宗鏡錄 74.11

74.11

Answer: The orthodox meaning according to ancient commentaries on the sūtras and treatises is that the intellectually discriminated is coarse and the innate is subtle. The *Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra* says: 'Innate self-grasping is driven by internal force through beginningless perfuming of false [habits]; it always accompanies the body, and arises spontaneously without depending on heterodox teachings or heterodox discrimination; thus it is called innate.' The *Daśabhūmika-śāstra* says: 'It distantly follows active manifestations without intentional attention to conditions; it exists spontaneously from beginningless time down to the present, without requiring intentional discrimination, vitarka, or vicāra.' For example, when a little infant sees its mother and feels joy, this is innate rāga; when it sees a stranger and weeps, this is innate dveṣa. That is, it does not rely on distinct conditions, discrimination, vitarka, or vicāra seeking it out, but arises of itself spontaneously; hence we know that the innate is subtle. The *Vijñaptimātratāsiddhiśāstra* says: 'Discriminated self-grasping arises only through external conditions in the present life; it does not accompany the body, but must await heterodox teachings, heterodox teachers, and heterodox discrimination before it arises.' Moreover, among these three conditions, the first two are coarse, and the third—one's own cogitation—is subtle. A sūtra says: 'When the roots of goodness are severed by the power of conditions, they are renewed when one is born into hell; when the roots of goodness are severed by the power of causes, they are renewed when one dies in hell.' That is, one's own heterodox cogitation is the power of the cause, while the other two are the power of conditions. Therefore the *Śūraṅgamasūtra* says: 'The Buddha told Ānanda: "All sentient beings transmigrate in the world through two kinds of inverted, discriminating, deluded views, which arise right where they are and revolve along with their karma. What are the two views? First, sentient beings' deluded views born of individual karma; second, sentient beings' deluded views of common share. What are deluded views born of individual karma? Ānanda, suppose a person in the world has a red cataract in his eyes, and at night sees a separate circular halo around the light of a lamp, with five overlapping colours. What do you think? Is this circular halo appearing in the night lamp's light the colour-form of the lamp, or is it the colour-form of the seeing? Ānanda, if it were the colour-form of the lamp, why would a person without a cataract not also see it, whereas this circular halo is perceived only by the one with the cataract? If it were the colour-form of the seeing, then seeing having already become colour-form, what would the one with a cataract seeing the circular halo be called? Furthermore, Ānanda, if this circular halo existed separately apart from the lamp, then when looking sideways at screens, curtains, or mats, there should also be a circular halo emerging; if it existed separately apart from seeing, it should not be perceived by the eye—how could the cataract sufferer see a circular halo with his eyes? Therefore you should know that the colour-form is genuinely in the lamp, while the defect in seeing constitutes the halo. Both halo and seeing are the cataract, but seeing the cataract is not diseased. One should never say that it is the lamp or that it is the seeing, nor that in this there is that which is neither lamp nor seeing. It is like a second moon, which is neither substance nor shadow. Why? Because the perception of a second moon is produced by pressing on the eye. The wise should not say whether the root of this pressing is a shape or not a shape, or is apart from seeing or not apart from seeing. This is just the same: it is produced by the eye cataract. Now what would one wish to call the lamp or call the seeing, let alone discriminate what is neither lamp nor seeing? What are deluded views of common share? Ānanda, in this continent of Jambudvīpa, excluding the great oceans, on the level land in between there are three thousand islands. On the main continent right in the center, measuring east to west, there are altogether two thousand three hundred great kingdoms. As for the other smaller islands situated within the seas, among them there may be two or three hundred kingdoms, or one or two, up to thirty, forty, or fifty. Ānanda, if within them there is a small island with only two kingdoms, and the people of only one kingdom collectively undergo bad conditions, then the sentient beings of that land on that small island will behold all manner of inauspicious realms: perhaps seeing two suns, or seeing two moons, and therein even solar halos, eclipses, rings, comets, shooting stars, sun-dogs, and rainbows—various ominous portents. These are seen only in this kingdom; the sentient beings of the other kingdom originally do not see them, nor do they hear of them. Ānanda, I shall now correlate