宗鏡錄 6.16

6.16

Answer: The gate of the one mind is subtle and hard to fathom; its virtues are fully complete, and principle and phenomena are perfectly unobstructed. Conceptual knowledge rarely exhausts it, and discrimination cannot reach it. It is designated as 'signless,' yet in truth there is no dharma that can match the name of signlessness; it is called 'non-arising,' yet there is also no dharma by which to manifest the principle of non-arising.

The Bodhicittotpādaśāstra states: 'A bodhisattva contemplates all good and not good, self and not-self, real and unreal, empty and not-empty, conventional truth and ultimate truth, right concentration and wrong concentration, conditioned and unconditioned, defiled and undefiled, dark dharmas and bright dharmas, saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, as being like the nature of the dharmadhātu, of one characteristic which is signless. Herein, no dharma can be named signless, nor is there any dharma that constitutes signlessness. This is called the seal of all dharmas, the indestructible seal. Within this seal, there is also no characteristic of a seal. This is called true wisdom.'

The explanation says: 'The seal of all dharmas' means using this mind-seal to seal all dharmas, definitively establishing reality. 'The indestructible seal' means that all dharmas of existence, non-existence, internal, external, and so forth cannot destroy it. 'Within this seal, there is also no characteristic of a seal' means that the myriad dharmas are all empty, and there is also nothing that is sealed. Since the dharmas sealed do not exist, the wisdom that can seal is also not existent. Understanding thus is called true wisdom.

An ancient worthy said: 'Consider this dharma: it is the original source of sentient beings and the realization of all Buddhas. It transcends all principles and departs from all characteristics. It cannot be sought and obtained through spoken words, conceptual knowledge, existence, non-existence, concealment, or manifestation. One merely has mind and mind sealing each other, seal and seal tallying together, bringing about self-realization, radiance, and experiential fruition, and that is all.'