宗鏡錄 44.3.3

44.3.3

Sound exists, yet does not arise. / Both arising and cessation are completely transcended: / this is the constant reality.' Commentary: This speaks directly of the principle of the three realities of the nature of hearing in the present everyday active functioning of all sentient beings: first, the perfect reality; second, the pervasive reality; third, the constant reality. First, as for the perfect reality: because the nature of hearing is omnipresent, the sound-dust of the ten directions responds in time without before or after; because it is simultaneously all-pervading, each and every one does not depart from one's own nature. It is like waves arising on water: the waves do not depart from the water. Because where there is sound, it is entirely hearing, and outside of hearing there is no phenomenon, this is original hearing, inherently possessing the nature of complete penetration; one does not wait to realize sagehood before having this matter. Therefore a verse of the Lotus Sūtra says: 'The ears born of mother and father / are pure and without blemish; / with these ordinary ears one hears / the sounds of the three-thousandfold world.' And it further says: 'One who upholds this Lotus [Sūtra], / though not yet having attained the divine ear, / merely uses the ears they were born with; / their merit is already like this.' Second, as for the pervasive reality: although the visual nature of the eye faculty is clear and penetrating, it can observe what is in front but cannot observe what is behind. The three faculties of nose, tongue, and body all perceive through contact, arising due to subject and object. As for the mental faculty, what it cognizes is not fixed, because it shifts from thought to thought. Thus the five faculties are not equal [to it]; only the ear faculty has complete penetration without obstruction. In listening to reverberations, regardless of obstructions, both distant and near are heard. In its wondrous response, without discrimination, both large and small are fully accommodated. Therefore the song of Venerable Gaocheng says: 'When responding at the ear, / it is like a secluded valley: / neither large nor small sounds are ever lacking. / When the bells and drums of the ten directions sound at once, / the spiritual light functions continuously without interruption.' Thus it does not decrease when residing in an ordinary body, nor does it increase when abiding in a noble body. Constantly manifesting and constantly pervasive, afflictive defilements cannot conceal its spiritual radiance; neither intermittent nor broken, heavenly māras cannot subdue its majestic light. It does not destroy the conditioned ear faculty, yet completely possesses the wondrous nature of the one spirit. Third, as for the constant reality: the nature of sounds has movement and stillness. Movement and stillness are the substance of sound; its nature seems to exist and seems not to exist within hearing. When there is no sound, it is called 'not hearing', but it is not that hearing truly lacks its nature, because the nature of hearing is constantly present. If the nature of hearing ceased along with the sound-dust, then when a former sound ceased, a later sound would not be heard again. Therefore one knows that the sound-dust naturally ceases to exist, while the nature of hearing does not cease; the sound-dust naturally comes to exist, while the nature of hearing does not arise. Furthermore, not only does the nature of hearing have no arising: when one examines the sound-dust in turn, it also has neither arising nor cessation. Because it arises from conditions, its self-substance is entirely non-existent. As the Huayan Treatise says: 'All phenomena are like valley echoes.' The Śūraṅgama Commentary and Subcommentary says: 'Just as there is no sound in a valley, and where there is no sound there is no echo, so in the dharmadhātu there is no sound at all. All sounds are merely the false mind. When the false mind does not stir, there are no false thoughts at all. Because there is the appropriation of a discriminating mind, there is sound. The four great elements are like withered wood, fundamentally having no sound; it is all due to attachment. The great bodhisattvas do not listen to the Dharma with sounds.' Hence we know that sound-dust fundamentally does not exist; it all exists because of attachment. When mental clinging melts away and attachment is lost, all phenomena are fundamentally empty. Since existence and non-existence are both empty, how could there be arising and cessation? One then knows that one's own nature is no different from the nature of the Tathāgata, because all worldly phenomena are themselves the Buddha-dharma. A sūtra says: 'These phenomena abide in their phenomenal status; / the worldly characteristics are constantly abiding.' It is like Kauṇḍinya, who awakened to the Way through sound, wondrous sound being secretly complete. An ancient commentary says: 'If there is subject and object, it cannot yet be called "secret". When he awakened to the principle of the Four Noble Truths, he deduced that both the hearing subject and the heard object are one's own citta. Citta is original awakening, radiant light completely illuminating the dharmadhātu. The wise mind of initial awakening also completely illuminates the dharmadhātu. This is gaining awakening through sound.' All sentient beings who cultivate this contemplation also attain liberation. If upon hearing sounds pleasant or unpleasant one generates hatred or love, one is bound by sound. Merely contemplate the place where these sounds emerge within the ocean of citta: because the ocean of citta fundamentally has no characteristics, although citta contains sound, sound also has no characteristics. Having no characteristics, one attains liberation amid all sounds. Therefore one knows that no phenomenon is not citta, and no citta is not a phenomenon. Being clearly comprehended in this way, then with respect to all phenomena, there is neither joining nor parting, neither bondage nor liberation. Thus the Buddha told Ānanda: 'You have studied much hearing, but have not exhausted the outflows. In your mind you merely know the cause of invertedness, but when true invertedness appears before you, you truly cannot recognize it. Fearing that your sincere mind has not yet believed and yielded, I shall now test you with worldly affairs to dispel your doubts.' Thereupon the Tathāgata ordered Rāhula to strike a bell once, and asked Ānanda: 'Do you hear now or not?' Ānanda and the great assembly all said: 'We hear.' When the bell ceased and there was no sound, the Buddha again asked: 'Do you hear now or not?' Ānanda and the great assembly all said: 'We do not hear.' At that time Rāhula struck it again once, and the Buddha again asked: 'Do you hear now or not?' Ānanda and the great assembly again said together: 'We hear.' The Buddha asked Ānanda: 'Why do you say you hear, and why do you say you do not hear?' Ānanda and the great assembly all addressed the Buddha: 'If the bell is struck, we hear it; when the striking ceases for a long time and the sound fades away, with both sound and echo severed, this is called not hearing.' The Tathāgata again ordered Rāhula to strike the bell, and asked Ānanda: 'Is there sound now or not?' Ānanda said: 'There is sound.' A moment later the sound faded, and the Buddha again asked: 'Is there sound now or not?' Ānanda and the great assembly answered: 'There is no sound.' Shortly thereafter, Rāhula came again and struck the bell, and the Buddha again asked: 'Is there sound now or not?' Ānanda and the great assembly all said: 'There is sound.' The Buddha asked Ānanda: 'Why do you say there is sound, and why do you say there is no sound?' Ānanda and the great assembly all addressed the Buddha: 'If the bell is struck, it is called having sound; when the striking ceases for a long time and the sound fades away, with both sound and echo severed, this is called having no sound.' The Buddha said to Ānanda and the great assembly: 'Why do you now speak with mutual contradiction and confusion?' The great assembly and Ānanda asked the Buddha at the same time: 'How are we contradictory and confused?' The Buddha said: 'When I asked you about hearing, you said hearing; when I asked you about sound, you said sound. Yet with hearing and sound, your answers have no consistency. How can this not be called contradictory and confused?'