宗鏡錄 54.19

54.19

Answer: If that were so, does each individual faculty have its own knower, or is there a single knower present within all the faculties? Both incur errors. Why? If each of the faculties has its own knower, then there would be multiple persons. If there is a single knower within all the faculties, then when the eye is actively taking form as its object, the knower already belongs to the eye; when the sound object arises, the ear should not hear it. As a verse in the Wuyanshuo jing says: / 'The inner and outer earth elements have no duality of meaning; / The Tathāgata’s wisdom is able to awaken to and comprehend them. / They have neither dual characteristics nor non-duality; / With a single characteristic that is no-characteristic, he knows them thus.' / The Jinguangnü jing says: 'Mañjuśrī said to that maiden, "You should contemplate the dhātus." The maiden replied, "Mañjuśrī, it is just like when the kalpa is burned: the three realms and so forth are also like this."' The Prajñāpāramitāsūtra says: 'Among all those phenomena, there is no knower and no seer. That master who expounds the Dharma is also ungraspable; it cannot be discriminated by the citta, nor can it be known by the manas.' The Fomu jing says: 'Elder sister, the eye does not see form, up to the manas does not know mental objects. Thus, bodhi is detached; therefore the eye and form are detached, up to bodhi is detached; therefore the manas and mental objects are detached, and so forth.' A verse in the Laṅkāvatārasūtra says: / 'Just as when a stream of water dries up, / Waves no longer arise, / So when the manovijñāna ceases, / The various consciousnesses do not arise.' / Another verse says: / 'Herein there is no citta or vijñāna, / Like space and a mirage; / Knowing all phenomena thus, / Yet not knowing a single phenomenon.' / A verse in the Ratnagotravibhāga of the definitive Ekayāna says: / 'Just as all worlds / Arise and perish dependent on space, / Dependent on the uncontaminated realm / There are the arising and perishing of the faculties. / Fire does not burn space; / If it burned it, that would be impossible; / Likewise old age, sickness, and death / Cannot burn the Buddha-nature. / The earth rests dependent on water, / Water again rests dependent on wind, / Wind rests dependent on space, / Space does not rest on the earth and so forth. / Likewise the aggregates, elements, and faculties / Abide in defilements and karma; / All defilements, karma, and so forth / Abide in improper thinking; / The activities of improper thinking / Abide in the pure citta; / The intrinsically pure citta / Does not abide in those phenomena. / The aggregates, sense bases, and elements are like the earth; / Defilements and karma are like water; / Incorrect mindfulness is like wind; / The pure citta-realm is like space. / Dependent on the nature, false thought arises; / Thought arising, defilements and karma arise, / Able to give rise to the aggregates, elements, and sense bases. / Dependent on the five aggregates, / The elements, sense bases, and other phenomena, / There are the arising and perishing of the faculties, / Like the formation and destruction of the world. / The pure citta is like space: / It has no cause and no conditions, / And lacks the meaning of combination; / Nor does it have arising, abiding, or cessation. / Like space, the pure citta / Is ever luminous and without alteration; / It is tainted by false discrimination / And adventitious defilements.' / Furthermore, the five presentative consciousnesses do not stir; only the manovijñāna discriminates. As the Śūraṅgamasūtra says: 'The Buddha told Ānanda: "The nature of consciousness has no origin; it arises falsely dependent on the six kinds of faculties and objects. Now, look all around at the assembly of noble ones in this gathering; use your eyes to scan across them. When your eyes gaze around, it is merely like a mirror without making distinct analyses. Within it, your consciousness identifies and points in succession: 'This is Mañjuśrī; this is Pūrṇa; this is Maudgalyāyana; this is Subhūti; this is Śāriputra,' and so forth."' It is like the five direct perceptions: they gaze all around comprehensively, like reflections appearing in a mirror without discrimination. As for the sixth mental faculty, it discriminates successively; it is not like the simultaneous seeing of the five direct perceptions. Furthermore, the sūtra says: 'When consciousness stirs, seeing becomes clear.' 'Seeing becomes clear' refers to the five consciousnesses of direct perception; discrimination constitutes 'stirring'. Furthermore, the sūtra says: 'Originally having nowhere it comes from.' This conscious mind is originally limpid and clear; it is not attained through cultivation, but is originally serene and silent. The five consciousnesses of direct perception are also like this.