[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [宗鏡錄](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016) › [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt) › 26.3 # 宗鏡錄 26.3 English (machine translation) 26.3 - **Language:** English ### [26.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.26.3) Answer: That which is said to be difficult to believe is like a scripture scroll of a great trichiliocosm existing within a single speck of dust—people lack faith in it. The principle of the true mark is merely in one's mind, requiring no toil of searching far away; it is so near yet unrecognized, and when spoken of, it is not believed, which is why it is called difficult to believe. Therefore, one must possess great faith before fine doubts can be severed. This is the gate that is difficult to understand and difficult to enter, the dharma that is difficult to realize and difficult to know. It is like an infinite-bodied bodhisattva standing upon the point of a needle, or suspending Mount Sumeru from a thread inside the pore of a lotus root—it is the inconceivable within the inconceivable, the utterly profound and wondrous within the utterly profound and wondrous. For this reason, in the Lotus assembly, Śāriputra made three requests, and the fourfold assembly was startled and in doubt. Even among the five thousand who walked out, all were persons who had attained holy fruition; yet when they heard that in the buddha-lands of the ten directions there is only the ekayāna dharma, opening the provisional to reveal the real and pointing directly to one's own mind, they still harbored doubts, shook out their robes, and stood up to leave. How much more so for people of inferior capacity in the final dharma age, whose obscurations are already deep, whose views and afflictions are especially heavy, whose emotional dust still chokes them, and whose fire of desire still burns—how could they shoulder this great matter? Therefore, if one marvelously attains its gateway, attaining buddhahood is not separated from the present thought; but if one misses its purport, cultivating causes will merely exhaust one through many lifetimes in vain. It rests solely on the mind of faith; there is no other expedient. This is because it is the source of entering the path, the mother of merit. Hence an ancient sage said: 'For the discerning, virtue flourishes on that very day; for the benighted, hope is cut off through many lifetimes. For one who comprehends the purport, mountains are easy to move; for one who strays from the source, even a pennyweight is difficult to enter.' This Record of the Mirror of the Source does not differentiate between the inner path and outer paths, sharp faculties and dull faculties: all who see, hear, faithfully believe, and enter into it will instantaneously comprehend the one mind, complete and fulfilled in both principle and phenomena. As the Scripture of Complete Awakening says: 'Just as the great ocean does not reject small streams, so too even mosquitoes, gadflies, and asuras who drink its water all obtain full satisfaction.' As a verse in the Avataṃsakasūtra says: 'Those whose profound mind has faithful understanding are always pure.' An ancient commentary says: 'Only when in accord with principle is it called a profound mind. If there were past defilement and present purity, then purity would have a beginning, and having a beginning it must have an end, which is not constant purity. Believing that kleśa is bodhi is truly constant purity. Because one generates the mind \[for bodhi\] in accord with the original nature, one is originally a buddha, with nothing further to advance toward. As if in empty space, where could one retreat to? Lamenting that sentient beings are confused about this, one gives rise to great compassion of the same substance; grieving that in the past they did not know, one vows to definitely realize it. Because there is compassion, one is not extinguished by the limit of non-existence; because there is wisdom, one is not moved by the limit of existence. Being neither moved nor extinguished, one enters directly into the middle way; this is called truly giving rise to the bodhi-mind.' It also says: 'Believing that the buddha's body and name are equal to sentient beings, one then knows that my name is like the buddha's name. Believing that the buddha's dharma-gates are established in accordance with suitability, one knows that my own delusive thoughts and the origin of suffering are also completely the dharma-gate. Believing that the light of the buddha's mental karma shines everywhere, one then knows that one's own mind is never unconscious. Thus all causes and effects, principle and phenomena, are possessed by sentient beings by nature. Just as if the nature is not gold or jade, even if carved it will not become a precious vessel; truly, because sentient beings encompass nature and virtue as their substance and take the ocean of wisdom as their source, it must be revealed to them.' Therefore, the Mañjuśrī Section of the Prajñā says: 'If one knows the nature of the self, one knows that there are no dharmas. If one knows that there are no dharmas, there are no realms. If there are no realms, there is nothing to rely upon. If there is nothing to rely upon, there is nowhere to abide.' Revealing in this way, faithfully entering in this way, is the true phrase and also the