宗鏡錄 9.11

9.11

答。此是自覺聖智。無師智。自然智。之所證處。不從他悟。自證之時。法從心現。不從外來。故無師。契而能自得阿耨菩提。楞伽經云。大慧白佛言。世尊。若善自覺聖智相。及一乘。我及餘菩薩。若善自覺聖智相。及一乘。不由於他。通達佛法。又經云。舍利弗復問。何故諸賢。復發此言。從今日始。不以佛為聖師。諸比丘報曰。從今日始。自在其地。不在他鄉。自歸於己。不歸他人。以為師主。不用他師。是以故往。不以佛為聖師。乃至於是世尊。讚諸比丘。善哉善哉。其於諸法。無所得者。乃為真得。此乃但可自知。方見真實。所以千聖拱手。作計校不成。如經頌云。言語說諸法。不能顯真實。平等乃能見。如法佛亦爾。所以永嘉歌云。不離當處常湛然。覓即知君不可見。又先德偈云。不煩問師匠。心王應自知。斯乃真照無照。真知無知。何者。若有照。則有對處。故云。隨照失宗。若有知。則被知礙。故云。法離見聞覺知。如信心銘云。縱橫無照。最為微妙。知法無知。無知知要。達此要者。即無一法可同。無一法可異。無一法可是。無一法可非。則何用外求知解。古德歌云。古人重義不重金。曲高和寡無知音。今時學士還如此。語默動用跡難尋。所嗟世上岐途者。終日崎嶇枉用心。平坦栴檀不肯取。要須登陟訪椿林。窮子捨父遠逃逝。却於本舍絕知音。貧女宅中無價寶。却將小秤買他金。故大涅槃經云。如平坦路。一切眾生。悉於中行。無障礙者。中路有樹。其陰清涼。行人在下。憩駕止息。然其樹陰。常住不異。亦不消壞。無持去者。路喻聖道。陰喻佛性。是以若達此宗。歸於自地。室中寶藏。豈是外來。衣內明珠。非從他獲。若能開發祕藏。得現前受用之榮。貨易神珠。息積劫貧窮之苦。非數他寶。豈徇彼求。則潤己之智藏何窮。利他之法財無盡。

Answer: This is the realm realized by the holy wisdom of self-awakening, unteachable wisdom, and innate wisdom; it is not awakened through another. At the moment of personal realization, the Dharma manifests from the citta and does not come from outside; therefore, there is no teacher. By tallying with it, one can spontaneously attain anuttarā bodhi. The Laṅkāvatārasūtra states: "Mahāmati addressed the Buddha, saying: 'World-Honoured One, if one is skilled in the characteristics of the holy wisdom of self-awakening and the Ekayāna, I and the other bodhisattvas, being skilled in the characteristics of the holy wisdom of self-awakening and the Ekayāna, will penetrate the Buddhadharma without depending on another.'" Another sūtra states: "Śāriputra further asked: 'For what reason do the worthy ones make this statement: "From this day forward, we do not take the Buddha as our holy teacher"?' The bhikṣus replied: 'From this day forward, we are sovereign on our own ground, not in another country; we take refuge in ourselves, not taking refuge in another person to be our teacher and master, nor employing another teacher. For this reason, we previously said we do not take the Buddha as our holy teacher.' And so forth, down to: 'Thereupon the World-Honoured One praised the bhikṣus: "Excellent, excellent! Those who have nothing to attain regarding all dharmas have truly attained."'" This can only be known by oneself; only then does one see the real. Therefore, the thousand sages clasp their hands, and calculations cannot succeed. As a sūtra verse says: / "Words expound all dharmas, / But cannot reveal the real. / Only in equality can it be seen; / As with the Dharma, the Buddha is also thus." / Therefore, the Song of Yongjia says: / "Not departing from the immediate place, it is ever tranquil; / If you seek it, know that it cannot be seen." / Moreover, an ancient worthy's gāthā says: / "No need to trouble yourself asking a master; / The citta-king should know for itself." / This is the true illumination that has no illumination, the true knowledge that has no knowledge. Why is this? If there is illumination, there is an objective counterpart; hence it is said, "Following illumination, one loses the source." If there is knowledge, it is obstructed by knowledge; hence it is said, "The Dharma is free from seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing." As the Xin xin ming says: / "Vertical and horizontal without illumination, / It is most wondrous. / Knowing dharmas is without knowledge; / Having no knowledge, one knows the essential." / For one who penetrates this essential, there is not a single dharma that can be identical, not a single dharma that can be different, not a single dharma that can be right, and not a single dharma that can be wrong; so what need is there to seek understanding externally? An ancient worthy's song says: / "The ancients valued righteousness, not gold; / The melody was high, few joined in, and there was no connoisseur. / Scholars today are still like this: / In speech, silence, movement, and application, their traces are hard to find. / What is lamentable are those in worldly divergent paths, / Straining their minds in vain all day on rugged terrain. / Unwilling to take the flat sandalwood path, / They insist on climbing up to seek the chūn tree forest. / The poor son abandons his father and flees far away, / Yet cuts off discerning ears in his original home. / The poor woman has a priceless jewel within her house, / Yet uses small scales to buy another's gold." / Therefore the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra states: "It is like a flat, level road on which all sentient beings walk without obstruction. Along the road there is a tree whose shade is cool and refreshing; travelers pause beneath it to rest their carriages. Yet the tree's shade is permanent and unchanging, neither dissipating nor destroyed, and with no one who can take it away." The road is an analogy for the holy path; the shade is an analogy for the Buddha-nature. Therefore, if one penetrates this source and returns to one's own ground, could the treasury of jewels within the chamber come from outside? The bright pearl inside the garment is not obtained from another. If one can disclose the secret treasury, one attains the glory of immediate enjoyment; trading the miraculous pearl, one brings an end to the suffering of poverty accumulated over eons. Without counting another's jewels, how could one pursue their quest? Then the treasury of wisdom that enriches oneself is inexhaustible, and the Dharma-wealth that benefits others is boundless.