宗鏡錄 18.3

18.3

Answer: It is constantly manifest, without any time when it is not manifest. It may manifest suddenly in a single particle of dust, with nothing deficient; or it may manifest universally in all particles of dust, with nothing not pervaded. As for 'suddenly manifesting in a single place': the Tathāgata's eyelashes, Mañjuśrī's jewelled crown, Maitreya's pavilion, Samantabhadra's pores, Vimalakīrti's room, Māyā's belly, a mustard seed, the tip of a needle, a nearby particle of dust, a distant realm—in each and every one it manifests suddenly. As the *Mañjuśrīparinirvāṇasūtra* says: 'Mañjuśrī's body is like a mountain of purple-gold,' and so forth. 'His crown is adorned with vilanga gems and has five hundred kinds of colors. Within each and every color, the sun, moon, stars, constellations, palaces of devas and nāgas, and things rarely seen by sentient beings of the world all manifest therein.' The *Vimalakīrtinirdeśasūtra* says: 'Thereupon the elder Vimalakīrti manifested his supernormal power. Instantly that Buddha dispatched thirty-two thousand lion thrones, high, broad, adorned, and pure, which came and entered Vimalakīrti's room. The bodhisattvas, great disciples, Śakra, Brahmā, the Four Heavenly Kings, and others had never seen the like before. The room was spacious, completely holding the thirty-two thousand lion thrones without obstruction. In the city of Vaiśālī, as well as in the four continents of Jambudvīpa, there was also no confinement; all appeared as before.' In the 'Entry into the Dharmadhātu' chapter of the *Buddhāvataṃsakasūtra*, Lady Māyā addressed Sudhana, saying: 'Good son, at that time when the Bodhisattva was about to descend his spirit from the Tuṣita Heaven, there were assemblies of bodhisattvas numbering as many as the atoms of ten Buddha realms, together with their retinues, who descended from the heavenly palaces and came to enter my body. Those bodhisattvas manifested great supernormal powers within my belly, roaming at will—sometimes taking the great trichiliocosm as a single step, up to taking worlds numbering as many as the atoms of inexpressibly inexpressible Buddha realms as a single step. Furthermore, in thought after thought, at the abodes of all the Tathāgatas in worlds numbering as many as the atoms of inexpressible Buddha realms in the ten directions, assemblies of bodhisattvas, as well as the Four Heavenly Kings, the Trāyastriṃśa devas, the Yāma devas, the Tuṣita devas, the Nirmāṇarati devas, the Paranirmitavaśavartin devas, and even all the Brahmā kings of the form realm, all came wishing to see the Bodhisattva abiding in the womb and his vast supernormal transformations, to pay respect, make offerings, and listen to the true Dharma, and all entered my body. Although my belly could completely hold such assemblies, my body did not become vast, nor was it cramped. Those bodhisattvas each saw the pure and adorned bodhimaṇḍa of their own assembly. Good son, just as the Bodhisattva took birth in Jambudvīpa of this set of four continents and I became his mother, so it was in every one of the billions of Jambudvīpas of four continents throughout the great trichiliocosm. Yet this body of mine is originally neither two nor one, neither dwelling in one place nor dwelling in many places. Why? Because I have cultivated the bodhisattva's liberation gate of the ornamentation of the wisdom-illusion of great vows.' As the former worthy said: 'Vast as the dharmadhātu, ultimate as empty space—this is the meaning of abiding in the womb.' If so, then all sentient beings abide in Māyā's womb, not Śākya alone. Why? Because the citta of sentient beings is itself the dharmadhātu. Furthermore, if one understands that the citta is empty, there is no share of a womb. As the *Bodhisattvagarbhasthasūtra* says: 'The Buddha told Maitreya: "How does a bodhisattva who practices emptiness travel to the lands of the ten directions to teach and transform sentient beings?" Maitreya said to the Buddha: "A bodhisattva who practices emptiness does not see lands, nor is there any Buddha. The Buddha himself is without a Buddha; how could there be a Buddha? The realms of earth, water, fire, wind, and consciousness, self, person, and lifespan are all completely empty and quiet. For this reason, there is no share of a womb."' As for 'manifesting universally in all dust particles': it horizontally embraces all places and vertically penetrates all times, mutually interpenetrating in multiple layers, universally merging in perfect omnipresence. An ancient worthy said: 'All inconceivable events can universally manifest in all places; they are merely the responding function of the single pure dharmakāya of Vairocana.' This dharmakāya is just citta. Therefore it is said: 'Only when one can attentively observe that citta is non-dual does one see the pure body of Vairocana.' When a single thought of evil arises, the dharmakāya manifests accordingly; when a single thought of good is born, the dharmakāya manifests accordingly. This is called 'mutually manifesting in every place,' up to manifesting in the place of form and manifesting in the place of emptiness, freely and without obstruction. Do not refer it far off to all Buddhas; it is merely one's own single thought of an empty citta. Furthermore, it is like the ocean-seal universally imprinting everything. The 'Appearance' chapter of the *Avataṃsakasūtra* says: 'O sons of the Buddha, a bodhisattva-mahāsattva should know that when the Tathāgata attains correct awakening, he has nothing to observe with regard to all objects; he is equal with regard to dharmas, without doubt, without duality, without characteristics, without action, without cessation, boundless and limitless, far removed from the two extremes, abiding in the middle path, transcending all letters and words, and knowing the movements of thought, faculties, inclinations, and defiled habituations of all sentient beings. To sum up the essentials: in a single thought, he completely knows all dharmas of the three periods of time. O sons of the Buddha, it is like the great ocean, which can universally reflect and manifest the forms and images of the physical bodies of all sentient beings in the four continents; therefore it is collectively spoken of as the great ocean.' Hence in the