宗鏡錄 68.37

68.37

答。奇哉世間。愚癡難悟。唯知怖罪。不識罪因。一切善惡。苦樂因果。並世俗有。勝義中無。我依勝義。言不可得。不撥世俗。何成邪見。於世俗中。執勝義有。不稱正理。是為邪見。今於此中。為破時執。略說諸法。俗有真無。又古釋云。凡如來三時說法。或云一時。三世十世等時。皆從能變心生。外無三世之境。離自心外。諸法無體。如世尊說彌勒作佛。即聽者於自心上。變作過去相分生起。世尊答云。從今十二年後。必得往生。聽者心上。又變作未來相分而起。能變心。即現在也。此過去時。無其實境。盡從心變。但隨心分限。變起長時短時。是以時因心立。無有定性。因現在。則有過去未來。因延有促。因一念有大劫。若無現在心。何處立過未。西域記第七云。昔有隱士。結廬屏跡。博習技藝。究極神理。能使瓦礫成寶。人畜變形。但未能馭風雲。陪仙駕。閱圖考古。更求仙法。遂得求仙方云。將欲求仙當築壇場。命一烈士。按長劍。立壇隅。屏息絕言。自昏達曙。求仙者。壇中而坐。按長劍。誦神呪。收視返聽。達曙登仙。既得此方。數年之間求烈士不得。後遇一人。先為人傭力。艱辛五載。一旦違失。遂被笞辱。又無所得。悲號巡路。隱士見命數加優贈。烈士欲求報効。隱士曰。我彌歷多年。幸而遇會。奇貌應圖。非有他故。願一旦不語耳。烈士曰。死尚不辭。何況不語。於是隱士。立壇受仙。依事行之。日暮之後。各思其事。隱者誦呪。烈士按劍。俟將曉矣。烈士忽然大叫。時空中火下。烟焰雲蒸。穩士疾引此人。入池避難。問曰。誡子無聲。何乃驚叫。烈士曰。受命之後。至夜昏然若夢。見昔所事主人。躬來至傍。感厚恩而不語。被打震怒。而見致害。遂見託生南印土大婆羅門家。受生。乃至出胎。苦厄備受。荷恩不語。洎乎受冠生子。每念前恩思而不語。闔家親戚。咸見怪矣。年過六十。而有一子。其妻謂曰。汝若不語。我殺汝子。我自懷念。今已隔生。唯有一子寧忍令殺。因止其妻。遂發此言。隱士曰。我之過也。被魔所嬈。烈士感激其事。忿恚而死。故知睡夢與覺。所見唯心。延促之時。不離一念。故引夢時。以明覺位。又法華經安樂行品。夢入銅輪。成道度生。經無量時。唯只一夜夢心。所以無性攝論頌云。處夢謂經年。覺乃須臾頃。故時雖無量。攝在一剎那。可證聽者心上。自變長短二時。實唯現在心心所也。故義海云。如見塵時。是一念心所現。此一念心之時。全是百千大劫成。何以故。百千大劫。本由一念方成。大劫既相由成立。俱無體性。乃至遠近世界。佛及眾生。三世一切事物。莫不於一念中現。何以故。一切事法。依心而現。念既無礙。法亦隨融。是故一念。即見三世事物顯然。所以華嚴經頌云。一念普觀無量劫。無去無來亦無住。如是了知三世事。超諸方便成十力。又頌云。始從一念終成劫。悉從眾生心想生。一切剎海劫無邊。以一方便皆清淨。又頌云。或從心海生。隨心所解住。如幻無處所。一切是分別。故知橫收剎海。竪徹僧祇。皆一念心。前後際斷。既無大小之剎。亦無延促之時。以一方便唯心之門。令眾生界悉皆清淨。何者。以知境唯妄識分別。則不起心。以心不起故。則妄境不現。妄境不現。垢淨之法無依麁想不生。長短之時自絕。若教中所說劫量延促。皆是善巧逗機方便。或為怯弱眾生。說成佛只在剎那。或為懈怠眾生。說須經阿僧祇劫。若成佛之旨。一際無差。延促之詮。盡歸權智。又古釋云。一方便者。即了唯心也。一念與劫。並由想心。心想不生。長短安在。非長非短。是謂清淨。不壞於相。則劫海無邊。故知一切諸法。皆無自體。悉不堅牢。唯從想生。若執為實。但是顛倒。所以廣博嚴淨經云。文殊師利告阿難言。愚小之人。以日為晝想。無黠慧故。所以者何。若令此晝。是真實者。是常住者。是堅牢者。應有積聚。不應過去。唯應有晝。不應有夜。

Answer: How marvelous the world is—in its folly, it is difficult to awaken! It only knows to fear sin, yet does not recognize the cause of sin. All good and evil, suffering and pleasure, cause and effect, all exist conventionally, but are non-existent in the ultimate truth. Relying on the ultimate truth, I say they are ungraspable; I do not repudiate the conventional—how could this constitute wrong view? To grasp at existence in the ultimate sense within the conventional, which does not accord with correct principle—that is wrong view.
