宗鏡錄 40.13.1

40.13.1

Answer: All principle and wisdom, and limitless practices and vows, do not leave a single pore of Samantabhadra. If one truly enters into this mirror of the source, then in each and every pore, even of the bodies of ordinary beings and sages, one can fulfill the conduct of Samantabhadra. It is like Bhikṣu Sāgaradhvaja in the Avataṃsakasūtra, who entered the Samādhi of the Pure Light of the Sphere of Prajñāpāramitā, sat cross-legged by the side of the walking-meditation ground, and entered into samādhi: free from inhalation and exhalation, without other thoughts or sensations, his body was at peace and unmoving; from his bodily parts, he emitted clouds of bodies of the ten dharmadhātus and all offering implements, raining down immeasurable rains of Dharma and so forth. It is also like Bhikṣu Sudarśana, who said to Sudhana: 'When I practice walking meditation, in a single thought-moment all the ten directions completely appear before me, because wisdom is pure; in a single thought-moment all worlds completely appear before me, because I pass through unspeakably unspeakable worlds.' It is also like the night goddess Pramuditanayanajagadvirocanā, who entered the liberation gate of the banner of universal joy of great power; from each and every pore of her body, she emitted immeasurable kinds of cloud-like transformed bodies, preaching the Dharma with wondrous sounds according to what was appropriate, universally gathering all immeasurable sentient beings and causing them all to rejoice and attain benefit. It is also like Sudhana re-observing each bodily part and each pore of Samantabhadra, wherein were the trichiliocosm, the wind wheel, water wheel, earth wheel, and fire wheel, the great oceans and rivers, the jewel mountains, Mount Sumeru, and the Iron Encircling Mountains, the villages, military camps, cities, and towns, palaces and gardens, all hells, hungry ghosts, and animals, the realm of King Yama, the eight classes of devas and nāgas, humans and non-humans, the realms of desire, form, and formlessness, the sun, moon, and stars, wind, clouds, thunder, and lightning, day, night, month, and season, as well as years and kalpas, the appearance of buddhas in the world, the assemblies of bodhisattvas, and the adornments of the bodhimaṇḍa—such matters were all clearly seen. Just as this world was seen, so too were all worlds in the ten directions seen in like manner; just as the worlds of the ten directions in the present were seen, so too were all worlds of the past and future seen in like manner, each distinct and not intermingled. As it is said, upon the bodily parts of Sāgaradhvaja, within a single thought of Sudarśana, and inside the pores of Samantabhadra, all ordinary and sacred spheres, and pure and defiled lands, exhausting the dharmadhātu and the realm of space in the ten directions, were completely manifest. This can prove that the mirror of the source has nothing outside it, and there is no dharma it does not contain. It is like rolling up the billows of the great ocean and gathering them into a single drop, or taking the lands of the ten directions and pointing them out in a single dust mote. As an ancient worthy said: 'With the realm of Vairocana, the profound gate of manifold wonders, spiritual teachers speak of it without exhaustion, Sudhana scoops from it without depleting it, Mañjuśrī embodies it in absolute stillness, and Samantabhadra realizes it in layer upon layer.' Why is this? Because Mañjuśrī is the substance of one's own citta conforming to principle, its substance being ever serene; because Samantabhadra is the function of one's own citta conforming to measure, its function pervading the dharmadhātu. Therefore, the Ratnagotravibhāga explains that there are two kinds of practice: first, practicing in accordance with reality, fully understanding that conformity to principle is of one taste; second, practicing ubiquitously, completely knowing that the one mind possesses dharmadhātus as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Therefore, awakening to this inexhaustible citta of tathatā brings about the fulfillment of the inexhaustible conduct of Samantabhadra. It is also called: 'Pure conduct has been established; what had to be done has been done.' If one does not understand this and mistakenly engages in practice, not only will one fail to possess the gate of Samantabhadra's conduct, but even all the gates of cultivation and progress, such as the three refuges and the five precepts, will fail to be accomplished, because one has not reached the root. Therefore, the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra says: 'If one is unable to see, hear, read, recite, copy, uphold, and make offerings to this Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra, you should know that this person has not yet skillfully practiced the bodhisattva path.' Because of the separation between self and other, having only a mind of attachment and views, not having arrived at the ekayāna, how could one accomplish practice of the same substance? It also says: 'This sūtra is difficult to uphold. If someone upholds it for even a short while, I will be delighted, and so will all buddhas. Such a person is praised by all buddhas: this is vigor, this is diligence; this is called keeping the precepts and practicing dhūta; they will quickly attain the unexcelled Buddha path.' Thus we know that cultivating practice through seeing the nature means that the nature pervades the myriad practices. As the Avataṃsakasūtra says: 'Bodhisattva conduct is tathāgata nature; tathāgata nature is bodhisattva conduct.' Only if one clearly sees this purport can it be called complete cultivation. The provisional teachings cannot conceive of it; lower stages are separated as far as heaven. Even for praising it with a single thought of sympathetic joy, the merit is limitless; how much more so for cultivating with right mindfulness and explaining it to others? Therefore, the Commentary on the Words and Phrases [of the Lotus Sūtra] explains: 'One who has a single thought of sympathetic joy, though not yet having practice oneself, merely rejoices in the Dharma and the person; the retribution of merit is already great—how much more so when practice is attained!' The mind of sympathetic joy is twofold: if, upon hearing the opening of the provisional to reveal the real, within a single thought-moment of citta one understands the principle of neither-provisional-nor-real and believes in the Buddha's vision and knowledge, and further understands both the provisional and the real with phenomena and principle integrated—though still possessing the nature of kleśas, one can know the secret treasury of the Tathāgata. This is sympathetic joy discussed vertically. Furthermore, if, upon hearing the intention of opening the provisional to reveal the real, within the one mind one broadly understands all cittas, and that all dharmas are the Buddha Dharma without obstruction—if one wishes to discriminate, the explanations and eloquence are inexhaustible, revolving endlessly from months to four months to a year—though not having yet attained the true mind of sympathetic joy, one is able to understand like this; since the Dharma is like this, the person is also like this. This is sympathetic joy discussed horizontally. The horizontal is the vertical; the vertical is the horizontal. Therefore, the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra says: 'Better to hear little and understand much of the meaning and taste.' This is precisely the meaning. Thus we know that as soon as one hears of the one mind and can give rise to sympathetic joy, one thoroughly comprehends all dharmas without remainder; it can be called 'hearing one thing and awakening to a thousand,' attaining great dhāraṇī. When one can give rise to complete faith within the mind of an ordinary person, the measure of its merit can only be known by a buddha. If non-Buddhists who attain the five superknowledges can move mountains and dry up seas, yet do not subdue views and craving, they do not equal those at the heat stage. The non-learners of the two vehicles, though free from both seeds and fruits, are still bound by nirvāṇa, unaware that both their causes and fruits are provisional. Practitioners of the shared teaching, though skillful in cultivating causes, when bringing forth their resolve do not recognize the five hundred yojanas.