宗鏡錄 91

English (machine translation) 91

Language: English

91.1

Compiled by Yanshou, Chan Master Zhijue, Abbot of Huiri Yongming Monastery.

Now, the path of ordinary beings and sages shares the same dharmakāya. When both this and that are lost, and both objects and self are severed, there is nothing to be attained within the mind, and nothing remaining outside the body. How then are the responsive and transformed bodies raised to gather assemblies of suitable capacities?

91.3

Answer: It is simply because sentient beings do not understand that self and other are mind-only, and arbitrarily give rise to [the dichotomy of] this and that. If they themselves penetrated true emptiness, then the buddhas would never appear in the world, and bodhisattvas would have no work to do.

91.4

An ancient worthy asked: "If it is said that self and other are both manifested from one's own mind, and that apart from the mind there is no real self or person, then since the buddhas also see that there are sentient beings, how could they still have unexhausted deluded mind?"

91.5

Answer: That the buddhas see there are sentient beings is entirely [seeing them as] dependently arisen, illusory existences. Sentient beings, unaware [of this], claim that there is a real self; therefore they create karma and receive retribution, vainly undergoing saṃsāra. It is because there is no real self that this evokes the buddhas' loving-kindness and compassion. If there were a real self and it were not an illusory existence, why would the buddhas mistakenly save sentient beings? For if a self really existed, it could not be saved. That they now save them is because they definitely know there is no self, and that [sentient beings] mistakenly calculate that there is. Therefore, know that sentient beings are not separate from the fruit of buddhahood, but are deluded and unaware. A verse of the Avataṃsakasūtra says: / "The Buddha's body is not a transformation, / Nor is it non-transformation; / Within the dharma that is without transformation, / He manifests the appearance of transformation." / An ancient commentary explains: "This is relying on the true to arise as transformation. The true and transformation each have two meanings. First, the two in the true are: 1. The meaning of unchangingness: although transformed, it is constantly serene; thus 'the Buddha's body is not a transformation.' 2. The meaning of according with conditions: meaning that it does not abide in its own nature and there is no time it does not manifest; thus 'nor is it non-transformation.' The two in transformation are: 1. The meaning of being empty without substance: meaning that by gathering conditions it has no nature; thus 'within the dharma that is without transformation.' 2. The meaning of illusory existence born from conditions: thus 'he manifests the appearance of transformation.' Because illusory existence that accords with conditions is not different from the empty substance that is unchanging, therefore its manifested transformations are multitudinous yet have never not been quiescent; its true nature is serene yet has never not been transforming. If one does not penetrate this principle, one has not yet liberated oneself—how could one transform others? Furthermore, with unconditioned loving-kindness, like a lodestone attracting iron, how could there be a distinction between the active agent and the passive recipient of transformation? With compassion of identical substance, like empty space, who sees bodies of self and other? Therefore a prior worthy said: 'Exhausting the source admits no duality; grasping at traces brings many extremes.' This means that if one relies on the fundamental to investigate the source, then a thousand paths have no different tracks, just as the vast expanse of the Three Rivers all have their source arising from Mount Min. This is 'exhausting the source admits no duality.' If 'grasping at traces brings many extremes,' then one relies on the branches to seek the root, unaware that the many extremes are merely responding traces. Therefore the verse in the Chapter on Awakening by Light says: / 'One body becomes immeasurable, / Immeasurable [bodies] again become one; / Thoroughly understanding all worlds, / He manifests forms everywhere throughout all. / This body comes from nowhere, / Nor is it accumulated anywhere; / It is because sentient beings make discriminations / That they see the Buddha's various bodies.' / This is precisely its meaning. It is merely the one dharmakāya, yet conceptually divided into two, three, four, five, and even up to ten bodies. Now, as for the explanation of five bodies, Master Rui's commentary on the Vimalakīrti explains: 'Namely, the body born of dharmatā, also called the merit dharmakāya, the transformation dharmakāya, the true-aspect dharmakāya, and the space dharmakāya. When scrutinized and distinguished, they are the one dharmakāya. Why? Speaking