宗鏡錄 41.27

41.27

答。此是第一之說。無等之詮。學而不得。福猶勝於人天。聞而不信。尚結菩提之種。十方金口。同共稱揚。諸大乘經。無不具載。法華經云。一念隨喜。皆記無上菩提。一句受持。悉同如來供養。古釋華嚴出現品云。此品文旨宏奧能頓能圓。究眾生之本原。罄諸佛之淵海。根本法輪之內。更處其心。生在金輪種中。復為嫡子。妙中之妙。玄中之玄。並居凡類之心。小功而能速證。安得自欺不受。今聞解能欣。尤須自慶。故知慕斯法者。起信樂心。纔舉念時。已作如來真子。始迴向際。便成無上菩提。興少學而齊上賢。施微功而獲大果。促三祇於一念。圓萬德於小成。猶長者得摩尼之珠。盡未來施而不盡。似小國獲輪王之寶。遍法界用而無窮。妙德藥王。獻香華而侍立。釋迦多寶。同歡喜而證明。隨所至方。接足。而如逢善逝。說一偈處。起塔。而堪作寶坊。法利何窮。功德無盡。華嚴論云。修信解力者。常信自他凡聖。一體同如。無所依住。無我無我所。心境平等。無二相故。一切凡聖。本唯法界。無造作性。依真而住。住無所住。與一切諸佛眾生。同。一心智。住性真法界。所有分別。是一切諸佛本不動智。凡聖一真。共同此智。全信自心。是佛種智。及一切智。不於心外別有信佛之心。亦不於自心之內見自心。有佛相。故信如斯法。自力未充。以此是人。獲得人中。一切勝報。衣服飲食。隨念而至。又不唯正報。依報具足。乃至有情無情。悉皆歸順。以得法界根本。更有何事而不從乎。如華嚴經云。時大光王告言。善男子。我淨修菩薩大慈幢行。我滿足菩薩大慈幢行。乃至善男子。此妙光城。所住眾生。皆是菩薩。發大乘意。隨心所見不同。或見此城。其量狹小。或見此城。其量廣大。或見土沙以為其地。或見眾寶而以莊嚴。或見聚土以為垣牆。或見寶牆周匝圍繞。或見其地。多諸瓦石。高下不平。或見無量大摩尼寶。間錯莊嚴。平坦如掌。或見屋宅土木所成。或見殿堂。及諸樓閣。階墀窓闥。軒檻戶牖。如是一切。無非妙寶。善男子。若有眾生。其心清淨。曾種善根。供養諸佛。發心趣向一切智道。以一切智為究竟處。及我昔時修菩薩行。曾所攝受。則見此城。眾寶嚴淨。餘皆見穢。善男子。此國土中一切眾生。五濁世時。樂作諸惡。我心哀愍。而欲救護。入於菩薩大慈為首。隨順。世間三昧之門。入此三昧時。彼諸眾生。所有怖畏心。惱害心。怨敵心。諍論心。如是諸心。悉自消滅。何以故。入於菩薩大慈為首順世三昧。法如是故。善男子。且待須臾。自當現見。時大光王。即入此定。其城內外。六種震動。諸寶地寶牆。寶堂寶殿。臺觀樓閣。階砌戶牖。如是一切。咸出妙音。悉向於王。曲躬敬禮。妙光城內。所有居人。靡不同時。歡喜踊躍。俱向王所。舉身投地。村營城邑。一切人眾。咸來見王。歡喜敬禮。近王所住。鳥獸之屬。互相瞻視。起慈悲心。咸向王前。恭敬禮拜。一切山原。及諸草樹。莫不迴轉。向王敬禮。陂池泉井。及以河海。悉皆騰溢。流注王前。釋摩訶衍論云。自所作之功德。迴向三處。一者真如。二者一心法。三者本覺佛性。是名為三。以何義故迴向三處。謂為欲自所作功德令平等故。迴向真如。或為欲自所作功德令廣大故。迴向一心。或為欲自所作功德令明了故。迴向本覺。應如是知。應如是觀。如是迴向。有何利益。謂眾多故。此義云何。譬如用一微塵置大地中。所置微塵與彼大地。等無差別。迴向法門。亦如是故。又譬如用一注水置大海中。所置注水與彼大海。等無差別。迴向法門。亦如是故。又譬如破一小有。即便與大虛空。等無差別。迴向法門。亦如是故。已說展舒功德令廣門。次說施於眾生普利門。言普利一切眾生界者。即是施於眾生普利門。謂舉廣大圓滿功德。周遍利益眾生界故。頌云。歡喜大士志心勸。無量佛子眾海中。我已超毛頭三角。過於生華之四根。第一無數粗滿訖。第二僧祇始入無。如宜汝等諸佛子。以於左右之兩手。捧於本識之明鏡。臨七識散慮之面。見六塵境界之垢。洗法執人我之咎。汝等佛子若如是。法身應化之三身。如舒伊字圓現前。常樂我淨之四德。如入達池具出生。我從四王自在處。下入大海龍宮殿。隨分窺諸契經海。總有一百洛叉數。如是諸經真實法。無量無邊差別義。摩訶衍論立義中。該攝安立具足說。有善男子善女人。若自手捧斯經卷。名捧百洛叉經者。若口自誦經本分。名誦百洛叉經者。此人所得之功德。十方世界微塵數。諸佛及大菩薩眾。各出微塵數舌相。如是微塵劫數中。不息稱說不能盡。何況觀察其義理。思惟文下之所詮。是以若人於此宗鏡之中。或介爾起心。或瞥然舉意。或偶得手觸。或暫以目觀。皆成入道之緣。盡結一乘之種。以是祖佛正訣。經論本宗。高布涅槃之天。深窮般若之海。又此中。文包義富。宗贍理圓。搜之而句句盡徹根原。編之而一一遍含旨趣。何況信解悟入。正念修行。書寫受持。開演傳布。格量功果。唯佛乃知。非算數之可量。豈讚揚之所及。

