宗鏡錄 17.5

17.5

Answer: Because one's own citta-nature pervades all places, when one sees another Buddha, that is precisely one's own Buddha. Without destroying the domain of self and other, it is exclusively the one mind. Sentient beings are like a mold over an image: if the mold is removed, one sees one's own Buddha as well as the other Buddha. Why? Although one sees the other Buddha, it is precisely one's own Buddha, because it is cast from oneself. Nor does it destroy the other Buddha, because upon that essential nature, although it transforms into the form of the other Buddha, it is precisely one's own nimittabhāga. Both transforming and not transforming are all the one mind. Therefore, because of the two minds of delusion and awakening of sentient beings, there is the principle of seeing and not seeing self and other. If considered in terms of the true nature, where would delusion and awakening come from? Self and other are both eliminated, because the dharmakāya has no form, nor the characteristic of mutual seeing between self and other. An ancient master said: 'There are two kinds of delusion: first, grasping at objects outside the mind, generating thoughts contrary to principle, and therefore being unable to see the formless Buddha; second, grasping at the characteristics of the inner aggregates, not understanding the nature, and therefore not seeing the mind-Buddha. There are two kinds of awakening: first, understanding that all phenomena are the citta's own nature, while nature is also non-nature; when emotion is broken and principle appears, one then sees the Rocana body conforming to the dharma-nature, with neither inside nor outside. Second, understanding the nature and characteristics of the aggregates, one then sees the Buddha of one's own mind, which is neither identical to nor different from Rocana.' If Śakra, Lord of the Devas, did not cultivate heavenly karma, how could the palaces accompany his person? If a cakravartin king did not create the causes of a king, how could the seven treasures gather? Relying solely on one's own goodness, one outwardly evokes excellent conditions. Therefore, the Avataṃsaka-sūtra says: 'Sons of the Buddha! All tathāgatas are of the same substance and nature; from the great wheel of wisdom, they produce various lights of wisdom. Sons of the Buddha! You should know that the Tathāgata, from a single taste of liberation, produces immeasurable, inconceivable, various merits. Sentient beings think, "This is created by the Tathāgata's spiritual power." Sons of the Buddha! This is not created by the Tathāgata's spiritual power. Sons of the Buddha! There is no such possibility as even a single bodhisattva who has not previously planted wholesome roots under the Buddhas being able to attain even a slight portion of the Tathāgata's wisdom. It is only through the power of the majestic virtue of the Buddhas that sentient beings are caused to see the Buddha's merits. Yet the Buddha, the Tathāgata, is free of conceptual discrimination, free of creation and destruction, has no creator, and has no act of creation. Sons of the Buddha! This is the characteristic of the appearance of the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Samyaksaṃbuddha.' The Baozang lun says: 'Now, the reason why the True One has no oneness yet appears differently is that when someone is mindful of the Buddha, a Buddha appears; when one is mindful of the Saṅgha, a Saṅgha appears. Yet that Buddha is neither Buddha nor non-Buddha, but appears as a Buddha; likewise, neither Saṅgha nor non-Saṅgha, but appears as a Saṅgha. Why is this? Because that deluded mind hopes for it to appear; not realizing that it is the manifestation of one's own mind, one completely takes the dependent origination of sacred matters as an external realm and sees distinctions, when in truth it is not that Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha have differences. Furthermore, it is like someone standing beside a great smelter who makes a mold for himself, suited to square or round as he pleases, wishing: "May that molten gold flow into my mold to form an image." Now, although the molten gold forms an image, in truth the molten gold is neither an image nor a non-image, yet it appears as an image. That person's mindfulness of the Buddha is also like this. The gold in the great smelter is a metaphor for the Tathāgata's dharmakāya; the mold is a metaphor for sentient beings' hope. Because they think of fusing and obtaining the Buddha, through the harmonious condition of mindfulness of the Buddha, various bodily characteristics are generated. Yet that dharmakāya is neither characteristic nor non-characteristic. What does "not a characteristic" mean? Originally it has no fixed characteristic. What does "not a non-characteristic" mean? Dependent origination produces all characteristics. Nevertheless, the dharmakāya neither appears nor non-appears; it is free from nature and non-nature, neither existent nor non-existent, neither mind nor mentation, and cannot be measured by any standard. However, that ordinary person has it according to their mind, and so produces the thought of an appearing Buddha, completely asserting that there is a Buddha outside their mind, not knowing that it exists through the harmony of their own mind. Alternatively, completely claiming that there is no Buddha outside the mind is also slandering the true Dharma.' Explanation: What does 'not a characteristic, originally having no fixed characteristic' mean? Because it is manifested due to the mind, external characteristics have no substance; they are induced and born from the mind, and when conditions are exhausted, they are extinguished—what characteristic could there be? Therefore it is said, 'originally having no fixed characteristic.' What does 'not a non-characteristic, dependent origination produces all characteristics' mean? Since it is said to have no fixity, it only appears according to conditions; when causes and conditions harmonize, illusory characteristics are not absent. Therefore it is said, 'dependent origination produces all characteristics.' If one can avoid generating conceptual discrimination, avoid grasping at self and other, inwardly avoid grasping at existence and taking up the aggregates, and outwardly avoid grasping at non-existence and slandering the true Dharma, then opening the eyes and closing the eyes, lifting the feet and lowering the feet, neither seeing nor non-seeing, is truly seeing the Buddha. The Ratnagotravibhāga says: 'Based on the meaning of Buddha, the sūtra says: The Buddha addressed Ānanda, saying: "The Tathāgata is not a phenomenon that can be seen; therefore, the eye-consciousness cannot see him." Based on the meaning of Dharma, the sūtra says: "What is called Dharma is an inexpressible matter; for this reason, it is not heard by the ear-consciousness." Based on the meaning of Saṅgha, the sūtra says: "What is called Saṅgha is named the unconditioned; therefore, it cannot be made offerings to, bowed to, or praised with body and mind."' Therefore we know that the Three Jewels are like the characteristic of empty space, beyond the reach of seeing and hearing. Thus, the mind-Buddha of sentient beings delivers the sentient beings of the Buddha-mind. If there is a single dharma used as an antidote, it all becomes wrong view. Therefore the Sixth Patriarch said: 'When deviance comes, deliverance is by correctness; when delusion comes, deliverance is by awakening; when foolishness comes, deliverance is by wisdom; when evil comes, deliverance is by goodness. Such deliverance is true deliverance.'