of its birth, it is rooted in dharmatā, hence called the body born of dharmatā. Tracing its cause, it is accomplished by merit, hence called the merit dharmakāya. Considering its response, there is no stimulus without manifestation, which is the transformation dharmakāya. Praising its vastness, it encompasses empty space, which is the space dharmakāya. Expressing its subtlety, it is formless and unconditioned, hence called the true-aspect dharmakāya.' Therefore know that the one substance is unmoved, and names are distinguished according to conditions. Thus it is said: at the same time in different places, it is certainly multiple bodies; yet it is the full manifestation of the single body, and therefore not multiple. It is like the single moon: in a single kṣaṇa it appears simultaneously in a hundred rivers, all being both one and many. Moreover, because it appears everywhere it is not one; because it is a single moon it is not many. As Bodhisattva Jñānaketu's verse says: / 'Like the pure, full moon, / Universally appearing in all waters: / Although the reflected images are immeasurable, / The original moon was never two.' / This is it. Furthermore, a sūtra verse says: / 'The Tathāgata's pure, subtle dharmakāya / Has no equal in all the three realms, / Because it transcends the path of worldly speech, / And its nature is neither existent nor non-existent. / Although having nothing upon which to rely, there is nowhere it does not go; / Although there is nowhere it does not reach, it does not depart. / Like a line drawn in space or what is seen in a dream: / One should view the Buddha's substance in this way.' / Because it is neither true nor responding, neither one nor many, one must not conceptualize it as true, responding, one, or many. Therefore the verse in the Chapter on Awakening by Light says: / 'The Buddha's vision is unborn and transcends conceptual proliferation; / It is not the differentiated phenomena of aggregates or sense-bases.' / Hence it is difficult to conceive. It also says: 'All are bodies in which self and other make one another, transformations mutually accomplished by the active and the passive.' As for 'self and other making one another,' as the Avataṃsakasūtra says: 'This bodhisattva can, in accordance with the inclinations of sentient beings' minds, use their own body to make the body of a realm, the body of sentient beings, the body of karmic retribution, the body of a śrāvaka, the body of a pratyekabuddha, the body of a bodhisattva, the body of a tathāgata, the dharmakāya, the wisdom-body, and the space-body.' This is the self making the other. Furthermore, in accordance with the inclinations of sentient beings' minds, they can use the bodies of sentient beings to make their own body; this is the other making the self. As for 'mutually accomplished by the active and passive': if there were no capacity of the converted (passive), there would be no traces of the converter (active). Furthermore, if there were no responding body, there would also be no event of evoking a stimulus. Self and other, active and passive, are neither one nor different; dependent origination relying on each other accomplishes this esoteric purport. However, this mutual reliance in dependent origination is entirely conditioned by one's own mind; there is never any dharma outside the mind that can serve as a condition for the mind. Therefore an ancient worthy said: 'The buddhas of the ten directions are all suddenly manifested from our fundamental teacher's sāgaramudrā.' Moreover, when dividing bodies in the Lotus Sūtra, there were many pure lands; why did the Tathāgata not point to his own pure land, but instead directed [sentient beings] to go elsewhere to Amitābha or Abhirati? Think about this! Therefore know that buddhas such as Bhadraśrī and Amitābha are all our fundamental teacher. What is strange about this? 'Bhadraśrī' refers to the Tathāgata of the Utmost Lotus World, beyond a hundred myriad asaṃkhyeya lands, in the Chapter on the Measure of Life. A verse in the sūtra says: / 'Or they see the supremely wonderful Lotus Land, / With Bhadraśrī Tathāgata dwelling therein.' / If this were not praising our fundamental teacher, what would be the purpose of speaking of another tathāgata in another land? Furthermore, in the Dhāraṇī teaching, it is also said that the thirty-seven deities are all manifested by the single Buddha Vairocana. That is to say, Vairocana Tathāgata within his mind realizes his own enjoyment, completing the five wisdoms, and from four wisdoms emanate four tathāgatas. That is, the great round mirror wisdom emanates Akṣobhya Tathāgata of the east; the wisdom of equality emanates Ratnasaṃbhava Tathāgata of the south; the wonderful discerning wisdom emanates Amitāyus Tathāgata of the west; the wisdom of accomplishing actions emanates Amoghasiddhi Tathāgata of the north; and the pure wisdom of the dharmadhātu is Vairocana Tathāgata himself.

