宗鏡錄 76.5

76.5

Answer: There is indeed this principle, but it depends entirely on the person. If their obstacles are thin and their hindrances light, they directly realize and directly enter; if their conditions are deep and their capacities ripe, they suddenly awaken and suddenly cultivate, like brightness arising on a clean mirror, or the moon shining clear when clouds part. But if their defilements are thick and their habits heavy, their contemplation is weak and their minds unsettled. Though they believe in and understand the one mind, the gate of practice is difficult to establish. They have the defilements of the eight kinds of false discrimination, like a dense net and thick forest; they possess the gates of the six kinds of binding, like solid ice and sticky glue. Were it not for great power, how could they resolve and sever them? As the Bodhisattvabhūmi (*Chidi lun*) states: "There are eight kinds of false discrimination: First, false discrimination of self-nature—that is, grasping at phenomena such as form as each possessing its own intrinsic substance. Second, false discrimination of distinctions—that is, grasping at form and so forth as having distinctions such as visible and invisible, with resistance and without resistance. Third, false discrimination of apprehension and accumulation—that is, grasping at self and sentient beings within the aggregates, and giving rise to fixed grasping at solidity within an army, a forest, and so forth. This single discrimination comprises, first, grasping at person, and second, grasping at phenomena. Fourth, false discrimination of the view of self—conceiving a self where there is no self. Fifth, false discrimination of what belongs to a self—that is, grasping at the functions of a self. Sixth, false discrimination with mindful desire—that is, discriminating by taking delightful, pure objects as conditions. Seventh, false discrimination without mindful desire—that is, discriminating by taking repulsive, impure objects as conditions. Eighth, false discrimination contrary to both—that is, discriminating by taking neutral objects as conditions." According to the sūtras and treatises, there are six kinds of binding. Discussing first the two kinds of binding of mind and objects: First is the binding of association; second is the binding of objective condition. Kleśas are minds and mental factors; when they arise, they must depend on the principal mind. Mental factors defiling the mind is called the binding of association. Mental and mental-factor phenomena are both able to take objects as conditions; when objects cannot be separated from attachment, this is called the binding of objective condition. Next, regarding the four kinds of binding in the three realms: first is greed (rāga); second is anger (dveṣa); third is the attachment to views (dṛṣṭiparāmarśa); fourth is the attachment to rules and rituals (śīlavrataparāmarśa). The two bindings of greed and anger prevent sentient beings from leaving the desire realm; the treatise masters give the analogy of jailers guarding a prison. The two bindings of attachment to views and attachment to rules and rituals prevent sentient beings from leaving the form and formless realms. How so? Attachment to views grasps the inferior as superior: grasping the station of neither-perception-nor-non-perception and the heaven of non-perception, and grasping them as liberation and nirvāṇa, is called attachment to views. As for attachment to rules and rituals, it conceives a cause where there is no cause: grasping the absorption of neither-perception and the absorption of non-perception, as well as the chicken precepts, as causes for rebirth in heaven or causes for liberation—this is called grasping at precepts and prohibitions. Due to these two bindings, sentient beings cannot escape the form and formless realms. With such false discrimination and binding as described above, aside from those of superior faculties who cultivate suddenly, one must rely on the power of clear realization (abhisamaya) through the stages. As explained in the sūtras, clear realization has six aspects. "Clear" (現) means manifesting directly before one; "realization" (觀) means contemplation and observation—that is, the true principle is constantly manifest before one, and wondrous wisdom is constantly able to contemplate and observe it, without interruption, functioning spontaneously in accord. The Yogācārabhūmiśāstra states: "First is clear realization through reflection (cintā-abhisamaya): that is, superior reflective wisdom brings about the warmth stage and so forth; contemplating all phenomena in the four paths of applied practice (prayogamārga) is called clear realization. Second is clear realization through faith (śraddhā-abhisamaya): that is, pure faith directed toward the Three Jewels, both mundane and supramundane; this assists clear realization, causing it not to regress, and thus receives the name of clear realization. Third is clear realization through morality (śīla-abhisamaya): that is, the uncontaminated morality associated with the path, which can