宗鏡錄 82.11

82.11

答。性有二種。一種性義。因所起故。二法性義。若真若應皆此性故。若是法性。凡聖皆同。若是種性。須萬善熏修。以淨奪染。性方起故。妄雖即性。不順性故。清涼記云。如來出現義。亦名緣起。亦名性起。若八相覽緣出現。故名緣起。謂由眾生業感。如來大悲而出現故。八相成道從法性。故名性起。今以從緣無性。緣起即名性起。又淨緣起常順於性。亦名性起。故云應雖從緣。不違性故。即無不從此法界流。即相成門。明性成於緣。故此性起自有二義。一從緣無性。而為性起。二法性隨緣。故名性起。無不還證此法身故。此乃緣起能成性起。即是相成門也。以淨奪染。性即起故者。明相奪門。亦是通妨。謂有問言。性起唯淨。緣起即是性起。故為此通。謂起有二。一染。二淨。淨謂如來大悲。菩薩萬行等。染謂眾生惑業等。若以染奪淨。則屬眾生。故唯緣起。今以淨奪染。唯屬諸佛。故名性起。乃至萬法出興。皆是真性中緣起。所以菩薩凡有施為。皆順法性。眾生以無明根本未盡。我執情見不亡。所有施為。皆違法性。但成有為生滅之行。不成性起功德之門。如起信論云。此菩薩。知法性離慳貪相。是清淨施度。隨順修行檀波羅蜜。知法性離五欲境。無破戒相。是清淨戒度。隨順修行尸羅波羅蜜。知法性無有苦惱離瞋害相。是清淨忍度。隨順修行羼提波羅蜜。知法性離身心相。無有懈怠。是清淨進度。隨順修行毘梨耶波羅蜜。知法性無動無亂。是清淨禪度。隨順修行禪那蜜羅蜜。知法性離諸癡闇。是清淨慧度。隨順修行般若波羅蜜。故知菩薩所修一度一行。皆順真如一心法性之理。非是於自性外別有所修。以隨順心性故。所有功德皆如性起。無盡無為。不取不捨。凡夫所造慳貪。乃至癡闇。皆是違真背性。起我見心。所以不隨性起。成無漏功德。設有妄修。皆於自心外。別有所得。盡成外道天魔。有為生滅。以不順真如。違法性故。又以修顯性。以性成修。若無性。修亦不成。若無修。性亦不顯。如古德云。本有如真金。修生如嚴具。由嚴具方顯金德。嚴具無體。全攬金成。喻顯二德者。如修生在因漸顯於本有。在果圓滿於本有。非本有理有漸有圓。如初生月明雖漸滿。而常帶圓月。以圓月常在故。故十五日月。遍在初一二三等中。則知滿果遍在因位。亦令後後常具前前。前前常具後後。以初一日有二日月。乃至十五日月。以十五日月。即初月故。法合可知。由此故云。修生本有。以初圓時先已圓故。本有修生。以初生時亦已圓故。忘懷思之。若不能如是思之。而失大利。猶如窮子。於己庫藏以為他物。或持衣珠而乞匃。或守金藏以貧窮。皆為不知自心之寶。致茲況矣。又如首楞嚴經云。佛言。一切眾生從無始來。迷己為物。失於本心。為物所轉。故於是中觀大觀小。若能轉物。則同如來。身心圓明。不動道場。於一毛端。遍。能含受十方國土。夫云轉物者。物虛非轉。唯轉自心。以一切法皆從分別生。因想而成。隨念而至。所以金剛三昧經頌云。法從分別生。還從分別滅。滅諸分別法。是法非生滅。故知一切諸法。皆從分別識生。若能悟了分別識空。則知諸法寂滅。若生若滅。俱是分別。分別若亡。法非生滅。亦如法華經。三變土田唯是變心。非變土耳。首楞嚴經鈔云。若能轉物。即同如來者。心外無物。物即是心。但心離分別為正智。正智即是般若。周遍法界。無有障礙。是故西方國土。水鳥樹林悉皆說法。說法之處。即如如心。所以如來一一根門。遍塵剎土。乃至毛端。而說妙法。如今但得離念。便同如來真實知見。昔有禪師。在蜀地綿竹縣。無為山修道。時有三百餘家設齋。俱請和尚。皆由心離分別。即應機無礙。

Answer: “Nature” has two meanings: first, the meaning of disposition (gotra), because it is arisen from causes; second, the meaning of dharmatā, because whether true [dharmakāya] or responsive [nirmāṇakāya], all are this nature. If it is dharmatā, ordinary beings and sages are alike. If it is disposition, it requires the perfuming cultivation of the myriad goods, using the pure to overcome the defiled; only then does the nature arise. Although delusion is identical to nature, it does not accord with the nature.

