宗鏡錄 68.25

68.25

Answer: The sages expound the teachings and discuss explanations relying on conventional letters. Therefore the Buddha told students of the three vehicles only to rely on the meaning and not on the words, provisionally using the teachings to illumine the mind. Thus letters are entirely without intrinsic nature and are also transformed from consciousness. The Guǎng bǎimén lùn says: 'However, all worldly people, following the transformations of their own minds, suppose that many syllables aggregate to form a name, and further suppose that many names aggregate to form a sentence, supposing that these names and sentences can express something. That which expresses and that which is expressed are both transformations of one's own mind. All transformations of the mind exist in sentiment but are absent in principle. The sage knows and sees them as they truly are. How does he know and see them? He sees that those dharmas are all created by the conceptual distinctions of the deluded, illusory consciousness of foolish ordinary people, conventional and not real, existing conventionally and absent ultimately; following the worldly, they are provisionally said to exist.'