sūtra there is the sāgaramudrā-samādhi. The commentary explains: 'The sāgaramudrā-samādhi has ten meanings. The faculties and vessels are that which is manifested; the bodhisattva's concentrated citta is that which can manifest. Because no citta is not empty, it is named samādhi. First, having no mind, it can manifest. The sūtra says: "Without exertion and without conceptual discrimination." Second, manifesting, there is nothing manifested. The sūtra says: "Because they are like light and reflections." Third, that which can manifest and that which is manifested are not one. Fourth, they are not different. The sūtra says: "The great ocean can manifest; that which can manifest and that which is manifested are distinct, hence they are not one. Seeking images outside the water cannot be done, hence they are not different." This shows that this concentrated citta and the dharmas manifested are the characteristics of the nature itself, so the capable and the object are distinctly present; and they are the nature of the characteristics itself, so object and self are non-dual. Fifth, there is no going or coming. It manifests the ten thousand dharmas in one's own citta, yet they do not come; it arrays clouds of bodies throughout the dharmadhātu, yet it never departs for an instant. Sixth, vastness. The sūtra says: "Universally containing all without rejecting anything." This clarifies that the samādhi-citta pervades the dharmadhātu, so the physical forms and minds of sentient beings are all objects within the concentrated citta; its function pervades the dharmadhātu, yet is not separate from this citta. Seventh, universal manifestation. The sūtra says: "All can be manifested." It also says: "The bodhisattva universally imprints all mental activities." The difference between this and vastness is that this is stated in terms of that which is manifested, not discriminating between great and small; that is stated in terms of that which can manifest, whose measure is universally pervasive. Eighth, sudden manifestation. The sūtra says: "Because it manifests in a single thought." This means without before and after, like an imprint suddenly formed. Ninth, constant manifestation. Unlike a bright mirror, it has no time of manifesting or not manifesting. Tenth, non-manifesting manifestation. Just as when a bright mirror confronts [an object], only then does it manifest the image of the four heavens; manifesting without confronting, it is said to be non-manifesting manifestation. Because it does not depend on confrontation, it is therefore constant manifestation, embracing the three periods of time.' These above meanings of the manifestation of the ocean-seal are divided into ten gates according to principle, phenomenon, capable, and object; but they are simply the meaning of the universal manifestation of the calm illumination of the one true citta. If there is non-manifestation, it is merely that adventitious defilements veil oneself, and the net of views separates oneself; it is not the fault of the dharmakāya. The *Mahāyānaśāstra* says: 'The dharmakāya of all Buddha-Tathāgatas is equal and naturally pervades all places without intentional effort, manifesting only in accordance with the citta of sentient beings. The citta of sentient beings is like a mirror; if the mirror is soiled, physical images do not appear. In this way, if the citta of sentient beings is defiled, the dharmakāya does not manifest. It is like the sun and moon hanging in the sky: the blind do not see them; like thunder shaking the earth: the deaf do not hear it. When the Way accords, one is close to it; it does not lie in bodily proximity. Therefore, when a person of merit appears in the world, fine gems appear; when one of meager merit appears, thorns and brambles grow. It is all due to one's own citta that there is manifestation or non-manifestation.' If one is a person who directly realizes the citta-nature, all is equally and clearly manifest. As Master Luopu's 'Song of the Divine Sword' says: 'When the noble person attains it, he forgets self and other; / When the petty person attains it, he makes light of his life. / That other school does not use our sword; / In the world, high and low will sooner or later be levelled.' Therefore, that sentient beings do not attain clear and bright manifestation is entirely because they cling to existence and are deluded about the real, cling to the real and are deluded about the middle, and cling to the middle and are deluded about the nature, forming three kinds of condition-aggregations, which thus form obstacles. As the Tiantai *Commentary on the Vimalakīrti Sūtra* says: 'The categories of sentient beings are measureless and boundless, but tracing their essential core, they do not exceed three categories of condition-aggregations: First, the category of condition-aggregations of the conditioned: that is, the defiled and pure lands within the realm [of saṃsāra], where all are deluded about the real and cling to existence, thus giving rise to fettering karma and receiving fragmented saṃsāra; these all belong to the category of sentient beings of conditioned condition-aggregations. Second, the category of condition-aggregations of the unconditioned: that is, the lands of remainder beyond the realm, the reward lands, and even the lower and middle grades of the land of eternally quiescent light. The sentient beings of these three lands are deluded about the Buddha-nature of the middle way, cling to the unconditioned of true emptiness, and taking the unconditioned as a condition, give rise to various fettering karmas and undergo transformation saṃsāra; this is the category of sentient beings of unconditioned condition-aggregations. Third, condition-aggregations of the fundamental essence of the dharmadhātu: that is, arising from a bodhisattva being deluded about the fundamental essence, as the source school says: "Having seen, not forgetting." Now, outside the room, the sentient beings of conditioned condition-aggregations within the realm are subdued; next, in the chapter on disciples, the sentient beings of unconditioned condition-aggregations are subdued; afterwards, in the chapter on bodhisattvas, the sentient beings of condition-aggregations of the fundamental essence of the dharmadhātu are subdued.'