宗鏡錄 9.15.6

9.15.6

“If they see or hear the Buddha, though wrapped and obstructed by karmic hindrances and failing to generate faith and joy, they nevertheless plant roots of goodness, none of which are in vain, until they ultimately enter nirvāṇa. Sons of the Buddha, bodhisattva-mahāsattvas should understand this: the roots of goodness planted through seeing, hearing, or drawing near to the Tathāgata are entirely freed from all unwholesome phenomena and fully endowed with wholesome phenomena.” Therefore, one knows that whether seeing or hearing, whether having faith or lacking faith, all ultimately attain unsurpassed roots of goodness, because they see the Buddha of perfect awakening and the teaching of the universal gate. Because awakening is perfect, there is no deficiency; because the teaching is universal, it is naturally complete. How could it not be ultimate? Therefore, the verse in the “Chapter on the Merit of the Initial Generation of the Mind” of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: “The measure of the merit of a bodhisattva generating the mind / cannot be fully praised throughout a hundred million kalpas. / Because it gives rise to all the Tathāgatas, / and the bliss of solitary realizers and śrāvakas. / To all sentient beings in the lands of the ten directions, / one may bestow peace for immeasurable kalpas, / encouraging them to uphold the five precepts and ten virtues, / and the states of concentration of the four dhyānas and the four immeasurables; / further, over many kalpas one may bestow peace and bliss, / causing them to cut off all afflictions and become arhats. / Although those masses of merit are immeasurable, / they cannot compare to the merit of generating the mind. / Further, one may teach a hundred million beings to become pratyekabuddhas, / obtaining the subtle path of non-contentious practice; / yet comparing that with the bodhimind, / no calculation or metaphor could ever reach it. / In a single thought-moment one can pass through dust-mote numbers of lands; / though passing through immeasurable kalpas like this, / the number of these lands can still be measured, / but the merit of generating the mind cannot be known.” Another verse says: “None of the various metaphors that are spoken / can ever reach the bodhimind, / for all the Honoured Ones among humans of the three times / are born from generating the mind.” The Huayan zhigui states: “It clarifies that this sūtra has ten kinds of benefits: First, the benefit of seeing and hearing. This means that the roots of goodness planted by seeing and hearing this Tathāgata and his remaining teachings become an adamantine seed that cannot be destroyed, guaranteeing the resolve to become a Buddha. As the ‘Chapter on the Arising of Nature’ says: ‘Sons of the Buddha, even sentient beings with lack of faith and wrong views who see or hear the Buddha—those sentient beings, within that seeing and hearing, plant roots of goodness; the retribution is not in vain, until ultimately reaching nirvāṇa, and so forth.’ Second, the benefit of generating the mind. This means that once the stage of faith is fulfilled, one accords with the Buddha’s intent and generates this great mind. This mind is subsumed by the Dharma of Samantabhadra, and therefore it is harmonious and pervasive, instantly pervading the dharmadhātu of inexhaustible time and place. Having entered it and subsumed it, all stages in their entirety are fulfilled. Hence the sūtra says: ‘The initial generation of the mind is itself the Buddha’; thus one is equal to all Tathāgatas of the three times. Third, the benefit of initiating practice. This means that when one initiates a single practice of Samantabhadra, it instantly pervades all practices, all stages, all virtues, all phenomena, all places, all times, all causes, and all fruits, exhausting the dharmadhātu and being complete with all, like Indra's net. Hence the sūtra says: ‘Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas who hear this teaching, with few skillful means, swiftly attain bodhi.’ Fourth, the benefit of subsuming the stages. This means that within each of the five stages, such as faith, all stages are subsumed. However, there are two approaches: First, the approach of the identity of all stages, which is because all stages are a single stage; where the ten faiths are fulfilled, one immediately becomes a Buddha. Second, the approach of all stages mutually assisting, wherein a single stage contains all stages, just as within the ten faiths there are the ten abodes, up to the ten grounds. Hence the sūtra says: ‘Dwelling in a single ground universally subsumes the merits of all grounds,’ as in the Ten Mysterious Gates. Fifth, the benefit of swift realization. Relying on this universal gate, one realization is all realization. As the sūtra explains, hell-beings who were touched by the light had their suffering extinguished; having just exited the gates of hell and ascended to Tuṣita Heaven, upon hearing this universal teaching they immediately attained the ten grounds; this illustrates the profound benefit of this teaching. Sixth, the benefit of extinguishing hindrances. Relying on this universal teaching, one severance is also all severance. Just like the Tuṣita devaputra mentioned before, not only did he directly and suddenly attain the ten grounds himself, but the fragrance of his pores completely revealed [the Dharma] to sentient beings, suddenly extinguishing immeasurable afflictions. All these are the superior power of the universal teaching. Seventh, the benefit of transforming and benefiting [others]. When the universal practice is perfected, one can instantly benefit boundless sentient beings, causing them all to equally attain this teaching of the ten grounds. Just as the Tuṣita devaputra mentioned before, having attained the ten grounds, clouds of canopies issued from his pores to make offerings to the Buddha. The sūtra says: ‘If any sentient beings see these canopy clouds, those sentient beings plant roots of goodness equal to those planted by a Ganges-sands of wheel-turning kings,’ and so forth. Eighth, the benefit of cultivation. Just as Sudhana, relying on this universal teaching, attained everything through attaining one, because in a former life he had seen and heard the universal teaching and formed an adamantine seed, it caused him in his present life to suddenly accomplish understanding and practice. Ninth, the benefit of sudden attainment. As the sūtra explains, six thousand monks suddenly saw the Tathāgata and attained the realm of the ten eyes; in the Jeta Grove, ineffable dust-mote numbers of bodhisattvas suddenly attained the inexhaustible, unobstructed ocean of teachings, and so forth. Tenth, the benefit of according with nature. This means that relying on this universal teaching, there are no sentient beings who do not accord with their original nature within the ocean of the fruit of buddhahood; this is the benefit inherent from the beginning. As the sūtra explains, within the Buddha’s body, one sees that all sentient beings have already completed buddhahood and have already entered nirvāṇa.” Therefore, in this Record of the Mirror of the Source, all discussions accord with nature and speak from the root. Cause and fruit are both real; principle and phenomena are both true. Because this is the perfect source and the teaching of the universal gate, seeing the universal teaching is called the universal eye. The universal teaching is where one contains all, each according with nature, simultaneously complete. Beyond the eye there is no phenomenon; hence it is called the universal eye; it is also named the Universal Eye Sūtra. Consequently, it causes those who see or hear it to all equally attain it by nature. Because this nature is inexhaustible, how could the benefit be limited? Therefore, it can comprehend the boundless and universally encompass all. Subsuming what precedes subsumes what follows, just as raising the first step reaches the journey of a thousand li; attaining one attains the rest, just as gazing at the moon in the sky discerns all water-moons. Hence one knows that where there is a teaching, there is certainly its stage; where there is a Dharma, there must be its person. As with the hell-beings who took seeing and hearing as a seed, dwelling within the eight difficulties they surpassed the steps of the ten grounds; with the youth Sudhana, practice and understanding embodied in himself, within a single life he rounded out the fruit of many kalpas. The text and principle have their basis; the fruit and retribution are not in vain. This can be shown to future worthies.