宗鏡錄 36.40

36.40

Answer: If in terms of conditioning cultivation, one employs wisdom to become a buddha, because tathatā is merely the objective realm; this explains oneself in terms of conditioning cultivation. Real cultivation genuinely employs the one mind of tathatā as the buddha; the myriad practices and wisdom are merely the adornments of merit and wisdom; therefore, it employs the one mind of tathatā as oneself, and all merit and wisdom as other. If one directly realizes that the mind of tathatā is itself the attainment of buddhahood, this is the perfect and sudden school. If one does not realize this mind and falsely engages in cultivation and realization, these are the fruits of ash and extinction of the Pitaka and Common teachings, and so forth. If one relies on this mind to initiate practice and cultivate separately, this is the distinct teaching of the Mahāyāna. Compared with the perfect teaching where it is fully present in mind itself, all the practices, stages, effort, and stages of progress are multiplied between days and eons. Therefore it is said: 'Those for whom it is this very mind are swift; those who generate the mind to practice are slow.'