宗鏡錄 74.9

74.9

答。夫業性本空。結成多種。先論黑白行相。後辯發潤根由。今初黑白行相者。如大涅槃經云。佛言。復次善男子。次當觀業。何以故。有智之人。當作是念。受想觸欲。即是煩惱者。能作生業。不作受業。如是煩惱。與業共行。則有二種。一作生業。二作受業。是故智者。當觀於業。是業三種。謂身口意。善男子。身口二業。亦名為業。亦名業果。意唯名業。不名為果。以業因故。則名為業。善男子。身口二業。名為外業。意業名因。是三種業。共煩惱行故。作二種。業一者生。業二者受。業善男子。正業者。即意業。也期業者。謂身口業。先發故。名意業。從意業生。名身口業。是故意業。得名為正。智者觀業已。次觀業因。業因者。即無明觸。因無明觸。眾生求有。求有因緣。即是愛也。愛因緣故。造作三種身口意業。善男子。智者如是觀業因已。次觀果報。果報有四。一者黑黑果報。二者白白果報。三者雜雜果報。四者不黑不白果報。黑黑果報者。作業時垢。果報亦垢。白白果報者。名無漏業。迦葉菩薩白佛言。世尊。先說無漏。無有果報。今云何言。不白不黑果報耶。佛言。善男子。是義有二。一者亦果亦報。二者唯果非報。黑黑果報。亦名為果。亦名為報。黑因生故。得名為果。能作因故。復名為報。淨雜亦爾。無漏果者。故名為果。不作他因。不名為報。迦葉菩薩白佛言。世尊。是無漏業。非是黑法。何因緣故。不名為白。善男子。無有報故。不名為白。對治黑故。故名為白。我今乃說受果報者。名為黑白。是無漏業。不受報故。不名為白。名為寂靜。故知業不可作。果不可逃。如經偈云。非空非海中。非入山石間。無有地方所。脫之不受業。唯除不作則無果。得道則業亡。如氣歔旃陀羅。造惡業而得生天。鴦崛魔羅。作逆罪而得解脫果。是知受身已來。無有不作業者。設今生不作。過去曾為。但悟此宗。無不解脫。何以解脫。若入宗鏡。人法自空。人空。則不見有能作業之人。法空。則不見所受果之處。只為妄執人法而造業。不出心境而受殃。但心境俱亡。即當處解脫。故知一切善惡諸法。無有定相。由心迴轉。得失任緣。如大涅槃經云。佛言。善男子。若言諸業定得報者。則不得有修習梵行。解脫涅槃。當知是人。非我弟子。是魔眷屬。若言。諸業有定不定。定者。現報生報。後報。不定者。緣合則受。不合不受。以是義故。應有梵行。解脫涅槃。當知是人。真我弟子。非魔眷屬。乃至譬如二人。俱涉險路。一則有目。一則盲瞽。有目之人。直過無患。盲者墜落。墮深坑險。故知得宗鏡之眼者。終不墮三有之險。陷五欲之坑。自然直過無疑。常居覺地。次辯發潤根由者。若分別煩惱正發業。俱生無明助發業。發者。動作義。業者。招感義。俱生能潤生。分別能造業。招生過重。俱生能潤生過輕。若分別發人天業。即俱生助發。以人天業難發。要假俱生。助若分別發三塗業。不假俱生助發。以分別猛利故。不要助發。

