宗鏡錄 14.3.2

14.3.2

Therefore, we know that if there were fixed natures, not a single dharma could be established. If there are no fixed natures, everything can be established. Furthermore, if sentient beings each had a distinct nature whose own substance did not shift, they would perpetually remain sentient beings, with no cause to become buddhas. Hence, the principle of non-nature is uniform: through the meaning of emptiness, all dharmas are established; within ultimate emptiness, all dharmas are blazing forth in establishment. If this single dharma of a dust mote is established, then all distinct dharmas throughout the space-realms of the ten directions are established at the same time. If a distinct dharma of a single dust mote were not established, then even the dharma of a single hair-tip here would not be established, losing the meaning of the round and sudden; for the one mind is all minds. If one awakens to the mirror of the source and becomes a buddha, one becomes a buddha in all places. Thus the Vajracchedikā-sūtra says: 'Wherever this place may be, there is a buddha.' If there were a place of a single dust mote where one did not become a buddha, one would not enter into the mirror of the source. Therefore the sūtra says: 'I alone am the one person'—among ordinary people and sages throughout the three realms and six paths, there is none who is not me; because of this unity and this 'person', there is 'only I, the one person'. Thus we know that if one cultivates apart from this, it all becomes provisional and gradual, like waiting for sky-flowers to bear fruit, or collecting morning mirage-water to make ice. Even if three asāṃkhyeya kalpas are completed, one does not enter the real. Only by observing one's own citta does one see the Buddha and comprehend the emptiness of all dharmas; then without moving a thought one directly beholds the light of the ūrṇā-curl, and without moving one's body one visits everywhere throughout the dharmadhātu. Just as when the Buddha was in Trāyastriṃśa for the three-month summer retreat: by his supernatural power, the Buddha restrained all humans and devas from knowing his whereabouts. When the summer ended and the retreat was concluded, the Buddha gathered his supernatural power and wished to return to Jambudvīpa. At that time, Subhūti was dwelling inside a stone cave. He reflected to himself, saying: 'The Buddha is descending from Trāyastriṃśa; should I go to the Buddha's place to pay homage to the Buddha, or should I not go?' He further reflected: 'The Buddha constantly teaches the Dharma that if someone, with the power of wisdom, contemplates the Buddha's dharmakāya, this is called the supreme among seeing the Buddha.' At that time, the Buddha had already descended from Trāyastriṃśa to Jambudvīpa. The four assemblies had all gathered, humans and devas saw each other, and in the assembly there were the Buddha, cakravartins, and a vast gathering of devas; the magnificence of the congregation was unprecedented. Subhūti thought: 'Now this great assembly, though extraordinary, its power will not last long. All dharmas subject to annihilation return to impermanence.' Taking this impermanence as the initial gateway of contemplation, he knew that all dharmas are empty and without reality. While making this contemplation, he immediately attained the realization of the Way. At that time, the whole assembly wished to be the first to see the Tathāgata, to pay homage and make offerings. There was the bhikṣuṇī Utpalavarṇā, whom others constantly called a courtesan; wishing to rid herself of this bad name, she transformed herself into a cakravartin with seven treasures and a thousand sons. When the people saw her, they all yielded their seats. The transformed king, seeing the Buddha, reverted to her original form as a bhikṣuṇī, and was the very first to pay homage to the Buddha. The Buddha addressed the bhikṣuṇī, saying: 'It is not you who paid homage to me first; only Subhūti paid homage to me first. Why is this? Subhūti contemplated the emptiness of all dharmas, which is seeing the dharmakāya; he attained true offering, the supreme among offerings. Making offerings to the physical body is not called [true] offering.' From this it is known that if one does not believe in the Buddha of one's own citta and seeks superior conditions elsewhere, then although one's effort may be diligent, in the end it is not ultimate. As the 'Chapter on the Appearance of the Tathāgata' in the Avataṃsakasūtra says: 'Sons of the Buddha, suppose a bodhisattva for immeasurable hundreds of thousands of koṭis of nayutas of kalpas practices the six pāramitās and cultivates various bodhipakṣa dharmas; if he has not yet heard this inconceivable teaching of the Tathāgata's great majestic virtue, or having heard it, does not believe, understand, accord with, or enter into it, he cannot be called a true bodhisattva, because he is unable to be born into the house of the Tathāgata.' Furthermore, because things arise from conditions, conditions are also without self-nature, so nothing is established, disintegrating thought-moment by thought-moment. For instance, following the conditions of differentiation and defilement, one is designated a 'sentient being' based on nominal convention. Yet seeking the nature of a sentient being among these conditions, it is utterly unobtainable; thus the substance of a sentient being is empty, which is the meaning of disintegration. Because there are all dharmas, the meaning of emptiness can be revealed. If the meaning of this single sentient being is not established, then all sentient beings throughout the dharmadhātus of the ten directions are entirely not established; hence it is called 'one disintegrating, all disintegrate'. Therefore, all buddhas, knowing that all dharmas are devoid of nature, are able to accomplish all-knowledge, and arouse great compassion of identical substance, unceasingly continuing to the end of future time to broadly liberate sentient beings. By the principle of becoming a buddha through the one mind's non-nature, they vow that all sentient beings will be no different from themselves. Knowing that sentient beings are originally the unmoved one mind, constantly accordant with pristine reality, yet because of non-nature, unknowingly follow conditions to rise and fall in the six realms, enduring delusions and suffering in vain, uselessly falling into saṃsāra, they are therefore able to arouse great compassion to continuously deliver them. If not for this principle of non-nature, the great transformation could not be accomplished, and good and evil, ordinary and sage, could not be altered. If one can understand and awaken like this, then one enters the inconceivable gate of skillful means. The Fo cang jing says: 'If dharmas had a determined substantial nature, even as small as one hundredth of a split hair, then buddhas would never appear in the world, nor would they ever preach the emptiness of all dharmas.' Both attest to the sudden meaning. A verse in the Avataṃsakasūtra says: 'Able in a single thought-moment to completely understand / All sentient beings without remainder, / Comprehending the self-nature of those sentient beings' citta, / One reaches the path traversed by those without nature.' The Avalokiteśvara-parivarta [and related sūtras, i.e.,] the Anivartikadharmacakrasūtra says: 'At that time, three bodhisattvas stood before the World-Honoured One, scattering māndārava and lotus flowers over the Buddha. Having scattered them, they spoke thus: "In this Dharma, we give rise to deep faith and understanding, free from any doubt." The first one said to the Buddha: "World-Honoured One, if someone speaks of the Tathāgata, I am that Tathāgata; in this Dharma, I have no doubt at all." The second bodhisattva further said to the Buddha: "World-Honoured One, if someone names and speaks of the World-Honoured One, I am that World-Honoured One; also in this Dharma I am completely without doubt." The third bodhisattva said to the Buddha: "World-Honoured One, if someone names and speaks of the arhan samyaksaṃbuddha, I am that arhan samyaksaṃbuddha; also in this Dharma I am completely without doubt." ...until Ānanda said to the Buddha: "World-Honoured One, why do the bodhisattvas speak like this?" The Buddha said:'