宗鏡錄 96.23

96.23

持地經云。佛言。持世。何謂菩薩摩訶薩修心觀心。菩薩摩訶薩。觀心生滅住異相。如是觀時。作是念。是心無所來。去無所至。但識緣相故生。無有本體。無一定法可得。是心無來無去。無住異可得。是心非過去未來現在。是心識緣故。從憶念起。是心不在內。不在外。不在兩中間。是心無一生起相。是心無性無定。無有生者。無使生者。起雜業故。說名為心。識雜緣故。說名為心。念念生滅相續不斷故。說名為心。但令眾生通達心緣相故。心中無心相。是心從本已來。不生不起。性常清淨。客塵煩惱染。故有分別。心不知心。亦不見心。何以故。是心空。性。空故。本體無所有。是心無有一定法。定法不可得故。是心無法。若合若散。是心前際不可得。後際不可得。中際不可得。是心無形。無能見者。心不自見。不知自性。但凡夫顛倒相應。以虛妄緣識相故起。是心空。無我無我所。無常無堅牢。無不變異相。如是思惟得修心念處。是人爾時。不分別是心是非心。但善知心無生相。通達是心無生性。何以故。心無決定性。亦無決定相。智者通達是心無生無相。爾時如實觀心集沒滅相。如是觀時不得心。若集相。若沒滅相。不復分別心滅不滅。而能得心真清淨相。諸菩薩以是清淨心。客塵所不能惱。何以故。諸菩薩見知心清淨相。亦知眾生心清淨。作是念。心垢故眾生垢。心淨故眾生淨。如是思惟時。不得心垢相。不得心淨相。但知是心常清淨相。持世。諸菩薩摩訶薩。修心觀心如是。

The Dharaṇīṃdhara Sūtra says: “The Buddha said: ‘Dharaṇīṃdhara, what is meant by a bodhisattva-mahāsattva cultivating citta and contemplating citta? A bodhisattva-mahāsattva contemplates the characteristics of the arising, ceasing, abiding, and changing of citta. When contemplating thus, he reflects: “This citta comes from nowhere and goes nowhere; it is born merely because consciousness conditions characteristics, having no fundamental substance, with no fixed dharma to be attained. This citta has no coming and no going, and no abiding or changing to be attained. This citta is not past, future, or present. Because this citta’s consciousness conditions [objects], it arises from recollection. This citta is not inside, not outside, and not in between the two. This citta has not a single characteristic of arising. This citta is without nature and without fixedness; there is no producer and no instigator of its production. Because it gives rise to diverse karma, it is spoken of as ‘citta’; because consciousness conditions diverse objects, it is spoken of as ‘citta’; because moment to moment it arises and ceases in continuous succession, it is spoken of as ‘citta’.” Merely to cause sentient beings to penetrate the characteristics of citta’s conditions, within citta there is no characteristic of citta. This citta from the origin onward has neither been born nor arisen; its nature is constantly pure. It is defiled by adventitious defilements, and therefore there is discrimination. Citta does not know citta, nor does it see citta. Why? Because this citta is empty, and its nature is empty; its fundamental substance has nothing existent. This citta has no fixed dharma, because a fixed dharma cannot be attained. In this citta there is no dharma that is conjoined or disjoined. This citta’s prior limit cannot be attained, its subsequent limit cannot be attained, and its middle limit cannot be attained. This citta has no form; there is no one who can see it. Citta does not see itself, nor does it know its own nature. It only corresponds to the perversions of ordinary beings, arising due to consciousness conditioning characteristics of false conditions. This citta is empty, without self and without what belongs to self, impermanent, without solidity, and without any characteristic that is unaltering. Contemplating thus, one attains the cultivation of the smṛtyupasthāna of citta.’ At that time, this person does not discriminate whether this citta is citta or non-citta, but only skillfully knows that citta has no characteristic of arising, penetrating this citta’s nature of non-arising. Why? Because citta has no determined nature, nor does it have determined characteristics. The wise penetrate that this citta is without arising and without characteristics. At that time, they contemplate in accordance with reality the characteristics of the accumulation, sinking, and cessation of citta. When contemplating thus, they do not find citta, whether its characteristic of accumulation or its characteristic of sinking and cessation. They no longer discriminate whether citta ceases or does not cease, and are able to attain the true, pure characteristic of citta. With this pure citta, the bodhisattvas cannot be troubled by adventitious defilements. Why? Because the bodhisattvas see and know the pure characteristic of citta, and also know that sentient beings’ citta is pure. They reflect thus: ‘Because citta is defiled, sentient beings are defiled; because citta is pure, sentient beings are pure.’ When reflecting thus, they do not find the characteristic of citta’s defilement, nor do they find the characteristic of citta’s purity; they only know this citta’s constantly pure characteristic. Dharaṇīṃdhara, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva’s cultivation of citta and contemplation of citta is like this.”