vajra phrase, because it is devoid of falsity and cannot be destroyed; hence it is so stated. As the Mahāsaṃnipātasūtra says: 'A true phrase is: as is one dharma, so are all dharmas; as are all dharmas, so is one dharma.' It also says: 'The mind of one sentient being and the minds of all sentient beings are entirely equal; this is called the vajra phrase.' From this we know that not a single dharma being obtainable is called deep faith, solid as vajra and indestructible. Within the mind of non-faith, one can see the Buddha. If there were a single dharma to be believed, that would be a wrong view; only when not believing in anything does it become true faith. As the Prajñāpāramitāsūtra says: 'If one is mindful of all dharmas, one is not mindful of the prajñāpāramitā. If one is not mindful of all dharmas, one is mindful of the prajñāpāramitā.' One who understands in this way can be said to deeply penetrate the true mark and skillfully explain the essentials of the Dharma. Therefore it is said: 'Not a single dharma being obtainable is called deeply penetrating the true mark.' As the verse in the Lotus Sūtra says: 'Among the past buddhas, / while in the world or after extinction, / if there were those who heard the Dharma, / not one failed to become a buddha. / The original vow of the buddhas: / "The buddha path that I practice, / I universally wish to cause sentient beings / also equally to obtain this path." / Although future buddhas / will speak of hundreds of thousands of myriads / of countless dharma-gates, / in truth it is for the ekayāna. / The buddhas, the two-footed honored ones, / know that dharmas are ever devoid of nature, / that the buddha-seed arises from conditions; / therefore they preach the ekayāna. / These dharmas abide in their dharma-positions; / the worldly characteristics are ever-abiding. / Having known this at the place of awakening, / the Guides skillfully and expediently preach it. / Worshiped by gods and humans, / present buddhas of the ten directions, / their numbers like the sands of the Ganges, / appear in the world; / in order to bring peace and comfort to sentient beings, / they also speak such Dharma. / Knowing the foremost tranquil extinction, / through the power of expedients, / although showing various paths, / in truth they are for the buddha vehicle.' The explanation says: The fundamental master, with the mark of his tongue extending up to the Brahmā heaven, expounded true words, emitted the light from his white curl for eighteen thousand \[worlds\], and revealed marvelous and rare omens, up to the earth shaking in six ways, the heavens raining down the four flowers, and the sounds of coughing and snapping fingers being heard throughout the ten lands. The hundreds of thousands of buddha-worlds were harmoniously merged into one path. He brought forth the awakened kings of the three times to expound this purport together, and entrusted it to the great beings of the ten directions to manifest this source together. Therefore, searching thoroughly in the ten directions, there is no other dharma. In terms of position, it is the most real position; in terms of verbal explanation, it is the foremost explanation. It can be called the ultimate destination, the locus of true practice. If one merely reads and recites it with a resolute mind, the spiritual responses are inconceivable: the pores will produce the fragrance of red sandalwood, and the surface of the tongue will take on the color of a red lotus. How much more so if one understands with faith, awakens, enters, and practices as taught! In terms of offerings, the merit exceeds that of an Annually Encompassing Knower; in terms of the place traversed, a tathāgata stupa can be erected there. With such a great matter, who would not take refuge in it? Except for worthless people, it is indeed difficult to believe and accept. Furthermore, as the verse in the Chapter on Supernatural Powers says: 'Because after the Buddha's extinction, / for those who can uphold this sūtra, / all buddhas are filled with joy / and manifest limitless supernatural powers. / For the sake of entrusting this sūtra, / praising those who accept and uphold it / throughout limitless kalpas, / they still cannot finish. / The merit of this person / is limitless and without end, / like the empty space of the ten directions, / whose boundary cannot be attained. / Those who can uphold this sūtra / are those who have already seen me, / and also seen Prabhūtaratna Buddha, / as well as all the emanations.' Therefore, one knows that realizing this single hair's breadth of spiritual wisdom has a measure exceeding the inexhaustible great void; it is like seeing the boundaries of the ten directions far away through the chink of a window. He manifests supernatural powers to entrust it, fearing this text would fall into oblivion; he gives rise to joy to praise it, solely honoring this purport. Now, together with the faithful who have affinity, these people who encounter this correct teaching, reflecting on our former lives, our obstacles were deep and defilements heavy: when the buddhas appeared in the world, we did not see their white curl's light; nor did we take part in the fine banquet or personally hear the correct Dharma. Reflecting again on past vows, we have a slight good cause, so in the final dharma age we happen upon this bequeathed teaching. Having rejoiced in