宗鏡錄 11.5

11.5

It answers: "These paths all enter into the one path, namely, the true characteristic of all phenomena. For beginners there are various distinctions, but ultimately all are identical and without distinction. It is just as when the kalpa is consumed by fire: everything that exists becomes identical with empty space." Thus we know that if one bypasses this vast practice, there is no ground for advancing; if one departs from these expedient means, there will be no time of achieving buddhahood. Hence, from the initial attainment of the path straight through to nirvāṇa, therein the converter and the converted, teacher and disciple from beginning to end, root and branch are simultaneous; capacity and response are of a single limit—neither departs from one's own mind. As the Tiantai teachings state: "The mind-king is the Tathāgata; the mental factors are the disciples. But in the moment-to-moment continuity of sentient beings, countless hundreds of thousands of sentient beings are constantly generated day and night. If the ten mental factors of the mind-king are perverse, then all phenomena are perverse, being the retinue of Māra. If the ten mental factors of the mind-king are correct, then all phenomena are correct. Practitioners who study the path in the present day must properly grasp this meaning. If one cultivates wisdom, one should only inwardly give rise to the mental factor of wisdom, reflecting and discerning. Because of this, half-and-full wisdom arises, practicing for oneself and converting others, which is equivalent to Śāriputra adorning the twin trees. In this way, when the practices are accomplished in terms of each of the mental factors, converting the ten disciples, the practice of each one clearly arises from the mind. If one can accurately contemplate mind-nature, this is seeing the Buddha-nature and abiding in great nirvāṇa, which is equivalent to the Tathāgata fully adorning the śāla twin trees. If the mind of contemplative practice is clear, seeing the mind-king is seeing the Dharma King, and the mental factors are the great disciples; the meaning of adorning the twin trees is as if seen before one's eyes." Question: "The Tiantai school's contemplation of mind uses esoteric speech; how could the commentaries exhaust the mind?" The Huanyuan ji states: "The Lotus Sūtra says: 'Whose sūtra do you uphold and practice? Which Buddha's path do you extol?' The Avataṃsaka Sūtra speaks of: 'The sūtras and treatises of form, the sūtras and treatises of feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness.' If speaking according to one's own mind, one might also say: 'The sūtras and treatises of the eye; the sūtras and treatises of ear, nose, tongue, body, and mental faculty, of greed, anger, and delusion.' Why is this so? The sūtra says: 'Know that the eye is unarisen and without intrinsic nature; it is described as empty, tranquil, and non-existent.' The six sense faculties are identical with this sūtra. 'Sūtra' is simply 'phenomenon'. Knowing that the eye is an empty phenomenon is the sūtra and treatise of the eye. The empty phenomenon of the ear is the sūtra and treatise of the ear. The various dhātus are also like this. The principle must be genuinely illuminated; it cannot be made into empty talk to deceive oneself. In walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, in upholding the aggregates, dhātus, and sense bases—whose sūtra is being practiced? Producing wisdom regarding form is upholding and practicing the sūtra of form. And so on, adapting to all places, awakening is upholding the sūtras of all places. This vehicle emerges from the three realms and abides in sarvajñā; because it is unmoving, that is its meaning. If one believes firmly and reflects deeply, then one abides according to the Dharma. The sūtra says: 'To abide according to the Dharma means, like the phenomena of the nature of the six sense faculties being empty, to provisionally speak of abiding.' As for 'extolling which Buddha's path': The Yingluo jing says: 'The nature of real wisdom is the dharmakāya.' If one sees the real nature, this is extolling the dharmakāya Buddha. Hearing that the body has the real nature, one then attains the samādhi of emptiness in the aggregates, dhātus, and sense bases, the six pāramitās, the seven factors of awakening, the three ranks of worthies, the ten grounds, wonderful awakening, and so forth; as recompense for prior merit, this is extolling the saṃbhogakāya Buddha. Attaining the aforementioned phenomena and responding to the bodies of sentient beings is extolling the nirmāṇakāya Buddha. This is to see the three Buddhas in a single thought within one's body. Sentient beings do not contemplate this; though close, they do not see them. The Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra says: 'The emergence of no emergence is called the emergence of the Buddha; the meditation of no meditation is called correct meditation; the release of no release is called correct release.' The Mo ni jing states: 'Māra requested Mañjuśrī to untie his bonds. Mañjuśrī said: "No one binds you; you yourself imagine that you are bound." Māra then said: "I shall ultimately never be liberated." The sūtra says: "Originally there are no bonds; who seeks liberation? If the dharmadhātu had any binding ties, then I would be liberated. This is truly unarisen