宗鏡錄 79.27

79.27

答。有情無情。各有二義。若有情生死。一是眾生業力所為。二是法界性自然生。若無情轉動。一是異法性自爾。二是法作。如大涅槃經云。佛告師子吼菩薩。善男子。汝言眾生悉有佛性。得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提如礠石者。善哉善哉。以有佛。性因緣力故。得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。若言不須修聖道者。是義不然。善男子。譬如有人。行於曠野。渴乏遇井。其井極深。雖不見水。當知必有。是人方便求覓。罐綆汲取則見。佛性亦爾。一切眾生雖復有之。要須修集無漏聖道。然後得見。乃至譬如眾生造作諸業。若善若惡。非內非外。如是業性。非有非無。亦復非是本無今有。非無因出。非此作此受。此作彼受。彼作彼受。無作無受。時節和合而得果報。眾生佛性。亦復如是。亦復非是本無今有。非內非外。非有非無。非此非彼。非餘處來。非無因緣。亦非一切眾生不見。有諸菩薩。時節因緣和合得見。時節者。所謂十住菩薩摩訶薩。修八聖道。於諸眾生得平等心。爾時得見。不名為作。善男子。汝言如礠石者。是義不然。何以故。石不吸鐵。所以者何。無心業故。善男子。異法有故。異法出生。異法無故。異法滅壞。無有作者。無有壞者。善男子。猶如猛火。不能焚薪。火出薪壞。名為焚薪。善男子。譬如葵藿。隨日而轉。如是葵藿。亦無。敬心。無識無業。異法性故。而自迴轉。善男子。如芭蕉樹。因雷增長。是樹無耳。無心意識。異法有故。異法增長。異法無故。異法滅壞。善男子。如阿叔迦樹。女人摩觸。華為之出。是樹無心。亦無覺觸。異法有故。異法出生。異法無故。異法滅壞。善男子。如橘得屍。果則滋多。如是橘樹。無心無觸。異法有故。異法滋多。異法無故。異法滅壞。善男子。如安石榴樹。甎骨糞故。果實繁茂。安石榴樹。亦無心觸。異法有故。異法出生。異法無故。異法滅壞。善男子。礠石吸鐵。亦復如是。異法有故。異法出生。異法無故。異法滅壞。眾生佛性。亦復如是。不能吸得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。善男子。無明不能吸取諸行。行亦不能吸取識也。亦得名為無明緣行。行緣於識。有佛無佛。法界常住。故知法法無心。塵塵本寂。寂而常用。用而常寂。法無心而隨緣成壞。人無心而諸行遷流。如芭蕉聞雷葵藿向日。無明不取諸行。諸行不吸識心。則法法不相到。法法不相知。法法不相待。法法不相借。皆性自爾故。法如是故。是以金剛三昧經云。心不生境。境不生心。何以故。凡所見境。唯所見心。即不相到也。華嚴經頌云。諸法無作用。亦無有體性。是故彼一切。各各不相知。即不相知也。維摩經云。一切法生滅不住。如幻如電。諸法不相待。乃至一念不住。即不相待也。寶藏論云。火不待日而熱。風不待月而涼。堅石處水。天鼓遊光。明暗自爾。乾濕同方。物尚不相借。豈況道乎。即不相借也。如火以熱為性。風以涼為性。豈假藉他緣乎。天鼓者。日也。常遊光照四天下。日出即明。日沒即暗。皆是法爾。非關造作。堅石處水者。石雖處水。水不入石。雖同一處。石自乾而水自濕。故知法法標宗。塵塵絕待。則非因緣。亦非自然矣。

