grasping their phenomenal occurrence, then the Way is hidden; if one approaches them with proper contemplation and comprehends their nature, then the Way is revealed. Although one comprehends them, one does not attach to them; hence it is said: "neither being conjoined with them." Only bodhisattvas of long cultivation whose faculties are mature can achieve the non-obstruction of principle and phenomena. As the verse of a former worthy says: "Long planting good roots deep, / Meeting dust, the dust does not invade. / It is not that dust does not invade, / But naturally that I am without mind."