The commentary of Qingliang says:
“The meaning of the Tathāgata’s appearance is called both dependent origination and nature-origination. If the eight phases [of a Buddha’s life] assemble conditions and appear, it is called dependent origination; that is, it appears because it is evoked by the karma of sentient beings and by the Tathāgata’s great compassion. The realization of the path through the eight phases proceeds from dharmatā, so it is called nature-origination. Now, since proceeding from conditions is devoid of intrinsic nature, dependent origination is named nature-origination. Furthermore, pure dependent origination constantly accords with the nature, so it is also called nature-origination. Hence it says: although responsive [forms] proceed from conditions, they do not contravene the nature; thus there is nothing that does not flow forth from this dharmadhātu. This is the gateway of mutual completion, explaining that nature completes conditions.

Therefore, this nature-origination naturally has two meanings: first, having no intrinsic nature as it proceeds from conditions, it is nature-origination; second, dharmatā accords with conditions, so it is called nature-origination, because there is nothing that does not return to realize this dharmakāya. This is dependent origination being able to complete nature-origination, which is the gateway of mutual completion.

‘Using the pure to overcome the defiled, the nature thereupon arises’ explains the gateway of mutual overcoming, and also resolves an objection. That is, someone asked: ‘Nature-origination is solely pure, and dependent origination is identical to nature-origination [—how can this be]?’ Hence this resolution is provided. Namely, origination is twofold: first, defiled; second, pure. ‘Pure’ refers to the Tathāgata’s great compassion, the bodhisattva’s myriad practices, and so forth. ‘Defiled’ refers to sentient beings’ delusions and karma, and so forth. If one uses the defiled to overcome the pure, it belongs to sentient beings; hence it is solely dependent origination. Now, using the pure to overcome the defiled belongs solely to all Buddhas; hence it is called nature-origination. Even down to the arising and emergence of the myriad phenomena, all are dependent origination within the true nature.

Therefore, whatever the bodhisattva carries out accords with dharmatā. Sentient beings, because the root of ignorance has not yet been exhausted and the views of ego-attachment are not forgotten, whatever they carry out contravenes dharmatā; it merely accomplishes conditioned, arising-and-ceasing practice, not accomplishing the gateway of the merits of nature-origination.

As the Awakening of Faith says:
‘This bodhisattva knows that dharmatā is free from the characteristic of stinginess and greed; this is the pure perfection of giving, and in accordance with it, cultivates dānapāramitā. They know that dharmatā is free from the realms of the five desires and without characteristics of breaking precepts; this is the pure perfection of morality, and in accordance with it, cultivates śīlapāramitā. They know that dharmatā is free from suffering and affliction and free from characteristics of anger and harm; this is the pure perfection of patience, and in accordance with it, cultivates kṣāntipāramitā. They know that dharmatā is free from the characteristics of body and mind and devoid of indolence; this is the pure perfection of vigor, and in accordance with it, cultivates vīryapāramitā. They know that dharmatā is unmoving and undistracted; this is the pure perfection of dhyāna, and in accordance with it, cultivates dhyānapāramitā. They know that dharmatā is free from all dark delusion; this is the pure perfection of wisdom, and in accordance with it, cultivates prajñāpāramitā.’

Therefore we know that each single perfection and single practice cultivated by a bodhisattva accords with the principle of the one mind dharmatā of tathatā. It is not that there is something else cultivated outside of one’s own nature. Because they accord with the nature of citta, all their merits arise like the nature, inexhaustible and unconditioned, neither grasping nor relinquishing.

