宗鏡錄 95.17

95.17

The Dacheng bensheng xindi guan jing states: "At that time, Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: 'World-Honoured One, as the Buddha has said: the past is already extinguished, the future has not yet arrived, and the present does not abide. All mental dharmas in the three times are by original nature completely empty. In what sense is that bodhicitta said to be generated? Excellent, World-Honoured One! We pray that you will explain it, severing all nets of doubt and causing beings to advance toward bodhi.' The Buddha told Mañjuśrī: 'Noble man, among all mental dharmas, various false views arise. In order to eliminate and cut off the sixty-two views and all kinds of views, I have taught that citta and caitasika dharmas are empty. This is so that such views will have nothing to depend upon. For example, in a dense and luxuriant jungle, lions, white elephants, tigers, wolves, and ferocious beasts lurk; their venom breaks out to harm people, cutting off all footpaths. At that time, a wise person burns the forest with fire. Because the forest is emptied, none of the great ferocious beasts remain. That the mind is empty and views are extinguished is also like this.' ... Up to: 'Noble man, due to these causes and conditions, having taken the medicine of emptiness and eliminated false views, the self-awakened mind can generate bodhi. This awakened mind is precisely the bodhicitta; it has no two characteristics. Noble man, the self-awakened mind has four meanings. What are the four? Ordinary beings have two kinds of mind, and Buddhas and bodhisattvas have two kinds of mind. Noble man, what are the characteristics of the two minds of ordinary beings? First, the eye consciousness up to the mental consciousness (manovijñāna) together cognize their own objects; this is called the self-awakened mind. Second, citta and caitasika dharmas, separated from the five faculties, unite to cognize objects; this is called the self-awakened mind. Noble man, what are the characteristics of the two minds of the noble and holy ones? First is the wisdom that contemplates the real principle. Second is the wisdom that contemplates all objects. Noble man, such four kinds are called the self-awakened mind.'" Explanation: "Regarding the two minds of ordinary beings: The first is the mind where faculties and objects cognize together. This is produced through combination and has no self-substance. Ordinary beings grasp it as real, so it is taught to be empty. The second is the mind separated from faculties and objects; this is the true mind, which is not produced from conditions. If one understands this mind, this is truly the path of generating bodhi. Regarding the two minds of the noble and holy ones: The first is the mind of the wisdom of principle, which is the ultimate truth: both emptiness and existence are vanished, and both nature and characteristics are utterly tranquil. The second is the mind of the wisdom of objects, which is the conventional truth following conditions: it illuminates both the real and the conventional, and principle and phenomena mutually contain each other. If one enters into the Mirror of the Source, gathering together the four minds of ordinary and holy beings: either one enters the gate of mutual assistance, where the holy and the ordinary interpenetrate without obstruction; or one enters the gate of mutual dissolution, where the one and the many silently merge into the ocean of nature."