Now, within this, in order to shatter temporal attachments, it is briefly stated that dharmas exist conventionally and are non-existent in the real. Furthermore, an ancient commentary states: 'Whenever the Tathāgata preached the Dharma at three times, or said at one time, the times of the three periods, the ten periods, and so forth, all arise from the transforming citta. Externally, there are no objects of the three periods; apart from one's own citta, dharmas have no substance. Just as when the World-Honoured One said that Maitreya would become a Buddha, the listener immediately produced on their own citta a transformed nimittabhāga of the past arising; when the World-Honoured One answered, "From now, after twelve years, he will certainly attain rebirth," on the listener's citta there again arose a transformed nimittabhāga of the future. The transforming citta is the present. This past time has no real object; it is entirely transformed from citta, merely following the delimitation of citta to transform and give rise to long and short times. Therefore, time is established based on citta; it has no fixed nature. Due to the present, there are the past and the future; due to the extended, there is the contracted; due to a single thought-moment, there are great kalpas. If there were no present citta, where could the past and future be established?'
The seventh fascicle of the Record of the Western Regions states: 'In the past, there was a hermit who built a hut and secluded himself from worldly traces. He extensively studied arts and techniques, exhaustively penetrating spiritual principles. He could turn rubble into jewels and transform the forms of humans and animals. However, he was not yet able to ride the winds and clouds or accompany the carriages of the immortals. Reading charts and examining ancient records, he sought further methods of immortality, and thus obtained a formula for seeking immortality, which said: "One who wishes to seek immortality should construct an altar, order a valiant man to press a long sword, stand at the corner of the altar, hold his breath, and cease all speech from dusk to dawn. The seeker of immortality sits within the altar, pressing a long sword, reciting a divine dhāraṇī, collecting sight and turning back hearing; reaching dawn, he ascends to immortality." Having obtained this formula, for several years he sought a valiant man without finding one. Later he met a man who had previously worked as a hired labourer for others; after five years of hardship, having committed a single mistake, he was consequently flogged and humiliated, and received nothing, weeping and wailing along the road. The hermit saw him, invited him, and repeatedly showered him with generous gifts. The valiant man wished to repay his kindness. The hermit said: "I have passed many years and fortunately met you. Your remarkable appearance corresponds to the chart; there is no other reason: I only wish that you do not speak for a single day." The valiant man said: "I would not even refuse death, let alone not speaking!" Thereupon the hermit established the altar to receive immortality and carried it out according to the procedure. After sunset, each contemplated his task: the hermit recited the dhāraṇī, and the valiant man pressed his sword. When dawn was about to break, the valiant man suddenly gave a great shout. At that time, fire fell from the sky, and smoke and flames steamed like clouds. The hermit quickly pulled the man into a pool to escape danger, and asked: "I admonished you to make no sound; why did you cry out in alarm?" The valiant man said: "After receiving your instruction, when it reached the dark of night, as if in a dream, I saw my former master come in person to my side; feeling his deep kindness, I did not speak. He beat me in fury and threatened to kill me; I then saw myself being reborn into a great Brahmin family in South India. Reborn, until emerging from the womb, I experienced every suffering and hardship, but remembering your kindness, I did not speak. Coming to the capping ceremony and having a son, each time I remembered the former kindness, thought of it, and did not speak. All the relatives of the household found it strange. Passing sixty years of age, I had a son. My wife said to me: 'If you do not speak, I will kill your son.' I thought to myself: 'Now I am already separated by a rebirth, and I have only this one son; how could I bear to let him be killed?' So in stopping my wife, I uttered these words." The hermit said: "It is my fault; I was disturbed by Māra." The valiant man, deeply agitated by the affair, died of fury and indignation.'
