宗鏡錄 81.13

81.13

Answer: The ultimate dharmakāya is the Land of Eternally Quiescent Light. Apart from the body there is no land; apart from the land there is no body. Environmental recompense is the characteristic of citta; direct recompense is the substance of citta. Substance and characteristic are unimpeded; environmental and direct [recompenses] are fundamentally identical. Therefore, when gathering objects into citta in the contemplation of true emptiness, one gathers characteristics into the substance, revealing the dharmakāya. When manifesting objects from citta in the contemplation of wondrous existence, one gives rise to function based on substance, cultivating and completing the sambhogakāya. In the contemplation of the secret, perfect interpenetration of citta and objects, citta and objects interpenetrate, and environmental and direct [recompenses] are unimpeded. "Citta" refers to the unimpeded citta: the Buddhas realize it to accomplish the dharmakāya. "Object" refers to the unimpeded object: the Buddhas realize it to accomplish the pure land. In the Commentary on the Vimalakīrti[-nirdeśa], when explaining the four kinds of objects in terms of contemplating the citta: first, the object of causes and conditions; second, the object of emptiness; third, the object of the provisional; fourth, the object of the Middle Way. Objects are that upon which citta relies and abides; they are the "above." Regarding sentient beings, the Buddha addressed the bhikṣus: "Day and night, you constantly give rise to immeasurably many hundreds of thousands of sentient beings." Now, when cittas of causes and conditions are many, objects are also many; when cittas are few, objects are also few. Contemplating citta illuminating few objects is a small land; contemplating citta illuminating many objects is also many lands. Contemplating the object of causes and conditions in this way is precisely transforming sentient beings. Either one tames evil objects and attains awakening, which is entering the Buddha's wisdom from the defiled land; or one contemplates good objects and attains awakening, which is entering the Buddha's wisdom from the pure land. For those who generate bodhisattva faculties: in accordance with the defilements of good or evil that are contemplated, they fully understand that these defilements are precisely all phenomena; these phenomena are originally and ultimately constantly quiescent. The sphere of constant quiescence generates true wisdom; the Buddha land upon which true wisdom relies is precisely the Land of Eternally Quiescent Light. Furthermore, when practitioners contemplate these four objects, it is not for the sake of greedily clinging to realms of objects, but merely to transform and subdue the sentient beings that are the mental factors of kleśa. Using these four cittas, they give rise to vows: "May all sentient beings of the dharmadhātu be enabled, as I transform these mental factors, to be completely purified." This is precisely the pure land establishing sentient beings gathered through conditioned causes. Practitioners should know that the root of all bodhisattvas purifying Buddha lands arises from this: a tree of an armspan's girth begins from a tiny sprout. Furthermore, ordinary and sacred beings dwell together in the same wondrous land; that upon which the ultimate and conventional rely is solely the one dharmakāya. What is relied upon is not two; how could what relies upon it be distinct by itself? Since what is relied upon is not distinct, how could what relies be different? Deluded habituations from beginningless time suppose that environmental and direct [recompenses] are distinct. If one can interpenetrate all entirely, how could there be distinct views of body and land? Contemplating citta in this way is truly the genuine pure land and is the true definitive meaning. If one deviates from this, one mostly grasps the text and gives rise to views in accordance with phrasing. The Yihai states: "Dust motes, hair tips, and ocean-like realms are environmental [recompense]; the Buddha's body, wisdom, and radiance are direct [recompense]. Now, this dust mote is manifested by the Buddha's wisdom; its entire substance is completely the Buddha's wisdom. Therefore, within the radiance one sees Buddha realms and so forth. Furthermore, the ocean-like realms, dust motes, and so forth entirely take the tathatā of the Buddha's dharmadhātu as the substance of the dust mote. Therefore, within a dust mote all Buddha works are manifested." One should know that the environmental is precisely the direct, and the direct is precisely the environmental, up to and including a single matter, a single phenomenon, a single hair tip, and a single dust mote: each and every one joins the Buddha's environmental and direct [recompenses] in this way. Thus we know that while the myriad images flourish in profusion, they are of only a single purport.