宗鏡錄 23.5

23.5

答。眾生雖起念。不覺念本無念。與佛無念等。妄墮有念中。佛得無念。知念本無。眾生雖現在念中。佛知念即無念。斯則佛無念。與眾生無念義同。又以眾生不知念空。於念成事似有差別。若實了念空。則於苦樂境。不生執受。何者。以境從念生。心空則境何有。既無有境。相縛自除。能所俱空。誰生取著。既不取著。生死自無。如圓覺經云。知是空華。即無流轉。亦無身心受彼生死。

Answer: Although sentient beings give rise to thoughts, they do not realize that thoughts are originally without thought, equal to the Buddha's non-thought, and they falsely fall into having thoughts. The Buddha has attained non-thought, knowing that thoughts are originally non-existent. Although sentient beings are presently in thoughts, the Buddha knows that thought is itself non-thought. In this way, the Buddha's non-thought is identical in meaning to the sentient being's non-thought. Furthermore, because sentient beings do not know that thought is empty, there seems to be a difference in how affairs are constituted from thoughts. If one truly comprehends that thought is empty, then with regard to objects of suffering and pleasure, one will not give rise to grasping or clinging. Why? Because objects are produced from thought; if citta is empty, how could there be objects? Since there are no objects, the bondage of characteristics is naturally eliminated. Subject and object both being empty, who could give rise to grasping? Since there is no grasping, saṃsāra naturally ceases to exist. As the Sūtra of Complete Enlightenment says: 'Knowing they are flowers in the sky, there is no transmigration, nor is there body or citta that undergoes that saṃsāra.'