Answer: Sentient and insentient beings each have two meanings. As for the birth and death of sentient beings: first, it is produced by the karmic power of sentient beings; second, it naturally arises from the nature of the dharmadhātu. As for the movement and turning of insentient beings: first, it is naturally so from the different dharmatās; second, it is the operation of dharma. As the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra says: The Buddha addressed Siṃhanāda Bodhisattva: "Good son, you say that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature, and that their attaining anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi is like the lodestone [attracting iron]—excellent, excellent! Because there is the power of the cause and condition of Buddha-nature, they attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. If one says that there is no need to cultivate the noble path, this meaning is not correct. Good son, for instance, consider a man walking in a wilderness, exhausted with thirst, who comes upon a well. The well is extremely deep; although he does not see water, he should know it must be there. This person uses skillful means to search for it, and drawing it up with a jar and rope, he then sees it. Buddha-nature is also like this: although all sentient beings possess it, they must cultivate and accumulate the undefiled noble path, and only then do they attain seeing it. … Furthermore, for instance, when sentient beings create various karmas, whether good or evil, they are neither internal nor external. Such nature of karma is neither existent nor nonexistent, nor is it originally nonexistent and now existent; it does not emerge without cause; it is not that this one creates and this one receives, nor that this one creates and that one receives, nor that that one creates and that one receives; there is no creator and no receiver. When seasons and conditions harmonize, one obtains the retribution. The Buddha-nature of sentient beings is also like this: it is also not originally nonexistent and now existent, neither internal nor external, neither existent nor nonexistent, neither this nor that, not coming from another place, not without causes and conditions, nor is it that all sentient beings do not see it. There are bodhisattvas who, when the seasons, causes, and conditions harmonize, attain seeing it. As for 'seasons', it refers to the bodhisattva mahāsattvas of the ten abodes cultivating the eightfold noble path and attaining an equanimous mind toward all sentient beings; at that time they attain seeing it, which is not called 'creating'. Good son, what you said about being like a lodestone is not correct. Why? A stone does not attract iron. Why is this? Because it has no mind or karma. Good son, because a different dharma exists, a different dharma arises; because a different dharma is absent, a different dharma ceases and is destroyed; there is no creator and no destroyer. Good son, it is just as a fierce fire cannot burn firewood; when fire emerges and firewood is destroyed, it is called 'burning firewood'. Good son, for example, mallows and sunflowers turn following the sun; such mallows and sunflowers also have no reverent mind, no consciousness, and no karma; because of the different dharmatās, they turn on their own. Good son, for example, the plantain tree grows due to thunder; this tree has no ears, no citta, manas, or vijñāna; because a different dharma exists, a different dharma grows; because a different dharma is absent, a different dharma ceases and is destroyed. Good son, like the aśoka tree, when touched by a woman, blossoms burst forth; this tree has no mind and no tactile sensation; because a different dharma exists, a different dharma arises; because a different dharma is absent, a different dharma ceases and is destroyed. Good son, like an orange tree receiving a corpse, its fruit becomes plentiful; such an orange tree has no mind and no contact; because a different dharma exists, a different dharma becomes plentiful; because a different dharma is absent, a different dharma ceases and is destroyed. Good son, like the pomegranate tree, fertilized with brick, bone, and dung, its fruit flourishes abundantly; the pomegranate tree also has no mind or contact; because a different dharma exists, a different dharma arises; because a different dharma is absent, a different dharma ceases and is destroyed. Good son, the lodestone attracting iron is also like this: because a different dharma exists, a different dharma arises; because a different dharma is absent, a different dharma ceases and is destroyed. The Buddha-nature of sentient beings is also like this; it cannot attract anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi. Good son, ignorance cannot attract formations, nor can formations attract consciousness; yet it can be called ignorance conditioning formations, and formations conditioning consciousness. Whether there is a Buddha or no Buddha, the dharmadhātu constantly abides." Therefore, one knows that dharma by dharma lacks mind, and dust-object by dust-object is fundamentally quiescent. Quiescent, they constantly function; functioning, they are constantly quiescent. Dharmas lack mind yet follow conditions in forming and decaying; people lack mind yet all formations migrate and flow. Just as the plantain hears thunder and the mallow faces the sun, ignorance does not take hold of formations, and formations do not attract the conscious mind; thus, dharma and dharma do not reach one another, dharma and dharma do not know one another, dharma and dharma do not depend on one another, and dharma and dharma do not borrow from one another. They are all naturally so in their nature, because dharmas are like this. Therefore, the Vajrasamādhisūtra says: "Citta does not produce objects; objects do not produce citta. Why? Whatever objects are seen are only the seen citta." That is not reaching one another. A verse of the Avataṃsakasūtra says: "All dharmas have no activity, / Nor do they possess an intrinsic nature. / Therefore, all of them / Mutually do not know one another." That is not knowing one another. The Vimalakīrtinirdeśa says: "All dharmas arise and cease without abiding, like an illusion, like lightning; all dharmas do not depend on one another, not even abiding for a single thought-moment." That is not depending on one another. The Baozang lun says: "Fire does not depend on the sun to be hot; wind does not depend on the moon to be cool. Hard rock stays in water; the celestial drum wanders in light. Light and dark are naturally so; dry and wet share the same quarter. If things do not even borrow from one another, how much less does the Dao?" That is not borrowing from one another. For instance, fire has heat as its nature, and wind has coolness as its nature; how could they rely on other conditions? The "celestial drum" is the sun; it constantly wanders in light, illuminating the four continents. When the sun rises, it is light; when the sun sets, it is dark; these are all naturally so, having nothing to do with deliberate creation. "Hard rock stays in water": although the stone stays in water, the water does not enter the stone; though in the same place, the stone is naturally dry and the water naturally wet. Therefore, one knows that dharma by dharma manifests the source, and dust-object by dust-object transcends dependence; then it is neither causes and conditions, nor is it spontaneous nature.