宗鏡錄 25.5

25.5

One who understands in this way conforms to the Buddha's mind. They radiate the light of wisdom, as if a thousand suns illuminated the sky, and gather all meanings together, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea. Ultimately, not a single phenomenon appears outside the mind or remains within it. Down to the avidyā of sentient beings and up to the sarvākārajñatā of all buddhas, all are the wondrous purport of unproduced, empty nature. As the Mahāprajñāpāramitāsūtra says: At that time Śakra Devānām-Indra and the devas of the trichiliocosm manifested flowers and scattered them over the Buddha, the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, the saṅgha of bhikṣus, and Subhūti, and also made offerings to the prajñāpāramitā. At that time, the flowers throughout the trichiliocosm completely filled empty space, transforming into flower-daises that were dignified, upright, and extraordinarily wondrous. Subhūti thought to himself: 'These flowers scattered by the devaputras have never been seen before in the heavens. These flowers are illusory creations; they did not grow from trees. These flowers scattered by the devaputras were born from the mind-tree, not from actual trees.' Śakra Devānām-Indra, knowing what Subhūti was thinking, said to Subhūti: 'Venerable Sir, these flowers are not born flowers, nor are they born from a mind-tree.' Subhūti said to Śakra Devānām-Indra: 'Kauśika, you say these flowers are not born flowers and are not born from a mind-tree. Kauśika, if it is an unproduced dharma, it is not called a flower.' Śakra Devānām-Indra said to Subhūti: 'Venerable Sir, not only are flowers unproduced; form is also unproduced, and feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are also unproduced.' Subhūti said: 'Kauśika, not only are flowers unproduced, form is also unproduced; if it is unproduced, it is not called form. Feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness are also unproduced; if they are unproduced, they are not called consciousness. The six sense-bases, six consciousnesses, and six contacts, as well as the feelings produced by condition of the six contacts, are also like this. Dānapāramitā is unproduced; if it is unproduced, it is not called dānapāramitā. Up to: prajñāpāramitā is unproduced; if it is unproduced, it is not called prajñāpāramitā. Up to: sarvākārajñatā is unproduced; if it is unproduced, it is not called sarvākārajñatā.' Hence we know that the ten thousand dharmas all together are unproduced; a thousand paths all return to the mirror of the source. As a previous master said: 'The present Buddha's three bodies, ten pāramitās, and up to the bodhisattva's practices of benefiting others, all proceed by relying on the interpenetrating operation of their own dharma. That is, within the minds of sentient beings there is the greatness of the substance of tathatā: present practice draws forth the dharmakāya. Because within the mind there is the greatness of the characteristics of tathatā: present practice draws forth the sambhogakāya. Because within the mind there is the greatness of the function of tathatā: present practice draws forth the nirmāṇakāya. Because within the mind the dharmatā of tathatā is inherently without stinginess or greed: present cultivation and study accords with the dharmatā free of stinginess and draws forth the dānapāramitā and the rest.' Therefore a gāthā in the Avataṃsakasūtra says: 'Mañjuśrī's dharma is constantly thus: / The Dharma King has only one dharma. / All unobstructed persons / transcend birth and death by a single path.' Another gāthā says: 'Countless adamantine iron perimeter mountains / can all be placed on the tip of a single hair. / If one understands that the greatest has the characteristic of the small, / the bodhisattva, by means of this, first resolves their mind [for bodhi].' Because greatness and smallness are without self-nature, broad and narrow adapt to conditions. If one can clearly see that the characteristic of the utmost great having nothing outside it is identical to the characteristic of the utmost small having nothing inside it, both being the dharma-gate of the mind-ground of a single hair-tip, this is called seeing the path. Hence it is said: 'The bodhisattva, by means of this, first resolves their mind [for bodhi].' One who understands in this way, without changing their ordinary body, is born in the Tathāgata's household and becomes a true child of the Buddha. The Yihai says: 'Being born in the Buddha's household means that the unborn tathatā and dharmadhātu, bodhi and nirvāṇa, are the household. When one sees that a dust-mote is unproduced and without nature, this very wisdom manifests from the unproduced dharma; this is precisely to be born in the Buddha's household.' A verse in a sūtra says: 'Not discriminating among dharmas: / this is to be born from Suchness.' It also says: 'Universally, amidst