宗鏡錄 49.45

49.45

Answer: What is seen by sentient beings of the lower realms is form that is the fruit of karma. The objects manifesting in the formless realm are forms that are the fruit of meditative absorption. Both do not depart from mind. Ci'en states: 'Regarding transformation into another body from within meditative absorption, the Yogācārabhūmiśāstra says: "Devas of the form and formless realms transform their bodies into ten thousand kotis and together stand on the tip of a hair; this is due to an equanimous mind." Since the formless realm lacks supernormal powers, it is solely the power of meditative absorption. The Avataṃsakasūtra says that a bodhisattva's nose organ smells the fragrance of the palaces of the formless realm. The Āgamas say that when Śāriputra entered nirvāṇa, tears fell like a fine spring rain in the palaces of the devas of the form and formless realms; when Mahāprajāpatī entered nirvāṇa, devas of the form and formless realms stood beside the Buddha.' As for the objects of meditative absorption among real forms: is the power of the transformed objects continuous or intermittent? In the case of the internal body, it is mostly continuous and only partly intermittent, because there are instances where after being born for a single thought-moment one immediately dies, or like mayflies and the like, as soon as they are born they die. In the case of transforming the external vessel-world, it mostly lasts for a long time, because it is transformed spontaneously in accordance with the momentum of karma.