宗鏡錄 68.37

68.37

Answer: How marvelous the world is—in its folly, it is difficult to awaken! It only knows to fear sin, yet does not recognize the cause of sin. All good and evil, suffering and pleasure, cause and effect, all exist conventionally, but are non-existent in the ultimate truth. Relying on the ultimate truth, I say they are ungraspable; I do not repudiate the conventional—how could this constitute wrong view? To grasp at existence in the ultimate sense within the conventional, which does not accord with correct principle—that is wrong view.
Now, within this, in order to shatter temporal attachments, it is briefly stated that dharmas exist conventionally and are non-existent in the real. Furthermore, an ancient commentary states: 'Whenever the Tathāgata preached the Dharma at three times, or said at one time, the times of the three periods, the ten periods, and so forth, all arise from the transforming citta. Externally, there are no objects of the three periods; apart from one's own citta, dharmas have no substance. Just as when the World-Honoured One said that Maitreya would become a Buddha, the listener immediately produced on their own citta a transformed nimittabhāga of the past arising; when the World-Honoured One answered, "From now, after twelve years, he will certainly attain rebirth," on the listener's citta there again arose a transformed nimittabhāga of the future. The transforming citta is the present. This past time has no real object; it is entirely transformed from citta, merely following the delimitation of citta to transform and give rise to long and short times. Therefore, time is established based on citta; it has no fixed nature. Due to the present, there are the past and the future; due to the extended, there is the contracted; due to a single thought-moment, there are great kalpas. If there were no present citta, where could the past and future be established?'
The seventh fascicle of the Record of the Western Regions states: 'In the past, there was a hermit who built a hut and secluded himself from worldly traces. He extensively studied arts and techniques, exhaustively penetrating spiritual principles. He could turn rubble into jewels and transform the forms of humans and animals. However, he was not yet able to ride the winds and clouds or accompany the carriages of the immortals. Reading charts and examining ancient records, he sought further methods of immortality, and thus obtained a formula for seeking immortality, which said: "One who wishes to seek immortality should construct an altar, order a valiant man to press a long sword, stand at the corner of the altar, hold his breath, and cease all speech from dusk to dawn. The seeker of immortality sits within the altar, pressing a long sword, reciting a divine dhāraṇī, collecting sight and turning back hearing; reaching dawn, he ascends to immortality." Having obtained this formula, for several years he sought a valiant man without finding one. Later he met a man who had previously worked as a hired labourer for others; after five years of hardship, having committed a single mistake, he was consequently flogged and humiliated, and received nothing, weeping and wailing along the road. The hermit saw him, invited him, and repeatedly showered him with generous gifts. The valiant man wished to repay his kindness. The hermit said: "I have passed many years and fortunately met you. Your remarkable appearance corresponds to the chart; there is no other reason: I only wish that you do not speak for a single day." The valiant man said: "I would not even refuse death, let alone not speaking!" Thereupon the hermit established the altar to receive immortality and carried it out according to the procedure. After sunset, each contemplated his task: the hermit recited the dhāraṇī, and the valiant man pressed his sword. When dawn was about to break, the valiant man suddenly gave a great shout. At that time, fire fell from the sky, and smoke and flames steamed like clouds. The hermit quickly pulled the man into a pool to escape danger, and asked: "I admonished you to make no sound; why did you cry out in alarm?" The valiant man said: "After receiving your instruction, when it reached the dark of night, as if in a dream, I saw my former master come in person to my side; feeling his deep kindness, I did not speak. He beat me in fury and threatened to kill me; I then saw myself being reborn into a great Brahmin family in South India. Reborn, until emerging from the womb, I experienced every suffering and hardship, but remembering your kindness, I did not speak. Coming to the capping ceremony and having a son, each time I remembered the former kindness, thought of it, and did not speak. All the relatives of the household found it strange. Passing sixty years of age, I had a son. My wife said to me: 'If you do not speak, I will kill your son.' I thought to myself: 'Now I am already separated by a rebirth, and I have only this one son; how could I bear to let him be killed?' So in stopping my wife, I uttered these words." The hermit said: "It is my fault; I was disturbed by Māra." The valiant man, deeply agitated by the affair, died of fury and indignation.'
