萬善同歸集 1.50

1.50

答：「雖觀能念、所誦皆空，空非斷空，不閡能誦、所持為有；有非實有，不空不有，中理皎然。執無，則墮其邪空；沒有，則成其偏假。是以一心三觀，三觀一心。即一，而三相不同；即三，而一體無異。非合非散，不縱不橫；存泯莫羈，是非焉局？常冥三諦，總合一乘。萬行度門，咸歸實相。又所難：念誦有妨禪定者，且禪定一法，乃四辨六通之本，是革凡蹈聖之因；攝念少時，故稱上善。然須明沈、掉消息。《知時經》云：『如坐禪昏昧，須起行道念佛，或志誠洗懺，以除重障，策發身心，不可確執一門以為究竟。』故慈愍三藏云：『聖教所說正禪定者，制心一處，念念相續；離於昏掉，平等持心。若睡眠覆障，即須策動，念佛誦經、禮拜行道、講經說法、教化眾生，萬行無廢。所修行業，迴向往生西方淨土。若能如是修習禪定者，是佛禪定與聖教合，是眾生眼目，諸佛印可。一切佛法，等無差別，皆乘一如，成最正覺，皆云念佛，是菩提因。何得妄生邪見？』故台教行四種三昧，小乘具五觀對治，亦有常行、半行種種三昧，終不一向而局坐禪。《金剛三昧經》云：『不動不禪，離生禪想。』《法句經》云：『若學諸三昧，是動非是禪；心隨境界生，云何名為定？』《起信論》云：『若人唯修於止，則心沈沒，或起懈怠，不樂眾善，遠離大悲。乃至於一切時、一切處，所有眾善，隨己堪能，不捨修學；心無懈怠，惟除坐時，專念於止。若餘一切，悉當觀察，應作不應作；若行、若住、若臥、若起，皆應止觀俱行。』是以若能通達，定散俱得入道；若生滯閡，行坐皆即成非。南嶽《法華懺》云：『修習諸禪定，得諸佛三昧，六根性清淨。菩薩學《法華》，具足二種行：一者有相行；二者無相行。無相安樂行，甚深妙禪定，觀察六情根。有相安樂行，此依勸發品，散心誦《法華》，不入禪三昧；坐立行一心，念《法華》文字；行若成就者，即見普賢身。』是以智者修《法華懺》，誦至《藥王焚身品》云：『是真精進，是名真法供養如來。』頓悟靈山如同即席。乃至密持神呪，靈貺照然，護正防邪，降魔去外；制重昏之巨障，滅積劫之深痾；現不測之神通，示難思之感應；扶其廣業，殄彼餘殃；仰憑法力難思，遂致安然入道。是以或因念佛而證三昧，或從坐禪而發慧門，或專誦經而見法身，或但行道而入聖境。但以得道為意，終不取定一門；惟憑專志之誠，非信虛誕之說。」