91.6

It is questioned again: "If one relies on this meaning, does it not contradict the intention of sameness (samatābhiprāya)? If one says 'he is identical to me,' this is spoken relying on the intention of sameness, not that he is identical to my body. How can they all be said to be the fundamental teacher?"

91.7

Answer: The word "equality" is one intention [of the teaching]. Vijñaptimātra even explains that among all sentient beings, some belong to multiple buddhas, and multiple buddhas jointly transform them into one buddha; if they belong to one buddha, the buddha can display multiple bodies. Each and every tathāgata of the ten directions is like this. Here it is precisely that one buddha can become multiple bodies, and it is on this basis that the Original Teacher is praised. As a verse in the "Chapter on the Inconceivable Realm of Liberation" in the Avataṃsakasūtra says: / "Buddha-wisdom penetrates purely and without obstruction, / in a single kṣaṇa completely understanding the phenomena of the three times. / They all manifest from the conditions of mind and consciousness; / arising and ceasing, they are impermanent and without self-nature. / In a single kṣetra he achieves true awakening; / in all places and kṣetras it is likewise so. / All enter into each one, and each is also thus; / according to the minds of sentient beings, he manifests." / The Great Yāna Thousand-Bowl Great Teaching King Sūtra says: "Such skillful means, Dharma, and wisdom for transforming beings of all buddhas, I collect entirely within one mind, because it is identical with the vajra bodhi noble nature samādhi." The Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra says: "Just as the sun and moon have no discrimination, and just as water and a mirror have no discrimination, and the light also has no discrimination, yet when these three harmonize, an image is produced; so too are the dharmatathatā and tathatājñāna without discrimination: due to the sovereignty of vows, when sentient beings have a resonance, they manifest the responsive nirmāṇakāya, just as the reflection of the sun and moon appears through harmonization." A tathāgata has no going and no coming. Therefore it is said: he goes forth to respond to the capacities of beings, yet does not go; he constantly returns to quiescent extinction, yet does not come. Why is this? Because giving rise to function based on substance is called 'going', yet because it is function identical with substance, he does not go. Responding to capacities and appearing before them should be 'coming', yet because the response is not separate from substance, like the moon's reflection, he does not come. Furthermore, going forth to respond fittingly is called 'going', yet since response is without characteristics of response, he does not go; constantly returning to quiescent extinction fittingly is called 'coming', yet since extinction is ungraspable, he does not come. And so on, until all phenomena are without coming and going. As a sūtra verse says: / "All phenomena are without coming; / therefore there is no arising." / Yet within the unarisen Dharma, he manifests the transformation of compassion. Therefore the Mahāpuruṣaśāstra says: "The bodhisattva reflects: 'All sentient beings can perform adorned karma for me; I will not cause a single sentient being to have unadorned thoughts.' The bodhisattva reflects thus: 'Regarding what is called benefiting others, seeking the characteristic of another person is completely ungraspable; they are entirely like oneself.'" It also says: "The bodhisattva reflects: 'May my compassion be like empty space. All mountains, rivers, trees, flying birds, and running beasts abide dependent on space; may all sentient beings at all times enter into my compassion.'" Thus, with great compassion of identical substance, what sentient being would not be delivered? By giving rise to the great wisdom of equality, what path would not be accomplished? As the Huayan lun says: "Regarding the 'Dedication of the Inexhaustible Merit-Treasure', this stage clarifies that dhyāna merges with wisdom, and wisdom joins with compassion. Taking inexhaustible empty space as a single bodhimaṇḍa, and taking the inexhaustible aspects of the activities of avidyā of sentient beings as buddha-work, the body constantly serves inexhaustible buddhas while pervading the dharmadhātu, transforming inexhaustible sentient beings to entirely become buddha-bodies. Outer and inner aspects are forgotten, and beginning and end are completely