宗鏡錄 98.51

98.51

牛頭山忠和尚。學人問。夫入道者。如何用心。答曰。一切諸法。本自不生。今則無滅。汝但任心自在。不須制止。直見直聞。直來直去。須行即行。須住即住。此即是真道。經云。緣起是道場。知如實故。又問。令欲修道。作何方便而得解脫。答曰。求佛之人。不作方便。頓了心原。明見佛性。即心是佛。非妄非真故。經云。正直捨方便。但說無上道。又問。真如妙法。理智幽深。淺識之徒。如何得見。答曰。汝莫謗佛。佛不如是。說。一切諸法。非深非淺。汝自不見。謂言甚深。若也見時。觸目盡皆微妙。何以高推。菩薩。別立聖人。且如生公云。非曰智深。物深於智耳。此傷不逮之詞耳。汝莫揀擇法。莫存取捨心。故云法無有比。無相待故。夫經者。以身心為義。華嚴經云。身是正法藏。心為無礙燈。照了諸法空。名曰度眾生。

Master Niutoushan Zhong: A student asked: 'For one entering the Way, how should one use the mind?' He answered: 'All dharmas are originally unarisen, and now they are without cessation. You need only let your mind be at ease and natural, with no need to restrain it. Directly see and directly hear; directly come and directly go. If you must walk, then walk; if you must stay, then stay. This is the true Way. A sūtra says: "Dependent origination is the site of awakening, because one knows it as it truly is."' He also asked: 'Now, wishing to cultivate the Way, by what skillful means does one attain liberation?' He answered: 'A person who seeks the Buddha employs no skillful means; they suddenly understand the source of the mind and clearly see the Buddha-nature. The mind itself is the Buddha, neither false nor true. Therefore a sūtra says: "Uprightly setting aside skillful means, I preach only the unsurpassed Way."' He also asked: 'The wondrous dharma of tathatā—its principle and wisdom are unfathomably deep. How can people of shallow understanding see it?' He answered: 'Do not slander the Buddha; the Buddha does not speak like that. All dharmas are neither deep nor shallow; you yourself do not see them and say they are exceedingly deep. If you see them, all that meets the eye is wondrous. Why elevate bodhisattvas on high and separately establish sages? Moreover, Master Daosheng said: "It is not that wisdom is deep; things are deeper than wisdom." These are words lamenting falling short. Do not pick and choose dharmas; do not hold a mind of taking and leaving. Therefore it is said: "Dharmas have no comparison, because they are without relative opposition." Now, sūtras take the body and mind as their meaning. The Avataṃsakasūtra says: "The body is the treasury of the true Dharma; the mind is the unhindered lamp. Illuminating and understanding the emptiness of all dharmas is called saving sentient beings."'