宗鏡錄 92.13

92.13

Answer: That all sentient beings are born into the three realms through this wisdom is because wisdom lacks an intrinsic nature, and cannot of itself know whether it is wisdom or non-wisdom, or dharmas such as good, evil, suffering, or pleasure. Because the substance of wisdom lacks an intrinsic nature, it merely manifests according to conditions, like an echo in the sky producing sound in response to an object. Wisdom devoid of intrinsic nature merely discriminates in response to conditions; because of discrimination, delusion and craving arise in succession. Because of delusion and craving, the illness of "mine" arises. Because there is "mine", the grasping karma of self and other immediately arises. Because of grasping, it is designated as manas; when grasping is uninterrupted, it is termed consciousness (vijñāna). Because of the seeds of consciousness, birth and death continue in succession. Because of birth and death, suffering is immeasurable. Because suffering is immeasurable, one only then seeks the path of non-suffering. Those who are deluded and do not know suffering cannot generate the resolve [for awakening]; those who know suffering and seek the truth are still none other than the fundamental wisdom. It is because it meets the conditions of suffering that it is able to know suffering; if it did not meet the conditions of suffering, it could not know suffering. Thus, because it knows the conditions of suffering, it can only then generate the resolve to seek the unsurpassed Path. Bodhisattvas of good lineage (gotra), having previously known suffering in past lives, have strong seeds of faith and understanding; even when experiencing the pleasurable retributions of humans and gods, they are still able to generate the resolve to seek the unsurpassed Path. Therefore, because of wisdom one follows delusion, and because of wisdom one follows awakening. Thus it is like a person who falls to the ground and rises by relying on the ground. At the very moment of following delusion, it is termed consciousness; at the very moment of following awakening, it is termed wisdom. In bondage it is called consciousness; in awakening it is called wisdom. Consciousness and wisdom fundamentally have no self-names; their names are merely established according to delusion and awakening. Therefore they cannot be bound to permanence or bound to annihilation. This wisdom and consciousness merely establish their names according to delusion and awakening; if one seeks their beginning and end, it is like seeking tracks in the sky, seeking a person in a shadow, or seeking a self in a body: their resting place is ultimately unobtainable. Therefore [they lack] characteristics of newly produced length, shortness, or location. Thus, this ignorance and wisdom have no beginning or end. When bodhi is attained, ignorance is not extinguished. Why is this? Because fundamentally it does not exist, there is no further extinguishing. When following ignorance, immovable wisdom is also not extinguished; because fundamentally it does not exist, it also has no extinguishing. It is merely termed ignorance due to conditions grasped in following forms, sounds, and scents; it is merely termed wisdom due to conditions of knowing suffering and generating the resolve [for awakening]. It is merely termed existent according to conditions; therefore its substance is fundamentally non-existent. Like an echo in the sky, upon reflection this can be seen. Consequently, if one enters the mirror of the source, the meaning of attaining Buddhahood is perfected: ascending and descending follow conditions, and one knows that sentient beings never permanently sink; noble and ordinary are not separated, clarifying that the Buddhas have scriptural statements of having the identical substance.