the dharmas of the buddhas of the three periods, / one is transformatively born.' Merely by tallying with the meaning and principle, one is called 'born in the Buddha's household'; one is a child of the Buddha, and it is also called the appearance of the Buddha. Therefore we know that whatever is bound up in spoken and written words is entirely the trace of the mind; even referring to 'tathatā' is also called a trace. If one can trace the tracks and find the origin, one will naturally end traces and return to the source. But if one is deluded by the traces and pursues dust, one loses the origin. Thus, for those who understand it, although origin and traces differ, they are an inconceivable unity; for those who are blind to it, they are deluded about both origin and traces, which diverge according to their passions. Therefore the Mahāratnakūṭasūtra says: 'I awakened to bodhi without any trace of distinction. What is called a trace? Both tathatā and dharmatā are called traces; the true limit of all dharmas is also called a trace; non-production and non-cessation are also called traces.' Nowadays many grasp at the traces of the expedient verbal teachings and lose the origin of the correct meaning of the one mind. Therefore, what the mirror of the source points out is always to have people trace the tracks and find the origin. Although it cites verbal formulations everywhere with earnest detail, they all point to this. Therefore the Devarājaprajñāpāramitāsūtra says: 'Persons of sharp faculties hear the words and know the meaning.' If one can hear the words and know the meaning, see the dharma and recognize the mind, only then does one enter into the mirror of the source and instantly dissolve doubts and anxieties. Then without using the divine eye to see, one clearly sees the worlds of the ten directions; without using the divine ear to hear, one universally hears the sounds of the dharmadhātu; without relying on psychic travel, one swiftly reaches the ends of the ten directions; sitting upright in quiet immobility, all buddhas constantly appear before oneself. As the Pratyutpannasamādhisūtra says: 'By what cause is this samādhi attained, wherein the presently living buddhas all stand before one? Bhadrapāla, if there is a bhikṣu, bhikṣuṇī, upāsaka, or upāsikā who keeps the precepts completely, focuses the mind on one single point, and thinks of Amitābha Buddha in the west, who is presently existing, according to what they have heard—removed from here by a hundred thousand myriad buddha-kṣetras, in a land named Sukhāvatī, expounding the sūtras in the midst of a host of bodhisattvas—and constantly thinks of Amitābha Buddha....' The Buddha told Bhadrapāla: 'Suppose a person lies asleep, and in a dream sees all kinds of gold, silver, and precious jewels, parents, siblings, wife, children, relatives, and acquaintances, and makes merry with them, feeling incomparable joy and pleasure; and upon awakening, recounts it to others, remembering what was seen in the dream. Just so, Bhadrapāla: whether a bodhisattva, a śramaṇa, or a white-clad [layperson], upon hearing of Amitābha Buddha in the west, should be mindful of that Buddha in that direction, without breaking the precepts, with one mind being mindful for one day and night, or for seven days and seven nights. After seven days have passed, they will see Amitābha Buddha; they do not see him while awake, but see him in a dream. Just as in what is seen in a dream, one does not know day or night, nor does one perceive inside, nor see outside; nor is it because of being in darkness that one does not see, nor because of being blocked and obstructed that one does not see. Just so, Bhadrapāla, when a bodhisattva's mind thinks in this way, the realms of all the buddhas and the mountains named Great Ami, wherever there are dark places, all open up for them; the eyes are not obstructed, and the mind is not hindered. This bodhisattva-mahāsattva does not see through using the divine eye, nor hear through using the divine ear, nor arrive at that buddha-kṣetra using psychic travel, nor die here, nor get born in that buddha-kṣetra; only then do they see. Rather, sitting right here they see Amitābha Buddha, hear the dharma that is expounded, receive and retain it all, and upon arising from samādhi, are fully able to expound it to others.' All that is spoken above are gates of sudden entry, provided for those of the highest faculties, not for expedient and gradual cultivation. Now, in elucidating the Buddha's purport in passing and briefly praising the sūtra texts, the general meaning relies entirely on the explanations of past masters; what principle is not fully brought out, and what phenomena are not exhausted? Yet this depends further upon the clear discernment of the wisdom-eye of future sages, because the Buddha's meaning is profound and subtle, and a single phrase can generate boundless meanings.