exhausted. He universally knows all phenomena without destroying non-mind." The "Chapter on the Inexhaustible Merit-Treasure" says: "In a single pore seeing asaṃkhyeya buddhas appear in the world, one attains entry into the inexhaustible treasury of phenomena." This clarifies that the mind-nature is originally nonexistent, and large and small are entirely unconstrained. The body is the reflection of wisdom; lands are also like this. When wisdom is pure, the reflections are bright, and large and small interpenetrate, just like the metaphor of the realm of Indra's net. The sūtra says: "With the power of buddha-wisdom, contemplating all phenomena as entirely entering into one phenomenon." This clarifies that although the myriad objects are many, they all arise from one mind. When mind is forgotten, objects are extinguished; the myriad objects are all empty, like the many reflections in pure water: when the water disappears, the reflections are extinguished. This is explained in terms of breaking through existence to establish nonexistence. Furthermore, because objects arise dependent on wisdom, wisdom is void and objects are illusory; multiple characteristics enter one another, not departing from the single void. The illusory is not different from the void; the void is not different from the illusory. Illusory and void are non-dual; oneness and difference are completely void. This is explained in terms of the gate of unimpeded sovereignty of wisdom, illusion, and void. These are all teachings that use analogies based on phenomena; what is known in accord with reality can only be comprehended in wisdom by those who have eliminated conceptual thought. Only those who comprehend it in wisdom can function while remaining constantly true, without being confused by mind and objects. By the power of great vows, in accord with wisdom, they illusorily produce bodies equal in number to sentient beings, gathering and transforming them as appropriate; therefore it is called the 'Inexhaustible Merit-Treasure'. It also says: "Bodhisattvas of the Cloud of Dharma stage, in accordance with the power of their mind's thoughts, whether vast or subtle, self and other interpenetrate; one and many, large and small, participate in each other. Their spiritual powers, virtues, and functions are sovereign, entirely accomplished according to their own mind's thoughts." Just as the operative realms of all sentient beings are all accomplished by the grasping of karma of their own minds—the karmic fruits and retributions of humans, devas, narakas, animals, hungry ghosts, good and evil, are entirely created dependent on mind—likewise these bodhisattvas of the ten stages, by the power of the great wisdom of the unconditioned dharmakāya, in accordance with whatever their minds think of, are universally sovereign in the ten directions at once, fully knowing and seeing everything. Taking universal-light wisdom as substance: because the substance of wisdom has no reliance, it accords with nature to universally pervade the dharmadhātu, equal to the measure of empty space, pervading and filling the worlds of the ten directions; with the wisdom of non-nature, its great function accords with thought; with the wisdom of non-forgetfulness, whatever is thought is accomplished; with the wisdom endowed with the universal and the particular, the universal and particular, identity and difference, formation and disintegration, are all produced; with the sovereign wisdom of vast and narrow, large and small, transformation is penetrating and unimpeded; with the wisdom of identical substance with all sentient beings, it can transform all sentient beings' realms purely into pure land kṣetras; with the wisdom of non-duality of self and other, one body becomes multiple bodies, and multiple bodies become one body; with the wisdom of the dharmakāya being free of large and small and beyond measure, it can widely accommodate buddha-kṣetras in a single pore; with the wisdom equal to empty space without boundary or direction, in a single thought it manifests birth, filling the ten directions without coming or going; with echo-like wisdom, it can respond like an echo, manifesting directly, with responsive forms equal to sentient beings; with this wisdom endowed with complete merit, it constantly abides in wondrous kṣetras, always dwelling together with all sentient beings; if not for the empowering power of the noble ones, sentient beings would not see it.

91.8

Question: How does one see the buddhas appear?

