宗鏡錄 81.11

81.11

Answer: Phenomena are fundamentally without differentiation; distinctions arise according to meanings. Meanings arising from phenomena are difficult to elucidate in their distinctions; phenomena revealed through meanings allow the one mind to be easily comprehended. The Chanyuan ji uses an analogy to explain the two gates of phenomenon and meaning: It is like genuine gold being fashioned by a craftsman through various conditions into rings, bracelets, and other objects; the nature of gold definitely never alters into copper or iron. The gold is the phenomenon; being unchanging while according with conditions is the meaning. If someone were to ask, "What is unchanging? What accords with conditions?", one would simply have them answer, "Gold." This illustrates that the principles and meanings throughout the entire canon of sūtras and treatises merely speak of citta. Citta is the phenomenon; all [else] is meaning. Therefore a treatise states: "What is called 'phenomenon' refers to the citta of sentient beings." A sūtra says: "Immeasurable meanings arise from a single phenomenon." However, the immeasurable meanings are subsumed under only two kinds: first, unchanging; second, according with conditions. The various sūtras merely state that this citta accords with conditions of delusion and awakening to become defiled, pure, ordinary, sacred, and so forth; they also merely state that when this citta is defiled, pure, and so forth, it is originally unchanging, constantly and spontaneously calm and extinguished, real, suchness, and so forth. If someone asks, "What phenomenon is unchanging? What phenomenon accords with conditions?", one simply answers, "Citta." Unchanging is the nature; according with conditions is the characteristic. One should know that nature and characteristic are both meanings upon the one mind. That the two schools of nature and characteristics now refute each other is truly because they do not recognize the true mind: whenever they hear the word citta, they assume it refers only to the eight consciousnesses, not knowing that the eight consciousnesses are merely the meaning of according with conditions upon the true mind. Therefore, Aśvaghoṣa took the one mind as the phenomenon, and the two gates of tathatā and arising-and-ceasing as the meaning. The treatise says: "Relying on this citta, the meaning of Mahāyāna is revealed." Citta as tathatā is the substance; citta as arising-and-ceasing is the characteristic and function. It merely states that because this citta is not false, it is called "true"; because it does not alter, it is called "thus"; because it does not abide in its own nature, it accords with conditions. Because it accords with conditions, it forms immeasurable meanings. Furthermore, because it is unchanging, it is first able to accord with conditions; because it accords with conditions, it can then be unchanging. Why so? If it were to alter its own substance, by what means would it accord with conditions? Just as without water, how could there be waves? Thus we know that while the one mind is motionless, its meanings pervade the sands of the Ganges; although pervading the sands of the Ganges, they are all the meanings of the one mind.