宗鏡錄 75.11

75.11

答。此理綿密。約教可知。顯識經云。佛告賢護。識之運轉遷滅往來。猶如風大。無色無形。不可顯現。而能發動萬物。示眾形狀。或搖振林木。摧折破裂出大音聲。或為冷為熱。觸眾生身。作苦作樂。風無手足面目形容。亦無黑白黃赤諸色。賢護。識界亦爾。無色無形。無光明顯現。以因緣故。顯示種種功用殊異。當知受覺法界。亦復如是。無色無形。以因緣故。顯發。功用。賢護。眾生死。此受覺法界。識界。皆捨離身。識運受覺。法界。受餘身者。譬如風大。吹眾妙華。華住於此。香流至遠。風體不取妙華之香。香體風體及與身根。俱無形色。而非風力。香不遠至。賢護。眾生身死。識持受覺法界。以至他生。因父母緣。而識託之。受覺法界能隨於識。亦復如是。如從華勝力。而鼻有嗅。從嗅勝力。而得香境。又如從風身勝力。得風色觸。因風勝力。香得至遠。如是從識有受。從受有覺。從覺有法。遂能了知善與不善。乃至識之遷身。如面之像。現之於鏡。如印之文。顯之於泥。譬如日出。光之所及。眾暗咸除。日沒光謝。暗便如故。暗無形質。非常無常。能得其處。識亦如是。無質無形。因受想顯。識在於身。如暗無體。視不可見。不可執持。如母懷子。不能自知是男是女。黑白黃色。根具不具。手足耳目。類與不類。飲食熱糲。其子便動。覺知苦痛。眾生來去。屈申視眴。語笑談說。檐運負重。作諸事業。識相具顯。而不能知所在。止於身中。不知其狀。賢護。識之自性。遍入諸處。不為諸處之所染污。六根六境。五煩惱陰。識遍止之不為其染。由此而顯識之事用。賢護。如木機關。繫執一所。作種種業。或行走騰躍。或跳擲戲舞。於意云何。機關所作。是誰之力。賢護白佛言。智慧狹淺。非所能了。佛告賢護。當知皆是作業之力。作業無形但智運耳。如是身之機關。以識之力。作諸事業。仙通乾闥婆。龍神。人。天。阿脩羅等。種種趣。業咸悉依之。識能生身。如工作機關。識無形質。普持法界。智力具足。乃至能知宿命之事。故知識性是一無住無形。但隨智而彰。逐念而轉。此陰纔滅。彼陰便生。如印文現之於泥。似面像臨之於鏡。至於入胎處卵。託質現生。來去無蹤。隱顯非礙。猶珠吐照。類日傳光。火出木中。種生地上。其體是一用出千差。此一識門。亦復如是。因念力。分十二類種之差殊。隨業果。變無量生死之形質。又大乘同性經云。毘毘沙那楞伽王言。世尊。眾生神識。為當幾大。為作何色。佛言。楞伽王。眾生神識無邊大。無色無相不可見。無礙無形無定處。不可說。毘毘沙那白世尊。識相如此無有邊大。無色無相不可見。無礙無形無定處。不可說者。豈非斷絕。佛言。楞伽王。吾今問汝。隨汝意答。當為汝說。楞伽王。譬如大王在宮殿中。或高樓上。婇女圍遶安樂坐時。著種種衣。及諸瓔珞。時大園林。阿輸歌樹。種種雜華莊嚴精麗。其園在處。有細軟風。或大駛風。吹彼園林。阿輸歌樹。眾華香氣。至王所者。王聞之不。毘毘沙那白言。世尊。我聞此香。佛言。楞伽王。汝聞此香。分別知不。王言。世尊。我能得知。佛言。楞伽王。此華香氣。王言知者。見大小耶。定作何色。楞伽王言。不也。世尊。何以故。此香氣相。無色無現無礙無相。無定處。不可說。是故不見大小形色。佛言。楞伽王。於意云何。若不見彼香氣大小。非斷絕相耶。毘毘沙那言。不也。世尊。何以故。若此眾香是斷相者。無人得聞。佛言。如是如是。楞伽王。識相亦爾。應如是見。楞伽王。若識斷相。則無生死而可得知。如是楞伽王。識相清淨。唯是無明貪愛習氣業等。諸客煩惱之所覆障。楞伽王。譬如清淨虛空之界。唯有四種客塵污染。何等為四。所謂煙雲塵霧。楞伽王。識相如是。本清淨故。無邊不可捉。無有色染。唯是諸客煩惱之所覆染。所以者何。楞伽王。若正觀時。不得眾生。無我。無眾生。無壽命。無畜養。無人。無眾數。無知者。無見者。無覺者。無受者。無聽者。乃至無色受想行識等。內外之境色。因識分別。故名唯識。

Answer: This principle is subtle and dense; it may be understood in reference to the teaching. The Sūtra on the Manifestation of Consciousness (Xianshi jing) says: 'The Buddha told Bhadrapāla: The revolving, passing away, and coming and going of consciousness are like the wind element: without color and without form, it cannot be made manifest, yet it can stir the myriad things and display various forms. It may shake forest trees, shattering and snapping them with a mighty roar, or it may be cold or hot, touching the bodies of sentient beings and producing suffering or joy. The wind has neither hands nor feet, face nor eyes, nor any physical shape, nor has it black, white, yellow, or red colors. Bhadrapāla, the realm of consciousness is also like this: without color and without form, without radiance or manifestation; through causes and conditions, it displays manifold distinct functions. You should know that the realms of feeling (vedanā), perception (saṃjñā), and phenomena (dharmadhātu) are likewise so: without color and without form, yet through causes and conditions their functions are brought to light and displayed. Bhadrapāla, when a sentient being dies, this realm of feeling and perception and this realm of consciousness all abandon and depart from the body. That consciousness conveys feeling, perception, and the realm of phenomena to receive another body is like the wind element blowing over wondrous flowers: the flowers stay here, but their fragrance travels far away. The substance of the wind does not seize the fragrance of the wondrous flowers; the substance of the fragrance, the substance of the wind, and the body faculty are all devoid of form and color, yet without the power of the wind, the fragrance would not travel far. Bhadrapāla, when the body of a sentient being dies, consciousness maintains feeling, perception, and the realm of phenomena and proceeds to another birth. Conditioned by parents, consciousness lodges within them; that feeling, perception, and the realm of phenomena are able to follow consciousness is likewise so. Just as through