Answer: This is the foremost teaching, the peerless exposition. Even if one studies it without attainment, one's merit still surpasses that of humans and devas; even if one hears it without believing, it still plants the seed of bodhi. The golden mouths of the ten directions join in praising it; the Mahāyāna sūtras all record it fully. The Lotus Sūtra says: 'A single thought of rejoicing [with it] receives the prediction of unsurpassed bodhi; receiving and upholding a single verse is entirely equivalent to making offerings to the Tathāgata.' An ancient commentary on the 'Manifestation Chapter' of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra states: 'The purports of the text of this chapter are grand and profound, capable of being sudden and capable of being perfect; they fathom the original source of sentient beings and exhaust the deep ocean of all buddhas. Within the fundamental wheel of Dharma, it further abides at its very heart; born into the lineage of the golden wheel, one is furthermore an heir apparent. It is the wondrous among the wondrous, the mysterious among the mysterious. Yet both reside within the minds of common mortals; with little effort one can swiftly realize it—how could one deceive oneself and not accept it? Now, hearing and understanding it with joy, one especially ought to rejoice in oneself.'

Therefore, know that whoever aspires to this Dharma and gives rise to a mind of faith and joy—at the very instant a thought arises, they have already become a true child of the Tathāgata; at the very moment they begin dedication, they achieve unsurpassed bodhi. Undertaking slight study, they equal superior sages; expending subtle effort, they obtain great fruits. They compress three asaṃkhyeyas into a single thought; they consummate the myriad virtues in a small achievement. It is like an elder obtaining a maṇi jewel: giving it away throughout the future without end. It is like a small state obtaining a wheel-turning king's treasure: utilizing it throughout the dharmadhātu without exhaust. Mañjuśrī and Bhaiṣajyarāja present incense and flowers to attend standing by; Śākyamuni and Prabhūtaratna jointly rejoice and certify. Wherever one arrives, people touch their heads to one's feet as though meeting the Sugata; where a single verse is spoken, a stūpa is raised fit to be a treasure sanctuary. How could its Dharma benefits be exhausted? Its merits are infinite!

