宗鏡錄 26.5

26.5

Answer: It is because they only cultivated faith and the like within the stages of progressive practice, and had not yet heard or believed in these universally merging ten faiths of Samantabhadra, wherein one subsumes all. Therefore, one should know that if one does not encounter this text, one expends effort in vain for accumulated eons; yet the moment one hears this principle, one immediately enters perfect penetration. So long as one is not involved among the aforementioned five types of non-receptacles, one forever solidifies the buddha-seed of the ekayāna. It can be attained by the hand; it can be transmitted by the mind. I earnestly urge future worthy ones not to lose the benefit of the Dharma. Moreover, if in the past one had heard this Dharma but could not yet enter into faith, it was through the perfuming power of the Dharma that doubts initially arose. If one had never heard it, doubt would never arise in the end. As the Introduction to the Mahāyāna (Ru dacheng lun) says: 'A person of meager merit does not produce doubt. One who can produce doubt will certainly shatter all states of existence.' Thus, sentient beings attached to existence do so entirely because of defiled conditioning, just as a light feather is unfixed, its defilement or purity following conditions; just as raw silk absorbs dye, taking on blue or yellow at will. All of this is due to the power of hearing and perfuming, by which each enters the gates of the triyāna. How much more so when one hears within the Mirror of the Source: one swiftly brings forth the seed of the ekayāna. As long as one has a mind, whatever is perfumed is brought to completion. The Huayan Treatise says: 'Just as all the wells and springs in the world have the ocean as their substance, if people drink from them, they all attain the taste of the ocean—of one substance, without difference—yet according to the power of their karma alone do they obtain a salty flavor. This sūtra is also like this: if there are sentient beings of great mind who hear, uphold, and enter into faith, they immediately attain the tathāgata's dharmakāya and buddha-nature, the flavor of great compassion and wisdom. An icchantika is incapable of this; yet the tathāgata's wisdom-nature constantly acts as a generative cause.' Therefore, know that those endowed with the root of great faith become buddhas upon hearing it; those who do not believe are icchantikas. Yet, although they do not believe, it still perfumes their seed; thus it is said that the tathāgata's wisdom-nature constantly acts as a generative cause. Therefore, a gāthā of the Lotus Sūtra says: 'If there are those who hear the Dharma, / not one fails to become a buddha.' In ancient times, a mud-dwelling frog heard the Dharma and was born in heaven; a stable elephant listened to a sūtra and reformed its evil; a monk attained the fruit through joking; a woman realized emptiness through contemplation. How much more so when hearing the purely perfect and sudden teaching within the Mirror of the Source! As the Shanjian lü lun says: Anciently, when the Buddha was in the world, he went to the edge of the Kāla pool in the country of Campā to preach the Dharma for the assembly. At that time, in that pool, there was a frog. Hearing the sound of the Buddha preaching the Dharma by the pool, it immediately came out of the pool and went beneath the roots of grass to listen to the Buddha preaching the Dharma. At that time, there was a man grazing cattle with a staff. Seeing the Buddha seated, preaching the Dharma for the assembly, he went to the Buddha's place wishing to hear the Dharma, and planted his staff into the ground, mistakenly striking the frog's head. The frog immediately died and was born in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. Due to its karmic reward of merit, its palace was twelve yojanas in length and breadth, and it enjoyed pleasures with the heavenly maidens. It then rode its palace to the Buddha's place and bowed its head to his feet. The Buddha, knowing, deliberately asked: 'Who are you, suddenly bowing at my feet? Your supernatural powers and radiant light, your major and minor marks are peerless, illuminating this entire place.' The frog deva then answered with a gāthā: 'In the past I had the body of a frog, / searching for food in the water. / Hearing the sound of the Buddha preaching the Dharma, / I came out beneath the roots of grass. / A cowherd came holding a staff / to listen to the Dharma; / the staff struck and pierced my head, / and at death I was born in heaven.' The Buddha used the gāthā spoken by the frog-man to preach the Dharma for the fourfold assembly. At that time, eighty-four thousand people in the assembly all attained the track of the Path, and the frog deva attained the fruit of srotāpanna and departed with a smile. The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: Anciently, a king did not build an elephant stable at a monastery because this king had an elephant capable of resisting an enemy state. Whenever there were enemies, it would be adorned with armor and weapons, and it was always victorious. Later, the enemy states were all terrified, and for a long time there were no enemies; thus, a stable was built in a monastery to keep it. For a long time, hearing the saṅgha's bowing and chanting, its mind was perfumed, and it became docile and gentle by nature. Later, when troops of a neighboring country invaded, the elephant was equipped to resist