宗鏡錄 29.15

29.15

Answer: There are four kinds of dhyāna: First, cultivating with deviant views, longing for the higher while detesting the lower—this is the dhyāna of non-Buddhists. Second, believing in correct cause and effect, yet also cultivating with longing and detestation—this is the dhyāna of ordinary worldlings. Third, understanding the principle of the emptiness of persons and realizing the one-sided truth—this is the dhyāna of the Small Vehicle. Fourth, cultivating while comprehending the two emptinesses of persons and phenomena—this is the dhyāna of the Great Vehicle. If one turns one's back on the teachings and only achieves blind realization, it is solely because one's own eye is not clear; if one guards silence and merely sits in foolish dhyāna, one's mind of wisdom will not be bright, vainly giving rise to mistaken conduct and uselessly usurping authentic cultivation. At the beginning of entering the path, both teaching and contemplation must be complete. Grasping the door of contemplation while abandoning the import of the teaching will ultimately result in the foolishness of excessive pride. Complying with others' words while turning one's back on one's own mind will truly incur the ridicule of 'counting others' treasures.' Therefore, the Avataṃsaka explains that accomplishing the wisdom of non-arising first relies on extensive hearing; the Buddhaguhya-sūtra explains that the gate to swift entry into nirvāṇa is entirely due to listening to the Dharma. As a verse in the Buddhaguhya-sūtra says:
'Hundreds of thousands of mute-sheep monks,
Cultivating quiet contemplation without wisdom,
Even after passing hundreds of thousands of kalpas,
Not one of them attains nirvāṇa.
A person of sharp intelligence and wisdom,
Able to listen to and preach the Dharma,
Gathering his thoughts for just an instant,
Will certainly reach nirvāṇa swiftly.'
This verse concerns entering the path for self-benefit. Another scripture verse says:
'Even if one carried [the Buddhas] upon one's head for kalpas numerous as dust and sand,
And offered one's body as a seat throughout the trichiliocosm,
If one does not transmit the Dharma to benefit sentient beings,
One can never truly repay their kindness.'
This verse concerns repaying kindness through benefiting others. The Avataṃsaka explains that a bodhisattva's realization of the light of the wisdom of non-arising is entirely due to skillful, extensive hearing. Furthermore, hearing has the efficacy of aiding contemplation and giving rise to faith, capable of perfecting one's own practice; preaching has the power to sever doubt and bring about Buddhahood, capable of transforming others. Therefore, a verse in the Avataṃsaka-sūtra says:
'Like a jewel in the dark,
Which cannot be seen without a lamp,
If the Buddha-Dharma is not spoken by anyone,
Even the wise cannot comprehend it.'
Therefore, one preaches the complete and sudden teaching to seal sentient beings' minds, opening the door of great giving and bringing about boundless benefit. If one does not instruct people with this, then although there is benefit to others, it is not consummate; the benefit is slight, while the effort expended is great. If one directly points to the self-mind and wholly presents the family treasure, it is like turning out the bag and tipping out the storehouse, offering great giving without restriction, penetrating the fruit and encompassing the cause, culminating in eternal bliss. Therefore, the Fuxing ji says: 'If one transforms people with provisional teachings, although the Dharma gate is opened, it is not called tipping out the storehouse. Now, opening the gate of benefiting beings in the one mind, one tips out the secret storehouse and reveals the true jewel. Since mind is inexhaustible, the storehouse is also measureless; since the storehouse is measureless, the jewels are boundless. Containing all dharmas, it is called a storehouse; the substance of the principle having no deficiency, it is likened to a jewel.' This is revealing the inherently existing storehouse of awakening in sentient beings; it does not come from the outside. The Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra says: 'An assembly of Dharma-giving has neither before nor after; it makes offerings to all sentient beings simultaneously. This is called an assembly of Dharma-giving.' Master Shen says: 'If one gives rise to a mind of compassion, it accords with the ten directions simultaneously. Of all gifts, none surpasses this; hence it is said to have "neither before nor after."' Master Zhao says: 'Bringing people together through physical location cannot be expected in a single breath; aiding beings with material wealth cannot be made universally complete at one time. Therefore, one whose comprehension knows no boundaries encompasses all without omission; one whose moisture of the Dharma secretly covers beings covers them all at once without shifting time. Thus one can unite the boundless into a single assembly, and the Tao moistens everywhere; when one is empty-minded and embraces virtue, all beings naturally submit. Why cling to the petty wisdom of "moistening each other with foam" while abandoning the great benefit of the rivers and seas? Why set aside the simultaneous nourishment of the Dharma to arrange worldly giving with "before and after"? Now, material nourishment nourishes the body; Dharma nourishment nourishes the spirit. The way of nourishing the spirit resides in secret benefit. Why? Sentient beings transmigrate, taking the endless path of dust; murky and dark, carrying on one after another, none can return on their own. Therefore, the Great Being establishes virtue not for his own sake; a single thought of goodness is entirely for sentient beings. Because it is for sentient beings, practice and vows both bear fruit. When practice bears fruit, one's own merit is established; when vows bear fruit, sentient beings are benefited. When one's own merit is established, one possesses the capacity to assist beings; when sentient beings are benefited, they gain the capacity to reverse the flow. In that case, when the bodhisattva first establishes virtue within, sentient beings already receive benefit without. Why must one wait for feeding, nurturing, and guidance before it counts as benefit? Bodhi is the way of vast salvation. Therefore, when one gives rise to compassion for the sake of bodhi, in a single thought and a single instant, the benefit is boundless.' This, then, is inheriting the light of the mirror of the source, illuminating the entire dharmadhātu—how could anything be left out? As the commentary and subcommentary on the Śūraṅgamasūtra say: 'The spirit of the mind undergoing myriad transformations refers to when one is seated in dhyāna in samādhi: the thousands of differences in demonic states are not recognized. Formerly, a dhyāna master was sitting in the mountains when he saw a filial son carrying a corpse, which he placed in front of the dhyāna master, weeping and saying: "Why did you kill my mother?" The dhyāna master knew this was a demon and thought: "This is a demonic state. If I take an axe and chop it away, can I not gain liberation?" He then took an axe from a post and struck a blow with it. The filial son ran off. Afterwards, he felt his thigh was wet; looking at it, he saw blood, having unexpectedly chopped himself. This occurred because while sitting in dhyāna, views arose in his mind, thereby attracting an external demon to enter the practitioner's mind, unaware that it all originated from his own mind. Or singing and dancing by oneself, and so forth—originally these are images of one's own mind. Therefore, know that if one comprehends mind-only, all states will spontaneously vanish; where outside the mind could there be a separate demonic state? Furthermore, formerly when a dhyāna master was sitting, he saw a pig coming before him. Thinking it was a demon, the dhyāna master slowly reached out and grabbed the pig's snout, pulling it and shouting, "Bring a light!" He then saw that the master was holding his own nose and shouting. One clearly knows it was transformed by the mind. If one simply cultivates correct samādhi, how could there be demonic occurrences? As a scripture says: "Your mind is not clear, taking a thief to be your child." The fifty states of demonic obstruction are all due to the deluded mind acting as a thief and child, stealing the wealth of Dharma and jewels of wisdom within your dharmadhātu, subjecting you to the misery of roaming the three realms in poverty, solitude, and exposure.'