Answer: The nature of karma is fundamentally empty, yet it coalesces into many varieties. First we discuss the characteristics of black and white karma, and later explain the root causes of initiation and moistening. Now, first, regarding the characteristics of black and white: As the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra states, the Buddha said: 'Furthermore, good sons, next one should contemplate karma. Why is this? A wise person should make this reflection: Feeling, perception, contact, and desire—which are kleśas—can perform karma that produces, but not karma that is experienced. Kleśas such as these proceed together with karma and thus are of two kinds: first, performing karma that produces; second, performing karma that is experienced. Therefore, the wise should contemplate karma. This karma is of three kinds: body, speech, and mind. Good sons, the two karmas of body and speech are also called karma and also called the fruit of karma. Mind is called only karma, not fruit. Because it is the cause of karma, it is called karma. Good sons, the two karmas of body and speech are called external karma; mental karma is called the cause. Because these three kinds of karma proceed together with kleśas, they perform two kinds of karma: first, productive karma; second, experienced karma. Good sons, principal karma is mental karma; projected karma refers to the karma of body and speech. Because it initiates first, it is called mental karma; being born from mental karma, it is called bodily and verbal karma. Therefore, mental karma gets the name of principal. Having contemplated karma, the wise next contemplate the cause of karma. The cause of karma is contact with avidyā. Because of contact with avidyā, sentient beings seek existence. The condition for seeking existence is craving. Because of the condition of craving, they create the three kinds of karma of body, speech, and mind. Good sons, having thus contemplated the cause of karma, the wise next contemplate fruit and retribution. Retribution is of four kinds: first, black-black fruit and retribution; second, white-white fruit and retribution; third, mixed-mixed fruit and retribution; fourth, neither-black-nor-white fruit and retribution. Black-black retribution means that when doing the karma it is defiled, and its retribution is also defiled. White-white retribution is called undefiled karma.' Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha: 'World-Honoured One, earlier you said that the undefiled has no retribution. Why do you now speak of neither-white-nor-black retribution?' The Buddha said: 'Good son, this meaning has two aspects: first, it is both fruit and retribution; second, it is only fruit and not retribution. Black-black retribution is also called fruit and also called retribution. Because it is born from a black cause, it gets the name of fruit; because it can act as a cause, it is also called retribution. Pure and mixed are also like this. Undefiled fruit is therefore called fruit; since it does not act as another cause, it is not called retribution.' Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha: 'World-Honoured One, this undefiled karma is not a black phenomenon. For what reason is it not called white?' 'Good son, because it has no retribution, it is not called white; because it remedies the black, it is called white. What I now speak of as experiencing retribution is called black or white. Because this undefiled karma experiences no retribution, it is not called white; it is called tranquil.' Therefore, we know that karma must not be committed, and its fruit cannot be escaped. As the verse of a sūtra says: 'Not in the sky, nor in the sea, / Nor entering within mountain rocks; / There is no place on earth / Where escaping, one does not experience karma.' Only unless it is not done will there be no fruit; when the path is attained, karma is annihilated. For instance, the caṇḍāla Qi-xu committed evil karma yet attained rebirth in heaven; Aṅgulimāla committed heinous crimes yet attained the fruit of liberation. From this we know that since receiving a body, there is no one who does not create karma. Even if one does not create it in this life, one has done so in the past. But if one awakens to this source, there is none who is not liberated. Why are they liberated? If one enters the mirror of the source, person and phenomena are naturally empty. If the person is empty, one does not see a person capable of creating karma; if phenomena are empty, one does not see a place where fruit is received. It is only because of falsely grasping at person and phenomena that karma is created, and without leaving citta and its objects that retribution is suffered. But when citta and its objects both perish, right there one is liberated. Therefore, we know that all phenomena, good and evil, have no fixed characteristics; they are turned around by the mind, and gain and loss depend on conditions. As the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra says, the Buddha said: 'Good sons, if one says that all karma definitely receives retribution, then there could be no cultivation of the brahma-practice, nor liberation and nirvāṇa. You should know that such a person is not my disciple, but an adherent of Māra. If one says that all karma is definite or indefinite—definite meaning retribution in the present life, in the next life, or in subsequent lives; indefinite meaning it is received if conditions converge, and not received if they do not converge—by this meaning, there can be the brahma-practice, liberation, and nirvāṇa. You should know that such a person is truly my disciple, not an adherent of Māra.' Up to: 'For instance, it is like two men traveling together on a perilous road: one has eyes, and one is blind. The man with eyes crosses straight through without harm; the blind man falls, tumbling into a deep and perilous pit.' Therefore, we know that one who obtains the eyes of the mirror of the source will never fall into the peril of the three existences or sink into the pit of the five desires; naturally, they cross straight through without doubt, abiding always in the ground of awakening. Next, to explain the root causes of initiation and moistening: discriminating kleśas directly initiate karma, while innate avidyā aids in initiating karma. 'Initiate' has the sense of operation. 'Karma' has the sense of inviting [retribution]. The innate can moisten rebirth; discrimination can create karma. The fault of inviting rebirth is heavy; the innate ability to moisten rebirth has a lighter fault. If discrimination initiates human and heavenly karma, then the innate aids in initiating it, because human and heavenly karma is difficult to initiate and must rely on the aid of the innate; if discrimination initiates karma of the three destinies, it does not rely on the innate to aid its initiation, because discrimination is so fierce and sharp that it does not need assistance to initiate it.