宗鏡錄 75.11

75.11

Answer: This principle is subtle and dense; it may be understood in reference to the teaching. The Sūtra on the Manifestation of Consciousness (Xianshi jing) says: 'The Buddha told Bhadrapāla: The revolving, passing away, and coming and going of consciousness are like the wind element: without color and without form, it cannot be made manifest, yet it can stir the myriad things and display various forms. It may shake forest trees, shattering and snapping them with a mighty roar, or it may be cold or hot, touching the bodies of sentient beings and producing suffering or joy. The wind has neither hands nor feet, face nor eyes, nor any physical shape, nor has it black, white, yellow, or red colors. Bhadrapāla, the realm of consciousness is also like this: without color and without form, without radiance or manifestation; through causes and conditions, it displays manifold distinct functions. You should know that the realms of feeling (vedanā), perception (saṃjñā), and phenomena (dharmadhātu) are likewise so: without color and without form, yet through causes and conditions their functions are brought to light and displayed. Bhadrapāla, when a sentient being dies, this realm of feeling and perception and this realm of consciousness all abandon and depart from the body. That consciousness conveys feeling, perception, and the realm of phenomena to receive another body is like the wind element blowing over wondrous flowers: the flowers stay here, but their fragrance travels far away. The substance of the wind does not seize the fragrance of the wondrous flowers; the substance of the fragrance, the substance of the wind, and the body faculty are all devoid of form and color, yet without the power of the wind, the fragrance would not travel far. Bhadrapāla, when the body of a sentient being dies, consciousness maintains feeling, perception, and the realm of phenomena and proceeds to another birth. Conditioned by parents, consciousness lodges within them; that feeling, perception, and the realm of phenomena are able to follow consciousness is likewise so. Just as through the predominant power of a flower the nose has smelling, and through the predominant power of smelling one obtains the realm of fragrance; and just as through the predominant power of the wind-body one obtains the tangible sensation of the wind's form, and due to the predominant power of the wind the fragrance can travel far—so too, from consciousness there is feeling, from feeling there is perception, and from perception there are phenomena, whereupon one can know good and non-good. Furthermore, the migration of consciousness into a body is like a face's reflection appearing in a mirror, or the impression of a seal showing in clay. It is like the rising of the sun: wherever its light reaches, all darkness is dispelled; when the sun sets and its light fades, darkness returns as before. Darkness has no bodily substance; it is neither permanent nor impermanent, yet it can obtain its place. Consciousness is also like this: without substance and without form, it is manifested through feeling and conceptualization. Consciousness being in the body is like darkness without substance; looking at it, it cannot be seen; it cannot be grasped or held. Just as a pregnant mother carrying a child cannot know by herself whether it is male or female, black, white, or yellow, whether its faculties are complete or incomplete, its hands, feet, ears, and eyes well-formed or malformed; but when she drinks hot or coarse food, the child then stirs and feels pain—similarly, sentient beings come and go, bend and extend, look and blink, speak, laugh, chat, carry and transport heavy burdens, and perform various activities: the characteristics of consciousness are fully displayed, yet one cannot know where it resides; resting within the body, its shape is unknown. Bhadrapāla, the intrinsic nature of consciousness universally enters all places and is not defiled by any of them. Through the six faculties, six objects, and five defiled aggregates, consciousness universally abides in them without being defiled by them; and thereby the functioning of consciousness is made manifest. Bhadrapāla, it is like a wooden puppet: bound and anchored in one place, it performs various actions, either walking and leaping, or tumbling, frolicking, and dancing. What do you think: by whose power is that which the puppet performs done?' Bhadrapāla said to the Buddha: 'My wisdom is shallow and narrow; it is not something I can comprehend.' The Buddha told Bhadrapāla: 'You should know that all of it is the power of karma; karma is formless, it is merely set in motion by wisdom. In this way, the puppet of the