宗鏡錄 85.15

85.15

Answer: Although each experiences their own karma and there is delusive rising and falling, the conditioned nature is unborn and completely unobtainable. The *Sarvadharmāpravṛttinirdeśa* says: "The Buddha addressed Mañjuśrī: 'The minds of all sentient beings are all one; this is named gotra.'" Gotra means root. The root is eternally one, yet sentient beings deludedly give rise to distinctions of self and other, and higher and lower among ordinary beings and sages. Although distinctions arise, the single substance does not move, because the nature of distinction is non-existent, and it is merely a delusive arising without real substance. Therefore the sūtra says: "The Buddha said, 'Mañjuśrī, all sentient beings have no citta, because conditioned nature is unobtainable. This is named gotra.'" Furthermore, all good and evil objects are the light of citta; all superior and inferior enjoyments are the fruit of citta. A verse in the *Mahāyānasūtrālaṅkāra* says: / Various lights of citta arise, / manifesting such various characteristics. / Because the substance of the light is not [real] substance, / one does not obtain the reality of those phenomena. / "Various lights of citta" means various concrete phenomena. They arise either at different times—namely, the light of greed, anger, and so forth—or at the same time—namely, the light of faith, vigor, and so forth. Such mental factors in the defiled state and mental factors in the pure state have only illumination and no substantial body of light. Therefore, the World-Honoured One did not call them real phenomena. It also says: "As for the instantaneous predominance of conditioned formations: as the Buddha said, 'Citta leads the world away, citta drags the world here; through the mastery of citta, the world turns in accordance with it.' The statement that consciousness conditions name-and-form is also like this." Therefore one knows that conditioned formations are the fruit of citta. Furthermore, regarding "accordance with purity": "purity" is the citta of a person in dhyāna-concentration. That person's conditioned formations turn in accordance with the pure citta. A monk who practices dhyāna is endowed with supernatural powers and his citta attains mastery. If he wishes to make wood into gold, it complies with his intention. Therefore one knows that conditioned formations are all the fruit of citta. Furthermore, regarding "accordance with rebirth": for example, sentient beings who commit sins obtain external objects that are all inferior, while sentient beings who create merit obtain external objects that are all wonderful. Therefore one knows that conditioned formations are all the fruit of citta. One should know that since all myriad phenomena have citta as cause, they also have citta as fruit. Although purity and defilement manifest differently, within the mirror of citta they are like light and shadow, completely unobtainable.