encountering it, yet feeling pity for those who have not heard, I have thus briefly set forth the essential teachings and shown them universally to later students. It can be called the true taste of ghee, yet people remain unaware and unconscious; the marvelous gate of sweet dew, yet they do not inquire or believe. Such a great loss is truly startling to the heart! Therefore, the Chapter on Easy Practice says: 'The Buddha told Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva: "In the subsequent final age, when the Dharma is about to perish, if there is one who upholds this Lotus Sūtra, toward those at home and those who have left home, he should give rise to the mind of great benevolence; toward those who are not bodhisattvas, he should give rise to the mind of great compassion. He should think thus: 'Such people suffer a great loss! When the Tathāgata expediently preaches the Dharma according to suitability, they do not hear, do not know, do not perceive, do not inquire, and do not believe or understand. Although those people do not inquire, believe, or understand this sūtra, when I attain anuttarā samyaksaṃbodhi, wherever they may be, through supernatural power and the power of wisdom, I will guide them and cause them to abide in this Dharma.'"' The explanation says: Giving rise to the mind of great benevolence among the fourfold assembly of those at home and those who have left home is revealing the Tathāgata's expedient gate of the one mind; benevolence can give joy, causing them all to believe and enter, together realizing the joy of the four virtues of Mahāparinirvāṇa. Giving rise to the mind of great compassion toward those who are not bodhisattvas refers to those of outer paths with wrong views who do not produce correct faith; compassion can pull out suffering, which is revealing the Tathāgata's liberation gate of the one mind, causing them all to awaken and understand, eternally pulling out the suffering of the two deaths: fragmented birth-and-death and change birth-and-death. If later on this Record of the Mirror of the Source meets those with affinity and faithful minds, they may forget fatigue day and night, diligently reading and turning the pages, taking awakening as their limit, and never crying of toil. Therefore, the great bodhisattvas all reflect that in the past, drifting in the bitter sea, they performed non-beneficial deeds, losing countless bodies with no benefit at all; and today they still abide in the midst of evil karma of birth-and-death, all because in past lives their wondrous practice was not diligent. Now encountering this correct canon, it can be called practicing while sitting; relying only on the majestic spiritual power of the Three Jewels and the support of the buddhas, free from all difficulties, one may early attain the opening of the mind, extending universally to all sentient beings in the entire dharmadhātu so that they all share this awakening—this is the vow! One must know that the complete school is rarely encountered, like a mustard seed thrown onto the point of a needle; the correct Dharma is difficult to hear, like a blind turtle meeting a hole in floating wood. If not for past cultivation of the vehicle's seed and long accumulation of good roots, how could one happen upon this text and personally receive it? One should rejoice and bear the Buddha's compassionate grace. Therefore, ancients either valued the teaching and made light of wealth, paying gold like a marketplace, or forgot their bodies for the sake of the Dharma, standing in the snow of a secluded courtyard. Furthermore, gold is floating wealth outside the body—how could it match the ultimate teaching? Life is the karmic recompense of a single period—how could it equal the true explanation? Therefore, because of hearing the profound prajñā sūtra, it serves as the vehicle's seed, whereby one attains urgency in the vehicle, constantly listening to the wondrous sound. One may make a seat of one's body and lamps of one's flesh, taking refuge and making offerings, using skin as paper and bones as brushes to transcribe, accept, and uphold it. As the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra says: 'The Buddha said: "Good sons, one who is lax in the vehicle is called truly lax; one who is lax in the precepts is not called lax. A bodhisattva-mahāsattva who is not negligent in his mind toward this Great Vehicle—this is called his fundamental precept. For the sake of protecting the correct Dharma, he bathes himself with the water of the Great Vehicle. Therefore, although a bodhisattva may manifest breaking the precepts, he is not called lax."' The Zhiguan says: 'As for those who are urgent in precepts but lax in the vehicle: their external precepts are strict and urgent, not violating the slightest hair, but regarding the three kinds of mind-contemplation, they have no understanding at all. Because of being urgent in precepts, they receive birth among humans and gods, or follow along to the dhyāna Brahmā worlds, indulging in the joy of samādhi. Although there is a buddha in the world preaching the Dharma to deliver people, there is utterly no benefit for them. Even if they happen to encounter \[him\], they cannot understand. The whole country of Cīna is unaware and unconscious; of the three hundred million of Śrāvastī, \[a third\] neither hear nor see. The gods who cling to pleasure and those born in