the predominant power of a flower the nose has smelling, and through the predominant power of smelling one obtains the realm of fragrance; and just as through the predominant power of the wind-body one obtains the tangible sensation of the wind's form, and due to the predominant power of the wind the fragrance can travel far—so too, from consciousness there is feeling, from feeling there is perception, and from perception there are phenomena, whereupon one can know good and non-good. Furthermore, the migration of consciousness into a body is like a face's reflection appearing in a mirror, or the impression of a seal showing in clay. It is like the rising of the sun: wherever its light reaches, all darkness is dispelled; when the sun sets and its light fades, darkness returns as before. Darkness has no bodily substance; it is neither permanent nor impermanent, yet it can obtain its place. Consciousness is also like this: without substance and without form, it is manifested through feeling and conceptualization. Consciousness being in the body is like darkness without substance; looking at it, it cannot be seen; it cannot be grasped or held. Just as a pregnant mother carrying a child cannot know by herself whether it is male or female, black, white, or yellow, whether its faculties are complete or incomplete, its hands, feet, ears, and eyes well-formed or malformed; but when she drinks hot or coarse food, the child then stirs and feels pain—similarly, sentient beings come and go, bend and extend, look and blink, speak, laugh, chat, carry and transport heavy burdens, and perform various activities: the characteristics of consciousness are fully displayed, yet one cannot know where it resides; resting within the body, its shape is unknown. Bhadrapāla, the intrinsic nature of consciousness universally enters all places and is not defiled by any of them. Through the six faculties, six objects, and five defiled aggregates, consciousness universally abides in them without being defiled by them; and thereby the functioning of consciousness is made manifest. Bhadrapāla, it is like a wooden puppet: bound and anchored in one place, it performs various actions, either walking and leaping, or tumbling, frolicking, and dancing. What do you think: by whose power is that which the puppet performs done?' Bhadrapāla said to the Buddha: 'My wisdom is shallow and narrow; it is not something I can comprehend.' The Buddha told Bhadrapāla: 'You should know that all of it is the power of karma; karma is formless, it is merely set in motion by wisdom. In this way, the puppet of the body, by the power of consciousness, performs various deeds. The varied destinies and karmas of the rṣis with supernormal powers, gandharvas, nāgas, spirits, humans, devas, and asuras all depend on it. Consciousness can produce the body, like a craftsman making a puppet. Consciousness has no form or substance; it universally sustains the dharmadhātu, is fully endowed with the power of knowledge, and can even know past lives. Therefore, know that the nature of consciousness is one, without abode and without form, yet it is manifested in accordance with wisdom and turns in pursuit of thoughts. As soon as this aggregate ceases, that aggregate is born—like the impression of a seal appearing in clay, or the reflection of a face facing a mirror. Even as it enters the womb or stays in an egg, relying on physical substance to manifest a birth, its coming and going leave no trace; its hiding and revealing pose no obstruction. It is like a gem giving forth radiance, or the sun transmitting light, fire coming out of wood, or a seed sprouting from the