remove the defilements of breaking precepts and cause contemplation to become increasingly luminous; this is also called clear realization. Fourth is clear realization of truth through wisdom (jñāna-satya-abhisamaya): that is, the two wisdoms—the fundamental and the subsequent—taking the ultimate and conventional truths as conditions; ultimate and conventional are the two truths. Fifth is clear realization of the limits [of truth] (sīma-abhisamaya): that is, following the contemplation of truth through wisdom, contemplating all conditions to establish mundane and supramundane wisdom. Sixth is clear realization of culmination (niṣṭhā-abhisamaya): that is, the wisdom of the ultimate stages, such as the knowledge of exhaustion and non-arising." Ancient commentators explain: "As for the clear realization through reflection mentioned above, whatever wisdom belongs to the stages of provisions and applied practice can only suppress, but cannot yet sever [defilements]. From the first bhūmi upward, the clear realizations through faith, morality, truth through wisdom, and the limits [of truth] directly sever [defilements] in their corresponding bhūmi and suppress them in subsequent bhūmis. The single clear realization of culmination neither suppresses nor severs." This severing has two kinds: first is severing by common characteristics; second is severing by self-characteristics. If, at the time of severing delusion and realizing principle, one adopts the mental aspect of emptiness and the mental aspect of non-self, this is called common characteristics. Because emptiness and non-self pervade all four noble truths, it is called severing by common characteristics. If, at the time of severing delusion and realizing principle, one adopts the mental aspect of the quiescent cessation of tathatā, which does not pervade all truths but resides exclusively in the truth of cessation, this is called severing by self-characteristics. Furthermore, there are three kinds of severing: First is severing of self-nature: just as a lamp destroys darkness, when wisdom arises, the self-nature of the dark obscurations of kleśas should be severed. Second is severing by non-arising: that is, when attaining the emptiness of phenomena on the first bhūmi, one is able to make the painful retributions of the three evil destinies never arise again, and causes the seeds of lacking sense faculties, of possessing both gender characteristics, and of rebirth in the northern continent or the heaven of non-perception among humans to no longer produce future results; this is called severing by non-arising. Third, severing of the binding of conditions means merely severing delusion within the mind: one does not give rise to greed or anger toward external dust-like objects; although taking objects as conditions, one is not defiled by or attached to them; this is called severing of the binding of conditions. Among these three kinds of severing, self-nature and non-arising are both severed spontaneously; both result from the single severing of the binding of conditions, which is able to cause the causes and effects of the three realms not to arise. Furthermore, ancient commentators explain: "Obstacles to wisdom have three gates: First is the obstacle to wisdom itself, which is the mind that discriminates existence and non-existence. Second is the obstacle of substance: when one contemplates the understanding of neither-existence-nor-non-existence, establishing oneself as capable—hence it is called the obstacle of substance. Third is the conception of remedy: that is, within the false consciousness, matching it to tathatā with correct wisdom. Depending on this, the bhūmis have three [divisions]: First, it is severed from the first to the fourth bhūmi, and up to the seventh bhūmi; the fourth, fifth, and sixth bhūmis sever the mind that discriminates and grasps at existence—that is, the arrogance of understanding the Dharma, the arrogance of the body's purity, and so forth. When entering the seventh bhūmi, one severs the mind that discriminates and grasps at non-existence. On the eighth bhūmi and above, one severs the obstacle of substance. On the preceding seventh bhūmi, although the mind that discriminates existence and non-existence has been eliminated, one still views one's own mind as that which is capable of contemplation and tathatā as that which is contemplated. The contemplated tathatā is not identical to the mind, and the mind capable of contemplation is not identical to tathatā. Because mind and tathatā are distinguished, one seeks phenomena outside of mind, and hence effort remains; one establishes mind outside of phenomena, and hence the obstacle of substance exists. When entering the eighth bhūmi from the seventh bhūmi, one breaks through and abandons this obstacle, contemplating that outside of tathatā there has fundamentally never been mind, and outside of mind there is no tathatā. Outside of tathatā there is no mind, and mind is not different from tathatā; outside of mind there is no tathatā, and tathatā is not different from mind. Thus, tathatā and mind