91.9

Answer: One should see one's own body as having no body and no mind, no appearing and no disappearing, no inside and no outside, neither moving nor quiescent, without thought and without seeking. In the worldly and the transworldly, there is nowhere to abide at all. There are no mental factors (caitta) and no mind or mental factors; mental phenomena have no reliance, and their nature has no beginning or end. With wisdom that does not rely or abide, one speaks such Dharma and transforms sentient beings, causing them all to awaken and enter. This is called 'seeing the buddhas appear'. As Mañjuśrī's verse in the "Chapter on the Awakening of Light" says: / "Worldly and transworldly views, / all of them he completely transcends; / yet he can skillfully know the Dharma, / and shall become a great illumination. / If toward all-knowledge / one gives rise to a mind of dedication, / and sees that the mind is unarisen, / one shall attain great renown. / Sentient beings are unarisen, / and likewise there is no destruction; / if one attains knowledge such as this, / one shall achieve the unsurpassable Path." / Furthermore, the Mahāyāna Mahāsaṃnipātasūtra says: "The Buddha told Bhadrapāla: 'Suppose a fire has not yet arisen, and someone were to say, "Today I will first extinguish this fire." Bhadrapāla, what do you think? Are that person's words true or not?' Bhadrapāla replied: 'No, World-Honoured One.' The Buddha told Bhadrapāla: 'Likewise, all phenomena from the very beginning are ultimately unattained. Why do you now make this statement: "I can realize and know all phenomena; I can comprehend all phenomena; I can awaken to all phenomena; I can deliver all sentient beings from saṃsāra"? These are not correct words. Why is that? Within that dharmadhātu, originally there are no phenomena, nor are there sentient beings. How could there be talk of deliverance? It is only through causes and conditions in conventional truth that there is deliverance.'" Therefore we know that outside mind there are no phenomena; what is there to be attained? The Buddha-body is unconditioned, appearing only in accordance with conditions. As the Zhaolun says: "The Fangguang [jing] says: 'The Buddha is like empty space, without going and without coming, appearing in response to conditions, having no fixed location.' Thus, the sage's presence in the world is quiescent, empty, and void; without grasping and without contention. He guides without leading; he responds only after there is a resonance. He is like the echo in a secluded valley, or an image in a bright mirror: facing it, one does not know where it comes from; following it, one does not perceive where it goes. Indistinctly present, vaguely gone. Moving, he is ever more quiescent; hidden, he is ever more apparent. Emerging from the obscure and entering the dark, his transformations are without constancy. As for his designations, they arise in response: manifesting traces is called 'birth'; withdrawing traces is called 'extinction'. Birth is named 'with remainder'; extinction is named 'without remainder'. Yet designations of existence and nonexistence are rooted in the nameless; as for the nameless Way, what cannot be named of it? Therefore the sage, dwelling in the square is square, halting in the round is round; being among devas he is a deva, dwelling among humans he is a human. Considering the source of being able to be a deva and being able to be a human—how could it be what devas and humans can do? It is precisely because he is neither deva nor human that he can be a deva and be a human. Therefore, a bright mirror has no form, yet can manifest ten thousand forms; the sage has no mind, yet can respond to ten thousand minds. Concealed, he does not hide his light; manifested, he does not show traces." Therefore the treatise says: "The sage is serene and without portents; concealment and manifestation share the same origin. Living is not considered existence; dying is not considered nonexistence." Why is this? The Buddha said: "I have no birth that is not born, yet though born I am unarisen; I have no form that is not formed, yet though formed I am formless."

91.10

Question: The tathāgata's dharmakāya is the true mind-nature. The tathāgata's sambhogakāya arises based on the true. Does the tathāgata's nirmāṇakāya still have a mind or not?

91.11

Answer: In terms of substance, it is also not separate [from the true mind]; in terms of phenomena, it is distinguished. As the Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra says: "Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva further addressed the Buddha, saying: 'World-Honoured One, regarding the tathāgata's nirmāṇakāya, should it be said to have a mind, or to be without a mind?' The Buddha told Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva: 'Good son, it is neither with mind nor without mind. Why is that? Because it has no mind that relies on itself, but it has a mind that relies on others.'"

