宗鏡錄 9.17

9.17

Answer: If discussed horizontally according to what is realized following [different] faculties, there are four kinds of bodhi. If discussed vertically according to the beginning, middle, and end, there are three kinds of bodhi. Furthermore, there are two kinds of "arousing [the mind]": the first is initiating, and the second is unfolding. Initiating is the head of the Ten Faiths of the One Vehicle; unfolding is the beginning of the Ten Abodes of the One Vehicle. What is praised here, among the four kinds, is the bodhi of the Buddhas based on the uppermost faculties. If we speak of what is praised in the Mirror of the Source, it mostly takes the arousing of initiating in perfect faith. If quoting the Avataṃsaka, it perhaps refers to the arousing of unfolding at the initial abode. Furthermore, in discussing "arousing" here, it does not rely on persons or rely on dharmas; suddenly awakening to one's own citta, the ten thousand practices are fully perfected, and therefore it is called "arousing." As the Huayan lun says: "There are two kinds of arousing the mind: First, there are those who, having long suffered the distress of saṃsāra, weary of suffering and arouse the mind; some attain the fruit of the three vehicles or the One Vehicle, which is called the noble knowledge of self-realization, and is also called Buddha-knowledge, spontaneous knowledge, and teacherless knowledge. Second, relying on those who have awakened prior, being exhorted to understand the root of suffering, they are only then able to arouse the mind. Now, in arousing the mind, there are these two kinds. If one claims that one must rely on previous Buddhas to arouse the mind, then there is the error of eternalism, which is identical with the eternalist views of the non-Buddhists. For by whom was that prior awakened one taught? Transmitted in turn, it does not depart from the view of eternalism. If there were an ancient eternal Buddha as the teacher through transmission, then if that ancient Buddha's own substance is intrinsically true and does not follow delusion, one could not tread in his ancient footsteps. Because the true is intrinsically ever-true, the true cannot follow saṃsāra; hence saṃsāra would be eternally saṃsāra, and the Buddha intrinsically eternally Buddha. If sentient beings definitely had saṃsāra, saṃsāra would be intrinsically eternally saṃsāra, and could never become true; this is the view of annihilationism. Both of these are incorrect; they do not depart from annihilationism and eternalism. Because the saṃsāra of all sentient beings is without nature, originally there is no saṃsāra; falsely conceiving saṃsāra, originally it is not saṃsāra. Because all Buddhas originally lack svabhāva, in reality there is no bodhi and also no nirvāṇa; yet sentient beings falsely claim that the Buddhas possess bodhi and nirvāṇa. If there are sentient beings who can know like this, they are called having aroused the mind, are called Buddhas, and are called having seen the path; and they are able to enlighten all sentient beings. This is one who has penetrated avidyā; avidyā is originally non-existent, and the Buddhas are also non-existent: such a one is called an awakened one. Merely by means of wonderful wisdom that is non-reliant and non-abiding, devoid of substance and devoid of nature, being able to respond like an echo and manifest bodily forms, and being able to teach and transform sentient beings with this principle—this is called great compassion. Therefore, one cannot arouse the bodhicitta with attainment and realization, with longing and revulsion, with taking and discarding, with ancient and modern, or with true and false. Arousing the bodhicitta in this way is not covered by the avidyā of the long night." It also says: "Sudhana said to the monk Megha: 'I have already aroused the mind toward unexcelled bodhi'—he had already aroused the bodhicitta at the dwelling of Mañjuśrī. Because he knew that bodhi is devoid of realization or cultivation and devoid of anything to be sought, he merely sought the bodhisattva's preparatory practice of expedient samādhi. His bodhicitta naturally became luminous and undefiled, just as when there are clouds in space, when the clouds perish, space is naturally empty, and one no longer speaks of seeking empty space. This clarifies that one merely cultivates the bodhisattva's contemplative illumination of samādhi to cure grasping and obstructions; yet the bodhicitta has no substance that is cultivated, produced, retained, or removed: it is not decreased in ordinary beings and not increased in the sages. For this reason, taking Mount Sucaru now as an image of the two gates of śamatha and vipaśyanā, aided and made manifest by the seven factors of bodhi, through expedients, bodhicitta naturally becomes clear and bright. When it reaches the point where bodhi is clear and bright, then the various samādhis practiced by the bodhisattva are intrinsically bodhi itself; there is no longer a distinct bodhi that becomes clear and bright on its own. This clarifies that when a bodhisattva dwells in the world cultivating the ten thousand practices, the world's ten thousand practices, up to bodhi and nirvāṇa, are by nature intrinsically detached. Using this Dharma to teach and transform the deluded masses who do not comprehend this, causing them to awaken to and penetrate the undefiled wisdom of the emptiness of nature so as to purify all karmas and prevent suffering from arising, is called great compassion. It is just like an illusory person teaching and transforming a magical phantom. Contemplating karma with wisdom, conforming to the time and conforming to faculties, equally benefiting the ten directions, devoid of citta, manas, and vijñāna, magical wisdom benefits sentient beings. By this meaning, one merely seeks all the practices of the bodhisattva, to clarify that practice itself is bodhi, completely free of arising and ceasing. Therefore it says, 'I have already aroused the mind toward unexcelled bodhi,' to clarify that although the bodhi of faith has not yet been made manifest through the preparatory practice of samādhi, one already knows there is nothing to cultivate and nothing to seek. Now seeking the bodhisattva's practices clarifies that when expedient means and samādhi seal each other, only then is it understood that practice and bodhi are truly non-dual. In this, one cannot say that all conditioned phenomena are impermanent, being arising and being ceasing. As this sūtra says: 'All dharmas do not arise; all dharmas do not cease. If one can understand in this way, the Buddhas will appear before one.' From this we know that the mind of bodhi does not arise and does not cease, is without attainment and without reliance. What is called seeking the bodhisattva's practices is an expedient manifestation; at the very time of manifestation, then principle and practice are non-dual. For this reason, in the assembly of Prajñā, Śāriputra thought: 'Relying on what Dharma-gate does Subhūti so skillfully expound prajñā?' Subhūti said: 'Because I am without reliance, I discourse like this. If all disciples of the Buddha are without reliance in regard to all things, all are naturally so by Dharma; it is not something I can do.' It is also like the celestial drum preaching the Dharma in the Hall of Wonderful Goodness, which is called the non-reliant seal Dharma-gate. Thus an ancient gāthā says: 'Recognizing citta and penetrating the root is the Buddha of suchness; / Ultimately without reliance is the liberated person.'"