宗鏡錄 61.19

61.19

答。然理唯一心。事收萬法。若不細窮旨趣。何以得至覺原。今時不到之者。皆是謬解麁浮正信力薄。玄關綿密。豈情識之能通。大旨希夷。非一期之所入。若乃未到如來之地。焉能頓悟眾生之心。今因自力未到之人。少為開示。全憑佛語。以印凡心。憑佛語以契同。渺然無際。印凡心而不異。豁爾歸宗。又有二義須說。一若不言說。則不能為他說一切法離言自性。二即說無說。說與不說。性無二故。又此宗但論見性親證。非在文詮。為破情塵。助生正信。若隨語生見。執解依通。則實語是虛妄。生語見故。若因教照心。唯在得意。則虛妄是實語。除邪執故。起信論云。當知一切諸法。從本已來。非色非心。非智非識。非無非有。畢竟皆是不可說相。所有言說示教之者。皆是如來善巧方便。假以言語。引導眾生。令捨文字。入於真實。若隨言執義。增妄分別。不生實智。不得涅槃。又若文字顯總持。因言而悟道。但依義而不依語。得意而不徇文。則與正理不違。何關語默。故大般若經云。若順文字。不違正理。常無諍論。名護正法。

Answer: Principle is solely the one mind, while phenomena encompass the myriad dharmas. If one does not thoroughly investigate its import, how can one arrive at the source of awakening? Those of the present day who fail to reach it all suffer from erroneous understanding, superficiality, and feeble correct faith. The profound barrier is subtle and dense—how could discursive consciousness penetrate it? The great purport is silent and fathomless—it is not to be entered in a single period. If one has not yet reached the stage of the Tathāgata, how could one suddenly awaken to the minds of sentient beings? Now, for the sake of those whose own power has not yet reached it, I provide a brief elucidation, relying entirely on the Buddha's words to seal the ordinary mind. Relying on the Buddha's words to accord with them, it is vast and boundless; sealing the ordinary mind so that it is not different, it openly returns to the source. Furthermore, there are two meanings that require explanation: first, if there were no speech, one could not explain to others that all dharmas transcend verbal self-nature; second, speaking is itself non-speaking, because speaking and not speaking are not dual in nature. Moreover, this source considers only seeing nature and personal realization; it does not lie in textual explanations. It is to destroy emotional defilements and assist the generation of correct faith. If one gives rise to views following words and clings to interpretations relying on partial penetrations, then true words become false, because views born of words have arisen. If one illumines the mind by means of teaching, resting solely in grasping the meaning, then false words become true words, because perverse clingings are eliminated. The Awakening of Faith says: 'One should know that all dharmas from the beginningless past are neither matter nor mind, neither wisdom nor consciousness, neither nonexistence nor existence; ultimately, they are all marks transcending speech. All spoken teachings and instructions are the Tathāgata's skillful means, provisionally using words to guide sentient beings, causing them to abandon letters and enter into reality. If one follows words and clings to literal meanings, increasing deluded discrimination, true wisdom will not arise, and nirvāṇa will not be attained.' Furthermore, if letters reveal the dhāraṇī and one awakens to the Way through words, merely relying on the meaning rather than the words, grasping the meaning without being constrained by the text, then one does not contradict the correct principle. What has it to do with speech or silence? Thus the Mahāprajñāpāramitāsūtra says: 'If one complies with letters without contradicting the correct principle and remains forever free of dispute, this is called protecting the true Dharma.'