them, but it refused to fight at all. The king was sorrowful, fearing the ruin of his state. A wise minister told the king: 'This elephant has stayed in the monastery for a long time, seeing and hearing good deeds, and has been transformed by them. It should be placed in a slaughterhouse and made to constantly see slaughter.' Before long, its evil mind arose again. If it is so even with beasts, how much more so with humans! Approaching the good makes one good; approaching the evil makes one evil. Therefore, in Confucian texts as well, the gentleman is enjoined to be cautious about what he is conditioned by. Now, if one hears the Mirror of the Source, it perfumes and brings forth the ekayāna, vast and immeasurable, of unending beneficial merit. The Za baozang jing says: 'The Buddha's Dharma is broad and vast, its deliverance boundless. Whoever seeks the Path with an earnest mind never fails to attain the fruit; even in joking, the merit is not in vain.' For instance, in ancient times there was an old monk, aged and decrepit, of dull and obstructed mental faculties. Seeing various young monks preaching the Dharma in various ways and hearing them speak of the four fruits, his mind gave rise to admiration and longing. He said to the young monks: 'You are intelligent; please bestow the four fruits upon me.' The young monks sneered and said to him: 'We have the four fruits, but we must have good food before we give them to you.' Hearing these words, the old monk rejoiced and immediately prepared various dishes and delicacies, inviting the young monks to eat. Having finished eating together, they directed each other to make fun of the old monk, saying to him: 'Venerable, sit in a corner of this room, and we will give you a fruit.' Hearing this, the old monk rejoiced and sat as told. The young monks then struck him on the head with a leather ball and said to him: 'This is the fruit of srotāpanna.' The old monk, having heard this, concentrated his thoughts without distraction, and immediately attained the first fruit. The young monks made fun of him again, saying: 'Although we gave you the fruit of srotāpanna, you still have seven births and seven deaths. Move to another corner, and next we will give you the fruit of sakṛdāgāmin.' Because the old monk had attained the first fruit, his mind progressed even further, and he moved his seat again. The young monks again struck his head with the ball and said to him: 'We give you the second fruit.' The old monk applied single-minded mindfulness even more, and immediately realized the second fruit. The young monks made fun of him again, saying: 'Now you have attained the fruit of sakṛdāgāmin, but you still face the difficulty of returning to birth and death. If you move your seat again, we will give you the fruit of anāgāmin.' The old monk moved his seat as told. The young monks again struck him with the ball and said to him: 'We now give you the third fruit.' Hearing this, the old monk rejoiced, redoubled his earnest mind, and immediately realized the fruit of anāgāmin. The young monks made fun of him again, saying: 'Now you have attained the fruit of non-returning, yet you still receive a body with outflows in the form and formless realms, impermanent and subject to decay, every thought being suffering. If you move your seat again, next we will give you the fruit of arhat.' The old monk moved his seat as told. The young monks again struck his head with the leather ball and said to him: 'We now give you that fourth fruit.' The old monk contemplated with one mind, and immediately realized the fruit of arhat. Having attained the four fruits, he was overjoyed. He prepared various delicacies and various fragrant flowers to offer to the monks to repay their kindness. He discussed the factors of enlightenment and undefiled virtues with the young monks, but the young monks' words were faltering and obstructed. Only then did the old monk say to them: 'I have already realized the fruit of arhat.' Hearing his words, the young monks all apologized and repented for their previous sin of playing pranks. Therefore, practitioners should be mindful of goodness; even playful jokes yield real results, how much more so an earnest mind! Also, the Za baozang jing says: In ancient times, there was a woman of keen intelligence and wisdom who had deep faith in the Three Jewels. In the order of the saṅgha, she would always invite a monk to her house for offerings. Later, an old monk's turn came to visit her house. He was aged, of dull faculties, and had no learning at all. When the vegetarian meal was finished, the woman earnestly requested him to preach the Dharma, spreading a seat before him and closing her eyes in quiet contemplation. The monk, knowing himself that he did not understand how to preach the Dharma, took advantage of her closed eyes, abandoned her, and ran back to the monastery. However, this woman earnestly contemplated conditioned dharmas as impermanent, suffering, empty, and lacking autonomy; observing with a deep mind, she immediately attained the fruit of srotāpanna. Having attained the fruit, she went to the monastery to seek him out, wishing to repay his kindness. But this monk, knowing full well that he had abandoned her and fled, felt redoubled shame and hid himself even further. Yet this woman sought him earnestly without ceasing, so he finally showed himself. Seeing him, the woman explained in full the causes and conditions of receiving the fruit of the