difficult places do not come to listen and receive—this is the meaning. For example, a bound prisoner may seek out powerful people with wealth and goods to prolong the days and months, hoping to encounter an amnesty. Being among humans and gods is also like this: hoping that a good friend will transform and guide them to cultivate the vehicle, they will then be able to attain liberation. If among humans and gods they do not cultivate the vehicle, when their karmic retribution is exhausted, they will fall back into the three bad destinations; even if hundreds of thousands of buddhas appear, in the end they will not attain the Path. If they are lax in both principle and phenomena, they will eternally plunge into Niraya, losing the karmic retribution of humans and gods; their spirit will be benighted and blocked, with no time of attaining the Path, turning and sinking, unable to be delivered. Therefore, know that abiding in a secular family, confined in the prison of the three realms without seeking a single thought of departure, is like an unrestrained prisoner. One must be born into the Tathāgata's family, meet good friends, listen to the correct Dharma, ponder in accord with principle, practice both external precepts and rational vehicle together, and illuminate both; both bodily discipline and mental wisdom should be cultivated and upheld together. Because the precepts are urgent, one receives the body of a human or god; because the vehicle is urgent, one inherits the seat of the patriarchs and buddhas. Only in this way will one harmonize with the original vow and not fail one's initial aspiration; one can accord above with the compassionate wind and sympathize below with compassionate yearning. A good opportunity is difficult to meet, and I fear that conditions may go awry; I earnestly urge all the worthy not to have regrets later. Furthermore, the texts recorded in this Mirror of the Source of mine are only for people of the highest faculties, not to enter the hands of other sentient beings. It is solely to ensure that the buddha-seed is not severed, to let them hear what has not been heard, to vow to repay compassionate grace, and not to leave the original vow abandoned. If one is involved in fame and gain, this capacity is not being addressed. As an ancient worthy explained concerning the capacities addressed by the Avataṃsaka teaching, five exclusions determine those who are not vessels: First, those who contravene truth are not vessels: that is, those who do not give rise to the bodhi-mind and do not seek departure, but rely upon this sūtra to seek fame and gain, adorning the self and person. The sūtra is not a condition for them, so they are not its vessels. The sūtra says: "Preaching the Dharma for fame and gain is the work of Māra." It also says: "Preaching the Dharma with impurity leads to falling into evil paths," etc. Second, those who turn their backs on the correct are not vessels: that is, those who falsely manifest a great mind and hypocritically feign wrong goodness, which immediately ruins \[rebirth as\] humans and gods and distantly contravenes becoming a buddha, falling into the Avīci hell to suffer torment for many kalpas. The sūtra says: "Forgetting the bodhi-mind while cultivating good roots is the work of Māra." Third, those who deviate from the real are not vessels: that is, although not false or hypocritical, they grasp sūtra passages according to their own attached views, thus causing the ultimate teaching that transcends ordinary sentiment not to enter their minds at all; hence they become non-vessels. The Commentary on the Daśabhūmika says: "Hearing, one makes an understanding of hearing, but does not attain non-hearing." It is also like the five faults of grasping meaning according to sound, etc. These upper three positions are all the realms of common and foolish sentient beings. The sūtra says: "This sūtra does not enter the hands of all other sentient beings, except for bodhisattvas." Truly, because this sūtra is not a condition for sentient beings' saṃsāric transmigration, it does not enter their hands. Fourth, those of narrow and inferior \[capacity\] are not vessels: that is, all those of the two vehicles who lack a vast mind are also not vessels for this. The sūtra says: "None of the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas hear this sūtra, much less accept and uphold it." Fifth, those who cling to the provisional are not vessels: that is, bodhisattvas of the shared teachings of the three vehicles who practice according to their own schools and have not yet completed the first asaṃkhyeya \[kalpa\] are also not vessels for this. The sūtra says: "Although bodhisattva-mahāsattvas for countless billions of nayuta kalpas practice the six pāramitās and cultivate the aids to the path, if they have not heard this sūtra, or although hearing it do not faithfully accept, uphold, and accord with it, such ones are still merely nominal bodhisattvas." - [Previous: 26.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.26.2) - [Next: 26.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.26.4) - [Up: 26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.26) ## Linked texts (1) - [宗鏡錄](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016.26.3) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.26.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.26.3) · Pramāṇa