these two matters for you to make them clear. Ānanda, just as those sentient beings with deluded views born of individual karma behold the circular halo appearing in the lamplight: though it manifests like an object, in the end, that perceiver's [halo] is produced by an eye cataract; the cataract is an affliction of seeing, not created by the colour-form. Yet the one who sees the cataract has ultimately no fault of seeing. This parallels your seeing today with the eyes mountains, rivers, kingdoms, and sentient beings: all are produced by the disease of seeing from beginningless time. The seeing and the conditions of seeing seem to manifest as objects before you. The awareness-luminosity devoid of me sees the cataract that is the perceived condition. When awareness regards seeing as the cataract, the original luminous citta of awareness realizes that conditions are not the cataract. Awareness regards the perceived as the cataract; within awareness free of cataract, this is truly seeing seeing. How could it again be named sensing, hearing, knowing, and seeing? Therefore, your seeing now me and you, along with the ten classes of sentient beings in the world, is entirely the disease of seeing. That which is not the disease of seeing sees the true essence, its nature being not a cataract; hence it is not called seeing. Ānanda, just as those sentient beings with deluded views of common share parallel that one person with deluded views born of individual karma—the one diseased-eyed person parallels that one kingdom; his seeing the circular halo is produced by the delusion of a cataract, while this inauspiciousness manifesting for the common share of beings arises from pestilential evil amidst common karma of seeing—both are born of beginningless delusion of seeing. Paralleling the three thousand continents of Jambudvīpa, together with the four great oceans, the Sahā world, and reaching to all defiled lands and sentient beings in the ten directions: all are, in the wondrous unblemished citta of luminous awareness, the false, diseased conditions of seeing, hearing, sensing, and knowing, combining to falsely take birth, combining to falsely die. If one can leave behind all conditions of combination and non-combination, one will then extinguish all causes of birth and death, fulfilling bodhi's nature of non-arising and non-ceasing, the pure fundamental citta, the ever-abiding original awareness." The commentary on the *Śūraṅgamasūtra* explains: 'Deluded views born of individual karma are discriminated kleśas; deluded views of common share are innate avidyā. Seeing five overlapping circular halos in the lamplight at night is a metaphor for the five views. The aggregates are compared to the lamplight. These five views arise upon the aggregates, falsely generating conjectures; they are the parikalpita nature, existing in subjective emotion but absent in principle. "The colour-form is genuinely in the lamp, while the defect in seeing constitutes the halo" means that the nature of the dependent aggregates is not non-existent in dependent origination, hence it is said that the colour-form is genuinely in the lamp; the substance of the self-view is empty, arising from the deluded citta, hence it is said that the defect in seeing constitutes the halo. "Both halo and seeing are the cataract" means the grasper and the grasped, because they are discriminated confusions. "Seeing the cataract is not diseased" means that when one directly realizes the truth, one thoroughly understands that the parikalpita is completely empty of substance, hence it is said that seeing the cataract is not diseased. Discriminated confusions having perished, there is the identical single true nature, free of grasper and grasped; hence it is said: "One should never say that it is the lamp or that it is the seeing, nor that it is neither lamp nor seeing"—this explains the earlier statement that "when seeing sees, seeing is not seeing." "Like a second moon, which is neither substance nor shadow": originally there is no moon, so what could be taken as shape? Since shape is not established, non-shape is also absent; being and non-being are of one characteristic, grasper and grasped both having perished; hence it says: "let alone discriminate what is neither lamp nor seeing." "Yet the one who sees the cataract has ultimately no fault of seeing" means that if one knows that the cataract is simply a disease of the eye, one will never grasp the shadow as real, and therefore has no fault of seeing. "The seeing and the conditions of seeing seem to manifest as objects before you" means that all are transformed and arisen from the deluded citta, not real objects; neither the darśanabhāga nor the nimittabhāga departs from citta, not to mention that the parikalpita is merely a shadow without substance. This explains deluded seeing. "The awareness-luminosity devoid of me sees the cataract that is the perceived condition": this is the fundamental, original true awareness. Because the true can be aware of the false, it understands that the