Path, presenting offerings to repay his kindness. Hearing this, the old monk felt great shame, deeply reproached himself, and likewise attained the fruit of srotāpanna. Therefore, practitioners should seek the Dharma with an earnest and sincere mind. If one has an earnest mind, what one seeks will certainly be realized. As for the holy fruits attained above, did someone preach profound and wondrous Dharma to them beforehand? It was all self-awakening, realized from the mind. This verifies the Mirror of the Source; those who have penetrated it have no doubt. As the Dacheng bensheng xindi guan jing says: 'The Buddha said: "I now expound the wondrous Dharma of the mind-ground to guide sentient beings and cause them to enter the Buddha's wisdom. Such wondrous Dharma is expounded by the buddha-tathāgatas only after immeasurable eons have passed... By these causes and conditions, it is difficult to see and difficult to hear—the correct path of bodhi, the Dharma-gate of the mind-ground. If there is a good man or good woman who hears this wondrous Dharma, and it passes through their ears for only an instant, and they collect their thoughts to observe the mind, it perfumes into the seed of unsurpassed great bodhi; before long, they will sit upon the diamond throne under the king of bodhi trees and attain anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi."' The 'Ten Grounds' chapter of the Huayan sūtra says: 'Vajragarbha Bodhisattva said: "Sons of the Buddha, this scripture of the Dharma-gate of bodhisattva practice gathers all kinds of merit of sarvākārajñatā. If sentient beings have not planted good roots, it cannot be heard." Vimukticandra Bodhisattva said: "Having heard this Dharma-gate, how much merit does one attain?" Vajragarbha Bodhisattva said: "As much merit as is gathered by sarvākārajñatā, such is the merit of hearing this Dharma-gate. Why is this? Without having heard this meritorious Dharma-gate, one cannot faithfully understand, accept, uphold, read, and recite it, let alone vigorously cultivate it according to the teaching. Therefore, you should know that one must first hear this Dharma-gate of practicing the merit of sarvākārajñatā before one can faithfully understand, accept, uphold, and cultivate it, and thereafter reach the ground of sarvākārajñatā."' Therefore, know that if one does not hear this inconceivable, vastly majestic, perfect, and sudden Dharma-gate, by what means could one cultivate and swiftly realize the fruit of great nirvāṇa—the ultimate ekayāna, permanence, bliss, self, and purity? Because sentient beings abide in the indeterminate group, when they hear the small they cultivate the small, and when they encounter the provisional they practice the provisional; not encountering this text, they incur a great loss. What is gathered here brings exceedingly manifold benefits. Even if one hears it and does not cultivate, it still forms a seed; how much more so for those who hear, reflect, and cultivate! As an ancient master of virtue said: 'Now, if you want direct understanding, simply do not grasp any characteristics, and that will be enough; there are no other words. "Buddha" has the meaning of one's own mind; it is also called the "Path"; it is also said to mean "awakening." Awakening is the nature of luminous awareness. Right now, self-reflection, speaking, responding to conditions, receiving things, raising the eyebrows, moving the eyes, moving the hands, and moving the feet are all one's own nature of luminous awareness; they are also the mind. The mind is the Path; the Path is the Buddha; the Buddha is chan. The single character chan cannot be fathomed by worldlings. If one knows that all dharmas arise from the mind, one should not cling. Clinging is not knowing. If one does not see the original nature, the twelve divisions of the canon are set forth in vain.' Therefore, know that because the mind is clarified through teaching, why cling to literal words? Furthermore, teaching arises from the mind, and the mind is established through teaching. Apart from the mind there is no teaching; apart from teaching there is no mind. How could there be a teaching apart from the mind that one could cling to? Therefore, the Commentary on Vijñaptimātra says: 'In the gate of the sudden teaching, the great does not arise from the small; there is no sequential order of the three periods. That is, in the Huayan Sūtra, expounding only one mind was the very first preaching immediately after the initial realization of the Path.' It also says: 'All foolish worldlings, from beginningless time, due to the power of causes and conditions of false discrimination, cling to there definitely being real graspers and grasped apart from the mind. The Tathāgata, with great compassion, gave them the amṛta-dharma to drink, severing their deluded, frenzied minds, abandoning clinging to emptiness and existence, and realizing the true, definitive meaning. In the Huayan and other sūtras, it is expounded that all dharmas are consciousness-only. Therefore, the Buddha, having realized vijñaptimātra, expounded the sūtra of the one mind to cause them to cultivate in reliance upon it.' The commentary explains: 'Vasubandhu composed verses to establish the Buddha's sūtras, causing all scholars to understand that the ten thousand dharmas are not separate from the mind; thus the principle of the Mahāyāna middle way is revealed.' From this, know that faith in the perfect middle—this faith is difficult to achieve.