91.12

Question: Sūtras say that the bodhisattva shuts the gates of all bad destinies. Yet all sentient beings receive painful retributions according to the karma of their own minds; hence a sūtra verse says: / "Even after hundreds of thousands of kalpas, / the karma that is created does not perish; / when causes and conditions converge, / one still receives the retribution oneself." / How can a bodhisattva shut the gates of all bad destinies?

91.13

Answer: This refers simply to one's own mind being constantly open. The gates of the six consciousnesses—when have they ever been closed even for a moment? Day and night calculating and conceiving, conditioning thoughts on all unwholesome matters, pervading every realm of objects, from thought-moment to thought-moment constantly fabricating the hells of saṃsāra. A sūtra says: 'The accumulation of mental thoughts is called hell.' If one can contemplate that the nature of one's own mind-consciousness is non-existent, that itself is opening the gate to the wholesome destinies. If one does not give rise to mental thoughts, that itself is closing the gates to the evil destinies. If one attains sovereign wisdom appearing before oneself, one immediately manifests bodies to be born in the five destinies, entering the realms of the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, and so forth, to rescue suffering sentient beings. Therefore, within the Chan gate, 'no-thought' is established as the source, taken as the essential study. Thus a sūtra verse says: / 'Diligently minding non-thought, / The Buddha-Dharma is not hard to obtain.' / Why is it called not hard to obtain? Because through non-thought, the myriad objects do not arise, and right where one is, there is liberation. If there is a thought arising, it does not merely open the gates to the evil destinies—the twenty-five states of existence all appear simultaneously. Thus we know that the myriad entities all differ on account of thought; the twelve classes [of beings] spread out in confusion; the thousand distinctions all arise following conceptual thought; and the eighty-thousand gates compete to arise. As the Xinxin ming says: 'If the eye does not sleep, / All dreams naturally vanish. / If the mind does not differentiate, / The myriad dharmas are of one suchness.' Because all dharmas lack an inherent substance, they arise from one's own mind. If the mind does not arise, external objects are perpetually quiescent. Hence it is said: 'The myriad dharmas are originally at rest, yet people disturb themselves.' Therefore the Zhaolun says: 'Hence the sage, mounting the true mind to tread in accord, finds nothing obstructed that does not flow through; examining the single pneumata to observe transformation, everything encountered is harmonious and fitting. Because nothing obstructed fails to flow through, he can blend diversity to reach purity; because everything encountered is harmonious and fitting, he touches things and unifies with them. In this way, although the myriad forms differ, they cannot differentiate themselves. Because they cannot differentiate themselves, we know that forms are not true forms. Since forms are not true forms, then although they are forms, they are non-forms. Thus, then, objects and self share the same root; right and wrong are of a single pneumata. Hidden, subtle, profound, and obscure, it is scarcely something that the sentiments of the masses can fathom.' Thus we know that if one mounts the one mind and treads upon it, where does one go that is not tathatā? If one receives the single pneumata and enacts transformation, what entity is not in accord? As Zhuangzi says: 'Heaven and earth are a single pneumata, yet capable of myriad transformations.' Laozi says: 'Heaven obtaining the One becomes clear; Earth obtaining the One becomes tranquil; the spirits obtaining the One become efficacious; the myriad things obtaining the One come to life.' Therefore the sage, observing the myriad objects with the single true mind, finds that whatever is encountered is harmonious and fitting, touching things and merging into oneness. From this we know that all dharmas lack an inherent substance; relying on conditioned, nominal marks, they appear to have distinctions, yet cannot differentiate themselves. Why is this? Length has no mark of length, and of itself does not say 'I am long'; shortness has no mark of shortness, and also of itself does not say 'I am short.' These are all calculative discriminations made following thoughts; when parikalpita attachments and sentiments arise, one then knows that the myriad things are originally empty, and being identical to forms, they are without form.

91.14

Question: As explained above, sentient beings create karma with their own minds and personally undergo painful retribution. How, then, can it be said that [a bodhisattva] takes on suffering on behalf of all sentient beings?

