宗鏡錄 40.7

40.7

Answer: Before entering this gate, wherever one turns is unreal and illusory; the conventional is established relative to the true, and emptiness is clarified in contrast to form. As soon as one realizes this source, the ten thousand conditions are all silenced. It is like birds of different colors turning into pure golden light upon approaching Mount Sumeru, or like the thirty-three devas having no further distinctions upon entering the Mixed Forest. Therefore, phenomena have no substance of their own; they are established in mutual dependence—all are established in dependence without anything to depend upon. If one clings to phenomena as existing and depending on each other for their establishment, then dependence is not established; this is because, having intrinsic substances and being respectively fixed, they would not rely on mutual dependence. As a verse in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā says: "If a phenomenon is established through dependence, / When it is not yet established, how can it depend? / If it already has dependence when established, / Once established, what need is there for dependence?" If a phenomenon is established because of dependence, that phenomenon was previously unestablished; if not yet established, it does not exist; if it does not exist, how could there be a causal dependence? If this phenomenon was already established previously, once established, what need is there for causal dependence? In both cases neither depends on the other. Thus one knows that whether unestablished or already established, neither involves dependence. When one awakens and enters the mirror of the source, one comprehends that empty space is still an illusory production—how could there be any further phenomena to serve as its counterpart? As the Śūraṅgamasūtra says: "If one person returns to the true and goes back to the origin, this space of the ten directions all at once dissolves." The Bodhisattva-keyūra-sūtra says: "The Buddha told the devaputra: When I formerly sought the Path, distinguishing root and branch across countless kalpas, I was unable to exhaustively fathom the definite absorption of the single phenomenon. What is the single phenomenon? It is what is called thoughtlessness. For a bodhisattva who attains thoughtlessness, when observing all phenomena, all are entirely formless. Devaputra, that I have now attained buddhahood is due to this single practice, whereby I attained the unsurpassable, correct, and true Path." Since the ten thousand phenomena are formless, relative to what could one speak of existence? Since existence does not exist, how could one speak of permanence? What emptiness is there again to be empty; on what basis could anyone speak of annihilation? If there are phenomena outside the mind, then annihilation and permanence are formed; if there is no mind outside phenomena, who could speak of emptiness and existence? For this reason, Mahāsattva Fu said: "Do you not see that your own mind is neither annihilated nor permanent? / Universally present in all directions, it enters no direction; / Nor does it depend on the limits of past or future, / Nor again is it round, short, or long. / Tranquil, it is without arising or cessation, / Neither black nor white, blue nor yellow. / Although with thoughts and reflections it knows all phenomena, / In truth it does not abide in the midst of thoughts. / Sentient beings enter it without anything to enter; / Though approaching the six spheres, in truth there is no injury. / The wise clearly and distinctly understand this, / And for this reason it is called the King amid Dharmas." Therefore the Viśeṣacintibrahmaparipṛcchā-sūtra says: "If someone gives rise to views regarding phenomena, then for that person, no buddha appears in the world. World-Honoured One, if someone has a fixed view of nirvāṇa, this person does not cross beyond saṃsāra. Why is this? Nirvāṇa is called the eradication of all marks, far removed from all movements of thought and conceptual proliferations." Therefore, if one discusses establishment, destruction, existence, and emptiness, all these comply with worldly names and words and do not go beyond the various views of the non-Buddhists. Like a dog chasing a clod of earth, how could they penetrate their own source? Thus one knows that names and words are like the clod, and true principle is like the person: the ignorant, foolish dog chases the clod of names and words; the lion of sarvākārajñatā attains the principle and forgets the names. Thus one knows that speech arises from vitarka and vicāra; when vitarka and vicāra cease, names and words are cut off; when speech and thought are cut off, relativity is completely extinguished. The Commentary on the Madhyamakaśāstra says: "Regarding the gate of exhaustion and non-exhaustion: if there is momentary passing away and cessation, in cessation there is nothing that can be established; if there is momentary continuation, continuation is not newly established. If there is momentary passing away and cessation, in cessation there is no beginning of destruction; if there is momentary continuation, continuation cannot be destroyed. Therefore, whether exhausted or non-exhausted, both are devoid of establishment and destruction. Furthermore, all phenomena in the day and night are constantly ceased and exhausted in every thought; the past does not abide, like flowing water, and this is called exhausted. This matter cannot be grasped and cannot be spoken of, just as a mirage has no fixed nature—how could one discriminate and say that there is establishment? Furthermore, with arising and cessation in every thought, they are constantly continuous and unbroken, and therefore this is called non-exhausted; how could one discriminate and say: 'Now is the time of establishment'? For this reason, in the exhausted there is no establishment, and in the non-exhausted there is also no establishment. Since there is no establishment, there is also no destruction. Therefore, when all phenomena do not even have establishment, how could one speak of annihilation? All take the limit of reality as their definitive standard, and thus there is no mutation."