宗鏡錄 76.17

76.17

Answer: The teaching of the four noble truths (caturāryasatya) extends horizontally across and penetrates vertically through all things; there is no dharma it does not contain, and no teaching it does not exhaust. Now, following the Tiantai teaching, when it is said that the one mind is endowed with the uncreated four noble truths: in a single thought-moment of the mind, being endowed with the suffering of the ten realms is called the truth of suffering; being endowed with the delusions of the ten realms is called the truth of origination; that suffering is itself nirvāṇa is called the truth of cessation; that delusions are themselves bodhi is called the truth of the path. This addresses solely the four noble truths of the one mind. Furthermore, across the four teachings there are four kinds of four noble truths: the Tripiṭaka teaching has the four truths of arising and ceasing; the shared teaching has the four truths of non-arising; the distinct teaching has the immeasurable four truths; and the perfect teaching has the uncreated four truths. Here we discuss only the uncreated four noble truths of the perfect teaching. The *Mohe zhiguan* says: 'Dharma-nature and all dharmas are neither two nor different. If this is so even of ordinary dharmas, how much more so for the two vehicles? To seek true reality apart from ordinary dharmas is like avoiding this space to seek space over there. Ordinary dharmas are themselves true dharmas; one need not abandon the ordinary to turn toward the noble.' A sūtra says: 'Samsāra is itself nirvāṇa; a single color or scent is nothing other than the Middle Way.' These are the uncreated four noble truths. Furthermore, the *Fahua xuanyi* says: 'Because one is deluded about the principle, bodhi is kleśa, which is called the truth of origination; nirvāṇa is samsāra, which is called the truth of suffering. Because one is capable of understanding, kleśa is itself bodhi, which is called the truth of the path; samsāra is itself nirvāṇa, which is called the truth of cessation. Right within phenomena is the Middle; without thought or conceptualization, there is no one who creates or fabricates, and therefore it is named "uncreated". It is also called the one true truth. The "one true truth" is free from falsity, free from inversion, and is eternity, bliss, self, purity, and so forth; hence it is named the uncreated four noble truths.' A verse of the *Lotus Sūtra* says: 'Further, through different skillful means, / I help reveal the primary truth.' It also says: 'Only this one thing is real.' This is the uncreated one true truth. Because the nature of tathatā is the reality of one's own citta, it is named the one true truth. Perfected in every thought-moment, what more is there to be created? Hence they are called the uncreated four noble truths. Thus, the eight thousand śrāvakas in the assembly of the *Lotus Sūtra* perceived the tathāgata-nature; like harvesting in autumn and storing in winter, there was nothing more to be done. Because they reached the source, it is naturally so. If one has not yet seen the nature, one must not calmly fold one's hands and imitate being without creation and without cultivation. One must directly wait until the water arrives and the ditch is formed, functioning naturally and spontaneously. Therefore, simply by comprehending the one mind, it is naturally uncreated, not forced. Thus it is said that the aggregates and sense bases are all suchness; there is no suffering to be abandoned. Ignorance and defilement are themselves bodhi; there is no origination to be severed. The marginal and deviant are all centered and upright; there is no path to be cultivated. Samsāra is itself nirvāṇa; there is no cessation to be realized. Because there is neither suffering nor origination, there is no mundane world; because there is neither path nor cessation, there is no supramundane world. It is purely the one true mark, and outside the true mark there is no other dharma whatsoever. Furthermore, the *Wenshu daoxing jing* says: 'The Buddha told Mañjuśrī: "If one sees that all dharmas have no arising, that is understanding the truth of suffering. If one sees that all dharmas have no abiding, that is being able to sever origination. If one sees that all dharmas are ultimate nirvāṇa, that is being able to realize cessation. Mañjuśrī, if one sees that all dharmas have no self-substance, that is cultivating the path."'