91.15

Answer: Masters of old have explained taking on suffering according to seven meanings: First, giving rise to the aspiration of compassion, though in actual fact one might not necessarily be able [to do so]. Second, cultivating various ascetic practices, being able to serve as an augmenting condition for living beings, which is called taking on suffering. Third, retaining defilement to moisten rebirth, accepting a suffering body of existence to expound the Dharma for beings and cause them not to commit evil; when the cause is destroyed, the effect vanishes, which is called taking on suffering. Fourth, if one sees a sentient being committing an ānantarya karma that will result in great suffering, through fearless skillful means one would rather end their life and fall into hell oneself so that they may escape suffering. Fifth, from the initial resolve, constantly abiding in the evil destinies, even taking the body of a great fish in an age of famine, which is called taking their place. Sixth, the great vows and the suffering are both identical to the true nature; now, by means of the great vows that are identical to truth, one secretly penetrates the suffering that is identical to truth. Seventh, taking the dharmadhātu as the body, self and other are without distinction; sentient beings undergoing suffering is itself the bodhisattva. The first is only aspiration; the next two are as conditions; the next two are actual substitution; the last two are contemplation on principle. However, it is only with respect to those with whom there is a connection that one is able to substitute for them. The Huanyuan guan says: 'The virtue of universally taking on suffering on behalf of sentient beings means that when a bodhisattva cultivates various practices, it is not for his own sake, but solely out of the desire to broadly benefit all living beings, regarding enemies and kin with equality, universally causing them to sever evil, fully cultivating the myriad practices, and swiftly realizing bodhi. Moreover, when the bodhisattva originally practiced the bodhisattva path, through great compassion and great vows, he used his own body as a pledge in the three evil destinies to ransom all suffering sentient beings, determined to bring them happiness, to the end of future time, his mind never retreating or faltering, harboring not even a hair's breadth of hope that sentient beings would repay his kindness.' A sūtra verse says: / 'The vast cloud of compassion pervades all; / Relinquishing immeasurable bodies equal to dust motes of kṣetras. / Having cultivated various practices over oceans of past kalpas, / He causes this world to be free from all defilements.' / This means that sentient beings' deluded attachment shifting from thought-moment to thought-moment is called suffering. The bodhisattva teaches them to comprehend that the skandhas are empty and quiescent, their self-nature originally void; hence it is called transcending suffering.

91.16

Question: Sentient beings are boundless, and their painful karmas are also boundless. How can a bodhisattva take them upon himself on their behalf?

91.17

Answer: That a bodhisattva takes on suffering on behalf of sentient beings is due to the power of great compassion and skillful means. It is simply because sentient beings deludedly grasp and do not comprehend that the substance of karma arises from delusion, having no way to emerge from suffering. The bodhisattva teaches them to cultivate the two gates of śamatha and vipaśyanā without ceasing for even a moment; when the cause is destroyed and the effect vanishes, suffering has no way to arise. Merely causing them not to enter the three evil paths is termed taking on suffering on behalf of sentient beings. Therefore, the sufferings of birth and death in the three realms are all deludedly undergone by sentient beings. Because they do not comprehend that sense faculties and dusts lack self-nature and that roots and branches are constantly empty, within ultimate non-existence they grasp and form definitive existence. Due to this, through greedy grasping, they bind karma and receive rebirth, undergoing the suffering of saṃsāra over immeasurable kalpas, covered by avidyā, unconscious and unknowing. The bodhisattva thereupon extends a mind of great compassion, pitying this inversion, and expounds the Dharma medicine of the emptiness of nature to smash the root of the affliction of sentimental existence; thus they realize that suffering is unarisen and do not commit evil karma, knowing that sensations arise mutually and are able to destroy the cause of delusion. Since the deludedly received suffering is already empty, the antidote of joy naturally ceases. Therefore, a master of old said: 'Suffering is joy, joy is suffering; / Just this cultivation severs the gateways. / There is neither suffering nor joy; / Originally, the self-nature has no bonds.' Through this wondrous awakening, entering the gate of the single limit, they then attain the emptiness of both person and dharmas, no longer bound by mind and objects; right where they are, they obtain liberation and eternally emerge from the source of suffering. How is this not taking on suffering? Furthermore, a sūtra says: 'Expounding the Dharma is the great spiritual transformation; it can cause the ordinary immediately to become noble, turning misfortune into auspiciousness, leaping from amidst the wheel of fire in the hells onto the lotus throne of a pure kṣetra.' How is this not a spiritual transformation?

