宗鏡錄 16.21

16.21

Answer: This is spoken in reference to the meaning of original enlightenment conforming to defilement. Yet when initial enlightenment awakens and reaches the source of the mind, they are of a single equal limit—what difference could there be? Moreover, taking all Buddhas' compassion and wisdom as the predominant condition, and taking sentient beings' capacities, resonance, and seeds as the cause, resting upon the Buddha's original substance (bimbamātra), one's own mind transforms into a reflected image (pratibimba); hence it is said to appear within one's own consciousness. In the 'Dharmadhātu Chapter', the elder Megha thoroughly perceived the ocean of Buddhas of the ten directions. That which reveals this samādhi is the contemplation of mind-only, knowing that the realms of sentient beings, immeasurable and boundless, are all the manifestations of mind. It clarifies that when one is mindful of the Buddha in accordance with the mind, all Buddhas appear before one, because the contemplation of mind-only completely encompasses the myriad dharmas. Now, in terms of higher, middling, and lower faculties, their seeing of the Buddha differs according to the contemplation of their own minds, having four grades: First, ordinary beings. Because their unexhausted latent tendencies of past evil karma of the six destinies still adhere to them, they may see the Buddha as a tree spirit, a deva, a black-footed elephant, or a three-foot body, and so forth. Second, the Hīnayāna. Because their view of birth and cessation associated with karma still adheres to them, they see the Buddha pierced by a golden spear, eating horse-barley, and his body bleeding from a blow—all of which are not pleasing marks. Third, the Mahāyāna. Bodhisattvas of the three teachings—initial, final, and sudden—because of their contemplation of consciousness-only, see that the Buddha is an appearance manifested by the evolving consciousness within the ālayavijñāna; therefore, they see this Buddha-body as solely a manifestation of mind, not apart from tathatā, without boundary or measure, pervading all places, naturally manifesting according to the faculties of sentient beings. This is a pleasing mark. Fourth, the bodhisattvas of the ekayāna's perfect teaching. Through their wisdom of the perfect illumination of the dharmadhātu, primary and secondary retribution encompass and gather principle, phenomena, persons, and dharmas. Using this wisdom, they resonate with and see the ten bodies, with unobstructed interpenetration of principle and phenomena. Moreover, the three times fuse and penetrate all; therefore, the Buddha-body does not depart from the bodhi-trees of the ten directions, yet constantly visits the six [desire] heavens. Their wisdom completely observes all, eternally without conceptual thought. The 'Fourteen Categories on the Meaning of the Dharmakāya' states: 'When sūtras clarify the dharmakāya, the traces point to the sixteen-foot body matching a human body as an aggregate, yet there is nothing that is not Dharma; hence it has the designation dharmakāya. Investigating the intent of the sūtras, taking the Tathāgata’s illuminated substance being emptily present as the body, and the exhaustion of all burdens as the Dharma—this is that by which it is the true dharmakāya. Yet responding to goodness through resonance, the response forms differences according to species. But it exists only for those who see it, for the Buddha is constantly without body. Hence a sūtra says: "The body of the Tathāgata is an illusory transformation body."'