earth: their substance is one, but their functions emerge in a thousand variations. This one gate of consciousness is also like this: due to the power of thought, it divides into the differences of the twelve classes [of beings]; following karmic fruition, it transforms into the shapes and substances of boundless births and deaths. Furthermore, the Sūtra on the Equal Nature of the Mahāyāna (Dasheng tongxing jing) says: 'Vibhīṣaṇa, king of Laṅkā, asked: "World-Honored One, how great is the mental consciousness of sentient beings? What color does it have?" The Buddha said: "King of Laṅkā, the mental consciousness of sentient beings is boundlessly vast; it has no color, no characteristics, and cannot be seen; it is unimpeded, formless, without fixed abode, and ineffable." Vibhīṣaṇa said to the World-Honored One: "If the characteristics of consciousness are thus—without bound or size, colorless, characterless, invisible, unimpeded, formless, without fixed location, and ineffable—is it not annihilated?" The Buddha said: "King of Laṅkā, I now ask you; answer as you will, and I shall explain it to you. King of Laṅkā, suppose a great king is in a palace or atop a high tower, sitting happily surrounded by court maidens, dressed in various robes and necklaces of jewels. At that time, in a great park, the aśoka trees and various flowers are exquisitely adorn and beautiful. Wherever that park is, a gentle breeze or a great swift wind blows the fragrance of the flowers of the aśoka trees in that park to where the king is: does the king smell it or not?" Vibhīṣaṇa said: "World-Honored One, I would smell this fragrance." The Buddha said: "King of Laṅkā, when you smell this fragrance, do you distinguish and know it or not?" The king said: "World-Honored One, I can know it." The Buddha said: "King of Laṅkā, this fragrance of flowers that the king says he knows: do you see its size, or does it have a definite color?" The king of Laṅkā said: "No, World-Honored One. Why? Because the characteristic of this fragrance is colorless, unmanifest, unimpeded, without mark, without fixed place, and ineffable; therefore, I do not see any size, shape, or color." The Buddha said: "King of Laṅkā, what do you think: if one does not see the size of that fragrance, does it have the mark of annihilation?" Vibhīṣaṇa said: "No, World-Honored One. Why? If this fragrance had the mark of annihilation, no one could smell it." The Buddha said: "Just so, just so, King of Laṅkā. The characteristic of consciousness is also like this; you should view it in this way. King of Laṅkā, if consciousness had the mark of annihilation, then birth and death could not be known. Thus, King of Laṅkā, the characteristic of consciousness is pure; it is merely covered and obstructed by adventitious afflictions such as ignorance, craving, habit-energies, and karma. King of Laṅkā, it is like the pure realm of empty space, which is only polluted by four kinds of adventitious dust. What are the four? They are smoke, clouds, dust, and fog. King of Laṅkā, the characteristic of consciousness is like this: fundamentally pure, boundless and ungraspable, without color or defilement, it is merely covered and defiled by various adventitious afflictions. Why is this? King of Laṅkā, when properly contemplating, one finds no sentient being, no self, no sentient being, no soul, no creature, no person, no aggregation, no knower, no seer, no perceiver, no experiencer, no hearer, and up to no form, feeling, perception, volition, or consciousness. The inner and outer sensory spheres and forms are distinguished because of consciousness, and therefore it is called consciousness-only."