[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [宗鏡錄](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016) › [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt) › 78.5 # 宗鏡錄 78.5 English (machine translation) 78.5 - **Language:** English ### [78.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.78.5) Answer: In the equal, true dharmadhātu, there are neither Buddhas nor sentient beings. Accompanying defiled and pure conditions, it then forms the ten dharmadhātus. Because the true mind accords with conditions and does not abide by its own nature, it is solely because sentient beings do not themselves know the nature of naturelessness. Merely according with defiled conditions they become ordinary mortals; according with pure conditions they become sages. Like an echo in an empty valley, it is set off at the mercy of conditions; or like sudden clouds in the great void, or sudden dust on a bright mirror. Seeking the initial point where a single thought first arises, it is completely unfindable; hence it is called beginningless avidyā. The Śūraṅgamasūtra says: 'The Buddha told Ānanda: What is called the inversion of sentient beings? Ānanda, because the mind of the nature's luminosity is completely perfect in the nature's luminosity, relying on luminosity, nature is produced, and the false seeing of nature arises. From ultimate non-existence, final existence is formed. This existence and what it possesses are not what causes cause; the characteristics of abiding and what abides have no root at all. Based on this non-abiding, the world and all sentient beings are established. Confusing the original perfect luminosity, this falsehood arises. The nature of falsehood has no substance; it is not something possessing that upon which it relies. Intending to return to the real, the desire for the real is already false; the nature of true tathatā is not real in seeking to return, and it turns out to become a non-characteristic. Being non-arising, non-abiding, non-mind, and non-dharma, they unfold and arise in succession. Through the power of arising, luminosity is generated, perfuming to form karma; identical karma mutually resonates, and because there is resonance of karma, characteristics cease and characteristics arise. Due to this, there is the inversion of sentient beings.' An ancient commentary says: 'Relying on luminosity, nature is produced, and the false seeing of nature arises': because of relying on the nature's luminosity, it transforms reflections and arises; relying on reflections it is born, grasping existence from emptiness. Thus it says: 'From ultimate non-existence, final existence is formed'—this is the karmic characteristic. 'This existence and what it possesses are not what causes cause'—this is the transforming characteristic. The karmic characteristic is that which can possess; the transforming characteristic is that which is possessed. Since subject and object are divided, the two characteristics exist. Thus it says, 'characteristics of existence and what it possesses.' This very transforming characteristic is capable of acting; establishing itself by manifesting forms, it arises from the preceding and induces the birth of the succeeding; mutually causing one another in turn, it is called 'not what causes cause.' This very manifesting characteristic is capable of inducing the realms of the six dusts. The manifesting characteristic is that which can abide; the six dusts are that which is abided in. Thus it says, 'characteristics of abiding and what abides.' 'Based on this non-abiding, the world is established': the manifesting characteristic is established from falsehood and fundamentally has no basis; this manifesting characteristic becomes the basis of the world. Thus it says, 'based on this non-abiding, the world is established.' From the root of non-abiding, all dharmas are established. 'Non-abiding' is avidyā; avidyā has no cause, hence it does not abide. These three characteristics are all beginningless; the one thought of the false mind is collectively named avidyā. 'Confusing the original perfect luminosity, this falsehood arises. The nature of falsehood has no substance; it is not something possessing that upon which it relies. Intending to return to the real, the desire for the real is already false; the nature of true tathatā is not real in seeking to return, and it turns out to become a non-characteristic. Non-arising, non-abiding, non-mind, and non-dharma': the first is the karmic characteristic, which is the mind of deluded awareness; its substance is false. When this falsehood first arises, it has no causal beginning; this is called 'not something possessing that upon which it relies.' 'Intending to return to the real, the desire for the real is already false' explains the transforming characteristic: that is, the reflection on the real, resembling the real yet not real; deluded awareness grasps this as real. That is, the initial thought is called movement; movement must have stillness, and stillness again resembles the real. Formed by movement, stillness is established, which is not truly unmoving. Thus it says, 'the desire for the real is already false.' The nature of true tathatā fundamentally does not establish stillness because of movement; thus it says, 'not real in seeking to return.' 'It turns out to become a non-characteristic' explains the manifesting characteristic. From this manifesting characteristic, all realms are transformed and arise: non-characteristics manifest characteristics, non-arising manifests arising, non-abiding manifests abiding, non-mind manifests mind, and non-dharma manifests dharma. Explaining the sequence: first, through the mutual comparison of the two characteristics of light and darkness, form is born—that is, condensing darkness to form matter, exhibiting manifest form. Because of form, there are the obstructions of sense organs and dusts; this is called abiding. Because there are sense organs and dusts, there is discriminatory consciousness; this is called mind. Perceiving these images of dust as the realms of consciousness is called dharma. These exist in turn through mutual causation. Conversely, revealing tathatā: its characteristics have neither light nor darkness, and without mutual comparison of characteristics, it is 'non-characteristic'; having no arising or ceasing, it is 'non-arising'; having no obstruction, it is 'non-abiding'; having no cognitive deliberation, it is 'non-mind'; being free from images of dust, it is 'non-dharma.' Another explanation: either the preceding indicates that the three characteristics exist through mutual causation to lay out the sequence, and afterwards the three characteristics are explained together, all stating that the three characteristics are false and their substance is avidyā, having no further cause; thus it says, 'not something possessing that upon which it relies.' These three characteristics arise as reflections of the real, resembling the real yet not real; grasping the reflection as actual, it therefore says, 'intending to return to the real.' Since the reflection is not actual, it therefore says, 'the desire for the real is already false.' 'It turns out to become a non-characteristic' and below contrasts falsehood to explain the real, so as to establish designations. Since designations are established by relying on falsehood to reveal the real, we know that the establishment of stages exists from this. If one did not explain the real because of falsehood, there would also be no stages or names to speak of. Therefore we know that all existing dharmas in the three realms are fabricated, fundamentally without root or origin; beginningless false habituations have been handed down successively, reaching up to the present and becoming established ruts. Just as an initial person fabricates a matter and later people believe and accept it, passing it down from one to another, so one person transmits a falsehood and ten thousand people transmit it as truth. Accumulating delusion from delusion, they pass through dust-like kalpas. If one recognizes that the place where the very first thought arose is untrue, one immediately awakens to prior errors, the Great Path is broad and level, and there is nothing else. As it is said: 'If you only know today is right, / why worry that former years were wrong?' Thus we know that whether sentient or insentient, when their original beginning is investigated, none depart from the fundamental limit of the one mind. As the Faxing lun says: - [Previous: 78.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.78.4) - [Next: 78.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.78.6) - [Up: 78](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.78) ## Linked texts (1) - [宗鏡錄](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016.78.5) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.78.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2016~en-mt.78.5) · Pramāṇa