are able to merge into identity with the dharmadhātu, vast and unmoving. Because they are not different, one abandons effort in seeking outwardly; no longer establishing spiritual wisdom outside of tathatā, the obstacle of substance is extinguished. Because the obstacle of substance is extinguished, it is called the conception free of obstacles. The third, the conception of remedy, is extinguished only upon reaching Buddhahood. Therefore, when entering the eighth bhūmi, although one is free of the conception of obstacles, the conception of remedy still remains. Practicing on the eighth bhūmi and above, the substance of anutpattikadharmakṣānti becomes progressively more quiescent, causing that conception of remedy to vanish spontaneously moment by moment, reaching full exhaustion only at Buddhahood." Therefore, we know that although the myriad objects are empty, one must attain mindlessness to accord with them. One must not merely speak of emptiness with one's mouth while one's actions abide in existence. Only when object and wisdom correspond, and subject and object are secretly merged, can one unravel the bindings and accord with non-arising. As soon as grasping and attachment arise, they immediately turn into the deeds of Māra. As the Avataṃsakasūtra says: "O sons of the Buddha, bodhisattva-mahāsattvas have ten kinds of Māra. What are the ten? Namely, the Māra of the aggregates, because of giving rise to various graspings; the Māra of kleśas, because of constant defilement; the Māra of karma, because of being able to obstruct; the Māra of the mind, because of giving rise to haughty pride; the Māra of death, because of abandoning the place of rebirth; the Māra of the heavens, because of arrogance and self-indulgence; the Māra of roots of goodness, because of constantly grasping onto them; the Māra of samādhi, because of long relishing its taste; the Māra of good spiritual friends, because of giving rise to an attached mind; the Māra of the wisdom of the Dharma of bodhi, because of not wishing to let it go. These are the ten. Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas should employ expedient means and swiftly seek to distance themselves from them." The commentary explains: "First, regarding the Māra of the aggregates: the body is a vessel for the path, and its substance is identical to the Buddha; how could it directly be a Māra? The name 'Māra of the aggregates' is solely due to grasping and attachment. The nine below follow this pattern; all rely on the subsequent phrase to explain and establish the meaning of Māra. Thus we know that when the mind discriminates, the myriad phenomena are all Māra—how could it be limited to these ten? Therefore, bodhi and the wisdom of Dharma are cited, contrasting the superior with the inferior. When the mind does not discriminate, everything is Buddha; how could one abandon the realm of Māra to seek the realm of the Buddha? Furthermore, while the four Māras are explained directly in terms of substance, the ten Māras are mostly discussed in terms of grasping, with ten signifying inexhaustibility. As for the Dharma of bodhi, it is that which is realized, and wisdom is that which can realize; when subject and object secretly merge, it is named bodhi. If one does not abandon discrimination, the view of bodhi is itself Māra. If one enters the mirror of the source, discrimination vanishes on its own: there is neither the mind capable of realizing, nor the principle that is realized." Furthermore, the Avataṃsakasūtra says: "There is not the slightest phenomenon into which wisdom enters, nor is there the slightest wisdom that enters into phenomena." Therefore, mounting a single arrow of wisdom, one breaks the armies of Māra; wielding a single sword of wisdom, one severs the nets of manifold doubts. This is the power of the mirror of the source; what else need be said? If one does not awaken to one's own mind and has not penetrated this meaning, then even if one cultivates wisdom, one will not enter the perfect and constant; even if one trains in the gates of practice, one will only increase one's arrogance. Because one has not penetrated the Dharma gate of the single boundary, one merely gives rise to discrimination and nourishes avidyā. As the sūtra says: "If one discriminates, 'This is the śrāvaka Dharma, this is the pratyekabuddha Dharma, this is the bodhisattva Dharma, this is the Buddhas' Dharma; this is called pure, this is called impure; this is called the path, this is called non-path'—this is called the arrogance of a bodhisattva." If one enters the mirror of the source, wisdom and practice are both fulfilled: the mountain of arrogance collapses, the waters of greed and moha dry up, sentiments of victory and defeat are exhausted, and distinct karmas vanish. As the "Song of Playing with the Pearl" says: "It disperses the six thieves and incinerates the four Māras, / Destroys the mountain of self and dries up the river of craving. / The nāga girl personally made an offering to the Buddha at Vulture Peak; / The poor son wasted his time with [the jewel] inside his robe."