false seeing and its perceived conditions are both cataracts. "When awareness regards seeing as the cataract, the original luminous citta of awareness realizes that conditions are not the cataract": this concludes the previous two awarenesses, true and false. False seeing is indeed the cataract; the true citta that can be aware is not the cataract; it merely can be aware of those false conditions, while its substance is not a cataract; hence it is said: "realizes that conditions are not the cataract." "Awareness regards the perceived as the cataract" reiterates that both the grasper and grasped of false awareness are cataracts. "Within awareness free of cataract" reiterates that true awareness is not a cataract. Both of these two seeings, true and false, are free of seer and seen; hence it says: "this is truly seeing seeing." Because when realizing the truth, these two seeings do not exist, and since seer and seen are not established, how could it again be named sensing, hearing, knowing, and seeing? Therefore: "your seeing now me and you, along with the ten classes of sentient beings in the world, is entirely the disease of seeing. That which is not the disease of seeing sees the true essence, its nature being not a cataract; hence it is not called seeing." Why is true seeing not called seeing? Because it is free from the disease of cataract. It is solely due to the disease of seeing that grasper and grasped are divided and established, whereby one sees self and others as different in the world; hence it is said: "all is entirely the disease of seeing." Saying: "That which is not the disease of seeing" means that true seeing is not a cataract. Because in the truth there is no characteristic of seeing that can be established, it is not called a cataract; since it is not called a cataract, neither is it called seeing; this precisely clarifies the meaning of being free of views. Therefore, where there is seeing, there is delusion, and parikalpita feelings arise—like a person with cataract-diseased eyes seeing a circular halo around a night lamp; where there is no seeing, there is truth, and pariniṣpanna wisdom manifests—like a clear-eyed person seeing the purity of empty space. Furthermore, deluded views born of individual karma are like when dominant evil karma ripens and the living body transforms into a snake, tiger, or the like: this does not alter the universal retribution, but one personally undergoes individual retribution, which is transformed solely by one's own karmic consciousness; those with different karma do not see it. It is like the circular halo on the lamp, which is perceived only by the one with cataracts; a person without cataracts does not share the same vision. Deluded views of common share are like mutually creating the karma of Avīci Hell, collectively undergoing universal retribution, and suffering uninterruptedly together; those who do not share that evil karma do not see it. It is like the people of only one kingdom collectively experiencing evil conditions and together beholding all manner of inauspicious realms; if the sentient beings of the other kingdom do not share those evil conditions, they originally do not see them, nor do they hear of them. Thus we know that conditions of suffering and conditions of pleasure, universal retribution and individual retribution, arise right where they are when causes and conditions assemble, and are extinguished right where they are when causes and conditions disperse. Has there ever been a single dharma that did not arise from our citta? Hence the sūtra says: "If one can leave behind all conditions of combination, one will see the pure fundamental citta ever-abiding." Furthermore, discriminated kleśas are coarse and arise only due to heterodox cogitation; innate avidyā is subtle, arising spontaneously and continuously. Although the texts distinguish coarse and subtle, both are equally deluded consciousness. It is like the person with deluded views born of individual karma who sees the circular halo on the lamp due to an eye cataract, which resembles the person with deluded views of common share who beholds calamitous omens in the kingdom due to pestilential evil. Although the realms are divided into common and individual, all are the deluded citta. It can be verified: whatever matters of seeing and hearing there are within the realm of sentient beings are all like the cataract-shadow of one person's individual karma, or the inauspicious portents of many persons' common share. If one can know that the shadow on the lamp is produced by the eye cataract, and recognize that calamitous realms are caused by pestilential evil, then the layered halos on the lamp will naturally vanish, and the two suns in the sky will suddenly sink. If one does not stir from the one mind and the ten thousand conditions are completely tranquil, then the disease of combined seeing and hearing, along with discrimination, will entirely vanish, and the calamities of fundamental birth and death, along with the innate, will be forever cut off.