91.18

Question: All realms of objects are differentiated due to the mind. If there is differentiation, it belongs to avidyā. Hence it is said: 'When there is no mind to differentiate, all dharmas are correct; when there is a mind to differentiate, all dharmas are perverse.' The Buddhas, the Tathāgatas, have already severed avidyā and have no mental characteristics. How can they know the realms of differences between the absolute and the conventional, and be termed [possessors of] sarvākārajñatā?

91.19

Answer: Because dharmas have no self-substance, differentiation is itself non-differentiation. Because substance does not obstruct conditions, non-differentiation is itself differentiation. As the Awakening of Faith says: 'Because its self-substance manifest and illuminates, it is called the Awakened One.'

91.20

This addresses an objection which states: 'If there is no separate substance, how can it universally manifest the mental activities of sentient beings?'

91.21

Therefore, the answer says: 'The self-substance manifests, just as a jewel has radiance that illuminates the jewel's own substance.' The substance of the jewel illustrates the citta; the radiance illustrates wisdom. The nature of the substance of the citta is the nature of all dharmas. When it illuminates all dharmas, it is merely illuminating itself. Therefore, the text of the treatise is extremely clear.

91.22

Now, the treatise asks: 'Because empty space is boundless, worlds are boundless; because worlds are boundless, sentient beings are boundless; because sentient beings are boundless, the differences in their mental activities are also boundless. Such realms of objects cannot be delimited and are difficult to know and comprehend. If avidyā has been severed and there are no mental thoughts, how can they be fully understood and termed sarvākārajñatā?'

91.23

The answer says: 'All realms of objects are originally one mind, free from conceptual thoughts. Because sentient beings deludedly perceive realms of objects, their minds have delimitations; because they deludedly give rise to conceptual thoughts, which do not accord with the nature of dharmas, they cannot definitively comprehend them. The Buddhas, the Tathāgatas, are free from views and thoughts, pervading everywhere. Because their mind is real, it is the nature of all dharmas; its self-substance manifests and illuminates all deluded dharmas, possessing the great function of wisdom and immeasurable skillful means, and in accordance with what each sentient being ought to comprehend, it can reveal and teach the various meanings of the Dharma. Therefore, it obtains the name sarvākārajñatā.' The commentary explains: 'Because the mind is real, it is the nature of all dharmas. The Buddha's mind is free from thoughts and embodies the source of the one mind; because it is free from deluded thoughts, it is called a real mind. Because it embodies the one mind, it serves as the nature of all dharmas. This means that the Buddha's mind is the substance of all deluded dharmas, and all deluded dharmas are the marks of the Buddha's one mind. Marks appear in their own substance, and their own substance illuminates its marks. When comprehended like this, what difficulty could there be? Therefore, its self-substance can manifest and illuminate all deluded dharmas. This is the reason why by seeing nothing, there is nothing not seen.' The subcommentary says: 'Because internally one is deluded about the true principle, and consciousness externally perceives dusts, regarding objects of such measure, one cannot follow and know them in their various ways. Just as when a person moves their eyes, heaven and earth seem to tilt and sway, and so one cannot know them as they truly are.' From this we know that when the waves of the mind-ocean cease, the myriad images are simultaneously reflected; when waves rise in the clear pool, all objects become obscure.

91.24

Record of the Mirror of the Source, Fascicle Ninety-One

91.25

Printing blocks carved by the General Directorate of the Tripiṭaka Branch Office in the wushen year.

Linked texts (1)

宗鏡錄 — Classical Chinese