宗鏡錄 9.3

9.3

答。若不了心宗。皆成迷倒。觸途成壅。證入無門。如俗諦中。亦有祕密之法。若不得要訣。學亦無成。或得其門。所作皆辦。今教乘稱祕密之法。禪宗標不傳之文。則向何路而進修。從何門而趣入。若不得唯心之訣。正信無由得成。纔得斯宗。千門自闢。道不待求而頓現。行弗假修而自圓。如地遇陽春。萌芽沸發。故云。若無觀慧。事亦不成。又此心能成一切。能壞一切。成則頓成天真之佛。所以真覺大師歌云。是以禪門了却心。頓入無生慈忍力。以此無生一門。一成一切成。乃至三身四智。八解六通。無漏無為。普賢萬行。悉於無生。一時圓滿。故云。初聞阿字門。即解一切義。所謂一切法不生。壞則漸壞有為無為功德之門。所以歌云。損法財。滅功德。莫不由乎心意識。故知。此心。無幽。不燭。有法皆知。察密防微。窮今洞古。故謂之靈臺。故司馬彪云。心為神靈之臺。莊子云。萬惡不可內於靈臺。

Answer: If one does not comprehend the source of the mind, all becomes delusion and inversion; wherever one turns, obstacles arise, and there is no gate through which to realize entry. Just as in conventional truth there are also secret methods, where without obtaining the essential formula study will achieve nothing, whereas if one finds their gateway, whatever one undertakes will succeed. Now the teachings of the vehicles speak of secret teachings, while the Chan school puts forward a transmission outside scriptures—then along which path would one advance in cultivation, and through which gate would one enter? If one does not obtain the essential formula of mind-only, right faith can in no way be established. Yet as soon as one attains this source, thousands of gates open spontaneously; the Way is revealed immediately without need of seeking, and practice is rounded off naturally without relying on cultivation. It is like the earth encountering sunny spring, when sprouts burst forth in abundance. Thus it is said: 'Without the wisdom of contemplation, undertakings will not succeed.' Furthermore, this mind can accomplish everything and can destroy everything. When it accomplishes, it immediately accomplishes the natural, spontaneous Buddha. Hence Great Master Zhenjue sang: 'Therefore the gate of Chan clarifies the mind / And suddenly enters the power of the gentle forbearance of the unproduced.' Through this single gate of the unproduced, when one is accomplished, all are accomplished, extending even to the three bodies, the four wisdoms, the eight liberations, the six supernormal powers, the undefiled, the unconditioned, and the myriad practices of Samantabhadra—all are simultaneously perfected within the unproduced. Thus it is said: 'On first hearing the gate of the syllable A, one immediately understands all meanings'—namely, that all dharmas are unproduced. But when it destroys, it gradually destroys the gates of conditioned and unconditioned virtues. Hence the song says: 'Depleting Dharma-wealth and destroying merit / All stem from nothing other than mind, intellect, and consciousness.' Therefore know that this mind illuminates all subtleties without exception; whatever dharma exists, it knows. It scrutinizes the hidden and guards against the minute, fathoming the present and penetrating antiquity; hence it is called the 'Numinous Terrace.' Thus Sima Biao says: 'The mind is the terrace of the spirit.' Zhuangzi says: 'The myriad evils must not be admitted into the Numinous Terrace.'