The stinginess, greed, down to dark delusion produced by ordinary beings all contravene the true and turn their backs on the nature, giving rise to a mind of self-view. Therefore they do not follow nature-origination, nor do they accomplish uncontaminated merits. Even if they engage in delusional cultivation, it all involves attaining something distinct outside their own mind, entirely becoming non-Buddhists, heavenly demons, and conditioned arising and ceasing, because they do not accord with tathatā and contravene dharmatā.

Furthermore, through cultivation the nature is revealed, and through the nature cultivation is accomplished. Without the nature, cultivation also cannot be accomplished; without cultivation, the nature also cannot be revealed. As an ancient worthy said: ‘Fundamental existence is like true gold; production through cultivation is like an adorned utensil. It is through the adorned utensil that the excellence of gold is revealed; the adorned utensil has no substance of its own, but is entirely made of gold.’

Illustrating the two virtues by metaphor: just as production through cultivation, when in the causal stage, gradually reveals fundamental existence, and in the fruitional stage, completes fundamental existence, it is not that the principle of fundamental existence has the gradual or the complete. It is like the light of the new moon: although it gradually becomes full, it constantly carries the full moon, because the full moon is ever-present. Therefore, the moon of the fifteenth day is universally present within the first, second, third days, and so on. Thus we know that the complete fruit is universally present in the causal stages, and also causes each subsequent [stage] to constantly possess each preceding [stage], and each preceding [stage] to constantly possess each subsequent [stage]. Because on the first day there is the moon of the second day, up to the moon of the fifteenth day, since the moon of the fifteenth day is identical to the first moon. The application to the Dharma can be known from this.

For this reason it is said: ‘Production through cultivation is fundamental existence,’ because when it is first complete, it was already complete beforehand. ‘Fundamental existence is production through cultivation,’ because when it first arises, it is also already complete. Contemplate this with an unattached mind! If one cannot contemplate it in this way, one will lose great benefit—just like the poor son who thought the storehouse belonging to himself was someone else’s property, or who begged while carrying the jewel in his clothes, or stayed impoverished while guarding a hoard of gold. All of this happens because they do not recognize the treasure of their own mind, resulting in such circumstances.

Furthermore, as the Śūraṅgamasūtra says: ‘The Buddha said: “All sentient beings from beginningless time have been deluded about themselves, taking themselves to be things, losing their original mind, and being turned by things; therefore within this they view the great and view the small. If one can turn things, one is then identical to the Tathāgata: body and mind round and luminous, an unmoving site of enlightenment, on the tip of a single hair able to contain and hold the lands of the ten directions.”’

Now, regarding what is called ‘turning things’: things are empty and are not what is turned; one only turns one’s own mind. For all phenomena are born from conceptual discrimination, accomplished through thought, and arrive following mental recollection. Therefore a verse in the Vajrasamādhisūtra says:
‘Phenomena are born from conceptual discrimination,
And they are also extinguished through conceptual discrimination.
When all phenomena of conceptual discrimination are extinguished,
These phenomena neither arise nor cease.’

Hence we know that all phenomena are born from discriminating consciousness. If one can awaken to the emptiness of discriminating consciousness, one will know that all phenomena are quiescent and extinguished. Whether arising or ceasing, both are conceptual discrimination. If conceptual discrimination is eradicated, phenomena neither arise nor cease. It is also like the Lotus Sūtra, where the three purifications of the lands were merely the transformation of the mind, not the transformation of the lands.

A commentary on the Śūraṅgamasūtra says:
‘“If one can turn things, one is identical to the Tathāgata”: outside mind there are no things; things are mind itself. When citta is merely free from conceptual discrimination, it is correct wisdom; correct wisdom is prajñā, pervasively permeating the dharmadhātu without hindrance. For this reason, in the Western land, the water, birds, and groves of trees all expound the Dharma. The place where the Dharma is expounded is citta as suchness. Therefore, every single sense-faculty of the Tathāgata pervades the dust-mote kṣetras, even down to the tip of a hair, expounding the wondrous Dharma. Now, if one can only be free from thoughts, one will be identical to the true knowledge and vision of the Tathāgata.’

Formerly, there was a Chan master cultivating the path on Mount Wuwei in Mianzhu county in the region of Shu. At that time, over three hundred households arranged a vegetarian feast and all invited the master. Because his mind was free from conceptual discrimination, he responded to their capacities without hindrance.