宗鏡錄 97.23

97.23

The fourteenth patriarch, the venerable Nāgārjuna, traveled and transformed beings, reaching South India. The people of that country mostly practiced deeds of merit and did not understand the Buddha's principle; they engaged only in petty debate and did not possess great wisdom. When asked about Buddha-nature, they said, “Giving: we seek deeds of merit, not understanding Buddha-nature. You understand Buddha-nature; explain it to us.” The master said, “If you wish to learn the Path, first eliminate self-conceit; only when you produce a reverent citta can you attain Buddha-nature.” The assembly asked, “What is the size of Buddha-nature?” The master said, “It is not something you know; it is not spoken of as large or small. If one speaks of large or small, that is just large or small, not Buddha-nature.” The assembly said, “We wish to abandon petty debate and return to the great ocean.” Nāgārjuna then preached the Dharma for them, manifesting an unusual mark before the great assembly: his body was like a moon disk, sitting upon the seat; they heard only the preaching of the Dharma, but did not see his form. In that assembly was an elder named Deva, who said to the assembly, “Do you recognize this auspicious sign or not?” The assembly said, “Unless one is a great sage, who could recognize it?” At that time, Deva's mental faculty had long been pure, and he also saw that mark. Silently matching and comprehending it, he told the assembly, “The master manifests the meaning of Buddha-nature, not the master's body. The signless samādhi, shaped like a full moon, is the meaning of Buddha-nature.” Before he had finished speaking, the master manifested his original body and spoke a verse upon the seat:
“The body manifests the mark of a full moon
In order to express the substance of all Buddhas.
Preaching the Dharma without physical form,
The function of eloquence is not sound or form.”
Furthermore, the Dharma-transmission verse says:
“In order to clarify the dharma of concealment and manifestation,
Only then is the principle of liberation spoken of.
Regarding dharmas, the citta does not realize anything;
There is neither anger nor joy.”