The Commentary on the Avataṃsaka states: 'Those who cultivate the power of faith and understanding constantly believe that self and others, commoners and sages, are of one substance, identical in tathatā, without any abode of reliance, without self and without what belongs to self; because mind and objects are equal and without dual characteristics. All commoners and sages are fundamentally only the dharmadhātu, without fabricated nature; abiding in reliance upon truth, they abide in non-abiding. Together with all buddhas and sentient beings, they share the single wisdom of the one mind, abiding in the true dharmadhātu of nature. All conceptual distinctions are the original immovable wisdom of all buddhas. Commoners and sages are one reality, sharing this wisdom together. Completely believing that one's own mind is the Buddha's sarvākārajñatā and all-knowledge, outside the mind there is no separate mind that believes in the Buddha, nor inside one's own mind does one see one's own mind possessing the characteristics of a buddha. Thus, believing in such a Dharma, even if one's own power is not yet complete, through this, this person obtains all superior rewards among humans: clothing and food arrive along with one's thoughts. Moreover, not only is the primary reward fulfilled, but the secondary environment is also fully complete, and even the sentient and insentient all submit and accord. Having attained the root of the dharmadhātu, what phenomenon would not comply?'

As the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'Then King Mahāprabhā said: "Good sons, I have purely cultivated the bodhisattva's banner-practice of great compassion; I have fulfilled the bodhisattva's banner-practice of great compassion... Furthermore, good sons, the sentient beings living in this city of Prabhāvatī are all bodhisattvas who have aroused the resolve for the Mahāyāna. According to their minds, what they see is different: some see this city as narrow and small in extent; some see this city as broad and vast in extent; some see earth and sand as its ground; some see myriad jewels adorning it; some see mounds of earth as walls; some see jeweled walls surrounding it all around; some see its ground full of tiles and stones, high and low, uneven; some see immeasurable great maṇi jewels ornately adorning it, flat like the palm of a hand; some see dwellings made of earth and wood; some see palaces, halls, multi-storied pavilions, stairs, balustrades, windows, doors, verandas, and latticework, all of which are nothing but wondrous jewels.

"Good sons, if there are sentient beings whose minds are pure, who have planted roots of goodness in the past, offered to buddhas, aroused the resolve to proceed toward the path of all-knowledge, taking all-knowledge as the ultimate destination, and whom I formerly gathered in while cultivating the bodhisattva practice, then they see this city adorned and purified with myriad jewels; the rest all see it as defiled.

"Good sons, all sentient beings in this land, in the age of the five turbidities, take pleasure in doing evil deeds. With a mind of pity and compassion, wishing to save and protect them, I enter the portal of the samādhi that accords with the worldly, headed by the bodhisattva's great compassion. When I enter this samādhi, all those sentient beings' fearful minds, harmful minds, hostile minds, and disputatious minds—such minds as these—all naturally dissolve and vanish. Why is that? Because entering the worldly-according samādhi headed by the bodhisattva's great compassion has such a Dharma-nature. Good sons, wait just a moment and you shall see for yourselves."

'Then King Mahāprabhā immediately entered this samādhi. The inside and outside of the city quaked in six ways. All the jeweled grounds, jeweled walls, jeweled halls, jeweled palaces, towers, multi-storied pavilions, steps, and windows—all such things emitted wondrous sounds and all bowed in reverent salutation toward the king. All the inhabitants residing in the city of Prabhāvatī without exception simultaneously leaped with joy, and all went to the king's presence and threw their entire bodies to the ground. All the multitudes of people from villages, encampments, cities, and towns all came to see the king, rejoicing and paying reverent homage. The birds and beasts dwelling near the king looked upon one another, aroused minds of kindness and compassion, and all came before the king to bow respectfully. All the mountains, plains, grasses, and trees without exception turned and paid homage toward the king. Pools, springs, wells, rivers, and oceans all welled up and flowed before the king.'