Therefore we know that in sleep and in waking, what is seen is only citta. The times of extension and contraction are not separate from a single thought-moment; therefore the time of a dream is cited to illuminate the waking state. Furthermore, in the "Peaceful and Joyful Practices" chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, dreaming of entering a bronze wheel, accomplishing the Way, and saving sentient beings passes through immeasurable time, yet it is only a single night's dreaming citta. Therefore, a verse in Asvabhāva's commentary on the Mahāyānasaṃgraha says:
"Dwelling in a dream, one thinks years have passed;
Awakening, it was but a moment.
Therefore, though time is immeasurable,
It is gathered within a single kṣaṇa."
This proves that on the listener's citta, the two times of long and short are spontaneously transformed; in reality, they are only the present citta and caittas. Therefore the Ocean of Meanings states: 'Just as when a dust mote is seen, it is manifested by a single thought-citta, the time of this single thought-citta is entirely constituted by hundreds of thousands of great kalpas. Why? Because hundreds of thousands of great kalpas are originally constituted only by a single thought. Since great kalpas are established mutually dependent on each other, they are all devoid of substance and nature. Even the worlds far and near, Buddhas and sentient beings, all phenomena of the three periods, are all manifested within a single thought. Why? Because all phenomena and dharmas are manifested relying on citta. Since the thought is unobstructed, dharmas are also accordingly harmonized. Therefore, in a single thought, one clearly sees the phenomena of the three periods.' Therefore, a verse in the Avataṃsakasūtra says:
'In a single thought, one universally observes immeasurable kalpas,
Neither going, nor coming, nor abiding;
Thus fully knowing the matters of the three periods,
Transcending all expedients, one accomplishes the ten powers.'
Another verse says:
'Beginning from a single thought and ending in kalpas,
All arise from the conceptualization of sentient beings' citta.
All ocean-like lands and kalpas are boundless,
Yet by a single expedient they are all purified.'
Another verse says:
'Either arising from the ocean of citta,
Abiding according to the understanding of citta,
Like illusions without a fixed place,
All are discrimination.'
Therefore we know that horizontally gathering ocean-like lands and vertically penetrating asaṃkhyeyas are entirely the single thought-citta, with former and later limits severed. There are neither large nor small lands, nor are there extended or contracted times. By the single expedient of the gate of citta-only, the realm of sentient beings is made entirely pure. Why is this? Because knowing that objects are merely the discrimination of false consciousness, one does not give rise to citta; because citta does not arise, false objects do not appear; when false objects do not appear, defiled and pure dharmas have nothing to rely on, coarse thoughts do not arise, and long and short times naturally cease. The lengths of kalpas, extended and contracted, spoken of in the teachings, are all expedients adapted skillfully to the faculties [of listeners]: either for fainthearted sentient beings, it is said that attaining Buddhahood takes only a kṣaṇa, or for indolent sentient beings, it is said that it requires passing through asaṃkhyeya kalpas. While the purport of attaining Buddhahood is unified without distinction, the explanations of extension and contraction all return to provisional wisdom. Furthermore, an ancient commentary states: 'The single expedient is the realization of citta-only. A single thought-moment and a kalpa both depend on the conceptualizing citta. When citta's conceptualization does not arise, where can long and short exist? Neither long nor short—this is called purity. Without destroying characteristics, the oceans of kalpas are boundless.' Therefore we know that all dharmas have no self-substance, are none of them durable, and arise solely from conceptualization. If one grasps them as real, it is merely inversion. Therefore the Sūtra of Vast and Pure Array states: 'Mañjuśrī addressed Ānanda, saying: "Ignorant and childish people take the day to be the thought of daytime because they lack sharp wisdom. Why is this? If this daytime were real, permanently abiding, and durable, it should have accumulation and should not pass away; there should only be day, and there should not be night."'