宗鏡錄 19.3.4

19.3.4

There is nothing that is not equal, how much more so when they reciprocally encompass one another according with their nature! One who understands thus is called 'well-abiding on the stage of all-knowledge.' Just as what the earth can bring forth ultimately returns to the earth, so the myriad phenomena rely upon the Buddha's wisdom and ultimately return to all-knowledge. A verse in the Ratnagotravibhāga says: / 'Just as in the house of a poor man, / There is a treasury of precious gems in the earth, / But that man cannot know it, / Nor can the jewels speak; / Sentient beings are also like this: / Within the house of their own citta, / There is an inconceivable, / Inexhaustible treasury of Dharma-jewels. / Although they possess this precious treasury, / They cannot self-consciously know it; / Because they do not consciously know it, / They endure the poverty and suffering of saṃsāra. / Just as the precious treasury / Lies in that poor man's dwelling, / The man does not say, "I am poor," / And the treasure does not say, "I am here"; / In this way the treasury of Dharma-jewels / Lies within the citta of sentient beings. / Sentient beings are like the poor man; / Buddha-nature is like the precious treasury. / For the sake of wishing to cause sentient beings / To attain these precious gems, / Those Buddhas, Tathāgatas, / Appear in the world.' / The Meaning of Non-Arising says: 'The Great Master constantly cited the Tathāgatagarbha-sūtra, which says: "Within the bodies of sentient beings are the thirty-two marks and eighty minor signs of a Buddha, seated on a jeweled lotus flower, not different from a Buddha. But because they are covered by kleśas, they have not yet been able to attain their function. This is having the root-nature of the Buddha's vision and knowledge, but not yet having the function of that vision and knowledge; at that very time they are still foolish. It is even like a young child possessing the six sense faculties of an adult, not different from an adult, within his body, yet not yet capable of having the functions of an adult; when he gradually grows up and must furthermore study and learn, he only then has the power and function of an adult's vision and knowledge." If the root-nature exists, how could the function be absent? Just as a seed originally sweet does not bear bitter fruit, one only fears not knowing it exists and conceiving oneself to be an ordinary person. The true nature is ever clearly evident and has never been concealed even for a moment.' As the Buddha said: 'The Tathāgata truly has no secret treasury. Why is this? Like the full autumn moon dwelling in the sky, revealed, pure, and without obscuration, which all people see.' Also an ancestral master said: 'The five aggregates are originally empty; when has the lion ever been in a den?' Thus we know it is only that sentient beings do not understand and personally call it a secret. Yet although there is no secret treasury, there are secret words. Secret words are difficult to understand; only wisdom can know them. As Master Baizhang said: 'Just present speech clearly mirroring and illuminating, while seeking its form and appearance is unattainable—this is the secret word.' Therefore the light of the Mirror of the Source shines at all times and constantly attends daily activities; the deluded do not know it and thus have nothing to hope for. A sūtra verse says: / 'The realm of sentient beings is entirely equal, / Level as the realm of empty space; / One who can understand this equality / Finds attaining the Buddha Path not difficult.' / Another verse says: / 'One who is without that which has characteristics / Thinks of nothing at all; / With no-mind and nothing arisen, / The Buddha Path is not difficult to attain.' / The Candragarbha-sūtra says: 'The Buddha said: "Therefore, contemplate and observe with equality toward phenomena: there are no phenomena apart from sentient beings; there are no sentient beings apart from phenomena. Just as the substantial nature of sentient beings is my own substantial nature, so my own substantial nature is the substantial nature of all phenomena; as the substantial nature of all phenomena is the substantial nature of the Buddha-dharma. When one thus observes the equality of all phenomena, sentient beings identical to the aggregates cannot be apprehended, and apart from the aggregates they cannot be apprehended; in combination they cannot be apprehended, and apart from combination they likewise cannot be apprehended. They are neither phenomena nor non-phenomena. When a person is thus able to abide in the signless, this is called the equality of phenomena."' Thus we know that all phenomena constantly realize right awakening; there is no time when they do not realize right awakening. As a sūtra says: 'All real phenomena do not abandon their own characteristic to take on another characteristic. If abandoning non-right-awakening one realized equal, right awakening, then it would not be real. Right awakening has never had a time when it did not realize right awakening.' Thus we know that all sentient beings all abide on the stage of awakening; it is not that they abandon unawakening to take up right awakening. Thus one awakening is all awakening; they constantly realize right awakening, and there is no time of unawakening. It is like empty space, serene and clear, without creation or destruction. If one clings to there being realization or non-realization, this belongs to emotional views. If illuminated by wisdom, what direction is not real? In thought after thought one constantly sees the dharmakāya; in dust-mote after dust-mote all becomes Buddha-lands. It is only because one's own eye has a cataract that wondrous vision cannot penetrate, running counter to one's own spiritual [nature] and sinking into drowning one's home treasure. Although of the same single nature, it must be illuminated by wisdom: just as an instrument harbors exquisite notes, so when fingers are skilled, the gong and shang notes accord with the rhythm; people harbor awakening nature, and when wisdom is skillful, movement and function tally with the real. Gain and loss lie with the person; refinement and coarseness are left to oneself. Therefore when the Sugata pressed his finger, he radiated the light of the sāgaramudrā; when sentient beings stir their minds, they manifest the marks of toil and defilement. As ancient commentaries explained the Buddha-nature of sentient beings by analogy to a harp (konghou), which possesses five meanings: first, having the body of the harp; second, having the sound in the middle; third, having the strings and cords; fourth, having the person who plays the harp; fifth, having the melodies produced by the playing. These five are metaphors. Our five aggregates are like the harp; the tathatā Buddha-nature within the body is like the sound; the six pāramitās and myriad practices are like the strings and cords; skillful wisdom is like the person playing the harp. We cultivate the six pāramitās with skillful wisdom, and when we realize Buddhahood in the future, every dust mote and every hair will all pervade the dharmadhātu, like the melodies played. Thus Shen Xiuwen's 'Meaning of the Buddha's Knowledge Being Not Different from Sentient Beings' Knowledge' says: 'Therefore we know that an ordinary person's knowledge is not different from a Buddha's knowledge. Because the things known are different, the knowledge is not different.' Shen Yue's 'Meaning of the Six Destinies Being in Continuity and Becoming Buddha' says: 'Because continuity is not cut off, one is able to receive knowledge. If the merit of training and smelting in this life gradually accumulates, then the principle known in the future fruit turns ever more refined. When ever-more-refined knowledge comes in response, it reaches as far as Buddhahood without interruption or cessation. If there is avidyā in this life, then what is known in the future fruit turns ever darker; ever-darker knowledge also comes in response, reaching as far as the six destinies.' Thus we know that sentient beings' consciousness is in continuous succession without interruption, and it is merely on account of refinement or coarseness that its ascent or descent is distinguished. Furthermore, an ancient master posited: 'All Tathāgatas on the causal ground made the vow to deliver all sentient beings; as long as the realm of sentient beings is not exhausted, they will not take right awakening. Since we presently see sentient beings submerged in the nine realms of existence, we know that the Buddhas should not yet have achieved [Buddhahood]';