Therefore we know that in sleep and in waking, what is seen is only citta. The times of extension and contraction are not separate from a single thought-moment; therefore the time of a dream is cited to illuminate the waking state. Furthermore, in the "Peaceful and Joyful Practices" chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, dreaming of entering a bronze wheel, accomplishing the Way, and saving sentient beings passes through immeasurable time, yet it is only a single night's dreaming citta. Therefore, a verse in Asvabhāva's commentary on the Mahāyānasaṃgraha says:
"Dwelling in a dream, one thinks years have passed;
Awakening, it was but a moment.
Therefore, though time is immeasurable,
It is gathered within a single kṣaṇa."
This proves that on the listener's citta, the two times of long and short are spontaneously transformed; in reality, they are only the present citta and caittas. Therefore the Ocean of Meanings states: 'Just as when a dust mote is seen, it is manifested by a single thought-citta, the time of this single thought-citta is entirely constituted by hundreds of thousands of great kalpas. Why? Because hundreds of thousands of great kalpas are originally constituted only by a single thought. Since great kalpas are established mutually dependent on each other, they are all devoid of substance and nature. Even the worlds far and near, Buddhas and sentient beings, all phenomena of the three periods, are all manifested within a single thought. Why? Because all phenomena and dharmas are manifested relying on citta. Since the thought is unobstructed, dharmas are also accordingly harmonized. Therefore, in a single thought, one clearly sees the phenomena of the three periods.' Therefore, a verse in the Avataṃsakasūtra says:
'In a single thought, one universally observes immeasurable kalpas,
Neither going, nor coming, nor abiding;
Thus fully knowing the matters of the three periods,
Transcending all expedients, one accomplishes the ten powers.'
Another verse says:
'Beginning from a single thought and ending in kalpas,
All arise from the conceptualization of sentient beings' citta.
All ocean-like lands and kalpas are boundless,
Yet by a single expedient they are all purified.'
Another verse says:
'Either arising from the ocean of citta,
Abiding according to the understanding of citta,
Like illusions without a fixed place,
All are discrimination.'
Therefore we know that horizontally gathering ocean-like lands and vertically penetrating asaṃkhyeyas are entirely the single thought-citta, with former and later limits severed. There are neither large nor small lands, nor are there extended or contracted times. By the single expedient of the gate of citta-only, the realm of sentient beings is made entirely pure. Why is this? Because knowing that objects are merely the discrimination of false consciousness, one does not give rise to citta; because citta does not arise, false objects do not appear; when false objects do not appear, defiled and pure dharmas have nothing to rely on, coarse thoughts do not arise, and long and short times naturally cease. The lengths of kalpas, extended and contracted, spoken of in the teachings, are all expedients adapted skillfully to the faculties [of listeners]: either for fainthearted sentient beings, it is said that attaining Buddhahood takes only a kṣaṇa, or for indolent sentient beings, it is said that it requires passing through asaṃkhyeya kalpas. While the purport of attaining Buddhahood is unified without distinction, the explanations of extension and contraction all return to provisional wisdom. Furthermore, an ancient commentary states: 'The single expedient is the realization of citta-only. A single thought-moment and a kalpa both depend on the conceptualizing citta. When citta's conceptualization does not arise, where can long and short exist? Neither long nor short—this is called purity. Without destroying characteristics, the oceans of kalpas are boundless.' Therefore we know that all dharmas have no self-substance, are none of them durable, and arise solely from conceptualization. If one grasps them as real, it is merely inversion. Therefore the Sūtra of Vast and Pure Array states: 'Mañjuśrī addressed Ānanda, saying: "Ignorant and childish people take the day to be the thought of daytime because they lack sharp wisdom. Why is this? If this daytime were real, permanently abiding, and durable, it should have accumulation and should not pass away; there should only be day, and there should not be night."'