宗鏡錄 32.11

32.11

He replied: Because of the power of the prajñāpāramitā, a bodhisattva cultivates the mind of ultimate emptiness with regard to all phenomena. Therefore, he makes no distinction regarding any phenomenon. Just as an animal is born of the coming together of the five aggregates, twelve entrances, and eighteen realms, and is merely named an 'animal', the Buddha is also like this: born of the coming together of all wholesome dharmas, he is provisionally named 'Buddha'. If someone pities sentient beings, they obtain immeasurable merit; if toward the Buddha they give rise to grasping and evil conditions, they commit immeasurable sin. Hence one knows that all phenomena are ultimately empty; therefore, one does not look down upon animals, nor does one grasp with mind to revere the Buddha. Furthermore, the true characteristic of all phenomena is the signlessness of all phenomena. Within this signlessness, one does not differentiate between Buddha and animal. Differentiating would simply be grasping at characteristics. For this reason, one views them equally. Therefore, a verse from a sūtra states: 'Within all phenomena, one enters entirely through equal contemplation.' The Dafa ju jing says: 'As for the meaning of nirvāṇa, it is inherently present from the origin and not created by human effort; hence it is called nirvāṇa. Moreover, true nirvāṇa refers to all worlds, down to existence or non-existence; all such things are completely named nirvāṇa. If one grasps at characteristics and makes distinctions, then it is not nirvāṇa.' Hence, if one sees a single phenomenon as different, one loses the foremost-truth doorway of mind-only and it becomes a demonic deed. Therefore, the Mahāsaṃnipātasūtra states: 'Generating notions of difference regarding sentient beings is the work of Māra. Disdaining conditioned merit is the work of Māra.' Thus the Tiantai commentary on the Vimalakīrtinirdeśasūtra states: 'Dwelling in this contemplative mind, one sees neither the sign of stinginess nor the sign of giving, yet one can compassionately benefit sentient beings. With all material wealth, one rescues the poor and destitute, initiates all meritorious deeds, makes offerings to the Three Honored Ones, repairs the old and constructs the new, and rejoices in and encourages goodness. If one is an elder practicing giving in a single village and expounding the Dharma on the basis of giving, then the poor people of that village and the four assemblies who receive the giving will feel gratitude and admire his virtue; not only will they turn their minds to receive transformation, but their stingy minds will gradually diminish, and they will also emulate this donor in relinquishing wealth to cultivate merit. If one is in a single county, and the magistrate and officials abide in the mind of correct contemplation, able to give wealth and Dharma with whatever resources they have, then the poor people and four assemblies receiving giving throughout the county will likewise turn their minds to transformation, their stingy minds will naturally cease, and they will relinquish wealth to cultivate merit, causing benefit to flourish. This extends even to a single jurisdiction or an entire state: when rulers, officials, heavenly kings, and emperors abide in the mind of correct contemplation and see neither stinginess nor giving, loving the poor people with all their resources, distributing bounty, and skillfully teaching the Dharma of the four teachings, then all the poor people and the four assemblies within the prefectures and state will bear gratitude and admire their virtue, revere them, turn their minds to them, serve them, draw near to them, and receive the Way. Thereby, their stingy minds will gradually diminish, and they will all be able to bestow gifts, cultivate all meritorious deeds, transform each other, bestow kindness and spread virtue, keeping the correct Way in mind. In this way, across all prefectures and jurisdictions, the people of the entire nation—the good and the bad, the wise and the accomplished in the Way—are like one lamp lighting hundreds of thousands of lamps: while the original lamp remains serene, the other lamps spread everywhere, so that all darkness becomes light, and the illumination never ends. This is the four assemblies, elders, officials, and rulers dwelling in the dānapāramitā doorway of the inexhaustible lamp, gathering in all sentient beings. These gathered sentient beings will, in the future, whether lay or monastic, become their retinues, relatives, ministers, subjects, or disciples, born together in a pure land with magnificent objective recompense and immeasurable seven treasures, encountering the Buddha, hearing the sutras, and opening their minds to the Way. If these donors attain the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas and dwell in inconceivable liberation, when the time arrives for the sentient beings gathered by giving in the past to attain the Way, these donors will manifest the attainment of correct awakening in a land with which they have affinity. The sentient beings gathered by giving in the past will all come to that land, able to renounce everything and cultivate the path of the three vehicles. If they hear the Lotus Sūtra's teaching of opening the Buddha's knowledge and vision, they will enter the Great Vehicle together, ride this jewel vehicle, roam in the four directions, and disport in bliss. This is none other than the Great Being Vimalakīrti—why go elsewhere to Vaiśālī to seek another Vimalakīrti? Hence, one knows that if one can comprehend this inexhaustible principle of the one mind of tathatā, then all the six pāramitās, the four means of embracing, and the myriad practices will all be inexhaustible. Transmitting and revealing it to other minds will likewise be inexhaustible, even interpenetrating layer upon layer and unfolding limitlessly, like an inexhaustible lamp casting shadows and dividing light throughout the dharmadhātu. Not only is Vimalakīrti myself, but in truth he is of the same company as the thousand sages. With a mind purely practicing salvation, Avalokiteśvara appears; constantly exercising the intention of great compassion, Maitreya descends to be born. Thus, whatever one encounters verifies the Dharma doorways, and wherever one's eyes fall becomes an ocean of vows. High mountains and low waters together turn the fundamental Dharma wheel; large and small, scaled and feathered creatures everywhere manifest the samādhi of the physical body. Hence, function arises from substance, and function is of itself all-pervading; practice is accomplished through nature, and practice is limitless. As in the Contemplation of Returning to the Source, two functions are distinguished from the substance of one's own nature: First is the constantly abiding function of the ocean-seal reflecting all phenomena, which refers to the original awakening of tathatā. When delusions are exhausted and the citta is clear, myriad images appear together, just like the great ocean giving rise to waves due to the wind; if the wind stops and the waves cease, the ocean water is clear and pure, and no image fails to appear. Second is the unimpeded, universally illuminating function of the dharmadhātu, which is the Huayan samādhi. It refers to broadly cultivating the myriad practices, matching the principle to accomplish virtue, and pervading the dharmadhātu to realize bodhi. Why are these two functions distinguished? The former ocean-seal function is the fundamental function, also called practice of principle, and also called inherent virtue of nature. The latter Huayan function is cultivated accomplishment, also called practice of phenomena, and also called cultivated virtue. These two depend on each other to accomplish their great function: through cultivation the nature is revealed, and through the nature cultivation is accomplished. If there were no nature, cultivation could not be accomplished; if there were no cultivation, the nature would not be revealed. Therefore, apart from nature there is no cultivation, and apart from cultivation there is no nature. Thus it is said that the manifestation of all phenomena must be simultaneous, and in the single realm of principle there is no before or after. These are two yet not two, and not two yet two. How so? Because the ocean-seal function is fundamentally possessed as what is manifested—meaning the own-nature of tathatā has the sense of universally illuminating the dharmadhātu. The Huayan function is that which manifests—because cultivated accomplishment accords with principle and can accomplish the myriad practices. Since that which manifests and what is manifested differ, and root and branch seem distinguished, they are neither one nor different, able to accomplish wondrous practice.