宗鏡錄 98.27

98.27

The monk Shenxiu said: All non-sentient things manifest equally by virtue of this mind, because defilement and purity transform in accordance with the mind. There is no other nature; they necessarily rely on conditions. This means that dharmas produced by conditions are all without intrinsic nature. Emptiness and existence do not coexist: at the very moment sentient beings exist, non-sentient things must be empty, because the other is the self. Why is this? The other has no nature of its own; it is made by the self. Thus, the cultivation and realization of sentient beings is the cultivation and realization of non-sentient things. A sūtra says: 'Its body is all-pervading, equal to the true dharmadhātu.' Since it is equal to the dharmadhātu, the approach of non-sentient things is empty, for it is entirely Buddha. Furthermore, at the very moment non-sentient things exist, sentient beings must be empty, because the self is the other. Why is this? The self has no nature of its own; it is made by the other. Thus, the lack of cultivation and lack of realization of non-sentient things is the lack of cultivation and lack of realization of sentient beings. When Sudhana viewed the towers, they completely pervaded the dharmadhātu; the approach of sentient beings was empty, for they were entirely a single tower. A sūtra says: 'Sentient beings do not contravene any kṣetra; kṣetras do not contravene any sentient beings.' Although it is said that existence and non-existence are simultaneous, their distinct characteristics are present here.