The Commentary on the Awakening of Mahāyāna Faith (*Śraddhotpādaśāstra-ṭīkā*) states: 'The merits one creates are dedicated to three places: first, tathatā; second, the Dharma of the one mind; third, original enlightenment and buddha-nature. These are named the three. For what purpose are they dedicated to these three places? In order to make the merits one creates equal, one dedicates them to tathatā. Or, in order to make the merits one creates vast, one dedicates them to the one mind. Or, in order to make the merits one creates clear and distinct, one dedicates them to original enlightenment. One should know thus, one should contemplate thus. What benefit is there in such dedication? It is said to be manifold. What does this mean? It is like taking a single dust mote and placing it within the great earth: the placed dust mote and that great earth are equal and without difference. The Dharma portal of dedication is also like this. Furthermore, it is like taking a single stream of water and placing it into the great ocean: the placed stream of water and that great ocean are equal and without difference. The Dharma portal of dedication is also like this. Furthermore, it is like breaking a small existence, and it instantly becomes equal and without difference from great space. The Dharma portal of dedication is also like this. Having explained the gate of expanding merits to make them vast, next is explained the gate of universal benefit bestowed upon sentient beings. The statement "universally benefiting all realms of sentient beings" is the gate of universal benefit bestowed upon sentient beings, meaning that by holding up broad, great, and perfect merits, one pervasively benefits the realm of sentient beings.'

A verse says:
'The Great Being Pramuditā with devoted mind exhorts:
Amid the ocean-multitude of immeasurable children of the Buddha,
I have already transcended the three angles of a hair's tip,
Surpassed the four roots of the emerging flower;
The first incalculable [eon] is roughly completed,
The second asaṃkhyeya is just beginning to enter the non-existent.
As is fitting, all you children of the Buddha,
With both your left and right hands,
Hold up the bright mirror of the fundamental consciousness,
Facing the countenance of the seven consciousnesses' dispersed thoughts,
See the defilements of the six dust-realms,
And wash away the faults of attachment to dharmas and personal self.
If you, children of the Buddha, act like this,
The three bodies of dharmakāya, saṃbhoga, and nirmāṇa
Will appear before you in perfection, like the unfolded letter *i*;
The four virtues of permanence, bliss, self, and purity
Will all be brought forth, as if entering Lake Anavatapta.
From the Sovereign Abode of the Four Heavenly Kings,
I descended into the palace of the dragons in the great sea;
Peering into the ocean of sūtras as my capacity allowed,
There were a total of one hundred lakṣas in number.
Such true Dharma of all the sūtras,
With their immeasurable and boundless differentiated meanings,
Are all included, established, and fully expounded
Within the doctrine set forth by the Mahāyāna Treatise.
If there is a good man or good woman
Who with their own hands holds this scroll of scripture,
They are called "one who holds the sūtra of a hundred lakṣas";
If with their own mouths they recite this portion of the scripture,
They are called "one who recites the sūtra of a hundred lakṣas".
The merit obtained by this person
Is such that buddhas and assemblies of great bodhisattvas
Numbering as the dust motes of the worlds in the ten directions,
Each putting forth tongues numbering as dust motes,
During as many kalpas as these dust motes,
Ceaselessly praising it, could not exhaust it—
How much less contemplating its principles and meaning,
And reflecting on what is expounded beneath the text!'

Therefore, if someone, in this Mirror of the Source, gives rise to even the slightest thought, has an instantaneous flash of intent, happens to touch it with their hand, or gazes at it briefly with their eyes, these all become causes for entering the Way, completely forming the seed of the One Vehicle. Because it is the correct instructions of the patriarchs and buddhas, the fundamental source of the sūtras and treatises, high in the sky of nirvāṇa, deeply fathoming the ocean of prajñā. Furthermore, herein the text is concise and the meaning rich; the source is abundant and the principle complete. When searching it, every sentence penetrates completely to the root source; when compiling it, each part everywhere contains the essential import. How much more so for those who have faith and understanding, awaken and enter, cultivate with correct mindfulness, transcribe, receive and uphold, explain and disseminate it! Its merits and fruits can be measured only by the buddhas; they are beyond reckoning, and how could praise ever reach them?