宗鏡錄 96.23

96.23

The Dharaṇīṃdhara Sūtra says: “The Buddha said: ‘Dharaṇīṃdhara, what is meant by a bodhisattva-mahāsattva cultivating citta and contemplating citta? A bodhisattva-mahāsattva contemplates the characteristics of the arising, ceasing, abiding, and changing of citta. When contemplating thus, he reflects: “This citta comes from nowhere and goes nowhere; it is born merely because consciousness conditions characteristics, having no fundamental substance, with no fixed dharma to be attained. This citta has no coming and no going, and no abiding or changing to be attained. This citta is not past, future, or present. Because this citta’s consciousness conditions [objects], it arises from recollection. This citta is not inside, not outside, and not in between the two. This citta has not a single characteristic of arising. This citta is without nature and without fixedness; there is no producer and no instigator of its production. Because it gives rise to diverse karma, it is spoken of as ‘citta’; because consciousness conditions diverse objects, it is spoken of as ‘citta’; because moment to moment it arises and ceases in continuous succession, it is spoken of as ‘citta’.” Merely to cause sentient beings to penetrate the characteristics of citta’s conditions, within citta there is no characteristic of citta. This citta from the origin onward has neither been born nor arisen; its nature is constantly pure. It is defiled by adventitious defilements, and therefore there is discrimination. Citta does not know citta, nor does it see citta. Why? Because this citta is empty, and its nature is empty; its fundamental substance has nothing existent. This citta has no fixed dharma, because a fixed dharma cannot be attained. In this citta there is no dharma that is conjoined or disjoined. This citta’s prior limit cannot be attained, its subsequent limit cannot be attained, and its middle limit cannot be attained. This citta has no form; there is no one who can see it. Citta does not see itself, nor does it know its own nature. It only corresponds to the perversions of ordinary beings, arising due to consciousness conditioning characteristics of false conditions. This citta is empty, without self and without what belongs to self, impermanent, without solidity, and without any characteristic that is unaltering. Contemplating thus, one attains the cultivation of the smṛtyupasthāna of citta.’ At that time, this person does not discriminate whether this citta is citta or non-citta, but only skillfully knows that citta has no characteristic of arising, penetrating this citta’s nature of non-arising. Why? Because citta has no determined nature, nor does it have determined characteristics. The wise penetrate that this citta is without arising and without characteristics. At that time, they contemplate in accordance with reality the characteristics of the accumulation, sinking, and cessation of citta. When contemplating thus, they do not find citta, whether its characteristic of accumulation or its characteristic of sinking and cessation. They no longer discriminate whether citta ceases or does not cease, and are able to attain the true, pure characteristic of citta. With this pure citta, the bodhisattvas cannot be troubled by adventitious defilements. Why? Because the bodhisattvas see and know the pure characteristic of citta, and also know that sentient beings’ citta is pure. They reflect thus: ‘Because citta is defiled, sentient beings are defiled; because citta is pure, sentient beings are pure.’ When reflecting thus, they do not find the characteristic of citta’s defilement, nor do they find the characteristic of citta’s purity; they only know this citta’s constantly pure characteristic. Dharaṇīṃdhara, the bodhisattva-mahāsattva’s cultivation of citta and contemplation of citta is like this.”