宗鏡錄 64.23

64.23

答曰。不見。何故不見。汝言現見。為眼見。為識見。若眼見者。死人有眼。亦應見。若識見者。盲人有識。亦應見。若根識一一別不見。和合亦不見。喻如一盲不能見。眾盲亦不見。五根亦爾。四性皆空。大智度論云。色等諸法。不作大。不作小。故。凡夫人心。於諸法中。隨意作大小。如人急時。其心縮小。安隱富樂時。心則寬大。又如八背捨中。隨心。故外色或大或小等。故摩訶般若經云。般若波羅蜜。無聞無見。諸法鈍故。是以凡夫界中。觀相元妄。聖人境內。觀性元真。以觀相故。不得無。以觀性故。不得有。以不得無故。如但見其波。不見其水。以不得有故。但見其水。不見其波。又如向瞖眼人。說空中無華。對狂病人。說目前無鬼。徒費言語。終不信受。直待目淨心安。自然無見。

The answer says: "It is not seen. Why is it not seen? In what you call present seeing, is it seen by the eye, or is it seen by consciousness? If it is seen by the eye, a dead person has eyes and should also see. If it is seen by consciousness, a blind person has consciousness and should also see. If the sense faculty and consciousness individually and separately do not see, in combination they also do not see. For example, just as one blind person cannot see, a crowd of blind people also cannot see. The five sense faculties are also like this; the four natures are all empty. The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'Because phenomena such as form are not made large and not made small, the minds of ordinary beings make them large or small according to their thoughts. When a person is in an urgent situation, their mind shrinks; when they are peaceful, secure, wealthy, and joyful, their mind becomes broad and expansive. Again, as in the eight liberations, external forms become large or small according to the mind.' Therefore the Mahāprajñāpāramitāsūtra says: 'Prajñāpāramitā has nothing heard and nothing seen, because phenomena are inert.' Therefore, within the realm of ordinary beings, observing characteristics is originally false; within the domain of sages, observing the nature is originally true. Because of observing characteristics, one cannot attain nonexistence; because of observing the nature, one cannot attain existence. Because of being unable to attain nonexistence, it is like only seeing the waves and not seeing the water; because of being unable to attain existence, it is like only seeing the water and not seeing the waves. Furthermore, it is like telling a person with cataracts that there are no flowers in the sky, or telling a delirious patient that there are no ghosts before their eyes: it is a waste of words, and they will never believe and accept it. One must wait until the eyes are clean and the mind is at peace, and then naturally there is no seeing."