Answer: "Although one contemplates that both the one who is mindful and that which is recited are empty, emptiness is not nihilistic emptiness, and does not obstruct the existence of the one who recites and that which is upheld; existence is not real existence, neither empty nor existent, the Middle principle is distinctly clear. Grasping at non-existence, one falls into deviant emptiness; being submerged in existence, one creates biased conventionality. Therefore, the threefold contemplation is in one mind, and the one mind is the threefold contemplation. In being one, their three aspects are distinct; in being three, their single substance is without difference. Neither combined nor separated, neither vertical nor horizontal; preserved or eliminated without constraint, how could right and wrong bind them? Ever merging with the three truths, they unite entirely into the One Vehicle. The myriad practices and gateways of crossing over all return to dharmatā. Furthermore, regarding the objection that reciting and chanting hinder dhyāna: dhyāna as a single dharma is indeed the root of the four unimpeded talents and the six spiritual powers, and the cause for transforming from an ordinary being to stepping into sageliness; gathering one's thoughts for a short while is thus called supreme goodness. However, one must understand the movements of sinking and agitation. The *Zhishi jing* says: 'If one sits in dhyāna and becomes dim and murky, one must rise and walk the path, mindful of the Buddha, or sincerely wash and repent to eliminate heavy obstacles and stimulate body and mind; one must not rigidly cling to a single gateway as ultimate.' Therefore, Tripiṭaka Master Cimin said: 'The correct dhyāna spoken of in the sacred teachings consists of reining the mind to one place, thought succeeding thought without interruption; free from torpor and agitation, maintaining the mind with equanimity. If covered and obstructed by drowsiness, one must stimulate it: being mindful of the Buddha, reciting sūtras, bowing in worship, walking the path, lecturing on sūtras, speaking the Dharma, and teaching and transforming sentient beings, with none of the myriad practices abandoned. The karma of practices cultivated is dedicated toward rebirth in the Western Pure Land. If one can cultivate dhyāna in this way, this is the Buddha's dhyāna in accord with the sacred teachings; it is the eyes of sentient beings, sealed and approved by the Buddhas. All Buddhadharmas are equal without difference; all ride upon one suchness to accomplish supreme correct awakening, and all say that mindfulness of the Buddha is the cause of bodhi. How could one mistakenly give rise to deviant views?' Therefore, the Tiantai teachings practice the four kinds of samādhi, and the Hīnayāna is endowed with the five contemplations as antidotes; there are also constantly walking, half-walking, and various other samādhis, which are never exclusively confined to seated dhyāna. The *Vajrasamādhi Sūtra* says: 'Unmoving, not dhyāna, free from generating the thought of dhyāna.' The *Dharmapada* says: 'If one learns various samādhis, this is movement, not dhyāna; when the mind arises following sense objects, how can it be called absorption?' The *Awakening of Faith* says: 'If a person only cultivates calming (śamatha), the mind will sink into torpor, or give rise to indolence, not delighting in myriad good deeds and departing far from great compassion. Even at all times and in all places, all good deeds, according to one's capability, should not be abandoned in cultivation and study; the mind without indolence, except during sitting when one exclusively focuses on calming. As for all other times, one should examine what should and should not be done; whether walking, standing, lying down, or rising, calming and insight (śamatha and vipaśyanā) should both be practiced together.' Therefore, if one can penetrate thoroughly, both meditative concentration and dispersed contemplation can enter the Way; if one gives rise to stagnation and obstruction, both walking and sitting will immediately turn into errors. Nanyue's *Lotus Repentance* says: 'Cultivating various dhyānas, one attains the samādhis of the Buddhas, and the nature of the six sense faculties becomes pure. Bodhisattvas studying the *Saddharmapuṇḍarīka* are endowed with two kinds of practice: the first is practice with signs; the second is practice without signs. The peaceful and blissful practice without signs is profound and wondrous dhyāna, contemplating the six sense faculties. The peaceful and blissful practice with signs relies on the chapter on encouragement: reciting the *Saddharmapuṇḍarīka* with a dispersed mind, not entering dhyāna samādhi; sitting, standing, and walking with one mind, being mindful of the words of the *Saddharmapuṇḍarīka*; if the practice is accomplished, one directly sees the body of Samantabhadra.' Therefore, when Zhiyi cultivated the *Lotus Repentance* and recited up to the chapter on the Medicine King Burning His Body, which says: 'This is true vigor; this is called offering the true Dharma to the Tathāgata,' he suddenly awakened to the fact that the assembly at Vulture Peak was as if right before him. Even secretly upholding divine dhāraṇīs brings clear and luminous spiritual gifts, protecting the correct and guarding against the deviant, subduing Māra and repelling outsiders; subduing the great obstacle of heavy darkness, extinguishing the deep diseases of accumulated kalpas; manifesting unfathomable spiritual penetrations, showing inconceivable responses; supporting one's extensive deeds and eliminating lingering misfortunes; relying reverently on the inconceivable power of the Dharma, one is thereby led to enter the Way peacefully. Thus, either through mindfulness of the Buddha one realizes samādhi, or from seated dhyāna one unfolds the gateway of wisdom, or by exclusively reciting sūtras one sees the dharmakāya, or merely by walking the path one enters the sacred realm. One only takes attaining the Way as one's aim, never fixating on a single gateway; relying solely on the sincerity of focused aspiration, not believing in vain and groundless words."