and unceasing. You should seek it within the activity of the mind. Do not speak of this sūtra among people lacking wisdom, for fear that they will produce wrong views, and the medicine will instead turn into illness."' Knowing detachment is called the Dharma; awakening to the Dharma is called the Buddha. As for 'knowing detachment': the nature of form is detached, and feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are also naturally detached. From the single phenomenon of the emptiness of nature, the names of the Three Jewels are provisionally produced. Venerable Huangbo said: 'If you intend to attach to a single phenomenon, the seal has already been stamped. If it is stamped on existence, the patterns of the four modes of birth appear; if it is stamped on emptiness, the patterns of the empty realm of non-conceptualization manifest. Now, just know with certainty not to stamp upon any thing. This seal is neither identical with nor different from empty space. Empty space is not empty; the original seal does not exist. Seeing the Buddhas of the ten directions' empty space worlds appearing in the world is just like lightning; contemplating all crawling creatures is just like an echo. The thousands of sūtras and tens of thousands of treatises speak only of your one mind. All phenomena are neither arisen nor extinguished; this is the fruit of great nirvāṇa. Therefore it is said: "The fruit is full in bodhi; the round flower opens and the worlds arise." Thus we know that the fullness of the fruit of bodhi ripens from the flower of one's own mind, and the conditioned arising of worlds begins from the waves of consciousness.' For example, in the past there were the Dharma Masters Wonhyo and Uisang of the Eastern Land. The two traveled together to the Tang dynasty to seek a master. Encountering nightfall, they lodged in the wilderness, staying inside a tomb. Dharma Master Wonhyo, longing for a drink because of thirst, found a pool of water beside his seat; scooping it up, he drank, finding it very sweet. When the next day arrived and he looked at it, it was actually the fluids of a dead corpse. At that moment, his mind was revulsed, and he vomited; thereupon he had a great awakening, and said: 'I have heard the Buddha say: "The three realms are mind-only; the ten thousand phenomena are consciousness-only." Thus I know that sweet and foul reside in me; they are truly not in the water!' He then returned to his homeland to widely propagate the supreme teaching. Thus we know that there is no one who does not arrive at this. One abruptly ceases the wandering mind. Even if one shoulders book-boxes and carries satchels, widely roaming the schools of the three vehicles, or even if one seeks teachers and visits companions, comprehensively calling upon the Chan chambers throughout the dharmadhātu—if one wishes to abandon learning and rest the spirit, one must ultimately return to the mirror of the source. As the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: 'The Buddha said: "How does a bodhisattva faithfully conform to the one reality? A bodhisattva completely understands that all sentient beings return to the one path. The one path refers to the Great Vehicle."' Commentary: 'As for the Great Vehicle: what is called "great" is the mind-nature of sentient beings. It can encompass and pervade: at its smallest it has no interior, such that not a single dust mote could enter it; at its largest it has no exterior, such that not a single phenomenon is not contained by it. What is called "vehicle" takes transport as its meaning; it can transport practitioners straight to the ocean of sarvajñā. From this we know that this ocean is not far; the jewel of the mind is always present. Then the jade of Zhao is not precious, and the pearl of Sui is not rare; Good Friend vainly sailed the blue waves, and Bian He untruthfully reported on the Jing mountains. If one enters the mirror of the source without stirring mind and spirit, in a single instant that jewel manifests of itself. Why must one comprehensively call upon the dharmadhātu and widely traverse the monasteries? When personally awakened, it is truly not attained from another.' As the poem of Cold Mountain (Hanshan) says: / 'In years past I entered the great sea, / making a fervent vow to search for the maṇi jewel. / Straight to the deep secret treasury of the dragon palace I went; / the gold gates locked tight, even ghosts and spirits grieved. / The Dragon King guarded it, keeping it within his body; / the treasure-sword's stars were cold, nowhere to search for it. / The merchant returned inside his own gates: / the bright pearl had been in my mind all along!' / The verse of Venerable Dushun says: / 'The wanderer toils in vain, / trekking mountains and bowing to earthen mounds. / Mañjuśrī is just this; / where else will you look for Amitābha?' / Venerable Shigong's "Song on Playing with the Pearl" says: / 'The wish-fulfilling jewel, the great round mirror— / some people also call it the nature. / Manifesting hundreds of millions of bodies, my jewel is partitioned; / fundamentally pure from beginninglessness, it is pure just as it is now. / The daily-used true pearl is the Buddha; / why labor to chase after objects in vain toil? / Hidden and revealed right now without two characteristics, / looking face to face at the pearl, do you recognize it?'