[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [宗鏡錄](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016) › [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt) › 63.12 # 宗鏡錄 63.12 English (machine translation) 63.12 - **Language:** English ### [63.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.63.12) Answer: Here there are briefly two meanings. First, if contemplated according to principle, the citta-nature of the Buddha originally contains the dharmadhātu; there is not a single dust mote that it does not pervade, nor a single dharma that it does not penetrate. Second, if contemplated according to phenomena, the Buddha takes only the rescue of suffering as his purpose and takes the citta of beings as his citta; thus the realm of hell is entirely the Buddha's citta. He exercises unconditioned compassion, uninterruptedly being of the same substance. Therefore, the Chapter on Contemplating the Buddha's Citta states: 'The Buddha told the heavenly king: "If you wish to know what the light of the Buddha's citta illuminates, it constantly illuminates these sentient beings of relentless and unrescued sufferings. That which the Buddha's citta takes as its object constantly takes these extremely evil sentient beings as its object. Because the Buddha's citta-power adorns itself, after incalculable kalpas it causes those sinful persons to produce the aspiration for bodhi." … And further: "At that time, when the World-Honoured One spoke these words, the power of the Buddha's citta emitted ten kinds of white light coming forth from the Buddha's citta. Its light illuminated everywhere the worlds of the ten directions. In each ray of light, immeasurable transformed buddhas rode on jewelled lotus flowers. The great assembly in the congregation at that time saw the Buddha's light as being like crystal water, or saw it as being like milk. They saw the transformed buddhas emerge from the Buddha's chest, enter the Buddha's navel, roam within the Buddha's citta, ride on a great jewel ship, and proceed to the places of those undergoing retribution for sins in the five destinies. Each sinful person saw the transformed buddhas as their own parents or beloved good friends, who gradually expounded for them the supramundane Dharma. At that time, there was a great voice in empty space addressing the great assembly: 'All of you now should contemplate the Buddha's citta. The citta of all buddhas is great compassion. That which great compassion takes as its object takes suffering sentient beings as its object.' … Next, one practices great joy: seeing all sentient beings peacefully enjoying bliss, joy arises in the citta, no different from one's own. Having given rise to joy, next one practices the dharma of equanimity: these sentient beings have no characteristics of coming and going; they are born from thoughts of the citta. That which is born from thoughts of the citta is a combination of causes and conditions, designated only by the provisional name 'citta'. Such thoughts of the citta are like mad flowers, arising from inversion. Suffering arises from thought, and bliss is born from thought. The citta is like a plantain tree, with no solid reality inside. This is expounded at length as in the ten metaphors of the sūtra. When making this contemplation, one sees neither body nor citta; one sees all dharmas as identical with the true nature of reality. This is called the bodhisattva's dharma of bodily experience of citta. Relying upon this dharma, one extensively cultivates the thirty-seven factors conducive to bodhi. If one grasps realization, it is the śrāvaka dharma; if one does not grasp realization, it is the bodhisattva dharma."' Furthermore, the Ratnagotravibhāga-śāstra states: 'Regarding "the spatio-temporal determination being like a dream," some say that due to the confusion of the citta, one thereupon produces a definite understanding of time and place; yet in a dream, no real object is definitively obtainable, as is universally accepted in the world. How could this be compared to other determined events so as to impute an error? … And further: At that time, within that dream, there is really no definite characteristic of time and place in the citta. How is this known? As a verse states: / "If sleeping in the night, / One sees the sun rising in the north, / When the time and place of the dream are irregular, / How could there be a determinate citta?" / It also states: "What marvel is there in this dreaming citta? It accomplishes great tasks without relying on external forms, yet it can skillfully and adroitly construct such magnificence: one may see towering walls of nine ren, soaring eaves of ten zhang, lush azure branches, and glittering red blossoms, which even a craftsman exhausting his contemplation could not carve." If it is said that this objection applies equally to others, they have no such fault. Because it arises without relying on the effort of external matter, simply through the ripening of seeds and depending on consciousness as a condition, at that very moment the manovijñāna manifests. Furthermore, one has never seen any sūtra or treatise state that distinct matter is born within that dream.' The Baifa chao states: 'The treatise master says: "For example, having intercourse with a woman in a dream and discharging impurity, or being bitten by a snake in a dream which can cause fainting, sweating, and mental confusion—although there is no real object, there is a real function. Is this consciousness-only or not?" The Sautrāntika answers: "This is consciousness-only." The treatise master says: "Since you admit that having real function and having no real function in a dream are both consciousness-only, then according to my school: what is manifested in wakefulness during a dream, having cataracts, not having cataracts, a fictional city, and an actual city—these three pairs of cases, whether possessing real or unreal function, just like your dream, are also consciousness-only." The treatise master establishes the syllogism: The subjects (dharmin) are "having cataracts, not having cataracts, and so forth"; the thesis (pratijñā) is "the principle that they have function or lack function is also established"; the reason (hetu) is "because it is admitted that there is no real object"; the example (dṛṣṭānta) is "like the defilements and so forth in a dream." Therefore, the Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra states: "Like a dream impairment having efficacy." Regarding the third, explaining the objection of contradiction with the sacred teachings: the intent of the Hīnayāna objection is: "If the treatise master says that all is consciousness-only and that there are no real objects outside citta, why did the World-Honoured One speak of twelve āyatanas in the Āgama sūtras? If all were consciousness-only, the World-Honoured One should only have spoken of the mind-āyatana and dharma-āyatana, and should not have spoken of the ten material āyatanas. Now since the World-Honoured One spoke of twelve āyatanas, it is clearly known that apart from the mind and dharma āyatanas, there are separately ten material āyatanas that exist outside citta. Why do you say that all is consciousness-only?" In the treatise master's answer, there are three parts: first, a provisional answer; second, the correct answer; third, an answer by metaphor. First, the provisional answer: quoting the Triṃśikā-vijñaptimātratāsiddhi verse: / "Consciousness is born from its own seed, / And evolves resembling the appearance of an object. / In order to establish the internal and external āyatanas, / The Buddha declared them to be ten." / Saying that "consciousness is born from its own seed" means that the actual occurrences of the self-authenticating part of the five consciousnesses each arise from the respective seeds of the five consciousnesses. Taking the seeds of the five consciousnesses, they are made into the five sense organs. Saying that it "evolves resembling the appearance of an object" means that after the self-authenticating part of the five consciousnesses is born from its own seeds, it can transform to manifest resembling the two parts. The transformed darśanabhāga is called the five consciousnesses; the transformed nimittabhāga manifests resembling external objects and is called the five sense objects. In truth, the ten āyatanas of organs and objects are none other than consciousness; they too are consciousness-only. This is provisionally taking the seeds of the five consciousnesses to be the five sense organs, answering the Sautrāntika master, because the Sautrāntika admits the existence of seeds.' - [Previous: 63.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.63.11) - [Next: 63.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.63.13) - [Up: 63](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.63) ## Linked texts (1) - [宗鏡錄](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016.63.12) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.63.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.63.12) · Pramāṇa