body, by the power of consciousness, performs various deeds. The varied destinies and karmas of the rṣis with supernormal powers, gandharvas, nāgas, spirits, humans, devas, and asuras all depend on it. Consciousness can produce the body, like a craftsman making a puppet. Consciousness has no form or substance; it universally sustains the dharmadhātu, is fully endowed with the power of knowledge, and can even know past lives. Therefore, know that the nature of consciousness is one, without abode and without form, yet it is manifested in accordance with wisdom and turns in pursuit of thoughts. As soon as this aggregate ceases, that aggregate is born—like the impression of a seal appearing in clay, or the reflection of a face facing a mirror. Even as it enters the womb or stays in an egg, relying on physical substance to manifest a birth, its coming and going leave no trace; its hiding and revealing pose no obstruction. It is like a gem giving forth radiance, or the sun transmitting light, fire coming out of wood, or a seed sprouting from the earth: their substance is one, but their functions emerge in a thousand variations. This one gate of consciousness is also like this: due to the power of thought, it divides into the differences of the twelve classes [of beings]; following karmic fruition, it transforms into the shapes and substances of boundless births and deaths. Furthermore, the Sūtra on the Equal Nature of the Mahāyāna (Dasheng tongxing jing) says: 'Vibhīṣaṇa, king of Laṅkā, asked: "World-Honored One, how great is the mental consciousness of sentient beings? What color does it have?" The Buddha said: "King of Laṅkā, the mental consciousness of sentient beings is boundlessly vast; it has no color, no characteristics, and cannot be seen; it is unimpeded, formless, without fixed abode, and ineffable." Vibhīṣaṇa said to the World-Honored One: "If the characteristics of consciousness are thus—without bound or size, colorless, characterless, invisible, unimpeded, formless, without fixed location, and ineffable—is it not annihilated?" The Buddha said: "King of Laṅkā, I now ask you; answer as you will, and I shall explain it to you. King of Laṅkā, suppose a great king is in a palace or atop a high tower, sitting happily surrounded by court maidens, dressed in various robes and necklaces of jewels. At that time, in a great park, the aśoka trees and various flowers are exquisitely adorn and beautiful. Wherever that park is, a gentle breeze or a great swift wind blows the fragrance of the flowers of the aśoka trees in that park to where the king is: does the king smell it or not?" Vibhīṣaṇa said: "World-Honored One, I would smell this fragrance." The Buddha said: "King of Laṅkā, when you smell this fragrance, do you distinguish and know it or not?" The king said: "World-Honored One, I can know it." The Buddha said: "King of Laṅkā, this fragrance of flowers that the king says he knows: do you see its size, or does it have a definite color?" The king of Laṅkā said: "No, World-Honored One. Why? Because the characteristic of this fragrance is colorless, unmanifest, unimpeded, without mark, without fixed place, and ineffable; therefore, I do not see any size, shape, or color." The Buddha said: "King of Laṅkā, what do you think: if one does not see the size of that fragrance, does it have the mark of annihilation?" Vibhīṣaṇa said: "No, World-Honored One. Why? If this fragrance had the mark of annihilation, no one could smell it." The Buddha said: "Just so, just so, King of Laṅkā. The characteristic of consciousness is also like this; you should view it in this way. King of Laṅkā, if consciousness had the mark of annihilation, then birth and death could not be known. Thus, King of Laṅkā, the characteristic of consciousness is pure; it is merely covered and obstructed by adventitious afflictions such as ignorance, craving, habit-energies, and karma. King of Laṅkā, it is like the pure realm of empty space, which is only polluted by four kinds of adventitious dust. What are the four? They are smoke, clouds, dust, and fog. King of Laṅkā, the characteristic of consciousness is like this: fundamentally pure, boundless and ungraspable, without color or defilement, it is merely covered and defiled by various adventitious afflictions. Why is this? King of Laṅkā, when properly contemplating, one finds no sentient being, no self, no sentient being, no soul, no creature, no person, no aggregation, no knower, no seer, no perceiver, no experiencer, no hearer, and up to no form, feeling, perception, volition, or consciousness. The inner and outer sensory spheres and forms are distinguished because of consciousness, and therefore it is called consciousness-only."