宗鏡錄 23.7

23.7

答。若親見。無一人而非佛。若不信。無一佛而非人。迷則常作佛之眾生。悟則現證眾生之佛。人佛不異。妄見成差。迷悟雖殊。本性恒一。如過去有佛。號住無住。發願使己國眾生。同日同時成佛。即日同滅度。又賢劫前有佛。號平等。亦願己國。及十方眾生。亦同日成佛。即日滅度。如寶積經云。是時妙慧童女。重白目連。以我如是真實言故。於未來世。當得成佛。亦如今日釋迦如來。乃至若我此言非虛妄者。令斯大眾身皆金色。說是語已眾皆金色。又思益經云。思益菩薩。放右掌寶光。一切四眾。皆如佛相。下方四菩薩踊出。欲禮世尊。乃發願言。今此眾會。其色無異。當知一切法。亦復如是。此語不虛。願釋迦如來現異相。令我禮敬。即時釋迦如來。踊起七多羅樹。坐師子座。又最勝王經云。佛言。修菩提行者。於諸聖境。體非一異。不捨於俗。不離於真。依於法界。行菩提行。時善女天白佛言。世尊。如上所說。菩提正行。我今當學。時梵天王問曰。此菩提行。難可修行。汝今云何於菩提行而得自在。善天女曰。我今依於此法。得安樂住。是實語者。願令一切五濁惡世。無量無數無邊眾生。皆得金色三十二相。非男非女。坐寶蓮華。受無量樂。乃至說是語已。一切五濁惡世所有眾生。皆悉金色。具大人相。非男非女。坐寶蓮華。受無量樂。猶如他化自在天宮。釋曰。於諸聖境體非一異者。即是不捨於俗。是不一。不離於真。是不異。若一即壞真俗。若異。即成斷常。不斷不常。即是依於法界。非真非俗。乃曰修習菩提。故云我依此法。得安樂住。所以善天女悟。五濁質成真金之色。閻浮提迷。大人相成惡業之身。是知若智照之。即世法而成佛法。若以情執之。即佛法而成世法。一心實不動。二見自成差。同共一法中。別成凡聖解。若了非男非女之體。現具三十二相。坐寶蓮華。若執是男是女之形。常繫二十五有沈無明海。故知信力所及。發真實言。可驗。現證法門。頓明心佛矣。

Answer: If one sees directly, there is not a single person who is not a Buddha; if one does not believe, there is not a single Buddha who is not a person. Deluded, one is a sentient being who is always a Buddha; awakened, one immediately realizes the Buddha of sentient beings. Person and Buddha are not different; false views create disparity. Although delusion and awakening differ, the original nature is eternally one. For instance, in the past there was a Buddha named Abiding-in-Non-abiding, who made a vow that the sentient beings of his realm would become Buddhas on the same day and at the same time, and on that very day would enter extinction together. Again, before the Bhadrakalpa there was a Buddha named Samatā, who also vowed that the sentient beings of his realm and of the ten directions would also become Buddhas on the same day and enter extinction on that very day. As the Ratnakūṭa Sūtra says: 'At that time, the young maiden Vimaladattā again addressed Maudgalyāyana: "By virtue of these true words of mine, in a future age I shall attain Buddhahood, just like Śākyamuni Tathāgata today... If these words of mine are not false, let the bodies of this great assembly all become golden." When she had spoken these words, the entire assembly became golden.' Again, the Viśeṣacintibrahmaparipṛcchā Sūtra says: 'Bodhisattva Viśeṣacinti emitted jewelled light from his right palm, and all the fourfold assembly took on the Buddha's physical marks. Four bodhisattvas welled up from below, wishing to pay homage to the World-Honoured One, and made this vow: "Now the colour of this assembly has no difference; one should know that all phenomena are also like this. If these words are not false, we pray that Śākyamuni Tathāgata manifest a distinct sign so that we may pay homage." At that instant, Śākyamuni Tathāgata welled up to the height of seven tāla trees and sat upon a lion throne.' Furthermore, the Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra says: 'The Buddha said: "Those who cultivate the practice of bodhi, with respect to the various realms of the āryas, their substance is neither one nor different; not abandoning the conventional, not departing from the ultimate, relying on the dharmadhātu, they cultivate the practice of bodhi." At that time, the devī Supratiṣṭhitā addressed the Buddha, saying: "World-Honoured One, as stated above regarding the correct practice of bodhi, I shall now train in it." At that time, Brahmā Sahāmpati asked: "This practice of bodhi is difficult to cultivate. How do you now obtain mastery in the practice of bodhi?" The devī Supratiṣṭhitā said: "I now rely on this Dharma and dwell at ease. If these are true words, I vow that all the immeasurable, countless, boundless sentient beings in the five turbidities of the evil world will all attain the golden color and the thirty-two marks, being neither male nor female, seated on jeweled lotus flowers, and experiencing immeasurable joy..." When she had spoken these words, all sentient beings in the five turbidities of the evil world became entirely golden, endowed with the marks of a great person, neither male nor female, seated on jeweled lotus flowers, and experiencing immeasurable joy, just like the palace of the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven.' The commentary says: That 'with respect to the various realms of the āryas, their substance is neither one nor different' means that not abandoning the conventional is 'not one,' and not departing from the ultimate is 'not different.' If they were one, then conventional and ultimate would be destroyed; if they were different, then annihilation and permanence would result. Being neither annihilated nor permanent is precisely relying on the dharmadhātu; being neither ultimate nor conventional is called cultivating bodhi. Therefore she said, 'I rely on this Dharma and dwell at ease.' Thus the devī Supratiṣṭhitā awakened, and the substance of the five turbidities became the colour of true gold; Jambudvīpa was deluded, and the marks of a great person became bodies of evil karma. Hence we know that if one illuminates it with wisdom, worldly phenomena become the Buddha-Dharma; if one grasps it with emotional attachment, the Buddha-Dharma becomes worldly phenomena. The one citta is truly unmoving; the two views spontaneously create disparity. Within the very same single phenomenon, ordinary and holy understandings are distinctively formed. If one comprehends the substance that is neither male nor female, one presently possesses the thirty-two marks and sits on a jewelled lotus flower; if one clings to the form of being male or being female, one is eternally bound to the twenty-five states of existence, sinking into the ocean of avidyā. Therefore, we know that the reach of the power of faith and the utterance of true words can be verified; the gate of immediate realization instantly clarifies the Buddha of citta.