宗鏡錄 54.7

54.7

Answer: It is not that the eye, consciousness, sense-objects, and so forth each possess a determinate nature of seeing; it is merely through the combination of the three that it is nominally designated as 'seeing'. The lower five sense-bases of hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and so on are also like this. The Abhidharmasamuccayavyākhyā says: 'It is not that the eye sees forms, nor is it consciousness and so on, because all phenomena are devoid of active functioning. Due to the presence of a combination, it is nominally established as seeing, and therefore it is said that the eye can see forms.' Furthermore, consciousness in relation to the sense-bases emerges suddenly and enters suddenly, like a deer in a net or a bird in a cage, pecking at one and letting go of another, cycling endlessly without a moment's rest. Consciousness within the cage of the sense-bases is also like this: sometimes in the ear, sometimes in the eye, coming and going without certainty; it cannot be grasped as permanent. Although it is not fixed, it is continuous and unbroken. Why is it unbroken? Because its subtle function is uninterrupted. If an ordinary person is bound by the sense-dust of forms, they do not attain sovereign ease. If they see one phenomenon, they are obstructed by that one phenomenon and cannot completely penetrate the dharmadhātu. For this reason, the Diamond Sūtra says: 'If a bodhisattva's mind abides in dharmas while practicing giving, it is like a person entering darkness who sees nothing.' The Śūraṅgamasūtra says: 'From the sense-dust awareness is generated; dependent on the sense-base characteristics exist. The characteristics and the seeing lack intrinsic nature, just like intertwined reeds.' 'From the sense-dust awareness is generated' refers to the darśanabhāga. 'Dependent on the sense-base characteristics exist' refers to the nimittabhāga. 'The characteristics and the seeing lack intrinsic nature' means that mind and object mutually generate each other, each lacking self-substance. The mind does not stand on its own: from the sense-dust awareness is generated. The object does not arise on its own: dependent on the sense-base characteristics exist. The two false entities rely on each other, just like intertwined reeds. Establishing knowledge within knowing and seeing is the very root of avidyā. When knowing and seeing are free from seeing, this is nirvāṇa. Simply seeing clearly that there is nothing to be seen is penetrating the dharmadhātu; seeing is itself nirvāṇa. If one hears clearly that there is nothing to be heard, then having nothing to be heard is penetrating the dharmadhātu; hearing is itself nirvāṇa. All dharmas are originally nirvāṇa, but due to the discriminative mind they are separated by false views; not knowing one's own consciousness, it turns into avidyā. Furthermore, the Śūraṅgamasūtra says: 'Conditioned seeing depends on light; darkness brings about non-seeing; without light it spontaneously arises. If one does not depend on light, darkness, and so forth to see, then when seeing forms, one would see the other sense-bases.' If one is free from conceptual thoughts, seeing pervades the dharmadhātu; none of the characteristics of the Iron Ring Mountains can obstruct it. If the six sense-bases are subdued, then one cannot apprehend the characteristics of the six sense-bases. It is like ten people suffering from clouded vision who together see flowers in the sky: if one person's eyes recover, they do not see them, while the remaining nine people still see them. When each person individually eliminates their false seeing, they will not apprehend any characteristics, and every single thing will be true. Furthermore, if there are ten sky-flowers that one person can see, and the ten people's eyes recover, the remaining flowers all completely vanish. As long as a single falsity is removed, none of the characteristics are seen. One characteristic is all characteristics, for all characteristics arise from my mind. Thus we know: with a single cataract in the eye, a thousand flowers flutter in confusion; with a single false movement of the mind, all sense-dusts arise together. If one can be free from conceptual thoughts, then right where one is, one sits in the bodhimaṇḍa, turns the great wheel of Dharma, and together attains the Buddha path.