宗鏡錄 65.9.2

65.9.2

…is called the noble middle path. The Mahāsaṃnipātasūtra states: 'The śramaṇa Kauṇḍinya was the very first to attain true knowledge and vision.' However, the Hīnayāna does not activate great compassion, does not rescue sentient beings, has flimsy power of merit, does not seek to become a Buddha, and does not deeply probe the true mark; hence their wisdom is inferior and weak. Although they speak of departing from existence and departing from non-existence and call it the noble middle path, they merely take the true truth on the side of the two views of annihilation and permanence to be the middle path. Outflow-free wisdom is called 'vision', and realization of the dharma of nirvāṇa is called 'knowledge'. Although they sever the views and thoughts and eliminate and extinguish the shared portion, they dwell in a thatched hut; it is not the ultimate principle. In contrast to the prior extreme of existence that is saṃsāra, there is the extreme of non-existence that is nirvāṇa; both can be broken and ruined, and because it is not the true path, it is not named the true mark. Fourth, differentiation with regard to one-sidedness: regarding the various Mahāyāna sūtras that are shared with the persons of the scriptures of the two vehicles and carry provisional expositions, since their names are the same, their meanings must be distinguished. As stated in the Mahāyāna[-śāstra]: 'The persons of the three vehicles together sever the kleśas by means of the ineffable path.' The Mūlamadhyamakakārikā states: 'The true mark of all dharmas is jointly attained by the three persons.' Although the persons of the two vehicles jointly receive the ineffable path, they seek for themselves to escape suffering, lack the mind of great compassion, and stop when they attain emptiness; dull-rooted bodhisattvas are also like this. Sharp-rooted bodhisattvas have a mind of great compassion: for the sake of beings, they deeply seek the true mark. For those with the shared true mark, their wisdom is like the light of a firefly, and therefore it is not real; for those with the unshared true mark, their wisdom is like sunlight, and therefore it is real. The Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra states: 'The emptiness of supreme meaning is called wisdom.' The two vehicles have only emptiness; their emptiness lacks wisdom. Bodhisattvas attain not-only-emptiness, which is middle-path wisdom. This very wisdom is tranquil yet constantly illuminates. The two vehicles only attain its tranquility and do not attain tranquility-and-illumination, so it is not the true mark. Bodhisattvas attain tranquility and also attain tranquility-and-illumination; this is the true mark. Seeing non-emptiness also has multiple kinds. First, seeing non-emptiness, one severs the saṃyojanas sequentially, proceeding from shallow to deep: this is a semblance of reality, not the correct reality. Second, seeing non-emptiness, it is replete with all dharmas: at the initial portal of the syllable A, one immediately understands all meanings; it is simultaneously middle, provisional, and empty; neither one nor different, neither three nor one. The two vehicles have only one 'is-ness'; the distinct teaching has only two 'is-nesses'; the complete [teaching] fully possesses the three 'is-nesses'. The three 'is-nesses' are the true mark of reality. The Commentary states: 'What is the true mark? It means that a bodhisattva enters into the one mark and knows the immeasurable marks, and the immeasurable marks again enter into the one mark.' The two vehicles only enter into the one mark and cannot know the immeasurable marks. Although the distinct teaching enters into the one mark and again enters into the immeasurable marks, it cannot further enter into the one mark. Sharp-rooted bodhisattvas, being empty, thus enter into the one mark; being provisional, thus know the immeasurable marks; being middle, further enter into the one mark. Bodhisattvas such as these deeply seek the great ocean of the perfection of wisdom: the one mind is identical to the three; this is the substance of the true mark of reality. The Avataṃsaka is not shared with the two vehicles and only concerns bodhisattvas; yet attaining the three wisdoms sequentially is also not the correct reality; attaining them non-sequentially is the correct reality. If in the Vaipulya the four persons attain the three wisdoms, three persons are false and one person is real. In the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā, the three wisdoms spoken of belong to three persons: the former two do not seek deeply, being shallow and not real; the latter one person deeply seeks the three wisdoms of the one mind, and therefore it is real. This sūtra states: 'You are truly my sons; there are no longer four or three persons. Seeking throughout the ten directions, there are no other vehicles—only the wisdom of the one true mark, which decisively resolves the śrāvaka dharmas and speaks only of the unsurpassed path.' It is purely the substance of the one reality. The Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra states: 'As for the one real truth, there is neither existence nor non-existence; because existence and non-existence are not two, it is named the one real truth. Furthermore, the one real truth is named freedom from falsehood. Furthermore, the one real truth is free from inversion. Furthermore, the one real truth is not spoken by Māra. Furthermore, the one real truth is named permanence, bliss, self, and purity. In permanence, bliss, self, and purity, there is no difference among empty, provisional, and middle; if there were difference, they would be two, and because they are two, it would not be the one real truth. The one real truth is simultaneously empty, provisional, and middle; because it is without difference and not two, it is named the one real truth. If there were the three differences, it would be false; a dharma of falsehood is not named the one real truth. Because there are no three differences, it is the one real truth. If there were difference, it would be inversion; when inversion is not yet broken, it is not the one real truth. Because there are no three differences, there is no inversion; because there is no inversion, it is named the one real truth. That which has differences is not named the ekayāna. When the three dharmas are not different, completely and perfectly fulfilled, it is named the ekayāna. This vehicle is high and vast, adorned with many jewels; hence it is named the one real truth. Although Māra does not realize distinct emptiness and provisionality, he can speak of distinct emptiness and provisionality. If empty, provisional, and middle are not different, Māra cannot speak of them; that which Māra cannot speak of is named the one real truth. If empty, provisional, and middle are different, it is named inversion; if they are not different, it is named non-inversion. Because of non-inversion, there is no kleśa; because there is no kleśa, it is named purity. Where there is no kleśa, there is no karma; because there is no karma, it is named self. Because there is no karma, there is no retribution; because there is no retribution, it is named bliss. Where there is no retribution, there is no saṃsāra; where there is no saṃsāra, it is named permanence. Permanence, bliss, self, and purity are named the one real truth. The one real truth is precisely the true mark. The true mark is the correct substance of the sūtra. Such a true mark is simultaneously empty, provisional, and middle. Because it is empty, it breaks all attachment-theories of ordinary people and all view-theories of non-Buddhists. Because it is provisional, it breaks the small reality of the four gates of the tripiṭaka, and breaks the small reality jointly seen by the three persons. Because it is middle, it breaks the sequential and one-sided reality. There are no longer the dharmas of the causal and fruitional four truths of the inversions, the small, the one-sided, and so forth, nor are there the names of the Triple Gem of the small, the one-sided, and so forth. There are solely the causal and fruitional four truths and Triple Gem of the true mark, distinctly and fully present; they are also replete with the causal and fruitional four truths and Triple Gem of all expedient means. Why is this? Because the true mark is the ocean of the dharmadhātu. Only these three truths are the true mark of reality. Furthermore, opening up the reality of the sequential is precisely the complete reality, because the path of realization is identical.'